The room was silent as the spell melted from Seb. Fluttershy stepped forward to greet him. His first image, however, was Celestia and his anger started to cloud his vision. He made like he was going to start screaming at her, but his shoulder began hurting. It hadn’t done any healing at all while he was imprisoned, but it hadn’t gotten worse either.He clutched it and stumbled a little as his began losing his balance. Fluttershy kept him steady.
“What do you want from me now?” Seb asked through the pain.
“Tells us why you stole the Elements of Harmony.” Celestia said. Twilight looked at her confused, weren’t they supposed to be asking for help?
“Why should I?” Seb asked through gritted teeth.
“It may be the difference between life or death for you.” Celestia said sternly. Twilight and her friends exchanged confused looks. Was their princess really threatening someone?.
“What do I care? Go ahead your highness, do what you want.” Seb replied with a slight crack in his voice. His voice had gone soft and sorrowful. He had all but given up now. With his body broken and his mind longing for the days when he had Trisha safely nestled in his arms, he didn’t care what anyone did to him anymore.
“You really do give up easily.” Celestia said. Seb turned his head away from her.. Celestia considered what she could say to the young soul in front of her in order to allow him to speak to her in confidence, but nothing seemed to work.
“Would Trisha want you to give up?” That caught Seb’s attention. It was shy little Fluttershy who had spoken.
“What do you know?” Seb asked.
“If Trisha was the wonderful woman you made her out to be, and cared about you as much as we do, then she wouldn’t want you to give up.” She knew she was pushing his anger, and knew he could lash out at her if he wanted. Seb stole a quick glance at her, then looked away sadly.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Seb said sternly and began walking away. Before he could make it to the doors, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Sebastian.” He turned and saw Trisha standing before him, glowing with a slight ethereal aura standing in front of him. “You can’t keep running from your past Sebastian.”
“You’re dead.” Seb said simply.
“Yes, I am, and it isn’t your fault.” Trisha replied. Seb noted she was wearing the same dress he had met her in and shuddered. It was creepy, but it was her image and it was her voice, just as he remembered it. Maybe it really was her ghost that made his scar still hurt.
“I should have protected you.” Seb said, turning away. He had forgotten all about his pain.
“There was nothing you could do, but you can still protect those you care about.” Trisha told him sweetly. Seb looked up, confused. “These ponies need you, Sebastian.”
Seb looked down at first then turned back to the others. He scanned the expressions of the ponies surrounding him but suddenly noticed one thing. He couldn’t see Twilight. He couldn’t figure out why it bothered him, she was probably just out of his line of sight, but he still searched for her. His heart nearly stopped when he finally figured it out. He turned to Trisha and went to touch her, but his hand simply slipped through her body. In a fit of rage, he burst through Trisha’s image, and tackled Twilight to the ground.His shoulder popped and cracked and whined in protest of his actions but he his anger numbed him to all pain.. He held the frightened unicorn down to the ground,staring menacingly at her and squeezing her leg with his left hand.
“Don’t you EVER fuck with me like that again.” Seb hissed.
Twilight was more frightened that he had spoken so calmly than the fact that he had her pinned. He lifted his left hand, clenched a fist and brought it down as hard as he could. He punched the floor inches from Twilight’s face, breaking a few tiles in the process. He stood up, letting the purple unicorn get up on her own accord and tried to walk away. His shoulder wouldn’t allow it and he dropped to the ground, far too exhausted to go any further. Celestia turned to Twilight.
“I...thought he would listen to her...” Twilight said. She hadn’t meant to upset Seb, but she figured he would listen to Trisha so she had conjured her up out of memories and masked her voice with what she thought Trisha would sound like.
Fluttershy walked over to Seb and tried to help him but he simply shoved her away. Celestia stepped forward instead.
“Last time, you told me you’d help for Fluttershy’s sake. Has that changed? Will you let Fluttershy be killed because of this war?” Celestia asked.
Seb began shaking, tears were forming in his both from pain and heartache. The screams of the dying ponies he had heard in the hospital were back and the voice of the child from his dream was screaming at him, asking why he killed Trisha over and over again. Suddenly, they vanished as Fluttershy hugged him, her gentle wings wrapping around him like a comforting blanket. He returned her hug and stayed there for a moment. It seemed all his demons went away when Fluttershy touched him or spoke to him. Maybe it was because no one had touched him so gently in years, or maybe it was just her calm demeanor. Either way, he didn’t want it to stop and he didn’t want it to die. He managed himself onto his feet with Fluttershy’s help and turned back to the crowd of ponies.
“Fine..” He muttered. “I’ll help... I don’t know what good I’ll do, but I’ll help.” The ponies breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Now, they had a chance.
It took another week for Seb to heal to a point where he could walk decently and give out orders. With his arm in a sling, he was sent to Shining Armor, who was hiding out in a stronghold they had crafted from a few damaged homes and a barricade which was guarded day and night. It was one of the few bases that were keeping the humans at bay. At first, Shining Armor was reluctant to have Seb there but after he received the orders from his princess he had no choice.
“What kind of weapons do we have?” Seb asked, finding a place to sit.
“Spears and catapults are our main weapons. Our magic is useless but we’ve been able to hit a few unarmored scouts.” Shining Armor replied. “We’ve also been focusing on hoof-to-hoof combat as well, which seems to work until their guns arrive.”
“I figured as much.” Seb replied and ran his fingers through his hair. It had become tangled and messy since Rarity had fixed him up. He still had blood caked in it as well. “Get me every Pegasus you can find willing to fight in Canterlot, and bring me Rainbow Dash.”
Shining Armor reluctantly saluted and set a few soldiers to fetch recruits while he set out for Rainbow Dash. It didn’t take long for Shining Armor and Rainbow Dash to return. Rainbow Dash had been at a barricade on guard duty. She was shocked to see Seb at first but then glared.
“What are you doing here?” She asked, stomping her hoof.
“Your princess wants me to help.” Seb replied.
“Yeah right! The princess would never ask for help from scum like you.” Rainbow Dash said. Shining Armor showed her the orders. She pouted and snorted.
“You’re part of the weather team in Ponyville, aren’t you?” Seb asked, trying to recall what Twilight had taught him.
“Captain.” Rainbow Dash corrected.
“I have a plan, but it’ll only work once. When the pegasai come, I want you to split them up into squadrons and meet me in town square, alright?” Seb asked.
Rainbow Dash grumbled a little but nodded and flew off into the sky to wait for the others. Seb relaxed a little in his seat before he suddenly doubled over and began coughing into his palm. Shining Armor looked at him, a little confused and with a possible hint of concern. Seb took in a deep breath and pulled his hand away from his mouth, it was covered in blood.
“Tik Tok Sebastian....” He muttered to himself. Shining Armor approached him.
“You should try and rest some, I can handle the forces by myself.” Shining Armor said.
“Thanks,” Seb began “But I’m alright. I need to talk to the earth ponies.” He stood up weakly and began walking away but as he nearly collapsed, Shining Armor stepped forward and stopped him.
“You’re in no condition to go anywhere right now. I’ll bring the earth ponies here.” Shining Armor said, pushing Seb back down to his seat. Seb tried to fend him off but he arm ached and his chest was on fire once more.
“Fine.” Seb muttered.
Shining Armor placed a soldier in charge of protecting Seb while he set out. Only moments later, a young stallion came galloping towards Seb. He skidded to a stop and raised a hoof in a salute. His name was Wind Chaser, a light blue male Earth pony, with an image a leaf in the wind for his cutie mark. He hardly seemed affected by the long run he most certainly had.
“Captain, sir, we’ve caught a human.” The young stallion said. Seb stood up quickly.
“Which one?” He asked.
“Not the leader sir, but a big one. He’s in the fourth barricade’s holding cell.” Wind Chaser replied.
Seb walked over and motioned for the soldier to relax. “Take me to him.” He said simply.
Wind Chaser took Seb to the fourth barricade that lay to the east of the city center. It was the closest to the forest beyond the city and the strongest. It was nearly a city in it’s self, supporting nearly 80 soldiers. Ponies saluted Seb as he wandered through the crowds, some even cheered. They were happy they had managed to catch a human. Seb nodded to them and made his way, with Wind Chaser’s help, to the holding cells. Seb nearly busted out laughing when he saw the man behind the bars. Hank looked up when he heard Seb snicker to himself.
“Well, look who’s still alive. How’s that arm of yours doing?” Hank asked. His arms were tied behind his back with ropes, so when he tried to stand it was awkward.
“Just peachy.” Seb replied, with a cruel smirk forming on his lips. “Open the bars.”
A soldier opened the bars and Seb grabbed a spear head that been broken off from a previous battle and, without skipping a single beat, rushed into the cell and drove the spear head into Hank’s shoulder. The blood squirted on to Seb’s face and neck as Hank dropped down in agony. The ponies around him seemed confused and a little worried about Seb’s sudden actions.
“An eye for an eye eh?” Seb growled into Hank’s ear as the man’s blood dripped down his skin.
“I bet your mother wouldn’t like her boy doing this.” Hank groaned.
Seb forced the spear deeper into Hank’s skin. “I dare you to say another word about her.”
“She was too foolish for her own good.” Hank replied through gritted teeth. “I wasn’t surprised when she fired me.”
Seb took a step back from Hank, leaving the spearhead in Hank’s flesh. “What do you mean, fired you?”
Seb had no memories of his parents, he barely remembered what they looked like and no idea what they actually did.
“I use to work for your parents after they brought the city out of a depression. Your father was a scientist trying to find some type of cure or something for your mother. Your grandfather hired me to help in the lab but your mother didn’t like the way I treated the test subjects.” Hank winced and clutched his shoulder, trying to fight against the pain.
“What else do you know about them?” Seb asked. He had actually planned on questioning his prisoner on Nathan’s advances, but the mention of his parents and his story had caught him off guard.
“Why should I tell you anything?” Hank asked.
Seb brought a powerful kick to the side of Hank’s head, sending him to the ground. He then dropped down and grabbed Hank by the neck and pulled him close to his face.
“Tell me everything you fucking know or I’ll show you the meaning of torture you pathetic fuck.” Seb whispered cruely.
Hank suddenly seemed so fragile without his brothers and some poor sap nailed to a chair at his mercy.
“Your mother was sick with some type of disease. When you were born, your grandfather thought he found a cure, instead of risking it on his daughter, the old fool tested it on his little grandson.When you picked up the vacuum cleaner at two years old, your parents freaked out and dropped you off at the nearest orphanage. Your mother died of her disease not long after and your dad commited suicide.” Hank smiled at the end of his story. He seemed happy about the death of Seb’s parents.
Seb’s anger swelled up inside him and brought a fist against Hank’s face, knocking out a tooth or two. He turned away from the unconscious heap and started walking away. Wind Chaser started after him, but after a harsh glare he stopped in his tracks. Seb made his way back to the main base to see Shining Armor standing there with a mass of pegasai. He quickly explained that he couldn’t break up the earth pony forces because of an attack. Seb didn’t seem to care. When Shining Armor tried to talk to him, Seb simpled slammed his fist against a nearby table, breaking it in half. Rainbow Dash stepped out of the crowd with a furious look in her eyes.
“Hey!” She snapped. “Get your tail in gear and get back to reality Seb. We’re in a war, and you’re suppose to be helping us.”
Seb kept his back turned to her. “Go away Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow Dash groaned in annoyance and turned around, lifting her hind legs and bucking Seb into the wall. Seb’s eyes nearly changed color as he whirled around. She was right there to counteract him. They were nose to nose and their eyes were locked. Before Seb could do anything else his chest began tightening and blood spilled out of his mouth. He coughed and choked as he doubled over. Rainbow Dash didn’t go to him or pity him at all, she just waited.
“Fine...” Seb choked out. He was too weak to argue, and she was right; he needed to get his head back in the game. He gathered himself up and cradled his arm and he addressed the pegasai awaiting his command.
“Alright, “ Seb began “We’re only going to have one shot at this plan so listen up. We’re going to need the biggest storm Equestria has ever seen. I need all of you to bring all the snow, rain, lightning and wind you can get your hooves on and turn this whole area into ground zero.”
“But, won’t that destroy Canterlot as well?” A pegasus asked from within the crowd.
“Is the thought of rebuilding some city enough to stop you from living?” Seb asked. His question kept the others quiet.
“Um..e-excuse me...” A soft voice said from the crowd. Fluttershy wriggled her way through the crowd and squeaked as she found herself in the front. Fear, crept into Seb’s mind. “I’m with you all the way Seb.”
The soft-spoken little pony smiled brightly and saluted. It seemed she had worked up enough courage to help, but she was still shaking uncontrollably. Seb managed a soft smile. He suddenly felt dirty when he remembered he was still covered in blood and shuddered. He wondered why no one had mentioned it, or even Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy, how about you just stay here with me.” Seb said. He knew if she didn’t get scared during the mission, she’d probably get hurt. Fluttershy was actually happy and nodded.
Seb sent his pegasai army back to their posts until he called on them and made for the nearest bath. He found one in his base and started stripping off his clothes. He found it more difficult that he thought. With his shoulder, it was hard to get his pants off but even worse to get his shirt. Fluttershy had followed him and started helping him take his shirt off. He was shocked at first, and a little unsure about it, but he needed the help. Fluttershy looked away quickly but her curiosity about his wounds got the best of her. The brandings on his body were healing but not very well. One even looked infected. The wound across his face was mostly a scar and the holds in his body from the nails had either turned to scars or would still occasionally open and bleed. Seb caught her attention when he ran a finger across the bullet wound on his side. It was something she noticed he did often since coming back to them. She wondered what was going through his mind when he touched it. Seb finally slipped into the warm water of the bath and tried to relax. He hadn’t even realized Fluttershy was still there. She watched as Seb began shivering in the tub and began crying. His tears mixed in with the bathwater that was beginning to turn red from the blood pouring out of the wounds on his hands. Fluttershy couldn’t take it anymore, she ran over to him and hung her front hooves over the edge of the tub.
“Oh, please Seb, don’t cry.” She begged in her typical shy voice. Seb looked over at her and used his wrist to wipe his tears away.
Fluttershy smiled softly and put her hoof over Seb’s hand, despite the blood pouring from it. His other arm quivered in it’s sling as pain ripped through it. Seb leaned against the edge of the tub, resting his his head against Fluttershy’s body as she hugged him. He looked like a scared child. Fluttershy nuzzled his cheek gently, getting a tear on her muzzle, and hummed gently. Fluttershy wanted to ask what was wrong, but Seb was obviously not in the right mind to answer.
“He killed her...” Seb whimpered
Fluttershy looked down at him. “Who?”
“Nathan killed her...He killed Trisha.” Seb clutched her as best he could but his shoulder prevented him from being able to hang on. Fluttershy rubbed his back with a soft hoof.
“Oh Seb, I’m so sorry.” She whispered.
“I’ll kill him...I’ll fucking kill him!” Seb cried out he kept muttering that he’d kill Nathan until his tears ran out. Fluttershy said nothing and simply comforted him as best she could.
When Seb finally got himself together, Fluttershy helped him get dressed in fresh clothes and walked with him as he made his way back to Shining Armor and his soldiers. When they arrived, Twilight and the others were waiting for him. Celestia was beside them. He did a quick bow and found a seat, cradling his arm.
“I understand you have a plan forming.” Celestia said when Seb was comfortable. Seb didn’t have time to wonder why Twilight and the others were there; it was most likely to help.
“Yes, it’s a one shot and risky plan but it’s the best chance we got.” Seb replied. He showed no evidence that only moments before he was bawling like a child in the arms of a pink and yellow pony.
“I intend on leading an attack on the northern human troops. They are close to breaking through and if we don’t attack now, they’ll get through and destroy us all.” Celestia said.
“That’s foolish.” Seb replied.
“We must. I’ll be leading them personally, please hold off your plan until we’ve succeeded.” Celestia responded and turned away, not even waiting for Seb to argue.
“I think we should trust the Princess,” Applejack began. “I’m sure she knows what she’s doin’”
“I agree Applejack.” Twilight said and turned to Seb. “Now, tell us about this plan of yours.”
Seb stood up and walked over to a table, spreading out a map of Canterlot and the surrounding area. The ponies surrounded him. Seb had marked the known whereabouts of Nathan’s horde on the map and grabbed a quill pen.
“This is my plan, it’s simply, but it’ll work.” Seb said. “Humans haven’t seen magic before. These humans are using it now but that doesn’t mean we can’t catch them off guard. Humans are also pretty weak against the forces of nature and storms can devastate us.”
Seb shuddered at the memory of a particularly harsh winter he struggled through one year. He had lost count of how many dead animals and homeless humans he found, frozen to the streets. He’d been lucky; He had found an old woman who opened her home to the homeless and crashed there in the night. The woman had tried to get him to go to an orphanage at one point, and even tried to adopt him (he was only 16 at the time) but every time she brought it up, he’d leave.
“So, you’re just going to make a big storm?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yes, Rainbow Dash, in a sense at least. My idea is that this will level the playing field; if we can’t see then they can’t see either.” Seb explained.
“But won’t that hurt us in the long run?” Twilight asked.
“Like I said, this is a one shot deal. While it’ll hinder us, it’ll hinder them as well. Humans don’t do well in battle when they can’t see and it makes them make poor choices and they can panic. If we can keep our cool we’ll be able to take them.” Seb explained.
“If this type of thing confuses humans so much, won’t it confuse you too?” Rarity asked.
“Probably. I may not be much help in this battle but I can help with numbers.” Seb replied. There was another thought going through his mind, however. He would be useless in more ways that one. Not only would the storm disorient him, his injures would hold him back and make it nearly impossible for him to fight, and even worse it would make him a sitting duck. He was not expecting to live through this battle.
“Come on then! Let’s put this plan to use and kick some butt!” Pinkie Pie yelled, grabbing her party cannon. Seb couldn’t help but laugh.
“We’ll give the princess a day. Rainbow Dash, prepare the pegasai. I’ll be relying on you to make this the biggest storm ever.” Seb said. Rainbow Dash saluted and flew off.
Shining Armor, who had only been listening the whole time, stepped forward. “What can I do to help?”
Seb felt honored to have Shining Armor offer to help. “Tell every pony that when they see the storm clouds forming, to let the humans come into the city. Make them feel like they’re winning. This is will catch them off guard even further, and they’ll also be in our territory when the storm comes.” Shining Armor saluted and left to give out orders.
“Y’all said ‘every pony.’” Applejack announced. Seb looked at her confused. “Y’all are starting to sound like one of us.”
The others smiled brightly at him and he returned their smile. He then turned away quickly as he began coughing and wheezing. Fluttershy went to him but he recovered quickly.
“I’ll be there soon Trisha... Wait for me.”