A human in Equestria, who befriended a couple of mythological creatures, discovers the fact that he's going to die.
Frank Frederickson, known as the human who arrived at Equestria and revolutionized music, besides having befriended a particular group of ponies and other mythological creatures, begins to live his last days on Equestria after knowing he'll die. At the same time, he'll make the most effort to amend some errors from the past.
Authors Note:This is my last attempt of writing a story here, in FIMFiction. Please, don't be like other occasions and give this story an opportunity before judging it. Well, now you know this is not my last attempt since I already wrote other stories, but please, don't dislike stories you haven't read. After all, you may like them if you give them the opportunity.
P.S:"Human" tag because of the principal character, who is the OC of this story.
"Good morning, Doc. I hope things are fine in the latter-” I started to say to Dr. Blueheart as I closed the door behind me, although a somewhat severe cough began to invade my body and I was forced to put my left hand in front of my mouth to cover it and prevent the rest of the place from being contaminated by my cough.
Dr. Blueheart noticed my cough and looked at me with a confused and thoughtful face; then he spoke...
"Is something wrong, Mr. Frederickson?... You don't look healthy, hell, I would even dare to say that I'm worried about your health. Are you sure you're okay?” The doctor approached me and asked me to sit in a chair so he could examine me with a medical device.
"Being honest-" I said, but the cough invaded my body again and prevented me from continuing speaking; but, even so, I decided to wait for it to low down and then continue talking... "I don't think I'm in optimum condition, if that's what you're asking, doc."
"Tell me, any pain or discomfort I should know about?" Blueheart looked at me and I gave him a sigh along with a somewhat ironic smile...
"As you surely have noticed-" I said, but the cough interrupted me again, this time it was much worse, to such a level that the doctor worried, then the cough stopped and I could continue talking...
"...I've been suffering from a very severe cough... *Sigh* ...besides I have felt very tired without even having realized any activity... worse still, when coughing, from time to time-" I coughed again. very severe shape, while also covering my mouth with my left hand. When I withdrew it, I saw traces of fresh blood in it, which made me understand I had coughed it myself; I showed it to the doctor and said...
"...Sometimes I cough up blood from my lungs and have suffered from lack of breath while sleeping... to such an extent that I have almost suffocated at night." I looked at the doctor with some concern on my face, since I knew this had to be something serious to be affecting me so much in the last week. Blueheart then grabbed a stethoscope and put it on my chest, asked me to breathe and I did, although the cough prevented me again to do it.
An hour and a half passed, and I was still in Dr. Blueheart's office, waiting for the studies and tests he had been doing on me; I was lying on one of the stretchers, looking up at the ceiling as I struggled to prevent the cough from consuming my ability to breathe, at the same time I was thinking about my state of health, and how serious it was. As I was concentrating on thinking about it, I failed to notice that Dr. Blueheart had returned from where he had examined some tests and also made the diagnosis of my health. When I finally realized that he was back, I sat on the table while coughing again and said...
"So how severe is?" I asked with seriousness, which the doctor noticed, although he could not help showing an expression of sadness and a little anxiety, which made me realize what I had was not a good thing...
"*Sigh* ...Do you really want to know the results?" He asked with the same expression on his face, although, despite that, I nodded in response and he continued... "I am sorry to inform you, Mr. Frederickson, you got Tuberculosis... I'm terribly sorry." His expression reflected how he felt, it was notorious he couldn't accept the fact that someone had contracted the disease.
Instead of being surprised, I nodded at understanding what I had, then I saw him and said...
"Isn't there some way to cure it?" I asked, he answered with the same tone...
"No. And even if there were, it would be useless... The tuberculosis you have contracted is at an advanced phase. Please tell me, how long has it been like this?" He asked me with a clear tone of interest and a great concentration on what my answer would be. Seeing him like this, waiting for my answer, I spoke...
"Two weeks, although the coughing up blood and exhaustion are newer-" I coughed again, covered my mouth with the same hand as always and waited for it to go away again, and when it did, I kept saying... "Doc, be honest with me, how much time do I have left to live?” This surprised the doctor, who looked at me nervously; Hh already knew that I was going to die, but he didn't want to say it coldly.
I kept looking at him for a few seconds, I concluded...
"I'm not stupid, doc. I know I will die soon… now tell me-” I coughed another time, although being so fed up with this situation, I continued speaking… “How much time do I have left?”
Dr. Blueheart looked at the floor and was silent for a few seconds, then, when he was ready to speak, he sighed and said... "Tuberculosis is very aggressive and develops in less than a month, so... *Sigh* ...Seeing you like this, I can only say that... *Ahem* ...you have no more than 2 weeks to live... I am so sorry.” Dr. Blueheart was silent and proceeded to leave the room, but not before levitating a cup with his magic and putting it on his desk; just before leaving he turned to see me and said...
"If you want, I will leave you my special drink... Coffee and Whiskey... it'll help to alleviate the pain." Blueheart smiled and went back to the door, opened it, and proceeded to leave the place.
"Hey, Doc!... Thanks. For being honest with me.” I thanked him, a gesture which he seemed to appreciate; it was then that he nodded, looked towards the hospital hallway, and left the room.
When the door closed, I looked at the cup with the doctor's special drink. I thought for a few moments and decided to pick up the cup and drink the coffee and whiskey in it...
That was all I could perceive as I sat on the couch in my house, right in front of the fireplace, while thinking deeply about my current state of health at the time. The cough was still present, which made me know that this was not a joke, but that my situation was real. I was reflecting on what I was going to do from that moment on, since somehow I had to tell the truth to my closest friends about what would happen to me in a few days. Also, knowing that I was going to die made me think about the best way I could live what was left of my life, something that has been printed in my mind since Dr. Blueheart gave me the news.
At that moment I heard someone knocking the door, which puzzled me, since I did not wait for anyone to come and I did not have any meeting or talk that I should attend. Then, seeing I couldn't do anything else, I went to the door; as I walked, the cough invaded me again to such an extent that I was forced to spit out the equivalent of a small pool of blood. Seeing at it, I gulped down some saliva and wiped my mouth, which was a little bloody. After this event, I went to the door and opened it, only to be received by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who had big smiles on their faces.
I looked at them very surprised, I expected that could be Dr. Whooves or Derpy, who was knocking on the door; however, I ended up being in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Seeing at the 3 of them, there, in front of me, I couldn't do more than speak...
“H-Hi, girls… What are you doing here?” I asked, although with a nervous tone, since the ponies I least wanted to talk with at the time were precisely them.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Frederickson. Sorry if we are bothering you. It's just that an hour ago we saw you walking outside and... well, you looked pretty strange, we just came to see if you were okay.” Sweetie Belle explained, then Scootaloo said...
"It's true, after all we also care about others." To which Apple Bloom concluded by saying...
"Partly, it is our duty as Cutie Mark Crusaders... and well, you did a lot for us." She admitted, which brought me a smile, but still, I did not want to tell them about my situation, so I said...
"Listen... yes, I got something, I have to admit that- *Coff Coff* ...But, I think it's better if I told it to your sisters first, then later they would explain it to you-" I tried to explain, but the cough invaded me again, this time, being so severe that the Crusaders became very concerned and tried to help me calm the cough; however, I told them that it was not necessary, that I only had a little cough and that it was not serious.
Unfortunately, after saying this, I realized the great contradiction that I just made, having explained two completely different things; and, worse yet, the Crusaders noticed this and said...
"You just told us the opposite." Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah! Are you lying to us?" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"Easy, girls!... Mr. Frederickson surely has his reasons..." Sweetie Belle explained, who then turned to see me with an expression of hope and sadness, then said... "Right, sir?"
Seeing Sweetie Belle with that expression made me feel guilty about many things, even if they had nothing to do with what was happening to me at the time; after thinking it over for a few seconds, I opened up to them...
"I'll be honest... *Sigh* ...I'm in a very delicate state of health lately- *Coff Coff* ...I'm not good at explaining things to children, but surely your sisters are. *Coff Coff* ...I'm asking you only one thing, could you please bring your sisters here?... This is important and the fact that you don't know- *Coff Coff* ...fills me with guilt. Could you do this favor for an old man like me?... Please?" I explained as best I could while struggling not to let the cough invade my lungs and consequently my entire body.
Fortunately, for me, the Crusaders agreed to my request, but not before wishing me the best possible health state; by the time I was closing the door, the Crusaders were already running toward their homes, I smiled at this and closed the door. After this, I turned around and walked back to the chair and sat on it while looking towards the fireplace, thinking again about what would happen in the future.
While I was pensive, I heard voices around me that surprised me, at first I was shocked by the fact that I was alone and hearing strange voices, but immediately I remembered something or, rather, someone...
"*Sigh* ...Hello, Discord." I said a little annoyed, then Discord showed up and answered...
“You know, Frank… Being frank with you, you're not fun anymore to scare even a little bit; and I hate to say this, but Pinkie is right when she says you're boring." He explained with his eccentric voice.
I answered. "You know, if you didn't do them so often, maybe your lousy pranks would have a little more effect on me." Discord was offended by this and replied...
"Lousy?! For your information, my jokes are mythical and nopony can overcome them. I must tell you that your statement offends me!” He said with an annoyed tone, but also full of humor.
"*Coff Coff* ...Are you serious you've become Miss Marshmallow and her typical sense of humor!" I joked, referring to Rarity since she was always like this every time something bad was told her.
"Oh no, of course not! I am better than that marshmallow unicorn!” He stated with his eccentric tone of voice, then I replied...
"*Coff Coff* ...Now you sound like the high-class egocentric ponies!" I joked again, this annoyed Discord, who was imitating Rarity...
"Sir, but what nonsense you're saying! I am the Lord of Chaos and the best joker in the world! I'm also not going to fall low enough to pose as her! That would be a nightmare!” He said, ending his performance...
*Applauses*
I applauded while laughing at the great performance and interpretation that Discord had carried out, he snapped his fingers and made a floating stage appear while wearing a gala dress and taking off his hat...
"Thank you, thank you everypony!" He said, pretending to be an actor on a show...
After all that, Discord snapped his fingers again to make everything disappear, while I finished applauding and began to be invaded again by a tremendous cough that made it impossible for me to speak to him; Discord realized this and snapped his fingers again, appearing in front of me with a notorious expression of concern and confusion on his face, although he took it as I only suffered from a simple cough; however, I clarified the ideas immediately...
"Discord-" I tried to speak, but the cough wouldn't allow it, which confused Discord, but he still took it as a simple cough; seeing that Discord was doing nothing to help me, I insisted on explaining...
"Discord! I was diagnosed with Tuberculosis!” I exclaimed with great anger towards Discord, who, after hearing what I said, remained silent for a moment and then spoke...
"Hey Frank… I- *Sigh* ...I didn't- ...I'm sorry, I didn't know you-" He started off saying, but I cut him off.
"Enough. Just stop, Discord… There is nothing you can do about it anymore- *Coff Coff* ...Besides, if my fate has already been written, I will respect that.” I said with ironic seriousness since at that moment I should have felt devastated or desperate because of my situation, but I was calm. Discord, trying to apologize for ignoring the fact that I was ill, gave his best effort to obtain my forgiveness; despite all that, I said...
"Easy, Discord- *Coff Coff* ...I forgive you, but... *Sigh* ... I ask you to make me a favor." I explained with a little difficulty when speaking since the cough continued to invade my body and prevented me from speaking well. Discord, hearing me say that, asked...
"What is it?" He said with seriousness and sadness combined, which implied that he cared about me; after all, I supported him myself during his reformation, an act he assured me several times about his appreciation for that.
I coughed again with a clear increase in it and said...
"Please tell the Princesses about my current condition... Remember that I will attend Twilight's coronation and I need them to be aware of what's going on." I explained, then Discord asked...
"You sure you want me to do that?" I nodded and said...
"Please... That way you would pay the favor you still owe me... right?" I joked a little, although the cough still kept me from talking or laughing a little.
An hour had passed since Discord went to tell the Princesses about my health condition; shortly after Discord left, I wanted to entertain myself by playing the guitar and piano, taking turns between the two musical instruments while playing various songs from the Earth with them that I had learned by heart so I could sing them on my own. Among them, I played songs like "Country Roads, Take Me Home", "My Sweet Lord", "Your Song", "Yesterday" and etc.
Precisely, I was playing “Your Song” with the piano until several knocks on the front door interrupted me instantly when they were heard around the house; I turned to see the door and stood up, although again I got to cough, fortunately, I did not do it as loudly as on previous occasions, so I managed to recover my voice and my ability to breathe for a few moments. Taking advantage of the situation, I headed towards the front door and when I opened it, I observed not only the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their sisters, but also Fluttershy, Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie standing in front of my door.
Before I could ask why the others were here, Twilight spoke...
"Applejack came with the others to talk to us about what you asked them to come to talk with you about something serious and, well... let's say we got a little worried and decided to come to see how you were doing... Hehe." Twilight explained with a bit of nervousness in her expression, which made me understand that, despite being close to becoming the monarch of Equestria, she would never stop being the insecure and anxious Twilight that I had met 6 years ago.
"I understand, please come in... *Coff Coff* ...My home is your home." I said with total empathy towards them since I understood that they were worried and, unfortunately, soon they would have a reason to be. I closed the door after everyone entered the house and settled into it; while Twilight and the Cutie Mark Crusaders chose to sit in 2 of the armchairs in the living room, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity preferred to sit in the dining room chairs, along with Pinkie, while Fluttershy decided to sit on the floor at the same Spike wanted to sit in the piano chair and play some songs.
I smiled after seeing him playing the piano, it reminded me the times in which I dedicated myself on teaching him how to play the piano and the guitar to impress a pony in which he was interested; however, and after a few seconds of silence, except for the sound of the piano, Applejack spoke...
"*Ahem* ...So, why did you ask us to come here, sugarcube?" She asked, to which I replied...
"*Coff Coff* ...It's about my health condition." I said with some anxiety in my voice, along with a little sadness in it.
"Are you okay? Do you need to go to the doctor? Is there something we can do for you?” Twilight asked a little anxious since what I said made her a little nervous.
"Twi-" I tried to say, but a very severe cough invaded my body completely for several seconds, I even spit blood every time I coughed. Everypony saw this and Rarity said...
“Darling, you don't look healthy at all. Are you sure you're okay?" She asked worriedly...
"No, I am not okay." I answered as I sat in the same armchair that Twilight and Apple Bloom were sitting in (it was a medium-sized chair), then Rainbow Dash spoke…
"So what have you got? It can't be as serious as to-”
"Rainbow..." I interrupted and turned to look at her when I did this Rainbow Dash was silent and anypony who was not in the armchairs, except for Spike, who was already on my left, approached them and sat down around them. I saw them all, then I looked at the fireplace, I thought for a moment and in the end, I said...
"I got Tuberculosis..." I said, I could not bear it any longer and I was forced to shed a tear while everypony present was left with shocked looks and surprise printed on their faces.
"H-How severe is it?" Fluttershy asked, I turned to look at her and answered...
"*Coff Coff* ...Very much, it's already at an advanced stage."
"Is there any chance that-?" He started saying Spike, but I cut him off...
"It is Tuberculosis, this one can be very aggressive and it is in an advanced stage, even if-" I started to say, but the cough and blood returned and prevented me from continuing speaking; which forced Twilight to explain...
“Tuberculosis is, probably, the most aggressive bacterial disease of all those that exist in Equestria and it spreads rapidly through your lungs and respiratory tracts; those who contract it feel fatigued, have chest pain, spit up blood, and have a very severe cough, not forgetting the difficulties one may have in breathing properly." Twilight explained with a sad and anxious voice, which was transmitted to Spike since he immediately understood my situation, so he remained a little shocked.
"...And even if there were a cure for Tuberculosis, it wouldn't work against how advanced it is within me." I told them with a seriousness mixed with sadness, which the others realized.
Apple Bloom, being close to me, and seeing me with a tear on her face, approached me and hugged me. I, having noticed this, reciprocated the gesture and hugged her; immediately, Twilight and Spike approached and hugged me too, so did the others.
"Now what will you do?" Pinkie asked with deep sadness.
"*Coff Coff* ...Memento Mori." I said as I broke the hug and stood up. Everyone was confused by what I said, so I explained...
"It is an expression in Latin that means: Remember death-" I started saying, but the cough, again, invaded my lungs; I waited for it to go away so I could continue talking, and when it did, I continued...
"Many on Earth use it to remind themselves that they no longer have time to live- *Coff Coff* ...they always remind themselves that they should do some act of kindness to redeem themselves from past actions." I ended up explaining as I walked over to where the guitar was and then sat in a chair by the fireplace and started playing the song “Yesterday”, I didn't sing it but I did play it on the guitar so I could calm down a bit.
I played the song for a couple of minutes, in which the others decided to keep quiet and listen to the music for a bit, including Spike, who had sat in front of one of the sofas; then, at the end of the song, I spoke to Spike...
"Do you want to play a song with me?" I asked, to which he nodded in response...
That was all I could hear or perceive thanks to my ears, I could feel how my whole body ached and I didn't like that at all, but I was able to distract myself from that when I perceived the presence of someone else. While I was thinking about the presence next to me, my cough kept coming back, although at a lower level, compared to other days. The presence next to me seemed to notice this, then fell silent.
"W-Who is-?" *Coff Coff*…Spike, is that you?” I asked tiredly, then I got my answer...
"You woke up... *Ahem* ...how do you feel?" He said, his voice was muffled and I spoke...
"Like shit- *Coff Coff* ...My body hurts and exhaustion overwhelms me..." I started talking, then slowly opened my eyes, looked at Spike, and said...
"How long have I been here?" I asked, to which he replied with a sigh...
"...About 13 hours. When you passed out at Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie became very hysterical and rushed to bring you here; I was lucky to meet you halfway, so when Pinkie explained what happened, I accompanied both of you to the hospital... *Sigh* ...Since then, I have stayed with you all day; although Dr. Whooves and Derpy also came to visit you, as well as Twilight and the others.” Spike explained with a muffled tone in his voice.
Now I remembered, I went to Sugercube Corner to eat there, but then, while I was talking with Pinkie, I felt so much pain that I collapsed on the ground and passed out.
I looked at Spike, who gave a slight and sad smile and then looked at the ground, ignoring me completely; meanwhile, I chose to find a way to make him feel better, but the constant and growing cough and pain in my body prevented me to do it. It was then that we heard knocks coming from the door, it began to be opened until it revealed a nurse pony, who entered the room, looked at me for a moment, and spoke...
"I hope I'm not bothering you, but the visiting hours ended a couple of hours ago... Princess Sparkle asked me to let you be with the patient a little longer, but it is time for him to have his well-deserved rest. Please." The nurse explained as she walked towards Spike, who turned to see her and sighed...
"Sorry..." Spike said as he turned to see me, I nodded understanding what was happening and replied...
"No problem, my friend- * Coff Coff * ... Although, I'd like a nice company to talk to at night." I joked, to which Spike gave a little muffled laugh and said...
"Good night, Frank."
"Likewise, Spike." I said, then Spike turned and walked to the door next to the nurse; when they reached the door, Spike turned to look at me and smiled again. I did the same and, in the end, they both left the room, closing the door behind them.
From one moment to another, I was completely alone, suffering constant pain and the growing cough that invaded my body more and more. I was silent as I looked out the window to watch the moon rise in the middle of the cold, silent night. I smiled again; I adored the night, but I despised having to sleep just as the moon appeared in the beautiful sky and landscape of Equestria. I thought for a moment about what the night meant and, well... it meant everything to me.
"Hey..." I heard a soft voice on my right side; I turned to that side and observed that it was Princess Luna. So, I said between coughs...
"Hey Luna." I greeted.
"How do you feel?" She asked, to which I replied...
“To be honest, very bad- *Coff Coff* ...I no longer feel strong enough to carry out any activity that I adore; now, I'm just a-” I said, but Luna was ahead of me…
"...A weak one?" She asked, to which I nodded in response. Then, Luna sighed...
"Having a disease does not limit you as a living being, perhaps physically, but never mentally... You are a great person and you never let yourself down for anything or anypony. You've done as much as Twilight and her friends, and that's admirable... *Sigh* ...Also, you have brought happiness to my life.” She concluded with a very noticeable sad tone in her voice, when I realized this, I looked at her again and she was already with a tear running down her face.
"You say it because of our relationship time ago... don't you?" I asked, looking at the floor as if this was going to give me the answer to my question...
"Not entirely... *Sniff* ...I also say this because of the great friendship we had over time, during all these years-" Luna replied, at the same time that she slowly approached me.
"...Because friendship is magic." I said, concluding what she was going to say. Then she added...
"And... *Sniff* ...friends must be treasured for life."
"You know, I would have loved to be in your dreams these last few days. But-” She said, looking at the moon while sitting on one side of the bed, which I complemented…
"...You were occupied." I commented, but that didn't seem to be the wisest thing from me since Luna got a little upset and then said...
"No... There was something else, something that p-prevented me from accessing your dreams, and only yours. I don't know why, but I wasn't able to enter your mind at night.” Luna ended up explaining, who was somewhat annoyed by my comment but still looked sad about my health condition at that time.
I coughed again, my health was not going to improve, it never would and this was already devastating everypony I knew; it was there that I decided to explain what crossed my mind...
"Listen, Luna... I know that you are worried about me and that you are afraid because of my current health condition- *Coff Coff* ...But that does not mean that you should act like everypony, be strong, Luna... *Sigh* ...After all, that's what you taught me years ago.” Finally, I said in a very serious and partly worrying tone.
Luna looked at me after I said that, I left her speechless, which made me understand that what I said was perhaps too much. So, and with regret inside me, I said...
"I-I'm sorry, Luna... I- *Sigh* ...I don't even know why I bother apologizing; I already know that you are not one of those who are sensitive and that you take things very seriously. *Coff Coff* ...But, on the other hand, I am sensitive and affectionate towards others; I'm not saying you are not, but- *Coff Coff* ...I do get very attached to feelings-" I tried to explain, but she stopped me…
"Wait, are you saying I have no feelings?" Luna asked, surprising me, but then I understood what was happening...
"No, Luna. I didn't mean that, what I'm trying to say is-” I started to explain, but she interrupted me again.
"Yeah, sure! You think that I am an insensitive pony and that I do not care about feelings!... Well, I have news for you. I could feel since birth and the most painful feeling inside me is not being able to be with you, Frank!... Goodbye!” She exclaimed between grunts of anger and annoyance, but I tried to stop her...
"Luna, wait. You don't understand-” I tried to explain the situation to her, but she just didn't want to listen…
"Goodbye, Frank!" She exclaimed one last time before fading from the darkness of the room, only being illuminated by the moonlight. Understanding what had happened, I dropped my head on the pillow of the bed I was in and mumbled in regret and self-hatred...
My health could not be worse, the current state in which I found myself was not exactly comforting since I was only able to take a short walk enduring the pain and fatigue, in addition to the terrible cough, that invaded me at every moment. Fortunately, for the last 4 days I was somewhat comforted to know that my friends still came to visit me from time to time, but I was still angry with myself because of what I had done several nights ago… I accidentally hurt Luna and she was mad at me.
My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of the door opening, I turned to see who it was, and standing under the door were Derpy and Dr. Whooves, who looked at me with slight smiles on their faces, but with clear signs that they were sad about my health.
Before I could greet them, I was interrupted by the cough, which began to prevent me from breathing; Derpy immediately came up to me and took my hand while Dr. Whooves asked for a nurse or doctor to come and check me out. After a few seconds, Nurse Redheart entered the room and helped me sit on the edge of the bed so that I could cough better and achieve a proper posture to avoid choking on the same cough. Derpy and Dr. Whooves stepped back from me a little while I continued coughing, Nurse Redheart patted my back, trying to help my cough go away.
Thus I was for several dying seconds, coughing and spitting blood from time to time, I could no longer stay in this situation since my body would not be able to endure this situation for much longer; as I was finally able to finish coughing up blood, I felt the ability to breathe freely again, even though the cough came back a bit to interrupt the moment of inner peace I had gained.
After everything that happened because of the severe cough that invaded me for a few moments, I was able to finally talk to my friends who had come to visit me; I smiled when I saw the Doctor and Derpy wrapping me in a warm and friendly hug. I reciprocated the gesture and wrapped my arms around them; we remained like this for approximately 3 minutes until Derpy broke the hug and spoke...
"How are you feeling, Frank?" She asked with concern and sadness reflected in her voice...
"*Coff Coff* ...Bad, pretty bad. Since I was diagnosed with Tuberculosis I have not stopped coughing and spitting blood, feeling sore all over my body and having enormous fatigue- *Coff Coff* ...You know, I never believed that my life would end this way, dying and regretting some things I did in the past.” I commented with a tone of nostalgia and sadness reflected in my facial expression, the Doctor said...
"Sorry if this seems like a wrong thing to ask, but... what exactly do you regret?" He asked, being a little unsure of what he was saying; however, I spoke...
"Do you really want to know what I regret- *Coff Coff* ...Doctor?" I asked, to which he slowly nodded, still unsure if what he was asking was right to ask. So, I replied...
"There- *Coff Coff* ...There are two things I regret. Having dissolved our band... and having let go the love of my life. *Sigh* ...I guess I always have all that stuff printed in my mind- *Coff Coff* ...I just- ...I don't know, I would like to amend those mistakes in my life.” I said…
"You still miss her, right?" Derpy asked, referring to Luna, the pony I loved...
"*Sniff* ...Yeah. More than anything in the damn vast universe.” I replied in a clear tone of regret. Then, it came a time when I couldn't take it anymore and I shed a couple of tears as I sobbed in a sea of sadness.
A half-hour had passed and I was able to calm down, as Nurse Redheart entered the room and spoke...
“Sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I'm afraid the morning visiting time-lapse is over; I hope and do not mind you have to go. Don't worry, you may come back at 3 in the afternoon and continue talking with him… And, again, apologies for the interruption." Redheart explained, making us understand that both Derpy and the Doctor had to leave; I turned to look at them and said...
"If you want to come visit me later, you will be more than welcome... Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Derpy and the Doctor nodded in response and each one gave their goodbyes before heading towards the door of the room; but, before they left the place, I stopped them...
"Hey!" I exclaimed, drawing the attention of both, then I said...
"Make sure to bring the band over here, I'd like to tell you something." I commented, to which the Doctor spoke...
"You want us to bring everypony?" He asked, I nodded and said...
"...Everypony." I responded.
The Doctor nodded in response and added a small smile to his expression. Later, they both turned and walked back to the door; after a few seconds, they both ended up leaving the room, being followed by Nurse Redheart. Just before closing the door, Redheart turned to look at me and spoke...
"Do you require something?... Some food? Water?" She asked, still about to close the door, I shook my head and she understood immediately, closing the door.
I sighed, what I had asked the Doctor was something very important, not only for me, but also for everypony who would be involved in this. I coughed again and let it invade me since avoiding it would not help me at all.
After lunch, I decided to talk to Nurse Redheart for a while to pass the time without getting bored; we both talked for about 15 minutes until she had to leave, but I stopped her for a few moments to ask if it was possible that I could go to the hospital garden. Redheart thought about it for a few seconds and asked me why I wanted to go there, to which I replied that if I was in that hospital, I would not want to miss visiting my favorite place in there. In the end, and understanding my situation, Redheart agreed to allow me to go there, I thanked her and she nodded, leaving the room.
When she returned, a few minutes later, she offered to accompany me to the garden, I accepted and we both went there. When we finally got there, I looked at it. The hospital's garden was very beautiful, it had been a while since I visited this part of the hospital with as much enthusiasm as if I were a child at Christmas...
"It's very beautiful..." I sighed with joy, Redheart, who was still next to me, decided to give her opinion about it...
"Yeah... *Sigh* ...Although, I would love to see this place with a different perspective than you and many others have." She commented with a clear tone of sadness. I, confused, asked...
"What do you mean?"
"*Sigh* ...Many others decide to come and visit this place one last time as if it was going to be the last beautiful place they'll see." She answered, however, I couldn't say anything because she continued speaking...
"*Sniff* ...E-Every day, every hour of the day... I've always had the misfortune to accompany many patients to this place, most of them, with their destinies already sealed... *Sniff* ...Absolutely always, I am the last pony they see in their lives, just before they have to leave this world... I... I- ...Every time I've accompanied those condemned patients, I am the one who listens to their wails, regrets, and sorrows; they always trust me their darkest and saddest secrets and thoughts to relieve and feel good with themselves... *Sniff* ...But, they have never thought about what I suffer because of them, and I- *Sniff* ...I can't keep it up. I- *Sniff* ...I just can't put up with them... *Sniff* ...the wails and sorrows of the ponies always haunt me, every day and every night.” She explained with a very deep regret inside her, in addition to ending up crying in a sea of tears as she knelt on the ground; I, contemplating the scene, wanted to comfort her, but I couldn't think of anything to say to achieve that, so I decided to keep quiet.
Redheart sobbed more and more as time went by, this made me feel ashamed of myself for not being able to do anything to make her feel better and keep her from crying; in this way, the minutes continued to pass and I was still unable to say anything, I only managed to sit next to her while hugging her to comfort her, even if it was a little. She didn't complain, what's more, she didn't say anything and just sobbed and regretted what was happening to her, I didn't say anything about it and kept hugging her.
To her, having witnessed and heard so many terrible and depressing things throughout her medical career as a nurse must have affected her so much, something that she had made clear with what she said minutes before. I understood her pain and that was why I comforted her since I knew how hard it must have been to experience all that; I might not have lived it, but I understood her behavior perfectly and I respected it since, for me, keeping such a deep and negative feeling in the long term may have terrible consequences for those who possess it.
It was already around 4 in the afternoon and we both, Redheart and I, were still hugging each other while she was still regretting everything that happened to her. She had spent more than a decade in which she has worked as a nurse, helping those in need and providing her services to any pony who could push her to become a better pony (person), while witnessing horrors, listening to regrets and contemplated the thoughts of many ponies who have failed to survive the test in which they must face death itself. She went through all that and always tried to give a good image of herself to the world, which was now costing her sanity.
After much consoling her with a hug that reflected empathy and understanding towards her, she finally broke the hug and spoke...
"*Sniff* ...Thanks, Frank. I- *Sniff* ...I really appreciate you've listened to me and understood my current situation.” Redheart commented, who was a little calmer, but still with traces of sadness and melancholy inside her.
"No problem- *Coff Coff* ...Anything for a pony that has helped and valued others and has given everything to reassure others... *Sigh* ...You've been through a lot in life, you have suffered and cried for many things, but you go ahead and maintain your posture, no matter what... Everything you did only shows that you do have a heart, you are strong, but at some point, you have to relieve yourself and be able to feel better about yourself… And that is what you have demonstrated today.” I said, going over everything she had accomplished and done; Redheart, unable to say anything, smiled and gave me a hug.
I corresponded the action without hesitation and that meant a lot to her since it made her know that it was possible to tell someone what was happening to her and to receive something in exchange... understanding and empathy.
A short time later, I thanked her for accompanying me there, but she replied with...
"Of course not, I'm the one who thanks you for all this... You've helped me feel good about myself." Then, without another word to say, she turned and walked back into the hospital. Leaving me completely alone, looking at the precious landscape...
I would never get tired of contemplating the beautiful landscapes that a continent as diverse as Equestria is. Wherever you could be, you would never get bored of witnessing the course of the day, from the highest and coldest mountain to the hottest beach, you will always enjoy the experience of being in this world... And I thank life for putting me there.
Contemplating a landscape as emblematic as sunset it makes me understand that my time in this world was already coming to an end; since I had been diagnosed with Tuberculosis, over a week before, I reflected on my life and everything that happened in it. My past life on Earth was at least decent; but everything changed when I was mysteriously transported to Equestria, at that moment, my life went from less to more until I reached a point where I felt as if I were the luckiest person on the planet.
However, slowly, my life changed significantly, making me understand that not everything in life is great and that sometimes bad things happen and you have to accept and overcome them. Unfortunately, in life, there are some times in which bad things can be accepted, but they're impossible to overcome since they can end with someone in many ways.
"How ironic." I laughed weakly as I sat on a bench, admiring the early evening.
At the same time I remained silent, thinking about that, the cough returned with strength; immediately, I came back to reality and covered my mouth, avoiding contaminating my surroundings with my cough. My situation worsens as the two-week time limit, outlined by Dr. Blueheart, approached, and my death was seen more and more like a fact, rather than probability. I already knew I was going to die, but I still had the slightest hope that everything would return to normality; however, the cough I had been suffering was the fiercest I've ever had in my life.
After coughing up a large amount of blood and cleaning my hand, I decided to sit on the bench a little longer before going back inside the hospital; however, I began to hear several footsteps approaching me, so I turned to look back and observed Derpy and the Doctor along with the rest of the band. Although some of them were somewhat annoyed and uncomfortable to see me, surely, they did not feel good to see me after what I did several years ago.
"Well, it was a little difficult getting them all together, but Derpy and I managed to get the band together... And- ...well, sorry for the delay." He commented, I smiled and said...
"No problem, Doctor... And, thank you, for doing me this favor." I thanked him for the effort he had made in bringing them here, something that surely had been complicated by the negativity that others had put.
"I only agreed to come here because I want to make something clear, Frank..." Octavia started saying, who already had an expression of remorse towards me; I, understanding what was going on, decided to say nothing and allow her to continue talking.
"...I don't know if you have noticed this, Frank. But, we are no longer together and we still have some resentment for what you did... You dissolved the band for no apparent purpose, just when we were at the top of success; then, you come and decide to put an end to our group, which had already become a legend!... I only want to know one thing, why did you do it, Frank?” Octavia concluded, who already seemed very upset, but also sad about what had happened a few years ago...
"I think... *Sigh* ...I was scared." I answered.
"What... did you just say, Frank?" Starlight asked. I looked up to her and said.
"I was... scared. I feared for what would happen to the band, I thought that... if I ended up with the band early, we weren't be forgotten by the people."
Everypony looked at me very confused, they didn't understand what I meant by that...
"I was afraid that people would forget about us... I gave priority to the fame of each one, instead of our friends and that condemned us to live with remorse... *Sigh* ...If I'm telling you this is because... I just want to say. I'm sorry, sorry if I ruined your dreams and aspirations, your lives, and the great friendships we had, just for a silly thought that fame would no longer be on our side... In the end, the one that worsened everything, instead of improving, it was me." I explained as I dropped a tear of regret and started to cough loudly.
Some stared at me, while others simply said nothing and looked away; I could feel the looks that haunted me and I didn't blame them for looking at me like that since I was the one who had caused all this. However, Octavia spoke...
"I forgive you."
I looked up to see Octavia, who had a mixed expression of disappointment and understanding.
"I-... *Sigh* ...I decide to forgive you for what you did, even though it affected all of us, you realized that it was a mistake and that's... admirable." She said.
Since Octavia had said that, each one of the band began to give their opinion about it; fortunately, everyone agreed that they forgave me for what I had done to their lives and that they were no longer angry with me, especially Octavia and Spike, who were the most that understood my situation. I thanked them for understanding everything and suggested that we could give each other a hug of reconciliation; everypony agreed to be part of the hug and I could finally feel good about myself. Just as I had helped others feel better, my friends had done it for me.
Shortly after breaking the hug, I spoke again...
"The fact that you forgive me for what happened a long time ago has made me feel relieved and free from great weight in my being, but... *Sigh* ...I still want to amend my mistake with the last act of kindness and generosity towards you." I commented, still smiling with happiness, although somewhat sore because of Tuberculosis.
"And... what is it?" Vinyl asked me. I smiled.
"I've been thinking about getting together again and perform at the coronation of Twilight." I answered.
"Just like the old times." Spike said.
I sighed. "Exactly."
While everypony expressed their amazement and/or joy at being able to go to Twilight's coronation and perform again, I smiled and laughed when seeing them all like this, I missed seeing them like this, it had reminded myself of the old times. However, the million-dollar question came Spike...
“But, you're very sick and in terrible condition. How are you going to be on stage without collapsing and passing out?” Spike asked me.
Finally, the most important day in recent years had arrived, the coronation of Twilight had arrived and we were going to take care of making this the best coronation in the entire Equestria's history.
It had been a couple of hours since I woke up, but it was not the cough that woke me up, it was the fact of knowing that it was going to be one of my last days in life that woke me up. It's easy to ignore certain things, but knowing that you're going to die doesn't let you sleep peacefully, it never does.
Instead of heading back to bed or making myself a nice cup of coffee, I walked slowly towards the living room, where I could find my guitar; so, I went to it and grabbed it, then I sat in one of the armchairs and there I stood, in silence. It was obvious that I accepted my fate, but… I still couldn't understand the simple fact that I was going to die.
I didn't know how to feel, on one hand, I felt calm, but I could also feel devastated by the simple fact that my death was quickly approaching and that day was the one I had to end mending my past actions. While reflecting on my life, I heard someone knocking on the door, I was surprised by this since I didn't expect anyone visiting me at 4:30 am.
I decided to get up and open the door, so I leaned my guitar on the armchair next to me and got up. Later, I walked towards the door and opened it; I was shocked to see the Doctor standing in front of me as he was supposed to be sleeping in his house. Seeing me in front of him, the Doctor spoke...
"Oh. Hi, Frank. I- *Ahem* ...I hope I'm not bothering you at such an early hour. May I come in?" He asked, to what I said...
"Yeah. Sure. Oh... And, doc, don't worry... I was already awake; please come in."
The Doctor was slightly surprised, but nodded in response and entered the house. I closed the door behind me and sat in one of the armchairs, next to the Doctor, then I spoke...
"So, why did you came to visit me so early? It's almost 4:40 am. Is there something wrong?" I asked he shook his head.
"No, of course not- ...Well, something is happening. You see, I... *Sigh * ...I was thinking that maybe I could propose to Derpy.” The Doctor replied, to what I said...
"Really? Doctor, those are great-! ...Wait, what's stopping you from doing it?” I asked by realizing that, the Doctor sighed and said...
"There are two reasons." He commented.
"And... which are?" I asked, he answered...
"Your current situation..."
"Oh... I see." I said while realizing what he meant by that. He sighed again and kept saying.
"I don't blame you, Frank. These things happen to all of us, but... life throwing in my face a delicate situation like this, now that I want to make my love the happiest pony in the universe?... *Sigh* ...It makes me feel useless. And that's the second issue.” After he said that, I turned to look at him and he kept saying...
“I no longer feel like the brave and smart pony that everypony knew 7 or 8 years ago. Now... *Sigh* ...I'm somepony who only clings to his closest ones and is afraid of losing them- *Sniff* ...that's what happens to me with you and Derpy.” The Doctor commented, to which I nodded, understanding what he was saying.
"And now that you're in this condition, I'm dreading the same thing happening to Derpy... that would be something I couldn't bear to witness with my eyes... *Sniff* ...I don't know what to do, Frank. *Sniff* ...I'm scared and I don't know what to do." He ended saying while letting a few tears fall.
"I'm scared too." I said in a muffled tone of voice, as I watched the fire emanating from the fireplace. I was silent for a few seconds until I continued...
"...I'm not afraid of dying, I already accepted that. However, my greatest fear now is… to see you all, shattered by the fact I have to leave this world. Also, I can't stop thinking about the people I've hurt, emotionally... especially to Luna; I was a jerk and I said the wrong words at the wrong time and that hurt her, consequently... *Sniff* ...it hurt me too. Now I'll die knowing that I couldn't amend that gigantic mistake in my life.” I said, already with a tear running down my right cheek.
"...And I have no intention to allow myself be the one who causes an unwanted change in the people I love. No, I won't... *Sniff* ...Doctor, you just... stop thinking about the negative stuff and allow yourself to explore the good things in life. *Sniff* ...When you feel ready to do it, go to your beloved Derpy and tell her what you have to say... at least, you still have the opportunity to do it, take full advantage of it.” I advised him after telling him everything he had to say; the Doctor looked at me with a surprised face, to which I smiled and said...
"Doctor... if you don't want to, don't listen to me. But, if you want an advice… pay attention to your heart for a moment and reflect on it.” I ended up saying as I got up from the armchair and walked towards my room; although, I left the Doctor there alone, thinking about what I said...
A couple of minutes passed, then I left my room with my formal suit and the Sicilian beret on, I walked towards the Doctor and said with a smile...
“Doctor, you better go get ready. Because, in a matter of time, we will make history… My friend."
About 4 hours had passed since I woke up and talked with the Doctor, we were already on board a train heading to Canterlot; the whole band was gathered in the same car, what's more, we had a whole train car for ourselves and this one had a minibar, of which we took advantage the most of.
During the long 2-hour journey of the train trip to Canterlot, we kept talking and laughing constantly as we remembered the old days in the band; I really missed these meetings with friends and people that I considered as my family after so many things we went through together for 7 years.
Harmony and joy that were felt in the environment were incredible and made me feel happy to be there since spending time with my friends and family was the only thing that mattered more than life itself.
Also, during the journey, we told our lives that belonged to all of us after the dissolution of our band; however, what made us the happiest was having played one of our old songs together, again. At that time, we were the happiest and most joyous people in whole Equestria; the current occasion warranted a toast and that's what we did.
We all drank a glass of the best wine that the bartender was able to offer us, being a wine from more than 40 years old. Between all of us, we were already celebrating our meeting and the fact that we were going to perform at Twilight's coronation, in front of a huge number of people.
It wasn't long before we realized we were close to reaching Canterlot, so we all stopped partying, thanked the bartender for the exquisite wine, and prepared our instruments to get off the train as soon as we could.
As soon as the train stopped, we got off as fast as we could so we could get to the taxi carriage office first; surprisingly, we ran into Shining Armor, who turned out to be accompanying us to the castle, we did not expect this, but we agreed to be taken by the Royal Guard.
Then, he guided us to one side of the train station, where he showed us 5 carriages, in which the Royal Guard would take us to our destination, the castle. Soon after boarding the carriages, we began our last trip to the castle.
Upon arrival, we got off the carriages and headed towards the place where we were going to perform during Twilight's coronation. Although, unexpectedly, our assigned place to perform was one of the balconies overlooking the large area where the guests were going to be.
Despite the bewilderment of some, we managed to accommodate the place perfectly, thanks to the fact that the balcony was large enough so we could all fit together with our instruments. While Vinyl and Bon-Bon carried electric guitars, Derpy and Lyra were going to use basses, Starlight was going to use the drums, Octavia and Dr. Whooves had violins and cellos, and I owned an acoustic guitar and a piano for certain songs in which these would be needed.
Having prepared for the presentation we were to have, I told the others that we could visit some parts of the castle while the final preparations for the coronation were taking place; then, most of us had decided to go see some places and explore the castle, although me and Spike had to see a certain group of ponies and talk to them about the coronation.
As we walked towards the Throne Room, Spike and I ended up talking about many things regarding what had happened to us and how our lives had been in the last days; despite the fact that Spike and I had always talked about it for about 5 or 6 years, we liked having someone with whom to share our thoughts without fear that the other would give his refusal about it.
Spike was, for me, not only a friend, but I treated him like a son; Spike represented what I needed in life, a son to give advice from life and teach him new things, so he knew how to act in a specific situation. He was the most precious person/dragon in this world, along with my beloved Luna and my friends, and I loved him as the son I never had.
Shortly after been chatting with him, Spike and I finally arrived at the Throne Room, we entered in it and we could see Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Twilight chatting; when we got a little closer, they all noticed our presence and walked towards where Spike and I were.
Twilight, as she has been doing lately, welcomed us to what would be her castle from that day on. I giggled a little at the irony that this meant, as she used to be one of the most nervous and restless ponies in all of Equestria and was now within hours of being crowned as the monarch of Equestria.
Each and every one of my friends gave me a hug and spoke to me for a few moments about how I was at the time; everything went well until it was time to talk to Pinkie and Fluttershy, who still looked sad because of my health condition, but I still wanted to try to cheer them up a bit by showing them that day I wouldn't be coughing and spitting blood. Today I was going to be fine.
It was difficult, but after a lot of effort, I managed to calm them both and make them see that I, at least for that day, was not going to suffer anymore. On that day, I was going to take advantage as much time as possible to have a great time with my family.
Both expressed their sadness and concern for me, but I reassured them, assuring them that they would never see me coughing and spitting blood again. Hearing me comforting them and trying to reassure them, they decided to do what was best for everyone.
After a half-hour of conversation between us, Twilight and Spike asked me to go talk with them privately, to which I agreed and we left the others talking to each other; the 3 of us walked down the hallway that led to the Throne Room, heading towards the royal balcony where Twilight would be crowned as monarch of Equestria.
As we walked towards there, I spoke...
"So... why do you want to talk to me?" I asked, to which Spike commented...
“To be honest, it's Twilight who wanted to talk to you. I'm only accompanying you.” I nodded, understanding what he was saying...
"I would like to ask you for advice." Twilight replied, to what I said...
"About what?" I asked, then Twilight turned to look at me and spoke...
"About a few issues, I'll tell you later." After saying that, we were silent and kept walking until we reached the royal balcony; when we stepped out onto the balcony, Spike said goodbye and returned to the Throne Room.
She sighed. "I need advice. What can I do?" She asked, I said...
"What do you mean?" I asked her in confusion, she replied.
"I feel nervous and somewhat anxious because of the coronation, my nerves have invaded my body in the last days... And I don't know what to do about it." Twilight commented, who already looked worried about what would happen in the future.
I smiled and laughed a few...
"That is a very common feeling. But, if you want some advice, I'll give you some... *Ahem* ...don't think about it and never feel like everything will go wrong. Thinking and caring about something or someone only drives you to make a silly move that could turn out things even worse.” She turned to look at me as she processed what I had said.
"But- ...I don't know how to stop worrying." She admitted, I laughed a little and said...
"You really need a therapist." I joked, which bothered her a bit, although I kept talking...
“You must be calm and at peace with yourself. Never think about the bad things that may happen, just act normal and be calm… That's my advice.” I concluded, to which she was silent, reflecting on what I told her.
"I understand that and I will heed your advice, but... That is not the only reason I wanted to talk to you. *Ahem* ...You see, I-” Twilight commented, but I stopped her…
I sighed. "Twilight, don't worry about me and my health, I'll be fine." I tried to comfort her, but she didn't want to accept the simple fact that I was going to die...
"No! Of course you're NOT okay!... I-In a few hours you'll be dead! How dare you say don't worry- *Sniff* ...You are my friend- OUR friend, for Celestia! Aren't you afraid of dying?!” She exclaimed with great anger and confusion in her voice, I replied...
"No. Death doesn't scare me, after all... it is part of the cycle of life. But… I should admit that I am afraid of the possibility that my death will affect the lives of others.” I commented, to which she exclaimed again.
"But of course your death will affect us all!... *Sniff* ...You are our friend, Frank. You've supported and helped us in any way possible... *Sniff* ...You're like a brother to me, that's why I visited you during the last few weeks.” She commented, understanding her emotional state, I hugged and comforted her.
“It doesn't matter if I die, you still have long lives ahead… And you shouldn't allow my destiny to influence yours; I already accepted the fact that I will die, now it is your turn to accept my destiny and let me go when I'm no longer with you, physically.” I smiled when I saw her reciprocating the hug since she understood what I wanted to say, but still couldn't fully accept it.
"Twilight... You must accept the fact that not every one of us will be here for you, some of us will be gone in a matter of years. As the princess and monarch of Equestria, it is your duty to be an example for others to follow. As the saying goes: even if life throws a train in your face, smile.” I said, to which she tearfully commented.
"So- *Sniff* ...what will you do now, Frank?" She asked, I responded with...
"Carpe Diem... what I mean by this? Well, I'll take advantage of the day… even if this is the last one I live in.”
It was almost 6:30 in the afternoon and the coronation was about to begin as the start time got closer and closer; the schedule in which the coronation was planned was about 4 hours long, so it would start at 7 in the afternoon and end at 11 at night.
Knowing that we were going to be the ones to entertain the guests, we had to do our best to give a spectacular performance to keep the guests happy. I won't lie, we were all nervous, this was going to be our first and only performance after 3 years separated.
Shortly before the ceremony prior to Twilight's coronation as monarch of Equestria began, I gathered the entire band to deliver a speech that, I hoped, would motivate them and help them not be nervous.
"Hey everyone, please allow me a minute of your attention." I said as I saw the band gathering around me and sitting on the floor to be more comfortable.
Looking at them, gathered around me as we did in the old times, I sighed and spoke...
“As you may know, this is going to be our last performance as a united group… but it will also be the greatest of all our performances on stage; we will enter that balcony and perform as a band, but we will leave there as a family. And most importantly, don't worry about a thing… just have fun and enjoy the occasion.” I commented with determination while putting my hand in the middle of everyone, inviting them to do the same.
Having motivated those whom I considered my great and only family, we prepared ourselves for the beginning of the coronation; meanwhile, Dr. Whooves and Octavia rushed to the royal balcony to play a melody that kicked off Twilight's coronation ceremony.
It was a soft and sweet melody, with melancholic touches printed on it. This song was capable of relaxing even the angriest and grumpiest pony in all of Equestria, as well as making you remain in harmony with yourself.
Shortly after, the song ended and we heard from the inside how the Doctor and Octavia received applause from the guests. After this, they both went back inside and received praise from us while they blushed for that.
Immediately, the applauses of the guests were heard as the coronation began; we heard the speech that Princess Celestia and Luna gave, these sounded totally happy. I smiled a little when I heard them and warned the band that we should be ready for our first performances on the balcony.
After it became clear that the coronation had some complications, finally a speech from Twilight began to take place. In it, she appreciated the support from her friends and that she was very honored to become the new monarch of Equestria. Finally, she added a sentence that gave us the signal it was our time to shine.
"Now, I'm honored to present you the return of a great band. With you... The Equestrians!"
One by one, everyone that was going to perform on the balcony, began to go out to the balcony while Twilight was introducing us to the guests; when Vinyl and Spike came out onto the balcony, the applause began to be heard, this made it evident that the guests could realize it was happening.
However, when they named me and I stepped out onto the balcony, all the guests gave a great deal of applause and whistles of excitement and euphoria; the excitement, euphoria and the passion, as well as the extraordinary joy within me, were present as I watched our audience applauding euphorically as it stood up and some shouted with happiness to see all of us reunited once again.
From one moment to the next, Spike and Octavia turned on their microphones and spoke through them to calm our audience; after this, everyone else turned on our microphones and I spoke through mine…
"Good evening, ladies and gentleponies! I hope you're doing fine because we are doing great! Today, and only today, we are going to perform in front of all of you! Enjoy it!" I exclaimed, then I told the others...
"Very well, you know how it is. Let's make this an extraordinary show… 1 and 2. 1. 2. 3. and 4."
At the end of “Back Off Boogaloo”, Spike and I immediately switched roles since now he was going to be the main singer (Freddie Mercury) and I was his companion (David Bowie) in the next song. He prepared his voice and spoke through the microphone...
"I hope you loved our previous song because now we are playing a classic!"
When "Under Pressure" ended, the guests went crazy as they kept clapping and shouting the band's name, "The Equestrians." I couldn't believe it, we were back and people loved seeing us again, even the Changelings, Dragons, Kirins, Hippogriffs, Griffins and Yaks were applauding after hearing us play two of our songs.
We knew that the next song was going to bring back memories to people who were fans of our music, so we announced that the song to come was "I am Octavia" and we let Octavia speak through the microphone...
"*Ahem ...Well, ladies and gentlemen, I hope and 'I am Octavia' will bring you good old memories from the past." Octavia commented calmly and politely.
The euphoria of the audience was abysmal, each and every one of us could hear each and every scream the guests made; there was a moment when the screaming was so loud that we had to cover our ears for a few seconds to avoid getting deaf. Fortunately, the princesses managed to calm the crowd and we announced that we would perform two other songs before resting for an hour.
"Okay, dear audience. We will play 2 other songs and have a little one hour break… *Ahem*…the next songs are: Johnny B. Goode and Rocky Mountain High." While announcing the role of the lead singer to the Doctor, he would also use the electric guitar and the acoustic guitar, respectively.
"Okay, dearest audience. We'll be back soon, enjoy dinner." Lyra announced happily as we all retired from the balcony and entered the castle again, upon entering, we met the princesses, except for Luna, who approached us and congratulated and praised us for the good music we had performed.
While Lyra, Bon-Bon, and Octavia chatted with Princess Cadance, and the others chatted with Princess Celestia, I decided to take a little walk through the castle hallways and reflect a little on what just happened.
I was happy to have returned to act together with my family and amend that mistake in my life, but... there was still another mistake that had to be amended in some way, I still did not know how to correct my mistake by having hurt my beloved Luna. However, luck was on my side at that time since I ran into Luna in one of the hallways, it seemed she had also decided to take a solo walk.
For a moment, I thought about talking to her and trying to resolve my mistake, but a feeling stopped me. I wasn't sure if she would want to talk to me after what happened in the hospital, so I was about to turn around and go back to the others, but a sweet voice stopped me...
"Frank, I know you're behind me." Luna said as she turned around to look at me in the eyes, then I said...
"Oh, Luna... I- *Ahem* ...Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I was going to leave, if that's what you want." I commented, although she shook her head...
"No, Frank... I would like to speak to you. If it is possible, of course." She asked, I nodded immediately.
"Of course Luna... Do you want us to talk here in the hallway?" I asked confused, she laughed a little at the nonsense I said and spoke...
"No. Nearby there's a balcony, we can talk quietly being interrupted.” Luna commented, then she went to a door, opened it, and went out onto the balcony.
I closed the door behind me, I didn't want anyone else to listen to our conversation and surely neither Luna did. So, I turned around and looked at Luna, who was sitting on the balcony, looking at the stars. I walked towards her and stopped next to her, I looked up at the stars; as we watched the beautiful young night, Luna spoke...
"How... are you, Frank?" She asked, I turned to look at her and sighed...
"Being honest with you... bad, very bad." I admitted, to what she said...
"Why?"
"...I was an idiot. I said the wrong words at the most inappropriate time; and, despite not having been my intention, I hurt you and that bothers me a lot." I said sadly, she commented...
"That's in the past, now."
"Well, it turns out my past haunts me every day and night." I looked directly at her face and she did the same, although with a bit of anger on her face.
"*Sigh* ...What I said back there, in the hospital... It wasn't my intention to hurt you, but, as I said before... I was an idiot. And that's something I can't forgive myself for. Never." I said with a deep sadness in my voice, which Luna noticed immediately and replied...
"Then why did you leave me? ...I loved you, I still do. However, I don't know whether to express that love to you again… Since you hurt me, twice.” Luna commented with anger and sadness, I replied ...
"In that case, I was a big asshole… twice. First, I abandoned you only because I was afraid; now, I hurt you and I don't know how to amend my mistakes." I admitted at the same time I let out a couple of tears of misfortune and deep sadness.
Luna, on the other hand, seemed to have become somewhat melancholic as she kept looking at the floor while remaining silent. However, unexpectedly, he pounced on me and hugged me while sobbing heavily; I was surprised by this, but I also hugged her and we both ended up crying together for a couple of minutes.
We could feel the tears of the other falling on our shoulders, but neither of us cared, all we wanted was to let off steam on the other's shoulder.
At one point, we broke the hug and looked at each other, but we still kept sobbing and shedding tears; we were silent for another couple of minutes, although, Luna spoke...
"Frank, I -... *Sniff* ...forgive you. *Sniff* ...It was also my fault by being mad at you- *Sniff* ...you were just trying to explain something to me and I misinterpreted your words- *Sniff* ...I-I'm so sorry." She explained while was constantly cut by sobs, I spoke...
"Luna, I-" I tried to say, but Luna had interrupted me with a kiss.
About 20 minutes had passed since Luna and I had reconciled, however, by then, the band's break time would have almost ended and that meant I must return with the others and keep performing on the balcony for another hour. It was then that I quickly said goodbye to Luna and returned to the place where the others were.
Upon arrival, we all prepared ourselves to continue performing until the coronation and all the celebration that it entailed ended; we had reorganized and decided that we would play even more songs than we previously planned before ending with one last song.
When the echoes of people shouting the name of the band were present, we knew that it was our time to go back out onto the balcony and best in the best way possible, in our way.
One by one, we went on stage as the euphoria and excitement became more and more present, we also felt how the environment had changed to one that made us feel sure of ourselves. So we started singing...
"1. And 2. 1. 2. 3. And 4."
(Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver) Sung by Dr. Whooves and Derpy (as the companion).
We stopped performing for a moment, as we got relaxed inside the castle, we kept talking about how much the audience seemed to love our performance. As we laughed and told jokes, the Princesses came to where we were to congratulate us for such a spectacular performance; although, I immediately stopped them to tell them that we had more songs to perform and that these were the last ones.
In the middle of the talking, we heard the audience calling for us to come back, I turned to look at the Princesses, who nodded in response. We all gathered one more time and I motivated all the band one last time before getting back to the balcony.
I turned on my microphone and spoke through it. "*Ahem* ...As you may know, this band has been for you during 7 long years and that's why we want to perform the last songs with all the enthusiasm we have left. And, as everypony should know, we even wrote a song in honor of our newest member of 'The Equestrians', in those times... Spike The Dragon... Ladies and gentleponies, Hey Spike."
"Alright, you all know how this is! 1. And 2. 1. 2. 3. And 4."
(Hey Spike - Hoofert) Sung by Frank and Dr. Whooves (as a companion).
"Alright, ladies and gentleponies. This is going to be the last song of the night... I hope you'll enjoy it." I said through the microphone, then the last song began to be played.
(Luna - Alessandro Safina) Sung by Frank and Spike (as a companion).
And this is how we ended a unique and spectacular performance in front hundreds and hundreds of spectators, who rose from their chairs and clapped loudly until the echo could be heard from miles away. All this made us realize something...
"We did it..." I whispered as I smiled.
After so much effort, after a long journey that we had traveled, after so many pains and the intense pain that many of us had... Finally, The Equestrians, we... had become legends.
We had put on a great show in front of a large crowd of guests, most of whom were fans of the band. Shortly after the ceremony, we had made the decision to stay in Canterlot to rest, although the Princesses offered us some rooms in the castle; so, seeing that we did not have any other option, we accepted the offer.
As we walked through one of the castle hallways, we ran into some of the guests who had attended the Twilight coronation, among whom were some School of Friendship's students and their families, King Thorax and his brother, some members of the other Equestria species, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders along with their friends, in addition, there were also the Princesses and Twilight friends.
They all congratulated us for the performance we had carried out during the celebration, for which we thanked them immensely. However, one of the students of the School of Friendship, specifically Ocellus, spoke...
"Uhh... Excuse me, Mr. Frederickson." She spoke to me, to which I replied.
"What is it, Ocellus?" I asked.
"I hope it's not a bother, but... could you guys play some more songs for us?" Ocellus asked.
Her request surprised us all, so we gathered in a circle to discuss it; we talked about whether or not it was possible to play a few more songs, so we spent about 2 minutes arguing, then we broke away from the circle and Derpy spoke…
"It could be done, but we would need Princess Sparkle's permission." She commented, immediately Twilight giggled and replied...
"You have my permission to perform some songs for the guests."
Hearing those words come out of Twilight's mouth, we immediately prepared for our last performance, even if it was informal. Each one prepared his/her favorite instrument, although it was a little difficult to accommodate the piano and drums since the mechanism of their mobility failed a little.
Finally, we had placed ourselves in our respective places with the instruments that we were going to use for the last time as a united musical band. Then, from one moment to another, we began performing...
"1. And 2. 1. 2. 3. And 4."
(She Loves You - The Beatles) Sung by Dr. Whooves and Spike.
It was possible the fact that no one understood the meaning of our songs, in fact, that was the magic in it, that the audience tried to interpret the meaning of each one. "She Loves You" we had "created" it in honor of Spike and his crush on Rarity, unfortunately, he had recently told me that he gave up.
Because of this, we chose to honor the relationships between Lyra and Bon-Bon, and the one that was about Octavia and Vinyl; at the same time, the song “Your Song” was to reflect the Doctor's feelings towards Derpy.
When we finished playing "She Loves You", the applause was swift and the whole small audience kept giving us praise and positive comments regarding our performance with the previous song.
"Okay, ladies and gentleponies... it seems you have loved our performance, so we'll continue with one of our first songs. ‘I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire’…" I commented as our spectators finished applauding, then I turned to see the others and said…
"Alright, family. You all know how it is… 1. And 2. 1. 2. 3. And 4.”
(I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire - The Ink Spots) Sung by Frank.
Again, we received praise from our viewers, only this time they applauded for less time; they all looked expectant, so... we went back to performing...
(Dear Hearts and Gentle People - BOB CROSBY'S BOBCATS) Sung by Frank, Derpy, Lyra, and Dr. Whooves (as companions).
"Dear Hearts and Gentle People" was one of my favorite songs, I didn't know why, but every time I sang it, I was filled with joy and hope. Unfortunately, at that moment, hope quickly faded after remembering that tonight was my last alive.
I observed how many of our audience talked to each other, which led me to believe that they were no longer interested in our music; immediately, my mind erased that thought since it was impossible that at any moment they had concentrated on other stuff.
Seeing them all that way, I decided to change the final song for “Alas”, it was with that song that we were going to finish our final performance. I talked to the rest of the band about it, they agreed to change the song, so we prepared for our last song being performed together.
"*Ahem* ...Dear audience, we advise you that the following will be our last song... Enjoy it to the fullest."
Throughout the song, I couldn't help but think of everything we had been through together since my arrival in Equestria. The good and bad moments, the fun, the surprises and misfortunes that we witnessed... It was the last night of my life and I had made the best of my life and, despite some setbacks, it was a very good one.
Pain...
My body suffered immensely as pain and cough spread throughout my body, the spell Discord had cast on me had finished and the end was closer. I fell from the bed I was sleeping in, hitting my face on the floor; I tried to crawl to the door to open it, but my whole body ached.
I tried to get up, however, the cough and agony that I was suffering prevented me from doing it; worst of all, my own body did not respond to what my mind told it, no limb wanted to move. Also, my chest kept feeling terrible.
Determined not to let this agony finish me off right then, I tried again to crawl to the door and open it. It took a lot of effort, but I finally managed to open my bedroom door and go out into the hallway.
I was just close to completely leaving the room when a loud cough, accompanied by blood being spit out of my mouth, stopped me. As my agony grew stronger and stronger, I began to lose consciousness. Shortly before I passed out completely, I could see two ponies running towards me; realizing this, I tried to speak, but no word came out of my mouth.
At that moment, with my last strength being annihilated by my illness, I was unconscious...
I felt in terrible conditions, my body hurt too much and my cough never stopped; it was official, my fate was sealed, and there was nothing I could do.
Despite all the agony, I managed to make out where I was. The atmosphere said it all, I was in a hospital or infirmary. The ponies that had found me brought me here so that I could be attended by a doctor, what they did not know was that I was already condemned to die.
I opened my eyes to observe the room, only to be surprised by my friends, who were around my bed with expressions of sadness and melancholy on their faces. I looked at each and every one of them, no one was looking at me.
However, I felt someone holding my left hand with her two hooves as sobs were heard coming from the pony next to me. I turned to see her and noticed that Luna was laying her head on the bed while holding my hand and shed several tears.
"Hey, Luna." I said weakly.
Luna, hearing me, immediately raised her head and turned to look at me. She looked at me and shed tears again, while she hugged me tightly. After this, everyone else in the room turned to see me and smiled sadly as they approached my bed.
Spike, who was playing a guitar solo, in my opinion, spectacular, noticed that I had woken up and rushed to the bed and gave me a quick hug so as not to disturb Luna, who was still hugging me.
Unfortunately for me, the cough returned with so much strength and forced me to cover my mouth with my right hand; as I removed my hand, I saw a lot of fresh blood dripping from my hand and mouth.
Immediately, Twilight passed me a cloth, with which I wiped my mouth and my right hand. I thanked Twilight and then looked at everyone.
I sighed. "Well- *Coff Coff* ...It seems this is it. My end has come."
Everyone looked at me in amazement, they couldn't believe what I had said. Twilight tried to help me feel better...
"Don't say that, Frank. Maybe, there's a cure-"
I interrupted her. "Twi- *Coff Coff* ...You know perfectly well that there's no cure for Tuberculosis." I explained to her.
Silence...
No one else wanted to speak, they knew my life was ending and they had to accept the fact that I would no longer be with them.
I tried to say something, but the cough interrupted me for a long time. So I turned to see Luna and she spoke...
"Could you... leave us alone for a moment?" She asked tearfully, to which the others nodded in response and, one by one, left the room. However, I asked Spike and Discord to stay.
When everyone came out, Discord, Luna, and Spike couldn't help crying; I must admit that it gave me a bit of a laugh to see the "Lord of Chaos" cry and feel sorry for someone, although this was understandable.
I coughed again and said...
“You 3… are the living beings that I love the most in my life. *Coff Coff* ...I can't help but think of the moment I met you 3 for the first time... And, believe it or not, I will treasure those beautiful moments I spent with you... in my heart. *Coff Coff* ... I can't say that my life has been extraordinary from the beginning, but I can say that, with you, it was... You 3 represent what I needed in my life... A brother, a son, and the love of my life- *Coff Coff* ...I only have one more thing to say. Thanks for everything." The cough and pain continued for several seconds until I lost my sensitivity throughout the body.
It was at that moment that Luna gave me one last hug before the machine that registered my heart pulse beeped, announcing the end of a great adventure, which I have affectionately called it: "Mia Bella Vita".
"And so... this is how my life ends." I whispered weakly before closing my eyes for the last time.
If you're reading this, then it means I'm with you no more. I wanted to express an important phrase.
Thank you.
You are the ones that supported me from the first time since I arrived at Ponyville, you were always there for me and you never left me when I needed you the most. It's my fault we got separated for a while, but now... I feel like I've finally done something right. Even more, we became a group, a band. A family. We reached the top together and we helped each other as much as possible.
Thanks to you, I got a place I could finally call home, I got friends, I got a family... It is all thanks to you that I discovered my purpose in life. You gave me a life to live and I lived it as best as I could.
Unfortunately, life's not always nice with everyone and there it has to be a time, in which, you must go. My time has come to an end and I couldn't be happier than I am right now.
One final advice, dear family. Don't let my death become the weight on your shoulders. And, always, live every day as if it were going to be the last one.
I love you all. I'll always treasure the beautiful and epic moments we lived together in my heart because the body may die, but the soul is eternal. And my soul will be patiently waiting for you to join.
Thank you all for giving me a life to live. Goodbye.
