This story is a fan-fiction of MLP:FiM. I don't own any of it. It belongs to Hasbro, etc, etc.
Don't sue. Seriously. That would be so uncouth.
Chapter 17
The first rays of sunlight illuminated my eyelids, but I didn't want to open them. I was so comfortable and warm. I pulled my pillow closer to my bod and snuggled against it. I let out a relaxed breath and felt my pillow do the same.
What?
Both of my eyes opened to find my hooves wrapped around a certain lavender mare. Some time in the night, she ended up in my bed. The only thing I couldn't vouch for is weather she did it subconciously, or on purpose. Either way, this was more that comfortable. I let my eyes close and I basked in the feeling. Everything was right in the world during those blissful moments, but I remembered reluctantly that I had to go to work. I slipped out of the bed as gently as I could and was transfixed by her sleeping form. She was so beautiful. I planted a gentle kiss on her cheek before fixing the sheet on her. She sighed contentedly in her sleep and my heart melted. I picked up my gauntlet off of the ground and turned towards the library to put it inside, before I found out I had been watched.
I started in shock at a smiling Cadence who was overlooking me from the balcony. I started to blush and she giggled softly. I tried to hide my blush by clearing my throat and going inside, but she had seen everything. I quickly headed to my room, to put the gauntlet away. I wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible.
“How was your night Crimson?” asked a bubbly voice from my doorway.
I turned around to face the evil pink alicorn that was tormenting me. She had a large smile plastered on her face.
“You sure get around fast for a pregnant mare.”
“Oh please. I'm in my first trimester. I won't get slow for another few months or so.”
“Lucky me.” I deadpanned. “Look, I really need to go to Sweet...”
“I know, I know. I just want you to know, I'm really happy for you.” she said as she hugged me.
“Um..thanks Cadence.”
She let go of the hug and blushed a little. “Sorry. It's just when I see two ponies in love.....you know, it's my special talent. I love to see love.” she smiled.
I rubbed a hoof through my mane, and my spirits fell a little.
“What?” Cadence asked when she saw my mood dampen.
I took a deep breath. “Do you know how I got this condition?”
She surprised me. “Yes. Shining told about it. I'm very sorry.”
“Well, then you must know how I'm feeling. I don't know if I really......”she stuck a hoof in my mouth and smiled at me.
“It will all work out. Just give it some time. Believe me. I know.” she said, her horn glowing faintly.
I smiled and hugged her. “Thanks Cadence.”
“Anytime. I promise not to tell Shining.”
My shoulders relaxed. “Oh Luna, he would kill me.”
Cadence laughed. “Or at least try to.”
“Thanks again Cadence.” I said stepping by her. “I'm off.”
“See you later Crimson.”
I dashed out of the library and into the morning Ponyville. The familiar path to Sweet Apple Acres went by too fast as I thought about what Cadence said. She must have known how I felt, but why had she been so confidant that she was right? I personally knew that I'd never get over Oakleaf, but I also felt so good with Twilight. She made everything perfect......
But still it was too painful to say, or even think, that I loved her. Oakleaf was always in my mind and she was my greatest love. It hurt so bad to think that anypony else could be like her. I shook my thoughts and tears from me as I entered Sweet Apple acres. Applejack was waiting for me with the cart and we headed out to the orchards we were to buck today.
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“......but what about the wood of the barrel?” I asked.
“That's where ya git yer accentuatin' flavors.” the country mare said. “What really matters is that ya keep an eye on the date a when you stored 'em.”
While we were working, we had been idly chit-chatting and somehow the conversation had turned towards the other products that Sweet Apple Acres produced. Other than the obvious supply of apples they sold, they also sold all the apple foodstuff a pony could name. They also sold the elusive Sweet Apple Cider, which I was told was the greatest drink in Equestria (according to Rainbow Dash). However, Applejack just brushed the cider comments off.
“Well that's just RD sayin' things. I know fer a fact that the cider is good, but Zap Apple jam is much better. Plus, RD didn't tell ya about Sweet Apple Acres Hard Cider......”
Thus our conversation in the process of making said hard cider commenced. Applejack had talked about how they started by making normal apple cider, then they added some secret herbs, and let the cider sit for a few months.
“It's the best thing anypony can have in the middle o' a cold winter. It warms ya up faster than cayenne peppers in the middle a July.” she said dragging a full bushel to the cart.
“I'm gonna have to try some.” I said giving my tree one last buck to dislodge some stubborn fruit.
“Heh! I don't think ya could stomach it partner.” she spoke smugly. I pulled my full bushel to the cart and shrugged my shoulders.
“You ever have straight Stalliongrad vodka?”
“Stallion whosywhatsit?”
“Exactly. I think we should do a little competition.”
Applejack's eyes blazed. “Like Granny says, don't bite off more than you can chew.”
I shrugged and smiled condescendingly. The second I mentioned a competition, I had her hooked.
“All I was gonna say was that we could have a little drink-off.”
“Oh really?”
“We'll see how many glasses of the other drink we can take. Sweet Apple Hard Cider for me, Stalliongrad Vodka for you.”
“What do we git outta it if we win?”
“If I win, I get a full barrel of hard cider. If you win, I'll do your share of the applebucking next season..”
Applejack looked at me skeptically. “Ah doubt that ya could do all of it.”
“I'm not using my gauntlets right now.....” I trailed off.
Applejack snorted, but lept at the challenge. She stuck out a hoof and I shook it.
“Deal.” we both said before laughing.
“Well partner, you sure got yerself in over......”
Her words were cut off by a high pitched filly's scream.
“TIMBERWOLF!!!!!!” echoed throughout the farm. Applejack and I looked at each other, fear playing on our faces. We sprinted away from where we were bucking and back towards the homestead. We passed trees that seemed less friendly and more pesky, blocking our view from the house. We both heard Applebloom scream again and we rushed faster and faster.
We erupted from the trees and saw a large gray timberwolf laying down in the middle of the yard, calmly cleaning his paws.
“Git outta her ya varmit!” screamed old Granny Smith from the porch of the farm house as she shielded Applebloom with her body. Applejack and I saw a long gray tail vanish into orchards.
“Is everypony alright?” I asked, shocked that a timberwolf would be this far south. Applejack rushed up to her sister and held her while I heard small childish cries of fear. Her grandmother looked out sternly at where the timberwolf disappeared from our sights. I sighed in relief and followed her gaze. Shortly, I heard booming hoofsteps coming from the opposite direction from where we came.
“Granny! Applebloom! Ya'll alright?!” called the gigantic farm stallion as he screeched to a halt next to me.
“Crimson! Wha' happened here?” he said panicked, the expression foreign on his face.
I looked at him seriously. “It was a timberwolf. Everypony is fine, but he went off that way.” I said pointing my hoof at where he disappeared to.
“That varmit is headin' ta town, younguns.” came a frail and yet deadly serious voice. Granny Smith broke her gaze from the trees and looked to Big Mac and Applejack.
“You youngsters and yer friend should go warn inta town and warn everypony.”
“But Granny,” said Applejack, letting go of Applebloom's tight embrace. “That means ya'll be here by yerself.”
The old green mare pulled herself up straighter. “Ah'll be here with yer sister AJ. Now git yer rope and go to town. We can take care of ourselves.”
“But....”
“This ain't a choice Applejack. Now go.” ordered the mare as she gently picked up Applebloom by the scruff of her neck with her teeth and pulled her into the house. Applejack sighed and walked dejectedly down the stairs of the porch.
“You alright?” I asked.
She looked up and her green eyes filled with a determination. “Lemme git mah rope.”
“Let's go sis.” said Big Mac who shuffled his hooves nervously. It was a little scary and amusing to see the normally calm and collected stallion to act so nervous. He was truly scared.
Applejack dashed out of the barn with a rope slung across herself and Big Mac bolted for the road as soon as he saw her.
“Woah...” I muttered aloud, amazed at the show of speed for a pony so big.
“Come on Crimson!” said Applejack as she passed by me. I shook my head and started to run after her. When we reached the road, I caught up to her and we both saw large red blur a few hills ahead of us.
“When the buck did he get so fast?”
Applejack sighed. “He gits like this when he's scared.”
“Of a timberwolf? He's just as big as them and twice as strong!”
Again she sighed. “There's a reason, but I don' think it's mah place.”
I shrugged my shoulders as we ran, making me almost topple over a stone in the road. Applejack smiled nervously, but I spoke up before she could say anything.
“I understand. Now let's go catch up to the big guy.”
“Now yer talkin' partner.”
We both ran faster, kicking up a cloud of dust behind us as we tried to catch up to the fast stallion.
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As we ran into Ponyville, we heard screaming. It was loud and came from many different scared voices. We could hear doors and windows slamming shut and the breaking of wooden stalls and flowerpots. Applejack and I looked at each other in fear and ran towards the epicenter of all the sound.
We came into the center of town and saw carts that were knocked over by ponies who ran for their lives. The ponies' fear and haste also caused some ponies to get left behind. We heard a loud and continuous scream coming from an earth pony with a manilla coat. Her mane was wine-red and she screamed at the top of her lungs. This was because she was cornered between a stall and the fountain in the the center of the town by the timberwolf.
“HE'S GONNA EAT ROSE!” Applejack gasped. She undid the rope deftly and started swinging it between her teeth. I tensed up and got ready to fight the timberwolf, but something was tugging at the back of my mind. I took a long look at the wolf and could see only it's tail, but ti didn't look like it was about to pounce or attack at all. In fact, if it wanted to attack, wouldn't it have done so already?
“Hey Applejack, I don't......” my words came too late. Her rope arced through the air and caught around the wolf's tail. Applejack planted her hooves into the ground and pulled back sharply with her head. The timberwolf uttered a surprised 'yip' as he was pulled back onto his haunches, away from Rose. Rose immediately scurried off to the safety of a random house, while her aggressor got up and turned to face us. The timberwolf growled at us and I finally got a good look at his face. His ice blue eyes were all that I needed to see.
“Fenrir?”
The timberwolf looked at me when I said his name, and then his snarl turned into a big, friendly smile.
“Crimson! I've been looking all over for you!”
Applejack gave me a confused look, the rope still caught between her teeth.
“It's ok.” I explained. “He's a friend.”
Applejack's eyes widened and she dropped the rope from her mouth when I went up to Fenrir and gave him a quick brotherly hug.
“It's been so long!” I said, my fear turning to ambivalence.
“Indeed it has! We last saw each other at your Father's last birthday.”
I smiled at the memory. “Such a fun party....”
“Especially when we played pin the tail on the Solitary Shadow.”
We both laughed, remembering Solitary's face after the first tail went on.
“So what brings you here Fenrir?”
The large timberwolf pointed to his chest with one claw. I saw that he had a long necklace that went around his massive neck and held a comically small orb right on his chest. I smiled, knowing that orb anywhere.
“You're part of Puck now?!?” I said as I punched him gently on his shoulder.
He chuckled. “Yes. And now that means we are true pack-brothers.”
I rolled my eyes. All of the drama the timberwolves had about families and packs.......
But then his voice turned serious. “But I am not only here to tell you of this good news. I was told by Luna herself to....”
“GIT AWAY FROM CRIMSON YA MONSTER!!!” screamed a stallion's voice as I was shoved away from Fenrir and my timberwolf friend was bucked in the shoulder. He jumped back from the massive red wall of stallion that separated me from him. Fenrir growled at Big Mac and I could see his hackles raise.
“Big Mac, it's alright. He's a friend.” I tried to explain to him.
Big Mac turned his head to look at me sharply. That was when I realized there was no talking with him.
I had seen his face on ponies who were unfortunately dragged into a fight that wasn't there's. The wide eyes with extremely small pupils. The jittery muscles in the face and body. The mouth that moved, but said nothing. It was fear, and an overwhelming amount of it.
“The varmit is gonna kill ponies jus' like he did ta Pappy.” he whispered to me.
“No he's not.”
“Yes. Yes, he is.” said Big Mac, shaking his head uncontrollably. “But I'm stoppin him!” Big Mack bucked my gently away from him and I fell to the ground gasping for breath.
“Don't hurt him Fenrir!” I raspily shouted as I heard a loud whinny. I coughed and then felt a pair of hooves help me to my hooves.
“Ya alright Crimson?” asked the orange mare.
I nodded my head. “We gotta stop him before somepony gets hurt.”
Applejack nodded curtly and she grabbed her rope again. It fell off of Fenrir's tail as soon as she let go, but she had it flying in the air again in seconds.
“I'll get him to the ground, then you hog tie him.” I ordered in my Lunar Captain voice before rushing off into the fray. Fenrir was dodging the farm stallion's lethal buck and stomps like a pro, only ever attacking with the soft bottoms of his paws. Yet this only angered Big Mac and threw him deeper into his frenzy of fear. I saw an opening when Big Mac faced away from me. I jumped up onto his back and threw my hooves around his neck.. I put him in a sleeper hold and I tried to talk him down.
“Big Mac. Stop this. He's not going to kill anypony.”
“DON'T LIE TAH ME!” screamed the stallion. His scream surprised me and my grip on his neck loosened. I fell to the ground and then found myself face to face with Big Mac's back hooves, poised and ready to buck.
“Son of a......”
I flew high into the air and landed heavily on my head a good ten feet away. I was vaguely aware that Fenrir and Applejack were calling my name, but the throbbing in my head took priority. My eyesight started to darken, but something stopped me from falling into a gentle rest.
My nostrils filled with the smell of smoke and my heart started to race. I opened my eyes and saw flames around me on the stone cobbles of Ponyville's center. I wearily picked myself up on a hoof and saw two large beasts fighting, but my vision blurred and they turned into flames. My eyes grew wide as I saw a small, sad pony sitting in front of the flames. She turned to face me and I gasped in fear. Her lovely bark-brown mane was burnt and dead and part of her face was blasted away. I felt myself throw up, but I never looked away from the mare.
“You didn't save me...” her sickening, but somehow lovely singsong voice called to me.
I chocked on the smoke that filled my nostrils.
“I tried!” I cried out to her as I chocked and cried all at the same time.
“Then why am I dead?”
I felt all my pain well up inside of me and turn into energy. I unconsciously opened myself up to the earth. I felt my power mix with the Earth's.
“OAKLEAF!!!!!!!” I screamed as tears streaked down my face. The Earth reacted to my pain and I could feel it convulse underneath me.
“OAKLEAF!!!!!!” I cried again, feeling my pain grow worse and worse. With every feeling of guilt, sadness, and anger the Earth convulsed harder and harder until I felt everything shake.
“RRRAGHHHH!” I screamed in pain before I heard a long and loud howl. It came from one of the flame-beasts and I faced him with all my fury. I forced the Earth to attack him, but his howl....it made me so heavy. I started to sink and the Earth slowly calmed, but I did not. I still raged, even worse now that I was restrained. I went on like this for what seemed to be hours, until I felt a gentle power on my forehead. It was not a sleeping spell, for it felt warm and fiery. At first it only aggravated my rage, but then I felt the warmth seep through my body and I was peaceful. I felt like every single emotional wound I ever had was being cured, but I knew that was impossible. I looked up to thank whoever was helping me, but all I saw was blurry green pony with a brown mane.
“I love you.” whispered a voice as I fell into the darkness.
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“It is like that of your princesses' magic. It comes from the universe itself.”
“Amazing. To think a culture just a few miles away from our north border can harness so much magic.”
“A few hundred miles that is.”
“Still....”
“Look! My brother is awaking!”
I tentatively opened my eyes. I closed them again with a loud groan. The harsh lights of where ever I was laying split my skull. And I also felt this horrible felling in the pit of my stomach. I groaned again and rolled onto my side.
“Step back ponies.”
“Why?” asked a familiar mare's voice before I threw up off the side of my bed. “Oh.” she deadpanned.
“Sorry.” I groaned hoarsely. I felt a comforting hoof on my cheek.
“It's alright as long as you're still here.” the voice said before cracking. I was surprised by the sudden tone in Twilight's voice that told me she was crying. I cracked an eye open and looked at her face.
Tears ran down her face, but she smiled. “I thought you had died when I first saw you there.” she sobbed.
“Sorry.” I said sheepishly. I closed my eyes again when I felt her hug me.
“Twilight, you know I just threw up.”
“I don't care.”
Fenrir's predatory laughing made me open my eyes to the bright room. I looked around quickly and saw that I was back in the library on Twilight's couch opposite of the fireplace. I closed my eyes again as the pain from the lights overwhelmed me.
“Hey Fenrir?”
“Yes Crimson?”
“Could you turn the lights down?”
“But of course.”
From behind my eyelids, I saw the lights go off and I opened my eyes to the now dark library.
“You didn't have to turn them off.” Fenrir gave me a large grin and snickered at me. He walked over to the fireplace and I knew what he was doing. I shook Twilight's shoulders.
“You can cry later, but you'll want to see this Twi.” She let go of the hug and looked into my eyes. I looked back at her and we stayed like this until I heard snickering coming from beside us. I looked over to see Fenrir standing on his back paws. He had his front paws cupped around his mouth and was making slurpy-kissing noises between childish snickers. I just rolled my eyes as Twilight noticed and let go of me.
“Are you going to light the fire or not?” I said with a sigh.
“But she already lit yours....” Fenrir snickered with his tongue sticking out between his teeth. I sighed again and he fell back to all fours and walked over to the fireplace. He took a deep breath in and gave a short low-pitched howl.
Blue flames erupted out of his maw and coated the empty fireplace. Where any other flame shouldn't be able to exist, the blue flame did. It emanated light and a cool heat onto us. Twilight gasped and stared at the flame. She scrambled over to the fireplace and inspected Fenrir's handiwork.
“How is this possible?” she asked as she wafted a hoof through the fire.
“You can do many impossible things with magic,” said Fenrir. “Isn't this right Crimson?”
“Huh?”
Twilight pulled her gaze from the fireplace and looked right into my eyes with a worried look on her face.
“You don't remember what happened?”
I started to stammer. “Uhhhh, I know I had another attack.......”
“I think it's best if we show him.” said Fenrir seriously.
Twilight started to object, but I cut her off. “Show me what happened.” I commanded feeling a little scared.
Twilight sighed and let go of me. I started to sit up slowly and she cringed her nose at me.
“Before we do anything, you need to take a shower.” I looked down at my coat and had to agree. There was a layer greasy vomit in places along with small cuts I got from the tussle with Big Mac. I could also tell that I smelled of sweat and grime and it made me respect Twilight even more for hugging me as long as she did. I shakily got off the couch and stumbled into the bathroom downstairs. I could hear Twilight and Fenrir talk in whispers, but I paid no attention to it as I ran a bath. I rubbed my face as the water started to steam and I looked at myself in the mirror. I was a train wreck.
I gently touch a deep bruise on my cheek and twinged as my hoof got close. I saw all the shallow cuts on my face and the horrible mix of dried blood and vomit resting around the edges of my lips. The mirror started to steam and I turned away from the ghoulish figure that was me.
The hot water rushed over my body, coming out in rivulets of red and a sickly yellow as it fell from my coat and mane. My closed cuts reopened under the water and started to sting. They felt even worse as I picked up Twilight's lavender-smelling soap and washed the grime from my body slowly.
“What do you have to show me?” I asked coming out of the bathroom, clean and wrapped in a towel. The towel was taken off of me by Twilight's magic, as she and Fenrir walked towards me.
“Come my friend.” Fenrir said gravely.
“Wait.” Twilight interceded. “Are you sure you want to see Crimson?”
I looked at them dumbly. “Why wouldn't I?”
They exchanged worrying glances.
“You may not like what you see.....” twilight said, shuffling her hooves.
“I don't care. Let's go.” I said as I stepped towards the door and stumbled. I was caught by a large gray, wooden paw.
“Careful brother.” said the lupine voice as he steadied me to my hooves. “Perhaps this could wait until later? I...”
“No.” I interjected. “I'm going to find out what I did, even if you two won't help me.”
I heard a low, agitated growl from beside me. I was surprised to find out it was Twilight. “Fine. Have it your way, but we're not letting you go alone.”
I smiled knowing I had won. “Thanks.” I said as the pair helped me out the front door.
We came out of the library and everything looked the same as everyday, only I there was a heavy atmosphere. I looked around inquisitively and also glanced at Twilight and Fenrir. From what I saw, their attitudes were pretty melodramatic. However, before I could say anything, Fenrir nuged me forward. I rolled my eyes as we walked forward towards the town center, but my light mood started to fall as we walked further into town. First, it started with a few homes and buildings with some missing roof tiles or a shutter hanging off of a window. Then it got worse quickly. The normally even cobble road started to get unnaturally bumpy and I saw some buildings were getting horribly distorted. At first I thought my magic had changed the buildings, but then I realized the magic had changed the ground the buildings had stood on. My fears became reality as we had to crest our first small hill on the way to the town center. My guilt grew with each hill we had to crest, the growing in their height just pushed my mood down further into despair.
We finally reached the town center, a small oasis of even ground among the convulsed earth, and I looked around at all the terror I had produced. The earth rose creating a ring, making me fell like a beast trapped by his own actions. I saw the charming houses and brightly colored buildings that normally made Ponyville a happy village, but now they were crooked and slanted, disheveled and broken. I sat down on my haunches and rose my shaking hooves to my face. How many ponylives had I ruined? When the homes were hit, was anypony......... I shook my head and felt the hot tears on my cheeks. How could this happen? Whenever I had a “normal” attack, it just ended up with me raving, and at my worst breaking something. But this........
“How?” I asked to the air, not looking away from my hooves. Any shred of trust I had in myself was gone. My actions, as unconscious as they might have been, hurt Ponyville, my friends, and innocent ponies. A gentle hoof fell across my shoulders, but in my numbness I didn't feel it.
“I got to the town center just as you jumped onto Big Mac's back. And then I saw him buck you.......oh, Celestia I thought you died Crimson.” she hugged me tighter but I still didn't feel anything.
“And then you got up and I was so relieved.” she continued. “But then you started talking, and at first Applejack and Fenrir told me they thought you were talking to them, but then you started screaming Oakleaf's name again and we all knew something was wrong. And then you stood up and the earth started rumbling as you stood up. Big Mac and Fenrir stopped fighting and everypony was looking at you. Then, the earth started moving, like waves of water. I could feel the magic emanating from them and I knew you were somehow doing it.”
“I felt the same Brother.” Fenrir said rubbing up against me reassuringly. “That was why I used my magic upon you. It was only to stop your magic.”
“This should be impossible.....I didn't even...”
“Have your gauntlets?” Twilight finished for me, sounding a little excited despite me. “This is why this is so amazing Crimson. You managed to unlock a source of magic that almost nopony of this ear has been able to!” I looked up from the ground and I could feel Twilight tense up when she saw my face at her words. I looked out into the town.
“Maybe we weren't supposed to.” I said sullenly. Twilight let our a quiet sob and pulled me into a tight hug, but I remained solid, like the stone that carried out my destructive impulses.
I shrugged our of Twilight's hug and looked at her sternly. “Was anypony hurt?”
“Only a few scrapes and cuts, but nothing the local nurse can not heal.” Fenrir said.
I pointed to a close house that was half demolished. “So that caused only cuts and scrapes?” I shouted as I looked angrily at Fenrir. His eyes dodged my gaze and his ears folded back as he looked at the ground.
“All able-bodied ponies are helping search through the wreckage of some of the buildings as we speak. There are still a few ponies missing.”
“And how many were dead?”
Fenrir sunk lower to the ground as I stood up on hooves steadied by anger.
“I said, HOW MANT DEAD!” I shouted.
“Three.” said a quiet voice behind me. I whirled around to see a crying mare sitting on the ground. Twilight sobbed silently as I looked at her angrily. I wasn't angry with her, but with myself. I let my emotions go crazy and I ended up hurting up, and killing, innocent ponies.
“Who were they?” I asked quietly, but the ever-present anger tainted my words.
Twilight wiped her eyes. “Twinkleshine, her sister Rainbowshine, and Berry Punch.”
My whole body trembled in anger and I let out a loud shout of anger. Fenrir and Twilight jumped and looked at me, worried. I rubbed the bridge of my muzzle and I started to walk away from the epicenter of my destruction. Twilight and Fenrir started to follow me, but I cast a glare backwards to them.
“I'm going for a walk. Alone.”
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My walk led me away from the center of town in the opposite direction of the library. I walked slowly and without direction, only trying to let go of my anger. Though, no matter what I did, it wouldn't leave me. It was a festering thing, draining me of my patience with myself and everypony, and it just served to worsen my mood.
I rounded a corner of a street to find a group of ponies outside of a collapsed house, cause by my magic. There were unicorns and pegasi holding beams and debris while earth ponies dug into what used to be a home. I froze up and unfortunately was spotted. My sighting was accompanied by a loud gasp by one of the pegasi.
“There he is! The monster that caused all of this!” she screamed while pointing at me with her one free hoof, the other holding a broken piece of timber. Her words stung deeply. Monster? Was that what I was now? A creature of terror and despair like Dicord or Crysalis?
A pink head popped out of the wreckage. “Crimson's here!?! Where?” asked Pinkie Pie as she looked around for me. Before I knew it she was standing a few feet in front of me, confusing everypony, including myself, to as how she managed to do that. She pulled me into a warm, friendly hug. “We were all so worried about you.” she said.
The unicorns and pegasi looked at each other puzzled at their group leader's actions, but they didn't have long to question Pinkie Pie's actions as a gruff “I found somepony!” came from the collapsed home. Pinkie let go of me, and with remarkable speed, moved to help the other ponies. A dark gray stallion dragged a beaten up unicorn our of the wreckage.
The unicorn, her coat still a shimmery yellow underneath the grime, open cuts, and matted blood, had her eyes closed and everypony surrounded her in a circle. I tentatively walked closer to see her better.
“She's not breathing!” said the stallion who had rescued her.
“Ok everypony, step back!” said Pinkie Pie as the stallion rolled the unicorn mare onto her back. He started to pump his hooves on her chest as Pinkie put her ear to the unicorn's mouth. After a few chest pumps, Pinkie opened up the unicorn's mouth and kissed her, sending air into her lungs. The unicorn didn't stir.
“Do it again.” Pinkie told the stallion who was now crying. They repeated the cycle two more times until the unicorn started to gasp and cough. She hacked and wheezed, but she was breathing. Everypony looked relieved, that is until they saw me.
“Why?” asked the same pegasi with teary eyes. I couldn't answer her. An earth pony came up to me and shoved me. “Get out of here! How can you live with yourself!?! You caused all of this! All of this!” he shouted into my face. I took a few steps back from the circle of ponies who had turned angry. My hooves started to shake. It was the first time I had felt scared in the face of danger. I stumbled on a hole in the road and fell backward onto my haunches as the angry crowd started to surround me.
“Stop it everypony!” shouted a pink wall between me and the aggressive villagers. Again she had moved with amazing speed, but I took a little solace knowing I had one pony on my side.
“Get outta the way Pinkie! He shouldn't even be here! You saw what he did!” said the earth pony who shoved me. The crowd voiced their agreement loudly.
“Yeah, leave!”
“Get out of town!”
“Go back to where you came from!”
Pinkie looked at the advancing crowd frantically. “We're all FRIENDS, everypony! It wasn't Crimson's fault! He didn't mean...”
“How can you say that Pinkie?” interrupted the earth pony. “From the first day he was here, he's been causing destruction!”
“Yeah! He wrecked your welcoming party!”
“And almost killed Big Mac!”
“Not to mention he was helping that timberwolf!”
Pinkie looked frantically at the crowd, speechless. I could see her start to shake. “Everypony.....” she said in a sad voice, vocalizing her tears.
A piece of wood came flying out of nowhere and hit my head, making a gash above my left eyebrow. “Get out of here you monster!” shouted the pegasi that announced my arrival and had thrown the wood. I got up and started to run. I could hear Pinkie call my name, but her cries were drowned out by the cheering crowd of Ponyville citizens.
I ran out of town, away from the only place that had ever, even if for but a moment, had soothed the effects of my PTSD. I kept running as I felt streams of tears run across my cheeks and mik with the dripping blood from the cut above my eye.
I should have expected this. First, I run out of the Lunar Battalion. Then, out of high society and Canterlot. And now, well now I just know I can't live with normal ponies. I really shouldn't have been as stupid to take up Luna's offer. I could have just stayed in my room in the Royal Castle and died a quiet death without hurting anymore ponies. There was, and will never be a place for me in the normal pony world.
I ran as the sun started to set and found myself entering a forest. It was like the great Everfree forest on the other side of Ponyville, but this one seemed less ominous and glowed in the setting sun. I ran into it's silent depths in the coming evening until reached a stream deep in the forest. I fell down into a heap on the stream's edge and cried as Luna's moon rose into the sky and set once more; I cried still when Celestia's sun rose and set. However, my tears dried and my sobs became silent as I fell into a tired and sad sleep around midnight of the next day.