//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 
// Story: After Discord 
// by Faindragon 
//------------------------------//

Friends.
They can come in many shapes.
You can get them in the most unnatural way.
But a friend is a friend.
No matter what has happened between you.
If you can not accept a friend.
How do you think you will be accepted yourself?


*^*


I looked in confusion at the scene in front of me. Corelight had jumped onto the fallen Lightheart, pinning him down. The rest of the narrow, short hallway was empty. Luckily.

“Get of me, Corelight.” Lightheart hissed at the light unicorn above him. “What are you doing.” 

Corelight ignored his captain, looking straight at me.
“Run you foal! I’m rescuing you!”

I could only look at them. I had to force down a laugh.

“Corelight, what do you think will happen here when I have run for it? You will not be able to pin Lightheart down for ever you know.” I said with a snort. “And I do not think you would kill him either, you did not kill me during the arresting of me, and I was the one who killed your father!”

“My FATHER was corrupted! You made this city a big favour by killing him!” Corelight nearly shouted at me. “And he is not the only one who are corrupted here! This city is full of filth!”

Lightheart looked from me to Corelight.
“Corelight, get off me this instance. You have gotten this on the wrong side of the hoof.” He sighed. “Do you want to tell him? We can restrain him here if he tries to fight us but I think we can trust him.”

At this point was Corelight completely lost.
“Tell me what? What is going on?”

“Get off him Corelight. He is helping me escape.” I said, smiling at Corelight.

“But he turned you in! He ordered your arrest! He did not lie to us and said that you was not a traitor!” Corelight looked wildly between me and Lightheart. “What is going on?”

“Corelight, the general captain already knew about me. He knew everything and tried to trap Lightheart. Lightheart however did not know anything. For him was I a friend who came there every day to meditate, to pray. But he asked me the night of my arrest, asked me about what happened a night for two weeks ago. And I told him.” I paused, looking at Corelight. He meet my eyes. ”I guess he panicked, he knew what was going to happen to him if he did not order me arrested. He could not do that, he have a family. And I do not think he believed me back then. I do not blame him, I would take the same decision as he did.”

I thought of my daughter, thought about Honey. If anything had happened to her however.
“She is dead.... You let her get killed! You killed her!”

I forced away the voice again. Honey is alive, she had to be!
“He is going to lead me to the gallows, and there am I to knock him over. From there on will I run for it.” I said to Corelight.

Corelight released Lightheart and slowly stood up, looking between me and Lightheart.
“You planned this? You planned this all along?”

I chuckled.
“No, I was believing that I was dead meat. Lightheart had betrayed me. And then I get to him today... He told me all about what he had planned, how we should do. All to let me free and to keep his family safe.” I said, looking at Lightheart.

“Do it...” the voice in my head called.

I turned to look at Corelight.
“But you on the other hand. Give me one. ONE. Reason for me to believe you. Every day when you brought food did you beat me, more than once giving me a wound. I walked out of there today with a broken rib as well! So WHY should I trust you? Yes, I have heard the story about that you healed my wounds after I had been laying and slammed my hooves in the wall, but that is not enough. WHY should I trust you?”

I took a deep breath, calmed down after my outburst. Corelight seemed to have been getting smaller and smaller, he had tried to duck away from the words.

I stood there for a good minute before I looked away from him, looking at Lightheart.
“What are we going to do? We must walk soon or they will start to wondering and if we leave this one here will he probably tell the first guard. We can not kill him either, it would look suspicious.”

“I was beating you because it felt as if you had betrayed me.” Corelight stood up at looked at me. “You killed my father, one of many corrupted higher ups in this city, and then you just gave up. You allowed us to arrest you! Of course I hated you! I healed your hooves to give you a chance when this day would come!” he said. 

I did not look at him.
“Can we trust him to not tell anypony? We do not have time for this! They will start to wonder, and that would put both us and our family in danger.” I asked Lightheart.

“He just jumped me, I believe we can trust him.” Lightheart said, getting up hon his own hooves again, turning towards Corelight. “Why have you not spoken up about this corruption earlier? This city need to get rid of it! How many more do you know that are corrupted? Anything you say can help my friend clear this city!”

Corelight looked straight at me. It felt as if he wanted to ask me something.

“He will stab you in the back as soon as he get the chance. The pain goes deep to loose a parent, nor matter how much you loathed them.” the voice whispered to me. I tried to ignore it.

“Ask it” I said to Corelight. “I do not know what you want to ask, but just do it.”

Corelight looked suprised.
“I...” he stuttered. “I would ask you to take me with you. I have no future in the guard, not as it is now. I want to see this city cleaned from corruption, but for other reasons than you. I have seen it from first hand, my father tried to learn me all about it. I refused to learn, so he threw me out. That’s where the guards found me. Let me help! I know things about this city that could be of use to you, I know part of the politics that few outside the castle know about!”

“He will stab you at first opportunity.” I forced the voice away.

Should I put him in danger? He was not old, but he had tried to save me. And if he knew even half about what he had said... Well, that would surely come in handy somewhere.

“You are in. But we have to leave now. Meet me at the castle gardens as the Luna eye reaches its peak.” I said to him, starting to get a little stressed.

“The what?” Corelight asked confused.

“Oh, sorry. Meet me at the castle gardens as the moon reaches its peak. If I’m not there before it has set then I have been killed or captured again.”

Lightheart looked at me in confusion this time.
“The castle gardens? Is that such a good idea? Its awfully close to the place you should be hanged at.”

I smiled.
“Exactly, they will not expect it.”