//------------------------------//
// 14: Penance 
// Story: A New Equestria book the second 
// by ZeirMakavar 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 14
Penance


Is doing something you know to be morally wrong, to protect those you care about a wise thing to do? Would you harm another, if it meant saving a life? Death of the few, to protect the many. But is such a thing the right way to go?
What if it was the only way to go? Faced with certain destruction would you sacrifice those few to save the many, even if it meant being alone?
Here in lies the problem. Those who know the history of our world, and if possible other worlds, would see such a pattern arise in that those who sacrifice those they knew to stop calamity, are then shunned by their fellow survivors. And yet, they'll eventually forget who was sacrificed. They will only remember that the shunned, were shunned.





Rourke sighed, as he looked out the window to the room the town graciously gave him. Before him was the messy pile of notes he had gathered over the centuries, before and after meeting Deacon and his family. Looking over his notes, he sighed once again, shaking his head. "And here I thought that this would be a simple matter." He sighed, as he sat there. "Are we really doomed to die at the hands of madness?"
"Oh I highly doubt that." Celestia chuckled as she walked into the room. "If I know you and father, you both have a plan in place to avoid such calamity."
"I'm glad you hold us in such high regard Celestia." Rourke chuckled, as he once again looked out the window. "Though it is only that. The regard is misplaced."
"So you have no plan?"
"No." Rourke said, shaking his head. "I have no sort of plan that could easily stop what is to come to those girls."
"So then why did you tell me to found the Templar?" Celestia asked, looking out the window as well. "Was there another reason to it's creation other then to secretly stop the progression of madness?"
"No." Rourke sighed, looking over at Celestia. "The Knights Templar was only a test. A test to see if ponies had the capacity in them to cast aside their moral principles to stop Madness. And quite frankly, I'm glad at least one of the ponies passed that test."
"Green Hunter."





Rainbow Dash sighed, as she sat at the table staring at it. "Is everything alright?" Shinze asked her as he sat across from her. "You've been rather quite since you returned from town."
"I've just been thinking..."
"You thinking?" Shinze chuckled, shaking his head. "That's about as much as an oddity as it can get."
"Sh-shut up..." Rainbow mumbled, looking away.
"About what?"
"Huh?"
"You said you were thinking." Shinze sighed, smiling slightly as Rainbow Dash looked back at him. "And so I ask, about what?"
"I was thinking about something that Deacon said..." Rainbow sighed, looking away again. "He said betrayal was in my mist, and it would come from somewhere unexpected..."
"And so you thought he was talking about me?" Shinze asked, sighing. "And some of the shifty things I'd done in the past."
"Right, I thought that at first..." Rainbow nodded, chuckling softly. ""But as I thought more about it, it couldn't have been you that he was talking about. You work for him, and were only doing as he ordered. So you couldn't be who he was talking about."
"This is true," Shinze chuckled patting Rainbow on the head. "Besides, betraying you would mean I wouldn't be able to torture you everyday. I rather enjoy that."
"Thanks..."
"So then you've been thinking about who it could be then?"
"Not really..." Rainbow said, shaking her head. "I'm more worried that it's me..."
"Oh?"
"He also said... He said that what gave me these markings, which I think might be as old as Sigils, if thats not what they are. They're the cause of Nightmare Moon."
"And you fear that they plan the same with you?"
"Yes."
"I highly doubt that such a plan would work Rainbow Dash." Shinze chuckled, nodding slightly. "For one, your extremely loyal to your friends and would probably do anything you could to help them. For another, your too proud of yourself to just stand by and let somepony go around manipulating you."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence Shinze."
"Eh," He shrugged, turning to leave. "It's what makes you attractive."
"I wish you'd stop doing that..."
"Not going to happen."
"Look Shinze..." Rainbow sighed, looking away from him. "Thank you."
"You are welcome Rainbow Dash." Shinze chuckled, before looking over at her. "Though I'd like to know why I am being thanked."
"Because... I don't know..." Rainbow sighed a slight blush on her face. "I guess because you always been there for me?"
"You state your answer as a question." Shinze sighed, looking around the room.
"I know..." Rainbow sighed, looking over at Shinze before continuing. "I guess with all that's been going on I've been questioning myself a lot more..."