//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Friendship Is Magic! ... Unless You Are a Human // by Huk //------------------------------// At one point or another, most people will meet a person that just can’t stop babbling. If they are lucky, they will be able to make up some silly alibi and excuse themselves from the torment, or gently ask the person to shut up! Unfortunately, as a princess of Equestria, Celestia wasn’t one of the lucky ones… She was standing in the middle of the market, doing her best to keep the usual gentle smile on her face and at the same time praying for some Ursa Major, Bugbear or Tirek to come out of the Everfree and save her from the predicament… Why the heck did I have to mention I am here, on a little vacation. Celestia pondered, as the pony in front of her was talking nineteen to the dozen, barely stopping to catch the breath. “—and then I was like ‘huh?!’ But he didn’t get the hint and just kept talking! Can you believe that your majesty? Some ponies just don’t know when to shut up!” Celestia’s eye twitched. “You don’t say…” She lost the context many minutes ago, not that it mattered to begin with. Just some standard questions about love, or lust, or… something. Perhaps I should ask James to teleport me to the moon for a while… “So what do you think?” The sudden question snapped her back to reality. She gulped covertly, not losing her composure for a second. “I think you should go with what your heart is telling you.” … did I get it? “Yes! I knew it! Thank you, your Highness!” “I am glad I could help, but… If I were you, I would go tell him right away.” Celestia winked… praying the pony will get the hint and go away. “Of course! I will do that, goodbye Princess!” “Goodbye, my dear subject!” Seeing the pony in question, getting further and further away, Celestia let out a deep slow sigh. Youngsters, always in love… Makes me wonder when Twilight will come running for advice. She let out a little chuckle and started strolling through the market again. For once, she wanted to forget about schedules, official meetings, and other boring stuff and just enjoy some rest and relaxation. She kept walking in relative peace – occasionally interrupted by a bow from one of her subjects – until a stand with delightful looking snacks caught her eye. Looking at the delicious cake and sweets, she involuntarily licked her lip. Control yourself, Celestia! You must not give in to temptation. She cocked her head, her eyes scanning the merchandise. Perhaps just one piece? As she pondered what to do, a comment coming from one of the nearby stands, got her attention… “—yeah, she knocked him off his feet in a single blow! That’s our Applejack!” Carrot Top said to Rose. “But why?” “No idea hon, but she wouldn’t attack anypony… or creature, for no reason—” “Excuse me, may I ask, who are you talking about?” Celestia interjected. “Your Highness!” Both mares bowed in unison. Celestia smiled but rolled her eyes at the same time. “Please, this is not necessary. I am on an unofficial visit, just enjoying some fresh air. However, I could not help overhearing your conversation… Did I understand correctly that there was some incident earlier?” Carrot nodded. “Yes, your Highness - some creature, very similar to our local human, showed up on the market. He had some run-in with the Crusaders… I think Scootaloo hit him with her scooter or something—” “That girl is a real daredevil!” Rose interjected “That she is… Anyway, the fillies and Cheerilee were talking to him when suddenly, Applejack ran near them, and WHAM! She bucked him into oblivion!” Celestia’s smile faded. She attacked John without provocation, and it does not disturb you in the slightest? How can that be… ”Please continue, what happened to the creature? Where is he?” “Oh, don’t worry Princess – we ran him out of town!” Celestia blinked a few times. “You… what?!” “OK, maybe not exactly ran him out… But, after we made it clear he is not welcome, he murmured something and limped away. I think he was going towards the Everfree forest.” Celestia closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. “Let me get this straight… First, Applejack attacked him, and then entire Ponyville chased him away? And nopony tried to even talk with him, or stop him?” “Well, he did talk with Cheerilee for a moment, but other than that…” “And that does not disturb you even a little?” Carrot bit her lip. “Um… I mean, Applejack would not attack someone for no reason… right?” “Applejack…” Celestia heaved a heavy sigh. “Do you know why she attacked him?” Carrot shook her head. “No, and she didn’t want to talk about it. All she said is that he is evil, and something happened earlier between them… but, perhaps she will tell you, your Highness?” “Yeah! You should ask her!” Rose said with a grin. “You can always throw her in the dungeon if she refuses!” Celestia furrowed her brow. “I am not throwing anyone, in the dungeon ladies – where do you get such silly ideas?” Rose winced. “Um… but, didn’t Gastovski just get back from jail?” Of course… anyone would be ashamed of being locked up, but not James. Hrmph! I bet he added some nice story on how the ‘white tyrant’ tortured him every day… Celestia let out a light chuckle. “Yes, he did, but, that is an exception, and that matter is… complicated. In any case, I am not throwing ponies – or anyone else for that matter – in the dungeon for trivialities. Please, remember that. Now if you will excuse me, I need to find Applejack.” “Oh, she should still be tending her stall – over there,” Carrot said, pointing her hoof. *** Applejack was near her stand talking to a unicorn stallion, his classy-looking suit with a tie contrasting with the rest of Ponyville. He was levitating some parchment with his magic and pointing something with his hoof. “I need more time! There were some unforeseen—” “Mrs. Applejack,” the stallion interrupted. “I’m here on behalf of my client, just making sure that the delivery will be on time. I do not have power of attorney to make decisions.” Applejack bit her lip. “But… Mr. Legal Beagle, that’s just it. I don’t think I will be able to deliver on time, not with all the troubles we had recently… What’ll happen if I fail?” Legal let out a sigh. “That is up to my client, but the contract you signed, gives him a lot of ways to proceed.” “Excuse me, may I…” Celestia interrupted them, cocking her head in surprise. “Mr. Legal Beagle? I would never expect to see you here.” Legal smiled and bowed his head. “Likewise, your Highness. A little getaway from the nobles?” “Oh yes, Ponyville is a little… too dusty for them,” Celestia said with a smile. “What brings you here? Business or pleasure?” “Business, unfortunately. Although, I may book my next vacation here – seems like a nice place to relax.” “I see…” Celestia sighed. " Legal, I need to talk with Applejack, could you give us a minute?” Legal smiled. “I was just leaving,” he turned to Applejack. “I will… inform my client of your troubles, you can probably expect to hear from me in a week. Goodbye Applejack, your Highness,” he bowed again and left. Applejack sat in silence with her eyes locked on the silhouette of the legal pony, shrinking on the horizon. She was clutching her hat in her hooves, almost as if trying to strangle it. “Is there something wrong Applejack—” “No!” Applejack shouted, forcing a confused expression on the Princess’ face. “I’m sorry, but no, nothing’s wrong.” “I see…” Celestia said, not buying her excuse for a second. “Applejack, I would like to have a word with you but… not in the open, please follow me,” after finding some – more or less – secluded location, Celestia begin. “I heard things Applejack, things I do not appreciate. Is it true that you attacked the other human without provocation or reason?” Applejack sighed, she was expecting it will come to this eventually. “I did attack him, yes – but not without reason.” “And what would that be?” “I would rather not tell.” “I am afraid that will not do Applejack. Attacking someone without provocation is an offense, I cannot just ignore.” Hoofing the ground Applejack murmured, “I doubt he will press charges.” “That is not the point!” Celestia said, with a raised voice and a visible frown on her face. “Applejack, you are one of the most honest ponies I have a privilege to know. I realize you would not attack anyone without a good reason, and the ponies at the market said, that you were calling him evil. I need to know why.” Letting out a sigh, Applejack broke the eye contact and turned around. “He…” She pulled her hat to her chest, as the flashback of that nigh hit her yet again. Celestia watched, as the pony in front of her started shaking with sweat pouring down her temples. Applejack stayed like that for a good ten seconds. “H-he tried to… eat me,” She finally said, violently shaking her head. “That night, I went to Zecora to get some herbs. When I was going back home, I realized I was being followed. I tried to run, but he caught me, and… If it weren’t for Gastovski… Applejack let out a sigh. “Then, when I saw him with Apple Bloom, the memory of that night just flashed before my eyes. I… panicked! I couldn’t let him hurt her!” Celestia wrapped her wing around the shaking mare, embracing her gently. “Why did you not say anything earlier?” “I pinkie-promised Gastovski I won’t press charges… He did save me after all.” Celestia sighed, that was one of those gray morality situations nobody liked. She knew humans eat meat on a regular basis, and John probably did what he did from hunger – on the other hoof, that didn’t change the fact he almost killed someone. “Are you going to look for him?” Applejack said, interrupting Celestia’s pondering. “Yes. I understand why you acted the way you did, but we need to clear this whole affair up.” Applejack sighed. “He said he was sorry, I… perhaps I overreacted, I don’t know anymore… He also said he wasn’t going to stay for long.” Celestia arched her eyebrow, confusion on her face. “That makes no sense… Can you repeat his words precisely?” “I think it was something like ‘don’t worry, I’ll be out of your hair soon.’ Why?” “I have a very bad feeling about this, I need to find him before he does something stupid…” *** On the outskirts of Everfree, the wind was blowing lightly, rustling some leaves on the nearby trees. Even though most ponies feared that place, one couldn’t deny that in the daylight, some patches looked beautiful, and the area seemed so... Peaceful. No timberwolves, hydras or anything like that - just some wind, and sounds of wild nature. The only thing spoiling the view, was a shape of a lonely human, sitting curled under one of the trees. His body was motionless and eyes locked apathetically to the ground – from a distance, one could mistake him for a statue. He took a deep breath, pulling a small locket out of one of his pockets. It was oval shaped and made out of gold-imitating material, visibly worn out by the time and war. For others, this was just an insignificant piece of metal, but for him, it was a terrifying monster – with fangs as sharp as knives, watching his every move. It’s glance piercing to the bone. John stared at the pendant trying to ‘fight the beast’ – his eyes wide and hollow. Eventually, he mustered enough courage to try to open it and started moving his shaking hand towards the object… His motion was slow and sluggish, and sweat was pouring from his forehead as if some invisible force was working against him. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, his other hand involuntarily clenched around the pendant impeding his attempt. Biting his lip, he pulled the medallion to his chest, and the pain intensified a thousandfold, as a tidal wave of memories rushed back to his head. Soon, a single tear streaked his cheeks, quickly followed by another. He couldn’t hold it any longer, nor did he wish to – rocking forth and back, he let out a torrent of tears. “Why…” He mumbled to himself, weeping like a little girl. Why… A million dollar question, no one had an answer to… As he sat there, alone and broken, his detached backpack caught his eye… Inside, still in its holster was a pistol. It was his trusted sidearm, a weapon that saved him so many times before… And now, he was contemplating if it could save him one last time. If it could… buy him a ticket out of there… A rustle filled the air, disturbing the peaceful sounds of nature. “Hello? Anybody there?” He listened for a moment, but quickly let out a dark chuckle. “Nobody’s here you idiot… Those little horses made it clear they want you to get the hell out…” The flashback of the recent events hit him again, with one particular quote playing in his head over and over. ”You don’t belong here!” That single phrase sounded like a validation… a validation he was looking for. “You’re goddamn right, I don’t belong here…” He took the pistol out of its holster, loaded it with the full magazine and disabled the safety. With his hand shaking and some sweat pouring down his forehead, he placed the barrel of the gun on his temple and started squeezing the trigger… “What if one of the kids hears the gunshot and comes here?” Shaking his head, he holstered the gun, securing it inside his armor. “No, they would have nightmares for the rest of their life… This needs to be quiet.” He took his backpack and pulled out a military-grade rope, stretched it a few times to be sure, and nodded. “That will do.” Not wasting any more time, he used the attached carabiner to make a loop, then threw the rope over the nearby branch and climbed it. He stood there, looking down, with a noose around his neck – ready to make the step forward. The way he saw it, it was better for him and for them… It was a win-win situation, best for everyone. “STOP!” His pondering was suddenly interrupted, by a loud, ordering voice. “Do not attempt anything foolish!” John cocked his head, to notice Celestia standing nearby, looking at him with a vacant expression. He let out a sigh. “My angel has come to rescue me one more time I see…” “I realized you may do something like this… although I must admit, I did not think you would act so quickly.” “Sorry to disappoint you…” John said with a dark chuckle, his hand still squeezing the noose. “I will give you a chance to leave before I… proceed. You can tell James where to find the body.” Celestia started to slowly walk towards him, her eyes locked with his. “I realize that a lot has happened lately in your life, but—” “But what? You’re going to tell me I can still enjoy the sunshine on my face or listening to birds singing? Or maybe that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem?” Letting a deep sigh, Celestia shook her head. “John… I realize that no speech can alleviate the pain you feel right now, but please, give this world a chance. Do not waste your life, on an impulse.” “Impulse?” His demeanor suddenly changed, his face going from hollow to irritated. “I was just thrown over time and space to… god-knows-where, and found out that everyone I cared about, everyone I loved, is dead!” Celestia bit her lip, this wasn’t going well. “John, this is not what I meant—” “And I got a pair of broken ribs plus ‘go to hell!’ package from your people because apparently, I’m some monster!” “This was just a misunderstanding!” “I have no future here, and no past to get back to, and you are calling my decision impulsive?!” He violently shook his head. “Hell, why am I even… I can’t believe I’m talking to a horse! Last chance – get out!” “I will not do that, John, it is my duty as a princess of Equestria, to help my subjects in the time of need. That includes you.” “Not anymore!” He said, pushing himself off the branch, his eyes closing on their own. Would it hurt? Would he just hear his spine snapping? Or would there be a searing pain shooting through his body? He didn’t know what to expect, but the feeling of being enveloped by an itching, warm sensation, wasn’t high on the list. “Huh?” He opened his eyes, to realize he was floating. “What the hell?!” “Please, calm down,” Celestia said, trying to remove the rope from around his neck with her magic. “Who the hell do you think you are?! Leave me alone!” He flailed his arms, in a futile attempt to break free, but it was no use. Celestia was working on the rope until a click sound filled the air. She turned her eyes to see that in his right hand, John was holding his trusted sidearm. Her eyes widened, she concentrated her magic on his arm, preventing its movement. “Goddamnit! Let go you crazy horse!” As she tried twisting the pistol out of his hand it discharged into the ground near her, one, two, three times – each bullet getting closer and closer to her hooves. She tried twisting the gun one more time when another shot hit some dirt in front of her, sending it flying directly in her face. Wincing, she closed her eyes and dropped her forcefield for maybe a second or two, but when her vision cleaned, John was holding his pistol to his temple. Just as he started pulling the trigger, she grabbed the gun one more time and pulled it away with force… The sound of discharge filled the air and the next few seconds were a blur. John dropped the gun and grabbed his neck – a stream of blood gushing through his fingers. A moment later, he fell to his knees as his breath turned into a constant gurgle. Celestia observed the gruesome scene with horror, her body frozen and unable to move – it was not until John lost consciousness that her senses came back to her. Not wasting any time, she lit her horn and teleported both of them to Twilight’s castle. In a nearby bush, Scootaloo sat in silence, her mouth hanging agape – not believing what she just witnessed…