//------------------------------// // Chapter 17: Jackie // Story: Trip Of A Lifetime // by Tailslover13 //------------------------------// Josh thought he had another dream. It was a curious image that formed inside of his mind while he snoozed during his first night in Equestria. Normally, the boy was good at remembering his dreams, since his memory was one of the keenest in the entire human race back on planet Earth. He would usually wake up during his naps or his sleep sessions and could easily visualize what dreams had invaded his fragile mind during his time of rest. This night, however, was completely different than any night he had ever experienced. When Josh fell asleep crying after coming home from being bullied to death, he could remember the nightmares that his mind created that evening. When Josh got assaulted and verbally abused by his parents, Josh could remember the dreams that kept him company during his lonely nights. When Josh was made out to be a fool when his former friends turned on him and a girl he had a crush on chose an idiot over him, Josh could always remember the dark or happy dreams that accompanied him during his restless slumber. Tonight, however, was something entirely new for the former human. Huh…where is this? Josh wondered, glancing around the void that he found himself floating in, Oh, nice, I’m back in my human body, too…how quaint. I’m guessing this is a dream? Probably one of those stupid “falling dreams” that also got me screaming and rolling out of my bed. Ugh…damn I hate it when I have one of those dreams and you don’t have control over your body! Josh glanced down and admired his human body that was floating in the void of darkness that surrounded him, but when he tried to move his arms and legs, it was like his limbs were buried in cement. This was nothing new; most of his dreams usually involved him running away from something and having his legs feel like jelly. However, there was something foreboding and even creepy about this “dream” that he found himself in. Why was he in his human body? Why was he floating all by himself in a blackened realm? I bet that stupid Twilight Sparkle is doing this to me! Josh growled, writhing as though he was in pain, She can use magic, right? The stupid witch! I bet Applejack went and whined to her to teach me a lesson. I bet any moment now, a stupid white angel or ghost is gonna pop up out of this black void and start scolding me. Oh boy, I swear to God, if I hear that crap about meeting three ghosts and seeing my past, present and future, so help me… But a ghost didn’t appear. In fact, nothing resembling anything white-colored appeared in Josh’s dream. Instead, he just continued to float through the darkness, unable to move any part of his body and feeling more and more lightheaded with each passing minute. He tried screaming his head off, thrashing as hard as he could, closing his eyes and reopening them, but nothing worked. It seemed like he was gonna be stuck in his dark dream world until he woke up. IF he woke up. Wait…is this…death? Josh wondered, narrowing his eyes and glancing around the dark chasm even harder, Am I…dead? Humph…I bet one of those ponies did this to me while I was sleeping…oh well, whatever; at least I didn’t feel any pain. We all have to go sometime…even though I really didn’t want my life to end at the hands of a stupid creepy-colored horse! How insulting. And I was still young, too! Dammit, I didn’t deserve to die! I demand a second chance! As Josh’s anger and pain grew, the dark void surrounding and enveloping his body seemed to stiffen and grow stronger. Without realizing it, Josh was fueling his nightmare, or whatever it was he was inhabiting. The human kept screaming angry statements into the darkness, demanding to have his life back and to have another chance at life. He was sure that he wasn’t done yet. If fate intended for him to die, it would’ve taken him a long time ago. Why make him suffer through all the drama in his life just to have it end at the hooves of ponies in a near-perfect cartoon world? If that was the way fate worked, it was beyond cruel. Josh found “Final Destination” to be funnier than this. LET ME GO! I DEMAND TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE! Josh’s mind screamed, his thoughts flowing through his mouth as he projected his rage into the black and foreboding realm, THIS IS FREAKING UNFAIR! WAKE UP, YOU BASTARD, WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! But he couldn’t wake up. His muscles continued to tighten and his breaths began to get heavy and difficult to expel. His chest wheezed in and out with his heart pounding into his throat. The darkness was getting stronger with each angry word that Josh thought or spoke. He was slowly strangling himself to death, ironically, due to his own suffering. The boy couldn’t wake himself up. He couldn’t feel his body. He was all alone, just as he had been his whole life. He had nothing. The silent, dark void WAS his life. No, it was his heart. Can’t…breathe… Josh gasped, his eyes beginning to bulge out of his head as he felt his lungs tightening and becoming to decompress, Suffocating…stop this…let me go…damn you…you won’t take me…that easy! I’m a fighter…if you want me, death…COME AND GET ME! Josh put on a crazed grin, laughing in the face of death. Even as his body remained useless and his heart continued to pound faster and faster, with his breathing becoming more and more lax, he continued to mock the thought of dying. He would not accept it. This was not how he was gonna go out. But, as he took his final breath, his mind began to slow and his heartbeat could no longer be felt. Instead, he could hear it. He could hear the soft and labored thumping echoing through the pitch-black realm. His fading heart was keeping him company. I’m dead, aren’t I? Josh thought, his eyes slowly beginning to flutter between open and shut, Damn you, death…you’re such a sick bastard. Then, Josh felt something. It was another presence. Even on death’s doorstop, Josh’s rage and pain wouldn’t quell. As his eyes were beginning to finally shut, he thought he saw something red and glowing lurking somewhere far, far away in front of him. Hiding within the dark realm of his mind. His beating heart slowed and eventually stopped, but the eerie redness continued to linger. It was coming closer and closer to Josh with every passing second of his remaining life. With his hearing shot and his mouth lame, he used his perfect vision to get a good look at the thing before he was taken away. What…is that? Josh wondered, watching as the red objects continue to come closer and closer to him, just as his eyes finally shut, Oh, great…I’m being sneaked up upon by some kind of demon…or monster…or Death itself. Yay, I’m about to be ripped apart…maybe have my soul gashed from my body…perhaps have my limp heart chewed straight out of my chest…oh, Death, you are such a cruel, sick, heartless bastard. I hate you, Death. Kiss my ass, why don’t you? Josh opened his eyes, his mouth stretched wide open in a silent scream as he lay on his back. He stared up at the ceiling, his eyes bloodshot and his heart pounding furiously within his chest. He was locked in a frozen, terrified stance, but his voice wouldn’t come to him. He thought he could still see the red demon on the ceiling of Applejack’s house, within the darkness of the sleepover room. Just hiding and mocking him as it slowly faded away back into his head. Back into his dreams. But, as of that moment, the stallion was alive. The disgustingly-horrified expression frozen on his face made it clear that he was not feeling so well, though. His body was drenched in cold sweat, ruining his mane that Sweetie Belle had worked so hard to get right before they went to bed. His hind legs were clenched around one of the pillows on the sofa with his tail ruptured between all three. His right foreleg was hanging limp and cold off the side of the sofa with his left clutching his beating heart and never wanting to let it go. Finally, he was able to expel some deep breaths from his lungs, but his mouth remained locked in the wide oval of terror at what he had just experienced. Without moving even an inch, Josh’s trembling green pupils darted to either side of his sockets as they scanned the dark room. The window nearby showed a full moon in the sky, the elevated height casting a reddish glow through the window pain as it flooded a quarter of the room. On the floor, the three Cutie Mark Crusaders all slept snuggled together in their sleeping bags, snoring softly and cutely while having sweet dreams. Josh’s uneaten s’more lay untouched in the same place he had left it after turning away from Applejack just before collapsing on the sofa. Applejack…where was she? “Apple…jack?” Josh choked out, finally managing to find his voice as lifted his head an inch off the soaked couch, “Any…body?” But, his voice didn’t wake the three fillies, nor did it somehow bring Applejack back into the room. It was late at night, possibly sometime in the morning, but since he couldn’t see a clock in the room, he couldn’t tell. Josh couldn’t go back to sleep. Slowly rising from the cold and wet sofa, Josh continued to catch his breath. He shuddered, realizing just how cold he was, and feeling stupid for not having grabbed a blanket or something to bundle up with. He glanced down at the sofa and shook his head at how badly he had sweat during his…nightmare? No, that was no nightmare. That was something worse. Something he couldn’t explain. Something different and something evil. But, exactly WHAT was it? “Twilight Sparkle…are you there?” Josh whispered, easing himself off the sofa and landing shakily on his sore hooves, “Is this…some kind of sick joke? Are you…punishing me? Good one…you’re awesome…now, come out so that I can kill you.” But, Twilight Sparkle didn’t come out. No one did. Josh was still alone, save for the three sleeping fillies on the floor. Shaking his head, Josh carefully eased his way past Sweetie Belle, then maneuvered around Scootaloo, before finally stepping over Apple Bloom. He needed to go for a walk to clear his mind. His heart was still beating so quickly that he was afraid he was gonna suffer a heart attack. Perhaps that’s all what had happened. Maybe he had suffered a heart attack, or perhaps even a seizure, and that’s what caused that worse-than-a-nightmare nightmare. He wasn’t sure, since he had never had a heart attack or seizure before. But, all he knew was that his mind refused to stray away from what had taken place during his sleep. Josh couldn’t let it rest. Being as quiet as he could, Josh twisted the doorknob with his right hoof and opened the door. It creaked slightly, but besides a soft squeak from Apple Bloom and a rather annoying snort from Scootaloo, the Cutie Mark Crusaders stayed asleep. Muttering to himself, Josh stepped out into the darkened hallway of Applejack’s quiet farmhouse and shut the door behind him. At a young age, Josh had developed a fear of the dark. Due to the horrifying ghost stories his biological father had teased him with, Josh had always been afraid of the dark. He spoke a big game, but in his greatest times of need, even Josh didn’t want to be by himself in a dark place. This was one of those times. “Applejack…where are you?” Josh hissed, his eyes nervously darting around the empty home, “Please, come out…I need to go for a walk…oh, dammit, I sounded like a stupid dog…” The only answer he got was the soft rustling of the wind outside brushing against the nearby kitchen windows. He realized that he was on his own this time. Goody…the ONE time I want one of these dumbass ponies with me, they’re all asleep! Josh thought to himself, angrily trotting towards the front door, I don’t care if it IS nighttime…that’s no excuse! Ugh, I’m gonna kill someone…where’s Simon Cowell when you need him? Opening up the front door, another gust of wind instantly nailed him right in the face, causing his sweaty body to shiver from the cool feeling. Equestria sure did chilly at nighttime. He really didn’t like the cold, but Josh really needed to go for a walk to clear his head. He was afraid that if he didn’t, he’d need to hit something, and he didn’t want to hurt one of the fillies or damage Applejack’s house. As much as he didn’t like her, he wasn’t stupid enough to commit vandalism and destruction of property just because he had apparently had a bad dream. Closing the door to Applejack’s house behind him, Josh took a deep inhale of the crisp nighttime air and began to trot along a path through Sweet Apple Acres. Somehow, glancing at all the still apple trees, each one with ripe and beautiful apples hanging off its branches, made him at peace. The horrific nightmare or whatever it was that he had still lingered in the back of his mind, but before long, he was starting to easily push it past him. He had been through worse before. Heck, it was probably just karma getting the best of him again. Nothing to worry about, really. “Huh…look at this place…that silly little farmer pony harvests all these every year?” Josh mused out loud, trotting up to the nearest apple tree and tapping the trunk, “Man…she’s WAY stronger than I give her credit for…these are solid trees! Damn, I’d have to be in the way of her if she REALLY wanted to let me have it. Wait…why the HELL am I speaking NICE things about her? I HATE that pony! Well, hate’s a strong word, but…it’s true, ain’t it? I hate this world and everyone and everything on it! But, then again, I hate my world as well…I hate everything.” Giving a sigh, Josh sat his rump down at the base of the apple tree he chose and glanced up at the sky. The full moon seemed to right overhead, as though it was looking down at him. Out here in the open, it no longer had that creepy, reddish glow to it. In fact, it was rather beautiful. The sparkling stars aligning the night sky complimented the lunar sphere nicely. Josh always did love the nighttime, despite his secret fear of darkness. It was such a beautiful time, seeing the artwork that was crafted each and every evening. It was never the same; it was always different and always changing. It was lovely. “Josh…what are you gonna do?” Josh spoke out loud to himself, propping his chin up on his right hoof as he stared glumly at the ground, “All you do is stick your foot…ugh, HOOF in your mouth over and over again. This world seriously isn’t for you…but that’s not your fault, right? These ponies are SO freaking lame! They’re girly, they’re freaky, they’re stupid, they’re retarded, they’re obviously mostly lesbian, they have weird colors, they talk too much…I can’t STAND them! And yet…why do I find myself so hesitant to now want to return my home as quickly as before?” It was at that moment that Josh remembered Zecora, and how he was supposed to go back and get a special bath to cure his poison joke ailment. He certainly didn’t want to spend another whole day as a stupid pony. He still wasn’t used to his wings, his horn was as good as useless at the moment, he hated walking around on all fours, and he felt so much weaker than he did as a human. Plus, having a tail made his butt itch a lot. He had to head back to see the zebra tomorrow for sure. “Okay…so, the plan is…get Zecora to fix me…then deal with these loser ponies for as long as I can until their troll of a princess finally contacts me and informs me that she has a way to send me home,” Josh said out loud, crossing his forelegs and smiling, “Yes, perfect plan! I’ll be home before I know it! And then I won’t ever have to see this dumbass place again. No more Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom or…Applejack.” The image of Applejack came into his mind, and Josh paused for a second as he thought of the blonde pony. He HATED blondes; he found them to be so idiotic. Plus, Applejack was rather smelly, she had white acme or pimples or SOMETHING on her face, she had a volatile temper that she didn’t mind unleashing on Josh’s butt when he was acting up, she wore a stupid hat, she spoke with that stupid cliché southern accent that Josh really aggravating, she harvested fruit and Josh HATED fruit, and she was just downright ANNOYING. But, despite all that…he couldn’t get her out of his mind. “DAMMIT! I’M GONNA KICK HER ASS!” Josh roared, getting to his hooves and slamming them onto the ground, “I’M GONNA FIND A BIGGER CLIFF THAN LAST TIME AND THROW HER OFF IT! SHE’S GONNA BECOME A LARGE PANCAKE THAT’D BE BIG ENOUGH FOR AN ENTIRE VILLAGE TO EAT!” The angry former human stomped back and forth in a huff, pondering what to do next and how to get revenge on Applejack for really no reason at all. Since he was “calmer” now, he was thinking of heading back to the farmhouse and getting some more sleep. After all, he WAS a guest, so he still had the rights to sleep there. However, upon glancing up at the moon again, Josh felt his heart begin to lighten up. It was like the moon was calling to him to relax. It was then that he felt like singing. Closing his eyes, Josh concentrated hard and used the world of Equestria to his advantage. Soft and beautiful music began to play out of nowhere, as was accustomed to the cartoonish world, and as the stallion opened his eyes back up and glanced upwards at the twinkling stars, he gave a rare smile and he began to sing softly out loud. Josh: Open up my mind with these spoken words. Let this music soar like a flock of birds. This world is really lame, lame, lame, yeah. And yet I’m still here, ooh. Is this how it’s supposed to be? Living life with dumb ponies so close to me? Oh, God, this can’t be my remedy! My head’s so freaking numb; I think I need therapy. Yeah, it’s been only a day now, and yet I haven’t gone crazy; what I want to know is how? I’m smacking the ponies down; I can hear their squeaks now, seeing wrong signs when I turn around. At that moment, Applejack suddenly trots out from behind a nearby apple tree very close to Josh and begins to sing with him. Applejack: Hey, dumb Joshy, what you hatin’ on? Lookin’ at life, like how did ya get it wrong. Life’s too short, ya gotta live it long. I wish ya didn’t hate me; when will we get along? Hey, dumb Joshy, what you hatin’ on? What you really hatin’ on? Life’s too short, ya gotta live it long. I wish ya didn’t hate me; when will we get along? Josh looked angry and embarrassed that Applejack was there, but it didn’t stop him from continuing. Josh: What’s peace to a moron like me? I just don’t belong here, can’t you see, yeah? I could cry, put my face in the sky and live life like I’m never gonna die. Sure, we’re fighting and fussing over nothing; so much destruction, looking upwards. Combusting like nothing, now listen. It takes dedication, to change your direction. From bad to good, you just have to keep elevating. But I’m nothing, family's nothing, all you ponies nothing. I just really hate this, living on this feeling. Damn, I just want to scream; AJ, do you hear me? Wait until I go back; this is all for nothing. Josh growled and looked away, but at that moment Applejack got right up close to his side as she sang the final lines of the song. Applejack: Hey, dumb Joshy, what you hatin’ on? Lookin’ at life, focusin’ on just the wrong. Life’s real weak, ya gotta live it strong. I wish ya didn’t hate me; can we please just get along? Hey, dumb Joshy, what you hatin’ on? What you really hatin’ on? Life’s real weak, ya gotta live it strong. I wish ya didn’t hate me; can we please just get along? Josh wanted to kill Applejack. She had dared interrupt his private song and had humiliated him. He desired nothing more than to destroy her, right then and there. But, as the mare pressed up against his side, his face flushed and found himself unable to harm her. Not like he could anyway; he knew that he would never lay a hoof on her. But, all the same, it didn’t stop him from being pissed off about her intrusion during a private moment of his. “Sorry, Joshy…ah can tell that yer none too pleased with me,” Applejack spoke, giving a little chuckle as she turned to look the stallion in the face, “Can ya forgive me?” “I don’t know…can we take a little walk to that cliff from earlier?” Josh said sarcastically, “The darkness should really help the matter so that you don’t see it.” “Hardy har-har,” Applejack frowned, pushing the former human with a hoof and glaring at him, “Now that was just uncalled her! All ah did was sing with ya. What, do ah not have a good enough voice for ya? Is mah accent too stupid for yer likin’? Or maybe ya just don’t want to be caught singin’ with a blonde pony who smells bad, right?” “...pretty much,” Josh smirked. He grinned in delight when he saw Applejack fuming at him. Oddly enough, getting under her skin always thrilled him and got him to forget most of his troubles. Why, he had no idea. There was just something about torturing the farmer pony that made him happy. “For yer information, ya dang rascal, ah sing all the time and ah personally don’t think ah’m that bad!” Applejack snapped, “If it wasn’t fer me, ya’ll would’ve just embarrassed yerself out here. Ya wanna know somethin’ that stinks? It ain’t me…it’s yer singin’, Joshy!” It was Applejack’s turn to grin when she saw Josh ready to blow up. She couldn’t explain it, but something about teaching Josh a lesson, both verbally and physically, really satisfied her. She really never had the chance before to have “fun” like this. She would never hurt her friends, or Spike, or her family. Josh kinda asked for it, and she was more than happy to deliver each and every time. Two minutes later, Josh once again found himself moaning in pain and laying on the ground after another thorough whipping, courtesy of Applejack. Again, the hayseed filly had taken a seat right on the stallion’s back as a sign of victory, proudly grinding her butt down onto his backside as she gave a playful chuckle. Either Josh didn’t like to fight girls, or he was just bad at upfront attacks. Either way, the boy was pretty easy to beat when it came to frontal assaults. “Get your big butt OFF my back!” Josh snarled, squirming and trying to throw Applejack off, but just like last time, he had no such luck, “Damn you! I am NOT your seat!” “Shut it, or ah’ll shut it for you by sittin’ on yer face!” Applejack warned, giving Josh an evil smirk to prove that she wasn’t joking around. “Try it and see what happens!” Josh dared, but when he saw Applejack beginning to scoot her rump towards the back of his neck, he widened his eyes in fear and quickly shook his head. “Okay, okay, sheez! You can sit on my back for now…I’ll punish you for it later.” “Ah knew you’d see things mah way,” Applejack giggled, leaning back and propping her hind legs up onto her lap as she got comfortable on Josh’s back, “Sure is a pretty night, don’t ya think? Ya picked a nice night to go fer a walk, Joshy boy.” She glanced up at the sky and gave a content smile. “Yeah…I like picking good nights and not bad nights, you see,” Josh said sarcastically. He decided to not tell Applejack about the weird nightmare he had. There was no point in getting her acting like Twilight again and worrying about every little thing. That was ALL he needed; another female to nag him and worry about nothing. All females were good at were nagging and yelling anyway. The two stayed together in silence for a while, neither pony having the courage to really say the next words. Applejack wiggled her butt now and then on Josh’s back, while Josh squirmed and attempted to buck her off at the same time, always to no avail. Applejack glanced down at Josh now and then to try and get a read on his face, but every time she tried, he would always attempt to glare up at HER, so she was forced to quickly look away and pretend that she was looking up at the stars. Eventually, Josh broke the silence. “Hey…I don’t take back what I said, but…I’m sorry for upsetting your sister and her friends,” Josh grumbled, gritting his teeth as he forced himself to say the apology, “I didn’t mean to make them sad. But…I didn’t know what else to say…I only speak the truth, you see.” “Only speak the truth…ya sound an awful lot like me, Joshy boy,” Applejack said calmly, “Ah’m the element of honesty, ya know. You only speak the truth? Well…so do ah. Funny how that is, eh?” “Yeah…wow, we have ONE thing in common…what a miracle!” Josh snickered, “It seems that we’re not miles away from each other…only about 90% of a mile. Say…why are you out here anyway?” “Oh…well, ah couldn’t sleep…was tossin’ and turnin’ all night…so, ah went to check up on mah sister and her friends, and saw that you were gone,” Applejack explained, “Ah came out here and heard ya singin’, and…well, ah wanted to join ya.” Another silence followed. Josh wanted to ask Applejack exactly WHY she had joined him. Neither of them liked each other. They both kept fighting and they both knew that they really had nothing in common, besides the fact that they always spoke the truth. Therefore, the former human really had no idea why Applejack would want to sing with him. Did she just want to embarrass him? Did she want to insult him, like he kept doing to her? Or…was she just being nice? He had no idea. “Humph…well…I SUPPOSE you had a pretty decent voice…now that I think about it,” Josh muttered, looking away from Applejack as she bounced a little on his back, “Thanks for singing backup…Jackie.” “Whoa…what did ya just call me?” Applejack gasped, a small blush appearing on her face. “I called you ‘Jackie’…something wrong with that?” Josh frowned, “You keep calling me that annoying ‘Joshy’, so I thought I’d call you ‘Jackie’ in turn. Does it bug you? Good, I’ll keep doing it.” He let out a little snicker, failing to see Applejack’s red face turning even redder. She didn’t really know how to feel about what Josh called her. She hadn’t been called that cute nickname since she was a filly. It’d been such a long time. “Heh…Jackie…nice,” Applejack whispered, slowly laying down on Josh’s back and closing her eyes, “Joshy…and Jackie…both j’s…cute.” The orange pony cuddled up on Josh’s warm back, using his mane for a pillow as she fell asleep almost at once. “Stupid pony…first I’m a chair, then I’m a bed…I was not raised to be furniture,” Josh whispered, but the longer he stayed in the cool evening grass, the harder it was to stay awake. Eventually, Josh’s eyes grew heavy, and with a final glance back at the sleeping mare curled up on his back, he drifted back off into dream world as well. Hopefully, this time, his dreams wouldn’t be so dark.