Dust

Lightning Dust was enclosed in a white cloud, drifting through the cosmos. Ahead of her, a rainbow band of color stretched out from horizon to horizon. As she drew closer, she could see golden fields waving in a gentle breeze, stretching for as far as the eye could see.

In the distance, Dust saw a magnificent white horse cantering towards her. As she came closer, Dust saw her brilliant white wings spread wide. A majestic horn projected from her red main, glowing with ethereal aqua light. She drew up before Dust, smiling serenely. Dust noticed a mark on her flank, a purple inkwell with a golden quill. Her large auga eyes bore into Dust, with a gentle smile on her muzzle.

“You’re magnificent!” Dust breathed, falling to her knees in awe.

“Greetings, my little child. I am Faust, and I have come to welcome you to eternity,” smiled the alicorn.

“Thank you!” breathed Dust.

Her face fell, gazing in sadness at the ground before her. “I don’t belong here. I’m an evil person.”

“No my child. You do not belong here. You belong in a place of eternal torment and anguish.” replied Faust gently.

She paused for a moment, to allow Dust to collect herself. “Fret not child. Mercy has been shown to you.”

Dust looked up to Faust, barely daring to hope. “How?” she croaked. “How can there be mercy for me after all I have done? How is it possible anyone could find it in their heart to show me mercy?” Tears fell from her cheeks as she cried out in her shame.

“Harmony hears the cries of her children. She has heard your cries. And she heard the cries begging mercy for your soul from her precious child, whom you attempted to cut down in her prime,” answered Faust.

“Sunset? Sunset prayed for me? She forgave me? She prayed for my soul?” whispered Dust, incredulous. She looked to Faust, hope lighting her face. “Sunset prayed for me?”

“Just so, my child. She prayed for you, has forgiven you, and begged Harmony you be released from your torment, to know everlasting peace instead of everlasting suffering. She begs you be allowed to roam the sacred fields of Elysium, here to wait for the day when she can join you in joyful eternity.”

Smiling in joy, Dust rose to her feet and hugged Faust gently. “Oh thank the Maker! Praise Harmony! Thank you dear Sunset. Thank you Faust! Thank you!” she cried.

“Come my child. Join us in these fields of peace and harmony!” Faust stepped back, horn glowing in power, wings outstretched.

Dust bowed to her knees, arms outstretched. “With all my heart, yes!”

A gentle light enveloped her, and she floated before Faust. She was transformed in an instant, arms and legs to legs and hooves, head and hair to muzzle and main, and from her back sprang two wings, flapping genty.

When the light faded, Dust floated before Faust as a beautifly pegasus pony. “Welcome to eternity, Lightning Dust. Come share our joy!”

With a laugh, Faust sprang away, bounding joyfully through the fields. Dust flew behinder her, laughing and calling out in joy.

THE END…. or is it.

Author's Notes:

Yeah, for anyone who guessed it - Dust was the ‘angel’. Amazing what you can get people to see and believe with a little PCP and some post hypnotic suggestions.

(Yes - PCP is Angel Dust. The irony was intentional. )

So what happened… Dust pretended to leave the house, but instead sat in a ball in the hallway balling her eyes out waiting for Sunset to trip complete balls. Why is she crying? Believe it or not, she has fallen for Sunset. Not in a ‘come on baby’ way, but in a ‘soul to soul deep spiritual sister’ way.

So why was our neighborhood butt-head still doing this horrible thing to her ‘soul sister’? She loves Gilda. Gilda was her only friend when she was younger, Gilda looked out for her and protected her, and helped her through some brutally rough times when she was growing up (abusive - but that’s another story). She would do anything for Gilda, even rip her own heart out. And that’s what she’s doing here. She is literally ripping out her heart.

Every vicious act she has done to Sunset, every betrayal, every time she whispered the subliminal lies through the speaker while Sunset slept (yeah, those dreams were a bit too spot on, don’t you think?), every time she turned on the subsonics to bring terror to Sunset’s sleep. As she slipped the PCP into Sunset’s soda then pretended like nothing was wrong. Then pretended like Sunset was sick. ‘Helping’ her into bed, then refusing to help her at all. And giving her the final ‘help’ of essentially walking her through her own suicide. It was ripping Dust’s heart out. Every step of the way. But she couldn’t stop. She needed to do this for her first love.

Dust is one broken soul. I love her, I hate her, I want her to know true peace and harmony, all at the same time.

Poor Lightning Dust.

At first, I was just going to let her demons eat her from the heart out, until she killed herself to find peace. But screw that.

No one gets to ride the short bus to eternity in my stories. If one person reads my story and decides I am saying it’s okay to take the short ride out, I have FAILED. I don’t get to ride the short bus to eternity, and no one else does either.

Like Faust said, our journey is not complete. There are hearts still to mend, love still to share, and joy to spread. Get cracking people - look around, it is needed EVERYWHERE. No leaving the field before this battle. Gird up and step into it. Face eternity, don’t flee to it. We have lives to finish living here. Our time will come when harmony calls us to her. Not before then.

So Dust, my second favorite broken soul - right after her soul sister Sunset - I give you peace eternally. Dust died for what she did. Not because Sunset could not forgive her - she could, and she did, and she ends up loving Dust’s soul as dearly as Dust does hers - only more perfectly, not because Sunset is perfect. But because Sunset is perfectly willing. She keeps coming back. She works it. And she won’t stop no matter what, because her heart cannot bear to lose one single soul along the way.

So Dust, my broken soul. You were caught. The Royals have cameras in their house, because they care and fear for the life and soul of their dearest foster daughter. You were watched. You were seen. And from that, Shining was able to find out everything. Prison is where you ended. And no, you were not allowed to join your first love. Our imperfect criminal justice system doesn’t work like that. You were alone, with only your broken heart and broken soul for company in the darkest hole of hell that is our prisons. And when one of your fellow inmates decided you needed to die, you did not fight them. Dust, you didn't take the short bus to eternity. But you did have a shorter ride then the rest of us.

And Dust, when you arrive, look up. Faust will be there. But guess what? She loves you, just as she loves Sunset, and all her ponies. And as you were dear to her beloved Sunset, you will be dear to her too, as she welcomes you joyfully, in mercy wholly unearned, to the beautiful waving fields of Elysium.