Chapter 19 – The Oldest of Sins
Once the group had parked, Syls' group had contacted Rainbow Dash's garage, "Wait." Syls said as she tried to wrap her head around the story, "So you think that the ship that tried to run us over is working for this emperor guy?"
"It's possible." Twilight interjected as she glanced at the team of Dryskians on the other side of the screen, "From what Tusks has told us, these guys play for keeps and he's got racers on all four planets."
"Especially his home planet." Fluttershy said as she let Blade rest one of his wings on her back.
"If he wins, he's going to use the demand for winning the races to conquer the entire solar system without any resistance." Rarity explained.
"You have proof of this?" Tris asked.
"After I found Pilit here, {snort} the two of us ran into a group of Suniks that had made camp in the {snort} desert. We both overheard them talking about {snort} their entire plan." Tusks said.
"That was almost ten years ago in the time of these ponies." Writch added in.
"An undeclared ruler doesn't just let go of their dreams of conquest." Pilit said, "We heard that they had been planning this since the emperor took over and started trying to take the throne from Sunik's current king."
Writch just lifted an eyebrow to the girl, "And we're supposed to believe you based on…what?"
This instantly caused Pilit to tear up, and within seconds run past her with those tears flowing. "Good job Writch, {snort} you could have at least tried to hide that old hatred." Tusks said in near anger.
"What old hatred?" Writch asked as the smaller male stomped by her.
"I thought you said the old team left because they didn't like Pilit's eidetic memory?" a very upset Blade asked.
"They did." the female Treeopon said in response.
"Was that before or after you told them about it?" he added.
Writch froze in place, "How…did you know about that?"
"Just a guess." was all he said as he pushed past her, a concerned Fluttershy walking on next to him.
"What the hay…?" Applejack asked, then turned to Writch as her partner Twiggs looked with her, "Tell me you didn't."
"Writch…did you {snort} sabotage our old team?" Twiggs asked in shock.
"Look, it was their choice to leave." she said in her defense.
"But you told them about Pilit." Twiggs interjected, "You knew {snort} they would be uncomfortable with her eidetic memory."
"Because yer culture believes that it steals experience, right?" Applejack asked.
The entire team looked to Writch as she tried to think of some way of explaining herself, and for each moment she hesitated, the more disappointed they became. "Oh, Writch." Pinkie said as she turned away, Piks and his family walking away with them.
"What…" Writch asked, "When did this turn into a trial?"
No one said a word, instead, the rest of the team lowered their heads in sadness, and walked away, back to their stations. The moment Writch was alone, she could feel it, the cold creeping up on her and the realization that it was just her, darkness closed in her from all around, a great deep hole opening up in her heart somewhere. She couldn't speak, she had nothing as of yet to say, not because she wouldn't or couldn't speak but because she didn't know what to say. Her mind kept saying that she was right, that she had nothing to prove, but the overwhelming loneliness kept soaking in, like the bitter cold of the snow when you forgot your coat.
"What just happened?" Syls asked from over the coms.
"I think the mechanic has trust issues." Tris said.
"I don't have trust issues; I just feel sorry for Pilit is all." Writch shot back.
"I wouldn't call that feeling sorry." Syls said.
"Why?" Tris asked.
"That Terra Cursed memory takes all the potential away." Writch explained, "There's so much she could experience in life if she just didn't…"
"Read it first?" Tris asked, "When was the last time you read anything?"
"Huh?" Writch asked.
"I don't see what's wrong with a memory like that." Tris explained.
"You wouldn't." Writch scoffed.
"You're right." Tris said, "Because I was raised on the idea that we should celebrate the things that make us unique. Do you think you could have made the deadline without the help of someone who's different than you? Or do you think everyone making the same mistakes is the best way to get something done?"
"I don't care that she's different than me," Writch argued, "I just…"
"Then what?" Syls asked, "Afraid of a memory you haven't even taken the time to understand?" Writch turned her eyes to the pair of Dryskians on the screen, shock and thought all rolled into one single look, "I've noticed it's a recurring theme with you Treeopons, every time something new happens that you can't or haven't fully experienced, you treat it like a plague."
"Syls…" Tris tried to interject and was quickly interrupted by her pilot.
"No! She needs to hear this!" Syls told her, "You all hated Dryskians, Suniks, and Hylops for the longest time until a bunch of you were forced to interact with us, and still a bunch of you can't stand us. It took a heartless emperor to nearly destroy the entire system for you Treeopons to even attempt to talk to us last time. Are you really going to let it happen again to understand the significance of her memory type? Is she going to have to sacrifice herself to save your life for you to respect her?"
Writch let her eyes open wide in shock, thoughts of a life without Pilit, peaceful at first glance, but each time she would always see Tusks looking at a picture of her and cry, this would constantly start her own tears flowing. "Think on that for a few minutes, and don't forget to tell Rainbow Dash about the Ceremony of the Qualifiers." Syls said angrily and then turned off the screen. The cold of loneliness once again surrounded her, and with the darkness of the room around her, sank in even faster than before. Suddenly, her mind was fighting itself, the proven information that was just presented to her wrestling with the things she grew up believing, and she just couldn't let go of either, even as she tried so hard to make sense of both of them.
Rainbow Dash and Breeze both stood outside of the door that leads to Pilit's room, Fluttershy and Hulon behind them as the four of them tried to think of something to say. "I guess we knock first?" Fluttershy asked timidly.
"Don't look at me." Breeze said and lifted his hooves, "Air cushions remember?"
Rainbow Dash breathed in deep and exhaled, "Ok, let's do this!" she said and lifted her own hoof, only to have the door itself open on its own upon contact. "Pilit?" she asked as she gently opened up the door. It was actually a very wholesome scene, Pilit lay asleep on the ground, her head resting against the leg of Tusks as he smoothed her hair like that of a father comforting his daughter, his massive hand to his mouth and a finger to his lips as he shushed them all. The look on his face said he'd make each of them pay if she woke up because of them. Rainbow smiled as she quietly made her way into the room, "Does that happen a lot?" she whispered.
"Not like that, but yeah." Tusks breathed out, "Writch grew up believing that lie about her Pilit's memory."
Hulon came up and knelt down next to Pilit, "That's a shame." she whispered, "Some of the most amazing Terranuilians I've met have really good memories."
"Writch is another reason Pilit hates it when others find out about her memory." He admitted, "Writch was like a mother to her for a while when {snort} I introduced them, but then I told Writch in confidence about it, and things {snort} changed." He looked to the floor in shame, "I was hoping that Writch would have seen the lies for what they {snort} were but…"
"She turned on Pilit, didn't she?" Rainbow asked.
"Not all at once, it took time for the coldness to really be there, and Pilit {snort} felt it before I could even see it. I still want them to get along, but it's {snort} like trying to mix oil with a match." he admitted.
The group just let themselves sigh, thinking of what to do. "Aren't you two supposed to be at the ceremony in {snort} a few hours?" Tusks asked.
"Ceremony?" Rainbow asked.
"Yeah." Tusks said, "If you don't make it in time, you could become the laughing {snort} stock of the entire race."
"Well, it's not the worst thing that could happen." Fluttershy said with a small smile, and the group chuckled quietly.
