Forgiven, Forgotten

by Astraia Cantata

Seven

It was quiet for a mid-afternoon in the streets. Too quiet, it seemed to Brilliance. The streets that had just been full of life were now swept clean of trash, debris, and ponies. Part of him was on his guard, but most of his attention drifted to the sullen mare walking next to him. Was she mumbling again? (Yes, she was.) Something about Celestia and stupidity and merciful whatsit.

She had never been this way before. She had always had a reserved, quiet grace, not unlike the empty streets around them, knowing always what to say, how to say it, and above all when to say it, remaining silent otherwise. It was him that always had to put in his two bits. (Or fifty) Now, it seemed she just could not keep her mouth shut about those things she disagreed with, especially when it came to the subject of Nightmare Moon.

"Dike?" The only response was more muttering. Enough was enough. He had to know what was really bothering her.

"Di? Hello?" Did she even hear him? He trotted and stopped in front of her, fully expecting her to run into him, surprised when she stopped short.

"Get out of my way." She snapped.

"Di, talk to me."

"Do not call me that."

"I've always called you that, Di. Don't shut me out."

"What is there to talk about?"

"Well there is whatever you were just talking to yourself about."

"It doesn't concern you, so leave it alone."

"You are my friend, so yes, it does."

"Fine!" She growled, even further out of character. "I think that Celestia is just trying to confuse me so she can have her way with history, and warp it to her desires. But I'm not going to let her. I mean where does it end? Erasing Discord? Erasing the Crystal Empire? Erasing ME? I won't go down so easily. Oh, no, no. I am going to fight everything she throws my way." A toothy smile that just didn't suit her erupted on her face, and a twisted gleeful gleam in her eyes. "I will make her suffer."

Brilliance, however loyal to the Princess he might have been, refused to address the affront. All he could feel was pity for the confused child next to him. "Dike," he murmured gently, reaching out a hoof to stroke her mane, "What happened to you? I feel like I don't know you anymore, like the real you has left on some vacation and left a replacement. But I don't like this mare, and I would like my friend back."

"Well she isn't here right now, so go find someone else. I don't even care."

"See? That. That right there. You never used to use contractions like that. You were always very proper in your speech. Just like your mo..."

Her horn lit up like a roman candle, sparkling silver fire. "Finish that sentence, I dare you." Dike's face was no longer the royal, put together face of a lady, but a feral snarl,with her beige-silver mane falling in her face, covering one eye, which was narrowed so you could hardly see the pupils contracted inside the golden iris, lips drawn up showing her teeth, midnight blue coat bristled, with the posture of an irate bull. "I will never be like her. I HATE her."

Any stallion that cared for his life would have walked away, and let her be. Let it never be said that Brilliance was one of those stallions. All it took was the sun to come out from behind a cloud and reveal something shining in the corner of her eye, and he had made up his mind.

"Just like your mother."

She hit him with an expanding shield spell, throwing him back onto the slate streets about twenty paces, skidding to a stop in front of some other aristocrat's city house, leaving a crater-like trail in the road. He landed on his back, forever grateful to Faust and the Princesses that he was born an earth pony or his spine would have shattered from the impact. As it stood, he would be hurting in the morning.

Slowly lifting himself up out of the gravel that made up the street's foundation, he braced for the impact of another spell, and not a moment too soon. A boulder, roughly twice his size, (Where in Equestria had she gotten that?!?) was headed right in his direction. He tried to back up, but as fate would have it, the paranoid aristo had his house walled in with stone. The gray behemoth neared, and yet, Brilliance felt no fear.

When Dike opened her eyes, there was a rock and an impact crater in the street where her friend had been standing.

"Oh, stars above, no. No. No! Brilliance!" Nothing seemed to stir.

"Brilliance!" Still no response. She raced to the stone, praying to any deity that would listen. Not him, not him.

There were no signs of life from what she could see, but the lack of splatters or blood in the crater did offer a glimmer of hope. Still, after going around the rock for the nth time, she still could not find any trace of him. For whatever reason, she began beating the rock. She tried to lift the rock with magic, and when that failed, she continued kicking. Her feeble bucks would not help if he were actually underneath the rock, of course, but she was completely out of ideas, perhaps out of her mind, and refused to give up.

After what seemed like hours, her legs were beyond sore. Whatever it was that possessed her to keep kicking slowly ebbed out and finally left her splayed out in an empty street, completely drained of magic, strength, everything. All that was left was the guilt.

This is all my fault, she realized. I am just like her. And now I'll be alone forever, just like her. A foreign, yet somehow familiar, sensation welled up in her chest and tugged at the corners of her mouth, spreading across her face to her eyes. Had it really been that long since she last cried? And now she was sobbing, alone, and useless. Useless to Brilliance, if he had even survived. Useless to herself.

Perfect prey.

They climbed out from their hiding places; the stalls that had appeared empty, the dark shadows in the walls. They appeared to be ponies, hiding behind black hooded cloaks. All of their coats were as colorfully diverse as any other pony, if every other pony was darker than night. One, he appeared to be a unicorn, with a dark olive-green coat, lifted a strange looking crystal to his face. A looking glass?

"I have the descendant, and loyalty is broken." There was a guttural mutter from the glass. Oh, a scrying glass. For some reason, knowing what the thing was didn't make her feel any better. She was well aware that she was too exhausted to get up, let alone muster enough magic to defend herself. She was trapped.

"Yes, that is completely possible. I will bring her to you personally."

Did she have any voice left to cry out, and if she did, who would hear her? She felt her weight start to shift, and she realized she was being levitated onto the stallion's back. Where were they taking her? To whom? What were they planning with her? Dike was panicked; enough adrenaline rocketed to her limbs to get her kicking and screaming.

"Brilliance! Celestia! Help! Someone!"

"Oh, little princess, " the stallion dropped his hood to show his horn and eyes so icy blue they were almost white. "No one is coming for you."

She looked him in those cold, steely eyes for a moment. Just for that moment she lost her resolve. Just for that moment, she gave up on escaping. She looked away, and started screaming again, and fighting what little she could. Somepony cursed, and another thug slammed his hoof into her jaw. Her adrenaline rush was gone, and slowly she felt herself slipping.

"Mother..." was the last she uttered before falling into peaceful sleep.

Author's Note:

Remember when I said I was wrapping this up?
I guess I lied. Sorry. I hope this makes up for the wait!