>Her words shock you
"Maple, you don't mean that"
>She slowly lays back down
>"How do you figure?"
"That's not true. You are too smart to bel-"
>She cuts you off mid sentence
>"I'm to smart? I let some low life have his way with me on the first date...He came inside too! I don't even know if I'm pregnant!"
>Oh fuck
>That's right...
"Oh...I..."
>"I wish I was never born..."
>With that, you lose it
>You get the strong urge to slap your sister
>But you won't
>But it would feel so good!
>No, you are not gonna hit your sister
"Maple, pl-"
>"You don't know what it's like..."
>That's the final straw
>You jump up from the bed
"Maple! Shut the fuck up for a second. Do you know what it's like, to see you friends die, and then to see your sister raped? This isn't a fucking walk in the park for me Maple. I'm trying...I really am. But to see you like this, wanting to give up, makes me sick. We are strong! Do you wanna know how I know?"
>She quickly snaps her head towards you
>"How do you know, sister?"
>You take a deep breath
"Because Mom taught us to be strong"
>She looks blankly at the ceiling
"You remember, don't you? The days before"
>She mutters out
>"How can I possibly forget..."
"Good... Tell me what she said...Right bef-"
>"Life is a test, to see what type of pony you are. You can be a quitter, drop out at the first line of trouble. Or you can buckle down, and work through the difficult problems, and come out a stronger a fighter..."
>She sniffle's
>"Mom's old teacher quotes...How could you forget them?"
>You nod your head
"Don't you see? Don't you see what's going on? It's a test, a long fucking test that plopped down from nowhere. It's fucking hard, the hardest test of all time, but you can't quit. That's not who you are. You're my sister...I know you, Maple"
>You turn away from her and look at her dresser
>A picture of Maple and your mother stands in attention, supported by a frame
>"I don't want to be like this, Amber...I just want to go back in time...I just want to be better"
>You can hear the sadness in her tone
"We all have regrets, Maple...But you can't change them. It's not possible. But you can look to the future, learn from your mistakes, and pass the test."
>What a fucked up view
>Your Mom, laying there
>In that white coffin
>You can't shake the thought
>Why did she have to go
>"Are you sure you want another shot, Miss?"
>You look at the bartender with tired eyes
"Don't stop, until I say stop..."
>The crystal clear glass gets slowly filled up with your drink
>What drink is this anyway?
>You forgot
>But that's not important
>You lift up the glass with your right hoof, and gargle down the drink
>The glass slams against the table
"Fill it up"
>The bartender takes the shotglass from you and puts it in the sink
>"You've had enough"
>You get filled with rage
"Who the fuck do you think you are?!? Give me some more! I need more!"
>Everyone in the bar stares at you
>You feel a hoof on your shoulder
>When you look back, a Rainbow Colored mane fills your view
>"Uh, I think you should go"
>You look at her with confusion
"You think I should go?!? I think I should get another drink!"
>Your hooves cover your face as you turn back to the bar
"One more shot"
>Without realizing it, you are lifted out of your seat and outside, into the dark night
>"What the fuck is wrong with you"
>You look at the mare in front of you
>The same cyan one from before
"Who are you?"
>You say with a confused gaze
>"I'm Rainbow Dash. What's your name?"
>You bury your hoof into the dirt under you
"I'm Amber...Amber Grain"
>"Well 'Amber', you can't stay in that bar any longer. You're scaring ponies"
>You spring up from the dirt
"You think you know me? Huh? You have no id-"
>She covers your face with her hoof
>"Be quiet! Ponies are trying to sleep"
>You shove her
"Don't tell me to be quiet you little shit!"
>You literally yell at her in the middle of the dark night
>"That's it"
>Within a second, she turns her back on you and walk away
>for some unknown reason, you break down
"Please! Please don't leave me! I...I don't want you to leave!"
>Through teary eyes, you see her look back
"I'll do anything! Just don't leave me!"
>She looks back forward and continues walking
"Mom! Mom don't go!"
>You are crying full force now
>Tears streaming down your face
>You collapse onto the ground and go into the fetal position
"Dont go dont go dont go...."
>A hoof touches your shoulder
>You look up and see your Mom standing over you
"M-mom?"
>You shake your head
>As the tears leave your eyes, you figure out it's not your Mom, but your new 'friend'
>"Are you okay, Miss?"
>The blue mare asks you in a quiet voice
"I...I just want my Mom..."
>She puts her hoof around you
>"Well, I'm not too busy...Can you tell me where she is? I can go get her for you"
>You continue to cry
"You can't get her...No one can..."
>"Why?"
>You press your hooves against your skull
"She died last night"
>A moment of perfect silence passes
>The wind sings across the leaves
>Songs of holy gives you some peace
>You can hear your Mom's voice in them
'Tell me things you can't deny...Please Mom...'
>More wind brushes your coat
>'I'm your shadow, I'm your ghost... Tell your soul, this is the night'
>The wind stops, and so does your mom's voice
'What does that mean?!? Mom?!?"
>"Oh...I'm really sorry, Amber"
>You clench your eyes shut
"You don't know what it's like...She was just here...She was jus-"
>A hoof softly covers your mouth
>"It's okay Amber...Do you have a place to go? Where do you live? I can take you there"
>You don't answer
>You keep trying to find that silence
>The deafening sound of your moms soft voice
>But it never comes
>A feeling of uneasiness passes over you
>You pass out
>Suddenly, you are floating
>Above everything
>Above the clouds, above Ponyville
>Above the Cemetery...
"I-is this you...Mom? Are you taking me with you?"
>A familiar raspy voice grates against your ears
>It's not your Mom's
>"It's Rainbow Dash. I'm flying back to my place so you can crash...Is that okay?"
>Before you can answer, your eyes flutter back and you fall back asleep
>Slow, silent sleep