A Dark Rose and A Single Promise
A Dark Rose that shines in the summer's sun, but is all alone wishes for more flowers.
A tiger with no fight, that gives up much too easily wishes for more strength and power.
The wind blowing ever so gracefully, wishes to be a tree, and to be rooted in the ground.
Kind ponies with sweet souls, sometimes wish to be tough.
Tough ponies that hide their hearts, sometimes wish to be kind.
A bird in the wild, wishes to be safe.
And a bird in a cage, wishes to be free.
An omega wolf, wishes for authority.
Dry summer days, sometimes wish to be wet.
Promises, hopes, dreams, light and dark, day and night.
And what all these things, and ponies have in common is the Promises they make.
We must have choice, and do what we must.
And as I lay dying
A single tear falls.
It rolls down my face to land on the cold, dead ground.
My final breath leaves me.
Darkness surrounds me.
I only did what I thought was truly right, but in the end I was wrong.
I see that now.
But it doesn't change what I did in the past.
It doesn't change that, in my heart, I know I have failed you.
But we all make mistakes, don't we?
Can I truly be faulted for trying my best?
I've made some decisions I'm not proud of.
But at the time, most of those decisions were necessary.
Hell, you're not perfect, far from it.
But all these choices we made had consequences.
Mine just cost me more.
Mine cost me my pride.
It cost me my life.
But worst of all,
It cost me you.
I race through the forest, my heart threatening to beat right out of my chest if I don't slow down. The weak moonlight fails to penetrate the night. Tears blur my vision and I stumble on a root. I fall face first into the dirt. The wind howls through the tree, bringing with it the smell of death and decay. The wind stops and a fog rolls in. The smell is worse now. Laughter fills every corner of the night. Fear paralyzes me.
A shadowy figure emerges from the mist. He wears a cloak with the hood over his head. He raises his hand and points a bony finger at me. He flicks his hand. I fly through the air and hit a tree. He squeezes his fist and my chest tightens. Tears cascade down my cheeks. He opens his hand and the pressure is gone. I gasp for breath. He sways to a silent song, one only he can hear. More figures emerge from the mist, their laughter mixing, growing louder until it reaches a defeating volume. Then they fall silent. No sound can be heard.
I float through the air until I am in the center of the circle. Twelve figures stand around me, each raising their hands and swaying to that silent song. I take a deep breath and choke on the stench of rotting flesh.
"I made my choices," I say loudly. The figures stop their swaying, each turning their heads to gaze at me. The temperature drops, the grass dies. Frost creeps up the trees. My breath comes out as little white clouds. If float downwards until my feet touch the ground and I collapse. I have no strength left. The figures start swaying again, getting closer and closer to me. "I made my choices," I repeat. A single tear rolls down my face to land on the cold dead ground. The figures are upon me. "I made my choices." My final words.
And from that tear grew a single, dark rose.
The cold wind hits me and sends chills down my spine. I shivered from the sudden cold I felt inside myself. This place looked vacant; no sign of life. The trees were naked, the road was covered with snow; the only noise I could hear was of the wind passing by and my heart pounding in my chest. I was finally here standing in front of my sister's grave.
I kneeled down and touched the single red rose, with a shaking hoof, as a tear escaped my eyes. I was too late to give her a proper funeral, let alone save her life. I was ashamed to call myself her sister. I couldn't even be there for her in her time of need.
Remembering what she had asked of me many months ago if she was ever to die, I whisper, "I am sorry, but I promise I'll look after Aurora and love her like she was my own. I don't what happened to you, but I vow that I'll protect her even if it means protecting her from the entire world. R.I.P. Dreamsong, I love you forever and always." I placed the black roses I was carrying down, next to the single red rose that was the only thing left of my dear sister. That was the last time I would be near her again, alive or dead.
