//------------------------------// // Held Accountable // Story: Making the Dream // by The Real Darkness //------------------------------// There I was, weapons strapped on, gladius in hand and two pegasus unicorn things in front of me in their throne room. I didn't think one afternoon of losing progress in a game meant meeting the rulers of a different world. "State your name." I didn't have to answer to that. Did I? That blue one was very demanding, even when I said I would come peacefully and on my terms. Damn, did she have a deep voice. "You could be a little nicer about it. My name is..." I could rewrite myself, here, now. I could be whoever I wanted. "Speak up, please, we didn't hear you." The white one was a lot nicer, maybe more graceful and ladylike. But the blue one demanded respect and attention, I guess I could respect her for that in some odd way. "Sif, my name is Sif," I answered. A fitting name given all that I revere. "Sif, tell us your side of the story if you would." Still pleasant and kind. Most rulers would have given off a deceptive vibe, but she didn't, she was genuine in her kindness. It was like she knew I was on the cliffside of being a rabid beast, ferality looking tempting in the corner they forced me into. "Why should we listen to what he has to say? He attacked Twilight! He left such a wound on her and Rainbow Dash!" The blue one didn't like me much, or she just had the anger of every pro-pacifism genius who had their inventions and knowledge mistreated for little gain in mass annihilation. "Luna, we should at least hear him out. He's clearly not from around here and may have been scared and acted in self-preservation. You should know all about second chances," the blue, Luna, visibly cringed and looked to the floor with some remorse at the white one's words. The guards had their stoic faces, I couldn't run out of here now, they would surely stop me. Maybe I could take a hostage, then I would have to make it through the entire city. I couldn't manage that, I'd have to hide and with how remarkable I look among these horse things, I couldn't slip away at all. I would have to rely on the silver tongue I smelted. "I...I'll start with telling the truth. The blue...pegasus?" I asked. "Yes, Rainbow Dash." The white responded. "She charged at me, calling me a monster. She had the look that foretold a future of pain for me, so I had to act quickly. That's why I slashed at her the way I did." "I suppose that does sound like Rainbow Dash," Luna commented. "And soon after, Twilight came to her aid and I had to close in and get her to stop her attacks, I thought an easily recoverable stab to her side would incapacitate her. I was wrong, so now I was fighting both of them, then an orange one showed up and I knew I couldn't handle all three of them, so I ran...and then you found me at my home," there was my explanation, "I needed to find food, I wasn't catching anything or finding anything to forage in the woods, so I had to travel out. The town meant I could find people like me, but...this isn't my world anymore." "Celestia, I apologize. You were right, he was only acting in self-preservation," Luna apologized, maybe insincerely. "We all make mistakes, sister. Everypony is always forgiven," now they were revealing who they were. "Is there any way I could help you two out? I'd like to bury the hatchet," I had to get on good terms with the rulers, the mountain movers. They might be able to help me home. "Well, you said you were from another world, yes? We need to find you a way home. Your family must be worried about you," Celestia interjected, already offering the aid I wanted. "Actually, there is something for you to do. You obviously look the warrior type. A bugbear has been scouting the outskirts of the town you were in. You'll know it when you see it. Meanwhile, my sister and I will attend to finding you a way home, you don't look like the magical sort, anyway," Luna added. "Consider that bugbear slain. And if that was an attack on my intelligence, I can't wait to prove you wrong," I turned around and began my trek out of the throne room. "Guards, prepare a chariot for his transport in front of the castle, immediately," Luna yet again. I wasn't sure if she knew my truest desire or just wanted to get me killed. Instead of a pony, she should be a Sphinx. "You don't have to do that, Sif!" Celestia called. "I want to," I mumbled on my walk out, one of the guards rushing past me quickly while I went down the empty large halls, enjoying the quiet solitude. What the hell was a bugbear anyway? --------------------------------------------- "So that is a bugbear." The bee, bear creature was flying around the town rather quickly, and the ponies were hiding in their homes again, but from me. They didn't see the chimeric insect in front of me. I drew my gladius, this would be an upfront and close battle. The thing had the paws of a bear for four limbs, the stinger of a bee, and coated in black and white stripes of fur. It’s red, composite eyes stuck out to me as my target. I rotated my shoulders and jumped on my feet, preparing a battle stance with the open palm of my left hand. The bugbear was close, and it looked like it wanted me as its first victim, roaring and staring at me, the last thing moving outside other than it. Perfect. The bee wings buzzed faster and beat inside my head while it charged at me. “Alright, Robert,” I took in a few deep breaths, “ala iacta est. Ala iacta est.” The bugbear came down on me, landing and attempting to already crush me with its paws. First brush across the canvas, my painting will be done by my hands now. I moved back and slashed in at its left arm, cutting well enough through the hide that green blood spattered over the grass. “Ala iacta est!” I shouted and slashed again at the other before I slashed horizontally out on the same arm, a lot harder and faster. My fingers tightened around the handle and I severed deep into the bears arm, cutting crucial muscles by simple luck. I felt the blade bounce off something hard, bone. A bloodied white skeleton peeked at me from behind the fur. I forced the gladius back and gained courage at my own feat, ignoring the bugbear’s actions. It was tall and I would never reach those eyes alive unless I wore it down. The beast was already roaring loudly in pain and even more when I dug my gladius past his exoskeleton and into his chest, sinking it in with my left hand on the handle and my palm on the pommel to push my new life to me. I backed away quick, my senses coming over my courage and my gladius letting green blood pour from my foe’s wounds. “He’s attacking it! He’s trying to defeat the bugbear!” My eyes flashed to Rainbow Dash in the air above me, hiding atop a cloud and the windows around me cracked, eyes peeking at me. My chest exhaled, but not by me. The bear took his chance and slammed the back of his right paw into me, knocking me on my ass. I couldn’t fail before I started. I stood, winded and trying to get my breath back in me. I rotated around the creature to my right, staying near its disabled limb. It charged me, rushing with its teeth ready to sink into my neck. One ballsy move led me home with my gladius into its eye. “Alright, fate. I threw my dice and I think I win this round,” I breathed out, letting my gladius go and heaving the beast off from my trapped body. I stood, with the bugbear dead before me, green liquid seeping out of its head. The insect blood pooled around its head, staining the grass a lighter color. I pulled my gladius free from its skull and wiped it off on its fur before sheathing it. I could feel its blood on my shirt, like thick mud. "Holy cow!" I heard Rainbow Dash again. "Did...did he just defeat a bugbear?" That was Twilight. "I did...holy shit. I did! I fucking did it!" I reveled and threw my fist into the air a few times, yelling in victory with a grin on my face. A golden chariot, the same that dropped me off from the air, soon landed nearby, guards of the princesses staring me down with intent, I began to walk to them, losing my mildly childish celebration to take on a professional look. "Who are you?" The two ponies were trailing me. "R-Sif. I am Sif." "You are sooooo awesome!" That pegasus was now peppy about me. Ponies began to slowly come outside their homes. "I did what I was sent to do,” different me, maybe a more serious me, a Sif, came out. I boarded the chariot looking to the two guards, "we’ll take you back to Canterlot to see the princesses," the left guard announced. "Nicely done, I've never seen anypony fight like you do," the right guard voiced out his opinion. "Well, he isn't a pony...we don't know what he is," the other answered his open ended statement, “but whatever he is, he is impressive. “Let’s get on back,” I ignored their rude acknowledgement of me and the two pegasi took to flight, carrying the chariot with me in it back to the castle.