Falling With Generosity
They swept past servants garbed in brown suits, each holding a random assortment of dusters, cleaners, soaps and towels, the occasional colt or mare grasping fresh rolls of toilet paper. They swept past great tapestries, wonderful paintings, precious heirlooms, fantastic works of art and the odd golden shrouded guard, stock still and staring straight forward. They swept past great, glittering, gorgeous stained glass windows, depicting battles of old, victories, great moments, historic times and, most usually, prosperous works of ponykind. They swept past locked doors, open doors, closed doors, wooden, iron, barred and golden doors, glittering with magnificence.
The six brightly coloured pastel ponies, followed hastily by Jonathan walked briskly through the white marble Canterlot Castle, complete silence following them, each brightly coloured coated pony casting suspicious looks at Jonathan and curious looks at each other, mostly at Twilight Sparkle, who shrugged off the prodding, intruding looks easily. Wherever the group walked, wherever they were heading an uncomfortable, creeping silence would follow them, the once bustling castle falling completely still and quiet around the group of six and their rather unusual passenger.
Jonathan ignored the looks, the faint mutterings, the suspicious, intoxicating talk that flowed silently but swiftly around the castle through only eye movements and light twitches of ears, hasty glances and crude body signs. He ignored the art, the culture, the beauty, the ponies, the heirlooms, the guards and every other little aspect of the castle apart from the leading group of six, his body working on auto-pilot, trudging along as his mind wandered from his body.
He had fought, he had taken command, he had taken control and, even if it were only for a short amount of time, he was happy, jubilant, even triumphant. He had, without meaning, gone against the demon, the monster and though it had hurt him, though it had twisted and burnt his mind till he longed to scream and sob he couldn't help but repress a beaming sense of accomplishment and pride.
He could fight back and, right now, that was all that mattered.
The doubts though, the fear that nagged him even now could not be suppressed forever and mere moments later the first trickling thoughts of worry seeped into him just as the six creatures in front of him turned a sharp corner, glancing back at him to see if he was still following them, making sure he had not run away or fled.
That beast, Discord it called itself, had gained control over him again and inflicted such pain, such agony and yet he had physically remained standing, he had remained physically impassive and the Princess and her ponies had remained oblivious to the inner struggle he had experienced, the wash and pull of pain. If this monster, if this dark God who sought revenge could hurt him so grievously and yet allow no word edgewise, allow no help and no indication for any other creature of the pain he was experiencing then what would become of him were the pain to return.
And then, with a creeping, groping sense of dread Jonathan began to play over the recent turn of events, how he had been forced from the castle and would now be living with the little purple unicorn, Twilight Sprinkle or something along those lines. That would have been no cause to worry, no reason to fret or fear but it had been the deep feeling of accomplishment and, not happiness or joy exactly, but triumph that had gushed through his body when he had been moved, when he had agreed. The triumph, the accomplishment, the perverse sense of achievement was most certainly not his own and for that reason alone, Jonathan began to fear once more. What foul game was the mismatched monster playing, what foul plan was it hatching if such triumph could come from a simple movement.
It ached into Jonathan's brain, the simplicity that he knew it must be that was annoyingly too far out of reach to see, like staring at a Chess board, understanding the rules and regulations but unknowing of the other players plans, only able to observe and make estimations, guesses that could cause your pieces to topple or could raise you up. The ability to see and yet not to see, knowing that right now, in his own head, a plan was frothing and boiling over, a scheme of such desolate evil and impeccable coldness that threatened the very existence of the creatures that he found himself around.
Jonathan glanced up from his crestfallen-esque view of the marbled, white floor to stare blankly into the teal blue eyes of the butter yellow pegasus, Flutterbuff or something similar, who in turn, upon meeting Jonathan's golden eyes, eeped and twisted her head back around, a bright blush growing on her face.
Jonathan sagged and sighed as the little pegasus turned back around, obviously frightened of him, creating two conflicting emotions within him, his own being sorrow over her fear and the other being the dark, tyrannical feeling of pleasure that burst from a dark recess of his own mind, the dark area that Discord had occupied.
It had been days now since he had arrived, how many days he did not truly know. Time had blurred swiftly, ticking by slowly at first and then rushing forward like an eager sibling to embrace Jonathan, tossing him a new form and then hurling him into a new home. Part of him knew that he should have been shocked, he should still be shocked about talking equines and yet the other part of him merely informed him, with a cold, calculated precision, that right now, that was the least of his worries. The world had gone to pot, his life had been taken and replaced by another, he was in a land of talking ponies but none of that truly mattered compared to that seductive but deadly voice in his mind.
Just as Jonathan began to ponder the idea of merely ending his life, finishing the job before that crazed monster could, just as he tried desperately to convince himself that the early display of rebellion was nothing but a fluke he was stopped quite suddenly in his tracks by a pink pony, nearly toppling over her as the group of six came to a sudden stop, making Jonathan tumble forward.
Righting himself quickly, cheeks flushed with embarrassment, Jonathan turned to gaze at the bright red wooden doors that stood like a monumental behemoth before him and the six ponies, twin guards of gold standing beside them with stoic, hardened expressions. With a small nod from the leading purple unicorn pony, both guards moved to the sides and pushed the doorway open with a great creak and a small noise of exertion before the six ponies and Jonathan stepped outside into the bright sunlight, the human squinting under the fiery glare before his eyes adjusted to the new found light as he let out a little gasp.
Beauty. That was the only true word for the view. The seven of them stood on a brown floored, somewhat cracked balcony with long, slender purple railings dancing around its edge to stop the, nearly inevitable, falling of an accident prone creature. Great bushes and shrubs of luminous green leaves hung steadily around the heavily natured balcony, clinging to the floor and the sides of the walls, whips of ivy trailing up the marble, white walls of the castle itself. Lovely, magnificent red, orange and yellow flowers rustled and danced in the faint wind that blew through the balcony, causing the foliage to jig and swing in an almost merry fashion.
The view though, oh the view. Jonathan had been cooped up in the rather stuffy, rather humid and rather oddly smelling infirmary for far, far too long and the wonderful sight before him, such nature and purity, so many beautiful creations nearly caused tears to flow from his eyes.
Before him stretched a deep, bristling, swaying green forest that stretched onwards and onwards, peeking over the horizon and cresting on the very peak of his vision. Brown hunks of dark, rich tree bark dazzled through the green leaves, lavishing his vision with oaky views and the sweet sight of nature. Dimly, Jonathan could see sprouting, chaotic plants sitting limply upon the floor, small patches of bare leaves upon trees allowing Jonathan to peer through.
Beside the forest, a way off in the distance, stood a massive, monstrous, gigantic mountain that punctured the sky, rocks pinnacling upwards to poke the face of the Heavens themselves. White snow tipped the very top of the mountain, trailing downwards in great clumps of icy purity. Visible cracks could be seen from his heightened position on the castle, great tears and gouges in the once perfect rock face. A single, solitary cave of spiralling blackness could also be seen.
The sweet smell of forests, of pine and orange, of oak and apple mixed into the air, swirling around Jonathan, making him draw in a deep, hearty breath. Past the forest, a small village with smoke rising from numerous, tiny looking houses could be seen, his probable destination. Warm, rich, tingling sunlight bathed the whole view in a healthy, fiery, orange glow that radiated happiness and joy, compassion and warmth, so much so that Jonathan tossed his troubles, his issues aside to simply admire the spectacle before him. True beauty should never be diminished, should never be viewed by an eye that saw only the negative.
Jonathan was roused from his awed, numinous gaze by a polite cough that simpered from in front of him, his eyes trailing down to meet the purple ones of a rather confused looking unicorn, a small blush tracing his own cheeks yet again as he was caught staring quite star-struck at the wondrous scene before him. She motioned Jonathan to follow with a flick of her tail before she turned around and began to trot back to her friends and towards three very peculiar looking objects.
Giant, golden snitches.
That was the first thought that entered Jonathan's mind as he blankly walked up to the shining golden surface of the pegasi pulled chariots, noting the grooves, the edges, the smooth metal and the twin wing like objects that jutted from the sides. Two loops of golden metal wiring sprang from the front like reigns for a pony to equip and a large, purple jewel rested snugly on the front of the chariot. Jonathan gazed around at the three golden smothered, oddly crafted flight vehicles before he let out a loud yelp and stumbled backwards as six winged guard pegasi alighted upon the balcony, each one casting him suspicious gazes before shrugging him off.
The lead pony, a rugged, grey coated stallion turned to Twilight and, in a rather deep voice, began to speak.
“Three chariots have been laid out for your departure Miss Sparkle, two for two of you each and one for three of you to make up for the rather...peculiar guest you have.”
Twilight must have know this particular stallion for she greeted him by his name.
“Thank you Coldwings. Now, if you'll excuse me I have something rather...important to discuss with the girls.”
With that, Twilight turned back to the group of five, who huddled together in a tight circle, throwing the occasional glance at Jonathan before they sunk back into conversation, Coldwings flying off to help his team and himself get attached to the chariots, leaving Jonathan alone to ponder how those rather large, rather heavy, deadly orbs of metal were supposed to stay aloft.
[.]
“So, which one of us wants to go with the weird looking, rather squishy alien?”
Twilight's question was met by a barrage of questions, each one rather silent though lest the alien overhear them, each of the six ponies casting timid glances at the lonely looking Jonathan. It was, in fact, Rainbow Dash who spoke up loudest in protest against what Twilight had suggested, her cracking voice laying into the circle but not escaping its confines.
“Why does one of us need to go with him, why not have two of us and one of him in the three pony chariots?”
This was met by a chorus of agreements from the other mares before they were all silenced by Twilight's slightly raised but still rather quiet voice.
“One, I'm not sure a chariot will hold two of us and one of...him. Two, I would rather he not feel threatened this quickly on, surrounded by creatures he's never seen before and three, if there was one of us, we might be able to get some information out of him early on.”
This brought silence to the group, each mare looking down awkwardly and shuffling their hooves on the ground, not willing to dispute Twilight's claims for they were right but not willing to agree to them either. It was, once again, Rainbow Dash who spoke up in her cracked voice, tones high with nervousness but also a pitched annoyance.
“And why can't you go with him then Twilight, huh?”
This caused Twilight's ears to flop downwards, her cheeks to blush brightly and her eyes to adopt a look that was somewhere between aggravation at the question and guilt at the answer.
“Well Rainbow, if you hadn't gathered I can be a bit too...quizzical when it comes to learning new things. I mean, remember the incident where I tried to work out the Pinkie Sense? I don't want to scare him away...”
Rainbow Dash looked down in embarrassment and guilt at Twilight's words, feeling bad that she had accidentally, of course, forced one of her closest friends to admit a deep flaw to an entire group. Twilight recovered quickly however and turned her gaze to the rest of the group, eyes first resting on Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy, you're the kindest, sweetest and one of the nicest ponies I have ever met. With your caring, compassion and just general love for every creature, apart from dragons, I would have thought you'd have jumped at a chance like this. Sure he looks a little bit spooky but he doesn't seem violent or mean does he? You wouldn't have anything to fear and you'd be doing me a massive favour.”
Fluttershy squeaked under the gaze of five mares, shivering somewhat before she replied in a shaky voice.
“I-I'm sorry T-Twilight but I j-j-just can't.”
Twilight sighed before turning to Applejack.
“Applejack, your are the most honest, dependable, hard-working pony I have ever had the joy of being friends with. With your inability to be dishonest, your strong will but, most of all, your care for everypony else you would be a great match to try and get information out of him. Won't you do it for me?”
“Ah'm sorry Twiligt but Ah just can't. There's somethin' about him that rubs me up tha wrong way, like he's tellin' tha truth but lying at tha same time. I don't wanna get angry at him just for havin' this odd feelin'”
Twilight let out a huff of irritation before her eyes rested on Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow, you're the most loyal, most faithful and most firm mare I know. With your Element of Loyalty along with your somewhat brash but also compassionate attitude towards others, your would be a welcome sight for him, somepony he can talk to about his issues and somepony who is more down to earth, so to speak. Somepony who isn't trying to impress him or isn't scared of him. Would you, please, just get into the chariot with him?”
Rainbow shifted on her hooves, eyes downcast before she spoke up in a relatively soft voice for such an abrasive mare.
“Sorry Twilight, I just can't. I'll get all nervous and then I'd probably end up getting frustrated and yelling and then, well, I don't think it would work out for the best.”
Somewhere along the line, Twilight heard Applejack mutter 'and y'all are scared' but she let it drop as Rainbow Dash sank into herself, turning her purple gaze to Pinkie Pie before she silently mouthed the word 'no' to herself, eliciting a somewhat disheartened glance from the pink earth pony who had been ignored. Twilight turned to face the last mare of their little, rag-tag group, opening her mouth to speak to Rarity before she was stopped by the white mare herself.
“Fine, I'll do it then. I'm sure my charm will be able to get something out of him.”
Twilight let out a pent up breath of relief, a beaming, toothy smile breaking across her features as she turned to smile widely at Rarity, who shivered under the massive grin that stretched across Twilight's face almost menacingly.
“Oh thank you Rarity, you've got no idea how worried I was getting. Anyway, we should probably get back to him before he starts to fret.”
With that, the six of them turned and began to trot towards their carriages, Twilight joining Pinkie and Fluttershy whilst Applejack joined Rainbow in the next chariot along, Rarity trotting forward to meet the confused looking Jonathan, swallowing a lump of fear as she went.
[.]
Jonathan watched the small, alabaster white mare approach him rather cautiously, trotting up to his side and gulping rather visibly and audibly as she looked up into his golden eyes with blue ones, speaking up in a strained voice that somehow managed to still sound refined and upper-class.
“Hello dear, it looks like you're with me for this particular trip.”
Jonathan wanted to sigh in disappointment and unhappiness at the obvious fear of him her voice showed, depressed that he had such an effect on the group as he replied in a rather melancholy voice.
“Got stuck with me, huh?”
This caused Rarity to giggle, mostly from the sudden crack of the tension that had been building up in her and partly because she had not expected this...creature to act or even speak in any remotely familiar way to her after seeing his rather odd displays earlier. Jonathan lifted his head at the sounds of giggling, his attempts at sadness coming out as humorous to the pony before him, nearly making him crack a small smile in mirth.
“Oh, I wouldn't say got stuck darling, more to the likes of I would like to get to know you a bit better since you will be living with one of my closest friends. We can talk on the chariot though, the guards are beginning to look a bit annoyed with us.”
Jonathan was partially astounded at the ease of which the white mare had opened up to him, as if completely disregarding his unusual body and odd, distorted mind that she had glimpsed in the infirmary when he had done battle with Discord. Jonathan stole a glance at the two guards who had successfully harnessed themselves to the chariot and, he had to admit, they did look a might bit aggravated by the slow movements of their passengers, training stopping them calling out at them to hurry up but irritated eyes speaking the story that words couldn't.
With a small, sharp nod and a pale, shaky smile Jonathan moved over to the back of the chariot, peering inside curiously before he cautiously raised one foot and stepped in, making the whole structure shudder and rock and the twin guard ponies mumble incoherent slander about the weight of their passenger. Rarity hopped in gracefully after Jonathan taking a seat on one small, golden bench that rested on the right side of the chariot, signalling with a slight nod of her horned head for Jonathan to sit on the other side, which he did.
Immediately, the pegasi took off with a mighty flap of wings and a whoosh of air, bursting into the sky, closely followed by the two other chariots that closely chased the human harbouring aircraft. Jonathan had to try very hard not to throw up then and there as the great bustling of the chariot nearly sent him spinning into a deep nausea. Combined with the fact that there were no real safety railings and that his life was in the hooves of two angry looking guards did not help to settle his nerves or his churning stomach.
Jonathan glanced over the edge for a second before his head bolted back, face pale and slightly green, eyes wide with fear and sweat trickling down his back just as Rarity spoke up to him in a jubilant, care-free tone.
“So, what brings you to Equestria darling?”
Jonathan feebly put up protest against the consuming hand in his mind but he was swiftly tossed aside, weariness and a distinct lack of anger making his resistance frail and weak as Discord spoke up using Jonathan's voice once again.
“I honestly have no idea, I just woke up here.”
Rarity seemed to deflate somewhat at the lack of knowledge before she jumped straight back into another question.
“So, what do you do for a living?”
Jonathan let out a little smile as he spoke up with a wistful voice.
“I was a maths teacher, looking after all these little kids. They were only about seven, adorable little scamps.”
Rarity smiled quite warmly at that knowledge, her ideas of the alien being bloodthirsty and evil washing away as she heard him speak about children in such a kind, caring manner before she dove straight into her ready made speech, prepared years ago when she had first set up her business.
“I own the local fashion shop, you see. A wonderful place with so many numerous fashionable clothing it practically explodes with vibrancy and individuality and all for a very low price. In the fashion business, you see, there is...”
Jonathan smiled blankly as Rarity continued her long winded speech, muffling her voice out as he sank back into his own thoughts the chariot rocking and shaking slightly as the pegasi veered and turned to get quickly to their destination.
Here he was, a once regular, now monster enveloped human talking to a lively white mare with a horn on her head, flying out via pegasi transportation to a town that he had glimpsed from a castle built by ponies. It sounded absurd, in fact it was completely absurd but it was a damn sight better then what was going on inside his mind, how his own body was betraying itself.
Rarity continued to talk as Jonathan cast his glance out over the rows of trees and onto the nearby mountain, heart heavy and mind throbbing. Paradise would have been the ideal word for a world like this, with such magnificent nature, such marvellous species and such astounding compassion but, right now, paradise sounded like hell. He had a parasite in him, a monster wearing his skin and for himself to be in paradise, to bring such an abomination with him would be liking spitting in the Queen's face and calling her a grumpy old tart. It was wrong to the bone, through into the marrow. It was horrendous and evil and it shouldn't live, not in a place as fantastic as this.
Jonathan keyed himself way from his dark thoughts just as Rarity began to end her speech.
“...and that, my dear, is why Carousel Boutique is the greatest fashion shop in the whole of Equestria and also the most affordable. Now, don't worry, I'll whip up some snazzy suits for your when we get to Ponyville. Oh, it'll be a challenge but I'm sure that with som-”
The immaculate, almost priggish sound of Rarity's voice was silenced by an almighty shudder of the chariot, tipping Rarity over onto Jonathan's side of the bench, her head nearly falling into his lap as she struggled to right herself. The shudder lasted another second before it died down, the pegasi flying the chariot glancing at each other silently before one of them turned his head to yell at Jonathan and his uncomfortably close partner with a deep voice.
“Just some minor turbulence from the wind, sorry about that.”
Jonathan couldn't help but hear the small traces of worry in that otherwise blank voice, picking up on the hints of nervousness as Rarity pulled herself back up and dusted herself off with a hoof, expression dark and angry.
“Turbulence my cutie-mark, I expect they were just having a little fun the stuck-up bast-”
Rarity was once more interrupted by an equally powerful shudder of the chariot as it was knocked partially sideways under the intense barrage, the twin pegasi heaving and panting to get the golden structure back on course, the quake sending Jonathan nearly hurtling into Rarity before he caught himself, one hand reaching back to clasp onto his side of the chariot before he squashed her flat. Somewhere he heard a deep, dark, bloody laughter but that too was silenced as the pegasi in front of him once more called back.
“We, eh, are experiencing some minor turbulence. Please keep hold of something.”
The fear in that voice was palpable now, so strong that even Rarity could hear it, casting a frightened glance at the pegasi and then a shaky smile at Jonathan who in turn frowned darkly as a second ring of laughter exploded throughout his mind. Rarity spoke up in a strained, anxious voice that seemed to be for her own good rather then Jonathan's.
“Oh, a little bit of turbulence never hurt anypony. I'm sure the pegasi have it all under contr-”
A third, devastating blast of wind smashed into the side of the chariot, sending the whole thing spinning through the air for a few seconds, followed by Rarity's screams of terror as the pegasi, with great heaves of strength brought the golden cart back under control through sheer force of will and power alone. This time though, the hit was followed by a hissing voice that whispered throughout Jonathan's head.
Hey there Jonny, did ya miss me?
Jonathan frowned deeply at the sound of that eerily familiar voice, at the malice and the hatred barely kept at bay, swallowed by perverse pleasure and sadistic joy.
Aw c'mon now, I certainly missed you. I'm not that bad a guy you know.
The voice was swiftly followed by another powerful shudder that rocked the whole chariot, the pegasi now glancing fearfully at each other openly, Rarity taking deep, panting breaths as she tried desperately to keep herself calm.
In fact, I'm such a nice guy I'm going to give you a choice. You see, there's this little thing in your head that I no longer want around. It's called your freedom. Let me show you what it looks like.
Jonathan blinked rapidly as a vision of a cracked, opaque wall came into his view, dancing around his eyes and jigging along the sky like a crazed dancer. The hallucination quickly vanished though as another powerful shudder tore through the chariot, Rarity letting out a little scream.
You should be able to feel that barrier Jonathan, you should be able to feel its strength and its purpose.
And now that that monster said it, now that Discord had brought it to light Jonathan could feel it, he could feel his freedom, his strength of will, his power and his defensive wall like it was solid, like it was truly there. He could sense it, like the fates had intervened and given him such an ability. He could see the cracks that danced along its edge.
Another tremendous shake pounded the chariot, Rarity now speaking in a fast gibberish language, fear plaguing her eyes.
All I ask you to do Jonathan is destroy that wall, destroy it and I will stop. Destroy it and you will go free. Destroy it and she lives. You can destroy it, now that I have given you the ability to see it, to feel it. You can get rid of it, end this little horror show now before that little mare snaps.
Jonathan's eyes fogged over at the thought as another ripple hit the chariot, not affecting him but making Rarity shriek once more and causing the two pegasi to yell out in fear.
Destroy it Jonathan, end it now before somepony gets hurt.
Jonathan blankly reached out his hand, tracing the area where the wall would be, where he could physically feel it even if there was nothing in sight. All he had to do was rip it, to tear it in two.
Destroy it Jonathan and you can have everything and anything you want.
Jonathan smiled dumbly, eyes glazing over once more as his fingers caressed the invisible wall, as his fingers caressed his own mind, his own freedom.
Destroy it Jonathan and together we can rule this world.
Rule the world.
Rule the world.
“Rule the world.”
Jonathan spoke in a daze, hands reaching out to tear, to destroy, to annihilate the wall. He could have everything he wanted, he could protect that little pony, he could rule this land, be free of that monster. And then Jonathan's hands stopped, just as he went to destroy the wall.
No. He could never be free of that monster. Never. What was he thinking, what was he doing?
Destroy it.
“I won't.”
Destroy it.
“I can't.”
Destroy it!
“No!”
Jonathan's once quiet, whispered voice punctured the air with such heightened volume that it silenced Rarity's gibberish nonsense and crazed screams, so loud that it silenced the scared yelling of the pegasi as all three turned their heads to gaze at Jonathan who had his eyes closed tightly, his hands pressed against his head like a vice as that cold, serpentine voice spoke up once more.
No? You dare defy me? That, Jonathan, was the wrong answer.
And then, with a metallic screech, the bonds holding the pegasi to the chariot snapped apart, the golden body of metal plummeting quite suddenly towards the ground.
Rarity screamed, louder and louder, Jonathan merely hanging onto the metal frame with wide eyes and a sickly pale skin, feeling the wind rushing past him, wanting to scream but throat closed up in intense terror. He was going to die, he was going to die and that was all that mattered., He would die, he would never see his family again, his friends, he would never get married, have kids.
He would never turn into the monster, he would never overthrow Equestria, he would never have to hear that evil, malicious voice again.
And quite suddenly, everything felt alright.
Jonathan had finally gotten what he wanted, a way out of this monstrous, corrupted life that he had been forced into. He had finally found an exit, an escape even if it was a rather overzealous one. He could be free, he could be happy in his final moments knowing that any second now, any second he would never have to hear that voice again. The wind whistling in his hair didn't feel so foreboding now, in fact it felt rather relaxing, like a strong sea breeze at the seaside. The sound of screaming brought Jonathan back into the land of the living, vanquishing his happy daydream, his final moments of bliss.
Rarity was still shrieking, tears bursting from her eyes to spiral upwards into the air in great blobs, the wind whipping her once meticulously groomed hair around her head like a fan. Her skin was paler then pale, a bleached bone colour that reflected her terror, her eyes sparkling with tears and horror, her mouth set in an open scream from which the dark void of her mouth seemed to stretch on and on.
This wasn't her time to go, this wasn't her place to die, this was his alone, his end. This was what he had wanted and, foolishly, he had abandoned reality to live out his dreams of no longer having to fear, no longer having to care. He had ditched the white unicorn when things had gone to hell, he had succumbed to his own emotions and left her to scream and holler and fear for her own life, feel terror pump through her at the sight of her own death. And then, that cruel voice spoke up again.
This isn't where she is supposed to die Jonathan but you forced my hand. Are you proud of your display now? She will die here today, how will you live with yourself?
That voice had tried to spark guilt and depression, sadness and fear and yet Jonathan felt angry. He had asked for this perhaps, he had rebelled, he had fought and battled for his freedom but she, this little mare named Rarity had done nothing, nothing. And then something the beast had said hit Jonathan hard. How will you live with yourself? Surely after such a fall, death was certain, not merely a possibility not unless something else had a plan, not unless there was a greater force at play here.
With anger in his heart and determination upon his face, his mind already spinning and churning with the rapid descent, Jonathan managed to speak a few words, fighting the vomit rising in his throat.
“Go to Hell.”
And with that Jonathan stood up rather shakily and walked over to Rarity, hands gripping the golden edge all the way around until he reached her.
She doesn't deserve to die here, there has to be something that can be done, there has to be something. Jonathan peered over the edge of the chariot, noting with alarm how close the ground truly was now. He had seconds, possibly half a minute before they would collide and in those precious seconds, in that short time he hatched a small, stupid, idiotic plan, a plan that defied common sense and a plan that would surely fail.
Without a word, Jonathan grabbed Rarity and lifted her up to his chest, clasping his arms around her as she screamed even louder, tears soaking into his clothing. She was light and soft, fuzzy and warm but that didn't matter any more, in fact, if things went poorly, in a few seconds nothing would matter for either of them ever again.
Rarity wailed into his arms as Jonathan carefully, amidst the rocking, shaking chariot, walked slowly to the exit of the chariot, feeling the wind rush past him and seeing the ground draw closer and closer, perhaps twenty seconds away, perhaps ten. Then, with lightning fast speed, Jonathan twirled himself around so that Rarity was facing into the chariot itself and launched himself backwards, off the edge of the chariot and into the sky.
Five seconds. That's how long he fell, through blistering winds that tore tears from his eyes, back facing the ground and Rarity clasped firmly to his chest, hopefully protected from the fall. Jonathan felt calm, serene and peaceful. Whatever happened now, if he died or if, by some miracle, he lived then at least he would know that today he tried his best to save a life, that today he may have nearly lost himself and his newly found friends but today was also the day that he had managed to loosen his shackles somewhat and that felt good.
His back hit the mushy, grassy floor with a loud thud, followed by the intense pressure of Rarity collapsing into his chest, his arms loosening at the powerful collision, causing the snowy white mare to bounce out of his hands to land with a sickening crunch further away, out of his already dimming vision. There was no pain, no agony just the empty, lonely feeling of complete nothingness as darkness tinged his sight, greying out colours and blurring reality as Jonathan's eyes began to flutter closed, a breath escaping his lips as the darkness smothered him.
The last thing he heard was a high pitched shriek that punctured the air.
“Rarity!”
A/N: Took me long enough, eh?
Here it is, the newest chapter with some action in it for once, instead of boring old talking. Hopefully everyone understands that title now. I know I said I'd explain how Jonathan will manage to resist in the future for this chapter but the word count was high enough and plus, this has a nice cliffhanger
I had to choose Rarity for the scene because recently I have began to love her character and therefore I wanted her to play a bigger part in this story.
Anyway, that's about it. Enjoy the cliffhanger and tell me what you think of this chapter.