Under Pressure

The sun began to rise over the horizon, shedding its warm and peaceful glow over the serene fields of Equestria. Birds sang their songs of morning as a gentle breeze caused the grass to undulate like an ocean of green. With not a cloud in sight, the azure sky seamed to sparkle with life. Anypony setting sight on this paradise would think no unhappy thoughts. The land was natural and pure, and not a building or pony-built landscape could be found for miles. A yellow dirt trail ran along a rocky mountainside, bearing a narrow crevice.

But a few bleak rays from the sun found their way inside the rocky chasm, chasing away the shadows, and alerting Big Macintosh that it was morning. His left eye opened half-way, taking in the morbid view of his probable demise. To his right, a narrow gap could be seen where he had entered, and to his left, an endless abyss of darkness. He tried to stand, but shuttered as a formidable pain shot through his spine up to his neck. With a quick spasm, he fell back to the ground, smashing his chin on the empty bottle of Apple-whiskey that lay underneath him. Various stones and pebbles fell from the pile of rocks and boulders stacked on his back that pinned him to the ground.

Alone and broken, he wept. There was not a soul to console him other than his own voice that echoed throughout the rocky cavern which imprisoned him. He wanted to wipe away the tear that had escaped his open eye, but his forelegs were rendered useless, chained down by the pain he felt in his body. Stallions never cry, he thought to himself.

How’d I even get mahself inta this? His mind was reeling for an answer. Rarely would Big Macintosh act so foolishly. Reality held the fact, however, that he’d made this fine mess all on his own. Why’d I decide ta make this trip by mahself? A chill ripple of wind moaned through the chasm, reminding him how cold he was. The fear of a broken spine kept him from shivering. It was as though his very blood had been replaced with freezing water, sending crystals of ice stabbing through his veins.

He couldn’t help but feel forgotten. Though he was far from civilization, and it would take anypony a lot of searching to find him, he knew nopony was looking for him. In fact, he’d be surprised if anypony had even realized he was gone. He reflected upon the previous day, and the reason he was so eager to venture forth on his short and lonely journey.

It had been a couple from Fillydelphia. A stallion and his wife had gone on a brief vacation to escape the hustle and bustle of city life, as Big Mac remembered. Mr. and Mrs. Trottington found the woodsy backwater town to be quaint, yet elegant. Fillydelphia was a main distributer of oranges, and though many ponies favored them, as Mr. Trottington had put it, a good, fresh, and delicious apple was hard to come by in that area. On the spot, he had made the offer of one-thousand coin if Big Mac would deliver as many bushels as he could fit on one cart to the Fillydelphian residence. Though he wasn’t planning on accepting at first, recent events had made it a hard offer to turn down.

Those pretentious little snobs, Big Macintosh thought to himself. There er a billion different ways they coulda gotten good apples delivered. I’m seriously about ta die, now, because they wanted ta flaunt their filthy moneyround an` show everypony that they’ve got influence! He knew he was directing his anger at the wrong ponies, however, he couldn’t bring himself to accept responsibility for his life falling apart at the seams. Besides that, his misguided anger was laying thick haze upon his mind, making rational thought invisible and far out of reach.

A fierce crackling pain blasted through his ribs as he exhaled heavily. He had only been a few miles into his treck when he’d spotted the opening in the rocks. Hoping it would lead into a shortcut and save him a walk around the mountain, he didn’t hesitate to steer his wagon into the darkness that ensued. Obviously, going through an unfamiliar rocky trench, miles away from civilization, alone, didn’t sound like, and indeed wasn’t, a good idea, but Big Mac had been too intoxicated to give it much thought. It seemed to him that the whiskey was all he had left. The poison that took over his mind was all he thought he needed to make it through his darkened days and unfortunate lonely life.

He stared longingly at the empty bottle under his chin, wishing only that the rockslide he’d caused had spared him but a single bottle. There was nothing more he could do but wish. In a temper tantrum of drunken fury, he had bucked the solid and seemingly stable wall. Mother mountain had rebutted with a frenzy of rockslides, sending her offspring of boulder and rock unto the disgruntled drunkard.

Big Macintosh was definitely no doctor, but it didn’t take a doctor to realize that a pony who lay under carriage-sized boulders carried some broken bones and possible internal bleeding. Hopelessness sank in. He now only hoped for the merciful hand of death to strike him and deny him anymore pain that life routinely thrust upon him.

He was stuck, and his only hope was for somepony to find him, but he strongly doubted anypony would look in the gully of a mountain crevice in a land seldom set hoof upon. So with nothing more to do, he thought back to how his life had fallen to shambles, and how he had become the sad apple he was, this day.

***

Not long after Twilight rose above her peers as the princess of magic, life as Ponyville knew it had changed in ways nopony had ever expected. She resided in Ponyville for only a week after her magical transformation. However, with increasing difficulties in workload, and time to complete her tasks ever dwindling, she decided to set forth for Canterlot and start her new life within the castle walls.

She did so half-begrudgingly, of course. Twilight’s friends had become the most important aspects of her life, but her studious and ethical ways wouldn’t allow her to slack in her responsibilities. Aside from that, she would be lying if she were to tell anypony that it hadn’t been her biggest dream since she was a foal. Since coming to power, her rising above the humble ponies in her beloved Ponyville was truly inevitable.

All of Ponyville had shown up for her send-off. She was standing atop a stage at the mayor’s podium delivering a sincere speech of gratitude and farewell. “Thank you so much for coming out, everypony! I can’t help but notice the excitement in all your faces. I never thought you’d all be here to honor me. I also never imagined that I could be lucky enough to have so many ponies look up to me the way you all do. But I’m truly no different from any one of you. You see, you all are the reason I’m here today, doing what I’m doing, now. If not for each and every one of you teaching me all about the bliss of true friendship, I wouldn’t be what I am now. I could never have overcome all of my trials without you by my side. Though it saddens me to leave, I must be by Princess Celestia’s side…”

Twilight glanced through the crowd as she spoke, taking in everypony’s reactions. She saw faces of excitement, those that looked sad about her leave, and even those of neutral boredom. For the most part, however, it seemed most were cheerful and hanging off her every word. This was to be expected, for her speech was a true-hearted one, and her words were strong. She hadn’t prepared anything, but she still managed to surprise herself with how quickly the words came to her mind, and how smoothly they rolled off her tongue.

At the front of the crowd stood Twilight’s closest friends, Rainbow dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkey Pie, Applejack, and Spike. Big Macintosh and little Applebloom stood beside their teary-eyed sister. It was an emotional moment, indeed. Even the unbreakable Big Macintosh had to fight back tears. Pinkie Pie, however, had no trouble letting her feelings be known. She was bawling quite animatedly. Tears seemed to eject from her tightly closed eyes like raging waterfalls. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy all wore forced expressions of happiness and excitement, both trying to overcome their grief and show their friend support, as well as pretend Pinkie’s deafening wail wasn’t attracting everypony’s attention.

The only thing more obvious than Pinkie’s tremendously audible cry was Twilight’s awkward discomfort as she attempted to speak over her weeping friend. From atop the stage, Twilight could see that she’d lost everypony. All eyes were set upon the hysterical pink mare. She was beginning to feel like it was becoming out of hand, so to discontinue the awkwardness that was beginning to flow through the air, she decided to end her speech and consult her friends one-on-six.

“With all the love and support you’ve shown me, I set forth unto a new journey. Farewell, my dear, dear friends!” With this, the crowd let out a bellowing cheer of excitement, as well as shouts of farewell.

As Twilight descended the stage, she was tackled to the ground by a pink blur. She landed with a hard thump. “Don’t leave me, Twilight! PLEEEEASE don’t leave me!” Normally, one could count on Pinkie Pie to overreact to virtually any situation, but the earnest heart-brokenness in her voice and the trembling fear that was only too obvious to all was heart-wrenching. The awe-stricken residents of Ponyville, who weren’t expecting any particular drama, were taken aback by the sight. Some were even beginning to grow teary-eyed, themselves. Many bore heavy hearts as they simply watched the scene, quietly. Even for those who didn’t know Twilight very personally, the desperation in her friend as she pleaded Twilight to stay was difficult to watch.

“I have to Pinkie”, Twilight said, apologetically, ignoring all the lingering eyes around her. “I’m really sorry, but Princess Celestia needs me in Canterlot. I have too many ponies depending on me to stay here.” Pinkie only nodded as she rubbed her snout with her hoof and sniffled. Twilight could see the lack of resolve and continued to try to console the now-straight-haired pink pony. She motioned with her hoof to allow her to stand, so Pinkie obliged and backed off of Twilight so she could.

“Oh, sweetie, this isn’t goodbye, we’ll see each other, again! Maybe you can come visit me at the castle, sometime, okay?” Twilight stood up and embraced Pinkie in a warm, welcoming hug.

After many seconds, Pinkie finally responded. “I… I love you, Twiley…” Twilight had remained intact throughout the entire ceremony, and though trying to keep a professional air about her, she could no longer hide her feelings. Tears erupted from her eyes. She squeezed Pinkie Pie tight just as Pinkie did her, and she cried with her face buried in Pinkie’s shoulder. Before she knew it, she was being held by all five of her dear friends. Together they wept, letting their heart-heavy farewell carry on.

“Hey, Twi? I, uhh…”, Applejack began to say. She trailed off and remained paused, trying to find the right words. “I jes wanted ta tell ya… You’ve been a real good friend ta me. Yer a real honest pony. Ya mean an aweful lot ta me…”

“To US!” Rainbow Dash had to drive the point in as hard as she could. “Twilight”, she continued, “it was you that ended up bringing all of us so close together. And that was before you even KNEW anything about friendship!”

Twilight still held a sobbing pink pony, while the others stood around her. She couldn’t see their faces because of how close they were holding each other. She caught a glimpse of Spike, however, as her eyes fluttered toward the right. She saw him sulking. He kicked a small pebble on the ground as he walked off back into the front of the crowd.

She wasn’t sure what to expect from her young dragon companion. They had never discussed the day of her leaving, prior. It looked to her like it may have been a mistake not to. She should have known that Spike was going to take her absence hard.

“Um, Twilight?” The soft and barely-audible voice piped up from her left. Fluttershy spoke with the grace and softness of an angel. “Will you write to us? Um, to me? You’ve been so nice. I’d worry sick if I went a whole week without hearing from you.”

Now, it was Rarity’s turn to speak. “Of course she’ll write, won’t you, Twilight? Darling, I hope you know that no matter where you are, we will always be here for you.”

“Darn tootin! Twi, if yer ever in a pinch, ya let us know, right away, and we’ll be there faster than a jack-rabbit on a unicycle!” Twilight had no idea how fast rabbits rode unicycles, but if she were in a bind, knowing her friends, she was sure the speed of their arrival would put that unicycle-bearing jack-rabbit to shame.

Twilight wasn’t sure what to say, at this point. She knew that her friends were ecstatic for her, but the tone under the surface was dark and heavy with grief. The attitude of their farewell seemed more morbid than inspiring. Spike, it seemed, was the worst off. She tried to spot him in the crowd, but couldn’t see past her huddled friends. There was also Pinkie Pie, who had stopped crying at this point, but was still shaking in Twilight’s arms.

Everypony within the town square had been so affixed on the drama that was taking place before them, nopony even noticed Princess Celstia’s entrance. Confidently, she stepped forth through the crowd. Ponies elbowed and nudged one another quietly to snap them back to reality. They all silently stepped aside, allowing a path for her to approach the mourning friends. Twilight was still struggling to find words. She hadn’t expected her tutor to arrive for another hour. The six ponies nearly jumped out of their skins when she spoke.

“Twilight’s lucky to have you all as such close friends. I promise you’ll be able to come visit anytime you wish.” She didn’t wait for anypony to respond before she continued. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but we really must be going, now. There is a matter at the castle that requires your attention.”

The friends broke off their embraces and slowly retreated back into the crowd. “Come, Twilight Sparkle. We have much to discuss.” Princess Celestia’s tone seemed a little cold. A subtle concern softly radiated from Twilight’s chest to her abdomen. When the princess was as short and flat with everypony as she was being at this moment, she knew it was something very serious. She still couldn’t leave just yet, though. She had to talk to Spike before she took off. Whatever it was that Princess Celestia was talking about, it couldn’t have been more important than giving due time to say goodbye to her only family. But where did he run off to? Did he actually just lea…

“Wait! Wait! Don’t leave, yet, Twilight!” Spike emerged from the crowd and ran to her. Twilight’s heart shattered right then when she spotted the look on his face. It was the look that an orphan child might wear when stricken with the news of his deceased parents. The child of a dragon bore a mighty frown, whispering words of immense sorrow. He looked as though he’d been in denial about her leaving, and now that the moment was neigh, understanding had finally hit him with the ferocity of a sledge hammer.

She turned to face him, and as she did, he had reached her and stopped in front of her. He stood quietly. She could tell he was trying to find the right words. She knew him better than he knew himself, most of the time. His ruffled scales, wrinkled nose, and uncomfortable shuffle as he rubbed his wrist, were all his trademark signs of difficult, wordless emotions. He was struggling to keep his mind rational, but he was surely about to break.

Spike wasn’t the only one struggling. Twilight was at an utter loss for words, as well. Her and Spike were like brother and sister. They’d been together since she was a young foal. Spike was but a little hatchling when they met. Spike had dedicated his life to assisting Twilight in any matters in which he could lend a claw. It was all he’d ever known.

“Please, Twilight”, he spoke, seeming to choke on his words as he stared straight down at the ground. “Let me come with you, I don’t want to be alone, here. It just wouldn’t be the same without you!” He looked up from the ground to lock eyes with the first friend and only family he’d ever had. The scales on his face were wet, and his nose dripped, slightly. The tiny dragon was heartbroken, and he couldn’t possibly hide it.

“Spike…”, Twilight began, but fell short of words. How exactly does one say goodbye to somepony so close? “Spike, I’m going to have ponies at the castle waiting on me hoof and hoof. I’m going to constantly be surrounded by guards. I’m sorry, but it just isn’t possible. I’ll need somepony here to take care of my books while I’m gone. Besides, without you, how would anypony else get my letters? They NEED you here, Spike”.

Spike’s sadness was unresolved. “But Twilight, I need YOU! I don’t know how to live without you! I never have! I’ve never been without you for more than a day or two!” The alicorn glanced around, trying to find a response that might appease her companion in some way. Her eyes stopped on Rarity.

“You know Spike, I know somepony else who could definitely use your help.” Spike cocked his head slightly to the side, puzzled. “Rarity is always kept busy with her dresses”, Twilight continued. “I bet she’d love to have the best assistant in all of Equestria around to help her out!” Rarity nodded at the two with a gentle smile, and gave a subtle wink to Spike, whose jaw hung loosely open.

Like a child reunited with their puppy, Spike perked up in the blink of an eye. “You’re right, Twilight! I’ll do my best, and I WON’T let you down!” Spike finished with a dutiful salute.

The two siblings shared one final hug and released. With nothing left to say, she joined Princess Celestia. Together, the two princesses walked toward the guard-drawn carriage awaiting them behind the crowd. Everypony in the town square continued to gawk. A blanket of silence had lain heavy upon the crowd. This silence wasn’t a normal silence. For Twilight Sparkle, the silence of this moment was deafening.

Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight climbed aboard the small carriage. With a jerk, the guards pulling the carriage took off, building up speed as they flapped their pegasi wings until they were airborne. As they flew away, Twilight caught one final glimpse of the friends she was leaving behind.

Pinkie was crying in Rainbow dash’s embrace. Applebloom, Sweetie Bell, and Scootaloo cuddled against Rarity, who dabbed at her eyes with a jewel-encrusted purple kerchief. She spotted Big Macintosh nuzzling his snout in Applejack’s neck who hung her head with a solemn sadness carved into her face. Fluttershy sat beside Spike, rubbing his back with her fore-hoof as he simply stood and watched his sister leave.

Their eyes locked on each other for just a moment. Though it lasted for mere seconds, it felt like an eternity to Twilight. He bore an expressionless face. She raised a hoof and waved goodbye to him, subtly. It was then that Spike finally lost his composure, and spun around to jump into Fluttershy’s embrace. She stroked his scales as he cried, wiping his tears into her breast.

“Twilight”, Princess Celestia spoke, snapping her out of her trance. “Are you going to be alright?”

“Yes, princess”, Twilight responded. “ I won’t let my memories hinder me from performing my duties.” For a moment, all that could be heard were the raging winds of the sky whipping by, causing Twilight’s main to ripple to its rythem.

“That a girl.” Princess Celestia ended the short conversation on that note. With a heart heavy with grief, and an unrivaled determination, Twilight looked ahead onto her new horizons…

And never looked back…