//------------------------------// // The Sins of the Father // Story: Episode 2: The Return to Flatts // by mr lovecolt //------------------------------// Edger squinted in the sunlight as he emerged from the general store. Behind him, the door slammed shut and Pinkie Pie took her place next to him. In the sunlight, Edger could see the state of disrepair the buildings around him were in. The planks of wood that held up the general store were warped and discolored. The windows of the houses on the other side of the graveyard that weren’t broken were covered in grime. The grass in the graveyard was untamed to the point that they nearly covered the gravestones. The only building that looked as though it had been kept up was the barn on the hill in the distance. “Edger,” Pinkie Pie said, “You know I don’t think you’re useless, right?” “Thank you, Pinkie.” “Do you think our fathers are up there?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Undoubtedly,” Edger replied, “They are probably looking for another pony to serve as a vessel.” Edger and Pinkie Pie moved away from the general store and into the graveyard. They passed a stone with an image of a sleeping foal carved into the top. They paused for a moment to think about the foal that had been buried there, and then continued on their way. The sound of hooves as they crunched against the grass was the only sound for a few moments. “My father was never a happy stallion.” Pinkie Pie blurted out. “Oh?” Edger said. “The only time I think I ever made my family truly happy was the day I got my cutie mark. I remember setting up a party in the silo. When they came in, they just stared at it for a few minutes. I was scared that they wouldn’t approve. But then they smiled and everything was okay.” “How endearing.” Edger replied. “After you and Forge left, though, my father forbade me from throwing those parties. I knew I had to leave soon after that.” Edger and Pinkie Pie stopped at another gravestone. This one had an image of two hooves wrapped around each other. The two had died only a day apart from one another. Edger remembered that the two were the owners of the general store. “Why did you tell me this, Pinkie?” Edger asked. “I don’t know, really,” Pinkie Pie replied, “I guess after finding out what my father did to you, it’s hard to imagine that he was the same stallion that I was able to make smile like that. I felt like I had finally broken through to him, and that my father smiling was the real Clyde Pie, and everything else that I hear about him is some sort of spell.” “Ponies are paradoxes, Pinkie,” Edger said, “They can be one thing to a certain pony and the complete opposite towards another pony. I don’t care which one is the real Clyde Pie. He’s still one of the ponies who did this to me, as well as my father.” “Do you think you could ever forgive them?” “How can you even ask me that?” Edger said, “They have no remorse for what they did, and seeing what has happened since I’ve been here only proves that they still show no remorse. These ponies need to be stopped.” Edger and Pinkie Pie neared the edge of the graveyard. In front of them were two houses, both for the family members of Ag and Apiaris, the enforcers for his father and for Elder Smith. “At least you made your father smile once.” Edger said, “I remember being told by the other stallions that the only time my father was happy with me was when I was born. But I was always smaller and weaker than the Earth Ponies, so I wasn’t of much use. Then he found out about me and Forge.” “I’m sorry.” “I told you that there’s nothing for you to feel sorry about. What they did were their own actions. You’re my friend, Pinkie. But the fact that you are upset at what happened shows that you do not need forgiveness. The last time I saw my father was when I was on that table. He could barely look at me. His eyes were dead, and I’m sure that I was dead to him.” “Maybe if you see him, he’ll feel sad about what happened. Just wait and see.” Pinkie Pie continued to walk out of the graveyard, but stopped when she realized that Edger wasn’t next to her. She turned around and saw him as he stared down at the ground. She returned to Edger and saw what he was looking at. “Gardener Hoofton,” Edger muttered, “My father died last month. Apparently, they must have had another child after I was banished. It lists my mother and another pony, but nothing about me. What was that you said about my father feeling remorse, Pinkie?” Pinkie Pie watched as Edger continued to stare at the grave of his father. He closed his eyes for a moment and began to tremble. “Father,” Edger said trough gritted teeth, “Everything I ever tried to do was only a failure to you. I wish you were here so you could see what I’ve become. I wish you were here so that I could tell you that I am the one who is ashamed of you.” Pinkie Pie took a step back as his voice grew louder. She looked around to see if anypony could hear him, but there were no other sounds – no approaching hooves of the enforcers, no birds in the trees, not even a gust of wind. “Why did you let them do this to me, father? I couldn’t help being born a unicorn. I couldn’t help that I was smaller. And even the one thing that made me special you threw away just because I loved Forge. I’m glad my name isn’t on this rock.” Pinkie Pie watched as Edger opened his eyes, only to see that they were completely black. She watched as Edger turned around, reared his hind legs, and crashed through the gravestone. “You don’t deserve to be dead! You don’t deserve to go to the next life with what you’ve done! I hate you! I hate you!” Pinkie Pie rushed to Edger’s side and wrapped her hooves around his body. Edger trembled in her embrace and Pinkie Pie felt tears land on her fore hoof. The gravestone now lay in pieces on the ground. She lifted Edger’s eyes up to hers and was relieved when she saw that they had returned to normal. “Edger,” Pinkie Pie whispered, “I think you may have injured your hoof. Come on, the clinic is next to the general store. We need to see if there’s anything there to fix you up.” Edger nodded and regained his footing. They turned back to the graveyard and slowly made their way back to the main street. ***** Caramel and Script stopped in the middle of the field shared by Elders Smith and Hoofton. “Did you hear something?” Caramel asked. “Yes,” Script replied, “That was the sound of my patience for this place wearing thin.” “I’m serious,” Caramel said, “I thought I heard yelling. Maybe we should find Edger and Pinkie to make sure they’re okay.” “I’m sure Edger would appreciate that, after he made such a big deal about you thinking he was useless.” “I never said that, and you know it.” Caramel replied. Script ignored the reply and continued through the field. Caramel tipped over a few moss covered stones as they reached the house at the far end of the field. The floor boards moaned as they stepped onto the porch. “You don’t have to say it,” Script finally replied, “He knows the way you look at him. You treat him like he needs to be protected. How do you think that would make you feel? Everypony in his life has tried to take on that role to him.” “Including you?” Script opened the front door to Elder Hoofton’s house. The front door creaked and landed against a countertop. Caramel turned to the wall and looked at the photographs. There was a picture of an elderly couple. The mother held a small foal in her hooves. Caramel looked closer at the details of the elder’s face. “This is Edger’s father’s house, isn’t it?” Caramel asked. “Yes it is.” Script replied as he made his way through the kitchen. “He has his mother’s eyes.” Script nodded but continued into the main hallway. Each room that they passed held the same scene; furniture lay overturned, wallpaper began to tear at the ceiling, and dust covered everything. “Do you really know what happened here, Script?” “These are earth ponies,” Script replied, “They don’t have the capability to handle the old magic. Helioselene is simply drawing power from them. Their actions are clouding their minds and bodies, turning this place into a nightmare. I need to find something that says how they learned of this magic and what they are really doing to bring Helioselene about.” They made their way to the end of the hallway. Script began to ascend the stairs. “Caramel,” Script said, “You search the first floor. Try looking in desks for anything that seems unusual. You’re observant, so I assume you’ll know it if you find it.” Script continued up the stairs, and Caramel was left alone at the bottom of the flight. He looked around and made his way back to the front of the house. On the other side of the kitchen was a small parlor. All of the elders’ houses seem to have the same floor plan, Caramel thought as he entered. He continued to look at the wall at the numerous photographs. Why aren’t there any photographs of Edger, Caramel wondered. The scenes showed the small foal as she aged. She was a small blue earth pony with black hair. In each scene, however, the father’s eyes sunk in a little deeper, and the small remnants of a smile faded away. The final photograph was another portrait of the three of them as they stared into the camera in front of their house. The foal reached up to hug her mother, but the father’s eyes looked straight into the camera. Caramel shook his head and looked again. No, he didn’t look into the camera; he looked through the camera, as though his eyes were trained on something even farther in the distance. A warm breeze entered the room through a broken window, causing the tattered blinds to wave through the room. Caramel turned around and looked into the corner of the room, next to a small desk. He ignored it for a moment, but just as he began to turn away, the shadows in the corner of the room coalesced. Caramel stood still, and his eyes widened. Script said earth ponies couldn’t see the shadows, Caramel thought as he watched the shadow take on the form of a stallion. The creature began to pace back and forth in front of the desk and began to whisper. Caramel couldn’t make out the sounds, but he was too afraid to take another step forward. The creature continued to pace back and forth, but occasionally turned his gaze towards Caramel. Caramel felt for a moment that the creature was trying to decide what to do, but after a few moments, he realized that the creature wasn’t looking at him when he turned his gaze up, but through him, into the distance. “Gardener Hoofton?” Caramel asked. The creature stopped his pacing and turned once more to Caramel. Nopony moved, but when the sound of hoof steps above them was heard, they both turned their heads silently up to the source. The two finally regained their gazes towards each other, and the creature pointed a hoof at the small desk in the corner of the room. Caramel took a hesitant step forward as he slid the safety off of his hoof trigger. The desk drawer opened with a creak and Caramel noticed the papers that lined it. Caramel reached in and pulled out the documents. Images of glyphs and ponies littered the edges, alongside words written in a language Caramel couldn’t understand. A glyph of what he could only imagine was a representation of Helioselene took up an entire page. One of the eyes in the image was circled, with only the word ‘crystal’ written around it in another ink. Caramel looked up to the creature and he could finally make out the words he had been whispering. Forgive… Forgive… Forgive… Caramel flipped through to the final page and gasped. Before he could read the body of the letter that had been written, a white light flashed through the room. “Caramel!” Script yelled, “Step away from that thing!” The creature began to shriek against the light. The soft edges of the shadow hardened into lines, and the creature took on the appearance of a fully formed stallion, but the eyes remained blackened. Caramel watched as the color reformed in the creature’s body until it resembled Edger’s father. The shrieks continued, and the creature reached down and picked up the desk. Caramel ran to the other side of the room next to Script and threw the papers into Script’s saddlebags. “Script!” Caramel yelled, “You said earth ponies couldn’t see the shadows!” Script remained silent but kept his horn’s glow pointed at the creature. “You need to destroy it,” Script replied, “Use that thing you made.” Caramel leaned into the creature and pointed the sight at it. He stamped his hoof on the floor and a bearing launched into the air and pierced the skin of the creature. The creature ignored the shot and continued to throw items at Caramel. Caramel ran to the other side of the room and prepared for another shot, but the creature landed on top of him and began to tear at his neck. They toppled against the wall and fell to the floor. Caramel tried to find a flat surface to launch another bearing, but the constant movement from the creature made it impossible. Caramel finally reached forward and jammed his hoof directly into the creature’s body, sending another bearing into his flesh. The creature responded by slashing at his fore hoof. “His eyes, you idiot!” Script yelled, “The other parts of him don’t respond to physical trauma. His eyes are the only parts that haven’t fully formed yet!” Caramel nodded and threw his entire weight into the creature. The creature flew through the air and landed on the remnants of the desk. Caramel leaned in and aimed his sights at the eye. As the creature lunged forward, Caramel took his shot. The creature froze in midair, and the two stallions watched as the creature began to disassemble. The black hooves dissolved, as did his barrel, and finally, the head disappeared into the shadows once more. Script’s horn let go of the white aura, and the room was shrouded in darkness again. “What… was that?” Caramel asked. Script didn’t respond. “Script!” Caramel shouted, “You said earth ponies can’t see the shadows. So what was that?” “He’s getting stronger.” Script reached into his saddlebag and pulled out the papers that Caramel had given him. He pored through the pages, as though the ancient pony tongue were second nature to him. When he came across the large glyph, he sighed. “They know of it,” Script muttered, “This is worse than I thought.” “Who’s getting stronger?” Caramel asked, “Is it this Helioselene guy?” Script made his way out of the parlor and to the kitchen. When he reached the front door, he turned back to Caramel. “No,” Script replied, “Edger’s getting stronger.” ***** Edger sat on the bed in the clinic as Pinkie Pie wrapped a bandage around his hind hoof. Edger mumbled something under his breath, and Pinkie Pie turned to face her good ear at him. “I’m sorry,” Pinkie Pie said, “did you say something?” “What happened to me back there?” Edger asked. “I don’t know,” Pinkie Pie said, “You were yelling pretty loud, and I was worried one of the enforcers would find us, but then your eyes went black, and then I had to shake you back to reality.” “My eyes went black?” “Yes.” Edger leapt off the table and struggled to get to the door as fast as he could. “Edger, what’s wrong?” “We have to find Script and Caramel.” Edger replied, “I may have done something bad.” Edger pushed open the door and made his way into the main road. “Edger,” Pinkie Pie said, “We can’t just run around the middle of the street.” “I don’t care,” Edger shouted, “We have to find them before something bad happens.” In the distance, a door slammed, and Edger knew that it came from his old home. He turned course and ran down the street towards the field. When he got there, Script and Caramel emerged from the house and looked around. They all met in the middle of the field. “Edger,” Script asked, “What did you do?” “I didn’t mean to.” Edger replied, “I saw my father’s grave, and so many things just came out and I lost control.” Caramel and Pinkie Pie looked towards each other as Script reached forward to wrap a hoof around Edger’s neck. “It’s okay,” Script replied, “You’re learning how to use your skills. We just need to learn how to control them.” “Isn’t that what Princess Luna is trying to do?” “No!” Script shouted, “They have other motives for learning how to control you.” “Like what?” Edger asked. “They want power.” Script replied, “The power isn’t theirs to have.” “Script,” Caramel said, “Maybe it’s not a good idea to speak like this about the princesses.” Script turned to Caramel to say something, but the air was filled with the ringing of the school bell. “They know we're here.” Script said, “We have to find a place to hide.” The three other ponies nodded and they ran towards Elder Field’s house. As they entered through the back door, Script motioned towards the other to follow him. “At all costs,” Script said, “We need to make sure that Edger is not found.” “But-” Edger started to say. “No buts,” Script cut him off, “They know how to bring Helioselene forth. I don’t know how they got it, but they have the tools necessary to do it. We have to make sure you stay away from them. Now, everypony, hide.” Pinkie Pie dove into the grandfather clock that stood near the entrance to the back door. Caramel opened the door to the cupboard under the stairs. Script and Edger ran down the hallway and Script immediately hid inside the fireplace. Edger looked around and saw a cabinet door in the kitchen that hung askew. The moment Edger closed the cabinet door, the front door of Elder Field’s house flew open. The sound of hoof steps filled the air. Edger closed his eyes and focused his magic. Invisible, Edger cried to himself, invisible. The cabinet door swung open and Edger held his breath. Apiaris stood in front of him; his eyes stared into the darkness of the cabinet. For a moment, their eyes met, but Edger watched as Apiaris’s eyes moved back and forth through the cabinet. His black mane ruffled as he threw his head back and forth, and he reached into the cabinet to feel around. Edger knew that the invisibility spell wouldn’t take away Apiaris’s ability to feel him, and he cringed into the corner as tightly as he could. There was a crash on the other side of the house, and Edger watched as Apiaris pulled his head out of the cabinet and moved towards the sound. There was another thud of a door opening, and then the sound of hooves being dragged away. Edger could hear the sound of his friends screaming as they were dragged out of the house, but his body wouldn’t move to go investigate. A few moments later, the sound of hoof steps left the house, and Edger left the confines of the cabinet. “Pinkie?” Edger whispered, “Caramel? Script?” There were no noises, and Edger stood alone in the kitchen. Edger shook his head, but the sound of hoof steps filled the air once more. Before he could turn around, everything went black. Before he slipped out of consciousness, he heard Apiaris. “He’s finally come home.”