A Series of Letters

by Dashie04

1-8-11

Well, the receptionist clearly saw that I was worried and panicked, because they let me see Chrissy with no questions asked.

Do now, I’m here with Slate and Lance, sitting at my wife's bedside, and I’m freaking out. The most beautiful Crystal Pony I know of, in a deep shade of purple, lies in the bed. She’ clearly conscious, but I don’t know how long it’ll last.

“Chrissy, say something, can you talk? Can you say anything, just a simple word of affirmation?” I ask, the spaces between my words nonexistent.

Chrissy looks up at me.

“Corny, is that you?” Chrissy asks, confusedly.

I don’t pay attention to Lance stifling a laugh at my admittedly embarrassing nickname.

“Yes, it’s me, and I’m probably fired. I’ve come from the Changeling Lands to see you, Chrissy. You might not remember what you asked me to do, but I’ve brought my friends. I’ve got True Blue, though she likes being called Lance, and Slate.” I say, gesturing at my two friends in question.

“Slate!” I prod.

Taking the hint, the Changeling drops his disguise.

In five seconds, Jack’s already all over him. He wants to know everything about Slate.

“Chrissy, I was so concerned that you wouldn’t remember me, or that you couldn’t talk or something. But, I’d love to talk with you just one more time, if you can.”

Chrissy weakly nods.

“So, what’ve you been doing?”

“Well,” Chrissy weakly chuckles.”I haven’t been doing much. Just lying here.”

“What’s with Sparky saying you’ve gone loopy? You seem perfectly normal today.”

“She wrote that?” is Chrissy’s only response. I stare sternly at Sparky, who is parked in the corner, covered by her purple wings. We will talk about this later.

“Well, I’ve just been wondering, you still love history as much as ever, right? You seemed to stop talking about it in your more recent letters.”

“Yeah, I stopped writing about it because I didn’t have anything to talk about. There’s only so much history.”

I nod. The heart monitors are the only noise I’m paying attention to now. Not even Jack’s insistent questioning of Slate, not even the rustles or any other noise in the world.

All I hear is the heart monitor, and that’s it.

“Chrissy,” I say, breaking the silence.

“Yes?” Chrissy responds, her voice faltering more and more.

“She loves you, yeah, yeah yeah
She loves you, yeah, yeah yeah,”
I sing. Chrissy smiles. That was the first song we played at our wedding. I’m still glad that Chrissy remembers that. She clearly remembers the song.

“Corny, I don’t have much longer,” she says. The heart monitor beeps are weakening.”Corny, I love you, too.”

She lays her head down and the monitor flatlines.

My wife was dead, and I barely got to see it.

Why?

Why did I have to hold on to a job I hated? Why did I consider cheating? Why was I such a bad husband recently?

Why had I only been there at the end? I mean, I was there, but that’s not the same. I held stubbornly onto a fight I couldn’t win, I fight I’ve almost certainly lost, just to lose another one. I hadn’t won today, I haven’t won for the past few. I’ve got Lance and Slate, and that’s it.

“Sparky,” I say,”we need to talk.”

Sparky sheepishly comes up to me. She’s there, and I look at her.

“Sparky, why did you lie?”

Sparky looks at me and slowly says,”Well, I wanted you to come back. I just couldn’t handle it, Mom dying, and you not coming back for some arbitrary fear. I just had to get you down here no matter what it took. If it meant making Mom loopy, I’d do it. I just can’t, I just can’t, why...”

Sparky collapses into my chest and starts crying. I put my wings around her, comforting her.

“So, your marriage is open now, eh?” Lance states.

“True Blue, now is not the time. Maybe later, when I’m done with my daughter. Until then, hold off. Talk with Skate or something,” I respond, making sure to use her full name.

I focus my attention back on Sparky.

“Sparky, it’s alright, we’re all recovering. I’m actually glad you persuaded me to come. I needed to. But, you could’ve done it without lying.”

“It’s just, I wanted to see you again Dad. We’re not only worried about Mom. But, we’re worried about you. I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn’t, and now she’s gone, and you’re here, but you barely got to see her,” she sobs.

“You say that like it’s not prevalent on my mind. Why I didn’t come earlier, I don’t know,” I respond in earnest.

Sparky returns to her corner, and I examine my wife once more. She’s dead. Nothing will change that, as much as 8 wish something would.

Jack, finally taking his eyes off of Slate for ten seconds, notices me.

He walks up to Chrissy, and looks down.

“I guess she’s really dead,” he says, adjusting his glasses.”But why? Why did Mom have to die? Is it some trick of the heavens? That’s scientifically improbable, regardless! This was done, and I don’t like it one bit!”

Well, I guess he’s out of denial. But, I don’t know if I prefer this Jack more.

Taking my eyes of Chrissy, and leaving Jack to his ramblings. I turn around toward the door and my two friends.

“Meet me in about an hour,” I state.

I walk towards the door, and contemplate what had happened. Yes, Chrissy was dead, my beautiful wife. But, if her words were anything to go by, hers and Sparky’s, then her death brought ponies together. It wasn’t completely in vein, and I know that ponies have grown from it. I just wish this didn’t have to happen this way. Things were ‘t going very well.

Well, Chrissy was dead, but I got out of my dead end job, and found out that Changelings are great ponies. I wonder if Jack would let me do his Changeling Civil Rights Movement with him. I sense its needed.

So, I guess things were alright, all things considered, but I knew they could get a lot better. They would get a lot better.

I step out into the hallway with all this on my mind, prepared to start anew.

Author's Note:

Longest chapter to date! Wonderful.

Well, the death scene was merely alright, but don’t worry, there’ll be another chapter tomorrow that will actually end the story.