A Song of Remorse
It was a bright and beautiful day in Canterlot. Wanda was skipping down town without a care in the world. She looked ready to face the day as she made her way to the School for Gifted Unicorns. Nothing could hold her down as she skipped towards the school.
As she arrived, she saw Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, Sunburst, Moondancer and Danged Spell chatting with each other. They all looked like they were in some sort of conversation with each other.
“Hey guys,” Wanda yelled as she waved to the Unicorn Six. “Who’s up for another day at school?”
Suddenly, Sunset Shimmer turned to Wanda with an evil glare on her face. She stared down at her younger sister like she was upset with her.
“Wanda,” Sunset said in a cold tone. “You killed him, didn’t you?” Wanda’s face turned from happy to scared.
“What are you talking about?” Wanda said as she started to back off from her friends.
“It’s your fault that you killed a baby bird,” Twilight said as she and the other unicorns glanced at Wanda. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“You have no right to be our friend anymore,” Starlight said as she marched towards Wanda.
“I would never be friends with a monster like you,” Moondancer said, joining Starlight in marching towards Wanda as she clenched her teeth.
“None of us wants to be friends with you anymore,” Sunburst said as he gave one of the coldest glances at Wanda.
“You should have been eaten alive by that Roc, you stupid money,” Danged Spell said as he marched alongside his unicorn friends.
“No wait,” Wanda said. “I didn’t mean it.”
Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, Sunburst, Moondancer and Danged Spell all marched towards Wanda as the sky glowed red. Wanda could do nothing but run in the opposite direction as her now former friends chased after her.
As Wanda ran as fast as she could, everything around her went black as her friends faded in the distance. She stopped to catch her breath as she was no longer being chased.
“With friends like those,” Wanda said as she continued to catch her breath. “Who needs enemies?”
Suddenly, a podium formed underneath her as she was lifted into the air. A flash of light went off and she appeared to be in a dark courtroom of some sort. Every pony in the courtroom looked at her as if they were upset by what she did. Wanda was too scared to even move from her spot.
“What’s going on?” Wanda said as she sat there, nervously.
“MAN’S CUB!” That voice came from Chancellor Cinch, who was sitting in the Judge’s Bench above her. “You are charged with the crime of killing an innocent baby bird. How do you plead?”
“Innocent,” Wanda said. “I didn’t mean to do it.”
“A likely story,” Chancellor Cinch said. “But it won’t save you.” She turned to the jury box and said “Ponies of the Jury, have you made a verdict?”
The ponies in the Jury Box all stood up and said “GUILTY!”
Wanda could only freak out and said. “NO! I DIDN’T MEAN TO DO IT!”
“You had your chance and you blew it,” Chancellor Cinch said as she pointed her gavel at Wanda. “I hereby sentence you to a lifetime in Tartarus.”
And with that, Chancellor Cinch slams her gavel on the desk of her bench. The podium underneath Wanda disappeared and she fell down a hole, screaming over her ultimate fate.
She fell far and far, until she landed in an open cage. The cage closed on itself, sealing Wanda away. All around here, she was inside a dark and dreary cavern, with a number of monsters surrounding her, also inside their respective cages.
“Mommy,” Wanda said as she looked like she was going to cry. “Where are you?”
“Aww,” One of the monsters said. “Do you miss your wittle mommy?”
“Tough luck kid,” Another monster said. “This is your new home. Deal with it.”
And with that, every monster in the cavern laughed at Wanda’s predicament. Wanda could do nothing, but hold onto the bars and scream really loud.
And then Wanda woke up in her own bedroom in the middle of the night, breathing really hard. Abigail woke up and saw Wanda breathing really hard and leaped onto the bed
“A dream,” Wanda said. “It was all a dream of being in Tartarus.”
As she caught her breath, she looked down at her hands and looked like she was going to cry.
“I can’t take this anymore,” Wanda said to herself. “I killed that bird, and now I’ll be going to Tartarus. What am I going to do?”
As Wanda looked down at her hands, she felt the brushing of a paw on her arm. She turned to her right and saw Abigail looking at her.
“Abby,” Wanda said as she rubbed the kitten on her forehead. “I don’t know what I’ll do. I wish I never accepted that slingshot from Danged Spell. Now I feel like I’m a horrible person.”
As Wanda continued to rub her cat’s head, she heard the sound of birds outside. She got out of bed and looked out the window. In the distance, there looked like a small flickering light at the park, all while the rest of Canterlot was completely dark.
“That looks like it’s coming from the park,” Wanda said as she signaled to Abigail. “Come on Abby. Let’s go check it out.”
Abigail jumped onto Wanda’s shoulder as the Man’s Cub’s flutter wings sprouted. Without a second thought, Wanda jumped out the window and flew off towards the light.
As she landed in the park area, Wanda and Abigail were right next to the very tree where she hid her slingshot. They both hid behind the tree, not wanting to be in the light. From behind the tree, they saw a small candle lit up. Nearby, a flock of birds were all in mourning as the Mother Bird had placed her son atop a leaf.
“Oh no,” Wanda said as she watched from behind. “I really did kill that bird.”
The song emitting from the birds surrounding the mother and child was sad. They knew that a part of their family was gone, and they mourn the loss of their beloved fledgling Nearby animals like the squirrels, the owls, the woodpeckers and the rabbits all cried at its death. A mother rabbit looked at her child and cuddled her, fearing that the same could happen to him.
Nearby, a couple of birds had dug up a plot to bury the Young Bird. Two of the other birds picked up the leaf that the Young Bird lay on, and carried him over to the plot. The Mother Bird flew alongside him, wanting to get one last good look at her son.
As the leaf was lowered nearby, bouquets of white flowers were placed around the Young Bird by other birds. The Mother Bird flew right down, and took one good look at her son. She cried as she held onto her son, as if she were begging for him not to go.
Wanda looked from behind the tree with Abigail. She couldn’t hold back her tears. Abigail tried desperately to cheer up Wanda by licking her hand. But Wanda was too depressed to notice.
“I…” Wanda cried. “I didn’t mean to do it. I was scared. Honest. I thought I was gonna be eaten by a Roc. I swear. I didn’t want him to die.”
Wanda sat down and cried in her own hands. She didn’t know what to do. She had unintentionally taken the life of a baby bird, out of fear that her own life would be taken. The trauma she went through from the Fall Formal Festival had taken a toll on her overall well-being. She cried really hard as Abigail snuggled up to her companion.
“Abby,” Wanda said as she struggled to stop crying. “If I had one wish, I wish I’d never hurt that little birdie. I only wish I’d never hurt that birdie.”
Wanda broke back down into tears as she mourned the death of the Young Bird. Abigail watched helplessly as Wanda Cried, unable to know what to do. As she did, she felt a drop of water fall onto her forehead. But it’s not a tear that came from Wanda. She looked up and noticed it was starting to rain.
Abigail pawed at Wanda in an attempt to alert her in the rain. But the Man’s Cub was still crying her eyes out to notice. Soon, it started to rain all over the park. Despite the raindrops soaking Abigail’s fur, she stood by Wanda, hoping to keep her comfortable through this hard time.
Nearby, as the Mother Bird was about to let go of her son, the rain poured all over her and the other birds. But suddenly, a miracle occured. The Young Bird opened his eyes. He got up a bit, and there was a bruise on the back of his head. The pumpkin seed did not kill him. It only knocked him out.
The Mother Bird’s tears of sorrow turned to joy as she embraced her son. Every bird and creature celebrated as the Young Bird was alive. The sounds of happiness filled the air of the park as they were glad of his well-being.
The sounds of the birds were enough to get Wanda’s attention. She looked from behind the tree and saw the Mother Bird embracing her son with happiness. And with that, she stopped crying. But she still had a few tears left.
“He’s alive,” Wanda said as she wiped away her tears, all while not minding the rain pouring on her head. “He’s actually alive. Thank Celestia.”
Wanda turned to Abigail as the little kitten jumped on her companion’s arms and they both hugged together, all while the rain drenched the duo and got them completely wet. After what Wanda had gone through, it was a relief that the Younger Bird was alive and well.
But Wanda paused for a moment. She turned to the dirt that covered up the knothole where her slingshot was buried and she dug in up, not minding the mud that got on her hands. With all of her strength, she was able to pull out the slingshot and the pumpkin seeds. Then she took one good look at the slingshot.
“I should have never accepted this weapon,” Wanda said before ripping the rubber band off the slingshot and tossing it aside. She even threw the pumpkin seeds aside.
Afterwards, Wanda and Abigail looked up as the rain disappeared, and the clouds cleared up. The morning sun began to shine once more across Canterlot, and a new day was dawning. But even spite of the morning sun, Wanda’s joy turned back into sorrow.
“Mommy’s not going to like what we did,” Wanda said to Abigail. “But at least, I’m not a murderer.”
“And it’s a lesson I’d hope you learn my darling.” That voice came from Princess Celestia. Wanda looked up to see her mother approaching her. Right next to her were Princess Luna and Chancellor Cinch. Wanda looked like she was about to burst out crying.
“I confess,” Wanda said as she started crying again. “I came close to killing a little birdie because I thought it to be a Roc that was going to eat me. I’m sorry, I’ll never do it again, and I’ll accept any grounding you give me. Please don’t send me to Tartarus”
Wanda proceeded to cry on Princess Celestia’s hooves. Celestia looked at both Princess Luna and Chancellor Cinch, and knew something had to be done.
“Wanda my darling,” Princess Celestia said. “You’re not in trouble. We know what happened.”
Wanda looked up at Princess Celestia and said “How did you know?”
Princess Luna walked up to Wanda and said “Wanda. I happen to be a Dream Walker. I can look into the dreams of any one, be it pony, griffin, hippogriff, yak, dragon, or even a human. And I saw your nightmare, your own fear of being sent to Tartarus because of what you thought you did.”
Wanda looked at Princess Luna as she was surprised by what she said. “You saw my dreams?” She said as she wiped the tear from her eye.
“Yes,” Princess Luna said. “But the night before, you also had a nightmare about being eaten alive by the Roc. It had a lot to do with that Roc from the Fall Formal Festival.”
“Once I learned about what was going on with you,” Princess Celestia said. “I had to contact Chancellor Cinch about the incident. About your little accident at the park. It’s important to be careful about the little ones around us, even as we have to be careful about the big creatures around us as well.”
Chancellor Cinch walked up to Wanda. But instead of a face of scorn, it was a face of sorrow. It seems guilt filled her eyes as she looked at the Man’s Cub.
“I’ll have to be honest here, Man’s Cub,” Cinch said as a tear fell from her eye. “I only sent you to use that slingshot at the park because I didn’t want you to hurt any other Pony. And I assumed you wouldn’t hurt a little bird. But I should have been more careful with my choice of words. I should have also paid attention to the fact that you nearly got eaten by a Roc two days ago. As a result of my foolishness, this is the second time that I nearly ended the life of a young fledgling.”
“What do you mean?” Wanda asked, curious by Cinch’s words.
“Back when I was your age,” Cinch said. “I too had a slingshot of my own. I loved playing with that toy. Enjoyed firing it at every target nearby. And just like you, I took aim at a baby bird. But unlike you, I enjoyed the thrill of firing that toy. And then, I actually took it down. I thought I had killed it.”
“Oh no,” Wanda said. “What happened?”
“I thought I would have lived with that same guilt like you, young lady,” Chancellor Cinch said. “Because of my foolishness, I too came close to taking a life. But thankfully, that was not the case. The little birdie was alive and well, and I was glad for it. It was a lesson that my mother taught me.”
“And of course,” Princess Celestia said as she pointed to herself. “You should know who mothered Chancellor Cinch when she was a filly.”
“Now don’t you go bragging about your status, sister,” Luna said as she gave her elder sister a playful noogie.
“So,” Wanda said to Cinch. “Mommy raised you like she’s doing with me?”
“Yes,” Chancellor Cinch. “I was supposed to have taken in her teachings with respect. But after what happened yesterday, it seems even I need a reminder of my own wrongdoings. I do not deserve sympathy for my foolishness, and you have every right not to forgive me, Man’s Cub.”
Wanda looked at Chancellor Cinch and did nothing but give her a hug, all while crying on her chest. Cinch could do nothing, but embrace the child of Princess Celestia, who she now considers more of a sister.
As Wanda and Cinch embraced each other, Abigail noticed the Younger Bird flying towards Wanda. She pawed at Wanda on her foot to get her attention. Wanda looked up and saw the Young Bird fly onto her shoulder.
“It appears you made a new friend,” Princess Celestia said as the Young Bird chirped at her.
“But,” Wanda said. “After all I did to you.”
Cinch got up and picked up the bag of pumpkin seeds. She gave it to Wanda with her magic.
“I believe the little one is hungry,” Cinch said as Wanda accepted the bag.
Wanda opened the bag and poured out some pumpkin seeds. She held it out as the bird happily ate the seeds. Wanda and Abigail smiled at that prospect.
“I’m glad you have learned your lesson, Wanda,” Princess Celestia said as she approached her daughter.
Wanda looked down and saw the broken pieces of her slingshot. Though she was glad the ordeal was now behind her, she felt like a sense of guilt was buried in what was left of that weapon.
“Mommy,” Wanda said as she looked at her broken slingshot. “I don’t deserve what Danged Spell gave to me.”
Princess Celestia picked up the broken slingshot and casted a spell on it. WIth a flash of light, the slingshot was made new again. Wanda couldn’t believe it as Princess Celestia placed it down. The Young Bird, despite having been shot by a pumpkin seed, snuggled up to Wanda as if he didn’t fear her.
“But mommy,” Wanda said, afraid to pick up the slingshot.
“It’s okay,” Princess Celestia. “As long as you promise never to hurt a small creature again, it’s yours.”
As the birdie ate the last of the pumpkin seed and flew onto Wanda’s shoulder, Wanda picked up the slingshot and held onto it. She turned her attention to Princess Celestia.
“Mommy,” Wanda said. “I promise I will never harm a small creature with this again.”
“Then come along,” Princess Celestia said. “It’s time to get ready for school.”
Wanda placed the slingshot in the pocket of her pajama shirt. But as she was about to walk, she paused for a moment, felt something tingling in her nose, and began to breathe in.
“Oh dear,” Princess Luna said as she noticed something was odd with Wanda.
Wanda let out a big sneeze that echoed through the park. The sneeze was so powerful, she flew backwards and slammed right into the tree behind her. Acorns rained on her and Wanda could do nothing, but laugh. The Young Bird and Abigail went up to Wanda to see if she was alright.
“I’m fine mommy,” Wanda said before sneezing many times.
“Well it appears you’ve come down with a cold,” Princess Celestia said. “And you’re soaking wet.”
Princess Celestia levitated Wanda with her magic and placed her on her back. Abigail jumped up and landed next to Wanda.
“Come,” Princess Celestia. “I’ll let Princess Luna inform your friends that you will be out sick. And she’ll be subbing in for me till you get better.”
“And it’s a darn shame.” Princess Luna said. “They were going to go on a field trip today.”
“A field trip?” Wanda said. “Where to?”
“Why, the Canterlot Castle of course,” Princess Luna said. “Just to see you get better.”
“I hope that you do get better, Man’s Cub,” Chancellor Cinch said. “The last thing you need is to be cooped up in that castle with a head cold.”
Wanda giggled at Chancellor Cinch’s little joke as everyone burst out in laughter. As Celestia, Luna, Cinch, Wanda and Abigail left the park, the Young Bird flew up to his Mother and embraced her. The nightmare was over for them both. And the bond they have has never been stronger than it was. A reminder to look after those we care for the most, be it a bird, a pony, or a human.
To Be Continued in…
Arc 7: A Space Geek’s Lament
Telescope Tragedy