//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Virtuous Desperado // by Dumakey93 //------------------------------// The door opened, as my eyes were closing, I could see a striped blur walking in the hut. I couldn’t move an inch, because I was severely fatigued, so I tried to sleep. When I woke up from my nap, I began to yawn loudly. I noticed that I still hadn’t eaten anything since I arrived in Equestria, so I looked around. All I could find were native plants that didn’t look too appetizing. My stomach was growling, as I grew even weaker than before. I quickly grabbed a jar holding some blue plant, and opened the lid. The smell was quite pleasant, but it was so strong that it knocked me out. My eyes opened, to see a zebra staring at me. I was too dazed to pay attention to what she was saying. Apparently she was scolding me for going out into the forest, and she asked me my identity, just like Twilight. All I could really hear was a loud ring, as if a few sticks of dynamite were set off near my eardrums. My eyes wandered towards my holster, as I reached for my gun. I quickly saw that something was off, for I couldn’t properly reach for the gun. I raised my hands and my eyes grew wide, for I had no hands anymore. What I did have were two hooves, that were black in color. I could only guess what happened to the rest of my body, I have turned into a pony! I searched myself over to see if I could, at the very least, light up a cigarette to take the stress away. I tried gripping the lighter and cigarette, but my efforts proved fruitless. I guess that’s one way to kick a bad habit. It was because of that damn blue plant! That’s what turned me into a...pony. The zebra watched me for a few minutes, as I thought of how to remedy the situation. She suddenly spoke to me, “Hello human, my name is Zecora.” I answered, “Well, I don’t care who you are, I just need an antidote. Make it quick, I don’t have all day...” “It seems patience, you have but little. Excuse me while I play my fiddle.” She suddenly took out a fiddle, and started to play it. I have no clue how she did it, but she played a melody similar to the one from the yellow pegasus. I grew steadily impatient, as she continued to play for several minutes. My body began to contort and change, as my bones were rearranged. The pain I felt was greater than having to swallow hot lead, as I screamed out in pain. The pain itself lasted for less than a few seconds, as my body was restored to its original form. I grabbed my clothes quickly, and put all of them on in the proper order. I grabbed my gun, and shoved it in its holster. I turned to Zecora, who stopped playing the fiddle, and trotted over to me. “I am interested in your troubles, let us talk for a bit.” I was surprised at the suggestion, but since she helped me out, it was the least I could do. I snapped my fingers, and coughed slightly. This made her very still, a she stared at me again. I spoke in a raspy tone, “What do you want to know?” “As much as possible, because it seems you are troubled.” “How could you kn-” “I can see it on your face. You try to be tough on the outside, when all you’ve experienced is pain on the inside.” “So I’m that predictable, huh? I guess it figures that a witch doctor would know the most about me.” “I will ask again, what is troubling you?” I turned my head away from her, biting my lip to absorb the bad memories. I turned to her again, with a blank look on my face, “I am being hunted by demons. These beings want me to kill a Princess that rules over Equestria. They can sense that I truly do not want to kill anyone, because that led my to my previous demise. Which is why they are hunting me down, to make sure I get the job done. I don’t want to get anyone involved, I can handle this myself.” “Oh really? Not from what I have seen. You need help not just from me, but from the very person you are supposed to kill.” I considered her words carefully, I knew that the more allies I had, the better my chances were of survival. I also considered the possible consequences of bringing my problems upon innocent ponies. Given my current state, I couldn’t refuse the offer, “Fine, but we’ll play by my rules, got it?” “Yes.” “Don’t even think about turning me into a frog alright? I hate frogs.” “I wasn’t planning on it.” Zecora and I gathered supplies and headed out into the forest. She paid no mind that I never said a word to her while we walked. I think that she preferred silence, much like I did. Within a few minutes of walking, we reached the end of the forest. Zecora glanced back at her home one last time, then sighed as we continued onward. It was around sundown as we approached the Canterlot castle. There were no guards at the gates, which was very odd, considering their job involved protecting the princess. We slipped past the iron gates, and walked past a lively party that was being held. A bunch of ponies were dancing and having what seemed to be, alcohol? Zecora tapped my shoulder, for I was staring at the drinks a bit too long. I quickly turned about and we went to what seemed to be the courtyard. Hearing somepony cackling loudly, we hid in some bushes. It seemed that the yellow pegasus from before had gone nutty, as her hair was mangled in knots. Zecora and I thought it was best to steer clear, so we headed past her and up a dark stair case. The staircase was covered in cobwebs, and crescent moon paintings. With every step we took up to the balcony above, I felt like staring into the moon above us. Little time had past when we finally reached the top of the tower. The balcony itself was quite bland, having no decor whatsoever. The moon showed itself, as a light illuminated a dark figure inside the room. I nodded to Zecora, giving it an all-clear signal, I rushed inside. My first steps inside were silent, as I steadied my breathing and crouched low. I glanced at the window to my right, and there it was. The figure was apparently looking outside her window at the moon, not seeing Zecora or myself sneak in. The figure turned its head towards us, as I bowed to it. Zecora gasped behind me, perhaps taken aback by what she saw. I glanced up, and saw the figure was at my eye level, only about a foot away. I could see it clearly now, a dark blue and black mane glowed brightly within the night. Her blue eyes looked through me, as she was clearly struck by slight fear. She had a unicorn horn and wings to match. We stared at each other, searching for a sign of weakness. It looked like I had found a princess, but was she the right one?