All Hail Forgotby Dream WhisperChaptersAHF: Chapter 1 - He is late again...AHF: Chapter 2 - BetrayalAHF: Chapter 3 - SacrificeAHF: Chapter 4 - Cause and ConsequenceAHF: Epilogue AHF: Chapter 1 - He is late again...“All hail the mighty Forgot!” The chorus of ponies answered the call of the supreme leader. “All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” The supreme leader began talking once again as the last voices finally declined. “We have gathered here today to praise the mighty Forgot. In our darkest times, he rises us up to his pedestal of light. He lets us forget what has to be forgotten. He has cleansed our souls. Without him, we would still remember the terrible times before our salvation. Our salvation has come, brethren! Now it is time to praise him eternally. Bow, brethren! BOW!” Swift Haven leaned down and lightly kissed the ground. His lips barely touched the clean surface and yet he could taste the wonderful aroma of this holy place. The room was full of ponies bowing to the golden statue hanging down from the front wall. As a light gong echoed through the room, the ponies rose and began positioning themselves in a line. At the front, the supreme leader began another small speech: “Let us all forget our sins. Forgot has allowed us another batch of his magic. I have personally gathered it from the holy tree. Drink up my sons and daughters. Drink up the juice of life. Allow it to cleanse our bodies.” Each pony grabbed a flask off of a table placed in the corner of the big white room. Once they received their marked flask, they let the cold juice flow down their dry throats. While they were drinking, the chorus started chanting: “Drink up and forget your sins. Brothers and sisters, today we forget. For he will free us from all debt. We forget what has been done, everything becomes undone. Drink up and forget your sins. Forget your problems and your crimes, forget all those troublesome times. Let us forget together what occurred, let us drink until our memories are blurred.” Sweet Fire walked past a particularly big stallion on her search for Swift Haven. Swift haven had promised her to come. She had waited for almost a full hour, being completely alone in the restaurant. Everypony had stared at her. How could he have forgotten it? She had thought their relationship had become more serious than this. It should have been the date on which she would have asked him to be her special somepony. Would she have to worry? Maybe he had not forgotten it but instead injured himself. Maybe somepony had abducted him? Maybe he had been sucked in a time loop on a local scale. Sweet fire had to stop herself again. She always thought about the most ridiculous of situations. She had decided to trot to his house. The streets were dark, but luckily they were also empty. At this late hour, dark streets are no place for young mares. In most cases she would just fly away but what if she encountered a faster pegasus or a strong unicorn? His house was located in a dark alley somewhere between the rows of forsaken homes. He lived in some hayhole of a house but at least he had a house. Most of her special someponies before had not had houses or apartments. She had made some terrible decisions in the past. She lightly knocked on the dark wood of the old door. The dull sound echoed through the empty streets, causing her to flinch. No response. The sudden image of his apartment being filled with policeponies and investigators flashed through her mind. What if he had been murdered? She knocked again, this time much harder and much more insisting. Still no response to be heard. She really started to worry. Why in Equestria wasn’t he opening? There was just one way to find out: She looked around, making sure nopony would see her. She flew up into the air and over the roof into his backyard. The backyard was nothing but an assembly of dirt and rotten grass. It seemed as if not even weeds could grow here. She looked around and found what she had searched for. Under the broken tire, deep in the mud she found the hidden key. Swift Haven had a habit to forget things after… what had happened. At some point, he had decided to just take a place and hide his key there so he could not forget it anymore. Of course, he forgot where the hiding place actually was and that is why he always spends fifteen minutes searching his backyard before actually getting inside. “Out of all the ponies I know, he probably has the worst memory…” ´she mumbled to herself. She inserted the key into the small door latch and unlocked it. The heavy door almost swung open by itself. It creaked and groaned as it opened, revealing an empty room. She walked inside, ready for whatever she could possibly find. Maybe he has become part of a secret agency and has just been assigned to a new mission? No, that was just a bit improbable. Sweet Fire approached the next room, hoping to find Swift Haven there... Nopony. A slight creak from across the hallway leading to the room startled her, and she looked back. Again, it was completely devoid of any life. Sweet Fire crept towards the kitchen, not expecting to find anypony there. The house was so quiet she doubted Swift could go undetected. Eventually he would bump into something, or hell, take a step. Anything would show Sweet Fire that her friend was home... But there was nothing. She went through every room twice but she could not find him anywhere. At least it didn’t seem like there was anything closely related to an abduction or a murder. Although it should have relieved her stress, it only made her much more worried, even frightened. It would have been comforting to see any clues as to his disappearance, as long as it didn't signal anything bad, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. But if he wasn’t at home… Where was he? “Swift? Swift Haven, are you here? This is not funny!” She knew that he would not answer, and yet she had to at least try it. After checking every room for a third time, she started to investigate. There had to at least some signs of where he was gone. What if something had happened to him? What if he needed her help right now? She could not just wait for him to return, she would have to search for him. Her investigation ended sooner than she would have expected. Right on the table in the living room were a bunch of strange invitations she hadn’t noticed before. She must have been too frantic and over reactive to look in the obvious spots for clues.The invitations were each small pieces of art as every single one had a unique painting of a pony on it. On the upper right of the pony in the picture there was small lettering saying, “Celebrate our newest member!” Strange. Above every picture was a name. It was actually quite interesting to go through them and to see which ponies you knew and which you didn’t. What was even more interesting than that was actually opening one. She felt bad for opening his letters, but he was not here to object her… “Dear Swift Haven! We hereby invite you to join our ceremony of the night. Our leader has approved of your presence. Come join us in the cleansing of our souls. We await your attendance when the moon has reached the highest point in it’s journey.” What was that one all about? Her curiosity drove her to open another envelope. The letter inside ,however, was exactly the same. Sweet Fire gasped. Could this be what she thought it was? Or was it just an elaborate hoax? She looked through a few other papers frantically, quickening in pace. “No… NO!” He has been abducted by an evil cooperation of shadow ponies, sucking out his very soul! That must be what they meant! She almost face-hoofed. No. It wasn’t. How could she be so stupid? All she knew was that Swift had some strange letters in his room - creepy, but nothing to fantasize about.. They might not even be his letters. However, why would he have creepy letters of another pony, opened and on top of his table? The mystery remained unsolved. “Our holy brotherhood has found a new son. Rejoice! For another member will help us ascend! The day to unite is soon to come. With every soul we free from their memories, for every soul we cleanse of their sins, we stride just a step further towards our ultimate goal. Brother! Stand up, Swift Haven - We welcome you to our family.” Swift stood up from his kneeling position, proud to hear his name being called by the supreme leader, and even prouder to be recognised as their newest member. The enlightenment felt so close, almost in his reach. His new family would help him ascend. Like a light in dark hours, they would show him the steep, yet glorious path. It would be taking all of his effort but he could not let his family down. They were counting on him doing the right steps. Everything came down to this final celebration: For months now, he had been waiting for this final moment, the moment when he would finally become an accepted part of the family of Forgot. He slowly walked up the stairs until he reached the great podestral. The statue of his beloved liberator was right there in front of him. So close and yet unreachable for all eternity. The supreme leader draped Swift Haven in the official garment. He stood in front of the other members, proudly showing the colors of his new robes. “Brothers and sisters. You know how hard our way to salvation is. Today, we have made another step. Today we have found the right direction again. Today our liberator has descended a bit further for us. Today is a day of joy and cheer. Applaud, brothers and sisters, applaud!” The room was filled with the clopping of hundreds of hooves on the white marble ground. They all looked up to him, knowing they could rely on his support and he could rely on theirs. This was a path only to be walked together. In friendship. In brotherhood. The address given by the envelopes of these mysterious letters lead her into a very dark side of town. Just sparsely, the thick forest vegetation was interrupted by huge houses. She had always wondered who lived in this part of town. Sweet Fire felt strange, and she looked around: Nopony was following her. “Phew. I already though...” During her whole journey, she had felt like being followed and she could not just ignore that feeling. Maybe there was a secret organization of agents following her, camouflaging themselves every time she turned around. Or maybe they were invisible ninjas time? , hiding from her eyes and yet deceiving her senses. Or maybe they were an army of shadows, lurking behind every corner… She turned around again, but the shadows didn’t seem to follow her… Except for that one traitorous shadow of hers. The house at the address was actually a bit disappointing. She had expected it to be a giant dome of a super-secret society, but the house actually looked just like every other house. Nonetheless she decided to knock on the door. Knock! Knock knock knock! For almost a full minute there was no response, however she could clearly hoofsteps on thick wooden flooring. She already hovered her hoof up to knock once again, when the door was blasted open. The pony who had opened the door had that certain expression on his face, that expression of having something to hide. As he saw who had actually knocked, his expression changed. His mien got much lighter and he even began to smile. “What is such a young mare like you doing outside on such a late hour? The streets are a dangerous place to walk alone. Come inside and warm yourself up! I have made tea if you would like any.” Warm air radiated out of the open door, and from inside of the house, the smell of freshly baked cookies washed over her. Maybe she should take his offer and have a nice evening with cookies? No. She was here to find Swift Haven and that is what she was going to do… Even if that would mean declining the offer for cookies and tea. She would not abandon Swift for such simple pleasures. Or maybe she could ask this pony about the letters while she was enjoying the cookies? Just a couple of cookies and questions and then she would head off. Besides, it would be helpful to gather information about the letters. That was, if this pony had any. Why would Swift Haven be invited here anyway? Maybe it had been some kind of sick joke after all. Or maybe some strange theme for a party? “Have you decided yet?” The rather old stallion seemed to be in quite a hurry. He frequently looked back to where she assumed his kitchen was. Hell, if she had her tea on her plate and somepony was holding her at my door, she would also seem quite hurried and nervous. She didn’t want to have him stay at the door any further and decided to just accept the offer. She could leave at any time she desired. “Yes. Yes, I would love to stay for tea. Thank you, sir! You are very kind.” She shivered slightly, and the elderly unicorn held open the door wider so Sweet Fire could come inside. The house was so incredibly warm! The last time she had been in such a cozy place must have been this morning in her fort of blankets. Every morning she had to force herself to get up and out of the most comfortable of all places. How would this pony feel? I mean, when he had to leave his whole house of cozy warmth? I would never go out. The furniture matched this warmth quite nicely. Everything was covered with some sort of fluffy fabric. She extended her hooves more than once, just to feel how the different pieces of furniture felt. Each and every piece had its own comfortable feeling. Brother Crystalline chuckled at this mare massaging his furniture, while he walked over to the kitchen to recover his tea. He wondered why she was here: He usually doesn't get many visitors, and especially not such curious ones. Had she maybe been newly invited? He couldn’t remember inviting her, but then again, he also didn’t know where he had put his keys yesterday, even though he had dropped them right on his shoe cabinet. He slid some cups out of a cupboard, and proceeded to gather the hot water. He then put the tea bag into the steaming water and turned around. The mare was actually closely watching over every single movement of his. “So, deary, would you mind telling me your name? I am brother Crystalline.” The mare hesitated for a bit, then shrugged. “I’m Sweet Fire, why?” Sweet Fire? No… no. There was nothing to that name. He may be a pony who likes to forget, but this mare had definitely never been invited. Why was she sniffling around here then? Did she know? That would mean we would have somepony in our rows who had not been careful enough. “Well, I just like to know who I let into my house.” He tried to smile and yet it didn’t seem to work. He slowly got nervous about the whole situation. That pony was a threat and he shouldn’t show a sign of deception. He would have to play the role of a friendly pony from the neighborhood. However, with every second she was here the probability of being discovered would grow. She had to go. And yet he couldn’t make that fact too obvious. How could he get her to move, if she wasn’t willing to? She would not just leave, she seemed to be too suspicious for that. There had to be a way. What would be the most convenient way to get rid of her? He could not throw her out as that would raise suspicions. She would have to leave voluntarily. That he would only achieve if he played his role perfectly. Maybe she would lose her suspicion and actually wander off. Oh no! This was the last cookie. The sheer thought of that deliciousness soon being all over made her a bit sad. Why couldn’t he have made more tea or cookies? On top of being all out of cookies, she had to admit that she really found nothing suspicious here. It was just an old pony, living his last days in an old house. She could hardly imagine how it would feel to know you were standing at the end of your life. She shook her head, partially in pity and partially because she wanted to wake herself. She had become a bit tired, but what else would you be after midnight in a warm, cozy house. Maybe it was time to leave. Outside it would be cold and dark and yet the force pulling her into her own bed was a bit stronger than the force holding her here. No. It was time. The decision has been made: “Excuse me… If you don’t mind, I would like to make my way home now.” The old Stallion, Brother Crystalline, actually hesitated for a bit. It seemed as if he had something to say but couldn’t find the words. In the end, he just gave up and resigned to what seemed like a standardized response: “May the enlightenment guide you.” This pony sure was strange. She stepped outside only to realize what had been wrong with his last sentence. The ‘enlightenment’ ? That was the same use of words as in the letters. She could swear that the writer of the letter and Brother Crystalline were the same pony! “No! I am making things up again.” she thought to herself. It was just an uncommon choice of words. Sweet Fire heard the door close, and she was still lightly hazed by the smell, but now it was too late. Those cookies were so good! A cold breeze swished through her mane, immediately making her regret leaving the warm house. Oh well. She had bothered Crystalline enough. She started to trot home, looking every which way for whatever shadow might linger there. There could be anything hiding and waiting. She still had a rather uneasy feeling. Sweet started to hum a little bit, curiously observing her surroundings. This place was pretty dark indeed, but in an elegant, simple way. Neither overly pompous nor fixed on reaching the “modern” definitions of beauty. The breeze rustling the leaves, the quiet chatter of a squirrel out for a nighttime snack, and the scenery was exceptional! The house she left had an almost charismatic feel to it. Maybe in her old days... Next to it was a memorial, although unlabeled. Why would an unlabeled memorial even exist? A memorial is supposed to preserve the memories of the pony it was built for. If nopony remembers your name after you are dead, does it even matter if you have a memorial? I guess it wouldn’t matter for you anyway. The memorial showed a pony standing on their back hooves, one hoof over their heart, and another one pointing towards her temple, much like a showboating psychic would pose. However, it had a certain sense of aesthetics to it which caught her attention. The lines were flowing into each other, leading to… Sweet Fire walked towards it, getting a better look. Yes, they were leading somewhere. She slowly trotted around it, following the lines closely. A door! That was what those lines were leading to. Small grooves spiraled down a deep staircase, probably leading into the cave. It seemed as if the back of the statue was made of some liquid, flowing down into this hole. It was in an overall amazing state, no cracks, blemishes, or intrusions! It was well preserved. Too well.. This was more than just simply suspicious. Why would somepony take the time to preserve a statue without even marking whom it honored? Maybe there was a secret government agency down there, spying on us all? Maybe there was a secret laboratory where they created zombies, who would clean up the statue. She gasped. Maybe it was because some insane pony lived down there, doing experiments on innocent ponies, recruiting them via mind control?! That must be why Swift left so suddenly without telling anypony! SweetFire started hyperventilating. Her breathing got faster and faster. Oh this was bad, very bad. Would they perform experiments on him, or would they let him do their dirty work? “I’ll save you Swift Haven!” Sweet Fire charged down the stairs, galloping with all her might to stop that evil pony as soon as she could. But what if it was too late? What if Swift had already been experimented on? What if they were controlling his mind in these very moments? She had to run faster! Her speed grew as the stairs seemed to just fly away below her. What if she couldn’t help Swift, and even got captured herself? What if sh... Suddenly the whole world started flying upside down and downside up and spinning and turning and her stomach screamed and she screamed and suddenly there was silence. The impact was hard and dull, but luckily she had landed on something soft. Some sort of carpet or something like that. It looked as if it was hundreds of years old and bought from a mystical caravan leader in the lands of Saddle Arabia. Sweet Fire slowly pulled herself up again. A minor setback to her great quest to find her special somepony in these dark caves. She would be the Joan d’Arc of her own little story. She regained her velocity and almost flew through the hallways, although careful not to make any noise. The carpet helped out quite a bit in that manner. Much to her surprise, the entrance had lead to various pathways, each carved into stone. She couldn’t allow herself to be stopped by the sheer option of choice. She would come back later and take the right path or the left path… or had it been the left path she had been galloping through? Maybe it had been the right one as the right one had had those ancient runes or had it been the one with the torches? However, one characteristic was always the same: They all looked too well cared for for being a part of this lonely, unmarked memorial. These passages seem to still be used daily, thus requiring the professional upkeeping. This was all wrong! Sweet tried to stop her heavy breathing, but she was just too frantic. If she breathed too loud, the mad scientist pony would find her! Or was it an underground agency? Or an alien invasion? Oh, she just had to save Swift Haven from their deadly grasp. She flew around the next corridor and into the left door and then into the right one and suddenly she was finding her in a familiar spot. Hasn’t she been here before? She decided for the left door this time, knowing the left door was always the better one. She stumbled through the hallways, turning right then left and right again, landing in a familiar room. It almost felt as if she was going in circles, or this place was built horrifically uninspired. So into the right door this time, leading up to the door on her left, which would bring her back, so she took the right one. And the right one only brought her into the corridor with the runes and the torches. What was this place? A huge, underground maze? She would just take the right turn this time and just go into every door to her right. And back into the room with these strange chandeliers, which were hanging dangerously close to the ground. And then back into the room with the two tables. No, no. This wasn’t right. This was the same path she had taken last time. Maybe if she went through the middle door and then to the right and after that to the left and to the right again. That should work… hopefully. She stumbled around the last corner. First, she had galloped, then she had started trotting, and now she was crouching every inch forward. This was no maze, this was some sick idea of psychological torture. But what about Swift Haven? What if he was caught in one of those rooms she had not been in yet? What if there was a secret pony corporation of mindcontrol hidden in these dungeons? What if it was all true? What if… NO! This had to stop. She had been running through these halls for hours and she had not found a single piece of evidence. It only had been a memorial after all, what had she expected? Her mind had started wandering to places, and had lead her into this situation. She vowed to stop it once and for all. Her whole life she had assumed things, and immediately presumed them as true. She had to stop! Because what if she wouldn’t stop? This was serious trouble and it was only her fault. She felt like such an idiot. She was probably trespassing anyway. Sighing, Sweet Fire trotted through the halls, attempting to remember which way she had came. This was going to be a long night… “Finally!” Sweet fire walked, no, rather dragged herself out of the strange pathways. To finish her journey, she would just have to get up these steep stairs. The hallways seemed to be built for entertainment of sick psychotic ponies rather than housing anything. A literal underground maze of this dimension? What sick individual had thought of that? Maybe that’s why the pony had a hoof pointing towards her temple. You had to be psychic, like her, to complete the maze. Sweet Fire collapsed on the grass and rolled over, looking up into the night sky. Thousands of stars were smiling back at her. Finally she was outside again. She took a deep breath of the fresh, cold air. Soon it would be morning, she could already see a slight red tint in the horizon to the east. If had definitely taken her at least two hours of walking around to get out of the accursed, torturous tunnels. It’s too bad Swifty hadn’t been there with her, comforting her in her struggles. She knew that he knew when she was overreacting. He always knew how she felt. He usually tried to calm her suspicions. He always had been the logical one, and that had helped her stay calm. His logic wasn’t arrogance, but instead like an ark in the big blue sea. Sometimes she was convinced something was wrong, and no amount of persuasion would deter her. He would have picked some grass and followed her into the maze. While she was frantically searching, Swift would have placed bits of grass to mark the way they had come from. He always had had great plans. If Swifty would have come, he would have hushed her sadness and would have comforted her in her lonely hours. But if Swifty had come, she would have no reason to come here. Well, admittedly she would have probably found a reason. Some insane assumption, much like their previous adventures. And yet he had always been there. She had thought it to be like that for all eternity. She had depended on his comfort. And now it was gone. Sweet Fire really did miss Swift Haven. She continued to lie on the grass, and began to silently cry. One part of it because she always got emotional when she was tired, but ninety-nine parts because she missed him. She imagined him here with her in the soft grass, smiling goofily at the prospect of lying there. He wouldn’t complain though, as he always went along with her in whatever path she had decided to take. She could rely on him always being there for her. He was so different from her and yet he felt like a part of her. like two opposite sides of a jigsaw puzzle, but when together, they created a beautiful picture. Sweet Fire, lovesick and worried, curled up in the grass and began crying harder. The tears felt so warm, but the cold darkness surrounding her seemed to grow even colder, as if that was the night’s cruel way of laughing at her. The warm twinkling of the stars, however, comforted her. They were twinkling only for her, to calm her. They shone to remind her that Luna was out there, watching over her in her lonely hours. They were twinkling to show that she was not forgotten. She stopped crying, convincing herself that everything would be okay… sometime. Swift and her would eventually have a good laugh about this whole situation… Yes. Yes, that was what was going to happen. A good laugh and many hugs. Memories flooded over her, showing her and Swifty meeting for the first time. It brought back her smile she had thought to be lost. Her eyelids slowly fell down, and she drifted off into lands of her own imagination, where they both were reunited. AHF: Chapter 2 - BetrayalSweet Fire suddenly awoke to the loud noise of hoofsteps on stone. Startled, she quickly got up and scrambled behind a bush. Of course her fall was inevitable; She hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep, and was paying for that. Colors blurred and light shone brighter than it should have, creating a blurry world made up of deformed shapes and confusion... She collapsed into the leaves of the small bush by the road. Her mind seemed to come to no rest, everything turning around and around. It took her a moment to get herself sorted out. She then rotated towards the memorial so she had a perfect view of where the hoofsteps were coming from. She gasped. She had been right! There really WAS a mad scientist master of mind control down there! Sweet fire stayed hidden and observed, ready to attack whoever came out. The noise of the hoofsteps became louder and echoed out across the yard. This was it, she would finally find Swift! A whole group of ponies exited the memorial in a line, spreading out amongst the streets. They were probably going home… The question is just: From what? There must have been hundreds of them! She stood her ground and watched carefully for Swift Haven. How should she find him in such a crowd? Then, after the line thinned out and she already began losing her hopes, she noticed something. Was it really? Yes! Walking amongst the crowd was Swift! He was unharmed, even seemed to have gotten a bit more chubby. Oh, she could have screamed in joy, but she had to remain silent and hidden. She would have to approach him when he was alone. She assumed he would go back to his house, or maybe hers. Maybe even a bit of private time… She decided to just fly after him once it was safe. Then the door opened. The old pony, father Cristalline, watched as the ponies dispersed and headed towards their own residences. So he HAD been the leader! She had known it all along! It had been so obvious! But also very dangerous. How could she have just waltzed into the home of an evil pony… with delicious cookies… but still an evil pony! She could have been put under mind control… maybe she already was? She didn’t feel like being controlled, but then again, you never do. Crystalline entered his house again as most of the ponies were gone. Just a few more, and she could leave. Two particularly talkative earth ponies seemed to have a little, annoying chat. Damn them, get on with your conversation and move! Finally, the ponies said their farewells. Sweet Fire begged the earth she was lying on that they weren’t the type to say goodbye, then start another new conversation altogether. Luckily, they waved, and were off. She waited for a moment, just to be extra sure, then jumped out of the bush and shouted, “YES! I have got you now!” Much similar to a hurricane, Sweet fire flew over the streets, right into the direction of where Swift Haven had trotted. She flew as fast as her wings would let her, then faster. She zipped down the dark and empty streets and alleys, and eventually caught up with the retreating figure of Swift Haven. “YESSS!” Swift heard her shout, and turned just in time to be blown away by a high velocity hug. All air rushed out of his lungs from the impact, both rolling down the street and Sweet Fire seeming like she was attempting to keep his breath out with one giant hug. How could a pony have such strength when hugging? Swift was dragged out of his thoughts by a sudden kiss from Sweet Fire. “Ooooooh I missed you so so so soooooo much!” “It’s only been a da-” “I know but I was so worried and I was searching for you and got lost in a maze of the secret agency and the aliens and the secret organization and.. and…” She instantaneously broke the hug and growled down at Swift, her eyes turning fierce. ”Why were you in that evil pony’s maze and why are you part of a secret organization? Why did you have invitations on your table? TELL ME!” Oh no… Oh noooo this was bad, she knew? Think fast Swift, you can’t have her finding out. ”TELL ME” “Oh uh umm… What? Are you sure you didn’t dream the part about the maze? That sounds pretty crazy, and you look pretty tired. The invitations were a party, but Spin Dripper was pretty drunk when she wrote them. I had other ones because she also delivered them in her drunken state. You should have seen her dropping all of her letters by my home and telling me that it ‘doesnn madda becauss the post alzo arrisv heer.’” He gave his best to mimic the drunk accent of Spin Dripper he had heard so often already and tried to bring out a smile. He felt his attempt failing horribly so he just continued speaking. “You’re way too tired. Everything is okay, there is no need to worry.” Sweet Fire, still standing above him, looked very sad and yet relieved. Swift held out his arms and she collapsed into them, crying into his coat. He held her there, and decided to comfort her for a while. What he had to do could wait for when she had fallen back asleep. He was sure she would. She looked so tired… and so beautiful. He would have to think of an excuse for why he would be gone again. Even harder would be convincing her to join him, after he would be accepted into the brotherhood. The moonlight just pierced through the thick clouds above the almost empty street. Only two ponies were lying there, comforting each other. The rows of dark houses seemed to stare silently upon the night’s scene. The sun already started to rise, but the shadows still lingered behind every corner. This was his place, in the deep shadows. The shadows were a place to hide, a place of comfort, much better than the open streets. There were two things he couldn’t bare. For one, ponies cuddling on the cold, hard ground. He hated seeing what he had not been able to accomplish for himself. The other thing he simply couldn’t stand was betrayal. Usually he wouldn’t have bothered with the whole situation, but keeping everything secret was by far too important to ignore. This threat had to be dealt with. Two ponies were to not develop a relationship that stands above acquaintances unless they were both a part of the organization. Even then, it had to be approved of by Crystalline, our supreme leader. It wouldn’t take long for Brother Crystalline to arrive. It had all been told, every detail has been passed on. Now it was Crystalline’s choice to do whatever he would. “Greetings Bonefire, its nice to see you again. I have been informed that there is an important situation to attend. What might this all be about?” “Father Crystalline, it has come to my attention that there is a traitor amongst us.” “Is that true? Bonefire, for your sake, you better have good evidence for such a suspicious claim.” “Sir, I have seen Swift Haven, our newest official member, with somepony who he showed hidden affection towards. They were in each other’s hooves on the road. Such an uncomfortable resting place suggests that there is a strong relationship between them. You know Forgath’s rules better than anypony else and you know that it is forbidden to praise anything above him. I feel like he praises his marefriend above our whole pact. Who knows what else he has ‘forgotten to mention’?” “You make a good point. We will have to take steps to prevent anymore oversights such as this. For now, I have no choice but to take this mysterious mare into custody until her fate has been decided. What did this mare look like?” “I couldn’t see her very well due to the shadows and Swift Haven, but I saw a yellow coat with red and orange hair.” I couldn’t see her very well due to the shadows… However, I could make out some crucial details. Her hair was seemed like a glow in the dark. A dangerous glowing, if you ask me. Red and yellow, those were the most predominant colors, like a dangerous flame. “Oh my… I have recently met with a rather curious mare named Sweet Fire who happens to match your description quite well. If she happens to be the pony you speak of, I have reason to believe Swift Haven has been supplying information about our meetings. I cannot judge why, but if Swift Haven is a traitor, may Forgot have mercy on his soul.” “The scoundrel, he’s just no good scum!” “Don’t assume what we don’t know. At the time we should only assume that Sweet Fire has a more curious personality than others. There is no need to jump to conclusions, Bonefire.” “I… I guess you’re right as always Father.” “Yes. We had probably head back and gather a small team. It would be unwise to apprehend the couple with only us two.” “Yes father.” Swift Haven placed the exhausted, sleeping Sweet Fire onto his bed and gave her a small kiss. ‘This all must be so stressful for her.’ Swift thought to himself. ‘I hope that Crystalline will be reasonable about the situation. I don’t want her to get hurt because of me. Swift Haven slowly trotted towards the small chair in the corner of the room, dropping his heavy body upon the warm fabric. For now, he would just watch his love in her slumber, making sure everything was okay. The loud sound of hooves upon old stairs brought him out of his thoughts. These sounds promised nothing good. For just a moment, everything was quiet. Almost like the silence before the storm. The door shuddered and cracked. Somepony was trying to get in. A second strike against the wood resounded through the house, sending small cracks across the surface. Sweet Fire suddenly sat bolt upright as the third strike nearly sent the door flying off it’s hinges. She screamed and Swift jumped up to get into the doorway. Everything went too fast for him to properly react. Sweet Fire screamed as the door finally gave in into the pressure. Small pieces of wood were flying through the room along with dust. His whole body was tense and yet it seemed impossible to move. One particularly big piece actually glanced across his flank. The pain almost acted like a reminder for him to move. With two quick steps he stood in front of Sweet Fire. Swift was standing in a defensive stance in the door frame as the dust settled. Then, he cringed at the sudden voice. Swift Haven you have been placed under suspicion of treachery. Do not resist or you will be imprisoned or expelled. Expelled? This one word seemed to lash out at him. It curled around in his mind, not letting him think of anything else. The whole scene seemed nothing like reality anymore. Everything was flying by like a movie. Crystalline promptly pushed him aside, sending him flying onto the now cold floor. He only watched as they charged towards his bed and bound the now thrashing Sweet Fire. Swift felt his eyes well up as he watched the scene unfold. His heart was torn apart. On one hoof, that was his Sweet Fire, the love of his life. On the other hoof, this was the wellbeing of his soul for all eternity... He decided that it was probably for the best. ”SWIFT HELP ME!” It is for the betterment of himself, and the rest of the members. ”SWIFT!” Besides, she wouldn’t want for him to be eternally punished, right? ”HELP ME SWIFT PLEASE DON’T LET THEM TAKE ME, PLEASE HELP!! Swift Haven only stood, and followed Sweet Fire, Crystalline, Bonefire, and the others out the door. ”WHY WONT YOU HELP? DON’T YOU SEE WHAT THEY’RE DOING TO ME?! He followed the group along the road back to the memorial. Sweet Fire’s pleading had finally died down to whimpering. “Swifty… I… Why?” He had stupidly hidden Sweet Fire from Crystalline. He wasn’t fully devoted to Forgot, which made him in all sense, unworthy. “Why are you letting them take me?” Her speech was quivering and wrought with sobs. He shouldn’t allow a mere emotion to confuse his mind to a point at which he goes against Forgot’s wishes. He should embrace Forgot, with all his soul, not allowing material things to bind him. “Wh… Where are we going S- Swift? Ar- Are they going to... to hurt me? Are y… you going to let them hu… urt me?” But that was the thing, Sweet Fire was much more than just material, more than the mere emotion she evoked within him. She was his very world before he joined Crystalline… “I.. Swift.. The…” She could barely speak as she shuddered, tears mixing with her fur as the ponies stubbornly carried her on. ‘Now I’m questioning my allegiance... I had better go clear my head within the halls of insight.’ Swift Haven thought to himself. “I’m going for a walk, Crystalline. I’ll be sure to attend the meeting when its held. Good day.” Clear Sight, a guardian of Forgot who was loyal to Crystalline and their spiritual journey, tried to stop Swift, but the supreme leader himself held him back. Crystalline knew Swift would attend the meeting, traitor or not. Swift Haven turned around, taking one last look at the broken mare being carried away. As he walked away from her, she renewed her efforts in pleading, bribing, offering obscene amounts of money that she didn't have to the other ponies. Swift Haven ignored her cries, and walked on. There was silence for a moment, then she said one last word, the heartbreak eminent in her tone. “Swifty…” Sweet Fire lay on the cold stone, wordlessly staring out of her cell at the opposite wall. The left side of her face had been soaked for hours. She just lay there on her side, wounded, yet unbleeding. She didn’t care anymore. Swift had abandoned her, and there was just no reason to continue. No more time to spend with the stallion she had known. Swift Haven had disappeared… Family? No, relatives were nothing but a few friends you were forced to tolerate until death, so why should she stand for their ignorance anymore? Family is a group of ponies who vaguely look and act like you, nothing more. There is no special ‘family bonding’ more than any normal bonding with friends! And even then, friends are better because you CARE for them and they CARE for you! They know that they can lose you if they act bad, and you know the same! Do you have that with family? NO! If you have an abusive big brother who does nothing but torture you with endless mind games and hitting you when you got them wrong, you’re forced to DEAL WITH IT! Psychological experiments are a horrible thing! Your mom notices your rising in creativity and timidness, then attributes it to how much you ‘play with your older brother’, then praises him while you sit idly by knowing that if you ever tell her the truth, she won’t believe you. She won’t believe you, no, because you’re always dreaming up ‘crazy little scenarios’! And your father stands there, looking at you out of his eyes in which the sorrow of worlds is to be seen. And he doesn’t make a move. He sees your pain and he hears your screams, he knows your secrets, and yet he doesn’t do anything. He does NOTHING. He leaves you ALONE like all the stallions before him, leaving you in that pit which is bottomless and you feel yourself falling and there is no pony to pick you up. He had picked her up…Swift had shown her another world. A world of love, comfort and trust - It was all an ACT. EXACTLY like everypony else! She had fallen for it. Now she knew that Nopony cares, EVER. Sometimes the world seems like such a vast, empty place without somepony to care about you... Deep down, Sweet Fire knew one thing for sure... This time, she wasn’t overreacting. This time it was all true! SWIFT HAVEN HATED HER, HER PARENTS DIDN’T GIVE A BUCK, AND NEITHER DID HER SO CALLED FRIENDS! Swift wasn’t the only pony she knew was coming from that STUPID MEMORIAL! Swift Haven wasn’t the only pony who had LIED to her about… EVERYTHING! Her heart felt so cold. She had expected pain or sorrow or grief. And yet she was cold and empty. She didn't care anymore... What did it matter? Did anything matter? … No. Just … Nothing mattered anymore. It was all over... Author's Note We Pinkie-promised :) AHF: Chapter 3 - Sacrifice“He has to die.” “Are you crazy? He doesn’t have to die for something like that! Forgot doesn’t judge quickly and you shouldn’t either.” “He has broken the holy rules. He has to die. Off his head and onto the sacrificial pit.” Even though they were speaking about his well-being, Swift Haven could not really pay attention. His thoughts kept flinging back to a certain mare. How he had left her… How she had cried… “We don’t simply throw our brethren into the sacrificial pit. We don’t know how far he has gone with her.” “Breaking rules means cutting heads. I want to see his head on a spike, in a fire, or on the sacrificial plate.” “Silence! Your behaviour is unpleasing, Shattered Laughter. Non possumus facere contra suam voluntatem. We cannot act against his will. You should remember that rule.“ Non possumus facere contra suam. It felt strange to hear that again. The last time he had heard Brother Crystalline speak in the godly language had been his induction. “He has to be punished! Punished with death!” “Stop your nonsense. we are not going to act before we know exactly what has happened. Swift Haven! Tell me: What were you doing with that mare?” Time to answer. He had waited for this moment for the entirety of this meeting and yet he had not found words he could speak in his defense. His soul was condemned. “Brother Crystalline. I cannot tell myself free of the influence of Memoria. I cannot pledge my innocence in the knowledge that Forgot knows my faults and errors. I can only hope that he forgives my poor soul for being too weak to resist these mortal urges.” “Memoria truly is a cruel mother. Let Forgot free you! We will save your soul by sacrificing to Forgot. May he have pity upon your soul.” The supreme leader almost erupted into singing the holy praises of Forgot. His poor subject has fallen under the troubles of Memoria. There was only one possibility to cleanse his soul: A sacrifice. Of course, not any sacrifice would suffice the extraordinary needs of this situation. To please Forgot after this reckless disruption of his rules, much more than just a bit of money would be needed. They would need… A blood sacrifice. “We could sacrifice his pesky marefriend. That would free him of his mortal urges.” Even Bonefire seemed to be overwhelmed by that suggestion of Shattered Laughter. He had wanted to stop the traitorous Swift Haven from continuing his treason. He had NOT wanted to be the reason for an innocent mare to die. However, Brother Crystalline seemed to like that idea. “A blood sacrifice would cleanse us all from our mortal urge, not just our fallen brother.” Swift Haven’s body had tensed up and yet he couldn’t bring out the words. It was true and yet it was painful. The sacrifice would be necessary, but not his Sweet Fire! He opened his mouth but nothing came out. The words suddenly slipped his mind. Forgot will solve his problems. “Forgot will cleanse my soul from the influences of Memoria. Filii eius adoraverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.” Everypony in the room answered the holy call. “Filii eius adoreverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.” Only Brother Crystalline continued speaking afterwards. “This meeting has come to its end. Let us praise the mighty Forgot. All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” Everypony answered, chanting the same words. The decision has been made. Just before leaving, Shattered Laughter had to add that one sentence, which wouldn’t let him think calmly for hours: “I am glad you see it my way now.” The uniform trotting of hundreds of ponies was almost hypnotic. Each and every pony seemed to be a part of some bigger being, slowly moving forward. Where were they heading? She didn’t care anymore. Sure, the question still bugged here, but it could have been any question. It could have been any place, any face. It didn’t matter. Her whole life had been a lie. They had all shown her what the world really looked like. She didn’t need a place in THAT world. It was not her world to live in. A world of lies and hatred and anger. Of course, she would burn from inside. Her pain would consume her in her very last moments. Did it matter? No. Swift Haven, HER Swift Haven had turned against her. Nothing mattered after that. Not being imprisoned, not being beaten to come out, not being chained to the table below her. They would bathe their hands in her blood. It wouldn’t matter. The procession stopped and the dim, flickering light of the candles, projecting shadows onto the wall, was the only movement in the very next moments. She watched the shadows dance on the wall until the she noticed something else. There was some sort of … smoke crawling above the flat floor; Incandescence. Suddenly hundreds of voices started their chorus: “All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” A hooded pony slowly trotted up the the pulpit. “Dear brothers, dear sisters. Today is the day of our fate. Today, we will cleanse ourselves of Memoria’s sins. Let Forgot shine brightly upon you. Let him take you to his domain of eternal forgiveness. Let us show that we are indeed his forgotten sons.“ Again, the chorus answered with their chanting. “All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” Again, the hooded pony continued “Today, we are going to claim more than just another follower. Today, we are going to claim freedom for everypony. Freedom from Memoria. Forgot has allowed us another batch of his magic. Brother Swift Haven. Ascend and come forth!” Even though she tried to ignore the searing pain in her heart, it still pierced through the thick layer of ignorance. She had sworn herself to hate that pony and yet her heart still jumped upon seeing him. Why was it so hard to forget her love? “Dear brothers… I have fallen. I have broken our holy rules. No punishment would suffice for what I have done. Only Forgot can forgive me my downfall into the realm of Memoria. I have placed emotion above our divine goal. Only my father’s forgiveness may still help my pitiful soul.” The hooded pony started to laugh quietly. “Brethren! You see that our fallen brother has mended his forsaken ways and seeks the forgiveness of Forgot once again. To fulfill his bond, we are going to make a sacrifice. A sacrifice to cleanse us all. Filii eius adoreverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.” Every pony answered his call, singing monotonically. Had they all lost their minds? “Filii eius adoreverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.” “Brethren! Would this be any other occasion, I would do this duty myself. However, this occasion is not normal and thus does not apply to normal conventions. Forgot has told me that there had to be a change in our ceremony. I cannot resolve the sins of Swift Haven. He has to cleanse himself. He has to cleanse himself in the blood of this mare. Take my dagger, brother.” Sweet Fire just looked at him. He took a step forwards, just to hesitantly stop again. The next step was even slower, with even less determination. Suddenly he turned his face towards her, his eyes taking a last glance. She could make out the tears even from this distance. “Come to me! Your soul will be praised eternally. Don’t turn around.” Slowly he trotted onwards, keeping his head on the ground. He didn’t turn around again. “Look at me, brother.” He slowly raised his head until he looked straightly into the fierce eyes of Brother Crystalline. “Take my dagger and cleanse your soul.” He took his dagger and turned around him. Sweet Fire just looked at him, unable to accept his compliance. He walked towards her slowly, keeping a steady, yet excruciating pace. Swift Haven approached the grand table of Forgot with grim determination. He stopped, looking down at his former love as if looking down on the turkey he was about to slice. She looked up at him, eyes cold and unforgiving, but with a sense of indifference. They stared at each other for a short eternity, when Shattered Laughter piped up. “Come on, kill her!” He was muffled out by Crystalline, getting a sharp “shush”. He had to do it. Swift raised the dagger above his head, aiming straight for Sweet Fire’s heart. At least then it would be swift and she wouldn’t have to suffer more than necessary. He hesitated, his hooves shaking heavily. Could he really kill her? This mare who was his whole world, before he had met Crystalline? He recalled memories of laughter and adventure… and love. He recalled various nights spent comforting her beside the warm crackling fire, or in a soft bed. Nights in which they had a grand quest, to solve whatever problem Sweet Fire had gotten worked up on. This was the end… Wasn’t it? It had to be, it had to end this way. He owed it to Forgot, Crystalline, and the entire brotherhood. Yet he hesitated. He could hear the hushed groans of Shattered Laughter as he impatiently waited for the deed to be done. They all waited for him to destroy what was left of his past life. They wanted him to forget what had once been. But… But what if he didn’t want to forget anymore? What if he WANTED to remember the time he had spent with Sweet Fire, his only true love. Could he sacrifice his love for forgiveness? Could he take on the eternal damnation of his soul, if he could just spend a little more time with her? Could he sacrifice every time of laughter, joy, and happiness he had had just to forget the unfortunate ones? No! NO! “NO! I can’t do it!” “May Forgot have mercy with your pitiful soul then.” Crystalline stepped forward with a few guards, hatred and disapproval in his icy stare. Two guards of Forgot blocked the way out already. Crystalline’s horn lit up and cast an eerie glow down on Swift Haven. He felt his knees tremble and heart sink. His vision was suddenly clouded. No! NO! It couldn’t end like this. The dagger was still high up above Sweety’s heart. He trembled, but his dagger still did not fail to hit its target. Crystalline screamed in surprise. “You… I don’t understand.” The whole room filled with the gasping of hundreds of ponies. Some even screamed. It was done. He has finished what he had once begun. Slowly, he turned around towards Brother Crystalline. The dagger shimmered in the light of the candles. Even from down at the table, the blood was clearly visible. He had done it. He had freed himself and all the others. “GET HIM!” The scream came out as a rustling noise, but loud enough to wake every pony up from their entranced state. The whole scene, having paused for just a second, started to sink into chaotic movement. Ponies were running through the halls, overwhelming the two guards positioned at the exit. Swift Haven didn’t care. He only cared for Sweet Fire, crying on his shoulder, still constrained by the chains. He heard the dull impact of Brother Crystalline finally giving in to the wound. The guards tried to make their way through the masses of fleeing ponies while Shattered Laughter pulled out a dagger of his own. Sweet Fire’s face told him more than a thousand words could have ever dreamed of telling. Shattered Laughter charged, and only by the skin of his teeth he evaded the fatal strike. Swift Haven used the momentum of Shattered Laughter against him and rammed his hooves into the back of his enemy. Shattered just laughed upon his impact onto the cold ground. “Do you really think you could evade your fate?” Swift Haven had to shake his head upon seeing such incredible ignorance. Slowly he made his way closer to that crazypony. With a sudden movement Shattered turned around, sending the dagger flying towards him. He had expected as such, and had an easy time evading that foolish attempt. He raised his hoof, but the abnormal laughter stopped his movement. “Hehe. You think I had aimed for you, don’t you?” It took Swift Haven a second of perplexity just to process that thought. Of course he had aimed for him. What else could he have possibly aimed for? Then realization struck him. He turned around - No! The dagger had not missed its target. The blood he had tried to prevent started to flow. He could see her screaming face, searching for a reason, but no sound could pierce through the noise of hundreds of ponies running for their lives. “You monster.” It was a statement of bitterness, but also of pity. Down on the ground was a fallen pony who had lost it’s course in the idea that its deity could somehow give forgiveness to somepony like him… He rushed towards Sweet Fire, desperately trying to push himself through the masses of screaming ponies. She was still screaming when he arrived at the table of Forgot. The dagger had missed her heart, but had ripped a deep hole into her stomach. He pulled it out, his tears mixing with her blood. He put all of his anger into his next strike, ripping apart the weak anchorage of the first chain. Another strike, another anchorage. All of his grief flowed into his strikes. Another chain gone. Only one chain was left to hold her, to bind her. He lifted his hoof into the air once again and let another strike crush down onto the last anchorage. Closely behind him he could make out the voice of the guards, pushing through the last ponies. There was no time left. He jumped onto the table, kneeling just beside his love. She was weak, but still strong enough to grab onto him. After making sure she would not fall, he started galloping towards the exit. Some of the guards had already arrived there before them. Instead of trying to find another route, he accelerated towards the wall of swords and armor. In the last moment he jumped as high as he could. The baffled guards tried to raise their swords in the last moment but managed to only streak his hooves. It was painful, of course, but it wouldn’t stop him from bringing his love to security. He knew these halls well enough to quickly find his way towards the steep staircase. When looking behind him, there were two things that worried him. For one, there were about five guards a couple of hooves behind him, followed by another bunch. The thick armor prevented them from really gaining upon him, but they didn’t fall behind either. All the more worrying was the trail of blood Sweet Fire was leaving behind. Not because it would make it impossible for them to escape without leaving a trace, but because he seriously had to worry about her loss of blood. If they didn’t get to a hospital very quickly… He sprinted up the stairs as fast as he could without letting his love fall down from his back. Towards the next hospital, not caring for the world around him. Only his love mattered right now. He would never let her go again. Never. Swift Haven suddenly felt himself pulling ahead, limbs rushing faster than they ever have before. He took sharp corners at full speed, frantically running to the exit. Swift could hear the guard’s thundering hoofsteps behind him, reminding him of the imminent danger. Finally, he burst from the memorial and turned towards the dense forest lining the dark houses. The guards were following quickly, but weren’t able to match his speed. He charged into the trees, jumping over thick roots and green bushes, although paying most of his attention not to drop Sweet Fire. He randomly took the turn to the left or the right, not having a clear goal in mind but hearing the guards struggling with the thick shrubbery. He worried about the trace of blood Sweet Fire was laying behind, but the thick bosk would soon make it impossible for the guards to follow. Swift rushed past a few bushes, but then immediately backtracked. Perfect. He dove into these tall bushes, concealing himself and Sweet Fire behind the thick layers of green. Swift was breathing heavily. They would find him by that! They would hear him breathing. He tried to calm his breath down, but his body wouldn’t give in. The guards however were still crashing through the forest with a brute force that caused the sound of his breath to be overwhelmed by the noise. He held his breath, and listened to the approaching guards’ every movement. They eventually slowed down on top of the clearance he had just run through. He heard one of them say something, but his head was pounding and the speech was muffled by the sound of the forest, so he couldn’t make anything proper out. They patrolled the area, slowly expanding the radius of their search, but never coming too close to their little hiding spot. Another guard spoke and this time, Swift Haven could understand every single word. He spoke with a deep bellowing voice and a surprising sense of authority. ”Split up! We rally back here in about an hour.” After the hoofsteps of the guards had slowly faded into the forest, Swift Haven tore a bunch of leaves from a nearby tree and covered Sweet Fire’s wound with them. He had not dared to make the sound earlier and it proved to have been the right decision. The loud ripping of the thick stalk of the leaves being taken apart from their point of residence echoed through the forest and made him cringe. The hoofsteps still did not come back… Or did they? He tried to listen for any traitorous sound that might give away the movement of the guards. When he finally made sure that the threat was gone, he applied the leaves to her wound, pressing them onto it in an attempt to stop the stream of blood. It hardly seemed to work, but at least it hindered the loss of blood. He continued to cover the wound until her bleeding slowed down to a point where her situation was at least stable if not well. Now he had more time. The bleeding had slowed, however there was still the danger of having her wound infected, especially out here in the dirty forest.. He began searching the forest floor for any signs of a piece of flint. Not close to his hideout, not in close proximity to Sweet Fire, not even at the clearance. “No… No…” There has to be one somewhere, there just HAD to be! He almost tore the ground up looking. Behind trees, under bushes… Nowhere. There was NO flint. But he wouldn’t give up that easily. He had just risked his life and soul to save her, and now she was dieing. She was dieing because of HIM. HIS reckless behavior had caused this catastrophe! Swift Haven slowly lost the strength to continue. He wouldn’t find flint here. He wouldn’t find anything. Although he wanted to continue, his body just dropped down. A sharp pain rose in his flank. It seemed to be caused by… Pine cones? FLAMMABLE pine cones. They wouldn't be enough however… He gathered them and ran back to the bushes, trying to prevent them falling out of his full mouth but still dropping more than a few on the way. He had a small pile now, a pile that would soon be a searing bonfire. Next, some brush to ignite the pile. The brush was much easier to find as they were surrounded in bushes. He promptly snapped some twigs and added them to the pile, and everything was going perfectly… That’s when he noticed the pool of blood that had formed under Sweet Fire, who was still laying in the bushes... unconscious. Unconscious… or dead? He slowly approached, not willing to give into the urge to burst out in tears. Every step was a step closer to a pool of blood and death. She wasn’t breathing. She was NOT breathing! No. Please, don’t do this to me. You can’t do this to me. “No… NO!” Swift Haven screamed. “You’re NOT DEAD!! YOU CAN’T BE!” Anger rose up into his chest. Anger about the world and life and EVERYTHING. He had been so close! So... CLOSE! He dragged a rock over next to his pile, and retrieved the dagger that he had dropped next to Sweet Fire. He held it up, then swung full force, smacking the rock and sending sparks flying. He let his anger flow into every hit. It was all lost. He screamed out once again, not even taking the time to formulate words. Each and every blow crushed onto the stone until a spark sprung off, right into the bonfire he had prepared. He would burn this place, the entire forest, just everything. Everything had to be forgotten. If he could not save her, he would join her. Swift started frantically blowing on the small flame, encouraging it to grow. He grabbed some larger sticks off the ground and put them in, steadily increasing its size. He started to smile. Soon, he would be with her again, in Forgot’s merciful kingdome. A cough startled him. The fire was sizzling loudly, but he could distinctly hear it over the pops and crackles. It had been Sweet Fire. There was no doubt. She was… still alive. She was still dieing! His mind tried to make every step at once, desperately searching for a way out. The fire. The blade. He could still use this situation to his advantage. He placed the metal end of the dagger in the fire, and waited. He waited, cautiously eying Sweet Fire whose puddle was steadily increasing in size. The makeshift bandage wasn’t doing its job. Swift Haven started into the growing fire at the blade, his eyes watering from the heat and light. Seconds lasted for hours, and when a half a minute went by, he could swear it had been a day. After an eternity of waiting, through his blurry vision, he could clearly see the blaze of the dagger glowing red. Perfect! Swift thrust the dagger out of the fire and brought it to Sweet, opening her bandages to reveal a big gash across her stomach. Hesitantly, he pressed the glowing blade against the bleeding wound. Sweet Fire woke up from the pain and gasped, screamed, filling the forest with sounds of terror and agony, but the searing pain to her stomach immediately stole her consciousness again. Swift cringed, he hated the idea of hurting Sweet any longer, but continued to press the burning blade onto her wound. After another eternity, he lifted the blade and peaked at what was beneath... On Swift Fire’s stomach was a gash, burned shut. Along with the gash, Swift Haven had branded her with the shape of the knife. He had held it there too long. He had given her a permanent reminder of his betrayal. He had hurt her beyond any reason. He could only hurt… Author's Note Why does it always happen that he fails the import from gdocs? Well, formatted it right away for you :) PS: Working on FOTC right now :P I hope you like this part as much as I did =) AHF: Chapter 4 - Cause and Consequence“They have to pay!” Shattered Laughter threw a candleholder across the room, breaking pieces of grout out of the wall. The impact had been so hard that the thick iron of the candleholder had been ripped apart. Bonefire backed up a little, afraid to cross his brother any more than he already was. Shattered Laughter had been the reason why Brother Crystalline had never allowed the new ponies to gather in the meetings. Seeing such a… disturbed pony would have taken away from their determination. ”That bucking TRAITOR! I could rip his head off!” “Brother Shattered, calm down. We will get nothing done if we scream around like madponies!” “You shouldn’t have made him do such a horrib-” “SHUT UP, BLUNT HOUR!” “Brother Shattered, calm the BUCK DOWN.” Bonefire tried to contain his voice, but at the end of his sentence, the anger surpassed his determination to stay calm. If Shattered Laughter continued acting like this, they would have to imprison him in the dungeons. Brother Laughter glared ed at him, almost as if he could cause him to ignite just by his mere stare. “Brother Bonefire, I think we have come to a dead-end with our conversation here.” “SHUT UP! YOU ALL SHUT UP!” This time he didn’t try to stay calm. His hoof swiftly flew into the air, right into Shattered’s face. Although he had expected Shattered to fight or burst out in anger, but instead it seemed to have stopped the rambling. Shattered only rubbed his muzzle, glaring at Bonefire. Now that everything was finally calm, they would be able to speak about more serious manners. “Our path ends here. You have made us your slaves. You have stolen our memories, our lives.” “You have given them voluntarily. We have stolen nothing.” “You have taken us from our families, from our friends, from our loved ones. You have destroyed our lives!” “I HAVE SAVED YOUR LIVES, YOU FOOLS! Forgot is the only way to salvation.” “Are you still telling yourself the same lies you have told us before?” Bonefire opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself. What he had said… It was true, at least partially. He was telling himself lies, but what he had told them had only been the truth. He had told himself that others would be smart enough to see the truth. He had told himself that there couldn’t be something like a traitor in a group dedicated to such a high goal. He had told himself that his brethren were true to themselves and true to him. He had told himself lies. And he had failed the brotherhood. He should have guarded the herd after they had lost their shepherd. They needed a new shepherd... The problem was just that he had never been able to be as… convincing as Brother Crystalline had been. They had just fallen to his words. His sweet lies… They had taken them like little foals being shown a sugary delicacy. Something he could not manage no matter how hard he tried. He was not Brother Crystalline. His voice was not as dark and soothing and his appearance wasn’t really as calming. He was no father. He was a burnt branch of a broken tree, not the shining example of their holy community. However, that wouldn’t stop him. These ponies were losing loyalty. He had to get them back because if HE wouldn’t do it, nopony would. No, he at least had to try to convince them as Brother Crystalline had done it. He took a deep breath in; What he was about to say would decide the fate of their entire holy brotherhood. “Brethren! I know you feel betrayed. I myself feel betrayed. And yet I hold onto my belief. I hold onto it because I know that the truth lays under the thick layers of our memories. I know that we can achieve greatness through our unity. You all have come here because you wanted something. You wanted to forget your past. You wanted to forget all those painful memories, all those neverending nightmares of what had once been, all those worlds having fallen apart before your very eyes. YOU chose your ways. We did only accept you into our rows.” Although some of the ponies seemed to rethink their opinion, most faces continued staring at him without conviction. They would need further explanation. “Do you … “ “No! Just stop trying, Bonefire! We are not your brethren anymore. Don’t try to bind us with those lies once again. We have seen the truth. You had planned it all. Following each and every pony, looking for their weaknesses. Turning towards them in the darkest hours, leaving them no option but to accept the offer. The incandescence numbening our senses and the chanting to keep us calm. It is OVER!” With that, Blunt Hour turned around. Bonefire knew that he was losing them and yet he could not find the words to get them back. Anger was his natural reaction. Anger about his inability to save others, as he had so often failed to help before. He had failed to help these ponies, he had failed to help his love in her darkest hours and he had failed to help his parents in their struggle against death. “FINE! GO AHEAD, WE DON’T NEED YOU!” Bonefire made a grimace as pony after pony left the small hall. A long procession of those who failed to see the true light. A procession of ponies who would let their souls be banished just because of some ridicule accusement. Forgot was still their leader, no matter what the ways of the brotherhood had been. As the last traitor had left the room, Bonefire started to count who was left. These ponies would be the harbingers of a new era. They wouldn’t hide anymore. They would… “We have to rip, rip, RIP his head off. We will burn, burn, BURN him, we will burn them all. Death to the traitors!” Shattered Laughter shouted, seemingly out of nowhere. He had apparently grown quiet and just slumped in a corner listening. After giving Shattered Laughter an angry look for that comment, Bonefire started to speak the holy words. “Non possumus facere contra suam. We cannot act against his will. They did, and they will suffer for their mistakes. All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” The ponies who were left in the meeting room echoed his call. “All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” The warm glow of fire emanated through the empty streets. Slowly, the glowing grew stronger and stronger until the first torch became visible. Following it was a large group of ponies who seemed fit for a huge battle. Not only did everypony wear thick clothing, some even having armor on, but they also had assembled a whole lot of weapons. Most were carrying lances, while some were carrying swords, their blades reflecting each owner’s harsh expression. Swords were an expensive and thus rare weapon, but what they lacked in acquirability, they compensated in their superior handleability. They had come prepared for their battle that was about to ensure. It was time to bring forth the message. Bonefire smiled, even though the bitterness of the recent events had took their toll on him. He was sick and tired of dealing with what that Swift Haven had done. It was still a matter of disgust to even think that name. Speaking it out loudly had become impossible. He had never trusted that pony and Brother Crystalline should have done the same. The loss of their leader had been disastrous, but it had also brought the necessity of revelation with it. Without their leader, they were forced to act as the threat of disbanding would be imminent. Only the loyalists had stayed together, those who were worthy of the cause. They would fight together with him to bring the truth to those who had denied it. They would exterminate the memory of denial. Their brotherhood was nothing that you could agree on and later decline. You were bound for life and if you want to quit, there is only one way. Of course they had been noticed by now. The Memorialists would be grouping up by now, faithful to their stubborn ideology. Nevertheless, his own group was much better prepared for a fight than they could ever be. They had raided their own armory, something Brother Crystalline had prepared decades ago. Already back then, Crystalline had known that a revelation would come at some day. They were delusional to think Forgot would just let his children wander on the path to eternal damnation. No, Forgot would either bring back those willing to rethink their opinion or purge those who didn’t. Their raid had just started and yet they had already captured five families and called six ponies into their ranks to fight with them. Of course, most of those had agreed because the imminent danger towards their life, but after this battle was won, they would easily be assimilated to the brotherhood. Overtaking the homes was one battle to win, but the overwhelming of those who had proven their will to fight was another one. They would assemble somewhere and it would be his time to lead his brothers into a real battle. He would have never thought to be the leader of the revelation. He had always thought brother Crystalline would take that task for him and now… They would pay for what they have done. He looked behind backwards. Hundreds of ponies trotting along him, raiding houses, followed by scared screams of those who stood in their way. The warm pathetic glowing of the torches in the night compared to the bright glimmer of burning houses. He felt the adrenaline rushing through his body, being followed by those masses. They trusted in him, would follow his every step because he had never lost his faith in Forgot. Forgot would give him the power to overcome any traitor. Together with his group of loyalists, he would bring the flame of Forgot into their hearts and homes. Either they would be freed by it, or consumed. His followers were uncoordinated, galloping blindly into the homes of each and every citizen. Without even thinking about their actions, they destroyed valuable goods that could have been harvested afterwards. They trampled down whatever was inside of the homes like a horde of rhinoceros. They started to burn the houses while their brethren were still inside. They didn’t control their anger and hatred and just let it go. Didn’t they realize that the fire they ignited could spread to their own homes? His sheep seemed to have gone mad. Worse than any destruction they left was the pain they inflicted on innocents. Truly, there were traitors out there, but there were also those ponies who had not ever heard of Forgot and blessed his great prophecies. Those ponies had not fallen to Memoria yet and could still be saved. It would only make the act of assimilation much harder if his sheep started rampaging in the houses of innocents. It filled him with shame to see his brethren like this, acting as if they had lost their senses. It almost felt as if they weren’t fighting for Forgot but instead for their own betterment. Swift Haven slowly pushed forwards, well aware of the burning hell that lay before him. The hospital was right there, just along the street. He wouldn’t have dared to turn around this next corner with Sweet Fire if it had not been their last straw to grasp. Sweet Fire’s situation had only went downhill from that one moment in which he had not been there to protect her. Right now, she was barely hanging onto him, leaning all of her weight onto his shoulders. Her soft touch made his heart rampage in his chest. Sure, the wound had been cauterized, but her situation had still worsened. Maybe an infection or the cauterization had not worked as planned! It wasn’t any imminent threat that caused him to hesitate, but the pure display of destruction. The fires were still consuming the dry wood and hay. Soon the whole city would go under in flames if unchecked. He closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the image forming inside of his mind. He shook his head and continued slowly moving forwards, carefully paying attention to the street ahead of him. Nothing. Only the distant trotting of hundreds of hooves. Slowly, he dragged Sweet Fire around the corner, careful not to make any sound. Steadily, hoofstep by hoofstep, they pulled themselves closer to the hospital. While they were making their way at a painstakingly slow pace, the distant noise of hooves on the streets seemed to come… closer? That wouldn’t make sense! They had already been through here, judging by the burnt facades of what had once been beautiful houses. There was no doubt; They were coming closer. He tried to speed up, to reach the hospital before an encounter. While running, there was another question stacking upon the problems bothering his mind: What if there was nopony to care for them in the hospital anymore? He quickly dismissed that question though. They would still be able to take the medicaments and try to treat the wound themselves. At least that is what he hoped for... All of the sudden, Swift accelerated unintentionally and stumbled, feeling the breeze brush over his fur. He no longer felt the weight of Sweet Fire on his shoulders! He turned around, seeing that she had fallen to the ground. The sound of hooves was only coming closer, like a clock ticking away. He rushed over to her and knelt down, berating himself for being so careless. He scanned her, making sure she didn’t have any injuries. Nothing… Nothing except for the harm he had already caused her. He felt horrendously bad, subconsciously brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She was still as beautiful as she had been the very first time they had met... Did he still deserve her? “I… I can’t keep up. You… have to go slower.” Sweet Fire trembled as she raised her head to look into Swift’s eyes. Her eyes were two stars sparkling in the paved grey sky. He could have watched that certain twinkle in her eyes for all eternity if there had not been the imminent danger in the back of his mind. “We need to hurry. They are coming. If they find us out here … “ His voice faded... He didn’t have the strenght to finish that sentence. If they found them out here, they would have no mercy. Still, Sweet Fire couldn’t afford to continue at this pace, but retaining their speed wouldn’t allow them to arrive at the hospital in time. The only possible way to deal with the situation would be to hide somewhere. He looked around: Just the same empty street. Maybe one of the alleys would be fit as a hiding place. The next one was just a couple of hooves away. He could just hope they still had the time. The sound of hundreds of hoofsteps seemed so close… “We have to hide. Over there is an alley.” No more words had to be said. Gently, but steadily. he pulled Sweet Fire along with him. He heard first mumbled voices echoing through the street. The glimmer of torches mixed into the golden glow of the fire. For the last couple of hooves, he just pulled Sweet Fire around the corner. Had it been… “OVER THERE! That alleyway! I have seen some traitors just run into it!” No, they had been discovered! Running from their prosecutors would be impossible. Fighting would be too. If he was going to die, then Sweet Fire should at least see him die fighting, not running. They had run out of options. He slowly turned around to face whomever might come. The hoofsteps closed in. The alley was a dead end, cold and empty. They were standing alone, facing certain death and Equestrian city layout seemed to be rooting for the other side. At least his final moments would be together with Sweet Fire. That thought calmed him down and he was able to stop his heavy breathing. For this fight he would need every piece of clear mind he could get his hooves on. Suddenly, Swift heard an ear-splitting screaming coming from all directions. He took a glance out of the alley and was completely overwhelmed by the picture. The incoming forces were being flanked by two divisions. Both had assembled in the unburned houses of each site and were now shooting and throwing all sorts of projectiles. While the unicorns mostly used levitation to crush their enemies, the earth ponies had a more direct approach. They jumped out of the windows and into the confused crowd and took their share with their heavy hooves. Some even had metal platings to give their hooves the necessary impact. The rebelling pegasi meanwhile flew high up into the air, meeting the Loyalist’s and brutally attempting to bring each other out of balance and throwing them down onto the ground where their bones would be crushed upon impact. Some of the pegasi even had torches or sharp objects tied to their bodies. With those, they tried to burn or pierce the other pegasi in midair. While the loyalists seemed to push the rebel forces back down on the ground, probably due to their heavy weaponry, the rebelling pegasi seemed to overcome their enemies by sheer number. The screams of ponies dieing filled the air, screams of pain and fear and anger. They pierced through the deafening sound of swords crushing bones and steeled hooves crushing heads. It was a horrific disfigurement of sound that reached his ears. The loyalists had started to push parts of the Memorialists back into the buildings, while there were still some places where the Memorialists hold strong. Especially in the air, their high amount of pegasi paid off. While earth ponies and unicorns could hold strong armor, pegasi were limited in that regard. Often having only pieces of leather and a lance, the pegasi were almost similarly armored to the rebelling ponies. The front seemed to shift, bringing more and more loyalist pegasi down. The scream pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked back down, having just observed the flight of the pegasi. An unarmored rebel had just encountered one of the loyalist ponies with a heavy broadsword. The head just fell down, slit exactly at the throat. The pony seemed to fall in slow motion. The impact caused his legs to tremble. He watched the head slowly rolling further towards him. He turned away, not able to bear what he had seen. The realization had finally reached his mind: Getting to the hospital right now was not an option anymore. Fear slowly rose and filled his mind. How would he be able to get Sweet Fire out of this alleyway with this … gruesome battle right in front of it. He took a deep breath in before he could finally bring out any words. “We… We can’t go yet. You have to... stay strong my sweet darling.” It pained him to see how Sweet Fire stumbled to bring out any words and failing even at that. She wouldn’t hold out much longer. He had to do something. He turned around again, just to be greeted by a familiar face. “We have you now!” The laughter that arose from the grimace in front of him precisely matched the ponies name. It was truly shattered, almost sounding like coughing and hacking instead of laughter. While Shattered continued the bone shaking laughter, another pony came around the corner. Bonefire and Shattered Laughter had found them… He looked around again, desperately searching for anywhere else to run. No! They were cornered in by those two ponies! The noise of the battle would overweigh their voices if they screamed for help, but there wouldn’t be anypony having enough time to aid them anyway. “I want your head.” While Shattered Laughter had just displayed pure insanity, Bonefire’s voice struck much harder. The sentence had not been screamed and yet said so loudly that it had pierced through the sound of battle. The tone had not been that of just anger or aggression, but of pure hatred. It caused a shiver to run down his back to think about those words. How w... Before he could finish that thought, Shattered Laughter jumped ahead, a dagger in his hooves. With a quick step aside, Swift just managed to evade the fatal attack. However, Bonefire had already advanced and was threatening him with a short sword now. Although Bonefire’s fierce expression truly disturbed him, he did not tremble. While Bonefire was already taking his next swing at him, Swift had jumped a couple of hooves backwards, avoiding the swishing blade once again. He couldn’t win this fight by sheer luck or strength. There would be only one way to win against such an heavily armored enemy like Bonefire: With some sort of plan. Maybe he could lure Bonefire into the fighting ponies behind him, hoping for a random lance to pierce him up? Too dangerous as that would require himself to join that battle and having the same chance of death. Bonefire seemed to be consumed by hatred… The next movement he could not have predicted. Instead of just swinging his sword, Bonefire actually threw it towards Swift in pure hatred. The sword streaked through the air, and before he could have a chance to evade it, cut a deep wound into his flank and the pain instantly seared into his brain. “Stand still, you abomination of a pony!” His back left leg tried to give into the weight of his own body, but his brain didn’t allow him to fall over. With the blade gone now, Bonefire would be much easier to bring down… If there hadn’t been a gaping hole in his flank. While… Without letting him finish his thoughts, Bonefire came screaming forwards, his face deformed to a horrible grimace. “I got you now!” Bonefire caught Swift Haven sunken in his thoughts. He would show that traitor. He was the prosecutor of Forgot’s law and he brings the justice swiftly to those who deny it. Swift Haven was not only a pony who denied Forgot, not only a disobedient part of the brotherhood, not even only the traitor that had caused the split! No, he was much more than that. He represented everything that Bonefire hated. The ignorance and stupidity. The lightheadedness and this inexplicable happiness. To see this pony betraying the whole brotherhood had only shown what those aspects lead to if combined in a pony. Aspects that had to be purged. Aspects that must be forgotten. He would begin by purging the prime example from this new world of Forgot. With a long jump he managed to throw Swift Haven down onto the cold hard ground. His momentum carried him a little bit closer himself, almost right next to his sword. He picked it up in one fast move, turning the same movement into a critical strike. This time Swift Haven had been careful enough to avoid the imminent attack and yet he had failed to properly evade it. His blade cut through the unholy flesh and crushed the bones of betrayal. Swift Haven dropped like an old sack of potatoes. Bonefire slowly closed in, looking at that rotten piece of filth before him. He pulled his sword up into the air and… He stopped in his movement. Unbelieving, he started to look down onto his own chest. A short piece of metal, covered with his own blood protruded close to three inches out of it. Not willing, not even able to mutter any last words, he turned around. The last thing he heard was the chilling laughter echoing through the streets. Swift Haven had failed her. It wasn’t the imposing figure of Bonefire standing high above him with his sword raised that worried him, it was the fate of Sweet Fire. His death didn’t matter anymore. It would just be one of the casualties, one of the heads rolling towards another pony. It would be nothing but a turn of fate, nothing but what he deserved for his foolishness. He should have never taken that route. He had not only let himself be manipulated, but actually believed in what had been said. Far worse than that was that he had caused Sweet Fire to get curious through his absence. There were so many things that HE could have changed in the past. So many things he could have changed in the future… And now he would be dead… The sizzling of the steel had caused him to close his eyes. His last second took its time. It seemed like an eternity… Nothing. Was he still alive? He could still feel the cold ground beneath him and the soft wind washing over his coat. The sound of steel crashing onto the earth startled him and he opened his eyes in order to see what had caused it. Bonefire… was gone?! Slowly, he pushed his body upwards, until his back leaned against the wall. The wall stabilized his head that had started to swirl a bit upon moving. Lying right in the middle of the street was Bonefire, pierced by a sharp piece of metal that now stuck out of it almost as if somepony had tried to erect a victory flag. Who that somepony was became obvious as Shattered Laughter started to cough and scream in joy. Swift Haven looked around, trying to locate his special somepony. As his eyes found her though, his whole body tensed up. She was lying unconsciously behind Shattered Laughter. The soft skin he had used to let his hoof glide over was completely taken apart. The giant leaping wounds had been cut out to... spell something: ‘All Hail Forgot’ Each and every letter had been sliced with ambulant care. Shattered Laughter had taken the time that he had been dealing with Bonefire to do… this. Now, finally, he vomited to his side. In the last days he had seen a lot, but this… this… this was just unbearable. “Ahh… Swift Haven. I see you like what I did. Don’t worry, I’ll still get her head pierced onto a lance after I am done with you. However, I want you two to still be alive when I peel your skin off. That is why I couldn’t allow Bonefire to finish his dirty work. Your coats will make nice pieces of art, hanging on our altair.” No. NO! NO! Not his Sweety! This pony was beyond insanity. He could still feel the pain and the weakness, but with every second his will became stronger. He forced himself to stand up, not caring for whatever pain that inflicted, whatever wounds that opened. Even if he would die in the attempt to kill Shattered Laughter, it would be worth it. Saving Sweet Fire from such insanity would be worth everything. With a quick, painful step, he arrived at the sword piercing out of Bonefire’s body. He pulled, hearing the bones shatter under his violent grasp. “Do you think you could fight me?” Shattered taunted. Swift Haven stormed forwards, lifting the sword up. It wasn’t heavy anymore. His steps were quick and without hesitation, but wrought with pain, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that still mattered was Sweet Fire. Not his own fight, not even Shattered Laughter, not hatred, anger or disgust. Nothing mattered but protecting Sweet Fire. For her. As soon as the sword had its momentum given to it, it slowly searched its way. At first there was only air to pierce through. Inexpensive, but not satisfying either. When the first hairs were finally cut, it knew that today was a good day. The flesh was soft and tasty. Without losing much of its momentum, it was able to get through that deliciousness. The flesh was always the best part. The next part however, would probably stop it once again. The bones. It had promised to be such a feast… The bones however, seemed to be weak this time. Or maybe it had just had more momentum. The bones were just collapsing apart under the force of its arrival. Then came flesh again. When it had feasted enough, it pierced through empty air again until colliding with hard stone, stopping its movement at once. Swift Haven’s legs finally gave in as he saw the sword landing its mark, cutting through. He had done it. His Sweet Fire would be safe... Nothing else mattered. AHF: Epilogue AHF: Epilogue The harsh white lights bore down on him relentlessly. His shadow sat unmoving, oblivious to its surroundings. It seemed like an eternity to him, just sitting there and listening to the rhythmic sound of her breath. For how many hours had he been sitting there? Her soft chest moved up and down in a neverending reiteration, taunting his broken mind. Her body seemed so alive and yet her mind did not react to any of his words. He slowly stood up, sick and tired of sitting for so long. His legs felt stiff and his neck seemed to have corroded. Not the long time of sitting had been the reason for his body getting exhausted, but having to watch her like this for so long. Her face was a beautiful sight to behold. His face was only hovering inches above hers, looking upon her empty expression. It still only resulted in the same pain piercing his heart. He stretched momentarily and started to walk away, but he didn’t leave the room. No, he would never leave Sweet again. However, he wasn’t able to bear seeing her anymore. Not like this. Still, his mind forced him to turn around again, to just gaze upon her beauty for a second. Would he ever experience her loving smile again? Would he ever be able to comfort her or show her his affection again? Slowly, these questions turned into daggers, piercing his heart with every step he took. They caused him to stop at her side. His legs lost the ability to keep his weight up and he dropped his heavy body onto her bed. Her face still bedazzled him as it did each and every time he laid his eyes upon her. His gaze slowly wandered along her soft, long hair. He quickly looked away again as he realized where his eyes were heading: The bandages covering the wounds Shattered… No, he had caused. He still could not forgive himself and probably never would. Suddenly he found himself standing in a certain alley once again, looking at his darling being cut apart by vicious blades controlled by a maniac. He shook his head ferociously and yet the image remained. Only the sudden sound of coughing pulled him out of his grim imagination. He looked upon his special somepony, HOPING that it had been more than just coughing. Her eyes however, were still sealed. What he had done was unforgivable. It was unforgettable, even by Crystalline’s holy waters. No, he didn’t WANT to forget it. It would remind him of what was right and what was wrong. He didn’t deserve the privilege of ignorance. His gaze slowly wandered back to her closed eyes. Would she ever forgive him? Would she ever even get the chance to forgive him? She only ignored his words, calmly lying there. She wouldn’t forgive him, and he hated himself for even assuming there was a chance for forgiveness. Even through all of his efforts, his eyes slowly began feeling wet. It would rip himself apart to stay here and yet he couldn’t leave his darling. He had never known such pain. The pain of having betrayed whom he loved. He could no longer hold the tears back. “H… Hey Sweety.” It felt stupid talking to her like this and yet it felt like the right thing to do. It calmed his agitated mind, even though he knew that she could not hear him. Leaving those words behind would not make anything undone, but just maybe he could finally speak what had to be said. Maybe there was a slight chance that she heard it after all… “I… I am not sure how to begin this... Do you remember when we used to lie under the thick branches of the hazelnut tree in front of your house? We used to wonder how such a giant tree could rise from such little seeds. We used to wonder about what beautiful things we would encounter in our lives, and what the future would bring. I think that now we know.” He couldn’t hold back the bitter laughter that had crept up on him. “We had seen the world with different eyes. We had seen beauty and opportunity where we now see the grim face of destruction. The hardest thing about it is, that I know that I was the pony to destroy our beautiful world. I… I want you to know that I am sorry… I am so sorry…” “I… I didn’t want it to end like this. I… I just wanted to forget my troubles. Now I can see that forgetting your troubles is no solution. Why hadn’t I seen it before?! So much pain could have been avoided… You, out of all ponies, had to suffer for my stupidity. Sweety, I can not make anything undone. I can not bring you back… “ He couldn’t continue as the pain grew too big to bear. Only after a minute of sobbing, he made an attempt to say what had to be said. “T… Th… There is no greater pain that the knowledge of having betrayed you. I am so sorry… There is no day passing by without me falling in despair. There is no hour passing by without my mind torturing me with what has happened. There is no second passing by without thinking my heart being ripped apart by guilt. On some days… On some days I wish… I wish I had died…” Her rhythmic breath continued steadily. The wind was still howling outside. How could the world just go on like this? “Without you, I am lost… Do you remember when I first said that? It had been the day of our first date. For the entirety of it, I had acted like a fool. And still you helped me up, showed me the way to your heart and I gave you mine. I think I am lost once again… I wish you could show me the way…” Her chest just kept on moving relentlessly, her eyes still shut. He wished her nice dreams. “It… It was all my fault, Sweet Fire. I… I have ignored you, failed you, betrayed you. There is no apology that could justify what I have done. I… I just want you to know that I am sorry. I love you…” His voice faded as he spoke these last words. Maybe this was the last time that he spoke these words, the last time that he was able to feel anything but pain. His mind slowly drifted away, away from harsh reality. Away to better times, to calming times. Away to her. The sun shone brightly upon him, but it only conveyed the warmth of a summer’s day. There were even some birds chirping in the trees along his road. He had left his worries behind him. The sweet smell of freshly baked cupcakes flowed through the town. In the distance, there was an orchestra playing a beautiful melody. It was the perfect day to ask her. He had prepared everything and yet he felt like a little foal in the big world. He would take her out to a noble restaurant and there he would ask her. It would be the perfect mood, the perfect moment. They would stare each other in the eyes and then he would… Suddenly a wild shadow jumped out of the bushes to his right, causing him to fall over. “Hey! Swift! We need to find the thing at the place!” “AH!! … Oh, hi Sweet. You startled me. The what at the where?” “No time to explain, its arms aren’t going to reattach on their own!” “Wait, wha-” “Come on, let’s go!” Sweet Fire charged off towards an unknown goal. Swift felt his plans shatter before his eyes and yet he couldn’t be angry at her. She was as playful as always, worked up in another of her crazy schemes.They turned corners, dashed through alleys, and hit numerous dead ends. She continued searching however, determined to find… “Sweet, what are you looking for?” Swift said, breathing heavily. “Over the bridge and through the woods, there we shall find the tin pony in the gingerbread house! He lost his arms while eating his christmas pie and needs our help getting put back together. The king and his men couldn’t do it, so it’s up to us. He’ll pay us in plums, but the prize doesn’t matter and can wait because if it were done, best it were done quickly!” “...Oh.” That took more than a moment to register in his mind, and Swift wondered if he had heard her right. It had been more of a stream of random words than anything coherent. They raced past various old houses, reaching the end of town. Where was she going? And how in the hay did she come up with such an obscene idea? She continued galloping down the dirt road, looking every which way, becoming more frantic as she galloped on. Sweet Fire began to slowly lose motivation. Where was the tin pony? The gingerbread house seemed to have gone amiss. Maybe the seventh king would know... She would just need to find the fox fire, which had been stolen by the master of the iron throne. Although that would probably require her to free the five, which would result in the upheaval of the factory of rainbows. Then again, she could ask the whispering dreams of the mirrored world. Suddenly she realized that they were both were standing in another dead-end. “Sweet?” Swift asked, worried about her sudden exorbitant demeanor. Sweet Fire suddenly stopped walking and just stood there, hanging her head. Swift walked around her, and brushed away her mane to reveal a tear soaked face. Swift embraced her, nuzzling her neck. “I… I don’t know … I … “ “Shhh… I am here for you.” Suddenly she stopped and looked into his eyes. He knew that he would never forget the sight of her watered eyes looking at him in hope and trust. “I will always be there for you.” Slowly she moved herself even closer to him, her beautiful eyes still gazing at him. She was the most beautiful pony he had ever seen. He had known it for many years, however now it became most obvious. He really loved her. Although his plans had been destroyed, it still felt like the perfect moment. Any moment together with her felt like the perfect moment to ask her. “Sweet Fire?” “Yes?” Her smile almost left him wordless. Now was the moment, now or never. “Do… Do you want to be my special somepony?” “YES!” He could have sighed in relief if there had not been a mare jumping him over, throwing them both down into the soft bushes. He suddenly found himself lying on the ground, her head only inches away from his. She slowly approached and he couldn’t help but to close his eyes and do the same. Her soft lips caused his mind to explode in joy and love and desire. The whole world seemed to fade and it was just her and him, together in a soft bed of nature… His memories were all that could console him. … No more adventures, happiness or love. … No more comforting, no more playful cheer, no more wonderful images of her mind. ... No more Sweet Fire. … Swift Haven was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard a small noise, and looked up… “Sweet Fire…” he whispered. Author's Note This simple little memory mishap started the whole idea: “I have to… forgot.” - EnderBlaze “You have to forgot, I have to forgot, we all have to forgot. All hail forgot!” - Dream Whisper Thank you for making that joke, Dreamy :D Never before has my forgetfulness been so productive ^_^ And thank you for being an awesome co-author, Endy… Well, Endy sounds strange… Errm… Just thank you :) MUAHAHA! My name is unnicknameable! >:) This is a collaborative effort. That means that we indeed had some fun: The sleepy sitting Swift swiftly swooshed skywards to switch the light switch, shrouding the shrinking shackles of shame and seclusion. Sweet swooned, and sprang steadily and shared a smooch with Swift. Shifty eyes and shrieking shudders… Shit! She should have shopped saturday since sunday seemed slightly shameless to shop at. He was a burnt branch of a broken tree with a buzzing beehive of blue berries being brought behind big black bridges! Try saying those aloud :D Words that happened to amuse our caffeine-filled minds in hours of writing: Incandescenceincandescence, expoliteraryationingly, and permisheses. Most of this was written at like midnight. :/ And before I forget it, I (Dream Whisper) had some fun torturing the dear EnderBlaze with some of my nicest italics. Grrrr. I (EnderBlaze) don’t understand why he uses them. He still refuses to explain it. In conclusion: I (me), am very proud of how this evolved into such a great (and long XD) story. I can’t thank Dreamy enough for providing wonderful ideas and stuff and things when I can’t think of things and stuff or ideas! Eny grate story needs to things: A greeeeaaaat author and a even greaterer editur :D ~ Last sentence edited by EnderBlaze ~ Thank you all so much for giving this story a chance and reading to the end. And remember, breaking rules means cutting heads!
AHF: Chapter 1 - He is late again...“All hail the mighty Forgot!” The chorus of ponies answered the call of the supreme leader. “All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” The supreme leader began talking once again as the last voices finally declined. “We have gathered here today to praise the mighty Forgot. In our darkest times, he rises us up to his pedestal of light. He lets us forget what has to be forgotten. He has cleansed our souls. Without him, we would still remember the terrible times before our salvation. Our salvation has come, brethren! Now it is time to praise him eternally. Bow, brethren! BOW!” Swift Haven leaned down and lightly kissed the ground. His lips barely touched the clean surface and yet he could taste the wonderful aroma of this holy place. The room was full of ponies bowing to the golden statue hanging down from the front wall. As a light gong echoed through the room, the ponies rose and began positioning themselves in a line. At the front, the supreme leader began another small speech: “Let us all forget our sins. Forgot has allowed us another batch of his magic. I have personally gathered it from the holy tree. Drink up my sons and daughters. Drink up the juice of life. Allow it to cleanse our bodies.” Each pony grabbed a flask off of a table placed in the corner of the big white room. Once they received their marked flask, they let the cold juice flow down their dry throats. While they were drinking, the chorus started chanting: “Drink up and forget your sins. Brothers and sisters, today we forget. For he will free us from all debt. We forget what has been done, everything becomes undone. Drink up and forget your sins. Forget your problems and your crimes, forget all those troublesome times. Let us forget together what occurred, let us drink until our memories are blurred.” Sweet Fire walked past a particularly big stallion on her search for Swift Haven. Swift haven had promised her to come. She had waited for almost a full hour, being completely alone in the restaurant. Everypony had stared at her. How could he have forgotten it? She had thought their relationship had become more serious than this. It should have been the date on which she would have asked him to be her special somepony. Would she have to worry? Maybe he had not forgotten it but instead injured himself. Maybe somepony had abducted him? Maybe he had been sucked in a time loop on a local scale. Sweet fire had to stop herself again. She always thought about the most ridiculous of situations. She had decided to trot to his house. The streets were dark, but luckily they were also empty. At this late hour, dark streets are no place for young mares. In most cases she would just fly away but what if she encountered a faster pegasus or a strong unicorn? His house was located in a dark alley somewhere between the rows of forsaken homes. He lived in some hayhole of a house but at least he had a house. Most of her special someponies before had not had houses or apartments. She had made some terrible decisions in the past. She lightly knocked on the dark wood of the old door. The dull sound echoed through the empty streets, causing her to flinch. No response. The sudden image of his apartment being filled with policeponies and investigators flashed through her mind. What if he had been murdered? She knocked again, this time much harder and much more insisting. Still no response to be heard. She really started to worry. Why in Equestria wasn’t he opening? There was just one way to find out: She looked around, making sure nopony would see her. She flew up into the air and over the roof into his backyard. The backyard was nothing but an assembly of dirt and rotten grass. It seemed as if not even weeds could grow here. She looked around and found what she had searched for. Under the broken tire, deep in the mud she found the hidden key. Swift Haven had a habit to forget things after… what had happened. At some point, he had decided to just take a place and hide his key there so he could not forget it anymore. Of course, he forgot where the hiding place actually was and that is why he always spends fifteen minutes searching his backyard before actually getting inside. “Out of all the ponies I know, he probably has the worst memory…” ´she mumbled to herself. She inserted the key into the small door latch and unlocked it. The heavy door almost swung open by itself. It creaked and groaned as it opened, revealing an empty room. She walked inside, ready for whatever she could possibly find. Maybe he has become part of a secret agency and has just been assigned to a new mission? No, that was just a bit improbable. Sweet Fire approached the next room, hoping to find Swift Haven there... Nopony. A slight creak from across the hallway leading to the room startled her, and she looked back. Again, it was completely devoid of any life. Sweet Fire crept towards the kitchen, not expecting to find anypony there. The house was so quiet she doubted Swift could go undetected. Eventually he would bump into something, or hell, take a step. Anything would show Sweet Fire that her friend was home... But there was nothing. She went through every room twice but she could not find him anywhere. At least it didn’t seem like there was anything closely related to an abduction or a murder. Although it should have relieved her stress, it only made her much more worried, even frightened. It would have been comforting to see any clues as to his disappearance, as long as it didn't signal anything bad, but there was nothing out of the ordinary. But if he wasn’t at home… Where was he? “Swift? Swift Haven, are you here? This is not funny!” She knew that he would not answer, and yet she had to at least try it. After checking every room for a third time, she started to investigate. There had to at least some signs of where he was gone. What if something had happened to him? What if he needed her help right now? She could not just wait for him to return, she would have to search for him. Her investigation ended sooner than she would have expected. Right on the table in the living room were a bunch of strange invitations she hadn’t noticed before. She must have been too frantic and over reactive to look in the obvious spots for clues.The invitations were each small pieces of art as every single one had a unique painting of a pony on it. On the upper right of the pony in the picture there was small lettering saying, “Celebrate our newest member!” Strange. Above every picture was a name. It was actually quite interesting to go through them and to see which ponies you knew and which you didn’t. What was even more interesting than that was actually opening one. She felt bad for opening his letters, but he was not here to object her… “Dear Swift Haven! We hereby invite you to join our ceremony of the night. Our leader has approved of your presence. Come join us in the cleansing of our souls. We await your attendance when the moon has reached the highest point in it’s journey.” What was that one all about? Her curiosity drove her to open another envelope. The letter inside ,however, was exactly the same. Sweet Fire gasped. Could this be what she thought it was? Or was it just an elaborate hoax? She looked through a few other papers frantically, quickening in pace. “No… NO!” He has been abducted by an evil cooperation of shadow ponies, sucking out his very soul! That must be what they meant! She almost face-hoofed. No. It wasn’t. How could she be so stupid? All she knew was that Swift had some strange letters in his room - creepy, but nothing to fantasize about.. They might not even be his letters. However, why would he have creepy letters of another pony, opened and on top of his table? The mystery remained unsolved. “Our holy brotherhood has found a new son. Rejoice! For another member will help us ascend! The day to unite is soon to come. With every soul we free from their memories, for every soul we cleanse of their sins, we stride just a step further towards our ultimate goal. Brother! Stand up, Swift Haven - We welcome you to our family.” Swift stood up from his kneeling position, proud to hear his name being called by the supreme leader, and even prouder to be recognised as their newest member. The enlightenment felt so close, almost in his reach. His new family would help him ascend. Like a light in dark hours, they would show him the steep, yet glorious path. It would be taking all of his effort but he could not let his family down. They were counting on him doing the right steps. Everything came down to this final celebration: For months now, he had been waiting for this final moment, the moment when he would finally become an accepted part of the family of Forgot. He slowly walked up the stairs until he reached the great podestral. The statue of his beloved liberator was right there in front of him. So close and yet unreachable for all eternity. The supreme leader draped Swift Haven in the official garment. He stood in front of the other members, proudly showing the colors of his new robes. “Brothers and sisters. You know how hard our way to salvation is. Today, we have made another step. Today we have found the right direction again. Today our liberator has descended a bit further for us. Today is a day of joy and cheer. Applaud, brothers and sisters, applaud!” The room was filled with the clopping of hundreds of hooves on the white marble ground. They all looked up to him, knowing they could rely on his support and he could rely on theirs. This was a path only to be walked together. In friendship. In brotherhood. The address given by the envelopes of these mysterious letters lead her into a very dark side of town. Just sparsely, the thick forest vegetation was interrupted by huge houses. She had always wondered who lived in this part of town. Sweet Fire felt strange, and she looked around: Nopony was following her. “Phew. I already though...” During her whole journey, she had felt like being followed and she could not just ignore that feeling. Maybe there was a secret organization of agents following her, camouflaging themselves every time she turned around. Or maybe they were invisible ninjas time? , hiding from her eyes and yet deceiving her senses. Or maybe they were an army of shadows, lurking behind every corner… She turned around again, but the shadows didn’t seem to follow her… Except for that one traitorous shadow of hers. The house at the address was actually a bit disappointing. She had expected it to be a giant dome of a super-secret society, but the house actually looked just like every other house. Nonetheless she decided to knock on the door. Knock! Knock knock knock! For almost a full minute there was no response, however she could clearly hoofsteps on thick wooden flooring. She already hovered her hoof up to knock once again, when the door was blasted open. The pony who had opened the door had that certain expression on his face, that expression of having something to hide. As he saw who had actually knocked, his expression changed. His mien got much lighter and he even began to smile. “What is such a young mare like you doing outside on such a late hour? The streets are a dangerous place to walk alone. Come inside and warm yourself up! I have made tea if you would like any.” Warm air radiated out of the open door, and from inside of the house, the smell of freshly baked cookies washed over her. Maybe she should take his offer and have a nice evening with cookies? No. She was here to find Swift Haven and that is what she was going to do… Even if that would mean declining the offer for cookies and tea. She would not abandon Swift for such simple pleasures. Or maybe she could ask this pony about the letters while she was enjoying the cookies? Just a couple of cookies and questions and then she would head off. Besides, it would be helpful to gather information about the letters. That was, if this pony had any. Why would Swift Haven be invited here anyway? Maybe it had been some kind of sick joke after all. Or maybe some strange theme for a party? “Have you decided yet?” The rather old stallion seemed to be in quite a hurry. He frequently looked back to where she assumed his kitchen was. Hell, if she had her tea on her plate and somepony was holding her at my door, she would also seem quite hurried and nervous. She didn’t want to have him stay at the door any further and decided to just accept the offer. She could leave at any time she desired. “Yes. Yes, I would love to stay for tea. Thank you, sir! You are very kind.” She shivered slightly, and the elderly unicorn held open the door wider so Sweet Fire could come inside. The house was so incredibly warm! The last time she had been in such a cozy place must have been this morning in her fort of blankets. Every morning she had to force herself to get up and out of the most comfortable of all places. How would this pony feel? I mean, when he had to leave his whole house of cozy warmth? I would never go out. The furniture matched this warmth quite nicely. Everything was covered with some sort of fluffy fabric. She extended her hooves more than once, just to feel how the different pieces of furniture felt. Each and every piece had its own comfortable feeling. Brother Crystalline chuckled at this mare massaging his furniture, while he walked over to the kitchen to recover his tea. He wondered why she was here: He usually doesn't get many visitors, and especially not such curious ones. Had she maybe been newly invited? He couldn’t remember inviting her, but then again, he also didn’t know where he had put his keys yesterday, even though he had dropped them right on his shoe cabinet. He slid some cups out of a cupboard, and proceeded to gather the hot water. He then put the tea bag into the steaming water and turned around. The mare was actually closely watching over every single movement of his. “So, deary, would you mind telling me your name? I am brother Crystalline.” The mare hesitated for a bit, then shrugged. “I’m Sweet Fire, why?” Sweet Fire? No… no. There was nothing to that name. He may be a pony who likes to forget, but this mare had definitely never been invited. Why was she sniffling around here then? Did she know? That would mean we would have somepony in our rows who had not been careful enough. “Well, I just like to know who I let into my house.” He tried to smile and yet it didn’t seem to work. He slowly got nervous about the whole situation. That pony was a threat and he shouldn’t show a sign of deception. He would have to play the role of a friendly pony from the neighborhood. However, with every second she was here the probability of being discovered would grow. She had to go. And yet he couldn’t make that fact too obvious. How could he get her to move, if she wasn’t willing to? She would not just leave, she seemed to be too suspicious for that. There had to be a way. What would be the most convenient way to get rid of her? He could not throw her out as that would raise suspicions. She would have to leave voluntarily. That he would only achieve if he played his role perfectly. Maybe she would lose her suspicion and actually wander off. Oh no! This was the last cookie. The sheer thought of that deliciousness soon being all over made her a bit sad. Why couldn’t he have made more tea or cookies? On top of being all out of cookies, she had to admit that she really found nothing suspicious here. It was just an old pony, living his last days in an old house. She could hardly imagine how it would feel to know you were standing at the end of your life. She shook her head, partially in pity and partially because she wanted to wake herself. She had become a bit tired, but what else would you be after midnight in a warm, cozy house. Maybe it was time to leave. Outside it would be cold and dark and yet the force pulling her into her own bed was a bit stronger than the force holding her here. No. It was time. The decision has been made: “Excuse me… If you don’t mind, I would like to make my way home now.” The old Stallion, Brother Crystalline, actually hesitated for a bit. It seemed as if he had something to say but couldn’t find the words. In the end, he just gave up and resigned to what seemed like a standardized response: “May the enlightenment guide you.” This pony sure was strange. She stepped outside only to realize what had been wrong with his last sentence. The ‘enlightenment’ ? That was the same use of words as in the letters. She could swear that the writer of the letter and Brother Crystalline were the same pony! “No! I am making things up again.” she thought to herself. It was just an uncommon choice of words. Sweet Fire heard the door close, and she was still lightly hazed by the smell, but now it was too late. Those cookies were so good! A cold breeze swished through her mane, immediately making her regret leaving the warm house. Oh well. She had bothered Crystalline enough. She started to trot home, looking every which way for whatever shadow might linger there. There could be anything hiding and waiting. She still had a rather uneasy feeling. Sweet started to hum a little bit, curiously observing her surroundings. This place was pretty dark indeed, but in an elegant, simple way. Neither overly pompous nor fixed on reaching the “modern” definitions of beauty. The breeze rustling the leaves, the quiet chatter of a squirrel out for a nighttime snack, and the scenery was exceptional! The house she left had an almost charismatic feel to it. Maybe in her old days... Next to it was a memorial, although unlabeled. Why would an unlabeled memorial even exist? A memorial is supposed to preserve the memories of the pony it was built for. If nopony remembers your name after you are dead, does it even matter if you have a memorial? I guess it wouldn’t matter for you anyway. The memorial showed a pony standing on their back hooves, one hoof over their heart, and another one pointing towards her temple, much like a showboating psychic would pose. However, it had a certain sense of aesthetics to it which caught her attention. The lines were flowing into each other, leading to… Sweet Fire walked towards it, getting a better look. Yes, they were leading somewhere. She slowly trotted around it, following the lines closely. A door! That was what those lines were leading to. Small grooves spiraled down a deep staircase, probably leading into the cave. It seemed as if the back of the statue was made of some liquid, flowing down into this hole. It was in an overall amazing state, no cracks, blemishes, or intrusions! It was well preserved. Too well.. This was more than just simply suspicious. Why would somepony take the time to preserve a statue without even marking whom it honored? Maybe there was a secret government agency down there, spying on us all? Maybe there was a secret laboratory where they created zombies, who would clean up the statue. She gasped. Maybe it was because some insane pony lived down there, doing experiments on innocent ponies, recruiting them via mind control?! That must be why Swift left so suddenly without telling anypony! SweetFire started hyperventilating. Her breathing got faster and faster. Oh this was bad, very bad. Would they perform experiments on him, or would they let him do their dirty work? “I’ll save you Swift Haven!” Sweet Fire charged down the stairs, galloping with all her might to stop that evil pony as soon as she could. But what if it was too late? What if Swift had already been experimented on? What if they were controlling his mind in these very moments? She had to run faster! Her speed grew as the stairs seemed to just fly away below her. What if she couldn’t help Swift, and even got captured herself? What if sh... Suddenly the whole world started flying upside down and downside up and spinning and turning and her stomach screamed and she screamed and suddenly there was silence. The impact was hard and dull, but luckily she had landed on something soft. Some sort of carpet or something like that. It looked as if it was hundreds of years old and bought from a mystical caravan leader in the lands of Saddle Arabia. Sweet Fire slowly pulled herself up again. A minor setback to her great quest to find her special somepony in these dark caves. She would be the Joan d’Arc of her own little story. She regained her velocity and almost flew through the hallways, although careful not to make any noise. The carpet helped out quite a bit in that manner. Much to her surprise, the entrance had lead to various pathways, each carved into stone. She couldn’t allow herself to be stopped by the sheer option of choice. She would come back later and take the right path or the left path… or had it been the left path she had been galloping through? Maybe it had been the right one as the right one had had those ancient runes or had it been the one with the torches? However, one characteristic was always the same: They all looked too well cared for for being a part of this lonely, unmarked memorial. These passages seem to still be used daily, thus requiring the professional upkeeping. This was all wrong! Sweet tried to stop her heavy breathing, but she was just too frantic. If she breathed too loud, the mad scientist pony would find her! Or was it an underground agency? Or an alien invasion? Oh, she just had to save Swift Haven from their deadly grasp. She flew around the next corridor and into the left door and then into the right one and suddenly she was finding her in a familiar spot. Hasn’t she been here before? She decided for the left door this time, knowing the left door was always the better one. She stumbled through the hallways, turning right then left and right again, landing in a familiar room. It almost felt as if she was going in circles, or this place was built horrifically uninspired. So into the right door this time, leading up to the door on her left, which would bring her back, so she took the right one. And the right one only brought her into the corridor with the runes and the torches. What was this place? A huge, underground maze? She would just take the right turn this time and just go into every door to her right. And back into the room with these strange chandeliers, which were hanging dangerously close to the ground. And then back into the room with the two tables. No, no. This wasn’t right. This was the same path she had taken last time. Maybe if she went through the middle door and then to the right and after that to the left and to the right again. That should work… hopefully. She stumbled around the last corner. First, she had galloped, then she had started trotting, and now she was crouching every inch forward. This was no maze, this was some sick idea of psychological torture. But what about Swift Haven? What if he was caught in one of those rooms she had not been in yet? What if there was a secret pony corporation of mindcontrol hidden in these dungeons? What if it was all true? What if… NO! This had to stop. She had been running through these halls for hours and she had not found a single piece of evidence. It only had been a memorial after all, what had she expected? Her mind had started wandering to places, and had lead her into this situation. She vowed to stop it once and for all. Her whole life she had assumed things, and immediately presumed them as true. She had to stop! Because what if she wouldn’t stop? This was serious trouble and it was only her fault. She felt like such an idiot. She was probably trespassing anyway. Sighing, Sweet Fire trotted through the halls, attempting to remember which way she had came. This was going to be a long night… “Finally!” Sweet fire walked, no, rather dragged herself out of the strange pathways. To finish her journey, she would just have to get up these steep stairs. The hallways seemed to be built for entertainment of sick psychotic ponies rather than housing anything. A literal underground maze of this dimension? What sick individual had thought of that? Maybe that’s why the pony had a hoof pointing towards her temple. You had to be psychic, like her, to complete the maze. Sweet Fire collapsed on the grass and rolled over, looking up into the night sky. Thousands of stars were smiling back at her. Finally she was outside again. She took a deep breath of the fresh, cold air. Soon it would be morning, she could already see a slight red tint in the horizon to the east. If had definitely taken her at least two hours of walking around to get out of the accursed, torturous tunnels. It’s too bad Swifty hadn’t been there with her, comforting her in her struggles. She knew that he knew when she was overreacting. He always knew how she felt. He usually tried to calm her suspicions. He always had been the logical one, and that had helped her stay calm. His logic wasn’t arrogance, but instead like an ark in the big blue sea. Sometimes she was convinced something was wrong, and no amount of persuasion would deter her. He would have picked some grass and followed her into the maze. While she was frantically searching, Swift would have placed bits of grass to mark the way they had come from. He always had had great plans. If Swifty would have come, he would have hushed her sadness and would have comforted her in her lonely hours. But if Swifty had come, she would have no reason to come here. Well, admittedly she would have probably found a reason. Some insane assumption, much like their previous adventures. And yet he had always been there. She had thought it to be like that for all eternity. She had depended on his comfort. And now it was gone. Sweet Fire really did miss Swift Haven. She continued to lie on the grass, and began to silently cry. One part of it because she always got emotional when she was tired, but ninety-nine parts because she missed him. She imagined him here with her in the soft grass, smiling goofily at the prospect of lying there. He wouldn’t complain though, as he always went along with her in whatever path she had decided to take. She could rely on him always being there for her. He was so different from her and yet he felt like a part of her. like two opposite sides of a jigsaw puzzle, but when together, they created a beautiful picture. Sweet Fire, lovesick and worried, curled up in the grass and began crying harder. The tears felt so warm, but the cold darkness surrounding her seemed to grow even colder, as if that was the night’s cruel way of laughing at her. The warm twinkling of the stars, however, comforted her. They were twinkling only for her, to calm her. They shone to remind her that Luna was out there, watching over her in her lonely hours. They were twinkling to show that she was not forgotten. She stopped crying, convincing herself that everything would be okay… sometime. Swift and her would eventually have a good laugh about this whole situation… Yes. Yes, that was what was going to happen. A good laugh and many hugs. Memories flooded over her, showing her and Swifty meeting for the first time. It brought back her smile she had thought to be lost. Her eyelids slowly fell down, and she drifted off into lands of her own imagination, where they both were reunited.
AHF: Chapter 2 - BetrayalSweet Fire suddenly awoke to the loud noise of hoofsteps on stone. Startled, she quickly got up and scrambled behind a bush. Of course her fall was inevitable; She hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep, and was paying for that. Colors blurred and light shone brighter than it should have, creating a blurry world made up of deformed shapes and confusion... She collapsed into the leaves of the small bush by the road. Her mind seemed to come to no rest, everything turning around and around. It took her a moment to get herself sorted out. She then rotated towards the memorial so she had a perfect view of where the hoofsteps were coming from. She gasped. She had been right! There really WAS a mad scientist master of mind control down there! Sweet fire stayed hidden and observed, ready to attack whoever came out. The noise of the hoofsteps became louder and echoed out across the yard. This was it, she would finally find Swift! A whole group of ponies exited the memorial in a line, spreading out amongst the streets. They were probably going home… The question is just: From what? There must have been hundreds of them! She stood her ground and watched carefully for Swift Haven. How should she find him in such a crowd? Then, after the line thinned out and she already began losing her hopes, she noticed something. Was it really? Yes! Walking amongst the crowd was Swift! He was unharmed, even seemed to have gotten a bit more chubby. Oh, she could have screamed in joy, but she had to remain silent and hidden. She would have to approach him when he was alone. She assumed he would go back to his house, or maybe hers. Maybe even a bit of private time… She decided to just fly after him once it was safe. Then the door opened. The old pony, father Cristalline, watched as the ponies dispersed and headed towards their own residences. So he HAD been the leader! She had known it all along! It had been so obvious! But also very dangerous. How could she have just waltzed into the home of an evil pony… with delicious cookies… but still an evil pony! She could have been put under mind control… maybe she already was? She didn’t feel like being controlled, but then again, you never do. Crystalline entered his house again as most of the ponies were gone. Just a few more, and she could leave. Two particularly talkative earth ponies seemed to have a little, annoying chat. Damn them, get on with your conversation and move! Finally, the ponies said their farewells. Sweet Fire begged the earth she was lying on that they weren’t the type to say goodbye, then start another new conversation altogether. Luckily, they waved, and were off. She waited for a moment, just to be extra sure, then jumped out of the bush and shouted, “YES! I have got you now!” Much similar to a hurricane, Sweet fire flew over the streets, right into the direction of where Swift Haven had trotted. She flew as fast as her wings would let her, then faster. She zipped down the dark and empty streets and alleys, and eventually caught up with the retreating figure of Swift Haven. “YESSS!” Swift heard her shout, and turned just in time to be blown away by a high velocity hug. All air rushed out of his lungs from the impact, both rolling down the street and Sweet Fire seeming like she was attempting to keep his breath out with one giant hug. How could a pony have such strength when hugging? Swift was dragged out of his thoughts by a sudden kiss from Sweet Fire. “Ooooooh I missed you so so so soooooo much!” “It’s only been a da-” “I know but I was so worried and I was searching for you and got lost in a maze of the secret agency and the aliens and the secret organization and.. and…” She instantaneously broke the hug and growled down at Swift, her eyes turning fierce. ”Why were you in that evil pony’s maze and why are you part of a secret organization? Why did you have invitations on your table? TELL ME!” Oh no… Oh noooo this was bad, she knew? Think fast Swift, you can’t have her finding out. ”TELL ME” “Oh uh umm… What? Are you sure you didn’t dream the part about the maze? That sounds pretty crazy, and you look pretty tired. The invitations were a party, but Spin Dripper was pretty drunk when she wrote them. I had other ones because she also delivered them in her drunken state. You should have seen her dropping all of her letters by my home and telling me that it ‘doesnn madda becauss the post alzo arrisv heer.’” He gave his best to mimic the drunk accent of Spin Dripper he had heard so often already and tried to bring out a smile. He felt his attempt failing horribly so he just continued speaking. “You’re way too tired. Everything is okay, there is no need to worry.” Sweet Fire, still standing above him, looked very sad and yet relieved. Swift held out his arms and she collapsed into them, crying into his coat. He held her there, and decided to comfort her for a while. What he had to do could wait for when she had fallen back asleep. He was sure she would. She looked so tired… and so beautiful. He would have to think of an excuse for why he would be gone again. Even harder would be convincing her to join him, after he would be accepted into the brotherhood. The moonlight just pierced through the thick clouds above the almost empty street. Only two ponies were lying there, comforting each other. The rows of dark houses seemed to stare silently upon the night’s scene. The sun already started to rise, but the shadows still lingered behind every corner. This was his place, in the deep shadows. The shadows were a place to hide, a place of comfort, much better than the open streets. There were two things he couldn’t bare. For one, ponies cuddling on the cold, hard ground. He hated seeing what he had not been able to accomplish for himself. The other thing he simply couldn’t stand was betrayal. Usually he wouldn’t have bothered with the whole situation, but keeping everything secret was by far too important to ignore. This threat had to be dealt with. Two ponies were to not develop a relationship that stands above acquaintances unless they were both a part of the organization. Even then, it had to be approved of by Crystalline, our supreme leader. It wouldn’t take long for Brother Crystalline to arrive. It had all been told, every detail has been passed on. Now it was Crystalline’s choice to do whatever he would. “Greetings Bonefire, its nice to see you again. I have been informed that there is an important situation to attend. What might this all be about?” “Father Crystalline, it has come to my attention that there is a traitor amongst us.” “Is that true? Bonefire, for your sake, you better have good evidence for such a suspicious claim.” “Sir, I have seen Swift Haven, our newest official member, with somepony who he showed hidden affection towards. They were in each other’s hooves on the road. Such an uncomfortable resting place suggests that there is a strong relationship between them. You know Forgath’s rules better than anypony else and you know that it is forbidden to praise anything above him. I feel like he praises his marefriend above our whole pact. Who knows what else he has ‘forgotten to mention’?” “You make a good point. We will have to take steps to prevent anymore oversights such as this. For now, I have no choice but to take this mysterious mare into custody until her fate has been decided. What did this mare look like?” “I couldn’t see her very well due to the shadows and Swift Haven, but I saw a yellow coat with red and orange hair.” I couldn’t see her very well due to the shadows… However, I could make out some crucial details. Her hair was seemed like a glow in the dark. A dangerous glowing, if you ask me. Red and yellow, those were the most predominant colors, like a dangerous flame. “Oh my… I have recently met with a rather curious mare named Sweet Fire who happens to match your description quite well. If she happens to be the pony you speak of, I have reason to believe Swift Haven has been supplying information about our meetings. I cannot judge why, but if Swift Haven is a traitor, may Forgot have mercy on his soul.” “The scoundrel, he’s just no good scum!” “Don’t assume what we don’t know. At the time we should only assume that Sweet Fire has a more curious personality than others. There is no need to jump to conclusions, Bonefire.” “I… I guess you’re right as always Father.” “Yes. We had probably head back and gather a small team. It would be unwise to apprehend the couple with only us two.” “Yes father.” Swift Haven placed the exhausted, sleeping Sweet Fire onto his bed and gave her a small kiss. ‘This all must be so stressful for her.’ Swift thought to himself. ‘I hope that Crystalline will be reasonable about the situation. I don’t want her to get hurt because of me. Swift Haven slowly trotted towards the small chair in the corner of the room, dropping his heavy body upon the warm fabric. For now, he would just watch his love in her slumber, making sure everything was okay. The loud sound of hooves upon old stairs brought him out of his thoughts. These sounds promised nothing good. For just a moment, everything was quiet. Almost like the silence before the storm. The door shuddered and cracked. Somepony was trying to get in. A second strike against the wood resounded through the house, sending small cracks across the surface. Sweet Fire suddenly sat bolt upright as the third strike nearly sent the door flying off it’s hinges. She screamed and Swift jumped up to get into the doorway. Everything went too fast for him to properly react. Sweet Fire screamed as the door finally gave in into the pressure. Small pieces of wood were flying through the room along with dust. His whole body was tense and yet it seemed impossible to move. One particularly big piece actually glanced across his flank. The pain almost acted like a reminder for him to move. With two quick steps he stood in front of Sweet Fire. Swift was standing in a defensive stance in the door frame as the dust settled. Then, he cringed at the sudden voice. Swift Haven you have been placed under suspicion of treachery. Do not resist or you will be imprisoned or expelled. Expelled? This one word seemed to lash out at him. It curled around in his mind, not letting him think of anything else. The whole scene seemed nothing like reality anymore. Everything was flying by like a movie. Crystalline promptly pushed him aside, sending him flying onto the now cold floor. He only watched as they charged towards his bed and bound the now thrashing Sweet Fire. Swift felt his eyes well up as he watched the scene unfold. His heart was torn apart. On one hoof, that was his Sweet Fire, the love of his life. On the other hoof, this was the wellbeing of his soul for all eternity... He decided that it was probably for the best. ”SWIFT HELP ME!” It is for the betterment of himself, and the rest of the members. ”SWIFT!” Besides, she wouldn’t want for him to be eternally punished, right? ”HELP ME SWIFT PLEASE DON’T LET THEM TAKE ME, PLEASE HELP!! Swift Haven only stood, and followed Sweet Fire, Crystalline, Bonefire, and the others out the door. ”WHY WONT YOU HELP? DON’T YOU SEE WHAT THEY’RE DOING TO ME?! He followed the group along the road back to the memorial. Sweet Fire’s pleading had finally died down to whimpering. “Swifty… I… Why?” He had stupidly hidden Sweet Fire from Crystalline. He wasn’t fully devoted to Forgot, which made him in all sense, unworthy. “Why are you letting them take me?” Her speech was quivering and wrought with sobs. He shouldn’t allow a mere emotion to confuse his mind to a point at which he goes against Forgot’s wishes. He should embrace Forgot, with all his soul, not allowing material things to bind him. “Wh… Where are we going S- Swift? Ar- Are they going to... to hurt me? Are y… you going to let them hu… urt me?” But that was the thing, Sweet Fire was much more than just material, more than the mere emotion she evoked within him. She was his very world before he joined Crystalline… “I.. Swift.. The…” She could barely speak as she shuddered, tears mixing with her fur as the ponies stubbornly carried her on. ‘Now I’m questioning my allegiance... I had better go clear my head within the halls of insight.’ Swift Haven thought to himself. “I’m going for a walk, Crystalline. I’ll be sure to attend the meeting when its held. Good day.” Clear Sight, a guardian of Forgot who was loyal to Crystalline and their spiritual journey, tried to stop Swift, but the supreme leader himself held him back. Crystalline knew Swift would attend the meeting, traitor or not. Swift Haven turned around, taking one last look at the broken mare being carried away. As he walked away from her, she renewed her efforts in pleading, bribing, offering obscene amounts of money that she didn't have to the other ponies. Swift Haven ignored her cries, and walked on. There was silence for a moment, then she said one last word, the heartbreak eminent in her tone. “Swifty…” Sweet Fire lay on the cold stone, wordlessly staring out of her cell at the opposite wall. The left side of her face had been soaked for hours. She just lay there on her side, wounded, yet unbleeding. She didn’t care anymore. Swift had abandoned her, and there was just no reason to continue. No more time to spend with the stallion she had known. Swift Haven had disappeared… Family? No, relatives were nothing but a few friends you were forced to tolerate until death, so why should she stand for their ignorance anymore? Family is a group of ponies who vaguely look and act like you, nothing more. There is no special ‘family bonding’ more than any normal bonding with friends! And even then, friends are better because you CARE for them and they CARE for you! They know that they can lose you if they act bad, and you know the same! Do you have that with family? NO! If you have an abusive big brother who does nothing but torture you with endless mind games and hitting you when you got them wrong, you’re forced to DEAL WITH IT! Psychological experiments are a horrible thing! Your mom notices your rising in creativity and timidness, then attributes it to how much you ‘play with your older brother’, then praises him while you sit idly by knowing that if you ever tell her the truth, she won’t believe you. She won’t believe you, no, because you’re always dreaming up ‘crazy little scenarios’! And your father stands there, looking at you out of his eyes in which the sorrow of worlds is to be seen. And he doesn’t make a move. He sees your pain and he hears your screams, he knows your secrets, and yet he doesn’t do anything. He does NOTHING. He leaves you ALONE like all the stallions before him, leaving you in that pit which is bottomless and you feel yourself falling and there is no pony to pick you up. He had picked her up…Swift had shown her another world. A world of love, comfort and trust - It was all an ACT. EXACTLY like everypony else! She had fallen for it. Now she knew that Nopony cares, EVER. Sometimes the world seems like such a vast, empty place without somepony to care about you... Deep down, Sweet Fire knew one thing for sure... This time, she wasn’t overreacting. This time it was all true! SWIFT HAVEN HATED HER, HER PARENTS DIDN’T GIVE A BUCK, AND NEITHER DID HER SO CALLED FRIENDS! Swift wasn’t the only pony she knew was coming from that STUPID MEMORIAL! Swift Haven wasn’t the only pony who had LIED to her about… EVERYTHING! Her heart felt so cold. She had expected pain or sorrow or grief. And yet she was cold and empty. She didn't care anymore... What did it matter? Did anything matter? … No. Just … Nothing mattered anymore. It was all over... Author's Note We Pinkie-promised :)
AHF: Chapter 3 - Sacrifice“He has to die.” “Are you crazy? He doesn’t have to die for something like that! Forgot doesn’t judge quickly and you shouldn’t either.” “He has broken the holy rules. He has to die. Off his head and onto the sacrificial pit.” Even though they were speaking about his well-being, Swift Haven could not really pay attention. His thoughts kept flinging back to a certain mare. How he had left her… How she had cried… “We don’t simply throw our brethren into the sacrificial pit. We don’t know how far he has gone with her.” “Breaking rules means cutting heads. I want to see his head on a spike, in a fire, or on the sacrificial plate.” “Silence! Your behaviour is unpleasing, Shattered Laughter. Non possumus facere contra suam voluntatem. We cannot act against his will. You should remember that rule.“ Non possumus facere contra suam. It felt strange to hear that again. The last time he had heard Brother Crystalline speak in the godly language had been his induction. “He has to be punished! Punished with death!” “Stop your nonsense. we are not going to act before we know exactly what has happened. Swift Haven! Tell me: What were you doing with that mare?” Time to answer. He had waited for this moment for the entirety of this meeting and yet he had not found words he could speak in his defense. His soul was condemned. “Brother Crystalline. I cannot tell myself free of the influence of Memoria. I cannot pledge my innocence in the knowledge that Forgot knows my faults and errors. I can only hope that he forgives my poor soul for being too weak to resist these mortal urges.” “Memoria truly is a cruel mother. Let Forgot free you! We will save your soul by sacrificing to Forgot. May he have pity upon your soul.” The supreme leader almost erupted into singing the holy praises of Forgot. His poor subject has fallen under the troubles of Memoria. There was only one possibility to cleanse his soul: A sacrifice. Of course, not any sacrifice would suffice the extraordinary needs of this situation. To please Forgot after this reckless disruption of his rules, much more than just a bit of money would be needed. They would need… A blood sacrifice. “We could sacrifice his pesky marefriend. That would free him of his mortal urges.” Even Bonefire seemed to be overwhelmed by that suggestion of Shattered Laughter. He had wanted to stop the traitorous Swift Haven from continuing his treason. He had NOT wanted to be the reason for an innocent mare to die. However, Brother Crystalline seemed to like that idea. “A blood sacrifice would cleanse us all from our mortal urge, not just our fallen brother.” Swift Haven’s body had tensed up and yet he couldn’t bring out the words. It was true and yet it was painful. The sacrifice would be necessary, but not his Sweet Fire! He opened his mouth but nothing came out. The words suddenly slipped his mind. Forgot will solve his problems. “Forgot will cleanse my soul from the influences of Memoria. Filii eius adoraverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.” Everypony in the room answered the holy call. “Filii eius adoreverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.” Only Brother Crystalline continued speaking afterwards. “This meeting has come to its end. Let us praise the mighty Forgot. All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” Everypony answered, chanting the same words. The decision has been made. Just before leaving, Shattered Laughter had to add that one sentence, which wouldn’t let him think calmly for hours: “I am glad you see it my way now.” The uniform trotting of hundreds of ponies was almost hypnotic. Each and every pony seemed to be a part of some bigger being, slowly moving forward. Where were they heading? She didn’t care anymore. Sure, the question still bugged here, but it could have been any question. It could have been any place, any face. It didn’t matter. Her whole life had been a lie. They had all shown her what the world really looked like. She didn’t need a place in THAT world. It was not her world to live in. A world of lies and hatred and anger. Of course, she would burn from inside. Her pain would consume her in her very last moments. Did it matter? No. Swift Haven, HER Swift Haven had turned against her. Nothing mattered after that. Not being imprisoned, not being beaten to come out, not being chained to the table below her. They would bathe their hands in her blood. It wouldn’t matter. The procession stopped and the dim, flickering light of the candles, projecting shadows onto the wall, was the only movement in the very next moments. She watched the shadows dance on the wall until the she noticed something else. There was some sort of … smoke crawling above the flat floor; Incandescence. Suddenly hundreds of voices started their chorus: “All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” A hooded pony slowly trotted up the the pulpit. “Dear brothers, dear sisters. Today is the day of our fate. Today, we will cleanse ourselves of Memoria’s sins. Let Forgot shine brightly upon you. Let him take you to his domain of eternal forgiveness. Let us show that we are indeed his forgotten sons.“ Again, the chorus answered with their chanting. “All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” Again, the hooded pony continued “Today, we are going to claim more than just another follower. Today, we are going to claim freedom for everypony. Freedom from Memoria. Forgot has allowed us another batch of his magic. Brother Swift Haven. Ascend and come forth!” Even though she tried to ignore the searing pain in her heart, it still pierced through the thick layer of ignorance. She had sworn herself to hate that pony and yet her heart still jumped upon seeing him. Why was it so hard to forget her love? “Dear brothers… I have fallen. I have broken our holy rules. No punishment would suffice for what I have done. Only Forgot can forgive me my downfall into the realm of Memoria. I have placed emotion above our divine goal. Only my father’s forgiveness may still help my pitiful soul.” The hooded pony started to laugh quietly. “Brethren! You see that our fallen brother has mended his forsaken ways and seeks the forgiveness of Forgot once again. To fulfill his bond, we are going to make a sacrifice. A sacrifice to cleanse us all. Filii eius adoreverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.” Every pony answered his call, singing monotonically. Had they all lost their minds? “Filii eius adoreverunt nomen eius. His children praise his name.” “Brethren! Would this be any other occasion, I would do this duty myself. However, this occasion is not normal and thus does not apply to normal conventions. Forgot has told me that there had to be a change in our ceremony. I cannot resolve the sins of Swift Haven. He has to cleanse himself. He has to cleanse himself in the blood of this mare. Take my dagger, brother.” Sweet Fire just looked at him. He took a step forwards, just to hesitantly stop again. The next step was even slower, with even less determination. Suddenly he turned his face towards her, his eyes taking a last glance. She could make out the tears even from this distance. “Come to me! Your soul will be praised eternally. Don’t turn around.” Slowly he trotted onwards, keeping his head on the ground. He didn’t turn around again. “Look at me, brother.” He slowly raised his head until he looked straightly into the fierce eyes of Brother Crystalline. “Take my dagger and cleanse your soul.” He took his dagger and turned around him. Sweet Fire just looked at him, unable to accept his compliance. He walked towards her slowly, keeping a steady, yet excruciating pace. Swift Haven approached the grand table of Forgot with grim determination. He stopped, looking down at his former love as if looking down on the turkey he was about to slice. She looked up at him, eyes cold and unforgiving, but with a sense of indifference. They stared at each other for a short eternity, when Shattered Laughter piped up. “Come on, kill her!” He was muffled out by Crystalline, getting a sharp “shush”. He had to do it. Swift raised the dagger above his head, aiming straight for Sweet Fire’s heart. At least then it would be swift and she wouldn’t have to suffer more than necessary. He hesitated, his hooves shaking heavily. Could he really kill her? This mare who was his whole world, before he had met Crystalline? He recalled memories of laughter and adventure… and love. He recalled various nights spent comforting her beside the warm crackling fire, or in a soft bed. Nights in which they had a grand quest, to solve whatever problem Sweet Fire had gotten worked up on. This was the end… Wasn’t it? It had to be, it had to end this way. He owed it to Forgot, Crystalline, and the entire brotherhood. Yet he hesitated. He could hear the hushed groans of Shattered Laughter as he impatiently waited for the deed to be done. They all waited for him to destroy what was left of his past life. They wanted him to forget what had once been. But… But what if he didn’t want to forget anymore? What if he WANTED to remember the time he had spent with Sweet Fire, his only true love. Could he sacrifice his love for forgiveness? Could he take on the eternal damnation of his soul, if he could just spend a little more time with her? Could he sacrifice every time of laughter, joy, and happiness he had had just to forget the unfortunate ones? No! NO! “NO! I can’t do it!” “May Forgot have mercy with your pitiful soul then.” Crystalline stepped forward with a few guards, hatred and disapproval in his icy stare. Two guards of Forgot blocked the way out already. Crystalline’s horn lit up and cast an eerie glow down on Swift Haven. He felt his knees tremble and heart sink. His vision was suddenly clouded. No! NO! It couldn’t end like this. The dagger was still high up above Sweety’s heart. He trembled, but his dagger still did not fail to hit its target. Crystalline screamed in surprise. “You… I don’t understand.” The whole room filled with the gasping of hundreds of ponies. Some even screamed. It was done. He has finished what he had once begun. Slowly, he turned around towards Brother Crystalline. The dagger shimmered in the light of the candles. Even from down at the table, the blood was clearly visible. He had done it. He had freed himself and all the others. “GET HIM!” The scream came out as a rustling noise, but loud enough to wake every pony up from their entranced state. The whole scene, having paused for just a second, started to sink into chaotic movement. Ponies were running through the halls, overwhelming the two guards positioned at the exit. Swift Haven didn’t care. He only cared for Sweet Fire, crying on his shoulder, still constrained by the chains. He heard the dull impact of Brother Crystalline finally giving in to the wound. The guards tried to make their way through the masses of fleeing ponies while Shattered Laughter pulled out a dagger of his own. Sweet Fire’s face told him more than a thousand words could have ever dreamed of telling. Shattered Laughter charged, and only by the skin of his teeth he evaded the fatal strike. Swift Haven used the momentum of Shattered Laughter against him and rammed his hooves into the back of his enemy. Shattered just laughed upon his impact onto the cold ground. “Do you really think you could evade your fate?” Swift Haven had to shake his head upon seeing such incredible ignorance. Slowly he made his way closer to that crazypony. With a sudden movement Shattered turned around, sending the dagger flying towards him. He had expected as such, and had an easy time evading that foolish attempt. He raised his hoof, but the abnormal laughter stopped his movement. “Hehe. You think I had aimed for you, don’t you?” It took Swift Haven a second of perplexity just to process that thought. Of course he had aimed for him. What else could he have possibly aimed for? Then realization struck him. He turned around - No! The dagger had not missed its target. The blood he had tried to prevent started to flow. He could see her screaming face, searching for a reason, but no sound could pierce through the noise of hundreds of ponies running for their lives. “You monster.” It was a statement of bitterness, but also of pity. Down on the ground was a fallen pony who had lost it’s course in the idea that its deity could somehow give forgiveness to somepony like him… He rushed towards Sweet Fire, desperately trying to push himself through the masses of screaming ponies. She was still screaming when he arrived at the table of Forgot. The dagger had missed her heart, but had ripped a deep hole into her stomach. He pulled it out, his tears mixing with her blood. He put all of his anger into his next strike, ripping apart the weak anchorage of the first chain. Another strike, another anchorage. All of his grief flowed into his strikes. Another chain gone. Only one chain was left to hold her, to bind her. He lifted his hoof into the air once again and let another strike crush down onto the last anchorage. Closely behind him he could make out the voice of the guards, pushing through the last ponies. There was no time left. He jumped onto the table, kneeling just beside his love. She was weak, but still strong enough to grab onto him. After making sure she would not fall, he started galloping towards the exit. Some of the guards had already arrived there before them. Instead of trying to find another route, he accelerated towards the wall of swords and armor. In the last moment he jumped as high as he could. The baffled guards tried to raise their swords in the last moment but managed to only streak his hooves. It was painful, of course, but it wouldn’t stop him from bringing his love to security. He knew these halls well enough to quickly find his way towards the steep staircase. When looking behind him, there were two things that worried him. For one, there were about five guards a couple of hooves behind him, followed by another bunch. The thick armor prevented them from really gaining upon him, but they didn’t fall behind either. All the more worrying was the trail of blood Sweet Fire was leaving behind. Not because it would make it impossible for them to escape without leaving a trace, but because he seriously had to worry about her loss of blood. If they didn’t get to a hospital very quickly… He sprinted up the stairs as fast as he could without letting his love fall down from his back. Towards the next hospital, not caring for the world around him. Only his love mattered right now. He would never let her go again. Never. Swift Haven suddenly felt himself pulling ahead, limbs rushing faster than they ever have before. He took sharp corners at full speed, frantically running to the exit. Swift could hear the guard’s thundering hoofsteps behind him, reminding him of the imminent danger. Finally, he burst from the memorial and turned towards the dense forest lining the dark houses. The guards were following quickly, but weren’t able to match his speed. He charged into the trees, jumping over thick roots and green bushes, although paying most of his attention not to drop Sweet Fire. He randomly took the turn to the left or the right, not having a clear goal in mind but hearing the guards struggling with the thick shrubbery. He worried about the trace of blood Sweet Fire was laying behind, but the thick bosk would soon make it impossible for the guards to follow. Swift rushed past a few bushes, but then immediately backtracked. Perfect. He dove into these tall bushes, concealing himself and Sweet Fire behind the thick layers of green. Swift was breathing heavily. They would find him by that! They would hear him breathing. He tried to calm his breath down, but his body wouldn’t give in. The guards however were still crashing through the forest with a brute force that caused the sound of his breath to be overwhelmed by the noise. He held his breath, and listened to the approaching guards’ every movement. They eventually slowed down on top of the clearance he had just run through. He heard one of them say something, but his head was pounding and the speech was muffled by the sound of the forest, so he couldn’t make anything proper out. They patrolled the area, slowly expanding the radius of their search, but never coming too close to their little hiding spot. Another guard spoke and this time, Swift Haven could understand every single word. He spoke with a deep bellowing voice and a surprising sense of authority. ”Split up! We rally back here in about an hour.” After the hoofsteps of the guards had slowly faded into the forest, Swift Haven tore a bunch of leaves from a nearby tree and covered Sweet Fire’s wound with them. He had not dared to make the sound earlier and it proved to have been the right decision. The loud ripping of the thick stalk of the leaves being taken apart from their point of residence echoed through the forest and made him cringe. The hoofsteps still did not come back… Or did they? He tried to listen for any traitorous sound that might give away the movement of the guards. When he finally made sure that the threat was gone, he applied the leaves to her wound, pressing them onto it in an attempt to stop the stream of blood. It hardly seemed to work, but at least it hindered the loss of blood. He continued to cover the wound until her bleeding slowed down to a point where her situation was at least stable if not well. Now he had more time. The bleeding had slowed, however there was still the danger of having her wound infected, especially out here in the dirty forest.. He began searching the forest floor for any signs of a piece of flint. Not close to his hideout, not in close proximity to Sweet Fire, not even at the clearance. “No… No…” There has to be one somewhere, there just HAD to be! He almost tore the ground up looking. Behind trees, under bushes… Nowhere. There was NO flint. But he wouldn’t give up that easily. He had just risked his life and soul to save her, and now she was dieing. She was dieing because of HIM. HIS reckless behavior had caused this catastrophe! Swift Haven slowly lost the strength to continue. He wouldn’t find flint here. He wouldn’t find anything. Although he wanted to continue, his body just dropped down. A sharp pain rose in his flank. It seemed to be caused by… Pine cones? FLAMMABLE pine cones. They wouldn't be enough however… He gathered them and ran back to the bushes, trying to prevent them falling out of his full mouth but still dropping more than a few on the way. He had a small pile now, a pile that would soon be a searing bonfire. Next, some brush to ignite the pile. The brush was much easier to find as they were surrounded in bushes. He promptly snapped some twigs and added them to the pile, and everything was going perfectly… That’s when he noticed the pool of blood that had formed under Sweet Fire, who was still laying in the bushes... unconscious. Unconscious… or dead? He slowly approached, not willing to give into the urge to burst out in tears. Every step was a step closer to a pool of blood and death. She wasn’t breathing. She was NOT breathing! No. Please, don’t do this to me. You can’t do this to me. “No… NO!” Swift Haven screamed. “You’re NOT DEAD!! YOU CAN’T BE!” Anger rose up into his chest. Anger about the world and life and EVERYTHING. He had been so close! So... CLOSE! He dragged a rock over next to his pile, and retrieved the dagger that he had dropped next to Sweet Fire. He held it up, then swung full force, smacking the rock and sending sparks flying. He let his anger flow into every hit. It was all lost. He screamed out once again, not even taking the time to formulate words. Each and every blow crushed onto the stone until a spark sprung off, right into the bonfire he had prepared. He would burn this place, the entire forest, just everything. Everything had to be forgotten. If he could not save her, he would join her. Swift started frantically blowing on the small flame, encouraging it to grow. He grabbed some larger sticks off the ground and put them in, steadily increasing its size. He started to smile. Soon, he would be with her again, in Forgot’s merciful kingdome. A cough startled him. The fire was sizzling loudly, but he could distinctly hear it over the pops and crackles. It had been Sweet Fire. There was no doubt. She was… still alive. She was still dieing! His mind tried to make every step at once, desperately searching for a way out. The fire. The blade. He could still use this situation to his advantage. He placed the metal end of the dagger in the fire, and waited. He waited, cautiously eying Sweet Fire whose puddle was steadily increasing in size. The makeshift bandage wasn’t doing its job. Swift Haven started into the growing fire at the blade, his eyes watering from the heat and light. Seconds lasted for hours, and when a half a minute went by, he could swear it had been a day. After an eternity of waiting, through his blurry vision, he could clearly see the blaze of the dagger glowing red. Perfect! Swift thrust the dagger out of the fire and brought it to Sweet, opening her bandages to reveal a big gash across her stomach. Hesitantly, he pressed the glowing blade against the bleeding wound. Sweet Fire woke up from the pain and gasped, screamed, filling the forest with sounds of terror and agony, but the searing pain to her stomach immediately stole her consciousness again. Swift cringed, he hated the idea of hurting Sweet any longer, but continued to press the burning blade onto her wound. After another eternity, he lifted the blade and peaked at what was beneath... On Swift Fire’s stomach was a gash, burned shut. Along with the gash, Swift Haven had branded her with the shape of the knife. He had held it there too long. He had given her a permanent reminder of his betrayal. He had hurt her beyond any reason. He could only hurt… Author's Note Why does it always happen that he fails the import from gdocs? Well, formatted it right away for you :) PS: Working on FOTC right now :P I hope you like this part as much as I did =)
AHF: Chapter 4 - Cause and Consequence“They have to pay!” Shattered Laughter threw a candleholder across the room, breaking pieces of grout out of the wall. The impact had been so hard that the thick iron of the candleholder had been ripped apart. Bonefire backed up a little, afraid to cross his brother any more than he already was. Shattered Laughter had been the reason why Brother Crystalline had never allowed the new ponies to gather in the meetings. Seeing such a… disturbed pony would have taken away from their determination. ”That bucking TRAITOR! I could rip his head off!” “Brother Shattered, calm down. We will get nothing done if we scream around like madponies!” “You shouldn’t have made him do such a horrib-” “SHUT UP, BLUNT HOUR!” “Brother Shattered, calm the BUCK DOWN.” Bonefire tried to contain his voice, but at the end of his sentence, the anger surpassed his determination to stay calm. If Shattered Laughter continued acting like this, they would have to imprison him in the dungeons. Brother Laughter glared ed at him, almost as if he could cause him to ignite just by his mere stare. “Brother Bonefire, I think we have come to a dead-end with our conversation here.” “SHUT UP! YOU ALL SHUT UP!” This time he didn’t try to stay calm. His hoof swiftly flew into the air, right into Shattered’s face. Although he had expected Shattered to fight or burst out in anger, but instead it seemed to have stopped the rambling. Shattered only rubbed his muzzle, glaring at Bonefire. Now that everything was finally calm, they would be able to speak about more serious manners. “Our path ends here. You have made us your slaves. You have stolen our memories, our lives.” “You have given them voluntarily. We have stolen nothing.” “You have taken us from our families, from our friends, from our loved ones. You have destroyed our lives!” “I HAVE SAVED YOUR LIVES, YOU FOOLS! Forgot is the only way to salvation.” “Are you still telling yourself the same lies you have told us before?” Bonefire opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself. What he had said… It was true, at least partially. He was telling himself lies, but what he had told them had only been the truth. He had told himself that others would be smart enough to see the truth. He had told himself that there couldn’t be something like a traitor in a group dedicated to such a high goal. He had told himself that his brethren were true to themselves and true to him. He had told himself lies. And he had failed the brotherhood. He should have guarded the herd after they had lost their shepherd. They needed a new shepherd... The problem was just that he had never been able to be as… convincing as Brother Crystalline had been. They had just fallen to his words. His sweet lies… They had taken them like little foals being shown a sugary delicacy. Something he could not manage no matter how hard he tried. He was not Brother Crystalline. His voice was not as dark and soothing and his appearance wasn’t really as calming. He was no father. He was a burnt branch of a broken tree, not the shining example of their holy community. However, that wouldn’t stop him. These ponies were losing loyalty. He had to get them back because if HE wouldn’t do it, nopony would. No, he at least had to try to convince them as Brother Crystalline had done it. He took a deep breath in; What he was about to say would decide the fate of their entire holy brotherhood. “Brethren! I know you feel betrayed. I myself feel betrayed. And yet I hold onto my belief. I hold onto it because I know that the truth lays under the thick layers of our memories. I know that we can achieve greatness through our unity. You all have come here because you wanted something. You wanted to forget your past. You wanted to forget all those painful memories, all those neverending nightmares of what had once been, all those worlds having fallen apart before your very eyes. YOU chose your ways. We did only accept you into our rows.” Although some of the ponies seemed to rethink their opinion, most faces continued staring at him without conviction. They would need further explanation. “Do you … “ “No! Just stop trying, Bonefire! We are not your brethren anymore. Don’t try to bind us with those lies once again. We have seen the truth. You had planned it all. Following each and every pony, looking for their weaknesses. Turning towards them in the darkest hours, leaving them no option but to accept the offer. The incandescence numbening our senses and the chanting to keep us calm. It is OVER!” With that, Blunt Hour turned around. Bonefire knew that he was losing them and yet he could not find the words to get them back. Anger was his natural reaction. Anger about his inability to save others, as he had so often failed to help before. He had failed to help these ponies, he had failed to help his love in her darkest hours and he had failed to help his parents in their struggle against death. “FINE! GO AHEAD, WE DON’T NEED YOU!” Bonefire made a grimace as pony after pony left the small hall. A long procession of those who failed to see the true light. A procession of ponies who would let their souls be banished just because of some ridicule accusement. Forgot was still their leader, no matter what the ways of the brotherhood had been. As the last traitor had left the room, Bonefire started to count who was left. These ponies would be the harbingers of a new era. They wouldn’t hide anymore. They would… “We have to rip, rip, RIP his head off. We will burn, burn, BURN him, we will burn them all. Death to the traitors!” Shattered Laughter shouted, seemingly out of nowhere. He had apparently grown quiet and just slumped in a corner listening. After giving Shattered Laughter an angry look for that comment, Bonefire started to speak the holy words. “Non possumus facere contra suam. We cannot act against his will. They did, and they will suffer for their mistakes. All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” The ponies who were left in the meeting room echoed his call. “All hail the mighty Forgot! For he forgives our darkest moments. For he erases our worst memories.” The warm glow of fire emanated through the empty streets. Slowly, the glowing grew stronger and stronger until the first torch became visible. Following it was a large group of ponies who seemed fit for a huge battle. Not only did everypony wear thick clothing, some even having armor on, but they also had assembled a whole lot of weapons. Most were carrying lances, while some were carrying swords, their blades reflecting each owner’s harsh expression. Swords were an expensive and thus rare weapon, but what they lacked in acquirability, they compensated in their superior handleability. They had come prepared for their battle that was about to ensure. It was time to bring forth the message. Bonefire smiled, even though the bitterness of the recent events had took their toll on him. He was sick and tired of dealing with what that Swift Haven had done. It was still a matter of disgust to even think that name. Speaking it out loudly had become impossible. He had never trusted that pony and Brother Crystalline should have done the same. The loss of their leader had been disastrous, but it had also brought the necessity of revelation with it. Without their leader, they were forced to act as the threat of disbanding would be imminent. Only the loyalists had stayed together, those who were worthy of the cause. They would fight together with him to bring the truth to those who had denied it. They would exterminate the memory of denial. Their brotherhood was nothing that you could agree on and later decline. You were bound for life and if you want to quit, there is only one way. Of course they had been noticed by now. The Memorialists would be grouping up by now, faithful to their stubborn ideology. Nevertheless, his own group was much better prepared for a fight than they could ever be. They had raided their own armory, something Brother Crystalline had prepared decades ago. Already back then, Crystalline had known that a revelation would come at some day. They were delusional to think Forgot would just let his children wander on the path to eternal damnation. No, Forgot would either bring back those willing to rethink their opinion or purge those who didn’t. Their raid had just started and yet they had already captured five families and called six ponies into their ranks to fight with them. Of course, most of those had agreed because the imminent danger towards their life, but after this battle was won, they would easily be assimilated to the brotherhood. Overtaking the homes was one battle to win, but the overwhelming of those who had proven their will to fight was another one. They would assemble somewhere and it would be his time to lead his brothers into a real battle. He would have never thought to be the leader of the revelation. He had always thought brother Crystalline would take that task for him and now… They would pay for what they have done. He looked behind backwards. Hundreds of ponies trotting along him, raiding houses, followed by scared screams of those who stood in their way. The warm pathetic glowing of the torches in the night compared to the bright glimmer of burning houses. He felt the adrenaline rushing through his body, being followed by those masses. They trusted in him, would follow his every step because he had never lost his faith in Forgot. Forgot would give him the power to overcome any traitor. Together with his group of loyalists, he would bring the flame of Forgot into their hearts and homes. Either they would be freed by it, or consumed. His followers were uncoordinated, galloping blindly into the homes of each and every citizen. Without even thinking about their actions, they destroyed valuable goods that could have been harvested afterwards. They trampled down whatever was inside of the homes like a horde of rhinoceros. They started to burn the houses while their brethren were still inside. They didn’t control their anger and hatred and just let it go. Didn’t they realize that the fire they ignited could spread to their own homes? His sheep seemed to have gone mad. Worse than any destruction they left was the pain they inflicted on innocents. Truly, there were traitors out there, but there were also those ponies who had not ever heard of Forgot and blessed his great prophecies. Those ponies had not fallen to Memoria yet and could still be saved. It would only make the act of assimilation much harder if his sheep started rampaging in the houses of innocents. It filled him with shame to see his brethren like this, acting as if they had lost their senses. It almost felt as if they weren’t fighting for Forgot but instead for their own betterment. Swift Haven slowly pushed forwards, well aware of the burning hell that lay before him. The hospital was right there, just along the street. He wouldn’t have dared to turn around this next corner with Sweet Fire if it had not been their last straw to grasp. Sweet Fire’s situation had only went downhill from that one moment in which he had not been there to protect her. Right now, she was barely hanging onto him, leaning all of her weight onto his shoulders. Her soft touch made his heart rampage in his chest. Sure, the wound had been cauterized, but her situation had still worsened. Maybe an infection or the cauterization had not worked as planned! It wasn’t any imminent threat that caused him to hesitate, but the pure display of destruction. The fires were still consuming the dry wood and hay. Soon the whole city would go under in flames if unchecked. He closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the image forming inside of his mind. He shook his head and continued slowly moving forwards, carefully paying attention to the street ahead of him. Nothing. Only the distant trotting of hundreds of hooves. Slowly, he dragged Sweet Fire around the corner, careful not to make any sound. Steadily, hoofstep by hoofstep, they pulled themselves closer to the hospital. While they were making their way at a painstakingly slow pace, the distant noise of hooves on the streets seemed to come… closer? That wouldn’t make sense! They had already been through here, judging by the burnt facades of what had once been beautiful houses. There was no doubt; They were coming closer. He tried to speed up, to reach the hospital before an encounter. While running, there was another question stacking upon the problems bothering his mind: What if there was nopony to care for them in the hospital anymore? He quickly dismissed that question though. They would still be able to take the medicaments and try to treat the wound themselves. At least that is what he hoped for... All of the sudden, Swift accelerated unintentionally and stumbled, feeling the breeze brush over his fur. He no longer felt the weight of Sweet Fire on his shoulders! He turned around, seeing that she had fallen to the ground. The sound of hooves was only coming closer, like a clock ticking away. He rushed over to her and knelt down, berating himself for being so careless. He scanned her, making sure she didn’t have any injuries. Nothing… Nothing except for the harm he had already caused her. He felt horrendously bad, subconsciously brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She was still as beautiful as she had been the very first time they had met... Did he still deserve her? “I… I can’t keep up. You… have to go slower.” Sweet Fire trembled as she raised her head to look into Swift’s eyes. Her eyes were two stars sparkling in the paved grey sky. He could have watched that certain twinkle in her eyes for all eternity if there had not been the imminent danger in the back of his mind. “We need to hurry. They are coming. If they find us out here … “ His voice faded... He didn’t have the strenght to finish that sentence. If they found them out here, they would have no mercy. Still, Sweet Fire couldn’t afford to continue at this pace, but retaining their speed wouldn’t allow them to arrive at the hospital in time. The only possible way to deal with the situation would be to hide somewhere. He looked around: Just the same empty street. Maybe one of the alleys would be fit as a hiding place. The next one was just a couple of hooves away. He could just hope they still had the time. The sound of hundreds of hoofsteps seemed so close… “We have to hide. Over there is an alley.” No more words had to be said. Gently, but steadily. he pulled Sweet Fire along with him. He heard first mumbled voices echoing through the street. The glimmer of torches mixed into the golden glow of the fire. For the last couple of hooves, he just pulled Sweet Fire around the corner. Had it been… “OVER THERE! That alleyway! I have seen some traitors just run into it!” No, they had been discovered! Running from their prosecutors would be impossible. Fighting would be too. If he was going to die, then Sweet Fire should at least see him die fighting, not running. They had run out of options. He slowly turned around to face whomever might come. The hoofsteps closed in. The alley was a dead end, cold and empty. They were standing alone, facing certain death and Equestrian city layout seemed to be rooting for the other side. At least his final moments would be together with Sweet Fire. That thought calmed him down and he was able to stop his heavy breathing. For this fight he would need every piece of clear mind he could get his hooves on. Suddenly, Swift heard an ear-splitting screaming coming from all directions. He took a glance out of the alley and was completely overwhelmed by the picture. The incoming forces were being flanked by two divisions. Both had assembled in the unburned houses of each site and were now shooting and throwing all sorts of projectiles. While the unicorns mostly used levitation to crush their enemies, the earth ponies had a more direct approach. They jumped out of the windows and into the confused crowd and took their share with their heavy hooves. Some even had metal platings to give their hooves the necessary impact. The rebelling pegasi meanwhile flew high up into the air, meeting the Loyalist’s and brutally attempting to bring each other out of balance and throwing them down onto the ground where their bones would be crushed upon impact. Some of the pegasi even had torches or sharp objects tied to their bodies. With those, they tried to burn or pierce the other pegasi in midair. While the loyalists seemed to push the rebel forces back down on the ground, probably due to their heavy weaponry, the rebelling pegasi seemed to overcome their enemies by sheer number. The screams of ponies dieing filled the air, screams of pain and fear and anger. They pierced through the deafening sound of swords crushing bones and steeled hooves crushing heads. It was a horrific disfigurement of sound that reached his ears. The loyalists had started to push parts of the Memorialists back into the buildings, while there were still some places where the Memorialists hold strong. Especially in the air, their high amount of pegasi paid off. While earth ponies and unicorns could hold strong armor, pegasi were limited in that regard. Often having only pieces of leather and a lance, the pegasi were almost similarly armored to the rebelling ponies. The front seemed to shift, bringing more and more loyalist pegasi down. The scream pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked back down, having just observed the flight of the pegasi. An unarmored rebel had just encountered one of the loyalist ponies with a heavy broadsword. The head just fell down, slit exactly at the throat. The pony seemed to fall in slow motion. The impact caused his legs to tremble. He watched the head slowly rolling further towards him. He turned away, not able to bear what he had seen. The realization had finally reached his mind: Getting to the hospital right now was not an option anymore. Fear slowly rose and filled his mind. How would he be able to get Sweet Fire out of this alleyway with this … gruesome battle right in front of it. He took a deep breath in before he could finally bring out any words. “We… We can’t go yet. You have to... stay strong my sweet darling.” It pained him to see how Sweet Fire stumbled to bring out any words and failing even at that. She wouldn’t hold out much longer. He had to do something. He turned around again, just to be greeted by a familiar face. “We have you now!” The laughter that arose from the grimace in front of him precisely matched the ponies name. It was truly shattered, almost sounding like coughing and hacking instead of laughter. While Shattered continued the bone shaking laughter, another pony came around the corner. Bonefire and Shattered Laughter had found them… He looked around again, desperately searching for anywhere else to run. No! They were cornered in by those two ponies! The noise of the battle would overweigh their voices if they screamed for help, but there wouldn’t be anypony having enough time to aid them anyway. “I want your head.” While Shattered Laughter had just displayed pure insanity, Bonefire’s voice struck much harder. The sentence had not been screamed and yet said so loudly that it had pierced through the sound of battle. The tone had not been that of just anger or aggression, but of pure hatred. It caused a shiver to run down his back to think about those words. How w... Before he could finish that thought, Shattered Laughter jumped ahead, a dagger in his hooves. With a quick step aside, Swift just managed to evade the fatal attack. However, Bonefire had already advanced and was threatening him with a short sword now. Although Bonefire’s fierce expression truly disturbed him, he did not tremble. While Bonefire was already taking his next swing at him, Swift had jumped a couple of hooves backwards, avoiding the swishing blade once again. He couldn’t win this fight by sheer luck or strength. There would be only one way to win against such an heavily armored enemy like Bonefire: With some sort of plan. Maybe he could lure Bonefire into the fighting ponies behind him, hoping for a random lance to pierce him up? Too dangerous as that would require himself to join that battle and having the same chance of death. Bonefire seemed to be consumed by hatred… The next movement he could not have predicted. Instead of just swinging his sword, Bonefire actually threw it towards Swift in pure hatred. The sword streaked through the air, and before he could have a chance to evade it, cut a deep wound into his flank and the pain instantly seared into his brain. “Stand still, you abomination of a pony!” His back left leg tried to give into the weight of his own body, but his brain didn’t allow him to fall over. With the blade gone now, Bonefire would be much easier to bring down… If there hadn’t been a gaping hole in his flank. While… Without letting him finish his thoughts, Bonefire came screaming forwards, his face deformed to a horrible grimace. “I got you now!” Bonefire caught Swift Haven sunken in his thoughts. He would show that traitor. He was the prosecutor of Forgot’s law and he brings the justice swiftly to those who deny it. Swift Haven was not only a pony who denied Forgot, not only a disobedient part of the brotherhood, not even only the traitor that had caused the split! No, he was much more than that. He represented everything that Bonefire hated. The ignorance and stupidity. The lightheadedness and this inexplicable happiness. To see this pony betraying the whole brotherhood had only shown what those aspects lead to if combined in a pony. Aspects that had to be purged. Aspects that must be forgotten. He would begin by purging the prime example from this new world of Forgot. With a long jump he managed to throw Swift Haven down onto the cold hard ground. His momentum carried him a little bit closer himself, almost right next to his sword. He picked it up in one fast move, turning the same movement into a critical strike. This time Swift Haven had been careful enough to avoid the imminent attack and yet he had failed to properly evade it. His blade cut through the unholy flesh and crushed the bones of betrayal. Swift Haven dropped like an old sack of potatoes. Bonefire slowly closed in, looking at that rotten piece of filth before him. He pulled his sword up into the air and… He stopped in his movement. Unbelieving, he started to look down onto his own chest. A short piece of metal, covered with his own blood protruded close to three inches out of it. Not willing, not even able to mutter any last words, he turned around. The last thing he heard was the chilling laughter echoing through the streets. Swift Haven had failed her. It wasn’t the imposing figure of Bonefire standing high above him with his sword raised that worried him, it was the fate of Sweet Fire. His death didn’t matter anymore. It would just be one of the casualties, one of the heads rolling towards another pony. It would be nothing but a turn of fate, nothing but what he deserved for his foolishness. He should have never taken that route. He had not only let himself be manipulated, but actually believed in what had been said. Far worse than that was that he had caused Sweet Fire to get curious through his absence. There were so many things that HE could have changed in the past. So many things he could have changed in the future… And now he would be dead… The sizzling of the steel had caused him to close his eyes. His last second took its time. It seemed like an eternity… Nothing. Was he still alive? He could still feel the cold ground beneath him and the soft wind washing over his coat. The sound of steel crashing onto the earth startled him and he opened his eyes in order to see what had caused it. Bonefire… was gone?! Slowly, he pushed his body upwards, until his back leaned against the wall. The wall stabilized his head that had started to swirl a bit upon moving. Lying right in the middle of the street was Bonefire, pierced by a sharp piece of metal that now stuck out of it almost as if somepony had tried to erect a victory flag. Who that somepony was became obvious as Shattered Laughter started to cough and scream in joy. Swift Haven looked around, trying to locate his special somepony. As his eyes found her though, his whole body tensed up. She was lying unconsciously behind Shattered Laughter. The soft skin he had used to let his hoof glide over was completely taken apart. The giant leaping wounds had been cut out to... spell something: ‘All Hail Forgot’ Each and every letter had been sliced with ambulant care. Shattered Laughter had taken the time that he had been dealing with Bonefire to do… this. Now, finally, he vomited to his side. In the last days he had seen a lot, but this… this… this was just unbearable. “Ahh… Swift Haven. I see you like what I did. Don’t worry, I’ll still get her head pierced onto a lance after I am done with you. However, I want you two to still be alive when I peel your skin off. That is why I couldn’t allow Bonefire to finish his dirty work. Your coats will make nice pieces of art, hanging on our altair.” No. NO! NO! Not his Sweety! This pony was beyond insanity. He could still feel the pain and the weakness, but with every second his will became stronger. He forced himself to stand up, not caring for whatever pain that inflicted, whatever wounds that opened. Even if he would die in the attempt to kill Shattered Laughter, it would be worth it. Saving Sweet Fire from such insanity would be worth everything. With a quick, painful step, he arrived at the sword piercing out of Bonefire’s body. He pulled, hearing the bones shatter under his violent grasp. “Do you think you could fight me?” Shattered taunted. Swift Haven stormed forwards, lifting the sword up. It wasn’t heavy anymore. His steps were quick and without hesitation, but wrought with pain, but that didn’t matter. The only thing that still mattered was Sweet Fire. Not his own fight, not even Shattered Laughter, not hatred, anger or disgust. Nothing mattered but protecting Sweet Fire. For her. As soon as the sword had its momentum given to it, it slowly searched its way. At first there was only air to pierce through. Inexpensive, but not satisfying either. When the first hairs were finally cut, it knew that today was a good day. The flesh was soft and tasty. Without losing much of its momentum, it was able to get through that deliciousness. The flesh was always the best part. The next part however, would probably stop it once again. The bones. It had promised to be such a feast… The bones however, seemed to be weak this time. Or maybe it had just had more momentum. The bones were just collapsing apart under the force of its arrival. Then came flesh again. When it had feasted enough, it pierced through empty air again until colliding with hard stone, stopping its movement at once. Swift Haven’s legs finally gave in as he saw the sword landing its mark, cutting through. He had done it. His Sweet Fire would be safe... Nothing else mattered.
AHF: Epilogue AHF: Epilogue The harsh white lights bore down on him relentlessly. His shadow sat unmoving, oblivious to its surroundings. It seemed like an eternity to him, just sitting there and listening to the rhythmic sound of her breath. For how many hours had he been sitting there? Her soft chest moved up and down in a neverending reiteration, taunting his broken mind. Her body seemed so alive and yet her mind did not react to any of his words. He slowly stood up, sick and tired of sitting for so long. His legs felt stiff and his neck seemed to have corroded. Not the long time of sitting had been the reason for his body getting exhausted, but having to watch her like this for so long. Her face was a beautiful sight to behold. His face was only hovering inches above hers, looking upon her empty expression. It still only resulted in the same pain piercing his heart. He stretched momentarily and started to walk away, but he didn’t leave the room. No, he would never leave Sweet again. However, he wasn’t able to bear seeing her anymore. Not like this. Still, his mind forced him to turn around again, to just gaze upon her beauty for a second. Would he ever experience her loving smile again? Would he ever be able to comfort her or show her his affection again? Slowly, these questions turned into daggers, piercing his heart with every step he took. They caused him to stop at her side. His legs lost the ability to keep his weight up and he dropped his heavy body onto her bed. Her face still bedazzled him as it did each and every time he laid his eyes upon her. His gaze slowly wandered along her soft, long hair. He quickly looked away again as he realized where his eyes were heading: The bandages covering the wounds Shattered… No, he had caused. He still could not forgive himself and probably never would. Suddenly he found himself standing in a certain alley once again, looking at his darling being cut apart by vicious blades controlled by a maniac. He shook his head ferociously and yet the image remained. Only the sudden sound of coughing pulled him out of his grim imagination. He looked upon his special somepony, HOPING that it had been more than just coughing. Her eyes however, were still sealed. What he had done was unforgivable. It was unforgettable, even by Crystalline’s holy waters. No, he didn’t WANT to forget it. It would remind him of what was right and what was wrong. He didn’t deserve the privilege of ignorance. His gaze slowly wandered back to her closed eyes. Would she ever forgive him? Would she ever even get the chance to forgive him? She only ignored his words, calmly lying there. She wouldn’t forgive him, and he hated himself for even assuming there was a chance for forgiveness. Even through all of his efforts, his eyes slowly began feeling wet. It would rip himself apart to stay here and yet he couldn’t leave his darling. He had never known such pain. The pain of having betrayed whom he loved. He could no longer hold the tears back. “H… Hey Sweety.” It felt stupid talking to her like this and yet it felt like the right thing to do. It calmed his agitated mind, even though he knew that she could not hear him. Leaving those words behind would not make anything undone, but just maybe he could finally speak what had to be said. Maybe there was a slight chance that she heard it after all… “I… I am not sure how to begin this... Do you remember when we used to lie under the thick branches of the hazelnut tree in front of your house? We used to wonder how such a giant tree could rise from such little seeds. We used to wonder about what beautiful things we would encounter in our lives, and what the future would bring. I think that now we know.” He couldn’t hold back the bitter laughter that had crept up on him. “We had seen the world with different eyes. We had seen beauty and opportunity where we now see the grim face of destruction. The hardest thing about it is, that I know that I was the pony to destroy our beautiful world. I… I want you to know that I am sorry… I am so sorry…” “I… I didn’t want it to end like this. I… I just wanted to forget my troubles. Now I can see that forgetting your troubles is no solution. Why hadn’t I seen it before?! So much pain could have been avoided… You, out of all ponies, had to suffer for my stupidity. Sweety, I can not make anything undone. I can not bring you back… “ He couldn’t continue as the pain grew too big to bear. Only after a minute of sobbing, he made an attempt to say what had to be said. “T… Th… There is no greater pain that the knowledge of having betrayed you. I am so sorry… There is no day passing by without me falling in despair. There is no hour passing by without my mind torturing me with what has happened. There is no second passing by without thinking my heart being ripped apart by guilt. On some days… On some days I wish… I wish I had died…” Her rhythmic breath continued steadily. The wind was still howling outside. How could the world just go on like this? “Without you, I am lost… Do you remember when I first said that? It had been the day of our first date. For the entirety of it, I had acted like a fool. And still you helped me up, showed me the way to your heart and I gave you mine. I think I am lost once again… I wish you could show me the way…” Her chest just kept on moving relentlessly, her eyes still shut. He wished her nice dreams. “It… It was all my fault, Sweet Fire. I… I have ignored you, failed you, betrayed you. There is no apology that could justify what I have done. I… I just want you to know that I am sorry. I love you…” His voice faded as he spoke these last words. Maybe this was the last time that he spoke these words, the last time that he was able to feel anything but pain. His mind slowly drifted away, away from harsh reality. Away to better times, to calming times. Away to her. The sun shone brightly upon him, but it only conveyed the warmth of a summer’s day. There were even some birds chirping in the trees along his road. He had left his worries behind him. The sweet smell of freshly baked cupcakes flowed through the town. In the distance, there was an orchestra playing a beautiful melody. It was the perfect day to ask her. He had prepared everything and yet he felt like a little foal in the big world. He would take her out to a noble restaurant and there he would ask her. It would be the perfect mood, the perfect moment. They would stare each other in the eyes and then he would… Suddenly a wild shadow jumped out of the bushes to his right, causing him to fall over. “Hey! Swift! We need to find the thing at the place!” “AH!! … Oh, hi Sweet. You startled me. The what at the where?” “No time to explain, its arms aren’t going to reattach on their own!” “Wait, wha-” “Come on, let’s go!” Sweet Fire charged off towards an unknown goal. Swift felt his plans shatter before his eyes and yet he couldn’t be angry at her. She was as playful as always, worked up in another of her crazy schemes.They turned corners, dashed through alleys, and hit numerous dead ends. She continued searching however, determined to find… “Sweet, what are you looking for?” Swift said, breathing heavily. “Over the bridge and through the woods, there we shall find the tin pony in the gingerbread house! He lost his arms while eating his christmas pie and needs our help getting put back together. The king and his men couldn’t do it, so it’s up to us. He’ll pay us in plums, but the prize doesn’t matter and can wait because if it were done, best it were done quickly!” “...Oh.” That took more than a moment to register in his mind, and Swift wondered if he had heard her right. It had been more of a stream of random words than anything coherent. They raced past various old houses, reaching the end of town. Where was she going? And how in the hay did she come up with such an obscene idea? She continued galloping down the dirt road, looking every which way, becoming more frantic as she galloped on. Sweet Fire began to slowly lose motivation. Where was the tin pony? The gingerbread house seemed to have gone amiss. Maybe the seventh king would know... She would just need to find the fox fire, which had been stolen by the master of the iron throne. Although that would probably require her to free the five, which would result in the upheaval of the factory of rainbows. Then again, she could ask the whispering dreams of the mirrored world. Suddenly she realized that they were both were standing in another dead-end. “Sweet?” Swift asked, worried about her sudden exorbitant demeanor. Sweet Fire suddenly stopped walking and just stood there, hanging her head. Swift walked around her, and brushed away her mane to reveal a tear soaked face. Swift embraced her, nuzzling her neck. “I… I don’t know … I … “ “Shhh… I am here for you.” Suddenly she stopped and looked into his eyes. He knew that he would never forget the sight of her watered eyes looking at him in hope and trust. “I will always be there for you.” Slowly she moved herself even closer to him, her beautiful eyes still gazing at him. She was the most beautiful pony he had ever seen. He had known it for many years, however now it became most obvious. He really loved her. Although his plans had been destroyed, it still felt like the perfect moment. Any moment together with her felt like the perfect moment to ask her. “Sweet Fire?” “Yes?” Her smile almost left him wordless. Now was the moment, now or never. “Do… Do you want to be my special somepony?” “YES!” He could have sighed in relief if there had not been a mare jumping him over, throwing them both down into the soft bushes. He suddenly found himself lying on the ground, her head only inches away from his. She slowly approached and he couldn’t help but to close his eyes and do the same. Her soft lips caused his mind to explode in joy and love and desire. The whole world seemed to fade and it was just her and him, together in a soft bed of nature… His memories were all that could console him. … No more adventures, happiness or love. … No more comforting, no more playful cheer, no more wonderful images of her mind. ... No more Sweet Fire. … Swift Haven was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard a small noise, and looked up… “Sweet Fire…” he whispered. Author's Note This simple little memory mishap started the whole idea: “I have to… forgot.” - EnderBlaze “You have to forgot, I have to forgot, we all have to forgot. All hail forgot!” - Dream Whisper Thank you for making that joke, Dreamy :D Never before has my forgetfulness been so productive ^_^ And thank you for being an awesome co-author, Endy… Well, Endy sounds strange… Errm… Just thank you :) MUAHAHA! My name is unnicknameable! >:) This is a collaborative effort. That means that we indeed had some fun: The sleepy sitting Swift swiftly swooshed skywards to switch the light switch, shrouding the shrinking shackles of shame and seclusion. Sweet swooned, and sprang steadily and shared a smooch with Swift. Shifty eyes and shrieking shudders… Shit! She should have shopped saturday since sunday seemed slightly shameless to shop at. He was a burnt branch of a broken tree with a buzzing beehive of blue berries being brought behind big black bridges! Try saying those aloud :D Words that happened to amuse our caffeine-filled minds in hours of writing: Incandescenceincandescence, expoliteraryationingly, and permisheses. Most of this was written at like midnight. :/ And before I forget it, I (Dream Whisper) had some fun torturing the dear EnderBlaze with some of my nicest italics. Grrrr. I (EnderBlaze) don’t understand why he uses them. He still refuses to explain it. In conclusion: I (me), am very proud of how this evolved into such a great (and long XD) story. I can’t thank Dreamy enough for providing wonderful ideas and stuff and things when I can’t think of things and stuff or ideas! Eny grate story needs to things: A greeeeaaaat author and a even greaterer editur :D ~ Last sentence edited by EnderBlaze ~ Thank you all so much for giving this story a chance and reading to the end. And remember, breaking rules means cutting heads!
