//------------------------------// // Chapter 33: Atom's Side // Story: The First Steps of the Rest of Your Life // by Rhino //------------------------------// ***Saturday, Day 28, afternoon*** I mentally berate myself for my aggravated slip of the tongue as I turn around to see the expectant faces of the party goers who are now expecting answers. I try to think of the best way to say what needs to be said as I begin, “Um… well, you see…” I see Hydro giving me a take-the-plunge look and resign myself to the consequences whatever they may be. “Why don’t we all sit down, Atom in the chair.” Everypony starts to look for spots to settle down at while Hydro walks up to me and lightly whacks me in the back of the head saying, “You gotta stop letting tension get to you, too late now I suppose. You ready?” I rub the back of my head a second before sighing, “Doesn’t really matter if I’m ready or not,” I turn around and walk away from the rest of the ponies, “I’ll be out in a second, I need a drink.” A voice calls from the other room, “Ah knew it!” I call back to the voice, “Not that kind of drink, Applejack!” I head to the kitchen and drink a quick half glass of milk before heading back to the living room. The various members of our group find themselves some comfortable spots, myself in my usual spot on the end of the couch, Fluttershy right next to me, Pinkie Pie next to her, Volt sitting on the other end of the couch, Twilight and Rarity sitting in a pair on some cushions, while Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Blue, and Hydro sit in a group on the floor leaning against various things near them, and finally Atom sits in the chair betwixt Hydro and myself forming a nice little story circle for us. Rarity breaks the brief silence, “So dears, would you mind telling us-” “What the hay is going on here?!” Rainbow finishes. Rarity gives Dash a look before continuing, “Yes… that.” I look to Hydro before looking back at the group, “To be honest… it’s still a bit surreal for us too. It’s like I’m taking one of the runes for my arcane circles, drawing it around somepony’s hooves and telling them to not move or it will go wrong with no details other than that. Just has that uninformed feeling of being out of the loop.” Blue has a slightly confused look on his face, “Not sure I understand the metaphor, but I get the laypony terms. Still, probably best if you start from the beginning.” Hydro starts recounting our encounter with the guards the previous night, me taking over every now and then to give my thoughts or observations. We explained about what they told us was Atom’s situation, as well as why they brought him here, and to us specifically, though even as we recount it we both realize how much, or should I say how little, we really knew and how much we just sort of assumed with just how fast everything had happened. Still I decided to see if we could shed a little light on certain aspects of the tale via another source. I turn towards the black pegasus, “You know Atom, you really haven’t said much this whole time…” He shrugs and answers in what I can only describe as a defeated voice, “Don’t see much of a point really.” I decide to pursue anyway, “It’s always helpful to hear all sides of a story. Why not share yours?” He sighs, and then begins speaking. “I was a royal guard for Princess Celestia, I remember all of you from the day you came back all battered from your fight with the cloud. It was the Sunday after that. I went out drinking with the guys a little post-shift fun, nothing really out of the ordinary. Everything gets blurry for a bit, probably drank too much, it happens sometimes. The next thing I remember… is the next morning waking up with more bits than I left with,” he shrugs, “I figured maybe I won them in a drinking contest, would explain why I had a bigger migraine than usual. I ended up leaving the bits in my apartment until my next payday, figured I’d just drop it all off at once and save a trip. Things went back to the usual up until Wednesday night when suddenly to guards from another unit arrived at my home and dragged my flank to a holding cell. When a captain came in the next day he started berating me about supposed crimes I committed like assault on fellow guards and stealing from the treasury. When I told him there was no way I did any of that he pulled out my bag from my apartment and showed me the bits in it, he showed me how they all had the treasury’s seal on them, marking them for use only by royalty or for national projects. There was no way I would have been able to get those unless I took them from the treasury… they’re the only ones marked like that. But I know I would never assault my fellow guards, or steal from the treasury! I don’t need to! I make a decent living. Then he told me there was a witness to the assault… and adding that to the bits found in my bag… it wasn’t looking good. I mean… with all that against me it’s really only a matter of time, and I don’t actually remember that night so I guess it’s possible I did it… I just don’t know, it doesn’t sound like me, but all of that… it… I really don’t think there’s any other explanation... The way I see it, they shoved me on you guys to get rid of me until the trial starts.” Wow… Atom looks up at our stunned faces then slowly gets up saying, “I think I’m gonna turn in early,” and heading back to the guest room, leaving us all to our thoughts. As the groups start to whisper amongst themselves I feel the light tap of a yellow pegasus on my shoulder draw my attention. I look over to her with a questioning look to see her own contemplative one, “Yes, Shy?” She motions me to the other side of the room and I follow her to the decidedly less crowded half of the room. She still seems to be in thought so I break the ice, “What do you think about,” I gesture widely with my hoof, “all this?” She answers slowly, as if thinking about every word, “I… I don’t know. They said he was a criminal and he even said he might be but… he just seems so sad, and I don’t think he’s a bad pony.” I nod slowly as I answer, “Yeah, to be honest… something just seems off about this whole thing to me, it sounds like he got too drunk and did something stupid, but surely this wouldn’t be the first time something like this happened, so why go through all this? Honestly I think the comment about the cider was the first thing I’ve heard him say since we met him… I don’t know, but I agree, he doesn’t seem bad to me.” **3rd person** *Applejack and Rainbow Dash* “I’m telling you AJ, he’s bad news!” “Look RD, Ah know things look bad, but didn’t ya’ll just get over assumin’ a stallion was bad?” “Hey that was me being paranoid! This guy’s a criminal, you’re the pony lie detector shouldn’t you be just as sure about this as I am?” “That’s just it sugarcube, everythin’ he told us was the truth, but that includes the part where he said he didn’t know whether he did it or not. Now Ah ain’t sayin’ I think he’s innocent, but Ah ain’t gonna say he did it neither.” “But-” “Don’t ya’ll worry RD, just cause Ah ain’t sure about him, don’t mean I won’t get him if he tries anythin’.” *Blue Breeze and Pinkie Pie* “Pinkie, what do you think about this Atom guy?” “I think he needs another party! I mean he just had a party and he was still so sad so maybe he needs something else… but if you’re talking about all those guards saying he did all those bad things, I don’t think he did it. He doesn’t seem like a meany mean meanerson to me!” “Me neither, I’ve always been one to give ponies the benefit of the doubt and like he you said, he doesn’t seem the type.” “Plus look at that face, he doesn’t seem evil, all those evil things we fought had crazy eyes and his are normal.” “Umm… sure…” *Twilight Sparkle and Rarity* “I can’t believe those guards would just up and expect our friends to harbor some… brute!” “I don’t like it any more than you do Rarity, we don’t really know anything about this stallion, he could be very dangerous.” “Could be, they said he already assaulted royal guards!” “I know, I know, but the trial didn’t come up yet so we just have to live with him being under house arrest for now, just be careful Rarity.” “I completely agree my dear, who knows what thoughts the mind of a criminal harbors…” *Hydro Pump and Voltage Surge* “What do you think of all this, Hydro?” “*Sigh* I don’t know Volt… too much information, not a whole lot of it really useful.” “Yeah, I’m kinda on the fence myself, I’m all for second chances, but this is some big stuff he’s accused of and it’s not like it’s completely unsupported. I don’t know, I’ll sleep on it, then decide.” “That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all day.” **1st person** *Rhino* After that rather… drastic change from the perky party we originally had, every pony helps clean up and soon begins heading their respective ways home. After they leave I head back in and help Hydro with the last few bits of cleaning up, neither of us really saying anything because there was nothing else to really say. Eventually we finish up and the fatigue from the draining day starts to make me debate getting an early start to sleep as well. *Knock, knock, knock*