You're not as bad as you say you are
99 mused a happy tune as he walked through the halls of Canterlot Castle. Greeting several guards along the way. "Two years." He whispered, looking up at the ceiling. "I cannot believe I-I've been here for two years." 99 said, smiling to himself as he remembered all the amazing adventures he had been through. And not to forget the many friends he made.
When his life was abruptly taken by a B1 battle Droid, he did not expect to wake up in a castle. And he did defiantly not expect to be seen as a monster by its inhabitants. Luckily for 99, Princess Celestia was kind hearted, and agreed to have a long talk with him. He told her where he was from, what had happened to him. But when she asked him how he ended up in 'Equestria', he was at a loss for words. How had he ended up here? And where was 'here'?
But Princess Celestia saw potential in him, and eventually sent him to Ponyville, were he got to meet Twilight Sparkle and her friends. To say Twilight was excited about meeting an extraterrestrial, was putting it lightly. 99 had many adventures and many dangers thrown at him. From saving a royal wedding, to stopping an evil king from taking over an empire. He had been through it all, and lived to tell the tale.
His creators, superiors, and even some of his brothers thought he was not a soldier, and that he would never become one. But other troopers believed in him. But they too knew he was never to become one of them. He would always be a misfit. But that all changed when a hot-headed clone named: Hevy, gave 99 his medal. Telling him he "deserved it" and how he was "one of us". Hevy promised that he would come back one day, to 'reclaim' his medal.
Unfortunately, war doesn't care about promises that were made. Hevy died on the Rishi Moon outpost, sacrificing himself for the lives of others. When 99 heard the news, he was sad. It was not unusual for his brothers to die. That's why they were created. To die.
But now, 99 spends his days in peace. Enjoying life at its fullest. But he will always remember his brothers, his home.. His family. He's made many new friends. But one in particular has taken a liking into him. Princess Luna. Princess of Equestria and the Lunar hierarch.
And that is why 99 is currently walking through Canterlot castle. To go and see his friend.
"99, sir?"
99 looked down and smiled at the Batpony guard that stood in front of him. "Nightshade." 99 greeted the pony. "How are you doing this evening?"
Nightshade smiled at the clone and spoke up, "I'm fine, thank you."
"Well, that's good to hear." 99 said, smiling as he walked past the Batpony. Nightshade quickly caught up with him, smiling at the clone as he remembered the good old talks they used to have.
"I remember." Nightshade spoke up, getting the attention of 99. "I remember the first time we met." He said, looking up at the clone. "Do you?"
"Of course I do." 99 replied, looking down at Nightshade. "I remember meeting everyone, I really do."
Nightshade lifted an eyebrow at that. "You do?" He asked, trying to keep up with him. "How's that possible?"
99 shrugged. "I don't know." He replied, chuckling as he pointed his finger at his head. "It never leaves my mind."
"I remember being so sacred of you." Nightshade shamefully admitted, looking up at 99. "I misjudged you, just because you were different. Just because you weren't from this world."
"I don't blame you." 99 replied, pointing at himself. "I mean, look at me! I'm all flesh and bones!" He laughed.
Nightshade shook his head as he chuckled at 99's silliness. Whenever he was around him, Nightshade would always have the time of his life. 99 would always be in a happy mood, he never stopped smiling. He was always polite towards others. Perhaps that's why Prince Blueblood always talked highly of him. Even when being cornered, or being insulted by others. 99 would always stay polite, not even pointing a finger at someone.
"I'm happy." Nightshade sighed. "Happy I had the chance of meeting you."
99 smiled at the young guard. "I'm happy I met you too." He said, bending over to give Nightshade a pat on his helmet. "You're a good kid. Don't change."
"I won't." Nightshade replied, looking of into the far distance. "Why did Princess Luna ask your presence?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
99 rubbed the back of his head. "I-I'm not sure." He replied. "But I don't care why." He smiled, looking down at Nightshade. "I'm just happy I get to see her again."
"Why's that?" Nightshade asked, a hint of curiosity in his tone.
"Because she reminds me of someone." 99 replied.
"And who does she remind you of?" Nightshade asked.
"Hevy." 99 replied, smiling as he put his hands behind his back. "She reminds me of a young, stubborn clone. He had a big heart. He cared for his brothers, and he..." 99 trailed off as he looked down at his feet. Sadness overtook the clone, remembering the good times he and Hevy had. How he stopped him from going awol. And how Hevy gave him his medal.
"And he, what?" Nightshade asked, concern written over his face.
"And he cared.. F-For me." 99 replied, wiping his eyes with his sleeves.
"D'aww, don't cry." Nightshade cooed, hovering behind him and patting his back. "I'm sure he's very proud of you."
99 let out a sigh as he looked out of one of the windows; he and Nightshade were about to pass. "I hope so." He sighed. "Because I'm proud of him." 'I always have been.'
Nightshade chuckled again. Hovering in front of the clone, he tapped 99's chest. "Tag", he said, flapping his wings and flying away from him. "You're it!"
99 looked at his chest in confusion. "H-Hey!" He said, running after Nightshade. "Hold it! I don't know how this works!" 99 ran after his Pegasi friend, smiling to himself. It was a funny sight to see, but also a sad one. For 99 had a lot of trouble with running, because of a failure in his cloning pod. So he was- fortunately for Nightshade- unable to keep up with him.
Nightshade looked back at 99, laughing as he watched the clone struggle to keep up with him. "Come on! You can do it, 99!"
"Yeah, yeah." 99 panted, almost tripping over his own feet. "I'll get you back for this!" He laughed.
"Suuuuuure." Nightshade replied, sarcasm clearly present in his tone. "You're just a slowpoke." He teased, hovering over 99.
"Not fair." 99 panted, looking up at him. "You have wings, and I don't." He panted. "Don't you have better things to do?" 99 asked.
Nightshade shrugged, flapping his wings and sending a gust of air towards 99's face. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't." He laughed. "But this is much more fun!"
99 sighed. 'And you remind me too much of Cutup.' He thought, walking past Nightshade.
Nightshade quickly landed beside 99, looking up at him with a curious expression. "What do you think of Princess Luna?" Nightshade asked.
"Well." 99 replied, scratching the back of his head. "She's nice, a-and very, well-- she's really nice."
"That's it?" Nightshade asked, raising an eyebrow at the clone. "Nothing more? She's just really nice?"
"Yeah." 99 replied.
An awkward silence followed soon after. Both human and pony had no idea what to say. They knew each other pretty well. 99 even got the opportunity of meeting Nightshade's parents. They were very nice to him, unlike others. When 99 arrived in Ponyville, all those years ago, he was seen as a monster. Everypony though he was big and scary. Even Twilight's friends had their doubts about him. And that made 99 even sadder than he already was.
When he was shot by those clankers, he did not know what happened next. He did not know if Echo, or Fives survived. He did not know if Captain Rex, or Commander Cody survived. He did not know if those cadets survived. The first couple of days, were very hard for him. He didn't have any friends. He didn't have any brothers he could talk to. He was alone, and sometimes he still feels alone. In the beginning, 99 though things were never going to get better. But all of that changed, when he met Princess Luna. He first met her in his dreams. She commented on how his dreams were "odd" and "different" from her subjects. 99 was hesitant at first, not fully trusting the Princess of The Night. But after a few repeated 'dream visits', he actually started to open up to her.
After that, others started to open up towards him too. And for some odd reason, the feeling of finally being accepted, made 99 a very happy clone. Applejack had offered him a job at her farm. Rainbow Dash suggested he'd work out with her. Pinkie Pie threw him the biggest 'Welcome ninety nino' party ever. Rarity had offered to design a new set of clothes. And Fluttershy let him help around her animals. And Twilight? Well, Twilight was just being Twilight. Continuously asking questions about his home, the clone army, and the occasional talks about friendship.
But 99 still missed his family. He still missed his brothers. Heck, he even missed cleaning up the mess his fellow brothers made, after a training course. But he knew. Deep in his heart, he knew he would never be able to return to Kamino.
His adventures continued, and he got to meet: Princess Cadence, and Prince Shining Armor. (The real Princess Cadence). They too had their doubts, but they quickly cast aside those doubts, and accepted him. Cadence even said that she was very curious about him. They had a long talk. Many stories were told, and many laughs were shared that day.
99 had been through a lot. On Kamino, and in Equestria.
"We're almost there." Nightshade said, getting 99's attention.
"Really? Wow, that was fast." 99 commented, laughing to himself as he and Nightshade almost reached the giant, blue colored oak wooden doors. "Well, I guess this is goodbye." 99 said, looking down at Nightshade. "I'll see you.. Later?"
"Sure thing." Nightshade replied, bowing his head respectfully. "I'll see you around."
"Right." 99 smiled as he watched his friend leave. Turning his head to face the wooden doors, 99 took a deep breath and knocked.
"Who goes there?" He heard a soothing, yet familiar voice come from the other side.
"I-It's me, Princess." 99 replied.
A moment of silence fell between the two of them, until Luna spoke up.
"Please enter."
99 grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. He opened the door and stepped inside. Closing the door behind him, 99 scanned the room, searching for his friend. "P-Princess, where are you?" 99 asked.
"Boo!"
99 let out a scream, quickly turning around and raising his fists. "Who's there?" He asked. He heard giggling. Slightly bowing his head, 99 lowered his fists. "Princess." He said, laughing. "How are you doing?"
"We are doing well." Luna replied, smiling at the clone. She was almost the same height as 99, her horn just reaching his nose. "How art thou?" She asked curiously.
"Couldn't be better." 99 replied.
Luna nodded her head. "Please." She said, gently pushing him back. "Have a seat."
"A-Are you sure?" 99 asked, looking at her with a slightly worried expression. "I mean, it's your bed. And I'm just a simple clone. I don't deserve such--."
"99." Luna cut him off, gently pushing him on her bed. "We appreciate thine concern, but 'tis not needed." She said.
"If you say so." 99 muttered. Looking at her, 99 opened his mouth to speak up, only for Luna to cut him off.
"How has thine day been?" Luna asked.
"It was alright." 99 replied.
"Was the train ride to Canterlot acceptable?" She asked.
"It most certainly was." 99 replied, raising an eyebrow at her. "What's with this change of attitude? Normally, you never asked this many questions." 99 commented, looking at her with a concerned expression. "Is something wrong?"
"‘Tis nothing " Luna replied.
"Princess, you’re not a good liar." 99 said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. His facial expressions softened as he placed a hand on her head. "What’s troubling you?"
"Like we said." Luna replied, gazing into 99’s eyes. " ‘Tis nothing."
"T-Then why’d you ask me to come and visit you?" 99 asked, a confused expression clearly present on his face. "Something is wrong." 99 said, getting up from Luna’s bed. "You never asked any questions when I came to visit. So what’s wrong?"
Princess Luna bowed her head shamefully, her eyes glued to the floor of her room. "We have been having nightmares again." Luna admitted shamefully.
"That’s nothing to be ashamed of. " 99 said, smiling at her. "Everyone has nightmares. Just because you are ‘The Princess of The Night’, doesn’t mean you can’t have them."
"But it is something to be ashamed of!" Luna all but shouted, completely catching 99 off guard.
"P-Princess." 99 whispered.
"We have been having nightmares about our ‘other self’." Princess Luna said, tears of sorrow starting to form in her eyes. "T’was all our fault. Had young Twilight Sparkle not stopped us, the damage to Equestria and my sister’s subjects would have been catastrophic." She whispered, regret and sadness overtaking the mare.
"T-They’re your subjects, too."
"What?" Princess Luna asked, looking up at 99 with teary eyes.
"I said: They’re your subjects, too." 99 replied, looking down at Luna. "You say it, like you’re not a Princess. That the ponies who live on this planet, aren’t your subjects."
Luna let out a chuckle. "99, thou art always so naïve." She said, glaring at the clone. "Thou has no idea what we have done! Thou couldn’t possibly understand how we feel! Like that clone said- the one in thine dreams- we are just a failure. Like you!"
99 sighed as he bend over, meeting her on eye level. "Yeah, but how can I be a failure, when I never even got my chance?"
Luna sniffed and looked at him with a confused expression. "We.. Don’t understand."
99 gave her a small smile. "Back on Kamino, I never got the chance to prove myself. I never got the chance to become a Trooper. But you, you did get your chance." 99 said as he put his hand on her head. "So you made a mistake, a big mistake. It happens to all of us. And I believe everyone deserves second chance."
Luna continued to stare at 99. She was at a loss of words. Luckily for her, 99 wasn’t.
"The way I see it, is that you’re always trying to be the anchor. But maybe you should see, that you have family that is there to help you. You see, for last two years, I never had any family."
"Thou misses thine family?" Luna asked, tears rolling down her cheeks.
99 nodded. " I miss them every day." He sighed, looking at Luna. "But in all honesty, I’ve found a new one, too."
Luna sniffed a couple of times, before replying. "Really?" She asked.
"Yes." 99 smiled. "I have you, and your sister. I have Twilight and her friends. I see you all as family!"
"Really?" Princess Luna asked.
"Really." 99 replied, wiping away her tears with his thumb. " No more tears. I don’t like it when family cries."
Luna nodded and put her hooves around 99’s waste, hugging him tightly. "Thank thee. Thank thee so much, 99." She whispered into his chest.
"Anytime.. Luna." 99 replied, returning the gesture. Anytime.
For what felt like minutes, both pony and clone stood there, both enjoying the moment of solitude. Eventually, it was 99 who broke the hug. "Princess, not to bother you or anything, but I’m kind of, well, sleepy." 99 said, rubbing the back of his head.
Luna smiled at the clone, motioning for her bed. "By all means." She said. "Knock yourself out."
"A-Are you sure? I-I mean, I can sleep in the guard’s barracks if you want." 99 said.
Luna shook her head, quietly giggling at 99’s shy, but silly attitude. "99, in all my years of being a Princess, I have never seen such a kind hearted, honest, and lovable man like you."
99 blushed a bit, laughing nervously as he looked back at the royal sized bed. "Well, if you’re one hundred percent sure it’s not a big deal." 99 said, getting on the bed and pulling the sheets over him. "Then I’ll knock myself out."
Luna smiled at him. "Thank you." She said, bowing her head to give him a peck on his head.
"You’re welcome, Princess." 99 replied, smiling at her. "I guess you have to leave now. You have to make sure everyone has pleasant dreams."
Luna nodded as her horn started glowing. "We will see thee, tomorrow." And within the blink of an eye, she was gone.
99 let out a sigh of relief. Quickly getting out of bed, he walked towards nearby door. Opening it, 99 reached a balcony. A balcony he and Luna shared many stories about each other. 99 looked up at the sky, which was painted with beautiful stars, and – of course- the moon itself. Reaching for his back pocket, he grabbed hold of an item an item he treasured deeply.
"Hevy." 99 said, looking at the star-shaped medal in his palm.
99 looked up at the sky again. Nodding to himself, he held the medal to his heart and saluted.
"Thank you." 99 said, a single tear running down his cheek. " For everything."
****
"You were right, you know. About everything."
"I heard you were quite the leader out there."
"No leaders. We are a team. All of us, 99."
"The army is lucky to have a clone like you, Hevy."
"Not as lucky as I am, to have a brother like you."
"Well, this is goodbye, I guess. Hevy ships out, and 99 stays here."
"Eh, we’ll see each other again. I mean, how else am I supposed to get this back from ya? You deserve it. You’re one of us."
In memory of a true soldier;
He died for his brothers;
He will be missed;
But he will never be forgotten.
Rip 99
Fin