Heart Flash trots along the riverbank, hanging her head down. Her eyes shows no sparks that normally has on each one of living pony, only loneliness and sadness splatters to her figure. Her golden mane doesn’t shine like it used too, 500 years ago. It was full of locks and tip of it sticking out. Her reddish orange doesn’t even flare like most ponies with that kind of coat does.
“ Nightrain…” She muttered, “Sunrise…”
She sighed. Stopping in her track, she stares down to the reflection of herself in the river. Slowly, her reflection changes to one of her memories, she saw them. Her friends. In the reflection, they look younger, maybe in childhood. They were playing with her. What was that game called? She thought about it for a moment. She shrugged.
“…I can’t even remember…” She tried to laughed at herself, but couldn’t. She just end up in tears.
“I can’t even remember the bucking game…” She muttered, tears runs down, freely. Like the river. The tears fell on a growing dandelion. Its’ sparkles under the ray of celestial sun.
“Why…” Stopped.
“Why…” She repeated, but stop yet again. ‘Thank you’ the small, growing dandelion spoke in it softest voice. Heart Flash didn’t hear it and keeps on crying. She curls herself into a ball. She glances at her flank.
A crimson heart and a yellow lightning bolt behind it. That what she got as her ‘special talent’. When she was a filly and got every foals’ dream; a cutie mark, a few ponies says that it shows she would do anything to save her loved one. She believes it then. Now, she likes to believe it but, even she knows what it’s meant. Taking lifes of other ponies.
She closes her eyes tight. Memories floats through her mind. Their naught. The sleepovers. Their very own cutie marks. The first lesson. Everything roaming in her mind. “Why didn’t any of you just say ‘yes’!!? It just that easy!” She screamed. “Things could’ve been different!!”
Flashback
“I’m scared, Heart.” Nightrain stares at the white ceiling. The alicorn was taken aback.
“What?”
“I’m scared…” She repeated. Coughing. Her tired eyes stills staring at the ceiling. Heart Flash also stares at it. There’s nothing out of ordinary. Sure, there’s a few souls that roams around, but Nightrain couldn’t possibly see it. She’s a normal unicorn.
Unlike other ponies, alicorns are far more special. They already have their very own destiny. For example; Celestia, the goddess of the Sun and Luna; the goddess of the Moon and Star. Alicorns can not changes their destiny. Even her. But, Unlike Celestia and Luna, their age would soon come to an end. Her, she would keep going and going to the very end of the world, as long as there pony die.
“Why?” She asked, as if she doesn’t know the answer. She strokes the old, dying mare’s mane. Back in the early years, Nigthrain were the most beautiful mare that everypony ever seen. A blue with a bubblegum streak running down her mane and tail. Baby blue coat. A bright pink pair of irises that beams a wanting for more knowledge.
Her personalities were also charming. She loves to learn, expected. She’s the most independent out of them three. She was a mother-like attitude; cook, clean, knitting, etc. Nightrain has a little pegasus sister, from her father side, called Music Glow. She loves her sisters so much, that she would even learn the wings’ form magic, just to fly together.
But, she also has her down-side, she obsessed with carrots. Lots and lots of carrots. Whenever Heartflash went to her hous, she saw an infinite carrots’ stock. From small too big. Common and rare. Orange to white to green, she doesn’t even want to know where the green one came from.
“What is it up there? Am I good enough? When we up there does it mean that we’ll stop learning? What if I don’t belong up there? What if I can’t find Sunrise there?” She asked, in the speed of sound. She stares deeply, searching for some answer.
The true is she doesn’t really know what’s up there. Despite that she leads the souls through the bridge in between life and death. She could go up there if she wants to see it. But it’ll take thousands of years when she reaches back. It tempting, but not as worth as leaving her friends.
“You know I can give you a life of an immortal,” Heartflash softly whispers into those old ears. Nightrain raises an eyebrow before shakes her head.
“Thanks, but no. I can’t take it, you know that,” She said, “If I took it, the world would be unbalanced. In the life cycle of the world, ponies have to die in born of new ones. Besides, would it be fair to other ponies if I got to live forever?”
Heartflash wasn’t surprised. She have expected them coming from the old unicorn. Her sights began to blur with tears. She blinks them away. She gazes upon the clock on the wall.
12:04 pm.
Two more minutes. She gulped. She looks back at the coughing mare. She was afraid, now. Not for the coughing fit, but he time that almost up and she have to do her job. She closes her eyes, taking a deep breathe and let go before taking in another one. She needs to calm down. Suddenly, she feels something squeeze her around the neck. She opens her eyes, and saw Nightrain was hugging her.
“It’s going to be okay, Heartflash.” Nightrain comforted her. She returned the hug. Tight. She didn’t realize that tears running down her cheeks.
“I’m not ready for this, Night…” She mumbles in tears. Nightrain pats her back and pull away from the embrace. She lays back down. Heartflash wipes her tears.
“Neither am I…” Her voice fades away. She returned back to staring the ceiling. “Nopony will. But that what we all need to face in the end of the day. In the end of life. Death.”
“But you can live for as long as you want if you just accepted my offer.” Heartflash stammered. Nightrain shakes her head again. Smiling.
“Even if we live long enough, we won’t be ready. So, no, I’ll choose to embrace the death of mine.” She stopped for a second. “Heartflash, could you promise me something?”
“Anything.” Her horn began to lit up with green glow. She slowly, touches the tip of Nightrain. Hers also glow, in pink. Heartflash and Nightrain eyes met for one last time.
“Whatever you do, please don’t fall into the shadow…” She drifted off. Her horns began to sparks. Nightrain jolts for a second and her eyes widen before slowly closing. Nightrain stares at the souls of her friend came out of her body.
“Promise…” She heard. The souls vanished. She gazes once more at the clock.
12:06 pm.
“Promise.” She whispers to the dead friend. She covers the body with a blacket. Then, focusing her magic, she disappears in lime green light.
End of Flashback
She sighed and wipes away her tears. She glances at her very reflection. Standing on her hooves, she uses her magic to splashes herself with the river water, a few times and shakes herself dry. Looking around she found back the direction and began to trot again. Being an alicorn means you’re a combination of Earth pony, Pegasus and unicorn, which make her can fly into the sky and head straight for Ponyville, which far easier that to trot. Alicorn can also use magic to teleport there. She always wonders why she likes to just trots along the way. She’s neither afraid of height nor falling. Or that she don’t know how to teleport. She always wonders about that.
Shaking her head, she focuses on the main reason she’s here for. She was suppose to reach for Ponyville an hour ago. To find a certain old, sick mare. What was her name? She thought Ah right, Granny Smith.
Heartflash was only outside the town of Ponyville. She was hesitating. And she doesn’t know why. It isn’t like this is her first time. She had been to many towns like this before. Maybe, it’s the sun. Or Celestia’s prize student, Twilight Sparkle. Hm, could be both.
Oh, for the love of Luna Moon. Maybe her look. Ponies aren’t use to seeing alicorns. Exception to the Princesses and Queen Chrysalis, is she even a pony? She shrugged. It might be a little odd, for an alicorn to just going on about like that. Celestia’s prize student probably going to notice and send a letter to the Princess about her. Yes, she knows about the letter thingy. Well, she knows it from a record about her.
Then again, Celestia does know about her. So, maybe she’ll tell about it. Hmm, Celestia would do that, but then, Twilight Sparkle would starts to ask her too many questions. Maybe if she just ignores her, she’ll be fine. Who knows?
So, finally have her decision make, Heartflash makes her way into the town. When she there, she takes a quick look around. Everypony was staring and whispering. When she focuses on a mare with a lyre as her cutie mark, she quickly looks away. Heartflash continue on trotting.
Where to? Wonder where is the farm anyway? She thought. Hourseapples! She should have written that down. Where is the guidepony when you need it? She looks around again. Then, she heard a loud buzzing sound.
“Lady, Look out!!!” A filly voice shouted. In her reflexes, she zaps to the sky, in main second. Before something fast past where she is standing.
“Woah!! Woah!! Woah!!” “Scootaloo! Watch out!” “Somepony! Help!!” All three little voices said at the same time. Heartflash look at the three fillies; one on the scooter, two in a wagon that tied to the scooter’s back. She takes her gaze up to the road in front. A tree. A really big one.
“Hang on, little one!!!” She flew toward the three. Fast. Ponies that saw this quickly move out of the way. Who didn’t was thrown away from the impact. Heartflash caught the poor ponies with her magic and setting on the ground, safely.
“Who in the right mind would plant an enormous tree here!?” She thought out loud. Somewhere in Equestria, a green pony with yellow mane sneezes. Another pony, with blue mane and white coat hands her a handkerchief.
Heartflash focuses her magic to form a giant lion paw. Then, make a grab on the three. She manages to grab the two on the back. She heard the two gasped. Throwing both of them on her back, she focuses on the third. She tried to make a grab for her. But missed.
“Scoot!!!”
She glances at the giant tree. The filly needs to be saved now! She flutters her wings faster. Slowly nearing to the orange filly’s side. She looks at the pegasus filly. Her eyes were glassy. Her hooves reach out and grab the little filly.
She makes a sharp turn to the right. Just before, any of them crashes the tree. The scooter and wagon couldn’t be safe, though. It was a loud crashing. The scooter was crushed between the wagon and tree.
Heartflash slowdown before she landed. She uses her magic to lift the fillies down to the ground. The three fillies stared up to her. The orange pegasus blinks away the tears before the other two saw it.
“Thanks, Miss alicorn!!” The filly with the red bow said.
“We own you our life!!” The unicorn filly added.
“Yeah, it was awesome!! Almost like Rainbow Dash!!” The pegasus nodded. Heartflash blushes a bit. Then, she smiled at the three.
“Thank you,” She replied, “May I asked what’s your name?”
“Ah’m Applebloom. This is my friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. And we’re,”
“The Cutie Marks Crusaders!” The three shouted together.
Heartflash chuckles, “My name is Heartflash. Why are little fillies like you doing something as such?” The fillies head hung in embarrassment.
“Well, you see, Miss Heartflash. We wanted to our own cutie marks, so we’re doing anything to have it. But each time ain’t worked for us.” Applebloom said in her Texas accent.
“And then, we came up with this idea; Getting fast enough to beat the speed of sound.” Sweetie Belle continued.
“But then, everything gone wrong, the brake didn’t work and we can’t slowdown. But then, you came in, and save the day!!!” Scootaloo finished. All three of them look up at her.
“I understand.” She looks to her left. An orchard… Wait an orchard!!
“Listen, you don’t have to rushes through things like finding a cutie mark, you just have to lay back and relax, and it’ll come to you. So, now just have fun. Okay?” She winked. The three nodded.
“We will, Miss Heartflash.” Applebloom smiled.
“How you got your cutie mark?” Scootaloo asked. Pointing at her flank. Heartflash thinks for a moment. Should I? It’ll probably waste my time, but then again, it will be till the next two day. I guess I’ll give it a try. She agreed with herself.
“Well, I don’t really remember how it happened, it have been a long time.”
“Awe, please, miss Heartflash!” Applebloom pleaded with her puppy-dog eyes. All of them did it.
“Okay, it happened about roughly 500 years ago…”
“Heart, could you do something for me?” my mother called.
“Yes, mother.” I answered as I walked next to my mother, knitting something. She looks at me, smiled dearly.
“Could you could find some seaweed, I’m making seaweed with mushroom soup.” I was thrilled. It is my most favorite dish, so, I quickly nodded. I grab my saddle bag and place it on my back. I was about to run out, but then, I remembered. I turn back and nuzzle my mother cheek. Then, I ran out.
I was still couldn’t use my wings. But my magic is something that I was good at. When I reach seaside, I used my magic to form a staircase toward one of the clouds. Giving it a little time to adjust, I just climb myself up there. No sweat. Then, making another form; this time fishing net, I scoop deep into the sea. I spun it a little bit and pull it up. There’s some a load of them. There’s isn’t any fish because I already put on the spell on my fishing net, or is it seaweed net? She puts the seaweeds into her saddle bag. Ah, I’ll wash it later. I thought to myself.
“Hey, down here!!!” I heard a familiar colt voice. I took a quick peek down from the cloud. Down there, I saw my friend, Maple Sunrise. He’s a weird kind of pegasus. When normally pegasus would like to fly up high, he just loves to stay on the ground, reading and do researching about plant and it uses.
“He sounds like Fluttershy.” Sweetie Belle stated. The other two shushed her. “Sorry.”
“Hey, Sunrise.” I waved.
“What you doing up there?” He asked.
“Seaweeding.” I answered. Giggling at his confuse face.
“What’s a seaweeding?”
“Oh nothing. What are you doing here?” I asked him back, while I was walking down the form stairs.
“I was looking for Nightrain. Have you seen her?” I shook my head no. Nightrain was also a friend of mine, she a unicorn. She loves to draw. Especially flowers and mountain views. Oh, and she loves to eat carrots.
“I think you should look for her by the old mansion, she did said that she wants to draw it.”
Sunrise eyes brighten. “Thanks, Heartflash.”
“Sure, say ‘hi’ to her, for me,” I said, galloping away from where he is. At the same time, I flap my wings. Just for a flying try. Even though it didn’t work, I just keep on doing so. Little my father always said; if first you didn’t succeed, tries and tries again.
That’s when suddenly, I smelled smoke. I knew something was up, because my house wasn’t far from there. So, dropping my saddle bag, I began to gallop at full speed. The speed of a filly could carry herself. As I nearing my house, I saw a thick black smoke going into the sky. The smell was also thick, that I coughed.
When I reaches there, my home as on fire. I couldn’t help but to think the worse. With a bravery of a filly, I throw myself into the house. Into the fire. In there, I began searching my mother. From the first and second room, I couldn’t find her.
“Help!!” I heard somepony screams. I headed for the voice. In the kitchen, I found my mother lying on her side. I got to her side. Shaking her.
“Mother! Wake up! You got to wake up! The fire!” I screamed. She coughed and open her eyes.
“Heart…” My mother voice could barely hear from the fire crackling. I couldn’t help but felt scared. I cried. How could something like this happen. The fire was nearing to us. I stayed closed to my mother. The roof was also daring to fall on both of us.
But then, it happened. A giant sparks appears on my horn and both of us were somewhere else. I was surprised. What had happened? Then, I blanked out.
“You blanked out? Just like that?” Scootaloo raised her eyebrow. Heartflash nodded.
I couldn’t remember why I was blank out but, when I woke up, a lot of ponies including my friends talks about my bravery into save my mother life and endanger mine. Then, I felt a warm sensation on my flank. They gasped when they saw it. I take a look at it and saw my very own cutie mark; A red heart and a yellow lightning bolt behind.
I was speechless and felt kind of ironic when my name was Heartflash. All ponies said that the shown of ready to risk my own life for the safe others. I was so proud and happy that I flew to the midair and do a loop. And that also my very first flight.
The three stare at Heartflash with unblinking eyes.“You have your cutie mark based on your name?”
“yes.”
“That is so awesome!” Scootaloo squeals.
“I got an Idea! We could find our own cutie marks based on our name.” Applebloom told them the idea. All three of them grinned.
“Cutie Marks Crusader Talent Based of Name!!” The three ran off. “Thank you, Miss Heartflash!!” All three of them shouted. Heartflash blinks in surprise at their sound volume. The she shakes her head and make her way to the barn. But then, she stops for a moment. Her horn lit up so as the crushed scooter and wagon. They were slowly fixing and was as good as new. She smiles and continue going toward her destination.