Forgotten Memories

by Star Saber

Sweet Apple Acres

Forgotten Memories
Chapter 4
Sweet Apple Acres

Breaker had gone back to where his ruined home was after parting with Applebloom so she could go and pack some of her things for the trip ahead. It was dark now and the stars were all alight, casting there glow with the full moon high above leaving the land awash in a silvery glow, turning everything more beautiful than it had been during the day. It was times like this that Breaker fully appreciated where his life had taken him.
///

"Breaker! Breaker where are you?!"

"On your six Plasma!"

It was just another mission, he and his three man team had been sent out with the elements on a diplomatic mission to Alamante. It wasn't an unusual thing to do, a war had just ended and there were still pockets of resistance everywhere. Breaker had next to know time to avoid the boulder coming at him from an unknown attacker. Angel managed to catch an earth pony that was only one of their attackers, there were plenty more surrounding them as they went deep into Geo territory.

"Capture, don't kill them! We'll bring them to Terra!"

"Alright Twilight! As you say."

Of course, this didn't mean that the Geokinetics were going to take it easy on them. Twi didn't want any deaths, but it was obvious that the earth movers were out for blood, theirs.

"Twilight come on! These guys don't care about our lives!"

"That ain't up to us Sugarcube, that's the law round these parts, nopony wants anymore death, so we got to try! Now git to it, we've been barred from fighting by the princess."

"We're trying Applejack! They aren't making it easy!"

Another boulder flew by, this time barely missing Plasma, but a scream still split the air as Angel's horn was hit while trying to catch the boulder, it had been going too fast, with their magic user now all but useless Breaker decided they needed to retreat.

"Full retreat! Cover the Elements and get Heart out of here!"

"Yes sir!!"

"Let's git out of here!"

"Okie dokie lokie"

"Tactical retreat is good!"

"This is atrocious! I agree with you Star!"

"Not cool..."

"Rainbow Dash.....no!"

Nopony had noticed the rush of wind as Rainbow Dash took to the sky and dove from above, a high pitched whining was all that was heard from her dive, she was going to use the sonic rainboom as a weapon!

"TAKE COVER! RAINBOOM IS INBOUND!"

"Rainbow Dash! No casualties! Please we have to go!"
///
He was woken from the dream with a start, looking around and then sighing, that had been it. The final mission Plasma, Angel, and he had been on. The one that he had failed, he had failed to protect Angel Heart, Plasma, and the Elements. He closed his eyes and then looked to the sky for answers.

"Why....why did I fail?"

"It wasn't your fault Star Breaker. It was the Cryokinetic rogues."

"But I still failed....I should have seen it coming."

"There was no way you could have."

"Then....why didn't you say something?"

"Because I had not been awakened."

"I really need to stop talking to myself..."

"But you aren't."

"That's not what it looks like to other ponies."

"Whatever the case may be Star Breaker. We must go and see Applebloom."

"Why? It's barely the morning."

"Trust me as you have before."

"You never talked back then."

The voice of the blade didn't answer causing Breaker to shake his head and chuckle before getting to his hooves and sighing.

"This is...We have to see the Princesses...."

He was going to go and get Applebloom first, which meant heading to Sweet Apple Acres right off the bat. It wasn't too far from where his home once stood, the Apple family had helped him build it as a thank you for something he no longer remembered. It had something to do with the Apple family, but he couldn't remember now. That was ten years ago when he first moved to Ponyville and needed a home.

Upon arrival he heard the two distinct voices of Big Macintosh and Applebloom arguing from the barn. It seemed like he may need to get involved but for now he would listen to them from a safe distance.

"I told you once and I'll tell you again. You ain't going on some adventure where there's a chance you won't be seen again Applebloom."

"But Big Mac! I'll be protected...I want to go!"

"No Applebloom now you get inside the house and put that bag away."

"No Mac....I have to go...Star Break-"

"And what if he can't protect you? What if the same thing that happened to AppleJack happens to you?"

"He won't let that happen! I know he wont Mac!"

"How do you know? He couldn't protect our sister. What makes you think he'll be able to protect you over there?"

"I....I don't know...it's...something inside me that's telling me I need to go....Please Big Mac..."

"If you....if somethin happens to you Applebloom...I'll be going to jail fer murder...."

"If I let you get that far."

Both of their heads turned to find Breaker standing in the doorway. Applebloom with a somewhat embarrassed look that she had been arguing with her brother over something silly, and Mac with a stern look, staring right at Breaker.

"If she gets hurt or anything....I'll be coming after you. I may not have been able to do anything for AJ, but I'll be bucked if I let anything happen to my little sister."

"You know Fluttershy wouldn't like that."

"How dare you bring mah wife's name into this! I lost her because of you! Because you and that team of yours couldn't protect her! Git.....Git out of here before I decide to throw you out! You may have helped us before...but you took away our sister, you took away mah wife....and now your taking Applebloom away...just....git....I don't want to see you here ever again Star Breaker...."

"Fine by me Macintosh....My home was destroyed two nights ago...I got nothing left here anyway. I just came to get Bloomy, and a few provisions, we're heading to Canterlot on the first available train."

"Fine. There's some cider up top, and take any apples you can buck. From three trees. That's all I'll let you have."

"Thank you Mac."

"Don't thank me. It's what Aj would do."

"You're right Big Mac. I'm going to visit her and the rest of them before we leave."

Mac shook his head and then left the barn passing by Breaker with a sigh, leaving them alone.

"You didn't have to do that you know..."

"Yeah..I did....siblings shouldn't fight like that."

"Was that how you acted?"

"Yeah...before..."

He fell silent as he remembered that night that felt like it was so long ago.
///
His bags were packed and he was ready to go, his father had given him his old sword as a parting gift, but his sister hadn't wanted him to leave.

"Star you can't!"

"I have to. This mission was given by Princess Celestia. I can't disobey her."

"Why? Why do you have to go?!"

"Because it's an order. The Elements asked for my team specifically."

"They can go rot in Tartarus! I'm not going to let you go!"

"Don't talk like that sis! Those six have kept equestria safe since they were young! They kept us safe!"

"No they didn't! Momma's gone because of them!"

A slap echoed through the cloudhome they lived in with their father as Star Breaker's hoof connected to his sister's cheek.

"Dont you ever say that again! Mom was taken by a criminal! An evil being that Celestia herself couldn't get rid of!"

Tears hit the floor as his sister stared at him. He had struck her, he had actually laid a hoof on her in anger. She ran from the room her last words echoing in his ears.

"I never want to see you again! I hate you!"
///
He sighed, that was the last time he had seen his sister and father. He didn't think they would want to see him either. Not now, it had been ten years since the last time he saw them.

"You don't want to talk about it do you?"

"Not really no."

"Alright. You don't have to."

"Thanks....it was a rough time."

"Well we should go. I got all the stuff while you were off in your little space."

"Thanks Bloomy."

"Want to....go walk through the Orchard?"

He nodded, it had been longer than he knew since he had walked the massive orchard that made up the farm. Once he started walking Applebloom began to walk next to him, both absorbed in their thoughts more than the beauty around them.

'The last time I did this was with AppleJack...'

'The Element of Honesty?'

'Yeah...'

'Before that mission right?'

'That's right sword....you know something?'

'What's that Star Breaker?'

'I never got your name. I mean..you are alive right?'

'Yeah.'

'So what's your name?'

'I don't....I don't have one....least...not that I can remember.'

'Do you want one?'

'I....I guess...Why do you care? I'm just a sword...'

'You saved my life. It's the least I could do.'

"Breaker?"

"Hmmm? Yeah Applebloom?"

"You remember this tree?"

He looked up from the ground and saw one tree in front of him before shaking his head.

"Yeah...yeah I do. This is where you tried to get a cutie mark for cheering a pony up."

"It sure is! But...it didn't work..."

"Yeah but you cheered the pony up didn't you?"
///
A few days had passed since the mission and it's failure and Star Breaker was sitting under an apple tree after delivering the news to the Apples that their sister didn't make it back home. Tears were falling from his face to the ground below. Twilight may have been able to read him like a book, but it was AppleJack he had connected with the most, she was his best friend, the one that closest to him, even though it wasn't romantic. They had looked at each other like a brother and sister did.

"Hey mister Breaker?"

"Leave me alone..."

"Why?"

"Because I did something bad."

"Like what?"

"I failed...."

"No you didn't."

"Yeah...yeah kid I did."

"How? And my name's not kid...It's Applebloom!"

"Apple...bloom? You're the kid sis of AJ right?"

"Yeah!"

"You're annoying me..."

He looked at her from where he was, a pale orange earth pony with red mane and tail and a bright red bow on her head was staring at him, she couldn't be much older than seventeen, just finishing puberty and he shook his head at her eyes, they were as big as saucers and looked too cute and sad to do anything but try and cheer her up.

"I...I'm annoyin ya?"

"Nah kid...I'm just feeling bad is all...I didn't bring everypony back from where I went...I'm sorry."

"Ya did yer best right?"

"Yeah...and I still failed them all..."

"No ya didn't. If ya tried yer best then ya didn't fail."

"How do you figure kid?"

"Well...its like mah sis always said. If'n ya try yer best then ya can't fail. Even if you didn't win or do somethin the right way...as long as ya tried yer best then you know where ya need ta improve."

He smiled, this little mare in front of him was right, even if it didn't feel that way. Soon he began to chuckle and shook his head.

"Ya know kid...that's exactly what she would say...you even sounded like her for a minute there."

"I...I did?"

"Yeah kid...you'll grow up to be a fine mare one day. Just keep on thinking like that and you'll do just fine in your life."

"Did...did I cheer ya up?"

"Yeah kid...you did."

She had an excited look on her face and looked at her flank only to let out an aww of disappointment and Breaker became curious.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't git mah cutie mark...."

"Your still a blank flank?"

"Yeah..."

"Don't worry about it...you'll get it one day, and when you do I want to see it."

"Do ya promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Ya...ya made a Pinkie promise?"

"I sure did."

She wrapped him in a hug and whispered in his ear saying thank you and he shook his head before standing.

"Well I'd better be off....I have a few things to do..I have to tell everypony else what happened. You be good alright?"

"Alright! I'm glad I could cheer you up mister Breaker!"

"It's just Breaker."
///
The memory faded and he sighed with a smile before noticing something on the tree, it looked like a carving of some kind, a heart, with initials in it and he raised his eyebrow before Applebloom blocked it from his view.

"Well...we should probably be going now..Don't we have to go to Canterlot before we go to Alamante?"

He blinked for a moment and then nodded.

"Yeah Applebloom...we have to tell the princesses what we're going to go and do."

"Well come on then we don't have any time to waste!"

She turned him around and pushed him in the direction of Ponyville and the train station before looking back at the tree and smiling. The heart that was carved had been done after he had left that day, when she first developed a small crush on Star Breaker. It was clear to her. The initials in it were SB & AB. She sighed happily remembering when she had done it and then began to follow him. First Canterlot, and then to Alamante. They had six days to spend together before their adventure really began, and she would try her hardest to help him stay happy. She didn't want to see him cry like he had that day five years ago.

Comments

[Unseen Legacy]

That was a nice and creative chapter.

~Unseen

[Star Saber]

3411024 Well thank you! I'm doing my best on this, sorry for being inconsistent with posting..it takes awhile for my meager brain to come up with all new ways to up the ante I give myself