> This Isn't Goodbye...
>  by MMBK
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> This Isn't Goodbye...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A peculiar zebra stood in the doorway of the living quarters as a young colt with a beige coat and a black, messy mane sat in a litter of toys, stacking blocks atop each other.
The zebra had a variety of different stripes throughout her body, and the mark on her flank was that of the orbital path of planets and moons around a sun. One of the more defining traits about her was the unicorn horn that stuck up through her mohawk, which had a color pattern of two shades of grey, forming arrows that pointed ahead. Her red eyes rested tiredly on him, lingering for a moment as she was lost in thought.
She stepped in slowly after a moment of contemplation, smiling softly down at him. Though past that smile was sadness and regret.
The young colt spun his head around; his green eyes lighting up with joy as they rested on her.
"Momma!" He exclaimed happily. "Lookie what I did!" He waved a hoof over to the pillar of neatly stacked blocks before he could turn and look at his art again.
They tumbled down, scattering in the mess around him, to which he frowned down at his destruction.
"Ah, pooey!" He folded his arms to his chest, pouting.
She giggled softly as she rested a forehoof atop his head, gently petting his mane.
"And may his reign fall with it..." She whispered.
She tilted her head up, looking at the ceiling as her eyes burnt with tears. She hissed as she grit her teeth, and her voice wobbled as her sight became glossy.
"Damn it..." She whimpered.
The colt turned around, holding a purple wooden block in both hooves that he was about to use to rebuild his stack. He looked up at her in wonder.
"Momma...?" He asked quietly with concern.
She looked down at him, smiling wanly as tears began to flow. Her lips trembled.
"Momma, what wong?" The colt asked as he tilted his head.
A choked sob escaped her just before she burst into a breakdown. She wrapped her arms around him tight, bringing him to her chest.
"Oh Charger!" She clenched her eyes shut as her shoulders bounced with her sobs. "I love you so much!"
"Momma..." Charger held her close as tears began to develop. "Momma, what wong? Pwease don't cwy!"
She took a deep, slow breath, though she was still shaken up.
He sobbed uncontrollably as he buried his muzzle into her coat. "Pwease don't be sad, momma!" He tore his muzzle away from her chest, only to look up at her with plea. "I wuv you! I don't want you to be sad!"
She let out a half choked chuckle, even through all the tears. "Oh, Charger..." She gently brushed his mane aside, clearing his view. "I love you too..."
"That's wite!" He grinned. "Be happy! Wike me!" He quickly followed his sentence with a soft bap to her snoot, to which she went cross-eye'd, scrunching her muzzle.
He fell into a fit of giggles as she smiled down at him, though it was still in attempts to hide the heartbreak.
"Oh, you..." She pinned him to the ground as he burst into rambunctious laughter. "I'll get you back for that!"
He squirmed about, screaming and laughing as she put her muzzle to his belly, blowing a raspberry.
"Momma! Hahahaha, wait, AHHH!"
"I'll eat you up!" She said as she broke into her own fit of laughter. She shook her head rapidly, dragging her lips against his stomach as she continued. "Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom!"
Charger pressed both forehooves against her cheeks as he went hysterical.
"Momma, hahaha, nooooooo!"
Finally she raised her head, chuckling softly. Charger began to calm down before looking up at her, beaming with love and joy for the mare before him.
"Such a vicious and brave heart, yet such an endearing sweetheart at the same time." She stated, smiling more fondly at him as she lightly bapped his nose with the tip of her hoof.
Charger giggled behind a forehoof.
Hollow sighed softly, holding him close as she gazed into his eyes. "There's..." She closed her eyes for a moment and shuddered. "Something's come up, baby... I... have to go away for a little while..."
Charger's happiness vacated his body as he pouted, hanging his head down. "Is that why you're sad, momma?"
She nodded slowly. "Yes, love... Because I'm going to miss you. Not one day will go by without you on my mind..."
Charger laid still for a moment, before closing his eyes and whimpering as he sat up, burying his muzzle into her chest again.
She patted him on the back as she placed a tender kiss atop his head.
"I know, sweetie... I wish I could take you with me. I really want to... But it's dangerous..."
She gently lifted his chin up, having him look at her as she continued.
"I want you to know that no matter what... I will always love you, Charger. This isn't goodbye..." She shook her head softly. "I will come back to you... I promise."
"Momma..." Charger whimpered as tears welled up in his eyes again.
"Shhh..." She nuzzled his ear as she whispered. "You're strong. You're a fighter... I'm so proud of you, baby..." She kissed his ear lightly, to which he squeezed her tighter. "One day, you'll make the world a better place... Just stay strong for me..."
"I-I will, momma..." He whispered back, before raising his voice. "But you be safe out there!"
She nodded silently. Seconds went by before she resumed. "Even if it doesn't feel like it, I will always be with you..." She tapped a hoof to his chest, over his heart. "Right here... Always and forever."
He smiled softly, wiping his eyes free of the tears that obscured his vision. "I..." He paused for a moment as he looked down at the purple block he had been holding. He lifted it up, holding it against her chest as he looked into her eyes. "I want you to have this, momma."
She took the block, handling it as if it were a fragile treasure. She observed each side of the cube, each of which contained a letter in the alphabet in random assortment.
H. S. C. A. F. P.
She smiled, before looking back down at him.
"Whenever you feel awone out there, you can wook at it and think of me. That way, I'll always be with you too!" He hugged her tight, burying his face into her coat. More than anything, she wanted this moment to come to a still. To where she would never have to leave. She cared not if time froze. She didn't want to let go...
Even if this wasn't goodbye...


FIVE YEARS LATER


The zebra sat under a tarp that had been pitched up by some sticks, out in the dry, withered plains of the Mojave. Her rifle was lying beside her, and her armor was compacted into its small portable state.
In her hooves was the purple block. She stared down at the letter 'C' that faced her with a dead look in her eyes.
She was tired...
As she traced her hoof around the letter, she closed her eyes, imagining it to be his soft, warm coat instead of a rough, wooden surface.
"Happy tenth birthday, Charger..." She whispered as she hung her head down. She brought the block to her lips and kissed the first letter to his name, imagining it to be his cheek instead of an inanimate object.
"I love you with all my heart..."
Her armor beeped, catching her attention. Though her melancholy did not diminish...
"What is it, Dot?"
"Life signs detected one kilometer north."
She sighed and shook her head. "Another radscorpion? I'm going to be very cross with you if it's another fucking radscorpion..."
"Negative. My readings indicate it is that of a child."
Her ears perked up as she raised a brow. "This far out?"
"It seems he was brought out here involuntarily, commander. He's been encased in a corpse for some time. Judging by the DNA scan, it's his mother."
She lifted her armor, with which it expanded and unfolded around her, taking her form.
"How old is the kid?" She asked as she lifted her rifle onto her back, latching it to her suit.
"Six years of age."
"Give me the exact coordinates..."
As a waypoint marked the interior of her visor, she began walking forth.
"Nah, ah, ah!" A stallion spoke from within her suit suddenly, though she didn't stop. "You know that's against the rules of the game, Hollow. This is not a part of the plan. He is not a part of this game. Let him die out there."
"Fuck your game." Hollow hissed. "I sacrificed so much for you..." She began to trot. "I gave you Rust's dreams... I gave you my body..." Her voice began to tremble. "I've been beaten, molested, tortured, defiled... Torn apart and dissected, all because you told me there was something important I needed to do!" She hissed as she broke into a full canter toward her destination. "You broke the last straw when you made me leave Charger behind! You knew how much I love him!"
"And yet you listened to me anyways." The voice continued with a sickening humor. "You're just like everyone else. You think you're all that. You think you're such a big shot. Untouchable, special, important... But the truth of the matter is that you're just another piece on a board game, being manipulated every which direction of the map. You're nothing. Nobody. You just do whatever you're told, so long as they promise you good fortune at the end. Now look at you..."
"Shut up!"
"If you save the kid, Hollow, then that's it... I won't help you anymore. I will be your competitor."
"You never helped me!" She shouted. "I gave you everything I held dear, and all you did was play your little games! You wanna fight me? Bring it on! I swear, I'll pull you back into the real world just so I can have the satisfaction of killing you myself!"
He chuckled softly. "Then it's on. May the best player... or pawn... win."
"Fuck you too, Tuner..." Hollow hissed under her breath as she charged for the waypoint far ahead. "I'm coming, kid... just hang on..."