//------------------------------// // 2.4 One Thousand Apologies // Story: Unforgiven Memories // by Hidden Brony //------------------------------// Disclaimer: I do not own Hasbro, My Little Pony or any characters, places, or events in the extended cannon, although it would be awesome if I did. Flight From Memories Chapter Four: One Thousand Apologies “Move move move!” someone shouted from not too far away. “The whole damned building is coming down, and you don’t want to be under it when it does!” From somewhere else someone shouted, “DRAGONS!” There was a sound of an explosion, then silence save for the creaking and cracking of the falling building. I dove past a falling chunk of rock. “Sergeant, which way do we go?” I heard a grunt as my sergeant just shrugged off a rock half the size of the one I had dodged. “You got wings, boy! Use them!” I shook my head, “I’m getting you out of here, sir!” He hobbled on three legs, his fourth one having been lamed not too long ago by a damned griffon ambush. Three griffons was not a fair trade for sergeant Snowflake’s leg. “I’m not making it out of here on this leg, boy! Just go!” “Sir, no sir,” I grunted as I loaded up Snowflake on my back. “I said I’m getting you out of this.” “For the love of Faust, boy! Use your head!” he yelled at me as I ducked and wove around falling chunks of rock. Someone screamed in agony in the distance. “You won’t make it out of here with dead weight!” “So be it, sir.” I jumped over a split in the apartment complex we were clearing. “I refuse to tell your wife that I didn’t do all I could to save you.” He groaned in annoyance, “Boy, Sunny knows I’m likely to die! We’ve come to terms with it! Just leave me!” I sprinted down the stairs as fast as I could with the sergeant on my back. I could tell that I wouldn’t make it, not weighed down. Snowflake was right. I still refused to give up, putting my all into getting out the door. Right as the building began to crumble, I got a huge burst of speed, rocketing out the door right before I would have been crushed. As it was, a large piece of rubble slammed into my leg, knocking me down. I snorted, “See, sir? I told you…” Snowflake wasn’t on my back. He wasn’t anywhere around. My eyes widened as I dove at the rubble as best as I could with my wounded leg. “No. No, no, no.” I started shoving debris out of the way, coughing from the dust that had yet to settle. Somewhere, someone was calling out, looking for survivors. I finally shoved a large chunk of building aside and saw a white hoof poking up from the rubble. “No. NO!” I dug furiously, refusing to believe that the stallion who had become like my father was under that massive pile of rubble. I dug out a face, and Snowflake smiled at me. “Told you—” he coughed, “—you wouldn’t make it with me weighing you down.” “I’m sorry sir! I didn’t mean to drop you! I–I can make it better. You’ll make it, right? You’ve been through worse!” I hurriedly dug at the rubble, trying to pull my segreant from the ruins of the building. Tears started falling down my face. This was my fault. “I can fix this, I swear! MEDIC! WE NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE!” “Don’t be stupid, boy,” he wheezed out. “You didn’t—” he coughed again, staining his lips red, “—didn’t drop me. I dropped myself.” I stopped digging in surprise. “Wh–why? Sir, we could have made it!” “I thought I said to not be stupid.” He coughed even more violently. “Make sure it’s you they send to tell Sunny, alright boy? It’ll be less of a sting that way.” “You’re going to tell her yourself, you understand me, you stubborn geezer?” I said, resuming digging. I was ignoring the spike of bloody rebar through his stomach. “Boy, stop denying things. I’m dying—” he coughed again, spraying me with droplets of blood. A little trail of blood ran out of the side of his mouth and his words had begun burbling. He turned his head and spit out the blood in his mouth. “Sorry. I’m dying, boy. Accept it and let me die like a soldier.” He chuckled, “Also, one last request. From geezer to boy.” “Anything, if only so I can rub your face in your survival,” I choked out through tears. “Go and take a chance with Celestia,” he chuckled. “With as much as you talk about her, you should have a chance. She probably already knows you by name.” I was pulled away by a pony, who I assumed was the medic. I sat a small distance away, guarding against any member of the invading army getting to my sergeant. Fortunately for me, even if it didn’t feel that way, no hostile creatures came into sight before the medic returned. “I’m sorry, Streak,” she said in a gentle, soothing voice. “There’s nothing I could do.” I collapsed to the ground, all strength having left my legs instantly. I started sobbing at the feet of a mare I didn’t know. She said something, but it didn’t register. It didn’t get past the filter of pain. Nothing would. There was a golden flash, and I drifted, blissfully, into an uneventful sleep. I opened my eyes in panic, only to find a strange room greeting me. I looked around for Snowflake, or even the medic, but found neither of them. Instead, I saw Rainbow Dash looking at me with some concern from the bed. “I thought you said demons don’t sleep?” I frowned, I was asleep? That was a hell of a nightmare. “I thought we didn’t,” I said truthfully. “That looked like a hell of a dream,” she commented. “What makes a snowflake cause that reaction?” “I–I don’t know,” I said. “It was a memory.” “You mean the thing that demons don’t have?” Rainbow Dash accused me. “Are you even what you say you are?” I sighed, “I don’t even know, anymore.” I looked at the clock. Three in the morning. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Get some sleep, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.” She shook her head, “I was awake anyway. You’re talking about it. You don’t have a choice. It’s bad for you, remember?” “I’ll talk if you do.” She took a hissing intake of breath. “Maybe not.” “You’ll have to talk eventually, Rainbow Dash,” I reminded. “I’ve held onto it for almost thirteen years, I think I’ll be fine for a few more.” I sighed again, “Fine. We all have our secrets.” She smirked, “That’s what I thought.” Star batted Rainbow Dash, “Shut up, ‘m trying to sleep.” My thoughts turned inwards. Why was I reliving Snowflake’s death? Didn’t dreams usually have some significance? Some deeper meaning your mind was trying to process? What purpose could be achieved by reliving my first failure? I had no answer to those questions, and still had no answer when, an hour later, I closed my eyes only to open them to a hospital room. I felt my leg strapped to my barrel and saw Princess Celestia herself sitting in a chair nearby. I quickly stumbled out of the bed on my three good legs and dropped into a bow. I felt a hoof on my shoulder. “There is no need for that, Streak,” she said. “I’m afraid that I’m to be the bearer of bad news. Sergeant Snowflake didn’t make it. He was dead soon after I got to him.” “Ma’am?” I asked, confused. “Oh, you must not have noticed. I was the one who tried to heal him.” She lowered her gaze, “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.” My stomach fell out from under me. Princess Celestia was there at the battle. She was there to see my failure. “However, I have something to give to you,” she continued. “I talked with Snowflake for a few moments, long enough to tell me how you risked your life to try to save his. You did a brave thing, Streak, something most soldiers wouldn’t have.” “I did what I had to,” I mumbled. “I couldn’t face Sunny knowing I let her husband die, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t try.” “That is what makes you a hero.” The princess nodded. “You didn’t even have to think about it, you just did it. And so, for going above and beyond the call of duty, I present to you the Equestrian Service Medal.” She pulled out a medal in the shape of an alicorn in flight and placed it around my neck. “And for being injured in the service of another, I present to you the Purple Wing.” She pulled out another medal and put it around my neck as well, this one was self-explanatory. It was a wing that was purple. “I know it’s not much compared to Snowflake’s life, and not much of a ceremony either, but I hope that this is the start of an improvement in your life.” She started to leave, so I called out, “Princess?” “Yes?” she stopped and turned to face me. “Has Sunny already been notified of Snowflake’s death?” I asked her. “Sunny?” She cocked an eyebrow. I blushed, “Sorry, ma’am. Rainy Day, Snowflake’s widow. We always called her Sunny since she was always so happy and her name never seemed to fit.” I hung my head. “Until now.” “Ah, no, she hasn’t. I was on my way to do that now.” Princess Celestia was personally delivering the news of Snowflake’s death to his wife? “Can–can I come along? Snowflake asked me to tell her.” Her eyes softened, “Of course. I’ll be right behind you the whole time.” I nodded, “We’re in Everfree, right?” At her nod, I continued, “I know how to get to th–her house.” She nodded again, “Lead on, Streak.” I hobbled through the hospital, stumbling occasionally. I always caught myself, however. It was hard to walk with one less leg than usual. On multiple occasions Princess Celestia moved to catch me, but I just waved her off. I would walk there by myself, damn it. I got many stares from the civilians as I walked through town. I guess it was unusual for a stallion to have two of the highest military honors around his neck while stumbling through the streets on three legs. The princess being right behind me, poised to catch me if I fell, probably didn’t help. Much to my chagrin, most of the stares were looks of pity. I didn’t need pity, I needed to hurt something. That’s the only way I knew to make the pain go away. Unfortunately for me, there was nothing around for me to hurt, so I locked it as deep as I could. I had managed to get a passive face right as I walked up to Sunny’s house. I turned around and looked at Princess Celestia. She nodded at me. I took a deep breath, bracing myself as I walked up to the door. I reared up to knock with my good foreleg, nearly toppling over in the process. Within a minute, the door opened. Sunny answered the door, “Oh, Streak! I didn’t know you were—” Her eyes trailed past me to Princess Celestia. “No. No, no, no, no.” “I’m sorry. I’m so, very sorry,” I said. She dropped to her knees, but slapped me away when I tried to help her back up. “It should have been you,” she growled, making me flinch. “He was on his way out. He was almost done!” “Sunny—” I tried, on the verge of tears, only to get interrupted again. “Don’t talk to me like we’re damned friends, Streak. We’re not,” Sunny seethed. “You let him die!” “Mrs. Day!” the princess snapped. “That is more than enough!” “You!” Sunny shouted at Princess Celestia. “What was he to you? A number? A body to be thrown at the enemy?” “Mrs. Day, I personally attended to his first aid, and there was nothing to be done. By his own words he was dead anyway, and he wasn’t dragging anyone down with him. You cheapen your husband’s sacrifice and memory by acting in this juvenile matter!” Princess Celestia scolded Sunny. “Snowflake made it quite clear to me that it was his own decision that led to his loss. “This poor colt you accuse of letting your husband die carried your wounded husband through a collapsing building, knowing full well it would mean his death! When Snowflake jumped off Streak’s back to let him live, he was buried under that very building. Streak then dug through the rubble with a crippled leg, all the while calling for a medic in the middle of an active war zone. I am ashamed of you, acting as you are. Nothing, not even me, could have saved your husband, and Streak, knowing this, nearly died trying to anyway!” Sunny glared at me, “If he’s still alive, he didn’t try hard enough.” SLAM! I sat on my haunches, staring at a now-closed door. I felt tears running down my face as she revealed my failure right in front of the princess. I knew I deserved it, but it hurt, nonetheless. I sighed as I started limping away from the house. I immediately started to topple. At this point, I wouldn’t have stopped it if I could have. I did not, however, hit the ground like I expected. I felt myself floating through the air and placed on something warm, soft, and solid. I looked around to see that Princess Celestia had started hugging me in the middle of the road. “Shh, just let it out.” “It’s not fair!” I wailed, no longer caring that I was face-to-face with the co-ruler of Equestria. “Why did I make it, but he didn’t?” She held me there, sobbing, until I passed out. Probably not the best first impression. “PREMIER!” I jolted awake to Rainbow Dash shaking me. “Finally! We’ve been trying to wake you up for the last two minutes!” I panted, “Why?” “Why? Why what? Why have we been trying to wake you up?” Rainbow Dash cocked her head. “No, why am I suddenly dreaming, and why is it memories?” I sighed. “I will never understand myself, will I?” “Look, if you want to talk about it, we’ll have to talk on the road. Star’s awake, and you seem to have some kind of plan. I’ll stick with you, for now. At least until Celestia’s dead.” I nodded, looking to Star. “What’s the plan for hiding Rainbow Dash?” “Frankly, I think we could get away with just changing her mane and tail. And the cutie mark, of course, that much is obvious,” she reported. I turned to Rainbow Dash, giving her a once-over. “Yeah, you look. First one’s free.” I shot her a look, then glanced at Star, who had turned beet-red. I turned back to Rainbow Dash to find her the same color. Hmm, that could work. “I’m thinking red,” I told Star. “It would be similar, but different enough.” FLASH. Rainbow Dash was a little less rainbow than she was yesterday. Her mane, I just noticed that she kept it brushed, was a bright red of a flower in bloom. Her tail followed her like the trailing end of a sash of bright red velvet, or maybe silk. “Not bad,” I nodded. “I like it.” “Don’t get used to it, buddy,” Rainbow Dash grumphed. “I’m changing it back to normal as soon as possible.” “Still got the cutie mark,” Star reminded. “Gotta be something flying related.” “Red lightning bolt,” both Rainbow Dash and I said at the same time. She narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion. “Red mane, lightning’s fast,” I explained, not wanting her to know I was using Loyalty’s symbol. That was probably not common knowledge. She stared at me for a second, before slowly nodding. With a flash, her tri-colored lightning bolt was replaced with a bolt like a finely cut ruby. "I like it, it's not quite 'you,' but it looks good." “It’s the symbol of my Element,” she quite conveniently explained. “Might as well use it if it’s there.” “Sound thinking,” I complemented. Not to mention that that was one more thing I didn’t have to remember to not know. I turned to Star. “Now I need some way to walk through town. Think you’re up to it?” Star smirked, “Oh yeah.” FLASH! I stood in the room, suddenly colorful. I had a stark, pure black coat, just slightly less intense than the Void itself, topped off with a mane the solid yellowish orange of pure gold. I turned my head to get a good look at my cutie mark. It was a solid white scale, one side weighed down with a pure gold feather. I brought up a hoof in contemplation, before starting at the pure white band extending about five, maybe six, inches from the bottom of my hoof. Further examination placed it only on my front right hoof. I cocked an eyebrow at Star, who flushed immediately. “I–If you don’t like it, I can change it!” “No, it’s no problem,” I assured. “I just wonder why you added the white stripe on my hoof.” “It’s sorta a historical thing. The book I found in the library with the means to open the Void portal also had some history thrown in. It mentioned that after the fall of Luna, Celestia created a special group to fight against inside threats. She called them the ‘Justicars,’ and they were noted by a white stripe on their front right hoof.” I raised my eyebrow, but Rainbow Dash beat me to what I was going to say. “Some irony, and perhaps some poetic justice. I like how you think, squirt.” She blushed again, “I also did your colors based on meaning. Black, obviously, is death, but can also mean power and mystery, so I made it the main color. Gold is seen as justice, wisdom, and joy. You can’t see it, but your eyes are normal-looking red eyes, for reinforcement of the idea of strength and power. The white and gold in the cutie mark both reinforce the concept of justice, while contrasting white and black motif can be a sign... of... vengeance..." Star trailed off at the amused look on my face, a reaction no doubt reinforced in no small part by the inevitable smirk that showed up upon Rainbow Dash’s face as well. “Do go on, Star. It’s good to hear you talking about something you enjoy,” I prodded, hoping to draw her farther out of her shell. No such luck. She only shrunk further into herself. I sighed, turning to Rainbow Dash. “There’s enough money to buy tickets for all three of us on a train to Canterlot.” “I could just fly,” she suggested, tossing her mane. “Ya know, meet you there.” “Or,” I said heavily, seeing a hint of sadness in Star’s eyes at the suggestion, “we could buy three tickets and head there together.” “Or we could buy some tickets and get on the train,” Rainbow Dash sighed. Star sprouted a grin, something I know didn’t go unnoticed by Rainbow Dash. Star was so excited that she forgot to grab the pouch with all the money. ran out of the hotel room to buy us tickets. I watched Rainbow Dash’s face as she watched Star, seeing happiness with a flash of guilt and sorrow. She quickly, however, noticed me watching and turned away sharply. It seems that I was not the only one with a past they would rather see remain buried. Her past, however, involved my daughter. I would be damned if I didn’t know what she knew about Star that even the filly herself didn’t.