//------------------------------// // Chapter XIII: It's Over Now, Because I Knew You // Story: Cruel Twist Of Fate or (Friendship Is Tragic) // by SapphireWings999 //------------------------------//            Less than an hour later, we left Ellen’s Stardust Diner with full bellies as we made the short walk over to the Gershwin Theater, all the while talking about the great meal we’d just had.            “I must say, that Penne Alfredo was simply divine,” Rarity commented.            “It was very enjoyable,” Twilight agreed.            “I enjoyed Rachel’s Mac & Cheese a lot,” Fluttershy added, pleasantly. “It was soo creamy and flavorful.”            “Me too!” Pinkie affirmed.            “It’s kind of a shame that they don’t have pizza there,” I began, “‘cuz Ah think ya’d really enjoy New York style pizza.”            “Is there supposed to be a difference between New York style pizza as opposed to your average pizza place back home?” Rainbow inquired.            “Oh yeah. Definitely,” Savannah spoke up. “New York is famous for their pizza.  The only other city in America famous for its pizza is Chicago. In fact, there’s an ongoing rivalry between New York and Chicago as to whose pizza is better.  To many people, it’s all just apples and oranges, preference wise.”            As we neared the theater, we came across a couple of women, a blonde and a brunette, who must’ve been in their early 20’s.  In my head, I was kind of antsy as I thought about who these women might be as I’d had a previous encounter with similarly aged women the last time I’d visited New York.  I just hoped that none of them would approach any of us. Sadly, that’s not what happened as they called out to us.            “Hello,” the blonde one greeted.            “Do you believe that a woman should have the right to decide what happens to her own body?” the brunette questioned.            My friends looked like they were about to speak up before I swiftly cut in.            “Me ‘n ma wife already have a kid ‘n we’re perfectly happy with that,” I stated, drawing their attention to Ariel.            “Oh,” the blonde replied, disappointedly, as the two of them turned and walked away.            “What was that all about?” AJ puzzled.            “Nothin’ you guys need ta be concerned about,” I replied.            “But why-” Fluttershy started before I cut her off.            “It’s honestly nothin’.”            I didn’t feel like opening up the can of worms that was the pro-life/pro-choice dilemma around my friends as I didn’t think they needed to know about it.  The topic of abortion had always been anathema to me and I really didn’t need my friends to know about or even focus on it. As far as I was concerned, abortion was an atrocity that many women would have whenever having a kid was an inconvenience to them, completely ignoring the fact that the baby might be wanted by anyone looking to adopt.  To me, all life was important and worth protecting.            It was in moments like this that I was reminded of quotes from long ago.  One of them was by Ronald Reagan who remarked that it was incredible that “all the people who support abortion have already been born” and the other was from the Dr. Seuss character of Horton the elephant when he said “a person’s a person no matter how small”.            Not wanting to dwell on the thought of it any further, I drew myself back to reality just as we reached the theater.  Presenting our tickets, we hustled to our seats before settling in. Much like the Majestic, this theater was a marvel from the inside with its vast seating, beautiful architecture, and exquisite lighting from the chandeliers.            It wasn’t long before the crowd quieted down as the show was announced.  After the announcement and with a roar of applause at the beginning of the play, we all sat back to enjoy it as well as our final few moments before the girls would need to head back to Equestria. *    * *    * * *    * *            Almost 3 hours later, the show had ended as we stepped back out into the night, the girls abuzz about the play we’d just witnessed.            “That certainly was quite the experience,” Rarity stated. “Very impressive visually.”            “I found the characters to be really dynamic and enjoyable,” Rainbow started, “especially Elphaba and Glinda.”            “I know, right?” Twilight concurred. “Elphaba in particular was a likable, complex, and even tragic figure, kinda like the Phantom except for the fact that her methods were more noble in nature.”            “I think that what really helped make Elphaba as compelling as she was was making her the exact opposite of her Wizard Of Oz predecessor,” Savannah added.            “Exactly!” Rainbow pronounced. “The original Wicked Witch Of The West was a punk with a one dimensional personality who used brute force to get her way.  She was meant to have no real likability as a character.”            “Elphaba, on the other hand,” Twilight continued, “was an intelligent, kind-hearted, but misunderstood outsider who always got blamed for everything just for the simple fact that she was different from everyone else, not always knowing how to defend herself either.  Because of this, it makes the citizens of Oz understandable as to why they’d fabricate this story about her being the villain. It doesn’t make them right by any means, but it’s still believable.”            “I really enjoyed the songs of this musical!” Pinkie exclaimed.            “Did ya guys have any favorites this time ‘round?” I brought up.            “Personally,” Applejack began, “Ah liked that number close ta tha end… Fer Good Ah believe it was.”            “Mine was Something Bad,” Fluttershy stated, softly. “I particularly felt sorry for what happened to Doctor Dillamond and those poor monkeys.”            “I really enjoyed Popular,” Pinkie piped up.            Pinkie’s favorite song came as absolutely no surprise to me.  Even when we first came up with the idea to see Wicked, I knew that song would be her favorite.  Rarity was the next one to speak up.            “My favorites were I’m Not That Girl and As Long As You’re Mine.”            “I loved Defying Gravity and No Good Deed!” Rainbow exclaimed. “They were just soo AWESOME!!!”            “I’d have to say that my favorites were Dear Old Shiz and The Wizard And I,” Twilight added. “It made me think of when I was just a filly and was first accepted into Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns, even if the wizard in the play was an absolute jerk.”            “Yeah. Something I’ve noticed pretty frequently with many adaptations of the original Wizard Of Oz story is that the wizard himself is not really one of the stronger characters,” Savannah stated.            “Somethin’ that Ah still wish,” I started, “was that Ah could’ve seen tha ‘riginal run of Wicked with Idina Menzel as Elphaba.”            “Idina who?” Rarity questioned quizzically.            “Idina Menzel.  She’s tha one who voiced tha character of Elsa in Frozen.”            All the girls’ eyes widened at that realization before Fluttershy spoke up.            “She was my favorite part of the entire movie!  I especially loved when she sang Let It Go!”            “Idina Menzel is easily one of the most talented singers of our time,” Savannah added.            “Ah’m not sure if Ah ever told any of you guys this,” I began, “but Ah first saw this play ‘bout several months after Ah’d first visited Equestria ‘n, after seein’ it then, Ah kinda saw a good chunk of Elphaba in maself.”            “How’s that, twin?” Rainbow puzzled.            “In all honesty, Ah think it was because o’ tha fact that both of us were products of 2 separate worlds.  It jus’ resonated with me a lot stronger after that realization.”            Suddenly, Rarity let out a gasp.            “Flutter- I mean… Faith, your necklace is missing!”            As we all looked, we saw that, indeed, her Azotic Topaz, hexagonal necklace had vanished from her neck.            “Oh my!” Flutters remarked, worriedly. “That necklace is our only way back to Equestria!”            “Where could it be?” AJ posed the question.            “Faith,” Savannah started, “didn’t you go to use the restroom during intermission?”            “Yes she did,” Pinkie realized before turning around and running off. “I’ll go back to look for it!”            “Polly, you can’t jus’ take off,” I called out, but she was already too far away.            “Maybe we should go help her find it,” Twilight stated.            “Sounds like a good idea ta me,” AJ agreed as the girls all made their way back to where we came from.            “Wait, girls,” I began, “we need ta stick together.”            “You guys just go to our parking spots,” Rainbow replied. “We’ll catch up.” So much for that idea, I thought, frustratedly.            And so, me, Savannah, and Ariel made our way back towards the parking garage, Ariel still holding on tightly to her Pikachu plushie.  Along the way, we passed a good amount of people just enjoying the nightlife of the city. Some were casually drinking, some were nighttime musicians playing for tips, but, all in all, it was a very pleasant and soothing kind of atmosphere.  Me and Savannah were soo wrapped up in the moment that we didn’t notice the figure stalking us down the sidewalk.            Finally reaching the parking garage, we made our way over towards our cars.  Before we could reach them, though, our mysterious stalker stepped out in front of us and drew a switchblade from his hoodie.            “Gimme your daughter,” he demanded.            I was shocked, not just at the presence of this man (who looked to be about a couple years younger than I was, but still older than Savannah), but also that he demanded we give him Ariel rather than any money or jewelry.            “Hold on a second,” Savannah started, trying to ease the situation, “let’s just calm down and talk this through.  There’s no need-”            “I said gimme your fuckin’ daughter!” he cut off, just as angrily.            Ariel started crying at his threats as I looked around for anyone who might be witness to what was going on.  Sadly, there was no one else around and our attacker took notice of this.            “You think anyone’s coming to your rescue?” the man scoffed, his dark green eyes gleaming. “Well they ain’t.  You guys are all alone.”            At his mention of those last 2 words, I froze in place as my heart sank down into my feet.  All alone.  The figure from my nightmares had used those exact same words to taunt me.            “You can have… anythin’ you want,” I begged. “Please jus’… don’t take our daughter from us.”            But he ignored my pleas as he reached out to grab a crying Ariel from Savannah.  However, Savannah wasn’t letting her go without a fight.            “Give her back, you monster!” she shouted, venom in her tone.            He replied with a slash of the blade to her neck, Savannah yelling out in pain as blood sprayed out onto me and she collapsed to the ground, reluctantly letting go of Ariel.  With fury in my eyes well outweighing my fear, I turned towards our attacker.            “You son of a BITCH!!!” I screamed at him as I swung a fist at his face.            He dodged my blow before planting the blade right into my chest.  I cried out as the blade punctured my right lung and I also collapsed, blood pooling from my wound.  Ariel screamed even louder as my vision started to get hazy.            “Hey!” a familiar voice shouted out in the background. “What’ve you done to my twin and his wife, dirtbag!?!”            The last thing I remembered was the attacker running away with 2 of the girls going after him (I think it was Rainbow Dash and Applejack, though I couldn’t be entirely sure) while the others gathered around the two of us with panicked, desperate voices.  Then, everything went black. *    * *    * * *    * *            After I don’t even know how long, I woke up to find myself in a hospital bed.  Trying to sit up, I was greeted by sharp, shooting pain in the right side of my chest.            “Whoa now. Take it easy there, pardner,” I heard a familiar voice state.            Sure enough, Applejack was right beside me, trying to help ease me back into a reclined position.  As I took in my surroundings, I noticed that the other girls were standing in the room anxiously. Their expressions swiftly changed to mild relief at the sight of me finally regaining consciousness.  Mild, but not complete relief.            “Oh thank Celestia that you’re alright!” Twilight sighed.            “We were soo worried you wouldn’t make it,” Fluttershy added, nervously.            “Wha-… What happened?  How long was Ah out fer?” I questioned.            “2 days,” Rarity answered. “They had to take you in for surgery because of your injury.  We found someone to call for help as soon as we found you in the parking garage.”            It was in that moment that I remembered all that had happened.  Savannah. Ariel. Where were they? Before I could pose the question to the girls, a male doctor walked into my room.            “Well well well.  You’re awake,” he greeted while extending a hand to shake. “My name is Dr. Blumenthal and I was just coming in to check on you.  I will say that you certainly are very lucky to be alive after a stab to the lung like what you had.”            I shook his hand gently while also shaking off his comments as I was only focused on what had happened to Savannah and Ariel.            “‘Scuse me, doctor,” I began, nervously, “but… where’s ma wife ‘n daughter?  They were there when tha ‘ttack happened.”            The doctor’s expression suddenly turned downward before he spoke up.            “Your daughter was absent from the scene of the incident.  Unfortunately, your wife didn’t make it. Your attacker slashed her carotid artery and she bled out before we could get to you.”            All the color drained from my face as my eyes began watering while he continued.            “Additionally, the autopsy on your wife revealed that she was also pregnant, at least 3 weeks along.”            He then tried to place a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I recoiled from it as if he’d struck me with it instead, overcome with grief and anguish.            “I’ll just leave you with your friends for the time being,” he stated before exiting my room.            After he’d left, I placed my head in my hands and began weeping bitterly at the loss of not just my wife at such a young age, but also my only daughter and the little addition I’d never get to meet.  The girls took notice of this.            “David,” Fluttershy started, a melancholy tone to her voice, “I’m… I’m soo sorry.”            “No!” I lashed back. “I’m sorry that you girls even came here in the first place!”            All the girls let out a gasp at my sudden outburst before Rarity finally answered.            “Now now David.  We understand that you’re going through a hard time right now, but that’s no excuse for petty hoof pointing.”            “Oh! So I’m being petty now?  And what about you guys? You were the ones who pushed for us to come to New York even after I tried to discourage it!  You were the ones who ran off on your own to look for that… that stupid necklace, leaving me, Savannah, and Ariel all by ourselves, even after I had made it quite clear that we were supposed to stay together!  Speaking of which, did you guys ever find that necklace?”            They stood there in stunned silence, but I was still able to make out the necklace hanging around Fluttershy’s neck.            “Oh. It looks like you did find it.  Whoop-dee-fuckin’-doo for you guys!  Now y’all can return to Equestria and all it cost was the life of Savannah, at the ripe old age of 20 no less, and our unborn child as well as losing Ariel.”            “Davey,” Pinkie began, “I think you might need to lighten up just a little-”            “You lighten up!” I cut off. “And stop calling me Davey.”            Pinkie shrank back into the corner of the room as I continued my tirade.            “Maybe it’s better for you guys to just go back to Equestria, that way there’s less you can do to fuck up things here.  My life was frankly a whole lot better before I even knew you guys really existed.”            “David, please don’t do this,” Twilight pleaded. “You don’t want to say or do something you might regret.”            “No. My biggest regret was thinking that I could ever trust ponies like you!!!” I shouted with intense rage.            All of them gasped at my venom filled comment, Rare, Flutters, and Pinkie looking to be on the verge of tears.  Rainbow was the first to break the awkward silence.            “Come on, twin,” she replied, somewhat shakily. “Y-… you don’t really mean that.”            “I’m not your twin!” I spat out. “You guys aren’t family!  You’re not even my friends! So why don’t you all just go!?!  Take a flying leap off a balcony for all I care!”            It was in that moment when I saw tears starting to come to  many of the girls’ eyes, Fluttershy worst of all. Normally, this would’ve drawn concern and pity from me, but I was soo caught up in my anger that my expression was stony and cold.  The girls all looked at each other before giving a slight nod. All six of them held each others hands as Fluttershy reached her hand up to the hexagonal necklace, placing her index finger on the charm and rubbing it in a circular motion against it. One.            I began contemplating whether or not I’d gone too far with my rage filled outburst at them.  Even as I was debating with myself in that moment, I still found reasons to justify it. It was their fault that we’d gone to New York and that they ran off when we were supposed to stick together.  If they’d just listened to my words, Savannah and Ariel would still be here. In my mind, they were just as guilty as the man who’d attacked us. Two.            It was after the second circular motion that a ball of light started to glow around the girls, leaving only black silhouettes of them in my presence.  As I looked at the shapes their silhouettes made, there was some small thought in the back of my mind that was bothering me, but what?            Suddenly, it came to me: the silhouettes were the same shape as those I’d seen in my dream the last time I was in Equestria.  Princess Luna had stated that those human figures I’d seen were my closest friends who I needed to be careful not to lose faith in or turn away from me.  I opened my mouth to speak. Three.            “Wait!” I called out.            But it was all too little too late for me.  They’d vanished from my room completely, leaving no trace of their presence behind.  And so I was left there to mourn uncontrollably, not only the loss of my family, but also the loss of the only friends I had left.