“Sometimes I wonder…” Silver quietly spoke. “If you could see how far I’ve come…” he shut his eyes tight for a moment and a single tear ran down his right cheek. “Would you be proud of me?”
Art by: Noble Savage (Deviant art: thatdamntenpin)
Silver stared into the eyes of the late Blizzard Strike: his captain, his father, his hero. In Blizzard Strike's dying moments, was he disappointed in him? I would be Silver thought. He looked at his old friends’ photos, all seven of them and remembered how he had forsaken them, how he had left them all for dead.
He started to walk back to his room. Although on the outside he seemed just the normal Silver, with his stern frown, his perfect posture and his glaring blue eyes that could intimidate Celestia herself. On the inside, he was being crushed by a hurricane of emotions: regret, sadness and anger washed all over him like a wave. As he walked down the busy and bustling corridor, he knew he should have heard the chatting and talking of the ponies around him, but all he could hear was the constant screams of agony from his fellow comrades as they were tortured to death all those years ago. He knew he should see the brightly lit hall and pegasi flying around, but all he could see was hell's fire. He knew he should feel the cool draft coming from the nearby open window but, all he felt was the agony of when he nearly burned to death all those years ago, all he could feel was that traumatic experience that drove the old wonderbolt to cowardice.
Silver entered his room. Once he closed the door behind him, he slumped to the floor beside it and started to cry. The physical agony of a drake fire was nothing compared to the emotional agony of living with the guilt of the partial responsible for his companions deaths. Then why he screamed internally did the physical agony reduce him to a shivering wreck, turning him from a bold lion to a cowering mouse. And the the greater pain forced him to be stronger, put on a fearless charade, helped him hide so that while others called him a hero, an inspiration and master of his skill, he was nothing but a sniveling coward. "ARRRRRRHHHH" he yelled out in frustration while grabbing a trophy that read "For Spectacular Bravery".
"LIES" he screamed while throwing the trophy so hard against a wall it broke in two.
He was weeping his eyes out now. He hadn't cried like this in over a decade and now as he cried all the pent up frustration: anger, sadness and worry flooded out of him. It felt awful and wonderful at the same time, It was a sort of satisfying pain like pulling out a splinter or pushing oneself to complete a target or goal.
Silver's mind was filled with flying images of Blizzard Strike and all his best friends, He remembered every party, every time the laughed, every time they just enjoyed each other's company. They were more his friends they were his family. "Why did you have to go?" were his last word before falling into a deep slumber.
Silver started to dream of a time long past, a time he wished he could forget but didn't know how. the ground was hot beneath his hooves. The land was a desolate wasteland, the trees around him were blacked and burning. Smoke stung his eyes as he choked on the toxic air, In one swift move he launched off into the dark sky, from the silent air was split as a scream rang out from from behind him, The scream was so familiar it made him sick, he slowly turned around and saw a sight that chilled him to the bone, Blizzard Strike and all his friends were lying helplessly on the burnt ground a look of terror and pain in their eyes as fifteen drakes descended upon them, they would be dead in seconds. Silver took to the sky and buck one of the Drakes in the jaw. The drake howled in pain and fury, now all the drakes were coming after him! The Drakes eyes were glowing amber, he knew they would kill him and it wouldn't be quick and it wouldn't be painless. Every cell of Silver body was screaming, his bravery was burning away like his flesh had burned away all those months ago, all he could remember was the agony as his skin blistering under the drakes fire and another drake was only meter away. Fear caved in on him and he fled as fast as he could fly, he hid out of sight and the drakes went back to their original prey.
SIlver sat in the darkness cowering in fear as listened to the bone chilling screams of his friends as one by one they were slowly burned to death, Silver felt sick, while he loathed the monster that did this to his comrades, but he also hated himself for allowing it to happen. He listen to the last of the screams as cold sweat dripped down his muzzle mixed with warm, salty tears.
As the sun came up, Silver cautiously snuck out of his hiding place and flew over to where they had died he had to see it for himself.
The air was heavy, black ash and flames littered to dead land, seven blacken corpses lay on the ground, barely recognisable "Your fault" a voice said from the shadows, Silver gasped
"Who's there?"
"Coward" the voice accused, slowly one of the corpse got up, It was a stallion and it had a golden badge attached to the ragged, burned and ripped wonderbolt uniform, Silver stared into it dark hollow green eyes
"Blizzard Strike" Silver choked
"How dare you utter his name" a voice shrieked from behind him, Silver turned to see the corpse of a mare standing a couple meter away from him.
"Please, I'm sorry" Silver pleaded. Slowly the remaining five corpses slowly got up.
"YOUR FAULT" the howled in unison
"NO!!!" Silver cried.
"If you hadn't been a little sniveling coward" Blizzard Strike shouted while pushing Silver over and repeatedly kicking in the gut "We would still be alive"
"Im sorry" Silver cried, the corpse surrounded him "I'm sorry" he screamed, "I'm sorry" he yelled, shear terror and guilt ringing through the blackened trees. Tears dripped down his face as he was enveloped in the shadows.
"AHHHHHHHHHH" Silver screamed as he woke up, without thinking, he sprung to his hooves and flew off into the darkness.
The night sky was an inky black and the stars littered around the sky were the only source of light. He flew into a small forest to the east of the compound and ducked and flew through the tree. Tears were streaming off his face and into the air. He eventually reached a clearing, seven ivy covered stone slabs poked out the ground. Silver flew over to one side of the clearing and pick a hoof full of snowdrops. He then proceeded to place a few on each grave, he stopped at the final grave, it read "Blizzard Strike" he placed the last bunch of flowers by the grave stone.
"Im sorry" he whispered into the night and he was almost sure he heard a soft
"I know" in return. Silver sat on his flank by Blizzard Strike grave and slowly cried silver tears.
