Corbie

For so long, I found life to be a game,
Only without the extra lives.
Me and my bestest friends,
We have had great adventures
And go through epic battles
With creatures and bad guys.
That's what made us strong.
And in the end, somehow
We'd be victorious,
Able to tell our stories
To those who would fervently listen.
And all the while
The six of us stood together,
The best of friends
Until the end.

But even the greatest of heroes
someday find themselves
In the ominous presence
Of a scary, black bird.
And I am its new target.
Its beady black eyes
Digging deep into mine
It perches atop houses and trees
Lurking wherever I skip.
It says nothing and
Does nothing, either
It just stares pointlessly,
What is it doing?
Waiting?
For what?
I wish I knew.

The girls cannot see him
Not even when I mention it.
Yet for that, I am glad.
They become concerned
Just a little,
I lie to them, though,
Pretending it's a mere joke
They buy it with hints of laughter
Their smiles make my day,
Even with a stranger bird
Stalking my every steps.
I enjoy their company.
They alone keep me here.
They give me motivation
To prolong my life.
I would stay with them
For as long as I can,
Setting up patries and doing
Just about anything
To bring a great big smile to all
Maybe someday I'll make
The raven smile a bit.
But not yet.
I have so much to do!
The raven inches closer,
Day by day, month by month
watching not too far away.
I should give him a name,
But I'm too tired to think.
My friends give me worried looks.
I tell them I'm fine,
Because I am, really.
I'm just very, very sleepy.

His visits are more often now,
And each day, it seems as if
It's trying to tell me something
But it doesn't.
It watches and waits
Waiting?
For what?
I still don't know.
And I don't want to.
Because he is start to scare me.

The raven pops into my dreams.
As if he had done so before.
I offer him a cake out of nowhere,
But he is not amused.
I laugh for no reason,
A weak, croaked laugh, though.
I ask the raven its name.
It does not speak,
Only stares.
And then he disappears
In a wisp of black flames.
Something in me
Says I should name him
Corbierre.
I wake up in a hospital,
Strapped to tubes and wires.
I'm not even sure
I remember how I got here.
I just know that
I am alone,
Except for Corbierre,
Who shrouds himself in the corner.
I offer a game to pay,
But Corbierre is boring,
Again not responding.
I turn away with pouted lips.
I could play the silent game!
... Only I couldn't.
Yet I'm still starting to not like him.
Why won't he leave me alone?
He is still waiting.
Waiting?
For what?
I wish he would leave.

My friend, Twilight, is here,
As well as a serious looking doctor.
Both of them stand in the hallway.
And I struggle to eavesdrop.
I catch a few haunting words:
Pinkie Pie.
Illness.
Death.
My heart sinks.
A shiver runs up my spine.
At the last word, Corbierre appears.
I don't want him to.

All my friends are here,
They look so sad, and
Worse, they're crying.
Even Rainbow can't hold it in.
I tell them over and over,
"I'm fine, guys, honest."
I don't think they believe me.
I say to them to not cry,
That I will be.
This only makes them cry harder,
Because we all know the truth.
Even if it hurts,
And makes everypony so sad.
Fluttershy is on the floor,
Sobbing waterfalls.
And Applejack tries to calm her,
Only she's crying, too.
And Corbierre watches,
With an amusing glint in his eyes.
I don't like that,
How it smiles
when my friends are down
I'll show him.
I get up from bed,
Stripping off the tubes and wires,
And one-by-one give hugs
To each of my friends,
Letting them know
I don't want them to cry.
It'll only make it harder to go.
Eventually, the words sink in,
And they all turn to me,
We are all enveloped in a group hug,
Quiet yet no longer sobbing.
I smile.
They smile back.
That's all I wanted.
Corbierre's smile fades, though
And it almost makes me sad.
But I don't think I'll force him
To wait any longer.
Waiting?
For what?
I know now.

I feel so weak, so fragile,
I cannot even get out of bed.
Corbie--that's his new nickname--
Is close enough for his beak to poke me.
After staying for several hours,
My friends and I had fun,
Talking and telling stories,
Laughing.
All the while, I feel more
and more tired.
Yet I say nothing.
I couldn't have asked for
A better way to say good-bye.
I lean against the soft pillows.
My eyes fluttering
Open, shut, open, shut.
I'm so exhausted anymore,
And my friends are happy.
I'm happy.
The doctors never say how long,
But I know.
Corbie helps me with that.
Adn I'm fine with that.
Now, he perches on the nightstand,
His head cocked to the side.
I sigh and ponder.
It doesn't take long before,
At last, I smile to him and say,
"I'm ready now."

Finally, I get him to smile.
He spreads his wings far out,
While I feel a sudden brush
All over me,
A warmness like nothing else
I've ever felt,
Like the sun is hugging me,
And I begin to feel myself
Drifting off from this world,
For another, unknown one.
My eyes shut, one last time.
I can still see Corbie,
As his wings whisk me off my bed.
All I feel is his soft, black feathers.
Nothing more.
I am no longer tired,
But I'm still happy.
And I leave with a smile on my face,
Forever.