//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: War // Story: Just One Day // by CardBearer //------------------------------// Everything was perfectly quiet in the house. There was no wind anymore, no monster, nothing. It was so silent that Lion Heart could hear the beat of his own heart – which wasn't very hard, considering it was pounding quickly. The young stallion looked around, and tried to spot anything out of the ordinary, still trying to pretend this was an adventure. But his will had been sapped, and he could only think about the demise of his poor sister, about the terrible things he had done. He did not want to go on anymore – he just wanted the nightmare to end. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of foals laughing, somewhere not too far in the distance. The stallion perked up slightly, and trotted towards the sound of the laughter. He found himself in the living room soon enough; warm, cozy and simple, just the way it had always been. And yet, in the middle of it all, two foals were playing – and Lion Heart was horrified to see his younger self and Gentle Heart, playing together, as if she had never suffered the accident. Both of them were laughing heartily, and did not seem to notice the orange stallion, who simply stood, petrified at this sight. "A memory from happier times," the voices murmured; this time, the stallion did not react, still watching the two foals playing. "It was all so normal, wasn't it, Lion Heart? But when the accident took place..." The sound of shattering glass echoed through his mind, and suddenly the ghosts of his childhood faded away, replaced be pure darkness. He could not see where he was anymore, and the floor felt cold and lifeless beneath his hooves. "...then everything changed," they berated. "You took away her happiness, you took away your parents', and you took yours away." Then the voices were silent once more, and Lion Heart was left alone, to think about his terrible actions on that day. He laid down on the ground, and closed his eyes. He felt the tears well up behind his eyelids, but he refused to let them come out; perhaps it was the last part of his bravery that refused to show weakness such as this. If he hadn't been there, if he had never been born, then what? His sister would've been happy. He couldn't have hurt her, and she would've lived a perfectly healthy life, without a little brother, and she could've kept on using her legs like a normal filly. His parents wouldn't have had to deal with the fate of their daughter, and they, too, would've been happier for it. He would never forgive himself for this – how could he? He had been too afraid to face the truth before, but now, it was as clear as crystal in his mind. He was guilty of this, and there was no redemption, no going back to simpler times this time. There was only darkness ahead, and the pretense of false courage; the lie he had lived ever since that day. "Finally, you understand," the voices said, and this time they were softer, soothing. "Your terrible acts have cost more than just your own happiness. But you are wrong in one thing, Lion Heart: there IS a way to redeem yourself. And I will guide you through this ordeal, so that you may finally know peace. You only need to accept my deal, and you will never have to deal with this sort of pain again. What do you say, little stallion?" Lion Heart remained still on the ground for a long time, pondering about the offer. Why should he trust those voices? They had worked against him since the beginning of this nightmare, why should he trust them now? But then again, he had no other choice. He wanted to redeem himself, and he didn't know how. In his current state of mind, he would've done anything to make it up for his actions. Anything. "Yes," the young pony said as he stood up, legs firm now with determination. "Please...help me make up for what I've done." "Good!", the voices giggled. "Here's what you're going to do, then..." *** Lion Heart emerged from the Everfree Forest, looking haughtily at the town of Ponyville. Night had fallen once again, as a day had almost passed since he had gone into the Forest by himself. And yet, in less than a day, so much had changed about him. His hair was much messier than before, and he was covered with dirt and old leaves. Furthermore, although his leg wound has since then closed, dried blood was still staining his right front leg. Furthermore, he was holding up a knife in his mouth. The hospital of Ponyville was not very far from his position...Lion Heart silently walked through the night, making as little noise as he possibly could, until he reached the establishment. He examined it; on the side of the building, there was an open window, and it was on the first floor. The stallion smiled at his own luck, bit on the knife strongly so that it wouldn't fall, and then proceeded to climb, as best as he could, until he reached the window. He jumped through, and immediately against the side of a cupboard, examining any approaching guard. A doctor was just patrolling the corridor of the hospital, just in front of him, but he soon disappeared in an adjacent one, having failed to notice Lion Heart. He quickly took advantage of this, and walked down the hallway, looking for a specific room number. He had to work fast, but not too fast, or he would get caught. One hundred and seventeen... one hundred and nineteen... There. One hundred and twenty one. The young stallion could hear his heart beat admist the silence, but he ignored his terror and slowly, quietly opened the door. It was a simple hospital room, without a single window, and just one bed on the inside. There was a wheelchair in the corner, and a table covered with flowers and various well-wishes. But the most important part of the room was the pony that was sleeping peacefully under the covers of the bed. She had a dazzling blue coat, and a long, black mane. Her head was resting on one side, her mouth half open, and even asleep she had a sweet, kind air about her. Steeling his resolve, Lion Heart approached the bed of her sister, the knife firmly held between his teeth. He looked at her, and it took all the courage he had left not to start crying. She was so beautiful, so kind, and yet she was condemned to never use her legs again. Because of him. "Good, Lion Heart," the voices whispered. "Now you have a chance to finally bring peace to your sister. Go on, then...do it." The young pony gulped. Was this really the right way to redemption? Would he be able to recover his happiness, to make amends with himself and his family if he did this? He was starting to have doubts, but then he remembered that there was nothing else. He moved forward, silently staring at his sister. He stood over her, and readied his strike. But then, the filly stirred in her sleep, and slowly opened her eyes. She groggily looked at her brother, her eyes half open, apparently failing to notice the weapon. Still, she smiled faintly. "Little brother, it's you," she said softly. "What are you doing here?" The young pony froze. He had no expected her to wake up, and suddenly his doubts came back full force as he heard her voice. "What are you waiting for?" the voices beckoned, losing their sweetness. "It's so late at night," Gentle Heart said, scrubbing her eyes with her hooves, a slight smile on her face."Mom and dad were worried; they said they didn't see you all day! Glad to see you're safe, Lion." The orange stallion did not move an inch, simply staring straight at her sister. She was not angry at him. She was not bitter. She was as loving and kind as she had ever been. In fact, her attitude had never changed, even right after the accident. His parents' attitude never changed, either. Had he forgotten about this? They never seemed to hold his mistake against him... "They are concealing their true feelings," the voice said, seething with anger. "Have you forgotten about your responsibility already, Lion Heart? DO IT!" Gentle Heart finally took a good look at her brother, and gasped. "Brother, what happened to you? Why are you so dirty? Why do you have a knife? Are...are you okay?" Lion Heart took a step backwards, completely terrified. He had made a terrible mistake...this was not the way he would reach redemption for his actions! This wasn't the right way! The voices had lied to him! "FINE!" they screamed inside his head, muting all other thoughts. "It seems like you're going to run away again! In that case, you'll suffer the price!" Suddenly, it was as if he was not in control of his body any longer; bucking against the air, fighting against the invisible force that was trying to take him over and manipulate him. He grunted and fought against it, yet his mouth seemed to move towards his own chest, the knife pointing straight at his heart. The voices were screaming inside his head, filling it with pure noise, preventing him from thinking about anything else, preventing him from stopping his own demise... Gentle Heart screamed. In what seemed like mere seconds, three guards and a doctor entered the room. They took a moment to assess the situation, then the doctor yelled, pointing at Lion Heart: "Seize him!" Still fighting and bucking against something invisible, Lion Heart rushed through the charging guards and the doctor, knocking them away from him as he ran down the corridor once again. "Running away again!" the voices roared. "Shame on you, Lion Heart! Shame! Shame! Shame!" "I won't let you do what you want," the young pony struggled to say, trying to fight against the vile thoughts that had manipulated him. "Stop! It is my fault, but I cannot do that to my sister!" "Coward! Weakling! Coward!" The guards and the doctor chased after him, trying to prevent a further catastrophe...but by the time they caught up to him, it was too late. Lion Heart had ran all the way down the corridor, only to launch himself out of the window. The fall seemed to last forever, as the voices made him relive the accident, again and again and again, and Lion Heart fought against it, remembering that his parents, his sister still loved him, and arguing that he would find another solution, he had to... "Now suffer the consequences of your actions! Suffer what your cowardice has brought onto you! Suffer your failure! Lion Heart!" Crack.