Skyward Episode 7: A Memory to Forget Part 2

Previously on Skyward

 

"I may not look like it but I'm capable!" Norman says, thrusting his thumb against his chest.

"Cuz see, if you fill your head up too much..." Pinkie brings down the needle on to the balloon and pops it. "you'll explode!"

"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..."

 

[opening]

Voice Over:

The Ｋｎｉｇｈｔｍｅｒｅ.

An airfish as dark as night and modeled after an angler fish.

It's responsible for numerous terrorist attacks world-wide and dozen of deaths in Europe alone.

The pilot's identity is unknown, their objectives unknown.

Most would just chalk it up to an act of piracy, but this isn't the case.

The Ｋｎｉｇｈｔｍｅｒｅ comes and goes taking nothing and leaving only destruction in its wake.

 

Ｏｎｅ　Ｙｅａｒ　Ａｇｏ

 

Norman can only stare at the behemoth in front of his ship.

"W-what should we do, Normie?" Rarity asks, her fingernails digging into his left arm.

He barely registers the pain, he only steps forward as slowly as he can.

/Maybe it'll leave us alone if it doesn't see us...\ he whispers to her. /Applehat, Ponka, Purple. Come towards me. Slowly and quietly.\

For once, Pinkie Pie obliges. She places her hand over her mouth and begins moving, gently tugging on Twilight's shirt. "Come on Twily."

"Yuh-yes." Twilight is almost too scared to move. The Ｋｎｉｇｈｔｍｅｒｅ is still hovering over them, but it seems to be losing interest.

It passes over them, and heads towards town.

The crew lets out a collective sigh of relief.

"Wait! The town!" Rarity jumps up and dashes towards the exit.

"Rarity, wait!"

Too late, she's gone out.

"Fuck!" Norman swears and turns to look at the remnants of his already sparse crew. "Applejack, start it up again. We're going after her."

"Ah wish Ah could, Cap'n. But we can't." She points to her control pad. It's spitting small currents of electricity.

"When did THAT happen?!" Norman is frustrated and claws at his beanie. "All right, whatever. We're still going, come on!"

 

Rarity grits her teeth as she runs through the fields outside of town, explosions are going off everywhere.

She shields her face from the hot winds. She glares at the already retreating black ship. "Coward!"

Her eyes narrow as she takes in the damage done to the town. Quite a few buildings are on fire, some debris from their roofs littering the ground, still blazing.

The townspeople are running around, panicked and screaming. Some are gazing at fallen loved ones. A little girl is seen crying over her father's body, pleading for him to wake up.

Rarity stares at her for a second and a vision of her own younger sister replaces the girl for a moment. She steps forward and places a hand on the child's back. "Come with me, honey. We're not safe here."

The little girl sniffles and nods mutely, taking Rarity's hand.

A creaking sound is heard and Rarity looks up to see the roof is about to give in. "Come on." She tugs on the little girl's hand and begins leading her away from the scene.

 

"Rarity!"

"RARITY!

"Where are you, Rara?!"

The Ｎｏｒｍａｎｄｉｅ crew is at the edge of the town, calling out for their friend.

"What is she thinking?" Norman holds up a hand to shield his face from the intense heat.

"Oh! I see her!" Everyone turns to look at Pinkie high up on a pole, shielding her eyes with her hands as she surveys the inferno before them. "She's made a friend!"

She slides down and points towards the town. "Let's go!" She begins walking off but is promptly grabbed by Applejack.

"Whoa there, now. Hold yer horses, Pinkie Pie. We need ta be careful." She lets her friend go and adjusts her hat. "What say you, Norman?"

"Rescue Rara then bail."

"Gotcha."

Twilight feels a drop on her nose and she looks up. "Rain's coming in. Thank Faust."

"Oooh I just love the rain!"

"Dammit Ponka, focus!"

 

"Here should be good," Rarity stops and sets the little girl on top of a small brick wall on the opposite side of town. She wipes off some of the wet ash off the little girl's face and offers her a sympathetic smile. "What's your name?"

"S-Silver," she sniffles and wipes a tear away from her eye. "Thank you, lady." Rarity pets her head and points over to an old building in the horizon.

"Head there, you'll be safe." She turns to head back towards the town. "You'll probably find my crew there."

"O-ok!" Silver rushes towards Rarity to give her a hug.

And a spotlight shines on them.

 

"This is some fucking bullshit..." Norman kicks aside a burnt door frame. "How did we lose sight of them? It was only for a second!"

Applejack only shrugs and adjusts her hat, trying to peer through the rain. "As much help as this little rain was, ain't nothing more than a hindrance now."

A loud rumble is heard and they all look up to see the hulking black mass of the Ｋｎｉｇｈｔｍｅｒｅ looming over them, its spotlight shining on two figures in the distance.

"N-no..."

"RARITY!"

 

Time seems to slow down as Rarity pulls Silver close to her.

She hears her name and looks up to see Norman and her friends in the distance.

She can only smile as everything around her turns to ash.

 

Ｐｒｅｓｅｎｔ

Ｎｏｒｍａｎｄｉｅ

 

"Bring her about," Norman commands, stepping down from the bridge.

Applejack nods and steers their ship just out of ways of Wexford. "Whoo-iee! The town looks better than when we saw it last."

"Yeah..." Norman tugs on his jacket sleeve, a sign of discomfort. Applejack takes note of it and says no more.

The ruins come into view, looking a lot worse for wear and he narrows his eyes, thinking about all the repairs he'd have to do. He gazes out at the town when something catches his attention. "Huh?" He grins. "Interesting."

 

Ｓａｉｎｔ＇ｓ　Ｂｒｏ

 

Amy holds a hand up when they finally reach the edge of town. "Something's not right here..."

Her companions freeze, hands ready on their guns. Nolan looks left, Soren looks right.

"What is it?" Nolan asks, stepping slowly towards his comrade.

"Shhh!" She quickly grabs the two and pulls them towards a cramped alley. "Just get down!" She shoves their heads down behind some crates and peeks over them.

"Amy?" Soren whispers, looking confused. Amy responds by pressing her hand over his mouth. She shakes her head.

The sound of approaching footsteps makes them all tense up.

The footsteps are followed by voices.

 

Ｊｕｄｇｅｍｅｎｔ

 

"Did you really have to slam that axe on the bar's counter, Mr. Jones?" Sophie is annoyed, arms crossed over her chest as she stomps in front of Axel.

"Anything is necessary when it comes to obeying the laws, lawyer," Axel's shades glint in the sunlight. He slings the axe across his back, and pauses in front of an alleyway.

"We aren't in our homeland, what we're doing is ILLEGAL!" she insists, throwing an arm up and gesturing at the town. "Shouldn't we contact THEIR law-enforcers?!"

Axel's barely visible brows arch up, and Sophie can only guess that he might be surprised at her suggestion. "Intriguing argument, lawyer. But I will have to decline." He gives her a smile that makes her falter in her steps. "Let's go, if they aren't here. They must be hiding out somewhere nearby." He begins walking away, leaving Sophie to sigh dejectedly before following him.

 

Ｓａｉｎｔ＇ｓ　Ｂｒｏ

 

The trio sigh in relief after the two voices leave. Amy is the first to peek out and stare at the retreating backs of the lawyer and officer. She gasps with realization and quickly ducks before they can see her. "Th-that's..."

Soren places a hand on her shoulder, a meek attempt for reassurance.

She takes a deep breath.

"Sophie Sophisticata, one of the top presiding lawyers in the United Kingdom. I heard that it was her that managed to convict some madman named Discord." A freeze frame of Sophie appears behind Amy as she continues talking. "Axel Jones, one of the UK's hot-blooded officers. His love for the law knows no bounds. He single-handedly took down the entire faction of the Diamond Dogs with just his axe alone." Another freeze frame shows up, displaying Axel. "If they're here that can only mean one thing."

She frowns and peeks out again. Sophie and Axel are long gone. "They're looking for us."

She hears a snort followed by Nolan's laughter.

His green eyes seem brighter as they flicker with amusement. "Kahahahaha! Let them come at me. I will never let myself get caught." He tightens his fist. "Never!"

 

[credits]