“Ah don’t know ‘bout yall, but Ah think he’s a good po—I-I mean, person,” Applejack said, shrugging.
“I agree; he was very polite in his declination of my services,” Rarity added, “Albeit, he tends to lose himself occasionally, but that’s acceptable considering his knowledge about proper etiquette around a lady.”
Four mares were seated inside a deserted Sugarcube Corner, which had been closed in the event of the “unveiling” of the super-soldier. Twilight had called Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie here to discuss their experiences with John, and hopefully piece together something about the mysterious human.
“I think that’s just how he is around everypony, Rarity,” Twilight chuckled.
“Well, not around me!” Pinkie Pie cried, frowning. “He was super-duper quiet! I asked him, like, a bajillion-million questions! And he didn’t answer a single one! And I know he can talk, since I heard him talk back in the Everfree Forest, and I was all, ‘*GASP* YOU SPEAK EQUESTRIAN?’, and you guys were all, ‘Pinkie, what’re you talking about?’ And I was—”
“Well, for starters, Pinkie, did you even let him speak?” Twilight asked, raising a brow.
Pinkie tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm... Nope!”
The girls shared a moment of laughter. “That’s Pinkie for you!” Twilight squeaked out between giggles.
After they had all calmed down sufficiently, Applejack turned to Twilight, addressing her, “So, why exactly have ya gathered us here today, Twi? Somethin’ on yer mind?”
Twilight nodded, “Yes. I wanted to ask you all a few questions about experience with John. Applejack,” She turned towards the farmpony, “You’ve had the most contact with him; any quirks that you’ve noticed?”
Applejack scrunched up her face. “Well, Ah’ve noticed that he has a tendency to stare off into space a lot. Like he’s… remeniscin’ ‘bout somethin’,” She said.
“Yes, I’ve noticed that, too. And I’ve only met him once,” Rarity added.
“Did you girls ever ask him any questions?” Twilight inquired.
Applejack smiled sheepishly. “Other than askin’ him what he’d like from the table, no.”
Rarity shook her head. “He never said a word other than, ‘thank-you’.”
“He didn’t even say a word to me!” Pinkie Pie cried exasperatedly. “You girls are so lucky!”
Twilight took a sip from her glass of milk before looking up. “In any case, I think we should all do our best to uncover what we can about him.” She gazed at the table sadly. “It bothers me to see him so down all the time. I’m sure it’s just an average case of posttraumatic stress disorder, but coupled with the fact that he just lost someone important to him, I don’t know how well he’ll be able to cope.”
Applejack and Rarity exchanged nervous glances. “I don’t know, Twilight,” Rarity said cautiously, “This doesn’t seem like something you can just ask about. He’s very secretive about his past, and I know that ponies with PTSD usually dislike talking about the events that caused such mental trauma.”
“I agree, Twi. Even though he’s not a pony, he’s practically one at heart,” Applejack said, “Maybe we’d rather have him try an’ forget his past instead of acceptin’ and movin’ on. It’s a big step to be takin’ so quickly,” She explained.
Twilight frowned, turning away from the table. “I know, girls. It’s just that it pains me to see him like this. I just feel terrible, since he saved my life back in that forest. And all I can do is watch him retreat into himself.”
Pinkie Pie appeared next to Twilight, resting a foreleg on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Twilight. You’re already doing everything you can for him, and I’m sure he appreciates it. Just give him some time to wrap his head around the recent events. If Applejack was right about him being a pony at heart, time is the best medicine for him right now.”
The three mares slowly turned their astonished gazes towards the pink pastel pony. Pinkie Pie blinked. “What? I can be intelligent, too!”
“Pinkie Pie, you are so random!” They all cried in unison, collapsing into another gale of laughter.
--
John watched as the late afternoon sun slowly began to sink behind the distant buildings. He sighed, fatigue washing over him. It had been a four hour-long process of answering questions about how he had arrived, and what he was, not to mention convincing these equines that he really meant no harm, and that he would do his best not to interfere with their everyday activities.
For now, he only wanted to be alone.
A single red blip appeared behind him on the motion tracker. “Who’s there?” John asked without looking.
“U-uh, Mr. Spartan, sir?” inquired an unfamiliar feminine voice.
John slowly stood, turning to face the speaker. It was a young unicorn; this one bearing a turquoise coat and mane, a white streak running through her flowing hair. She gazed up at him with a pair of dazzling gold eyes. A smile lit up her face. “Wow! A human up-close… This is just too cool!” She squeaked under her breath.
John narrowed his eyes at her. “You need something?”
“O-oh! I just wanted to talk, considering you’re the first human I’ve ever seen!” She replied happily, “I always knew you guys were real! My friends never believed me,” She said, her eyes drifting downwards.
John’s eyebrow flicked upwards, but he remained silent.
“But you’re living, breathing proof that I’m right!” She squealed happily, moving closer to John. She extended a hoof, beaming a smile. “I’m Lyra Heartstrings! Nice to meetcha!”
John looked at the hoof stupidly before realizing what gesture this was. He knelt and took her hoof gently, shaking once before releasing her. “Likewise.” He took a step back, unsure of what to make of this unicorn. She didn’t seem hostile towards him; just a bit unnaturally friendly.
“So, what’s it like?” The unicorn inquired, “Back home, anyways.”
“It’s…” Memories flashed behind John’s eyes. The Covenant finding Earth. Discovery of the portal. Flood arriving. Elites glassing half a continent.
John shook his head, looking at the buildings behind her. “It’s a lot like your world; only more technologically advanced.”
The unicorn was temporarily stymied by his delayed reply, but all signs of confusion quickly left her face. “O-oh. I see. Like, exactly the same? I always imagined that humans would live something dynamically different from us.”
John turned away, gritting his teeth. Simply talking to anybody always caused him to recall unwanted memories. “Sorry to be cutting our chat short. I’m a bit weary from standing for four hours.”
“O-oh… I see,” The unicorn replied, her voice sounding crestfallen. “Can we talk tomorrow, then?”
John shook his head, “No. I need… I need to collect myself.”
“Oh. Okay… Sorry to bother you…” The unicorn’s voice trailed off as her retreating hoofsteps became fainter and fainter. Eventually, John was left in the silence of the fading sunset.
There it was again. That brief moment of regret…
He barely blinked when the Princess of the Sun sidled up next to him. “Come with me. I need to show you something.”
John glanced at her. “Pardon?”
The Princess started off, talking as she went, “It’s time that I explain why I’ve been so hostile to you. I think you deserve to know; it is about humans, anyways.” She stopped a short distance away, fixing him with a serious gaze.
John’s eyes narrowed before he approached the Princess, nodding once. Her horn glowed, and the two of them disappeared, leaving the small hillside barren of any activity. Save for one pair of curious eyes.
--
John felt himself being pieced back together, atom by atom. A quick spell of dizziness washed over him before disappearing completely. John took a quick glance around him, noting that they were no longer in the clearing.
They had materialized in a library of sorts. Large red curtains were draped over enormous windows that lined the walls. Enormous shelves, packed with books, formed hundreds of rows, some equipped with ladders while others had a severe lack thereof.
He could feel the Princess’s gaze fixed on him. “What?” He asked, turning to face her.
“Nothing; it’s just that I’m surprised you took to teleporting so well.” The Princess said, raising a brow.
“I’ve been through it before,” John replied.
The Princess looked as though she was going to ask a question, but she obviously decided against it by changing the subject, “Well, then, keep up. We have much to talk about, although there is little time to explain,” She passed several rows of bookshelves before arriving at a large cul-de-sac in the walls, the bookshelves forming a palisade of sorts. “As this is something that not even my sister knows, and I must share this with you before she returns.”
John took a glance around the surrounding bookcases. “Why must it remain secret?”
“To protect my subjects, many things must remain a secret.” The Princess stated simply. John felt an involuntary chill run down his spine.
“Then why am I not a secret?” John asked.
The Princess of the Sun frowned, staring back at him. After a pregnant pause, she answered him, “If you put it that way, it was because I didn’t find you first, and I lack the ability to wipe minds of their memories, specifically of fairly shocking ones.”
John sighed. For some odd reason, it was a relief to him that she couldn’t do everything. He also felt a bit guilty for putting words in her mouth upon realizing why she had given him that look.
“As for this secret…” Her horn lit up with an azure aura, and four books immediately lit up with the same glow. They were pulled back at random in a sequence John couldn’t exactly keep up with. As soon as her aura faded, the bookshelves gave a low groan, and the closest shelf swung outwards, towards the Princess. A space just large enough for three people standing shoulder-to-shoulder to enter through appeared behind it, although nothing was visible inside due to the lack of light.
“John, your lights, please.”
John’s hand drifted to his headlamp switch, flicking it on. A spiraling staircase revealed itself in the darkness of the passage, the walls only broken at certain intervals by a torch brazier.
John nearly stumbled when the floor suddenly evened out, the staircase ending at a large door. John squinted, examining the carvings that decorated the oak structure.
Hundreds upon hundreds of carvings were etched into the wood. Many depicted enormous battles being waged among nearly incomprehensible bipeds, obviously humans, the long lines of phalanxes and arrows raining down on opposing armies, the battlefield’s line being drawn down the middle of the door.
“This… This is man-made.” John breathed, reaching out to touch the door.
“Yes; this is one of the last human artifacts known to this world, John,” The Princess said, “This door was wrested from the great Gryphon-Pony wars during my post-Discordian reign.” She flicked her tail, glancing back at John. “Few know of its existence.”
John returned her gaze. “So, I’m not the first human to arrive?”
“I’m sure Twilight must’ve mentioned something about humans existing in Prequestria?”
“…Prequestria?” Was all John could manage.
The Princess sighed. “Just stay close; I’ll explain as we go.”
The doors swung inward, the handles enveloped in the glow of Princess Celestia’s azure magic. A long corridor stretched before them, the walls lined with iron doors at certain intervals. More ‘secrets.’ John supposed.
“Prequestria is Equestria before it was known as such,” The Princess began, “It was long ago, when the three species of ponies, the pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns lived together in one city-state. This was known commonly as Paradise Estate. For many years, they lived in relative peace, although their numbers remained small due to the fact that nearly the entire population remained dominantly female.
“One fateful afternoon, a villain by the name of Tirek arrived near Paradise Estate, carrying one of the most frightening weapons known to ponykind. The Rainbow of Darkness. This ‘rainbow’ had the power to transform anything it touched into a mindless beast, with only the desire to serve the holder of the ‘rainbow’.”
John couldn’t help a scoff. These names were sounding like something out of a long-cancelled cartoon.
Ignoring this, the Princess continued, “He attacked Paradise Estate from his newly-built fortress of Midnight Castle, raiding the city-state for its pony populace in hopes of acquiring beasts to pull his sky-chariot. If he used the Rainbow of Darkness while he was airborne, he would be able to enslave animals into his will by the hundreds. Using this method, he could raise an army large enough to conquer the entire planet of Equus.
“However, the ponies of Paradise Estate had other plans. A lone Pegasus, Firefly, left the castle to search for outside help. What she found was something that was suspected to be long-lost, and long forgotten. A human being.”
John’s ears perked up. She had his attention.
“Her full name is still a mystery, but she went by the name of Megan. With the help of this human, the ponies left to find a way to defeat Tirek and his Rainbow of Darkness, converting it into a Rainbow of Light.”
Original. John coughed to mask his chuckle.
“When Tirek’s reign was lifted, his servant was transformed into a prince, revealed to be the heir to a throne long forgotten. The ponies praised this man as their new ruler, who provided a long and prosperous rule,” The Princess stopped at one of the doors, this one no different from the rest. John presumed that this was their stop. “It was towards the end of his reign that this long-held peace crumbled.”
The door swung open, a relatively large room yawning within the darkened doorway. She stepped through, her horn flaring once, causing two massive braziers on the opposing walls to ignite. John’s eyes widened at the sight.
Rows and rows of human weapons, from melee to a variety of projectile weapons, lay in a huge array. Swords, maces, lances, falchions and axes lay arranged in rows, their surfaces glinting dully in the orange torchlight. His eyes swept across their wooden handles and hafts, eventually reaching the projectile weapons. His brow raised at the sight of a flintlock pistol, the metal barrel gilded with gold.
“Is that…?”
“Yes; That is how I knew what your ‘weapon’ was.” The Princess said, revealing John’s M6D pistol among the ‘relics’. With a flick of her magic, she tossed it to John, who caught it deftly before holstering it.
“But it sounds as if humans were able to peacefully co-exist.” John asked.
“They did, but only under the first and last of the human kings,” The Princess replied, “When a particular draconequus appeared, he was easily able to stir the aggressive nature of humans. Especially one particular weakness humans had a tendency to share…”
Princess Celestia’s face darkened. “…Greed.”
John had seen this coming. When he didn’t respond, the Princess continued, “With the assassination of the king, encouraged by our dear draconequus, Discord, came the fall of the human reign. Small civil skirmishes escalated into full-scale war for resources between different nations, and the humans even cast off their pony-allies, turning against them when they attempted to resolve the conflict with treaties and compromises. Eventually, war was all that encompassed the world of Equis. It was only a matter of time before the motivation of the war drove them to develop powerful and advanced weapons, both sides attempting to one-up the other in how many they could kill with a single device."
“How was it resolved?” John ventured.
The Princess blinked. “It wasn't. You wiped yourselves out.”
The Spartan was slightly taken aback, but managed to keep his composure.
"Your species' greatest advantage turned out to be your greatest weakness: Your ability to invent." The Princess turned away, facing the massive array of weapons. "All it took was a gentle nudge over the edge, and instead of beneficial inventions, your creativity was turned to items of more malicious intent. Although I'd say your greed and eagerness to fight are just as terrible."
The alicorn turned to face John. "That is why I had my doubts about you. Especially after you nearly killed Applejack's brother. I did realize you were defending yourself, however, so I refrained from immediately labeling you as one of those miserable creatures that had destroyed our home eons ago. But when I heard that you nearly killed my student, my views were quick to change. I'm sure this was obvious when I brought you in after incarcerating you?"
"It wasn't hard to notice," John admitted.
"So why I brought you down here is to ask you a question."
"Which would be?"
"Why should I tolerate you, a member of a species that brought upon its own extinction, and nearly devastated the world beyond repair?"
John paused, thinking for a moment. "Ma'am, how long did the humans live here in Equis?"
"It was an eon-and-a-half. Why do you ask?"
"With all due respect (Although, deep down, he really didn't mean it), my species has been living around ten-thousand years. We've had major wars in that duration, but we still exist today, despite having the means to completely destroy each other in an instant."
When the Princess's face registered slight surprise, John continued. "As for fighting, it is in our nature. But it can be controlled, and even turned against those that wish to exterminate us."
"Who would want to exterminate you?" Celestia ventured.
The soldier opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it. After a few seconds, he turned away. "All I ask is that you do not pass me as something that enjoys killing my own species."
"Why do you do it, then?"
"Because I must. It's why I exist; I am a soldier."
"Isn't it your duty to protect people rather than slaughter them?" the Princess shot back.
"My duty is to follow orders," John replied sternly. "Just as your soldiers are expected to do the same. And if my orders entail me being forced to subdue others with lethal force, I will follow them."
"And what were you saying earlier about enjoying killing your own kind?"
"I never said I enjoy it."
"Then why do you continue to be a soldier?"
John thought for a moment. "I can easily tell you how to eliminate a hostile that has you in a sleeper hold. I can calculate adjustments I would need to make if I was trying to take down a high value target from exactly a mile and a half away, taking both the Coriolis effect and windspeed/direction into account. But..." The Spartan thought for another moment before continuing. "I don't have a perfect golf swing."
This caught the Princess off-guard. John went on. "I don't know all the words to a single song. I don't know how to bake a cake. I can't play basketball to save my life."
A third pause followed. "I continue to be a soldier because being a soldier is all I know."
The Princess regarded the soldier with a curious stare. Ignoring it, the Spartan moved towards the door. "Besides, if I truly enjoyed fighting, you'd be dead already."
He pushed his way past the partially closed door, leaving a very confused Princess behind.