Third Try’s the Charm

by eiggengrau

Charm

“.ʇlɘƨγm bɘlliʞ I ,ƨƨɘɔniɿꟼ ”

niʇʇoɔ ɒ ʇo ƨɘniʇnoɔ ʞɿɒb ɘʜT

ɘʇil bɘbnɘ-ʇlɘƨ ɒ ʇo niυɿ ɘʜt otni bɘʞɔol ƨɒw ɘH

ϱnimɿoʇɘɿ ƨɒw noitɔɘnnoɔ ɘʜT

“⸮tnɘϱniV”

In darkness beyond darkness, the black depths of a suicide’s lonely grave, a sense of noisome fœtor. For an instant awareness is forced shudderingly back into the long-cold remains of a body cast off in despair.

Rose coloured magic follows a trail of tears between worlds, the instant rewinds itself, events unrolling in reverse until once more he stands on the summit of a sunny tower, one hoof again holding the potion. The tiny vessel is full, undrunk.

Time flows correctly again and momentum carries the cursed nostrum to his lips.

There is terror in his eyes as the contents tip fatally towards his mouth.

THWAK

Twilight smacked the vial away from Vingent with a swift wing after reversing the crucial seconds – it flashed in the sunlight, sailing over the parapet.

_tinkle

Crystal shatters harmlessly against flags far below.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” she demanded.

“Princess?”

He was half numb with shock, the horror of experiencing his own dead body from within the semi-liquescent decay.

“Why in Tartarus didn’t you bucking say something?”

She could have just shaken him from frustration.

“But you were trying so hard to get rid of me.”

“I have been busting my purple ass to figure this out because I just assumed that you would want to go home. I have not been trying to quote Get. Rid. Of. You. end-quote.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop bucking apologizing,” she grumbled, “I’m the one who damn near murdered you.”

“I’m— I—”

He caught himself before apologizing again; almost apologized for that.

“Ok.” She was starting to analyze possibilities. “If you couldn’t make yourself speak up to me, why didn’t you petition Queen Dusk when you went to Canterlot last week? She could have granted you full citizenship. Even I would have gotten the hint.”

“I didn’t think of that and I didn’t want to do anything that might reflect poorly on you, like begging her Majesty to stop you. All the ponies of the Green think you’re the greatest. And I do too.”

“Like sending a pony to his death is going to reflect any better!”

“Nopony would have ever known.”

“Humph. And when I figured it out? Like I just did? That’s something I do, I figure things out. I would have known. If talking to me or the Queen was too hard to do, what if you pulled a runner instead of showing up today?”

“I thought about it. I know you could have caught up with us.”

“And then I would have wanted answers and we would have gotten down to brass tacks and figured out what was what. But what makes you think I would bother to chase you down?”

“Nothing can stop you, Princess.”

“You say that like it’s a bucking good thing. Listen, I’m sorry for being a little salty, Vingent, but I really hate killing ponies.”

“You– you really thought you were helping me?”

“Yes! I was possibly a little heavy hooved and myopic about it, but, yes, I only wanted to help. Not harm. But all you needed to do is say ‘I don’t want this’ and we would have talked and we would have figured everything out.”

“I thought you were trying to protect Equestria from me. I thought you still viewed me as a human.”

“Tell ya a secret, colt. I’m not afraid of humans.”

Princess Twilight winked, above a warm, but slightly mysterious, half smile.

“I’m fine with humans, that’s why I was so enthusiastic about trying to help a human, whom I thought was in need of help. Anyway, the man you once were is dead, Vingent. For the rest of your life, this is your home. You belong to Equestria, my little pony.”

The tears, now, were tears of joy.

—

Vingent was still half-dazed by his change of fortune as he tread the walk to a small white house.

Like a dreamer he climbed the porch steps, no longer afraid that he might yet wake to his old life, or his old death.

Carren’s front door wasn’t locked.

“Honey, I’m home.”