Chapter 12: Forever//Over

“And we were really breathing, not silhouettes…”

The gardens were the last place Daring expected to find herself that night. She strode down the paths, eyeing the statues and sculptures mixed with the plants and trees. She stopped at the end of the path, staring up at the frozen embodiment of the lord of chaos, Discord himself.

She sighed, staring up at the statue. The gardens were empty, devoid of other ponies. If he were to leap off of his podium and attack her, there would be no one around to hear. The effigy seemed to stare back at her. “Life’s going so fast,” she said aloud. “I don’t think I can catch it, no matter how hard I fly. I don’t think anyone can.”

“What are you running from?” the statue asked.

“I don’t know,” she answered in defeat. “I don’t know.” As she continued her aimless walk, Daring let her thoughts wander. She thought back to the night she left last year. Was it really a better time?

Those nights they spent lying under the tree and talking, without a care in the world… It was as if time ceased to exist, and the nights lasted forever. “I’m not scared. I’m downright terrified.” She tried not to think about what the future held, or what would happen when summer ended, and she would be swept away into another adventure.

A break in the clouds let moonlight stream through the overcast sky. Daring trot up a hill, ignoring the cool wind blowing through her mane. As she approached the lone tree on the hill, she made out the shadow of another pony. “Hey, Brae.”

“Hey, Darin’.” The pegasus settled herself down next to him. Braeburn lay flat on his back, hooves crossed behind his head.

Braeburn still couldn’t believe that a year had passed since Daring first left. Time seemed to be going far to fast than it should have been. They were a little older now, but they were still acted the same. And despite everything they had in common, they were different ponies. Their plans had split them apart, and Braeburn doubted they would bring them together again.

“How long has it been since that thing in the desert?” he asked. “A few weeks?”

“About a month, yeah,” replied Daring.

“Huh. Ah guess Ah haven’t seen you for a while now.” Braeburn glanced over at the pegasus. “We had a good time, but… but Ah think it’s over now.”

Daring shrugged, looking up at the stars. “Yeah…. You know, I don’t feel sad about it…. It’s just… it’s just weird.” She chuckled as she sat down. “Here we are again. Lying on the grass, talking about our lives.”

“Talk’s getitn’ old. Feels like Ah’ve said all Ah have to say.”

“Maybe it is. Remember last year? We lay here, living under the stars. Talking about who we were and what we wanted. Kind of bold, now that I think about it. Thinking that we knew where we were going.”

“Yeah, Ah remember. We felt like outlaws, runnin’ towards the sunset. If only we slowed down for a second. Ah well, our loss, Ah guess.” He fell silent for a minute. “Ah want to go back to those days.”

“So do I.”

He chuckled. “So it’s a race, huh? Catch me if you can, then.”

Daring smiled. “You never were the kind to get tired, were you?” Another moment of silence passed between them. “I was always trying to break out, both as an author and an explorer. Sure, I had some fame, but hell, I wanted more. Then I got it, and…. I guess I didn’t know what I was getting into.”

“Hey, if you have to leave again, Ah’m fine with it. Goodbyes don’t hurt me anymore.”

“Really now?”

“Yeah, that’s just the way things go. You’d think Ah’d know better by now…” Braeburn sighed, turning to face Daring. “You know… Ah swear Ah heard your voice last night, before Ah fell asleep. Driftin’ through the walls of mah house.”

“And what did I say?”

“There are no ends, just grays and half lives.”

Daring blinked. “What does that mean?”

“Ah dunno. Guess it means that nothin’s ever over, and there’s always somethin’ left behind.”

“Huh. Interesting.” Daring lay back on the grass. “Our plans are going to split us up again, aren’t they?”

“Only if we want them to.”

Daring stood, avoiding his gaze. “You were right… We haven’t seen each other in so long. So…. so long, I guess.”

She turned away from him and began to trot down the hill. “Darin’, wait!” She paused as Braeburn called out to her. “Darin’... Please, don’t fade me out. Ah know things haven’t been right between us, but we can still fix it. You said it yourself, all we have is time.”

“Brae, please. I don’t want to hurt anybody anymore.”

“Come on, Darin’... please don’t lose me now.”

Daring Do stared into Braeburn’s eyes. In a second, thoughts flew between their minds, reflections, and observations flying at light speed. Daring heard all the words that she never said, and the ones that Braeburn held back. She was able to see right through the smokescreen the were hiding behind, and for the first time in years, she was able to ignore all the dreams and hopes cluttering her mind.

She exhaled, knowing form Braeburn’s face that he was feeling the same. They could never be what they wanted to be, she knew that now. It didn’t matter how high or how fast she flew, life was dead ahead. She imagined herself flying at a breakneck speed, with a massive mountain right in front of her. “Please don’t fade me out.”

The thought alone sent a shiver down her spine. Her head began to spin, and everything around them faded. The stars flickered out, the clouds vanished, and the ground disappeared. If this was what it felt like to be alive, then what was everything else? Why had she never felt like this before?

Braeburn couldn’t place the feelings that were building in his chest. Everything around them became irrelevant. It wasn’t fear, he thought. He was used to losing friends. Yet whenever one of them left, he would only ever feel the pain after they were gone. Daring was still here, so why was he hurting? Was he hurting? “Please don’t lose me now.”

“Braeburn,” Daring whispered. “Were we alive? Were we breathing, living? Please tell me we were. Tell me we were breathing, not shadows.”

“Yeah, we were. We were breathin’, not silhouettes.” Braeburn grabbed her hoof. “Ah promise.”

Daring grabbed Braeburn and pulled him into a hug. “I don’t want this to end,” she said.

“Maybe in another dream, it wouldn’t,” he answered, returning the embrace. After a moment, the world around them began to return.

“Everything’s not alright,” Daring sighed, pulling back. “We’re falling, but… I guess that’s life. You can’t fly high if you don’t ever feel low.”

Braeburn lay a hoof on her shoulder. “Everythin’ will be okay. Sure, we’re hurtin’, but time flies by fast. Pain can’t last forever.” He motioned to the tree, and the two sat underneath it.

“Forever…. Ever….. It’s just such a weird concept,” Daring mused as she sat down.

“Yeah, Ah guess it is. Ah keep sayin’ you should slow down, you know, but… Ah’m not sayin’ you should be all cautious. Hell, Ah’m quite the opposite of that. It’s just… it’s weird, you know? Time flies by so fast, but it doesn’t mean anythin’.”

Daring sighed, staring up at the stars. She rested her head against Braeburn’s shoulder. “To last forever… To last forever is ridiculous, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. Ah think it’s ridiculous.”

“You think it’s ridiculous?”

“Course. Everythin’ has an end.”