True Heroes Never Die

by LCranston

Chapter 2 - What dreams may come

Sweetie Belle found herself in a dark alley, surrounded by tall buildings that blocked out the night sky. The only illumination was at each end of the alley. A shaft of streetlight reached around each corner, trying to drive away the darkness.

In front of her, a familiar stallion stumbled into the light. His gray coat was capped by an even darker gray mane. His red scarf fell away from his face, exposing his identity. His opera cloak was slashed and punctured. He stumbled onto his knees and gasped loudly for breath.

The filly shouted in delight, “Shadow Nose!”

From behind her, she heard a smooth, silky, seductive voice. “Cranberry…”

Sweetie looked behind her and saw a shape enter the darkness from the light. For just a split second, she saw the last fleeting image of a nightmare in real form.

It was a large, black fire. It burned and licked up into the air, towering above her. It had red within green eyes. There were ribbons of sickly purple energy leaking from the eyes like profane tears.

Suddenly, the shape plunged into the darkness. It disappeared.

Shadow Nose’s face shocked into panic. He spoke rapidly to the filly.

“Sweetie Belle, run away!”

Sweetie replied in uncertainty, “NO! I have to save you! Come with me!”

From the solid blackness, the voice thundered from every direction.

“I will finally destroy you…Cranberry.”

Shadow Nose desperately gripped his scarf with his teeth and flung it at Sweetie Belle. The scarf tumbled end over end through the air only to land upon her neck.

He narrowed his eyes at her in concentration and ordered, “You have to remember me. Don’t let me be forgotten.”

From the darkness, a dozen black tentacles reached out to ensnare Shadow Nose.

Sweetie Belle reached out with her hoof, trying to grab her hero.

“NOOOOO! Cranberry!”

The dark hero slipped into the blackness silently.

The smooth, silky voice gloated, “You belong to me, Law. You will serve Celestia no more. You will serve…nopony.”

The spunky filly shouted at the top of her lungs, “Let him go! LET HIM GO!!!”

From the blackness, the eyes appeared again. They searched around the alley, finally settling upon her.

The voice intoned, “There you are. Now you will belong to me, little pony.”

Sweetie Belle’s courage faded into the gaze of the dark thing. She turned around and ran towards the source of the light.

She sped away from the horrible…whatever it was. Looking back over her shoulder, she hoped with all her heart she wouldn’t see what it looked like.

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms picked her up.

Sweetie Belle shouted, “Let go of me! Let go!”

A familiar voice cried out, “Sweetie Belle! Wake up!”

The frightened filly looked up at her holder and saw…a unicorn mare with stylishly coiffed mane…dressed in a policepony’s uniform.

Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and looked up at her sister’s concerned gaze.

Rarity fussed, “Sweetie, you were crying in your sleep. Whatever is the matter?”

In response, Sweetie clutched her sister tightly.

Feeling eyes upon her, Rarity looked around to the collective concern and annoyance of the other passengers.

Her face flushed and she smiled awkwardly.

“Uh, ha, ha. Sorry, everypony. She, uh…didn’t get a full night’s sleep last night.”

The next day, Sweetie Belle woke up feeling groggier than she had ever been before. She decided to just write off the day and go back to sleep. Rolling over onto her other side, she tried to go back to sleep. However, she just couldn’t get comfortable. She tried rolling over again but she suddenly couldn’t move her hooves.

Aggravation crept up into her brain and she opened her eyes. She saw the ugly truth. She had tied herself in her blanket like a unicorn burrito. She expressed her frustration like a perfect little lady, just like her sister taught her.

“AAUUGGHH! You stupid, dumb, blanket! You’re supposed to comfort me not wrap me up like dinner! I wish you were never woven!”

She tried to untangle herself by swinging her hoof around her shoulder and bringing it up out of the blanket.

What she succeeded in doing was rolling herself off the bed. WHUMP!

Finally, Sweetie Belle acknowledged her fate.

“Fine! I’ll get up and do my errands! Now let me go!”

A couple of hours later, Sweetie Belle came back to the hotel with a couple of bags of sewing supplies and special threads. Rarity had given her a list of supplies to fetch. It was supposedly her price for the trip to Canterlot.

However, she got it all done quickly. Placing the items in their room, she then ran out, looking for the antique store.

She addressed the hotel desk employee, “Hello. Do you know where I can get old radio parts?”

The mare at the desk looked around, as if searching for somepony.

Sweetie Belle asked again, “Hello! Where’s the radio store?”

The mare at the desk looked around again.

The little filly griped, “Down here!”

The blue-maned mare with the yellow coat looked over the desk and smiled most insincerely.

“Hello little one. Are you lost?”

The little one felt upset. She hated it when everypony treated her like a little foal.

“Lady, I asked you twice. Where…is…the…radio…store?”

The desk employee frowned and chided, “Young filly, that is not how to talk to adults.”

Sweetie Belle hated to use this trick but sometimes you needed to.

She started shedding tears and wailed, “You won’t help me!”

The mare felt self-conscious and looked around. A pair of respectable-looking ponies walked in, right at this point. They cast disapproving glares at the mare.

The desk employee tried to hush the filly, “Um, I’ll give you some candy if you’ll be quiet.”

Sweetie Belle pointed at the mare and wailed, “I have to run an errand for my sister and it’s super important and you’re stopping me!”

The pony pair began whispering to each other.

The desk employee threw her hooves in the air and begged, “What do you want?”

The filly cast an accusing glare and stated with sass, “All I want is to know where the radio store is and you keep me from helping my sister.”

The mare growled and explained, “Go across the street then take a left. Go two blocks and turn right. You should be able to see Vacuum Tube’s Radio Emporium. Now, just go away.”

Sweetie Belle instantly recovered her sunny disposition.

She chirped, “Thanks, bye!” Then she ran out of the hotel. The adults left behind were left with their jaws hanging open in astonishment.

The young filly walked into the radio shop with gusto. She looked around all over. There were old blenders, old waffle irons, old sewing machines, and…

“Old radios! Yes!”

The exclamation reached the ears of a pony in the back room.

He walked out to the front and greeted lethargically, “Welcome to Vacuum Tube’s Radio Emporium where we…”

His eyes spotted the eager young filly and he lost his momentum. “Oh.”

Sweetie Belle stepped forward and gushed, “Oh, happy day! Now I can get my radio fixed! Hello, my good stallion. I need a new crystal battery for my radio.”

She raised a hoof to her forehead and intoned dramatically, “My misbehaving older sister broke it in a fit of jealousy and I am in need of your assistance.”

The young stallion snickered and smiled at the filly’s antics. His coat was red and his mane was dark purple. His flank symbol of a radio clearly showed that this shop was his calling.

He spoke evenly, “My lady, you have come to the correct establishment. I have the wares to satisfy your need of repair and deliver just comeuppance to your cruel sister.”

Sweetie Belle had never met anypony who ever talked that way back to her. She giggled and jumped a few times.

The stallion asked, “What model of radio do you own, miss?”

Sweetie looked around, scanning the collection of radios on a shelf.

She pointed at a similar model and stated, “That one.”

The stallion reached under the counter and brought out a shining crystal.

He said, “Ten bits.”

Sweetie Belle reached into her saddlebags and traded the coins for the crystal. She was so happy that the smile threatened to split her head in half.

She replied, “Thank you, Mr. Tube!”

The stallion’s smile slightly narrowed.

He corrected, “Vacuum Tube was my father. This was his shop when he was…here. My name is Radio Dial.”

The little filly didn’t understand the subtle hint but her manners stayed perfect.

“Thank you, Mr. Dial! Now I can stay up late and listen to my favorite show again!”

Radio Dial asked, “What’s a little filly like you staying up late for? What program?”

Sweetie Belle proudly mimicked the announcer’s voice to her favorite program, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of ponies? Shadow Nose!”

The stallion’s eye raised in recognition.

He said off-hoofed, “Shadow Nose? I remember Shadow Nose. My dad and I used to listen to Shadow Nose all the time when I was a colt. Are they still playing those old shows?”

Sweetie explained, “They do in Ponyville. It on late at night and only on one station and it really makes my sister angry.” She giggled at memories of Rarity’s growls of frustration.

Radio Dial offered, “That’s great to hear, kid. Listen, they used to sell Shadow Nose comics when I was a colt next door at the bookstore. You never know if they have anything left.”

The happy filly left the store, calling over her shoulder, “Okay, thanks!”

Trotting next door, Sweetie Belle entered the Leather Bound Bookstore.

Rows and rows of books lines dusty shelves. In the back, a wizened, old stallion sat behind a desk. Leaning back against his massive wooden chair, his eyes were closed and he snored peacefully.

Sweetie Belle’s ears flattened against her head in guilt as she approached. She quietly walked towards the desk.

She cleared her throat softly, as if hoping not to wake him up. When she got her wish, she then cleared her throat more loudly.

The older pony woke up fitfully, “Uh? Huh? Who?”

His mane of solid white hair graced his head and neck over his coat of pale purple.

She introduced herself, “Hi there. I’m Sweetie Belle. Radio Dial next door said you used to sell Shadow Nose comic. Do you have any left?”

The stallion stared at her for a moment, and then replied morosely, “Huh…Shadow Nose, eh? Foals your age don’t read Shadow Nose anymore. They haven’t in over forty years. Nopony remembers Shadow Nose.”

Sweetie’s ears stood up straight as she insisted, “I remember Shadow Nose! He’s on my favorite radio program in Ponyville! He’s the best detective!”

The old stallion agreed, “He was Equestria’s first superhero. Did you know that in the comic books, he didn’t have any powers?”

The young filly’s eye were as wide as her mouth as she demanded, “What?! No way! How did he fight crime if he wasn’t psychic?”

The elder pony elucidated, “He was a hypnotist. He planted suggestions in the minds of criminals so they couldn’t look directly at him or aim weapons at him. Also he had good, old-fashioned common sense. With that, he could solve any mystery. Not like the over-powered thugs in today’s stories.”

“Do you think they’ll ever print his stories again, Mister…”

“Call me Bound, kid. Hyde Bound, seller of the printed word. Stories both fictional and non-fictional.”

Hyde leaned in and whispered, “Which do you think Shadow Nose’s stories are, kid?”

Sweetie Belle replied uncertainly, “Well, if he was a hypnotic detective who got a radio show then…well, I think he’s fictional.”

The older pony answered, “Maybe, kid. However, I knew the publisher of his stories, Four Color. Old Mister Color claimed that he never did business with a fancy corporation. He just got manuscripts from a lawyer.”

The young filly’s face scrunched up in confusion. “A lawyer? Why would you get comic book stories from a lawyer?”

Hyde stated, “According to old Mister Color, the lawyer insisted he was the executor of the Cranberry estate. After time passed, somepony’s will demanded the stories be donated to some publisher. Lucky they were popular or else they’d never see past the first issue.”

Sweetie Belle idly asked, “I wonder if we could tell if any of them were ever real.”

The older pony sat back in his chair and mumbled, “Doubt it, kid. We’d have to find some pony who knew the Cranberry estate when it was alive.”

Disheartened, Sweetie Belle left the store and mumbled, “Bye.”