Little Redd: the Lost Concept of Peace

Chapter Twenty

Those She'd Wronged

Hawk's lips were soft, slowly deepening the embrace.  Redd's heart fluttered, and they slowly broke apart.  Both of their eyes were large, blinking a few times before they shied away from each other.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn'tve-- " she began.

"No, no.  I kissed you.  I was too headstrong, and I didn't... "

Hawk Eye slowly smiled, and nudged her playfully in the shoulder.

"Call it a draw?"

Redd burst out laughing, and she shook a dry leaf out of her mane.

"Agreed.  But, you, uh... "

She flushed.  He cocked his brow, sharing her grin.

"'But I, uh,' what?"

"... You're a, uh... brilliant liplocker."

He smirked.

"You mean 'kisser'?"

The shade of red playing across her cheeks deepened, and she glanced away.

"Yeah.  That."

His smirk spread into a grin.

"Well, that's wonderful to know, because that's the first time I've ever kissed a girl."

She stared at him.  Suddenly what he said clicked in his ears, and he flushed.

"N-- not that I've kissed a guy before, just thought that, uh, well, you're beautiful.  And you're a girl... I don't know why I had to throw that in there, it just felt right, but I can swear that I've never-- "

He was interrupted by her laughter, and he shot her an incredulous look.

"Are you getting off on this?"

She looked at him, that spark that had persuaded him to sing earlier present in her eyes.

"You could say that.  Or... "

Redd smiled the insecure look on his face.

"... you could experience it."

She leaned over and kissed him again, still walking along the road as they left the Everfree.  She suddenly yelped as she tipped forward, and he caught her, maintaining the kiss the entire time.  Pulling out of it, he opened his eyes, and wrapped his arms around her.

"You need to watch where you're going."

Nopony besides her mother had really been concerned for her well-being enough to scold her for tripping before.  That, and she had hardly been picking her hooves up at all, walking along dreamily.  She wasn't used to being in love, nor was she used to being loved.  This realization baffled her as the two made their way into Ponyville, the morning sunlight bouncing across them like a giddy child.

Hawk Eye kept stealing glances at her from the corner of his eye, a strange mix of emotions equipped within his chest.  Affection, intrigue, happiness, and of course protectiveness.  It was during one of these glances that he accidentally locked eyes with her.  His gaze snapped back to the road, and both of them flushed.

Was she watching me too?

"What's up, bro?"

Hawk and Redd jumped, and turned to find Eagle Eye trotting up from behind them.  His armor was absent as well, his snow white coat standing in stark contrast to his jet black mane.  Like his brother his mane was long and unkempt, but he had a cowlick that kept it out of his eyes.  His cutie mark was very similar to Hawk Eye's; an ocean blue bird of prey curled around the golden blade of a sword.

Eagle cocked a brow, a humorous expression laid across his face.

"Did I interrupt you two, or am I just quieter than I thought?"

Hawk Eye hesitated.

"I... no, what's up?"

The fact that Hawk's tongue kept stumbling over itself didn't help his situation.  Eagle's cocky grin widened, and he shrugged innocently.

"Nothin'.  Just thought I'd tell Redd that I now know that Scootaloo is not by any means an egghead.  She's a good counterbalance for you," he said, nodding to Redd at that last part.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"And, may I ask, what is that supposed to mean?"

Eagle swallowed, and he could feel a bead of sweat develop on his forehead.

"I-- I, uh, not that you're a nerd, just saying you two make good friends, and you should probably, uh... stick with her."

She smiled, letting the intimidating mask vanish.

"Although I appreciate the observation, Eagle Eye, I already know that."

He released a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding, and wiped his brow.  Hawk Eye laughed.

"Never, never in my life have I seen you so worked up."

Eagle Eye nodded.

"She's a keeper," he said, winking at Hawk and turning off towards the marketplace.

Redd rolled her eyes, and returned her attention to the dark stallion striding along beside her.

"So what do you want to eat?"

Hawk shrugged as his brother ran back up to them, panting.

"Oh, and Scootaloo said that if I saw you to let you know that Discord wants to meet," he said, lowering his voice.

"Later!"

He trotted off, going back in the direction he came.  Redd sighed and kept walking.

He's probably sick of waiting, right along with everypony else that's there.

She scowled.

Especially Brook.

Finally her obligations outweighed her current desires, and she sighed again, turning to Hawk Eye.

"I'll be back in about an hour.  You should probably go see the Captain about preperations while I'm gone."

She closed her eyes, and felt the red coat slide over her as a distant be careful reached her ears.

Thankfully, the landscape of Dark Ponyville hadn't changed since Redd had left the day before.  She stepped onto an unfamiliar road, suddenly realizing that she had gotten lost before she came here.

Ballucks.

She stepped through the overgrown streets all too weary of the potholes and bumps in her path, courtesy of the plunderseeds strewn across the road thousands of years ago.  Her hoof snagged on one of the thorns, and she yelped as her bandage was torn away.  Droplets of blood hit the street and she swore again, gathering the stares of the few ponies in the area.  Glancing up, she locked eyes with Ditzy Doo, the only pony she knew out of the small group around her.  The former mailmare was broken, to say the least.  She sat in the rain leaned against a decrepit barber's, the occasional tear blending with the raindrops on her cheeks.  Put simply, the wingless Pegasus was dead inside.  Faithless.  Hopeless.

Redd turned away, biting her lip.  The rain drowned out her whispers, though Ditzy could still hear her.

"I'm sorry... "

Redd continued down the road, paying her bleeding wounds no mind as she watched the empty souls around her.

Wretched.  Damned.  That's what I am.  I am a demon.  I am a coward.

She knew now wasn't the time to beat herself down, but she couldn't stop the thoughts from blasting through her mind like a locomotive, carrying steam and fury with every stop it made.

Destructive.  Heartless.  Reliable.  Painful.  Deadly.  Accurate.  Loyal.  Beautiful.  Brave.  Definitely ain't thick in the head.

She gasped as Applejack's voice rang through her ears, and she was suddenly reminded of why she was here in the first place.

To help those she'd wronged.