Nothing Gold Can Stay
11
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower,
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief.
So dawn goes down to day,
Nothing gold can stay.
Who knew a plain note on a small sheet of paper could cause so much distress? For the second time in thirty minutes, the lavender unicorn found herself on the verge of breaking down with tears as an inundation of conflicting emotions conquered her each and every thought. Paper-thin streams of teardrops flowed from her eyes and littered the already-wet paper before her. She sniffled in her tears as she flipped the note over to examine the writing on the other side of the poem. She immediately recognized the mouth-writing.
I'm sorry, Twilight.
But don't come looking for me.
There was no trace; nothing testified that Rainbow had even lived here, save a photo of her along with Twilight, Rarity, and the others. Everything was gone; her pillow, her blanket, even her shower cloud had disappeared with the pegasus. Her Wonderbolts posters, Daring Do books, and all of the pictures she had of herself and the group that they have taken over the years. All the framed memories with Fluttershy.. Pinkie Pie.. Rarity.. Applejack... Gone. Twilight brought the last remaining photo over next to the note with a long sigh, tears still dripping down her sullen face. The picture showed the group together, smiling and hugging in Sugarcube Corner. Memories flowed through her mind, from their first time together to their betrayal in the Discord incident, to their 'best night ever' at the Gala, to the royal wedding in Canterlot. She forced a sorrowful smile as she closed her eyes and flicked away the memories, leaving nothing in her heart but remorse and grief she felt for the blue pegasus.
Mentally and now physically exhausted, she crawled onto the soaked bed, without bothering to fix the mess she had left. Her sobs were now joined with hiccups, as she painfully shut her bloodshot, teary eyes. She pulled the note and photograph closer to her and placed them under her arms. This way, she could pretend, even for a fleeting second, that everything would be okay. That Rainbow would be there to wake her up in the morning. That she could once more impress Twilight with her flying skills. That they could go on another flight, basking in the sunset together... Taking one last good look at the picture, she sighed and let the cold song in her head guide her off to sleep.
-
"You must be Rainbow Dash..."
"The one and only. Why? You heard of me?"
...
"Rainbow Dash... What are you doing?"
"Oh, no no no, don't mind me! I just saw the kindest, most generous pony I know about to get rained on, so I kicked a hole in the clouds!"
...
"...And Rainbow Dash, who didn't abandon her friends for her heart's desire, represents the Element of Loyalty."
...
"Coolness... Awesomeness... And radicalness."
"Aren't those all the same thing?"
"You would think that, Twilight. And that is why you would never qualify to be my pet.
...
"So amazing... Oh, the sunset's nice too."
~
Twilight, much to her dismay, found herself jolted awake in the familiar cloudy bedroom. All familiar except for the lack of warmth radiating from the other side of the bed. The realization hit her hard. She was gone. Twilight wasn't sure she would be back; she didn't blame her. If only she had lied... If she hadn't talked to Rarity, maybe... Maybe things would be alright. Rainbow would be on the other side of the bed, hugging her. If only she was good with such a complex subject as love. Friendship was hard enough.
She suddenly broke out of the chains of agony and sorrow that caused her despair. This couldn't be her. She was Twilight Sparkle, the brightest, most magical pony in Equestria. She felt a new surge of hope and optimism through her veins, stimulating her magic reserves. She knew what she had to do. She had to find her. And she had to find her now.
Much like earlier this week, she found herself pacing back and forth, brainstorming and considering her possible routes out. The mare that came first to her mind, for whatever reason, was Pinkie Pie. She almost immediately crossed her off, but decided to think it through regardless of the ridicule that would ensue if she chose Pinkie. She would probably consider it a hide-and-seek game, and probably throw a party on the spot when... or if... they found her at all.
One by one, Twilight rattled through her options of Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie Pie when she finally came to Rarity, and soon set her mind on insisting she help her find Rainbow. After all, she was the only one to know about their 'fruit parfait de croître', or whatever it was. She recalled Rarity mention something like that to Rainbow as she was walking back. Rarity was also quite passionate about love, and would probably walk to the end of the world to protect it from shattering. Well, she very well might have to do just that.