Imminence: A Bittersweet Tale of a Mare's Last Days.

"I'm not doing this, not at all. No. Nyet. Nein. No way whatsoever. " Rainbow Dash detested, slamming her hoof into the ground, or rather, the cloud she was sitting upon. Twilight smiled at her friend, knowing her pride. Of course, this wasn't exactly an optional duty placed upon the pegasus' back at this moment in time. No, it was quite unavoidable.

It had been a week since the two ponies had begun their adventure with the list. An entire week and only nine items crossed off. They would have had much more of the list had it not been for a slight miscalculation on the exact amount of planning for the tenth item on the list.

Item number 10: Forgive somepony you believe needs to be forgiven, even if they make it hard for you.

Of course, the term somepony was just a generalization here, and Twilight was the one to choose the two they would be forgiving. Thus, it was to Rainbow Dash's chagrin that she found herself in Cloudsdale with her unicorn friend now, in a park during the middle of the day, that she was given the task of forgiving who she believed to be the most irritable griffon in the world.

The griffon's name was Gilda, and she and Dash had once been friends in the past. Though their friendship came to a screeching halt however, when a sudden outburst by the griffon had revealed her true colors for everyone to see at a party in Ponyville one day.

So it wasn't exactly the coolest thing in the world for Twilight to have chosen Gilda for this trial.

"I'm starting to regret helping you," the pegasus retorted, a grimace evident upon her face. Twilight could only chuckle.

"If it helps, I'm not exactly gonna have fun with the pony I have to forgive." Rainbow Dash just leered at her. Since when could Twilight ever not forgive someone, that was just unthinkable. She'd have to be there to believe it.

"Fine, but I get to pick what we do for the next one, and the last one." Rainbow Dash stated, and Twilight nodded in agreement, like there was anything the pegasus could make them do now that she'd regret. She was the dying party after all.

Rainbow Dash just turned away with a devious smile on her face and walked towards Gilda, wondering how in the world she was ever gonna pull off forgiving her though. Then again she guessed it was her duty to do so, she was the element of loyalty and that means standing by her friends, even those that can't take a bit of change in your life.

She caught the griffon's attention as she approached, but Gilda just brushed the blue pegasus' presence off and acted naive. Of course she also managed to acknowledge her presence by ignoring it, which didn't help the pegasus' attitude.

"Look, I don't want to be here any more than you do Gilda." Rainbow Dash stated, her grimace plain upon her face. "But I've really come too far in this to back down."

Rainbow Dash sighed in defeat at the sound of her own words, something Gilda wasn't used to seeing in her old friend. This piqued her curiosity, whatever challenge someone had been putting the rainbow-maned pegasus through must have been something for her to give up like this.

"What the hell has got you down?" The griffon asked, her gruff voice giving away her interest in the subject all too strongly.

Rainbow Dash sighed, she was here to forgive Gilda anyway, might as well grieve to her anyway. After all, next to Fluttershy, she was her oldest friend. So with a reluctance she answered, "I've come to forgive you, for what happened in Ponyville."

Gilda shook her head quickly in confusion, the tuft of feathers on her crown flapping along with her sudden surprise. This was something really unexpected, the brass pegasus letting go of a grudge, how in any way was this even thinkable. She thought back to all of the colts who mad fun of her for her story about the Sonic Rainboom, and how she kept practicing it over and over again, trying to just accomplish it, let alone perfect it. She'd heard of Rainbow Dash's victory in the Best Young Fliers competition and how it involved a Sonic Rainboom. If that wasn't evidence she could hold a grudge, then nothing was.

"Gilda, can I tell you something?" Rainbow Dash spoke, reeling Gilda in from her wild thoughts. She looked at the pegasus for a moment and realized she was crying. OK, someone had to be dying.

Gilda would regret that thought later.

"S-sure Dash," Gilda answered, "what's up?

Rainbow Dash embraced the griffon quickly, burying her face in her feathers and crying as hard as she could.

"Gilda, I think I'm in love, and I don't have much time."

***

Twilight of course, had left Gilda and Rainbow Dash alone, she knew the pegasus would be angry at her for leaving, but she had her own demons to face. As such, soon after Dash flew off towards Gilda, Twilight performed a nice teleportation spell. She had already planned her meeting with the unicorn in question for her part in this little deal, not that she didn't dread it.

No, she couldn't thing like that, she was here to forgive, and with thoughts like that then she wasn't going to get very far.

She was in a pub now, just on the edge of Ponyville, where certain. . . mischievous. . .ponies could sometimes be seen. If her doctor had seen her here he'd have put her back in the hospital within seconds of seeing her given her condition. Not that any self respected doctor would ever end up here, or at least not one with a hidden agenda or some kind of wibbly-wobbly secrets. No, in a place like this, self respect was often thrown out at the door.

The unicorn she had planned to meet sat at the bar of the pub, the drink in her hoof hardly ever leaving her muzzle. Her eyes weren't glazed from booze yet, but they'd get there before night's end.

"Trixie?" Twilight inquired, as she stepped beside the somewhat slumped figure of the blue unicorn she was here to meet.

"Hmmm?" Trixie grunted in reply, trying to fake the fog of her alcohol already.

"I would like to talk to you, if at all possible." Twilight requested, searching into Trixies eyes for a reply.

"What about?"

"I'll tell you only if you keep sober through the conversation."

Trixie grimaced, the idea of staying sober at all seemed to get to her, ever since Twilight herself had disgraced the blue pegasus in front of a whole town of Ponyfolk. Although Trixie'd long ago realized that it was 'here own damn fault for overestimating her own powers and bragging to such easily manipulated fools.'

Still, the very fact that Twilight Sparkle was here to speak with her must mean something good. As such, Trixie waved the next drink offered to her off, and got up from her bar stool, motioning for Twilight to follow. Twilight complied, and kept close behind, explaining everything she was hoping to explain as they mad their way through Ponyville.

***

Rainbow Dash had stopped crying now, Luna's moon was hanging over her and Gilda now with an almost comforting glow, and she found herself smiling a faint smile. She had admitted everything to Gilda. From Twilight's cancer, to the feelings she'd had for the violet unicorn. Gilda had listened intently, holding the pegasus close when she need it, letting her lean on her side when necessary, and laughing with her as she laughed.

They'd gotten to be friends again.

"So you really love this mare, huh?" Gilda finally said, as the moon's glow started to glow it's strongest, signaling that it was almost time for them to depart.

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash chuckled out. She smiled her brightest smile at that thought. She was in love, with an egghead, with her egghead. She wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'd have never thought you for a filly fooler but hey, she sounds like a nice broad." Gilda said, and they both laughed. Gilda had told Rainbow Dash about her fiancѐ Markus and how they'd met, and Dash just smiled. It was like they'd never fought at all now. Gilda had asked Rainbow Dash to come to her wedding, and Rainbow Dash smiled. She told her she'd be there if Twilight was. Gilda tried to pay no heed to what she meant with that, but she knew.

Without Twilight, there was no way Rainbow Dash would be able to hold on now. This bond that they'd gained because of this curse was tying them to this world together now. It took all Gilda had not to cry. This could very well be the last time they ever talked.

It was time for them to part ways, and with a smile, Rainbow Dash bid Gilda a farewell. "Goodbye Gilda."

"Don't say it that way Dash." Gilda replied with a belated tone, trying desperately to hide what she really felt, after all, she had to be strong for the both of them now. "Say, 'see ya later."

"I wish I could, but I don't know if later's gonna happen." Dash said plainly, a smile still etched upon her features.

With that, Rainbow Dash made to return to Twilight. She was belated to have regained such a great old friend. She'd have to leave something to that griffon when it was over. She smiled constantly as she trotted back to where Twilight should've been.

A smile that was instantly replaced by horror as she returned to an empty plot of clouds.