It started with a Sneeze

I look back at the new couple as Ray lands next to me. She looks at me concerned but I don't acknowledge her as we stand there in silence. Wordlessly I returned to the picnic area and started putting everything away as she spoke up,

“You okay there?” She says in a cautious voice,

“I'll live,” I replied nonchalantly. Physically I'm well but I am a mess on the inside.

“That's not what I asked,”

I stop halfway done before I fall to the ground on my belly tucking my legs underneath me, “It's just not fair,”

“Come on, so you lost a mare to another stallion. So what?” She tries to play it off like it's not a big deal, “There are plenty more mares out there for you,”

“You just don't get it do you?”

“Come on it's not that bad,” She lightly pushes my shoulder trying to cheer me up, “It's not the end of the world,”

“It might as well be for my world,” I say as Rainbow finally gets an idea of how I am feeling,

“Braden,” She says not sure how to help me,

“I never did tell you why I fell in love with her did I?”

“No, you didn’t,”

“I've heard about her and her story. How she was abandoned twice, one by her childhood friend and the other by the ponies of her town. It turned her sour and yet she still was able to become friends with so many ponies. Heck, she was able to save all the princesses and heroes of Equestria thanks to some new friends she made,”

“Okay we all know that but what does that have to do with anything?”

“I too was abandoned by someone I thought I was close to,”

“What do you mean?”

A heavy sigh leaves my body as I reveal an old memory, “A long time ago, I also had a childhood friend. She was great you would have liked her. She was smart, funny, and beautiful in her own way. We grew up together and even dated each other for some time and I thought we would spend the rest of our days together. But then one day when I was going to ask her to be mine, I found her with somepony else,” I tensed up in anger, “I tried to talk to her and find out what I did wrong so that we could be together again. However, no matter what I said or what I did. That other stallion was able to convince her that he was the better choice for her. And before I knew it, the love I thought I had for her, the love that we had, was gone,” I looked down as the painful memories came back,

I don’t know why I want to tell Ray all this. Normally I don't talk to anypony about how I feel, but with her it's different. Maybe it has to do with her saying that she would be there for me. Or maybe I no longer have to will to resist her questions. Whatever the reason may be, I can't stop opening up to her,

“I tried to move on but it was one thing or another. I wasn’t good enough for her, I was too caring, I was too nice, I was a rebound, or I was a one-night stand. No one wanted to stay with me, and I was left alone, abandoned, forgotten,” I say before laying my head on my forelegs. I was silent for a while until I felt Ray lay down next to me and hug me from behind. It helps a little,

“I thought that if anypony could understand what I was going through it would be her. But she's not like me. Because her childhood friend didn't abandon her. He came back for her and now look at them,” I lift my head one last time to see the couple disappear into the town, “I want to be angry, I want to break something, but I can't bring myself to hate her,”

“Why, not?” Ray asks,

“Because It's not her fault that she loves some pony else. And I will not become like the pony who destroys a loving couple's relationship by stealing somepony’s else's mare. I will not become the villain of my own story,” I feel like a child as tears go down my face, “I just wished that for once things could work out and I won’t be alone anymore,”

Rainbow doesn’t say anything as I go silent all the while she continues to comfort me by gently combing my mane with her hoof. We stayed like that for what felt like hours as I lost control of my emotions before I finally spoke again, “Is it wrong for a stallion to feel this hopeless? That he will never find love?”

“You will find love again someday Braden,” She says in a caring voice, “You just have to keep trying,”

I don’t know what came over me but before I knew it, my body turned around quickly and hugged her tightly rubbing my face in her cyan-colored chest not noticing the large blush on her face. She freezes at my actions but doesn’t push me away which suits me just fine. Right before she could say anything I Interrupt her, “Let me have this moment Dash,” I begged her, “Please, let me be weak one last time,”

“You are not weak Braden,” Rainbow says as I lay my head in her hooves while she covers me with a wing, “You are anything but weak my-” She stops herself not sure if she is stepping over her boundaries but then notices that I have fallen asleep. She looks around to make sure no pony is looking before she kisses the sleeping stallion on his head smiling to herself, “My little Sunshine,”

Epilogue

Twenty-Five Years Later,

“Velocity wake up!” An older Rainbow Dash shouts startling a young unicorn. She looks the same as in her younger days except that her mane is going backward down her head instead of the front. She stands in the doorway as Velocity rises from his bed.

“What is it this time Mom?” He says rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He was a black unicorn with a blue mane and his mother's eyes,

“Hay you are the one who wanted to get up early today remember?”

He yawn at her remembering what he said but not understanding the reason for the rude awakening, “Yeah, and?”

“It's 12:30,” She deadpans before smirking seeing his reaction as his jaw drops and his pupils shrink,

“OH SHOT!” He rushes in the bathroom tripping over his hooves, “Why didn’t you wake me up?!”

She rolls her eyes at him, “Oh, am I sorry Mister. I am a grown stallion and don’t need his mother to baby over him anymore,” She says as she can hear him rushing and failing to do his morning routine, “I thought that he could handle things on his own for once,”

“Is there anything to eat?”

“Just what your father hasn’t eaten yet,” She took a quick look behind her to check, “Which is not much,”

“What about me?” He says before choking on something,

“There was plenty of food earlier,” She says rubbing her hoof on her chest before inspecting it for blemishes, “It's not my fault that somepony thought sleeping in was a good idea,”

Velocity exits the bathroom and finishes combing back his mane before straightening a pose, “How do I look?”

His mom gives him a go-over before shrugging, “Like you are going to be eaten alive, once Luster Dawn is done with you,”

“That is not helping!”

“Not my problem,” She says before the young unicorn rushes past her before he uses his magic to get some quick from the refrigerator. Once a sandwich is made he bids his father good morning and goodbye at the same time by waving a hoof at each other before giving a hug to his mom,

“Bye Mom, Bye Dad,” He calls out to her leaving the house and almost forgetting to open the door on his way out,

Rainbow shakes her head as her son antics before moving next to her husband, ”So, how long do you think he has left before that mare kills him?”

“I give him an hour,” An older Braden says from his chair sipping his coffee. He has grown bigger gain more muscle over the years but he is not out bench pressing Bulk Biceps, “You know I did say we should have checkup on him. But you said that it was a perfect opportunity for a life lesson” He shakes his head before setting his cup down, “This is a big day for him,”

She pushes him playfully chuckling, “Hay he got to learn sooner or later what it is like to deal with an angry marefriend,”

“True. But he was going to propose to her today,” He replies as if he didn’t just drop a huge information bomb on her not knowing about this as he sips his coffee again,

Rainbow seized up before jumping into the air screaming at the top of her lungs, “WHAT!” She tries to fly after her son but is stuck in the air by a magic field, “Braden!”

“Like you said they got to work things out between themselves,” He pulled her over to him dropping her in his lap and holding her close, “Which means that we have at least an hour before he comes back,” He said staring at her lovingly,

“What so great about- oh!” She says realizing what he means before sharing his look, “Right. We have an hour,” She says before kissing him,

“Mom, Dad I am bac- EWWW,” A voice exclaims from the front door, “Gross!”

“I am going to kill her,” Rainbow threatens before getting up and addressing the young mare, “Sunshine. Why are you back so soon?”

“School ended early,” She replies before sticking her tongue out at her parent's kissing session. She was a rose-colored Pegasus with a three-colored mane of red, orange, and yellow respectively, and green eyes, “So I am going to hang out with my friends if that is ok with you,” She said passing them and making her way to her room as her father calls out to her,

“Sure. So long as it's not with that colt again,”

She stops before clarifying, “Dad he is a grown stallion,”

“Not making your case any better sweetheart,” He says nonchalantly,

She groans in disgust, “You are the worst!” She slams the door to her room as Rainbow hugs her Braden,

“You are the best,”

“Likewise,”

FIN