//------------------------------// // War on Two Fronts (Plus One More If You Count The Mind) // Story: Tainted Gifts // by Touch of Darkness //------------------------------// I didn’t quite understand how I knew that something was coming after me. I think it was just my innate sense of imminent danger that had developed after living in the shadows for two years. Whatever it was, it was setting off alarm bells in my head. My mind was in a whirl. Then, I heard a sound like a drawer being closed downstairs. I hesitated a moment, unsure what to do. Then, I squirmed out from under the bed, and, after I had gotten out and on my feet, glanced at it. My heart began to race. The covers were ruffled, and Applebloom was gone. Driven by fear, I rushed out of the open door of the room and down the stairs. When I got the the kitchen, I stopped dead. Applebloom lay tied up on the table, a gag in her mouth. Near her hung perfect, long, white hair that stirred lightly in the breeze coming from the door opening to the outside. My heart stopped, and a chill went up my spine. White suit, white pants, shiny black shoes. It was the man I had tried to kill just a week earlier. He had found me. “I was wondering when you were going to come down.”, the man said casually, though he didn’t turn to face me. He appeared to be going through a cabinet, though for what I reason I did not care to know. “I...I…” I trailed off into silence. I couldn’t speak. The mere presence of this evil man had robbed me of my ability to do so. The man continued rummaging through the cabinet, but stopped after a couple minutes of silence. His long, thin arms fell to his side. “What, cat got your tongue?”, he asked mockingly, still refusing to turn around. I stayed silent, and didn’t move. The man sighed and turned on me. My eyes instantly met his cold, icy blue gaze. “What’s it going to take to get you to say something?” The man bit his lip, and folded his arms in thought. Then, he looked at Applebloom, and then looked at me. He smiled a psychotic, demented smile, and raised one arm high above his head. I watched it go up, and watched it come down like a whip, the palm of his hand meeting Applebloom’s face. There was a resounding smack, and Applebloom let out a cry of shock and pain, though it was muffled by her mouth gag. The effect on me was instantaneous. “You piece of shit!”, I screamed, and pulled out my knife. I ran at the man, but then I heard the cocking of a gun, and found the barrel of a revolver trained at my forehead. “That is what a smart person would call a bad idea.” I shook with rage, but slowly backed up. “I could make it so easy on myself right now. Shoot you, then shoot her. Or better yet, shoot her, and then just leave. Let the pain of losing the last loved one you have slowly kill you inside.” “Doing that would just give me a reason to kill you.” “Weren’t you already going to do that?” “I thought that maybe I could just not, and we all could just forget this shit.” “That would be so nice, wouldn’t it?” The man looked down at Applebloom, and pulled out a knife from one of his suit pockets. He began to caress Applebloom with it, slowly and softly stroking her body with the dull edge of the blade. “Everything comes down to experience. Chance may play a small part in life, but ultimately, it’s how much you’ve seen and how much you know that helps you get through life. Let’s face it Cerus. You’re a smart kid, that I will not deny, but I am older and I am smarter than you. I can outthink you at every turn.” “What do you want from me then?” “I have an offer for you.” I raised an eyebrow. “Care to explain?” “I want to a play a little game with you, Cerus.” “What kind of game?” “It is quite simple, actually. I will return to this place from time to time with a certain objective I want you to complete. Complete these objectives how I ask, and I will take it upon myself to make sure that no-one touches as much as a hair on Applebloom.” “And if I fuck up?” “If you fuck up?” The man slashed at the gag in Applebloom’s mouth. She coughed, and it fell out of her mouth. The man looked me in the eyes, and smiled and raised an eyebrow. “What’s my other option? “You could try to protect the both of you, but I guarantee that it won’t work.” I looked at Applebloom, still tied up on the table. Her eyes met mine, and they pleaded with me to not play his demented game. Then, I pictured her in my mind, laying on the ground, blood pouring out a slash on her neck. I shuddered. “How do I know you won’t just do something to her anyway?” “How can you play a game when no one else is willing to play?” I pondered over his answer, trying to make complete sense of it. I obviously couldn’t trust this man, but he knew where my safe haven was. He could rip Applebloom out of my life as fast and as easily as she had entered it. I had to do whatever I could to protect her, even if it meant taking a risk. “Fine. I will play your game.” The man smiled happily, and clapped his hands. “Oh, this is going to be so fun!”, he trilled. He turned back to the cupboards, and searched more frivolously, humming a happy tune as he did. This went on for a couple minutes, and I tried to tolerate it, but Applebloom’s condition pressed too hard on my mind. “I agreed to play your game. Now let her go.” The man stopped, and turned to face me. “Jumping the gun are we? I haven’t even told you if I have something for you to do.” “Well, if you do, just fucking tell me. Every second that she stays tied up on that damn table urges me further and further to do something stupid." “Then you will make it easy on me. No Cerus?” The man pressed his knife against Applebloom’s throat. “No problem.” I growled in angst. Terrance would have kept me from playing into this man’s hands. He would rather die than let me subject myself to the mercy of this psycho. However, I couldn’t let Applebloom die. If anyone was dying, it was going to be me, and for her sake. I clenched my fists, suppressing my primal secret. Nothing stupid Cerus. “Please just do what you want to do and get out of my sight.” The man blinked. “You really want me to leave, don’t you?” “Please.” The man sighed. “Fine, but only because I don’t want your bitching to spoil my good mood.” The man cut the rope binding Applebloom. He pulled it off of her, and her first reaction was to scramble off the table and run to me. I sat down and wrapped my arms around her neck when she sat down in front of me and buried her head in my chest. The man shook his head. “Pathetic.” Then, he walked past us, and out of the home, making sure we heard the door close. “Ce-Ce...rus…”, Applebloom managed to choke out over her sobs of relief. Or they might have been sobs of fear. I didn’t know for sure. “I’m right here Applebloom...right here…” I wrapped my arms tighter around her, and she nuzzled up closer to me. We stayed like that for some time, with me rocking slightly back and forth, hoping that my silence would somehow help. Finally, Applebloom pulled away from me. Her eyes locked with mine. She blinked away a couple stray tears that still hung on “I need to leave…” “No point Applebloom. He’ll find you anywhere.” “No...not Ponyville...just need to get out of this house…” “Where do you want to go?” “Anywhere but here...take me to school...I don’t know…” “Are you okay Applebloom?” “Yeah...I’m just…” She trailed off, and looked away from me. “Let’s go…” She got up and walked to the front door before I could say another word. I shot up after her, and ran to catch up with her. She opened the door and walked outside. I followed her, closing the door behind me, and then walked in silence behind her. After a couple minutes of walking in that dreadful silence, she stopped and turned to look at me. “Cerus?” “Yeah?” “Can you make me a promise?” I bit my lip. “It depends on what I am promising.” “Can you promise that you won’t leave my side?” “I mean…” I sighed. “I promise that I won’t leave your side.” Applebloom blinked, and looked down. “Nothing…thanks anyway...” Before I could say anything about those words, she turned back to the road leading to town, and kept walking. Understanding I was not expected to respond, I simply continued to follow her in silence. I remembered my first time walking down this road with her and thinking things couldn’t get that bad. I had been wrong, so fucking wrong, and if things continued the way I was sure they were going to, it was only going to get worse. It took maybe ten minutes at max to get to her school, but the fear that rolled off Applebloom in waves and the silence she insisted on keeping had made it feel like much longer. “Just wait around here until I come out.” “Applebloom, I can’t. Tw-” “Frankly, I could give less of a shit about that whole Twilight incident right now. You murdered people, and the law never caught up to you. I’m sure you can find a way to lay low for a few hours.” “I-” I cut myself off when I looked into her eyes, full of fear and paranoia. “Okay. I’ll think of something.” Applebloom smiled, but I could tell that it wasn’t easy. Something was bothering her very deeply, and I suspected that she wanted me to stay here not to protect her, but so she could talk to me about what was troubling her after she got out of school. “Thanks Cerus…” She turned and walked up the steps, and then entered the school, leaving me all alone. I saw a good patch of shade and under a tree, and went over to it. I sat down, and laid back against the tree, reveling in the cool breeze and the blue skies. I then closed my eyes and let my thoughts take me. At some point during my reflections, I dozed off. I was awoken by the feeling of something nudging me. I rubbed my eyes, and started to get up. “That was actually pretty quick Applebloom.” “Who are you calling Applebloom?”, asked a voice that was all too familiar to me. My eyes shot open, meeting and registering a pair violet eyes. “Shit…” My first reaction was to back up, which led to me rubbing the back of my head, now pounding from smacking into the very tree I had been resting on just seconds before. “Couldn’t have possibly picked a better word.”, Twilight chimed, and her horn lit up. I felt my feet leave the ground. “Levitation? In-” Then I was slammed back against the tree. I saw stars, and for a couple seconds, everything was blurry. “You deserve to go away for a long time.” I rubbed my temples, ears ringing from the shock of hitting the tree again. “You have no idea, Princess.” “What do you mean, I have no idea?” “Nothing that matters to you, and will hopefully never matter to you. That’s not the matter at hand...or hoof in your case. You didn’t come to talk to me about my past, did you?” “No. I did not.” “Well, on with it then. I don’t have all day.” I was pushed harder against the tree, and I’d be damned if I didn’t feel some of Twilight’s magic creeping around my neck. She wouldn’t choke me to death, I knew that, but I was scum in her eyes. As a Princess, she was not afraid to put scum in their place. “Don’t give me that bullshit.” “Do let go of me.” Twilight let out a sound like a growl, and I smirked. “You could kill me, and I would still win this battle. It would be better if you just told me what’s on your mind.” Twilight’s eyes blazed with anger, but also contained a kind of awed curiosity that I knew she was itching to satisfy. “I want to know how you were controlling my mind last night.” “That is the one thing I can’t tell you.” The magic tightened around my neck a little. “And why is that?” “I don’t know how I did it either.” “That’s a lie.” “Twilight, my life may be built around lies, but that is one thing I can’t lie about.” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Kid, I hope you understand something. You are a human. Human’s do not use magic. Hell, they didn’t even believe it existed until they encountered Equestria. Now, for a kid-” “Teen.” Twilight glared at me, maybe hoping to intimidate me into submission. The only reason I didn’t tell her it was pointless was because it was hilarious watching her try. “Now, for a kid to just up and completely control my mind the way you did is impossible. No human is capable of that.” “But I am human, and I am capable. I just don’t know how.” “Damn you and your ‘I don’t know’s’! You do know how! I know you do!” “You don’t know me Twilight. No one does.” A desperation had entered Twilight’s eyes. Her need to know of my primal “gift” was tearing her apart. “Stop it! Just stop!” The magic tightened around my neck to the point where I started to struggle with my breathing. It was okay. This was another thing I been had trained for back when I first signed that fatal contract. “Kill me and you’ll never satisfy that burning curiosity of yours.” Twilight let out a shaky breath. “Why don’t I just throw in the jail where you belong? See how long you last?” “First, I would just escape. Second, you would have the blood of an innocent young mare on your hooves.” Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw movement. Without having to look, I knew that school had gotten out, and that there was a big group of young stallions and mare looking on. “Why do you refuse to tell me what I want to know?” “You are being a total bitch about it.” Twilight lost it at that point, and I smiled at my handiwork. I had broke the princess to be. That was a first for my books. “Little shit!”, Twilight snarled, and the magic around my neck began to choke me. In any other situation, I wouldn’t have struggled, but with the knowledge of the presence of the school kids watching this happen, I decided to make a show of it. “Twi...light! Sto-” I cut myself off with a hacking cough, and began to kick my legs as if struggling against a physical being. I clawed at my neck, and even forced crocodile tears of pain out of my eyes. “Cerus!”, I heard Applebloom cry out. I watched her run down the steps of the school, and push through the crowd of now panicking students. Twilight registered Applebloom’s presence, and dropped me in surprise when she realized that a lot of ponies had just witnessed her actions. She stepped away from me, but her eyes remained glued to mine. Applebloom rushed up to me, and slipping her hooves under my head, began to cradle it. She looked at Twilight, her eyes alight with rage. “Why!? Why were you doing this to him!?” “I...” “You what, Twilight!?” “I just wanted answers…” “About what!?” “He-” “I can use a gun quite effectively, and she wanted to know where I learned. I was unfortunately being a little difficult, and I kind of pissed her off. I think I called her a bitch too. It was my fault. I deserved that.” Twilight was dumbfounded by the sudden shift in attitude, and that was good thing. The less she thought she understood my mind, the easier it would be to manipulate her, for better or worse. “That doesn’t mean she can choke you!” “Hey, I’m okay, and that’s all that matters. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna’ head home.” I dusted off my pants and jacket, and began to walk away from the two mares. “See you around, Twilight.” The students watched with wide eyes as they past, not quite sure what they just witnessed. I did not so much as look at them to acknowledge their presence, which apparently threw them for even more of a loop, for they all turned their heads to watch me as I walked away from the school. I realized that Applebloom had stayed on the hill, so I turned to look at her. She was silently watching me, as if waiting to see what I was going to do. I skewed my head, so that she could only see a corner of my mouth, and smiled. Then, I simply turned and kept walking, until I turned a corner and disappeared from her view. I wandered the town for a couple hours, making sure to keep a low profile. As the sun began to set, and the day grew to become a comfortable mix of warm and cold, the children of the town started to play. Boys and girls, fillies and colts, all running around, tossing balls, playing catch, all smiling and joyous. Parents, human and pony alike, watched with smiles from booths and benches and restaurants as their children all got along in peace and harmony. It struck me that, out of all the places I had been, Ponyville was the only place where humans and ponies seemed to coexisted quite comfortably. Ponyville was a happy place, not big or bustling, not so small and inbred that the whole place was paranoid. It was like Goldilocks’ porridge. Everything was just right here. But Ponyville sits on a tightrope. One little push, and it will plummet into anarchy…, said a voice in my head that I recognized all too well. It was the same voice I had heard before I had blacked out in the forest. Who are you? A simple question which could be answered by any simple being. I am nothing, really. If you are nothing, then how do you exist? I exist as a subconscious being, living inside the mind of a living being. Me, I suppose? No. Not at all. Well then. I am talking to a disembodied voice. Time to get the straight jacket. We both know fully well that the only way to detain you is to kill you. You say we, but you are nothing, so it is only me and nothing. That would make it only you. Exactly. But I am not you. Which is my point. You are nothing, and nothing and me does not make we. Nothing and me makes me. I heard something like a little hiss of annoyance, and I silently chuckled. I loved pissing things off. There was a strange fun in it. We are getting beside the point! I don’t think you ever brought up a point to begin with. I do believe I did! Then kindly restate it for me, if you will. I...it was something about...something… How about you fuck off until you have something meaningful to say. I felt a sudden pain wash over me, somthing like my ribs being forcefully ripped open, and I dropped to the ground in shock. I had never cried out of pain before, so when I felt tears begin to stream down my cheeks, it dawned on me how miniscule a thing I had thought pain to be. At least, until now. How about you listen to me until I am finished talking to you? I...don’t give in that easy… I felt the threshold of the pain multiply, and I let out a cry of agony. Then, I felt eyes start to focus on me. If you want to do this the hard way, we can do this the hard way. I began to get up, trying to take my mind off the pain. I just needed to get to Applebloom. If I saw her face, it would be all better. She had that effect on my inner demons. I don’t...ugh...submit myself to...anything.... I felt another wave of pain course through my body, and I almost fell, but I kept pushing. I was still conscious of my position, and realized I was near the path that led to the farm. I control you Cerus. Give up. “Cerus!”, I heard Applebloom shout, and I saw her running towards me from the direction of the farm. I took a guess that she had been waiting by the path for me, and that made me smile. Never. I began to run to Applebloom, but then a fresh wave of agony much worse than anything I had felt before ripped through me. It could only be compared to feeling like I was being torn limb from limb. That was my breaking point. I collapsed to the ground, and within a few seconds was barely conscious. I am no inner demon, Cerus. Applebloom is worthless to me. Then, the presence in my mind was gone, and I was aware of being held, but nothing else registered to me. Everything was just a dark smudge. Then, I was being dragged, presumably by Applebloom. “Cerus...oh Celestia...what did you do to yourself this time…?” I heard those words as if they were far away, in a place I could see and hear but could never reach. “Applebloom…”, I said weakly, before I lost consciousness altogether.