Dashing Dreams

Ponyville, 7:11 A.M., November 8th, 2012

Midnight had been lying in the hay bale with Applejack for what felt like hours. By now, Applejack was awake and doing her best to cheer Midnight up. “I don’t know if this is as bad as y’all are thinkin’, Midnight. Remember what happened before you two spent the night out in Whitetail Woods?”

“You heard about that?”

“We tell each other things, Midnight, word gets around. Anyhow, I wouldn’t be so sure it’s over between y’all just yet.”

“Yeah, you might be right.” He sat up and got out of the hay bale. “Thanks, AJ. I really needed that. As he turned to the exit, he saw Rainbow Dash, standing and staring at them from the doorway. “Dash, what are you doing here?”

“I came to talk to Applejack to see what she thought about the situation, but I think I already know that answer.” She turned around and slammed the door behind her. Midnight stood where he had been, devastated and speechless.

“Oh no. Don’t worry, sugarcube. I’ll talk to her fer yah.” Applejack ran out of the barn after Rainbow Dash. “Dash, wait. Let me explain.”

Rainbow Dash, who had begun flying away, stopped mid air and turned around. “Explain what?! Explain that Midnight has been sleeping with every pony in Ponyville behind my back?!”

“Now really, sugarcube. How did y’all come to such a conclusion?”

“I saw him sleeping in that hay bale with you. What did you do with him last night? No wait, I take that back. I don’t wanna know.”

“All I did was comfort him. He’s really devastated from what happened at yer audition.”

“Why would he care if I don’t wanna be with him anymore? He has so many other ponies he can turn to.”

“He’s not sleeping with any other pony. How can y’all let one thing ruin all of yer trust for him?”

“Because he tried to get it on with my idol while he was still with me!”

“And what makes y’all think that Midnight was the one who tried getting it on with Spitfire and not the other way ‘round?”

“Because Spitfire told me Midnight jumped on her.”

“And who do y’all think is more trustworthy? The boy who has been loyal to y’all for yer whole life, or a pony yah just met?”

“What are you getting at?”

“I’m just sayin’, Dash. You should at least consider giving him another chance. He doesn’t deserve this.”

“Whatever. I need to get going to rehearsal. Later...”

“*sigh* Why can’t that pony ever listen to reason?” She walked back into the barn where Midnight had been waiting for her to return.

“Well, how’d it go?”

“I’m sorry, sugarcube. I tried my darn’est to get her to listen.”

“It’s okay.” Tears rolled down his face and began to fall from his cheek. “At least you tried.... I think I’m gonna go see if Twilight can help.” He trotted over to the barn door as the tears fell from his eyes down to the barn floor.

“Alright, I’ll see y’all later then...”

Midnight walked into Ponyville and up to Twilight’s house as the tears still rolled from his face. He knocked on the door and just a few seconds later, Twilight came up and opened the door. “Hey Midnight. What brings you he-” She saw the tears falling from his eyes.

“Hey Twilight can I stay with you for a while?”

“Oh no. Something happened with you and Rainbow Dash didn’t it.”

“Yeah, it’s kinda a long story.”

“Well come on in. You can tell me what happened in the library.”

“Thanks, Twilight. I really need somepony who can think rationally to talk to right now.” Midnight walked in and shut the door behind him. He joined Twilight at a round table in the middle of the library.

“So, Midnight. What seems to be troubling you?”

“Well, it’s kinda a long story, but it has to do with an incident with Rainbow Dash.”

“Oh no. This isn’t about you cheating on her is it?”

“What? Cheating on her? Twilight, you can’t seriously think that I would ever cheat on Rainbow Dash.”

“Well, that’s just it. I mean, you told her that you threw yourself onto Spitfire. I think that’s pretty clear.”

“Twilight, I had to tell her that. It was for her own good.”

“I don’t see how cheating on her and telling her about it would be for her own good.”

“Damn it, I already told you! I never cheated on Dash! Damn it, why don’t you believe me?!”

“Oh I dunno. Maybe it’s because you left home when we were both kinds so I didn’t have a big brother to look up to!”

The words hit him like a sonic rainboom. “Twilight, I had to leave you. I’m sorry but it’s because I didn’t know how to control my fire or my emotions.”

“Well, I’m sorry that I can’t trust you but, after that and what happened with Rainbow Dash, I don’t know if I can.”

“Twilight, I...” Tears began to roll down his cheeks again. “I can’t stay.” Midnight turned around and ran out the door.

“Midnight, wait!” She ran out the door after him, but he was already flying above Whitetail Woods. She chased after him doing her best to keep her eyes on him. As she entered the forest, he pulled away and she struggled to see him through the dense trees. Even though she could barely see, she could still tell Midnight was slowly pulling ahead. “No, no, no, no, no. Please come back.” But it was too late. By now he had pulled ahead so far that she couldn’t see him. She came to a sudden stop. “I’m never gonna find him now. I need to go get some help finding him before he does anything drastic.” She went back to Ponyville to gather up her friends.

By now, hours had passed, and Midnight had found a cave deep in Whitetail Woods to hide in. He had been lying up against a rock in the cave for hours. “*sigh* There’s no explaining my situation now. Why does this shit keep happening to me?” He looked to his side to see what seemed to be shaped like a pony. As he looked farther around the rock, he found that the pony was dead, and had been for a long time. It was nothing but a skeletal remains. The dead body had a bow and quiver strapped around it. A notebook and pencil had been lying by its decaying hooves and covered in dust. Midnight picked up the notebook and blew the dust off of it. “These are his final words.” The paper read:

Trust,

It is the thread that ties the bonds of our friendships. Just a little too much tension can cause that thread to break. That thread can be retied by the hoof of forgiveness. This hoof is patient and enjoys taking its time to retie the thread. But sadly, the hoof of forgiveness never took its time to reach out to me and retie my thread of trust. So I came out to Whitetail Woods to try and live on my own. Sadly, the loneliness was too much to take. As you read this, I have already taken my life with the hunting dagger that my friend had carved for me two weeks before I accidentally took his life with it. Now no one around me trusts me, so I have now decided to take my life with the same dagger that had taken the life of my friend. If you are reading this and are suffering the loneliness of distrust, please don’t wait as long as I did do end the suffering.

Midnight set down the note. “So I guess that’s it then.” He turned over the bones to find a bloodstained dagger in the fractured ribcage where the pony’s heart once rested.

Twilight and her friends ran through the woods until they came up to the cave. “Hey, there’s a cave over here!” Twilight yelled out. “Let’s check it out!” They all went up to the entrance of the cave. Twilight could barely see in the dark cave, but she could see the shape of a large black pony. She could see something in his hoof but she couldn’t make out what it was. As it turned in his hoof, the moonlight reflected off of it as they could see him slowly bringing the dagger into the air. “No...Midnight.” Tears slowly began to roll from her eyes.

Midnight, looking down at where his heart lie in his chest, had tears begun to fall from his face. “Well I guess this is it then. I whisper my final words as no pony gets to hear them. I guess this is goodbye then.” He brought the dagger down towards his chest. As it nearly reached his chest, another hoof grabbed his, bringing the dagger to a stop. He quickly looked up in surprise to see a blue pony with a rainbow mane covering her teary eyes holding his hoof. Behind her he could see all of his friends, happy to see him still alive. “D-Dash? What are you doing here?”

“I came as soon as Twilight told me everything that had happened. I was worried about you, Midnight. I had problems believing that you had cheated on me.”

“Dash, I could never give you up. Look, I’m sorry I let you down. I promise that I’ll never run around and desert you. I can’t stand to see you cry. I don’t wanna say goodbye. I’m never gonna tell you another lie and hurt you.”

“Midnight, what are you even saying?”

“I don’t know, but I’m just happy to see you’re not angry.”

“I was never angry with you. I was just disappointed. But, Midnight. Why did you lie to me? If you didn’t throw yourself onto Spitfire, then what happened?”

“Well, ever since the day I got The Wonderbolts to accept your audition, I had been blackmailed by Spitfire.”

“Wait, Spitfire blackmailed you? How?”

“Well first off, she was the only reason I made it in to talk to The Wonderbolts. She brought me into the shower room, and tried to seduce me by running the shower water over her. Then she forced a kiss on me and I pulled away. I didn’t know it until she had shown up at our house but she had one of the security guards take a picture of the kiss. She used me for her own sexual pleasure. She told me that if I refused that she’d show you the picture of the kiss. This went on for the two weeks you were practicing.”

“Spitfire...used you? Midnight, why didn’t you tell me?”

“She said that I ratted her out to you, that she would never let you into The Wonderbolts.”

It suddenly hit Rainbow Dash. “So that’s why you told me that you threw yourself on her. You lied so I can live my dream. Oh Midnight, I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s not your fault. Do you forgive me?”

“Of course I do. Come on, let’s get you home.”