Skyward Episode 6: A Memory to Forget Part 1

Previously on Skyward

 

"Piss off, Brad." Norman elbows past Brad and leaves, slamming the door.

"Well, since this has been a total bust, we should head back to town," Soren says.

Sophie points at the pub. "We haven't checked there yet, Mr. Enforcer."

Norman is in a room alone, holding a book in his hands.

"Oh Rarity..."

 

[opening]

 

Ｆｉｖｅ　Ｙｅａｒｓ　Ａｇｏ

 

"I want to be a fashionista after I graduate," a purple haired girl says, leaning against a table and sticking a cigarette in her mouth. She smiles at Norman, "And you?"

"A pilot...or maybe your...," Norman mumbles. He thrusts his hands into his pockets and shifts his feet.

"What was that, darling?"

"I said pilot."

She snubs the cigarette against the ground, her red heels clicking against the pavement as she stands up to stretch. "Are you sure? Ever since they made it legal to own an airfish, piracy has gone up. Will you be safe?" Her eyes are full of concern, and Norman can feels his cheeks getting redder.

"I may not look like it but I'm capable!" he thrusts a thumb at his chest, striking a pose that he thinks oozes confidence.

She laughs, a sound that makes his heart soar. "Yes you are, Normie darling." She pats his chest and looks up at the sky. "You'll take me on a ride, right?"

Right?

 

Ｎｏｒｍａｎｄｉｅ

Ｐｒｅｓｅｎｔ　Ｄａｙ

 

Norman opens his eyes, another memory. He closes his eyes again, trying to shake it off.

He's on his airfish, traveling over the Irish Sea towards the town of Wexford.

Back to the last place when she...

'Back to where we lost you...' he thinks. He sighs and looks down at his crew, all busy with their stations.

Brad was absent, no doubt paying their guest another visit.

"Something bothering you, Normie?" Pinkie suddenly appears next to him, her elbows resting on the armrest of his chair, her face sitting on her chin.

"...not really..." he refuses to meet her gaze, opting to stare at a spot right above her left ear.

She scratches her chin and leans in really close. "Reeeaaally?" She stares at him for perhaps a few minutes longer, then just grins and sidles off. "When we arrive I'll make sure to make you something to feel better, kay?"

Norman only nods, settling on fiddling with a lock of hair. "It's fine, Pinks. Just a little tired."

She raises an eyebrow at him, and pulls a balloon out from behind her. "You need to relax and clear your head." She blows the balloon up and ties it off.

"What are yo-?" Pinkie holds up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence. She digs through her hair and pulls out a needle with a triumphant grin.

"Cuz see, if you fill your head up too much..." she brings down the needle on to the balloon and pops it. "you'll explode!" Her eyes are wide when she says this.

Norman looks unimpressed. "I'll take my chances."

"Don't regret it!" she says in a singsong voice and walks off, leaving him with his thoughts once more.

 

Ｆｉｖｅ　Ｙｅａｒｓ　Ａｇｏ

Ｂｅｌｆａｓｔ

 

"Reeeeally?! You're going to Wexford?!" Rarity looks giddy with excitement, her face blushing a pretty red.

"Ah...yes. So after I take care of some things here...I'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

Her smile fades away, "So soon?" She twiddles her thumbs and pouts. Her face brightens up again. "Let me come with you!"

"What?"

"You're going to need a crew, right? I could help with uh..." she turns away and flips through her smartphone. "Cook! And help make uniforms!"

Norman chuckles, "Uniforms? I wasn't aware I would need one."

"But of course, darling! Any respectable pilot deserves a uniform." she pockets her phone into her jeans, and places a small hand on Norman's shoulder. "And we can travel the world together. Just imagine. A stop in Sicily, a night of candles in Lisbon...a dip in the warm waters of the Mediterranean." With each place mentioned, her lips get closer and closer to his ear.

Norman jumps up, face red. "Ahaha. Uh, s-sure. I guess you could uh..." he clears his throat and dares not look at her. "tag along."

She giggles and claps her hands. "Excellent!"

 

Ｐｒｅｓｅｎｔ

Norman! Earth to Norman!"

Norman blinks and falls out of his chair, "OW!"

He looks up to see Twilight standing over him, hands on hips, "We're going to be arriving in Wexford soon, please get a hold of yourself."

He groans and stands up, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

He can see Wexford on the horizon and he grimaces. "So we are. Prepare to make port by the ruins then."

Twilight nods, "Yes, sir!"

 

ＤＪ＇ｓ　Ｑｕａｒｔｅｒｓ

 

"Wexford?" DJ stares at Brad, an apple slice halfway into her mouth. She chews and swallows, "What's in Wexford? Where are we now?"

Brad is in the process of peeling his own apple. His knife stops in its movements and he sets it down on his plate. "Hm...to put it simply. It's my hometown in Scotland, and where I met the Captain."

"You mean you guys aren't childhood friends?" DJ looks a little confused, making Brad chuckle.

"I didn't say that." he picks up the knife again and resumes peeling his apple. He finishes and takes a bite. "But from what I hear, we should be landing soon." He points the knife at her, "And from there, we need to find out how to help you remember you."

She rolls her eyes, and  puts her finger on top of the blade, gently pushing it down. "Don't point that thing at me."

Brad voice over: You don't know how hard it is not to point the OTHER thing.

He offers her a sheepish smile and wipes the blade off with his pants leg, tucking it back inside his boot. "I'll remember that next time."

 

 

Ｓａｉｎｔ＇ｓ　Ｂｒｏ

Ｏｕｔｓｉｄｅ　ｔｈｅ　Ｒｕｉｎｓ

 

Soren is the first to make his out of the decrepit building. Blinking rapidly. he yawns and stretches his arms out, enjoying the breeze. "Oh man, I'm so glad we're under the sun again." He turns to face his friends, grin firmly in place. "Could use a bite though."

"I'm with you there, man," Nolan agrees, blinking rapidly to readjust his eyes to the light. "So how long is the walk back?"

Soren just shrugs. "Beats me, it's not like I really could ask the gentleman who brought us here to stick around."

His captain nods in agreement, sighs and wipes his brow. "True enough."

"If we start walking now, we should be able to get there before sundown." Amy comes out next, readjusting her tool belt. She points her wrench at the town. "And then the search for a cheap inn or something. For pirates, we're pretty damn awful at pirating."

Soren and Nolan snort in laughter.

Nolan lightly pets her head. "Yeah and? That's what makes it fun." He takes her hand and begins walking.

Soren follows after them, snickering to himself.

"And what are you laughing at?" Amy snaps.

Soren just looks pointedly at Amy's and Nolan's hands, still joined.

She gasps and lets go, much to Nolan's surprise. "I-I can walk by myself! Hmph!" she pushes past him, her pace quickening.

Nolan stares after her retreating back and glances at Soren. "What's gotten into her?"

His friend shakes his head, and begins whistling innocently. "Beats me." Tucking his hands into his pockets, he follows after their female comrade.

 

Ｏｎｅ　Ｙｅａｒ　Ａｇｏ

 

"Norman! Please! We have to go!"

The voice sounds panicked, and Norman wakes up with a start. He wearily glances over at the wall were a clock is proudly announcing 2:41 in the morning in neon red numbers. "Rar..it's 2 n th' morn-" he yawns and tries to go back to sleep.

"Get up, this is urgent!"

His blanket is ripped away. "Urgh! What?!"

"It's the Ｋｎｉｇｈｔｍｅｒｅ!"

The Ｋｎｉｇｈｔｍｅｒｅ, an airfish responsible for dozens of deaths all over Europe. Just the name alone was enough to make Norman spring into action. "We need to get the others, get to a safe place...Rarity, you need to lead everyone to the fortress outside of town." He pulls on his clothes as he says this, nearly tripping over them.

"Y-yes, of course."

She runs out of his room and soon the halls of the Ｎｏｒｍａｎｄｉｅ are buzzing with noise as its inhabitants march past. He joins them, now fully dressed, inside the cockpit.

"Get ready for takeoff Applehat!" Norman calls out, narrowing his eyes. The sky is still dark, but there are sirens now wailing a dire warning for everyone to evacuate.

The ship hums to life, "Hang on!"

An explosion in the distance rattles the ship, shaking the occupants down to the floor.

Rarity is one of the first to recover. With great effort she pulls herself up and goes help the others to their feet.

"We're running out of time, AJ!" Twilight cries, her slim fingers gripping the back of her chair tightly. She's shaking in fear as another explosion goes off.

"Ah'm tryin'! Ah can't make the darn thing to go any faster!" Applejack glares at the gears and knobs at her station, "Main engine on, takeoff is possible in ten...nine...eight..."

A low whistling sound is their only warning and their ship is bathed in a blinding light.

Norman gulps and whispers, "Ｋｎｉｇｈｔｍｅｒｅ..."

 

[credits]