We sat in Ditzy's living room in deafening silence; Shining had left with 'Twi' shortly after she had left. The others had been trying to break the silence but that failed as 'Dashie' and I returned the silence by yelling at each other. Several hour long minutes later the Doctor leans over to Ditzy, "Um, Ditzy could you make some muffins to... Lighten the mood?" She nods with a large grin and flies into the kitchen; returning shortly after with a tray filled with muffins. My stomach growls, reminding me how hungry I was. I thanked her and took a muffin, taking a bite I found that it was Banana nut, my favorite. How long was I out? I thought as I finished off another muffin. They were watching me as I was single han-hoofedly finishing the entire tray. "You're certainly hungry, how long has it been since you last ate?" The Doctor asked me. I swallowed the muffin in my mouth before answering.
"About a day." I realized something before looking at the yellow pony, "Hey you." I said, she eeped and hid behind the orange one, Applejacks, I think. She was staring daggers at me.
"Leave her alone." she said.
I rolled my eyes before speaking, "I just needed to know how long I was incapacitated." she answered from her hiding place.
"T-three hours..." I sighed and ate the last muffin. Another few minutes passed before the Doctor spoke again.
"So how is Rosemary?" he asked, the question brought on bad memories.
"Dead." I replied flatly. His ears drooped, whether from sadness or something else I wouldn't know.
"Oh well what about-" I cut him off before he could say more.
"They're all dead Doctor." he nervously shifted.
"I'm sorry James... I didn't know." I shook my head.
"It's fine, just don't bring it up." This revelation darkened the mood in the room to that of a graveyard. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see the equines giving me pitying looks, it was irritating.
"How did you arrive here?" the Doctor asked, changing the subject. I opened my mouth to answer when the door opened and Twi entered followed by Shining armor.
"The Princess wants to speak with him so we're going to Canterlot."
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The walk to the train station was a long silent one filled with unanswered questions: What did you mean? How did they die? Who are they? Why don't you talk!? Shining armor had payed for all the tickets and gave them to the rest of us. We boarded the train. The Doctor, his assistant and I in one car and the others in the car directly behind us. I was sitting in front of the window to watch the land as we moved, "What year was it on Earth when you arrived here?" The Doctor inquired.
"The year was 5743 and how I arrived was Jordan had created a serum that should've killed me but instead I ended up like this." I sighed and he spoke again.
"Jordan? That sounds familiar... Do you mean Dr. Jordan Stoll?" I nod and he laughs, "You were friends with The Jordan Stoll! Brilliant! Did you know he was the man to master teleportation!"
"He was working on it. He also made me a cloaking device, hologram projector, and watch all in a small timepiece... I don't have it with me." I added, guessing that would be his next question.
"That's brilliant! Did they work?" he asked.
I shrugged and replied, "I don't know. Never used them." his face fell.
"Well that's no good." his answer made me chuckle.
"His last invention, a smoke bomb, blew my arm clean off!" I laugh almost hysterically as I remembered the look on his face. "The only smoke came from his burning apartment!" the grey mare, Ditzy, then worriedly asked me.
"Is he okay?" I stopped laughing and waved a hoof dismissively.
"He's fine the bomb went off while he was gone."
The silence returned as I watched the castle in the distance grow larger as we neared. I felt my ear twitch as I heard the door open and a single set of hoofsteps entered, "We are nearing Canterlot." it was Shining armor. I heard his heavy hooves increase in volume, telling me that he was approaching me. My body instinctively tensed so I could jump out the window if anything happened.
"What do you want?" I asked without turning.
"Why did you run?" He wondered.
"I'd rather not be sent to the fucking dungeon." I replied, glancing at him to see him cock and shake his head.
"Princess Celestia said you had to pay off the damages by working for the bits you needed." I sigh loudly but remain silent the rest of the way.
I had expected to have 'Celestia' standing at the train-station with some hired guns but instead there were just a few guards patrolling the area like the last time I was here. We exited the train: Shining first, followed by the unicorns and Dashie with the other three mares coming last. I could feel Dashie's gaze burning into my skull but ignored it as Shining and his sister lead us, mainly me, through the city. I noticed some of the ponies there recognized me especially one very angry homeowner whom I recognized from breaking down her door.
Another pony I recognized was Pony Joe. We were making a scene apparently from the stares we were getting, along with some gossip my sensitive ears picked up, 'Isn't he the one who the Wonderbolts lost? I heard he was a very dangerous fugitive who has been on the run for killing somepony!' What the hell is with these rumors? I thought to myself as I was herded through the streets for a second time. Dashie flew down besides me and angrily grumbled, "How did you get away from the Wonderbolts? You're way too slow!" she yelled at me, I kept my face clear of emotion but I felt like laughing just to spite her. "Well?" she asked impatiently, I stayed silent which only angered her more.
We neared the gate to two of the hundreds of guards that seemed to be clones of the exact same pony. They saluted to Shining armor as we passed, he returned the gesture before continuing. As we approached the main doorway I felt a second pair of eyes burrowing into me, I turned to see the same pegasus I had injured in that hotel. I felt like confronting him but instead watched the doors glow yellow and blue, along with two guards' horns. The doors opened to show the same white horse on the throne. Wait it has a horn, so it's a unicorn... wait... it has wings too!? What the hell is that!? I was snapped out of my own thoughts when The Doctor pushed my arm softly.
"What?" I asked turning to see him and Ditzy kneeling. A quick look around the room later and I saw that the Doctor and I were the only ones not kneeling.
"Bow you asscolt." Dashie whispered loudly at me. I ignored her after glaring at her shortly.
"You may rise." The white whatever it is said and the others rose.
"Hello again Doctor." she said smiling warmly at him.
"Your highness." He replied with a curt nod. I take a few steps towards the throne to ask.
"What the fuck are you? You have a horn and wings." I could tell she was surprised along with the others, even though her surprise was more subtle but not subtle enough for me to not notice it. Dashie then proceeded to buck me in the thigh.
"What the hell! Do that again I dare you." I threatened the rainbow mare who just raised her hind legs again while I relaxed my muscles so I could easily dodge.
Before either of us could act we were pulled apart by a single magical force, a yellow aura enveloped the both of us. I turned back to the... I'm just going with horse. I turned back to the horse as she spoke, "This is not a place to fight." she said calmly before answering my question.
"I am an Alicorn. Who are you?" she asked.
"That's none of your concern." I answered out of habit. She apparently had tons more patience than Dashie, but probably everyone had more patience than her.
"Doctor do you know this colt?" the alicorn, Celestia, asked before setting us both down.
"He is James Phoenix, an old friend of mine." I nod as he introduced me.
"I have another question, it's about your blood." the irritation of speaking of my blood was seen by the Princess.
"What's wrong?" she asked me, I looked away.
"It... Reminds me." I chuckled lightly as I spoke to myself, "My own blood holds bad memories." I looked back up to Celestia who had arched a brow.
"May I see your memories?" she asked me, I stiffened and shook my head.
"No." I bluntly answered. Shocking Twi as I saw her jaw drop out of my peripheral vision.
"Why not? Are you a Changeling?" Dashie accused, getting into my personal space again.
"First off I have no fucking clue what the hell a Changeling is, second I don't need to answer to you or anyone. Lastly get out of my face you bitch." I said spitting the last word. She then tackled me and raised her hoof, preparing to punch me but I hit her first. The hit knocked her off me and I rolled to my hooves in the opposite direction.
I kept my body loose to dodge easier as she got up and shot at me immediately. I was about to break her nose as well if I wasn't stopped by a loud CLOP. Both of us looked at the source, princess Celestia was irritated, I could tell, "That's enough out of both of you." She sounded like a mother scolding her children. Rainbow apologized while I scoffed and walked back to the Doctor. He looked at me.
"What happened in all those years?" he asked.
"Death." I answered coldly and unfortunately Celestia had also heard it.
"I apologize James but I must see your memories." she said before standing from the throne and walking towards us her horn glowing. I was backing away, an escape plan already in effect but was stopped by Shining armor and his magic which held me suspended in mid-air. I was struggling to get free of the kinetic beam I was in.
I knew I only had two options, attack the Princess and probably be tortured or have the Isaac wannabe attack me and probably get slightly injured. I chose the latter, "Hey wannabe!" I yelled at her, she was ignoring me, "Oh now you understand that I want to be alone." I saw the white unicorn walk over to her and say a few words that I couldn't hear. This is getting me nowhere. I thought as Celestia leaned her head down, Oh well. I thought as I reared my head back to headbutt her. Shining had seen this before and threw me to the floor, my body hit the floor with a soft thud and I kept struggling to get free. I saw Twi trot over to her brother and I heard her say something about paralysis and spells, her horn glowed and a spark shot out, It hit me dead on. Shining then put me down, I smirked and tried to run but I couldn't. My legs could move but they just felt so heavy, so did my entire body. I felt my eyelids begin to descend, I knew she had hit me with some kind of knockout dart even though I hadn't feel the dart.
I couldn't fight it anymore and fell asleep. I had found out later that Celestia hadn't seen my memories but had used a spell to show my dreams to all. They were shocked at what they saw; the same repetitive memories of my entire family and all my friends dying. They all kept repeating the same phrase, "Why couldn't you save us James?" the living didn't just say that, the dead bodies raised themselves and kept repeating that while I was apologizing and making excuses. It ended with my brother looking at me.
"Just accept it James." he said before I was brought back into the real world. I was in another bed, this one was larger than the one I had been in back in Ponyville.
"Oh you're awake!" I heard the Doctor say from the bedside.
"Doctor? Where am I?" his assistant was sitting next to him.
"I'm sorry James, are you alright?" she asked me. It confused me,
"I'm fine, why are you sorry? What did you do?" I said accusing her. The Doctor just shook his head.
"The princess used her magic to show everypony in the room your dreams." he said, I felt the connection click. It didn't help my mood.
"I have to leave then." I sighed and got out of bed.
"Why?" Ditzy asked me.
"Because they're now probably going after my blood." I walked towards the door.
"They won't James but Princess Celestia wants to speak with you privately." The Doctor said. I acknowledged him with a grunt and opened to door to see Dashie with the yellow one behind her.
"Oh, you're awake." Dashie said, she sounded disappointed.
"And you are still here." I replied. The shy mare nudges her friend, she looks back and sighs before returning her gaze to me.
"I'm sorry for attacking you." she said halfheartedly.
"It's not like you could have beaten me." my comment made her glare at me.
"You know what? I take it back. Have fun with your weird dreams, freak." she said before flying off the shy pony walked up to me.
"She doesn't mean that. She is sorry but she just doesn't like to apologize... Are you okay?" she asked I sighed.
"I'm fine, now please leave me alone." she stepped away with a silent, more like barely audible, okay. I walked past her and away from the room.
I stared at the architecture as I walked down the long corridors. This castle wouldn't last a second under a siege. No defenses at all. I passed a few guards who just stood there and stared into the distance. No USEFUL defenses anyway. No forcefields, no turrets. Unless they're hidden but from the ancient tools they still use it's highly unlikely. I stayed in my own thoughts before I bumped into another pony. "Watch where yer goin'!" it was Applejacks, I didn't answer but instead walked past her. I heard her turn and trot up besides me. "James, can ah ask ya'all a question?" I kept looking ahead.
"You'd probably ask anyway so go ahead."
"Why were all those things askin' why ya'all couldn't save them?"
"That's none of your business. Please leave me alone." She didn't
"It's alright sugarcube, I'm a friend."
"I have only two friends and they'll both die eventually. Everything does." after I said this she continued following me but didn't say more.
I kept exploring the castle, Applejack still following me. Eventually we reached a staircase and I climbed it. It led to another corridor but this one had a large door that said Starswirl archives which was blocked off by a steel gate. I pushed the gate and it opened easily. An unlocked steel gate. I thought as I entered, I regretted it instantly. Pinkie jumped out of one of the bookshelves, "Hello sleepyhead!" she said before gasping, "I haven't thrown you a party yet!" I arched an eyebrow and uttered a single word.
"Party?" She nodded, her head rattling again.
"It's going to be so fun! There'sgoingtobestreamersandballoonsandgamesandcakeand-" I shoved my hoof into her mouth to silence her.
"I hate parties." this widened her eyes and her mane literally deflated.
"Hate parties? How could you hate parties?" she asked with wide pleading eyes.
"That's easy, every party I've been to ended with several bullet filled corpses and the building burning down. The last DECENT party I've ever had was when I was 23." I said which seemed to drop the hyper mare's mood even more.
"How old are yah exactly?" Applejack asked. I thought it over.
"I don't know I stopped counting after I reached 2500."
She was shocked while Pinkie was still on the news that I hated parties. "What!?" a familiar voice yelled, I looked to the right to see Twi reading a very large book. "But you don't look any older than 30!" she exclaimed before her horn shone and she disappeared in a purple flash before the flash and her reappeared in front of me. She began walking around me examining my body for what? I don't know. She stopped and stared at my flank where the drop of blood was, "So your special talent has to do with blood?" she asked while still searching for something.
"My blood isn't a 'special talent' it's a curse." Twilight looked up at me.
"What!? Your bones can't break and you don't age! How is that a curse?" the question angered me so I retorted.
"Well how the fuck would you feel if you stayed the same while everything around you withered and died!?" she winced at my harsh tone.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know." she apologized.
I scoffed, "How could you know?" I turned toward the exit to see Pinkie bouncing away, her mane looking like cotton candy like before. "I have to speak with your esteemed princess now." I said sarcastically before leaving.
I asked a guard where I could find the Princess, he asked me which one. "The white one." I answered to which he pointed down the hall.
"Down that way, it's the large door with a sun imprinted on it." I thanked him and followed his instructions stopping in front of the mentioned door.
"Let's see what she wants." I said before pushing the door open and entering. She was laying on a rug with several throw pillows around her, she was reading from a scroll but turned to look at me as I entered.
"Hello James. Come in, make yourself comfortable." She said with an inviting smile. I walked in and closed the door with a back leg before sitting down five feet away from her keeping a poker face on. "James do you have any questions you would like to ask?" she asked me. I thought it over and shook my head.
"No, nothing." I said. She continued to read the scroll as she spoke.
"Well, can you tell me how you arrived here in Equestria?" She asked so I told her what I told The Doctor.
She was shocked, "You tried to kill yourself?" She asked incredulously.
"Yes, I did." I answered.
"Why would you try to do that?" She asked me.
"I've been alive for..." I thought about it for a second, "Nearly 4000 years. Everyone and everything I know are dead or destroyed." I replied sadly.
"I know how you feel." she said sympathetically.
"Do you? Have you been alive for long enough to see the entire world to die once over? Have you been the cause of death for each and everyone of the people you care about?!" I said, my voice started even but it rose in volume as I continued the little rant.
The princess's patience hadn't run out yet, instead of yelling at me to calm down she gave me a motherly smile and calmly stated, "I have been alive long enough to see my little ponies move on. I've seen their children grow and follow. I understand." I looked her in the eyes, searching for even a kernel of lies but found nothing besides a faint, lingering sadness.
I felt my ears droop and she took advantage of this small fact, "James, will you tell me who that human in the large machine in your dreams was?" she asked. The image of Isaac stuck in that machine flashed through my mind.
"That was my older brother Isaac." I answered.
"What was that thing he was in?" she asked me. I knew I wouldn't be able to explain it but a thought crossed my mind.
"You could use your horn to find out for yourself." I said reluctantly. I didn't want to show her, but something about her calmed me down but I didn't lower my guard. "Are you sure James?" she asked which surprised me I thought she was going to do the 'spell' first. "Yes." I answered nodding before standing up and walking close enough so she didn't need to move, also so I had room to run if it got bad. Her horn glowed and the tip descended towards my own head, I closed my eyes thinking it was going to be painful but instead it felt a little tingly, but that was as bad as it got.
I slowly opened my eyes to see Celestia's jaw hanging open, She's going through my memories, thousands of years of death, running, hiding, and how little anyone could be trusted in my eyes. I had a feeling in my gut that she wouldn't be pleased about what I had done to survive. The blood that had stained the road I walked, having even a connection with me brought misery and pain. I didn't want to live that life anymore. I saw her mouth close and the tingling in my head stopped as she raised her head. "I'm sorry for your losses James. I now understand your actions better, but if you want to stay in Equestria I have one thing to ask of you." she said. I tilted my head involuntarily as I asked.
"What is it?" she looked out a nearby window and I saw Rainbow Dash's tail move out of sight.
"Make peace with Rainbow Dash. I know you blame yourself for what happened to your brother but don't take it out on one of my subjects." I opened my mouth to protest but closed it and nodded.
"I'll try." She smiles and her horn glows, opening the doors behind me.
"Thank you, you may leave now but remember you don't need to run anymore." I thanked her and left. Well she just asked me to do the impossible. I don't think that egotistical mare will care. But if she is like my brother, she will accept my apology... Hopefully not.