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A Life Worth Living

                    Oh, man. Work’s so tiring sometimes. And so loud. Even I can’t stand how loud it is sometimes. But I guess that’s just yet another upside to this place. I mean, considering how often I have to hear the same thing repeat itself, it’s nice that the town has days like this. Ponyville’s really pretty quiet, and I’ve got to say that I’m happy that Tavi found somewhere that she deemed suitable. Of course I think that may be in part to her sister, but I’m not really complaining. I’d be lying if I said this town hadn’t grown on me too. It’s much nicer than back in Manehattan. It’s true what they say about it being the city that never sleeps. While I might miss some of the conveniences and being able to go to a party whenever I please, it was an entirely worthy sacrifice. Of course, I doubt I’d be going to many parties at this age anyway.

                    Yeah… age. I can feel it. Age is catching up with me. I guess I outran it long enough, but here, sitting in front of a worn turntable, I think that I’m fine with it. I should be thankful, really. I got to see so much life in my time. I got to see those quirky neighbours around here live out their adventures. Most importantly, though, I got to see Tavi at her happiest. However… I also saw her at her worst. That was a horrifying day. She was so sick, but that didn’t faze her in the least. While maybe her body was fighting a losing battle, her mind was still so strong. Up until the end, she hadn’t wavered at all…

~*~

                    “Tavi!” I shouted, a look of worry on my face. The mare lay on the ground, having collapsed. Running over to her with enough speed to impress the Wonderbolts, I scooped her up and held her in my hooves. Her breathing was shallow and her pulse was fast. Holding her, I could just feel that she didn’t have much longer. Starting to pick her up to move her, she silently asked me not to.

                    “T-tavi! You need to be inside, you need to-” I was interrupted by a familiar sensation on the lips. After a few seconds, we came apart and she just shook her head and looked skywards. Seeing a smile grow on her face, I looked up to see the very epitome of pathetic fallacy. Just like in the horribly clichéd movies and like how I had always seen life in my imagination, it had started to rain. But this… this wasn’t anything I had ever imagined. This just seemed to make it worse.

                    “…I love you, you know.” Her words surprised me. I had been keeping my head down, hiding my face from her view. “But my time here… I think it’s finished. Don’t… don’t feel sad. Please. I’ve lived an amazing life with an amazing mare, and I don’t regret any minute of it. And when that science team that Ms. Sparkle led discovered a way to our plight, discovered how despite our inability to… naturally have children, we managed to… that was the one of the best moments of my life.”

                    “Tavi…” I tried forcing out words, but a lump in my throat wasn’t allowing me to say any more. Lifting my head up, I was sure that despite my efforts to stay strong and seem strong, she could see my despair in the forms of tear-stained cheeks and my inability to smile. “I love you too, Tavi… I just wish you didn’t… I wish you didn’t have to…” I couldn’t finish. My mouth just wouldn’t say the next word. Instead, I just broke into a massive fit of tears and buried my head in her chest. I could feel her warmth. I could hear her breathing, hear her pulse. But I soon heard a more familiar noise. I quickly recognized her humming a tune. I’d heard the soft tune before, but it took me a few seconds before it clicked.

                    “You… you remembered.” She nodded weakly, looking fainter by the minute. “…Faint Dreams. That… I thought you’d have forgotten it by now.”

                    “I don’t think I could forget it if-if I tried, White.” As she spoke, I could hear her fading. “It was our first song. And it was so different… we never… never did anything like that. Either of us.” Now it was my turn to not speak. I just stared on warmly. It was at that point that I had realized just how lucky I really was. To have a mare that loved me just that much, it made me smile a bit. And with that smile brought the second part of the duet. And there we sat for the next few minutes, humming the song in the pouring rain, feeling the thick raindrops falling everywhere. And when we were done the song, she just looked up at me, and once more we shared a kiss. Whereas the previous one had been of reassurance, this was entirely out of affection.

                    And then she was gone. Her lifeless body now draped between my hooves. I… I can’t remember anything past that point, though, until a couple weeks later when the funeral came around. It had been a big ceremony. Entirely deserved, too. She had managed to hire her sister, who at the time was one of the most renowned party planners in the business, and even if this wasn’t a party it still fell under the same category. The Wonderbolts showed up and flew overhead, courtesy of a familiar little filly. It was a bright, beautiful day, and while it would seem to ruin a funeral, it was only fitting. After that though… all I felt I had left was my work. So I just worked…

~*~

                    That was certainly an interesting month. I’m really not sure what to think of it, but it did give me more… drive. Not saying it wasn’t a sad month, however. That much is certainly true. I did get more into working, as I felt more that it might help others as it had helped us. My work had just begun to lose the personal touch that I gave it, and I guess this just helped me start anew. I remember the first time that I had felt so… rejuvenated. The first time that it was like I had gotten a fresh start. It was that fateful, terrifying night. I’ll never forget it… that was at the first Grand Galloping Gala I got to go to. It was one of those nights that you could just tell everything was going to go right. But then disaster struck…

~*~

                    “YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE ME!” The yellow pegasus screamed, terrifying all those around. I was hiding under a table out of fear, hoping that maybe nopony would notice me. Feeling my tail being tugged, I shrieked and flipped the table over, protecting myself from my attacker.

                    “Quickly. Follow me.” The gray mare spoke so calmly and in such a regal tone that I stood in shock. I had seen her earlier in the evening, but she had been busy either with work or her sister. Trusting her for the sheer reason of not knowing what else to do, I went with her. Leading us through numerous doorways, eventually we came to one of the many guest rooms in the castle. “This is my room. You’re welcome to stay until the panic dies down.”

                    “Th-thanks…” I had never been one for stuttering, but I was still a bit terrified. The last I had seen of the yellow pegasus was her standing with a chipmunk or squirrel or something hanging between her teeth. I shuddered at the thought of what might have happened. “Uh… so what’s your name?”

                    “You… don’t recognize me?” She sounded hurt, and I started to stammer about how the confusion had managed to confuse me and how I was panicked about the panicking. “Well, I know who you are, but I think I might have a little fun. Instead of names, we can just call each other by the colours of our coats?”

                    “Uh… sure, alright,” I replied. I wasn’t expecting something quite so… playful, though I didn’t mind it. By this point I had started to feel a bit self-conscious of my colloquialisms and mannerisms being unrefined, especially in comparison to her enunciations and calm and collected manners. “So then… Grey… I was wondering-” And then the power went out. And I guess so did my intelligence. I started hyperventilating, until the other mare came up with an extremely simplistic idea.

                    “You are a unicorn, correct? Could you perhaps light up your horn whilst I light a few candles?” Her inquisition was a simple one, and her calm tone put my worry to rest. Flaring my horn, I realized I was very unused to using magic and had forgotten a fair deal about it, so I just tried to focus on making it as bright as possible. Feeling a small tug inside, I closed my eyes and dug deeper and concentrated more on that small spark. “Oh my. Please, don’t strain yourself on my account.” Hearing the mare’s voice, I opened my eyes, and saw that the room was even brighter than it had been even when the power was on.

                    “Oh… heh, sorry ‘bout that. I’m not really used to using magic, so I’m not sure how much is too much or anything,” I wheezed out, having exhausted myself. She smiled and proceeded to light the candles. She was soon done, and my light happened to go out just a couple of seconds afterwards anyhow. Checking out the room, the candles barely gave off any light, and even the most prevalent of them, the ones on the nightstands, were dim at best. “These candles are pretty dim, eh?” I asked, attempting to make a bit of small talk.

                    “Oh, excuse me. I did not expect to use them in a case such as this. These candles are scented, so the unicorns at the factory that makes them gave them a flame resistant wick, which makes it burn for longer at the cost of some light.” Her knowledge impressed me. It may have been a random tidbit of knowledge that would otherwise have sounded like the pony speaking was a know-it-all, but somehow she managed to pull it off without sounding that way. Only she could’ve done that.

                    “Oh, no. I was just making some small talk. I don’t really mind if they’re dim or anything. In fact, I’d say I probably prefer them dim.” She looked at me inquisitively as I walked over to the bed and sat on it, due to it being the only thing of the sort in the room. I continued on with my thought. “Yeah, I prefer them dim. It just seems more fitting. This might sound cynical, but they just show how life is. You may have what you’re used to and know little differing from that, but once that’s taken away from you, and you have nothing to work with, you’re given something almost useless. In this case, a barely noticeable candle.”

                    “Hmm,” the mare hummed for a second, contemplating my metaphor before trotting over to the other side of the bed and sitting there. “Maybe you’re looking at it the wrong way, White. You may have a normal, and once that is taken away you may be confused as to what to do. But once you’re given something that is, as you put it, almost useless, then is it not simply amazing what one can do when given the need, or when given the desire? I think that while your metaphor was a bit cynical, much more good comes from it than you may have thought about or realized.”

                    “…huh. You’re right. Wow. Just… wow. I’ve gotta say, I’m impressed. You managed to turn around that opinion pretty quickly. Well done, Grey.” She just smiled and lay on the other half of the bed, seemingly caring less and less about well-bred mannerisms. Lying on my half, I continued. “You’re pretty cool, y’know that? We should hang out sometime.”

                    “I agree. I’ve enjoyed our time, as I rarely find a pony willing to look past my appearances and job. But… it seems to have gotten much quieter downstairs. Perhaps for now you should go back to your home. I will mail you when I have the time, White,” she said. After that, no words were spoken. Just a nod as I left her room.

~*~

                    I remember after that. The first time we actually meant to meet. I guess that was our first date, really. But it really didn’t seem to be anything all too interesting. Of course, I have to say that that place had delicious steak… heh. Look at me. Reminiscing and being nostalgic about times of the past. I wonder what anyone who knew me before I met Tavi would have thought of me at this age. I was so different back then…

~*~

                    “Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!” The crowd repeated itself. I remember almost failing, but I didn’t feel I was allowed to mess up, even if my lungs were on fire; I had to win. When I was finally done, all the other ponies had only finished half their drinks. I can’t blame them though; those were some big cups. Slamming my cup down, I just raised my hoof in a form of victory, angering the other ponies in the competition. I was so arrogant at parties. Walking through the crowd and up to the stereo, I turned the music down and shouted.

                    “Hey, everyone! Thanks for coming!” They screamed happily. “Well… I was gonna wait to show this, but I just can’t wait anymore, so here you go! The first song of the new album being released next month!”

                    Playing the song, the throng of ponies crowded into my not-that-humble abode went back to their partying. Content with myself, I walked outside and lit up a cigarette. Looking up at the stars, I could see the toils of Luna’s labour. The beauty captivated me for a second, which was just long enough for me to get a new idea in mind for work. Within seconds I had the idea all worked out in my mind, and knew just what should go where. Proud of myself for having thought up such a great idea despite the noise, I headed back inside and joined the partying populace of ponies.

~*~

                    Man… I never threw a party at my house after that. I nearly lost it when somepony spilled a drink on my turntable, even if I would’ve had enough money to replace it. It was just the principle of the thing, not to mention the sentimental value. I think… I think that I’m not just fine with those parties no longer being a part of my life, but rather happy about it. They were never such a good thing. Oh yeah… like that one about two years after meeting Tavi… that was certainly not a way to end a party, and I don’t think I’ve ever regretted doing something so much after seeing how Tavi reacted to it. I guess it gave me the push I needed, though.

~*~

                    I didn’t remember the party itself all too well, but over time I was told of what had happened. All I knew was that I woke up in an unfamiliar green room, and was unsure of what to think. I tried to sit up, but soon realized I couldn’t. I later learned that I had been struck by a paralysis spell so that I wouldn’t feel the massive amount of pain that I was in. Luckily, the pony who had cast it was nice enough to leave me in control of my head. Unluckily, that did leave me feeling my headache.

                    “Uh… hel-” I started to speak when the curtain beside the bed was flung open and I was met with an angry, yet caring, yet disappointed face. “T-Tavi?”

                    “Scratch… why have you done this to yourself?” She was choking out her words, threatening to burst into tears at any given moment. All I wanted to do was reach out and hug her; to hold her and to reassure her. But I couldn’t. “Just… just tell me why.”

                    “I… I don’t know why…” I said sheepishly. She hung her head, making me feel that much guiltier. “I guess… I don’t know. I’ve just… I’ve always been bad at resisting peer pressure. I don’t know… I just - I just want somepony to notice who I am. I’m tired of ponies looking at what they think is me, rather than… me.”

                    “Scratch… that is a terrible reason.” She chuckled bitterly, raising her head. Instead of the expected look of pained terror, there was a bittersweet smile plastered upon her face.  “You have somepony like that… isn’t… isn’t that enough? Just one pony?”

                    “Tavi, I just… I didn’t think that you…” I left my sentence in the air, hoping for the mood to complete it for me, realizing soon that I needed to pony up. “Tavi… do… do you love me?”

                    “P-pardon?” She looked directly into my eyes, and I stared back into what seemed less like eyes, but rather bright pools of purple.

                    “I mean, uh… well, what I wanna…I’m saying that I… erm…” I tried to convey my thoughts in a workaround way that would maybe scare her less, but eventually I gave up. Not everything needs to be fancy. “Tavi, I love you. I don’t when this started, but I don’t think it matters. I love you, Tavi.”

                    “…oh. I… I think I understand what you mean, Scratch.” Her face changed as she spoke, but not how I was expecting. Rather than an awkward look of rejection, she simply looked happier. “I think… I think I love you too.”

                    “Heh…” I chuckled to myself. “Cool.”

~*~

                    Great way to end a conversation. Cool as a cucumber. But I guess that even when I’m at my best for conveying my feelings it’s pretty bad. But Tavi never cared about that. That always made me feel so… that may have been why I love her. Loved her. There were other reasons, of course, but that one got me through so much that would’ve been ruined with any other pony. She was so understanding, and not once did she get unreasonably angry. It almost seemed as though her life wasn’t even made to bring her happiness, but rather to bring me happiness. Maybe I’m selfish for looking at it that way, but I was never certain if I ever actually made her happy.

                    I think I made her happy… I hope I made her happy. I wish I could say that all that she needed to do to make me happy was be happy herself, but that wasn’t the case. No, it may not have been the case then, but I was young and I was stupid. It’s the case these days. I hope she was happy. That’s all I can do now. Hope. That and continue. If Tavi’s… if she had never left me, I don’t think that I would’ve been able to really… continue. Her passing has made me grow.

                    I’ve become a stronger mare than I had ever thought possible. And it’s all because of Tavi. I guess… I don’t owe her my life. No… she made my life. And while I may not owe it to her, she owns it. That sounds rather contradictory. Oh, my. I haven’t felt this for so long. I haven’t done this for so, so long. I can’t really see anymore, everything’s so blurry. It’ll be done soon. The water will finally break free from my eyes. I don’t know why I’m crying, though. I’m not… I’m not sad that the time has come. I might even get to see Tavi, who knows. I mean, I’m not happy that the time has come either though. Don’t get me wrong. There’s so much more I could do with my life if I had it for longer.

                    So much I could do, yet some days all I did was wonder. I just thought about how life has been for all the ponies that I’ve met over the years. All of the ones that I haven’t seen for years, or the ones that have just been a massive part of my life. And one that always pops up is that little orange filly. Octavia really liked that kid. And I did too. She was an amazing kid, but I always felt so bad because of her… situation. And while I was opposed to what Octavia suggested at first, I guess that the little pegasus even grew on me after a while. But what was that kid’s name again? I know it was something odd, but what was it? Oh, that’s right. Scootaloo. What are you doing these days, kid?

~*~

                    “We can’t just leave her!” shouted the mare beside me, barely audible over the pounding rain.

                    “I-I know! But we have no room, Tavi!” I shouted back at the top of my lungs. It may as well have been a whisper spoken from a mile away.

                    “We have a couch at least!” The mare had a point.

                    “Okay, but this isn’t becoming a daily thing!” Before I’d even finished my sentence, Tavi was running into the rain with umbrella in mouth. There was a small orange pegasus who we had seen wandering around town, but we’d never actually been able to figure who her parents were. All we knew was that she idolized Rainbow Dash just as much as Rainbow Dash idolized the Wonderbolts.

                    As Tavi got over to Scootaloo, the filly picked her head up, noticing the new lack of rain hammering her. She stood up for a second and quickly sat down, looking back down at her hooves. I could see Tavi mouthing some words, but couldn’t make them out. I guess they got to the filly though; Tavi and Scootaloo started walking towards the house. As they got closer I could see that the tiny pony’s wings were a mess and that she had mud all over her body, from head to toe. She had a bad cut on her knee that threatened infection in this unprotected environment, on which side she was limping.

                    “Scratch, please get the bathtub ready.” The filly’s face contorted into one of disgust and disapproval as she started to struggle for freedom. The tiny pegasus writhed and thrashed, trying as hard as possible to get out of Tavi’s hooves. Of course, Tavi managed to keep hold and keep calm, showing little effort on her face. I just tried to ignore this as I walked into the bathroom and filled the tub with some warm water. Feeling a bit lacking, I realized that we still had some bubble soap left over from when Tavi’s sister was babysitting here, so I poured some in.

                    Almost the second I was done pouring in the bubble solution, the ponies both barged into the room, with Scootaloo hiding behind me and Tavi looking much more distraught than she had looked just minutes ago. I looked down at the filly and she just shut her eyes. I turned my body so that I could face her better, and bent down to about face-level. She looked frightened, unsure of what we were going to do.

                    “It’s alright, sweetie,” I said softly in the filly’s ear. “We just want to make sure you’re safe. That you’re clean and warm. We just want you to be taken care of, okay?”

                    That seemed to do the trick. She lifted up her head and, not even looking me in the eye, climbed into the tub. It took a few minutes after, but soon enough she started to relax; to have fun, even. She started inspecting the bubbles, popping them rhythmically. I saw a small, almost unnoticeable smirk pop up on Octavia’s mouth as the kid made magic with the environment. It was that moment when I realized just what we were going to do. And it’s how Scootaloo got to be our other child.

                    It took months for her to actually ever open up to us about what had happened that left her as she was. Turns out there was a big accident regarding her parents, and nothing worked out right for the poor filly. She always was the unlucky type, though. Like that time she entered the talent show, and somehow didn’t manage to realize her talent. That very same talent that got her to where she is today.

                    She grew up so quickly. I guess that must be something to do with her being the third child, but I don’t know for sure. No matter what, I wish those years could have lasted a bit longer. I mean, of course it was difficult; neither Tavi nor I are pegasi. We certainly caught a break when Rainbow Dash decided to pretty much be her big sister. We had started to worry about her ability to fly, and if that would have any kind of effect on her special talent. Turns out that it didn’t.

                    I remember visiting her last year… that was such a fun visit. We laughed so much, just reminiscing about the old days. She told me she was getting promoted to captain this year, as Rainbow Dash had simply gotten too old to fly. Not that she was incapable, but the age limit on the Wonderbolts is pretty restricting. She seemed fine with passing on the mantle, though. Maybe she was just fine with being done. Or maybe she was just fine with it being Scootaloo. I still remember when I was being told all this. The younger pegasus’ eyes lit up so much when she was talking about her dreams. And I still remember what she had said.

                    “Oh, um… by the way. Thanks, Scr – thanks, mom.” She had called me her mother, and I think that I might have let a few tears break free of my eyes. She saw this, though, and thank Celestia for her charm. “Oh come on mom! I can’t be seen with you like this, not when Dash is right here!” she exclaimed, laughing immediately afterwards. Rainbow Dash just smiled and closed her eyes. And I just hugged Scootaloo tightly. I guess that you do mellow with age, and I’m thankful for that.

~*~

                    Thinking about my kids… I wonder how the other kids will react. Probably not too badly. They’re both so strong. I just wish I could tell them that myself. Just one last goodbye to them would be great. But there’s nothing I can do now. I should feel worse about this, but it seems all too fitting. I wish that I could say that I’ve been a great mother, that I cared for them always and that I still care for them, despite them now being old enough. But I can’t. I wasn’t that kind of a mother. That was always Tavi. No, I was the strict one. Unlike with Scootaloo, I was the one that forced them out. Not too early. Just when they were ready. Sometimes I remember that being as strict as I was got them so angry at me. Sometimes it felt as though they didn’t love me. I know they did, though. I always knew that. And I love them too, but I haven’t seen them for so long now. When was it last? Ah, right. Apart from Tavi’s funeral, of course. The last time we saw Nexus would’ve been the grandkids’ birthdays.

~*~

                    “Woah. The little tykes grew up fast on you, eh?” I asked my son, jabbing him in the ribs. Nexus just smiled and hummed in affirmation. I watched on as my grandson and granddaughter celebrated their going into adulthood at the same time. The twins were so happy that day. I remember Tavi and I got a telescope for Starry Knight, while for Short Key we got a top-end studio microphone. They may have cost a fortune, but I’ll always remember the looks on their faces from that day. When they opened those presents, I remember Nexus may have had even bigger a smile on his face than the two ponies. That was a pretty rough year for him, I remember.

                    The twins yelled thank you immediately and ran over to Tavi and I for hugs. That was a great feeling. Glancing over at Tavi, I could see tears forming in her eyes as she beamed and returned the hug. Soon enough, the excitement died down and the birthday ponies went to go test out their gifts, leaving just Tavi, Nexus his wife, and I. I never knew her that well, but she seemed like a nice mare. Clumsy, but nice. It always made me wonder why her name is Lucky. Whatever the case, the kids turned out alright and Nexus was happy, so I was happy. I remember making plans with Nexus for when Tavi and I should visit again. But… I also remember breaking those plans.

~*~

                    I wish that hadn’t been the last time I saw Nexus. I think my last words to him were something about the Wonderbolts. Not even something to do with him. I’m sure… at least I hope that he knows how much I love him, though. Thinking about it, it didn’t go much better with Soft Chord. She invited us over to have lunch one day. That was it. She lived three towns over, but she wanted to see Tavi and I, so we went. Just a regular day though… nothing spectacular happened.

~*~

                    We arrived at the front of the modest cottage and knocked. About a minute later, the small grey pony opened the door, and I just stared for a second. After having not seen her for a few years, I had forgotten just how much like her mother she looked. Not um… not me. Luckily, she didn’t seem fazed by my odd behaviour, and Tavi swiftly kicked me in the leg, jarring me to attention. Smiling, I started to both hug and speak.

                    “Hey, Chord. How’s it going?” As I talked, I felt almost like a stranger to the little filly that I knew so well. I didn’t even know what to say. In my mind, it was almost certain that she had changed since we’d seen her last. Fortunately for me, she was still the loving, kind pony that had grown up to be the main mare of the orchestra. Tavi was so proud of that. Inviting us in, she began speaking.

                    “I’m good, thanks. How are you two? And I hope that I’m not being a burden or anything, calling you out here so far…” She trailed off. She was often like this, and was always so apologetic. But that just made her that much more lovable. As I started to look around the house, Tavi started to answer the question. The house was a very intriguing combination of Tavi’s and my tastes. Somehow it all managed to flow so well together though, and I grinned widely. I had felt so happy to see a pony that had been influenced so much by us, even if it was because she was related.

                    “So, Chord…what’s new with the orchestra these days?” I asked, mostly out of Tavi’s sake, though I have to admit to being curious myself. Hearing the generic answer explaining they were fine and all, I nodded and waited for this to be over. I hate to admit it, but I was somewhat on autopilot for the rest of the time there. It wasn’t that I was bored, I was just… I was having a hard time listening. Eventually, we left and all I said was that she had better get back to practicing for the sake of the orchestra.

~*~

                    And I guess… I guess I’ll never see her again. Her or Nexus… I shouldn’t feel so sorry for myself though. In the end, I at least got to have children. My own little filly and colt running around… that thought just made me so bubbly inside. And I guess thinking about it, the words I said had to have been the ones that were fitting. I mean, they were me talking as me, and not as a fulfilled, albeit slightly depressed aged mare. Not some sappy stuff that they wouldn’t expect.

                    Then there were the niece and nephew. I guess it’s probably a good thing that they’re so young. Then they won’t have to feel so sad when they remember me. The last time I saw them, they were so much like their parents. Not both the parents at the same time, of course, or else the universe may have just imploded right there. No, Cupcake inherited her father’s slow-going, yet thoughtful attitude. And to continue the irony, Golden Delicious got that crazy, lovable pink mare’s energetic and carefree attitude. At least the kids will probably head into their parents’ businesses. So there’s that. And all that I’m doing is reminiscing… I guess it’s not all bad though. Heh.

                    As I sit in front of this, my oldest friend in the world, I feel so… content. All that I can do until the moment strikes is remember. Be happy for the good times I’ve had. Be sad for the misfortunes that have struck. I lived my life to the fullest, both spiritually and physically. I’ve made so many people happy. I have received so many happy letters. About how I’ve affected some things that are very dear even to me. About how my work has brought so many together. So many times have they been about Tavi’s and my Faint Dreams bringing together others. I think… maybe that was what I wanted. I think I just wanted to make ponies happy. And I guess… I guess that’s alright. It happened. As I close my eyes one last time, I have just one thought to myself: this was certainly a good life. This was certainly a life worth living.

~~~

A/N

                    Y’know, this is the first thing I’ve ever written and finished. And my God did it ever take a long time. It’s not even long, or especially well-written. It just took me a long time. But I’m done now, and hopefully you guys all felt the feels and cried a veritable river. I might not be some kinda metaphorical author like ROBCakeran, whether he meant to be or not, but y’know.

In all sincerity, I hope you guys enjoyed this. You’re all great if you read this, and you’re great even if you didn’t. Also, suppose I should thank the people that proofread this. So yeah, thanks Cassie, Laura, and Ethan. Cause you guys are pretty cool. Also that pre-reader that told me what I had done wrong and stuff the first time around. And of course, thanks to all of you readers. I hope you enjoyed it.

~MisterJayBrown