Ending of a Series Syndrome
Rainbow Dash sat in a plush chair made of cloud, the soft, puffy material forming around her body. She was laying back lazily, completely relaxed as she read the newest installment of her favorite book series: Daring Do. Her eyes shifted from left to right slowly as her pupils took in every word on the pages. She was enraptured. A lazy sigh escaped her lips as she read on, watching the pictures unfold in her mind as her hero battled minotaurs and corrupt business colts. That was, until her hoof tapped the back cover of the book as she turned the next page, causing a loud knock to sound throughout her cloud home.
Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes to get the slight blur and haziness out and allow them to focus properly again. “Wow… Ugh…” Rainbow stretched out her neck and shifted position so that she was now laying on her stomach and facing directly towards the book. The cracks and pops of stretching joints aching for relief echoed throughout the room as she shook her head. “Wow. Have I really been reading all day? Time sure flies while you’re doing something interesting…” Rainbow Dash sighed and looked at the cloud clock on the wall across from her. “Three o’clock? So I’ve been reading for about six hours then. Well, at least it’s a good use of a day off…”
The dull ache in the back of her head began to subside as her vision came back to focus. She looked at the huge Daring Do book in front of her. The cover sported a picture of a pegasus in an archaeologist’s outfit as she swung from a lamp on a whip. Behind her were angry looking ponies in black outfits, minotaurs, and various booby traps. In front of her was a large aquamarine amulet on a pedestal, looking like it was just out of reach. The title read, Daring Do and the Amulet of Eternity. Smiling, Rainbow looked at where her hoof was acting as a placeholder in the book; she was on the last page, with just a few more paragraphs to go.
With a renewed vigor from her short break, Rainbow began to read again. Her eyes scanned the last few paragraphs of the last page. As she started to come to the close, she felt a strange feeling in her chest. It was as if she were being tossed around in a hurricane while she was free falling at terminal velocity. Her stomach churned and she felt an awkward emptiness deep inside herself as she read the last few lines aloud. “Daring Do limped over to the coat rack and hung her whip and hat on the highest rungs. She frowned as she looked at the items that had accompanied her on so many adventures. They were were like old friend to her, but...”
“‘Well, guess it’s time to hang you guys up and let you have a little rest. You’ve done a lot for me in the past, but I think my adventuring days are over.’ She sighed and picked up her office key, locking the door behind her. She gave one last, tentative look at the place she’d known for so long. It was time to move on. It was time for a new story to begin…?”
Rainbow Dash blinked several times, frozen in place by the words on the page. Did that just say… Naw! It couldn’t! Authors say things like that all the time for dramatic irony! That’s what it’s called, right? At least, I think they do… Lumps of ice filled her throat as she gulped, still blinking absently. Another head shake was enough to clear her thoughts and make her cast aside her own silliness. She waved a hoof mockingly at the air as she picked up the book.
“Nah. It wouldn’t just end like that. I’ll just go to Twilight and ask her if I can check out the next one. Still have the rest of the day to go after all. I don’t even feel like taking a nap yet.” She hoisted the book into the air with her as she took off into the sky. A rainbow trail made its way from the edge of Ponyville to the local library. The entire way, Rainbow couldn’t help but think to herself about what she’d just read. What if it really is over?
A sharp knock echoed throughout the Ponyville library, drawing the attention of its owner. Twilight Sparkle trotted over to the door with a grin on her face, excited to greet a new visitor. Nopony’s stopped by the library all day. Wonder who it could be… She lit her horn up with magic and a familiar lavender glow surrounded the door. It opened with a slight creak, only to reveal a rainbow maned pegasus standing in the doorway, holding a book.
“Oh, Rainbow! I almost forgot that it was your day off today.” Twilight giggled at her own forgetfulness. “Did you come to bring back the last Daring Do book that I lent you?” At the word last, Rainbow Dash flinched and her eyes glazed over. She handed the book over to Twilight absentmindedly and shook her head. Twilight tilted her head in confusion and stared at her friend, her eyebrows lowering and her face creasing in concern. “Rainbow Dash? Is everything alright? Did you not get enough sleep? Was it something I said?”
“Huh? Oh, no, Twilight. Just… Can I ask you something?” Rainbow shook her head and looked at her friend. Her eyes had a doubtful look behind them, almost as if she were holding back some great sadness that was threatening to break forth. She was shifting back and forth nervously, trading her weight behind her back and front hooves.
“Sure, Rainbow. What is it? What’s wrong?” Twilight’s face held a completely baffled look at the moment. What’s going on with Rainbow Dash? She’s acting really weird today. I hope nothing’s wrong… Rainbow noticed a small frown creeping on to Twilight’s face and decided to just get what she had to say out as soon as possible.
“Twilight? Can I borrow the next Daring Do book?” Rainbow braced herself inside for the words that she suspected would next come out of the librarian’s mouth.
“Oh… Is that why you’re acting so weird, Rainbow? I’m sorry, but that was the last Daring Do book. The author stopped writing them a couple of years ago… I have some of his other works if you want to take a look, but the Daring Do series is over.” Twilight frowned as she looked at Dash. The pegasus seemed to be lost somewhere deep in thought, her brow furrowed in concentration.
“Oh… No. That’s okay. It’s just a book series. Got any other recommendations for books that I could read? I’ve still got the rest of the day and nothing to do with it since everypony else is busy working or doing something else.” Rainbow gave Twilight a small, reassuring smile to show that she was alright. Twilight’s eyebrow raised in a skeptical fashion.
“Sure. Here’s his latest book.” Twilight reached out with her magic and grabbed a book from the fiction section under the letter ‘w’. “It’s called Where the Wind Blows. It’s actually really interesting! It’s about a stallion’s journey through life as a blank flank as he struggles to find his special talent. It’s actually really sad and heartbreaking in some parts, and it really makes you think about what it means to have a cutie mark.” Twilight pointed to her own cutie mark as she began to speak faster, her voice rising in pitch due to excitement. “I mean, most of us just take the fact that we find our special talents as foals for granted. This book shows just how important they are to a pony’s life, and what life would be like if you were never able to find your special talent. I know you don’t usually like to read these types of stories, but I think you’ll like it. It’s sort of an intelligent adventure.”
Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck and took the hefty book from Twilight, giving her a smile. “Thanks, Twilight! I’m sure I’ll love it if it’s written by the same guy! Well, I’m gonna head home and read this. Have a good day, Twilight!” Rainbow zoomed out of the front door of the library and made her way back to her cloud house after a last smile and wave from Twilight. Still, Rainbow couldn’t help that sinking feeling that she was settling into her stomach. It felt like she’d just lost something very important to her, and she was slowly spiraling into a depressing sadness. She tried to shake her head and clear the thoughts again, but they only stayed with her.
Come on, Rainbow! It’s only a book series! It shouldn’t be hitting you this hard… Just calm down and take a breather for a second. It’s only a book series. There are plenty of other books that you can read for fun. You’ve got one that Twilight says is great in your hooves right now! Everything is going to be fine…
Twilight Sparkle knocked on the front door of Rainbow’s cloud mansion. She stood idly and watched the rainbow colored waterfalls flowing down from the clouds. As she waited, she shifted back and forth on her hooves, worry showing clear in her eyes. She knocked again but there was still no answer after more than five minutes had passed. Her wings twitched in nervous apprehension as she looked at the cloud door.
“Rainbow? I know you’re in there… Please open up. We’re all really worried about you! We haven’t seen you anywhere around town except your job for at least three days… Let me in so we can talk? Please? Please, Rainbow? I just want to help you out. We all do!” There was no response from inside the spacious house. The only sound that Twilight could hear coming from inside was a long, depressed sigh and a few sniffles. Twilight bit her lip as she looked at the cloud door once again.
Should I? I don’t want to invade her privacy, but what if she really needs help? It sounds like she’s really sad about something… She probably needs to talk to somepony. I guess it’s a necessary evil… Here goes nothing. Twilight turned around and drew as much strength as she could, bucking the cloud door in. She hadn’t expected it to crumble so easily. She tumbled over twice before falling flat on her face. Ugh… Note to self. Test new abilities before just trying to use them.
“Rainbow? Rainbow, where are you?” Twilight looked around the empty house before her gaze was drawn towards Rainbow’s bedroom. The pegasus lay in her bed, sighing repeatedly and gazing at the sealing. Her eyelids were only open halfway, and the book that Twilight had lent her lay untouched on the chair in the corner of the room, a thin layer of dust coating it like a light blanket. Twilight rushed over to Rainbow and sat beside her, grabbing on to her hoof.
“Hey, Twilight… What’s up? Did you need something? I don’t really feel like hanging out today.” Rainbow turned to her left side so that she was facing away from Twilight and sniffled again. Twilight looked at her friend’s depressed state with a grimace, trying to think of some way to cheer the mare up.
“Rainbow?” Twilight’s question was soft, almost hesitant in a way. “Please, talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong. I’m your friend. You can talk to me about anything. You know I won’t judge you; just… please, Rainbow. I want to help you, but I can’t do that if I don’t know what’s wrong! Is it a stallion? Did something happen at your job? Did somepony say something to you? Family problems? Please, you’ve got to give me something to work with here, Rainbow.”
“Twilight… Just… promise you won’t mock me, okay?”
Twilight gasped and nodded her head vigorously. “Rainbow, I would never mock you about your problems, especially if it’s something that’s bothering you so much. That’s not what friends do for each other.” Twilight sat down on the bed next to Rainbow and patted her on the back gently. “It’s okay, Rainbow. Go ahead. You can tell me what the problem is. I won’t tell anypony if you don’t want me to.”
“Alright, well… this is gonna sound really dumb. After I read that Daring Do book and found out that it was the last one in the series, it kinda just felt like I got hit by a train. It hit me like a ton of bricks, and I know it sounds really stupid because it’s just a book and all, but I couldn’t help but think about things because I was so sad about it.” Rainbow took a deep breath and shivered. Twilight wrapped her up in a hug, holding the pegasus tightly. “T-thanks…”
“I started thinking… What about our friendship, Twilight? If something as great as Daring Do can end just like that, then what about us? Me, you, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Spike. One day we’ll all have to go our separate ways to get what we want. I mean, I’ll be joining the Wonderbolts, Rarity will be in Canterlot, Applejack will be here still, and you’ll be doing princess things. What if we don’t see each other all that much anymore? What if everything just ends just like that and we just forget about all of the fun times we’ve had together? I mean, you guys are awesome, and I don’t ever want to lose that…”
Twilight tapped her hoof to her chin in thought before responding. “Rainbow. We’ll always be friends, no matter where we go! And we’ll never forget each other no matter how far apart we are. We’re the Elements of Harmony after all. We’ll always be connected!” Twilight giggled and hugged Rainbow Dash with all of her might. “I think I know what you’re experiencing right now. I like to call the ‘End of a Series Syndrome, or’ ESS for short. Basically what happens is that once you get thoroughly invested in a series, you never want to see it end. When it does end, then you feel like you’ve lost something very important. You feel kind of hollow for a while, and sometimes if you have a lot of time, you start to think about things in your life really in depth. Why do you think I cried for days after I finished Days Gone By?”
Rainbow looked up at Twilight and smiled. “Y-yeah. That does sound a lot like what’s happening here. I guess I was just kinda over-thinking things. I mean, Daring Do is what got me into reading. I just didn’t expect it to end so quickly, you know? I guess that’s what happens when you wait twelve years to read a series” Rainbow giggled, sitting up in her bed and hugging Twilight back. “Thanks for coming by, Twilight. Who knows how long I would have stayed up here moping if you hadn’t come.”
“No problem, Rainbow Dash. That’s what friends do after all. If you ever need to talk about something like this again, just stop by the library and we can chat a bit about what you’ve read. It always helps to have a friend around when ESS kicks in. So, you’ll be alright then?”
Rainbow Dash looked at the untouched book sitting the corner of the room before flying over to it. She picked it up and looked at the cover. On the front was a sad looking cream colored stallion. In the background, the leaves of trees rustled in the wind, with a town that looked like Ponyville far off in the background. The thing that caught her eye the most was that even though the stallion was an adult, he still had a blank flank.
“Yeah, Twilight. I’ll be fine. I think I might read that book you lent me the other day. If it’s by the same guy, then I know I’ll like it. I really like the way he describes the scenes and stuff. Really makes me feel like I’m there.” Rainbow lay back down in her bed and tapped the cover of the book. Twilight began to make her way towards the front door, her work being completed.
“Alright, Rainbow. I’ll see you in a bit! Feel free to come by and talk about books anytime. And don’t worry, I won’t tell anypony. Wouldn’t want to ruin your cool image.” Twilight chuckled and Rainbow snorted in retort. “Have fun. Maybe we can go down to Sugarcube Corner and get some ice cream in a few hours.” With that, Twilight took off, making her way back to the Ponyville library. Rainbow opened her book and began to read, becoming immediately enraptured and engrossed in the story.
Everything’s alright, Rainbow. You were just being silly about the end of the series. Good thing you have friends like Twilight. Rainbow chided herself mentally for her own silliness. Well, let’s get started with this book. Twilight said I’d like, and after all… How sad could it really be?
