Twelfth & Final Day: White Tidings
Voices...
She heard them. She heard them all in the darkest hour.
Echoes in the dark of white, calling out to her... reaching out for her in when her body struggled between the bonds of life and death, scratching desperately at the very walls of her dying conscious closing in onto her.
She wanted to scream. She wanted to shout to them: the dancing wisps of light in the obscured horizon. They had never been so far away from her before, and yet they only grew further... and further...
Was she moving, she thought to herself, questioning the feeling of the world shifting around her, and to where? Into the trenches of death itself? Is that where she was destined to go? To the next world beyond her plane of thought?
Fighting is pointless, something jabbed her with those words. You can't turn back, it continued. You can't go from where you came. Give up your struggle.
One word popped in her head. One familiar name.
"T-Tassee..."
"She's waking up!"
"H-huh...?" Rainbow murmured, stirring her eyes about at the bubbly voice of excitement that responded to her.
She voiced her surprise with a gasp as she saw the delighted faces of the five of her friends sitting around her, finding herself under the maroon sheets of a hospital bed. Her three hooves were completely bandaged up, with the exception of the left one on her front pair, leaving her unable to stand. Her wings were wrapped up as well, probably sustained from the fall she had while rolling down the hill.
The cyan mare suddenly felt her friends pulling her into a tight group hug, all of them laughing with relief. She couldn't believe that she was alive herself, blinking and rubbing her eyes a few times to confirm it.
"See?" Pinkie squealed gleefully and triumphantly, hopping around the room.
"I told you she would wake up! I knew it! I knew it! I knew-"
"Shhh......!!" Nurse Redheart hissed, popping her head into the room.
"Miss Pie! This is a hospital!"
There was a brief moment of awkward silence once the nurse left, before Rainbow turned to her friends, wishing this wasn't a dream. She rose from the covers of her bed, gazing around the room she was in with an alleviated smile on her face. There were only two possible ways that this was happening: either she was found by some ponies or she's actually dead. She sure hope it wasn't the latter.
Her worries were gone as she noticed Twilight limping towards her, the lavender mare giving a sheepish laugh once she furrowed her brows. Fluttershy's wings were messed a little as well, and Applejack had a small but noticeable bruise on the side of her body.
"You guys... c-came to save me?" she asked, unable to believe her own words.
"Sure betcha, sugarcube," Applejack answered with a warm grin.
"Ya don't think we just gonna leave ya in the cold now, huh pardner?"
"Why, it would be simply unthinkable!" Rarity's voice stepped in.
"To leave a friend dying in such a desolate place when you have an opportune time to save her... I would wallow in my bed all night with remorse at such a heartless act!"
"Then there's those meanies!! Those Timberwolves!!"
Rainbow stopped to look in shock once Pinkie said that, though her hyperactive friend didn't bother to notice it, continuing whilst her hooves clashed against each other, the lower hoof receiving the mock punch from her upper one.
"They tried to get to you, but we showed them who's boss!"
"Eeyup!" Applejack added. "Thanks to Fluttershy here."
Being the modestly humble mare she was, Fluttershy started to blush, shaking her hooves dismissively.
"Oh... it was nothing much..." the butter-colored pegasus said softly, letting out a smile.
"But how did you guys know where I was?" Rainbow asked, still puzzled.
"I could be anywhere in the snow! There's no way you would know where I am in the blizzard."
"Exactly," Twilight answered.
"I knew you would fly out of the window if you heard any news of Tassee being outside, so I placed a trace spell on you, to make sure. And boy, was I right. Then we ran into those creatures and... well... things got a little ugly. For the Timberwolves, I mean."
"No kidding," the cyan mare laughed. Then she stopped, her eyes widening immediately, her friends glancing at each other uneasily once she did so. Her vexation was driven to the top of her head once she remembered about her patient, her desperation to know his condition forcing out a stammer; one that the quintuple of the mares before her couldn't give a suitable answer.
"Wh-where's Tassee...?"
"How... how did this..."
The fresh tears in her eyes weren't enough to display the shock claiming her body at the sight that laid before her, the mare unable to grasp onto her cracking emotions when she glanced upwards at the bed, her body confined to a wheelchair due to the condition of her hooves. Nurse Redheart had guided her to this room and left her with none other than Doctor Martingale himself to look after their unconscious patient.
Taciturn was on the bed, trapped within an entanglement of wires attached onto his body. On his face was an oxygen mask; one she had only seen before on ponies that were stricken with coma. She wheeled her closer towards him, stopping beside the slow, rhythmic beeps of the monitor, clutching hopefully onto his hooves.
"How is he, doctor?"
Doctor Martingale's face was grayer than the receding clouds outside, flipping through the various printed notes he held in his hoof. There was a slow, languid sigh, placing the mare in a sense of dread.
"Tassee will make it, wouldn't he?" she asked, fearing at the answer.
"Doctor...?"
"I... I'm not sure..."
"What d-do you mean...?"
Rainbow's eyes welled up with tears once he gave his response. There was no way that he would...
"What do you mean?" she asked again, her shivering voice more firm. "He will be fine! I made it out of the snowstorm, doctor. Wouldn't he be able too as well?"
"You managed to escape because you're athletic."
With a sigh, the doctor settled down onto a stool, rubbing his temple with one of his hooves, trying to strain out the pressure of the situation he was under.
"Taciturn had spent his whole life in the seclusive environment of hospitals ever since he was young. He has no exposure to any exercising or working out of any sort, Miss Dash. Plus, you broke three of your hooves and fractured your wings; you barely managed to survive yourself."
"So what?" she yelled defiantly.
"You're just gonna watch him go? You're just gonna LET HIM DIE?!!"
"I tried the best I can!" the doctor shouted back, groaning distressingly as he guzzled down the small glass of beer he had prepared, the burning sensation in his throat forcing out his grief in the form of tears.
"I couldn't save him... it was too late..."
"His brain stopped functioning a minute before you arrive," he further explained, earning a look of disbelief from the other pony. Her tears started to drip onto the floor once he said that as he poured himself another glass, wanting to get this over as soon as possible.
"He's now on life support. The most I can give him is twenty minutes tops. If he doesn't wake by then... I'm sorry..."
"I d-don't understand...!" Rainbow stammered, her voice trembling.
"You can't just... he might... wake up! There must be another way.... THERE MUST BE ANOTHER WAY!!"
"It's the only way now." the doctor replied solemnly, placing a hoof onto the despairing mare's shoulder.
"Taciturn tried his best to fight, Miss Dash. To fight for his life back. To fight for another chance with you."
Rainbow turned in surprise at that, with Doctor Martingale letting out a chuckle.
"I knew he was in love with you ever since you took him in as his personal guardian. He was mesmerized by you ever since he met you, and was willing to do anything to get you. Even in his special complications, Taciturn understands love like every other pony."
"They said that the color of white is the union of all seven colors of the rainbow."
With a small sigh, the doctor rose from his seat, settling his glass of beer down onto the table. He gave a hearty chuckle at his own words and the look on the mare's face
"Now, I myself don't know much about physics," he remarked, "but I know that Taciturn fell in love with you not just because he likes rainbows, but because he sees you as the mare he wants to be with. And right now, he's suffering, Miss Dash. You might not see it, but inside he's fighting a losing battle and there's only one way to save him."
Rainbow just whimpered, clutching tighter on Taciturn's hooves, before she feverishly said:
"I understand......"
"Alright," came the reply as Doctor Martingale stepped towards the door.
"I'll give you some time alone with him," he said, quietly closing the door behind him, leaving only her and her patient in the room.
She let out a shivering sigh, her tears dripping onto the sheets of his bed while she edged closer to him, forcing out a breaking smile with her hoof brushing the side of his face.
"Hey Tassee..." she muttered.
There wasn't a response, hearing only his breathing amplified by the mask clamped over his mouth.
"It's me..." she tried again, gripping his hooves tighter.
"It's D-Dashie... remember...?"
Taciturn laid there still, having submerged in the black halcyon of unconsciousness. Rainbow could feel his pulse through his hooves; it was slow and faint, but at least it was still there.
"If you could just hear me..." she began. She felt like a novice doing this, her wall of confidence starting to crumble, drilled under by the torturing emotion of despair. Her head hung low, she clenched her eyes shut, trying to trap any falling tears that dared to leak out from her tear ducts.
"I... ever since I met you..." she began. That was a good start, she told herself.
"I thought you were a special pony. You h-have an incredible talent in drawing, you see things that many ponies don't normally see in their lives, and when I became your guardian, I was amazed at the things that you can do... that many ponies can't do..."
"Of course, along the way I helped out a little: letting you meet my friends, buying you gifts. stuff like that, but in the end, you helped yourself more than I could ever think of."
"I was foolish!" she spat suddenly, clenching tighter at his sheets as her heart wrenched up again, stinging her with regret and grief. She sniffled and hiccuped onto her tears, feeling an endless waterfall trickling down her face before she tried in vain to wipe them off.
"I called you a 'Bleachface', Tassee! I mocked you for your painting of Fluttershy! I shouted at you for using my ice-skates! Heck, I even pushed you away when I knew I was in love with you! That's right! I WAS IN LOVE WITH YOU WHEN I SCREAMED AT YOU!! AND WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
There wasn't an answer from him, though Rainbow responded to her own question in his place.
"You did nothing," she murmured soberly, trembling in her wheelchair, her head facing down with her eyes closed, shielded from view by her mane hanging low over them.
"You still stuck by me. You still smiled at me. You still saved me in the lake when I've could've drowned to my death inside. And now, look what happened... look where it all lead up to......"
"I... I will never call myself a worthy guardian..."
Sure enough, she broke down, burying her face into the sheets of his bed and dampening them with her remorse. It seemed to last for years, even though it only lasted for a short moment. Rainbow screamed everything she could think of at herself in that time frame, her voice muffled by the mattress of the bed.
"I'm s-sorry......" she whimpered, her tear-strewn eyes gazing at the colt.
"I'm sorry it c-came to this... but if you c-could just w-wake up..."
The sun was shining outside now, the pegasi having solved their problem with the snow machine. The rays of light that came from it pierced through the windows, tinging the room in a blazing bright orange that reminded her of the sunset.
"W-wake up..." she muttered, her voice shivering. Without hesitation, she lifted the oxygen mask from his snout, her tears dripping along his body as she did so. Rainbow gazed down at his peaceful face, crying out softly:
"I love you, Tassee..."
She plunged her lips into his own, clutching his hooves tighter as if it was for dear life. The euphoric sensations started to bloom within her heart, the blood swiveling up her veins and throughout her body with pure delight. She pressed her injured body against his, softly landing onto his chest as she continued the kiss, pinning him down onto the bed.
There was nothing more she wanted in her ravaging depression than to feel him once more, and she would be lying if she said she never enjoyed it. The fiery kiss burned with more pain (emotionally) than pleasure, forcing out even more whimpers once she finally broke it, stumbling back into her wheelchair and crying at herself in disgust.
"Are you ready?"
Doctor Martingale's voice caught her by surprise, with Rainbow jolting her head up with taut attention. She wiped any remainder of her tears lingering in her eyes, letting out a small cough. She turned back to the colt one last time, clenching her hooves firmly at her stirring decision and whirling back to the doctor, voicing it out in a stammer:
"Y-yes.."
Reluctantly, the doctor trotted up to the beeping monitor, the two ponies holding their breath as he flipped the switch. Immediately, the machinery beside them whirred and droned, the lights flashing about in protest, before dying down, leaving Rainbow to stare at the colt.
Doctor Martingale stepped out of the room, leaving the two pegasi inside for a moment of privacy once more. Rainbow cherished this moment; she forcibly stood up, ignoring the staggering pain stinging from within her hooves as she limped towards Taciturn, brushing his mane to the side.
"H-here..." she muttered quietly, placing on his chest his Santa cap.
"Th-thank you, Tassee... for everything..."
Rainbow leaned closer once more, giving another kiss on his forehead. She turned towards the door, wanting to step outside back to her friends and leave her agonizing remorse in the room, though she was stopped instantly by the near-silent sound of rustling feathers.
The mare immediately whirled around her jaw hanging open in disbelief once she saw the colt shuffling about in his sleep. His heavy eyelids strained to open, before his jet-black pupils stared hazily back at her. She crept closer towards him, the white pegasus only able to look in bafflement as he uttered one word out: a word she had never been happier to hear in her entire life.
"D-Dashie...?"
"Just over the hills...! Yep! That's the place!"
It's been five hours since Taciturn Bleach awoke from his slumber, with his guardian crying out in ecstatic delight and hugging him tightly the moment he did so, despite her impaired state. Soon enough, the ponies in the hospital, including the rest of Rainbow's friends, knew about his miraculous recovery, and all of them could never believe what Rainbow Dash had told the rest of the ponies of the fact that he was alive; one she would remember it for the world.
The white pegasus pushed Rainbow on the wheelchair, the two reaching the side of a hill not far from the hospital. It was harder than normal to get here, what with the overexcited ponies all wanting to talk and babble about him. Strangely enough to Rainbow, he proceeded finely along the hallways as they were heading outside, never cringing from any of the ponies in town as he used to.
Rainbow's state required her to be attended to at all times, with the athletic pegasus requiring a guardian of her own to take care of her while she has to recover from her serious injuries and, later on, undergo physical therapy. Of course, it was up to the mare to decide who she wants, and - she thought to herself - she couldn't have picked a better pony.
Their positions were switched now, her guardian pushing her up the green, sloping pastures on the hillside. The rest of Ponyville had dealt with the Winter Wrap Up in their absence, with all the white snow that once coated the land disappeared from sight. She missed it a little, seeing how it was the season that she met Taciturn for the first time and, knowing him, he would've wanted it to snow again as well.
The two finally settled onto the hill, gazing into the western horizon and into the colored sky, hued with shades of red, orange, gold and yellow. Rainbow sighed in relaxation as she felt a light breeze picked up, tossing her mane about while she closed her eyes, before feeling Taciturn's hooves on both of her shoulders.
"Tassee..." she muttered his name, feeling safe underneath his watch. The colt fanned out his wings, cheerfully smiling when he felt the swiftness of air gliding in between his feathers. Both of them admired the soothing, relaxing scenery and, of course, the presence of each other, overwhelming them in a basket of loving warmth.
Taciturn suddenly picked out from behind his canvas, preparing the tools to paint as he sat right next to Rainbow, picturing the scenery that was laid out before him. The mare watched heartily as he started painting a few strokes of orange onto the canvas, his other hoof busy clutching onto Rainbow's bandaged own.
"Whatcha painting, Tassee...?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer. Taciturn just smiled cheerfully, beckoning his head at the unfolding scene that was right before him, lulling him in a sense of inspiration.
Rainbow smiled silently once he clicked his tongue, his hooves working quickly on the canvas. Every articulate stroke and every combining line amazed her, even though she had seen it countless of times before. She stared at his careful weaving of his brush, giving the colt an obliging pat on the back.
Twelve days since she had met Taciturn Bleach, the ghostly pegasus that she never thought she loved. Twelve days since he had met Rainbow Dash, the brutally brash pegasus that he fell for in first sight. Their fates were joined, as was their hearts, all because of a single, intricate paintbrush: the very same one that he was using. Her heart lingered with nostalgia, she stole a kiss from his cheek, making her giggle as he whinnied, expressing his displeasure at her sudden interruption.
When he finally stopped, Rainbow could only gasp in amazement at his resulting creation: the fully fabricated oil-painting of the golden scenery that gleamed through the skies. She wanted to applaud and congratulate him once again for another work well done, though the look on Taciturn's face was anything but satisfactory.
"What's wrong?" she asked the colt, his black eyes furrowed at the painting. His face lit up after a minute of pondering, quickly scurrying about and dipping his paintbrush into a pot of red, drawing on the canvas a streak of that very color.
After that came another line, the mare looking uneasily as he drew them onto the canvas. He stopped to smile once Rainbow realized what it was: the unmistakable seven arcs of the rainbow, zooming across from one side to another. He started at the fourth, green arc by the time she figured out what it was, placing her head playfully onto his shoulder once the bristles of his brush dragged across the canvas.
"Tassee..." she murmured into his ear, giving him a hug.
"Th-thanks... for being here with me..."
"You're the best Hearth's Warming gift I ever had."
The colt beamed with pride, his face filled with mirth and merriment at the mare of his dreams. With that, the two gave each other a short, quick kiss, before he settled back onto his canvas, with Rainbow beckoning him to paint once more.
And he silently painted a rainbow across the sky, his sky, with fickle delight, huddling closer to the mare that would've made the chromatic path if it weren't for her injury. Rainbow didn't mind though; she crept closer to Taciturn, staring affectionately at him and his creation. There was nothing better than this, she thought to herself.
A new year of new opportunities for the mare; one that both Taciturn and Rainbow now share.
"Let's go that way, Tassee!" she said delightfully, literally bouncing in her seat, to which he gave the shortest, sweetest response that only he can pull off to warm Rainbow's heart, and will do the same for the many years to come:
A nod.
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Cool beans!
Wow and
I see what you did there
[youtube=hEi4I6UWuDQ]
Congrats
Dear god man, you are hands down one of the best writers I've ever seen, this story is a work of art that I will recommend to all my friends
Halfway through this chapter, I was all
NOOOOO! Sad ending!
Then
why did I ever doubt you?
Awesome ending, to an awesome story.
Dammit! Something this good wasn't supposed to end so soon, but I knew it had to. I was glad to have come upon this story.
I could say so much about this, but I'll keep it simple at saying how beautiful this story was.
I'm kind of sad that this came to an end.
I hope you have the chance to write more like this.
First of all, I want to congratulate and thank you for beeing able to follow you schedule. Writing this, 45k words, in 12 days, its amazing work there already.
(Spoilers may occur in the following text:)
But, then, to the words you've written:
I was baffled when I found this. I have not yet read such premise, and neither did I expect to find one either. The idea of describing the life of a .. mentally different pony (can I say that without beeing disrespectful?) in Equestria was interesting. And, in this mix, you decided to include the polar opposite of such character, Rainbow Dash.
The result is amazing. This fic was a really entertaining read, and very well described. You kept the information given to the reader to the right amount. I didn't know what would happen next, but I understood what was going on at the described moment .. if that made sense?
I also think that all characters were written in character, that is Rainbow Dash included. So, great work there too.
And, finally, storywise. The premise and story is interesting. But you kept buiding it almost to the end of the fic, there was always something almost unexpected or "what will happen next" in the chapters.
If this was just a sadfic, this could have ended earlier. First at the moment where RD and Tassee collapsed in the snow and started drifting away. Another one would be if Tassee wouldn't wake up. But you took it the extra mile and made, not only a happy, but also an emotionally pleasing ending. That last line is very well put.
So, ending this comment, I want to thank you so very much for writing and putting this up for everyone to enjoy!
M
Oh my god, I was so heartbroken when I thought he wasn't getting up.
This is perhaps one of the most touching stories I have read on this site. Congratulations on your work.
1902191
Yup. It will be mentioned on Day 3.
This is probably one of the best stories I've read on any website. The sheer originality of it really makes it stand out, and not to mention just how well written it is. The characters you've created are so deep, so real that I almost think that it could be real.
A huge congratulations on completing this wonderful work. Much like how Tassee painted beautiful images on canvasses, you've painted a wonderful image in my mind.
Toodledoo!
Quillin Words
1902200 derp lol
and OMG i love this story!! book needed now! i wish i could draw i would make you a cover forthis...
Damn man, right in the feels.
I gota give you this. Not much gets to me emotionally, I'm pretty much a emotionless husk... yet this... It brought tears to my eyes. Even if only for a second but still, This is the only fanfic that has ever done that to me before and believe me, I have read many. Bravo sir...
1985688
Really appreciate your comment! It means a lot to me!
Glad you liked the story
I'm at loss of words (if that's the correct way to say it).
It's something strange. The story itself is pretty normal (high, low, hig, etc...), but you've got a way to tell it that was really great.
I liked the idea of making the chapters correspond to the 12 days of the story. And actually how you were able to stick to that time format.
I liked the happy ending. For once, I'm really glad you didn't choose to confront us with the cold hard reality.
I liked the use of a "silent" character. This was probably your intention (or not, don't know), but I never really saw him as an autist from the beginning to the very end. Because you wanted to, or because I wanted to, I don't know. I can be blind as hell sometimes.
Finally, I liked the story and reading it. I used time I should have used to work, but I feel it was worth it.
Some minor regrets:
- you had begun with some reference to the art of painting (pointillisme, etc...), but then drop that aspect. It added a little something.
- you never really solved the whole "dark eyes - angel - too light for a pony - big wings" things. I tried to tell myself the whole darkness thing was a metaphor for her being in love and losing her freedom, but I'm not sure it really makes so much sense.
My biggest regret was about the "artistic servant" thing. I felt like you wanted to make a point there, but I couldn't figure it out and never saw it back in the story. Maybe I'm just imagining things, I don't know...
This story may not be the most awesome, epic and objectively well written in the world (and given that I don't even speak english, I would make a very bad judge at that), but it speaks to me.
I guess I would like to come back and remember it sometimes.
Well played Writingspirit.... Well played.
After reading this, I've never been so glad to not go to work. And for a reward for making a 7'0 goliath like me shed a manly tear, I reward you with this: art.ngfiles.com/images/154/hoifoichoi_pyro-toaster.png
You my friend have earned this.
That hospital scene made me close to crying. That scene made me feel how I would feel if my brother died.
BTW GREAT STORY.
An amazing story well worth a tear or two shed! It was like watching an artist!
I made the really really stupid mistake of listening to this while reading
I don't think words have ever made me cry so much
I think I should go buy a new keyboard. This one didn't seem to be able to withstand the tears...
Ah, you faked me out, man! Damn, why haven't I read this shit sooner!?
Such a wonderful, heart warming story! On to the sequel!