Forgive and Forget

Foreword~ It has been a few weeks since I finished this story and I enjoyed writing it. The ending wasn’t my best work but it got me thinking what would have happened if certain events never happened. Well here you go I chose a few key events and changed them. This does include the death of two main six characters so if you can’t handle any of them dying please refrain from reading this chapter. Otherwise read on and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 6

The sound of a shotgun being pumped made Frank drop his weapon. Town Hall really didn’t need a coat of red paint. “Good come quietly.” Frank knew the voice behind him and it made him scorn himself for trusting him, it was Gregory. Gregory bound Frank’s hands with some rope they brought. What no cable? Good it’s a plan then. He was brought into the main room and dropped in front of the group of ponies.

“Frank!”

“Don’t move any of you!” He looked to Fluttershy who was stilling sitting in the middle of the room crying. “Shh…Fluttershy everything’s going to be ok.”

“Well considering you got captured and we have all of you at gunpoint I’d say that’s not true.” Harris came out of a side room a magnum in his right hand, Frank could only guess what it was for. Harris walked over to Fluttershy and knelt down, “She’s cute isn’t she…Well maybe I won’t kill her she could be a nice pet for my kid…Nah.” He shoved the pistol into the bottom of her head making her yelp and cry.

“Don’t you touch her! It’s me you want you motherfucker! They just want to live in peace!”

“What happens when the covies come here and glass this place?”

“They won’t! For the years that the war has been going on they haven’t found this planet what do you expect just because we showed up the covies will too!?”

“Yes I do and the Colonel thinks so as well!”

Frank knew exactly who he was talking about. “I knew that fucker had something to do with this!”

“Ha! They’ll put you up in front of a firing squad for all this! See you back on Earth!” He dropped Fluttershy who crawled back to the group as he laughed. He walked back into the side room followed by the other ODSTs. Frank crawled over to Dash who was still lying on the floor. “Dash you ok?” She looked up at him with a small sense of disdain. He knew exactly why he allowed this to happen; well he didn’t actually allow the ODSTs to attack did he? He didn’t know nor did he fucking care at the moment only thing that matter was getting them out of here.

“Dash can you bite through these ropes?” She tried and nodded. “Ok bite through those I have a plan.”

“What’s the plan?” He looked to Twilight who asked the question.

“It pretty much entails me either blowing myself and the ODSTs up or blowing up just the ODSTs.” Twilight’s eyes went wide.

“What!?”

“Twilight calm down…You guys need to get out of here your more important than I am so while I get them distracted get everyone out of here use whatever spells you need to keep them safe alright?” She nodded. When he felt the tension of the rope release he yelled, “HARRIS GET YOU ASS OUT HERE!” Harris comes walking out of the side room.

“What is it did yo—” He was suddenly tackled to the ground by Frank. With the commotion a few of the ODSTs come out of the side room as well their eyes falling on the two soldiers fighting on the floor. They raise their weapons but are quickly put down by an order from Harris. “Are you sure sir?” One of the ODSTs asked.

“I think I can handle a guy with a limp!” His fist collided with the floor splintering the wood. Frank’s fist collided with his chin causing him to reel back and roll backwards off of Frank giving him time to stand. Harris lunged and Frank quickly rolled to the side. With Harris on the ground he quickly pulled off the over shirt he was wearing exposing the grenade belt. “Oh shit!” He heard one of the ODSTs scream as they backed off into the side room. He started to walk over to Harris when one of the ODSTs tackled him, he threw the man off. He looked to where Harris was lying but he wasn’t there. Where the fuck? He heard a faint click. And swung around, Harris was standing pistol in hand held to the head of Rainbow Dash. “GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!” He lunged for the handgun and got a hold of it before the ODST Commander could react. They fought for control of the handgun when it went off. They both looked at each other and he dropped Rainbow Dash. A bloody stain already started to form across her stomach. “NO! YOU FUCKER!” Frank’s fist collided with Harris’s face breaking his nose. He grabbed the pistol out of the now unconscious Harris’s hand and he fired at the ODSTs who started to fire as well. Bullets filled the room and chaos ensued Twilight screamed as a few of the captured ponies were hit by ricochets. Frank’s mind zeroed on one objective killing every single ODST in the building, all sounds but him and the ODSTs gunfire disappeared and became nonexistent. He sat on the edge of the door way bullets colliding with the wall across from him as ODSTs fired their weapons into the doorway. He unclipped one of the frags and pulled the pin. He tossed it around the door and counted… “One…Two…Three…”

BOOM! The grenade went off and he ran inside firing.

“NOW YOU’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!” The ODSTs laughed at his remark they heard it all before from the zealots at first they felt guilt for trying to kill him now they didn’t all he was to them was another elite. Frank finished clearing the room and grabbed a rifle from one of the bodies. One moved and he quickly brought the rifle up and double tapped the body. These men were no longer human…They were the Covenant. His mind thought of them that way just to make everything easier. But then a thought popped back into his head. A certain cyan pegasus. He stopped and turned around running back through the door way ignoring every other cry for help his mind refocused on helping the cyan heap over by Harris’s unconscious form. He knelt down and grabbed his can of emergency biofoam, he quickly found the wound. It wasn’t too severe from what he saw he quickly filled it with the foam and bandage it. Just like they taught you, was all that went through his mind. Her eyes blinked a few times as she regained consciousness. Her face was pale she had lost a lot of blood. “Rainbow Dash you gotta stay with me!” He heard an odd sound but he didn’t care. He heard gunfire…He didn’t care. He sat their holding Rainbow Dash in his arms keeping her company as she slowly passed. “NO! DON’T FUCKING DIE ON ME!” He took a small syringe from his pack and injected it into her chest. Pure adrenaline shot staving off shock for decades; no this was time to be serious no more jokes. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned quickly ready to break the hand of whoever it was when he looked into the face of Kingston. “Come on get her on board we need to get them to the Pelican!” Frank stood and saw a few marines loading ponies onto Pelicans. He saw the Captain leading a small group of them. He picked up Rainbow Dash and carried her to the nearest Pelican and got her inside then he stepped out and started to get the rest onboard. Then he noticed the docs…They were working looking over tons of stretchers filled with ponies many of them covered by a white sheet. His heart sank…He couldn’t do anything and then he saw a few more stretchers come in. On them were the writhing bodies of Rarity and Pinkie Pie, he ran over. They both had bullet wounds. Frank didn’t understand though, why the hell are there this many marines here? He ran over to the Captain. “Sir why the hell did you come after me?”

“Because the brass told me so! Well that and I can’t have you getting killed now can I?” Frank chuckled slightly.

“Sir? What happened one seconded I would be most certainly court marshaled for my actions even with proper reason. Now I have marines coming through and wiping out the ODSTs?”

“Well when the brass caught whiff the Colonel and his plans let’s just say they didn’t like it very much so they told me to send down some help.”

“Who the hell told the brass?” Kingston walked up behind the Captain.

“I did. When the ODSTs went in I called up my friend Admiral Lockhart and I got him to convince the Board to call off the attack and get Colonel Potters and Harris arrested.”

“Come on were headed up to the Mandrake!” The Captain climbed aboard the nearest Pelican. Kingston and Frank climbed aboard the one Frank had loaded Rainbow Dash onto. While Kingston went up to the cockpit to talk with the Admiral Lockhart Frank sat next to Rainbow Dash who was unconscious but stable. The doc told him thanks to him hitting her with that adrenaline she’s gonna make it guaranteed. He held her hoof all the way up. He didn’t know the condition of Rarity or Pinkie Pie but right now he could care less. He had grown attached to Rainbow Dash seeing as she was his first friend here. When they got aboard there were another two lines of soldiers extending from the Pelicans bay doors. Every single one of them, they unloaded the dead first. Each would be checked over then ready to be shipped back to the planet below if they were a pony otherwise they were cremated then shot into space. Next came the marines who went down to the planet followed by the ponies who were greeted with warm feelings, then came Frank. When he stepped off the Pelican everyone fell silent. He walked over through the path once again, he one of the soldiers felt sorry for him. He had just fought off ODSTs and that was badass and all but he still killed them all in good cause of course defending a race of life that could not defend itself. When he made it through everyone in the lines turned quickly and faced a small stage. The Captain was standing at the podium, and started to give a speech honoring the fallen soldiers even though they were technically AWOL during the attack once it was called off but everyone knew they never received the orders to stand down. “And now Lieutenant Morrison will say a few words for the ponies we couldn’t save.” Frank stood he didn’t know he was gonna have to do this he was already on the verge of tears. He walked onto the stage and stepped up to the podium.

“The ponies we lost today and the ones we may lose in the next few days due to unforeseen events; will be remembered in our hearts forever. They didn’t die on the battlefield…No they died to the negligence of a few of us humans who couldn’t think that it is wrong to kill...” He stopped midsentence and took a breath trying to keep himself together. “To kill these ponies for no reason. They haven’t done anything to invoke us. I took an oath to protect the helpless and I did just that so…” His voice intensified, “If anyone has any kind of doubt to my actions you can take it elsewhere, I won’t give two shits about what you say.” He walked off the stage his mood soured by his own words he didn’t know why he was acting like this no one seemed to react oddly to his words not even the ponies reacted they sat and listened to him quietly. He entered the elevator and hit the button for the crew level.

When he finally got to the quarters he was given not a few hours prior he sat on the bed and started to cry. Humans and ponies died today for no god damn reason at all except for idiocy on the part of humanity! He held his head with his hands letting his fingers dig into his scalp. No your fine you’ve handle this before people have died in your arms people have died without you so much as batting an eye. Why are you crying now? He asked himself so many questions and he couldn’t answer too many of them. He heard the intercom click and the Captains voice clicked on. “Morris you’re wanted down at sick bay!” Frank quickly stood and walked out of the room back to the elevator and rode it to sick bay. Waiting at the elevator was Kingston. “Come on Rainbow Dash just woke up and she’s asking for you.” Frank’s heart warmed as he heard these words, good to hear that she was ok. Kingston leads him to a room and Frank walked in. Rainbow Dash was lying in the bed while Twilight and Fluttershy sat on the couch next to it. Looking into the vastness of space. “Frank!” Rainbow Dash started to get up but Frank quickly moved to her bedside and pushed her down. “No…You need to rest. You just got shot remember?” She smiled slightly and she stretched out her hooves and gave him a hug. “Thanks for saving me…” She whispered into his ear.

“You’re welcome.” He looked to Twilight and Fluttershy who were still staring out into space. He walked around Dash’s bed and came up behind them grasping the two of them in a hug. Both Twilight and Fluttershy yelped in surprise but when they saw it was Frank they relaxed and hugged him back. He set them down, “So how are the other’s doing?”

“They’re fine Rarity and Pinkie Pie are in the room next door and Applejack is down the hall.” Twilight answered quickly and went right back to staring at space.

“You two sure do love looking at space don’t you?”

“Yes…It’s amazing!” Fluttershy said quietly.

“Yes it is. Sometimes it just makes me wish I could stay up here never have to go back to any planet fight any aliens. Just travel through space… But that’s impossible so just a dream!” He said with a laugh when a horrible sound cut into all their ears. Only Frank knew what it was the sound of a heart flat lining. He ran into the hall as doctors rushed into the room next door. Please let it not be this one he told his mind.  He stepped inside to the room as doctors crowded around the two beds performing CPR and using defibrillators. He heard the electroshock and the bodies’ slump back to the beds. After about a minute they all stepped back and shut the monitors off. When they cleared Frank was standing in front of the beds. Rarity and Pinkie Pie lay on the beds dead. He walked out of the room and entered Rainbow Dash’s room everypony staring at him with a confused look. “Rarity and Pinkie are dead.” He left the room without another word. He headed back to the elevator and went to the mess hall to get something.

Inside Rainbow Dash’s room all of the ponies were shocked. Rarity and Pinkie were stable not ten minutes ago. Fluttershy was the first to cry then Twilight and then Rainbow Dash. The three hugged each other for support. After a few minutes they noticed that Frank wasn’t actually there. “Where’s Frank?”

“Fluttershy why don’t you stay here and I’ll find him.” Twilight left the room in search of Frank. She saw Kingston talking with one of the doctors and she walked over.

“Hey Kingston?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you seen Frank?”

“No he might be in his quarters I’ll take you there if you want?”

“Yes please.” He turned and started walking to the elevators with her following closely.

Frank sat on his bed magnum in hand. He had already drunk the bottle of whiskey he had gotten from the mess hall. He held the magnum in his hands the barrel pointed at him. He brought the gun up and to his head. When the door opened, and Twilight walked in. His eyes went wide, as did hers. “Frank! What are you doing!?”

“I’m sorry Twilight I just can’t go back and face anyone knowing that I let Rarity and Pinkie die! I got captured I fucked up and they got killed!”

“That wasn’t your fault!”

“Everything that has happened is my damn fault! If I would have never survived the crash none of this would have ever happened! I’d be better off dead!”

“That’s just silly!”

“GOD DAMMIT TWILIGHT THIS ISN’T SILLY!” She stepped back slightly.

“Just put the gun down Frank you don’t need to do this none of this is your fault.”

His finger twitched and Twilight started to move but stopped when the gun didn’t go off. Twilight started thinking of how she needs to get through to him. Then she got an idea, “So your just gonna quit are you?”

“What?”

“Your just gonna quit aren’t you!? You fought off the Covenant and they have killed tons of humans but did you quit?”

“No.”

“So what makes you want to quit here?”

“Because those deaths I didn’t cause these ones I did!”

“That’s bullshit you and I both know it!” It was the first time he heard Twilight swear. “Rarity and Pinkie Pie dying is not your fault! Your just stressed you just can’t stand the fact that humans tried to kill us and you’re a human but remember you tried to kill us once.”

“Now you’re the one bullshitting me.”

“Just let it go! You didn’t cause them to die! Somebody else did not you!” First time she said somebody and not somepony. Frank stared at her and let the weapon go. It fell to the bed and she ran over to him as he sat there and cried. She climbed onto the bed next him and put her hoof on his shoulder. “It’s ok you still have a ponies to take care of…” He looked at her and smiled, she was right she still had to take care of her and the rest of her friends.

The next day all of the ponies and Frank were returned to the planet below and Frank was given orders to stay on the planet now dubbed Equiss by the Admiralty. He is to act as the Liason between the UNSC and the planet. When he got back to Ponyville he was greeted with a hero’s welcome nopony brought up anything about Rarity and Pinkie as he was still tender. Everypony was the two ponies would be missed. Frank was built a home outside of Ponyville about a ten minute walk to and from. He also found a path that led all the way to Canterlot it would be a long walk but hey a hike now and then to see the Princesses was good for a man.

Twilight would live alone and work on magical spells that Celestia sends her. Rainbow Dash would get married, as would Fluttershy who had a daughter. Applejack pulled through her wounds fairly easily got married to what she called a city slicker and had a son. The pony she married was from Canterlot but he enjoyed apples and hard work as much as she did and honesty was his top virtue even for a city slicker as she said.

Frank would eventually grow old and die but he requested that his replacement be sent before that so he could get accustomed before he died. He never thought that they would send his long forgotten son.

The scene was amazing. The ship landed around sun down and when the man stepped out and Frank saw him. His jaw dropped, “They told me you were dead.”

“What?”

“Joesph?”

“Yeah?” Frank gave Joesph a hug. Which surprised Joesph but when Frank explained he told them that they told him that

his home was attacked by the Covenant and he was rescued by marine forces.

“Well Joesph…Welcome to Equestria! Let’s get you introduced to the princesses.”

Frank would teach his son everything within two years all that he had learned and many of the events that would occur later would never happen. Frank would be given a choice that could easily change his life. Celestia gave him the choice, “Die or become a pony?” Not a very hard choice for him he didn’t want to leave his friends and his newly reunited son. He would choose to become a pony and he would move away from his son and disappear.