Silver raindrops, golden clouds

Gold Soul walked to his friend Candy Flower's house, his heart heavy as he plodded along the path. His father had put the most heart-wrenching of tasks upon his shoulders, and he had no idea what to do. He was torn between his loyalty to his country, and the loyalty he felt to his dearest friend. He cared for her deeply, but she had betrayed the crown of Equestria. What could he do in the face of something like that? He was so lost in his mind, that he nearly bumped into somepony. And by sheer bad luck, it just so happened to be his friend, Candy Flower. She giggled at his clumsiness, and poked him playfully with a hoof.

"Hey, Goldie! What's up!" She said with her characteristic bubbly charm. On any other day, it would have been a simple enough question to answer for the honest young prince, but on today, of all days, when the fate of his country and his friend was hanging heavy in the balance, he paused for a split second at the question. However, he managed to come up with a quick lie to put her mind at ease.

"Fine, and you?" He said, his heart racing as he tried to stay calm. She bounced where she stood, delighted for some reason that Gold Soul couldn't comprehend right now.

"It's great! I have some amazing news for you!" She said, practically bursting with excitement. Gold faked a smile and looked down into his dearest and only friend's eyes.

"Well, why don't we go to our favorite spot to talk about it?" He said.

"Ok!" She said, smiling as she walked beside him.

Before long, they were at the place he had mentioned. It was a gorgeous cliff top, where you could see the Wilds of Equestria sprawling across the land. Candy Flower stood beside Gold Soul, taking in the view, her soft, flowing mane looking absolutely stunning in the sunset. She looked back at Gold Soul, a beautiful smile upon her face.

"So, what's the news?" Gold said, looking over to her. She bounced in place, more excited than ever.

"I've decided that you should be my baby's uncle!" She said, smiling brightly. Gold Soul blinked, startled by her words.

"Wait, what?" He said, taken quite aback. She giggled and hugged him tight.

"You'd be a perfect uncle for my baby. You're like the big brother I never had, and I want my best friend by my side with me always, and my baby deserves that feeling you give me whenever we spend time together." She said. Gold Soul's eyes watered a little from her sweet words, and he thought back upon everything they had done together, on how she had always been there for him, how they had always been there for each other, how much he cared about her... In that moment, he made his decision, and forever sealed the twisting knot of fate. He hugged her close to his body, a tear running down his face.

"I don't deserve to be loved so much." He said.

And with that, he pushed her off the cliff.

He would never forget the sound of her screams as she fell, or the... Pink mist... from her dead body when it finally hit the ground. The thing that stuck most in his mind, however, was her expression as she fell, looking up at him with a look of complete horror and betrayal. But there was nothing that could be done, and he knew that what he had done was for the good of all of Equestria. He trembled where he stood, looking down to what remained of his beloved friend, and cried out to the heavens, tears streaming down his face. He fell to the ground on top of the cliff, and sobbed into the grass, knowing that he would never have as dear a friend as her again. About an hour later, he stood, spread his wings, and flew towards the woodlands ahead, swearing to never return.