The Manual of Heroes

by Kaliann25

Sixteenth Principle

Sixteenth Principle:
A hero is willing to do anything to protect his/her loved ones. Anything.

Twilight and Rarity ran desperately to the Castle.
After making sure every inhabitant in Ponyville was safe inside her castle, it wasn’t hard for Twilight to convince Rarity to join her to go to Canterlot. Since Bright’s and Lumi’s exile, Rarity was devastated. She understood, of course she did, but it hurt. The white unicorn felt like she failed as a mother not being able to help Lumi to control her ‘urges’. So, she accepted Lumi’s exile in silence, but she fell in a deep depression.
It had been a while since Rarity have designed anything new, barely ate, barely spoke. All she did was sleep.

That’s why she was so happy when Twilight told her that their kids were innocent.

“I’m terribly sorry, Rarity!” said Twilight. “I shouldn’t involve you in this, I know how much you love Luminositè.”

“No, Twilight, I decided to not to believe in my daughter. I need to see her, and apologize to her.”

They arrived to Canterlot Castle, where Flash was already waiting for them.
Twilight stopped, not knowing what to say.
Since Bright’s exile, Flash haven’t talked to her. He was at Bright’s side, and did not forgive any of the Princesses for exiling his son. Especially his wife.
Since that day, Flash left home, and spend all his time at the barracks.

“Flash!” called Twilight shyly.

The pegasus glared at his wife. “You came.”

“Flash, I am sorry.” said Twilight. “I should believe in our son, but…”

“Yes, you believe in him now just because the faker showed its face.” said Flash angrily. “This whole crisis could be avoided if only you believed in him instead of thinking he lost control. Now…”

“I know I acted awful,” sighed Twilight. “I know I should know better, but Flash…”

Flash sighed, he really wanted to stay mad at Twilight, but, the current situation was really urgent. “Forget it, it’s good that you came.”

“You mentioned a crisis.” Said Twilight. “What happened? Is anypony hurt? How’s Bright? Is he okay?”

Flash sighed again. “Yes, Bright is okay. And, no, nopony is hurt. But, we lost someone.”

“You mean…”

“Bright is fine, but only physically. Psychologically, he needs all the support we can bring him.”

Twilight noticed the grim expression on everypony. “Flash, what happened?”

The commander shook his head, sadly. “Princess Celestia is dead.”

“WHAT?!”

The impersonators took control of one of Bright’s machines, and used their own weapons against him, against us. We were able to survive because of our new equipment. Bright and Lumi won, but, at the last moment, the impersonator threw a bomb, one of Bright’s bombs.”

Twilight shivered. “What?”

“She tried to use a force-field, but, of course, she was no match for Bright’s inventions. Especially a weapon designed to fight Grogar.”

Twilight let escape a tear. “No… Princess Celestia… no…”

“I’m sorry Twilight, said Flash,” embracing Twilight under his wing. “I know it would be difficult to accept, and… oh, I’m sorry Twilight.”

The lavender alicorn sobbed, but regained her composure. “You know what the worst part is? That you were right! This crisis could be avoided if only we trusted them.”

“If you need a moment…” began Flash Sentry.

“No, I need to see my son.”

Rarity followed them in silence, looking around, in the search of one specific pony. She finally spotted a shadow behind a column. Slowly, she approached.

“Luminositè?”

The figure behind the column turned, and, Rarity found herself wrapped in a beautiful scarf, softer than silk, that dragged her into a warm embrace from her daughter. Sobbing, Lumi nuzzled her. “Mère, oh mére!”

“Luminositè!” cried Rarity. “Oh, my dear, don’t you hate me? Do you forgive me for not believing in you?”

Lumi shook her head slowly. “There’s nothing to forgive, mére. You have no idea of how alone I felt. I thought hated me, I thought you didn’t want me at your side. I thought you were going to abandon me.”

“But Luminositè, why aren’t you mad at me? I abandoned you, I decided to believe that you went out of control, and, I felt terrible, thinking I have failed you…”

They both embraced each other. “Mère, I’m so glad you don’t hate me. Oh, mére! Je t’aime more than anything in the world! that’s why I did my best to capture the real culprit, and prove you I am still worthy of your love.”

Rarity cleared her tears, and kissed her on the cheek. She would never be able to understand her, not to say actually control her, but she loved her child so much. And she would fight every single day for her daughter’s sanity. It was a lost battle, but, as a mother, Rarity would never give up. Never.

“Luminositè, I swear I will never let you go, never again.”

“I’ve feeling so alone, mère. Aunt Sweetie is really sweet, but I need you. The time we spent apart, was, a nightmare.”

“Oh Lumi…” but Rarity noticed a spark of anger in her daughter’s eyes. She shivered. “Luminositè?”

She was grinning, slightly, but she was grinning. And it was never a good sign. “And, the one who made me loss your love for so long, will pay. Bright may be going through an emotional crisis right now, but, once he gets over it, he’ll be pissed off as never before. And this thing will pay. It doesn’t matter if it is a god.”

Rarity shook her head. “Please, Lumi, as Bright helped you when you were little, you now help him. I have a bad feeling of how is this going to end.”

In the meantime, Flash and Twilight have reached the infirmary, where Luna was crying inconsolably.

“Princess Luna…” said Twilight.

Luna cried louder, as she ran to embrace the smaller alicorn. “Oh, Twilight Sparkle!”

“So is true. Princess Celestia is…”

“Not yet…” said Luna. “But she won’t make it to the night. The doctor said that all he can do is sedate her so she dies in her sleep. But she refused, she said she wants to stay awake at the very last moment.”

Twilight sobbed. “No… Princess Celestia…”

“You better go inside to say goodbye.” offered Luna. “Bright is with her too, he refuses to leave her side. I tried to persuade him that it wasn’t his fault, but, I cannot reach him. But maybe you can.”

Twilight and Flash hurried inside the room.

Bright was staring at his godmother, with an angered expression, as two streams of tears came from the corner of his eyes. It was the second time Twilight saw him like this. But Flash had seen this side of Bright before. When Twilight and the Princesses decided to exile him and Lumi, it was Flash who was there for Bright. He came to visit him at his grandparents’ house, and his son cried on his shoulder. Tears from frustration, not sadness.

“Bright Spark…” said Twilight.

Bright kicked a wall, and then, he stared at his hooves.

“Son…” said Flash, approaching.

The teenage colt kicked the wall again. “Why did I had to be born like this? WHY DO I HAVE TO BE ME?!!”

Princess Celestia agitated, and Twilight ran to her side. And Bright, sighed, and went silent.

“Bright, please, this isn’t your fault and you know it.” insisted Flash. “You know it!”

“I am a cornucopia of talent.” said Bright coldly. “I am a genius, I have no magic power, but, with my talent, I’ve been able to achieve things that all the magicians in history have died trying. I’ve built a whole legacy for the ponykind, from making equipment for the military, to revolutionize the transportation industry. All this time I thought I was a creator. But now…”

He repressed a scream. “I am feeling this thing, something I never knew before. I know it is guilt, from the definition.” He cried. “I’ve done horrible things. Robbing banks, profane tombs, kicking (Diamond) dogs, but I never hurt somepony who didn’t deserve it. My weapons were made to destroy our enemies, not somepony I care about.”

Flash held him with his hooves and wings, as his son cried in silence.
Bright was trembling, haunted by the ghost of guilt. For someone who had never felt guilty before, it was too much to handle.

“Let it go, Bright. It hurts, I know. But it will be worst if you try to repress it. Feel it, is difficult, but, it the first step in your way to redemption.”

Princess Celestia touched Twiligth with her hoof. Twilight approached her ear to her teacher’s mouth, and she told her something.
Twilight nodded, and turned to Bright.

“Your Godmother doesn’t blame you.” said the lavender alicorn. “You are a genius, and she respects you for that. She says she should never be afraid of you, and the era of progress you brought to Equestria.”

Celestia mumbled another thing to Twilight’s ear, and she nodded. “Your Godmother says, ‘This is what the Silver Cowbell wanted. As long as you don’t give up, and become the destroyer of worlds, I don’t mind dying. I believe in you, Bright.’ And so do I. Please, Bright, you are a genius, you can find a way to prevent this thing win. Right?”

Suddenly, Bright looked at his mother, and godmother.
His guilt slowly turned into something else he haven’t felt before, hate. Not just anger, but hate against the damn bell. They were right, he couldn’t let that hing win. He had to find a way to turn the tables, wasn’t he a genius, as his mother have said?

He trembled.

“Bright, pain is something completely normal. Why don’t you tell us what you’re thinking?”

“It can’t win.”

Before Twilight or Flash could notice the dangerous look on their son’s face, he hurried to Celestia’s bed, and activated three of his robots. They took the alicorn’s bed, and shot to the wall, creating a hole, big enough for the bed to go through without problem.

“Bright, what you are doing?”

“I am a genius, and I just got the solution for this. As you said, this bell cannot win. Seeing this as a normal pony won’t help Godmother. But seeing this as a genius will. I’m leaving to my lab immediately! As long as her brain and heart keep working, I have a chance to save her!”

The robots went to Bright’s underground tunnels as fast, but also as careful, as they could. Then, Bright activated his suit, and personal transport.

“Bright, wait!” shouted Flash.

Bright looked back at his parents, who gasped at the madness, reflected on hi expression. “I’ll save her, no matter the cost. Even if it is my remaining sanity.”

Princess Luna got into the room, just in time to see Bright leaving.

“BRIGHT WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

“We couldn’t stop him, everything happened too fast.” Said Flash.

Twilight gulped. “He is willing to cross the line. As long as he can save Princess Celestia, he would do anything. And, I have a horrible feeling. If he succeeds, he’ll be lost forever.”

“I don’t get it.” said Princess Luna. “What is he up to?”

Flash Sentry grinded his teeth. His brain was working at its maximum, as he tried to unravel his son’s intentions. And, he shivered when he understood. “He will replace every damage organ for a machine. Princess Celestia would be more machine than pony when he finishes.”

They all paled at this perspective.

“We have to do something…” said Luna.

Suddenly, Luminositè came in, looking more serious than usual. “He is at the lab already, at this point. And, knowing him, he may have activated all the security protocols.” She then offered a silver card to Flash and Twilight. “Here, this is my emergency key to the lab, Bright doesn’t know it exist, and it only works in my old toy house. It will nullify all the security measures that Bright installed.”

Also, she offered them her personal transportation. “Hurry.”

“Thank you, Luminositè. How can I thank you?”

“Don’t let him fall to his own madness. I love him, as my best friend. And, believe it or not, I will not allow him to go completely mad. I am aware of how dangerous it is, after all, wer are the same.”

Twilight smiled. “Thank you.”

They jumped over the transport, and it automatically took them to Lumi’s old toy house. The only reason she kept it, was because it was her personal entrance to the lab.
Without losing time, they inserted the card, and the elevator opened its doors.

The couple get in, praying that it wasn’t too late.

---

Celestia’s body laid over an examination table, as Bright turned his back on her, and observed several screens, with the blueprints of all the devices that would replace his Godmother’s body.
During his small trip from Canterlot to Ponyville, he had already designed and perfected this machines. Now all he had to do was to give the order to his other machines, and he could start restoring his Godmother.

“Bright…” called Celestia.

He stroke her mane. “Keep your strength, Godmother. Only the sixty five percent of your body was damaged, we still have time. Before you realize, you’ll be back on your hooves, stronger than ever. No one will ever hurt you again. I can even make sure you don’t remember none of this. Life will go on, as nothing happened.”

Weakly, the white alicorn put a hoof on his godson’s mouth. “Stop it…”

Bright trembled. “Please, let me save your life.”

“That wouldn’t be life, Bright, and you know it…”

“That’s why you won’t remember. You don’t have to…”

“Bright, please, you are a good pony, and I’m sorry that I believed otherwise. Don’t do this… I can tell for the look on your eyes, that there is no going back. Bright, you are blinded by pain, and I’m happy, because that means you do have feelings. But, if you do this, you’ll lose what still makes you a pony. I’m not worth it…”

“Godmother, please, I can save you…”

“Not like this. Let me rest in peace, let me become a reminder of what will happen if you let your madness to take control. I love you, my godson. Sorry if I turned my back on you. Let me redeem myself, let me become the anchor to your sanity. Don’t try to get rid of your feelings, embrace them. Your feelings are the only thing that can prevent you to become the destroyer of worlds.”

Bright fell on his knees, crying in silence. “Godmother…”

“Good bye, my dear Bright. I’m sorry.”

---

Twilight and Flash got inside the lab, where they found Bright sobbing over Celestia’s dead body.

“Bright…” called Twilight.

“She didn’t let me do it. She said that, if I do that, it wouldn’t be life. She wanted me to embrace my feelings, to let her go in order to be a better pony and…

He screamed in anger, and sadness.

His parents hugged him, and Bright cried himself to sleep.

Author's Note:

So, Bright Spark almost brake after this attack. A strange chapter for a strange story. I hope you like it, and, as always:

Read ya’ later!!

Comments

[jen_lee_hattie]

wow that hit the feels a lot and I had someone I love die on me before.