Full Spectrum stopped with her right hand on the front door of her house, "You want to know why everypony was staring at you earlier today? It wasn't because you're a Bloodmage. It was because you looked like you were going to your own execution. Don't have your head down and your ears back, instead walk around like you belong here. Act like you're among Ponies who like you, who value you. Trust me, you'll see the difference."
Starburst was extremely unsure about her words. Nevertheless he swallowed hard and held his head high as they left the house.
* * *
Starburst was a nervous wreck by the time Full Spectrum led him to Ashley and Beacon's home. She had led him across town, past dozens of Unicorns and through several crowds. He had forced his expression to be semi-friendly and to his surprise he had not been stared at. In fact several citizens of New Humansville actually waved at him. The positive reinforcement did nothing to make him any less nervous, but he did feel somewhat less paranoid.
Full Spectrum led him up to the front door of a house that was, to him, identical to all the other houses in town. The young woman knocked on the door and a few seconds later a gray Unicorn stallion with a royal purple mane and tail slowly cracked open the door.
His neutral expression lifted to happy as he registered who it was at the door, "Oh, Sorcerer Full Spectrum." He stepped back, horn glowing, holding the door more fully open, "Come in, come in. I'm sorry, but Ashley isn't here at the moment. She wanted to spend some time with her other friends, Kolo and Buzz Butter. They're at The Melting Pot. Apparently they're really upset about something they did to somebody. I just wanted to stay home today and rest."
Full Spectrum smiled down at Beacon, "It's fine Beacon. I have somepony here who I think needs to hear the story of how you and Ashley became friends... and everything that led up to that."
Beacon's face fell like a waterfall. He lowered his ears and his head, "I-I don't know if I want to relive that again..."
Full Spectrum stepped to the side revealing Starburst, "Please Beacon, Starburst needs to understand some things about fear and rash decisions."
Beacon looked at Starburst and bit his lower lip. He turned away from the door and headed inside the house, the light of his horn going out, "Come on in then, just close the door behind you."
"Full Spectrum," Starburst hissed, "He's a Unicorn!"
Full Spectrum shook her head, "Get your butt in here and talk to him. It will be fine." Seeing his hesitation she crouched down and spoke to him at eye level, "Starburst you HAVE to trust me. Out of anypony in this whole town, Beacon is the least likely to misuse his magic. Come talk to him and you'll understand why."
Starburst shifted his weight from left to right and back again. He was nervous and unsure about being in the same room as a Unicorn. Full Spectrum was somebody he felt he could trust, but an unfamiliar Unicorn stallion was a totally different matter. Looking back to his friend, he made up his mind, "I'll talk to him."
Full Spectrum rose back up to her full height, "Good, come on." She entered the house and Starburst followed her, closing the door behind him.
The room that Beacon led them to was spacious and well-appointed. There were a series of plush cushions scattered around the creamy white painted room for somebody to sit on and a coffee table dominated the center of the room. A fireplace was set against the far wall, lit and burning merrily behind its iron screen. Four windows, two in each of the outer walls, let in sunlight which illuminated the room cheerfully.
Beacon laid down on a cushion in front of the fireplace and scooted himself to the side to make room in case somebody else wanted to join him. Full Spectrum sat down across from Beacon and Starburst sat close by her.
They sat looking at each other for a few seconds before Beacon broke the silence, "Well I suppose proper introductions are in order." He looked straight at Starburst, "My name is Beacon. I'm a former E.U.P. Guard, battle trained in the use of magic as a weapon, and if I could break off my horn and survive, I would."
Starburst cringed when Beacon spoke about his training, but his fear morphed into confusion when Beacon mentioned wanting to remove his own horn, "Wait what?"
"I think you should start at the beginning, Beacon." Full Spectrum said quietly.
Beacon sighed, "Fine..."
* * *
Beacon spoke for more than an hour and for every second of it Starburst sat in place silently, listening to him. The sincerity and raw emotion playing out through the Unicorn's voice communicated more than even Beacon's words. The Unicorn finished his story and laid his head on the table, "... and so we've been best friends ever since. It was very difficult at first, let me tell you. We persevered though and we even fought together in The Battle For New Humansville." Beacon closed his eyes and shuddered, "That was one of the most horrific memories I have. We survived, eventually recovered and since then we've dedicated ourselves to watching everything that goes on around town. We charged ourselves with keeping the peace between all species who decide to live here."
Beacon groaned sadly, "It never gets any easier you know... knowing what you've done to somebody who didn't deserve it." He looked Starburst straight in the eyes, "I know who you are Starburst. I recognized you the second I saw you. I have no idea why you're here though. I would think the person you want to talk to is Ashley. She's the one who hated Ponies, especially Unicorns. I can tell you this though: you do not need to be afraid of Unicorns, Starburst. If most Unicorns knew what I had done... they would probably run me out of town." Beacon looked down at the table, "They wouldn't do what you're afraid of. Even the E.U.P. Guard have no idea how to use any Mind spells. Take it from one of the murderers who participated in the most terrible atrocity of our generation. You don't need to hate me Starburst. I already hate myself more than you ever could."
Beacon's voice became intense, "It is no way to live, waking up day after day knowing what you are and what you deserve." Beacon's voice began to quiver as he spoke, "I see Ashley every day and every time I see her it hurts more and more." His eyes began to moisten, "I was the one who took her sister and niece away from her. I'm the one who murdered them. I'm the one who caused a soul as sweet as Ashley to endure so much pain and misery that she felt justified in taking part in planning a massacre against innocent Ponies!" Beacon rose to his hooves pointing to a scar on his chest, "THIS is justice!" he jabbed at the scar, "THIS is what I deserved for what I did! This was supposed to be my death! The end that I deserved, run through with my own sword at the hands of the person I'd wronged so terribly! But instead of death, here I am! Living every day with the torment of seeing the sweet and innocent person I love and remembering the kind of monster I am! It doesn't end there either! The sword blade missed every vital organ and blood vessel. The only way that could happen is through an Act of Magic!"
Beacon tried to blink away the tears but they would not be denied, "Which means that no matter how much I suffer every single day, seeing Ashley live and work and loving her from a distance, I cannot express myself to her and I cannot end this either! No necklace of rope to give me relief and no peaceful embrace of the grave! No, I'm stuck living in perpetual mental and emotional torment until the Natural Magic is done with me! Every day I think about denying the Act of Magic that did this to me and just ending this!"
Beacon stopped and panted for breath as tears streamed down his face, "She doesn't hate me either." he said softly, "She cares about me... even after everything I've done to her." Beacon took a shuddering breath and continued, "I don't deserve for her to care about me." He sniffed and looked back up at Starburst, "I think I understand why Full Spectrum brought you here... look at me Starburst. Look at me and let this burn itself into your memory. THIS is what hatred and ignorance brings, a lifetime of never ending torment. Don't hate anybody. You can't imagine what it's like... to live this way."
Beacon wiped his nose and finished what he wanted to say, "Don't hate your sister either. For everything she's done, once she realizes the depth of her crimes... it may destroy her. Anger and bitterness can do far more damage than any spell and I promise you... it hurts for a much longer time. Hating somebody is like drinking poison and hoping the one you hate will die..." Beacon took a breath, "If that massacre you've spoken of really did happen, I promise that if the Princesses knew about it, the punishment they leveled against the perpetrators was far beyond anything you can imagine. If you've done something like that and if you truly understand what it is you've done, death is a mercy."
Beacon shook his head, "I'm sorry. I-I need to be alone now. You know the way out." He trotted over to the stairs by the front door and ascended to his room, closing the door behind himself.
Full Spectrum led Starburst outside and closed the front door, "What you've just seen is one half of the story. The other half will have to wait until later."
Starburst blinked away tears of his own, "The pain on his face, in his words... how does he go on?" he asked his tall friend.
Full Spectrum closed her eyes and shook her head, "I don't know Starburst. Did you get anything out of that though?"
Starburst looked at the cobblestones under his hooves for a long time before answering, "I don't hate him... I don't think I could now, even if I wanted to."
Full Spectrum knelt down in front of the young stallion, "He's a Pony just like you. That's all Unicorns are, Starburst. They're just Ponies with horns. They feel the same things you do: fear, anger, sorrow, joy... you cannot judge them all on the actions of a few."
Starburst sniffed lightly, "I'm still afraid of Unicorns..."
Full Spectrum pulled him into a firm hug, "I'm sure you are, but can you see now why you can't hate them?"
Starburst hugged her back small tears streaming down his face, "I don't hate anypony..."
Before Starburst and Full Spectrum even broke their hug, an intense explosion blasted out the windows of one of the upstairs bedrooms of the house they had just left. The two friends down on the ground cringed as hundreds of shards of glass came tumbling down on them. Starburst was the first to recover from the shock. Spreading his wings, he leaped into the air and winged through the closest broken window.
Beacon was lying on the floor with a quickly growing pool of blood spreading outward from the hole in his head where his horn was broken off almost at his skull. Two-thirds of Beacon's horn was stuck into a hole in the floor. Not bothering to even think, Starburst bit down on the end of Beacon's horn and pulled it free of the hole. He spat it out and picked up the pointed end in his mouth. Turning around quickly, Starburst drew a circle on the floor surrounding Beacon.
Full Spectrum burst through the door just as Starburst finished the incantation, "... ietheriact!"
The circle on the floor instantly lit up brilliant red. At the same moment, Beacon's horn stump stopped bleeding. Full Spectrum was at a loss for words but only for a few seconds, "Oh my God Beacon, what did you do?" She asked rhetorically, "Good job Star... Starburst?"
The young Stallion did not respond. His head was down and his eyes were closed. Full Spectrum could see his lips moving constantly. It suddenly occurred to her that the spell might need to be maintained. Catalyst had explained that some of the Bloodmage spells had such a requirement. Not stopping to ponder the development, she quickly turned and ran back down the stairs to go get help.