//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Fading Colors // by J-Webb //------------------------------// chapter 6: | ----------- |Shipping| |Sad| |Dark| *NOTE* Well this is the last chapter I hope you guys enjoy it... Time felt like it was at a halt for the group of friends as reality began to sink its sharp teeth into their minds. They all lost a dear friend today, a fellow Element of Harmony, and the world felt a little colder. The hanging silence was broken as the sound of a balloon deflating drew everypony's attention. Pinkie Pie collapsed to the library floor, her once poofy pink mane deflated and hung straight. "Dash… is gone?" Pinkie questioned, glancing up at her surrounding friends. Tears stung at the corners of the pink earth pony's eyes, as she fought hard to control her composure. "Pinkie…" Twilight started, but found herself unable to keep a hold on her emotions. Breaking down, Twilight too collapsed to the floor, forcefully shutting her eyes as tears streamed wildly down her cheeks. "Come now, my little ponies," Luna insisted, keeping a firm tone. It was clear to the group that she too was upset at the tragic event. "Not all hope is lost. She needs time. She will wake up," The Princess reassured. "No. No, she won't…" sounded Applejack's weak voice from behind; the earth pony was clearly the most shaken by the loss of their friend. "W-why, won't she, Applejack?" Fluttershy questioned, her voice cracking from the impending tears. Applejack seemed to grow angry at the question. Without intending to, she lashed out at the timid Pegasus. "Because, Ah seen and felt her smash into… Th- the ground," Applejack shrieked, exploding into a state of emotional turmoil. "And it's all mah fault…" she added, her tone switching to one of great pain. "Oh, Applejack. It's not your fault," Fluttershy assured, calmly flying over to the earth pony. The timid Pegasus touched down next to her emotionally distraught friend, embracing her tight. Applejack gave in, burying her face into Fluttershy's mane. "It's not fair…" she lamented between her muffled cries. "Applejack, darling, we all miss Rainbow Dash. You must not blame yourself for this. I don't know how, but I'm sure we will get through this," Rarity whispered in a calm reassuring tone, as she drew closer to the earth pony. The white unicorn threw her hooves around Applejack, in an attempt to ease the pain of such a huge loss. Soon, the remainder of the friends found themselves slowly making their way to the tearful Applejack. One by one, the others joined in the embrace, until all were participating. Even Luna had joined in, mourning the passing of Equestria's best flier. --- "Give her time," Luna again reassured, holding the group tightly in her hooves. "She may still come out of this yet. We just have to be patient…" --- The Group of friends spent the rest of the afternoon, taking turns telling and reliving the tales and adventures, they all shared with Rainbow Dash. From first meetings, to last embraces, from good days, to bad ones. Each pony had a unique adventure to share about how wonderful the cyan Pegasus had been. Tears of sorrow and laughter of joy accompanied many of the stories. The one thing all the stories did have in common, however, was loyalty. Loyalty. It was what Dash had lived for. She defined herself by being loyal to all her friends, all her duties, all her dreams. It is true that, Rainbow Dash was a legend. Nopony could compare to the speedy Pegasus when it came to what she did best; flying. Even though she did not manage to become a Wonderbolt, she saved more lives and flew faster than any Wonderbolt ever had before. With the memories of all her great feats still fresh in their heads, the group of friends found peace. Each one falling asleep into a peaceful dream filled night, where the rainbow-maned pony lived on, eternally, and just how they wished to remember her. --- A cooling breeze washed over the motionless pony. Hours had passed since impact with the cold, unforgiving ground. Any hope of survival was fading away. In the stillness, somepony moved. It was a faint movement, almost unnoticeable. Rainbow's eyes fluttered open. Her vision was blurry. Her body ached with the fading sting of a thousand needles. Her mind raced, trying to recall the last events that had unfolded. Searching all over her barely conscious brain for any hope of what had transpired. Applejack. She suddenly remembered the earth pony, and her attempts to save her in the fall. Glancing from her collapsed position on the ground, Rainbow Dash could not see the earth pony anywhere. She forced herself to stand, her body paining under the stress, ready to throw in the towel. Luckily for the Pegasus, her spirit and will to fight were more than ready to keep going. She finally stood, breathing hard. It had taken a lot more energy to stand than she remembered. "Applejack?" Rainbow Dash called out, searching the dim landscape for her friend. The light seemed focused around her, cutting off abruptly into darkness not far from where she stood. She could almost see the shadowed line drawing nearer to her with each second. "APPLEJACK!" "She's gone kiddo," replied a voice, sounding very similar to her own. Startled, Rainbow Dash swung around instantly. Standing in front of the stunned Pegasus was a slightly taller Pegasus mare. Complete with the same sleek muscular build, covered in a soft pelt of cyan blue. Her mane, a little longer but still wore the same six colors as Dash's own. She grew nervous as the mare in front of her continued to star. "W-who are you?" the battered Pegasus questioned, shocked to see the doppelganger. The mirror-pony answered her request. "I am your spirit, Dash. I am all that you are, and all that you will be," the voice echoed in a calm, off-putting tone. "Whoa," Rainbow Dash uttered in shock. "Wait… What did you do to Applejack? Where did she go?" she sneered, glancing around again for any sign of her friend's orange coat. "Relax. She's not here. She has gone back to join the others in the real world." A weight seemed to remove itself from Rainbow Dash, as she released a lungful of air. "She cares about you a lot, Dash," the double continued, "she risked her own life to save you. If that can't make you accept yourself, I don't know what will." Dash stayed quiet for a few minutes, thinking over her copy's words. "I understand," she said finally, raising her head to meet her doubles eyes. "My fillyhood may have sucked, but that doesn't mean the rest of my life has to, just because of some bullies." A wave of confidence washed over the Pegasus, filling her with positive thoughts of things to come. Wherever their next adventure might take them, she, along with all her friends would conquer it together. "Very well, you have learned much. You are free to leave," her double beamed, stepping aside to reveal an aura of shining light. "And to think I almost got to take you away to the Eternal Lands, such a shame I'm not able to, maybe next time." "The what?" asked Rainbow Dash, stopping her slow painful walk towards the orb of light. "Oh nothing," her spirit said calmly, laughing a little. "I'll cya again soon Dash." with a quick wink and a sly smile, her spirit faded into thin air. Dash felt a heavy sense of uneasiness come about her. She would definitely have to ask Twilight about the Eternal Lands later. Slowly, she started limping towards the orb again. Dash took one last look over her shoulder, the darkness drawing in to absorb the last of the dream world. She smiled, knowing that all would be okay. She was going home, and Applejack would be there, waiting for her. Tears of happiness and joy ran down her cheeks. She hated crying, but in the instance, she accepted it. From here on in, she was a new pony. All because of Applejack, her best friend, the one she truly loved more than anypony else. The Pegasus slowly stepped into the light, letting it engulf her every being. The aura grew at an alarming rate, causing her to shut her eyes. Even though she could not see anything, Rainbow Dash felt the ground leave her hooves. She was on her way home, and it felt great. --- Dash's eyes opened, slowly coming into focus. The first thing she noticed was how unbelievably dark it was in her cloud home. Finally, her remaining senses caught up to her, revealing her true place. She was in Twilight's Library. She breathed in deeply, taking in the soft scent of the giant oak. Raising her head to get a better look around, Dash cast a glance out the window on the other side of the room. She was able to catch a glimpse of the full moon in all its beautiful glory. Returning her gaze to the room, Dash saw for the first time the sad looks upon all her friends' faces as they slept quietly. Mainly, Dash noticed the stale tears on Applejack's face. It brought a warm smile to the Pegasus' face knowing she had somepony who cared about her in a special way. Dash leaned over and gave the earth pony a tender kiss on the cheek. Applejack did not as much as move. The Pegasus kept going, playfully nipping and pecks at the sleeping Earth pony. Disappointed by her lack of reaction from Applejack, Dash turned up the heat. Taking in a deep breath of air, she planted her lips firmly against Applejack's. Dash closed her eyes, her tongue forcing its way into her lover's mouth. Applejack fluttered back into consciousness at the feeling of her airways cut off. Her eyes opened, greeted unceremoniously by the darkness. Applejack could barely make out the pony having a full on smooch war with her lips. A cloud covering the moonlight gently blew aside, lighting the floor beside them with the bright rays of the moon. Applejack now had enough light to see the pony clearly. Blinking once or twice, she began to see in detail, the face of her lover pressed up against her own. Applejack's body buzzed with a warm feeling of euphoria. "What a wonderful dream…" she thought to herself. "Wait, a minute…" her mind rationalized. "What do ya want now?" Applejack questioned her mind telepathically. "Stop and think for a sec, would ya…" retorted her mind, playing puzzle games with the earth pony. "Now that ya mention it… this feels, a bit too real," replied Applejack internally. Opening her eyes again, sure enough Dash was still there assaulting her lips. Applejack's mind exploded into thought, at that same moment Dash broke the kiss. "Morning, sleepy," cooed Dash, giving the earth pony a wink as if this whole ordeal had not happened. Applejack's face now wore the biggest smile Dash had ever seen. "Heh… AJ, don't look at me like that. You're killing the moment," teased Dash, playfully stoking Applejack's mane from her sleepy face. The Earth pony's faced blushed a deep crimson. Applejack pounced at Dash, screaming in excitement and joy. "Ah thought you were gone, sugarcube!" The duo continued rolling over until; a sleeping Fluttershy broke their momentum. "Eek!" the timid Pegasus shouted in reaction to awaking abruptly. The shriek of terror from Fluttershy awoke everypony in the library. The overwhelming darkened state of the library made it hard for the group of friends to make out what was happening. In the silvery moonlight, the outlines of a Pegasus an Earth pony danced together, coming to a halt one on top of the other. To the group, it looked like a tussle. However, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were doing just the opposite. Fearing the worst, Twilight used her magic to light the room. As the flash pulsed across the library, the occupants found themselves temporarily blinded. Once the fuzziness had cleared, the real scene began to unravel in front of them. Multiple gasps broke the lingering silence all around, as all eyes turned upon the two friends. Applejack was standing over Rainbow Dash, their lips pressed firmly together, in a passionate meeting. Dash's wings stood stretched to full span lying against the library floor. Finally, after what felt like minutes the two broke the kiss, smiling deeply at each other. "Rainbow Dash! You're not grey anymore!" shouted Pinkie pie, jumping at her friend and pulling her into a hug. Soon after, the rest of the group joined in on the embrace. Even Princess Luna could not resist the joyful celebration, and too found herself embracing the group. "Oh, Rainbow Dash! We're so glad to have you back!" praised Twilight, as she broke off the hug. "Yeah! I was all sady wady. But then, I had a dream," exclaimed Pinkie, joyfully. "Pinkie pie…" Dash interrupted. Pinkie did not seem to either notice, nor care that her friend had interrupted her. "And in that dream, my Pinkie sense went off, and boy! Was it a doozy…" continued the pink pony, stopping only to inhale. "Pinkie…" Again Dash tried to break Pinkie's rambling. "But it felt like a good doozy, not a bad one! And then I thought, what's the most super, awesome, cool, unique thing that could ever possibly happen, and then it hit me like. Huuuuuuuuuuu." "Pink-" "And then I woke up, and you and Applejack were kissing. And I was all like 'aww'! You two make such a cute couple!" finished Pinkie, hopping around the group of friends joyfully. "Well, I must say, dear, it is quite true. You and Applejack make such a splendid couple. Oh, I can see it now, all the fashion possibilities…" Rarity babbled, as she became lost in the moment of her fashion fantasies. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other, sharing the same disposition towards their friends fashion choices, before falling to the ground together laughing. "You simply must tell us what happened… I mean, that is, if you want to…" Fluttershy insisted, in her always-quiet demeanor. "Yes. Please, do!" exclaimed Twilight, as she happily levitated a quill and paper from the desk. "This will make for an excellent story!" the lavender Unicorn concluded. "Ugh… Can't it wait till morning? I'm sooo tired…" Rainbow Dash complained, offering a yawn to validate her argument further. "Ah, hafta agree with Dash, Twilight. Ah'm pretty tired mahself," reinforced Applejack, tossing a wink to her Pegasus friend. Dash returned the gesture playfully, kissing Applejack on the cheek. Applejack's face turned a bright crimson, a loving giggle escaping her. "They are right, Twilight. It is best for everypony to get some sleep. Especially, Rainbow Dash," explained Luna, tossing Dash a sympathetic smile. It was as if Luna had known just what happened to the Pegasus in the dream world. Any signs of protesting quickly washed away, as everypony shared a yawn. Sleep was quickly tightening its grip on the group of friends. Soon after, they had one big makeshift bed built in the center of the room, snuggling up close; Rainbow Dash and Applejack, both had each other locked in a tight hug, their head's touching, as a peaceful sleep shortly came to them all. They had come so close to losing a very good friend, and nopony, epically Applejack, ever wanted to leave Rainbow's side again. Once again, the library had settled down for the night, the soft sounds of breathing took over as the only noise. Peaceful smiles of joy adorned everypony's face, as their chests rose and fell softly with every sleeping breath. Luna could not help but smile at the sight of the six. With her work here completed, she gave the sleeping group one last look over before collecting her cloak. With that, the Princess left in the night; returning to her rightful place in Canterlot. After all, she had a country to run, and some parents that needed a chat. --- Applejack's dreams were pleasant. Scenarios of her and Dash hanging out as new found lovers played through her head. The Earth pony was overjoyed to be home safely with Dash. No more wild goose chases through an ever-decaying grey world, she thought peacefully as she slept. --- Morning came quickly for Applejack, wonderful memories of her dreams still lingering vividly in the back of her mind. Drifting back into consciousness, the earth pony could not help but get a feeling of uneasiness. As if something happened in her dream that she could not quite remember. Applejack sat up, recalling all she could from the dreams. There is was, like a long forgotten memory. She remember being in the Ponyville General Hospital. "But why?" thought the earth pony, aloud. Realizing she was not going to get the answer she wanted, Applejack scanned the mess of ponies sleeping close by. Her heart began to pound, with the unbarring though that is had all been a dream. Rainbow Dash was nowhere in sight, and neither was Princess Luna. The Earth pony had barely been awake last night when the incident occurred, now she was not sure if it had been a dream or not. She stood up quickly, wobbling a bit as the blood rushed from her head. "No Rainbow Dash," she mumbled to herself, slowly walking to the kitchen for her morning cup of coffee. After gulping down the coffee, Applejack quietly headed out. She needed some fresh air to clear her head, after all the mare of her dreams seemed pretty up to the idea of them being together. Applejack spent so much time thinking she would say 'no', that she had not truly thought over how life would change if she said yes. --- Rainbow Dash had awoken hours before Applejack. She had pondered waking the earth pony out of sheer boredom. Realizing she needed her sleep, Dash left the earth pony to it. She quietly and gently escaped the clutches of mare, hovering over to the door. The cyan Pegasus made sure not to let it slam behind her. A cool breeze passed by, the morning air felt crisp and damp against her coat. Dash wasted no time in taking to the air, with a powerful thrust of her wings she was off. She held the steady incline until she was beside the clouds. Leveling off, Dash continued flying. She had been flying for minutes without paying attention, her mind alive with thoughts of what has to come next for her. She had so many questions, which desperately needed answers. Rainbow Dash returned her attention to flying. Glancing down, she could see the lake up ahead. Doubling her efforts, Dash closed the distance, touching down on the water's edge. The lake was calm. Shallow waves slowly made contact with the grassy shore, before retreating back into the waters. The sun hung low off to the left, easily visible from lack of clouds. The sun's radiant beams bounced off the water's surface, reflecting in all directions, causing the lake to sparkle with every movement. Dash knew this place well. Whenever a problem that needed deep thought occurred, she would come here. She sat down beside the lake, the same place her and Applejack spent the night together just months ago. Rainbow Dash began thinking back on that night. Not for one moment did she think that Applejack wanted to be with her. The cyan Pegasus's mind wandered further back. The signs were so clear now. "How could I have missed them before?" she asked the silence of the lake, glancing out over the water, deep in thought. "It's simple, my little pony," answered a regal tone. Dash snapped from her thoughts, turning to find Princess Luna standing at her side. "Princess?" replied Dash, with a bow. She was shocked to see Alicorn standing beside her. "Please, call me Luna," replied the Alicorn, casting a glance out over the lake. "This truly is a beautiful spot, Rainbow Dash. I see why you come here often," she continued, her tone carrying a calming effect. "How did you know I would be here?" Dash questioned quietly, keeping her eyes on the Alicorn. "Dreams are my world, Rainbow Dash. Everything that happened in the dreamscape, I saw. I even gave Applejack some riddles to help her out," giggled Luna, amused by her cryptic word problems she had presented to the Earth pony. "Dash, you must realize ponies will hate you for any reason they can find. To this day, I am still hated upon for my actions a thousand years ago. Keeping the feelings bottled up will only hurt you more. If you ever need somepony to talk to, I suggest you let Applejack listen. She will be there for you Dash. Tia and I thought this wouldn't happen for a while yet, but it seems to already be in effect, so I see no harm in telling you." Luna paused, looking for the correct words to use. "Tell me what?" replied Dash, expression full of wonder. "When two bearers of the elements fall in love, the element they represent grows on the other. This will happen over a two year period, with grave danger waiting to test the bonds," finished Luna, a hint of hesitation present in her regal tone. "Whoa. Wait, so you're saying that if me and Applejack become a couple, she will start to get loyal to me, and I will become honest to her?" replied Dash, diving into deep thought. "Precisely, Rainbow Dash, Fate will make it so, along with testing the bonds of your love," Luna stated, returning her gaze to the cyan Pegasus. "So, we will be in danger?" Dash asked hesitantly, her mind thinking of all the worst possible scenarios. "Greatly, all the previous bearers faced a trail. Some passed; others failed. I believe that you and Applejack will be able to handle whatever the cosmos decide to throw your way. You two are set to become the first mare couple to bear the elements. It is truly a remarkable day." Luna smiled at Dash, reassuring the Pegasus that the dangers that lie ahead can be beat. "Thanks, Luna," Dash responded, flashing the Alicorn a confident smile. "I must be getting back to Canterlot, Tia is probably back now. Surely she is mad at me for not being there…" laughed Luna, taking to the air. "Princess, wait!" cried Dash, stopping Luna in mid-flight. "Yes, Rainbow Dash?" the Alicorn questioned. "Say 'hi' to my parents for me," Dash called up to the Princess. "Sure thing, Dash," replied Luna, offering the brash Pegasus a smile. Luna turned back, flying a short distance before disappearing. --- Dash stayed rooted to the spot. Minutes had since come and passed. About to turn and make her way back to the library, Dash heard the sound of somepony approaching. "Hey, sugarcube…" announced Applejack, making her presence known to the cyan Pegasus. "Oh, hey Applejack," Rainbow Dash replied, turning around to face the approaching Earth pony. Applejack stopped just in front of the pony. The pair locked eyes. Both locked in a state of deep thought, minutes slipped away without words. "Ah heard what the Princess said, Dash. If ya'll don't want ta do it, Ah understand," admitted Applejack, a hint of disappointment in her tone. "Applejack… Don't say that. You gave me back my life. If you hadn't told me how you felt, I would still be living in denial. Thank you," reassured Dash, lifting the earth pony's chin with a hoof, causing them to lock eyes again. "Sugarcube, Ah… Ah love you," admitted Applejack, blushing at her own words. "Applejack, I l-" Dash's back hoof slipped off the edge of the shore, sending her catapulting backwards into the lake. The cold water swiftly surrounded the thrashing Pegasus, plunging her deep into its depths. Seconds passed, and the water calmed. Applejack began to worry as Dash showed no signs of surfacing. Applejack, was at the water's edge now, second from jumping in after the Pegasus. Suddenly the calm surface of the water broke. Rainbow Dash was gasping for breath. Applejack dove in, swimming out to help carry her friend to shore. Once ashore, Applejack helped Rainbow Dash, onto her stomach. Her breathing slowly steadied, as she coughed up bits of water. "Why. Can't. I. Say. It?" questioned Dash between breaths, her mane and coat dripping wet, and matted down. Applejack was in no better shape, she too was soaked from head to hoof. "Hah ha," giggled Applejack, at the sight of the flustered Pegasus. "C'mon, get up," demanded Applejack, bending down to help Dash to her hooves. "Thanks, Applejack," replied Rainbow Dash playfully smiling at the earth pony. Once on all four hooves, Dash shook herself dry, causing more water to fly at Applejack, and once again soaking the earth pony. "He he, uh, sorry Applejack," Dash smiled slyly. "How about a Rainblow dry?" Dash asked playfully, offering a cheap smile and a raise of her brow to Applejack. "No, thank you. Ah, heard what yer little Rainblow dry did ta Twilight. It ain't happening, sugarcube," the earth pony replied, slowly backing away from the Pegasus. "Alright, but I still have to tell you something," Dash advised, motioning for the earth pony to approach her. Applejack complied, stopping inches in front of the Pegasus. "Is this close enough?" she whispered into Dash's ear. A chill ran through Dash's body, ascending her spine. Every nerve in her body crawled, making the Pegasus shiver. A deep crimson blush raced across her face like a wildfire, causing the earth pony to giggle. "Applejack," Dash whispered back, causing the earth pony a similar reaction. "Mhm?" moaned the earth pony. Dash smiled, continuing her teasing whispers. "I love you," admitted Dash, pulling away from the side of Applejack's face to get a better look at her. Applejack was blushing hard, a huge smiled spread across her face. "Ah, know. Sugarcube," Applejack indicated, closing the distance between the two. Their lips met once again in a passionate kiss, each one feeling a blissful ecstasy creep over their being. After what felt like an eternity, they broke the kiss. Deep blushes crossed their faces as they stared deeply into each other's eyes. Breaking eye contact, Applejack giggled, pointing behind the cyan Pegasus. Rainbow Dash glanced behind herself, full of wonder as to what the earth pony was laughing at. She noticed what Applejack was laughing at instantly. During the kiss, her wings had unfurled, and now stood at full length. Turning back, the cyan pony's face had managed to turn a deeper crimson. "Yeah, yeah… laugh it up," insisted Dash, playfully smiling at the earth pony. "Don't ya worry yer pretty little head Dash. Yer secret is safe with me," reassured Applejack, returning Dash's smile. "That is, if ya can catch me before Ah make it back to the library!" Applejack took off, knowing the Pegasus would never refuse a challenge. "Hey! No fair!" Dash called after the earth pony, thrusting herself into motion with a powerful kick of her hooves. Celestia's sun lingered high in the sky, as the pair raced back to the library, back to their friends, and onward to better days. Not only were they best friends and bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Now, they had a new, stronger connection, one of true love. -Fin --- Epilogue. 364 days later --- Rarity was sitting at her workstation. A new order had just come in from Canterlot. Business certainly picked up in the last year for the dressmaker, more or less because of word getting around about her fabulous Gala dresses from last year's Grand Galloping Gala. A knock at the door drew her attention away, causing the dressmaker to miss a stitch. "Oh, just great…" complained Rarity, knowing she would have to start work all over again. Regaining her composure at the possibility of a new client, Rarity fixed her mane as she walked to the door. "Come in," she called, opening the door with her magic. Rainbow Dash stepped through the doorway to Carousal Boutique, saddlebags around her flanks allowing her room for wing use. "Hey Rarity," exclaimed Dash cheerfully, hugging the unicorn. "Hello, Rainbow Dash," replied Rarity, returning the friendly gesture. "I take it you're here to collect the ring?" the unicorn asked, lowering her tone. "Yeah! You have it done right?" Dash exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement. "Of course, dear, wait right here," replied Rarity, walking over to her workbench. After a couple seconds of searching, with many items flying about, Rarity returned. "Here it is dear." Rarity dropped a case lined with black fabric into Rainbow's hooves. Dash opened the box. Inside was a hoof ring. The ring itself is 24 karat, pure gold, infused with magic to make it glisten and shine brightly. Engraved On the side of the band read the words "Applejack and Rainbow Dash". On top of the band rested a big heart-shaped gem. The left half of the gem was pure emerald, matching Applejack's eyes. The right side of the gem was pink sapphire, perfectly matching Rainbow Dash's eyes. Just when Dash thought she had seen the best ring ever, Rarity reached over and tilted the ring. The light rays caught the ring in such a way, reflecting back a rainbow of colors from the gemstones. "Oooh…" expressed Dash, lost in pure amazement at the ring's intense beauty. "It is definitely my best work," confessed Rarity, complimenting herself. "Rarity… it's beautiful…" replied Dash, returning the ring to its case and placing it in her saddlebags, "how much do I owe you?" "Oh, for you darling, it's nothing. Just make me proud. That's thanks enough dear," Rarity insisted. "Really? Wow, Rarity… thanks so much." Reaching out, Dash pulled the unicorn into a crushing embrace. "It's, ugh, really n-no problem, dear," sputtered Rarity, as the Pegasus crushed her in a powerful embrace. Dash released her death grip, dropping Rarity back to the floor. "Well I would love to stay and, uh… help you work. But I have to get to Twilight's," admitted Dash. "Twilight's? Whatever for?" questioned Rarity. "I'll tell you and the girls later, it's a surprise," Dash called back to the unicorn from the doorway. "Bye!" the Pegasus yelled, as she shot out of the door towards the library. --- My Story Well, if you remember back to when you started reading this story, I stated that this story was based of true feelings and emotions. Here is the explanation to that. I have only told this story to one person in real life. Now I share it will all of you. So sometimes I get comments on my story like; "Wow how did you ever come up with this idea?" or "You must have some good imagination to come up with this stuff, good job!" Well sadly, some of it is more real than imagination. If you can't see where this is going yet then… what you are about to read is the story of the hard times in my life and how I related them into Fading Colors. So for some of you it will probably get real sad real quick… Here we go… I was born in the town that I currently live in now. I will not name it for the fact that I don't really want to… When I was a couple months old, we moved back to where my parents are from. Newfoundland, for the first three years of my life we lived on the east side of Newfoundland. After that, we moved to the west side where we lived until I was seven. During the time on the west side of the island, I grew up mostly. I had two friends, and started school over there. My two friends lived down the street from me, they were brother and sister, they were my first friends and I pretty much loved them to death. We hung out everyday and such. See, I lived in a house with my parents and grandparents, and aunt. Big house, very big. The town we lived in was very small, consisting of 4-5 streets. I only really played at their house or mine, I can remember feeling like such a badass the one time the three of us walked through the little forest to get to a part of town where we had never been. Great times, all the sleepovers and the general innocence of imagination. Then came the sad day I moved away… Back to the city I live in now. I still have the goodbye card they made for me I honestly don't think I could ever get rid of that card. I was only seven at the time but I remember crying really hard that day… Anyway to sum that up, I have yet to see them since, I don't know if they still live there or where they are gone to. Probably never will… Which saddens me greatly, as I do not remember their last names. Anyway, once I moved up to my current city, I started grade one! I met my best friend days after moving here. I grew up with him, hanging out everyday. He was a troublemaker though, and has gotten me into quite a bit of trouble over the years but hey nobody is perfect and I still considered him the best friend ever. Noticed how I said 'considered', as in past tense. Well during grade 4 we both moved, across the city from each other. At first we still continued to hang out pretty much every opportunity we could get, then in grade 8 he moved out of town. He was now living a couple hours away, in a different city. He got in with the wrong crowd and started doing drugs. We started hanging out less and less. When grade 10 came around for me, he had since moved another 5-6 times, because of fighting with his parents and such. He got put into foster care and everything. Now he is in grade 12, I am in 11. I don't even talk to him anymore, he is too heavy on drugs and skipping school. It's funny you know, how when we were kids I could have never guessed that we would ever stop being the best of friends… I really do hope he gets his life turned around and comes out good, as such he will always be in my thoughts. Maybe one day we can go back to being good friends. Now back to grade one. In grade one I met a group of four guys, they were the same grade as me. We hit it off amazing, we also became inseparable always hanging out as a group at one of our houses. In grade 4 when I moved away, I never heard from them again. Now they all go to my high school, and none of them talk to each other or me… Boy would I love to get us all together and just play video games like we did when we were younger. Alright, so my life was awesome until grade 4. I moved schools, which as I'm sure most of you know sucks… big time. In my new school I got in with a crowd, but they were bullies… Thinking back on it now I am glad I did get in with them or I probably would have gotten it much worse than I did. Anyway the rest of grade 4 was fine other than a few names I was called ever so often. Grade 5, another new school. The school I moved to only went up to grade 4, so we had to move to the other school which was from grade 5-8. So everyone in my grade 4 class and the other one ended up moving over too. In grade 5 I started to put on weight, I don't know how much nor will I guess as I will probably be very wrong. Just know that I was fatter than the rest of the people I hung around with. Well and as such, they started picking on me for my weight, I would prefer to leave the things they said to me out because of obvious reasons. All through grade 5 my self esteem dropped and self confidence went out the window. Grade 5 ended, and the school closed down. Making me and some of the assholes I hung around with move to another new school. Grade 6, some people from grade 5 went to a different school, some stayed. Grade 6 was very hard, new crowd, new bullies, more names… I continued putting on weight through grade 6, and heard more and more names. There were days where I would come home and just cry, nights where I would wake up from nightmares and not get back to sleep. It got the point where I didn't want to go to school anymore, and as such faked sick many times to give myself a break from the name calling. Grade 7, By this point in school I met my current best friend. We hung out all the time in grade 7 and still continue to do so today. In fact, he is the only person that I know in real life that knows I am a brony. From meeting him in grade 7, I started to feel better from having a real friend. But no matter how hard I tried to block out the names they got worse. And continued to have an impact on me. It was around grade 6-7 that my 3 remaining grandparents passed away. All within months of each other. That was very tough, it was the first time I had lost family that I knew well. It was so bad that I cried myself to sleep almost every night, until one day I just got tired of the pain and tried to kill myself. This is where it gets hard to write for me… I won't go into details on how, but just know that I now have a scar up the length of my arm from it. I lied to my parents about it, said I was working on a project and cut myself by accident. 40 stitches it took to close the cut. I missed my vein by ¼ an inch. The doctor told me I was lucky to be alive, I didn't think so… Grade 8 came around, by this point my hair was down to my lower back. I hadn't cut it since grade 5 forgot to mention that. So on top of the fat jokes I was hearing all the time, I started to get called a women. All of the time! I'm pretty sure they didn't even call me by my name at this point it was just, fatass or women, or bitch. One day when my parents were out, I wrote a note. I'm sure you can guess what type of note it was… It had all the names of the assholes that had ever made fun of me. I was planning on doing it again, but in a way it would work this time. Sorry that I am avoiding the term "attempting suicide" but I just really hate saying it… I was getting ready to try the second time. I felt like there was no point in going on anymore if I was just to be bullied and picked on all the time for looking different. Honestly, it sucked, having others put you down for being you really makes you feel like shit. To this day I still hate the way I look. People need to realize that words hurt too, and if you hear it enough you start to believe it. By this point I had no confidence or self-esteem left what so ever. The phone rang, it was my best friend. I answered it, he asked if I wanted to come over. I said sure. Even though I told him this story, I have still yet to tell him he saved my life. I went over to his house, and ripped the note up on the way. I ended up cutting my hair to get the girl names to stop, they did. But the jokes about my weight continued. I started working out. I don't know how I made it through grade 8 but I did.. Took it one day at a time I guess. Grade 9 came around, more of the bullies now left me alone. I was still big though, but I continued working out with little change. Something was wrong, I needed to change what I was eating. But I didn't figure that out until grade 10. Grade 9, I gained some more friends, people that treated me right, however because of being picked on all the time. I ended up becoming an asshole myself. I treated my real friends like complete assholes, I made fun of them for my own pleasure. I didn't realize it at the time though, I just knew I was feeling better and wanted to keep it that way. Grade 10. In October of grade 10, ironically one year ago today(October 16) I went to the doctors, I weighed in at 216 pounds. Now you might be saying 216 pounds for a 15 year old ain't bad. To me it was over the top, after being made fun of for so long I have found that no matter how much I weigh I will always feel fat… After that trip to the doctors I gave up all junk foods, no pop, no candy, no chocolate. Everything bad was cut out of my life, and I started a workout plan. Eight months later, this would be June now. I had dropped 51 pounds and now weighed around 165-170 pounds. I felt great! More strength, more endurance, more will to live. However I still treated my friends like shit. And during the summer I found myself diving back down into depression. Last July there was a week where I just felt pathetic, I was thinking back on how much I was picked on and how bad it had been for me. I was greatly depressed, I started not talking to my real friends and when I did I was nasty. Then one day I was on memebase, I seen a pony meme. I laughed at it, thinking of how dumb it was. A couple days later a new memebase site popped up called membase.bronies. It was new, so I checked it out. Went through the four pages that were up at the time and found myself laughing at how silly I thought this was. I decided to watch an episode, so I found one on youtube. I watched the first episode, I was laughing at it. Not with it, I was enjoying laughing at the people who watched it, so I decided to try another. Little did I know, I was hooked. I soon started laughing with the show instead of at it. Three days after watching the first episode I was finished the first season. MLP:FiM, showed me just how bad I was treating my friends and everyone around me. I changed, I went from calling my friends names and not helping strangers when they needed it. To never saying any bad things to my real friends and helping people all the time. And you know what, ever since I started doing that I have never felt happier in my life. I managed to let go of the grudge I held against the bullies I had, and with that I felt my anger dissipate. Soon after finishing the first season, I started reading fan-fic, at this point I was still feeling depressed. As it wasn't until early to mid August that I really found myself being truly happy. I remember the first fic I read, "This Party Hasn't Ended" I cried. Pretty much from that day on I found myself more moved and emotional at things now than I had ever been. Before if I watched a movie or read a book, I wouldn't even get emotionally attached because I had to much hate in me, that or a wall just blocking out all emotional caring for anything fake. But now, it's hard to finish anything sad without getting misty eyed. I don't know if that's bad or not yet.. I guess I will find out. So yes, My Little Pony a show made for little girls changed my life. I am not afraid to say, that without this show I would still be a grump and have continued to treat my good friends like trash. Anyway how Fading Colors relates to my life I guess would be in the sense of Dash being bullied, wanting to and trying to kill herself and trying to repress the memories of it. I was bullied heavily, a lot more than what I wrote in for Dash. I tried to kill myself twice, it was the darkest point of my life so far. I felt horrid, truly like dieing would be the better option. No more pain, depression, sorrow, tears, names, just nothing but peace. And when I thought the names stopped and I was feeling great, they got pushed back into my mind driving me back into a depression that MLP helped me out of. Well that's about it. I am on the road to being a better person now, and I feel a lot better. I am sorry for making you read such a long story that you probably could care less about but hey, nobody said you had to read it… Anyway, I hope you guys don't have to go through anything I did. And if you ever find yourself in a position like me, tell somebody, anybody. I'm one-hundred percent sure someone will help you. It is not safe keeping it bottled up inside, just look what happened to Dash. The main reason I wrote Fading Colors was not to get a story off my chest. But to re-shine some light on bullying. Yes as you know from reading my story I have been bullied quite a bit, I still face some of it today. It's funny cause just today I was called a women for drinking tea? Like really? Since when is tea considered a feminine drink? Oh well.... You see, I believe there is not enough light shined on bullying. Every year I read countless articles online about people killing themselves over being bullied. Whether it for being gay, fat, different, etc... One person killing themselves over begin bullied is too many, this needs to stop. The world is a dark place, but it doesn't have to be. Next time you see someone a little overweight or different looking, don't judge them by the cover. Because deep down inside, they are just like you. --- Anyway since you have read this story, I would like you to promise yourself that from this day forward, whenever and wherever you see somebody being bullied you will help them out. Make the bullies leave them alone, I don't care how you do it. But please help that person out, I know for a fact that they will be grateful of your help. They may not tell you they are thankful, but trust me when I say this they will be. Bullying is one of the hardest things someone has to go through in school, it has made me change who I am just to fit in and try to make it stop. So from this day forth I expect you to stand up for anyone and everyone who you see getting picked on. Only then will I feel like I did something right. Thanks guys. --- Thanks for enjoying my fic, and my story. Have a great Day. J-Webb