The Road Not Easily Traveled.

by Mes Amis

Battling Old Demons

The show went just like everyone expected, tremendous. The band was finishing their last song, their first #1 hit. The whole time Slide and Simmons were having the time of their lives while Scarlet sat in a chair listening to the music. Most of the time she actually spent thinking on how much she hates Dante and at times she thought about the music.

"Thank you everypony for coming out to see us tonight!" Dante declared. Mitch, Micky, and Jason all returned to the room looking tired but happy. The crowd was cheering for an encore but Jason was looking to spend that time hitting on the mare sitting alone with her mind in the clouds.

"Y'all want an Encore?" Montana asked. The crowd roared. Micky and Mitch stood up and walked back on stage, causing the cheers to double. Dante began to whisper to the rest of the group about something but they couldn't seem to agree on what they were talking about.

"Dante can we talk?" Micky asked pulling away from the others.

"What's up?" Dante asked.

"Che cosa è successo quando eri con la tua famiglia?" Micky asked in Italian.

"Cosa vuoi dire?"

"Tua sorella è in sala, ma quando ho chiesto cosa è successo mi ha detto che non aveva un fratello."

"Ho fatto delle scelte sbagliate e consente solo dire la mia famiglia mi odia ora."

"Beh, io penso che dovremmo suonare quella canzone su richiesta di perdono che hai lavorato."

"Come si fa a saperlo?"

"Vi spiegherò più tardi, basta giocare bene?"

"Fine." Dante said in defeat.

Micky and Dante returned to the group and explained their plan. After a while, the band got back on stage ready for the encore.

"This is new piece I've been working so tell me how you feel about it when we're done, alright?" Dante said. The crowd reacted positively.

"Hey sis, it's me.
I'm calling just to say, I'm sorry.
Please sis, do you really hate me?

I know I was an ass, leaving you all alone.
Even with mom and dad with you at home,
I was never around, not even calling on the phone.

So many years went by.
I never taught you to fly.
I know you wish I'd just die.

I just want to tell you,
Blood's as thick as glue.
That's something you rue.

You hate me and want me gone.
I've known this all along.
I'll leave you when you ask,
That will be an easy task.
I'm begging and pleading.
My heart, she's bleeding.
Just because you're leaving.
I love you, I miss you.
Just wishing to kiss you.
I'll die like a tree.
But there's a way to save me.
But only if,
You Forgive Me.

Hello sweetheart, how are you?
I've missed you too.
You probably want me gone, don't you?

You think I'm a fool.
An idiot and bafoon.
You want me in a pool,
Made from my blood.

You care for the creatures of the forest.
Making them homes and nest.
You always do your best.
And you never miss your rest.

Everypony thought I was a foo,
Because I fell in love with you.
But I never regretted loving you.
Only if you felt it too.

You hate me and want me gone.
I've known this all along.
I'll leave you when you ask,
That will be an easy task.
I'm begging and pleading.
My heart, she's bleeding.
Just because you're leaving.
I love you, I miss you.
Just wishing to kiss you.
I'll die like a tree.
But there's a way to save me.
But only if,
You Forgive Me.

I'm so sorry.
Please, Forgive Me.
I'm so sorry.
Please, Forgive Me.
I'm so sorry.
Please, Forgive Me.

You hate me and want me gone.
I've known this all along.
I'll leave you when you ask,
That will be an easy task.
I'm begging and pleading.
My heart, she's bleeding.
Just because you're leaving.
I love you, I miss you.
Just wishing to kiss you.
I'll die like a tree.
But there's a way to save me.
But only if,
You Forgive Me.

Oh, I see.
You don't hate me.
You wish, I never came to be."

The song was over and the crowd stood there in silence. Dante became uneasy, the silence lingering like the stench of a dumpster in an open plain. To his relief, one fan began to clap which soon doubled then tripled until the whole crowd was losing their mind. The band bowed and soon left to the lounge. They were greater by two fans' applaud. But Dante noticed something missing.

"Where's your friend? And where's Jason?" Dante soon put two and two together. "If that bastard does anything to her I'll..." Dante was cut off by a loud shriek coming from the storage room.

Dante and Montana ran towards the source of the scream. Dante threw the door open to find Jason on top of Scarlet. That sight made Dante lose it. Dante tackled Jason off of Scarlet and started to beat him savagely. Montana tried to separate the two stallions but Dante used his hind legs to kick Montana across the room and leaving him windless.

"Dante stop!" Scarlet yelled. He didn't listen, instead he started pounding Jason's head into the floor. "Dante stop! Just stop hitting him! I said stop!"

Scarlet jumped on top of her brother trying to stop him from killing the other stallion. Scarlet began to cry. "Please stop. Just stop hurting him. Please big brother stop. Please, please, please, just stop big brother."

Dante felt the tears fall onto his back. He slowly began to hear his sister's pleads and let go of Jason. He turned around to find Scarlet's face red from all the screaming and crying.

"Scarlet?" he asked. Scarlet grabbed the first thing she could hold and swung it at Dante. Dante's head was in a large amount of pain after being hit by a metal tube. "What the hell!" he yelled.

Scarlet dropped the pipe and tackled Dante but instead of attacking him, Scarlet began to cry even harder. "Big brother, why did you do that?" she cried.

Dante sat there dumbfounded. She hadn't called him 'big brother' since the day he met Marcy. Dante wrapped his fore hooves around Scarlet and held her in a deep hug. "I'm so, so, so sorry I scared you Sis." he said. Scarlet then began to cry harder. "Let it all out."

Montana stood up and checked on Jason. He was alive thankfully, but unconscious. "Ah'll leave ya two alone. I'm going to take this idiot to the hospital. When you're done here, you're gonna have to answer all our questions alright Dante?" Montana demanded calmly. Dante shook his head in compliance. "Alight, see ya soon."
_____________________________________________________________________

After what felt like an hour, Scarlet finally stopped crying.

"Are you okay?" Dante asked. As a response he was smacked in the face. "Ow!"

"That's what you get for forgetting what day it is." Scarlet said angrily.

"What day is it?" Dante wondered.

"It's August fourth you asshole!" Scarlet yelled.

"Oh shit, I forgot."

"You think?"

"Well its not like I was planning on remembering. Last time I checked, you and the rest of your family hate me."

"It's my family now? Is that it? So even after everything that just happened you're still not my brother. That's just like you Dante."

"This is why I left, you and dad always find a way to make me the guilty party."

"If you're just gonna complain, then why don't you leave again?"

"Fine I will." Dante said as he stood up. Before he made it to the door he heard sniffling. "What's wrong now?"

"Nothing. Just leave. You're not my brother anyways."

'That's it, isn't it. I'll only be proving her right if I leave. What kind of brother would I be if I just left her alone after what that asshole tried to do.' Dante thought to himself. "Come here Scarlet. I'm not leaving anywhere anytime soon." he said as he sat back down. "I'm your older brother and you can't deny it. As much of an asshole that I might be, I'm still going to look after you because its my job to take care of you."

"Isn't that dad's job?"

"Well of course it is but he's busy raising Marcy with mom."

"Aren't you suppose to take care of Marcy too?"

"Right again but she has our parents to look after her, while you're here on your own."

"You say that but you're only gonna be here for a day or two at most."

"You're a real mood killer, you know."

"Only yours big brother."

"Here I want you to have this." Dante said as he lifted his left wing. He then removed a feather, one too small to be one of his feathers. It was a blue feather but it had an unnatural glimmer to it. Dante put the feather in Scarlet's right hoof.

"What is it?" Scarlet wondered.

"It's a blue Phoenix's feather. Grandpa gave it to me before he passed and I've had it with me for good luck ever since. Now I'm giving it to you."

"Dante I can't take this, it was your gift from grandpa."

"Grandpa told me that this was kept in the family for generations, long before Nightmare Moon was born. He told me that he wanted me to keep it in the family and if you take it, it will."

"But it's your gift from him, I can't take it from you."

"And it's my gift to you Scarlet. Grandpa would prefer if I gave it to you than to somepony else."

"Are you sure?" she asked shyly.

"As sure as you're my baby sister." Dante said before he kissed Scarlet on the forehead. "Come on I think your friends might of left you behind."

The two walked outside to find Micky and Slide chatting away about Celestia knows what.

"Hey Slide where's Simmons?" Scarlet asked.

"He went with Montana and Mitch, seeing as none of us know where the hospital is." Micky answered.

"Micky, you're awfully talkative today. What's up?"

"Oh we're just talking about how Italian food is so delicious. I would just love to be Italian." Slide remarked.

"Maybe we can head back to your place and I can cook up something." Micky said.

"Would you really?" Slide asked.

"Sure. I haven't had a home cooked meal in some time, so I would love to make some for you too."

"Well isn't that sweet sis. I think your friend might have herself a suitor. Looks like this Simmons fellow has some competition." Dante joked.

"It's not like that Dante. It's just that I haven't talk to someone about my kind of food since I left home." Micky said defensively, his face blushing a deep shade of red.

"Yeah. Plus there's nothing going on between me and Simmons. Tell him Scarlet." Slide replied.

"Come on, let's get going to Slide's place if you're serious about cooking. But you're making enough for the four of us, alright?" Micky nodded in compliance. "Good. Now let's get moving."