//------------------------------// // Set Sail! // Story: An odd family: The foundations. // by EdBoii //------------------------------// Storm No one had seen me come out of the alley, or at least I didn't think so. The place was as calm as always, ponies going about their lives as usual, without even suspecting what was about to go down. Twilight's house wasn't too far away from where I was, but I wasn't heading to the library anymore, I had a date with some bastards back in the forest... My fists were shaking as I walked, it had been barely two days since I last beat the shit out of someone but I still felt like it. Hell! I could have smashed a wall just to let out some steam! "Fucking fuckers fucking with my fucked up life..." I muttered as I moved through the maze of streets, I knew my way around the place by now, I was always a natural for directions and shit like that, so it came as a sixth sense for me. A turn to the left and one to the right, wait... Was it left? Or right left right? Maybe I should have... "Ah! Here it is!" I walked up the street to Sugarcube Corner, aka diabetes and high blood pressure, and then crossed over to Snowflake's house. The humble exterior was a perfect masquerade for the nobleman's castle on the inside of the structure, I doubt many ponies knew what it looked like inside. I placed both hands on my pockets and instead of knocking, I opted to shout Snowflake's name as loud as possible, you know, cuz I'm cool like that... "Yo Snowflake! Open up man! Something happened and I think you might be interested!" I leaned against a wall and waited for either Featherweight or Snowflake to open the door. Several seconds passed, I was getting anxious by now, the adrenaline was rushing through my veins, fists still shaking and eyes darting from side to side. "Come on you damn pony... Are the stairs really that hard to walk?" I groaned and knocked on the door a couple of times, maybe the walls were too thick for my voice? "Coming! Coming!" Wait... That wasn't Snowflake... That was a mare's voice... The door opened and a smiling Flintlock appeared behind it, she looked somewhat surprised when she saw me, but afterwards her smile only widened. "Hey there Flint, Snowflake home?" I smiled and waved, fury dissipating slightly, but not completely. Flintlock took a little to reply, seemed to be entertaining a thought or something, but time was short running short, no time for thinking. "Um... Flint? I'm kind of in a hurry? Left someone knocked out back there and he'll wake up soon..." I snapped my fingers in front of her face disrupting whatever was on her mind. She shook her head and smiled again. Then my words sunk into her brain. "You did what!?" Her jaw nearly dropped and her eyes widened. "Why!? Are you hurt!? Did-" Whoops Flint! Grave mistake there, you just gave a chance to be awesome! "Am I hurt?" I arched an eyebrow and smiled smugly. "Worried about me Flint?" Was that a blush? "Wha-? No! I mean yes, kind off, I- That doesn't matter! You knocked a pony unconscious!? Why!?" Flintlock stammered and stood aside, opening the door wider to let me in. "Dunno... He was kinda following me around, so I guess it was justified..." I shrugged and walked inside, wanting to explain the whole thing when Snowflake was with us. "So, where's Snowflake?" Flintlock closed the door and walked inside, following me down the stairs. "I'm not sure, he said he was going to talk with the mayor and left a while ago with Thunderlane and a couple other stallions, he said he would be back soon." Flintlock said as we entered Snowflake's true house. The mansion never failed to impress me, some of the paintings depicted ponies in what seemed to be victorian garments, while a few others had both stallions and mares clad in armor. "The big guy sure takes pride in his family, huh?" I walked closer to one of the paintings, this one was more simple, a wooden frame surrounding a photo of Snowflake and Featherweight playing in the park. A smile forced its way to my face, would I have pictures like this with Lightshine? Or a photo of me and Ectorius playing soccer? Maybe Aquilder's first flying lesson? The rage I had felt but moments ago suddenly dissipated, leaving me thoughtful and somewhat depressed... Flintlock moved closer to me and lightly placed a hoof on my arm. "Iron, are you alright?" I turned to face her, the look of concern in her eyes said more than words ever could, she cared about me, whether as just a friend or something else I didn't know, but it didn't matter at the moment. She was a friend, truly one I could rely on... "Iron." Despite the doubts she probably felt, despite everything, she was helping me... "Iron..." And she was not a bad looking mare either, yeah sick I know, whatever, I had come to accept that much about my situation, a rose by any other name is still a rose, even if it has a little more fur and doesn't have any boo- "Iron!" Flintlock gave my stomach a light punch, breaking my train of thought and snapping me out of my so somewhat strange thoughts, I blinked stupidly and focused on her. She was smiling, a slight shine to her eyes. "Sorry, kinda got distracted there." I smiled awkwardly, realizing I had been staring. "You said something?" "I asked you if you were alright." Flintlock looked at the picture and then back at me. "Were you thinking about your kids?" I nodded and looked back at the picture, a feeling of insecurity washing over me. It was depressing, not knowing wether my children would be able to live happily, with all the differences between them and the ponies, with me as their parent. "I'm not sure if I can raise them properly, I wouldn't want them to grow up to be shunned by society..." Flintlock nodded sympathetically, then a hesitant look took over her face, as if she was entertaining a thought she wasn't sure about acting upon. I acted like I didn't notice and watched as she made up her mind. Slightly trembling with excitement, she slowly brought her head closer to me and nuzzled my arm. I felt the hairs on my skin stand as the blood inside my veins boiled, my head felt light as a feather, her soft breath brushing against my skin, the feeling of her fur against my bare flesh felt comforting, peaceful, calm... She sighed, not sadly, not comfortably, it was a sympathetic gesture. "I know what it feels like... Not feeling up to a task, thinking you'll mess up... That you'll let somepony down if you fail..." Flintlock looked at the photo the whole time she spoke. But her undivided attention was on me, it was obvious in the way she blushed as her face touched my skin, or the way she spoke. Something told me that she was talking more about herself than about me though... Perhaps her parents made her feel that way? When she was younger? "They pressed you hard, huh?" I looked at her, feeling her pain as if it were mine, my heart was beating fast by now, out of my control, the feelings that controlled it having being born out of fondness for her. Or was it more of a need? Was my sudden attraction to the mare a simple result of the lack of women? Was I really that instinct driven? "They loved me... But yes, sometimes they pressed me to be more like the filly they wanted and less like the one they had..." Heart beating furiously, nervous drops of sweat running down my brow, ears and face red as the fire burning inside my soul, screaming at me to comfort her, to hold her, to not mess up by doing something stupid. In the end I gave a mental sigh and decided to play my cards. I raised my hand, taking leap of faith, I ran my fingers, slowly, gently, lovingly, through Flintlock's mane, the yellow hairs felt like pure silk against the rough skin on my palms, her fur beneath it was soft and warm, it's texture leaving a nice sensation on my hand. She stiffened at my touch and her cheeks got a little redder. Oh shit, had I been too forward? Maybe she wasn't comfortable with this, what if I removed my hand? Would she feel offended or- She relaxed, letting her body loosen at my touch, she gave a content sigh, barely audible but still there, and all my worries in the world disappeared. I smiled a little, all thoughts about letters or fighting gone, and caressed her mane lightly, carefully. All in perfect silence. The house was empty, no sounds from the outside world could be heard since it was underground. The atmosphere was peaceful and quiet, a sanctuary which time itself could not touch. Seconds dragged by, Flintlock leaning slightly against my body as I continued caressing her mane, a smile had formed on her face and the blush had left her cheeks, she was comfortable. But time waits for none, and mine was running low. I sighed and tapped her shoulder gently, wishing that moment had lasted longer. She stirred and looked up at me with slight disappointment in her eyes. I'd be lying if I said the feeling wasn't mutual. "Let's go find the tough guy, aye?" I smiled gently and she nodded, her expression unreadable. Flintlock followed me back upstairs and through the doorway into Ponyville. With time against us and it being a matter of minutes for the stallion to wake up, we would be seeing a miracle if we were to find Snowflake before he left the town hall. I closed the door to the mansion and we began our trek to the town hall, the peace and quiet from before still accompanied us for a little longer, like a blanket, sheltering us from the world. "Iron... Can I ask you something?" "Sure Flint, ask away." We were walking through the streets of Ponyville, the sun was hovering in the middle of the sky now, and Twilight was probably pissed about me not helping her out with the kids. "Did you... Did you have family back in your world?" We walked for a a couple of minutes through the peaceful town before the cobblestone road came to an abrupt end in front of a large plaza, the town hall stood in the middle. With nothing better to do than wait, I decided to walk over to a fountain with a statue of what I assumed, was their princess. "Yeah, you know, the usual members, mom, dad and a couple others-" "No, I mean, like, any non related family? Like a-" "Girlfriend?" I smiled and sat on the floor beneath the statue, it's shadow protecting me from the sun. Flintlock remained standing, looking away from me while her hoof kicked lazily at the ground. "The Equestrian term is marefriend..." I nodded and offered her a seat on the ground next to me, placing the grocery bags that I was still carrying, in front of me. "No Flint, I didn't have a girlfriend back home," Her ears straightened and she stood a little straighter. "but, there was this one girl..." She turned to look at me, her expression blank, perfectly hiding any emotion she might have had. Her poker face put Gaga to shame. "There was?" "Yeah, good looking too, was crazy about me." I looked at the sky and grinned, both at the memory and at Flintlock's reaction. "And you?" "Huh?" "Were you? In love with her?" She was looking off to the side, at what must have been one hell of an interesting bench. In truth, that girl had meant the world to me before she had to move out of town, but I couldn't voice my pain to those who followed me, they needed to be confident in me if they were going to fight. "Nah, she was too clingy." I said flatly and looked away, just in case she was any good at catching lies. We sat there for a little while longer, the sun shining high in the sky, not a cloud in sight, it was a beautiful sight, clear skies... "Huh, I wonder how they do that..." I thought out loud, the weather was always perfect in town, barely any clouds and it never rained, despite it being late autumn. Flintlock looked at the sky and smiled. "Aren't there weather teams in your home?" She kicked a small pebble towards me, it landed next to my hand and I picked it up with two fingers. "Like a weather broadcast? Yeah, but they can't control it." I threw the pebble into the air and caught it as it fell. Although controlling the weather sounded pretty cool, it wasn't a big deal that we couldn't, humanity grew used to it I guess, but Flinty here thought otherwise. She frowned and watched as I toyed with the pebble, intrigue overcoming her features. "You can't control the weather? Doesn't that affect you?" I smiled and tossed the pebble back at her, it landed in front of her hooves. "It does, I guess, but it's just something we grew accustomed to, we don't pay much mind to it unless there's a real catastrophe headed our way, and even then, we don't move unless it's necessary." "That doesn't sound very smart." Flintlock shook her head and kicked the pebble back to me, it rolled off slightly to the side and stopped by my shoe. I chuckled and feigned injury. "Well excuse me! Not everyone is able to use magical friendshipness and whatnot to prevent stuff!" Then I grew serious. "Some of us have to endure..." Flintlock must have sensed the weight on my words, the pain and fear of years past... "Was it really that bad?" I slowly moved the pebble towards my hand using my foot, picked it up and looked at it as if it were a mirror into the otherworld. Images flashed through my mind, newspaper articles, beheadings, shootings, corpses being found under bridges, outside police departments, inside boxes, and trash containers. "No... It could have been much worse..." The minutes dragged on, I didn't care, Snowflake was bound to come out of the town hall sooner or later and I didn't want to enter in case I got in trouble for the alley business. I began to doze off, the heat of the sun and the calm of the plaza forcing my eyelids shut. Flintlock had to wake me up every now and then, until she started to fall asleep as well. My eyes closed, and the last thing I felt before sinking into dreamland, was a light pressure on my shoulder. Sometime later. "Why, don't you two look simply adorable together?" The voice was coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. "Have you enjoyed my little treat so far, Iron? You have been a little rough, don't you think?" I remembered that mocking voice, but I couldn't put a face to it. "But oh, how much fun you have brought into the life of this boring old town!" Wait, fun? "This little experiment of mine has worked fairly well, even if I do say so myself!" Experiment... His plaything... "Ah! But the best is about to come! Be in your best behavior when my good old friend stops by, yes? I have the most wondrous feeling you won't get along very well!" The bastard. "There he is!" I heard footsteps, or hoofsteps? Beats me... "He's with somepony else!" My eyes opened slowly, the voices sounded familiar and I somehow knew that wasn't a good thing. "He's waking up!" As consciousness slowly returned to me, I noticed that my arm felt numb and warm, a few drops of sweat had stained the collar of my shirt, and that the pressure on my shoulder was still there. I shook my head and tried to rub the sleep off my eyes with my hand. I couldn't move my arm. First thoughts? Taken, strapped down to an operations table and ready to be opened in half by a saw. Reality? Flintlock. She was leaning against my shoulder, sound asleep and breathing peacefully, we must have fallen asleep next to each other and she fell on top of my arm. Her coat and the midday sun were what had made me stain my collar with sweat, although the cool autumn breeze kept it from being too much. "Iron, you have a lot of explaining to do..." I groaned and shielded my eyes from the sun with my free hand, I definitely was not in the mood for Twilight... "I also have to take a shit and you don't see me yelling it out..." I muttered and gently nudged Flintlock. She opened her eyes and yawned, then realized where she had fallen asleep and sat up immediately, an embarrassed look on her face. I turned to face the rage of purple pony and noticed she had reinforcements. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy stood beside an upset Twilight. "Damn it... Did you have to bring in the heavy guns?" I stood up and waved at the ponies. Pinkie was the only one to return the gesture. "Where were you Iron? Fluttershy and I have been looking all over town for you! You were supposed to bring back Fluttershy's groceries and help me with your kids!" "It's really not much trouble if he is a little late..." Fluttershy hid behind her mane, but no one paid her much mind anyway. "Twilight, I know you're angry, but trust me, there is a really good reason for my disappearance." I held both hands up and took a step forward, fully knowing it could be my last. Twilight gave me an inquisitive look and arched an eyebrow, I took that as my sign to explain. "Well, you see..." Be tactful Iron, remember how easily they freak... "I knocked someone unconscious in an alley and I'm planning to go to the forest to kick the ass of the ponies who sent him." Flintlock facehooved, Twilight gave an exasperated groan and Rarity sighed. Not sure what Fluttershy did though, her mane was in the way, but Pinkie had an alligator on her head for no apparent reason, so I guess she approved. "Are you going to send the letter, Twilight?" Rarity asked, her voice was loaded with sadness. "What letter?" I asked but if they heard me, they didn't care. "I'll have to, he's out of control..." Twilight hung her head and Rarity nodded, the secrecy was making me angry, it was one thing to keep a secret behind one's back, but it was another to rub it in someone's face. "Hey guys? Mind telling me what's going on?" The annoyance in my voice was evenly matched by the confusion, but I already knew it wasn't something I'd like. "We're calling the princess, Iron, she instructed me to do so if you proved too unstable to live among ponies." Twilight looked at me, determined but equally saddened. "At first we thought you would adapt, that it was a phase, but you're dangerous." Whoa! She couldn't be serious! What in the glorious fuck! The only fight I started was at the bar, and those bitches had it coming to them! I wasn't dangerous! "What? Stop fucking around! He had been following me, it was self defense!" The volume of my voice had risen and some of the ponies that walked by stopped and looked at us. "If it were up to me I'd be living happily back at home instead of being surrounded by colorful mini horses! But it wasn't my fault I ended up here!" "Iron please keep it down, we don't want the entire town listening in on us." Twilight moved closer and tried to place her hoof on my arm to lead me away. That was it. I pushed it away and took a step forward, overshadowing the tiny pony, Twilight was taken by surprised and took an instinctive step backwards as my terrifying self loomed over her. I was not going to let her treat me like a child, she was horribly mistaken if she thought I was going to let her control me. "Two things." My voice was dark and serious, leaving no room for argument. "One, you don't tell me what to do..." I took another step forward. "Iron, what are you-" "And two, you don't tell me how to act..." I pointed a finger at her, and shook my head slowly, as if I were scolding a little kid. "Got it?" Not waiting for her to answer, I turned around and left, making a hand gesture for Flint to follow me, but not bothering to see if she did. I walked back through the streets and to the library, we were moving. My honor had been insulted, and my pride called for either retribution, or a severing of ties. The later was less taxing. Upon reaching the library I knocked savagely on it, the urge to smash something had been a recurring feeling since my encounter with the pegasus in the alley, and Twilight's insult only made it resurface. The door opened to reveal a confused Applejack, she smiled and said hello, I simply walked in and went straight for the kid's room, picked up Aquilder in my left arm, Ectorius on my right, and told Lightshine to follow me. They were smart kids, already understanding a few basic words, wouldn't be too long before they started talking. Lightshine smiled and giggled, dropping a few blocks she had been playing with and followed me out of the library, holding on to my shirt with one tiny hand as we walked. Aquilder let out a high pitched squeak and flapped his wings in an effort to free himself. He didn't do it to escape though, it was a little game of ours, I held him in my arms and he did his best to climb up to my head and pull at my hair, when he did, it meant he won. No time for games at that moment though, we had to move before Twilight got back, she didn't know where I was planning to go and I meant to keep it that way. It just wouldn't do if she were able to pinpoint my location to the police, aye? Walking outside of the library, I gave Ectorius to Flintlock for her to carry, she had followed me after all, in complete silence, but followed nonetheless. She balanced him on her back and he laughed happily, literally enjoying the ponyback ride as he started fumbling with Flintlock's mane. She smiled, whether at Ectorius and his antics or at me to cheer me up, I didn't know, but I couldn't help but return the gesture. Leaving a confused Applejack and the library behind, we walked back to Snowflake's house, occasionally sharing a laugh as one of the kids did something funny or outright adorable. The walk was silent though, we both knew just how deep the shitpool I had thrown myself in was, and how hard it would be to swim out of it. We knocked on the door and waited, Snowflake was bound to be back by now. The mastodon of a pony opened and greeted us, we walked inside and briefed him on the desperate state of the situation, we needed to hide for a while. He offered one of the guest rooms and I went to settle the kids in for their midday nap, it would give us about two hours. As I secured the perimeter of the bed with pillows to prevent the kids from falling during their sleep, Lightshine decided to be adventurous. The little centaur looked around the room and walked over to a cupboard, deciding it was worthy of her attention, she pulled out a drawer and spilled it's contents on the floor. "Lightshine, no!" I moved in and started picking up her mess, pencils, papers, a map of the surrounding forest, and some... I frowned and picked up the map, it seemed to be recent, judging by the date and condition of the paper. I unrolled it and took a quick glance at it, not very detailed, but most of the forest's bordering topography was readable enough so I rolled it back and put it in my pocket. "Snowflake, there's something I needed to tell you." I started to stand up with the intention of going over to plan out the next move, but a tiny hand stopped me. Lightshine was tugging on my shirt, a pleading look on her face. As I looked down at her, she held up both arms asking me to carry her, I smiled and lifted her from the ground, holding her with both arms. "Ain't you the cutest little-" Another tug and a bite pulled my attention from my daughter down to two other little faces, both sharing the pleading look Lightshine had given me. "Just wait till they hit puberty bro, just wait..." I sighed and somehow managed to fit all three of them in my arms. Flintlock had filled Snowflake in on everything that went down at the plaza while I was busy getting the kids to sleep. They were sitting down at a table inside the kitchen, sharing a cup of coffee as Flint finished the tale. I, being the boss that I was, walked in and announced my presence like a badass. "Well, now that you know, we can skip the bullshit and get down to business, I found a map of the forest." I walked towards the table, Snowflake and Flintlock focused on me as I unfolded the map and laid it down for everyone to see. "I say we walk in and beat the shit out of everyone before Twilight sends the army after my ass." Snowflake looked at the map and then back at me, concern clearly showing, Flintlock looked at her hooves without speaking, neither said anything for several seconds. Seconds I didn't have. I glared at both of them, annoyed at their reactions, I didn't have much time to do so something, and catching a couple mafia members could help ease my way out of trouble when Twilight brought the royal ass kickers. "Hello? I don't have much time for this bullshit, ok? As far as I know, the fucking army is assembling right fucking now!" I didn't raise my voice, the kids were asleep on the other room, but I made it clear that it was now or never. Snowflake nodded and stood up. "Very well Iron, you're my friend and I'll help you out on this," He made eye contact and held it for a couple of seconds before continuing. "but I won't be able to help out if something bigger than the local police comes for you." I nodded and placed both hands on the table. "Fair enough, Flint? You in?" I looked at the mare, she looked up and nodded once, sharply and without hesitation. I smiled and clapped my hands as I looked down at the map, eager to get started on the attack plan. "Excellent! First things first," I pointed at a clearing by the edge of the forest, not too large and it was surrounded by plenty of trees, excellent place for an ambush. "The letter I found said that they'd find him when he got to the forest, and they didn't put a meeting place, so we can only assume that they have the entire forest edge littered with lookouts." "What letter?" Snowflake asked, looking up from the map to me. "Didn't Flint tell you?" "You never told me anything about a letter, you just said you knocked a pony unconscious." Flintlock shook her head while looking at the area I had pointed out in the map. "Oh, right, anyway it doesn't matter," I facepalmed and continued with my plan. "So, I have an idea, someone sneaks in and acts like he is the pegasus, aye? Then, the lookouts will meet with him and take him to their lair, all we would have to do is follow our spy and they will lead us straight to our target!" I finished explaining by throwing both hands in the air, excited about my own machinations. Snowflake thought it over and nodded, a smile spreading through his face, but women always have to complicate everything... "Who is going to go then? As the pegasus I mean, Iron can't go and they already know Snowflake, so who's going?" Flintlock to the rescue! Killing my plans like a boss! "Don't worry, I'll get a volunteer from the guys at the weather patrol, It'll be hard to get Dash to let us take one though... Mare's stubborn as a mule and she's captain of the weather team." Snowflake took the map and scanned it for a little while. "Yeah, problem solved! Except for one little issue..." I looked at Flintlock, she frowned not sure what the problem could be, but it was quite obvious if you thought about it. "I don't suppose you were able to make the weapons in such a short time." Snowflake asked her, catching on with our most recent obstacle. The motherfuckers still outnumbered us. Flintlock shook her head sadly. "I still need about two weeks to finish a single one, don't even get me started on three..." I nodded and stood up, no point in being sad about it, we were still going to kick some ass. "Whatever, let's go." I walked over to the sink and pulled out a kitchen knife, not that I intended on killing anyone, just to be safe. "Better safe than sorry..." Snowflake looked at me, surprise on his face, but afterwards he just nodded, although he was obviously uncomfortable at the concept of using a weapon, he was still a pony after all. Flintlock was about to argue, but fell silent, looked at the floor and nodded as well. I slid the knife into one of my pockets and walked over to the door, making sure I was still mobile enough to run without stabbing myself. Snowflake and Flintlock followed me, we were silent as we walked out of the house, through the streets, and towards the weather patrol's ground offices. "I'll be right back, shouldn't take longer than a couple of minutes." Snowflake had been using his quiet voice, it seemed like he switched to it whenever he was uneasy. Flintlock and I waited outside the place in silence. It was as if that had become the norm, no talking, just waiting for the inevitable. I took the time to reflect upon my dream, the one from earlier today. It was like a prophecy, a bad omen waiting to become truth, with Twilight saying she was going to write to someone with authority, and with that someone coming to town, most probably to oversee my imprisonment, I was running out of time. "I'll give it three days before the person Twilight was talking about comes to town and puts me in shackles." Flintlock looked at me with sadness in her soul but resolve in her mind. "The princess won't take that long, she should be here by the end of the day." I froze. End of the day? Royalty surely wouldn't concern themselves with common- scratch that, I was not common, I was stronger than the average pony and everyone knew that, it shouldn't surprise me if my head ended up rolling should I defy the land's rulers. "What makes you so sure her highness would bother herself with me?" Flintlock walked over to my side and gently leaned against me, like she did before. "Iron... You underestimate yourself," she looked up and our eyes met, her's were concerned, mine felt heavy with the residue of rage, confusion, humiliation and excitement. "If the date you said you arrived in Equestria is true, then it only took two days for the news to reach Fillydelphia, by now most of Equestria should be aware about you, and the one we saw in the plaza was her protégé, Twilight Sparkle, she will no doubt send that letter to princess Celestia." I lowered my gaze, there was no escape now, everywhere I went, they would know me and fear me, I had to make it big here or be an outcast to the entire world. Twilight's position was not to be laughed at either, I had been an idiot and played all my cards wrong so far... "So, I take it I should have been more gentle with the locals..." A twisted grin crossed my face, full of irony and despair. "Should have been more... Submissive..." Flintlock did the equivalent of holding my hand by pressing her hoof against it, gently. "Sometimes it's easier to just let others decide for you..." The silence returned, the soft autumn wind blew the dry leaves across the floor, without caring if they liked it, not knowing, the leaves just rolled, they accepted their fate without questioning it. Grin and bear it, fucker. Grin and bear it... Tears welled up in my eyes, it was hard being the epitome of strength, and that's what I had turned myself into, a bastion of solid rock that nothing would be able to break, nothing but it's own weight. So tall and mighty I had made myself to the eyes of the natives, yes, I was the paper giant, I was the wooden greatsword, and I was an average fish from the sea, thrown into a small lake where I made myself feel powerful. But now that my mistakes came to haunt me, now that the smaller fish were to bring the true king of the lake, what was I to do? "I will fight..." Flintlock looked up, her eyes had pierced the stone wall and were able to see me for who I truly was, a lost soul among strangers, a man torn from his world, and there is just so much a man can take before collapsing under the weight of his own lies. "Iron... You don't have to do that anymore, just ask the princess to forgive you, just ask and-" "And what, Flint? Hide? Admit that I was wrong? What would you like me to say to her? That I was wrong and she was right? What other lies should I tell?" I moved away from her, but not breaking eye contact. She seemed hurt at my reaction, her eyes glistened with unshed tears and her hoof slowly fell to the ground, no longer being held by my hand. "There will be no absolution, no salvation and no forgetting, Twilight and the other ponies will look at me forever as the man who thought himself better than them and was proved wrong, as the idiot who thought so highly of himself just to be slammed to the floor! And I will have none of that! Ectorius, Aquilder and Lightshine would suffer if I surrender!" I took a step forward, and knelt before her, holding her head between my hands delicately, making sure she was able to see every ounce of determination in my eyes. "You know the difference between a legend and a regular man? A man does as much as he can and dies happy because he knows he did his best, a legend does not, legends live with the expectancies of thousands, they stop being men when mortals elevate them to the heavens through tales and stories, they become so much more..." "... and they are expected to be more, the moment they die, they go to the afterlife wishing they could have accomplished even more than what they did, because that's what they do, legends live on, but only as long as their stories are told..." Flintlock placed a hoof on my arm and smiled tenderly. "Iron, you're not a legend, you are just one man, you don't need to be remembered by everyone, you have three kids to care for, and..." She looked down, hesitant, but then looked back at me, a fire in her eyes. "And you have ponies who love you, do you really need anything else?" I stood up, she was sincere, and she was probably right... But I was a legend, not a good one but still a legend, and my story was going to be heard throughout the land, it was my plan and only hope by now. A peaceful life in the land of Equestria was no longer an option, if I was going to be a part of society, I'd have to be more than a pony. I would have to become a legend. "I'm sorry Flint, but no, it just isn't enough, I have called myself the Iron Galley, and I will become like one! Strong as iron and always ready to charge headfirst like a roman galley, I will fight for my children's right to have a good life, I will become a legend!" I turned around and started walking to the end of town, Snowflake would have to catch up. "Tell Snowflake to meet me by the edge of town, I'll be waiting there." I called back to Flintlock, not turning around to see what she thought about it. There was no time for that, it was time to make my lies into truth, to make steel out of paper. If the storm was to come, then the Iron Galley was going to break it's waves in half and sail through it. Sail through the punishment. Get to port with a grin on my face. Look down at my wounds and laugh. Because that's what we humans do, we endure the pain and punishment, we sail through our lives as the whip tears the flesh off our backs and then we laugh it off and carry on. In the end, we endure.