Ghosts of the Past

The tears never stopped running down the pink ponies cheeks.  Pinkie Pie had been watching Twilight for hours.  She took note of every subtle change of Twilight's condition.   "I'm not leaving you," she whispered softly.  "Just please hold on.  You're going to make it." Twilight was lying peacefully on her side.  Her chest slowly rose and fell with each attempted breath. Pinkie gently brushed a loose hair off Twi's face.  She checked Twilight's ribs carefully, and noticed they weren't broken.  The change gave Pinkie hope.

Pinkie looked up at the moon.  Its light bathed the clearing in a soft glow.  The stars dimly winked in the dark sky.  Orange orchids rose high from the ground with green moths that fluttered freely from one to the other.  "I wish you could see this," Pinkie said quietly.  "It's so beautiful."  Pinkie laid down closler to Twilight's side.  "When you get through this, I promise to throw you the biggest party ever."

The serene silence was broken by the sound of hooves thumping off dirt.  Pinkie leapt to her hooves, ready to defend her friend from any enemy that wished to do her harm.  She spotted a cloud of dust advancing on her position.  Her body tensed in fear, but quickly relaxed after realizing what was causing the commotion.  "HEY!" she screamed with joy.

The band of ponies galloped faster with the determination to beat time.  Their legs ached from the extra exertion they put on them.  Sweat glistened off of their soft coats.  The dust they kicked up flew into their eyes, but they didn't let that stop them.  They didn't stop until the reached their pink friend.  They greedily gulped in the air trying to regain their breath.

"How is she," Dash gasped.  Even she was out of breath.  Never in all her life had she had to gallop that fast.

"Her ribs healed up, but her she's still out cold.  I think her breathing slowed down a bit," responded Pinkie Pie.

Dusk hurriedly trotted over to the unconscious unicorn.  He pulled out the flower from his saddlebag and tore the delicate petals off.  He reached down and placed then gently onto her tongue.  They magically dissolved the minute they hit her mouth.  The ponies gathered around her and waited patiently; Twilight's shallow rasping being the only sound in the quiet forest..  One minute passed...then two...then five, and still no sign of recovery.

"Why isn't that confounded flower workin?" Applejack said angrily.

"I don't know," replied Dusk.  "It's supposed to heal her almost instantly."

"I think yer full of it," Applejack said to the confused alicorn.

She lashed out fiercely with her hoof.  It caught him across the jaw, staggering him back a few inches.  Dash quickly jumped between her new found lover and her country friend.  "Cut it out!" she ordered.  "We all are worried bout Twilight, but that's no reason to turn on each other."  Applejack just stared at the alicorn.  Her eyes showed a rage that could strike fear in a dragon.

Rarity gracefulyl trotted over and placed her hoof affectionately over the orange pony's shoulder.  At first, Applejack resisted the touch.  She soon gave in to the comforting gesture.  "Please  calm down Applejack," she pleaded. "We certainly wouldn't want Twilight to wake up to us fighting, would we?"  Her glistening eyes stared deeply into Applejack's fierce gaze.  Applejack felt her heart flutter, then reluctantly stood down.

Suddenly, Twilight began to groan.  The six ponies turned, only to witness a terrible sight.  Twilight began to convulse uncontrollably.  Her body twitched and contorted into unnatural positions.  Her groaning changed into moans of agony.  This lasted for mere seconds, before she laid still once more.  Her chest stopped moving.

Dusk placed his hoof on the base of her neck.  He couldn't find a single sign of life in the pony.  He turned and glumly stated, "She's gone."  The others gasped in disbelief.  Rainbow Dash hid her face behind her wing, not wanting the others to see her cry.  Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie embraced each other tightly.  Rarity was still holding Applejack close.

Applejack threw off Rarity's hoof and charged at Crimson Dusk.  She tackled him and they both fell down hard.  Crimson's head bashed off a stray rock, leaving him momentarily dazed.  Applejack jumped on top of him and proceeded to beat him senseless.  Rainbow Dash, after getting over the brief shock of the ordeal, pushed Applejack off the alicorn.

Applejack shakily rose from the ground.  Tears streamed down her face, as she charged again.  Rainbow Dash caught her and, with the help of Rarity, subdued the country pony.  She bucked and kicked trying to shake off the iron grasp the others held her in.  After minutes of struggling, she gave up.  She looked up at the Dusk with hate filled eyes.  "You said it would help her." she said.  "You said it would SAVE HER!  We risked our lives to get that stupid flower, and for what?  To see our friend suffer a bit before she died.  You're nothin but a good for nothin pony."  Applejack paused a brief moment before screaming, "I HATE YOU!"

The shock on everypony's face was visible.  They never heard her friend say that to anypony, not even Discord.  Dusk just stared back in disbelief.  His eyes glistened with held back tears, never leaving Applejacks.  He slowly switched his gaze between each pony, stopping with Rainbow Dash.  He lowered his head and sadly said, "I...I'm sorry.  I didn't...."

"You're sorry," Applejack interrupted.  "Sorry doesn't bring our friend back.  Why don't you just turn around and go away...FOREVER!"  The rage didn't subside from Applejacks demands, nor did the sorrow.

The tears broke loose from Dusk's eyes, as if a great dam had burst open.  He rose his head and screamed at the sky, "Why do I always let everypony I care about down! I couldn't save my friend!  I couldn't save Twilight!  I'm useless!"  He unfolded his massive wings and took flight into the dark night.  His screams of torment resounded through the forest, as his form slowly faded away.

Dash just stared off in the direction he left in.  She felt torn between going out to comfort him, or staying to comfort her friends.  Looking at everyponys' condition, she decided her place was right where she was.  She nuzzled Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.  I hate sappy moments, she thought, but we all just lost a friend.  This is just awful.

Applejack seemed to be taking it harder than everypony else.  Her rage was replaced with a deep depression.  She whimpered softly in the night.  Rarity wrapped her in a warm embrace.  Applejack accepted without hesitation.  Applejack looked over at the motionless body of her friend.  "I wish you would come back sugarcube," she said.

Then, a miracle happened.  Twilght's eyes slowly opened.  Applejack's eyes widened.  "Look everypony," she said.  They all trained their eyes on Twilight.  Their expressions changed from grief to wonderment in an instant.

Twilight began to convulse again, but not as violently as before.  She lifted her head off the ground and quickly gasped for air.  She shook her head briskly, trying to shake off the grogginess.  "Wha..." she started.  Her eyes widened as her memory returned.  "Pinkie Pie!" she shouted.  She tried to get to her hooves, but she didn't have the strength to hold herself up.

Pinkie Pie's mane and tail inflated back into her regular poof.  Her coat quickly brightened into her usual shade of pink.  The gleeful smile stretched across her entire face.  She bolted over to Twilight, and embraced her tightly.  "TWILIGHT!" she screamed.  "You're alright!  I knew you'd make it."

Twilight mind was still a bit foggy, but that did little to delay her reaction.  She returned her friends hug with slightly hindered enthusiasm.  Twilight coughed softly before saying, "I'm glad you're alright Pinkie.  I apologize for...." Pinkie placed her hoof over Twilight's mouth.

"You already apologized," Pinkie said playfully.  Twilight just smiled and cuddled closer with her friend.

Pinkie helped Twilight up off the ground. Twilight leaned on her pink friend to keep her balance.  The other four ponies trotted up to her and gave her a big hug.

Applejack spoke for them all when she said, "We are all glad you're alright sugarcube.  If it wasn't fer...."  Applejack paused at her realization.  She broke off the hug and stepped back.  The others looked at her oddly.  "Crimson Dusk...I said those things to him."  The others happy feelings were cut short by the memory of what transpired minutes before this happy moment.  Twilight was the only one that was lost.

"I might know where he is," Rainbow said rising off the ground.

"Then let's go," Applejack said.

They all nodded and followed the cyan pony.  Pinkie hauled Twilight onto her back and galloped behind the others.  Rainbow Dash lead them down a windy path, until they came to a small patch of bushes.  They pushed through the shrubs and continued deep into the forest.  They kept going until a small cottage came into view.

Dash descended to the ground and trotted over to the little house, while the others waited outside.  The door hung open, creaking as it swayed from side to side.  The inside of the house was dark, and no smoke was coming out of the chimney.  She found his saddlebag thrown hastily on a peg outside the house.  "Somethin ain't right," she said worridly as she passed throught the door.  The floor was littered with broken bottles.  The smell of alcohol permeated the air inside the cottage.

She saw Dusk standing on a stool.  Dash could make out something dangling from the ceiling, but it was too dark to tell.  Her eyes adjusted in the dark, and what she saw made her blood run cold.  Dusk had tied a noose around his neck.  He was going to kill himself.  "Dusk! Wait!" Dash screamed.

Dusk looked over at the small pegusus.  "I'm sorry," he said slurring slightly.  "I'm useless to everypony.  It's better that my life ends.  Then others won't have to suffer because of me."

The stool began to wobble.  Dash frantically searched the dark cabin for something useful.  She picked up an ornate sword that was hanging from the wall.  She threw it with all her might at the rope.  The stool fell over with a loud bang.  Dusk, not being prepared for the fall, grunted as he hit the floor.

Dash leapt on top of the drunk alicorn.  "Don't you ever do that again," she said as tears trickled down her cheek.  "We all care about you.  I care about you.  Without you, Twilight would be dead."  Dusk's eyes widened from the news of Twilight living, but he let Dash continue.  "I...I can't imagine living without you.  I...." The tears fell faster now.  "I...I love you Dusk!"

Dusk just stared into her sad, magenta eyes.  His head was foggy from the alcohol.  He couldn't find the words he wanted to say.  Tears started in his eyes as well.  He did the only thing a drunk alicorn would do to a beautiful mare like Rainbow Dash.  He leaned up and pressed his lips against hers.  She accepted them without hesitation.

The others heard the commotion, and came rushing in the door.  "Is everything alright?  We heard a...."  Applejack began.  They all stood at the door with their mouths agape.  Smiles crept over each of their faces.  "Excuse me," Applejack said as the others giggled loudly.  "If y'all are done, we've got a kingdom to save."

The two lovers looked bashfully at their audience.  Dash got off of Dusk, and helped him up.  He tried to clear his head from the alcohol induced haze.  With some help from Rainbow Dash, he walked over to a door less cabinet.  He opened a bottle of blue liquid, and gulped it down.  He could feel the fog in his mind lifting.

"What did you just drink?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"It's special potion that erases the effects of alcohol.  It also stops hangovers," he answered.

"Well if you're done drinking, there's somepony I want you to meet," Rainbow Dash said.  She walked over to her purple friend and wrapped one hoof around her neck.  "This is my friend, Twilight Sparkle," Rainbow Dash said proudly.  Twilight blushed at the introduction.

Dusk smiled as he offered his hoof to her.  "It's good to meet you," he said politely.  "My name is Crimson Dusk."  Twilight, with the aid of Pinkie Pie, shook his hoof.  "Sorry about the mess," he said.  "There was a bit of an incident."  They all just chuckled.

Twilight's face turned serious as she said, "Now that all the drama is over, we still have one last thing to do.  We have to stop Discord."  All the other ponies nodded in agreement.

"There's just one problem," said Pinkie Pie.  "How do we get back to the castle?"  The others looked at each other, hoping for an answer.

Dusk cleared his throat and said, "Don't worry.  I got you covered."  He beckoned the other ponies to follow, as he trotted out the door.  He stopped momentarily to pick up his saddlebag.  He quickly checked that the element of faith was still there, then kept moving.  He lead them to a rock wall on the other side of his cottage.  He placed a hoof on a hidden switch, causing a part of the wall to slide away.  It revealed a long tunnel lit by magical torches.  "This tunnel will lead us straight to the castle gardens," he said matter of factly.

"Dusk, Rainbow Dash said affectionatly.  "You're the best."

"Tell me something I don't know," he replied confidently.  Dash just rolled her eyes and smiled.  The five seven friends nodded to one another, and began their journey down the dark tunnel.  Each of them thought the same thing, they were going to stop Discord once and for all.