Chapters My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am a Unicorn and I live in the small town of Ponyville. I've lived here all my life and for as long as I can remember, nothing too exciting has happened. Sure, an Ursa Minor went on the rampage and Equestria was threatened with eternal darkness, but I'm talking about a different kind of exciting. The kind of exciting I'm talking about is the feeling you get when you meet that special somepony. That one that makes your heart skip a beat. That one that, even when you're feeling your worst, can make everything seem okay. I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting somepony just like this. She showed me the light in the darkness that was my life. This fact being extremely ironic because... well... I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning...
It was just a normal day in my new life. All my friends had moved away. Rarity was finally able to shine across Equestria. Applejack and her family moved to a larger farm and, from what I hear, are doing great. Rainbow Dash fulfilled her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy started up a party planning business together. They moved to Manehattan and bought a building. They're also doing well. I see them in Ponyville now and then when somepony asks them for their assistance. Spike is the only one that stayed with me. My only real friend. I know there's tons of other ponies in Ponyville but none of them made me feel as good as my friends did. I just wish that we could all get back together again. I sometimes dream about them. They're mostly good dreams, but there are times when they're not so good. I haven't been sleeping well lately and I've stopped studying magic. What's the point in learning things when there's nopony to share it with? Spike tells me that I need to just forget and move on but... I don't think I can. My friends were everything. On top of that, I haven't written a letter to Princess Celestia in weeks. How can one learn something new about friendship when that pony has no friends? I don't know what to do anymore.
Anyways, today is a new day. I thought something good may happen today. I was, after all, overdue for some good news. Boy, was I wrong. Spitfire of The Wonderbolts came to visit me as I sat on the floor of the library. She looked sad so I knew right then and there that my good news was going to be postponed.
"Twilight Sparkle?" she asked, tears in her eyes.
I looked at her for a second or two before answering.
"Yes?" I asked, knowing full well that I wasn't going to by happy from this.
"I'm very sorry to have to tell you this, but..." She took a deep breath before finishing. "Rainbow Dash has... passed away."
I sat on the floor, not saying a word. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as I felt a piece of my heart fade out of existence.
"Wh-what happened?" I asked, tears now forming in my eyes as well.
"We were doing a routine flight through a canyon when... there was a landslide."
"Landslide?" I asked, remembering the past.
Rainbow Dash had encountered a similar problem before. She was trying to find out which pet would be perfect for her so she took them on a race through Ghastly Gorge. She encountered a landslide inside but, by a stroke of luck, was saved by one of the animals racing to be her pet; a turtle. Talk about a luck. But now, it seems everything is falling apart. It was one thing when her friends moved away but another thing entirely when one of them dies. I just couldn't bear it.
I said nothing. I just sat on the floor and sobbed uncontrollably. Spitfire sat down next to me and embraced me, joining me in weeping. Despite her attempt at comforting me, it was to no avail. I had lost one of my closest friends. I mean, this wasn't just somepony. This was Rainbow Dash. I had always hoped that one day our paths would cross, but now... the only way we could see each other again was if I died. And to be honest, that didn't seem like a bad idea.
"Would you like to visit her?" Spitfire asked me.
I did nothing but nod.
It took about two hours but Spitfire and I finally arrived at the accident site. There was a narrow section of the canyon that had been filled to the top with rocks and dust. There was a hoof-made flag sticking out from the rocks to mark the general area where Rainbow Dash perished. The other members of the Wonderbolts were gathered around it. When they saw me approaching they parted, allowing me easy access to the flag. I slowly walked up to it and collapsed. A placed a hoof on the ground in front of the flag.
"Why?" I whispered. "Why did this have to happen?"
Spitfire came up behind me.
"I'm sorry, Twilight." she said. Sympathy filled her voice. "I'm so sorry. I did everything I could to help, but..."
"She finally fulfilled her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt." I said. "Did you know that that's all she ever wanted?"
"Yeah." said Spitfire. "She always mentioned how happy she was."
I slowly stood up and turned to Spitfire. "Before I head back I just wanted to thank you."
"What for?" she asked.
"You were able to give Rainbow Dash the adventures she'd always dreamed of." I took a deep breath. "You made her happy, so... thank you."
"You're welcome, Twilight, but... she cared more about you than us." Spitfire said. "She always talked about you. So don't think for one second that her dreams meant more to her than you."
I nodded. "Thank you."
Spitfire gave me a hug good-bye and I made my way back to Ponyville. Little did I know that when I got back, my life would be changed forever.
I lay in bed, thinking about Dash. The only way my life could get any worse was if all my friends died. I heard Spike coming up the stairs.
"Come on, Twilight." he said. "You can't lay in bed in all day." I said nothing. "You need to get up, go outside, and make some friends."
"Why?" I asked, monotone. "It seems that my friends are dying."
"Just one." Spike said. "What about the other--"
"Just one?" I asked. I couldn't believe Spike would say something like that. "It was Rainbow Dash, Spike."
I got out of bed and headed downstairs. Remember that darkness in my life I mentioned earlier? This is what I was talking about. I left the library and stepped outside. There was a cool breeze out that day, along with a bright, warm sun. It was supposed to be a perfect day but... I just didn't feel like celebrating. I started walking through Ponyville, watching all the ponies go about their business. They all seemed happy, as usual. What I needed... No. What I really needed was a special somepony. I looked around, desperate for companionship at this point. I eyed all the stallions I passed but, every time I built up the courage to ask him, I found out he was already with somepony. It makes perfect sense. There were always more mares in Ponyville than Stallions. Sometimes mares got together. But you know what, I wouldn't mind that. I was extremely lonely at this point so I just didn't care. I continued my walk when suddenly I saw her. A grey pegasus entering her house. I stood watching even after she disappeared from sight. Unbeknownst to me, a pony had trotted up next to me.
"Hey, Twilight." It was Bon-Bon.
"Hey." I said back, almost trance-like.
Bon-Bon followed my gaze to the house.
"Ah, the new girl." said Bon-Bon.
"What?" I asked quickly. "She's single? I mean... new?"
Bon-Bon smiled when she understood what was going on.
"Yeah. She just moved in today. A little mysterious if you ask me."
"How so." I asked.
"She tends to keep to herself." Bon-Bon explained. "And no pony knows where she came from. Not to mention her red eyes. I mean, she seems nice, but that's just weird."
"She's amazing." I said, almost without thinking.
The pegasus emerged from her house and looked around. She spotted Twilight, stared for a second, then trotted off.
"She looked at me." I said.
I was suddenly filled with this new feeling. She was the light unto the darkness. She was exactly what I needed at this moment. I decided to follow her.
After stalking this mysterious pegasus for a while, she came to a stop in front of the water fountain. I slowly pushed my way through a crowd of ponies. One suddenly obstructed my view. When she moved, the pegasus was no longer standing in front of the water fountain. I had lost her. Where'd she go? Disappointed, I made my back to the library.
"A girl?" Spike asked. "You're in love with a girl?"
I said nothing. I just kept pulling books from the shelves, trying to find the right one.
"I know losing a friend is very traumatic, Twilight." Spike went on. He ducked as I threw book over his head. Accidentally, of course. "But when Rarity left, sure I was upset, but I didn't go to Dragon Mountain and ask the dragon if he wanted to on a date."
"You don't understand, Spike." I said, finally finding the right book. I slammed it down on the table in the center of the room. "She's the one."
Spike glanced at the cover. It was a relationship guide. I flipped through the pages, reading every word. I needed to know everything I could if I was to try and talk with her tomorrow.
I woke up the next morning with the sun's rays beating down on my face. Today was the day I make my move. I let out a yawn and slid out of bed. I looked over at Spike who was still sleeping in his little bed. I decided not to wake him and headed downstairs. I opened the front door and stepped outside, taking in the morning air.
I made my way through Ponyville, stopping in front of Sugarcube Corner. Ever since Pinkie Pie and the Cake family moved away, this place has become a restaurant. Ponies always come here for breakfast now because the food is just so good. Anyways, I entered and found an empty table. I sat down and thought about how I was going to approach the pegasus. Would she find it weird that I felt something? Me being a mare and all? Or would she not mind? I had no idea what to expect or how I would feel afterwards. Especially if she said no. A unicorn approached my table, a clipboard and a pen hovering next to her.
"Can I get you anything?" she asked in a kind voice.
I wasn't sure if she was really happy working here or if it was in the job description.
"I'll just have some toast with butter." I said.
"Sure thing." she said with a smile, heading towards the back room.
I laid my head down on the table and thought about... well... everything. Everything from when I first arrived in Ponyville to this moment. All the friends I made. All the adventures I went on. Everything. And to think I wound up here was almost unreal. ow could everything have gone so well and then all at once become unbearable. That's exactly how I felt when I heard of Rainbow Dash's passing. And then I saw that pegasus and everything lit up inside me. I HAD to meet her. She was the one.
"Here you go." said the unicorn, setting a plate of toast down in front of me.
I watched her walk away and then looked down at the toast. A raise one of them to my mouth and took a bite. Just then a light blue unicorn sat down at my table with me. She set down a plate of eggs.
"Hiya, Twilight." she said.
"Hey, Heartstrings." I said, taking another bite.
"What's up?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing." I said. "I just..."
I stopped when I saw her. The pegasus. She was getting up from one of the tables and began making her way to the front door. Heartstrings followed my gaze and saw her, too. She gave me a look.
"You like her?" she asked.
"Huh? What?" I said quickly, snapping out of my trance. "No. I, uh..."
"It's all right." Heartstrings said with a laugh. "I know what you're going through."
"You do?" I asked, setting the piece of toast back on the plate.
"You know Lyra?" she asked me, moving her plate to the side.
This surprised me.
"Y-you... are in love with... Lyra?"
"What?" Heartstrings asked, apparently shocked by what I said. "No. She's my sister."
"So, what about her?"
"She's going out with a mare."
"Really?" I asked. Finally. Somepony going through exactly what I was going through. "How's it going?"
"Extremely well, actually." She let out a laugh. "A lot better than I had originally thought, too."
I quickly stood up and ran for the door. I could hear her yelling but couldn't make out what she was saying. I looked around and caught a glimpse of the pony. She was rounding a corner. I took off as fast as I could. I rounded the corner and couldn't see her. I had lost her again. Why does this keep happening. I backed up to go home and bumped into somepony. I turned around and found myself face-to-face with... her.
"You following me?" she asked me.
"Well, uh..." I hesitated. "Yes."
"Why?" she asked curiously.
She didn't seem weird or anything. She seemed like a normal everyday pony.
"I wanted to, uh..." I tried to think of what to say. I suddenly said something without thinking. "I wanted to meet you."
"Really?" she asked. I said nothing. "I've seen you around town. And every time I did, you were looking at me. What's up?"
I started to blush and sweat. I was so nervous, I couldn't think straight.
"I... uh..." I stammered.
"It's all right." the pegasus finally said. "I was watching you, too."
"Say what?" I asked, shocked.
The pegasus smiled. "Wanna hang out sometime?"
I hesitated for I don't know how long. "Okay." I finally said.
"Names' Pepper Mint."
"Twilight." I said, almost trance-like.
"See ya tomorrow, Twilight." Pepper Mint said before walking off.
I was left standing alone, in shock from what happened. She finally spoke to me. And we're gonna hang out later. And what did she mean when she said that she was watching me as well? How long has she been watching me. And why was she watching me? One way or another, I would find out.
