Bifrost
There had once been a time when Celestia asked Luna about the specifics of her dream walking abilities. Luna described it like flying through the night’s sky, where every star was a pony at rest. Celestia had also sworn swift retribution if Luna ever walked through her dreams again. In fairness though, how was a young Luna to know that her then teenaged sister was prone to the occasional... intimate dream?
Luna had since learned to be more… subtle with her observations.
A flap of Luna’s wings propelled her further into the the dreamscape, her eyes briefly scanning every dream she passed. Most common were the dreams of fillies and colts, often nonsensical byproducts of developing young minds. Luna had decided long ago it was best to leave those dreams alone in all but the most extreme cases.
Another flap carried her further through to the dreams of grown mares and stallions. She always found those much more rewarding to work with. Their dreams tended to be more rooted in the problems of their daily lives. Well, most of the time.
Luna paused by a particular dream of a stallion running for his life from a pair of gigantic horseshoes that seemed intent on eating him. Nearby, she spotted a different pony’s dream of falling; a surprisingly common nightmare for pegasi. Continuing forward, she passed a prophetic dream foretelling the end of the world. Luna knew better than to step into those dreams, they weren’t worth the hassle. She had forgotten if that was the fifteenth or sixteenth time she had seen that one tonight.
‘I wonder how many will start a cult this time.’ Luna rolled her eyes.
Pressing forward she stretched out with her senses, feeling for the mind of the one pony she was interested in. He must have stayed up quite late to have not yet entered the dreamscape. The thought made Luna scoff, she didn’t know why some ponies could be so discourteous with their time. Then again, given the stallion she was searching for, Luna wasn’t sure why she was surprised.
Not sensing the mind she was looking for yet, Luna went back to drifting aimlessly through the sea of dreams around her. She didn’t feel anypony caught in the throes of a particularly upsetting dream, nor any recurrent night-terrors that she could intervene in. It was hard not to be a little disappointed in the lack of creativity in most ponies subconsciousness. She wondered if Donut Joe was asleep, his dreams were usually entertaining, and they made for splendid blackmail against her sister.
Luna’s chuckle came to an abrupt end as she finally sensed the mind she was looking for. With a moment of concentration the dreamscape faded away, leaving only one mind in front of her. She paced around the nebulous concentration of the stallion’s subconscious, appraising it with well practiced senses.
“Hello again, Mister Bifrost,” she cooed, circling around the stallion’s dream. “There are some questions about you that I desire an answer to.”
Lowering her head, Luna’s horn touched the dream. Bifrost’s dream expanded, encompassing Luna in it’s bounds. She allowed a few moments for her presence to fully mesh within his mind, it was easier to avoid detection that way, and given the way he had spoken with herself and Celestia earlier, Luna was disinclined to speak with him again. At least not without understanding him better.
Opening her eyes, Luna smiled. The dreamspace was still in flux, which meant Bifrost’s mind was just settling in to sleep. It would be foals play for her to shape his dreams from memories. She would have to work slowly, starting with more recent events and working her way back until she found what she wanted. That was the only way she could keep her presence undetectable.
Reaching out with her magic, it was only a few moments before she found the memory from the mornings events. From there she quickly found the subconscious threads that tied it to an earlier memory. It was all too easy for her to follow them down, and Luna was quite eager to see what made this stallion tick.
She found herself standing in the corner of a large office room. Bifrost was sitting behind a desk, a stack of papers in his hooves that he was reading. Luna paced around the room until she was standing behind him. The desk was covered in a series of papers, most of which were illegible to Luna as Bifrost didn’t have a photographic memory. The only things on the desk that were clear were a set of three framed pictures.
The first was a picture of a very young Rainbow Dash, no more than four or five by the look of it. Her bright eyes seemed to sparkle with glee as she held a Wonderbolt’s pennant in her teeth. A second photograph showed an older Rainbow Dash, side by side with Bifrost. Both father and daughter shared the same bright grin, though the background had faded in Bifrost’s memory.
The final picture was of a mare Luna didn’t recognize. She had a delicate pink coat and a flowing blue mane. Leaning forward, Luna studied the picture. It wasn’t hard to tell the mare was important to Bifrost, though exactly what their connection was she wasn’t yet sure.
The door to Bifrost’s office swung open, a pegasus stallion with an umber coat burst into the room, a telegram in his teeth. Bifrost looked up from his papers in mild annoyance. The look shifted to concern upon noticing the umber stallion’s expression.
“What’s up, Hail?”
Stopping in front of the desk, Hail released the note from his lips, letting the small sheet fall to the desk. He took a half-step back, his blue eyes watching Bifrost carefully. “The-there’s been an accident, Frost.”
Bifrost arched an eyebrow, reaching out with a hoof to pull the telegram closer. “Where? Are we talking somewhere in the factory, or what?.”
Hail fumbled over his words, unable to speak. Bifrost read the note, his heart coming to a full stop as the words sank in. His eyes drifted to the pictures on his desk, his jaw hanging open.
“No,” he whispered, “no, no, no!”
In an instant he turned and leapt out his window, his wings propelling him away as fast as they could.
Luna moved forward, her eyes looking to the note with interest. Bifrost’s memory only showed three words: Rainbow Dash injured. The rest of the note was nothing but an inconsequential blur lost to memory. Luna shifted her attention to the pictures on the desk. Her eyes she could see the faint glow around the picture of the filly aged Rainbow, and subsequently, the way to the next memory she was searching for.
Channeling magic into her horn, she bowed her head and tapped the pictures. The dreamscape faded into a sea of white, the world shifting and morphing as she shifted to an earlier time in Bifrost’s life. When she opened her eyes she was standing in a small living room, probably in Cloudsdale if the architecture was any indication.
All the furnishings were made of specially shaped clouds. Some items, like the overstuffed couch, were cloud based with plush cushions added for extra comfort. Picture frames had been mounted on most of the walls, most of the pink mare alone, or her and Bifrost. Newer pictures were added beside them showing foal pictures of a very young Rainbow Dash.
Luna heard singing coming from another room in the small home. A stallion’s voice, smooth and gentle, singing a lullaby. She couldn’t make out the words, but she couldn’t help but smile sadly from the melody.
She followed the voice down the hall, ignoring the areas of haze where the dream hadn’t fully solidified. Her hoofsteps carried her past an empty bedroom and a bathroom, Luna absently noticed two toothbrushes, two different toothpastes, and a mare’s brush lying on the counter. She hummed once, her hooves carrying her past without a second thought.
Past those she found the nursery, a small room with reinforced cloud walls. It was common practice in pegasi nursery’s to reinforce the cloudstone in their homes so a rambunctious young filly or colt wouldn’t accidentally make a hole and go into freefall. Luna observed that the cradle itself was made of wood and painted Wonderbolts blue. Hanging about it was a mural of little pegasi in flight. The tiny figures posed as if they were part of an intricate dance through the skies.
Bifrost was huddled over the cradle, his singing quiet as he lowered the sleeping foal into the cradle.
Baby mine, don’t you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine
Bifrost pulled the sheets over the young filly’s body, his hoof gently caressing her mane. She slept soundly, her little mouth slightly ajar with every steady breath. Despite the exhaustion in his body, he smiled. His hoof lingered on her head a moment longer before reluctantly retreating.
“Sweet dreams, baby girl,” he whispered, lips planting a gentle kiss on her brow. “You have good dreams flying on mommy’s back, and she’ll carry you through to the dawn, and daddy will always be right here when you wake up, I promise.”
Almost reluctantly, Bifrost retreated from the cradle and let out an exhausted sigh. His wings sagged and his head sunk, even the atmosphere of the dream seemed to feel heavier around Luna. She recognized it for what it was: pure exhaustion. It was a feeling every parent carried, and it still tended to impress Luna how the common pony could push through that exhaustion at a moments notice if their children needed anything.
Bifrost turned to a pile of pillows and blankets he had thrown almost haphazardly in the corner of the room. Beside the makeshift bed was a small cup of water, a small plate with a half-eaten cookie, and a glass pane set into a wooden frame. Sealed within the glass was a beautiful pink primary feather, the color still vibrant as the day it was plucked thanks to whatever spells were placed upon it.
Careful not to make any noise, Bifrost lowered himself onto the pillows and pulled the blanket over his body. He reclined on his side, facing the framed feather. His eyes stared at it for several long minutes before he reached out with a hoof and pulled the frame to his breast.
Luna watched and waited, her curiosity only growing. Bifrost didn’t speak or sing, instead he remained quiet, his eyes closed and his jaw trembling. Luna watched him cover his eyes with a hoof, his breaths coming in short gasps as he struggled not to cry.
Her eyes flicked to the frame, again she saw the glow. She looked to Bifrost, her heart sinking at the sight of the agonized stallion. With a breath, she steeled herself and moved into the next memory.
The dreamscape shifted again, the small house melting and expanding. Dozens of pegasi of all shapes and colors appeared around her, all sitting in ordered rows with their heads bowed in despair. There were no details to them, they were merely shades in Bifrost’s memory. The front row had a large couch in the center flanked by several plush chairs on both flanks. In the very center sat Bifrost, a newborn foal held in his hooves. Other ponies shared the couch with him, though like all the rest they were featureless shades.
The back wall vanished, revealing a short platform and an overcast sky. A pedestal, shaped of ornately crafted cloudstone sat at the base of the platform, a silver urn placed on top of it and surrounded by flowers and pictures of the pink mare throughout her life.
An aging pegasus wearing a black jacket stepped up to a small podium to the right of the urn. Pulling a sheet of paper from his pocket, he cleared his throat and began the service.
“Brothers and sisters, we are gathered here today to mourn the loss of our sister, Firefly. Daughter of Thunder Dash and Easy Breeze, sister of Summer Rain and Northwind, wife of Bifrost, and mother of Rainbow Dash. She leaves behind many friends and loved ones whose hearts she touched in more ways than one, and a newborn daughter who will grow up never knowing her mother’s voice.”
Bifrost tried to be strong, he tried to keep his grief inside. Yet the harder he tried, the more powerful the hurt seemed to become. A pitiful whimper was all that preceded the tears that flowed freely from his cheeks. The ponies around him wrapped their hooves around his shoulders, providing what love they could.
The old stallion’s voice echoed through the dream, the words only faint echoes through the overpowering grief. Luna struggled to fully insulate herself from the sensation. The service passed in a blur, many ponies sharing their memories of Firefly at the podium, Bifrost heard none of it. Finally the old stallion returned to close the ceremony.
“And so it is with heavy hearts that we give our sister Firefly’s ashes to the winds. May her spirit fly forever free, and may she find eternal rest in the Summer Lands.”
Bifrost’s face twisted in silent agony, tears spilling down his cheeks as two ponies, clad in black suits hefted the silver urn from the polished cloudstone pedestal. Slowly, deliberately, they flew off of the platform and over the fields far below Cloudsdale. A third pony removed a simple metal disc from the bottom of the urn. Bifrost clung to his infant daughter as his love’s ashes filtered out and into the open sky. Even with the loving hooves of many ponies holding onto him, he had never felt so alone in his life.
The memory shifted again, this time the change was unbidden by Luna. Bifrost’s subconscious was naturally shifting to a related memory. Luna didn’t attempt to stop the shift, not only would it reveal her presence, but she also wanted to be away from the oppressive grief of the funeral.
The memory faded away, like grains of sand caught in the wind. Each grain seemed to multiply exponentially, rebuilding the dreamspace around her. Gone was the rows of grieving ponies, replaced by a cold hospital hallway. Bifrost stood in front of a mare in a white doctors coat, her face was at once distinct, yet unmemorable.
“We did everything we could, but she lost too much blood,” the mare said.
Bifrost leaned heavily against a wall, his mind trying to process what was happened. “No, no she can’t...”
“She passed away a few minutes ago, I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Bifrost shook his head, his mind stubbornly refusing to accept the reality of the situation. “Firefly isn’t dead! She can’t be dead!” He shouted, stomping his hoof and walking away from the doctor. Tears spilled from his eyes, his throat tightened and his heart ached.
The doctor followed close behind him, a sympathetic frown on her face. She reached out with a hoof, gently resting it on his shoulder. Bifrost whirled around, half-heartedly shoving her away as his world crumbled. The shove only gave the mare a half-seconds pause before she was beside him again.
“She’s not dead, she’s not!”
“I’m sorry—‘
“You go back in there and do whatever you gotta do, but… but she’s—“
“There’s nothing more we can do,” the doctor said, her voice firm and calm. “She’s gone.”
Bifrost stopped his pacing, fighting desperately to quell the pain in his heart. When he turned to face the doctor, his face was red and his lips trembled. His voice was quiet as he pleaded with her. “Please, please, sh-she can’t… she can’t leave our baby, she wouldn’t… she can’t…”
The doctor pulled him into a tight hug, letting the broken stallion sob into her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be okay.”
The painful reality settled into Bifrost’s heart. Firefly would never smile again, never laugh, never cry. She would never sing, dance, or hurt. Firefly, his love, his light, was dead. For a long time, the doctor held Bifrost as he wept.
Luna closed her eyes and turned away, she wouldn’t force Bifrost to suffer any more of that dark day. She closed her eyes and stretched out with her senses, looking for a happier memory. She found it closer than she thought, deep in Bifrost’s heart. With a careful application of magic, she leapt through the portal. The dream vanished into blinding light.
When Luna opened her eyes, she was standing back in the nursery. This time there were no pillows in the corner. The cradle itself was pristine and unused, silently awaiting it’s occupant.
Hearing quiet voices from down the hall, Luna left the small room. Following the sounds she arrived at the master bedroom, the door hanging open. Luna couldn’t help but blush as she peered inside.
She found the source of the voices easily enough, Bifrost and Firefly. They were lying in bed, her back flush with his chest. His foreleg draped lazily over her swollen belly, hoof rubbing over where their unborn foal grew. He kissed the back of her neck and inhaled her scent deep into his lungs, earning a sleepy giggle from her.
“They’re sure it’s a girl?” he asked.
She laughed, a hoof resting over his. “Disappointed, big guy?”
He snorted. “I’ll get over it.”
“Well in a year or two we’ll try really hard to make her a baby brother, how’s that sound?”
“Sounds like a trip to Las Pegasus for us, and to grandma’s for this one,” he chuckled, hoof delicately patting her belly.
“Thought of any good filly names?”
Bifrost hummed. “Kinda gotta see her first, we wouldn’t want to pick a name that doesn’t fit.”
“She can have two names,” Firefly argued.
“Like your parents?”
“Yeah, why not?”
“Hmm,” he nuzzled her neck, “what about ‘Rocket’?”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s a colt’s name, Frost.”
“Says who?”
“Says me.”
Bifrost snorted. “Don’t tell me, you wanna name her ‘Radical Radiance,’ or something like that.”
Firefly groaned. “Cute, but then she’d hate us by the time she can fly.”
“What about ‘Dash’, after your dad?”
“Dash,” she repeated, “Our little Dashie.”
Bifrost stuck his tongue out in distaste. “Well when you say it like that, forget it.”
Firefly laughed, swatting Bifrost lightly on the nose. “Oh shush, it’s cute!”
“My daughter won’t be cute! She’ll be the cutest filly wots ever lived!” he declared proudly.
Firefly laughed. “Sheesh, not even born yet and daddy’s already wrapped around her little hoof.”
Bifrost rolled his eyes. “Great, cause her mommy doesn’t own enough of me already.”
With another chuckle, Firefly tilted her head back to catch his lips in a soft kiss. “I love you, ‘daddy’.”
“I love you too, ‘mommy’.”
Firefly rubbed her belly, excited for the moment she would hold first set eyes on her daughter-to-be. “And we both love you, little one.”
“Betcha she looks like me,” Bifrost said with a mischievous grin.
“Oh you’re so full of crap!”
Luna closed her eyes and channeled her magic through her horn. Slipping free of his dreams she found herself back in the nebulous realm where all dreams resided. For a time, she drifted aimlessly, her thoughts preoccupied with what she had seen and felt. With a sigh, she left the dreamspace altogether. She didn’t have the will for more tonight.
Bifrost awoke with a sharp gasp, his eyes darting about the darkened room. His right hoof rubbed anxiously at his face as he struggled to calm down.
“Deep breaths... deep breaths. It’s was just a dream,” he whispered, “just a dream.”
“D...dad?” Rainbow whispered, her voice hoarse.
Bifrost didn’t answer, he took heavy breaths through his mouth, his hooves covering his eyes.
“Dad?” she asked again. Her attempted to sit up met with blinding pain from her abdomen. Cringing, she laid her head back and panted for a moment to catch her breath. “D-dad, what’s wrong?”
Bifrost quickly wiped his face on his fetlock as he lowered his hooves. He forced a bright smile for Rainbow, though even the darkness of the room didn’t convince her it was genuine.
“Nothing, honey, Daddy’s okay. You go back to sleep, okay?”
“You sound,” she paused to catch her breath, a trembling hoof trying to reach out for him. “Sound like you’re crying.”
A sad chuckle escaped him, his hooves gently taking Rainbow’s. “Yeah, yeah, I am.”
“Why?” she asked, her words coming out in strained whispers. Each breath made more difficult from her collapsed lung
“I know, baby, I know. It was just… just had a rough dream.”
“What,” she coughed lightly, a whimper escaping her throat, “what about?”
Bifrost leaned down, kissing her forehead. He tried not to be surprised to feel that her fever had yet to break. “Don’t you worry about me, baby. You just rest and get better now, okay?”
“Dad...” Rainbow pleaded.
Bifrost sagged, he couldn’t brush her off. He never could.
“I... I was dreaming about your mom,” he said, his voice seeming distant. “About how much I miss her, and how scared I was when you got hurt.”
“I’m okay, Dad, really.”
He smiled, a sad laugh escaping him. His hoof brushed through her mane. “I know baby, I know. But you can’t blame me for worrying.”
“I can worry about you, too.”
“I know, I know,” he assured her, “how do you feel?”
“... Hurts a lot.”
“Want me to get the doctor?”
“No... I’m okay.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“… C-… could you sing me a song?”
Bifrost smiled, his hoof petting her mane. “Always, sweetie. Always.”
He cleared his throat and took a breath. For the chance to feel like her dad again, even if just for one last moment, one last breath, or one last song. For that chance, he would do anything.
When he sang, his voice was soft. Tenor notes gently carrying the lyrics through the room.
Baby mine, don’t you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine
Little one when you play
Don't you mind what you say
Let those eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine
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WOW.
All I can say.
~Skeeter The Lurker
...
Speechless...
2845170
I know, right?
~Skeeter The Lurker
I want to make a worthwhile comment...but I really have no words. A smile, tears, and no words.
Good... but for the fact that Luna seems a little... stupid.
She's older than dirt. How'd she not immediately intuit that the pink mare was Dash's mom and that the framed feather meant she was dead?
Feels
2845191
In fairness, it was also plausible (fom Luna's perspective) that they had a very bad breakup, or they were never an item and she merely dumped Rainbow on him after giving birth. She probably above presuming any specific thing.
2845215 Fair enough. I stand by the notion that she should've figured "Dash's mom" in about half a second though :P
I was not expecting these feels!
2845175 Undoutably.
9A: Direct hit! Right in the Feels. You sunk my emotions!
Man Luna is a dick. Invading someone's memories like that is pretty awful.
Right in the feels, man.....right in the feels........
I have to agree with the others in that I cannot adequately express myself. Well done.
Very moving chapter, this one.
Fun fact: Someone has actually made a version of 'Baby Mine' specifically for Rainbow Dash.
Admittedly, it's not exactly Bifrost's voice, but it's pretty damn good regardless. It played in my mind for this chapter.
awws i'm a heartless bastard this didn't affect me at all, it had a lot of info and it was as always extremely well written even made me chuckle when bifrost said as if his wife didn't already control him enough. ill be looking forward to rainbow's recovery, oh and a collapsed lung? why havent they fixed that already that is not something they should leave.
This story keeps on getting better and better! Oh, and I love your profile picture to death! Probably not as much as he loves booze, but I still love it to death!
WHY CAN'T I UPVOTE THIS MORE THAN ONCE?!
I have no words
This chapter is very moving, thank you.
That is probably just a throwaway line there, but I just love how it humorously illustrates how intrinsic and mundane (from her perspective) Luna's ability is.
how dare she invade his dreams for such selfish reasons!
ouch, i think you cracked my feels receiver...
HNNNNG.
Right in the feels.
ok not super radical but just like any real book there will be some slower moments when you learn instead of plunging into the action. so.. with that in mind its still just as good as it has been up until now
keep up the good work
Beautifully written chapter
This story never ceases to amaze me. Keep writing my friend
Really great chapter; keep up the awesome work!
You have yanked out our heartstrings.
Well done.
I guess I have to be the voice of dissent here. Don't get me wrong -- I think this chapter is well-written, but I also think it's completely inappropriate for one very important reason: this is the sort of chapter that is best used during a lull in the narrative, but in this instance you've completely derailed the story during a high-tension period to provide a history that could have been summed up in a few paragraphs. While I understand that you're trying to frame future interactions between Luna and Bifrost, this entire chapter came across as filler material trying to justify its own existence through the ham-fisted use of emotional whiplash.
Hm.
So this is what cardiac arrest feels like.
...
It's pretty painful.
Feels.
Wat are you doing.
Feels.
Stahp.
2845213
fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/030/7/2/rainbow_dash_cries_by_ninjashade-d4o6rxv.gif
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6111aCLnG1rv8jpzo1_500.gif
On a side note: wow, this story has been featured at least 3 times now.
This is the first story that has ever brought me to tears.
I salute thee, you genius son-of-a-bitch
2846111 Wait, what high tension? We know Rainbow's at least preliminarily okay, Spitfire's job has been sorted, Fleetfoot's a little bit up in the air but we know roughly where it's going. At this point we kinda ARE at a lull.
2846111
I gotta agree with 2846399 on this, dude. This is a good point to drop this on us.
Hell, you can't deny it hits, hard.
~Skeeter The Lurker
2846344
Haven't you paid attention? Every time it updates, instant feature.
It's just that good. Hell, one of the few that deserves the spot, I think.
~Skeeter The Lurker
All the feels right now.
What a lovely chapter poor Bifrost.
CB
owwwwww my feels
For some reason I was expecting him to sing Soft Kitty
Well done.
I will say this: I fave many stories, and I track many more, but I rarely ever download a chapter; but sometimes you just need something there to remind you of things, even if it brings a tear to your eye...
2846428
Actually, I can deny it. Regardless of how well it's written, Firefly dying in a tragic accident has been used in so many stories that it's lost all impact; it's become a tired cliché at this point.
2846665
Ha. Ha ha ha! Wait. You're serious? Did you even READ it?
She died during CHILDBIRTH. Regardless, the MAIN point still stands: this was a prime time to drop this on us.
~Skeeter The Lurker
2846678
Yeah, I read it. As far as I'm concerned it's just the same cliché in a different package. I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree on the "main point" however. My hope is that the story won't take any more of these lengthy detours; I'd hate for this to become another one of those stories where the author loses interest before the story reaches its conclusion.
2846665
I never said it specifically, but Firefly's cause of death was severe bleeding post childbirth. There was no accident of any kind, just a sadly common maternal complication. Also I felt this was the perfect time for a breather given that from chapters 31-38 things have been moving very quickly. Most everything is wrapping up now so this seemed like the best way to do some elaboration into Bifrost.
I agree I could have explained what happened in a couple paragraphs, i.e.: have Bifrost talk to spitfire about it or just write him thinking about it. However I established earlier that Bifrost wouldn't talk about it easily. Furthermore having a block of exposition like that would be very telly and awkward, something I don't like to do. Having this as its own chapter also let me do a bit of world building with the pegasi, which is just fun.
2846719
Subborn, aren't you? Me and someone else just debunked you and no one else has taken the time to agree with you. Granted, they haven't agreed with us, but we still hold the high ground on this.
Just admit defeat, it'll be easier, you know?
~Skeeter The Lurker
2846728
Wait, what? Admit defeat...in a discussion regarding our subjective opinions about a fanfiction? Is your ego really that fragile?