//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The Chronicles of Dark Star: A Blade of Redemption // by D4ftP0ny //------------------------------// A gentle breeze wafted through the half-open window in the small room, stirring the drapes that had until then kept it comfortable and dark within. The breeze, however, was having none of that, and promptly flicked a corner of the drapes away from the wall and shot a quick shaft of sunlight into the room, stabbing through the blackness and landing squarely into the face of one large, dark-colored unicorn who lay curled neatly on the floor. The pony winced, but his eyes remained closed. The breeze returned moments later, blowing the drapes gently forward time and again, allowing the increasingly annoying sunbeam to invade the peaceful dark within and cast itself onto the unicorn’s face. Ugh… Celestia’s sun has apparently not forgiven me yet, the unicorn thought. He opened one bright green eye and glanced at the window, only to have the sunbeam return and temporarily blind him by shining directly into his eye. He winced again, shutting his eye against the offending light as he sat up and stretched his muscular chest and neck. Well… now is as good a time as any to wake up, I suppose. He blinked his eyes, trying to rid himself of the pesky white dot that invaded his vision as he looked around the room. It had been a very long time since Dark Star had been able to enjoy the hospitality of another pony, let alone stay a night at an inn, but when he had successfully brought the family he’d found in the forest into town, the stallion had insisted that he be allowed to put Dark up in one for the night. Dark Star had refused initially, but the stallion had paid anyway before leaving with a polite nod. Dark had almost left regardless, but after some consideration he had decided to take the room- after all, it had been very late, and he had not wanted to try and find a place to sleep outside the town. The black unicorn rose from the floor and stretched fully, working his muscles and joints to wake them up. It had been a long time since he’d actually slept on a bed, and when he had tried… well, he’d slept on the floor for a reason. His horn glowed gently, and the blanket he’d laid down beneath him lifted from the floor; he folded it neatly and placed it at the foot of the bed, flexing his leg muscles systematically as he did so. After ten months sleeping on a bed of moss an actual bed was simply too… squashy for him, and he had been unable to get comfortable on it; however, a blanket, placed on the floor and rumpled slightly, had proven to be an adequate replacement. His horn glowed again, and from the corner his sword and sword-belt levitated, floating over to him and buckling itself around his waist securely. The sunbeam returned, shining brightly in the dark room just long enough to reflect off of the bright silver surface of the sword’s hilt and send a myriad of sparkling reflections bursting into the room for a moment; then the drapes fell, and the room was dark once again. He took several steps across the room to the table, where several apples sat in a bowl, obviously one of the random amenities that this particular inn partook of. The stallion whose family he’d saved, Tomato Vine, had told him to stop by the market today after he had woken up. The young mare and her mother had apparently wanted to thank him more appropriately… …and that was precisely why Dark Star would not be going. Praise, appreciation… they were the last things that Dark Star wanted from anypony. He shook his head slowly, his green eyes idly watching the drapes blow in the wind as he levitated an apple to himself and took a bite. To be honest, he was surprised that his name hadn’t been received with more trepidation. The last thing he wanted to be was the scourge he had once been, but… he had assumed that he would be reviled. He had assumed that everypony would have heard about what had happened in Canterlot, would have heard about him… I was not expecting to be rewarded upon my return, he thought wryly as he finished his apple. After everything he had done… deep down, Dark Star knew that he deserved to be hated, reviled, feared… everything except rewarded. After all, what had he done that was worthy of reward? He had given in to his hatred, almost killed the Element of Magic and the Princess of the Sun; were those actions worthy of praise? Were those the actions suited to a stallion who once held the heart of the Moon herself? Who… for all intents and purposes… still held it? He winced slightly. No… I deserve nothing less than the disdain of Equestria. I deserve to be run out of town, not put up in an inn… Dark Star sighed sharply and walked towards the window. Suddenly, the darkness of the room seemed less like a comforting blanket keeping him safe and more like a funeral shroud stifling the life out of him… because as much as he hated to admit it… he truly believed that of himself. His midnight-blue magic lit up the thick drapes and pulled them back… and outside his second-story window, Dark Star saw a crowd of ponies standing in the street, milling around expectantly as if waiting for something or someone. He blinked in surprise. Oh… that’s rarely a good thing… The faces of the ponies below were tight, and their conversations were low and urgent as they shuffled their hooves and waited… and in Dark Star’s not-inconsiderable experience, ponies who looked like that in a group were either a mob or a surprise party… and somehow, he doubted that the latter was true. As slowly and smoothly as he could he began to draw the curtains closed again, now very glad that he had already planned an escape route out the back door, but before he could vanish from the window one of the ponies in the street raised his head, and Dark Star felt the stallion’s eyes find him. “There he is!” The stallion pointed with a hoof directly at Dark, and the rest of the mob followed his gaze, the gentle murmur of their conversation suddenly stirring up like dust in a windstorm. Dark Star chuckled dryly and closed his eyes. So… looks like I’ll get what’s coming to me, after all. He released the curtains and stepped back up to the window, his eyes sweeping the crowd. There were quite a few ponies in the street; some were very obviously the hard-working farm ponies that were the backbone of this town and many around here, but some were smaller, lighter of frame and step- some mares, some stallions- who held themselves differently. From years of combat experience, Dark knew that those were the ponies to watch out for; they had been trained, in one way or another, to fight and defend themselves, and would not rely on the simple brute force that the farm ponies would. Unconsciously he shifted on his hooves so that the sheathed hilt of his blade bumped against his left leg- an old reassurance that his weapon was there and ready. His gaze moved from one side of the gathering to the other, and he was surprised to see the family he had saved there- Tomato Vine, his wife Pear Blossom, and their daughter Belle Pepper were all staring up at the window, at him, their eyes unreadable. Deep in his stomach, Dark Star felt a twist, and in spite of himself he grew angry- this was the thanks he received for saving their lives? To be placed in an inn until such time as the mob could come and rip him apart? Gratitude in modern Equestria is certainly not what it once was, he reflected sourly… but a part of him knew that this was what he’d expected. After all, how else would the rest of these ponies know about him if Tom Vine and his family had not told them? Wasn’t that what he was hoping for? With a sigh, Dark Star’s magic lit the frame of the window, and it slowly rose until it was fully open. He bowed his head slightly and stuck it out through the window; he knew that he would be putting himself at risk of the odd thrown rock, but he was confident that he could deflect them with his magic or, if it came down to it, his horn itself, although that never felt very nice. He stared down at them, his green eyes shining in the sunlight, his mane blowing gently in the warm spring breeze as he gave them a sad smile. “And what, pray tell, brings you fine ponies out here to stand in the street?” he asked, as if he didn’t know the answer. “Is there a parade I wasn’t aware of?” To his surprise, it was Tomato Vine who stepped forward, a stalk of wheat held firmly in his teeth. “Well, sir,” he began, his voice neutral. “When I asked y’all fer yer name, I said ‘twas so I could tell everypony I met ‘bout how brave you was, an’ ‘bout how you kill’t all them timberwolves t’save us.” Dark Star nodded. “Well sir… I dun exactly that… and we all wanna thank you.” “Now, I understand that you’re…” Dark Star began, hoping that he could forestall the wave of anger before it washed over him completely… but then he blinked as the words set in. “Wh…what now?” he asked. “That’s right, Mr. Dark Star!” Pear Blossom said from next to Tom, her face split with a wide smile. “We weren’t able to thank you properly last night, so when we woke up this morning, we started telling EVERYpony about what you did for us out there, and…” Pear stopped and wiped a hoof across her eyes. “…and all our friends and neighbors here in Withersville wanted to thank you right and properly.” The first stallion who had seen him nodded vigorously. “That’s right, sir! We wanted to thank you fer bringin’ the Vines in safe and sound, so we decided that we’d get the whole town to throw a party, in your honor, sir!” A cheer went up from the rest of the group, and from Tomato Vine’s other side, the young mare Belle Pepper leaped into the air, her eyes wide. “I think I love you Dark Star!” she shouted above the din, causing her father to blink in surprise as she squealed in fan-filly glee. Dark Star stared out the window at the crowd, cheering and shouting his name… …and as quickly as he could he withdrew his head, slammed the window, drew the drapes, and threw himself against the back wall, his eyes wide. What… what just happened?! Dark felt his heart pounding in his chest in panic. This is… this is NOT what’s supposed to happen. They’re supposed to hate me, scream horrible things at me, throw rocks and bottles and… and horrible nasty things at me! Not throw me a PARTY! A gentle yet insistent rapping on his door drew Dark’s wide eyes, and after a moment of staring at it to make sure that it would not suddenly offer to throw him a party, too, he cleared his throat. “Yes, who is it?” he asked casually. “Um… Mister Dark Star? I-it’s Stone Hearth, the innkeeper.” Dark Star exhaled and relaxed slightly, slumping down off of the wall back to all four hooves. He turned to the door and levitated his cloak around him, cinching the neck tight and pulling the hood up. No doubt he will want me to leave, either because of who I am, or because I… suddenly have a rather large and potentially unruly fan club. Either way, I shall face this with dignity. The black unicorn opened the door and turned his gaze to the wary face of the burly gray stallion that owned the inn. In all honesty, everything about Stone Hearth screamed innkeeper; his gray eyes were warm and kind, and his black-and-white dappled mane bespoke age and experience. Now, his eyes were carefully neutral, and Dark Star gave him a respectful nod. “Mr. Hearth,” he said kindly. “Mr. Star,” the stallion returned with a nod. “I’m afraid we need to talk…” “No need, Mr. Hearth,” Dark Star said, moving to step past him into the hall. “I was planning on taking my leave today anyway- starting right now won’t hurt.” The gray stallion moved to block him, his eyes confused. “Whoa there, partner… leaving?” he said. Dark Star’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Yes… I’m leaving, sir,” he said quietly, and in spite of Stone Hearth’s respectable size, he took an involuntary step back away from the large black unicorn. “I have places to go, and things that need attending.” Stone Hearth hesitated for a moment, but stood his ground as he searched for words. “Well sir… I was going to ask you to gather your things-,” “I had anticipated as much,” Dark Star began, but Stone Hearth held up a massive hoof. “-because I was gonna move you to a nicer room, the best one we have, and let you stay another night, no charge. What you did for that family was right heroic, sir, and-,” Slowly, the innkeeper’s voice faded away as Dark Star stared at him, trying in vain to comprehend what was going on. Finally, he held up his own hoof. “Th-that’s quite enough,” he croaked. “I… I’ll still be taking my leave, thank you. Thank you for your hospitality and… good day.” The black unicorn slid past Stone Hearth, graceful despite his larger size, and hurried down the hall while the gray innkeeper hurried behind him, asking him to reconsider, and telling him about the wonderful soup his wife was going to make that evening. I have to get out of here, Dark Star thought desperately, taking the stairs downwards as fast as he could before hanging a left down the hallway that would lead him to the back door, his cloak billowing behind him as he fairly cantered through the building. He heard Stone Hearth behind him, calling to him, asking him to wait, but Dark Star’s mind was made up, and it was with great relief that he pushed open the door that would lead him to the alley behind the inn… …and when he did, he was greeted by a substantial crowd of ponies, smaller than the one out front, but one no less excited to see him. Dark Star blinked in surprise and horror as a cheer went up from one and all, and confetti was thrown into the air as the mob surged forward, seeking to absorb him into their ranks… and if that wasn’t bad enough, the mare leading the charge was none other than Belle Pepper, her large brown eyes wide with excitement. “Dark Star!” she cried, her smile widening so much that Dark was afraid it would split her face in two. “We just want to thank you for what you did!” The black unicorn’s ears flattened against his head as the crowd gathered around him, his eyes whipping back and forth as he sought a way out of the seething mass of ponies; unfortunately, they had him completely boxed in against the building. He turned to the door, hoping to escape back through the inn, but even as his magic grasped the doorknob the door swung open and Stone Hearth popped his head out, his brow furrowed. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay the night?” he asked. “We can have pancakes for breakfast.” Dark Star gave him a solid frown before turning back to the crowd. Looks like there’s nothing for it… With no other options, the large unicorn crouched low, gathering his muscular legs beneath him; then, with a grunt of exertion he leaped into the air, throwing himself over the heads of the smaller ponies around him. A dozen sets of eyes watch him in awe as he sailed over them, his cloak flaring around him like huge, dark wings; he stretched his legs out before him, and thankfully he had leaped just hard enough to make it to the edge of the crowd- only one pony had to scramble out of his way, and the small mare didn’t appear to be hurt as Dark Star landed and began to run. The crowd surged after him, their shouts echoing off the buildings and drawing the attention of the group at the front of the inn; Dark Star could hear them giving chase from the main street, and his ears flattened against his head even more, if that was possible. This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever had to deal with! Angry Princess? Sure! Elements of Harmony? Why not! Crowd of crazy ponies who want to throw me a party? THAT is something new! He ran as hard and as fast as he could, dodging to the left down an alley, then to the right down another, trying his best to throw the group of ponies off. Slowly but surely he heard the sounds of their pursuit begin to die down; the main group seemed to have lost him, and as he made turn after turn, all the while heading towards the outskirts of town, he heard the voices and hoof-falls of the smaller group grow fainter and fainter and finally, as he approached the edge of town, they fell silent completely. He slowed his pace to a walk, his breathing coming briskly as he slipped behind one of the larger homes on the edge of town and slumped to the ground, his back against the wall. He glanced to his left, towards the main street, his ears perked towards it as he listened and watched for any signs of the crowd, but thankfully, they seemed to have officially given up. He sighed with relief and allowed his head to flop back against the house. “I can’t believe that,” he muttered, his hoof adjusting his sword as it sat jammed next to his body against the house. “That was just…” he shook his head, at a loss for words; he opened his eyes and gazed up at the clear blue sky for a moment before turning to his right… …where he locked eyes with the large, sad brown eyes of Belle Pepper, who had somehow come to sit next to him as if she had been there the whole time. Dark Star’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped open. How… how did she find me?! His muscles tensed beneath his cloak as he waited for the excitable mare to begin shouting for her friends to come and find him, to begin his frantic flight yet again… but no shout came. His eyes remained locked with Belle’s, and the mare simply watched him closely for several moments before finally she spoke. “Why are you running, Mr. Dark Star?” she asked quietly, confusion playing silently across her eyes. “All we wanted… all we want to do is say thank you proper-like.” The black stallion watched her carefully, and after a moment allowed his muscles to relax again, but only slightly. “Ms. Pepper, you don’t want to thank me,” he said softly. “I don’t deserve your thanks.” Belle lifted her hoof slightly towards him. “That’s what you said in the forest, and you’re wrong, Dark Star,” she said, her voice pleading. “You saved us, saved me, from those awful timberwolves, and… and you’re a hero, Dark Star!” The black stallion rose to his hooves, his green eyes flashing. “Don’t call me that,” he said, his voice cold. “You have no idea what I’m like, filly. You have no idea the kinds of things I’ve done, the kind of pony I am. You know of ONE ACT in my very long life, and you dare, you DARE to try and call me a hero?!” Belle Pepper seemed to shrink before him, drawing her hooves up against her chest as he spoke… and after several long moments, tears rose in her warm brown eyes as she stared up at him. Dark Star felt his anger begin to fade, the flames of his ire quickly snuffing out and becoming a cold knot in his stomach. He turned quickly away from her, drawing the hood of his cloak up around his face before taking a hesitant step away. Part of him hated to leave her in tears… but the alternative was worse. He didn’t get more than a few steps away before her voice stopped him in his tracks. “If you’re not a hero… why do you act like one?” she asked, her voice quavering gently. “Why… don’t you want to be loved..?” The black stallion hesitated a moment, and when he turned back to Belle Pepper, his eyes were sad but firm. “Because I don’t deserve to be loved,” he said quietly. “I’m a monster… and I don’t deserve it.” He turned his back on Belle Pepper and on Withersville, dug his hooves into the ground, and took off at a run; the road would take him farther north, but at that moment he didn’t care which direction he went, as long as it was away.