Their Last Dance
By iDash
We came in together, but you held me.
The pressure, walking right through that door, at the entry.
I can’t seem to remember- the lights were so bright,
And the disco ball blurred in the turn of that night.
***
The darkness of the room before me blurred sweetly into the soft glowing lights that drifted across the floor. I was sitting down, leaning back against the cold hard wall. I watched the ponies in front of me move slowly across the dance floor, their motions almost parallel with the lights. They held each other closely, for fear that they’d forever lose one another if they let go.
And yet, here I was alone. I clutched at my chest, urging the pain in my heart to go away and closed my eyes. The room seemed to grow darker, quieter. I felt so alone in this dark room, the slow, steady beat of the music my only company.
But I was never alone at all. You made sure of that.
I opened my eyes again and looked up, and there you were, looking right back at me. You were so beautiful. Your curly, pink mane fell perfectly over one shoulder, every strand flowing with the next as smooth as water. Your bright coat was brushed and groomed to a shine. The lights seemed to reflect off you like the sun. Most of all, though, were your eyes. Those beautiful, cerulean orbs that brought me joy and brightened my day every time I gazed into them.
You walked up to me, with the gentle smile of yours, and held out your hoof. “Hey, Rarity. Do you wanna dance with me?” you said, but the usual excitement in your voice was gone.
Instead of taking your hoof, I shied away. “Pinkie Pie, I-I just... I can’t,” I choked out.
Rather than replying, you walked over and sat down next to me. Your eyes stayed looking at the dance floor, as if you were lost in distant thought. The look in your eyes was so sad, despite your smile. We were both silent for that moment as the music carried on.
Do you remember what you said next? I do. And I always will.
You leaned your head on my shoulder, and said, “It’s okay, Rarity. Even if the world ends, as long as I’m with you, I know that I’ll be okay.”
Another pain shot through my heart as you said it. I clutched at my chest again in an effort to fight back my tears.
“Oh, Pinkie.”
***
“What do you mean she’s gone?!” Twilight screamed, rage pouring out of her voice.
Everypony flinched as she did. We were all there with her. Fluttershy was curled up, shivering in fear, as Rainbow Dash draped a wing over her back to comfort her. It was probably all she could do to calm herself down as well.
Spike stood next to Twilight, doing his best to calm her down. Applejack just stood to the side, eyes wide in disbelief.
I wasn’t faring much better. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. How could I? My mind ran over and over again, trying to deny it. You were standing next to me, so close that I could feel your warmth, the only thing comforting me as I was set to panic.
In front of us, sitting atop the royal throne was Princess Luna. Though her solemn expression stood in stark contrast to the happy smile she always greeted us with. She gave Twilight a pained look, then sighed as she spoke. “My sister, your mentor and friend, Princess Celestia... is gone.”
Twilight shook her head. “No, it can’t be. Tell us what happened!”
Luna paused for a moment and gazed at Twilight, a hint of sympathy seeming to flash in her eyes. Finally she took a deep breath and began her explanation with a shaky voice. “As you know, many months ago, Equestria began to experience strange tremors. At first, they were few and far between, ponies paying them little to no attention. Then, as time slowly marched on, they began to grow larger and more frequent.
“Eventually, they became dangerous- life threatening, even- and ponies have since struggled to survive as great quakes shook their towns and giant fissures ran through their homes. We rushed to find out the cause behind the tremors, putting forth our best efforts as well as our top researchers and scientists.
“Well, not too long ago, we...” she took a shuddering breath, as if she were trying to hold back her tears. “We discovered what has been happening and the reason behind the tremors. Celestia volunteered to investigate further, as she would not stand to see one of her ponies put in such a dangerous position. She then flew off to what we believed was the epicenter of the quakes.... that was two weeks ago. She was supposed to be gone for a mere two days, and we have heard nothing from her thus far. We... have begun to fear the worst.” She spoke the last part in almost a whisper.
A look of fear and disbelief had dawned on Twilight’s face, growing more and more so as Luna continued.
“N-no,” Twilight stuttered in desperation. “No, she can’t- she can’t be... B-but she’s the princess!”
Luna slowly shook her head. “We are powerful and have lived for very long, but we are not immortal, Twilight Sparkle. We just... haven’t died yet.”
Twilight, scared and confused, struggled to find words, but failed. After a moment of silence, Applejack took a shaky step forward and spoke. “Um, Princess, could you... could you tell us what’s been causin’ these tremors. Could you tell us what’s goin’ on?”
Luna looked at each of us in turn, the look on her face saying that she didn’t want to tell us. That even she wanted anything but to believe it was true. That she wanted anything but to impose that horrid truth unto us.
And now that I look back on it, I almost wish she hadn’t.
Finally she spoke, and it was clear the pain that those words inflicted upon her. “Our world... is dying.”
At that moment, time froze, and for a minute, I couldn’t even feel you next to me. It was just... darkness. And I imagine it must’ve been the same for you.
Luna continued. “Our researchers found that very unstable fluctuations of our very own magic have been affecting the world’s core, and it has began tearing itself asunder from the inside, out.” Such devastating news seemed like it should have taken a little longer than a few seconds to tell us.
I was shaking now, you were holding me, trying to keep me calm, but I knew that you were just as scared. I could feel your heart beating as fast as mine as I leaned against you.
“It didn’t begin just recently, however. It has been building up over an extremely long period of time. It began even long before my and Celestia’s time. The world is far older than you think. Although, recent... events seemed to have sped up the process. Event’s such as the return of Nightmare Moon, Discord’s release, the Changeling invasion, as well as the return of Sombra and the Crystal Empire.”
I think most of us knew that somewhere along that list was Twilight’s becoming of a princess, but Luna dared not say it, for fear of what it would do to her.
“We believe that our world just couldn’t take it anymore and reached its limit,” Luna finished.
“Y-you mean...” Twilight almost whispered.
Luna nodded and looked down, tears now streaming down her face. “This world... will be torn apart.”
Twilight collapsed as she was racked with sobs, crying along with Spike. Applejack had to sit down while she fought hopelessly against her tears. Fluttershy chose not to fight and instead weeped quietly under Rainbow’s wing. Rainbow herself was still as a statue as she stared wide eyed at Luna, the tears cascading one by one down her cheeks.
My legs felt like jell-o and it felt like my entire body had gone numb. I probably would have collapsed broken into sobs as well if you hadn’t been there to catch me.
***
You held out your hoof to me, welcoming me onto the dancefloor. I stepped back. I wasn't ready. Not yet.
"I-I can't."
"Yes you can." You leaned in close, your pink mane brushing against my cheeks, and gently kissed me on the lips. I wanted it to last longer- just a little bit longer- but you broke the kiss and smiled at me again.
Then, without hesitation, you took my hoof in yours and slowly led me onto the dancefloor, like a stranded child amongst the crowd.
The crowd seemed to part in front of us as we walked to the center of the floor. We stopped and you turned around to look at me. "Do you know how to dance?"
I turned my head, blushing only slightly. "Of course I do. A proper lady always knows how to dance."
you giggled and held your hoof out again. I paused then took it, resting my other hoof on you shoulder. You wrapped one arm around me. You leaned in and nuzzled me as we began to move.
We turned and swayed to the soft beat of the music. Arm in arm, we danced in lovely silence. I giggled. I could tell that you didn't know how to dance yet. Your hooves were clumsily shifting on the floor as we moved, but you didn't stop trying.
"Here. Follow my lead," I said. It's funny, you were the one who insisted I dance, yet there I was leading you along the floor.
I don't regret any of it, though.
You got the hang of it and we moved in perfect harmony. Together, we danced, our movements simple, but smooth. Left. Right. Step. Step. It almost seemed quiet, like nothing would happen and everything was okay again, just for that one moment. Oh how I wanted it so badly to last just a little bit longer.
...I knew it wouldn’t, though. And I didn’t care, either. You were there with me, and that’s all that matters, right?
***
I sat silently at a table in Sugarcube Corner. All was still as I stared solemnly at my reflection in the table. It felt so wrong to be there all alone, but all of our friends were gone. They left to spend their last moments together with their families.
...It still hurts. It hurts so much to remember our last goodbyes. I think Twilight was the strongest out of all of us. She brought us all together that day to say goodbye. She did her best to hold in her tears and was always there for us, all of us. Even in the end, that mare is putting everypony else before herself.
Sometimes I think that without her... actually, I'd rather not think about that.
Oh, poor Spike. I'm not sure he even knew what to think about it all. He was there crying alongside Twilight. She did her best to comfort him, but there wasn't much she could do. She didn't have the heart to tell him that it would be okay.
Applejack, it seemed, had finally given up. For days she had cried her eyes out in desperation and sorrow. She was crying for her family. If she could, she would do anything just to save them. I almost expect Rainbow Dash to swoop in, chest puffed out, saying how she would do what Celestia couldn't and save the world... That wasn't the case. She stood flightless on the ground weeping along with the rest of us.
And Fluttershy... Out of all of us, I think she suffered the worst. The look in her eyes... It was like she wasn’t even there. And she talked even less than she normally does. She was gone, empty. She just couldn’t take it anymore and finally broke. I hated to see her like that, to see any of us like that.
As for me? I broke down crying the moment we walked into the library. I wish I could have held myself together, kept the tears away to be strong for everypony else, like Twilight. But I couldn’t, and collapsed into tears instead. What else could I do? Even now I don’t want to admit that it was true, that this was all happening.
Right now, Sweetie Belle was home with our mother and father. They were waiting for me, just as I was waiting for you. I was there, sitting alone at that table, waiting for you, so that I could-... Well, you know why.
When you came down the stairs you called my name. "Rarity." I still remember your voice. There was still that hint of joy, but it was nothing like before. There was no extra bounce in your step, and no wide grin on your face, the gleaming sparkle in your eyes diminished to but a flicker.
"Pinkie Pie." I didn't know where to start. As you walked towards me, the words caught painfully in my throat, as did the tears in my eyes.
"Pinkie... I-" I tried again, but you raised your hoof to my mouth, quieting me with a smile.
"Don't say it," you said quietly, your voice cracking with evident despair as you shook your head. "Please don't say it." Before I could say anything else, you turned your head and reached back into your mane and turned back an item now clutched in your teeth. A sheet of paper.
You set it down on the table in front of me and I looked at it. ‘Last Dance’ it said in bold letters. My brow furrowed and I looked at you with a confused expression.
You smiled and gestured to the paper. “They decided to have a ‘last dance’ at the City Hall. They said it would give couples one last chance to... to...” You couldn’t finish the sentence. Instead you moved and sat down in the seat across from me, and looked down and sighed. “Y-you know,” you started off with a shaky voice. “There’s a whole lot of stuff that I didn’t get to do with you, Rarity. A-and I just...”
Tears started rolling down your face, despite the soft smile you still wore. I think the smile hurt more than the tears.
You took a deep breath. “I-if there was just one last thing that we could do together, then I... I...” You looked up and looked me in the eye, tears covering your own. “Will you go to the dance with me, Rarity?”
My heart skipped a beat, and I stared at you for a moment. Then, without hesitation, I responded with a kiss. I slowly pulled back and looked at you. “Of course I will, Pinkie,” I almost whispered.
And then, you smiled. A real smile this time, out of true happiness. It made me so happy to see you smile.
That’s when I remembered, when we were all gathered together for our last goodbyes, and I looked over to you standing next to me. And what I saw broke my heart.
That was the first time in my life that I can remember, that you didn’t smile.
***
We were still dancing, in the serenity of that tragic moment. Right. Left. Step. Step. The only thing in the world, the only thing that mattered most, was you, here with me on this lonely dancefloor.
I was scared, and I know you could feel it as I trembled in your arms. But you just held me tighter, whispering in my ears that it was okay. I closed my eyes and buried my face in your cotton candy mane.
The world around us faded away until it was just you and me, alone in the darkness. It kept getting darker, and I could feel it as the wretched fear slowly crept into my heart. I clung to you with all my strength and desperation for fear of letting go. But you slipped away. I tried to catch you, to grab you with all my heart, but I could only watch in pain as you slipped through my hooves.
I screamed your name, begging you to come back to me. But you faded away, smiling at me all the while. My legs gave out and I collapsed on the floor. Through my tears, I felt the ground vanish from beneath me and I fell. And I kept falling, falling... until...
I gasped and opened my eyes, only to see you looking back at me with that sad smile and beautiful, blue eyes.
I shook my head. No, that was it, I couldn’t take it. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I tried to pull away. I just wanted to leave, to run away and never stop running and convince myself that none of this was real, that I wasn’t going to lose you.... But you wouldn’t let me leave as you held me close, no matter how I struggled.
I gave up and broke down into silent tears in your arms. I began to sob quietly into your shoulder, letting my tears flow freely as I voiced my sorrows. “It’s not fair. It’s just not fair,” I wept. I couldn’t- I wouldn’t accept this.
And then, I felt a tear fall onto my shoulder. Your tear.
I looked up and watched as you shook your head, trying desperately to keep that waning smile. “I know,” you said. “I... I know it’s not fair. So will you stay here with me, Rarity?” You leaned forward and rested your forehead against mine. “Just focus on me and nothing else, and it’ll be okay. Forget about everything else, but just don’t forget me.”
...
How could I ever forget you?
From then on, for our last moments together, we danced.
We danced, as the DJ played and the record spun, as our footsteps alone echoed from our shuffling hooves, as the lights danced across the room, shining in your eyes along with that bittersweet happiness that reflected in them.
We danced, and you never stopped smiling, not once. You were so beautiful. I don’t think I ever did get the chance to tell you that, but you are. Everything about you is everything I have ever wanted and everything I never wanted to lose.
We danced, and didn’t stop, even as the ground began to tremble beneath us. The building started shaking and began to crumble, the ponies around us panicking with the fear evident in their eyes as they ran. But we didn’t stop, and we kept dancing. The earth itself shook, but with all its might, it couldn’t make me let you go. Pillars shattered and fell to the ground, lights burst in the air, rubble scattered about and littered the floor, but somewhere, faded into the background I could still hear the music playing.
And then the tremor came. It ravaged the quaking building. There was a deafening crack and the ground split beneath us, the crevice running right between you and me. As the fissure spread open, I feared that I would fall in, but with one quick shove, you pushed me to the other side. I fell to the ground and watched in horror as the fissure spread, too wide for me to leap across.
I stood up and looked at you, once again rushing down my face. This was is it. Our wordless goodbye. We looked in each other’s eyes and saw all of the pain and hurt. All of the happiness and love. I reached out with my hoof, trying to touch you, to feel your warmth one more time, and you did the same. As the building came crashing down, before the ceiling fell and the concrete walls collapsed, forever splitting us apart, the last thing I saw was your smile as you mouthed your last words to me. Just three words.
...
I love you, Pinkie Pie.
***
Separated my love,
I could hear her calling.
Separated... but I could hear her calling.
Goodbye forever- never see you again,
Love you always, Pinkie Pie...
The end.
Author's Note
I pretty much cried when I wrote this, so I hope you enjoyed it as well.
