All I Had to do was Stop

This has to be a dream, right? A horrible nightmare at that. I'm sitting in a seated position with my eyes shut tight, I at least know that much. I also like to think I'm not stupid enough to pass a stopped school bus as a foal tries to hop off and cross the street. I would never do such a thing, right? Okay, deep breaths, open my eyes and...there's a steering wheel right in front of me. Looking down further, I see that both of my back hooves are firmly holding the brake pedal to the floor. Okay, keep it together, Creampuff, just calm down, gather your bearings and assess the situation.

The first thing I do from there is reach for my shift lever on the steering column and put the car in park. Okay, good, now I'll turn on the hazard lights. Oh, Celestia, my adrenaline is rushing so bad, I feel like I'm high or something, not that I'd really know what that's like. Hold on, now I hear sirens off in the distance. This is a quaint little town, that's really out of place. It sounds like the every emergency responder in the village is on its way here. What's with all the shouting behind me? Better look in the rearview and see what's going on.

The school bus is still stopped in its tracks and just like before, its red lights were flashing and the stops sign lighting up just the same. Looking ahead and to my side, I could see ponies rushing from out of their nearby houses and galloping over to the bus, every one of them sporting the look of horror. I need to get out and get to the bottom of this. Oh, Celestia I'm shaking like crazy, I need to calm down.

"Heeelllp!! Somepony hehehelp!!" The voice of a stallion screamed from behind me as I slowly opened my door and stepped out of my car. "Oh, Celestia, nohohohoho!!"

The driver of the school bus, an older, gray maned stallion, I'd say around his sixties was sitting on his rump in the road was sobbing like a maniac as he gently cradled the little colt whom I had just made eye contact with moments ago. The only thing I could think to do was just stand there and gawk as I watched the asphalt beneath the young foal become covered in blood that dripped from his seemingly lifeless body. The sirens were getting much closer now and a set of skid marks on the road right where the two ponies were caught my eye.

As I still tried my best to calm myself and come down from my adrenaline high, my eyes followed the skid marks on the road and the sudden realization finally hit me when I saw the marks lead right to my car. I just passed a school bus and ran over a colt as a result. As I turned back to the bus driver wailing in anguish as he held the colt who rode his bus, my back legs gave out and I involuntarily plopped my ass on the ground and covered my mouth with my forehooves. I wanted to do something, but what? What could I possibly do to help in a situation that I had just caused?

"Mr. wheels, is Clutzy okay!?" A little filly who had stepped off the bus called over, a few other concerned fillies and colts standing close behind.

"Oh, Celestia, kids, don't look!" The bus driver, apparently named Wheels screamed, trying to keep innocent foals from seeing their friend in such a state as tears flowed down his face. "J-just get...get back on the bus! You don't wanna see this!"

"But, I just wanna know if he-"

"Just get back on the bus!!"

It was all happening so fast, yet painfully slow at the same time. Finally however, the sirens that once played a distant tune closed in and the first emergency response unit to arrive were two Trottski village police cars, one right after the other. The second the two black and whites screeched to a halt, four officers jumped out and rushed over to the main priority of the situation. One officer tried to check on the colt as two of them got to work setting up a parameter in which to direct traffic flow around the scene.

Before I could even think to speak to anypony about what I had just done, more police cars and an ambulance arrived soon followed by fire and rescue squad. It was horrible, such a quiet and quaint little town being turned into such a mess and all because of me. Now that there were paramedics present to attend to the poor little guy I just hit with my car, the police could keep the road under control and it even looked like they were interviewing ponies who saw me do it. Surely I was next.

"There she is! That's her!" The older bus driver shouted as he and the local police chief came galloping towards me, the former pointing his hoof as if branding me with a mark of shame. "She's the one who did it! She ran over Clutzy!"

"I...I-I didn't mean it, I swear." Were the only words I could manage to force out of my mouth as I sat there, shaking.

"Miss, I need you to step over there with me." The police chief said firmly. "I need to get a statement from you. First, pull your car to the side of the road but don't you dare try to go anywhere, you understand?"

"Y-yes sir."

Still a shaking, shivering mess, I trotted back to my car as the town's highest ranking police officer followed right behind and entered the driver's side door before putting the still running car into drive. The chief not only watched me like a hawk but also steered my car to the side for me by enveloping my steering wheel with his unicorn aura as to not allow me to leave the scene. After my car was pulled to the side, he also used his aura to shift it into park, shut the engine off and yank my keys out of the ignition. It was quite clear that he didn't trust me but after the shit that I'd just pulled, I can't say I blame him.

"Alright, step out." The chief said firmly. "Now, follow me over to my patrol car. I'll need your license, registration, and insurance information."

"S-sir, please tell me he's okay." I stuttered as I did as I was told by the officer of the law.

He didn't answer me but I wanted to...no, needed to know if the little guy was going to be alright. I'm not sure if he just didn't hear me or simply wanted to spare all but getting down to business and to the bottom of what happened. Still, I couldn't help but look over at the scene and stare back, hoping that the young foal would start saying something. Finally, the chief and myself were standing face to face next to his black and white car as he flipped through the paperwork I had presented to him. After he was satisfied, he the set the cards down onto the hood of his car, pulled a notepad and pen from his pocket and looked me dead in the eye.

"You mind telling me your side of the story, Miss Lime?" The chief asked me as he prepared to jot down my statement.

"W-well, I...I..." I stuttered.

"You...what?"

"I was...driving and...I saw the bus but it hadn't stopped yet and...I thought I could pass it before-"

I then turned my focus back to the scene where it looked like the paramedics were trying to resuscitate the colt. If I was worried before, I was ready to toss my heart up along with my lunch.

"What gave you that idea?" The chief asked. "What made you think for a second that was okay to do? Hey, look at me, you've gotta tell me what happened, alright?"

"Sir, I swear, I had no idea this would happen." I whimpered as tears started running down my cheek. "P-please, I just wanna know if that colt is oka-"

"For your own sake, you'd better damn well hope he is! So then what?"

"I...I saw him in front of me...he came out of nowhere and-"

"Came out of nowhere. And I suppose you're trying to put the blame on that little colt you just plowed over with your car, is that it?"

"N-no!! I know that this is my fault!! I feel horrible!!"

"You'll be feeling a lot worse if that foal doesn't make it. Alright, I think I've got enough of a statement, just sign the bottom, go have a seat in your car, and wait for me. I'll be holding onto your keys."

Again, I did as I was told and trotted over to my car where I then took a seat and watched the scene unfold via my rearview mirror. As I watched the medical responders work tirelessly to help save the colt I just hurt, the realization, the true severity of the situation slowly sank in. I watched as the police chief trotted back over to render his own aid while the rest of his officers interviewed witnesses and directed traffic. Ponies that drove by could plainly see what was going on and it didn't take a genius to know that the tire marks on the road that lead from the foal lying in the road to where my car was parked were mine.

"Keep moving, everypony!" An officer hollered between blows of his whistle. "No rubbernecking, keep it moving!"

I couldn't bear to make eye contact with any of these ponies, they all know what I just did. A sudden commotion in the form of a frustrated medical worker pounding his hoof against the side of an ambulance shifted my attention back to the scene that I just caused. This doesn't look good. Not in the slightest. They had the colt placed on a stretcher and everypony had suddenly started removing their hats. It was when one of the medics slowly and gently placed a blanket over the colt, covering his entire body that my heart sank to a new low I've never experienced before.

This just can't be happening. The only reason they would cover his whole body would be if he had died. I could never live with myself if I'd killed somepony. No, he can't be dead! He's got to get through this! I'm not a murderer, that's not who I am!...right?

Well, the police chief apparently wouldn't agree with that as I could see him power trotting towards me in my rearview mirror, the fire in his eyes burning into my very soul as ours locked. I clenched my teeth and started squeezing out more tears as I watched the medics, all hanging their heads in sorrow, roll the stretcher into the back of the ambulance. It was now finally sinking in, the horrible, despicable thing that I had just done. The atrocious crime that I had just committed and would soon begin to pay for. I can not and will not sugarcoat it or call it what it's not. I just killed that poor little colt right in front of his friends.

"Miss Lime, get out of the car." The police chief commanded as he opened my door.

Knowing fully what to expect, I did as I was instructed and pulled my sorry ass out of my seat and stood on all fours before the angry police stallion who looked down at me like I was the biggest piece of shit he'd ever laid eyes on. I'd find it hard to argue with it if he told me I was. There I stood, shaking and trembling with my head hung low and I started to hyperventilate as he levitated a set of hoof cuffs from his belt.

"Now sit on your rump and present your forehooves." He commanded.

Again, I did as I was told and plopped my ass on the ground and slowly rose my forehooves, my head still hung low in shame as I began to bite my lower lip. First, he affixed a cuff onto my right hoof, then my left. At this point, I'm sobbing profusely, not because of what I got myself into but because I just singlehoofedly snuffed out the life of a precious little foal who couldn't have been any more than ten years old. Now, I have to live with myself.

"Creampuff Lime, I am placing you under arrest..." The chief continued. "...for reckless and negligent equinicide in the death of Clutzy Luvvie. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of Equestrian law. You have the right to be represented by an attorney. If you can't afford an attorney, a public defender will be appointed to you at no cost. Do you understand what I just read to you?"

"Y-y*sniff* yes I...I *hic* I do." I sobbed, still not able to look the officer in the eye.

After leading me back to his patrol car, the chief opened the rear, passenger side door, put his hoof upon the top of my head and pushed me into the back seat like the disgusting criminal I had become. With the door slammed shut and my arresting officer in the driver's seat, I turned around and took one last look at the now wrapping up scene as the medical responders shut the door of the ambulance carrying the body of my innocent victim. Once again, I hung my head in shame as I was whisked away to begin the process of paying for what I had done.

"Okay, now turn to your right." An officer at the local police station instructed me after snapping a photo of me against a wall marked by inches and feet to show my height.

In my hoof, I held a placard with the date, time, my name, and the name of the department of which processed me after my arrest. Like a common dirty criminal, I was being made to pose for a mugshot before having my hooves firmly pressed onto an ink pad where they were then pressed down onto a paper which would be the symbol of a criminal record for the rest of my life. Never in my life had I ever been so embarrassed and humiliated but when it all boils down to it, I'm not the one who just got killed by a negligent driver and for that, I may never forgive myself.

My parents still don't know about what happened. Oh, Celestia, how am I gonna tell them? The daughter that they have always been so proud of every day of my entire life has been reduced to a murderer. Sure, they aren't actually charging me with murder but like I said about sugarcoating things, I'm a grown mare, and I'm going to take my punishment, whatever that may be. It seems that things are going to do nothing but get worse from here as not only have I taken a life, I let my parents down, destroyed my community, ruined the lives of those who loved that colt and became the most hated mare in this town. Now, I have to call my parents and tell them what I did.

"Hello?" My mom said on the other line as I called home.

"M-Mom? It's me." I stuttered, immediately indicating to my mother that something was wrong.

"Sweetie? What happened? You sound terrible."

"Mom...you know I love you and Dad with every fiber of my being..."

"Creampuff, you're scaring us...here, I've got you on speaker so your father can hear. Just tell us what happened, and give it to us straight, okay? You know we love you too."

"Mom...Dad...I just killed a foal..."

There was a pause on the other end of the line and the only thing I could hear was my parents' breathing becoming heavier and heavier by the second. Finally, my dad spoke up to try to really grasp what I had just told them.

"Puff puff?" My dad whimpered. "What do you mean you...killed...a foal?"

"I drove past a school bus and *sniff* I ra-*hic* I ran over a little colt, Dad! The poor little guy died because of me!!"

"Creampuff?" My mom asked, sounding short of breath. "Where are you right now!?"

"I-I-I'm at the village police station."

"We're coming right now!"