//------------------------------// // Bricked // Story: The Fate of a Man // by Jayellow //------------------------------// Chapter Two: Bricked It was the next morning, and Twilight was just waking up. Letting out a yawn, she stretched her legs and left her bed. Walking down the stairs, she was contemplating what to have for breakfast. Just as she was about to reach into her cupboards for some food, she felt a snap. It wasn't something physical, but it was the only way she could describe it. And she knew exactly what it was. Fluttershy had broken the enchanted pencil she had given her. Forgoing her meal, Twilight ran out of her home, and towards Fluttershy’s cottage. Running as fast as her hooves could carry her, her mind raced with possibilities. “What if it is hostile?” She thought, “What if it hurt Fluttershy? It would be all my fault, I’m the one who suggested it stay with her! I need to get there!” Keeping her pace, she felt a presence on her right. “Whoa, Twilight, where are you going?” She heard a familiar voice say. “No time to explain, Dash, Fluttershy is in trouble!” She said between breaths. “What!” Her blue friend shouted, “I’ll see you there!” And a rainbow trail flashed in front of her. Only a few seconds later, that same trail burst through Fluttershy’s front door. Coming to a quick stop, Rainbow Dash looked around. She saw her friends’ yellow form softly struggling over by her stove. It seemed to be covered by some blankets, and a weird animal she had never seen before. “Hey!” She shouted, by her friends side in an instant, “Let her go!” “Shhh!” Fluttershy chastised, “It’s sleeping!” Flabbergasted, Rainbow looked at her friend, “What?” “I didn’t mean to worry anyone, but I needed some help, is all. I would have waited until it woke up, but Angel saw me and he was so scared, so I told him to break the quill Twilight gave me. You got here so fast, too!” Fluttershy explained, keeping her voice low. “Is she alright?” Another voice entered the scene, gasping for breath. “Yeah, she’s fine, for the most part. But I want to know what this thing is!” Rainbow said, still louder than Fluttershy wanted. “Well, funny thing is, we don’t know.” Twilight replied with a nervous chuckle, a hoof on the back of her head. “Wait, WHAT!” Rainbow shouted, “Fluttershy, grab my hooves!” As Rainbow Dash frantically pulled Fluttershy out of the odd creature’s embrace, Twilight smacked her face with a hoof. She understood why Rainbow acted the way she did, but still. If she wanted to save her friend from the sleeping unknown, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to shout and possibly wake it up. Which is exactly what happened. Just as Fluttershy escaped its arms, the creature groaned. “Oh, my head. Jessie, I thought we agreed not to hit the bottle so hard anymore.” It said, pulling its pillow over its head. A moment passed in which no one spoke. Then, the silence was broken by none other than Rainbow Dash. “IT CAN TALK?” She shouted, her jaw slack. Fluttershy and Twilight shared a flinch, and the odd creature tensed up. It was like every muscle in its body flexed at once, as though it were in great pain. Twilight noticed that it started to breath faster, and its upper limbs began to tremble. Just as she was reaching out a hesitant hoof in an attempt to comfort it, it stopped. It became deathly still, hardly moving a muscle. Slowly, it removed the pillow from its head, and sat up. It looked at the colorful ponies in front of it, and said “Can I help you?” Its tone was completely devoid of emotion. Its face held no signs of feeling, either. It was as if in the moment it relaxed, it lost the ability to feel. The mares had differing reactions. Rainbow Dash’s eye began to twitch a little, the absurdity of the moment getting to her. Fluttershy let out a small squeal, and hid behind Dash. Twilight, however, had the brightest reaction. Normally, she would have worried about the cold demeanor it had adopted, but her thirst for knowledge held the front of her thoughts for the time being. It had essentially just given her the opportunity to ask it any question she wanted. Hurried, she looked around. “Fluttershy! Pencil, paper, need it! Now! Please!” She said, jittery. Glad for the excuse to move away, even for only a bit, she rushed into her bedroom, and back out with the requested materials. “Here you go, Twilight,” She said, returning to her spot behind Rainbow Dash, who still hadn’t moved. Clearing her throat, still flush with excitement, Twilight said, “Yes, thank you, Fluttershy. Anyways, first, do you have a name? Mine is Twilight Sparkle, by the way. And these are my friends, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.” The animal, whose face was still straight, replied “My name is Michael Greenfield.” “Interesting,” She muttered, “Anyways, moving on. What gender are you?” “I am male.” He told her, his voice even. The questioning continued, and it was revealed that Michael was twenty three years of age, and was omnivorous. It may have continued for hours, but just as Twilight was going to question his clothing, Rainbow interrupted. “Alright, what is going on here?” She asked, “What are you?” “I am a human, Homo Sapiens.” He said, his blank gaze now facing her. Feeling somewhat unnerved by his empty stare, she said “Homo what? Are you sure he speaks Equestrian, Twilight?” “Yes, I am. But I don’t recognize those last two words. They sound like one of the old Earth Pony languages, but I can’t quite pin it.” Twilight replied, “Oh, this is just so exciting! Now we have a name for his species! I can’t believe I forgot to ask that myself!” Throwing her hooves into the air, Rainbow Dash let out a frustrated sigh. “Fluttershy, could you explain what is going on here?” As the quiet yellow pony explained the story as she understood it to her fellow Pegasus, Twilight continued her questions. “Do you know how you found yourself in Equestria?” She asked, eyes sparkling with excitement. “No, I do not.” He droned. “Well, what do you remember?” “I was having a meal outdoors with a female companion, and we had found ourselves drowsy. When we awoke, we were in the forest where I found you.” “There were two of you? Where is she, if I may ask?” “Dead.” All speech stopped there. All three of the ponies present suddenly tried to console him. “Please,” He started, “Don’t.” “What? Why? Aren’t you sad?” Twilight asked, “Don’t you feel anything?” “No.” Was his simple answer. The ponies present once again found themselves astonished. Rainbow rushed him, and slammed him into the wall by his coat. “Are you saying that your friend didn’t mean anything to you? At all? That you didn’t care about her even a little bit?” “No. That is not what I am saying. I merely answered Miss Sparkle’s question.” He told her, no pain evident in his features. “So, you are saying that you don’t feel anything? No sadness, no grief? Not even a little bit? Is this normal for your species?“ Twilight asked, coaxing Rainbow off of him. “No. As I said, I feel nothing. But this is not the norm for my species. We are often a very emotional people. But I find myself without emotion right now. I know it is strange, but I can not bring myself to care.” Michael said. Rainbow felt her anger boil over again. She wasn’t certain why he seemed to anger her so, but it was almost as if he was betraying the memory of his friend. As the Element of Loyalty, she could not stand how he just did not care that his friend was dead, and would no longer see her again. She slammed him into the wall again, despite Twilight’s protests, and growled “I don’t like you.” “I do not care.” His eyes bored into hers. They looked dead. “Should I?” Screaming with frustration, Rainbow let him down, and flew out of the house. “Dash!” Twilight, shouted, “Come back! He didn’t mean any harm!” “Don’t bother. I really don’t care what her opinion of me is.” He said, “Could you fetch me some new bandages, please? Her roughness seems to have opened my wounds.” Taking the excuse to leave the room, Fluttershy ran to get the bandages. Meanwhile, Twilight stalked up to Michael, clearly angry. “Look,” She said, “You may be a new species around here. You may hold a wealth of knowledge, and for whatever reason you may not feel anything, but there is one thing you should know. I don’t care if you hold the secrets of the universe, if you can’t be kind to my friends, I will leave you back in that forest, research or no research! That includes anything that might do them harm. Do I make myself clear?” “I understand. I do seem to have some sense of self-preservation, still, and it would seem. I will do what I can to keep from angering you and your companions.” He said, as Fluttershy came back in with the fresh bandages. “I should leave,” Twilight said, “I don’t want my notes to become biased. I will come back later, once I have calmed down. Will you be okay alone with him, Fluttershy?” “Oh, yes. I can tell, he won’t be any trouble, no more than any of my other animals.” She said, peeling off his old wrappings. “Fair enough. Good day, Fluttershy, Michael.” Michael noticed that Fluttershy was being less than gentle while reapplying his bandages. “Did I offend you as well?” “Yes,” She said, “I may be shy, but I care deeply about my friends. I will help you as long as you need it, but if you can not be kind in return, I will have to ask you to leave.” “Fair enough,” Was his only answer. The last bandage applied, Fluttershy said “Good, now I have to go feed my animal friends. I will be right outside if you need anything.” “Okay,” He said, staring straight ahead. On her way out the door, Fluttershy noticed that he did not seem to be doing anything, hardly even moving. It was if he had stopped thinking, and may as well have been sleeping. “Um, maybe, if it wouldn’t be to much trouble, after your feet have healed, of course, could you maybe help me? It’s okay if you don’t want to.” She asked, her timid nature having returned after her irritation had subsided. “If you insist After my feet are healed.” Was his only answer. A few days passed, and his feet were finally well enough for him to walk without aggravating any wounds, provided his left his bandages on. Twilight had returned later that evening, and asked him more questions. She still seemed slightly angry, but she was strictly professional with the questioning. They discussed human anatomy, mostly, and spent some time on psychology. Michael did his best to answer her questions, but he was not entirely knowledgeable on some of the subjects she brought up. No other ponies came to visit him during this time, and the days passed without incident. Fluttershy was understanding of his dietary needs, having raised many different kinds of animals herself. He had once asked why she only gave him fish, and not other meats, like chicken or beef. She looked horrified at the concept, and told him “We wouldn’t eat cows! Only the most barbaric of animals would eat something intelligent like that! And we don’t eat chicken, either! Why would you think that?” “Cows are intelligent in this world?” He questioned, “I did not know. On Earth, my home world, cows have little to no intelligence. We raise them for dairy or meat, it is one of our biggest forms of agriculture, too.” Horrified at the concept of raising so many animals, just to later eat them, Fluttershy did not talk to him for the rest of that day. She apologized to him the next day, however, stating that she knew that things were different on his world. She also asked that he not do anything like that while in Equestria. “I will not. I will respect Equestrian customs while I am here. Besides, meat is more of a choice for humans. There are many of us who choose not to eat meat. We call them vegetarians.” She seemed a little angry with him at this, and no longer gave him fish. When he commented on the change, she said “You can live without it. I’m not going to kill another animal just to feed to you if you don’t even need it.” With a shrug, he continued to eat the salad she had given him. Once he was able to help, she also found that he was an ideal helper. He may not have had any initiative, as he didn’t care enough to think ahead like that, but he could follow orders with no trouble whatsoever. And his greater height and dexterous hands made him an excellent worker. He could fix fences and roofs faster than any pony she had ever seen. As such, when Twilight had come to continue her questioning on a day one week after they had found him, she was amazed. She hadn’t really considered the uses his odd appendages had, and her mind was racing with ideas. Later on the same day he had woken up, she had remembered to have Spike send her letter to the Princess. The next day, her response came. “Dear Twilight Sparkle, I have searched the Royal Library, along with several of the royal librarians, and we have found nothing. Whatever this creature you have found is, it is new to Equestria. If it is intelligent as you say, which I would assume based on your notes, we should do our best to make it feel welcome. This could be an opportunity to forge a relationship with a new species that could bring benefits to all of Equestria. At the same time, however, I would ask you to be careful. We know nothing of this new animal, and as such it may be hostile. I know you must be excited, but for now I must ask you to keep this find a secret. I did not fully explain what we were searching for to my librarians, so as of now, only you, your friends, and I know of this new creature. Until we can be certain it is not a threat to us, I would ask you to tell as few ponies as possible. I trust you to compile as much information on this creature, where it came from, and how it came to be in Equestria as possible. However, if you ever feel that it represents a danger to anyone, do not be afraid to contact me. I will personally come to Ponyville to detain it, and take it back to Canterlot where it can be kept away from the public. There we would study it as we would any other hostile creature, and decide what to do with it after that. Sincerely, Princess Celestia.” So, she continued her research. She would visit him every day or so, and ask him many questions. At the same time, she kept her friends away from him. Whenever they asked why she was so busy, she would tell that she was simply spending more time with Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie, however, had been a small problem. She had wanted to throw him a party the day he woke up. Twilight had tried not to use Princess Celestia’s trust in her to gain authority, but she had no choice at that point. When Pinkie heard that the Princess herself had asked that they keep Michael a secret, she had agreed to not throw him a party, on the condition that if his presence were ever public knowledge, she could invite as many people as would come. But, upon seeing the use that his hands could be put to, she had sent Celestia another letter, asking that she allow her to tell some ponies about him, if only to see if she could get him to show emotion. The Princess had been wary when Twilight told her that Michael did not seem to feel anything, but when Twilight sent her the idea, she approved it. According to him, his nature was not normal, even for him. She told her student that perhaps that magic of friendship could help thaw his icy heart, and agreed that he could help a few other ponies, and possibly make some new friends. But she also asked that Twilight only reveal his presence to the other Elements of Harmony, and their families. It was still too soon to show him to the public. She broached the subject with Michael that day, and he did not object. He didn’t express an opinion either way, but she had come to expect such from him by then. Aside from a mild curiosity, and an almost more mild sense of self-preservation, he expressed no emotions or opinions. So, the next day, she brought him back into Ponyville with her, and set him to work in her library home. As Spike had trouble reaching the higher shelves, and Owlowiscious slept during the day, she often had to take time out of her schedule to reshelf the books that had come from the top of the bookshelves. But, with the human who was at least as tall as Celestia herself, she found a lot more time to continue her studies. She had felt slightly worried that Spike would become jealous, like he had with Owlowiscious, but her worries were proven wrong. If anything, he was glad to have the extra help, himself. Especially when Twilight told him that he could be Michael’s boss while she was busy working. The young dragon took full advantage of this, and had relegated all of his chores onto the human. From then on, he would alternate between helping Twilight in her library, or Fluttershy with her animals. One day, another week after this, Fluttershy had finally deemed him health enough to take off his bandages. He had only a few left at that point, and what was on his feet was only for protection anymore. Removing one over his heart, they found that he now had a large scar crossing his pectoral. It was three straight lines cutting all of the way over his heart, and the skin that had healed over was without any hair, and smooth. She had stuttered about how he was lucky the wound had not been deeper, but he expressed little worry. It was a past event, he had said, and it would do him no good to be worried by it in the present. But, without his bandages, his chest was bare. As it was, his pants were torn from his long run in the Everfree forest, and the only other article of clothing he had was his long, brown coat. It may have reached down to his ankles, but it would not be enough when the weather started to cool. So, one day, Twilight invited Rarity to the library, where she could introduce the two of them. At first, Michael had told her that he did not need any more clothing, that he would be fine with just his coat and pants, but Twilight had not let him continue. He had told her several reasons why humans wore clothing all the time, as opposed to special occasions like Ponies. One of those reasons was that they had little hair themselves, and needed the extra layers for warmth. He had acquiesced when she told him that he had no choice in the matter. So, one day while he was helping Twilight catalog all of her books, Rarity had arrived in the library. “Alright, darling, I’m here. Now, where is this strange creature who is in need of clothing?” She asked, stepping inside the library. “I am assuming you are referring to me, ma’am.” A distinctly male voice said, “My name is Michael Greenfield, and I am the strange creature, as you put it.” She turned around, and nearly jumped out of her skin. He had walked to the door to greet her. “Oh, my, you’re so tall!” She exclaimed, looking up to his face, then added, “Oh, I apologize, how rude of me. My name is Rarity, and I am pleased to meet you.” “Rarity!” Twilight greeted, a happy tone in her voice, “I’m happy you could make it!” “Yes, well, you said you needed me to do you a favor, so here I am.” She reminded her, “Now, while I would normally chat with you a bit first, I think I will have a fair amount of work ahead of me if I am making clothes for a whole new species!” She brought a measuring tape out of the saddle bags she had with her, and asked him to stand straight up, with his arms straight out. When Michael asked if she would be expecting some sort of repayment for her services, she replied, “Oh, think nothing of it, dear. It is my pleasure to do a favor for a friend, especially when I get to make clothing for a species never before seen in Equestria! Oh, I can see it now, ‘Rarity, the designer who can make anyone look good, pony or not!’ It is quite exciting!” Twilight, however, made her aware that he had nothing but time on his hands, and if she ever needed help all she had to do was ask. She had looked at him for a moment, as if seeking confirmation, but all she received in return was his emotionless stare. “I have no problem doing as you ask,” He added while she was packing her various materials away, “As Miss Sparkle said, I have little to do with my days, anyways.” “Well, I will remember that. Thank you for the offer. I will have your clothes done by the end of the week, and I’ll bring them back here at that time. Is that alright with you?” She asked, just as she was headed out the door. “Yes, that is fine.” He told her. “Farewell then Michael. Goodbye, Twilight!” She added with a wave. “See you later, Rarity!” Twilight called back from where she was sitting. “I suppose it is time you head back over to Fluttershy’s then.” Twilight said. He did not respond, other than follow Twilight out of the door a few minutes later, when she was ready. The rest of the week passed quickly, with only one minor incident. Rainbow Dash was on her way to the library, and came across Twilight and Michael as she was taking him to help for the day. She had landed and greeted Twilight, but all Michael received was a dirty look. “Rainbow, don’t be that way,” Twilight had told her, once they had reached the library and Michael was out of earshot, “He doesn’t even know he did anything wrong.” “That’s just it, Twilight, he doesn’t think what he did was wrong! He just tossed aside his friendship for that other human, like he doesn’t even care about her! Can’t you see how he can’t be trusted? He has no loyalty! He would turn on us as soon as he decided it was better for him to be against us!” Rainbow had argued with her. “I don’t know, Rainbow, he may not express any emotions, but that just doesn’t sound right. I think the worst that could is that he would leave, and he won’t do that as long as he believes he should stay with Fluttershy. And the best way to make sure he knows this is to be kind to him.” With a grumble, Rainbow decided that she still did not trust the human, even if her friends did. She would not be hostile to him, but she would also watch him like a hawk. At the first sign that he might cause any of her friends harm, she would not hesitate to take him down. With a sigh, Twilight allowed her this. At the end of the week, just as she had said, Rarity arrived at the library with his new clothes. “Here you go, dear,” She said to him, handing the three boxed containing his clothing to him. “I know that you are doing a lot of work for Fluttershy and Twilight, so I went against my normal ideas and made your clothing as practical as I could. Although, if I might say, I think they turned out quite well!” Opening the first box, Michael came across several shirts. One had long sleeves, while the other three only reached down to the middle of his bicep. All three were dark, natural tones, colors Rarity had said went well with him. The one with long sleeves also buttoned up, so he could look a little presentable if he had to. The next box contained three pairs of pants. She had used denim for two, like the jeans he already wore, and one pair had a loop on one leg, for a hammer to be held. She had noticed the pants he had on had a strap hanging off of one leg, and hypothesized that it used to be attached to the leg. Upon seeing him pause for a moment when noticing this, but not saying anything, she figured she was right. Another was black in color, which she had included to go with his longer sleeved shirt. She really was determined to make sure he could look presentable if the need arose. In the last box was a few things. In it was a Stetson, similar to the one her friend Applejack wore. Underneath this was a few pairs of underwear, something she had been almost embarrassed to make, after he had told her their purpose. Also included was something he hadn’t expected, a pair of black socks. He suspected that she included them because of the conversation they’d had about human fashion. He had told her that he’d be fine wearing only thick wraps around his feet, but Rarity did not seem satisfied. Included with the socks was a note, “You should really get some shoes, darling. I’m sure someone in Ponyville could do the job.” “Thank you,” He said, closing all of the boxes, and stacking them up. “Well?” She asked, an expectant look in her eyes. “Well what?” He questioned back. He thought she would have something else to say, and he would have to try to understand her himself. Twilight had been too engaged in her studies when Rarity had arrived, and as such Michael had answered the door himself. “Aren’t you going to try one of your new outfits on? I would like to see what my work looks like in action!” Rarity nudged him towards the bathroom, “Go on now, try some on!” Not fully understanding why it was important, but doing so anyways, Michael went into the bathroom with the boxes. Undressing, he looked at himself in the mirror. Standing in only a pair of boxers, he looked so bare compared to the ponies that surrounded him. He looked at the multitude of tiny scars that adorned his slim chest, and the few large ones that could be noticed from a distance. He was never a very hairy person, except on his face. He had started to shave again about a week after he had arrived, after Twilight had decided it would make him appear less intimidating. As it was, he had only a half-days worth of stubble on his face, and his hair was only down to the middle of his forehead. Losing his already minor interest in his looks, he chose some clothes out of the boxes. Redressed, and about to exit the bathroom, he paused for a moment. He didn’t know why, but for some reason the thought occurred to him that Rarity might want him to wear the hat she had made for him. Reaching into the box, he placed it on his head. Stepping out of the bathroom, he noticed Rarity looked pleased with herself. “Rarity, you’ve done it again! He may not be a pony, and he may not be fashionable, but you made it work, nonetheless.” She said to herself, clapping her front hooves together a bit. Michael stood there, one leg in front of the other, almost as if he was posing. He was wearing the dark blue jeans she had made for him to work in, and a dark green v-neck shirt. His duster was still on over this, and the Stetson rested on his head, leaning up just the slightest bit. It was a look that many ponies would come to recognize, eventually.