Hasty Hearts

by Baby Seal Burritos

Nopony's Fault- Tragedy, Sad, Dark

Hooves thundered across the cobbled stones of the main street of Ponyville as a desperate pony galloped urgently towards the library.

Please don’t let me be too late. Please please please let me be on time!

The stones were wet from the earlier shower of rain that had drenched the town, and the pony slipped once or twice, slamming their chin on the ground with a painful grunt before picking themselves back up and racing once more.

It had been an accident. A terrible terrible accident. It was nopony’s fault, of course, nopony had ever done something like it on purpose, but that was little consolation. Grief was just as poignant and stung just as hard whether or not there was somepony to blame.

Nopony had ever anticipated… Nopony had thought to consider…

Pinkie shook her damp mane out of her eyes, tears streamed down her cheeks with wild abandon. She couldn’t afford to think about it. Not with the more pressing matter at hoof.

And yet she couldn’t help but think about it.

The cry filled with childish laughter. “Cutie Mark Crusader Renovators!”

The crack of a support beam.

The collapse of the upper portion of town hall.

Screams. So many screams.

But one that stuck out. One that haunted her. “Look out!”

He was a hero. That thought was presented by many as a means to soothe the bitter sting of loss, but it wasn’t enough. He had always been a hero. An unsung hero that went unappreciated at times and sometimes overlooked entirely. But he deserved better than this.

Of course Twilight took it the hardest. Rarity might have been filled with despair and regret, Dashie might have been struck with guilt for not arriving in time, but Twilight…

Pinkie rounded a corner, skidding a few inches to the side, almost toppling over, but the library was in view. She was almost there. Please let it not be too late!

Twilight hadn’t said a word. She just stared. Stared off into space, seemingly oblivious to all the ponies around her offering condolences and trying their best to be reassuring. Pinkie saw it; she couldn’t explain how, but she had seen Twilight break. Even as the unicorn turned, slowly and deliberately, back towards the library Pinkie knew it was wrong. It was all wrong.

The earth pony hadn’t followed. She had waited for long minutes, trying to be a calming presence and trying to brighten the mood that she felt oppressed by, and then she felt it. The creeping up her spine, the cold clammy inching of her skin, and she knew. She knew it was all about to break apart.

She thundered up to the library only to be met by a force field. She rammed into it face first and fell back onto her haunches with a painful crack. Blood trickled from her nose, but she didn’t care. She pounded on the shield, screaming out Twilight’s name, but there was no answer.

Pinkie felt her heart leap into her throat. She had made a promise to never use her secret Pinkie magic to invade a friend’s privacy again after that one incident with Applejack, but this was certainly an exception. She couldn’t possibly stand back and do nothing.

Breaking a Pinkie promise, even one she made with herself, felt like tearing herself apart, but she had to. She had to.

She erupted out from behind a bookshelf with a burst of confetti. The library was dark and quiet. Nopony around as far as she could see, which wasn’t saying a lot considering the only light was a single candle on the stairway. Pinkie raced up the stairs as quick as her hooves could carry her.

She burst into the inner sanctum of the library; Twilight’s head snapped up, eerie shadows cast across her face as the fickle light of a dozen candles arranged in a circle around the bedraggled unicorn flickered and wavered from some draft of air originating from Celestia knows where.

A broken smile stretched across Twilight’s face and she laughed. “Pinkie. How nice of you to come say goodbye.”

Pinkie tried to get closer, but purple strands of magic whipped out and lashed her to the floor. “Twilight!” Pinkie yelled, tears coursing down her cheeks. “Don’t do this!”

Twilight’s brows knitted together, but her eerie smile remained in place. “Can’t you see, Pinkie? Can’t you see that this is the only way? I have to do this. I have to.”

Pinkie struggled vainly against the magical restraints. “Please! This won’t bring him back!”

Twilight’s face contorted into a mask of pure rage. Spittle flew from her lips as she screeched, “Don’t you dare say that! Don’t you dare pretend to know what I’m going through!”

Pinkie sobbed, “We all loved him, Twilight! I loved him too!”

Twilight laughed, harsh and bitter. “You loved him! We all loved him! And now he’s gone! Gone gone gone!” Her voice hitched. “He was just a baby, Pinkie. Just a little baby.”

Pinkie pleaded, “I know. It’s not fair, but you can’t do this! It’s not fair to us! It’s not fair to me.”

Twilight turned her back to the pink pony and raised the knife from the circular bowl it had been resting in. She dragged the blade across her wrist with a wince of pain and allowed dark drops of blood to pool in the bowl beneath.

Pinkie screamed, “Please, Twilight! Please stop!”

Twilight ignored her, slicing the bottom of her hoof.

Pinkie bit through her lip, the taste of her own blood pooling in her mouth. “Twilight, please.” Her voice came out soft, pleading. “Please. I love you.”

Twilight’s ear twitched, apparently registering the confession. Her hooves stilled, blade pointed dangerously towards her chest.

Softly, Twilight responded. “I’m sorry.”

A howl of pain, vast and unfathomable, echoed through the library; Pinkie raced forward as the magic restraints dissipated and she clutched the dying unicorn to her chest. She sobbed as Twilight’s eyes unfocused and a genuine smile crept across the unicorn’s face.

Pinkie lowered her head to rest on Twilight’s forehead and she heard the softest whisper escape from Twilight’s mouth, “Come back, Spike.”

As Twilight grew immobile in her grasp, Pinkie heard the door to the library open, followed by the click clacking of claws on the wooden floor.

Pinkie buried her face in the reddening fur of Twilight’s chest and wailed heartwrenching sobs, accented by the steady thumps of footsteps coming up the stairs.

The door to the inner portion slowly creaked open.

Pinkie collapsed to the floor.

--Author's Notes--
Again this was a submission to Thirty Minute Ponies and as such was written in thirty minutes under the prompt: Character A has done or is going to do something which will hurt Character B, and A knows they’re going to hurt B, but A is going to do it anyway. I'm actually pretty proud of this as it's much more serious in tone than what I normally do. I hope you enjoyed it!

Comments

[Diamond Sparkle]

Poor Twilight.

[Baby Seal Burritos]

716079
http://thirtyminuteponies.tumblr.com/

[Baby Seal Burritos]

716149
Yes that was brought to my attention. I thought it was 1,200 for some odd reason.

[Donnys Boy]

Annnnnngst!

I think you're better at writing serious than you give yourself credit for. I found this entire piece had this sort of ... oppressive mood ... that suited the subject matter very well.

[Path_of_cloud]

716318 yay now instead of continuing on my shit I can write new stuff I'll never post

[Inferno demon Dash]

Damn...this was dark...but I LOVED IT! Ahh...taking your own life, one thing that will never fail....great job.

[Obscure Reference]

Oh man, I don't remember this one ;w; Poor-well, poor both of them, I guess. I do really like it when you do serious stuff, it always turns out really good ^^