Dash and I had reached the town a few minutes before the train arrived. I would've flown off but she said we had to meet back up with her friends. I didn't have anything better to do, nothing after my blood, nothing to run from... Nothing, nothing at all. We stood on the platform as the colorful train pulled into the station, the ponies exited and surrounded us. The lavender unicorn Twilight Sparkle spoke first, "So James, have you decided where you want to stay?" she asked me. I kept my face free of any and all emotion as I answered.
"No I haven't." she looked over at Dash then back to me.
"So you're not going to stay with Rainbow?" she asked. Dash and I exchanged a look before we answered together,
"No." Doctor and Ditzy walked over to me the Doctor spoke.
"Well James it was nice seeing you again but we must get going." I nodded and said bye before they left.
"Well if'n ya'all want you can stay on the farm." Applejack said. I shook my head after thinking it over. Pinkie pie began bouncing in place.
"How about you come stay with me!? I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Cake wouldn't mind!" she was smiling widely.
"You live in that bakery?" I asked. She nodded, the grin still plastered on her face.
I declined her offer in a less rude way than I was about to do it, mainly from four angry stares. The white unicorn spoke up next, "Well I would be pleased to spruce up your manners and etiquette." she said.
"No way." I answered before moving to the only one left Twilight Sparkle.
"Well I'd love to talk about where you came from and how you've been alive for thousands of years. We could have all night study sessions!" she said excitedly at the prospect of learning about me. I looked at her then to the others before turning around and walking away.
"I wonder how much it is to rent." I said
I was waiting in the City hall to speak with the mayor, who was coincidentally named Mayor Mare. The only sound in the room was from the attendant's quill scratching across a page. I sat there for what seemed like days before the door to the Mayors office opened and she stuck her head out, "James you may come in." she was a very light tan mare with a grey mane. I entered the office and she motioned for me to take a seat, I did. "Allow me to welcome you to Ponyville James." she began. "Our small town is a very wonderful place." she continued while I just sat there and listened. "I hear you want a home, right?" she asked and I nodded. "Well we have two homes for sale and three for rent." She said placing two folders on the table, one had two images, I guessed for the two homes, and the other one had three other pictures. I looked at the first two, A two floor home with plenty of room for more. I read in my mind. Price 2000 bits. Can't afford that. I moved on the the next one, Single floor home inside the town, near the farmers market. Price 2500. Nope. I closed the first folder and moved to the other one, Room for rent, 50 bits a week. there were two names of the other residents, Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon. I moved to the others to see if they had anything better.
House for rent, 500 bits per month. No other residents. it was a broken down house, a 'fixer upper'. I went to the last one, Room for rent, 75 bits per week, two other residents, a Vinyl Scratch, a.k.a Dj Pon-3, and Octavia. Dj? I'd rather not. I took the first one for 50 bits a week and thanked the Mayor before leaving after she directed me to the home. As I walked to the house several ponies greeted me with a friendly "Hi." that I didn't acknowledge. I had reached the house and most ponies stopped trying to talk to me, others didn't. I knocked on the door a few times and heard nothing. I waited for a while but still no one answered. I sighed and was about to look for anyone who was hiring when I saw two mares,a unicorn and an earthpony, walking over. The unicorn was a mint green with a white streak in her mane. The earth pony was a cream colored mare with a dual colored mane, deep purple on one half and pink on the other. I trotted up to them, "Excuse me. Are you the owners of this house?" I asked them. The earthpony smiled and nodded.
"Why yes we are. Are you here about the extra room?" she asked. I nodded.
"Yes I am. But do I have to pay up front for this week?" I asked her. Her smile faltered.
"Would that be a problem?" She asked.
"Well it might be, but not for long. I was about to go look for a job anyway." I answered
"Oh well I guess you can pay when you find a job. But in the meantime let's show you around. My name's Bon Bon by the way." she said, her smile returned.
The inside of their home was not very elaborate, a staircase that went to the second floor, a circular rug, a coffee table, a couch and a few paintings. The kitchen was not very different, a refrigerator, a table, a few chairs, drawers and cabinets, probably filled with dishes, and not much else. She showed me where the bathroom was downstairs before we went upstairs and she showed me to my room. It was just a large empty room with a window. I looked around the room, "So this is my room?" I asked over my shoulder, Bon Bon nodded. I looked at her friend, she was giving me a curious look.
"Is something wrong?" I asked her.
She shook her head, "No there's nothing wrong. I've just seen you ignoring everypony and acting like you're better than them." Lyra said with an accusing stare.
"Better? Worse is more like it." I muttered.
"Huh? What did you say?" she asked, I waved my hoof dismissively. My stomach growled.
"Oh you're hungry, well I guess you can eat with us." Bon Bon said. I thanked her before we went downstairs to the kitchen. Bon Bon made some salad while Lyra glared at me. It unnerved me slightly though I didn't show it. Bon bon served the three of us and gave us some apple juice. I ate the salad and tried picking up the glass with my hoof, it didn't work and I knocked the juice onto the table. I facehoofed.
"I'm sorry about that, I'll clean it up." I said, grabbing a towel and using it to dry the spill, muttering, "Why did I have to lose my hands? This is impossible, how do they drink?"
Bon Bon thanked me for cleaning up. I noticed Lyra's expression had changed from accusing to mystified, she walked up to me and asked, "Did you say hands?" she was getting incredibly close. I stepped back.
"Yeah I did." I answered. She began smiling almost psychotically. Bon Bon pulled her away by her tail saying through gritted teeth.
"I'm sorry if she's scaring you, are you still going to stay?" she asked nervously. I nodded.
"Well I don't have anywhere else to stay that's cheap so yeah I'm staying here." I answered. Bon Bon sighed in relief and gave Lyra a look that stopped her from doing whatever she was about to do. I looked out the window and saw the sun was close to setting. "I should go look for a job before it's too late. I'll be back." I said and walked out the door. I went back to the Mayors office to see if there was anything she could tell me, I saw Rainbow dash putting up a flyer, I flew up next to her and read the flier it said Weather pony wanted, "You need some'pony'-" I was cut off as she screamed. I couldn't stop a snort, she glared at me,
"Why are you sneaking up on ponies?" she asked me, obviously angry.
"Well I'm looking for a job." I point at the flier, "How much does it pay?" She looked at it and then back to me smirking.
"It pays well, 8 bits an hour." I cocked an eyebrow at her smirk.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
She laughed, "Oh nothing, but if you want the job you got it. You'll be taking my rain shift tomorrow." she said.
"Why should I?"
"Well if you want the job you'll have to." she said.
"I'll go to the coordinator then." I retorted. Her smile grew bigger.
"You're lookin' at her buddy." she laughed and I groaned.
"Fine just tell me how exactly am I supposed to do that?" she rolled her eyes.
"Look you just go to Cloudsdale." she pointed at a city made of clouds, "Take the rain clouds that are needed for Ponyville and cover the sky with them, you'll be working with Thunderlane, and Flitter." she said "See you at six A.M." she laughed and flew off.
"Well that was easy I guess. Now I don't have anything to do." I looked around and saw the treehouse.
"I guess I'll just get a few books. Better than nothing." I said as I decided to fly there. I still had a little trouble landing and received a few bruises but nothing serious, though nothing is ever serious with me. I knocked on the door, a small dragon answered it.
"Twilight's busy right now, if you want a book you'll have to come back later." he said before looking me over, "Unless that's not why you're here." he said. What he meant hit me immediately and i laughed sarcastically.
"No I'm just here to get a book and leave. Nothing more." he got an angry look on his face.
"I'll go get Twi." he said and walked inside, I followed and sat at a nearby table. I saw the small reptile walk into a room and down some stairs. I stood up and looked through the library's selection of books, I found a book titled: An abridged history of Equestria. I carefully took it off the shelf and skimmed the entirety.
"That's a good choice. Nice to see you again James." I looked over my shoulder at the unicorn.
"HI Twilight. How far back does this book date?" I asked her. She sat down next to me.
"It goes as far back as 8000 years. That's when we started recording our history." she said. I scooted away from her.
"So Celestia has been alive through all of this?" I asked Twilight and she nodded.
"Some say that she has been here since the world was made. But I'm not sure." she said.
"Well the human life span was only around 60-70 years. And I've been alive to outlast my entire world three times over." I commented, remembering yet another reason that made life miserable.
I saw her ears droop, "Sorry James." she apologized. I sighed.
"I don't care. Let's change the subject." The mood of the room had instantly darkened. I continued to skim through the book and read how pegasi controlled the weather.
"Did I hear you right?" Spike said from behind, "You've outlived an entire planet!?" I nodded. "I don't believe it." Spike said.
I sighed, "Then how about I give you a little demonstration?" I asked. Spike looked skeptical but agreed. "Okay let's get a knife." I said. Shocking Twilight.
"Why do you need a knife?" She asked nervously. I made a gesture with my hoof, moving from a few feet away from my head and hitting my neck. She froze realizing what I was going to do, Spike didn't. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a short knife.
"Why do you need this?" he asked. I reached for it with my mouth, only to have it snatched away by a purple aura. I turned to the unicorn, her horn was glowing the same purple color.
"I'm not letting you stab yourself James." she said.
I rolled my eyes, "Alright." I looked out the window, the sun was setting, "I should get going." I said walking towards the door.
"He was going to kill himself!?" Spike asked Twilight.
"I'd be hurt but not dead." I answered before I left the library. I flew back to Lyra and Bon Bon's home.
I opened the door and was greeted by Lyra, "Hi! How'd the job hunt go?" she asked. She was getting awfully close again.
"It went good. I'm on the weather team. First job's tomorrow." I answered.
She backed away, "Well Bon Bon's asleep so I have a question to ask." she sat down on the couch differently from the rest. she sat with her legs dangling off the edge. I sat down in the same way, it was uncomfortable. I adjusted to get more comfortable and stopped when I was in the perfect spot, laying on my stomach.
"What's your question?" I asked her. She looked a little nervous.
"Okay. This may sound weird but... What do you know about humans?" she asked. I felt my ears droop.
"More than I'd like to." I answered. She looked excited.
"Really!? Is it true they eat meat?" I nodded, "I know their science is far more advanced than our own but how far?" she asked. I thought it over and told her about the year I came from, the way the cars ran on everyday materials, the cameras, the helicopters, Jordan's newest project bionic limbs. Her eyes widened as she heard these things.
"You know a lot." she said when I finished. "Humans seem to be very smart, maybe if there were a few here we'd be better." she thought aloud.
I shook my head, "Those are the good things they've done. If you knew what they'd done you wouldn't want any here. Ever." I said looking down at my hooves with a pained expression.
She reached out, "They can't be that bad can they?" she asked but before she touched me I left my seat on the couch.
"They're worse." I walked away from her and up the stairs into my empty room and found a place to sleep, having slept on a floor several times before. I fell asleep quickly, expecting the usual nightmares but no, not tonight. Tonight it was worse, memories flowed through my mind, stopping at one in particular. The day I met Rosemary, she was tanned to a near golden color, had naturally red hair, light green eyes, and a beaming smile. The first time I saw her it wasn't love at first sight, she approached me in a cafe. The year was 3056. She was smiling widely, "Excuse me sir." she said to me, I had a jacket on with the hood up. I grunted a greeting, she kept smiling, "I was wondering if you knew where Time square is." she said. I directed her to where it was, with absolutely no emotion to my voice. She didn't leave, instead she sat down next to me, "Is something wrong?" she asked.
I groaned, "No, there's absolutely nothing wrong."
She still didn't leave, "Are you sure? You seem sad." she continued. I drank the rest of my coffee and left the cup off to the side.
"Look lady, I'm perfectly fine. Now leave me alone." I said.
She stayed, "I know you're lying, tell me what's wrong. It might help." I glanced at her, she still had that wide toothy smile. I stood up and began walking away, she grabbed my hood and pulled it off my head.
I turned to her, "Look can't you just leave me alone!?" I yelled before spotting the cashier putting the phone down. Behind him was a wanted picture of me, I heard a helicopter getting nearer. I looked out a window, tearing my hood away from her and saw the helicopter with the Medical Genetic Research logo on the side, it turned towards the cafe. I jumped over the counter, scaring the cashier in the process, and ran into the back where I exited through the back door. I kept running until I thought I was safe, panting heavily in an alley. My jacket's hood was down once again. I saw the MGR helicopter fly overhead, I knew they were still searching for me. Once it had passed I stepped out of the alley and a car drove up and stopped. I was about to run again when the window went down. It was that woman again, "I don't know why they're after you but you can stay with me until they stop searching." she said. I climbed in and sat with my right hand near the knife i had hidden in my jacket just in case she tried anything.
We drove for a short while before stopping outside of an apartment complex. We got out of the car and I followed her up to the top floor where she let me inside. She was either very trusting or is just acting to get me to lower my guard. "You can sit down if you want." she said.
"I'd rather stand." I answered before walking to the window and opening the yellow curtains she had, just enough that I could see through. The helicopter passed by, there were six others out there.
"Why are you on the wanted posters?" she asked from her kitchen. "It says you're a mass murderer!" she continued. I scoffed.
"It was all self defense." I began, "Those fuckers attacked me first, I just retaliated." I said closing the curtain again. She walked up to me.
"Why did they attack you?" she asked. I chuckled coldly.
"You're new here aren't you?" I asked her. She gave me a bemused look.
"I let you into my house. May I please have a few honest answers?" she asked more than demanded.
That was a first, "Fine, since you're being so hospitable. They attacked me so they could tie me up to a machine and drain my blood." I answered.
"Stop lying. Why did they really?" she asked once again.
"I told you why, my blood is a cure all." I said. She raised in eyebrow suspiciously.
"So you have ABZ blood?" she asked me. I shook my head.
"No. I have Phoenix blood." I scowled at the name.
She scoffed, clearly skeptical, "That blood's a myth. Unless you can re-grow limbs." she said skeptically.
"It hurts like hell." I commented. She still looked skeptical, I looked out the window again.
"Well it looks like they stopped searching. Bye." I said walking to the door. She stopped me.
"I'm not letting you leave until you tell me the truth." she said. I saw the determination in her eyes, she meant it. I sighed and walked into the kitchen, opened a drawer and pulled out a knife. She watched with curiosity as I raised the knife. Her eyes widened in shock when I plunged the blade into my chest. I twisted it before pulling it out. The pain was excruciating, I fell to my knees, she ran to my side, "Oh no! Are you okay? I'll call the medics." she said looking around for the phone. I gripped her shoulder.
"No. It's almost over." I muttered as my blood stopped bubbling. I stood back up with a single hole in my jacket shirt. I opened the hole wide enough for her to see through, her eyes widened further upon not seeing a scar. I picked up the knife, it had corroded from my blood. I threw it in the trash and apologized for it before walking to the door.
She stopped me once again, "Wait! I can't let you go out there and get harvested. You can stay here if you'd like." she said with a sympathetic smile.
I looked at her, "How do I know you won't just call MGR?" I asked her accusingly. She smiled warmly.
"I promise I won't. I'd feel bad if I let you leave and disappear." she said. I could hear the sincerity in her voice. I stayed.
The dream moved ahead, flashing the memories quickly, our first date, first kiss, and our wedding. It may not have been official but I was still the happiest I had ever been. The memories flashed past again, stopping when they sent a broadcast directly to her home while I was there. It was MGR, they had her tied up and gave me the same message, "Surrender yourself or she dies." They thought that if they had her I would. They were right. I was ready to steal a few arms and go there just to keep her safe but she stopped me.
"James! If you do love me you'll stay away." She said, she was crying, "Please don't try to help me. Please." she said as the broadcast ended. I went against my instincts and stayed there, it broke my heart to just sit there and not do anything. The next day her death was on the front page of the news: Woman body found horribly mutilated, presumed bear attack. This woman was identified by the id in her wallet: Rosemary Janos. Upon reading the headline I skimmed through the entire article until I saw it A marriage certificate was also found it said Rosemary Phoenix. Later I had found out that she had been captured at her work. Her closest friend had called the authorities once she knew I was Rosemary's husband. I don't blame her, she did it to because she thought Rosemary was in danger. She unknowingly killed her best friend. Even then she had been looking out for me, I'd have done anything to have her back.
I woke up from something hard pushing against me. I opened my eyes to see two mares, Bon Bon and Lyra. They looked worried. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, finding that I had been crying. "Are you okay? We heard a loud noise, and came to see." Bon Bon said. I looked at her, "I'm fine Bon Bon. Just some bad memories." I said to them. I could tell they didn't believe me but they left anyway. I laid myself back down and stayed awake the rest of the night.