Horizon lay limp on the ground, his body numb from the magical blow he just endured. His ears were ringing and his vision blurry, but he could still make out the shapes and colors of Twilight Sparkle and her friends as they celebrated his defeat. A larger, white shape landed beside them and embraced the purple one; as his hearing slowly returned he managed to catch the end of their conversation. Of all the garbled words he could make out, the word ‘villain’ stood out among them.
“No…” Horizon muttered into the dirt. “I’m not a villain… not…” His head fell to side as he went unconscious.
It was unknown how much time had passed before Horizon returned to consciousness. He observed the stone floor and cold bars before him, realizing he was now imprisoned. Finally able to stand, albeit shakily, Horizon stumbled over to the bench and fell into the limited comfort it provided. His back hit the wall and he rested his head against the cool, gray stone. As he sat, his mind slowly recollected all that had transpired over the past months. He recalled his plan, he recalled its execution and then he recalled how it all went awry; a series of events once fully in his control, quickly spiraled beyond said control and led into a battle with the Princess of Friendship and her allies.
“Look, he’s finally awake.” A voice noted.
“Finally, it’s been almost two days.” Another added.
“Two?” Horizon mumbled to himself.
“We’d better tell the Princesses.” The first voice returned, followed by the fading sounds of hoof steps as they left the area.
Horizon lapsed into sleep again, only awakening to the sound of the cell door opening. His head shot forward and he found himself in the presence of the royal sisters.
“Horizon.” Celestia’s voice was stern. “Do you remember what brought you here?”
“Twilight Sparkle.” Horizon said as his faculties returned.
“Indeed.” Luna nodded. “It was Twilight who saw to the end of your scheme.”
“It wasn’t a scheme… it…” Horizon sighed, holding his head as it throbbed.
“You will have your chance to speak.” Celestia cut in. “You face trial for your crimes in three days' time. I hope you take this time to reflect and choose your words carefully.”
“In the meantime, you will be given food and water to regain your strength.” Luna continued. “My sister has affixed a special ring to your horn that will prevent you from using your magic, so get no ideas about escaping this cell.” Horizon reached up and felt his horn, his hoof running over the thick ring. “Two guards will be stationed here at all times; they have been instructed to watch over you but are not to speak to you without our consent.”
“We hope we will not have to return here, Horizon.” Celestia said with a warning tone. “We will see you in three days.”
With that, the sisters left his view. Horizon slowly absorbed the information he was just given, his thoughts jumbled by pain and hunger. The latter was seen too shortly as one of the guards brought him a simple meal. Not realizing how hungry he truly was, Horizon devoured the food like a wild animal; collapsing onto the bench again once the tray was clean. With some time and a full stomach, he felt himself return to normal and was finally able to think clearly. He took some time to fully take in his surroundings; he was in an old fashioned cell with no window, hence he deduced he must be under the castle in Canterlot. The floors and walls were stone brick, and given the dank smell it was obvious it had been some time since the space was utilized. The bars to the cell were even spaced with a port near the floor where his food could be passed through. Lastly, basic amenities were afforded to him; accompanied by the concrete bench on which he sat and a cot in the corner, covered with a cotton sheet and a single pillow. Horizon sat there for hours, his mind a whirlpool of past and present. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening, it emanated from the left which denoted the location of the exit. He heard not hoof steps, but the rhythmic knock of skipping and a semi-familiar pink pony appeared on the other side of the bars.
“Hello.” She waved.
Horizon recognized her from the fight as well as various sightings around Ponyville. “Hi.” He finally answered. “You’ll have to excuse me, I know you and yet I don’t.”
“Oh, I’m Pinkie Pie.” Pinkie greeted. “My friends and I beat you up the other day, remember?” She asked with a childish innocence that undermined the nature of their conflict.
“Yes.” Horizon nodded.
“Sorry we had to do that.” She apologized. “But you really didn’t give us much choice.”
“Why are you here?” He immediately asked, ignoring her cordial banter.
“I came to talk to you.” She sat in front of the bars.
“Funny, when I tried to talk before, nopony gave me the opportunity.” Horizon said bitterly. “So I’ll pass.” He averted his eyes from her.
“You were talking in your sleep when you were taken in.” Pinkie continued. “You kept saying you weren’t a villain and that you didn’t mean it.” She noticed his eyes slide back over to her. “What did you mean by that? What were you trying to say?”
Horizon saw an earnest curiosity in her eyes. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” He answered.
“Of course it does.” Pinkie insisted. “If you have something you want to say, I’ll listen.” A genuine smile crossed her lips. “Not like you have anything else to do, right?” She asked cheerily.
Some small part of Horizon’s heart longed to be heard; and although small, it was the part that arguably led him down his path in life. “I suppose not.” He slid from the bench and approached the bars. “What happened wasn’t my fault.” Horizon began. “I mean… it was… but, that wasn’t what was supposed to happen.”
“That weird machine you made was going to take out half of Canterlot.” Pinkie pointed out. “I’m no expert on magic, but I don’t think it was meant to be manipulated like that.”
“It would have revolutionized Equestria.” Horizon defended.
“Princess Celestia didn’t seem to think so.” Pinkie continued. “She said she told you it was dangerous, that’s why she pulled the plug on it.”
“If you and your friends had just allowed me to finish, she would have seen that she was wrong.” He angrily toned. “I had everything under control.”
“Horizon… you didn’t.” Pinkie frowned. “Ponies were going to be hurt, you were going to be hurt too; and you attacked Twilight and Princess Luna when…”
“They called me a villain and a monster!” He suddenly shouted, laying his hooves to the bars. “I am not a monster! I…” He stopped as he saw Pinkie back away in fear, the guards quickly turning their eyes on him. “I…” He sighed and laid his head against the cool iron. “You should go.” He turned and rested himself on his mattress.
“Okay.” Pinkie said shallowly, heading back towards the exit.
Horizon awoke the next morning to the call of the guards as they slid his breakfast into the cell. He tiredly ate, his dreams last night keeping him restless. The unforgiving bench began to make his back ache as he sat in silence for an indeterminate number of hours. His ears perked at the sound of the door, followed by a familiar gait.
“You came back?” Horizon asked as Pinkie appeared before the bars once again.
“Of course.” She smiled in such a way that seemed to forgive his outburst the day before.
“I’m… sorry about yesterday.” His eyes lowered. “I didn’t mean to frighten you… I’m not dangerous.” He looked up at her. “Am I?”
“I don’t know.” She answered honestly. “Do you?”
“I… don’t know.” He answered with equal honesty.
Pinkie plopped down onto her butt. “How come?”
“What?” He looked at her in confusion.
“How come you don’t know?” She repeated. “I mean, you’re you… you should know you better than anypony else.”
Horizon stared up at the ceiling. “You’d think that, wouldn’t you?” With a sigh he returned his gaze to her; a single, dry laugh leaving him. “I don’t think I’m dangerous. Perhaps, what I did was dangerious… but it was necessary.”
“Why?” Pinkie asked.
“That machine was going to make me a hero to Equestria. An unparalleled genius who saw the world into a new age.”
“That sounds nice.” Pinkie admitted. “But, there are a lot of ponies who are really mad at you now.”
Again he laughed. “That sounds about right… that’s how things always turn out.”
“It wouldn’t have if you would have just stopped.” She said confidently.
“I couldn’t stop.” He said in a distant voice.
“Why?” She asked again. “Why couldn’t you have just admitted it wasn’t ready? Maybe… worked on it longer.” Her hoof found its way to her chin. “When I’m baking a new pie for the first time it always takes more than one attempt. I bake it over and over again until I’m sure it’s 100% ready for a one way trip into a pony’s mouth.”
“I couldn’t wait any longer.” Horizon said firmly. “The machine worked… it just…”
“Was it supposed to blow up half a city?” She queried in concern.
“Of course not!” He insisted.
“Then it wasn’t ready yet.” She reaffirmed. “You should have waited…”
“I needed it to work!” He cut her off.
“But why?” She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Because it was all I had!” He stepped back from the bars. “I put everything that I am into that machine! If it failed then that meant that my best wasn’t enough to prove her wrong!”
“Who?” Pinkie explored this new bit of information. “Prove who wrong?”
Horizon realized what he had said and silenced himself. “No one.” He returned to the bench.
“I can’t listen if you don’t talk.” Pinkie held the bars. “Keep talking, please.”
His head fell into his hooves. “My mother.” He finally answered.
“Your mom?” Pinkie repeated. “What about her?”
Horizon looked back at her with frustrated eyes. “That miserable wretch did everything she could to drill it into my head that I was worthless.”
“What?” Pinkie gasped.
“My father left her after I was born.” He explained. “She blamed me and only raised me out of obligation. That didn’t stop her from taking her woes out on me… saying that I was no better than him. I didn’t even know him, I had no concept of what that was supposed to mean.” He stood once more. “Useless! Dead weight! Wrecked my body! Ruined my life!” He slowly approached the bars. “Those were my lullabies.” He ground his teeth at the mere thought of her. “She called me her ‘little monster’.”
Hearing that made Pinkie think back to their battle and come to understand why he instantly attacked Luna and Twilight when they used that word. “That’s not right.” She shook her head. “Mommys' are supposed to love and support their foals.”
“You’d think that, wouldn’t you?” He said once again. “I excelled in spite of her… no, to spite her. I told myself I would prove her wrong. I would become a hero and the world would give me the love that she so gleefully denied me.”
“That’s… not what being a hero is about.” Pinkie uttered with great caution in her voice.
“What?” He glared at her.
“I’m sorry all that bad stuff happened to you, I really am.” Pinkie assured. “But everything I learned about being a hero I learned from my friends. They’re selfless and are always willing to give and sacrifice for everypony, even the ones they don’t know.” She smiled. “I’m fortunate to share that with them and it means a lot that ponies see me in that way too.” Her smiled faded. “I understand what you were trying to do, and if it worked than that would have been super. But, it didn’t; and instead of accepting that fact you did something that almost became a disaster unlike anything else we’ve seen. That doesn’t sound very heroic.”
Horizon’s mind wanted to yell at her and defy her insinuation, but that small part of his heart knew she was right. “No, it doesn’t.”
“It’s times like that when you need to turn to your friends.”
“What friends?” He asked in a whisper. “I am my work and my work is me; that’s all I’ve ever had and it’s all I know. My work failed… I failed.” He shook his head. “If the one thing I can contribute to the world only affords me the ire of said world, then what’s the point?” He returned to the bench. “Maybe I am a monster.”
“Don’t talk like that.” Pinkie stood and mushed her face against the bars. “Monsters belong in Tartarus, like Tirek. I know what you did was bad but you’re not a monster.”
“I’m tired.” He laid on the bench.
Pinkie sighed and nodded. “Okay. But I’ll be back tomorrow.” She promised, only receiving a lifeless nod as a response. “Well, see you tomorrow.” She slowly left the bars and disappeared.
Horizon laid there for some time before being served dinner. He thought over his talks with Pinkie and ran over events in his life, both recent and distant. After he ate, he once again laid on the cold bench and began grinding his horn on the rough concrete edge.
When Pinkie returned the next day, Horizon was gone. Canterlot was in a panic from the breakout and guards organized a widespread search for the escapee. The Princesses had contacted Twilight and readied themselves for yet another fight. Pinkie sat in the middle of the chaos, trying to apply her own logic to the scenario. She could tell that Horizon didn’t want to fight and was realizing that he was wrong, which made his escape all the more confusing. After the battle, his workshop was claimed by the Princesses which meant he couldn’t return there. He admitted to having no close friends and his lack of fondness for family meant he wouldn’t be returning home. It was then that her typically scattered mind wrapped around his intent, recalling the last things they had said to each other. Without warning anypony else, she turned and ran as fast as she could for the one spot she knew she’d find him; the gate to Tartarus. Pinkie was breathless by the time she arrived but her hunch was correct. Horizon stood before the gateway, his damaged horn exuding magical energy.
“Stop!” Pinkie panted as she galloped over to him.
“Pinkie Pie?” His horn quieted as he turned in shock. “How were you...?”
“Don’t do this!” She halted before him, breathing heavily.
He sighed and lowered his head. “Go home, Pinkie Pie.”
“No!” She adamantly shook her head. “Not without you.”
“I’m not going back to that cell.” He said evenly. “Besides, you said it yourself… monsters belong in Tartarus.”
“But you’re not…”
“I am!” Horizon stamped his hoof. “I get it now. A hero brings joy to the world, a monster pain; no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, my efforts only lead to pain.” He looked back to the gateway. “The Princesses were right, your friends were right… my mother was right. I’m the only one who keeps trying to fight it… and I’m done.”
“Horizon, no.” Pinkie hurried over and stood between him and the gate. “I don’t think that. I believe you.”
“Trust me, you’re the only one who cares.” His face belied a deep seated exhaustion. “Frankly, I don’t know why you do. It’s too late though. I needed somepony to care a long time ago.” He stepped past her but she took hold of his leg.
“It’s never too late.” She insisted. “You’re a really smart pony and you’re super talented. You have a lot to offer the world if you just…”
“I’m tired, Pinkie.” He looked at her with lifeless eyes. “I’m tired of trying, tired of always coming up short, I’m just… tired.” He set his hoof to his forehead. “I just want to sleep now.”
Pinkie found herself encased in magic, she was levitated over to a tree and tightly secured to it by a scarlet binding. “Horizon!” She struggled against the bind. “If you do this then it’s over; like really really over. I’m sorry things have been so hard for you and I’m sorry your machine didn’t work.” She managed to free her right foreleg. “I’m sorry your parents weren’t there for you and I’m sorry that we had to fight. I get why you feel what you do but this isn’t the answer, it never is.”
“With all due respect, that’s not your decision.” Horizon said emptily as he returned his attention to the gate. His horn lit once more and he focused his power on opening the passage.
“Remember how I said that these are the times when you need to turn to your friends?” Pinkie asked as she frantically yanked her body in all directions. “You can turn to me! Nopony else may want to listen, but I do! I’ll be there for you, I’ll be your friend!” Her nigh elastic body began to tug free. “It may take time, but as long as you do your best to make things better then nopony can be mad at you! Please, Horizon! Let me help!”
The phrase ‘do your best’ rang in Horizon’s ears, sending his mind time traveling to several points in his life when he spoke those very words; to his mother, to his peers and even to the Princesses when they first asked him to cease his research. Angry tears began to form in his eyes and once again that small part of his heart that so desperately wanted any type of love and validation made his mind waver. Pinkie fell to the ground with a thud, the spell holding her dissipating. She immediately ran in front of him, seeing the pain in his eyes as he stared up at the gate to Tartarus.
“Pinkie.” He whispered shallowly. “I’m sorry.” His tears fell free.
“I know.” Pinkie hugged him, her own eyes just as damp. “It’s okay.” She rubbed the back of his head as it fell to her shoulder. “Thank you for not giving up. I promise I’ll be here for you… Pinkie promise.”