//------------------------------// // 01 - An Unexpected Fortune // Story: To Walk Again // by Cxcd //------------------------------// [Crystal Empire, 4/4/3210, Two Sister's Reunion] Was this karma? Had it finally caught up to me? After all these years, I thought death would be an encompassing warm blanket. After all, I’d caused so much pain, I thought I had it figured out. Yet, here I am. My right hoof is nothing but a blistering fire. That one mare had cut the blood flow. Fluttershy, was it? That didn’t matter, because now, ten tons of building were pushing on every inch of my corpse. Most of my body was in pain- except for my legs, which I couldn’t feel… does that even count? Thank god, though, because I could feel warm liquid pouring down my sides. Was I upside down? Once again, didn’t matter, because I knew it was blood. I want to scream out. I want to cry for my friends. Friends? They aren’t my friends. I’ve only just met them- they only used me as a pawn to take down the big guy- King Sombra. Why did I betray him? He gave me everything… A workshop, a bed… He liked me, I knew it. Not in the mushy-gushy way, but he was my only friend. The look of horror on his face when I used my right hoof to blow open the boiler, giving the six newly accrued ponies a chance at a surprise-attack. I knew I was gonna hurt my hoof- my good hoof- but not this badly. Fluttershy said I didn’t loose enough blood to be serious. But that was before the building collapsed. I decided to stay silent. I could hear them, yelling my name. Rusty Gears. Rusty. The lavender unicorn was using her magic to shift the debris out of the way. I could yell for them, I would be out of here in ten seconds flat. But if I did… the royal guard would murder me. How couldn’t they? I created the weapons King Sombra used- they aren’t going to wait another second. Either they kill me now, or lock me in a dungeon for eternity. No, it’s better to wait under the rubble for my death. I can feel it. My consciousness started slipping away. Finally. I can relax. If heaven and hell lay above me, god, I’m going to hell. Maybe not before seeing Herb again. That sweet, sweet stallion, Herb. God, how I miss you. I take a shuddering breath in. This is it. I can finally let go. The last breath of a generation, rotting away. I start to breathe out, exhaling my fin- Final- My fin- oh sweet Celestia. I’m coughing! I’m coughing so loudly! Stop, please stop! The mares above me stood silent. They stopped moving. They were listening for my coughing. Stop coughing! I can’t expand my lungs. It feels more like dry-heaving than coughing, but I can hear them. They start digging again, this time directly on top of me. The weight is being lifted off my chest. Every passing second, I can breathe a little easier… a lot easier… Hopefully it’s too late. They were only digging to watch me rot in a jail cell. I hope I lost enough blood, then they have no choice but to let me die. The pool of blood around me has significantly expanded. Why am I still coughing? Blood is starting to pool out of my mouth. I didn’t even know ponies had this much blood. The coughing slowly turned towards gurgling as I closed my eyes once more. Behind my closed eye-lids, I can see daylight shine through. It doesn't matter. I feel the blanket, it’s pulling above my head. Blackness encompasses my soul, and I fall through the mortal plane. I can almost see my body. A life of horror, finally set to rest. I tried so hard to redeem myself, the final hours. I tried so, so damn hard. Was it even worth it? It might’ve been easier to just stay with King Sombra. Then, I wouldn’t feel so guilty. [Manehattan, 1/17/2203, Celestia's Solo Reign] What a load of horse-shit! Here I am, working on the stupidest thing I could be for my cutie mark- which was two gears, by the way- fixing a small stove in an even smaller living room of an old stallion. I’m no older than a hundred and fifty, barely an adult, working my ass off to stay afloat. It’s very cold out, seeing it’s winter. He probably wanted this stove fixed fast. I’ll give him fast, as long as he pays me. It was unusual to work in a house, though. Being in Manehattan for my entire life, an entire building dedicated to one pony was… strange? The old stallion wasn’t rude about it. Actually, hes been staying silent the entire time. It was weird to know he was looking at me, laying on my back, crotch in the air. But, I’ve dealt with weirder clients in my days. At least he was old. The younger ones are the ones to be afraid of. Nothing was wrong with the stove, it was the chimney connecting to the stove. There seemed to be a blockage… it couldn’t be soot, could it? No, too much was blocking the small pipe. Something must have been lodged in the pipe, and soot built around it. I’m poking and prodding the blockage with a long stick. It felt hard. I wasn’t thinking about what would happen if the small spot were to… suddenly break free? I had my goggles on over my eyes, so I was set there. Finally, with one push, the blockage broke free, and the black soot and leaves fell down. BOOF The soot covered my air-ways, my mouth full of it. I quickly tried pushing myself upwards, but the door to the stove was directly in my path. My forehead smashed against it, making a soft bell sound. I fell back down, and then pushed myself out with my hooves. I started sputtering, coughing out globs of the stuff. I used both hooves to rub away the shit from my face. Ugh. If I were a unicorn, it would be so easy. I could just- magic my way out. Gracefully descend the shit from the pipe, and in a neat little pile, sort each clogged particle into a size chart. Eventually, the air-ways were cleaned, and I could breathe again. “I’m done!” I exclaimed, putting up my hooves, as in to never touch my work again. “Sorry for the mess, mister Clover, I-” was on my way to lying through my teeth. Telling him how sorry I was for doing my damn job. The stallion looked ninety, he was sure to take pity on me. Yet, the stallion was slumped over the headrest of his wheelchair, head to the back-right. Are you kidding me? The one bucking pony who visits his house, he sleeps on? Just rolls over and gives up? A blast of anger en walloped my soul. I was going to shake this piece-of-shit awake. I stand to my hooves, and trotted over to him. I’m going to show him- I stared for a moment. Did his mane look- whiter than usual? The tip of his ears looked pink with cold. His eyes were… wide open, looking away from me. They have a haze to them, like a tub full of soapy water. I lightly put my hoof to his neck. His tender skin didn’t flinch when I touched it, and under my hoof, below the skin of Mr. Clover, I felt nothing. No pulse. No sign of life. God dammit. He really died while I was here, huh? As if my life wasn’t tragic enough, now the guard are gonna think I murdered somepony. Anger boiled in my stomach. I wanted to kick him. He’s making my life worse, just sitting here! I’m going to push his wheelchair down a mountain, watching him take every blunt and nick of the rocks on the way down. Shame he’s dead, I would’ve much preferred hearing him scream. That was until I saw what was in his hoof. A purse… A small purse, filled to ripping with bits. It looked so… so… appealing? Where had this been my entire life? I could take it from him… I could spend a couple nights in a motel! I could- I could sleep on a real bed for once! Can you believe it? I could take Herb out to dinner! Herb… Oh, Herb. What was he gonna think? I keep showing up with bits every-day to the homeless shelter, he’s going to get suspicious of what I’m actually doing… But I’m sure he knows, right? Every day, he gives me the glance. I feel guilty. But he’s just- so cute! Me and him, sleeping on a bed for once, instead of the floor with blankets… So, so erotic. Without a second thought, I grabbed the purse quickly, almost like Mr. Clover was going to wake up. Even after the weight dissipated from his hoof, he still stayed in the same slumped position as before. Quickly, I need to check if it’s real bits. I can’t be getting excited over nothing, after all. Holy mother of shiny-shiny coins! They were real. Of course they were real! Oh my god, they’re real! The dreams came flooding back into my memory. Herb is going to love this so, so much. After a quick count… Four-hundred bits? I feel like passing out. Quickly, I packed my tools up from the floor. Half of them, covered in soot. I don’t care. I’m rich! But at the same time, what would the guard think? Find a dead pony in his home? Would they ever trace it back to me? Of course not! I’m being silly. As long as I leave nothing behind, there will be absolutely no cause for concern. I merrily trotted towards the door. I take one last glance at the surrounding area. I left nothing. I’m sure of it. My eyes gazed back towards the hefty purse, still in my hoof. A smile spread across my face. This will be one hell-of-a-night to remember. I tentatively placed the stash into my saddlebags. Without a second thought, I was gone. Into the wind, and nopony knew I was even there. The snow would cover my hoofsteps.