Equestria's Ray of Hope

by The_Darker_Fonts

Don't Think Twice

Ray barely registered their apologies, their voices and kind hooves feeling distant and displaced. His mind was strangely numb, not sad at all. Maybe he was too shocked to feel the weight of these emotions, and with his heart still dropped out of him, only his brain seemed left. And it wasn’t working well.

How could Otolo disappear? She was a bird. She could fly away from danger and take shelter with Fluttershy if she were ever threatened. She was too smart to simply fall victim to the circle of life. Right?

Otolo, his little Equestria that had sat on his shoulders and pecked at his ear, was gone. Presumed dead.

He felt the tears rolling down his cheek, but his breathing remained steady, his heartbeat normal. There was no indication physically of his sudden distress and he didn’t even feel it, only the tears that wet his face. Everything was simply empty and cold.

He had known he would lose friends in this war, that inevitably someone he cared about would die. He had prepared for the deaths of Skalos, Garish, Adant, Gaz, Kraven, Harbor, or any of the many other friends he had made. He had even prepared himself for the potential death of Zecora and Twilight, if they for some reason got caught in one of the battles. Of course, he had prepared for a slap to the face, but never this stab to the back, Otolo missing… dead maybe. She should have been one of the few that survived if everything went terribly, like the Apples, Fluttershy, Rarity, the Pies, and the CMC. Protected by him.

Absently, he reached up to his shoulder with his left hand, resting it on where the little bird would be sitting right now, if she were here. He breathed out, squeezing his eyes shut as, finally, the pain hit and his numbness gave way to waves of anguish. Gritting his teeth, his throat tightening, he gripped his shoulder hard, remembering the little, unremarkable, indispensable friend he had made. The first one he had lost.

Lost. She was missing, but not dead, he forced himself to remember. She wasn’t dead, which meant she had to be alive, and so long as she was alive, he needed to push onward. Otolo was a hardy, vibrant bird that would survive. Reaching into himself, thinking hard, feeling everything, the sorrow, pain, and confusion, he found the little spark of hope that he had, the possibility that Otolo still lived. He held onto that spark and let it grow into a blaze, melting away the icy sorrow within. She was alive. He knew it and would know it until it was otherwise proven incorrect. With determination, he lifted his head and opened his eyes.

---

Rarity watched in awe as the human suddenly seemed to grow, his body drawing up and becoming taller than ever. His face was still wet with tears, but as he opened his eyes, she only saw raw determination, his jaw set and his gaze sharp. He patted his hand on his shoulder before lowering it, looking like a behemoth about to engage in battle. It was the same look he had given them when he had sworn to protect Equestria. It was the same look he got whenever talking about how he would protect Equestria. It was Ray’s look, a look that couldn't be rivaled, questioned, or pushed aside. It was a look that proclaimed he would change the world again.

“I know you probably have many questions for me, but right now, there are only two things I can promise,” Ray said, interrupting three different voices. He spoke with absolute power, his gaze firm as he looked at his friends and families. “I can promise you that Otolo is alive and that I will be back to find her alive. Everything else is up to fate, now.”

Wordlessly, he turned to Twilight. Nopony questioned it as they both vanished, the alicorn looking just as shocked at his behavior as everypony else, simply following his silent order. There was silence for several minutes after they had vanished, everypony staring at the spot where the human had stood, still registering it all. Finally, Rarity turned and began to walk away, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

“Where’re ya goin’, Rarity,” Applejack questioned, sounding panicked.

Turning over her shoulder, smiling at her friends, she replied firmly, “My friends, for once, I am no longer afraid of what the future holds for us, because for once, I do not doubt Ray at all.”

Author's Note:

The first "short" chapter in over a year, but obviously a very important one. Check the blog post for details about the next chapter (if you're reading this before the next chapter is out).

Comments

[ShortCaveman]

I'm surprised AJ and Rainbow Dash were oddly speechless even so great speech can't wait to the next chapter!

[The_Darker_Fonts]

11573396
The Element of Honesty can't rebuff a truthful statement and the Element of Loyalty cannot side with an unaligned view. Likewise, only the Element of Generosity would be so brave as to give even her life to Ray in trusting him.

[The_Darker_Fonts]

11574592
Ah, like I said, give it time. There's something in the air...