//------------------------------// // The Breaking of Things // Story: The Light of Despair // by Gordon Pasha //------------------------------// Hope only slept a few hours. There was too much to do. It would not be long before those things struck again. And Hope had to be ready to face them. The town had to be ready to face them. The first step was informing the mayor. Hope quickly threw on her cloak and headed out. Hope did not have to go far, as it turned out. She quickly found the mayor in the central square, along with a crowd of other ponies. “I need to talk to you!” Hope said. “I’ve found out what’s causing the–" “Not now,” Oriflamme said. “I want to hear the rest of this.” Hope realized that Oriflamme had not even bothered to look at her. The mayor’s eyes were fixed straight ahead. Hope realized, too, that they were in front of Fallen Fortune’s house. Hope turned her head. There he was, at his window, with everything folded out as though open for business. But Fallen Fortune did not seem to be selling anything. He was giving a speech of some sort, which was normal for him. Hope had instinctively tuned it out. Now, she began to listen. “As I said, I have done many rather disreputable things in the past,” Fallen Fortune said. “But recently, I have seen the light. I no longer wish to be the pony I once was. I want to be better. So, from hence forth, no more cheating, no more swindling, and no more lying. I shall live my life on the straight and narrow, and become a pillar of the community!” There were two tall stallions standing at the front of the crowd. One of them called out, “We’ve all heard this before! Why should we believe you?” “I know I’ve given you much reason to doubt me in the past,” Fortune said. “But I will earn your trust. I will show you that I have become a better pony.” “And how are you going to do that?” called out the second stallion. “Why, by doing things to help our fair community,” Fortune answered proudly. “Like what?” the mayor called out. She did not notice Hope’s disapproving glance. Fortune grew flustered. “What I’ll do is…. I mean, there is so much that this town needs…. The weaker members of our community need the most support, in particular…. I’ll build houses for orphans!” “Work-houses?” responded the first stallion in the front, to general laughter. “I’ll provide help to widows!” Fortune said. “I think you’ve ‘helped’ widows enough,” replied the second stallion, to even greater laughter and even some applause. “No, seriously, I will be a beacon for this community?” Fortune, now very shaken, said. “I’ll donate to worthy causes! To our poorer citizens I’ll give alms! Look! Look!” He disappeared from his window. But he swiftly returned, with several bags of coins behind him. Leaning against the window, Fortune poured the coins into his hooves. Then he threw them out into the crowd. “Here, here, take my wealth, needy citizens!” he said as he threw another batch. “You peasants need it more than I!” “Watch out, they’re probably poisoned!” shouted the first stallion. “I wouldn’t take anything from him!” added the second. “We’d probably all die from it!” The rest of the crowd seemed to agree. They avoided the coins as though bombs were being lobbed at their heads. Ponies dashed this way and that to get out of their trajectory. Soon, the whole square was deserted, except for Radiant Hope and Oriflamme. Hope approached Fallen Fortune’s window. “I guess that didn’t go as well as I had hoped,” Fortune said when he saw the sympathetic look on Hope’s face. “They just don’t understand,” Hope said. “They all are so used to seeing you as a… um….” “It’s fine, call me what I am,” Fortune said. “I’m a fraud. Or, I was. I’m not hiding from that.” “They just don’t see that you’re really trying to help them now,” Hope continued. “They will, eventually.” “Truth be told,” Fortune said, “I’m doing it more for me that for them. I never want to feel again like I did last night. I never want to become what I very nearly did when I tried to kill you. I want to stay as far away from that as possible. And what better way to do that than by being the exact opposite? If I have to become a saint, as odious as that is, then so be it.” “What, turning over a new leaf?” Oriflamme asked as she walked over. “I guess that means you’ll be giving all that fancy stuff in there to charity? I’ll take the house. It’s bigger than mine and I’m the mayor!” “Don’t make fun of him,” Hope said. “He had a very rough night, last night.” “It was a rough night for both of us,” Fortune said. “How come you're up so early, Hope? You should still be exhausted.” “And you should have a hangover from all that cider,” Hope responded with a smile. "But I never did thank you for staying with me all last night. I really needed it after what happened." "If you ever need a pony on top of you again, I'll be glad to do it," Fortune responded. Oriflamme looked from Hope to Fortune and back again. "Well, I never thought that the two of you would...." “The two of us, what?” Hope asked. “Never mind,” Oriflamme said. “You said you found out something?” “Yes, we did!” Fallen Fortune said. “Together, last night!” Oriflamme shook her head sadly. With a plaintive look toward Hope, she said, “Him, I can understand. But I thought you’d have higher standards! Didn’t listen to my warning, did you?” “Wait, what do you think happened with us last night?” Hope asked, confused. Oriflamme looked incredibly uncomfortable. “Look, did you have something important to tell me or no? I’m a very busy mare!” “I found out what is causing the plague,” Hope said. “We have to tell all the townsponies quickly, though, because I don’t know if I can stop it.” Oriflamme was stunned. “You found… the cause of the plague? What… what is it?” “I stayed with that pony after I healed her. She was fine until midnight,” Hope said. “Then the boils came back and I used my healing spells. Suddenly, this ball of light came out of her mouth. It then grew into this large pony made all of fire and it told me that there were more like it, that they were using the townsponies for energy, and when they do that, it causes the boils to appear. Once they take all of a pony’s energy, well… you know….” Oriflamme nodded her head slowly. “Yes, I can imagine what happens next….” To Fallen Fortune, the mayor said, “How much cider did she have last night?” “She didn’t have any,” Fortune responded. “I wasn’t drunk!” Hope said. “I saw it! I know I did!” “I can vouch for her,” Fortune added. “I saw it too.” Oriflamme’s eyes narrowed as they landed squarely on Fortune. “You slipped her something, didn’t you? That’s low, even for you.” “What? No!” Fortune said. “Didn’t you just hear my speech about being a new pony?” “I’m not making this up and I wasn’t seeing things!” Hope protested. “This is what’s causing the plague! You have to tell the townsponies! You have to warn them!” “Oh, yes,” the mayor answered. “I’ll just warn them not to accidentally swallow any fire-demons. Maybe I can even get placards put up with a face with horns and a line through it.” “You’re not taking this seriously,” Hope said. “You know, some towns are trying this newfangled thing of electing their mayors?" Oriflamme said. "I’m glad we aren’t doing that here. Could you imagine me getting reelected if I went around telling ponies that all they need to do to prevent the plague is to not eat little balls of flame?” “Oh, when you put it like that, of course it’s going to sound ridiculous!” Fortune said. “Where’s your showmanship? Do I need to teach you how it’s done?” “Aren’t you going to do anything at all?” Hope said. “The pony I saved survived, didn’t she? How do you explain that otherwise?” The mayor smiled. “Look, Hope, I know you really want to save this town. And I know you’re doing your best to help. But maybe you’re not fully rested up yet. Maybe you should take another few days to rest and relax and avoid strenuous activity.” Oriflamme shot Fortune a disapproving look here. “And then maybe you’ll be better able to actually do something useful instead of coming up with these wild stories.” “But I–” “Just look at you! I see you took that bath, but you’re still wearing that filthy cloak!” Hope looked down and was reminded that the cloak was as mud-caked as ever. “I just haven’t had a chance to wash it yet. I forgot that when I put it on this morning. I was in such a rush to find you that I just put it on without thinking.” Oriflamme gave Hope a glance somewhere between understanding and condescension. “Of course, you did. But why don’t you take a few days off, all the same? From what we’ve seen, your healing powers aren’t going to save that many lives, anyway. I think you can afford a break.” Hope was stunned. Her jaw dropped. She was speechless. But the mayor seemed satisfied with her pronouncement. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have to make my morning rounds,” she said. “A mayor’s life is ever-busy.” The mayor departed, leaving Hope and Fortune alone. “Can you believe she didn’t believe me?” Hope asked. “Well, it does sound a little far-fetched,” Fortune said. “But do I seem like the type of pony who would make something like that up?” “You did tell me this morning, completely free of any alcoholic influence, that you not only believe in fairies, but talk to them, so….” Hope gave Fortune a harsh look. “But she doesn’t know about that, so why she’d doubt you, I don’t know,” Fortune said with a nervous grin. “What should I do? Should I tell the other townsponies myself?” “Without the mayor’s backing, I don’t think they’ll believe you. They may be extremely gullible when they want to be, but they have their limits. I mean, look, they just refused to take free money because I was the one giving it to them. Just imagine the luck we'll have with the whole ‘fire-demon’ story.” Hope gave him another harsh look. “Hey, hey, I was there!” he said. “I’m not saying it didn’t happen. But if you weren’t witness to it like we were, it does sound too incredible to be true.” Hope let out a grunt of frustration. “I suppose you’re right. But what do I do?” “How about writing to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna? Maybe they could do something about it.” “The last time I asked them to help me cure a pony who was suffering, they gave him a thousand-year sentence in who-knows-where, instead.” A faint trace of a sneer formed on Hope’s face. Fortune seemed a little taken aback. “Hope, I know how much you care for your friend Sombra, but I’ve been giving it some thought. You kept talking about ‘his people,’ and how he used dark magic when his power was unlocked. What if his people’s magic is dark magic? What if they are beings of darkness?” “What if they are?” Hope said. “What if Sombra’s natural power is dark magic. What’s wrong with that?” “But, Hope, the creature we saw last night–” “Was a creature of light! You saw that! The ponies who hurt Sombra so much and made him what he was, they were crystal ponies, ponies of light. I’m a crystal pony, and I betrayed him. I’m starting to see that light doesn’t equal good.” “Yes, but–” “And if light doesn’t equal good, maybe darkness doesn’t equal evil.” “But, Hope, dark magic is powered by rage!” “So? Maybe rage isn’t such a bad thing. I’ve been thinking, maybe when it’s directed against… against things like that creature, things that hurt and cause pain for other ponies, maybe it’s not so bad. It’s all in how you use it, isn’t it?” Fortune shook his head. “Maybe, but you haven’t felt what it’s like to be so consumed by that rage. Using it for good is fine enough, but you just can’t stop yourself when it starts to take you over.” “You did,” Hope said matter-of-factly. “And I bet you could do it again. I was thinking, since the fire-creatures are so vulnerable against it, we could use it on them. We could use it to defeat them.” “No! Never!” Fortune’s voice was just short of shouting. “I told you that I never want to feel like I did when that power was flowing through me! Didn’t you get it when I told you that the only thing that stopped me from hurting you was I just happened to see your mark? It was chance, Hope, mere chance. Unless you believe in fate or destiny–” “I don’t.” “Then you can’t say it was anything but luck that you aren’t dead now. Neither of us will be so lucky next time. The whole town can die, but I'm never going near that magic again. And that's final.” “What happened to trying to be a better pony?” Hope responded. “You were ready to give up all your wealth just a little while ago.” “My wealth, fine. But not my soul. Remember how I told you that it felt like my soul was being ripped out of my body? I was neither joking nor lying about that. And these ponies have no right to ask that I give up my soul.” “Fine,” Hope said, unconcerned. “Teach me how to use that magic, and I’ll do it.” “No, Hope, no!” Fortune said, his voice rising still more. “I don’t want to see you give up your soul either!” “I think I already did when I stabbed Sombra in the back,” Hope responded. “You’re a good pony, Hope! You’re probably the best I’ve ever met! You did not lose your soul. And you can’t give it up. Not even for Sombra!” “I think I should be the judge of that!” Hope snapped. Hope felt herself becoming angrier with every word. Fortune must have sensed it as well, for he quickly took a different tack. “But maybe if you contact the Princesses, they’ll at least have some suggestions….” “I couldn’t contact them if I wanted to. I don’t know how to get a message through the blockade, and I never did learn how to send it magically. I think you need a dragon for that or something,” Hope said. “Not that I would want to, even if I could.” If Fortune had been trying to calm Hope down, he had failed. Hope felt even more upset that before. “You know," she said, "when I was a foal, being a princess seemed like the greatest thing in the world. I figured you got to have all this power that you could help ponies with. But then, I got to know them. Princess Amore never tried to help Sombra, even though she probably figured out what he was. And then Princess Celestia and Princess Luna didn’t help him either, even after I told them that it wasn’t his fault. And then they probably know what’s going on here and they still won’t help!” “You don’t know that. They might not know what’s causing the plague.” Hope shook her head. “Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. But they know more about it than they were willing to tell me. I could tell Celestia was holding something back. Why wouldn’t she have told me more? Why does she always seem to know more than she’s willing to tell? Why do that?” “Because sometimes knowledge is a burden, Hope,” Fortune said. “Whatever she knows, she probably thinks she’s being kinder by not sharing it.” Hope growled. Her horn lit up a deep blue. Similarly, the sun-badge upon Hope’s cloak also began to glow that same shade of blue. It tore itself out of the fabric and landed on the ground with a loud clang. “Hope, what are you doing?” Fortune said, shocked and concerned. “I’ve had enough of princesses to last me a lifetime,” Hope answered. “If that’s what it means to be a princess, to have that power and that knowledge and not be able to help ponies, then I never want to be one!” Radiant Hope’s hoof rose. It slammed down upon the badge, shattering it into countless pieces. Fallen Fortune fell silent. Hope kicked the remains of the badge into the nearest gutter. When she turned to Fortune again, there was no sign of regret or remorse in those blue crystal eyes. “I have to do something,” Hope said. “I will do something.” “Then… then… come in…” Fortune said, still looking for words. “I’ve gathered an extensive library on these sorts of things. There must be some other way to stop the fire-monsters. And if it’s not in one of my books, it’s not anywhere.” Hope considered. “You're not trying to proposition me again, are you?” Then she paused, something seeming to occur to her. “Oh, that’s what the mayor meant….” Fortune shrugged. “Well, if everypony’s going to be thinking it....” Hope gave Fortune the harshest glare yet. “I mean, no, I’m not trying anything,” Fortune quickly said. “I just think it would be the best use of our time and resources. So much better than using dark magic.” “I don’t know….” Hope said. “You said you’d do anything. Just at least try this before going the darker route. How’s that sound?” Hope nodded hesitantly. “Alright. But if there is no library up there, you’re going to be in need one of my healing spells.” “Duly noted,” Fortune said. “Now, just come around to the door and I’ll let you in.” Would Radiant Hope find what she was looking for? Read on.