Dreams

by Incredible Blunderbolt

Epilogue

I shivered as the cold wind of a winter far too early for its time bit through my fur and chilled my bones. It was only mid-autumn, but I could already see the thick blanket of clouds on its way to cover the sky. I sighed as I paced down the worn trail, weaving between the fallen oaks and the growing weeds until I found myself in a small clearing, facing a sheer cliff and the rolling sea.

I stood there for a moment, watching the lone, barren tree on the far side waving in the gentle ocean breeze. I couldn't even begin to count the number of times I'd been there—dozens, maybe—but, somehow, the tears always managed to find their way to my eyes.

I took a deep breath and wiped my eyes before stretching my lips into a smile. Stepping over a final log, I made my way across the leaf-covered meadow and sat within the multicolored foliage. I frowned and cleared a small section from the ground. “Hey, there,” I whispered, wiping the last of the leaves away. “Sorry I'm late—negotiations didn't exactly go as planned.” I chuckled as I sat back in the grass and stared out at the water in the distance. “The Maws didn't want me in their Hall, so I had to send Spike in, instead.”

I sighed. “Applejack wasn't exactly thrilled about that, but I had to do something!” I growled to myself and shook my head. “This war is draining everyone, especially her; she doesn't complain, though, no matter how little sleep she gets on her watch nights.”

Another gust of wind picked up the leaves and scattered them around some more. I put another smile on my face and ignored the pain in my heart as I absentmindedly ran my hoof along the edge of the polished stone. “The others are doing well,” I said. “We just finished moving Fluttershy's stuff into her room, so we can all be together again—just like the old days...” I tried to hold it in, but I nearly choked on the last words.

Happy, I corrected myself as I tried my best not to burst into tears like I had so many times before. She'd want me to be happy.

“It's nice to have friends so close again,” I said after a moment. “The castle's been pretty lonely since... Since, well...” I couldn't hold it back anymore; a deep sob ripped through my throat as my vision blurred. “Those awful dragons! I'm starting to think they knew!” I cried, burying my head in my hooves. “They knew what would happen when they got there, and Celestia wanted there to be somepony around to... to...”

I shut my eyes tight and concentrated on the sound of the waves hitting the cliff. “I'm scared, Rainbow...” I whispered, clutching at the cold stone tablet. “I wish you were here... Nothing's the same anymore.” A cocky smirk worn by a set of cyan lips flashed through my vision. “Nopony says it, but I know we're broken; Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy—I don't think I've seen anypony smile in months.

“And Applejack? She's the worst...” I cracked, wiping my eyes once more. “She blames herself, you know—keeps saying that she should have seen it coming...” I ran my hooves across the letters inscribed on the stone, playing with the smooth edges of the corners. “I don't know how she could have—there was no way anypony would have thought that you'd...”

My heart lurched. “How could you?” I screamed at the inscription. “How could you just abandon us like that? Just when everything was going right!” The wind picked up, blowing more leaves around the meadow in a flurry. “Just when you made the Wonderbolts; just when Celestia asked me to be a Princess!” I stomped on the ground and resisted the urge to beat the polished granite. Tears fell from my eyes. “How could you say all those things and just... leave? I don't understand!”

I watched the stone for a while, remembering everything I could about the wonderful mare that laid beneath it. We used to have so much fun together; it was hard to believe she was just... gone. Simply gone. This was the closest I'd ever get to seeing her again...

“You promised that we'd be best friends forever...” I said softly. “And it hurts me that you broke that promise because I've been thinking a lot lately, and I realized something that I should have known long ago...”

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The urge to just fall, crying to the ground was stronger than anything I'd ever felt before, but I managed to control it. I opened my eyes and wiped the tears from my cheeks. “I love you, too...” I whispered.

The wind howled through the trees, carrying thousands of leaves through the air and over the cliff side. I couldn't stay here any more—it was getting too painful. Slowly, I turned away from the grave site and began the long journey back to the castle. I stepped back over the fallen log and worked my way down the trail and through the woods, ducking under low-hanging branches and weaving around trees.

As I walked, my suppressed sobs leaked through my mouth in sharp, uncontrollable bursts. My vision blurred. Eventually, I gave in and sat down in the dirt. “Rainbow...” I moaned into my hooves. “Come back...”

There was no coming back, though. My best friend was gone—my best friend, who I had loved with all of my heart. It had only been a few months since she'd left, and I was already starting to break down; I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to last before I finally cracked and lost my mind.

This wasn't living—there was nothing to live for!

I cried for hours in the woods, beating my hooves on the ground and matting my fur in the muck. I was alone.

Alone...

Comments

[Vertorm]

There's something wrong with your story. See, Dash is still dead. You obviously don't know what you're doing, because you didn't take my advice.

In all seriousness, I love it. Thanks for letting me read your sad story that ended worse than I could have even imagined. =P

[Timaeus]

“Rainbow...” I moaned into my hooves. “Come back...”

Ow. This story is truly merciless in so many ways (this is not a bad thing mind you).

[amiamera]

This is a good story that makes me depressed. Now I remember why I don't like tragedies

[FaleYur]

I'm not crying... I'm not...

[Mynameisamystery]

Dammit*grits teeth*must.not.cry.
goddam this is just the best story I have ever read!
Damn, why did RD have to die? Or Twilight(in this chapter) not say she loved RD before?!?!?!
...*sniffs*damn...

[Skeeter The Lurker]

You goddamn bastard.

...

Go on...

~Skeeter The Lurker

[Drax]

you are a heartless monstrous genius who needs to make a sequel. Maybe about the war

[Bawss]

Well.... Shit.
I need to go find a corner and cry in it for a month.
And eat some ice cream. A lot of ice cream.

[The DJ Rainbow Dash]

Well... I mean I knew what I was expecting when I started reading this, and I already have a love for sadfics.

But by god the last two chapters of this was the equivalent of taking a rock and smashing my heart with it. But you did it beautifully, you magnificent bastard you.

Hated this, and loved it.

DJRD