I snorted as I woke abruptly. A string of drool had escaped my lips, and I lazily wiped it away with the back of my hand. At some point, I must have cried myself to sleep. I gently rubbed the crust from my puffy, sore eyes. Sighing, I leaned back in the chair and stared up at the plain, yellowing ceiling. It was devoid of Spackle, and the cheap paint had begun to peel off the waterlogged wood. I briefly wondered how long I'd been sleeping. Though the curtains were drawn closed, with a turn of my head, I could tell that Celestia's bright sun was low on the distant horizon. It would be night soon. "I've got to make it home, before too long," I muttered to myself, "I can't take this very much longer..."
I stretched and stood from my long-time position in the chair. I took a second to examine it. The red and tan corduroy was faded and ripped in spots. The seat had several cigarette burns scattered across its surface, likely for the very same reason the walls and ceiling had yellowed over the years. There was a small, dingy-looking mini-fridge in the corner of the room, and I eyed it hungrily. I became uncomfortably aware that the last time I'd eaten anything had been on the train, nearly two days ago. My stomach growled incessantly, further encouraging me to satiate my appetite. I stumbled drowsily toward the fridge, crouched down, and opened it.
It was empty. My stomach growled again, insisting I eat. To its credit, the organ was persistent. "I would give anything for some of that stir fry," I thought fleetingly. "I guess I'll just buy something..." Picking up my belongings, I walked out into the orange glow of sunset, noting the second room-key was back in my possession. The door slammed behind me, and I set course for the diner I had visited the day before.
"Things not goin' too well with your lady friend, Hon?" Bonnie asked as she set my plate of pancakes down in front of me and poured me a new cup of coffee. She looked genuinely concerned, and I didn't want to be rude about it, but I didn't much feel like talking at the moment.
I scoffed and took a sip of my freshly poured coffee. "That would be the understatement of the century..."
Bonnie frowned. It seemed she'd formed some sort of attachment to me. She didn't like seeing me upset, and she -once again- decided to take a break to talk to me, sliding into the booth across the table from me. "Why don'cha tell me 'bout it?" The smile she gave me was sad, but obviously genuine. It had the most miraculous effect on me. For some unknown reason, I suddenly felt comfortable. I explained everything; I spilled my guts to this mare I barely knew.
Bonnie kept silent for the most part, barely restraining light gasps at certain events, but when I spelled out the events of the morning, she couldn't help herself any longer. She slammed her hooves to the table and leaned over it to get closer to me, an angry expression plastered to her face for the first time since I had known her. "Why'dja do it, Spike!?" She growled.
I was shocked, to say the least. "W-w-what?" I stammered. "Do what?"
"Why'dja kick her out, Spike!?" Bonnie reiterated, "Mares...we're not the best at expressin' ourselves, but she was jus' tryin' to apologize!" I sat back on the booth with wide eyes, unable to speak between her sentences. "Sure, she got upset when she saw the paper. Sure, she started takin' it out on you, but'cha think she meant it? Right then, she needed some love and care, somethin' she knew you were good for, and you threw her out!" Bonnie shot daggers at me with her eyes. "Go find her right now before she does somethin' stupid!"
I gasped, "B-but my meal!"
"It's on me, now go get your mare!"
I nodded and thanked her silently before I ran out of the diner into the cold night air of Manehattan. In my urgency, I didn't even have time to appreciate how dismal it all was. Bonnie was right. She was going to do something stupid...
"I hope she holds on a little longer..."
My lungs ached from running in the cold, night air. Regardless, I decided to take the stairs. I decided that they would be quicker than the elevator, and I had to get where I was going as soon as possible. I wasn't even sure Rarity had gone back home. For all I knew, she could be on some Celestia-forsaken bridge somewhere. Finally making it to the sixth floor, I slammed open the door to her apartment.
The lights were on, all of them, and the door had been unlocked, but the apartment was dead silent. The soft sounds of my own steps were the only sounds to break the horrible silence. I decided, under the circumstances, to forgo closing the door behind me. There was an eerie, unnatural feeling in the air. It gave me shivers that shook the entire length of my spine.
Steeling my resolve, I had searched through the rooms of the house, one by one. Everything was in the same, pristine condition I remembered it always being in, save for two rooms. The kitchen had not been touched. Evidence of that dreadful night was all around me. The last room I had checked, so far, was the restroom. It was a mess. The shower curtain had been ripped from the rod and was lying in the bottom of the tub. All the items in the medicine cabinet were scattered across the floor; make-up, assorted beauty products, toothpaste. The mirror had been bashed in. Trace amounts of blood were left on the remaining shards.
My eyes made their way down to the sink, where rest of the glass had fallen, accompanied by much more blood and empty pill bottles. Some of the pills had spilled into the sink and onto the floor, but it was clear that most of them had been taken. My heart rate increased and I began hyperventilating. I ran out of the room, frantically following a blood trail I hadn't noticed on the way in. It led me to a door, and I hesitated. This was the door to Rarity's bedroom. There was no telling what I was going to find within, but I eventually decided that, no matter what, my friend needed me.
I opened the door to find Rarity
.....
hanging from the ceiling fan.
My heart stopped, and I fell to my knees. Tears began to well in my eyes, then flowed down my cheeks in two, heavy streams. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "W-what? No! No, no, NO!" Sobbing, I got to my hands and knees. I began to slowly crawl toward her lifeless body. "I'm sorry!" I cried out, "I was too late! I'm so sorry, Rarity! I'm sorry for everything!" I slammed my face down into the floor below her, and my tears began soaking the white carpet, turning it a light grey. My fist pounded repeatedly into the ground.
"RARITYYYYY!!!!"
It took several hours, but I finally calmed down enough to get up off the floor. I was still on the edge of tears, but I would manage. As I stood, I noticed a piece of paper, neatly folded into thirds, on the edge of her nightstand. Upon further inspection, I found that the upper-most fold read, "Spike," along with a red stain from her lips. Looking up to her face, I discovered her cold, blue lips had, indeed, been painted red. I also discovered she'd been crying when she died. I looked away quickly as I felt the waterworks coming on again. I sat on the edge of the bed and stared down at the letter glumly. "Why me? Why is it addressed only to...me?" Staring at the offending folds bore no answers. I sighed; this was going to be the hardest thing I had ever read, and I knew it. I started to cry again, softly, as I opened the letter.
Dear Spike,
I don't know if you will ever read this, but I need you to know a few things. First, I would like to apologize. I didn't mean what I said this morning, and I regret every word. You saved me, Spike. You didn't deserve to be treated that way. You never have. On that note, you were right. I've always taken you for granted. I hate myself for it, Spike. Seeing you now, and all you have done for me, has made me realize something that may have changed everything had I just realized sooner. I love you, Spike. I always have, and I was too blind to see it.
You have every right to hate me now, Spike. Of all the selfish things I've done to you, this has to be the worst. I completely understand. I hate myself too! I've been so rotten to you and everypony! I deserved everything Super Star did to me, and I deserve this too. This had to happen. That's why you can't stop me, Spike. I took all those pills so that even if you come in here while I'm still writing this, you won't be able to save me. Not again. This is my chance to save you. I wasn't good enough for you. You can't save me. Even now, my vision is growing black. I am in so much pain. I'm dying as I write this...
I want you to do something for me, Spike. Live your life. Live enough for the both of us. Be happy. Find a mare or dragoness that loves you openly and just as much as you love her, because it's important for you to fall in love again. You don't need me, Spike, but you are a gentle dragon. You're easily upset without friends or love in your life. Just...find somepony that makes you happy. Wherever I am...I want to see that smile on your face again. Good bye, Spike.
With Love,
Rarity
After calling the authorities, I left Manehattan. I felt numb. I felt as if the world around me had suddenly stopped moving, yet as I looked out the window of the train car, I saw Celestia was raising the morning sun. No matter what happens in our lives, time moves on, even if we don't move on with it. Rarity's life ended that night, yet that wheel in the sky keeps on turning. If we just follow it, move forward and keep walking, then we will move on too.
This is intense, but I LOVE it!!
4139046 Thanks.
It got even better!!
Made me wanna bawl...
4139990 Thank you. That was the desired effect, after all. *takes a bow*
4140092 I felt really bad for Rarity after this week's episode, and that didn't exactly help.
4140098 Nothing bad ended up happening to her, though. Not in the end, at least.
4140106
4140108 Maybe not, but I still felt bad when she was trying to cheer up all the kids.
4140121 Yeah. That was really sweet of her. It's probably the sweetest thing we've seen from her since the sisterhoove's social.
4140131 And that's why I love the mane six. Every single one of them has had a special moment where you feel like you could genuinely connect with them.
4140144 Yep...and then they have those moments in which they're being buttnuggets.
4140174 I like their better roles more. Like when Scoots and Rainbow went camping, might be my fave episode.
4140179 Me too. I was annoyed with the newest RD episode.
4140183 Which one? The Equestria games one?
4140186 Yes. Prime example of her being a buttnugget. I could, however, feel a small twidash vibe in that episode, so I liked that. I was also annoyed by how manipulative Spitfire was being...It seemed ooc to me.
4140202 Yeah, and not to mention Twilight was like a foot taller than everyone there because of her 'princessness'.
4140215 Well, she and her horn have been growing at alarming rates...
Wow that was intense and well thought out that made me get kinda tear eyed for a second byt as always anither good read "brohoof"
4140931 Thanks. I've been working on this fic for a long time now, considering how short it is.
4141061
Yea well sometimes less is more and this was perfect i even got tears in my eyes and i dont cry over anything lol
Due to my dad being somewhat like "Super Star", I saw this comming from a mile away just by the way Rarity acted in the first chapter...
I am currently laying in my bed, curled up in a ball with a puddle slowly growing on my pillow... good job, you drownd a man with his own tears...
*Likes, faves, and follows.*
4141075 Well I'm glad I was able to intice some genuine emotion. :)
4141267 I struggled with the same thing, man. It won't last forever. Just keep positive. :pinkiesad:
4141963
Thanks.
Well done ending although i'll probably like the alternate ending better interested to see how it turns out
4142570 Thanks.
Agh... feels attack... need an amberlamps...
Is it good that I pre-read and still teared up at this?
4166421 I would assume that is a good thing, yes.
I don't think you understand no no not understand fathom the immensity of how much you just f***** up right now like words can't describe how much I just want to punch your face like it's so bad that I can't even begin to describe how much for each and I have read the ending of the story yout so lucky there's alternate ending or so help me God I would have got Obama to do something crazy like I should make som crazy s*** like the Nazi doctors doing those crazy-ass experiments kind of s*** it's just damn it like oh my God I can't even like write this without f****** tearing up man I just thought okay I swear I swear to God if this alternate ending is not a happy f****** ending I will get all that hate from Tumblr from f****** it's another f****** thing I know Twitter Facebook Instagram my f****** Myspace all of them I'll get all of them and just f****** rain down upon you the hate of the universe that if the alternate ending isn't good I haven't heard it yet so you've been warned even though you've already written it so it doesn't really count if you made it nice you made it nice screw everything you just read but if you didn't so help me God prepare yourself