//------------------------------// // Burning Out // Story: The Word Became Ponified // by ArthemistheSwordsman //------------------------------// “Alright, I’m sure you’ve all got (ERK!) questions to ask.” Aben said, grunting when the bandage on his front right hoof was tightened by Fluttershy. “Spike and I will answer them, but ask now. I’ve got a lot to explain before we continue, and we best do that soon.” “Alright, first off; Spike, where were you?” Twilight demanded the dragon. Spike scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Well, I got hungry in the middle of the night, and went to our food to find something to eat. But I heard some rustling and hid in a bag. I kinda, uh, fell asleep. Next thing I know, I’m being carried through the woods by Aben!” “Yeah, I never bothered to look in my bags in my rush.” Aben admitted. “Ah, I think that’ll do. Thanks, Fluttershy.” He moved his hoof around, adapting to the bandage. “Now I have a question.” Fluttershy sternly gazed at the stallion. “Why did you try to kill us?” “Well, it was my hindsight really.” Aben chuckled, but his laughs were not shared. “You see, I’ve had a mission that was really an assassin trying to kill me. He was a fake from the start. I’ve learned to search the teams’ stuff the first night, because if you do it too soon it’ll make you seem paranoid. Do it too late, and that’s just it; you’re too late. And well, I found the Bible. I had heard that a group of ponies had taken a dangerous relic from Ponyville, and well, you guys fit that bill perfectly.” “That doesn’t explain the rage.” Rainbow pointed out harshly. Aben sighed. “Well, I promised I’d tell you my Life Saga. Since we don’t exactly have that much time, I’ll just tell you the important bits.” The ponies all sat across from him, and he repositioned himself. “Okay, it was about twelve years ago. I was still a young colt, didn’t even have my sword mark here yet. I lived in a city a bit off from here, with my mom and pop. Life was fine; I had a few friends, and we all liked exploring and gettin’ into trouble trying to find our cutie marks.” The Ponyvillians chuckled. This sounded a bit familiar. “Anyways, one day, our lifestyle changed. Like I said, I lived a bit off from here, so I was still near this hell-hole area of treachery. It was twelve years ago…” He started gazing down. “What? What happened?” Twilight asked. “A gang attacked our city. They claimed it was their territory. As such, we refused. And they started slaughtering everypony. They didn’t want members; they just wanted our goods. I witnessed many of my friends and their families get brutally murdered. My parents were some of them.” Fluttershy trotted over to him and gave him a hug. She didn’t know why, but she felt like he could really use a hug right now. He continued explaining. “I survived by grabbing my father’s hoof-blade. He had it for self-defense, but they got him before he could arm himself. When I had successfully defended myself from three brutes by beating them with the flat, my mark appeared. I rue its image to this day, and every time I fight I’m reminded of that night.” “Oh, I’m sorry. If I knew, I would’ve fought that guy off myself.” Rainbow said, offering her condolences. “Ah, no worry. It brings me joy to use my accursed talent for the good of others.” He smiled at the ponies. “Well, when it died down, I looked for any of my friends. I only found one; my best friend, Stab Nail. He was with me all the time before that night. When I found him, his parents were also dead, but I saw a scarier sight; there were four dead thugs laid in a pile nearby him. They had bruises all over their bodies, and a metal shard between their eyes. Stab didn’t have any tears in his eyes when I found him, but his face and voice had proven to me that he had done all his crying already. Then and there, we vowed to each other to never leave each other; we were the only family we had left.” Twilight was shocked at this story. She knew that if she had lived without her parents and Shining, she would’ve turned out a completely different mare. The trauma of witnessing their murders is another level entirely. She was impressed at how Aben didn’t act like a traumatized pony at all. “We found some safe wreckage to sleep. Later that morning, thanks to being near Defte,” here his voice grew more hopeful, “the adventurers came. Led by Excalibur himself, they rooted out and stopped the gang. All remaining members were arrested for life. It was then that three ponies found me and Stab.” “Excalibur, Jakob, and Ruby?” Spike asked, and Aben nodded. “Yeah. They asked us what happened, and we told them. They then offered to house us in the guild hall.” “That’s why you said you knew the guest quarters!” Twilight realized. “Yeah, Stab and I stayed there for a good five years. We grew and learned from other adventurers. We wanted to join the ranks of them when we grew up. But most importantly, I and he bonded. We had become a great team, brotherly love on a great level. We were inseparable.” “Wait, why haven’t we met Stab yet then?” Fluttershy asked. “Well, in a way, you have. I’ll explain in a moment.” He spoke with tears forming from this question. “I have to tell things in order.” “Okay…” The pegasus replied timidly, feeling she offended him. “Well, we became adventurers. We had done a good few missions together and apart. We had learned personally from Jakob and Excalibur. But something was different. Over time, Stab had gotten a little quiet. He had changed, and he lost his inspiration in his eyes. I was still talking to him, but he seemed different. Then, it finally happened.” “What?” Twilight asked, before realizing. “Wait, what you told me earlier?” Aben nodded. “That’s right, the plot to kill Excalibur. I don’t remember the details, but all I know is that it was a fake mission that was obviously a fallacy. He took it knowing this, and exposed it for what it was. But that ended up being his downfall. It turned out the fake mission was a decoy, and during his exposure of that hoax…” “…he was stabbed in the back of the neck.” All the ponies gasped. How could he have fallen like this? “But that’s not the worst. Obviously, the guild reacted. But the conspirers were prepared. The guild fought itself, and in the end, several ponies had died and a good deal were imprisoned.” “Wow, that sounds horrendous…” Twilight stated. “But the worst part was this. Stab Nail…was on the conspirers’ side.” Jaws dropped. Nopony could believe this. His best friend, killed their mentor? “In fact, he was the one who stabbed him in the back. Stab ran away right afterwards, so I never got to hear why he did it.” “So, that’s why you reacted so hard from betrayal?” Twilight asked. “I trust still, because I know that I mustn’t become a cold-hearted beast. That’s what Stab wanted me to do.” “But, if you have all this in you…” Twilight solemnly inquired. “…why did you come back?” “As much as I hate being betrayed, I don’t want anypony else to feel that feeling of when your best friend and hope are all taken away from you.” He said, smiling at his new friends. “But, we deceived you and betrayed you!” Rainbow couldn’t figure it out. “You didn’t have to come back.” “Guild Rule 22 says I must follow through with my missions.” He smirked. There was a clause saying that this doesn’t apply to illegal missions, but he left that part out. “But still, there must’ve been more than that.” Twilight said. “No offence, but you don’t seem like the kind of pony who’d come back because of a rule.” “Well, I think Spike can tell that better than me.” He pointed at the seated dragon. “I told him our situation.” Spike flatly explained. “I told him about Jesus, the Bible, the poster, and our trip to see Celestia.” “I agree with you on the fact that something like immortality should be hidden. And I still don’t understand this whole ‘God’ character, but I’m going to help you. Because Excalibur would’ve wanted it; because I want to…” “…and because old Stab would’ve wanted me to.” That name reminded Fluttershy of something. “Speaking of, what did you mean, we’ve met him before?” Aben turned to Twilight. “You remember that picture you saw in the hallway?” “Yeah, of you, Jakob, and Ruby?” She answered, failing to see the connection. “There was one more.” The stallion unequivocally said. Suddenly, Twilight remembered a black pony in that picture. He was staring off in the distance, and he had a white mane… “That Inquisitorial Captain!!” She shouted. Her friends gasped in horror. “Wait, why did you tell him about the Bible and not notice it was him?” “What? I didn’t see him until when he assaulted you!” Aben answered confused. “He was really crafty, but for him to find you, that means…” “…somepony knows that we have the Bible.” Twilight assumed. The situation suddenly got direr. “That just means that Stab will catch up with us faster. We have less time to reach Celestia now.” Rainbow reasoned. “We better get a move on.” “Right. Let’s pack up our camp. We better get moving right away. I’ll answer any other questions if needed on the road. But for now, we better move!” Aben said, returning to his natural tone of determination and seemingly idiotic bravery. “I know how to cover my tracks pretty well. So, we’ll move stealthily, but also swiftly. This way we can still sleep safely a few nights.”