It was noon and the air was humid in the Everfree. Twilight levitated away the sunglasses from her face to wipe the sweat from her forehead. “Jeeze… this stallion sure lives far away from everyone… even Zecora” Twilight muttered as they kept trotting along.
“Yeah… he uhh… likes to live alone… by himself” Fluttershy told her friend sheepishly. They finally came to a small wooden fence that had MJ&K inscribed in the overhanging sign.
“MJ and K?” Twilight asked curiously. “It’s his and his wife’s initials” Rarity told her. Twilight nodded and they very cautiously walked through the front entrance and down the dirt laneway.
About half a kilometer past the entrance stood a small little home, just barely bigger than Fluttershy’s cottage. It was constructed of cut down trees and had a chimney that currently wasn’t puffing out smoke. It was two stories high with a balcony on the second floor and a porch where a lone stallion sat. He couldn’t have been out of his forties, perhaps very early fifties but that would be pushing it.
They all walked up to the porch where the stallion sat in his rocking chair, slowly rocking back and forth. “About time you showed up… guess even death knew I wouldn’t go down without a fight” the stallion chuckled. He had dark brown fur with a lighter brown mane but had grey hair along the sides of his mane. He had a five o’clock shadow that was also starting to grey.
“Even the all mighty death needs half a dozen to take me down… guess that’s a record” he chuckled in a gruffly voice as he continued to rock in his chair. An empty whiskey bottle sat beside his chair along with the stub of a cigar.
“Uhhm… no, we ain’t death” Applejack told the stallion. He grumbled irritably as he recognized her voice. “I know that voice… yeah… yeah I remember you… remember you like it was yesterday” he grumbled as he rocked his chair forwards and stopped. He opened his eyes, revealing dark brown eyes that sent shivers down Twilight’s spin.
“Uhm… hello” Applejack stammered as she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. The stallion curled his lips, “And goodbye” the stallion snarled coldly then leaned back in his chair.
“Wait, please just hear us out. We need your help” Rarity pleaded. The stallion looked over to her in disgust.
“Well, you should have thought about that seven years ago. Now get off my property you stuck up bitch” the stallion spat. Rarity brought her hoof up and gasped from his rude and brash behaviour.
“That is no way to speak to a lady” Rarity scolded the stallion. He grunted as he became more irritated from her scolding.
“You aren’t no lady… my wife was a lady… you’re a conniving cunt!” the stallion snarled. Rarity’s face went red with anger and she was about to yell at the stallion before Applejack stuffed her hoof in Rarity’s mouth, silencing her.
“Sorry for muh friend’s behaviour… she’s a little… distraught” Applejack apologized. The stallion gritted his teeth. “None taken… now get off my property” he told her. Applejack sighed.
“Please Mr.” she began but he cut her off, “I said get off my property” he told her again in a deeper tone.
“Hey, that’s not fair. You haven’t even let us talk” Rainbow Dash blurted out. The stallion looked over to her with angry eyes.
“I don’t need to let you talk, now get back to the gay club you lezbo” he said insultingly. Rainbow Dash’s wings shot outwards in anger. “I AM NOT A LEZBIAN!” she screamed, the stallion chuckled.
“Well you sure fooled me” he chuckled. Rarity swatted Applejack’s hoof from her mouth and pushed herself past her southern friend.
“Now that’s enough. You are not allowed to talk to mares like that” Rarity scolded. The stallion rolled his eyes in irritation. “Great… the conniving bitch returns” he muttered.
“STOP FIGHTING!” yelled a voice and they all looked over to Fluttershy who flinched fearfully as every-ponies’ eyes gazed upon her. The stallion grunted.
“Oh for Celestia’s sake don’t piss on my porch” he snarled. Rainbow Dash looked over to the insulting stallion and her face reddened with anger.
“That’s it! I’m not gonna just stand by while you insult us” Dash yelled at the stallion. He sighed to himself then chuckled. “Well if you had of gotten off my property like I asked you to then we wouldn’t have been fighting” he chuckled “So I’ll ask you one more time… get-off-my-property” he snarled in a cold icy tone.
The tone sent more shivers down Twilight’s spine. She had stayed out of the argument due to the fact that she had no previous knowledge of this stallion. The others stepped forwards and Rainbow Dash poked the stallion in his chest.
“You’re going to listen to us and then you’re going to help us” Rainbow Dash ordered him. He leaned forwards so that he was face to face with the cyan pegasus. He looked directly into her moderate cherry eyes with his own cold, icy brown eyes.
“I’ve got a better idea… I’m gonna give you to the count of thirty to get off my property” the stallion told her. “One…Two…Three” he began counting. Rainbow Dash didn’t deter and stayed in her exact spot, staring him down.
He leaned back in his chair and stopped counting. Rainbow Dash smirked triumphantly but then the stallion reached behind his chair. Dash gasped as he swung out an old Russian SKS rifle that had a maple brown stock with a bayonet which wasn’t extended at the moment. He pointed the rifle barrel right into Dash’s face.
“Four” he said and Dash took a step back as she gulped. “Just…just hear us out… please” Applejack pleaded. “Five” he said with heavy agitation in his voice as he cocked back the charging bolt and loaded a round into the chamber. “Fuck this… Twenty three” he counted. The mares backpedaled off his porch and all ran, all except Twilight.
The stallion was about to smile when he realized that the purple mare was still standing on his lawn. “Why aren’t you running away with your friends? I’m not afraid to kill you” the stallion warned.
Twilight turned back to the stallion. “I don’t exactly know what that was all about… and you don’t seem like a bad stallion to me” Twilight told the stallion as she removed her sunglasses.
“Why don’t you ask your friends… they’ll tell you otherwise” the stallion hissed as he lowered his SKS. Twilight cautiously took a step forwards as she gulped. “Is… is it okay… if…if I come up onto your porch?” Twilight stammered.
“I suppose… just don’t piss me off” the stallion told her. She very cautiously stepped up onto the porch and stood before the stallion who was still holding the terrifying rifle. “So… why did you stay?” the stallion asked.
“Because…because my dragon has been kidnapped along with my friends’ sisters” Twilight told him and he chuckled as he heard the part about the sisters being kidnapped.
“Serves them right… guess it’s true when they say they’ll get theirs” the stallion laughed. Twilight frowned from his mockery.
“That isn’t very nice. Flim and Flam have kidnapped their sisters and my dragon and you are the only one who can rescue them” Twilight told him. He raised an ear from the comment.
“Were they on Flim and Flam’s property?” he asked and Twilight nodded. He chuckled. “Well that’s too bad. Guess the only way to get your dragon back is to give them something they want” he told her.
“But… but… you’re not serious are you?” Twilight gasped but he nodded. “Dead serious. I’m not on bad terms with F&F so whatever they do is their business and they leave me alone” he told her casually.
“But… what about their sisters… and my dragon?” Twilight gasped. The stallion shrugged as he opened a cooler. He rummaged around and pulled out a beer can labeled ‘Jack Moose’ from the bottom of the cooler then cracked it open.
“Well… it’s a real shame to hear about your dragon. But I can’t do anything for yah” he said then took a gulp from his beer. Twilight gasped in shock.
“So that’s it? You’re just gonna sit here and drink bear while our sisters and my dragon are being held captive?” Twilight asked. The stallion took the beer can away from his mouth and licked his lips, savouring the sour taste of the alcoholic beverage.
“That’s exactly what I’m going to do. Right now I like F&F more than your friends. They helped me build my house and in return they asked for nothing more than simple friendship” he told her. Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Okay so I lied. They wanted me to show them how to make weapons but that’s small” the stallion told her.
“So just like that? Because you don’t like my friends you won’t help us save our sisters and dragon?” she asked and the stallion nodded.
“Yep… spot on. Now if that’ll be all I’d like to drink alone… well it’d be rude of me not to offer you a drink” the stallion said as he offered her a beer. She shook her hoof and denied the offer. “Well in that case I guess you should get off my property” the stallion said.
“But… Spike… please you have to help me” Twilight pleaded. The stallion rolled his eyes as he started to become irritated with the young mare.
“Listen kid, I don’t got nothing against you but right now I like F&F a lot more than I like you. Don’t take this in the wrong way but… get off my property” he said but Twilight simply stood there, almost in tears.
“Please… please you have to help me” Twilight pleaded. The stallion curled his lips as he leveled his SKS up again. “Don’t make me start counting” he threatened. Twilight’s eyes went wide in fear as she went to step back but lost her footing and fell backwards.
She landed on a garden gnome that shattered under her weight. The stallion’s eyes went wide as Twilight scampered to her hooves. “Please… I didn’t mean to do that… please forgive me” she stuttered apologetically. The stallion pointed the rifle right at her head. “Get-off-my-lawn” he hissed.
Twilight didn’t need to be asked twice. She quickly swiveled around and raced away in a fume of dust. A lone tear trickled down the stallion’s face as he picked up the busted pieces of the gnome. On one of the pieces read ‘MJ+’ but it had been broken off before the rest could be read.
He quickly found the other pieces that used to read ‘K’ but the letter had been smashed into tiny pieces. He began to tear up but quickly rubbed away the tears from his face and scooped up the rest of the gnome pieces.
Twilight raced up beside her friends who were waiting at the fence entrance. “Twi! Are yah alright?” Applejack gasped as Twilight raced up beside them, huffing exhaustedly from the quick run.
She looked up to the others. “Okay… now I know you said Pinkie doesn’t know him… but what in Celestia’s name did you girls do that made him so angry at us?” Twilight asked, still teary from her talk with the stallion.
“Well he’s a brute and there’s nothing more to it than that” Rarity told her hastily. Twilight raise an eyebrow. Applejack stepped forwards.
“Well tah begin with, his name is Metal Jacket… and there’s a little bit of a back story between him and us that goes back… ohh… six years…” Applejack began