Chronicles of Arche

by Spellbounder

Ch.17- Plagues of the Past Part 2

Luna was at a loss for words. Within the dreams of Admiral Arche, she had just witnessed a terrible incident from his past involving a cadet during the unicorn’s younger days as a teacher at the Royal Academy. The Admiral has physically lashed out on the poor pony, and now here he stands, several months after that horrendous event, staring at his tombstone.

“How did he…..”

“Die? You don’t have to be subtle with me, Princess Luna. I think about him a lot.”

Arche just stared at his past self, who had just lowered a rose on the stone. Then he began to make his leave, until he’s spotted by a tan colored mare. It was Jazz Blitzwave’s older sister, Jackie Beats. He was fully prepared to have his face dented in by her hooves, seeing her trotting over to him. Arche wouldn’t blame her, especially after what he did to her brother. She finally makes her way to the Unicorn, just staring at him. Her eyes were puffy, indicating she had been crying. He lets out a sigh, raising his chin and closing his eye for the beating she’s about to bring. Hopefully, she would be quick with him.

“Go ahead, I know what’s coming to me. Let out your anger for me.”

“What? N..No, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

At first, he was shocked, which then turned into confusion. He read the reports, the parents were absolutely furious with him. So why would she be any different?

“Admiral…Arche….correct?”

“Y..Yes, I am.”

“I’m Jackie Beats, Jazz was my brother.”

“Yes I’m aware, which is why I thought…”

“That I was gonna hit you or something? Admiral….I read about what happened to you long ago. My brother….he was a good guy but…..frankly he was also quite the idiot. Honestly, I wanted to beat him up too after I found out what you went through.”

“Oh…well….that still doesn’t excuse what I did to him. I never did apologize….until….I…I’ll just leave.”

He was about to head out when Jackie puts her hoof in front of him. She continued to just stare into his good eye, before motioning her head back to her brother’s grave.

“It’s ok….you can still make things right with him.”

Arche remains silent, slowly trotting over to Jazz’s grave. Jackie was behind him, wiping her tears. He had to make amends, not just for this soldier, but for his family as well.

“I….I know we ended things on rather bad terms the last time we met….but after hearing what you did….what you went through….I just had to see you….this should’ve been….so much sooner but…I couldn’t stomach the thought of how you’d react. I’m supposed to protect my troops, as an Admiral….or even as a teacher, and….and I didn’t. I wish I could go back and change what happened…I think that with a lot of things in my life….somedays I don’t even know why I still do it. Sometimes I think of myself as a fraud….a fake….a changeling….that I don’t even deserve to be called a soldier. But you….you’ve more than earned your right to be called such a thing. Jazz….I don’t expect you to forgive me….but I want you to know….”

Tears began to drip down his eye, as his legs start to shake. He then drops to all fours, biting his lip to hold back his crying. Jackie is beside him, wrapping her hooves around his neck to comfort him.

“You didn’t….You didn’t deserve this! You still had your whole life ahead of you! You were PURE! You weren’t tainted with nightmares like me! I’M THE ONE WHO SHOULD BE DEAD! NOT YOU! GIVE ME A SIGN, JAZZ! PLEASE! I NEED TO KNOW YOU’RE LISTENING! PLEASE, JAZZ! LET ME KNOW! THAT’S ALL I WANT! PLEASE!!!”

Luna lowered her head, her eyes shut. She tried her best attempting to block out Arche’s wailing cries, with no luck. Did Celestia really know all of this? There’s no way, she would’ve been told. There was layers of grief that consumed this unicorn, and Luna had to dig deeper to find the source. The present Arche was now making his leave. His time here was done, nothing more to see.

“Admiral….wait….I must know….”

He stops in place, not even turning his head to speak to her.

“Really? You MUST know?”

There was anger in his voice. Luna knew this was already more than what he could handle.

“You won’t be able to get better unless you let me see exactly what trauma inflicted you. I only want to make things right for you, Arche.”

“What? Like closure? If I just accept what happened, I can move on? You don’t get it….you weren’t there….you can’t just…unsee what I witnessed….twenty years since that day….I still remember it like it was yesterday….go….look….know WHY I’m so tightly wound up….but you’ll have to do it by yourself, Princess. I can’t endure that….not again…I won’t…..and if you make me…I’ll never forgive you.”

There’s another long silence between the two, as Luna finally makes up her mind. If he refuses to go, then she has no other choice. Normally she’d force ponies to face their fears, but Arche was a different case. Luna hadn’t seen such trauma and pain within a stallion in an extremely long time. She had to handle things on her own from here on out. Her horn lights up, as she transfers herself deeper into Arche’s subconscious. She now finds herself in a hospital emergency room, doctors and nurses surrounding a lone pony on an operating table.

“He’s lost a lot of blood, we need a transfusion now!”

“Sweet Celestia, look at all those bite marks! What in Equestria happened to him!?!”

“Troops found him outside a changeling hive, apparently he was ambushed.”

“It’s just him? Against an entire swarm of changelings!?!”

“No, he wasn’t alone, there were others…..he’s the only survivor.”

Luna gets closer, gasping at the horrific sight before him. Arche laid on the table, bite marks punctured deep into his flesh. Blood was leaking everywhere, even from his eyes. His eyes….Luna had to turn away. Those menacing bugs had sliced open the poor unicorn’s right eye!

“Get him under, he’s gonna need emergency surgery! We gotta treat the ruptures to his organs and flush out the poison! Hurry!”

“Doctor, I think he’s trying to say something!”

Luna looks over again, listening to what the survivor has to say.

“Ze……..Zed…..Tumble….Cos….Gim…..Teal…..where’s she? Where’s……Teal?”

Author's Note:

Sorry its taken so long, but I finally have for you the second part of Princess Luna's trip through Arche's past!