//------------------------------// // Cutie Mark Confessions // Story: The Champion of Harmony // by Voxum //------------------------------// Today... Today was going to be a strange day, Emerald could tell. Not only had the six mares agreed to meet up at Sugarcube Corner later today, but Pinkie had all but stronghoofed him into agreeing to 'spill the beans' when they all arrived. As it was, now he was busy trying to come up with what to say. Oh, he wasn't stupid, far from it. Emerald was fully aware of his intelligence, but right now, it just wasn't responding. He had to think over every single possible question the six of them could ask. What are you? What's a thestral? What do thestrals eat? But the one he dreaded most? Why are you here? True he could come up with some half-assed backstory, but the problem with that was telling the others about it, as well as keeping facts between eight different perspectives straight. No, he had to tell the truth. Or at least, some of the truth. Besides, his life before meeting Celestia had little impact on his job. At least... for the most part. He'd likely have to make up something when it came to that. But given that he'd be omitting a lot of details already, he might be able to get away without saying too much on the subject. Well, no point in delaying the inevitable. Emerald sighed, glancing up at his namesake, wondering if it would be worth the trouble if he just decided to fly away. It wouldn't be hard. He knew he could outfly Crash any day of the week, and he doubted any of them would think to check the Guard for him. He shook his head. No, it probably wouldn't be worth the hassle, he decided. "Everything alright?" a familiar voice asked from beside him. Emerald shook his head, not bothering to turn around, "Not really, Drops," he told the candy-maned mare, "Did somethin' stupid, now I gotta tell a bunch of ponies what I am," "Really?" she asked, surprised, "What'd you do?" "Got eaten by a hydra." "... Yeah that sounds like something you'd do." "I was afraid you'd say that," Bon Bon chuckled, and moved in front of him, "So, what are you gonna do?" she asked, before she tilted her head in thought, "Well, aside from be vague," Emerald shrugged, "Tell the truth. Some of it, at least. The Agency and my Championship are definitely staying a secret. As is my station as their bodyguard. But the Facility and Nocturne aren't exactly top secret. They might not be common knowledge, but anyone looking through the Canterlot Library or Royal Archives hard enough could find the information," Bon Bon nodded, "I guess that's as good an idea as any," she said, tapping her chin, "If you need any help, don't be afraid to ask, alright?" she asked. He nodded, "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Drops." "No problem," she said, glancing towards the center of the street, where ponies were happily milling about, "Good luck," she added, giving him a pat on the shoulder, before she walked off, disappearing into the crowd moments later. Emerald let out a groan, letting his back hit the bakery behind him. This was not gonna be easy, was it? He withheld a sigh, closing the register a bit harder than he intended, but no one noticed. The day had been going by rather slowly, although, considering the amount of anticipation coursing through him, he wasn't surprised. Certainly didn't help that he was still feeling pent up from lack of action. Even now there wasn't a single pony in the dining area, or even waiting in line. It was like the entire town knew about his confession later today and was avoiding Sugarcube Corner to give them privacy! ... Then again, he supposed it was possible, considering that Pinkie left earlier, for whatever reason. The sound of the bell ringing broke him from his thoughts, and he was greeted with the sight of the straw-maned mare walking towards him, "Howdy, Emerald!" she said, smiling brightly at him. He nodded in return, "Hey Applejack," he replied, before eyeing her curiously, "You seem... oddly chipper. Any reason?" The apple mare's bright grin turned into a nearly savage smirk as she nodded, "Eeyup. Some theivin' varmits got their grubby paws on somma mah apples, an' I jus' finished teachin' 'em a lesson," she said happily, before her smirk softened, "Well, that, an' I jus' finished tellin' mah sister an' her friends the story of how I got mah cutie mark. It brought back some happy memories is all," Emerald raised an eyebrow at that, "Really now? I would've though she'd already known the story, given that you're family, after all," "Same," she agreed, but shrugged, "but I guess I was wrong. The Crusaders are lookin' fer Dash, but if I know mah sister an' her friends, they'll probably run right inta the others first," "Sounds about right," They lapsed into a moment of silence, with Emerald idly taking inventory, before Applejack spoke back up, "So how about you?" she asked, catching his attention, "Wanna hear the story?" "About your mark?" he asked, she nodded, "Isn't that a little personal?" Applejack shrugged, "I guess. But I reckon you'll be tellin' me an' mah friends somethin' mighty personal 'bout yerself soon enough, right sugarcube?" he nodded, "See? I think it's only fair I tell ya somethin' 'bout mahself," "Well.... if you're sure," "'Course I am!" Applejack declared happily, "Alright, here goes. See, when I was a little filly, a lot younger than Applebloom, I didn't wanna stay on some little apple farm, so I went on ta live with my Aunt an' Uncle Orange up in Manehatten," Emerald snorted, causing Applejack to roll her eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I know. Me? In Manehatten? But I did. Took a couple'a days, but when I got there mah Aunt an' Uncle were pretty happy ta see me. Said they were lookin' forward ta turnin' me inta a real Manehattenite, or somethin' like that. So I spent 'bout a month there, learnin' ta talk all fancy, before I really started ta get homesick," Applejack gave a fond smile, "I never realized just how much I'd miss mah life on the farm. But I was committed, I was sure I'd stay, but then, it happened. A massive rainbow came flyin' outta nowhere, pointin' me straight home!" she gushed brightly, not noticing the interested glint in Emerald's eye, "I followed it all the home, how could I not? An' when I got home, I got this feelin' right here," she patted her chest, directly over her heart, "an' I knew I was where I was meant ta be. Then this ol' thing appeared," she said, directing her gaze to the trio of apples on her flank, "an' I've been werkin' the farm ever since!" "Well... isn't that a... heartwarming tale," he said, a little lost in thought. His mind kept replaying that one sentence. Was it possible? It certainly was, but... Applejack didn't say anything about this rainbow being Crash's Rainboom, so... coincidence? "Thank ya kindly, Emerald!" she smiled, before looking curious, "So... how about you? How'd ya get yer mark?" Emerald shook his head, "That's... kind of part of the story I'll be telling later. Besides, I'd rather not have to repeat it six times," he said, causing Applejack to nod, "That's fair, I suppose," she said. Things were quiet for a moment, before Emerald's ear twitched, just as the door opened once again, the bell ringing through the silence as a familiar yellow pegasus poked her head through the door. "Oh!" she gasped, looking at Applejack and Emerald, "Hello everypony," she whispered, gently striding into the room, "I'm sorry if I took a little while, I was helping some ducklings find their way into the river," she said, smiling gently. "No problem Shy," Applejack said, "I jus' finished tellin' Emerald how I got mah cutie mark," Fluttershy perked up slightly, "Really?" she asked, "Did the Cutie Mark Crusaders ask you too?" "Eeyup!" she replied, before smirking, "Lemme guess, they ran inta you?" Fluttershy nodded, "Mmhm," she said with a soft smile, "They were looking for Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo really wants to hear her cutie mark story. I was happy to tell them mine, since Rainbow Dash helped me get it," "Really?" Emerald asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief, something Applejack seemed to share, "How in the world did she help ya, Shy?" she asked, before chuckling, "Did she get ambushed by a bunch'a butterflies while nappin'?" she laughed. Fluttershy earnestly shook her head, "Oh no, not at all!" she said, "I don't know if you'd guess it, but I was really shy as a filly," she said, not noticing the deadpan look Emerald sent her, "I was also a really weak flyer. I was such a weak flyer, in fact, that ponies tended to tease me about it. But Rainbow Dash always came by to help me, even though those foals teased her too," she said sadly, before brightening, "But one day, she challenged them to a race, and they asked me to wave the flag to start them off," she suddenly blushed, "I... well, they took off really fast, so fast that they accidentally knocked me off a cloud to the ground below Cloudsdale. I would've really gotten hurt, but a big swarm of butterflies caught me! I'd never seen them before, since the only animals that flew up to Cloudsdale were birds, and I had never been near the ground before then. I loved all of it!" she gushed, "The squirrels, the rabbits, the flowers, and the trees, everything! I loved everything about the ground! But, then out of nowhere there was this big explosion!" Fluttershy breathed, wide-eyed, "It scared all of the animals around me, and it made me feel awful. So I went around and tried to calm them all down, and they all just... understood me. I just had this ability to talk to the animals on a whole other level! And then, my cutie mark appeared," she finished gently, smiling brightly. "Well, ain't that sweet?" Applejack said, smiling warmly at her shy friend, "Can't imagine your parents were happy to hear about your fall," Emerald stated. Fluttershy blushed slightly, but nodded, "They were really worried, but when they saw my cutie mark they were very proud of me," she said, "My flying got better after that, since I would spend every recess in Flight School flying to the ground to play with the animals. I moved to Ponyville when I turned sixteen, and I've never regretted it," "Well, it's good to-" the sound of the bell ringing as the door suddenly opened cut Emerald off abruptly as the familiar form of Rarity strutted in. "Helloooo everypony!~" she announced, "I'm soooo sorry I'm la-" she cut herself off, looking around the room, "Oh? My, and here I was under the impression that I'd lost track of time. Well, it's good to know that I'm not late, at least," "What made you think you were late, Rarity?" Fluttershy asked, worried. She waved off her friends concern, "Oh nothing much. I had just finished working on some of my designs when Sweetie Belle and her little friends stopped by to ask me where Rainbow Dash was. Of course I didn't know, but Sweetie asked me to tell them about my cutie mark and how I got it. I was so caught up all those old memories that I feared I'd lost track of time. But it seems I was worrying over nothing," she said. "They got ta ya, too?" Applejack asked, smirking, "Hmm?" Rarity glanced at Applejack curiously, "Whatever do you mean?" "Seems those three have been going around, asking the three of you about your marks," Emerald commented, "They're looking for Crash, far as I can tell," he said, idly noting that Fluttershy winced at the name. "Yeah, an' Shy an' I jus' finished tellin' ours ta Emerald here," Applejack said, before grinning at the fashionista, "Care ta share, Rare?" Rarity tittered, but smiled and nodded regardless. "Well... I don't mind," she said, before straightening her posture, "Well, I've always been interested in fashion, even as a young filly," she began, "But it wasn't until I was volunteered to make the costumes for a play the schoolhouse was hosting that I discovered my cutie mark. You see, I had already finished the costumes, but I just knew, deep down, that they were missing SOMETHING!" she declared dramatically, "I spent all afternoon trying to figure out just what it was, when my horn started acting up. Now, I'm not sure if you all know this or not, but unicorn magic rarely ever happens without a reason, so I was content to let it... well, drag me far out into the Ponyville Quarry. Not that I could've resisted if I wanted to, but, I digress," she muttered, before shaking her head, "Anyhow my magic eventually petered out, leaving me standing right in front of a very large rock formation. I was... understandably upset, of course. My magic had seemingly dragged me out to the middle of nowhere... for a rock," she gave a sheepish smile, before it brightened, "Ah, but it wasn't for naught. There was a sudden, and very large, explosion just beyond the rock, out of my vision, followed by an exquisite rainbow, but my attention was more on the rock in front of me. The vibration from that explosion had been strong enough to split it open from the top down. As it turned out, that large rock was hiding a cache of gems inside! Oh it was marvelous! I spent all day transporting those gems back home, and I was finally able to truly finish those costumes, adding a little extra shine to them as I did so! My cutie mark appeared shortly after, and I've been able to use that gem-locating spell ever since," she finished, smiling fondly. "That's wonderful Rarity!" Fluttershy gushed, "So that's why everypony liked that darn show..." Applejack muttered. "So... your mark represents your ability to find and use gems?" Emerald asked. Rarity nodded, "That's right!~ Although, I suppose one could say it represents my ability to make others shine!" she added, smiling brightly. "Considering those outfits you made us, I'm inclined to believe that," he retorted, smirking. Rarity giggled. The door suddenly opened once more, nearly knocking the bell down from its suddenness. In direct contrast to the door's violent opening, Sparky came bouncing in, looking for all the world like a purple Pinkie Pie. There was a bright smile on her face as she bounced in, not even bothering to acknowledge the others in the room. "Well, someone certainly seems happy. What's the occasion, Sparky?" Emerald's sudden question caused Sparky to abruptly stop in the middle of the room. Her eyes widened as she looked around, as if she'd been unaware of her surroundings prior to his question. Her face reddened in response as she gave a sheepish chuckle to her friends, "Oh, uh... h-hey girls... Emerald...." she muttered, looking away, embarrassed. "My, my, Twilight," Rarity began, "What in the world could've gotten a pony like you so excited?" "Did you tell the Crusaders about how you got your cutie mark, by any chance?" Emerald asked before she could respond. Sparky blinked at him, stunned, "H-how did you...?" Applejack laughed at her confused muttering, "Those girls have been goin' 'round askin' all of us 'bout our cutie marks," she said, gesturing to the other two mares, "An' we've been sharin' 'em with Emerald here too. 'S only fair, considerin' what he's gonna be tellin' us soon enough, right?" "I never thought about that..." Fluttershy murmured, but otherwise remained silent. "Oh. That makes sense. Those girls are a little... obsessed with getting their cutie marks," "Who wasn't at their age?" Rarity inquired, smiling mischievously, "So, how'd ya get yers, Twi?" Applejack asked. Sparky smiled, "Well... it all started when I attended my very first Summer Sun Celebration. I'd never seen Princess Celestia raise the sun before, so I was pretty excited. It was amazing," she breathed, her expression that of total awe, even at the mere memory, "I thought it was the most amazing thing in the world at the time, and I still do. The magic that the princess wielded was... awe-inspiring, and it was that, that got me interested in magic when I was a filly. It might be a little surprising to hear, but I wasn't always enamored with reading. I used to just play around with my Smarty Pants doll until then. But after that I wanted to know everything about magic, I wanted to see if I could ever make something as beautiful as the princess's sunrise, so I started reading. And reading, and reading. I practiced my magic everyday, until one day my parents decided to enroll me in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The only problem was... I had to take an entrance exam!" she gushed, a hint of phantom fear in her eyes, "I was so nervous! What if I screwed up?! What if I embarrassed myself?! What if-?!" "We get it," Emerald deadpanned. Sparky flushed, "Sorry... a-anyways, my test involved a dragon egg. I was supposed to hatch it using nothing but my magic. It... wasn't going well. No matter what I did I just couldn't get my magic to do what I wanted it to," she admitted sadly, before her eyes took on a haunted look, "Then, out of nowhere there was a massive explosion. I don't know what caused it, but it startled me so bad that I lost control and my magic Surged," she said, causing Rarity to gasp lightly, "It was out of control and my magic was going everywhere. I though I'd pass out before my magic ran out, but Princess Celestia calmed me down. I was scared. I had lost control. I accidentally turned the judges, and even my parents, into plants and animals! I was terrified that I'd get thrown into prison that I hadn't even realized that during my magic surge... I hatched the egg. Not only did I properly hatch the egg, but I'd caused him to spontaneously grow and break through the ceiling, but... I did it," she breathed, but then tensed, "Like I said though, I hadn't realized it until she told me that not only did I pass, but she would treat me to some ice cream as a congratulations for earning my cutie mark!" "Goodness, was that egg...?" "Yep! It was Spike!" Sparky gushed, "Since it was my magic that hatched him, Princess Celestia asked me and my family to raise him as our own, and he's been by my side ever since," "Well, ain't that jus' the sweetest thing?" Applejack asked, causing Sparky to flush. "It was nothing..." she murmured, scratching her cheek idly. "Seems like a bit much to ask a filly to hatch a dragon's egg," Emerald remarked. Sparky glanced at him, "Well... the Princess mentioned that the test was more about what methods the foals would use to try and hatch it... I... was a special case..." she muttered, turning red. Once again, the door to the bakery opened up, preventing Emerald from responding, and Pinkie Pie came bouncing in without a care in the world, completely ignoring the scathing look Emerald sent her, "You're late, Pinkie," he snapped. She stopped bouncing and regarded him with an oblivious grin, "Sorry!" she said, though he wasn't sure if it was sincere or not, "I heard from Trixie, who heard from Bon Bon, who heard from Carrot Top, who heard from Ditzy that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were looking for stories! So I went around looking for them!" "I take it you found them?" Rarity asked, "Yeppers!" "So... you told them how you got your cutie mark?" Sparky asked curiously, "Totally!" Pinkie replied happily. ... "... Are you going to tell us how you got your cutie mark?" Emerald asked after a minute of silence. "Oh! Okay!" she responded, before plopping her rear on the ground, "Well, I was raised on a rock farm," she continued, "There wasn't much talking during work, and nopony ever had a reason to laugh on the farm. I was in the south field at the time, getting ready to head in for lunch when out of nowhere there was this big 'BOOM!' and an amazing rainbow appeared! It made me so happy just looking at it! And I'd never felt joy like that before! I just wanted to keep on smiling and smiling forever and ever!" she chirped excitedly, practically vibrating on the spot, before she abruptly saddened, "I wanted to share my joy with the rest of my family, but... rainbows didn't come around that often. So I thought and thought about how else I could get them to smile, and I had the greatest idea ever! It took me the rest of the day, and all night, but I did it! I had set up my first ever party all by myself!" she cheered, "I got my parents and sisters to come in and..." her smile softened, even as a small set of tears began to well in her eyes, "... that was the first time I ever saw my family smile too... it made me so happy, and my cutie mark appeared as we were partying," Small tears fell down Pinkie's cheeks, prompting the girls to surround her and practically drag her into a group hug, each one commenting on how lovely her story was. Emerald however had lapsed into silence. ... These mares... all five of them had seen that rainbow too... It brought Applejack home. It took Fluttershy to a place where she could be happy. It jump started a lifestyle that Rarity cherished. It made Twilight into who she was. It taught Pinkie to smile. ... It gave him hope. ... The six of them-likely seven when Crash inevitably told them hers-all earned their marks at around the same time. That was... odd. The chances of that happening were... He didn't even know. But the fact that, not only had they seen the same rainbow that gave them all their marks, but the fact that they all happened to congregate to the same place, at the same time... ... Was it fate? Did such a concept exist? If so, what else did it have in store for him and these mares? "Wait..." Sparky's voice broke him from his thoughts, prompting him to look up as the mares all separated, "Pinkie... I think I heard the same explosion! And now that you mention it, I could've sworn I saw that rainbow later that day!" "Yeah... I saw it too!" "Um, so did I," "I did as well," "What?!" Pinkie asked, stunned, "Wait, really?!" she gasped, "That's AMAZING! We all earned our cutie marks because of the same rainbow?! This calls for a party!" The mares all laughed at their friend's declaration. "I can't believe it," Rarity breathed through her laughter, "To think, we were connected before we even met," she added, smiling softly, "Whaddya think caused it, though?" Applejack asked, "I mean, not jus' anythin' makes an explosion an' rainbow like that," she said, causing Pinkie to perk up, "Nothing except a-!" "Sonic Rainboom," Emerald interjected, catching their attention, "After all, Crash has, supposedly, performed two of them. One during the Best Young Fliers Competition, and once when she was a filly... specifically around the same time we earned our cutie marks," he said, causing them to gasp, "Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked, "Her Rainboom... really?" Applejack asked, "Wow..." Fluttershy breathed. "'We'?" Sparky spoke, bringing the other mares attention back onto him, "Did you just say, 'around the same time we earned our cutie marks'?" she asked, staring intently at him. "Are you sayin'-?" Applejack was cut off as the door to the bakery opened up, once again, causing Emerald to inwardly curse whatever deity was prolonging his suffering. However, despite this, he had been half-expecting Crash to come waltzing through the door, but, instead, three familiar fillies marched their way inside. "We've looked everywhere Scootaloo, I don't think Rainbow Dash is in town today," the high pitched voice of Sweetie chirped, "Yeah, she might still be up at the weather station," Applebloom added, before frowning "Then again, mah sis says she goes 'round nappin' alot, so she might be doin' that!" "No way!" Scootaloo snarked, "Rainbow's too cool to just go around napping. She's probably just doing a bunch of super dangerous tricks that she doesn't want anypony to see," she muttered sadly. "Hey girls!" Applejack said, apparently forgetting about Emerald in lieu of her sister's presence, "No luck findin' Rainbow Dash?" she asked, smirking. "No," Scootaloo moaned, "And we looked everywhere too!" "Yeah! Sweetie added, "Do you guys know where she is?" she asked. Sparky shook her head, "Sorry you three," she said, shrugging with a frown, "But she's supposed to be here later today," "That's amazin'!" Applebloom said, then turned to her friends, "Why don't we jus' wait here 'til she comes by?" she asked, "Yeah, alright," Scootaloo agreed, "Beats just running around everywhere," she muttered. While the two of them were talking, Sweetie Belle had jogged over to Emerald, where she eagerly jumped onto one of the stools, and faced him. "Can I help you, Sweetie Belle?" She beamed at him, "Well, since we're gonna be stuck here for awhile, I was wondering if maybe you could tell us how you got your cutie mark, Mr. Emerald!" That caught everyone's attention. Applebloom, whom had been conversing with Scootaloo had jogged over to him and Sweetie, and the five mares in the room had all locked their focus onto him. The only lackluster reaction was Scootaloo's, whose head had drooped as she let out a pathetic groan. Emerald glanced amongst the group, eyeing both the fillies and mares warily. He weighed his options. Or he would have, had he not realized that he had absolutely no way of getting out of this. So, with a sigh, he began to tell his tale. "Alright, might as well," he said, ignoring the resigned pegasus filly hop onto the stool next to Applebloom, "I'm sure you all know about, or at least have heard of, the foalnappings around sixteen years ago?" he asked. "Foalnappings?" Sparky asked, her question echoed by everyone in the room, save for Emerald and Applejack, "Ya mean the Lost Hundred?" she asked, causing Emerald to nod, "What about 'em?" "Wait, wait, wait!" Scootaloo suddenly spoke up, looking more animated than before, "What do you mean foalnappings? And what's the 'Lost Hundred'?" she asked, her curious expression mirrored by the others, save, once more, himself and Applejack. "Thirty ponies," Emerald began, "Twenty griffons. Twenty minotaurs. Ten dragons. Ten zebra. Five yaks. Three buffalo. One changeling. One thestral. One hundred different creatures from around the globe. Foalnapped, without rhyme or reason, aside from the numbers," "Oh my, is everybody okay?" Fluttershy asked earnestly, fluttering over to the stallion and the three fillies. Emerald tilted his head, "... Define 'okay'," he said, "Because none of us were okay after that. Bits and pieces of it haunt us, even today, but, for the most part, we're fine. However, if you mean 'okay' as in, 'alive', then no. Of that hundred, only thirty-two made it out. Some not as much as others," Emerald added blandly. "'Us'?" Sparky asked, her voice hoarse. He nodded, "Yes. 'Us'. I, along with Trixie and Wisp, are, or were, apart of the Lost Hundred," "Wh-wh... b-but who would do such a thing?!" Rarity asked, her pale coat having turned a sickly ashen white, "What could have possibly k-... k-killed all those others?!" Emerald regarded the mare for a moment, before shrugging, "We were... toys. Playthings that our captors used for... their entertainment," he said, his mind running wild to properly go over the details, picking and choosing exactly what he should and shouldn't say, "We were only foals when we were taken, so a lot of us couldn't handle the harsh treatment and labor we were put through, and thus, died. But that's not what I'm trying to tell you," he said, trying to steer them back on track, "I earned my cutie mark largely by chance. I'll admit to that easily. However, as it is, me earning my cutie mark saved my life, as well as the lives of those other twenty-nine. You see I was taken from my home outside of Equestria not too long after my sixth birthday. I'm not sure exactly when it happened, it was hard to tell time from within a cell underground after all, but I do know that it was at least a year or so after my capture. Anyhow, one day, as I was laying in my cell... nursing my wounds, let's say, something happened. Something... extraordinary. The world shook. A massive explosion, the likes of which I had not known, shook the facility we were in. Dust shook from the walls. Floors collapsed. Metal tore. Everything was breaking because of that explosion. Including the roof to my cell. Now, I'm not sure why my cell was located so close to the surface at the time, but a rather large chunk of the ceiling tore and nearly crushed me. I managed to move in time, just as it hit the ground where I'd been, breaking my chains in the process. So now, there was a hole in my ceiling, leading to the vast, open, blue sky that I had honestly forgotten existed. My curiosity got the better of me and, instead of running, I just... hopped up and took a look outside," Emerald closed his eyes, and sighed deeply, "It was amazing. A massive rainbow, stretching across the sky farther than I could ever see, is what I saw. It was beautiful," Emerald chuckled, bitterly, "I probably should've just taken off, then. But I didn't. I was a young colt, a foal, still. In hindsight that's a good thing. If I had run off I wouldn't have been able to help the others, but..." he shook his head, "Anyways. My little moment didn't last, since I was pulled back into my cell by some of my captors, where they repaired the damages and administered a 'punishment', since I had almost bolted," the mares all winced at his tone upon the use of the word 'punishment', but it seemed to have gone over the filly's heads, at least, "It was while I was laying on the ground a few hours after, where I started thinking. 'I want to see another rainbow.'. It was a simple thought, but it was something new. Something I'd never had in my time there. I'd always wondered how my life would go, even more so at that place. I had something then. A reason. A purpose. Something that would keep me going, even when my body wanted to give in. I wanted to see another rainbow, and in order to do that, I needed to be free. Then this appeared," he said, glancing at the unassuming mark on his flank, "Even now, I have no idea what it means," he admitted, "I also didn't know what life would have in store for me, but so long as I could free myself and find another rainbow, I didn't care. That's how I got my mark. I'm not repeating this to Crash, by the way," he said, adding that last part dully. The eight females in the room were silent as they processed the, admittedly, abundant amount of information he'd all but dropped onto them. Eventually, one of them spoke. "That's.... wow..." Well, it was better than he'd been expecting, at least. "Yeah... wow..." Emerald glanced over each of the mares, taking in their reactions. Predictably, Rarity and Fluttershy held expressions of varying horror, Applejack seemed angry, Pinkie was dejected, and Sparky was staring off into space, likely trying to piece together some bit of information she'd heard with his story. The Crusader's, however... "How'd you get out?!" "Was it scary?!" "Wisp was there too?!" He sighed. Their enthusiasm was completely unexpected, but it was welcome nonetheless. Even if he could do without the questions. Thankfully, it seemed the Crusader's sudden questioning snapped the five mares out of their thoughts, "Wha-Sweetie Belle!" "Applebloom!" "Scootaloo!" """What?""" Emerald sniggered, but otherwise didn't make a sound. They were interrupted, however, by the bell above the door ringing for, what was hopefully, the last time today. He hadn't even realized how much time had passed while they were talking. "Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo cried, zipping over to her apparent idol, who laughed when she parked in front of her, "Hey Squirt," she greeted, "Heard you've been lookin' for me and my cutie mark story, right?" she asked, "Totally! We've had to listen to a bunch of other sappy stories, they were all about finding yourself and doing what you liked and stuff," she complained. Crash blinked, but didn't comment, "Cool. Anyway, you ready to hear a real cutie mark story?" "Yeah!" "Filled with action?" "Yeah!!" "Awesomeness?" "YEAH!" """"""""JUST TELL THE STORY!"""""""" the entire room shouted, causing Crash to violently recoil, although she quickly composed herself, "Okay! Okay!... Jeez..." she muttered, before standing straight and puffing her chest out, "Alright. It was back in Flight School when I was a filly. Fluttershy over there was getting picked on by some colts, so I swooped right in and told 'em off. You should've seen 'em Scoots, they were terrified of me," she boasted, grinning cockily, although it disappeared at the deadpan look Fluttershy was giving her, "Aaaanyway! I told 'em to back off, and when they wouldn't I challenged them to a race. I won, of course," she added, "But see, thing is we were flying across the school's flight track, zipping past clouds. I'd never flown that like before, and it was amazing! The freedom was the greatest thing I'd ever felt! The speed, the adrenaline, the wind in my mane! I loved it! Of course, I liked winning a lot more than going fast, so as I was coasting towards the last ring, BOOM!" she shouted, throwing her hooves out wide, "A Sonic Rainboom, just like that! It was awesome! Not only did I discover racing, but I proved those old mares tales about the Sonic Rainboom true!" she gushed, before calming herself down, and relaxed her posture, "And that girls, is how ya earn a cutie mark," she finished in a would-be-cool tone, had the massive grin on her face not contradicted it. """Woah...""" "Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy began, marching forward, "I heard that explosion too. If it hadn't scared the animals, I wouldn't have learned I could communicate with them!" "Really?" "Yeah, and so did I!" Pinkie jumped in, "The rainbow I saw taught me how to smile!" she added, "An' when I earned mah cutie mark, I saw a rainbow pointin' me straight home," "Indeed, there was an explosion that I could never explain when I earned mine," "And if that explosion had never happened, I would've absolutely blown my entrance exam!" "And if I hadn't seen that rainbow, I would still be rotting away in my old cell," "Cell?" she asked, but she went ignored as Pinkie tackled her in a hug, "We owe all of our cutie marks to you, Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie exclaimed, "Don't you realize what this means?" Fluttershy asked, "The six of us all had a special connection before we'd even met!" "I think you mean 'the seven of us', dear," Rarity interjected, smiling gently, "And we've all been friends before we even knew it!" "Come 'ere ya'll!" Applejack exclaimed, excitedly dragging the six mares into a hug. "You too, Emerald!" Sparky said, smiling as her horn lit up, causing Emerald to flip over the counter and land next to Crash in a burst of light, just as they were swept up into a seven-pony hug. Emerald fidgeted from his position amidst the six giggling mares, feeling rather uncomfortable. Even so, there was little he could do to escape, so he just sighed and accepted his fate, ignoring the slight grin that wormed its way onto his face. "So... you gonna explain now?" the scratchy voice of Crash asked. After the hug had ended, the Crusaders had ventured off to do who-knows-what, leaving the seven adults behind in Sugarcube Corner. Sparky, however, had adamantly insisted that they move over to the library, as she wanted to write one of her friendship letters to the princess as soon as possible, and had only been stopped when the memory of Emerald's confession was brought up. As it was, the seven of them were sitting in the middle of the library's ground floor, with the mares forming a half-circle in front of him, each of them looking at him with expectant eyes. Applejack elbowed Crash, "Simmer down, Rainbow. Give 'im a minute, I can't exactly imagine how hard it must be fer 'im ta explain what happened," "Speaking of," Rarity cut in, "What did happen, exactly?" Emerald frowned, and glanced at Sparky, "Didn't you tell them?" he asked. Sparky flushed, but shook her head, "W-well, I meant too, but.... Pinkie sense kinda snuck up on me after that," she admitted, "Plus I figured that since four of us knew, one of us would end up mentioning it to the others..." she muttered. "Well, they didn't, so what's this all about?" Crash asked again. "This whole thing, is about what species I am, since it's become rather apparent that I'm, at least, not completely pony," Emerald admitted, "What?!" "Emerald's right," Sparky began, "When that hydra was chasing us, you ended up getting hurt. Your wing," she glanced at the appendage in question, "was injured and bleeding, but I couldn't see the wound at all. Plus, it was coming from your feathers. That's... that's not possible," she said. "An' ya breathed fire," Applejack added nonchalantly. "I'm sorry... what did you just say?" Rarity asked, staring at Applejack as if she'd just grown another head, "He breathed fire. Yes, Applejack is telling the truth," Sparky clarified, her gaze not wavering from Emerald at all, "So, Emerald.... what are you?" He frowned. How to answer this? He could easily just go and tell them the truth. That he was a member of a species known as thestrals. He could, also, lie and say he was half pony, since that was what Fluttershy thought. At least, she did think it at one point. She may have put two and two together already, but he wasn't sure. In the end, it boiled down to one thing. Should he be honest? ... It didn't affect his job too much. Of course if he did tell the truth and they spotted him around at night, they may become suspicious, but the chances of that were low, and even then, he was sure he could avoid it when necessary. With that thought in mind, he began. "I'm a thestral," he admitted, taking note that Fluttershy was the only one whose eyes had widened. It seemed she hadn't put two and two together after all. Oh well. "A... a what?" Pinkie asked. "A thestral," he repeated, "Bat-pony, pony-dragon. A thestral," "Bat-pony?" Sparky asked, before her eyes widened and, a flash of light later, she shoved a familiar book in his face, "Y-you mean like Sky?!" ... Was that the first thing to come to mind for her or something? Regardless, he nodded. "Pfft, yeah right," Crash snarked, waving her hoof dismissively, "You don't look like a bat-pony," she said. "Thestral," he corrected, then lifted his left hoof, where his bracelet sat, "And of course not. Ponies are a very skittish lot. If a race as peaceful as zebra are enough to send you all running-" he ignored the six of them wincing at that, "-then who knows how you'd react to the very thing that inspired vampires?" he questioned, "This bracelet is enchanted to hide my appearance so long as I wear it," he admitted once again. "... C-can we see...?" Fluttershy asked, "See... what?" "Wh-what you really look like..." she specified. Emerald bit his lip. He was fine with telling them the truth, but actively showing them was another matter entirely. Had any of the other five asked him that, he would've declined immediately, but... Fluttershy was family, and half thestral as well. Half-thestral... "I'll show you, if you promise to tell them about your father, Shy. Deal?" Fluttershy's bright yellow coat went the colour of sour milk, but, after a moment of hesitation, she nodded, "O-okay... deal," "Shy, what is he talkin' 'bout?" "M-my dad... he's a thestral too," she admitted. "What?" Crash asked, before laughing, "Come on, Shy. I've met your dad, and he's no bat-pony," she said, smirking, "That's because he's not my real dad," she said, her confidence rising the more she spoke, "My dad left me and Mom when I was a filly. My Step-Dad is Zephyr's real dad, but not mine," "Yeah, and her real father just so happens to be my worthless uncle," Emerald snapped, idly fiddling with his bracelet, ready to take it off. "Oh yeah?" Crash challenged, "And why should we believe you? You haven't even-" she cut herself off with a gasp that the other mares echoed as Emerald's bracelet hit the ground. They watched, stunned as a spell they didn't know he had flashed, before fading away, revealing his real appearance. Stunned eyes roamed his form, taking in the leathery appearance of his wings, his large, curved ears, each tipped by a small tuft of fur, even his long, almost fierce looking fangs that jut out from his upper lip. But the most noticeable feature was, of course, his eyes. Just as deep a blue as they'd always been, only now the pupil had elongated and sharped at the tips, looking every bit like a dragon's eye, as he said. What had once been an admittedly dull gaze, was now primal, strong... Predatory. In that moment, five of the six mares understood why he'd been hiding his appearance. The sixth however, marveled at what a pure-blooded member of her family looked like, as the image of her father was fuzzy at best. "Wow..." Sparky breathed, absentmindedly trotting forward, the scientific part of her mind taking over. The presence of fangs suggested a carnivorous diet, but she'd seen him eat grasses as well, so... herbivorous, with fangs being used to bite through tough fruits or nuts? No, he claimed that he was similar to a dragon so... was his stomach like one as well? She knew from experience that Spike could eat pretty much anything so long as he could stomach it, and, since dragons regularly ate gems and other minerals, was virtually everything unless they specifically didn't like it. That in mind, his large ears were likely for hunting prey, but... he hadn't gone into the forest since arriving in town, so, maybe they were for something else? Then again, they were called bat-ponies for a reason, so, echolocation? She knew that there were some species of sea dragons capable of that. Regardless, his wings were leathery, suggesting he was a quiet flier... Speaking of quiet, now that she thought about it, she couldn't recall a time when she could actively hear him doing anything other than talking. His breathing and movements were completely silent, for the most part. Was that a thestral characteristic, or just something unique to him? "Something you wanna say, Sparky?" Twilight blinked at the sound of his voice, her mind still working over the various details she had yet to analyze. A moment passed, before her mind finally caught up with the rest of her, leading her to realize how close she had drifted to him while lost in thought. "Uhh...." she began intelligently, her mind working overtime to come up with something to say. A second passed, with her eyes roaming his form once again, when something clicked. "Is this why you're always so guarded?" she asked. Apparently the question surprised him, as he didn't answer for a moment, but eventually, he spoke, "I suppose it's one of the reasons," he said carefully, "You're all... surprisingly calm about this," he noted, his eyes roaming over each of the gathered mares, "Fluttershy, I can understand, but the rest of you...?" Rarity laughed, "Well, I've come to learn that you're full of surprises, Emerald," she said, smiling, "Though, I'll admit, you being another species, especially one I've never heard of, never crossed my mind," she joked. "Yeah," Applejack added, looking sheepish, "'Sides, I learned mah lesson from Zecora. I won't be makin' that mistake anytime soon, I hope," "Even if you're kinda scary now, you're still Emerald, silly!" Pinkie interjected cheerfully, practically hopping in place, a smile as bright as the sun adorning her features. Crash just shrugged, "Eh, you're not as tough-looking as some griffons I knew a couple years ago," she remarked, unimpressed. "We're still friends, Emerald," Sparky began, smiling gently at him, "Even if you're not what we thought you were, you've still proved that you're a friend," she said, before her smile brightened suddenly, "Besides, I can't wait to learn all about your species! Just think about it! A whole new species that nopony knows exists! I can ask so many questions!" she gushed, clapping her hooves together, "What do you eat?! Where do you live?! Why can you breathe fire?! Do thestrals need to-?!" an orange hoof slapped itself over her mouth, and a chuckling Applejack slid next to her, looking embarrassed, "Ehe, don't mind her any, sugarcube. Ya know how Twilight can get," he chuckled, "I suppose I do, don't I?" he asked, pleasantly surprised at their reactions, or, rather, their lack thereof. "So... you're half thestral, Shy?" Crash asked the timid mare, who nodded, "Well, could you tell us about it?" Rarity asked, walking over to her. Pinkie, and the others began migrating over to the normally timid mare, who was looking more and more confident the more she spoke, leaving Emerald sitting by himself, wondering what life would have in store for him now that the cat was out of the bag. He sighed. Hopefully nothing too bad would come of his species being revealed to these six mares. Regardless, however, he had priorities. Celestia needed to know about this.