The Interrogation: Spared Change

by Post Script

Day Two

Two colts were walking through a field, side by side. The larger one was snivelling from a grazed knee, whilst the smaller one rolled his eyes, thoroughly unimpressed.

“Darn it Sunny, are you still crying over that little scratch? And I thought you were supposed to be the big brother here…” he sighed.

“S-shut up! It’s your fault it happened anyway! I never coulda jumped all the way over that fence, it was too high, Windy!” Sunny yelled defensively.

“Well I managed it, didn’t I? And I’m shorter than you! But nooooooo, you just had to screw up again, didn’t you? Just another excuse to be a crybaby. Anyway, it’s your turn to decide where we go. Try to not choose somewhere lame this time.”

“The Everfree Forest,” he said. Warm Winds gasped, but quickly regained his composure.

“...not a bad choice,” he said, trying to mask how impressed he was at his brother’s decision. “So what are we gonna do there?”

“Well, I told Mom and Dad we were gonna go sleep at a friend’s house, and they had that big party tonight, so they’ll never even check anyway… I hope,” he gulped. “So we’re gonna stay the night in the forest. The whole night. And the first one to run… has to give the other their dessert for a year!” he smiled.

“You’re on,” Warm Winds said, smiling smugly.

***

The two brothers had built a crude campfire in a clearing, and for awhile the forest was quiet. The meagre flames licked at the darkness, but provided little comfort for the pair. They sat there, staring at each other , just waiting for the other to blink, or suggest going home.

“Can’t sleep, huh bro?” Warm Winds said, breaking the silence at last. “Figures. As if a scaredy-cat like you could ever get any sleep in a place like this. Me? I’m keeping watch,” he said, as if preempting Sunny’s response.

The two heard a distant howl, and both shivered together at the sound.

“This was a bad idea. We should go home, it’s not safe here…” Sunny whispered.

“Oh yeah, right. You just want me to surrender. Nope, sorry bro, if you’re going back you’re going alone. Real stallions live up to their promises, they don't just chicken out when it’s most convenient,” Warm Winds said, holding his head high.

“Damnit Windy, you could get hurt out here alone! You could DIE!” Sunny yelled angrily.

“As if you’d care. Mom said you used to be happy when you were little. Then I showed up and suddenly you had to share the spotlight.”

“S-she said you being born made me less happy…?” Sunny mumbled, his voice becoming quiet as it always did when his brother had managed to hit a nerve.

“She didn’t have to. I’m not an idiot, I know you never wanted a brother. That's why you’re always making me look uncool in front of everyone, so I can’t make any friends. You know what? You get your wish. We’re not brothers anymore. I’ll stay out here, make a new life in the woods. Go away.”

“Windy, I don’t want you to-”

“Get lost, Sunny Skies. I never want to see you again,” he said coldly. “Go on, cry like you always do. Cry, and run away. The only things you were ever good at. I bet your Cutie Mark will be a tear drop or something. Now go away.”

Using every bit of restraint he had, Sunny forced back his tears. He gave his brother the nastiest look he could manage before turning away in silence.

A few hours later he was still nearby, on the other side of the forest. As tempted as he was he simply couldn't leave his brother out there alone. He sighed, staring at the moon. To him, it was a huge sad face in the sky. To his horror, he started hearing yelling in the distance- his brother’s voice.

He rushed to the source of the noise. His brother was clinging to a rotten old log, half submerged in a rapid river.

“Sunny! Help me Sunny, I don’t wanna die!” he shouted through his tears.

Sunny ran to the log, and grabbed him with both hooves. He tried as best he could, but he could barely hold his brother; he was never going to be able to lift him back to safety. The log began to buckle and crack under Sunny’s weight.

“Sunny, the log, it’s about to break!” Warm Winds said.

“I can’t leave you, Windy!”

For the first time in a long time, Warm Winds looked at his brother with kindness in his sad eyes.

“...It’s ok. It’s ok to cry this time, big bro. See ya,” he said, pushing himself into the frothing water. Within seconds he was gone.

Sunny wasn’t sure when he stopped crying. Maybe it was when he went to the funeral, or when his parents finally spoke to him once more.

Maybe a part of him never stopped at all.

***

Cutter awoke from the dream with a jolt, and for the first time in a long time he wept for his brother. He felt a figure embrace him warmly, her great wings enveloping him with a motherly kindness.

“He… he… Celestia, he was my little brother and I left him…”

“He did for you what you would have done for him.”

“I wish it had been me. Heck, I wish we had both died that night. Even if I sometimes wished he was gone I never wanted this…” he said, still shaking.

“Shhhh,” she said tenderly. “It’s alright. You don’t have to talk about anything tomorrow. If you want, you can leave.”

“...no. Not yet. I’ve come too far to back down now. I really don’t want to, but I’ve gotta. Tomorrow, we’re talking about Windy. I don’t think I can go back to sleep, not now… I’d just have another nightmare.”

“Oh, trust me, you won’t. As a matter of fact… sister, if you would do the honours?”

Princess Luna stepped out of the shadows, and Cutter looked straight into her eyes. To his astonishment, he thought he could see the stars themselves reflected in them, somehow. They flashed with a deep purple, and seconds later he closed his eyes, drifting off into a peaceful, dreamless slumber.

***

“You certainly seem to be enjoying the tea. More than most, actually…” Celestia said, noting that Cutter was on his fourth cup already.

“You call this tea drugged? I’m not even getting a buzz offa this stuff,” he said. To his amusement, this actually managed to give the princess a look of surprise.

“You truly are a strange one,” she said, smiling slightly. “I do not wish to pry, but are you ready to speak of him yet?”

“Not quite. I wanna know about what you did to my mentor, Shadow Shifter, first. He used to be awesome, fearless. Cocky as hell, but I loved him for it. Now he’s teaches kids, some straight laced loser like all the rest. You ruined him.” he said, his voice not quite as angry as it had been yesterday.

“He told me how proud he was of his ability to teach. I asked why it had to be thievery, since he was clearly smart enough to educate a pony with far more than pickpocketing techniques. I might have stroked his ego a bit, made him think thievery was beneath him… but it was hardly an outright lie.”

“Well now, aren’t you a sly one,” he retorted bitterly. “Trust Shifter to be brought down by his ego- it was the only thing we had in common. So Princess? Are you going to try buttering me up with some flattery? Try it. I can read that insincerity of yours from a mile away. That mask you call a smile, those irritating little acts of ‘kindness’ that hide your true nature. Show me who you truly are.”

“You won’t accept anything less, will you? But if I hide behind a mask, then you hide behind a thousand, child. Not that there’s anything wrong with keeping secrets from others; that much is your right. But it seems you are keeping them from yourself, as well…”

“What do you mean?” he asked, not liking where this was going.

“You didn’t come here to face me, Sunny Skies. You came here to ask forgiveness for your failure to protect your brother… and it is given.”

Cutter threw his teacup to the floor in outrage.

“...you think I need your forgiveness? You, that twist the mind of those you see as a threat? Those that were no more a danger to you than the birds are to the trees? And you forgive me? You sanctimonious b-”

“-he’s disappointed in you, you know. With what you’ve become. After that night, you gave up.” Celestia said, her usual smile replaced with a slight frown.

“How dare you? Everything I did, I did…” His voice trailed off, suddenly realizing what he was about to say.

“For what? For him? He cares nothing for your actions. By committing them in his name you have spoiled his memory. No, Sunny Skies. You did what you did to forget, by crafting a future for yourself so bleak that it would eclipse even the misery of your own past.”

Her voice became gentle, sympathetic again.

“But you don’t deserve to writhe in the shadows, little one. You never did. It wasn’t your fault he died that night, and he forgives you.”

Cutter rose slowly, shaking his head and turning to the door.

“...I’m leaving. Maybe I’ll come back, maybe I won’t. Biggs, Wedge, take me to the Headless Horseman, it’s a bar on the far side of town. I need a drink.”

The guards looked at Celestia, who nodded. They escorted Sunny away.

“Do you think he shall return, Sister?” Luna asked.

“That is for him to decide, but… I hope so. Tonight he will decide whether to confront his sorrow or to let it cling to him forever...”

Author's Note:

This is the chapter that made me consider a 'Sad' tag, but for reasons that will become apparent later I decided against it. If even one commenter requests such a tag I will add it, however.

Comments

[Shadow Bolt]

I don't know why, but part of me is thinking that Luna was responsible for giving Cutter that nightmare about his brother so he could talk about with Celestia. And unless Celestia can talk to the dead, there's no way she can know that Wind is disappointed in his brother or that he forgives him.

[King Artermis]

He we are to read this, as Zamairiac has posted a link, so this must be good.

[Ralfil]

It seems that while Celestia is said to be the one doing something to the ponies who come, she does nothing more than have conversations. It's Luna who gets them to the point where those conversations will have meaning.

[Vallis]

4501586 They just downvote for good ol' fashioned, hardcore trolling reasons. Take it from me. Scratch.

Vallis Scratch. Part time troll.

Also no, I didn't downvote those comments. I just got here.

[Chaosreverent]

“-he’s disappointed in you, you know. With what you’ve become. After that night, you gave up.”

Is this implying she can speak with the dead?