Honored Above All Else
Chapter 3
By Honored Service
"I think he is coming around, of this conclusion I am sound." The rhythmical voice of a familiar zebra said next to my ear. I cracked my eyes open and saw that I was laying inside a dimly lit hut.
"Zecora?" I asked. My mouth was dry and my voice was raspy. I rolled my tongue around in my mouth, it felt like scratchy sandpaper.
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"Wait so you ended up meeting Zecora?" The white unicorn asked, cocking her head to the side.
"As it turns out, yes." Honored Service stood up and stretched his arms. "The river had actually carried me all the way into the north eastern plains of Zebraica."
“You were in Zebraica for an entire year?" Twilight Sparkle asked as she looked up from her massive piles of notes.
"Well if I could tell the story you'll find out." The human stared at her; she just looked at me while levitating a quill near her paper.
"Oh yes, please continue." She smiled and nodded at me.
"Alright, as I was saying,"
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"What, what happened?" I asked sitting up on the small bunk I was laying on.
I think you passed out.
"No shit Nightmare." I said turning to my side.
"Who are you talking to; it's just me and you." Zecora asked as she picked up a small pot and moved it to a table.
"Oh it's nothing, don't worry about it. But what happened to me?" I rubbed a hand across my stomach and felt fresh bandages around my midsection.
"You were in pain and hurt; when you collapsed into the dirt. The villagers all gathered around; and your body we bound. The doctors were able to help, and stop the damage you had been dealt."
What is this mare going on about?
“I guess I owe the doctors some thanks.” I tried to stand up, but Zecora lightly pushed me back down on the bed.
“No you must rest; this is for the best.” She lifted the small pot back to me. A light pink liquid sloshed around in the container. I raised an eyebrow at her, curious as to what she was trying to give me. Zecora opened her mouth about to respond, when she looked behind me starring in shook. I wiped my head around to see, but only saw a window covered with a dark brown curtain.
“What was it Zec-“ I looked back to the zebra to have the bowl shoved against my lips and tilted back. The pink liquid flowed across my tongue and down my throat. It tasted of strawberries…that had been left outside for weeks on end and rotted.
“BLEGH! What was that?” I gasped out as the foul tasting liquid puke left my mouth. I glared daggers at Zecora, who kept a straight face and wasn’t intimidated at all by my death stare.
That tasted terrible. So bad that even I tasted it. And I don’t even really have a tongue. Well I have yours, kind of, but really I'm just staying inside your mind like we agreed on; but you could maybe let me out and have some fun. I'm interested to see if I can do anything with my magic now that it’s been awhile. The voice was talking in rapid fire succession without stopping.
I turned my head from Zecora and whispered through my teeth, “Nightmare, shut the hell up. I would like to hear what that was.”
“That was a max heal potion; it should set your healing in motion.” Zecora smiled and dropped the bowl into a sink across the room. “I knew you wouldn’t drink it eagerly; so I told a lie meagerly. That potion would send you into a fit; since it tastes of –“
“You could have asked!” I stammered out starring at my hands. Everything around me was turning into different colors and warping back and forth. My midsection was burning up and I felt like I had fire lit in my stomach.
“Shit. If I had asked; would you have agreed fast?”
Ohhhhhh burn!
“What are you, six?” I whispered in a hushed voice.
I'm nearly 4,023, thank you very much.
“I swear to God, I will somehow get a hangover and then we’ll see who gets the last laugh.
Do it. Do it. You won’t. Do it.
“God. I hate you.”
Feeling is mutual human.
“Ah, so this is the human you spoke of Zecora. It’s good to see that he’s recovering swiftly. You gave him the medicine, correct?” A new zebra entered the room. His voice clearly marked him a male. He was nearly the same height as Zecora and had the same strip pattern, but his mane was braided into four different lengths hanging from his head and neck. His cutie mark was a series -of black lines in a crisscross pattern.
“Yes Doctor Zulu, he’s healing through and through.”
I stared in disbelief at the two zebras. Zecora was rhyming but this Doctor Zulu was not. What was up with that? Almost every fanfic showed that all zebras spoke in rhyme…you know what I can’t keep counting of fanfics to be right.
The doctor zebra trotted over and took my pulse and inspected the stitches on my midsection. Just another scar to add to my growing list of injuries, this one thanks to the Nightmare that was now living in my skull as an annoying and evil roommate.
“You seem to be healing just fine human.” He turned to leave and stopped at the door and spoke to Zecroa, “Will you please keep an eye on him? I don’t want him doing too much activities until the stitches are healed completely.”
Zecora smiled and nodded to the doctor as he opened the small door and left the hut, “You can count on me; to watch over him with glee.”
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“Wait, so Zecora is the only zebra that rhymes?” Rainbow Dash asked, laying upside down in her chair.
“No,” The human responded rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger, “If y’all would hush and stop interrupting me, this could go a lot faster.”
“But this is more fun, and it makes us feel more connected to your story!” Pinkie Pie said while looking off at the wall behind the group. She waved at the wall and at the nothingness near it.
“No she isn’t the only zebra that rhymes, but she is the only one that I have met, thus far, that does rhymes. She…you know what, can I just continue the story please?”
I thought ponies were smart?
“Oh shut up you, these are my good friends and technically yours too.”
But they stopped me before, so I hate them.
“Oh change the fucking record Nightmare.” Honored Service noticed the group of ponies were all watching him intensely, except for Quick Flurry who was snoring against a pillar at the corner of the group. Celestia’s horn was glowing again, and Luna gave an awkward cough and motioned with her hoof for the human to continue the story.
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Zecora trotted around the small hut taking a few different sized jars off the shelves and caring them over to a pot resting next to the sink. She poured the different herbs and liquids into the cauldron and began to stir the mixture with a large ladle.
“Zecora,” I asked the zebra, “Why do you speak in rhyme when the other doctor zebra didn’t?” She placed the ladle down after another stir and walked over to my bed.
“I speak in rhyme; all the time?” Zecora stared at me with a shocked look on her face. Her jaw hung low and continued to stare at me.
“Wait, you don’t realize that you ryme?” I questioned the zebra mare, but understood she was kidding as a smile spread across her face. She eventualy broke down and began chuckling to herself as she picked up the pot and held it out to me. A red liquid with flakes of green in it sloshed around in the bowl.
Just got played by a zebra, I guess this counts as a multicultural burn. I wasn’t even going to respond to the asshole in my mind.
“I rhyme in this manner; so that I become a better planner. My words must match; so my mouth is not an open hatch.” She nodded her head at me motioning at me to drink the liquid.
“You rhyme to think about what you say before you do?” I think I understood what she was saying, but it was always nice to clarify what she was saying. It was hard to understand her sometimes.
“That is correct; and to gain respect. Many zebra leaders make this choice; to gain a strong voice.” Zecora once again motioned for me to drink the red stuff in the bowl, resting in my hands.
“Is this some magical restoration potion like the one I drank in the Everfree?” I sniffed the curious concoction and enjoyed the sweet smell that wafted out of the bowl.
“It is nothing to cause you a whoop; it is just simple tomato soup.” The stripped mare smiled and reached into a box at her hooves, and pulled out a tomato hanging from its green stem. She tossed it into the air and caught in her mouth and devoured the red fruit.
I slowly took a sip from the bowl. The tomato soup poured into my mouth and flooded over my tongue and down my throat. The flavor was incredible. The soup was smooth, warm, and packed an amazing combination of tangy tomatoes and natural herbs. 10/10 Zecora.
Zecora walked over to the sink on the other side of the hut humming to herself as she worked on another potion or 5 star recipe.
“Can you taste this Nightmare?” I took another drink of the soup and placed the bowl next to me on the bed.
Oh yeah, I can totally taste it! You know with my taste buds. That I don’t have. Ass.
I rolled my eyes at the voice in my head. “Fine take control of my tongue and taste this amazingness!”
Why should I care? I lifted the bowl up and took another sip. My tongue was cold as the warm liquid washed over it. I waited for the response from the Nightmare, but nothing came.
“Yo Nightmare? You still here?” I looked up to the ceiling as if talking to something up there.
You quiet. I need silence right now.
“Did you like it? It’s okay to admit that it’s good.” I was trying my hardest not to upset the creature in my brain. So far we had made good progress to tolerating each other. But then again, we had no choice but to.
Shut up.
“Alright, no need to get all pissy.”
“But I know you liked it.” I smerkied until my arms felt cold and I found myself drinking the rest of the tomato soup as the Nightmare forced me to drink the rest of the delicious soup.
ITS SO GOOD!
I could only laugh as the Nightmare enjoyed the zebra’s cooking. It was strange, this evil creature, this plague on Equestria was really like a child. Well an evil child, but still, he had little to no knowledge on daily life. I mean who hasn’t had tomato soup at least once. And the way he was evil, was only because he had simply gone mad due to too much free time.
The Nightmare may be evil, but I think it is the type of evil that can become good.
Find that zebra mare and tell her if she doesn’t make more of the ‘tomato soup’ than I will cause destruction and pain she isn’t even capable of imagining!
“God damn it Nightmare.”
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“So how’s the Nightmare now?” Short Blade asked from his cushion on the floor.
“Yeah, and how can we even trust him!” Hammer Strike stood up and narrowed his eyes at the human seated across from him. “Oh I'm not glaring at you Honored, but at the Nightmare.”
Oh I'm so scared, Honored be a dear host and remove him from the picture.
“I know this is hard for y’all to understand, but if you hold your questions till the end, I’ll answer them.” Honored Service smiled at the group of gather ponies, trying to remain happy and calm in the face of thousands of questions the group had.
“We understand silly!” The pink pony giggled. “But it’s a lots more fun to interrupt you and get reactions from you!” She fell backwards laughing and kicking her hind legs in amusement.
“Well I would like to get to the hidden treasure before sunrise.” The human crossed his arms at the ponies. They all snapped their eyes to him and closed their mouths.
“There’s hidden treasure?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed leaning in closer to the storyteller.
“Um no, but even if there was you would miss it because everypony keeps interrupting me.” Honored laughed and the ponies sighed and waited for the human to continue.
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“So can I travel around town now?” I impatiently waited near the door of the hut. Zecora was still puttering around near the back of the hut trying to find her saddle bags.
“Yes you may go; but please take it slow.” Zecora called out me as I bolted from the hut ready to finally get outside and move around. My midsection was healing fast and the other parts of my body that had been hurt, mainly my arms, had completely healed other than the scares on them.
Human, if you want to see something really… good… then you should go to the middle of the most crowded place in the village. It will be funny I promise.
“How about I don’t, and instead we walk out into a large field and I show you memories of G3.5 and older ponies.” I said while walking along the dirt path leading towards the edge of the small hut. After two or three days inside that hut, I'm sure I could use a quick bath in the river about now.
What is that?
“You know, that would probably make you more evil. But can you show me whatever you were going to show me out there and away from the village?” I waved at Doctor Zulu who was trotting from another hut across the cozy little settlement. He waved back and continued on his way.
I guess, but only if you let me take control of your body for… five minutes. And before you even start complaining, I won’t do anything evil. I promise.
I contemplated the idea for a moment. This would be a good way to see if the Nightmare was changing in some way. Maybe he could become another part of me.
Or at least not such a douche all time.
“Okay Nightmare. Five minutes, but if you try anything, I’ll get myself nearly killed and then transfer you into a spoon or something.”
It’s a deal! Head out to the river and I’ll show you what I can do… in this body.
It felt good to stretch my muscles after lying down for so long. My midsection still had some tightness to it as I made a light jog to the river. My torn and dirty duster flapped behind me as I jogged. The old faded combat boots crunched through the grass and dirt as I reached the river. I stripped down to my slightly worn boxers and waded out into the cool water.
“Ah this is good.” I used my hand to scrub off the dirt and grime that had built up on my body since the final battle of Canterlot. I noticed there was still dried green goo on my side.
“Hey Nightmare look, it’s your past self.” I pointed at the caked on blood.
Yeah you killed me once. Good job, but I stabbed you. You would have bleed out.
“But I didn’t.”
It could have gotten infected.
“And it hasn’t.”
… Do you want to see the magic or what? Ass.
“Yes I would like to see what you can do. Does this count as the five minutes?” I splashed out of the water and laid on the bank of the river, letting the sun’s golden rays dry me off.
No. My five minutes begin after I show you, since you want to see it.
“Okay, fair enough. Whenever you’re ready Nightmare.”
I didn’t feel cold or anything, but something was defiantly happening. I slowly stood up and put on my pants and duster, as the air around me began to shimmer and spark. It looked like heat waves coming off the road on a scorching hot day.
Now you can’t say I don’t bring something to this relationship.
The shimmering air exploded into black and green fire. It spun around me starting at my feet and rising around me till it came to my waist. The flames licked at my duster and legs, but neither burned or got scorched by the magical firestorm. I looked around me and saw that the sand I was standing on was melting; glass was forming where the fire was starting around me feet.
“Nightmare, this… this is amazing.” I reached my hand out and let it touch the black and green inferno. The flames leapt up into my palm and rested in the center of it. I was holding this magical energy in my hand, magical energy that I had control of.
From an old memory in the back of my mind, I heard something my father had told me when I was just a kid playing with fire for the first time, “Fire is a loyal servant and a cruel master.”
The dream I had had when I was still in Saddle Company flashed across my mind, the burning city of Canterlot, with the frightening bipedal creature standing in front of the scorched city. Black green fire had covered the entire city and the creature had had flames all around him. The black green fire wasn’t from Chrysalis, but me.
And all this power belongs to you and me, human. We could be unstoppable.
“No. Nightmare, this power is incredible and I know it can benefit us, but we can’t just use it whenever we want to. We have to be careful and control it. Our entire fucking relationship is about control.”
And speaking of control… The raging wall of fire surrounding me dropped and disappeared leaving black scorch marks and glassed sand all around me. I believe I get five minutes.
“Just remember Nightmare, spoon.”
It felt like a bucket of ice cold water was pouring over me as my whole body stopped obeying my commands and the control was given over to the Nightmare. I watched as the Nightmare looked at my hands and I felt a smile spread across my face. He looked towards the village and dashed towards it.
I tried to speak but, no words came from my mouth. Oh right, the nightmare couldn’t speak I had to think speak or whatever.
“Yes you have to think to me now.” My voice was a mix of my natural voice and the monotone voice of the Nightmare’s.
What are you doing!?
“Aw you don’t trust me, human? I'm hurt.”
I swear Nightmare if this is an elaborate ruse.
“It’s not, now shut up, you're making us look insane as I talk to myself.” He turned my body towards the hut that I had been staying in. The hut that held my rifle, pistol and knife. FUCK!
The Nightmare burst through the door and pointed a finger at the startled zebra mare who was standing over a cauldron near the sink.
“Zecora! Can I have some of you amazingly delicious tomato soup?” The monotone voice yelled at her. “Please?” The Nightmare asked a little softer.
Zecora just stared at me with wide eyes and nodded slowly while reaching over and picking up a basket filled with ripe red tomatoes.