> After the End
>  by Door Matt
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> New Hour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A New Hour


“Why hello there!”

What...what happened...I jumped...why...

I remembered a flash of white - and it was all around me now - but there hadn’t been any pain. Surely I should’ve felt something? I jam my eyes shut to reduce the glare and reach up to touch my neck-

“Oh for...just get up. You’re fine.” 

Oh no. 

I recognize that voice; there’s no way I couldn’t. I’d only seen him the once whilst in Equestria, and that had been from a relatively safe distance of over fifty metres away. I don’t dare look up. The white space all around is bright enough as it is. 

I said get up!”

A huge jolt almost knocks me clean out, and suddenly I find myself forcibly seated in a floating deck chair. With my eyes also forced open, there’s no mistaking the familiar form of Discord, seated in the same throne I remember seeing from his brief moment of victory  over Twilight on the show. Despite feeling like I should be dead, I still recognize the cavalier attitude and dangerous intelligence easily from his posture alone. Of course, he’s grinning like there’s no tomorrow.

“Jason Wright….what a positively awful name. Perhaps you could sue whoever bestowed that upon you?” 

I resisted speaking. This was all far too much for me to process. Five minutes ago I had been committed to choosing death over everything else. The one thing I could’ve done that would’ve given me the slightest bit of satisfaction in Equestria, and this chaotic sack of shit has apparently taken that away from me. 

His continuous sneer is too much. Finally the words come to me.

“Piss off Discord!” 

The yell is weaker than I’d like but I simply don’t have the strength. I would flip the bird too but his magic is keeping my limbs forced down. 

“Tich. Such filth. Where is my thanks for saving that scrawny little neck of yours, hmm?”

If anything he looks to be still revelling in this! But I know his character, I did even before coming here. Underneath the god-like abilities and pandemonic behavior lies a simple attention-seeker, and without the spotlight he craves, he’s not invincible. Whatever his game is here, I might be able to stop it. I would crane my neck to look around, but that’s stuck in place too. And good God...why is everything so white? This should be the last sort of place Discord would be hanging around; there’s nothing here!   

“Where are we? This can’t be your home,” I ask, hoping to buy some time. 

“I don’t think we’re being very appreciative of our surroundings are we?” he says with a loud cackle. Then his fingers click and I feel the deckchair tipping forward. As the angle lowers, I see what looks like a horizon line underneath our position, where the whiteness just stops. The movement makes me feel nauseated, and I have to close my eyes. Then the tipping stops and I feel my eyelids pulled upwards once more. 

Oh my God…

What I see is beyond words, beyond description, beyond any resemblance of understanding. The closest I get is thinking that it makes his efforts in Equestria look absolutely miniscule in comparison. Colours that should not be, shapes that have never been. Creatures that wouldn’t belong even in an Outer God’s imagination. I can’t look...it’s too much...but I can’t stop….and all I hear is laughing…

Stop it...stop it….stop it!

The chair jolts back up; obscuring the view. All is whiteness once again, and though my breathing has become heavy and disjointed, I don’t remember anything.

Did I even see….what….what just happened?

“How is this for a thought? If I let you out of there and you promise not to scream, then I’ll spare you the view.”

He’s behind me now, rapping one clawed hand on my shoulder while the other furry appendage ruffles my hair. It feels longer than it should, and it’s clearly knotted in some places otherwise this wouldn’t be hurting my head. And yet...to have another being touch me again after so long...it feels good...

“Yes…” I manage to grimace. 

Another click. 

Woah...ah sh-

Immediately I’m on my feet, and equally quickly I make sure to keep my neck craned upwards. Discord himself has vanished. I don’t care what he said, if whatever’s down there is still visible...
 “Tu tu tu...I’m no expert on whatever species you’re supposed to be, but you look ridiculous! Have you even seen yourself?” the disembodied voice echoes around. 

A mirror pops up from nowhere, right in front of me. If what I saw before was shocking, this isn’t much better. I’ve seen homeless drug addicts in better shape then the man I see staring back. The long and straggly hair I’d guessed at, but the hollow and dark eyes, dishevelled physique and hopeless aura are all new. Equally disgusting are the clothes. I knew I’d had nothing new to wear for three years but still. There were more holes than fabric in some places, sickly looking skin revealed in at least a dozen places all over my body. This cannot be the man I’ve become.

Can it…? Jason Wright...what happened...oh. Yeah…

“The Big Amazing Idea” happened. Equestria happened. They happened. Ponies I thought I knew and cared about genuinely. Their actions led to this.  If only one had been accepting, been decent enough to care, that would’ve been enough. Hope to hold on for. 

But no. They had all been the same. 

Discord strolls into frame inside the mirror despite not being next to me in...whatever ‘real life’ this is. Either he’s grown at some point, or he’s taller than I imagined him to be, as he towers over my body by at least a foot. He leans against my reflection and looks directly at me, though I feel nothing on my shoulder. For whatever mad reason, he sniffs above my head and pulls back in disgust.

“Urgh. You reek worse than a hydra my boy. I cannot stand to look at you any longer. Let’s just adjust something here and…”

He reaches out and pushes the top of the mirror from his side -  tilting the mirror downwards. The entire frame flips 180 degrees, and when it stops, so does my heart nearly.

“Voila!”

“That’s...that’s me…”

Discord is still there in the reflection but I feel him against my side now. It’s not enough to distract me from what I see though. A man maybe half the age of the previous now looks back. Clean shaven, short yet wavy hair, brand new digs. This is Jason Wright, as I was perhaps just before I left Earth. Finally I summon the courage to look down...and there they are. Clean hands, fresh clothes, it’s all there. Hurriedly I pat myself everywhere and run one hand through my hair, touching my face on the way. 

It’s me! It’s all me! Ha ha! I’m back!

For the first time in maybe over two years, I’m genuinely happy. Without realising it, I’m grinning as madly as Discord.

“You like…?”

Two citrine eyes and a furry head glide into my vision and wait expectantly. It’s all I can do to not jump into the air ecstatically, but I haven’t forgotten everything just yet.

Remember who he is…

“Yeah...I like….thank you. But...why? You saved me and now, this?”  

His head snaps back and he glides around me a few times, as if admiring his handiwork. 

“Oh, I have been watching you for a long time Sir Jason,” he says, not quite managing to eliminate a level of creepiness in his tone. “Our interests have aligned for sometime now, and I was close to approaching you anyway. Your rash actions merely hastened the process.” 

“You mean…”

Applejack’s rope materializes between us. Whereas before I looked upon it with a sense of purpose, now I feel frankly empty seeing it again. Unconsciously, my left hand has reached up towards my neck again, and I quickly move it back down to my side. It appears that death isn’t quite ready for me just yet.

“I have an alternative motion for you,” Discord says, while lighting the end of his finger with another click. He flicks the flame and almost immediately the rope burns into a pile of ash. “You seek answers, yes?”

“Well, yeah!” I proclaim. “All those years and no-one explains anything to me!? Why no-one ever gave me a single chance! I don’t get it!” I finish by almost yelling. 

“Woe is me, for I cannot help you there,” he says hand over where I imagine his heart would be, before breaking out into probably the widest grin I’ve seen him bear. “But I can give you the means to find out.”

“Huh?”

“My...hm hm hm...talents have gone to such a waste lately. For a little something in return, I will take you back and let you borrow all of my considerable skills to do with as you please. I imagine a few certain ponies would be more inclined to listen to you then, wouldn’t you say?”

“I…”

I force myself to ignore the events of the last twenty minutes and zone in on the implications. Discord’s powers...all the power...and I could use it to explain everything. Who wouldn’t do tha-

Wait…

“Something in return? What’s that?” I ask nervously. Of course...of course it’s not going to be as easy as that.

I swear his grin becomes so large that it dwarfs his entire face.

“If what the Princesses say is true, you - my newly best friend - arrived here from somewhere quite different. Share with me exactly how you managed that, and all I possess will be yours.” 

The portal?

I try to remember briefly what else Discord was capable of in the show. Teleporting was definitely already part of his repertoire right? Guess he’ll be surprised knowing he could’ve likely done it anyway.

Without wanting to look hesitant, I nod my head. And then his grin really does erupt from his face. The very next second, he’s caught me in a bone-crunching hug. Before I can quite react, he whispers in my ear.

“Oh this is stupendous! Thrilling! You and I are going to have so much fun…”
	
> Old Power
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*SLAM*

I hit the ground with about as much subtlety as the Hindenburg. 

“Argh! Fuuu…mother of...gah...crap!”

My ankle’s gone. I know that immediately. Twisted enough so that I won’t be walking right for at least a day.  

Perfect. Just what I friggin needed.

I sprawl outwards onto my back and give my left leg a gentle stretch, stopping immediately when a jolt of pain courses up my body. I also notice the terrible condition of the fabric covering my foreleg. Sure enough, I feel a heavier load of wild hair back upon my skull, and the caressing of long beard strands against my chest.

So that before...was an illusion after all….damnit...

Briefly I’d entertained the notion that Discord’s spell - or whatever the hell it was - had restored me permanently. Of course, I should’ve expected that would have been far too easy for someone with such a horrible track record for luck. 

It’s only when I relax that I casually look upwards and see the tree, with a very familiar hangman’s noose still tied to one of the branches. The knot appears to be no less tight than when I’d made it. 

Oh shit! Wait…

Immediately I sit upwards and look behind me. Yup. There she is. An extremely shocked looking Applejack, mouth completely agape. 

“Ah don’t…” She stutters while taking a hesitant step backwards. “Ah...don’t understand. You...ah saw that rope around yer neck. But you passed through it like it weren’t even there! Ah swear ah saw you shimmer on the way down. Did...did you do something?”

Shimmer?

That must’ve been a teleportation effect, or whatever it was that snarky dragonesque did to me.  

“I think...I’ve had a change of heart.” I say, flexing my fingers.

There are a few ways I could play this situation now. Tell her everything. Claim that I somehow missed the rope, or that the entire set-up was a practical joke. Even play ignorant. However, that was before Discord’s proposal. All of his powers, for information about something he’s presumably already capable of? I’d have been mad not to take it. There’s still that nagging feeling he’s up to something - of course he is - but whatever it is, I can’t see it. And quite frankly, I have far more crucial things to deal with. 

He wasn’t the one who ruined my life.

“Uhh...whatever you say. Ah’m gonna walk over and look over your ankle there. That okay? That fall looked mighty painful.”

I don’t feel different. With the amount of power that Discord commands, all that magic potential must be like an electric surge through your veins. Reality warped with just a simple snap of the fingers. The power of a god in the palms of my hands.

But I don’t feel any different at all. 

“Hello?”

This can’t be right. Discord’s not the type of character to screw me over. Even the devil follows through on deals. 

Suddenly one of my senses alerts me to an approaching presence, like that feeling you get when a person is nearby yet you can’t see or hear them. I turn my head to the crunch of soft hoofsteps on fresh earth, and see Applejack moving slowly to within a few metres. Panicking I surge to my feet - an instant mistake; the pain of my injury almost leads to me crumpling back to the floor.

“Woah...easy there. Ah swear ah’m not gonna hurt you none.” Applejack stops. 

Through my dismay it’s hard to tell if she looks concerned or scared. Right now I should be giving her a thousand reasons why she should be fearful of me, but two years of crazed screaming from her whenever I braved her farm to forage for an apple or two hasn’t left my mind. Such rage...I had always assumed ponies were less inclined towards anger. She proved me wrong. Of any of them, I had really expected Rainbow Dash to be the most temperamental, but she’d always remained above the cloud layer, too far away to gauge any sign of emotion.  Sure, Applejack’s charges had petered out towards the end, but either I had gotten better at stealth or she had chosen to simply ignore me, like an irrelevant bug.  

Gotta try something. Anything!

Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I attempt to channel whatever magic has been bestowed upon me. To any casual observers I probably look ridiculous, but thankfully I only have the one witness here. And soon...she’s gonna start talking.

My eyes open and I hone my vision on another tree behind Applejack; specifically one of the apples dangling high above on an outlying branch. 

Should start small. Nothing fancy just yet. Annnddd…..float! 

I flick my hand towards it, hoping that I’ve pulled it off. Basic telekinesis is probably the simplest thing Discord is able to do. Achieve this now, and the rest should come to me. 

And then they’ll be answering for everything. I won’t stop until I know for sure...I-

It’s not moving. 

No flying off the branch. No floating around. Not even a twitch.      

I...I don’t….why…why isn’t it working!? I agreed to the deal! I’m doing it right...aren't I? 

It’s all I can do to not punch the ground in anger. My eyes don’t leave the apple, so willed I am to tear the damn thing off with my mind. Still it just hangs there, stubbornly refusing to budge. Even worse, I know it’s not going to. I feel nothing, no power at all flowing through me. I just look like a fool. A useless, crippled, hideous fool.

That goddamned snake lied to me….what was the point of it all!? I told him about the portal...I…

In the heat and hopelessness of the moment, I failed to notice Applejack completely closing the distance between us. Her front leg takes ahold of my outstretched hand, interrupting my outraged thoughts, and with no hesitation somehow manages to pull me up. 

“There we are. Now hold still,” she says. The words sound hazy and distant, but I comply.

She bends down to look at my left leg, which I’m gingerly resting on the toes. I know any more pressure will cause more pressure, and it’s starting to feel a bit heavier. 

“Eeyup. That’s a bad twist there. Starting to swell up. Yer bucking lucky you didn’t break the damn thing.” 

The words are coming in mostly clear now. Finally, I tear away my vision from the defiant fruit, and look her dead in the eyes. For a split second, it’s like I’m seeing her for the first time again.

“I don’t….I can’t…” is all I managed to splutter out. Cohesive sentences are completely beyond me at this point. To her credit, she doesn’t look away. 

“No good leaving you alone for five minutes if you try that again,” she says, a determined tone breaking through. “Can you limp at least? Ah wanna check that ankle out proper, back at the farm.” 

Despite this probably being the first time a Ponyville resident has treated me with a slightest inkling of respect, I barely notice it, so caught up I am in my failings. It’s just too much to simply let go of the fact I almost had the chance to turn everything around. 

It should’ve worked! It should’ve worked! It-

*SNAP*

Applejack’s head whips around at the sound, and it takes me a second to register that something happened. Looking up, I see branches on the tree behind her swaying, and yet there’s no breeze.

Was something watching us? I didn’t see anything…

And then I realise. It’s the same branch I was looking at before.

And the apple is gone.

“Darn bird giving me the shivers,” AJ says, turning back around to face me. “Anyway, you coming? Like ah said, ah don’t wanna leave ya out here alone.”  

Before I can answer, it reappears, descending from the sky as if imitating an angel from heaven. I would almost find it comical, were it not for the fireworks going off in my head at the sight.

I did it...I did it!

“GET IN!” I shout, completely oblivious to the volume. Luna might be impressed at that vocal burst. 

Applejack recoils, utterly taken aback, her legs almost buckling from surprise. Her face contorts in horror, and she looks prepared to run for it.

*SNAP*

Her head turns once again.

*SNAP*

This one she definitely sees. The third apple rips away from its stem, and rushes to join the other two. 

*SNAP* *SNAP* *SNAP* *SNAP* *SNAP*

More and more break away from the tree in quickening succession, until a ring of apples begins circling around in the air, maybe fifteen feet off the ground. It’s the image I had in my head when thinking about how to make the apples move in the first place. And just like that, I understand what I’d done wrong before. 

It’s not me trying to magic them to move around...it’s me ‘knowing’ that they can.

I understand now. As soon as I had the belief that the power should’ve worked, it did work. Was that the difference between Discord’s magic and the ponies’ magic? Theirs an act of will; his simply a state of being? 

“This is you...ain’t it!? Ah knew you were trouble!” Applejack says, in quite a bit of anguish. 

I want to ignore her and experiment more, but if she makes a break for it now, it could cause problems further down the line. I was going to have to start questioning ponies sooner or later, she’s as good a one as any to start. Before she can say or do anything else, I again attempt to wield Discord’s powers. This time, I know what to do - don’t try and force the change...simply believe that the change is possible. 

Make the image in my mind, and know I can do it.

I look over to Applejack, and imagine her tied up.

This will happen! I need it to!

Instantly, the very rope that she used to try and save me leaps to life and surges towards her legs. In a matter of seconds, all four appendages are bound together, then knotted tightly. I can only think of two things in that moment: how easy that had been, and how she had stood no chance. 

“What…! This ain’t...get this rope off of me! Ah know this is you! Untie me!” 

If I had the energy, I’d be ecstaticly celebrating at this moment. It’s a small start...but finally, I have the one thing I’ve so desired in the days I’ve spent in Equestria. Not respect. Not friendship. It had been made abundantly clear early on that I wasn’t going to get any of that. A new desire had slowly, but very surely, taken over.

Power. 

All of the torment I had been through before, none of it needed to have happened! If I’d had this potential back then, I could’ve prevented the stares, the disgust, the abuse. As a weakling, a stranger in a hostile place...what more could I have done? It had taken three years of persecution to break me; it would only take one glance at my appearance to know I’d been shattered, let alone my last attempt to escape. But now?

“Ah’m dead serious! Ah can see that smile! Unless you want mah family and mah friends tracking you down, let me go!” she yells. It’s not quite a scream yet, but there’s a hint of fear laced in her tone, which is all I want. And it’s true, I’m definitely smiling. Beaming in fact!

“Perfect,” I say, running another image through my head. In response, the rope pulls upwards, lifting her legs as it goes. As her body flips and leaves the ground, her hat sinks off, gently returning to earth. At the same time, the ring of apples widens and sinks, until the two meet, leaving an incredulous upside-down Applejack surrounding by the flying fruit, orbiting her like a star. It’s a ridiculous scene for a ridiculous situation. 

“The more ponies I get to talk to, the better. And you know Applejack, I think you’ve forgotten.”

The memory of my old life had become distinctly hazy over time, but Discord’s mirror had been extremely handy in returning those thoughts. I run the image he had shown me through my brain until it becomes solid as concrete. 

That is the real me.

I click my fingers out of instinct, and for the briefest moment there’s a slight tingling sensation through me. And then I feel lighter. Much lighter. I can tell from her widening eyes that it’s worked; she’s looking at the real me from before. The one she and everyone else had driven away.

“I’m Jason Wright! Remember now!? And I'm not gonna stop until I get answers from you, or anyone in Ponyville!”

You should see the look on her face. Priceless.   

> Wood Shower
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh...yes.

Gone are the hobo beard and haggard scraps of clothing. So too is the ache from my ankle, allowing me to stand up freely. No longer do I feel the need to hunch down in fear, afraid of the next evil look or hurled object by an angry equine. I reckon this is the straightest I’ve stood since I first arrived in Ponyville. A quick glance at my persona confirms some parts of my memory survived; I’m wearing exactly what I wore when I left Earth. 

Physically at least, I am restored.

Applejack’s hat sits limply on the ground underneath the floating pony. I walk over and pick it up, lightly patting a few scrapes of dusty earth off. If it weren’t clearly too small for my head, I’d try it on myself for shits and giggles. 

AJ herself remains quietly incredulous. Really I’d expect her to be putting up more of a fight, or a fuss at least. 

Has she been told to keep quiet? Tell me nothing? If so, by whom?

Best to get right to the point. I can take more time thinking about my actions once I know more.

“What the hell is your PROBLEM!?” I don’t want to yell, but the anger breaks through anyway. I never gave her a chance to get ahold of me before, so she never physically hurt me, but it’s hard to know exactly what she would’ve done had I not been so quick to escape her charges. 

“Ah...ah don’t know what this is, but you let me down first, ya hear? This ain’t funny now.”

It’s not exactly what I was hoping to hear.

“Funny!? You’re expecting funny? Oh well...hold on a sec.”

I lower three of the apples down into my hands and start juggling with them. It was a skill I picked up quickly as a kid and never lost, I’m somewhat surprised it’s as easy as I make it out to be despite having not practised for years. Like riding a bike I guess. 

“There, how’s that?” I ask, pulling a daft grin for added effect.

“Stop fooling around and untie me! Ah try ta help ya, and this is the thanks ah get!?” she yelps, wiggling her limbs against the rope’s tension. I imagined the knots to be pretty tight, but certainly not enough to hurt her. Possibly an option for later though.

I stop the act and let the apples fall to earth with light thuds, including the ones still floating. They were getting distracting. Surely she’s aware of how capable I am now anyway. 

“Help me?” I say, pouncing on her exact word usage. “Everything you and everyone in this town has been to spite me, hurt me, or drive me away! Even your little stunt just now stopped me from getting outta here. Leaving for good. Isn’t that what you wanted!?”

Before her answer, she stops fidgeting and shoots me the strangest look for just a few seconds, though it’s hard to tell from her upside-down position.

“Nopony in their right minds would let ya go through with what you were planning there. Ah was doing the right thing, darnit!” she replies. Whether or not it rings true, stress is creeping into her voice. She starts struggling against her bonds again too.

This isn’t getting me anywhere.

“Listen Applejack”, I say, hoping the namedrop will add on some more authority. “You have to know what it is I want. I came here from my home, by choice, to find everyone here trying their damn hardest to either ignore me or get me to leave. So how exactly do you ex-”

“Just what do you think you’re doing with my friend?” 

Softly sweet like syrup, but firm as a brick wall. The spider’s silk of voices interrupts me, and of course I don’t even have to turn around to know who it is. Her cottage is even in the near distance; would’ve been more surprising had I not seen her before long.

“Getting some answers, Fluttershy,” I say, not bothering to face her. The last time (and everytime in the past) we made eye contact, she fainted on the spot. I never felt anger towards her though, not like towards the others. At least it was behavior that made sense to her character. I’m no small animal she can pet, I’m tall and not cute to look at, so naturally she’d find me intimidating. Didn’t appear to be stopping her now though.

“That’s no reason to be holding my friend like that, you big...thing!” she squeals from behind me. 

Bit harsh.

 “Afraid so, it’s not like asking anyone before got me anywhere.”

In absolutely no time at all, my vision of Applejack is broken, replaced by pockets of teal and black encased by yellow fur. I’m not sure I’ve seen even Dash move that fast. 

“Now you listen to me, what...whatever you are, this is hardly-”
The yellow shrinks as her eyes move closer to my own. I can feel the brushes of air from her beating wings on my hands. It’s already too late when I realise what she’s doing.

Aw crap! This is…

“-the right way to talk to somepony. Especially after you’ve stolen f-food and…and whatnot from ponies around town! So I su...suggest you let-”

The...Stare...!

“-her go!”

I have time to blink just once, before all my thoughts turn to mush.

Wh...where am I?

I’m swimming in a cerulean sea surrounded by yellow sands. It feels like my neck is locked in place. I can’t turn away. I can’t hide. I can’t escape.

What can I do?

Let her go.

The sea speaks to me inside my own head. If I ignore it, it feels like I’ll drown. Dark clouds threaten the sky from horizon to horizon, and the water around me feels choppier.

Let her...go...but…no! I need this...who are you to-

Free her. Do it now.

Yes…yes...I’m letting go...this is the right thing...I must…

Without warning, the ocean and sky starts melting away. The haze clouding my thoughts clear up, and feeling returns to my entire body. I know where I am again, which happens to be kneeling on all fours, like a dog.

Why is it so cold?

“Oh, are you alright Applejack?”

“Ah’m fine. Don’t be goin’ nearing him again though. He’s using some kinda magic that he didn’t have before.” 

My mouth is dry, and my head feels extremely odd, like all of the individual thoughts have been shuffled around like a deck of cards. 

“I wasn’t too hard on him I hope. Oooh...he’s even shivering!”

“Don’t even think about it. Last time ah got close to try ta help ‘im...well...you saw what happened! Ah swear that there stare of yers will never stop being useful though.”

“Hmm...but it’s strange. He seems so familiar…and I’ve never had to force it so much to get it to work. Oh, there was that one time-”

“I’m right here you know.” I interrupt, lifting one of my hands into the air.

It took around a minute, but my mind feels as though it can think clearly again. Not as gingerly as before, I rise again from the ground, facing the duo. Applejack is free and back on level ground, hat returned to skull n’all. I notice she’s wisely collected her rope back too. Slightly behind her stands Fluttershy, very hesitantly flicking a few glances my way. This is the first time she’s remained conscious in my direct presence. Not that it means much now though.

“Ah could care less where you are. Y’all need to-”

“What I need is the same as before!” I cut her off, hoping to quell my growing irritation at her attitude. “You will tell me what I want to know before-”

“We ain’t the ponies to be askin’!” she yells, severing my rant in turn. “Ah gave you a chance jus’ now cause I din’t want you to be hurtin’! But using your whatever magic to trick me like that? That’s slimier than a snake in an oil barrel!” 

My patience finally runs out. Sure, Applejack did try to help me, and Fluttershy never technically did me any wrong, but I’ve gotten literally no closer to understanding my entire predicament here. Frankly, it’s time to demonstrate who’s the strongest around here. Pure and simple.

I run a multitude of images through my head. The nearest trees move first. Groans and twitching, before one-by-one they slowly begin pulling from the ground. When their roots rip and tear away from the soil - creating sickening noises as they do - I look to the sky. The day had been somewhat overcast to begin with, but now the last vestiges of direct sunlight blotted out, adding a strange shadow filter to the world below. Then the colour shifted - the whites and greys of the underside of the veil lurched into a more sickening green, what you’d find on any standard camouflage gear. And still the trees rise, almost ten of them, until they stop a good six metres above our heads, slowly spinning in the ether. And again, I am amazed at how little effort that took. Was there a limit to this ability? At all?

Fluttershy looks absolutely petrified - almost ready to turn tail and flee I’d say - and I’m certain Applejack has taken a few steps back, eyes glued to the trees. If fear won’t make them answer, nothing will. 

“This magic isn’t about tricks. And if you think that’s the most I can do, think again,” I say, making a ton of effort to keep my voice as calm as possible. “The more you hold out on telling me, the worse this gets. Why does everyone here hate me?”

I’m not sure if it’s courage or foolishness, but Applejack finds the nerve to close our gap by a bit and face me dead on. Behind her still, it looks like Fluttershy is mouthing some words to her.

“Ah don’t wish to fight yer, but if ya threaten me and my kind like this, then yer leaving me no choice then aren’t ya? Whatever magic you have be damned-”

“...”

Applejack stops and turns her head to Fluttershy. 

“I said I don’t hate you!” the pegasus cries, apparently loud enough for me to hear this time. She too then finds the inner strength to look me in the eyes, reminding me to keep a clear distance from her from now on, lest she try her stare again. “I mean, I know what the others said, but I’ve never seen you act that badly before-”

“Woah woah woah,” I say weightily. “Others?”

Applejack tells Fluttershy something that’s too quiet for me to hear, but I’m sure it started with a murmur of “shhh”. Then she turns back to me.

“We get it. You can move things around with your fancy mind. But ah’ve seen more unicorns do that than you’ve had hot dinners. And in case ya didn’t know, we’re pretty special too, havin’ saved Equestria more times than-”

“Shut up. Who are these others?” I break in, sensing I’m almost at the point of learning everything. 

I’m so close!

She hesitates; far too long for me to be comfortable with. Getting the hunch that I need to step things up once again, I glance up at the closest hovering tree. It stops moving around so much as my control over it takes full hold. I imagine usual telekinesis to be like you can feel the object’s weight and form in your mind, but this is the total opposite - complete relative detachment. The closest similarity I can think of to explain it is controlling a video game character. Even though there’s no physical or mental link between you, you know they will obey your next input regardless. Just like I know this tree will be heading straight towards them in the next five seconds if one of them doesn’t speak up. 

But then the world turns bright, like the world has been opened upon a brilliant electric sun.

Before I can react, the blinding light has passed, then followed by a deep, booming roar. Possibly the worst sound I could have heard right now, as as soon as it ends, I can’t stop my hands from clutching my head and shaking. 

Thunder.

Crackles and mighty smashes follow. I manage to tilt my head up just in time to see three of my trees collapsing back to earth - punctured by huge gaping holes in their trunks. One of them had been the one I was controlling directly. Bits of wood shrapnel the size of dinner plates speck the ground around me, before the trees crunch back to earth, collapsing under the weight of impact. I thank my luck they landed behind me, because I’m not sure I have the capacity to dodge anything at the moment. 

When the impacts and supporting racket finally die down, my nerves have nothing more to distract them from the sheer dread that steals my senses away.  

Terrified, my legs buckle, bringing my body to the floor. I am scared again. I know who it is. She tormented me the most, out of all of them. I can count the number of small scars on my body where her lightning strikes singed my skin. And what made it infinitely worse was that she was once my favourite. 

“Yo! You guys alright?”

Rainbow Dash.

I try to blot out her throaty greeting, to no avail. Towards the end of the three years here, I had started wishing her thunderbolts acted more like Earth lightning, lethality-wise. 

“Ah swear, did ya have to use lightning? You and yer grand entrances…” 

“Hey! Is that any way to greet your amazing rescuer? I didn’t have to fly into this weird random cloud formation and check out what was what.”

“Um…”

“T’aint random RD. There’s the varmint, over there. He did it, somehow.”

Desperately I look away, anywhere but in her direction in case she tries to strike me once again, but instead I’m greeted with the view of the chaos magic fading. The cloud cover melts away, leaving the patchy precedent sky back on show. I know why. I’m physically shaking so much that I can’t hang on to any coherent thoughts in my head. Going through the Stare before, everything else before that, and now this...it’s too much for my unsteady mind to handle. 

Fear broke me before, and I’m failing to stop it happening again. 

“Ugh, him? You guys told me he was harmless.” 

“I don’t-”

“Well he ain’t so harmless now! We’re gonna have a situation on our hooves unless somepony talks some damn sense into him. Ah already tried but he’s not one for listening to me right now.”

A derisory snort escapes Dash’s mouth. 

“You serious? This guy’s a total freakin’ wuss. I don’t know what Twilight was so afraid of. I mean, he fell for the ol’ lightning trick every single time. Watch, I bet it works again!”

“No, DON’T!”

In an instant, my mind is clear. My entire thought process is dumped, driven down and replaced by the one emotion I impulsively know is going to get me through this. 

Anger.

“GET AWAY FROM ME!”

Everyone seems to shout at once, but the loudest voice is mine. I don’t think at all. It all happens so fast, it’s like pure rage controls me much like I control Discord’s magic. I lean up and channel everything I have in making sure Rainbow Dash does not let off another strike. The result is her lightweight frame being cannoned upwards - as if propelled by a huge gust of air - through the tree layer and into the sky, so rapidly that she doesn’t even have time to let off even a squeal of shock.  

I’m breathing heavily, as if held down by weights. Ignoring the other two completely, not to mention their reactions to their friend shooting off into the air, I turn completely away. I hate them. I hate this damn forest. And I despise that I am still no closer to the truth.

Get away.

I’m not too far from where bark ends and open fields begin. I can even see some outlying buildings in the distance. Realising now that searching for answers out here was pointless to begin with, a new plan makes its way through the rage, to the forefront of my mind. 

Ponyville. Where it all went wrong. Somehow I just know, everything will make sense there. In between flashes of rage, my thoughts process the fact that Fluttershy’s “others” are almost guaranteed residents here. 

But they won’t listen. Not until I prove to them too that I’m different than I was before. No longer the pathetic human. But a master of this chaos magic. Hope Discord’s impressed if he’s watching. 

The light is harsh out here, a far cry from the shades of the forest. I hold up my hand out to block it from my eyes, and wonder for a brief moment. I seriously doubt there’s much I can do about the celestial object directly, fun as that would be.The stakes are far too high for me to attempt to do something on a cosmic scale, only to fail cataclysmically. Instead, I create something else. A twin orb of fire. Much much smaller albeit than the original, and consisting of regular burning material than magic, but it looks practically the same, and that’s good enough for me. 

Sparking into existence, alongside the original from my perspective, it looks stunning. Truly, almost as if there were a second sun. With all that I’ve put into this, it has to be around the size of a small house. Perfect for grabbing the attention of say...the population of a small town.

So I launch the fireball directly at the heart of Ponyville.   


> Devour
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What the HAY have you done!?”

Applejack’s scream from behind me is music to my ears. I'm almost tempted to turn around, but then I might miss the spectacular light show about to unfold ahead of me, so I keep my eyes glued to Ponyville.

My creation is startling, almost as if a shooting star from the heavens is now bearing down on the quaint little town. It’s hard not to smile, knowing that even this barely scratches the surface of Discord’s abilities. Nice and slow with progression is how I'm taking it; I haven’t a clue if I can burn myself out merely by being too chaotic. He’s had an eternity to practice. I've had all of half an hour. 

Just when it seems the centre of town is about to become a smoking crater, the fireball spectacularly explodes a good fifty feet in the air. My puzzlement instantly becomes bemusement when I notice a lavender shimmer ripple outwards from the blast, lighting up the surrounding landscape like a burst of sunlight. It doesn’t last for long, but the slight curvature of the shimmer gives the game away. The town is deliberately shielded. Quite likely a recent addition.

And who specializes in barrier spells?  

We’ll see how strong that shield is.

At my urging, moisture in the air begins to freeze. Another thought, and the newly formed icy clumps mould themselves into rods, with the heads serrated into pointed edges. I didn’t specifically think of a number, but an impressive count of icicles - each one almost as big as I am - now hover in the sky above me. Even the switch from a heated object to cold doesn't make me break sweat.

“Mister! You stops this nonsense right now before somepony gets hurt!”

“Forget it Fluttershy. He stopped listening back there in the forest. Remember what ah said and don't get too close.” This time I do cast over a passing glance to the two of them. Finally, I have their attention. This is what I had to do to get these supposedly "friendly" ponies to look at me with any ounce of respect. So it's very much without hesitation that I break into a grin and motion for them to pay close attention ahead with my thumb.  

One by one, the lethal icicles plunge towards their target. I’m not expecting the first to break through, and indeed they do shatter upon smashing into the shield - the latter flashing up clear as a beacon with each concurrent impact. But I’m not done yet. As the strikes continue, I deliberately keep one icicle behind, building more layers of frozen water around it. Within no time at all, it’s roughly the size of a full grown dragon. 

One of the ponies behind me is yelling something, but I’m far too focused on my task to hear anything but white noise. My weapon stands ready. The barrier, a worthy target. I can almost certainly assume it's not designed to handle anything like this.

Go-

Something in the air changes. I turn my head instinctively. 

Wha-...gah! Pain!

My head’s been clipped. The left side of my skull immediately and violently pangs, and my body almost collapsed in shock. Lurching to the side, I regain my control, but the throbbing underneath the skin is already starting to ache. A nasty hit. Whatever caught me had to be travelling with some speed. 

“Aww yeah! Gotcha!”

The words trail away into the sky, like the song of passing birds. Through the haze of shock and my smarting head, I just about recognize once again, the individual responsible, her blue body coiling away upwards into the sky. The flying hellion is back for more; clearly I didn't do nearly enough to shake her off back in the forest. And I won’t let her get away with it. Not when she’s can use thunder so effectively against me. Especially since from our last encounter, I’m guessing she doesn’t seem to be aware of how effective it is.  
Options run through my head on how to incapacitate her, but time is too short for me to give any a proper think through; she’s already doubling back for another passing strike at me. Earth pony hooves might be strong enough to shake trees, but it appears the pegasi equivalents aren't exactly weak counterparts. 

“Look out!”

Fluttershy’s voice, and at first I assume it’s directed at Rainbow to warn her against swatting me twice. That is until the area around me darkens considerably. I turn my vision straight upwards, wondering if the sun has disappeared behind cloud cover again. 

Ah.

It’s not the clouds blocking the sunlight. It’s my super large icicle, now free of magical influence and plummeting straight towards me!

Shit! Shit shit shit…

The flight instinct kicks in, and I hit the cylinders, pelting across the open grass. The area of shadow grows visibly before my eyes, and for a brief moment, I believe I’m not going to make it. Then my legs find their rhythm, enlarging my strides and bounding me across the shadow line. All that running from Applejack finally pays off. 

*BOOM*

The ice smashes into the earth mere seconds after I make it out of the impact zone, the deep rumble of collision reverberating around my ear drums like an explosion in my head. Shaken, I nearly barrel over in the process of stopping. 

Too...close...way too freakin’ close…

Now out of danger, I disappointedly realise how unnecessary that rigmarole had been. Raising it upwards again? Hurling it towards Ponyville like I intended? Making that damn thing disappear? All options I had, and didn’t use. 

Panic and fear still rule my judgement, and I am really starting to hate that. I just need some time...some time to think for a second! 

Rainbow must’ve seen the whole disastrous event up top, but from the way I notice her adjusting her flight direction, it wasn't enough to stop her. This time, I clearly see her fold her wings and dip expertly, to reach what must be close to her top speed for another fly-by. The truly unnerving part is that unless she's attempting to pull off a sonic rainboom in my immediate vicinity, it's nothing like her maximumspeed. And even still, she's mostly a blur in the sky! 

She pulls in close enough for me to see the cerise in her eyes, the clearest sign that I’m out of time, and ideas. In alarm, I roll a strong gust of wind from the direction of the forest. The blast hits her just in time, powerful enough to knock her sideways, ruining her trajectory. Disturbingly, she recovers far more quickly than I’d have expected, regaining her aerial balance right away. Whatever practice she’s been undertaking lately has really paid off, unfortunately for me.

Unfortunately for her however, the few extra moments I bought give me an idea. Again she comes at me, but this time I pay real close attention to the distance between us, noting that while the gust didn't stop her, it did serve to halve her speed. Then, at what I hope dearly is the last possible moment, I dodge to my left. With Rainbow’s raised hoof practically grazing the air above my neck, I jerk round at the very next instant to ensure she’s touching ground. And sure enough, she surges away from me skipping dirt at a mad pace to try and propel herself back into the air.

No chance.

The next step she makes connects not me hard earth but with soft mud. And then the next. And every one afterwards, before the lack of momentum absolutely kills her travelling velocity. And with her agility down, comes my ideal window of opportunity.  
 You’re mine!

At another thought, the ground below her morphs into a quagmire of liquid muck. She yelps and almost topples over into the gunk, just barely flapping her wings fast enough to stay afloat. Suspecting that wasn’t enough, I send the mud surging upwards - blasting it and her into the air. Once clear of the ground, I revert all the gunk back into its original state, nice and solid. The result is a pony-sized lump of earth clumping back down to the floor, with the blue devil trapped inside. 

I walk over triumphantly, noticing with mirth that her head is still free to the air; the rest of her entombed in layers of compacted dirt that’s far too heavy for her lightweight body to free itself from. She splutters, clearly not able to process what just happened.

“Wha...hack...gah! How did you...that’s not fair!” emerges in-between the coughing.

“Not fair!?” I fume. “What’s not fair around here is my treatment. My well-being! You have NO idea how terrified I am of you and what you used to do to me! What you nearly did again!”

I almost lose it into shouting, but the left side of my head is throbbing again. Reaching up, my fingers find a trail of blood leaking down my hair and onto my skin. It’s by no means a debilitating injury, but certainly striking. 

“Look at this! You did this!” I yell, thrusting my hand forward so she can’t miss the crimson liquid upon my fingertips. “All I get from you is pain, and torment! For what reason, huh!?”

“You had my friend! And you really thought I was gonna let you smash up Ponyville? What sorta pony would I be if I didn't try and stop you!” she says defiantly. 

“NOT NOW!” I roar, beyond caring that my blood is boiling over. “Before! All the months I was here! You treated me like I was a beast or something-”

“You don’t belong here!” she shrieks, wailing in vain against her prison. “Isn't it obvious? Look at ya! You’re not a pony! Where are you even from!? Nopony forced you to stay here, so you shoulda moved on ages ago! Can’t you get a simple hint?” 

“Rainbow! Ya alright?” calls out across the grass. Applejack steps out from behind the giant block of ice, possibly ready to try and charge in to save her friend. Fluttershy has disappeared, but right now I don’t care where she’s gone. Probably back to her cottage to hide it out. Brave sometimes, but a coward first and foremost. 

“I’m kinda stuck here!” she grunts in another pointless effort to escape. “But yeah, I’m okay. Get me outta here so I can take this jackoff down-”

“Ah think you should shut yer yap and let me handle this. Jason? Just stop and listen to me for a second now. Ah mean it.”

 Aghast, I ignore the farmer and turn back to Rainbow; her words swirling around my head, constantly repeating, stinking up my thoughts like a bad odour. 

Don’t belong...not a pony...shoulda moved on…

So, as I sorta suspected all along. Simply because I wasn't one of them. Just cause I was different, and new, and scary. Oh, I am so done with this place. Done with them. Done with all of it. They can all see what that shared attitude has won them. 

“I hope you like being hostages,” I mutter.

“Huh? Woah-!” is all Dash gets out before she lifts into the air. Immediately I turn to AJ, ripping up the ground from underneath her before she can move. A ten-foot wide chunk of earth leaves the ground, leaving her gripping on for dear life with her hooves. In mere seconds, she’s at a height that’d prove fatal should she fall. And then I turn off my own gravity, suddenly feeling weightless as my body lifts into the sky steadily. Far beyond the height of Ponyville’s tallest building, until the entire town and surroundings can be seen clearly by all three of us. Canterlot’s mountain to our right still towers over ourselves and the landscape, but this height is good enough in my opinion.

A bird’s eye view is often the best one for a spectacle.    

This town is toxic. It’s inhabitants, hypocrites. Where else exactly was I supposed to go? Ponyville is supposed to be the most utopian spot on the map, and I’m meant to assume I’d get better treatment elsewhere? Canterlot, where even being a pony can get you judged and discredited by acting out of turn? The woods? Effectively surviving as a savage for the end of my days, like I'd been effectively forced to do for over a year? Or even into the cold embrace of wherever dark hole the Changelings call home?  

No way. No how.

Damn the lot of them. I thought I could show them the error of their ways by suicide, forcing them to notice I was gone forever. How...dumb. Had Applejack not wandered along at random, my body would've been eaten by wolves or picked apart by birds within days. Flesh on a stick for the benefit of others. And those in town that would’ve noted my disappearance would’ve been glad for it. No more ugly human to stink up the place. The rest? Probably didn’t even know I was still around anyway. Too busy with their little perfect lives. Too self-absorbed to notice the suffering of a non-entity. I gave up everything back home to live alongside them. Everything!

All the little dark thoughts polluting my mind brings me to one logical conclusion. The only reasonable way this was ever going to end, especially with my powers at hand. Maybe Discord knew it would lead to this after all. Who knows?

They’ll have to re-draw the maps after today.

I start with the shield. If the town is blocked so well from above, I wonder if the same could be said from below? Turning my attention to the earth below, I decide to test the limits of my capabilities just that much further. Something on a far grander scale.

Think bigger..

A dull boom murmurs from the earth, signalling the emergence of something massive down in the crust. It moves almost immediately, folding and warping the ground visibly above it. A wavy line of crushed soil appears, scarring the fields and criss-crossing over paved roads, drawing closer and closer to the town itself.

“Hey! What is that!?” yells Rainbow, positioned in a way so that she can’t miss anything. 

“Ah’m telling you Jason, we can talk about this!” Applejack calls above the wind, still clinging onto her solid perch, desperately avoiding looking down. “RD got a little headstrong, but she does that! Ah’ll admit I got a little angry back there too, and ah apologize for that! If you let us go and stop this tomfoolery, ah promise I’ll do whatever ah can to see ya right!”

Hollow words, and I don’t waste the time to answer back. What happens next should be too good to miss. 

Just before the edge of the barrier, the line stops, and the deep rumbles fade to nothing. I shift the three of us a little closer - as if carried by the breeze - hovering at a close enough distance to pick out a few small figures, emerging from various houses to investigate all the disturbances. The unlucky first few. 

Watch the centre.

“Watch the centre,” I mutter to my hostages.

The grassy pentagon - the focal point of all of Ponyville’s little streets begins to bubble and churn; the soil underneath liquefying into mush. Green grass disappears into the turmoil, until the area of effect stretches outwards almost to the dwellings that surround the plaza. And then it’s all gone, replaced by a monstrous and huge circular mouth lined with the sharpest teeth this side of dragon lands. It rises and rises, until more of the body emerges from the turbulent earth - now recognizable as a humongous and terrifying predatory worm. The sounds coming from that thing...eurgh...ghastly!

The first screams begin -pinging my ears in the stiff wind - not loud up here but definitely panic-inducing down there. The denizens of the surrounding properties flee the scene, some pegasi are even flying to escape the bedlam. I’ll admit I’m briefly curious to see the whole town devoured by an alien creature totally unknown to them, but I have something better in mind. 

Rather more ‘showy’ in fact.

“No...ya gotta stop this! There are families down there!” Applejack barks out.

“Like I said, watch the centre,” I shrug, pointing to the worm, the impact of her statement passing by in the breeze.

The lethal set of jaws halts, and then retreats, reversing back down into the dark until only the hole remains. It's job done, the beast not of this world fades away to nothing unseen. The peace lasts long enough for a few brave souls to venture back, circumnavigating the void now occupying the centre of town.   

Cue the fireflies. 

A chorus of tiny lights flickers into life somewhere in the darkness, and too, rises above and out of the hole. There are no screams this time, in fact I see barely any movements from the ponies at all. Hard to tell from this angle, but it might just be a beautiful sight from their point of view, transfixing all that see it. Noticing that the existing sunlight is spoiling the effect somewhat, I subtly cover over all remaining breaks in the clouds above Ponyville with new ones. And all those little lights sparkle that much brighter.

“That’s...what are those?” asks the imprisoned pegasis.  

“It ain’t good, trust me on that! For pony’s sake Jason, ah don’t care what ah have to do! Jus’ tell me what to do and ah’ll do it! Don’t hurt Ponyville!”

The fireflies spread out, creating a magical fountain-like effect from our viewpoints. The vast majority float upwards, and then gently settle on the outsides of buildings, as if decorating them for a national holiday.

Too late.

“Too late.” I state, and show her my middle finger.

In a matter of instants, the light show transforms into a firestorm. Every single stationary firefly ignites and bursts, unleashing discharges of flame from every point of contact. The wind takes over the rest, spreading the licks of fire over wooden surfaces, igniting all of it in their wake. The screams are back, as are the mad evacuations of anyone close to danger. More fool them for sticking around. 

“Oh...no…” Applejack’s tearing up, agawp at the inferno below. Rainbow simply struggles even more, desperation taking over.

“You bastard! Get me outta here!” she screams.

The wind catches one of the few remaining bugs, flying out of the hellish centre and straight into Ponyville’s town hall. Within a minute of it crashing and exploding on the roof, the entire building is hidden beneath its own fire. Some ponies that had taken refuge inside stream outwards, joining a mass exodus that leads southward, away from the buildings. And towards our direction.

The sky turns angry - fuelled by smoke from the wreckage - casting a deadly orange hue. It’s only the centre of town at the moment, but with every building outwards that gets caught by flame, I feel more and more justified. Anything that remains standing once the fires go out, I can deal with in my own time however I please. Soon there’ll be nothing here but ash, and all the ponies who lived here will know that I did it to them, to pay them for their so wonderful hospitality.

*cough* *hack* “I...can’t breathe!”

Dash is suffering from all the smoke blowing our way, and even I’m not committed enough to cruelty to let her suffocate to death. Not if she behaves herself from now on. But the heat is starting to reach us up here, and before long I know we’ll be practically sweltering in the haze. 

Carefully, I increase the gravity on all of us, decreasing our altitude below the elevating fumes. The view was incredible from up there, but like any old boring human, I guess I belong at ground level. Can't live in the sky after all. 

As it turns out, I’ve picked a rather choice spot for us to descend to.

Most of Ponyville’s residents have gathered near us, right on the edge of town. The vast majority are staring back at their burning town, but a few have clearly cottoned on to the three levitating figures now descending nearby. Though still a fair distance away, I can spot more than a few furious glares aimed right at me. What an amazing painting that would make, the view from here right now. The congregation of a population too willing to turn a blind eye to the troubles of one not of their own, and their precious homes, livelihoods and memories going up in smoke before their very eyes. The colours as well, dare I say it, are simply fantastic.

“Oof!” Rainbow’s prison touches down, and Applejacks platform cracks and breaks upon contact. If she’s hoping those tears are going to extinguish those fires, she’s going to need a lot more than that.

“Hey! Is that you Applejack? What’s going on here?” yells a n unremarkable earth pony, the first to approach our position. 

“No! Get back! It’s not safe!” she yells, finding the energy to move forward a few steps.

Stay where you are.

“Stay where you are!” I shout, already formulating a response. If she escapes now, I’m gonna be furious. Vines from the soil curl upwards, taking hold of all four of her legs, and latching her still before she can attempt to bolt to the others. She tugs a few times, but quickly accepts her position of helplessness.

The entire crowd has noticed us now. Close to two hundred ponies of all races face me like a wall. Some are crying. Some have murder in their eyes. A few are sporting burn injuries. All I know is, I am loving it! 

Finally, after three long and undeserved years, I have them exactly where I want them. Acknowledging me at last.

“Hello!” I yell, waving. “Most of you’ve probably seen me before, but I doubt you know my name. Would anyone like to hazard a guess?”

Absolute silence, save for the crackles of fire in the background and the flaps of a few disgusted wings.  

“No? Jason Wright. Human." I say, thumping a fist into my chest. "And I’ve got a question for all of you. Where is Twilight Sparkle?” 

“Don’t tell him anything!” shouts Rainbow to the crowd. “Fleetfloot! Cloud Chaser! You’re on water duty! Get up there and do something about those fires!” 

Two pegasi from within the mob lift off without question and scream upwards. I stare after them briefly, wondering if I should do anything about it. Probably not. They can’t do much now, and I need to be here. 

“Okay, see, I don’t think you guys quite understand. I have two of your Elements here, and unless you want life for them to get very unpleasant, I suggest someone starts answering that very simple question.” I say directly to the mass of ponies.

A few nervous glances I catch tells me that has got them thinking. Any second now, one of them is going to decide to do the smart thing. 

*BOOM*

Something large and explosive detonates behind the cluster of buildings that I can see, launching a stream of flaming missiles upwards. One, heads our way, and piledrives directly into one of the closest and more noticeable buildings near our border of the town: Carousel Boutique. 

Honestly, even knowing exactly what that structure consists of and what lies inside, I’m kinda shocked at how quickly it kindles. 

“Oh my gosh! SWEETIE!” 

A white unicorn known to everyone around rushes from the horde around her and towards the fading structure, screaming in anguish.

Oh crap. Sweetie Belle’s in there? I didn’t...I don’t mean for anyone to suffer like that...trapped and burning alive. No-one that didn’t deserve it, and I never really saw her or her friends during my time here. I wouldn't do that..not to kids...

I prepare to simply dissipate the flames surrounding her home, when something blue catches my eye to the west. A huge wall of water appears from nowhere - a tidal wave that soars above the rooftops. From the left, it sweeps over homes and trees alike, apparently sticking within the town's borders and swamping all the fires it touches. Carousel Boutique is soon struck, leaving behind a structure just about managing to stay upright. Soon after, the wave travels on over the rest of Ponyville, shutting off every orange glow it finds. I didn’t summon that, and I’m pretty sure pegasi can’t do that, which only leaves…

Could it be?

A purple figure emerges from the steam, and for a few seconds, I truly believe I’m going to get what I came for at last. And then she speaks.

“You there! How dare you cause so much devastation! Trixie is proud to call this place her honourary home, and I will not stand by and let you wreck it!”

Oh for…

I can’t believe it’s her, even still wearing that damn outfit. I knew she was capable of a few impressive tricks, but that? Actually kinda impressive.Did she manage to find another water-tower around here? 

Rarity comes back into view too, this time clutching her little sister tightly, shielding her from the worst of the burning. To my slight horror, it looks like half of Sweetie’s mane is missing, either torn or singed off. 

Suddenly, I feel completely at a loss of what to do. I want them to suffer, I don’t want this place to exist anymore...it’s their fault I’m like this! I shouldn’t have needed to have caused all this! I didn’t want to see ponies hurting like this...especially not the kids. More than a dozen litter the crowd, and the look on their faces chills me to my core. The adults I can deal with. Not them.

They should’ve thought of that.

“WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU!?” I hurl towards the crowd, grabbing all their attentions once more. “I loved this place once! I couldn’t believe I was going to get to live here! You know how lucky that made me feel?!” 

Blank stares. Just...blank. Before I know it it my fists are clenched and I’m resisting the urge to punch the ground.

 “Am I really that bad to you? I know I don’t fit in like you, but I wanted so hard just to try! To have a chance! To have-”

I am silenced. Something on Canterlot Mountain to the north-east glows but for a second. I caught it, and now everyone turns to look at what shut me up. Was that something in the city? A message? A signal? Something else…

“She’s coming.”

Oh.

It’s been a crazy old day. It would have to be at that moment when I’m utterly close to a breakdown that I finally find what I’m looking for. The voice is almost reassuring, in a weird way. Maybe now, the worst is over.

First things first.

So I do it. I turn around to face the pony brave enough to stand so close to me and look at me like no pony here has for the longest time. 

Face to face with Twilight Sparkle at last.







“Jason...Wright...am I pronouncing that correctly?”

“Y-yeah. Sure are. And I guess I better call you Princess Celestia like everyone else around here huh?”

“Oh pish posh. The sound of that title gets old after a thousand years. It would be very nice you know to have someone around who just calls me Celestia, if I may be perfectly frank with you.”

“Ahem...”

“Oh...yes...apart from you Luna.”

“T’is understandable. You must understand Mister Wright, that even we in all our longevity have never come across a being such as you. Please excuse our initial hesitation in approaching you with formalities, for we knew not what you were.”

“Indeed. Though you do bear a slight similarity in poise and stature to an old foe of ours, but hopefully you won’t run into him too often.”

“Oh...aha….that bad is he?”

“Not...’bad’ I would say. Not now anyway. But still unpredictable I am afraid. Thankfully, he is looked after now by very capable hooves.”

“Sister, we should will all haste discuss accommodation, lest our guest think he is to be left among the wolves in the forest!”

“Naturally, I was getting there! Jason, as eager as I am to spend more time with you, I must confess you cannot stay here in the castle. Too many have seen you here, and to keep you within these walls would demonstrate an air of secrecy and conspiracy to our citizens. If you would be willing, you are free to make a home for yourself outside among the wider world of ponies. I can assure you, they are most friendly, and you'll find our world a most agreeable place to stay!” 

“If the populace can forgive somepony like me of her transgressions, then I am certain they will accept a strange ape like you.”

“Luna!”

“Haha, it’s alright! If you have faith, then I have faith. Actually sorta excited to meet peo...hm, excuse me...ponies around here.”

“You are considering Canterlot itself? I must admit, it can be a hectic place for newcomers.”

“Well actually, I did spot a faint town when I was looking out of the balcony earlier. To the west I think?”

“Aha! I am not surprised! Celestia and I are well accustomed to that place; truly it holds a special place in our hearts.” 

“Quite right. Believe it or not Jason Wright, but that town is more dear to us than you might hope to guess. A few ponies in particular might catch your eyes and ears down there, but I suspect I better leave them to do their introductions. I wouldn’t want to steal their thunder.”

“Hah...really? I figured I’d seen it all already.”  

“Hee hee, you have no idea! Oh! You don’t know its name do you? It is called Ponyville and I simply cannot imagine a more delightful place for you to live your life here.”
> After Hour (Pt. 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have you ever imagined your ideal world? Not just being able to picture it in your head though. Imagine you can live in your perfect utopia, where the world is beautiful - long lazy days drift over green fields and picturesque forests that stretch to the horizon. The only grey in the world is taken up by a solitary mountain, where this land’s ruler lives, and can watch over everything - ensuring a continued peace. It looks and sounds...perfect. I called it the Promised Land once. 

Now imagine that everyone inhabiting that world seems to despise you, driving you to the very limit of despair, and you may understand why I was driven to what I did.  





Against the backdrop of a smouldering but not-quite destroyed Ponyville, the two of us take a few moments to stare at the other. Carried by the light breeze is the distinct smell of burnt wood and smoke, not likely to dissipate any time soon. Already, it feels like this will either be a meeting of the minds...or our last stand. 

“‘She’s coming’? Who’s she? Celestia?” It’s not the most important question I’m destined to ask but it’s the first I instinctively say out of curiosity. 

Twilight nods so briefly and slightly that it’s nearly impossible to catch. I notice her eyes have quickly left mine to survey the devastation behind me.

“I’m not here to fight. I heard you wanted answers...so..so I w-wanted to talk,” she says as the first tears leak down her face. A yellow hoof rises up to rest on her back, and for the first time I notice Fluttershy standing alongside Twilight; the former also misty-eyed and dumbfounded. Did the pegasus disappear earlier to warn her?

“Oh really?” I say sarcastically. “Funny how different the situation is when your friends’ lives are on the line.” 

“Twilight! You can take this guy right?” Rainbow Dash wails to my side. “Do something, or get me outta here at least!” 

“Dash...just...just leave it to me, alright? I-I’ve got a plan to resolve everything.” Is it me or does she look exhausted?

“Twilight!” Applejack cranes her neck round, legs still caught in place. “Ah don’t know how much you've seen but ah highly suggest we let Jason here know what he needs to know. Enough damage’s been do-”

“MONSTER!”

A manic, vicious scream cuts Applejack off, and I turn back at the disturbance to see a charred lump of wood flying in my direction. My body reacts before my mind has time to think, stepping to the side in a flash, leaving the projectile to sail past my head and land with a clunk beyond. The source of the attack is an enraged Rarity, and I’m not too sure what’s glowing with hatred more: her horn or her eyes.

“That’s my sister you nearly killed!” she shrieks, whirling her head in a fluid three hundred and sixty degree motion. The boutique stirs behind her, but whatever the result is of her casting is too small to make out from my distance. 

“No!” “Rarity, stop!” Applejack and Twilight both yell at her, but the unicorn either doesn’t hear them through her rage or deliberately ignores them. She dips her head, and suddenly from the boutique I can make out a fuzzy swarm. Whatever it is, it’s dangerous, and heading straight for me. Deciding sharpish not to bother to dodge again, I summon a wall of glass in front of me - wide enough to also protect my hostages. Within moments, the objects start crashing against the glass; pitter pattering against the material before falling to the ground where I can see them. They were needles. Needles!

Is she trying to frikken lacerate me!?

Two more improvised wood block missiles are sent flying uselessly at the wall, until her horn dims to the point of nothing, leaving her breathing heavily from the exertion. Deeming the situation safe once again, I wave the glass away. 

“Are you done?” I say across the field. 

“Never! Look..look what you’ve done to our homes! You are a brute and a miscreation of orders I can scarcely imagine! Somepony has to take a stand to protect our loved ones!”

“The Great Fire-Quencher Trixie agrees!” The blue unicorn trots over to Rarity’s side and nods a show of support. “I shall stand with the friends of Twilight Sparkle and defeat all who threaten us!”

“Me too!” cries another unicorn, of lemon-yellow fur, who I remember once threw a bunch of tomatoes at me when I asked why I wasn’t welcome anywhere in town.

“And me!”

“Yeah!”

“Make a stand, everypony!”

“We’ve seen worse than you! Remember the parasprites?”

A line forms at the head of the crowd, like the front of an army. And they’re all fixing me with death-glares. 

“What is this, some kind of sorry excuse for a unicorn army?” I say unimpressed.

“Not just unicorns!”

I look up where the voice originated. It’s the two pegasi Rainbow sent off earlier - Fleetfloot and Cloud Chaser, along with other flying ponies they’ve apparently managed to track down. I guess the call inspires some more from the crowd, since more pegasi flap upwards and swell the numbers further. Among them I recognize Thunderlane, Flitter, Bluebell, and the majority of Ponyville’s weather team. Astonishing how easily their names still come to me. 

Ha-ha, that’s cute. Now they have air support. Like that’ll help. 

“What’s the matter?” I call over to the crowd behind the unicorns. “Earth ponies got nothing to contribute?” 

Someone appears to force their way through the mass of ponies to the front, and there’s no mistaking who as she steps forward. The last of the Elements I’d meet today, and surprisingly the one I’d almost never seen. For some reason, for the entire time, she had been avoiding me entirely. Pinkie Pie.

It’s true what they say. Seeing her looking as sad as that - and in person - is truly unnatural. It’s almost as bad as what Discord showed me in that freakish place I’d been contained in. 

“Why…” she says, eyes glazed over with liquid. “Why would you do this!? The bakery...”

“Why do you think?” is what I almost reply with, but her expression makes me hesitate. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony look so angry, confused and utterly dismayed all at once, but she manages it. And it’s enough to throw my train of thought completely off the rails.

Does she not know? Surely she must know! She must!

“Ah think ah can explain some o’ it Pinkie. Before any of you’s starts another dang fight, let me tell you, ah was with Jason here earlier, before he had any of this magic here. You didn’t see what ah saw-”

Applejack snaps my senses back to alertness; as I realise she’s been with me for practically the entire time since I sat on that tree branch. The information she’s telling them could be used against me, and I can’t let that happen. 

“-ah found him just outside of Apple Acres and...woah...hey...nnng!” The vines around her legs extend and coil upwards around her body. One forces itself around the head via her mouth, binding it completely. She grunts in alarm. 

“Applejack! What happened!?” Rainbow tries to crane her neck around but the earth pony is out of her cone of vision. Pinkie squeals and retreats a few steps back, astounded at the power.

“A mere showpony’s trick!” comes from the unicorn line. “Trixie has much experience in that magic, and it is no match for a force of our number! Do not panic friends of Twilight, for soon you will be free once more!”   

“Everypony please!” Twilight appeals to the crowd. “Rarity, I know you’re angry and Pinkie, yes, you’re scared but...I don’t...I don’t want this to deteriorate any further! I was the one who warned you about Jason to begin with! So please, let me be the one to deal with him!”

That’s it. That is it. I turn around to face the Princess trying to hold my thoughts steady. The words I had been waiting to hear. I knew it! The picture had been dawning this entire day of Twilight being behind the whole thing.

Right from the...horse’s mouth! Ahahahaha!

“You?” I state grimly, taking a menacing step forward. My brain awashes with a hundred different ways of making her pay, but I force them back down lest they become active. I still need to hear why. The reason behind it all.  

Twilight whispers in Fluttershy’s ear, and the pegasus flies away without question, circling a massive distance around me towards the ruined buildings. It’s a good thing she does because I’m about to make this very, very personal. Another step forward.

“When Princess Celestia told me you were coming, I knew you couldn’t stay here.” Her tears dry up as she stares right into me, utterly focused. “I’ve seen your kind before, humans...right? I know what you’re capable of, and I knew-”

“Wait, what!? Before? There’s been others here?” I splutter, wholly taken aback. Had I not been the first?

“No, not here. I went to your realm once, to retrieve a precious artifact. That’s where I met them.”      

I wrack my brain in confusion. That happened? When? I don’t remember anything like tha...oh!

The mirror portal. The school. Sunset Shimmer!

Of course! She had seen humans before! But...they hadn’t treated her badly...right? The versions of her friends had been there for her. She couldn’t be basing her entire viewpoint from that… Sunset Shimmer had been the worst offender there, and she’s a pony!

“That makes no sense.” I tell her carefully, waring of revealing that I knew of their histories prior to my arrival. “No human would’ve treated you badly enough to warrant everything you’ve done to me!” 

“You didn’t see what I saw!” she yells, voice quivering with bubbling anxiety. “Humans are petty, ignorant and damaging to those around them! Having any of you here would ruin Ponyville for good!” 

“Yeah! You tell him Twilight!” Rainbow cheers.

“Shut up! That pretty much describes griffons, and you made friends with one pretty easily!” I retort back to my hostage.

“Uhh...gee? It’s not like they can fly or anything? That automatically makes them awesome! What have you got? You need magic to fly!” 

You...you annoying little pest-

“Ponies and griffons have been friendly for hundreds of years. As for you, nopony apart from me has seen your kind before, ever! It’s not the same!” Twilight says. Another step brings me closer to her, as I writhe with internal fury. 

“Even if that were the case,” I say, staring her down. “You can’t compare me to them. How do you know I and them are even from the same places, cause I doubt it! In my world, the people I knew were great. Friends...family...you know,exactly the same as what you have here?” 

“No, Jason. You’re wrong. I’m...I’m sorry for what happened to you, for turning you away at the library, but I couldn’t let you in. Spike was living with me there at the time, and I didn’t want you near him-”

“Huh? You thought I was going to corrupt him or something?” Another step. So close…

“It...doesn’t matter now.” She straightens up to her full height, and wipes away her pained look. Frowning, the tone in her voice changes. “If you hadn’t done any of...this, then maybe there was hope for you. But you changed everything by attacking my home like this. I am a Princess of Equestria, and a Princess protects her subjects, and her friends.” 

“That’s cool. Two of your friends are mine though, and even if you had them back, I heard about you guys sealing the Elements away in the forest.” Obviously, no-one had told me this. I had eavesdropped on a conversation outside of a restaurant while scrounging for food. Most of my recent knowledge about Ponyville and the Elements had been gleaned this way. Not the prettiest of methods, but beggars can't be choosers. “The six of you together can’t do jack without them, and unless you want-”

Just as I’m closing the distance between us, she vanishes in a bright, instant sphere of purple light; the loud *shtap* of magic burst fades away to an empty patch of ground. It was so fast, I didn’t even see her horn light up. 

Where…?

Too late do I realise what’s happening. More bursts of magic emit behind me, and I wheel around on the spot. The line of angry ponies still remain, but it’s the clump of vines and empty shell of earth that catches my attention first.

Gone? No! How did she....there’s no way she’s that fast…

Nowhere in sight, I can scan the horizon, urgently deliberating how to bring this back under my control. 

“I don’t need the Elements.”

A small sensation on my back - the slightest of touches - is all I feel. As my brain just about settles on a perfect design, the world vanishes in a deafening *bam* and my body feels suddenly like rubber.

For a second, nothing responds the way I want it to. My eyes see nothing. My ears hear perfect silence. For all I know, I could have dropped beneath the fabric of worlds, so empty is the feeling.

Then the world appears again, but I’m no longer on Ponyville’s outskirts. I can’t even see anyone. The ground is hard beneath my feet, the wind is gone, and all I view at first is lavender. I blink and settle my feet, refocusing. This purple isn’t a solid feature -- it’s transparent. My eyes adjust to the layout past the barrier, and all at once I know where I am. 

The library.

It’s a small miracle the wooden home didn’t burn down earlier from the fireflies. Curious, I place my hand on the purple surface. It’s firm but see-through, like my glass wall earlier, but warmer to the touch. There’s a faint energy that I swear I can feel running through it, and I notice the whole thing rises over me like a dome, granting me around six feet of free movement. I’ve seen this before, but much larger.

“That’s my anti-magic barrier spell.” Twilight says, suddenly standing above me on the stairs. A myriad of books and tomes lay strewn about, likely caused by the spell’s activation. Otherwise, it’s the same old space I remember seeing from back home. Three years ago, this had been one of the first places I’d come to for help. I needed it sure, but I’d always had a curious want to search through the bookcases to find more information about Equestria, learning more about the world and the history behind the ponies’ culture. 

Now that I’m finally inside, it looks like I’m trapped.

“I saw you attacking Ponyville earlier, so I know that magic you’re using is ineffective against it. But this one is connected to the structure of the library, since the smaller scale allows for a greater degree of control. I tied the spell’s foundation to the tree’s roots, so the connection acts as one object. Trust me, there’s no easy way out of there.” She fixes me with an odd neutral stare, bizarre for someone apparently with the upper hand.

“I’m not stupid. Your barriers protect from the outside, not in.” I reply, enlarging my right hand into twice the normal size, and cover it with metal. Spreading my legs apart, I pull back, and slam my solid fist into the barrier, expecting it to shatter. Instead, the whole dome glows, repulsing my hand and my body backwards. Not even a crack marks the barrier. Concerned, I do the same thing to the floor, repeatedly striking it until the metal layers peel off and my arm grows tired. Grunting, I stare at the simple wooden floor. 

No marks. No cracks. Nothing.

“They used to, but I’ve always been a student of magic. I’ve studied so much from unicorns and the changelings. Even some parts of Sombra’s dark magic. Ah, you probably don’t know who they are...or do you? You seem to know things that you weren’t around for.”

“No I don’t,” I lie. “You honestly think you’re going to keep me in here like this?”

“The shield prevents the passage of all magic from both sides. My brother helped me alot with the finer specifics but...there’s a very low chance that you can escape. If my calculations are correct, not even the power of the other Princesses can repress it.” She trots down the stairs and comes right up to the barrier. Confident...or arrogant? Either way, she’s placing all her faith into it holding up. 

“Good thing I’m not a pretty little Princess then. All this, what you did just now...that was a mistake.”

“No, you coming here was a mistake.” Twilight replies sternly, ears flickering as the wind picks up outside. “As soon as Celestia warned me you were coming-”

“Warned you!?”

“- I told everyone in town not to associate with you. Humans don’t have a place here, our society is too finely-tuned to deal with such a radical new presence.”

“Newsflash, you pedantic asshead, I had nowhere else to go! Celestia told me as much that Canterlot was a no-go. Now you’re saying Ponyville was off-limits. So where then? Out in the woods with Zecora?”

“Z-zecora? Who?” She gives me a quizzical look.

“The...the zebra...out there in the forest…” I trail off, lost in my memory for a second. I could remember her but, despite all my time spent living on the borders of the Everfree, I’d never once seen her, nor come across her hut. It was like she…

Never existed.

“There are no zebras around here.” Twilight’s frown returns. Some loose papers become dislodged from the bookshelves as the wind blows in from the window, howling. “Their colonies are far to the south, away from here, thank Celestia. She might accept some in Canterlot now and again, but we’d never allow any to settle here with us.”

I feel like I’m losing my mind again. One minute everything is just about slotting into place, the next, the whole tower of logic comes crashing down. Whatever. Zecora isn’t a priority right now. 

Time to get out of here.

“Alright...alright.” I say, holding my hands up. “Looks like you’ve got me. What do you plan to do with me now, exactly?”

“We both know those powers you have weren’t yours to begin with. I could leave you in there to starve until you tell me how you got them, but you could simply start re-paying for what you’ve done by telling me now. And even then, to even think of letting you out again, I’d have to place a suppressing seal on you.”

I lean up against the barrier, so her face is as close to mine as possible.

“Get bent Sparks.”

“Oh you are just the worst!” She scowls and pulls back, clearly disgusted. “As if ruining the lives of everypony in town isn’t enough for you…trying to harm the very elements that keep this world safe...just when will you be satisfied? Until you...wh...what in the hay is going on out there!?”

Twilight whips around as the wind rushing into the library becomes a gale. Paperwork tears around the room in currents, as the noise morphs from a rumble into a deafening roar. At the same time, the ground beneath creaks and groans like the dying pangs of a wrecked battleship. The whole tree sounds like it’s being ripped apart. 

“Oh yeah! I forgot to mention! When you teleported me here earlier?” I have to shout to her to even be heard. And she looks back at me in shock.

“What!?”

“You weren’t fast enough!”

I point upwards just as the roof upwards us rips off, revealing a sickly greenish sky. The whole top half of the tree is gone within seconds, blasted away out of sight, and we both stare skyward at the cause. A huge tornado - already choked with debris from other buildings in Ponyville - is barrelling straight toward us. Looks like the barrier is protecting me from the worst of it, but Twilight doesn't have that luxury. Entire books come flying off the shelves and hurl around the barrier in a whirling cascade, as the tempest bears down on the library. She gasps, sidestepping one and another, before deciding that staying here to brave the aerial minefield is no longer safe. A flash of purple sorcery, and she’s gone entirely. The rest of the tree now shakes and thunders, tilting to each side with ever increasing severity. I take a deep breath, and wait for the moment, thanking my stars that I’d managed to create the twister at the very last second before Twilight caught me.    

My lungs release. The sky turns black. And all I see is chaos. 

Such chaos!

The reverberation begets flight; the entirety of the library is wrenched from the earth, taking all its contents with it. Spinning and tumbling, I lose all sense of balance. Completely powerless, until the right moment. My shoulder slams into the side of the barrier as the floor turns upright, the twister continuing on its path of devastation. I right myself, and see the lavender surface flicker dimly.  

Now!

The wooden floor of the library is now above me. Focusing, I form a ball of energy in my palm. If this is going to work, I’m going to need both kinetic and heat energy. I stretch upwards, smashing my hand into the wood, propelling my feet higher as I feel the first cracks give way. A blast of air rushes back to greet me, but nothing stops my momentum as the once foundation explodes, propelling a torrent of shards outwards. Separate from the tree, the roots tear away into the tornado, and I launch myself free into the storm. Covering myself with a light shield, my first move is to immediately get the hell out of dodge, flying straight out of the whirlwind and making a beeline for the southern border again. 

I look back just once, to see the what’s left of the tree, all the books and the knowledge that Twilight craved, disappear into the raging dark. 

Pressing on and leaving the twister to clear up what’s left of the town, I drift back towards the mass of ponies at the town edge. I'm  almost there, when a sudden blue streak at my height level catches these keen eyes. It whips upwards towards the cloud layer, leaving behind a faint trail of multi-colour. 

Dammit, forgot Twilight freed her. What's she up to?

Dash reaches a grey cloud and grabs it, pulling it downwards. I change course, plowing instead towards her, eager to stop whatever she’s doing before she does. It’s a friggin good thing I do, because when the cloud rumbles and darkens, I twig to her play. 

Either she’s worked it out, or someone told her.

I am committed not dealing with the lightning again. That stops now. I conjure a coiled vine from nothing, hurling one end directly at her. For my fortune, she faces away for the few seconds it takes to travel, and the vine grabs her body without giving her time to avoid it. I whip it back, yanking Dash away but keeping it close to her in case she right the spin. 

This is for the thunder, bitch.

I turn and spin, giving myself the momentum needed to raise my foot, and Dash collides with it at full pelt; the underside of my boot crunches into the side of her body. Like the sweetest of penalty kicks, she shoots away for a few moments, and then dips, plunging a considerable distance downwards. 

That. Felt. Epic!

Outgambiting Twilight Sparkle and sucker-punching Rainbow in the space of five minutes...they say revenge is a dish best served cold, but my insides are on fire! And I’m not even paying attention of the rest of the town going to waste behind me! No longer the slave, no more the downtrodden human. Everything this town represents will be sheared away, so only the memories remain. And even them, I might be able to wipe away with enough time and effort.

Rainbow Dash plummets helplessly; I guess the shock completely knocked all consciousness out of her! The trajectory takes her almost right towards the crowd of spectators below, and I faintly catch the gasps for what could very well be a fatal fall. Then a yellow spot hurls itself into the air, and grabs Dash’s body, taking it further away from me. The shock of pink hair gives her away.

For such a timid soul, she can sure fly when she needs to.

I latch onto a burst of air, and dive at an angle down towards my original spot, where Fluttershy is carefully touching down. Twilight teleports in from nowhere, bending down to look over her wounded friend. Pinkie and Applejack too break ranks, rushing over for support. Rarity’s right behind them, but she sees my approach. A piece of wood she threw at me earlier comes at my body again, but it’s laughably easy to avoid in the air. Until I notice she doesn't let go of her magic, recoiling the block backwards to catch me in the rear. A simple thought, and the piece disappears for good, denying her any more projectiles.

“Take a good look!” I yell at the six, grouped together. The noise from the twister is still considerable, so I hope the rest of the ponies present can hear me too. “Your homes are about to disintegrate, and nothing you can do is going to contain me! I reckon it's about time all of you gave up, eh?" 

Twilight looks up at me, helping a groggy Rainbow Dash back to her feet, rubbing her side with her hoof. 

“Maybe you are too strong for us with that magic you have," she replies, at first dejected, but then a certain light flashes across her eyes. "But I doubt you're stronger than her."

What?

A presence behind me. Powerful. A faint but familiar feeling. I whirl around to a flash of white. My twister rages, but a streak of light encircles it, wrapping faster and faster around the storm. The churning winds glow, and decrease, dumping debris and chunks of earth all over the environment. With little more than a whimper, the clouds clear and the wind calms. Before I even have a chance to work out what's happening, the white approaches, clearing the clouds as it goes, tearing a path of sunlight through the landscape. There's only one possible individual responsible.

Celestia.

The Princess soars into clear view, circling around all of us, and descends near the elements. Still hovering with majestic poise, she looks once at them, eyes glowing with an unbelievable amount of grace and restraint. And then she looks up. Right at me. The floating human, crackling with magic not of his own, right in front of the town he just destroyed. The town she loved, and would do anything to protect.

“Jason?”         

> After Hour (Pt. 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am here.

I am where I’ve wanted to be for so long. The residents of Ponyville. Twilight and her friends. They are all looking at me, finally. Not past me. Not down on me. At me. Knowing how I feel. Knowing what I am. What I can do. 

And now Celestia, you’re here too, bearing witness to all of it. Always the ever watchful eye over your kingdom.

But not me.

I am here now. I don’t think I have it in me to forgive them for all the torment, the hushed whispers and acts of ignorance and lies. But I can make them see the light. Maybe I already have.

What about you Celestia? How noble can you be now, after the fact? 

“Yeah,” I reply to her, still hovering far enough above the ground so no wayward hooves can sneak up on me. Just in case, I swivel around briefly; all the ponies from before are still there, watching and waiting. Some continue to look over the burn marks of their neighbours, others are too shocked to move, gazing in fear at their broken Ponyville. 

The tornado might’ve cleared, but the devastation it wrought has left only the outermost ring of buildings still standing, and even those aren't in good shape. The centre of town has become nothing more than a filled-in crater, topped with charred wood, the scattered remains of household belongs and an awful lot of torn-apart books, just colourful dots from up here. I want to stare, to savour this panorama of a village that can do no more to damage me. But the moment can only last so long. Business needs attending to.

“Is that you? What in Equestria’s name happened to you?”

Her voice is perturbed, but still so calm, as if the owner has never lost temper in their lifetime. Maybe she’s all too experienced in situations like this. A lot can happen when you’re immortal, gotta kill the time somehow. Allies. Enemies. Friends. Villains. Family. 

It’s easy when everyone adores you.

“Yeah...it’s me. How long’s it been huh? Three years?”

“Your mane, your clothes, who did this to you?”

“My...what?”

I look over myself briefly. All appears to be right, so why does she look and sound puzzled?

“It...cannot be…” Something shimmers in her eyes, and she proceeds to scan my entire body over. I feel as if I’ve stepped through an x-ray scanner. “Illusion magic of that order is beyond most unicorns. Who cast that on you?”

That’s surely impossible! How can she tell I’ve disguised my old appearance? I know she’s an alicorn, but so is Twilight, and she apparently didn’t pick up on it.

“Princess Celestia! It’s not just illusions! He has control over telekinesis and weather manipulation! My anti-magic barrier contained him, but it was blown away in the storm!” Sparkle joins her once mentor in the air, and almost immediately takes in the view behind me, somewhat hidden to her on the ground. “Oh...oh no...the library…”

“I know.” Celestia’s eyes have never left me. I’m started to feel a little bit awkward. It’s not that I don't like the look in her eyes, it’s that I can’t tell what’s she thinking at all.

Twilight’s tears return for a second and equally unwelcome appearance. Only now at the sound of her ex-student sobbing does Celestia look away from me, offering some form of comfort with an outstretched wing. 

“You...you know…?” Twilight says between snivels. 

“Everything that happened from the first attack. The shield warning spell worked, but we were not prepared for an assault of this speed and ferocity. I flew as fast as I could, but three guard squadrons are also on their way. Please, tell me no-pony was killed…”

“No...I don’t think so...as soon as the fires started...everypony ran…”

“If you’re about to try and paint me as the bad guy here, good freakin’ luck,” I say. “I mean, you can see what I actually look like, right Princess? Want to bet who caused that? Cause ding ding ding, you guessed right if you thought sad sack and her friends down there.”

“Shut up!” Twilight screams.

“I will come up there and end you human! Ah...ouch…” Dash rises unsteadily on four hooves before clutching her side again. Good. If I’m lucky, she’s suffering from a few cracked ribs.

“He will not try anything more. Not after I can speak to him. So please everypony, let me do so without any more interruptions.”

That is an arrogance from Celestia I never thought possible. I don’t want to humiliate one of the few ponies who has ever treated me with kindness in front of her subjects, but I damn will if she pushes me any further. 

Turning her crown into liquid poop. That might be funny to watch. Drip drip drip, all through her mane…

“These powers are mine, how I got them doesn’t matter,” I say, pushing the tempting thought aside. I have to be careful now with my casting, in case they see some of it as Discord’s influence. “What I want you to know is how your precious student there is a prejudiced little runt. Her and the rest of them.”

Two raised eyebrows. That piqued her attention for sure.

“Talk to me Jason. Tell me why you are so different from that kind soul I had the pleasure to meet three years ago.”

A small ember tickles my insides. Was...was that a compliment? After all I’ve done here?

“You’re not mad? How are you not mad!? Look behind me! I’ve laid waste to all of it-”

“Ponyville can be rebuilt, in fact I’ve seen it done so a few times,” she replies loudly, impeding my speech. “What truly matters to me is why. Everything here was laid out for you…”

I no longer hear what she’s saying. Twilight’s crying becomes the dominant noise, as she struggles to maintain her aerial balance. Her tears drop down to the ground, where the other five are all watching and listening. Rainbow and Rarity might be listening to their princess but it’s hard to tell when they’re staring at me so vehemently. Even now, after I’ve proven to them their tactics are useless, they won’t give up hating me? They’re damn lucky I’m not a total monster and didn’t go after Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo directly. 

Fluttershy and Pinkie, quivering behind them, either out of fear or anticipation. Pathetic. They should be scared of me now, but they had no reason to be when I was powerless. Taking orders from a friend doesn’t override common sense. Not if you had any sort of smarts, and these two clearly don’t. 

And Applejack - she who runs at me like a girl possessed one minute and then tries to save me the next. She who wanted to listen at first, then looked for a way to take me down straight afterwards. I had so wanted to leave, I was done with this place, and she couldn’t even let me do that. 

It’s a strange expression - ‘the red mist descends’ - but when it happens to you, all that pent-up energy just explodes from your mouth in a torrent.

“They all hated me! Everyone here! Twilight saw a bunch of bad humans once, and decided I was just like them! Without even speaking to me, she turned me away! And even worse, she spread that belief among everyone in town! Her, her friends, everyone here, all hated me! That’s why I look like crap Celestia, that’s what three years of living alone in a frikkin cave will do to you! Not that’d you know anything-

“Jason!”

“-about fending for yourself being in that bloody great castle all year round-”

“Jason stop!”

“I WAS READY TO KILL MYSELF PRINCESS! THAT’S HOW BAD IT GOT! TELL ME WHY I SHOULD STOP!”

“You’re burning up!”

I pant for breath, realizing an orange glow has appeared encircling my vision. Though I feel nothing burning, that tirade must’ve released some unintentional magic, as the top half of my body is literally on fire. Must make for a nice light show I guess. It takes only a few gusts of wind to sweep the flames into nothing, leaving my clothing thankfully untouched. 

“Whatever. I’m sick of these ponies trying to play the victim card every damn time-”

“Please, calm down...”

“-just because they think they’re cute and able to get away with it-”

“I SAID CALM DOWN!” Celestia bellows right at me, and the shockwave is enough to send me momentarily spinning, as the words reverberate around my ear drums. Luna’s Royal Canterlot Voice was impressive. Hers is on another level entirely.

I right myself as Celestia shoots me a questioning look. “Are you done?” Thinking better of trying to vocally convince her, I simply nod. 

“Thank you,” she says, turning to face Twilight. “Princess Twilight, if I do recall, you sent me two letters about Jason shortly after he arrived. The first said he was enjoying his stay, and in the second not long after, you assured me not to worry if I didn’t see or hear from him in a while, because he had found a work opportunity in Manehatten.” Sparkle visibly shivers and drops a few feet in height, as if withering under Celestia’s gaze. “I want you now to tell me that everything you said in those letters were true. Tell me you did not lie to me.”

Another few feet dropped.

“I...I didn’t mean....he...it all got so out of hoof…”

Celestia’s jaw actually drops. I think she almost loses aerial balance too. 

“It is true!? Everything he said just now is the truth? Even that part about...well…”

“I-I don’t know about that part...I w-wasn’t there…”

“Applejack was,” I cut in. “She actually tried to stop me hang myself. Might as well ask her yourself since she can’t lie about it.”     

Celestia looks past Twilight down to the earth pony below. I do too with a smug satisfaction, already knowing what she’s gonna say.

“Eeyup. He’s got me there,” she says grimly. “But if ah may Princess, that don’t mean he-”

“Thank you Applejack,” Celestia’s delivery is so loaded that AJ immediately shuts up, and the alicorn reverts her attention back to Sparkle. The look she gives her at that instance is so heavy and pained, that ‘cold fury’ doesn’t get anywhere close to describing it. I can almost see both of their hearts breaking. “So it is true. And you call yourself a sovereign of Friendship, Twilight…”

“You...you didn’t say Princess…” Sparkle’s body quakes and dips further as she almost loses her flight ability entirely. The trickle of tears has becomes a stream, staining the fur around her eyes. 

“No. I do not see fit to call you by a title you have lost the understanding of. What happened? I sent you to Ponyville all those years ago because I knew you had the potential to be a Princess of Friendship. Everything you have done and been through was meant to guide you, not set you down a path of mistrust. We went over what you experienced in the mirror portal when you returned. Didn’t you put all that behind you?” 

Her wings flat out give up, and Twilight tumbles the last ten or so feet down the earth, only saved from a rough landing by Applejack catching her. She slips off her friend’s back and hunches down on all fours, rocking side to side, muttering something or other that I can’t really discern. I think I hear “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” through her hooves.  

“Twi, are you okay? Twi!” AJ kneels down beside her as Rainbow growls. 

“That’s not fair! Can’t you see that she was right? Look at all this!” she waves at hoof in Ponyville’s direction, and then stabs it at her side. “I think he got one of my ribs, oof.”

“I most heartily concur!” Rarity chimes in. “Forgive me Princess, but it was not your sister who I had to drag away from our home, screaming, terrified!”

“I didn’t intend for that! How could I have known she was in there?” I yell.  
 
“ENOUGH!” Celestia bellows forth, and faces the mane six. “This disaster happened because you all let revulsion cloud your inner judgements. The five of you should’ve known better. Twilight may be your closest friend but that is not an excuse to blindly follow her wisdom. She needed you to talk her out of this madness, but you let it pass. I especially expected better of you Pinkamena Pie, if you truly ignored Jason’s wellbeing.”

Pinkie looks devastated as it is, but after that bombshell, she seems tempted to join Twilight in sobbing her heart out. “Bu..bu..bu..but Twi said the best way I could make him happy was to let him explore on his own! And he was so happy anyway when he first arrived...I didn’t know! I’m sorry Jason! I kinda-sorta hate you for blowing up Ponyville but I’m still sorry!”

An apology? Honestly I feel a little bemused at that. It did seem as though Pinkie was doing absolutely everything possible to avoid me; at least I have a reasonable answer for that now.

“Anyone else in the mood for apologizing?” I say to the rest of them, particularly Twilight - hoping she can hear me. 

“Jason.” Celestia flies right up to me. She trusts me not to try anything by coming this close. “Just because you have been wronged does not mean I will forgive you for destroying Ponyville. You have marked yourself as an official enemy of Equestria by your blatancy and desire for revenge. What was your end goal here exactly? Destroy the town, terrorize my little ponies, then what? Where will you go from here on out?”

“What...I…” I stutter. And then it hits me.

I don’t actually know. 

There was no plan after making the ponies see the error of their ways. Obviously I can’t stay around here anymore. I’m no longer depressed enough to try suicide again. Where would I have gone? What would I have done?

“Listen to me. I know the Jason Wright I met in Canterlot is still in there,” She points a hoof at my chest, and something in her face lifts. “How do I? Because you held back. No-pony died here today because you have not fallen so far into the dark enough to not climb back out. That magic you have is potent, but you didn’t let it overwhelm you. Torture. Enslavement. Even murder, intentional or not. All these were open to you, yes? And you held back, because you still love this place as much as you did back then.”

Lies. What nonsense. Can’t you see the deceit? The best students learn from their teachers.

A tiny ghost of a smile emerges on her face. I can’t do….I can’t think anymore. I don’t know how to feel. Is she right?

“I have seen many threats to Equestria in my time.” A ray of sunlight pierces through the clouds and refracts into her mane, creating a dazzling aura. “Once...just once I want diplomacy to work first, not have to resort to force.”

The whole world seems to crawl to a slow stop. Even across worlds, there are certain themes and standards that always remain. In this moment, it does not matter that she is effectively a talking horse, for she is truly beautiful. 

“You...still like me? I’m...not an alien to you?” When did my voice get so quiet? And why is my vision suddenly blurry? My hand comes up to rub my eye, and comes away wet.

“No, of course not. We can re-build, both homes and hearts. Let me see to Twilight and her friends. And please, as a personal comfort to me, return that magic to whence it came.”

A chill sweeps over me. I find myself casting a nervous glance downwards. 

“Why…? I can’t do that. What if I get attacked again?”

“Jason, that will not happen again-”

“You don’t know that! You didn’t know this time!” I shout, balling my hands into fists. “What if, Princess? What if-”

You need them. The time to be cruel, when they only share cruelty.

-”I need them? The times when I need to be cruel, when they only share cruelty to me?”

All traces of optimism are gone from Celestia’s face. So fixated, I haven’t noted anything the mane six have done all this time. Fluttershy stirs from the pack and launches herself briefly into the air, extraordinarily animated.  

“Discord! Is that you? Princess Celestia! I think it’s Discord!”

Why you little…

How the hell does she know!? I haven’t used a single speck of chaos magic for over ten minutes! 

“Oh my goodness, I think you’re right,” Celestia does the aerial equivalent of backpedaling three or four steps. “Didn’t he say he was vacationing in the frozen north?”

“He did, and um, I’m sure I saw him leave. He had a suitcase with him at least…” 

“You tell us, Jason,” Princess Celestia asks. “Is that Discord’s magic?”

Lying won’t help me here. Hiding Discord’s influence had been my only safeguard. If they consider all the magic from before, it becomes a certainty that it was all his powers.

“And if it is?” I reply cautiously, probing for options.       
       
“Then you have made a very foolish mistake. What he lent you in strength, he will take back from you tenfold. And I have no idea what lasting effects his powers will leave you on. His magic cannot be predicted, and it cannot be controlled. That is his nature. He is always looking for ways for us to play his ridiculous games. You are just another way for him to roll the dice.”

The distance between us increases. I don’t like the change of tone in her voice.

“Strip Twilight of her magic and her crown. We both know she doesn’t deserve them. Do that, and I’ll do whatever you want,” I say, fully intending to go along with it. I had similar plans for Twilight, but if Celestia does it herself, that is a sweeter justice - more than I could’ve asked for originally.  

The monarch apparently ponders this, hovering just above Twilight, who is staring in shock at me. I can’t begin to imagine what she’s thinking right now. Then she locks gazes with Celestia. Whatever they say to each other just then, it isn’t with words.

“No.” 

“So you are siding with them!” I yell, incensed. How can she do this to me now!?

“Do not make this into a choice between you and them.” Celestia sighs as my pulse races. “Whatever they may do, however misguided they act, I will always stand with my little ponies. It is my duty and onus both. Twilight will learn, but not in the way Discord is suggesting. That is his voice, not yours.”

“IT’S MINE!” I shriek, losing my cool again.

“You heard her! You’re not touching Twilight!” Dash shouts.

Even with her injury, she manages to stand in front of Sparkle like a shield. Rarity joins her, then Applejack. Pinkie brings up the rear, while Fluttershy hovers gently in the air, scanning me over much like Celestia had. But of course, didn’t she know Discord better than anyone?

“Please...Discord….if you’re in there...let Jason go...please…”

Time’s up.

“NO!”

The voice is not mine. My head suddenly pounds with pain, and I look out with terror as my body starts to slip away from me. Hands turn yellow. My teeth feel too big for my mouth. Two points on top of my skull stretch and contort, crippling my pain threshold. I yell out in fright, twisting and turning as my skeleton becomes fluid. Everything starts to look a lot smaller; or maybe I’ve become a lot bigger. 

It’s too painful to think. Darkness encroaches the edge of my vision, like I’m falling back into myself. Two shapes - white and purple - flitter in the light. It’s all so bright. The pain...if I sleep...maybe it’ll be over...no more pain.

A flash, and then darkness.





I wake to snow and rubble, already walking.

The path before me is woodland, dotted with scattered stone pillars. The architecture reminds me of ancient temples. 

Where is this place? How did I get here?

The snowfall is light, and atmospheric. Neither moon nor sun shine above, in fact it doesn’t look like night or day; some weird mix of the two instead. It’s not even cold here.  

I’m so taken by the surreal beauty of the place that I don’t see what’s ahead until the figure is close enough to recognize properly. 

Is that...me?

I tilt my head, and the other me matches it. A reflection? I draw closer and closer, until I am mere metres from myself. The trees, the ruins, myself, all one huge reflection. A mirror without a frame. 

What the hell is going on? 

“One regrets meeting you again under these circumstances.”

That voice, from above. A hazy blue figure among the trees. 

“The magic of Twilight and my sister will not last for long, so I will be brief. This mirror is an a invasion of your dreamscape, placed by Discord. I can see his hallmarks all over it. Sloppy craftwork if I do say so myself. You must destroy it, and return to the waking world as one. Be quick about it! I sense he will notice our presence if we tarry.”

I’m tempted to fall over in the snow. A heavy sensation plagues my joints. But the mirror demands all my attention; I can’t even focus on the owner of the voice. Only a name, whispers to me, through the trees like a gentle breeze.

Luna.

One more fight. One last struggle. Will that end it? A raised fist. Yes...yes I am. The other me does the same. He looks so tired.

“I do not know of the specifics of what transpired today. I had assumed darkness would not touch you, much like I had assumed of myself. Though I have been proved wrong, know that you are forgiven. For I know all too well the temptations of the heart.”

Expecting to hurt my knuckles, my fist actually smashes through the glass easily, tearing the surface asunder. The other me falls towards me...and is gone. The air feels different now. The snow has stopped, and a red glow permeates somewhere in the sky. 

“Well done. We have done all we can. I wish you luck, in case we do not meet again. Farewell, young Jason Wright, and for your own sake, rise above the calling of power. 

There is no beyond the mirror. Everything’s….fading….

“Trust in yourself, and you will be free.”





A sudden breathe. Dirt and grass...under my fingers. Dry mouth. Sounds. Wind! Am I back?

Drowsily I attempt to get up, before something claws my head and drags me upright anyway by the hair. My skull courses with pain, within and without. 

What the hell!?

“Let him go, Discord!”     

“Hmm? What for? You’ve made it quite clear you no longer want him.” 

I try to look up, past the brown body overshadowing me. There’s no mistaking anything about him. Discord is back, not even giving me time to reflect on what just happened while I was out cold.

All the mane six are on their feet. Celestia is with them, clearly on edge. Maybe even frightened. 

“He isn’t yours to begin with ladies. I am the one who saved this poor soul from an untimely death, so surely that makes him my responsibility?” His voice drips with sneer. I think of a way to get him off me, but nothing happens. The powers are gone, and I am helpless. 

“Were...you really...inside my mind?” I ask, suddenly feeling very unclean. He looks down on me with the sweetest of smiles.

“Oh my boy, you would have gone completely cuckoo had I not been there to guide you. These gifts of mine are not to be sniffed at you know, and what’s a helping hand between friends? You did something for me after all.”

“Friends?” Applejack scoffs. “The only friend you deserve is Fluttershy, she’s tha’ only one who can make ya see sense!”

“Sense? Ahahaha!” Discord breaks out into a sordid laugh. “I think I said something about how boring it is to make sense once. Are your little pony heads losing their memory?” 

“Discord, please. Whether you saved him or not, release him. Don’t let your friendship with Fluttershy go to waste.” Celestia says.

Fluttershy whimpers slightly, until Pinkie nudges her in the side. “Oh um, yes. I would much appreciate it if you stop hurting Jason, please.” 

“Ahhh, you see that?” Discord lowers his face right next to mine so we’re staring in the same direction - straight at Fluttershy. “There’s the soul that warmed this draconequus’ old bones. It’s little wonder anyone can resist!” He straightens up but keeps his grip on me tight. “My dear Fluttershy, you said once I should break out into the world and make friends of my own. Does this creature not count somehow? You wouldn’t deny me my very first own friend would you?”

Unbelievably, Discord is pouting. Rather more believably, Celestia looks on in repugnance. 

“You expect us to believe that? More likely you sought revenge on Twilight, trying to discredit her as a princess.”

“Wrong wrong wrong wrong!” he sing-songs. “I solely wanted to test her credentials. And of course, Jason’s potential.” 

“That’s...that’s….horsefeathers! Most of Ponyville is gone because of you two! I wish you’d just...disappear!” Twilight yells. I can’t even bear to look at her any more.

“Interesting. Well, I can satisfy half of your wish. But first, how about a parting gift, courtesy of one Jason Wright?”

Finally he lets me go, and I topple forward. Immediately I scramble to my feet, tempted to run. But there’s no use. He could catch up to me in a flash. 

“Why have one friend, when you can have a hundred?” He smiles the wickedness smile I’ve ever seen on a living creature, and clicks his fingers. 

Out of nothing, heralded by a loud coursing rumble, a great number of mirrors rise from the earth, all around us. One roars up right beside me, sparkling in the sunlight and shiny like glass. Celestia ascends, ready to charge. 

“Is that the mirror portal from the Crystal Empire? How did you get ahold of that? What is this sorcery?”

“My dears, it’s time to test the limits of your friendship!” Discord says, arms spread wide in victory.

As one, to my absolute disbelief, humans walk out of the mirrors. One out of each. I see people from every nation, every ethnicity and gender. A few stumble from dizziness. Others quickly gaze around them in awe. Most surround us, like the walls of a city. 

A much younger guy than me stumbles forward from the mirror nearest me. This can’t be happening...to see fellow people again after so long...

“What...how…who…” I splutter, incredulous.

“It’s a real wonder what one can do with a little shared knowledge between worlds Celestia. Perhaps I can be your new student of magic, if this is impressive enough for you?” 

The princess ignores Discord, too stunned by the view around her. The mane six draw into a tighter huddle, with Twilight at the centre. They all look terrified. 

“Alas, it appears our time together is ending Jason Wright,” he says, and holds a balled fist out to me before I can question him. “A parting gift for you too.”

His fist opens, revealing a strange claw-like object. Without thinking, I take it in my hands. It’s small, but still sharp against my skin. 

“That is yours, no? You sent it here before your arrival, and who should it happen to hit on the head out of nowhere but little ol’ moi? I probably wouldn't have even known about you had I not endeavoured to find out where that came from. Funny how we are drawn to chaos, wouldn't you say?”  

Sent before…

The memory rises up like the tide, forcing back all the more recent recollections. It’s the hook. From the fishing rod I’d used to first test the portal! This is where it had disappeared to!  

“Yeah...this is mine...” I say, closing my own hand around it. A little piece of home I can touch again.

“Splendid. You need not thank me for saving your life, you have given me more than enough amusement for a lifetime. How fun you humans are! Now if you don’t mind, my new friends and I have some introductions to get through. Toodle-oo Mr Wright! Don’t forget to write!” A growl last parts his lips, and he places a strong hand against my chest.

“What-”

With an almighty push, my body is shoved backwards. Soaring, I spin just enough to see the guy near me reach out a hand to grab me as I fly past. 

He misses my own hand by inches. 

I yell but all I see is the world rushing past. Too late do I see actually where he pushed me toward -  the nearest mirror. Still barrelling too fast, it’s impossible to grab the edges. 

Past the point of no return, my body flings through the portal gate, into a terrene of nothingness. The door of light quickly shrinks to a pinprick, before it’s gone. 

I don’t know if I’m sinking or still flying. Dimensions have lost all meaning. My stomach turns over, and I remember the sick feeling from the portal trip from Earth. 

This time, I don’t know where I will end up. If I’ll end up anywhere at all. If time flows at all here, I don’t think it follows any rules. 

I close my eyes, trying to comfort myself with one pure thought. My singular cause I had strived for for so long, now complete. Maybe I can rest now, knowing it’s done. I won't have to deal with those ponies any more. To hell with them. 

I’d made it. 

I’d made it out of Equestria.

Wherever I end up, can't be any worse...
          







Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle

My my, it seems there is never a moment’s peace in Equestria these days, for I have some unexpected news!  A new species of creature managed to appear inside of Canterlot Castle earlier today! He claims that he used some form of magic to arrive from an unknown plane, and though he believes himself not to know where he is, I can tell from his eyes that there was some deliberate motive to come here. 

Imagine a minotaur but much thinner and lacking fur, without horns too, yet with soft, round protrusions for claws. Mentally, he displays an intelligence at least equal to ours! A strange but most extraordinary soul. In fact, he may be a close match to those beings you described meeting in the world through the mirror portal. Perhaps they are related somehow? The similar appearance alone make for an improbable coincidence.

Now before you come flying over and crashing down my door to carry out some “research” (I know you are thinking it!), he has graciously agreed to spend some time in Ponyville, as he may have to settle down in Equestria for now. After spending the night in the castle, I shall send him by private train down to Ponyville in the morning. I would go myself but the royal schedule is burdened for the next few weeks and I simply cannot afford to deviate from it. As thrilling as this new discovery is, it sadly mustn't impact upon our recent diplomatic developments overseas. 

The creature calls himself “Jason Wright”, and he is a truly genial fellow. I personally have no doubts he can seamlessly fit into life here, and I trust you will meet him tomorrow and show him that the magic of friendship is powerful enough to reach beyond even the borders of our visible realms. I did say once there is always more to learn!

I look forward to where this unforeseen meeting will take us. Already I can predict that he will unreservedly appreciate all that Ponyville has in store for him.

As Always, With Love 

Princess Celestia

PS: Jason says he can’t wait to meet all of you.   
> Flower (Epilogue)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------






To whoever finds this note.


I don’t know who you are, or how you’d even manage to find this in a place like here, but I just felt like writing anyway. A good memory when I haven’t had too many of those lately. 

Hello I guess. Hope you’re doing better than I am.

My name’s Jason Wright. I’m not exactly a writer so I can’t really put to paper all the things that have happened to me. Definitely not in a decent way, but I’ll do my best to summarize. Just a warning, I bet you won’t believe any of it. Probably gonna look like the ramblings of a total mentalist. But it’s all true. And that’s all I can really do to try and vouch for it. Sorry.

I travelled between worlds. Not once, but three times. Yeah I know, it already sounds impossible. But I found a way, and I used it to get to a world I thought would be perfect for me. A utopia. Part of it, the place I specifically went to, is...or was rather...called Equestria. Hope you’ve heard of it. That’ll lend credence to what I’m saying. 

Anyway, I quickly found out I was wrong. The folk that lived there, who I thought were all sweet and caring, weren’t. They hated my guts. One of them in particular did her best to turn the rest against me. I didn’t know why at first.

I did my best to deal with it. I had no real way to get back home, so I basically had to try and survive in their shadows for years. I turned to some pretty dark thoughts in the end. Dunno if you’ve ever tried to kill yourself but...umm….yeah.

I was saved, by a creature (Discord - if you see the name, run) that wanted to be my friend. And he gave me abilities for revenge, which I used. Like I said...dark thoughts. I didn’t kill anyone...just….destroyed a town and kicked a few of them where it hurt. Only really wanted them to know the suffering I had felt. The total injustice behind it. 

My “friend” dicked me over though. I stupidly gave him knowledge on how to make these portals between worlds. Sorta already knew he had his own plan and that he was using me, but I didn’t care at the time. Stupid, I know. He brought more of my kind over to Equestria through all these mirror portals, and then forced me through one. Only he knews what goes on in his head, but I reckon he enjoyed what I’d done, and wanted to see more of it. Much more. He has a real beef with those guys. 

That’s the last I saw of them though. Time is sorta messed up in those portals, but I eventually ended up in a human world. Not my one though, different. I’m human, by the way, don’t think I mentioned that.

How was it different? Put it this way. Equestria took three years to get me to want to leave. That place? One fecking day. That girl I said above who hated me the most? She’d seen humans in such a bad light enough to make her despise me on sight. I didn’t understand it at first, but I did after that day.

I don’t have the space to say what happened but...it was bad...really bad. Evil, in a lot of ways. 

Thank God there was the tech available there to build another portal. Took me a month or so but I got the hell out of there, and ended up here. 

Maybe there’ll be more to see when you find this. Right now there’s a whole lotta nothing. Rocks, cliffs, snow. Lots of snow. Really freakin’ cold at times. Maybe that’s why there’s no-one around. I there there used to be though - I found some bones the other day. Didn’t stick around in case it was a mass grave of some kind. Gave me the creeps. Found a ruined building to the south too, but don’t think anyone’s lived there for years. Totally empty, like this whole land’s been abandoned to nature. 

Getting to the point, yesterday I found a mirror. Only I’m convinced it’s the same portal door that Discord used on me and the other humans. How the fudge it ended up inside a hollow tree, I’ll never know. But it’s there right now, and I’ve slept on my thoughts, and I know what I have to do now. 

Maybe it’ll take me back to their world...or time...whatever. Something about this place is scary, like it shouldn’t exist. It’s too quiet. Feels like I’ve gotta fix it. I’d prefer to go back home though. My home. I miss the friends and family I left behind, the good life I had. It wasn’t great, but it sure as hell was better than all this madness.

I’m heading to the mirror now. Wish me luck, yeah? Could even follow me if you’re feeling brave, could use an extra hand or two. It’s in the forest to the east, in some kind of crater. You’ll know when you see it.    

I planted a flower next to the rock this note is pinned under. Hopefully it’s bright enough to catch the attention of anyone who comes along. If you’re reading this, water the flower for me. I owe it one, especially if it survives the cold.

That’s it I guess. See you on the other side.


 - Jason Wright.