All Hail Forgot

by Dream Whisper

AHF: Chapter 3 - Sacrifice

“He has to die.”

“Are you crazy? He doesn’t have to die for something like that! Forgot doesn’t judge quickly and you shouldn’t either.”

“He has broken the holy rules. He has to die. Off his head and onto the sacrificial pit.”

Even though they were speaking about his well-being, Swift Haven could not really pay attention. His thoughts kept flinging back to a certain mare. How he had left her… How she had cried…

“We don’t simply throw our brethren into the sacrificial pit. We don’t know how far he has gone with her.”

“Breaking rules means cutting heads. I want to see his head on a spike, in a fire, or on the sacrificial plate.”

“Silence! Your behaviour is unpleasing, Shattered Laughter. Non possumus facere contra suam voluntatem. We cannot act against his will. You should remember that rule.“

Non possumus facere contra suam. It felt strange to hear that again. The last time he had heard Brother Crystalline speak in the godly language had been his induction.

“He has to be punished! Punished with death!”

“Stop your nonsense. we are not going to act before we know exactly what has happened. Swift Haven! Tell me: What were you doing with that mare?”

Time to answer. He had waited for this moment for the entirety of this meeting and yet he had not found words he could speak in his defense. His soul was condemned.

“Brother Crystalline. I cannot tell myself free of the influence of Memoria. I cannot pledge my innocence in the knowledge that Forgot knows my faults and errors. I can only hope that he forgives my poor soul for being too weak to resist these mortal urges.”
“Memoria truly is a cruel mother. Let Forgot free you! We will save your soul by sacrificing to Forgot. May he have pity upon your soul.”

The supreme leader almost erupted into singing the holy praises of Forgot. His poor subject has fallen under the troubles of Memoria. There was only one possibility to cleanse his soul: A sacrifice. Of course, not any sacrifice would suffice the extraordinary needs of this situation. To please Forgot after this reckless disruption of his rules, much more than just a bit of money would be needed. They would need… A blood sacrifice.

“We could sacrifice his pesky marefriend. That would free him of his mortal urges.”

Even Bonefire seemed to be overwhelmed by that suggestion of Shattered Laughter. He had wanted to stop the traitorous Swift Haven from continuing his treason. He had NOT wanted to be the reason for an innocent mare to die. However, Brother Crystalline seemed to like that idea.

“A blood sacrifice would cleanse us all from our mortal urge, not just our fallen brother.”

Swift Haven’s body had tensed up and yet he couldn’t bring out the words. It was true and yet it was painful. The sacrifice would be necessary, but not his Sweet Fire! He opened his mouth but nothing came out. The words suddenly slipped his mind. Forgot will solve his problems.

“Forgot will cleanse my soul from the influences of Memoria. Filii eius adoraverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.”

Everypony in the room answered the holy call.

“Filii eius adoreverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.”

Only Brother Crystalline continued speaking afterwards.

“This meeting has come to its end. Let us praise the mighty Forgot.
All hail the mighty Forgot!
For he forgives our darkest moments.
For he erases our worst memories.”

Everypony answered, chanting the same words. The decision has been made. Just before leaving, Shattered Laughter had to add that one sentence, which wouldn’t let him think calmly for hours:

“I am glad you see it my way now.”

---

The uniform trotting of hundreds of ponies was almost hypnotic. Each and every pony seemed to be a part of some bigger being, slowly moving forward. Where were they heading? She didn’t care anymore. Sure, the question still bugged here, but it could have been any question. It could have been any place, any face. It didn’t matter. Her whole life had been a lie. They had all shown her what the world really looked like. She didn’t need a place in THAT world. It was not her world to live in. A world of lies and hatred and anger.

Of course, she would burn from inside. Her pain would consume her in her very last moments. Did it matter? No. Swift Haven, HER Swift Haven had turned against her. Nothing mattered after that. Not being imprisoned, not being beaten to come out, not being chained to the table below her. They would bathe their hands in her blood. It wouldn’t matter.

The procession stopped and the dim, flickering light of the candles, projecting shadows onto the wall, was the only movement in the very next moments. She watched the shadows dance on the wall until the she noticed something else. There was some sort of … smoke crawling above the flat floor; Incandescence.

Suddenly hundreds of voices started their chorus:

“All hail the mighty Forgot!
For he forgives our darkest moments.
For he erases our worst memories.”

A hooded pony slowly trotted up the the pulpit.

“Dear brothers, dear sisters. Today is the day of our fate. Today, we will cleanse ourselves of Memoria’s sins. Let Forgot shine brightly upon you. Let him take you to his domain of eternal forgiveness. Let us show that we are indeed his forgotten sons.“

Again, the chorus answered with their chanting.

“All hail the mighty Forgot!
For he forgives our darkest moments.
For he erases our worst memories.”

Again, the hooded pony continued

“Today, we are going to claim more than just another follower. Today, we are going to claim freedom for everypony. Freedom from Memoria.

Forgot has allowed us another batch of his magic.

Brother Swift Haven. Ascend and come forth!”

Even though she tried to ignore the searing pain in her heart, it still pierced through the thick layer of ignorance. She had sworn herself to hate that pony and yet her heart still jumped upon seeing him. Why was it so hard to forget her love?

“Dear brothers…

I have fallen. I have broken our holy rules. No punishment would suffice for what I have done. Only Forgot can forgive me my downfall into the realm of Memoria. I have placed emotion above our divine goal. Only my father’s forgiveness may still help my pitiful soul.”

The hooded pony started to laugh quietly.

“Brethren!

You see that our fallen brother has mended his forsaken ways and seeks the forgiveness of Forgot once again. To fulfill his bond, we are going to make a sacrifice. A sacrifice to cleanse us all.
Filii eius adoreverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.”

Every pony answered his call, singing monotonically. Had they all lost their minds?

“Filii eius adoreverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.”

“Brethren!

Would this be any other occasion, I would do this duty myself. However, this occasion is not normal and thus does not apply to normal conventions. Forgot has told me that there had to be a change in our ceremony.

I cannot resolve the sins of Swift Haven. He has to cleanse himself.

He has to cleanse himself in the blood of this mare. Take my dagger, brother.”

Sweet Fire just looked at him. He took a step forwards, just to hesitantly stop again. The next step was even slower, with even less determination. Suddenly he turned his face towards her, his eyes taking a last glance. She could make out the tears even from this distance.

“Come to me! Your soul will be praised eternally. Don’t turn around.”

Slowly he trotted onwards, keeping his head on the ground. He didn’t turn around again.

“Look at me, brother.”

He slowly raised his head until he looked straightly into the fierce eyes of Brother Crystalline.

“Take my dagger and cleanse your soul.”

He took his dagger and turned around him. Sweet Fire just looked at him, unable to accept his compliance. He walked towards her slowly, keeping a steady, yet excruciating pace. Swift Haven approached the grand table of Forgot with grim determination. He stopped, looking down at his former love as if looking down on the turkey he was about to slice. She looked up at him, eyes cold and unforgiving, but with a sense of indifference. They stared at each other for a short eternity, when Shattered Laughter piped up.

“Come on, kill her!”

He was muffled out by Crystalline, getting a sharp “shush”.

He had to do it. Swift raised the dagger above his head, aiming straight for Sweet Fire’s heart. At least then it would be swift and she wouldn’t have to suffer more than necessary. He hesitated, his hooves shaking heavily. Could he really kill her? This mare who was his whole world, before he had met Crystalline? He recalled memories of laughter and adventure… and love. He recalled various nights spent comforting her beside the warm crackling fire, or in a soft bed. Nights in which they had a grand quest, to solve whatever problem Sweet Fire had gotten worked up on. This was the end… Wasn’t it? It had to be, it had to end this way. He owed it to Forgot, Crystalline, and the entire brotherhood. Yet he hesitated. He could hear the hushed groans of Shattered Laughter as he impatiently waited for the deed to be done.

They all waited for him to destroy what was left of his past life. They wanted him to forget what had once been. But… But what if he didn’t want to forget anymore? What if he WANTED to remember the time he had spent with Sweet Fire, his only true love. Could he sacrifice his love for forgiveness? Could he take on the eternal damnation of his soul, if he could just spend a little more time with her? Could he sacrifice every time of laughter, joy, and happiness he had had just to forget the unfortunate ones?

No! NO!

“NO! I can’t do it!”

“May Forgot have mercy with your pitiful soul then.”

Crystalline stepped forward with a few guards, hatred and disapproval in his icy stare. Two guards of Forgot blocked the way out already. Crystalline’s horn lit up and cast an eerie glow down on Swift Haven. He felt his knees tremble and heart sink. His vision was suddenly clouded.

No! NO! It couldn’t end like this. The dagger was still high up above Sweety’s heart. He trembled, but his dagger still did not fail to hit its target. Crystalline screamed in surprise.

“You… I don’t understand.”

The whole room filled with the gasping of hundreds of ponies. Some even screamed. It was done. He has finished what he had once begun. Slowly, he turned around towards Brother Crystalline. The dagger shimmered in the light of the candles. Even from down at the table, the blood was clearly visible. He had done it. He had freed himself and all the others.

“GET HIM!”

The scream came out as a rustling noise, but loud enough to wake every pony up from their entranced state. The whole scene, having paused for just a second, started to sink into chaotic movement. Ponies were running through the halls, overwhelming the two guards positioned at the exit. Swift Haven didn’t care. He only cared for Sweet Fire, crying on his shoulder, still constrained by the chains. He heard the dull impact of Brother Crystalline finally giving in to the wound. The guards tried to make their way through the masses of fleeing ponies while Shattered Laughter pulled out a dagger of his own.

Sweet Fire’s face told him more than a thousand words could have ever dreamed of telling. Shattered Laughter charged, and only by the skin of his teeth he evaded the fatal strike. Swift Haven used the momentum of Shattered Laughter against him and rammed his hooves into the back of his enemy. Shattered just laughed upon his impact onto the cold ground.

“Do you really think you could evade your fate?”

Swift Haven had to shake his head upon seeing such incredible ignorance. Slowly he made his way closer to that crazypony. With a sudden movement Shattered turned around, sending the dagger flying towards him. He had expected as such, and had an easy time evading that foolish attempt. He raised his hoof, but the abnormal laughter stopped his movement.

“Hehe. You think I had aimed for you, don’t you?”

It took Swift Haven a second of perplexity just to process that thought. Of course he had aimed for him. What else could he have possibly aimed for? Then realization struck him. He turned around - No! The dagger had not missed its target. The blood he had tried to prevent started to flow. He could see her screaming face, searching for a reason, but no sound could pierce through the noise of hundreds of ponies running for their lives.

“You monster.”

It was a statement of bitterness, but also of pity. Down on the ground was a fallen pony who had lost it’s course in the idea that its deity could somehow give forgiveness to somepony like him…
He rushed towards Sweet Fire, desperately trying to push himself through the masses of screaming ponies. She was still screaming when he arrived at the table of Forgot. The dagger had missed her heart, but had ripped a deep hole into her stomach. He pulled it out, his tears mixing with her blood.

He put all of his anger into his next strike, ripping apart the weak anchorage of the first chain. Another strike, another anchorage. All of his grief flowed into his strikes. Another chain gone. Only one chain was left to hold her, to bind her. He lifted his hoof into the air once again and let another strike crush down onto the last anchorage. Closely behind him he could make out the voice of the guards, pushing through the last ponies. There was no time left. He jumped onto the table, kneeling just beside his love. She was weak, but still strong enough to grab onto him. After making sure she would not fall, he started galloping towards the exit. Some of the guards had already arrived there before them. Instead of trying to find another route, he accelerated towards the wall of swords and armor. In the last moment he jumped as high as he could. The baffled guards tried to raise their swords in the last moment but managed to only streak his hooves. It was painful, of course, but it wouldn’t stop him from bringing his love to security.

---

He knew these halls well enough to quickly find his way towards the steep staircase. When looking behind him, there were two things that worried him.

For one, there were about five guards a couple of hooves behind him, followed by another bunch. The thick armor prevented them from really gaining upon him, but they didn’t fall behind either.
All the more worrying was the trail of blood Sweet Fire was leaving behind. Not because it would make it impossible for them to escape without leaving a trace, but because he seriously had to worry about her loss of blood. If they didn’t get to a hospital very quickly…

He sprinted up the stairs as fast as he could without letting his love fall down from his back. Towards the next hospital, not caring for the world around him. Only his love mattered right now. He would never let her go again. Never.

Swift Haven suddenly felt himself pulling ahead, limbs rushing faster than they ever have before. He took sharp corners at full speed, frantically running to the exit. Swift could hear the guard’s thundering hoofsteps behind him, reminding him of the imminent danger.

Finally, he burst from the memorial and turned towards the dense forest lining the dark houses. The guards were following quickly, but weren’t able to match his speed. He charged into the trees, jumping over thick roots and green bushes, although paying most of his attention not to drop Sweet Fire. He randomly took the turn to the left or the right, not having a clear goal in mind but hearing the guards struggling with the thick shrubbery. He worried about the trace of blood Sweet Fire was laying behind, but the thick bosk would soon make it impossible for the guards to follow.

Swift rushed past a few bushes, but then immediately backtracked. Perfect. He dove into these tall bushes, concealing himself and Sweet Fire behind the thick layers of green. Swift was breathing heavily. They would find him by that! They would hear him breathing. He tried to calm his breath down, but his body wouldn’t give in. The guards however were still crashing through the forest with a brute force that caused the sound of his breath to be overwhelmed by the noise.

He held his breath, and listened to the approaching guards’ every movement. They eventually slowed down on top of the clearance he had just run through. He heard one of them say something, but his head was pounding and the speech was muffled by the sound of the forest, so he couldn’t make anything proper out.

They patrolled the area, slowly expanding the radius of their search, but never coming too close to their little hiding spot. Another guard spoke and this time, Swift Haven could understand every single word. He spoke with a deep bellowing voice and a surprising sense of authority.

”Split up! We rally back here in about an hour.”

After the hoofsteps of the guards had slowly faded into the forest, Swift Haven tore a bunch of leaves from a nearby tree and covered Sweet Fire’s wound with them. He had not dared to make the sound earlier and it proved to have been the right decision. The loud ripping of the thick stalk of the leaves being taken apart from their point of residence echoed through the forest and made him cringe. The hoofsteps still did not come back… Or did they? He tried to listen for any traitorous sound that might give away the movement of the guards.

When he finally made sure that the threat was gone, he applied the leaves to her wound, pressing them onto it in an attempt to stop the stream of blood. It hardly seemed to work, but at least it hindered the loss of blood. He continued to cover the wound until her bleeding slowed down to a point where her situation was at least stable if not well. Now he had more time. The bleeding had slowed, however there was still the danger of having her wound infected, especially out here in the dirty forest.. He began searching the forest floor for any signs of a piece of flint. Not close to his hideout, not in close proximity to Sweet Fire, not even at the clearance. “No… No…” There has to be one somewhere, there just HAD to be! He almost tore the ground up looking. Behind trees, under bushes… Nowhere. There was NO flint. But he wouldn’t give up that easily. He had just risked his life and soul to save her, and now she was dieing. She was dieing because of HIM. HIS reckless behavior had caused this catastrophe!

Swift Haven slowly lost the strength to continue. He wouldn’t find flint here. He wouldn’t find anything. Although he wanted to continue, his body just dropped down. A sharp pain rose in his flank. It seemed to be caused by… Pine cones? FLAMMABLE pine cones.

They wouldn't be enough however… He gathered them and ran back to the bushes, trying to prevent them falling out of his full mouth but still dropping more than a few on the way. He had a small pile now, a pile that would soon be a searing bonfire. Next, some brush to ignite the pile. The brush was much easier to find as they were surrounded in bushes. He promptly snapped some twigs and added them to the pile, and everything was going perfectly… That’s when he noticed the pool of blood that had formed under Sweet Fire, who was still laying in the bushes... unconscious. Unconscious… or dead? He slowly approached, not willing to give into the urge to burst out in tears. Every step was a step closer to a pool of blood and death. She wasn’t breathing. She was NOT breathing! No. Please, don’t do this to me. You can’t do this to me.

“No… NO!” Swift Haven screamed. “You’re NOT DEAD!! YOU CAN’T BE!”

Anger rose up into his chest. Anger about the world and life and EVERYTHING. He had been so close! So... CLOSE! He dragged a rock over next to his pile, and retrieved the dagger that he had dropped next to Sweet Fire. He held it up, then swung full force, smacking the rock and sending sparks flying. He let his anger flow into every hit. It was all lost. He screamed out once again, not even taking the time to formulate words. Each and every blow crushed onto the stone until a spark sprung off, right into the bonfire he had prepared. He would burn this place, the entire forest, just everything. Everything had to be forgotten. If he could not save her, he would join her.

Swift started frantically blowing on the small flame, encouraging it to grow. He grabbed some larger sticks off the ground and put them in, steadily increasing its size. He started to smile. Soon, he would be with her again, in Forgot’s merciful kingdome.

A cough startled him. The fire was sizzling loudly, but he could distinctly hear it over the pops and crackles. It had been Sweet Fire. There was no doubt. She was… still alive. She was still dieing! His mind tried to make every step at once, desperately searching for a way out. The fire. The blade. He could still use this situation to his advantage. He placed the metal end of the dagger in the fire, and waited. He waited, cautiously eying Sweet Fire whose puddle was steadily increasing in size. The makeshift bandage wasn’t doing its job.

Swift Haven started into the growing fire at the blade, his eyes watering from the heat and light. Seconds lasted for hours, and when a half a minute went by, he could swear it had been a day. After an eternity of waiting, through his blurry vision, he could clearly see the blaze of the dagger glowing red. Perfect! Swift thrust the dagger out of the fire and brought it to Sweet, opening her bandages to reveal a big gash across her stomach. Hesitantly, he pressed the glowing blade against the bleeding wound. Sweet Fire woke up from the pain and gasped, screamed, filling the forest with sounds of terror and agony, but the searing pain to her stomach immediately stole her consciousness again. Swift cringed, he hated the idea of hurting Sweet any longer, but continued to press the burning blade onto her wound. After another eternity, he lifted the blade and peaked at what was beneath...

On Swift Fire’s stomach was a gash, burned shut. Along with the gash, Swift Haven had branded her with the shape of the knife. He had held it there too long. He had given her a permanent reminder of his betrayal. He had hurt her beyond any reason. He could only hurt…

Author's Note:

Why does it always happen that he fails the import from gdocs?

Well, formatted it right away for you :)

PS: Working on FOTC right now :P

I hope you like this part as much as I did =)