//------------------------------// // Chapter Six // Story: A Corpse in Equestria // by LucidTech //------------------------------// The air was nice, gentle, warm. Comforting even. It rested its reassuring weight on Jack’s skin, a weight that he hadn’t felt in what seemed like ages. But now here he was, back home in the serene neighborhood park where he and Sam would share their free afternoons together. It was perfect. Well… it was almost perfect. The only things that were wrong with the picturesque evening were the incessant feeling of being watched and the uneasy trepidation that something was wrong. Actually, Jack corrected himself, it was far from perfect because where was Sam anyway? Why had he thought it was perfect when so much was missing? Certainly they both had their fair share of time apart, but this was a cut of both of their time that they would set aside specifically to spend together. Away from the dramas of life and the stress of work they could at least be with each other here, yet Sam was nowhere to be seen. With mounting anxiety Jack eventually turned his searching gaze from the benches and gazebos to his furthest surroundings, looking past empty jogging paths and into the shadows of the great towering trees that framed the walkways, hoping for any sign of Sam. When that hope proved empty Jack instead transitioned into something much more broad, looking for anyone at all, realizing in his search for one individual the lack of any individual at all. The park was routinely packed at this time of day, usually to the point that it made Jack hesitant about coming at all. Now though his introversion was cast aside as he became desperate for any company, unfamiliar though it might be, in what was feeling more and more like an empty world. Then, Jack’s eyes latched onto the only movement besides himself in the lonely park, yet the company he found only caused his worry to grow. Jack caught sight of some strange quadruped, equine it seemed, though any finer details of it were lost to distance and to time as it darted through the gap between two trees, even still it left Jack with the very strong, almost supernatural, impression that it was a deep dark blue. As the world seemed to skew itself towards terror Jack tried in vain to tamp down on his fear by slipping into his breathing exercises, knowing his pills would work too slowly to be of any help, but was interrupted when he caught sight of the blue horse again though this time it was off in the distance. It looked toward him, at him, with almost human eyes. As it stared and he stared in return he was given time to discern more detail of the head of the creature, like the fact that it had… a horn? A unicorn then? Frozen in shock as half remembered memories stirred in his mind, Jack kept his eyes locked onto the strange creature. It’s light blue eyes seemed to dig into his soul, and Jack’s instinct to flee tried desperately to fight through the paralysis that bound him. The equine seemed to be examining him, it looked confused and curious. Though that could simply be Jack trying to assign emotions to it out of hope. If the strange creature had emotions than it could be reasoned with, or at least there was a chance of it. If it was apathetic, then Jack felt like he was already dead. Then came the sudden pain in his side, though with how wired Jack’s nerves were at that moment, any physical interaction would’ve felt like a sword being driven into his side. Turning, Jack saw Sam and his heart almost exploded with relief, he wanted nothing more than to hug Sam as tight as he possibly could. However, some part of his consciousness stopped him from doing so, his screaming mind reminding him of the ominous creature that he’d let out of his line of sight. His gaze snapped back to its previous position, only to find the woods empty once more. Which, of course, was infinitely worse than the alternative. The creature did not stop existing simply because he’d lost sight of it, he just didn’t know where it was now. Looking around Jack tried to find the creature again, to no avail. Then there came another pain in his side, this time duller as Jack had half-expected it. Nonetheless it drew Jack’s attention back to Sam. “Whatcha looking for?” Sam said with a simple grin. “I just… I thought I saw a…” Jack looked into the deep understanding eyes that he hadn’t seen in far too long and allowed himself a modicum of relaxation, smiling at how stupid he was about to sound. “Thought I saw a unicorn.” “Here?” Sam said, taking the words far more seriously than Jack had expected.  Sam also took a moment to look around but seemed to come up just as empty handed. “Weird place for it, no trails or anything nearby that I can remember.” “Yea I thought it was weird too and it looked-” Sam poked him again. Jack raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What?” “What?” Echoed Sam. “You poked me, did you want something or...?” Sam shrugged noncommittally, waited a couple of moments, then poked Jack again. “What? Why are you poking me?” Jack said, backing away. His terror not so easily assuaged, it now roared back to force screaming with some primitive part of his brain that something was wrong. The air that had felt comforting before now felt cloying, heavy, hot. Suffocating even. Sam looked at him with a blank face and began to close the distance again. Jack stepped back this time, but Sam lunged and landed the poke all the same. “Hey!” Sam said in an unfamiliar voice, heavy with an almost southern accent. “You’re squirming up a storm! If you’re having a nightmare, just remember that it ain’t real.” “Excuse me?” Jack asked Sam, trying to increase the distance between them and feeling more and more lost with each step. He just wanted one moment. He had just wanted this park and this moment with the Sam he knew and instead he was just getting more and more confusing events. He just wanted this one comforting moment in a sea of random exercises of his perseverance, but he couldn’t have it. Jack, feeling helpless in an uncaring world, looked into Sam’s eyes for any of his Sam. He found none. Then, with one final poke from Sam, Jack woke up. Jack looked up into a set of translucent eyes much like his own. Unlike his, however, these eyes seemed excited and animated. “Howdy.” Said the new face. “Sorry about poking ya, just tryin’ ta get your attention is all.” The emotions Jack saw glittering in their eyes, while present in the voice of the speaker, were distant and restrained compared to the feeling of goodwill that seemed to permeate every word. “Don’t reckon we’ve met before. Name’s Bright Mac.” The pony then extended a shimmering translucent hoof to Jack who was still laying flat on the floor. “I’m Jack.” Then, remembering his etiquette, Jack continued. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Mac.” Hesitantly he reached out a hand and grasped the proffered hoof. “Nah, Mr. Mac is my son, just call me Bright.” Bright said as he pulled Jack to his feet. “Don’t reckon I’ve seen ya around before, or anyone like ya. New in town?” “You could say that.” Jack said. Then, suddenly, something clicked. “How did you pull me up?” “With the ole heave ho, you just held on and then I-” “No I mean like, how can you interact with me? Can ghosts just interact with other ghosts, no thought required?” “Ah so you do know that yer dead, had me worried what with how you were pretending to sleep an’ all, even imagined yourself havin’ a nightmare.” Bright smiled a sympathetic smile that Jack couldn’t help but feel was for someone else. “Now, I know it can be hard for some folks to come to grips with it, Butter’ll tell you all about how hard it was for me when you meet her I’m sure.” Jack was tempted to explain that he had actually been sleeping, or close enough to that it was sleeping for all intents and purposes, but decided against it. Bright seemed like the kind of pony who would know more about this sort of thing or, at least, wouldn’t accept that he was wrong about something from someone who didn’t have as much experience as he did. Which, Jack decided, was a fair stance to have. “So,” Said Bright to break the awkward silence that had settled in the wake of his previous statement, and apparently deciding that the conversation was already awkward, he pushed it further in that direction, “How’d you die? If you don’t mind me asking that is, I know it can be a touchy subject for some folks.” “I uh…” Jack said, trying to figure out how to answer the question. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure of the whole of it himself. So, instead of getting vague about it, decided to just go for the simplest, most direct answer. “I fell.” “Ah, so you are the alien from outer space that has the town all abuzz.” Jack nodded a yes and then Bright nodded in understanding. “I figured ya probably were, didn’t wanna open with it though, seemed wrong.” Then Bright walked through the wall that Jack had been stuck in the day before and right out of the building. Jack looked on in confusion until Bright leaned back into the room. “You comin?” “No?” Jack said, trying not to sound rude but suspecting he did anyway. “I promised a mare in the hospital that I would check up on her sister for her and they’re headed back to hospital tomo- today I guess it is now.” Jack said, correcting himself. “So I’m going to be doing that in a bit and I don’t want to get tired from walking around in the meantime, not sure if I’ll even make it to the hospital if I’m honest.” Jack watched as Bright’s expression grew dour and tried to cut in to stop it. “Sorry though.” “No it’s fine.” Said the stallion, his tone suddenly overwhelmingly solemn with only flecks of the goodwill that had been so present before. “You gotta do what you gotta do. Wouldn’t want to get in the way of that.” Bright paused for a moment, then continued. “If you’re-” then Bright seemed to reconsider his words again, “Nah forget it.” “No, what were you going to say?” Jack said, feeling extremely guilty about the sudden negative mood shift and looking for some way to improve it. “Just that, if you’re still… around after all that, you can come visit me and Butter up at the Apple family farm, you know where that is?” Remembering said location from the map he’d vaguely memorized, Jack nodded a yes. It would’ve been a difficult thing to miss truthfully, given how expansive it was. “Just in the loft of the barn is our usual location, there’s usually at least one of us there.” When Jack nodded his understanding again, Bright gave an affirmative nod of his own. “Alright, well I’ll let you get on with your business then.” And then Bright left the room and this time didn’t come back. In the silence, Jack settled back onto the floor. It was too close to dawn for him to consider going back to sleep, but he could at least make sure he was as rested as he could be for when they inevitably left. “Hello Butter honey.” “Mornin’ Bright dear, find any new ghosts on your walkabout this time?” “Funny you mention it actually, found the ghost of the alien from outer space that has Applebloom and her friends all in a tizz about space travel.” “And you didn’t invite him over?” “I did dear, but he said he had some unfinished business he needed to take care of, promise to keep.” “Ah, shame.” “Yea, but who am I to stop a ghost on their last binding duty? Told him to stop by afterwards of course,  but I reckon he’ll probably move on after he finishes up this debt of his.” “Mmm, wish I could have met him but I suppose I can’t fault either of you for it.” “Yea, said there was a mare in the hospital that he promised he would check up on her kin for her.” “...” “...” “Bright, dear.” “Yes darling?” “Didn’t the papers say that the alien died when he hit the pavestones?” “Yes?” “Then how, exactly, do you think he managed to make a promise with a mare in the hospital?”