There are No Happy Endings, Because Nothin' Eva Truly Ends
Their eyes met from across the dance floor.
One in a gorgeous deep purple dress, gleaming when the light caught it and leaving nothing to the imagination as it clung snugly to her pink coat. Black shoes adorned her hooves, reflecting every lit surface like glass.
The other in a simple black suit jacket, leaving the rest of her maple-colored coat bare. No shoes either. The only other accessory to be seen were her glasses, perched upon her muzzle as her acid green eyes sharpened.
Both mares quickly looked away. One seemingly in pain, the other becoming devoid of emotion.
Babs Seed shook her head and continued on her way, hollow eyes trained on her favorite cousin. Tonight is a night ta celebrate. Jus' igno' her. She told herself, forcing a small smile on her face as she trotted up to Apple Bloom. "Hey, cuz!" She greeted cheerfully, instantly going in for the hug.
Apple Bloom squealed and hugged Babs back, nuzzling her cheek. "Cuz! Ah'm so happy y'all could make it!" She exclaimed, pulling away to smile brightly right into her cousin's eyes.
Babs smiled back. "Wouldn't miss it fo' da world! Youze are married now, what kinda cousin would I be if I missed youze wedding?" She asked, chuckling all the while.
Apple Bloom giggled. "Ah'd still love ya. How's Manehattan? It's been years since ya came ta Ponyville." She observed, raising an eyebrow.
Babs shrugged. "Eh, nothin' new. Da's expectin' me ta take ova da business, which means that I'm not gonna be able to come back ta Ponyville fo' a long time. Don't got a lotta time no' mo', fo' anythin' really." She replied nonchalantly.
Apple Bloom frowned. "Sounds a lot like Diamond Tiara. Her pa's gone and said she has ta take over Rich Enterprises, so she's had ta wisen up a lot. She's a real good friend once ya get ta know her, ever since Sil... Ya know..." Her eyes cast downwards, before she shook her head, "Tonight's not the night ta be thinkin' 'bout that." She murmured.
Babs nodded. "Agreed. So how's everypony else? Scoots, Sweetie, Rumble and Choco?" She asked, smiling. Tonight was a night to celebrate, not to dwell on the past.
Apple Bloom smiled as well. "Thing have been goin'... Ok. Scoots an' Sweetie are actually engaged, ah'm pretty sure they're over by the bar tryin' ta see how long they can go without breathing, if ya know what ah mean," She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, making her cousin blush, "Choco and Rumble finally got married, ya missed the weddin'. It was last year, and nopony could get ahold of ya. Choco's actually expectin' a foal now, but she couldn't make it. Family issues." She explained.
Babs raised an eyebrow. "But she's an orphan, and nopony knows if she has any otha family." She reminded her.
Apple Bloom frowned. "Rumble told us that they found out that she has a brother, and she's not takin' it well. She won't even come out of her room anymore." She explained.
Babs's eyes widened. "Dat's... Wowza. That is huge, Choco neva was one ta cry. Man, if Peanut and Tiga were still here, they could probably cheer her right up. Tiga always was the crazy one." She chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah... They were too young ta go... Did ya know that they were engaged? Gosh, ah remember that Big Mac and Discord nearly got into a fight. Couldn't bear to see their daughters go. Pinkie and Zecora had to practically restrain them." She giggled at the memory, placing a hoof over her mouth.
Babs nodded. "Nopony eva told me... How did they go?" She asked quietly.
Apple Bloom looked at the ground. "Tiger got pushed off a cliff by some Diamond Dogs, they never found her body. Peanut got in a fight with a gang, and her horn got broken. The magic burned her up trying ta get out." She explained, her voice getting quiet.
Babs moved forwards, hugging the farmer mare. "Aw, cheer up cuz... Dey wouldn't want youze ta be sad, not tonight... Youze are married now, youze gotta be happy. How would Spike feel if he saw youze cryin'?" She asked, gently rubbing her back and resting her chin on the cherry red mane.
"AB?"
"Speak of da devil..."
Apple Bloom practically flew out of Babs's grasp and right into her husband's, laughing. "Hey, sugar! We were just catchin' up." She told him, nuzzling his scaly neck.
Spike chuckled and lifted his bride into his strong arms. He was a good two feet taller than everypony present, mainly because he was bipedal. His large scaly wings were folded against his back, having grown years before and they gave even Princess Celestia a run for her money in size. "Good to hear, it has been a few years. Say Babs, I think you-know-who is waiting for you." He told her.
Babs gulped and ducked her head, adjusting the glasses on her muzzle. "Yeah... I'll go and see her. See youze two later." She replied quietly. Without another word she moved past the happy couple, darkened eyes training on the dance floor. The crown of her head lightly hit something, and she looked up into a beautiful pair of sapphire blue eyes.
Diamond Tiara stared coolly at Babs Seed. "Babs." She acknowledged.
Babs shook her head. "No. Not tonight. Come with me." She ordered softly, turning and walking towards the trees. She heard hooves behind her, but didn't look back, opting to keep her troubled gaze on the path ahead. She only stopped when they entered the treeline, out of sight from the rest of the wedding party.
Diamond sat down as Babs took a seat in front of her, allowing her stoic mask to slip off of her face. "I've missed you." She murmured, reaching forwards and lightly stroking Babs's face with a hoof.
Babs scooted closer and leaned into the touch, closing her eyes as a sad frown came over her face. "I've missed youze too Di. Eva since Sil... Eva since she..." Her voice faded into the crisp night air as she lost her words, eyes opening and glistening with unshed tears.
Diamond nodded. "Ever since she took her own life. You left me. You promised me that you would never leave, but when I needed you most you did. You betrayed me." She whispered, pulling her hoof away.
Babs, quick as lighting, caught it in her own, pink meeting maple. "I was scared, Di. Nopony saw her suicide comin'. Nopony knew what her fatha was doin'. How could we?" She asked, her voice firm.
Diamond pulled away, looking at the ground. "She should've come to me. That's what friends are for." She protested weakly.
"And what was she supposed ta tell youze? 'Diamond, my da' sexually abuses me every otha night.' Nopony can just go and say somethin' like dat!"
Diamond suddenly lashed out with a forehoof, cracking Babs across the face. She watched the green-eyed mare's head snap to the side with the blow, and felt the tears leaking down her face increase in speed. "She was my best friend, don't you dare talk about her like that." She growled aggressively.
Babs turned her head back to look at her. "And I was youze lova." She shot back angrily, blinking as hot tears started to trickle down her freckled cheeks.
"What we did was foolish. We were kids."
"But it felt so real."
"Doesn't everything?"
Babs opened her mouth to argue, but Diamond held up a hoof to silence her. "Everything feels real, Babs. Love, friendship, life. But love fades away, friendship breaks and life comes to an end. Nothing is truly real, because reality means that it exists and it will always exist. Hopes and dreams are futile, because everypony expects them to be reality. But does anything ever happen the way we want it to? Nothing ever goes exactly to plan, because there is no such thing as perfection. Reality and going according to plan implies perfection, and that does not exist. Nothing is truly real, because nothing can last as long as reality's expectations are set." She murmured.
Babs shook her head. "Reality is what we make it ta be. Reality is different fo' everypony. Some love lasts foreva, some friendships neva break and some lives exist in legends and legacy, continuing on fo' all eternity. Like Starswirl da Bearded, or Discord. Youze and I, we might not last foreva, but our business could. Rich Enterprises helped start Ponyville, youze family name will be remembered for a very long time, if not foreva. My family, we helped found Manehattan. Our lives will continue in our family names, Di. Can't youze see that?" She asked.
Diamond looked away. "What is life, if there is no physical body to experience it?" She asked sadly.
Babs placed a gentle hoof on the pink mare's shoulder. "Life can be in da soul. Life can be in words. We give everythin' around us life, because we want it to have life. Even those who are physically alive might not be alive, because they're too broken to want to live anymo'. Us... We're like shattered glass, youze and I. Fallin' apart 'cause we're not strong enough ta keep goin', ta stay togetha. But I want us ta stay togetha, 'cause it hurts too much ta be apart." She explained.
Diamond gently placed a hoof on Babs's foreleg, holding it in place. She didn't want to let go. "But... We can never be together. Not anymore. Because..."
"Our fathas..."
"Our businesses..."
"Rivalries..."
"It's destiny Babs."
"It just can't happen."
Diamond smiled sadly. "But... I'll always love you. Deep down. Even if I end up with another mare, I'll always remember what we had. Once upon a time..." She told her, resting her cheek on the comforting hoof on her shoulder.
Babs nodded. "Youze'll be in my heart, even if I end up with some stallion or some mare... Youze were da first lova I eva had, and I'll always rememba. And maybe one day... Maybe we can fight through, and be togetha like we want." She replied, a small smile gracing her face.
Diamond leaned in, gently connecting her lips with Babs's. After a moment she pulled away, looking into the beautiful mare's acid-colored orbs. "I love you, Babsy."
"I love youze too, Di."
Two years later, Babs Seed wed.
Diamond Tiara watched from the crowd as she embraced her husband, their lips connecting. Tears leaked down her cheeks, not of sorrow, but of happiness. Her smile was so small, and so, so sad, but it was a smile nonetheless. Coal Spark was a nice stallion, Choconator's long lost brother in fact. He acted nothing like his younger sister, and he made a good match for Babs.
As the couple pulled apart and turned to wave at the crowd, Diamond's eyes met Babs. She watched Babs's heart break in her eyes, but she shook her head and held up a hoof, ducking her head as her watery smile grew larger.
I forgive you.
Six months later, Diamond Tiara and Babs Seed met again.
Babs was standing over the graves of Tiger and Peanut, a sad smile on her face. She heard the telltale clicking of hooves, and looked up to see Diamond walking up to her. She moved over as the other mare sat down beside her, and their eyes turned back to the two graves.
Diamond sighed and ducked her head. "I used to bully them for their parents. I used to always make fun of Peanut because she was the result of a one night stand, and I always told Tiger she'd be just like her father. Now, I never get to say that I'm sorry." She murmured.
Babs looked over at her. "But youze did say sorry." She reminded her.
"Is saying it ever enough? I don't even know if I meant it."
Babs nodded and looked back at the graves. "They died happy, da two of dem. Especially Peanut, when dey found her dey could see da smile on her face. Still recognizable, even afta bein' burnt." She admitted.
"I don't think I'll ever marry. Wouldn't be able to handle the idea of losing somepony so close."
Babs flinched. "Yeah. Didja hear? Choco's been recruited inta da Royal Guard. She's gonna be leavin' soon." She told her.
Diamond nodded. "Yeah. Scoots and Sweetie are getting married in a couple months, but she's gonna miss it. That makes two now, cause I know she wouldn't miss yours. Not her own brother's." She replied.
Babs smiled. "Coal's a nice stallion. Bit awkward, but it's adorable." She giggled.
Diamond looked away. "Do you miss being kids, Babs Seed?" She asked softly, feeling tears well up in her sapphire eyes.
Babs nodded, closing her eyes. "With all my heart, Diamond Tiara." She replied, a single tear rolling down her face. She turned to the mare and opened her eyes, frowning as more tears continued to leak down her face, "I want ta love youze, Di." She admitted.
Diamond looked at her as well, their eyes meeting. "I know. But you can't. And that's ok. I forgive you." She replied, getting to her hooves.
Babs looked away, staring at the words carved into Peanut's grave. "I forgive youze too." She acknowledged.
"Why do you forgive me?"
"Because youze broke my heart."
Diamond leaned in and lightly pecked Babs on the cheek. There was no surprise when no familiar spark shot through her body, when no feelings of affection surfaced. The love was gone.
Babs barely acknowledged the kiss. There was no love behind it, those feelings were long since dead. She listened as Diamond walked away, and she didn't go after her.
Some love lasted forever. Words out of her own mouth.
And some love faded away. Words that somepony she once loved had told her long ago.
Babs had expected their love to go on forever.
But Diamond had known the truth.
Eventually, time took away everything.
And that wasn't ok.
But it had to be.
