Remember to Say Your Goodbyes

Her dark blue mane gave off a cool glow in the dull light of the bakery, the streaks of purple and pink seemed to cut through the aura. Her soft violet eyes seemed to sparkle, light from the disco ball refracting erratically off of them. She was stunning. I started to scan her over. Oh crap, I thought to myself, once I got to her cutie mark. The stars were small, elegant, and subtle. I however, was not subtle. She was staring right at me, looking displeased. I quickly averted my gaze, opting instead to stare at the oak wood floors beneath my hooves. A blush ran to my face and I felt my heart practically stop. Please don’t faint again on me body, I thought to myself.

“Well,” She said, making me jump. Her voice was soft, sweet, and a tad bit melodic. It also had a tinge of scolding in it. “Would you like to ask for my name, or should I just give it to you?”

The blush strengthened, surely I looked like a tomato by now, and I stammered, tripping over words.

“M-my name i-i-is Fry-ying C-c-caesar....” I began, feeling like an idiot and all around loser. “Mos-st people c-call me Caes-sar though...” My voice was cracking and I felt my throat start to go dry. I’d never been thrown on the spot like this before. I looked up into her eyes and what little breath I had left my chest.

“Well my name is Twilight Sparkle. Quick bit of advice, you should know the name of a book before you check it out.” She said, sounding a little shaky herself, but overall confident. Wait, was that a joke? Should I laugh? I decided to just apologize for now. And why does that name sound familiar...

“I’m very sorry....” I began, feeling my voice start to come back. “I couldn’t help myself, you’re a very beautiful mare.” I complimented, hoping she wouldn’t kill me. Still... That name seemed so familiar. I’d read it in a newspaper somewhere.

“It’s ok.” She said softly with a blush. “Just don’t do it again Caesar.” She added more confidently and directly. Then I remembered! The Elements of Harmony! I’d read in a newspaper about how Twilight and her friends saved Equestria twice! And... She was Celestia’s student. Oh crap!

“I won’t, please just don’t have me banished to the sun! I didn’t mean to I swear it was an accident!” I pleaded, practically falling to my knees. This was awful! I may have just insulted a friend of the Celestia! I didn’t want to be banished!!! Twilight let out a giggle then took a breath.

“There won’t be any banishing today, don’t worry. However,” She said. “I do have to leave now. I’d like to get to know you better. You should come to the Canterlot Library sometime. You’ll probably find me shelving books.” She wrote down the address on a napkin and handed it to me. “Just don’t get lost in there. It’s a big place. I’ll see ya soon!” She warned.

“I won’t! I promise! I’ll see you later.” I said, taking a deep breath. As she was leaving, I caught another view of her flank, and of her staring back at me. The blush returned instantly. She walked out and I was finally able to breathe again. I couldn’t wait to go to the library for once. Now, in the meantime, I should really eat something.

I woke up in a hospital bed, a nurse by my side and Twilight in a chair nearby. The whole room had that sterile feeling. I liked it. Being a chef and all, cleanliness was second nature to me, and it was nice. Wait, how did I get here? I remember... The verdict... An audible sigh left my lips, and tears began to well up behind my eyes. I was going to be banished. To the moon. A cold pit grew in my stomach.

“I know,” Twilight said quietly. “I don’t want you to go either.” She practically read my mind. She had a knack for doing that. Either she was psychic or I was transparent. The nurse left, not wanting to intrude on our conversation, and the door clicked shut quietly behind her. “And there’s no getting away from this. I’m sure you already knew that though. There are guards at every exit and they have your picture.” The pit in my stomach grew.

“Ok.” That was all I could say without letting the emotional dam break. I didn’t want the tears to flow. I didn’t want to feel weak. “Can we please leave here? I want to go visit some people.” I asked, worried that the nurses wouldn’t allow me to leave. They were always so strict about making people rest at least one day. But with three days until my... banishment... I couldn’t waste any time.

“I already talked to the nurses, they’re going to let you out early considering the circumstances.” She told me. I felt a small weight lift off my chest, but it was a short lived relief. It just meant I could see my loved ones again. “Let’s go. I’m sick of this place already.” I felt a little bitter about the whole situation, but I couldn’t let it get to me. I stood up and took off the patient’s gown. Twilight stood up quietly and walked over to the door.

“Where do you want to go first?” She asked, opening the door.

“Cupcake Castle.” I said, barely audible. A small tear escaped my eye, knowing I would be crying more soon.

“Dude! Did you really just hit on Twilight?!? Brohoof!” Percival shouted, practically vaporizing into existence next to me. I jumped a bit, and humoured his brohoof.

“Yeah I did. Is that good or something?” I asked, very confused as to what was going on.

“Nobody has ever had the courage to hit on Twilight! She can be quite intimidating. After all, she’s got enough magic to turn pretty much everyone in Canterlot into frogs. All at once.” He almost seemed to tell it like it was a story, like it happened. With that, the blush and color in my face rapidly drained.

“I don’t want to be a frog.” I croaked. “That just sounds bad.” My thoughts rapidly imagined a Canterlot full of frogs instead of ponies. And did that include Celestia and Luna? That would be very very bad. “I’m not going to piss her off.” I amended.

“That’s a good idea. Anyways, the party’s almost over. You’re welcome to head home if you want.” He informed me. I hadn’t noticed, but about half of the ponies who had been there were not gone. The place felt open finally, I had breathing space! I took a slightly deeper breath, enjoying the freshness of the air.

“I’ll stay and help clean up if you don’t mind,” I offered. “I feel bad if I just leave you here to clean up the mess from the party for me all by yourself.” I searched around, seeing more ponies leave, and finding the broom.

“Well that’s much appreciated Caesar. I think we’ll get along great.” He predicted happily. We cleaned up for the next hour, chatting about our lives and the such. As it would turn out, he was Pinkie Pie’s cousin. It definitely made sense. He also seemed to be an engineer though. He had hundreds of blueprints; designs for party cannons, cake guns, portable party palaces, gummy bear grenades. It was rather ridiculous, but fun to look at. All of his blueprints were even patented! He had quite a lot to work on. How he made his gadgets, planned parties, and ran a bakery was beyond me! Finally, I went home, after hours. The moon was high in the sky, and the streets were dimly lit with magical lamps. Once I got home, I quickly sank into the couch.

“I need to get a bed tomorrow,” I informed the empty room. “Remind me.” I added. After a deep yawn, I quickly fell into a slumber infested with dreams of purple ponies, cannons, and for some reason, chocolate.

The door to the Cupcake Castle was locked tight, a heavy chain keeping it shut. It was sad, really. The whole place just seemed to bring down the entire street it was on. Ever since Percival... I felt my eyes tearing up again.

“Please open it Twi,” I asked in a whisper. Her horn softly glowed a pink, and the chains quietly fell to the ground, a light clatter rising from the impact. I opened the door, hearing the squeak of the hinges.

“I told him to oil those hundreds of times ya know?” I told Twilight, feeling the tears rising. “Every time I would come over for a party or to hang out I told him. Do you know what he said? He said ‘I like the sound. It lets me know when there are people here to make happy.’.” I couldn’t hold back any more. I collapsed to the ground and the flood of tears began. Twilight went outside and closed the door behind her, the squeak of the hinges only adding to the torrent leaving my eyes. I don’t know how long I cried for, but it was at least half an hour. I finally stood up and grabbed a mop, sobs still escaping my throat. I wiped up the puddle of tears i’d made and began to walk around. I eventually found myself upstairs in Percy’s room. The rope was still hanging from the rafters.

“I miss you buddy.” I said, choking on the words. “You were my best friend ever. I still don’t understand why you did what you did, but I miss you. I could really use you right now too.” The empty room offered no response. I went over and laid on the bed that i’d woken up on years ago after fainting during the surprise party. More tears started to escape.

“You always had my back Percy. I loved you like a brother.” My words were barely audible, being interrupted by sob after sob. “I didn’t do it. I didn’t steal anything. I know it, and you know it. You would be able to help me out of this mess.” My eyes kept shedding tears. Hopefully they’ll stop soon. I looked up and noticed a picture on his dresser. It was a picture of us together, standing at the Great Dessert Competition holding our silver trophy. We worked so hard on that liquid cake. It took months of planning and preparation. It was so much fun. The tears that were dying down were now rejuvenated, refilled by the memories of Percy. I put the picture face down and walked over to where the tape was on the floor in the shape of a stallion.

“I’m being banished to the moon Percy. For a crime I didn’t commit.” I spoke softly, as if trying not to wake a sleeping filly. A small, morbid smile crept across my lips. “At least i’ll be able to see you soon.” Those were the last things I could say. My tongue went numb and the sobs stopped. The only things that kept going were my breathing, my heart, and the tears. I’ve spent enough time here, I thought to myself. It’s after dark, and it’s been a long day. I walked down the stairs and opened the door, making sure the squeak lasted in the night. He made me happy with everything he did. This was the best I could do to honor him.

“I’ll lock up,” Twilight offered quietly. Her horn glowed once more, and the chains locked the door tight. “Let’s get you home.” She said, beginning to walk towards my house. I stared at the Cupcake Castle for a couple seconds more, then began to follow after her. The sound of our trotting echoed down the dark street.

“Goodbye Percy. I’ll see you soon.” I whispered to myself as I walked away from the corner where the bakery stood. The last tear finally rolled out of my eye.