//------------------------------// // Answers // Story: Veritatis et Veniae // by rattythepuppet //------------------------------// “W-w-wha-what is that thing!?” The fragile butter-colored Pegasus cowered in fear under a small table, questioning what this strange creature was doing in her house, and why Berry Punch had brought it here. It looked so strange...it walked on two legs, had a strange facial structure...nothing like that of anything she had seen... “Um...Hello there...I didn’t mean to startle you...” He started to get a twinge of embarrassment, although he wasn’t sure why...probably because he was frightening this obviously sentient being. “Fluttershy! He’s cool, pony. He’s cool.” Berry Punch defended, a bit less slurred than before. “His name is...uh....um...I know this one...” “Michael.”  The ponies stared at him with shock, Berry for forgetting to ask his name, and Fluttershy for the utter disbelief that he could talk. Fluttershy, surprisingly enough, was the first to break the silence. “T-T-That’s a strange name for a...um...” She paused. Again, she had no idea what to call it, she didn’t know what the hay it was! “Um...W-what are you?” He was surprised at this question. If they didn’t know what he was... “I’m a human. A Caucasian male, to be exact. My full name is Michael Drake Holmes, or Michael D. Holmes, whatever tickles your fancy. Anyway, I have a few questions I hope you’ll let me ask while you take care of this...” He promptly pointed to the jutting knife. “Oh my...here, come sit over here. I’ll take care of you.” She smiled weakly, her fear of the creature..erm...human...was replaced by the urgency of the wound. “It’s a miracle of Celestia that you’re even alive!” She said examining the injury. “Um...who? Is that your Deity or something? Are you all...tribals or something?” He sat patiently, watching the pony aid him. “What? No, she is our Princess, along with her sister Luna.” She said before gripping the handle of the knife with her teeth. “Ihs migh hur a bih” Michael could feel the pain of the blade being slightly moved, but he barely winced. She continued, “Awrigh...aw free...wuh...FREE!” She ripped the blade out, re-opening the laceration. Blood started to pour out of the wound once more. “GAH! Uhng...Well, I wasn’t expecting that...” He watched her apply pressure with a towel as she asked Berry Punch to fetch the first-aid kit. “So, this is some sort of Principality, huh? Just two princesses?” He asked, slipping his shirt off. “Yes, they are our rulers. They do a good job, in my opinion.” She smiled a little more comfortably as she started to stitch the piercing of his flesh. He sighed at the pain of the needle, realizing the cute factor of the pony before him. He smiled at her; Fluttershy could feel the presence of the happiness, making her look up. Their eyes met, which made her blush heavily, and Michael only chuckle. “Are you okay? This doesn’t hurt too much, does it?” “No, it’s perfectly fine. As you can see, I’ve dealt with this before,” He said, giving a reassuring smirk. For the first time, Fluttershy and Berry noticed his numerous scars. There were three small, slightly indented scars; one on his arm, one to the left of his chest (her left) and one on his abdomen. There was a strange clump of little tiny marks on his shoulder. The mares wondered what it was...one of them would have to ask about it. They looked at each other. “Uh...what’s that?” Berry asked, pointing to the cluster. “It’s a shrapnel scar. I was hit in the shoulder by some pieces of metal from an explosive.” They both gasped...they’ve heard of the destructive force of such weapons... Fluttershy whimpered, then spoke, “Who would...Why would...How did this happen?! What happened to you?” He lowered his head, as if reliving something he’d rather forget ever happened. “Nothing...It was in the past,” He went eye-level with the ponies. “...Let’s not fret over it.” The vibrantly hued equines nodded reluctantly. They definitely wouldn’t forget about it; but they would leave it alone for now. The two then started to clean up the medical equipment, when Berry let out another earsplitting shout. “MY CELESTIA-BUCKING HEAD!” She calmed down a bit, “I forgot why I came down here. Fluttershy, the migraines are back...” She uncovered her ears, “Yeah...I could tell....” She trotted into the bathroom for a second, then came back with the appropriate bottle for the situation. “He-ah -erry, ah houn yo-...” Only the clatter of pills on the ground and the Pegasus’ gasping could be heard. “What is that?!” Michael snapped out of his ceiling gaze, looking down at Fluttershy and Berry’s shocked faces. “Hm?...Oh God, what did I do now?” He then realized that they were referring to the long, gruesome, jagged line that plagued his neck. “Oh...that. Well...yeah. I...did some things I’m not proud of. I fought. Fought for the wrong reasons. But, like I said, that’s all in the past.” Berry shook her head, as if trying to get bugs off of it or something. “Well...Fluttershy, I’m going to head home. Ruby’s probably pretty worried. See ya’ later.” With that, she scooped a few pills in her mouth, taking the rest and putting them back into the bottle, heading out the door. As Fluttershy and Michael waved her off, he sighed, “I better go find somewhere to stay...” Her ears perked at those words, “Oh...well...why not here? You can have my be-” “No. I’ll take that couch.” “Oh, but it’s oka-” “No. You don’t have to do that. I won’t let you.” “But...I...eep...” With no further words, he sprawled on the couch with slight caution as to not hurt himself. She just sighed, then smiled and made her way upstairs. As Michael lay there, he felt very fatigued, the events of the day finally wearing him down. He closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and waited for the bliss of slumber to whisk him away. ...silence ...silence... …....silence...... …...... ….knock. He sprang up, startled by the sudden noise. Examining the room, he saw no signs of disturbance...until another knock was heard. He picked himself up off of the couch, creeping towards the door. A sudden stop, Michael listened intently. ….heavy breathing... ...a scratching at the door... ...it sounded like... ...a blade of some sort... He snatched the knife that had been enlodged in him not an hour ago, bringing it to arms. Reaching his free hand for the door handle, he flung the door open to find... ...nobody. ...nothing but a small piece of paper... He picked it up and read it aloud. Welcome. Welcome to your second chance. Welcome to a new life. You are under our watch. A test of your valor...your honor...be prepared. Only through the trial, shall you find true redemption. -The Order of Krainein