Part 38 Unforgiven
 
>You wake up, still being carried
>Around you are the old cells that you briefly saw before
>Still in agony, you feel weak
>Thirst and hunger hit you like a bullet
>That cold, humid air envelopes you
>Before long, you are brought outside a secure looking cell
>It appears to be a reinforced cube, impeding any attempt to physically break out
>One Guard opens the gate, and the other throws you in without care
>Hitting the ground hard opens up your wound, and you cough up a little blood
>"The Princess will see you shortly!"
>What are you going to say?
>What are you going to do?
>What will she say?
>You crawl into the corner, slowed by your injury
>Your back against the wall, you start to reminisce
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcWtsthvZH4
>Through means unknown, you ended up in Equestria
>Landing in the Everfree Forest with a fair amount of amnesia, you had to flee from the timber wolves
>Meeting Twilight...
>And Fluttershy, the language barrier was overcome only by Princess Celestia's magic
>Your obliviousness to...her... advances
>The Diamond Dogs...
>Flying again, in your F-22...
>Fighting the Griffons...
>The wedding...
>Training your small squad
>The...event...
>That damn mountain...
>All those dogs...
>What is all of this anymore?
>Why must this happen?
>Why couldn't you have joined your troops in the honor of a battlefield death?
>Some blackish blood oozes from your chest-wound
>That's not a good sign...infection?
>Perhaps death will greet you soon...
>Slowly, your eyelids drop...
>Before they can close completely, your cell gate slams open, and you suddenly have a pair of cuffs around your wrist
>You can make out the image of Princess Celestia
>She is clearly unhappy
>She keeps a small distance away from you
>"Anon! What EVER came across your mind to enter my country?!"
>You weakly lift your head, and look her in the eyes
I kept the Diamond Dogs from invading Equestria. I would've stayed away, but my country needed me.
>"You cut off all ties to Equestria the night you murdered my subjects! You have NO right to be here!"
The thanks I get... is imprisonment?
>She looks at you in disgust
>"I owe no gratitude to you. You were seen leading the Diamond Dogs into Equestria. My sources indicate that you killed Boss Paw once he crossed into my land to appear as a hero."
>Well, it's a different story, and quite possibly a little more plausible...but still
>Where is this information coming from?
>In the long run, it doesn't matter
>You've already been judged as guilty, and there's nothing you say to convince them otherwise
So, what's going to happen to me?
>Her angry glares do nothing to intimidate you; death is already lurking around the corner, unless they want to do something about your wound
>"You are to be hung for your crimes, tomorrow afternoon. I hope you've made peace with yourself."
>Repeat: death is already lurking around the corner
I don't get a firing squad?
>She ignores your inquiry
>"I let you live in recognition of your past service to me, under the provision that you never return. Why would you throw it away?"
>She's not going to listen to you
>You lower your gaze, and stay silent
>She grunts, and heads towards the gate
>You hear another set of hoof steps coming towards the cell
>Uninterested, you start to close your eyes
>"My most faithful student, today, you will have to learn one of the most difficult lessons in life."
>Wait a second
>You don't like hearing that
>At once, you look at the entrance to your cell, and see a familiar purple-haired unicorn
>"Anon?"
>"Yes, Twilight Sparkle. It is him."
>That bitch...
>"The lesson, Twilight, is that life is not always pleasant. Sometimes, it can be quite painful. Sometimes, the ones you care the most about can hurt you in unimaginable ways..."
>What the hell is this?!
>"Anon, why are you here?"
>"This...monster... showed his true colors on the night his men graduated his training camp. It's a wonder they survived his training."
>That pisses you off
LEAVE MY MEN OUT OF THIS!
>She goes on, not acknowledging you said something
>"He murdered 14 of my subjects in a blind rage. I would not tolerate violence against innocent ponies, so I banished him to the far north, hoping to never see him again."
>A look of shock appears on Twilight's face
>"Is this t-true, Anon?"
>You glare at her
>She was the cause of all of this!
>Celestia continues
>"He returned, as you can see, but with an army of Diamond Dogs. As I am to understand it, he engaged in a mutiny to overcome the leader of the dogs. In that skirmish, he received a chest wound and shortly afterwards, my most experienced Royal Guards found him with the help of my magical alarm, and they repelled the remaining dogs."
>You don't dignify the accusation with a response
>Twilight looks horrified that you would be capable of doing all of that
>But you aren't... are you?
>Not of a malicious attack on Equestria, no
>"Twilight, I will give you ten minutes to talk to him. Please try to get the information we discussed earlier from him."
>What is going on?
>Celestia exits the cell, leaving only you and Twilight Sparkle
>She seems hesitant to talk to you
>As well she should be
>You decide to initiate the conversation
How long has it been?
>"About three weeks, Anon."
>Weird how time goes by...
>You attempt to account for that time
>About 2-3 days in the woods, you can confirm that
>Any time on the mountains... you cannot say how long you were there, but about 2 1/2 weeks doesn't seem too far-fetched
>That seemed to be enough for her to speak
>"Anon... Why did you not show up to our date?"
You and Celestia planned this out?
>She winces at your harsh voice
>"To be truthful, that was a personal question. Princess Celestia didn't tell me I was going to be talking to you."
>Well...you best answer her    
I remember a certain mare who was late. She was noticeably late at 1730, and I tried to find her. I went all over the town, and found you in the library.
>She looks puzzled when you say that
>"Library?"
Oh, don't you play innocent. I saw you in bed with a stallion!
>"At that time, I was getting ready for our date at Rarity's!"
Bullshit! I went there myself! Rarity pointed me to the library!
>A look of concern appears
>"I swear, I was at Rarity's. I even heard the knock on the door. She told you that to stall you because I wasn't ready!
>A bit of sweat runs down the side of your face
>You don't know how, but you can sense her honesty
>She's not lying
>But you know what you saw
>Breathing gets a little harder
>You were wrong... but how?
>You could absolutely not be mistaken by what you saw, but she's also telling the truth
>Did you...lose yourself?
>Perhaps you went insane?
>A hallucination?
>You're unsure, but you're now convinced of your guilt
>"Are you ok, Anon?"
>If that had been some sort of illusion, then surely you had become a murderer while witnessing your younger sister's brutal death
>Your crime, based on an illusion?
>Those poor ponies you  had slain
>It's unlikely Princess Celestia would have lied to you
>It also makes sense... If you had gone insane, there's nothing that you could say that wouldn't be suspicious
>Your whole perception of reality is now compromised
>You mentally tally every event
>Diamond Dogs: First attack, repelled-you can confirm that as others saw that
>Same thing with the Griffons and the Changelings
>What about with the dogs right now?
>You reach in your pocket, and find the dogtags that you took
>Lucky
>Star Shine
>Blazin' Blue
>Lightning Strike
>The dogs were definitely there as well, and so was Boss Paw...
>So the only thing you cannot account for is that night
>Really, that was a bizarre night you can't know for sure what happened
>But Princess Celestia does
>You reason with yourself
>You know you were tortured by the griffons...maybe you had some underlying PTSD from that
>Maybe that caused your temporary lapse in perception
>If that were to happen again...
I deserve death
>"What?"
I am a killer. I am liable to kill again, and I don't think I can help it.
>"But what about-"
Leave me!
>"But-"
GO!
>She takes a step back
>You jump to your feet, finding strength in anger
>This sends her running out, and the gate closes behind her
>Good...
>As you're still standing, you feel reinvigorated
>You feel as though you could break out right now, and knowing your magic, you probably could
>In the small cracks between metal, you see a small window on the opposite wall
>A small glimmer...
>Is that your F-22 so many stories below???
>You could break out right now
>You could cause some havoc right now...
>You're feeling an appetite for destruction
>There's very little they could do
>A pilot's best weapon is his jet, after all
>Before you go down this train of thought further, you stop
>You realize where this is going, and immediately calm down
>A sense of weakness returns, and the pain from your wounds feel heavier now
>You fall, and crawl back to the corner
>A rope around your neck is starting to look good right about now
>The best thing you can hope for now, is a slow fade away from this innocent world
>Though it might be early evening, you feel tired
>As a plate of food is tossed in your cell, you feel yourself losing consciousness
 
>Familiar darkness surrounds you
>And that familiar voice sounds off almost immediately
>"You know you have the power to break out."
That's fine and all, but I'm done
>"What do you mean?"
I'm done. Game over. Tomorrow is my execution
>"The game is never over, you know this!"
I'm a monster. I can't control myself. I'm not myself, and if that's the case, I don't want to live.
>"That's not true. You are more yourself than ever before! You can be free, and be absolutely happy!"
That's not the life I want to live. I was perfectly happy with everything before that night.
>"What do you mean?"
I was a national hero. I was a respected member of Equestria, and I was in love. All that was ruined, and that banishment...
>"So why did you return?"
I... I needed to save Equestria, but perhaps...there was a small hope I had...that things would go back to normal...
>"What drove you back was the thrill of battle. Don't lie to yourself."
Well, at any rate, I'm done.
>You turn, and start to walk away. You intend on enjoying this last dream
>"You think it's just that easy? We'll see how much you enjoy your 'last day' here."
>There's an echoing laugh, but you ignore it as you enter a lucid dream
>Twilight Sparkle is right next to you, at your home
>And the two of you cuddle for what feels like an eternity...