//------------------------------// // Retribution // Story: Geoverse Part One: To Friend Is Human // by GeodesicDragon //------------------------------// I stood rooted to the spot as Derek stared at me, his friends coming out of the hut to stand at his side. Twilight and the others looked around warily; the tension in the air was so thick, you would have needed a chainsaw to get through it. "So, how did you guys end up here?" I asked. "It's kinda funny, really." Derek gave me a weak grin. "After I kicked your arse, I got back in my car and drove away." He pointed at his friends. "These three idiots started giving me major props for what I did to you, and I was enjoying it..." He paused and glared at them, who shied away and rubbed the backs of their heads nervously. "Until one of them decided to hug me; I'm guessing it was because he was so damn high. Whatever it was, I lost control of the car and we crashed. I guess that's karma for you." He shrugged. "The last thing any of us remember is a bright flash of light, and then we woke up in this forest. We set out to get something to eat, which is when we saw those ponies pulling that cart... we knew then that we weren't where we were supposed to be. That said, we also knew we'd have no problems taking stuff from the locals, as it would easier than finding it ourselves." "You're despicable!" Twilight spat, narrowing her eyes at him. "I know, right? It's amazing," Derek replied. "Mind you, those ponies didn't seem to keen to hand over their food." He suddenly pulled his gun out and pointed it at us. "Having this bad boy certainly helped, but when we realised that it was vegetarian crap on those carts, we started hunting animals." Twilight flinched and started to back away slowly while Fluttershy gave Derek an evil look from behind her mane. "We steal from your kind and, instead of fighters, someone sends you freaks to apprehend us." Derek laughed and waved the gun around. "Somehow I doubt that's going to happen; this weapon is probably the most technologically advanced piece of equipment on this God-forsaken rock — and I intend to use it to my advantage!" He suddenly fired the gun at the seven of us, the bullet slamming into the ground inches away from Fluttershy; she fainted, and the rest of the girls – including Rainbow Dash – screamed. Undeterred, I took a few steps forward, positioning myself between my friends and Derek. "What the fuck is this?" he growled. "Are you feeling brave again?" He holstered the gun and took a step towards me with his fists raised. "Come on then, motherfucker, prove it." "Violence never solves anything," I said with a sigh. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take my friends and we're going to leave you alone. Don't get too complacent, though, because you'll all get what's coming to you eventually." Derek glared at me, his eyes burning with hatred and his breathing quick. The same expression he wore the night he shot me. "Come on, girls, let's go." Applejack roused Fluttershy and we started walking; we had barely made it out of the camp when I heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps coming up behind us. I could tell that it was Derek — but this time I was ready for him. I swung my fist around and connecting it with Derek's lower jaw, a sickening crunch telling us I had managed to separate it from the upper jaw. Twilight and the others gasped as Derek fell to the ground squealing in agony, his friends rushing to his side. "Not this time," I hissed, kneeling next to the writhing figure. "Now, I don't know why you are so full of hate, and – quite frankly – I don't give a shit." Derek stopped screaming and popped his jaw back into place. "Did you know that I used to be like you?" I said quietly. "There was a time when I too hated everyone and everything; then you tried to kill me, which in turn brought me to this wonderful place." I held my arms out as I talked while Derek stood up — he and his friends all sharing the same foul expressions on their faces. "If it wasn't for these six ponies, I'd be dead. They showed me that it was possible for me to have friends again. To have a life. And best of all..." I pointed at Twilight, who smiled. "I found out that I was actually capable of feeling love." "Wait, what?" Derek laughed. "You're actually fucking that thing?" he snickered. "That's pathetic. Let me guess: no real woman will have you, so you decided to stick your dick in a pony?" "I knew you wouldn't understand," I sighed. "You're so full of hate, I'd be surprised if you weren't single; I can't imagine any woman who would appreciate having a thug like you for a partner." "I am single," Derek snarled. "But at least I'm capable of getting with a human woman if I wanted to; you wouldn't see me shagging one of those disgusting four-legged freaks." "I get it." I ignored his insulting remark about Twilight and the others. "Your 'bad-ass' attitude can get you whatever you want, but tell me something... does it make you happy?" "FUCK YOU!" Derek shouted. "You're not my damn therapist!" I shook my head. "No, but I am human," I replied. "We believe that we can get what we want, and we're often prepared to do whatever it takes to make our dreams a reality; you and I do so differently." "Oh yeah?" Derek smirked. "Explain how, smart-arse." "My dream was to find someone who loves me for who I am," I said. "When you shot me and I woke up here, it wasn't long before I found her." I smiled at Twilight, who smiled back. "As for you... well, I can't say I know what your dream is — but I can say that you are prepared to bully, intimidate, lie, steal, and do all other manner of awful things in order to make it happen." Derek opened his mouth to say something, but didn't, instead opting for walking over to me. I clenched my fists, expecting the worst; I was then taken by surprise when he embraced me. "Y-you're right," he said quietly. "I am a bully, but do you know why I'm a bully?" I shook my head — and then I felt a pain in my groin as Derek brought his knee into my crotch, a move he followed up by headbutting me. "Because I fucking love it." He hissed in my ear, before pushing me to the ground. *** Twilight and the others gasped as Geo fell to the ground holding his groin, a pained expression on his face. They continued looking over at him with concern, even as Derek addressed them. "Humans never change," he said. "It's in our nature to be greedy, deceitful, backstabbing bastards." He pointed at Geo. "And that fucker is no different. If it meant getting anything he wanted, then he would sell each and every one of you down the river in a heartbeat." "You don't know him like we do!" Twilight yelled, her eyes brimming with tears. "He's a kind, gentle person who is nothing like you!" "Don't make me laugh!" Derek snarled. "Humans are the very definition of 'scum,' and we're going to fucking prove it!" he snapped his fingers and called to his friends. "Hugh, Frank, Edward, let's show these animals what being human really means!" The four of them ran towards the six mares; Twilight tried to cast a spell, only to be interrupted by Derek jumping on her. "Oh no you don't, you bitch!" he roared. "You're mine!" "Twilight!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She started running towards Derek, but was jumped on by Hugh. "Get off me, asshole!" "I'm comin', Dash!" yelled Applejack. She pulled a rope from her saddlebag and began whirling it around her head. "Frank!" Hugh yelled. "Get the bumpkin!" "On it!" Frank nodded and ran over to Applejack, kicking her in the side of the head. The force of the attack knocked her off her hooves and sent her sprawling onto her side. "Take that!" "Applejack!" Rarity cried. "You brute, how dare you!" Her horn glowed blue, but Edward grabbed it and lifted her into the air. She squealed and began flailing her hooves at him; Edward laughed at her, holding her at arms length so she couldn't hit him. Fluttershy lay still, hiding behind her mane as the chaos unravelled before her. The cries of her friends soon reached her ears and she snapped out of her stupor, peeking out from behind the curtain of hair to see Applejack lying motionless, a large gash on her head. With a small gasp, she stood up and narrowed her eyes. "How dare you hurt my friends!" she yelled, throwing herself at Frank and bringing him down with a grunt. "You bitch!" Frank stood up and swung his fist, the blow striking Fluttershy in the jaw and sending her onto her back. "I'm gonna break you in two!" He went over to her and raised his foot. Fluttershy saw what was coming and raised her hooves in self-defence, only to gasp as something jumped on Frank. She looked over to see Geo on top of him, punching him furiously. "Don't. You. Ever. Hurt. My. Friends. You. Complete. BASTARD!" he shouted, punctuating each word with another punch. Frank could not defend himself against Geo's rage and soon stopped struggling, his arms falling limp at his sides. Geo got off him and went to check on Fluttershy. Seeing that she was all right, he stroked her mane and went to check on Applejack. She was conscious, but there was a large gash across the back of her head. "Oh, shit," he said as he looked at the wound. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner, Applejack; getting a knee to the balls hurts." Applejack chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Geo." she winced at the pain. "Go an' help Twilight, Fluttershy and I will be fine." Geo looked around to see that Rainbow Dash had managed to get Hugh off of her and was bucking him repeatedly in the crotch, while Pinkie had knocked over Edward, freeing Rarity and allowing the two of them to team up to deal with him. In the distance, he saw Derek and Twilight struggling with each other. "Twilight!" he ran towards them. "Get off of her, you dick!" As he got closer, he saw Derek reach into his jacket, draw his gun and aim it at Twilight — who started pleading for her life. "No, wait!" she said. "Think about this for a—" "I said... GET OFF HER!" Geo grabbed Derek's arm and pulled him off the defenceless Twilight. The two of them began wrestling for control of the weapon, grunting and screaming in each others faces while throwing the occasional punch. Taking advantage of the distraction, Twilight got up and ran over to Applejack, using her magic to heal the gash on her head. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity soon joined them, and the six friends hugged each other. For one brief glorious moment, they forgot all about their surroundings — only for a loud bang to bring them back to reality. They jumped and turned around to see that Derek had the gun and was smiling triumphantly. Geo slowly turned to face the girls, who screamed when they saw the wound in his chest. He dropped to his knees as Twilight ran over crying hysterically. "No, NO!" she shouted. "I told you I would do whatever it takes." Derek cackled. "And now, I'm going to kill him... followed immediately by you six." "T-Twilight..." Geo croaked. "Shh, don't talk." tears flowed down her face as she ran one forehoof through his hair, and caressed his face with the other. "The Elements," Geo groaned. "Use... use the Elements." Twilight perked up and ran back to the others, quickly filling them in on what Geo had said. They all nodded, and turned to face Derek. "You are nothing a creature of pure hate and chaos!" Twilight yelled. "However, what you don't know is that wherever hate and chaos reign, harmony is there to defeat them both!" "Fuck. You." Derek spat on the ground. "Bitch." "So be it." Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Ready, girls?" "READY!" came the reply. Twilight closed her eyes, levitating herself and the others into the air. The Elements they wore began to glow, causing the smile to vanish from Derek's face. As Twilight's eyes glowed pure white, the Elements combined to form a rainbow which barrelled towards Derek and his friends, enveloping them in Harmony's embrace. Derek screamed as the rainbow engulfed them; there was a flash of light, followed by a small explosion, and soon the Element Bearers found themselves back on the ground. They looked around to see that Derek and his friends were nowhere to be seen, although Geo was still lying on a – now bloodstained – patch of grass. "It worked, Geo!" said Twilight, running over to him with a smile on her face. "The Elements worked!" Her smile quickly vanished when she saw that he wasn't moving. "Geo?" "Is he okay?" asked Rainbow as Twilight put her hoof on Geo's neck. After a moment, she began sobbing and threw herself on his chest. Rarity came over and laid her own hoof on Geo's neck, before she recoiled in shock and and slowly turned around. "He's..." she swallowed audibly. "He's dead." Twilight wailed uncontrollably and buried her face into Geo's chest. The other five mares then gathered around, coming together for a group hug and watching as Twilight mourned her loss. After a moment, she composed herself and sent up sparks from her horn. "Signalling spell," she said, noticing her friends expressions. "The Princesses should have felt it, and will now be on their way to help." She turned her attention to Geo, who was still lying on the ground; the wound on his chest had stopped bleeding, and he had a peaceful expression on his face. "He died... defending me." She said, wiping her eyes. "Defending all of us. It's because of him we were able to defeat Derek and his friends." "He saved all of us, darling," Rarity replied, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief she had conjured. "Take solace in that." Twilight nodded tearfully. "I will," she whispered. "He was a good man." Fluttershy paused. "No... he is a good man." Pinkie's mane had deflated entirely. "I may not be able to throw a 'We Beat The Bad Guys' party," she said, her voice trembling. "But I will definitely throw a 'Remembering Geo' party." A waterfall of tears cascaded from her eyes as Rarity hugged her. "He was a great guy," said Rainbow Dash. "I'll never forget the day we met; he was so funny when he was panicking." The six friends giggled slightly as Applejack took her hat off. "He were always willin' ta lend a helpin' hand on the farm," she said, bowing her head. "What's more, he never complained once, not even when the hours were long and the days were hot." Twilight looked at Geo's body. "I'd better get him ready to travel." Using her magic, she folded Geo's arms across his chest, and closed his eyes. She started to lift him off the ground, only to stop and put him down when something fell out of his jacket pocket. "What's that?" Pinkie pointed at it. Twilight picked up it and saw there was a gift tag attached. To Twilight Sparkle My friend. My love. My everything. Geo. "It's for me." she looked at her friends. "S-should I open it?" "He were gonna give it to ya at some point, sugarcube," Applejack said reassuringly. "I don't think he'd mind in the slightest." The others nodded in agreement, prompting Twilight to open the box slowly. As she did do a golden glow illuminated her face, and she gasped in shock, holding a forehoof to her lips. "What is it, Twilight?" asked a concerned Rainbow Dash. Twilight showed her friends the item she held in her magic; a solid gold hoofband, adorned with rubies, sapphires and diamonds. Along the inside was a familiar inscription: My Heart Is Yours. "Oh, darling, it's simply divine!" Rarity squealed, unable to contain her delight. "It must have cost a fortune!" Twilight looked in the box. "There's a note in here as well." she took it out and began to read it out loud. My Dear Twilight Sparkle, Throughout my time in Equestria, you have been by my side. You have helped me get through thick and thin, you have listened to my problems, and you have shared your own. First you became my friend, and then you became my lover. I know now that I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you, as no person has ever loved me like you do. I hope that my gift is enough to convey what I am trying to say; if not, then I guess I should just ask... will you marry me? Yours, always and forever, Geo Twilight put the letter down and started sobbing, her friends joining her so they could cry together. A brilliant flash of light heralded the sudden arrival of Celestia and Luna, who both stood warily in the middle of the clearing. "We felt your distress signal," Celestia said with a touch of panic. "What happened? Where are the humans?" "They attacked us." Rainbow Dash sighed. "We had no choice but to use the Elements against them. They're gone now." "So why are you all upset?" Luna asked quizzically. With a shaking hoof, Twilight pointed to Geo's body laid out on the forest floor. Upon seeing it, Luna went pale. "By the moon..." "What on Equestria happened?" Celestia asked. "It's a long story." Twilight took a deep breath, after which she began to recall the series of events which led to that moment. *** Once Twilight had finished her story, both Celestia and Luna were visibly shaken, with tears running down their cheeks. "And that's what happened, Princesses," Twilight said. "If Geo hadn't have followed us, then all six of us would have died." Celestia bowed her head, tears streaming down her face. "Geo's sacrifice will not be forgotten, my dear Twilight," she said quietly. "He will be remembered for his bravery." "There's one more thing, Princess," Twilight said. "What's that?" asked Celestia. "He..." Twilight showed Celestia the hoofband and the letter. "He'd been plucking up the courage to ask me to marry him." She hugged her mentor. "I know what you're thinking, Celestia, and it's not your fault; nopony could have known that this was going to happen." Celestia returned the hug and stood up, turning to the Elements and taking a deep breath. "Come, let us return to Ponyville," she said, her horn glowing. "We can reminisce here." Before she could charge her horn with magic, Geo's body began to glow. The eight mares looked at it, their faces showing confusion. Confusion which turned to shock – and, in Twilight's case, sheer terror – as the body suddenly vanished in a flash of light.