Oh this can't be good, I thought, watching the six of them walk towards me. Now that they were closer, I could tell that they were all wearing serious expressions, and if that alone wasn't proof enough, Pinkie wasn't hopping! I'd have thought she'd be happy to see me, given how worried she's supposedly been... On the other hoof, she looks real sexy when she's serious- I shook my head a few times to get rid of that thought. Dammit this is not the time, brain! An anomaly is detected: she is not happy to see me, when witness testimony would suggest that she should be!
On some unseen signal, they started to spread out into an arc formation, only worsening my bad feeling. Whatever they were here for, they thought I'd try to run away.
"Uh, hey girls..." I started, trying to hide my nervousness. "What's up, how have you been?" I asked as they came to a stop in front of me.
They weren't fully spread out like I thought they would be. Fluttershy was sticking close to Applejack, probably not confident in her ability to stop me if I tried to escape past her, and Pinkie stayed next to Twilight, still looking sexy-
I mean serious! Fuck! *gulp* "H-hey... Pinkie... I'm really sorry about any trouble I caused you... I-I, uh, hear you... started a search party..?" I didn't mean it to sound like a question, but I was having a hard time controlling my voice. It was Twilight who responded though.
"Is there anything you want to tell us before this goes any further?" She asked, seemingly channeling the spirit of a police officer.
"...Well, I uh, didn't want to leave, I was thrown out of Equestria by Discord," I explained, looking at Pinkie. "I'm sorry I didn't send you a letter, that was really thoughtless of me..." When this explination did nothing to brighten her mood, and served only to form looks of disappointment on the other's faces, the bottom fell out on my stomach. They're not confronting me about abandoning a friend? Than wha-
"That's it?" Rarity scathingly replied, interupting my thoughts.
"Nothin' else ya'll wants to say?" Asked Applejack with narrowed eyes.
"Wha... w-what, what is this about..?" I nervously questioned, focusing on Pinkie, who had yet to speak, which was starting to freak me out a little.
"Pinkie was really depressed when we couldn't find you," started Rainbow, looking like she was ready to tackle me at a moments notice.
"So we expanded the search," continued Twilight.
"We talked to Zecora first," continued Fluttershy, speaking above a whisper for once. "But she didn't know where you could've gone..."
"So Twilight sent a letter to the Manehatten Mayor's office," continued Rainbow. My eyes widened in shock at this information.
No..! I was in disbelief that she would do something like that.
"And I'm sure you know exactly what he wrote back," Twilight resumed, smugly. "There was one family in Manehatten with the surname 'Hill', and they don't even have a unicorn child at all!" She finished, jabbing an accusing hoof in my direction.
"Who are you, really!" Rarity more shouted, than asked, taking an aggressive step forward.
"What'd ya come here for!" Demanded Applejack, stepping forward as well.
"Who are you working for!" Added Rainbow, pawing the ground like a bull about to charge.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I exclaimed, backing up a step. "Chill, I'm not a threat! Come on Pinkie, say something," I pleaded. "You know me, I wouldn't do anything to cause trouble, right?" I asked, hopefully. Her word would really help in defusing the situation. She remained silent for several aganizing seconds, while a look of sadness gradually overtook her serious expression.
"I... I..." she started, before lowering her head. "I don't..."
"...W-wha..?" I didn't understand, I couldn't. Why..?
"Ever since I, *sniff*... I noticed you were gone," she began, holding back tears, her broken silence loosening the tight grip she'd had on her emotions. "I tried remembering... everything I could. Anything to help find you, a-and..." She paused to wipe a hoof across her face.
"Pinkie... I..." I tried to comfort her, but an ethereal, magenta hoof appeared, pressed to my chest, and wouldn't let me get any closer. Her hoof came back damp, but she refused to look at me.
"I never noticed before, but... whenever we talked... you never really talked back, *sniff*. When it came to you, or your family... you always found a way to change the subject. But... you were so nice, you always listened... you never interupted me, never ignored me, or told me to leave you alone... so I kept overlooking it." She paused again, to wipe away more tears. "*sniff* But after you disappeared, and I started thinking about it... I realized..." Finally, she looked at me again, and... it tore my heart out.
Her eyes were red and puffy, tears flowing freely and soaking the fur of her cheeks. She looked absolutely miserable.
"*sniff* I realized... I don't know anything about you!" She yelled, finally letting loose and openly crying as her hair deflated into it's strait style. "You n-never e-even told me h-how you got your c-cutie ma-ha-haark!" I wanted so much to go and comfort her, as Fluttershy was now doing, but Twilight would not allow me to approach.
I was getting really pissed off at her, but I didn't want to break the spell. That could be seen as an act of aggression, and would only antaganize them more.
With Pinkie unable to continue, Applejack took over from where she left off.
"An' as if that weren't bad enough already, then we learn ya'll've been outright lyin' ta us from day one! Cotton prob'ly ain't even your real name, is it!"
Oh God, I fucked this up so bad, I thought, on the verge of tears myself. Seeing Pinkie like that, and knowing it was unequivocally my fault... it was almost more than I could take. "Oh, Pinkie, I'm... I'm so sorry, I never meant for this to happen, I just... I got used to keeping my secrets. I never even noticed I was doing it! I-I'll tell you everything, right now, just... please stop crying, I can't stand seeing you like this..." I backed up a little, the magic hoof felt like it was leaving a bruise on my chest, and sat down as an indication that I wouldn't be trying to run away.
Neither Rainbow or Applejack were willing to take their eyes off me, but Twilight and Rarity moved to help in getting Pinkie back on her hooves. It took a few minutes of hushed whispering, that I couldn't make out from my position, before she was composed enough to stop crying and stand back up.
"Are you okay, Pinkie?" Asked Rainbow Dash, looking away from me for just long enough to see her nod in the affirmative. They accepted her answer, but... she didn't look okay...
"Alright now," said Applejack, "git talkin', an' no funny bussiness!" I paused to take a deep breath of resignation, before beginning.
"*sigh*... Well, first off, no... my real name is not Cotton Hill, it's Robert Maudery. I would prefer that you keep calling me Cotton though, I've gotten used to it." They had varied reactions to this knowledge, but mostly confusion.
"Robert... Maudrey..?" Rarity parroted, slowly, like she was tasting the words.
"I've never heard of a name like that... N-not that there's anything wrong with it..." Fluttershy said, voice nearly a whisper once more, as she quickly backpedaled.
"That can't be your real name," Twilight replied, critically. "That's more in line with griffen naming conventions! Nopony would give their child a griffen name, it just isn't right." This immediately turned the others' expressions from confused, to cross, as they jumped to the conclusion that I was just telling more lies.
"Don't jump down my throat just yet," I hastily continued, before they could start yelling again. "There's a reason why I don't have a pony name, and that's because I'm not really a pony." Skeptical looks followed this statement. "...Well, I guess am one now, but I wasn't one before I came here... or arrived here, would be a better choice of words, since I didn't come here on purpose." They continued to be skeptical, but Pinkie's thoughtful look gave me hope.
"If... if you're not a pony, than... what are you..?" Questioned Pinkie, still looking depressed, but sounding much better.
"An' assumin' we're believin' any a this hooey, where'd ya come from?" Applejack followed up, still quite antagonistic towards me. Understandable, given her whole 'honesty and truth' thing.
"Well, one, I was a species called 'human'. There are technical terms, but they won't mean anything to you since Latin isn't a language here. As far as I know, no equivalent species has ever existed on Equus," I said, taking a moment to think if I ever actually read anything about the different species on this planet.
"Are you implying that you're not from Equus at all?" Asked Twilight, a hint of scientific curiosity entering her voice.
"Correct, my planet is called Earth, although I'm fairly certain this isn't even the same dimension either," I speculated, receiving some odd looks as a result.
"Dimension? What does geometry have to do with anything?" Asked Rarity.
"That's not the kind of dimension I'm talking about," I answered. "Does Equestria have any sort of multiverse theory?" I asked, directing the question at Twilight, as she was the one most likely to know about it, if there was one. She seemed just as lost as the rest of them though. "...Many worlds theory? Parallel worlds, alternate worlds, anything like that..?" At last a light seemed to pop on inside her head, as a look of realization came across Twilight's face.
"Oh, yes, I've read quite a bit about that when I was in Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns! It was in the Starswirl the Bearded wing, although he named it the 'Tonal Planes' theory, as his thought was that each of these planes, or worlds, resonates with a unique magical tone that prevents them from interacting with eachother."
"I'm not particularly knowledgeable on the mechanics of it all, but that is what I'm talking about. That's also why I lied to you all, I mean, what reason would you have had to believe me if I'd introduced myself like this? You'd have thought I was either nuts, or lying to get attention."
My logic seemed to be swaying them, if their contemplative looks were anything to go by.
"...So... you really are an alien than?" Asked Rainbow, with what sounded like a disappointed tone in her voice.
"Essentially, yes," I replied, not understanding why that would disappoint her.
"Augh," she groaned bringing a hoof up to her face. "Now I owe Flitter five bits..." I couldn't resist chuckling at that.
I don't know why I thought that was so funny... it must just be the stress or something.
"Hmm, what kind of fahion do aliens like..?" Wondered Rarity.
"I still don't like that you lied, but... I guess I can see why you did..." Said Pinkie, slowly returning to her old self. "Just promise you'll never lie to us again okay!"
"I promise," I told her, going through the motions for her Pinkie Promise™. It felt wonderful to see her smiling again. "And I have never been very connected to the fashion world... sorry," I replied to Rarity, who was understandably disappointed by this answer.
"An alien..." Twilight pondered thoughfully. "This is incredible! Your society's magic must be very advanced to be able to teleport across planes! But... why are you a unicorn? Are your species shapshifters?"
"No... no, we are not. And we actually-"
"Ah can't believe ya'll're fallin' for this!" Interjected Applejack before I could answer. "An alien!? Come on!"
"Hey, what's so unbelievable about aliens!?" I countered. "If life exists here, why can't it exist elsewhere?"
"He can't be lying, he Pinkie Promised!" Objected Pinkie, coming to my aid.
"Yeah Applejack, wierder things have happened," said Rainbow, surprising me, as I did not anticipate her backing me up.
"He's been lyin' ta us with a streight face for months! A Pinkie Promise don't mean nothin' to a pony like him! And when the hay has anythin' wierder'n aliens happened?" She shot back at Rainbow.
"Fluttershy made a grown up dragon cry. I think that's wierder than aliens, right Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked.
"Um, a-actually... I agree with Applejack..." She said, half hiding behind her mane, like she was ashamed to have an opinion. All of us, even Applejack, stared at her with wide-eyed surprise. This, of course, had the effect of making her curl into a ball and quickly repeal her previous statement. "I-I mean, 'yay, aliens'..."
"...See? Even Fluttershy can tell he's up to no good," said Applejack once the shock had worn off.
"Why do you think he's lying Fluttershy?" Asked Twilight. "Did you notice something that we missed?"
"O-oh, i-it's nothing, really," she almost whispered, looking like she wanted to burrow into the ground and disappear. That was mostly my fault, I'm sure. I just couldn't hold back the scathing look that I was shooting directly into her eyes.
Her siding with Applejack is making them doubt my story!
"Come now, dear," spoke Rarity, placing a comforting hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Speak up, we need all the information we can get if we're going to sort this whole thing out." While Fluttershy gathered her courage, I closed my eyes and took a few calming breaths to vent my anger.
Let it go. Anger destroys thought. If I'm going to come out of this on top, I need to meet every point head on, and counter it in a calm, collected manner...
"...W-well, when we talked to Zecora... she told us that she found him just after he... broke his legs, falling through the forest canapy," she started, with her trademarked timidity.
"Yeah, yeah, that's when I first got here. The lab I was working in was on the fifth floor, which is the most plausable reason for why I was so high up when I arrived here." Applejack sent a glare my way, before encouraging Fluttershy to continue from where I'd interrupted.
"She also told us that she had asked you your name, and where you lived," she continued, seeming to pick up some steam, and bravery, from all her friends encouragement, as she was now adressing me directly. "But when we asked her if she could recall you acting suspiciously in any way, she said she couldn't," she said, her voice picking up volume as her confidence grew. "That means that, when she asked you for your name, and where you lived, you didn't hesitate to answer her!" She finished, accusingly, now standing tall, although neither myself or any of the others seemed to know what she was getting at.
"...So..?" I questioned.
"So... if you really are from another world, than by that point you would have only been in our world for a few minutes! So how could you have known that Cotton Hill was a proper pony name, or that Manehatten was a real city? You couldn't have! Which means... you're lying," she finished, sounding for all the world like a prosecutor. Her puffed up chest and confident demeanor swiftly began to drain, however, as we all stared at her, mouths agape once more, at this sudden display of detective skills. "I-I like to... read Shearlock Holmes novels..." She embarrassedly elaborated, hiding behind her mane again.
Oh, balls, I thought, as they all turned back to me, accusing looks in their eyes, with a dash of smugness from Applejack, and hurt betrayal from Pinkie. "I was really hoping I could avoid explaining this. It sounds rediculous, no matter how you look at it... *sigh* ...In my world, there was a... television show... Television is basically like the theator, where actors and props play out a story," I preemptively answered. "Anyway, this show depicted scenarios, and... characters... that have a striking resemblance to this world. So, when I found myself here, I recognized the timberwolves, and Zecora... so I just rolled with it, and used what I knew from the show to come up with an inconspicuous identity. Now, I know that that alone is also suspicious, but there wasn't any ill intent behind it, I just... don't like a lot of attention." I could tell from their expressions, that I haden't swayed any of them.
"That is rediculous," responded Twilight with a shake of her head. "Now you're just arbitrarily adding things to your story to fill in the holes!"
"I am not! And I can prove it, just... give me a minute to think of somethi-"
"Why should we give you any time to think up more lies!" Applejack rhetorically asked.
"Because I need something to use that I couldn't have learned from Pinkie! There's a lot of things I could use, but I need something immediate, something that I can prove without a timeline to work with..." What can I use!? I can't use the Crystal Empire, I have no idea how long it'll be before then. I can't use the wedding either for the same reason- The wedding! Shining! "I've got it! Twilight," I started, jabbing a hoof at her a little too enthusiastically, causing her to drop into a defensive stance. "You never told any of your friends that you have a brother, did you?" Her widening eyes were my affermative. "Or that he's Captain of the Royal Guard?"
"Tha-that doesn't prove anything!" She heatedly replied. "Anypony who's spent time in Canterlot would know who my brother is!" The others appeared shocked to learn that she actually did have a brother, as I'd said.
"Well how about the fact that Princess Cadence was your foal sitter when you were younger?" I countered, pissed at her sudden switching of sides. She was perfectly willing to believe me before Fluttershy fucked everything up!
"That wasn't any kind of secret, anyone at the royal palace could've told you that," she answered, much more self assured now that she's apparently convinced herself that I must be from Canterlot or at least spent time there.
"Than how about the fact that Shining and Cadence are dating? You could send him a letter right now to confirm it of you want."
"Even if that's true, that kind of news would be all over Canterl-"
"Dammit!" I interrupted, standing back up, as I started loosing control of my temper. "Would you stop just whimsically dismissing everything I say!" Rainbow, Applejack, and Twilight seemed to be preparing for the moment when they would need to restrain me, but I couldn't be bothered to care at that point. "What do you want from me? Do you want to know that the Cakes will have pagasus and unicorn twins? That the Crystal Empire will reappear? That Spike will adopt a baby phoenix and name it fricken Peewee? What can I do to make you believe that I'm not lying!"
"Some proof'd be nice," answered Applejack, sourly.
"What proof? Nothing came here with me, not even my clothes! So how can I prove anything if you just keep dismissing everything I say!" I spat back, frustrated.
"Show us the spell you used to get here," suggested Twilight, "that would be more than sufficient."
"A spell didn't send me here. It was some kind of reaction that occured when I ran an electrical current through one of the superconductive organic compounds that my lab had recently synthesized." I received several blank looks at this elaboration, as several of those words had no meaning to them.
"...Well, make some more of that stuff then," said Rainbow, as if it were just that simple.
"I would... if I knew what it was."
"How can you not know what it was if you made it?" She asked, incredulously.
"That sounds awful convenient ta me," sniped Applejack.
"Do you have any idea how a corperate research lab works?" I asked, exasperatedly. "We don't work with one compound at a time, that would be horribly inefficient. There were more than a dozen compounds being tested! And it's been a year since then, how could I possibly remember which one I was on!"
"What spells were used in the process of making these compounds?" Asked Twilight. "If you are telling the truth, we should be able to re-synthesize the entire set, and then you can test them again."
"There were no spells involved, magic doesn't exist in my world." The very thought of a world without magic, was shocking to them. "That's why I've been so focused on learning about it, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity." Unfortunately, while the thought may have shocked them, Twilight looked less than happy with it.
"You just messed up your story," she began, triumphantly. "I was willing to believe that an alien culture could have a more advanced understanding of magic than we do, but there is no way that a society without magic could achieve something that even magic couldn't," she stated, matter of factly.
"That is rediculously narrow minded of you. You have no idea what our technology is like, or- *blink* ...Wait... 'that even magic couldn't'..?" I questioned, the implication of that phrase dawning on me.
"That's right. Even Starswirl the Bearded was never able to create a spell capable of observing, little own entering, other worlds. His theories on the matter remain unproven to this day," she said, with a 'check-mate' tone to her voice.
"No. No, no nonono that... that-that-that can't be right!" I denied, increasingly panicy. I didn't know if I would have ever decided to go back, but I wanted that to be my decision! "You have to have missed something, I was counting on this!"
"So ya'll admit it! You've been lyin' this whole time, 'n now we gotcha red hoofed!" Called out Applejack, immediately jumping on my choice of words.
"What!? No! That's not what I said, that's not what I meant! I ju- I, ugh!" I groaned, fed up with her bullshit. "I've just been told that I can never go home again! So could you please fuck off with your antagonism for a while!" I shouted, stomping a hoof in anger. I instantly regreted it though. Look at me, screaming and stomping my hoofs like a god damn brat! I need to calm down, I- My remaining thoughts were thrown for a loop, however, at her responce.
"*hmph* Alright ever' pony, I'm outta here," she said turning away.
Wha- that easy? I should have known better than to think that was her final word.
"This one ain't never gunna come clean, and I don't know about the rest o' ya'll, but I ain't interested in no more snake oil," she finished, starting to walk away. I looked to the others, hoping they wouldn't follow her, but knowing that they would.
"So not cool," said Rainbow, with a disapproving shake of the head. "Come on Fluttershy." They both started trotting after Applejack, Fluttershy giving a meak 'sorry' as she left. "Don't apologize to him Fluttershy, he should be doing that," Rainbow rebuked her, just loud enough for me to hear.
Rarity was next, turning up her head with a 'hmph', "What an uncouth stallion," she remarked as she left.
Then came Twilight, who continued to look at me for several seconds before also walking away. Her expression showed that she wasn't really mad, but more... disappointed in me.
Finally was Pinkie... She looked so sad again. And it was my fault, again.
"Wait, please," I pleaded as she turned away from me. I could stomach watching the others leave, but her... I couldn't bare it. "...Thank you," I thanked, when she actually stopped, although she didn't turn back around. *gulp* "...I know... that you don't believe me... and I guess..." *gulp* My throat was really dry all of a sudden. "...You don't have any reason to... I've lied to you... kept secrets from you..." *gulp* "I've had so many opportunities to tell you the truth... but every time... I didn't... Pinkie..?" I questioned, as she hadn't moved at all, or given any indication that she was still listening. "Please look at me..." Nothing. "...Pinkie, please... just look at me," I begged, feeling that damnable pressure building behind my eyes.
Slowly she shuffled, one hoof at a time, until she was looking in my direction. However, her eyes were empty and unfocused, like she was looking through me, instead of at me.
"What are you doing Pinkie!?" Called Rainbow Dash from the top of the next hill, where they all had stopped, realizing that Pinkie wasn't with them.
"Don't go," I implored, as she turned her head away from me. "Please, Pinkie... I don't want to lose you, please," I pleaded one last time. "Can't we still be friends, at least?"
"...Friends..?" She said, slowly, contemplative, her head down. She didn't want to look at me.
"Get away from that one Pinkie!" Applejack shouted. "He's a bad infulence!"
"...Friends..." She said again, turning way from me, "...don't lie to friends..." She finished, slowly walking away, head still held low, like she didn't have the energy to raise it.
No... this... this can't be happening! How could this be possible, Pinkie, the friend making pony, rejecting a friendship? This has to be a prank, I rationalized. She's going to turn around any time now, and smile at me, say how she really had me going there! I thought, desperately, each step she took crushing my heart. Any minute now! *crunch, crunch, crunch* She'll start laughing, and say she still trusts me! *crunch, crunch, crunch* Everything will go back to normal, it'll be like this never happened! *crunch, crunch, crunch* "Please..." I whispered, the first tear leaving my eyes. "Please turn around..."
By the time she crested the hill and fell out of sight... only dust remained.
I was probably in shock. Time lost all meaning as I simply stood there, staring at the hill that she would never come back over. The abrupt loss of light, as Celestia set the sun, broke me out of my stupor.
"It's alright, I don't care," I whispered, like saying the words aloud would make them true. "I don't care about her... I don't need her..." I continued, zipping myself up inside the tent and laying down. "It's not important, it never was... It's not important, it never was..." I repeated to myself. A mantra, to burry away the choking feeling in my throat. "It's not important... it... never was... It's n-not important... it ne-never w-was... It's *sniff* not impor- huhuh... n-never w-w-was... It's no- *sob*... never w-ahaha-s-s-s... *sob*"
It's not important! *sob* She never was!
...So why can't I stop crying?