//------------------------------// // Chapter 24 - In Memoriam // Story: Pony-Z // by Black Light //------------------------------// In Memoriam Pete stood on the edge of the chariot. Matt's weapons hanging from the crook of one of his arms. The other arm outstretched off of the chariot. He stood frozen a look of pure terror and sadness stuck on his face. The civilians on the chariot gave him space taking to the opposite side. A few of the guards stood by Pete's side quietly. These guards had lost some of their own recently. They knew the pain, and knew that no words would make this any better. Jay and Liz were with the other chariot a few minutes ahead. Unaware of what even transpired on that rooftop. As the chariot approached Canterlot Pete finally moved. He slung the weapons he held across his back. The tears that stained his face betraying his stoic expression. The chariot landed and Pete jumped over the railing and started to walk away before it had even come to a stop. Luna, Twilight, Jay, and Liz all started to walk to greet him, but the two humans froze as they saw the man approach. Even if his tears weren't visible yet, the weapons on his back were. "Why does Pete have Matt's guns?" Jay asked. "Matt wouldn't give those to anybody, ever." The two ponies with them stopped and looked at the two humans, confused, who had worried expressions. "M-matt must be injured, that's it. Pete's just holding on to them for him." Liz suggested her voice hesitant. "Why are you both acting in such a manner?" Luna asked. "Does Pete having Matt's weapons have that much significance?" "Matt said no other man, women, child, pony, or anything would ever touch his guns unless it was the only way to survive, or-" Pete started his raspy voice catching in his throat. The four noticed the dried tears on his face. "-or until the day he died." Jay finished, staring at Pete. Twilight gasped and looked suddenly at Pete. "You-you don't mean he's-" "He's gone." Pete said walking past the four. "Pete where are you going?" Twilight asked worried. "To give my final respects." He answered. Twilight started to follow, but Jay stepped in front of her shaking his head. Both he and Liz followed after Pete. The normal liveliness in their step gone. The three entered the castle and came out a few minutes later carrying the helmet that was made for Matt, he never wore it since he didn't like his vision being blocked. The three made their way to the gardens and walked into the statue section. There they laid the helmet on the ground in an open spot. Pete unslung the assault rifle on his back. Reaching up he gripped a set of dog tags that were hanging from the stock of the rifle. Pete placed them onto the ground leaning then against the helmet to support them. Luna, Twilight, and many of the guard stood a ways off watching the three. Twilight was the only one openly crying, the guards and Luna keeping a stoic expression, but their eyes showing the sorrow they felt. The three stood at the spot a few minutes longer just staring at the unofficial grave. They were talking softly to each other low enough that the ponies couldn't hear what they were saying. Pete was the first to walk away. No longer able to look at the grave. From the direction he was walking, he was going to the wall. The place he always went when he didn't want others to see him. Twilight followed after him. The two remaining humans walked away a few moments later. Princess Luna ushered the guards away and them made her way towards the two humans. "If you wish, I could commission the mason's to build a statue for him." She suggested to the two. Liz just shook her head. "Matt was never one for extravagance." Jay said a sad smile on his face. "I'm sure he wouldn't want anymore than what we already gave him." He said as he turned away from Luna walking towards the castle, Liz not far behind. Pete was standing on the edge of the wall staring out into nothing. Twilight saw him standing there and made her way up on top of the wall. "Pete?" She said hesitantly, approaching the man. "Pete are you-" "It's my fault." Pete said interrupting her. "Wha-What?" She asked surprised. "On the roof I could've saved us both. I could've held the door with magic. I- I just didn't dig deep enough. If I tried harder I could've found the power and held the door. It's my fault he's gone! I didn't try hard enough!" Pete shouted his stoic expression breaking. Twilight's confused stare turned into a glare. "What do you think you're saying?!" She said as her horn lit up and Pete was lifted into the air by a levitation field. He flailed about in surprise. "I can feel you magic reserves, they're completely empty. No matter how deep you dug, or how hard you tried. You can't find something that isn't there!" She berated him. "You can't keep blaming yourself for things that were out of your control! You did the best you could." "Yeah, well my best wasn't good enough!" Pete shouted. "And when you're not good enough people die! How, exactly, is it not my fault!? It was my plan, my weakness, my lack of preparation that caused him to get killed! What part of that sound's like it's not my fault?!" He asked with fury. Twilight flinched back slightly. "The part where he wouldn't want you to think that." She said. Pete's eyes shrunk to pinpricks. His lips parted showing grinding teeth. Suddenly Twilight's levitation field failed as Pete freed himself from it. He walked up to Twilight and wrapped a hand around her horn lifting her off the ground slightly. "YOU DO NOT GET TO SPEAK FOR HIM!!" He shouted at her. "Do you know his last words to me?! 'Goodbye, my friend'. Friend! FRIEND! How could he call me a friend I never considered anyone my friend, and I got him killed! What type of 'friend' does that?!" He shouted as he glared at Twilight in anger. Twilight was grimacing in pain. "Your scared, I can see that, but you can't take it out on yourself. No one want's that." She said through her pain. Pete dropped her to the ground and turned his back to her. "Me, Scared? Why would I be scared right now?!" He asked. Twilight took a few breaths to steady herself. "...Because for the first time, you're admitting to yourself that Matt was always your friend and you feel like you failed him, but no friend would want to wish that fear and pain on another, so obviously Matt wouldn't want you to feel that way." Twilight told him. Pete stared off away from her for some time. Then he turned around his teeth no longer bared, and tears flowing down the sides of his face. "Why?...Why was it him and not me?" He asked. "He's the one who deserved to live, not me." Pete said as his legs fell out from under him and he was resting on his knees. Twilight walked up to him and wrapped her legs around him in an embrace. "Neither of you deserved to live more than the other, because that means somepony deserved to die, and no one deserves to die." She said calmly trying to comfort him. "Then why did I live and not him?" Pete asked. "...Because he was the first to admit to himself that he would be willing to give everything to let you live. If you had thought of it first, you probably would've done the same thing." She told him. "So the reason is because I was too stubborn to accept it?" Pete asked with a sad chuckle. "He would've loved to make fun of me for that." Pete said as his eyes began to water again. He buried his head into Twilight's coat and didn't hold back his tears anymore. He was glad she was here. After all he couldn't be strong all the time, and she was the only one he was willing to show his weakness too.