Untold Tales

Regrets

Upon entering the Stronghold, Zarya almost immediately went for her room. It had definitely been a long day. When she inspected, it seemed untouched. Perfect, everything is where I want it. She thought with a smirk. Indeed, everything seemed to be as they should be, she's back on the team, she made peace with her friends, and they all made it home in once piece. And yet...

Suddenly, Zarya's cocky smirk faded, as she felt a tightness in her chest. She could not help but think of what happened in the past few days. A lot had happened, leading to the Ruthless Dreadbane obtaining not only the Dragon Disk, but also a piece of the the almighty Codex. But what really made Zarya sick to her stomach, was the fact that she almost lost someone whom she looked after like a little sister, Piper. Perhaps worst of all, it was Zarya's fault.

Zarya felt especially bad after that thought. She tried to shrug it off, but it was no use, guilt was eating her alive. She thought about walking it off in the Undercity, but the last thing she wanted was for everyone to feel like she was running away again. Then, something came to mind. There was still one person she hadn't talked to since she got back... Zorlon.

Zarya sighed. She never was one to open up, preferring to keep her feelings to herself. That said, talking to Zorlon somehow sounded like a nice idea. "Preeep!" Called out Choko, as he crawled on Zarya's shoulder, rubbing her head caringly.

"You think I should talk to Zorlon about this Choko?" Zarya quietly asked. Choko nodded his head yes, causing Zarya to sigh again. "I was afraid you were gonna say that." With that, she patted his head, and set him on his little bed that was above her hammock. "Okay, here we go."

Zarya snuck through the halls of th stronghold. At this point everyone was either in, or at least preparing, for bed. Well, almost everyone. Luckily, Zorlon always read a book or two before calling it a night. Sure enough, there he was in the study, reading a novel. She took a deep breath just before entering the study, her left hand gripping her right arm.

"Hey, Zorlon." Zarya said casually. Zorlon then turned to look at the young rebel, with a stone cold face no less.

"Well, as I live and breath. Zarya Moonwolf." Zorlon said, coldly. Zarya then had her face positioned down, bracing herself for shouting. To her surprise, she felt his hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, she saw a smile on his face. "Welcome back, Zarya." That at least put a smile on her face, it would certainly make talking with him easier.

"Honestly, after what I've been through, feels good to be back." Zarya said. "So, hittin' the ole books huh? Let me guess, spells? Book about Beasts?"

"Nope" replied Zorlon. "An adventure novel, "Jarrick and The Cursed Island". It takes me back in my days as a young rebel." They both chuckled quite a bit at that. Zorlon then placed his book down and turned to look at Zarya. "So, what's on your mind?" Zarya's small smile then turned to a regretful frown. Zorlon picked up on that quickly, showing concern. "What's wrong?"

"I blew it... I blew it big time." Zarya said weakly, her voice breaking. "I thought I could trust Kitty, I thought she was my friend. When everyone was against her, I got so mad that I didn't see the truth they were trying to find out." By this point, small tears formed in her eyes. "And now I messed up! None this would have happened if I had just listened and never crushed the stupid logs! Now, because of me, we lost the Dragon Disk, we lost the Codex Piece, and we almost lost... Piper. All, because I... didn't want to believe the others... all because I didn't want to believe Kitty was an enemy."

From there, Zorlon could see what was bothering Zarya. No doubt this was haunting her ever since she left. While her tears were small, they were filled with so much pain and guilt. A small bit of silence filled the study afterward.

"It is true. You did make few mistakes." Zorlon said, breaking the silence, approach the young rebel. "And no matter how much you might want to, you can't ever erase them. However..." He then placed a finger under Zarya's chin, gently tilting her head at eye level. "What's important is how you choose to handle your mistakes. We could either let our mistakes haunt us for the rest of our lives, or we can learn from them, and become better for it." Zorlon then gave an assuring smile. "Fact remains is you came through for your sisters in arms when it counted most. In that moment, you displayed courage, selflessness, and above all, loyalty. That alone makes you a remarkable individual, Zarya. That's why the disk chose you. Nothing should ever tell you different."

Silence befell the study yet again, lasting a good while. Suddenly, much to Zorlon's surprise, Zarya rested her forehead on his chest, and started to lightly sob. She wasn't completely sure why she did so. Somehow, it felt so nice to let out her emotions and to have a shoulder to cry on.

At first, Zorlon wasn't sure what to think of this. He wasn't use to seeing the most rebellious member of the new generation of Mysticons all touchy feely like this. Not that he could blame her. After all this time looking after Piper, herself, and no doubt even th Pinkskulls back in the day, perhaps it was her turn to seek guidance after all these years. Out of sympathy, Zorlon placed his hands on Zarya's shoulders, trying to calm her down. In response, the young rebel hugged him tightly, sobbing a little bit more.

"It's alright, Zarya." Zorlon assured. The hug lasted a good long while until, Zorlon looked at the clock on the wall. He lightly patted Zaya's shoulder before pulling back. "Best to get some rest now, Zarya. You've had a long day."

Wiping a few tears she had left, Zarya made her way back to her room. Before exiting, she turned back to face Zorlon, with a smile no less. "Thanks, Zorlon." She said, shortly before she left. Zorlon then smiled himself, getting back to some last minute reading before much else.

As Zarya made her way back to her room, she felt much better than she did before. Zorlon's words gave her a new sense of enlightenment. True, she messed up, but she made up for it, and she would only continue to make up for it from there. She then made her way to her hammock, and prepared for a much needed good night's sleep.