//------------------------------// // Chapter 35 // Story: 64 vs. Equestria // by Jman9877 //------------------------------// Chapter 35 64 POV Being encased in stone…… is kind of hard to describe…… You are inside nothing but blackness, and it’s always cold. A second feels like an eternity, and you feel as if you have 2 ton lead weights strapped to every limb you have. All I had were my thoughts to keep me company. Along with a screaming Sun Monster chained to an invisible wall in front of me…. “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT YOU LITTLE PUTRID PIECE OF—“ “I fucking get it! You’re pissed that I kicked your ass and got us both stuck in here! I really don’t want to deal with a fucking eternity with this shit!” I yelled at Super Nova, getting royally pissed off at her constant yelling. She hadn’t stopped since we got in here, but I guess that was my punishment for sacrificing myself for the safety of others. “I WILL NOT STOP FOR ANYTHING! YOU DESTROYED MY ONLY CHANCE AT UNIVERSAL DOMINATION! I WILL MAKE EVERY DAY UNTIL THE END OF ETERNITY AN ABSOLUTE LIVING NIGHTMARE FOR YOU!” Super Nova shouted back, thrashing and shaking the chains she was restrained by. “Yea, get in line… that was already my life until this happened. I think I can handle your yelling over evading Royal Guards every minute of every day. Fucking cake walk.” I muttered, slumping against my restraints. I sighed as Super Nova started up again, but I knew it was only a matter of time before she ran out of obscenities to shout at me. I decided to use one of my favorite pastimes to try and tune her out, by counting the chain links in my restraints. I didn’t know if it was some sort of magic or if it was just my mind going crazy, but it seemed like every time I counted the links of the shackles it either went up a few numbers or down a few. “—AND YOUR PUNY LITTLE FRIENDS WILL BURN FOR ALL ETERNITY AS YOU ARE GOING TO BE FORCED TO LISTEN TO THEIR PAINED SCREAMS AS YOU ARE BENT OVER A CHOPPING BLOCK AND—“ Ugh…… she was getting annoying at this point… She seemed to have a permanent screaming accompanied with her voice, and it was slowly drilling through my ears. It was just like the fucking leaky pipe back at the Canterlot Underground Labs, it was driving me crazy enough where I regained my old bad habit of constantly swearing… “You ever just learn to shut up? Like for about 5 fucking seconds?” I muttered through clenched teeth, praying it would be over soon. She wouldn’t shut her damn trap for anything at this point as far as I was concerned, and I was afraid I was going to go crazy in here along with her. The one thing I wanted more than anything at this point was just a single chess board. Even if I didn’t have any pieces, I memorized every piece position there was, and I would be able to play a few million matches with myself. I knew it would be wishful thinking if I tried to get Super Nova to play, she would simply yell the next vulgar thing that came to her mind and then continue to scream, torturing me mentally for millennia to come. “Fine… just let it all out then… you have to run out of shit to say eventually.” I said, staring Super Nova in the eyes. To my surprise she stopped momentarily, mouth opened as she was about to yell the next thing obscenity. It closed as she stared back, as one of the most awkward pauses in history droned on and on for what seemed like forever. Time was all screwed up in here, with seconds feeling like eternities…… “DO YOU MAKE YOURSELF TO BE A HERO?” I wore a face of confusion as Super Nova stared at me, asking that strange question. I honestly didn’t know the answer myself. “I don’t know… I’d like to think I am… but I don’t think so…” I said, looking down at my legs. “I stopped you in the end, but what did I do before that? I stole, ambushed, killed twice, was the cause of many deaths, and even murdered in cold blood… So I don’t know what I am at this point…” I said, answering as honestly as I could. I felt Super Nova’s eyes continue to gaze at me, trying to look for any signs of deception. “I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE NOT BEEN THE HERO, BUT IN THE END YOU WERE THE SAVIOR.” Super Nova said, shocking me. I looked up with a bewildered look on my face, wondering if she had finally lost it. “What do you mean ‘savior’?” I asked, knowing that by calling me savior, she was calling herself the villain. “YOU WILLINGLY THREW YOURSELF IN THE FACE OF DEATH WITHOUT KNOWING THE SLIGHTEST THING ABOUT MOST OF THE PONIES ON THAT FIELD. THAT IS PRACTICALLY THE TEXTBOOK DEFINITION OF A SAVIOR.” I still didn’t know what to make of any of this conversation, so I stayed silent until something came up for me to talk about. At least she wasn’t screaming her head off about my cowardice or something like that anymore. “I WAS WRONG ABOUT YOU.” I heard her words and understood what she meant this time. We had engaged in combat three times, and in each fight she had failed to defeat me, but in our last bout I managed to bring her down with me, imprisoning the both of us. “And I know you weren’t lying back there either…” I told her, looking down in slight guilt. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?” “I had gone on and on about you brainwashing Vi, but I knew what happened. She already had all that in her head, you just gave her that little push. And… part of me understood what you were telling her.” I spoke, staring Super Nova in the face. “She could have been more than just something latched onto me her entire life… and that’s what I wanted her to be. Heh, if only Celestia didn’t hate me so goddamn much, she could have taken Vi and done something great with her… instead she got the Mistress of the Sun to mentor her…” I didn’t mean anything bad by the comment; I was just recalling the series of unfortunate events that had been played out in the last 24 hours. I couldn’t have changed anything about the past though, I was made into a horrible life, and somehow Vi and I’s paths crossed, forming an incredible duo. I had saved her from a life of mental torture, being forced to be used to kill many young foals would have killed her eventually, but it was for the best that she no longer had to go through that and came with me. When it comes down to it, Vi had to see a lot of bad things in her life. She was a little under 1000 years old according to her, being made shortly after Nightmare Moon’s first defeat. In that lifetime she had gone through more things than most ponies will ever go through, and I only further added more pressure onto her difficult life by my actions of the past. I should have seen this coming when I saw her start to become bored. She had so much more power than I was having her use, and she must have been feeling so constrained and trapped. She needed a release, and Super Nova was the one who gave her the opportunity have one. “I kind of want to thank you…” I spoke up, simply looking at my feet as I sat there against an invisible wall, seeing the burns and scars of battle. “For two things actually… One, I can finally just take a load off and relax. I’ve never had this kind of luxury before, even when I was in one of my Outposts. I was always hearing every littlest noise, waiting to see if I needed to make a quick escape. Now I can just relax for a bit…” I whispered. Laying my head back for a bit. “AND WHAT IN BLAZES WOULD THE SECOND THING BE?” “For giving Vi a chance. Even though what you were trying to do was evil, malicious, immoral, wicked, malevolent—“ “GET TO THE POINT!” “Hehe, you gave Vi a chance to be something bigger than she could ever be with me. And I didn’t agree with your intentions… I thank you…” There was a pause in the air as I cracked my neck a few times, trying to get a kink that wouldn’t go away. I wondered where Vi was, because I didn’t exactly pay attention to where I threw her, all I did was choose a general direction over my shoulder and tossed. “YOUR THANKS ARE THE LAST THING I EVER EXPECTED TO GAIN IN MY EXTENSIVE LIFETIME, I THOUGHT I WOULD SEE THE RETURN OF DISCORD BEFORE I HEARD THOSE WORDS.” “Yeah… don’t expect them again anytime soon…” I was glad me and Super Nova were at least able to hold a conversation long enough to where we weren’t yelling obscenities at each other every five minutes. If you were going to be stuck with somepony you hated for all eternity the best thing to do was to at least try and make peace with them. Make peace… Peacemaker… If only that name were true… “SHE’S GOING TO TRY AND HELP, YOU DO REALIZE THAT RIGHT?” Super Nova spoke, as I looked up at the “ceiling” wondering what she meant by that. “I TRIED TO STOMP OUT EVERY EMOTION SHE HAD GAINED IN YOUR TIME TOGETHER, BUT YOU BURIED HER EMOTIONS DEEP. SHE CARED FOR YOU IN WAYS THAT SOMETIMES BORDERLINED ROMANTIC, AND THOSE EMOTIONS ARE USUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET RID OF. SHE’S GOING TO TRY AND FIND A WAY TO FREE YOU FROM THIS STONE, SO DON’T GET TOO COMFORTABLE THERE.” “How in the hell will she be able to get me out of here?” I asked in fake excitement, knowing that I had a snowball’s chance in Tartarus of getting out of this situation. “WAIT AND SEE, IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME.” I laid back and sighed, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to get out of here… 3rd Person POV Princess Celestia held Peacemaker as she communicated with her, explaining her plan to free 64 from his stone prison. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? Would he want this?” Princess Celestia asked, after Vi had shown her some of their battles against Super Nova, including her confrontation and private conversation with her as 64 was being nursed by Fluttershy. “I have no doubt he would want this. He must hate me after what I did to him…” Vi said, crying and wiping her tears away. Being encased in stone was a fate nopony was able to come out of unchanged, and Vi wanted him out of there as quickly as possible. The other ponies stared as it looked as if Princess was standing there silently, hold Peacemaker in her hoof as she sometimes nodded her head in agreement to an invisible voice. Princess Celestia stepped a bit closer to the statue, and stood there for a few seconds. “Princess, what are you going to do? Can that thing really try and free 64?” Shining Armor spoke hopefully, wanting to see his ‘friend’ again. Princess Celestia looked down for a few moments, before she spoke solemnly. “I’m not sure, but it is worth a try. And what is the point in not trying?” Princess Celestia said, shaking her head a bit as she spoke. The ponies gathered around closer, waiting to see what was going to be done. Princess Celestia held the Peacemaker in her hand, and made a small awl to do what she was about to do. “Are you going to try and pick him out of the rock with that awl? We can try something faster like a pickaxe! Oh, no! A Jackhammer! No, Wait! A WRECKING BALL!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully, somehow able to crack jokes in a very serious moment. “Pinkie, now’s not the time for jokes.” Applejack said, elbowing her friend a bit. Pinkie Pie nodded as she returned her attention towards Princess Celestia, who was still standing there with the Awl held in a magical grip. “With this, I hope to free 64…” She said, before she brought the Awl upwards, and striking it down towards 64’s forehead, stabbing down to the handle. The ponies gasped at the incredibly violent act, while Princess Celestia simply stepped back, watching and awaiting the results. Dark Red magic started to glow from the Peacemaker, pouring itself into 64’s head as Vi seeped her magic into him, initiating her plan. Inside of the statue things were starting to get hotter. The air went from freezing cold to hotter than a desert in the middle of June in a second, and 64 sat there with a shocked look on his face while Super Nova sat there smugly, seeing what Vi was going through to get in here. “LOOKS LIKE THIS IS YOUR PICKUP PROJECT 64!” Super Nova shouted as 64 squirmed under the heat, shaking and thrashing as it got worse and worse. A figure began to appear in the middle of the room, its hair burning with flames while flowing ethereally. Vi made herself present as she revealed herself in the middle of the room, standing there with tears staining her face as she ran towards 64, kneeling down to his level. She observed the physical state he was in, burns dressing nearly the entirety of his arms, a burn mark painting his forehead from the head-butts he had given Super Nova, and his chest adorned a circular burn mark from the blast of magic which knocked him out of the air during the final confrontation. “64… look at me…” Vi whispered, as she put her hands to 64’s cheeks, and directed his eyes to meet hers. They stared at each other until 64 spoke up, bewildered at Vi’s presence. ‘Vi? Wha-What are you doing here?! How did you get here?” He asked, shocked that Super Nova’s prediction came true. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t just let you stay in here 64…” Vi sobbed, as she buried her face in 64’s chest, wrapping him in a half hug as his back was against a wall. 64 wrapped his arms around her form, letting her let out whatever she was holding in. “I just left you… I gave in without any sort of fight…” Tears continued to cascade down her face as they fell onto 64 as he rubbed her back and brushed his hand through her fiery hair, surprised that it didn’t burn him at all. “It’s ok Vi… I understand… I’m just glad to have you back…” 64 whispered to her, shedding some tears of his own. They stayed in the embrace until Vi pulled away, wiping some of her tears away as she tried to get a grip on herself. “No.. it’s not ok… I left you in a time that you most needed it, and now you’re in here because of it…” Vi said. She knew she had to make this right with him somehow, even if it was one of the most simplest, yet most significant thing she could do for him. Vi got up and closed her eyes for a bit, as 64 saw a small red light illuminate the floor. Out of the light, a small black and white Chess Board rose, with the white side rising on 64’s side. Vi smiled widely at 64, as his face lit up with joy. “You first, as always…” Vi said as she sat down across from 64, crossing her legs as a smile grew across her face. 64 smiled sadly at her, knowing that this would be their last match of Chess ever until she left the statue, so he would play as best as he could. He moved his first Pawn ahead two spaces, as Vi made the exact same move. 64 moved his left Knight to the outside of the board, as Vi brought up yet another pawn. 64’s eyes met Vi’s, as a small moment of peace was shared between them. 64 stared at the A.I. which had been with him through the thick and thin, smiling at her as she found a way to stay here with him until she had to leave him here, to stay a prisoner to the stone. His heart started to beat faster as she smiled back at him, making him feel happy and content with the choice he had made. Vi stared back at the Human who had saved her from a life of tortured eternity, if only for a short 6 years. She had learned to care for him in more ways than she ever thought existed, not learning of them until they had gone through so much together. She still remembered the years where she had to lead 64 through basic survival skills like a baby, teaching him how to bandage small wounds and sew up big ones, gathering tinder to start a fire to roast the fish he had caught under her instruction, and the combat situations she had to lead him through. He was truly the embodiment of persistence and stubbornness, refusing to give up no matter how bad things got. These were the reasons she was giving herself up for him. As he reached forward towards his Right Bishop, Vi reached out and grabbed his hand. 64 looked up in confusion at her sudden movement, as he then felt something he couldn’t exactly understand suddenly collide into him. Vi had met her lips with 64’s in a quick motion, pushing him against the wall as her hand reached towards the chains keeping him attached to the wall, and fused herself to them. She put her now chained hands on 64’s shoulders and pressed deeper into the kiss, wanting to do this at least once before he had to go. As 64 was still trying to get over the sensation he was feeling in his core, he felt another feeling, a feeling of his hands being released from their shackles. As Vi pulled away from the kiss with a bright red blush painting her face, 64 saw that the chains which once were chained tightly to his wrists were now completely off, and were now attached to Vi’s. “Vi?! What did you do?!” 64 yelled as he stood straight up, grabbing at the chains and pulling furiously at them, trying to free Vi from their hold. “64… just let it be. Again, I’m doing this of my own accord…” Vi said, a small sad smile on her face. 64 stared wide eyed as she closed her eyes before reopening them, a bright white light shining from them as a beam of light collided with 64, as he felt an energy begin to force its way into him. He fell to his knees from the sheer force the energy was hitting him, as he gasped to form a sentence. “VI?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” 64 yelled as he felt his blood start to pump at a dangerously fast rate, and felt his eyes start to glow a bright white. He felt as if he could take on an entire army with this kind of energy, but it felt as if it would rip his way out of his chest at any moment, so he knew that using it would be a bad idea at the moment. “Go live 64! Go live!” Vi yelled as 64 began to feel himself disappear. “GOOD LUCK PROJECT 64! ENJOY MORTALITY!” Super Nova yelled, waving at him with a smug grin on her face. “NO! VI! WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!” 64 shouted as light started to shoot out of his mouth as well, as he tried to cover his face to block out the energy. “I don’t want to be there when it’s all over… Enjoy it for me…” Vi said as a bright light shot down from the heavens, engulfing 64 as he felt his arms completely disappear, along with his legs as he continued to float upward. “VI!!! NO!!!” 64 yelled as he completely faded away from the dark realm, and the light illuminating it disappeared. Super Nova and Vi sat there, as Vi looked as if she was looking weaker by the second. “WHY SACRIFICE YOURSELF FOR HIM? DO YOU CARE ABOUT HIM THAT MUCH?” Super Nova said, as she realized what Vi had to do to free 64. “I don’t regret a single moment of it…… immortality sounds incredibly overrated……” Vi whispered as she sat there, feeling content. “BUT WAS IT NECCESARY TO GIVE HIM YOUR MAGIC FORCE? COULD HE HAVE NOT ESCAPED WITHOUT IT?” “He needed it…… the stone would not have let the magic that entered the stone leave with less magic in a being…… I know what I needed to do from the start…” Vi’s fiery hair began to dim, as the flames started to die down. “I never wanted to be immortal…… Not with the life I had…… 64 can make something of himself out there… with or without me……” The flames within Vi’s eyes faded, showing her new red colored eyes half lidded, as if she was getting very tired. “1000 years is enough for anyone to go through in life…… and I think I lived it all alright… 64 has everything he needs to survive now…… all I knew he now knows……” Vi’s feet started to fade away at a painfully slow speed, as if it purposely wanted to torture her in her final moments. “My only regret…… is that 64 couldn’t be here for my last seconds…… but at least he won’t be stuck in here for the rest of eternity….” Vi’s legs had finally completely faded, now traveling up her navel. “I’m sorry you have to stay her Super Nova…… I wish things were different for me and you…… I could have been your student…… or maybe simply a friend…” “I WILL COPE, AN ETERNITY OF ME AND MY THOUGHTS IS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO KEEP ME COMPANY. I WISH YOU LUCK IN ANOTHER LIFE, PROJECT #1.” Super Nova spoke, as Vi smiled back. “What do you think Super Nova…… did 64…… did he win……? All his life…… it’s practically been him…… versus Equest……ria……” Vi whispered, as she finally disappeared into nothingness…… passing on after her 1000 years on Equestria. Super Nova stared at the space which once had Vi’s form occupying it, feeling the slightest shred of guilt in her stomach. “I CAN’T SAY PROJECT #1…… I CAN’T SAY……” 64 POV “VI?! VI!!!” I screamed that out as I shot off of the ground with a start, immediately looking around to see the statue of me and Super Nova which now held Vi within its core and I lunged at it, ready to try and somehow force my way into the statue to get Vi back out here. Just as I was about to tackle the statue, I was held in mid-air, feeling the numbing hold of magic wrapping around my entire body. “64... stand down...” I heard a voice say behind me, as I saw what color of magic energy I was shrouded by. It was bright yellow aura, and I knew it very well. I was in the clutches of Celestia herself. Shit. “She did what she did to release you from an eternal prison. She gave her life to save you…” Celestia said, as I felt my heart skip a beat. “WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE GAVE HER LIFE?!” I yelled, thrashing and kicking in her grasp as I felt restraints clasp onto my wrists, chaining them behind my back. I looked over my shoulder to see a 20 strong Squadron of Royal Guards, each with blades brandished in my direction. Another 5 guards tackled me while I was floating in mid-air, pinning me to the ground under their combined weights. “Bring him to the Throne Room after the repairs are made to the Castle, we must rectify the mess before we bring him to trial…” Celestia said while walking back to the castle, as if she was trying to get away from me as fast as possible before I said something. “HEY! GET BACK HERE! WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY—“ I wasn’t able to finish my sentence as a Guard brought a punch to the back of my head and a rag was stuffed into my mouth, silencing me indefinitely. I looked around for anypony I knew, Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Luna, but I couldn’t see them through the mass of guards looming over me, making sure I couldn’t move as I continued to try and thrash them off of me, but I felt them pick me up and hold me still using their combined magic. I felt a hoof come down to the back of my neck, as everything faded into black… ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I came to, I found myself in a Prison Cell, back to exactly where I started. Grey walls, no windows, and one bed. I stared in shock as I took in my surroundings. I was back from where I started. My entire fucking life had been one big fucking circle. I sat on the floor with a blank stare dressing my face, finally realizing the weight of my situation. I was back in Canterlot as a prisoner, and was most likely going to be executed. All I could do was wait for the inevitable, and be patient about my ordeal. Or I could go into a fury which would match Super Nova in anger. “YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! LET ME OUT OF THIS PLACE RIGHT NOW OR I WILL PERSONALLY BREAK OFF EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR HORNS ONE BY ONE THEN SHOVE THEM UP YOUR ASSES! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR PUTTING ME BACK IN HERE!” “He’s awake!” I heard a voice say, recognizing it as Shining Armor’s. A multitude of hooves clacked against the cement floor as they made their way to the door keeping me locked in, and the small facial slot opened up, showing Shining Armor’s concerned face. “64, I know this looks really bad, but just here me out! They just needed to put you here until you came to! It’s my job to take you to the Throne Room once you woke up.” Shining Armor said, not calming me down in the slightest. “What for?! So Celestia can play Judge, Jury, and Executioner with me?! Fat fucking chance! Let me get out of this fucking cell right now!” I screamed at him, shaking as I felt trapped behind the steel door. I saw the walls started to close in on me as my breathing became erratic, and memories of the Underground Lab began to surface. Images flashed through my head as my heart rate increased dramatically. Me being pressed onto a bed of nails, the skin on my arms being ripped off, knees being broken backwards, holes being drilled into my chest, fingers being snapped, me being drowned, burned, electrocuted, maimed, opened, closed, torn, stabbed, ripped, bludgeoned, and every other thing imaginable was forcing their way back into my head. The walls were getting closer and closer, and as they were finally about to crush me I heard Shining Armor’s voice snap me out of my episode. “Hey! 64! You there buddy?” I saw I was sitting in the corner in the fetal position, and I quickly got up and pulled myself together. “Yea… Yea I’m good… Just had a freak out right now…… You, uh… you said we had to go to the Throne Room or something…?” I said shakily, still scared from my flashbacks. I heard the clicks of a door being unlocked, and once again had a small flashback of the torturous Guards, nearly caving my skull in on some occasions before we got to the experimenting center. I began to take deep breaths as Shining Armor stepped in to the cell, but I was eager as fuck to get out of it. “Alright, sorry about this but they said I needed to cuff you and have a small security escort. Turn around with your… hands, apparently… behind your back.” Shining ordered, as I quickly complied to get out of this cell room. I felt the snaps and clicks of the cuffs locking, and I stepped outside the room to see 3 Guards with spears glaring at me, as if daring me to make a move. I knew better than to piss them off at this point, as I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on. Was I being captured? Was I going to be killed? I had a bounty on my head that stretched all that was to some parts of the Griffon Kingdoms, so chances of the second one were the more obvious one. “Look, I can see by the look on your face that you think you are going to be put to the chopping block. I’m gonna tell you there is no chance of that happening right now. You nearly single handedly saved Equestria from Super Nova, and I think you may have gained a bit of leeway with that. So just let me help you out here. We found something that may help your case tremendously. I wasn’t really that surprised to find it though.” Shining Armor spoke, making me both relieved and curious. What did he mean they found something? “Alright, here we are. Ready 64?” I looked up shocked to see that we were already at the doors which lead into the Throne Room, but I was hearing quite a bit of chatter on the other side, as if it was full to the brim with ponies. I nodded a yes towards Shining Armor, and the doors swung open as all went quiet. My predictions were correct as I walked in to see ponies packed into the Throne Room, all there obviously to chew the ears off of the Princesses for not help in their times of need. Only I knew what really went on during Super Nova’s reign. All eyes were on me as they some my ‘grotesque’ form. I was a bipedal blight with no fur, stood as tall as Celestia, and was obviously very injured. I heard whispers about me, but I simply disregarded them and walked forward, hearing the jingling of the shackles connected to the cuffs on my hands. “Mother what is that thing?” A filly said loudly, enough for the entire Throne Room to hear. “It looks like a monster!” “Was it was made everything all bad?” “It looks really scary!” A multitude of foals started to voice their innocent opinions about me, as I couldn’t help but smile a bit. They didn’t know any better about me, so who was I to say anything bad? I finally reached the end of the long aisle I walked through, as I was forced onto my knees as both Celestia and Princess Luna sat there in front of me in their respective Thrones. I kept a blank stare as nopony spoke, waiting for what was going to happen. Standing next to the Princesses I saw the Element Bearers, all looking at me with a concerned look. “Project #64. Fugitive for 6 years, under the crimes of multiple charges of Murder, Assault, and Treason. After a series of extremely unfortunate events, we finally have you captured. These charges are more than enough for a punishment such as banishment…” Celestia spoke, before I spoke out, as the Guards tensed and aimed their spears at me. “Then why let Vi take me out of the stone!? You were there when she did it! So why let her?!” I yelled, as Shining Armor put his hoof to my shoulder shaking it so I would shut up. “That is not the time for that discussion. We are here to discuss your past crimes against Equestria. On the field of your last battle against Super Nova, we found a very disturbing item, which I can guess you are very aware of what it is.” Of course I knew what it was, but in the fray I had no idea where Knight’s head had been blasted. For all I knew it had been totally disintegrated in the fighting, but apparently they found it. I nodded yes to answer Celestia’s question, when she brought out the bloody burlap sack, as I saw it was weighed down, the contents still inside. I thought she was off her rocker for bringing that in here, especially when it was obvious that there were small foals in here. “I won’t show the contents of this bag for obvious reasons. But it was somepony you and I both had an extensive history with.” Many gasps were heard as she said ‘somepony’, revealing that there was something dead inside of it. “Yes, yes we did…” I whispered, not provoking anyone with it this time. “Based on a report from both my own personal student and the Captain of the Royal Guard, you claim to have done these crimes to reveal the true criminal in this case. The late Royal Advisor, Dr. Silent Knight. Is this not true?” “It is true… Every word…” “And do you have proof of these accusations?” I remained silent as I thought back to the fire which burned a good portion of Ponyville Town Hall down, and all of the proof I had along with it, but now I had no proof, and shook my head no. Celestia looked down at me, not glaring but not smiling either. There was an awkward silence amongst the crowd as they tried to find out what was going to come next. Twilight and her friends each looked scared, as Fluttershy was nearly ready to burst into tears at any moment. Princess Luna looked at her sister, then looked back at me, also wondering what she was about to say. “Due to your accusations, the word of both my own personal student and the Captain of the Royal Guard, along with your actions of the past few days……” She said pausing, at least acknowledging that I had pretty much saved Equestria, “I decided to look into your accusations, and found some questionable items if Dr. Silent Knight’s office and quarters. My face twisted into one of confusion as he brought out 3 large duffel bags, each marked “EVIDENCE”. She unzipped the first bag open, and pulled out a small stack of papers. “In this first bag, we have forged notices of Military Orders, such as the blockading of Ponyville on the night of the Summer's Sun Celebration, which all have my signature magically pasted onto the notices. None of these orders were put through by me, yet several guards claim to receive them from their Superior Officers. Several of these orders were issued to send large forces of Guards to unauthorized areas, but looking further into it, I discovered that all areas were places you were spotted in recent accounts. All orders were to Kill on Sight if you were seen, instead of Injure and Capture as I would have ordered.” Celestia explained, as Shining Armor’s face grew a small smile. Celestia pulled out the next duffel bag, and inside were similar stacks of papers, except they all were hoof written instead of magically printed. “This was the most disturbing piece in our find. Several from Dr. Silent Knight in his time as a Researching in the Canterlot Scientific Labs.” Yeah, “Scientific”. Try and save some face. “In these reports there are plans to mutate and genetically engineer a sort of “Super Soldier”, which were specifically designed to overthrow and kill me, taking me from the Throne. Eventually his planned changed, and he wanted to foal-nap my own Personal Student for his sick experiments, and by forcing me into despair, he would twist the minds of my guards to see me as an unfit leader, and stage a coup ’de etat. It ended as a failure in the end, due to the events of the past two days, and his… 'unfortunate' death.” I could only wonder what was in the last bag, because it looked incredibly empty to me. She brought out the last duffel bag, and wasted no time in zipping it open. She pulled out the one item which was in the bag, and I was abso-fucking-lutely stunned to see what was. It was one thing that pretty much screwed with everything, and I suddenly felt incredibly stupid. “In this bag, are the quick instructions to repair the Ponyville Clock Tower. When it started ringing inexplicably one day the ponies of Ponyville flocked to the sight, and celebrated it’s awakening after over two decades of its slumber. When it stopped ringing one night everypony thought the Clock powered down once again, until it started up once again inexplicably. It is now obviously what happened. Knight was able to restart the Clock Tower and repair it fully, but as innocent as all of this sounds, it actually is very sinister.” Celestia spoke, as the wheels in my head started to turn. When I left for Dodge Junction after successfully escaping from Knight’s Guards in the confrontation with Princess Luna, there was nopony to ring the Clock Tower after I had left. Knight took an opportunity and repaired the Clock Tower and used it to gather everypony to the area. “It was also said that my sister and I would make an appearance at a Ceremony to celebrate its repair. This was another one of Knight’s forged documents. He had apparently chosen my personal student Twilight Sparkle to be the public speaker at the Clock Tower, but what he was hiding was far more disastrous. Explosives were hidden behind the Clock Tower, and were set off when Twilight went up to speak. When I got word of the incident…… I made a rash decision……” Everypony was listening as Celestia held her head down low, one lone tear trailing down her cheek. She wiped it away before continuing, regain her regal posture. “Knight informed me that the creature before us, Project #64, had set off the explosives, killing Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight looked absolutely shocked, terrified that she had known somepony her whole life who wanted to foal-nap her. She then looked towards me with a grateful smile on her face, knowing that I had ended up saving her rather than harming her. “I…… I turned into that monster…… which had been dubbed “Super Nova”. I don’t remember anything during my transformation…… but I know I had done some truly despicable things……” As strange as it sounded, I actually felt sorry for Celestia. Through millennia’s of time she had ruled with great wisdom, nearly all-knowing, but all it took was one incredibly deceitful pony to pull the sheets over her eyes, blinding her from the truth. “Celestia, we know that you had turned into that monster due to the actions of Knight, but what does this have to do with my sentencing?” I asked, not seeing where this was going. “Yes… I’m going slightly off topic…. Due to this recently found evidence, the 1 charge of Murder will be dropped, and all charges of Treason will be dropped as well…” Celestia said, as Twilight Sparkle and her friends looked relieved at the dropping of some of my charges. “However, that still leaves 1 Charge of Murder, and 3 charges of Assault. The punishments are worthy of over 5 years imprisonment, with no chance of Parole.” Celestia said. I knew that this was going to happen; I was going to be tossed back into a cell. 5 years is still a lengthy amount of time for someone to stay imprisoned, but at least it wasn’t going to be Banishment to the Sun or something. “However, due to your services in a time of disaster…… I have no choice but to pardon you of these crimes……” I looked up in surprise at those words, as I felt the cuffs around my wrist unclasp, and the chains fell to the ground. I turned to see Shining Armor winking at me, an obvious signal that he and probably Twilight had swayed Celestia’s view on him. “So… that’s it? I’m…… I’m free….?” I said, not believing the words I uttered, as if they were a completely foreign language. “Yes…… You are free…… But I ask you stay a bit longer. I…… I wish to speak with you……” Celestia told me, as Twilight and her friends all had looks of joy on their faces at the news of my freedom. I didn’t get too excited as I was led by Shining Armor back down the aisle, and out of the Throne Room. As soon as I exited the yells and complaints of the Canterlot ponies continued to ring out, as I still couldn’t wrap my head around my situation. “I’m free?” I whispered, as Shining Armor put his hoof to my shoulder as we continued walking where ever we were going. “It looks like it. Kind anti-climactic don’t you think? All you had to do to gain your freedom was fight and defeat a demonic monster made up of the energy of the sun itself and then get encased in stone! I was hoping for something a bit more exciting.” Shining Armor joked, as we reached a small room, designed as if it was an interrogation room. “C’mon, let’s wait in here until Princess Celestia is all wrapped up at the Throne Room. Sadly that might be awhile…” I sat on the small chair on the ground, a small stool designed for ponies to sit on. I let out a deep puff of breath, as I saw a small cloud of smoke flow out of my throat. I shot my hands to my mouth, and released another puff of breath while Shining Armor watched with shock, but this time it yielded no results. “What the fuck was that?!” I said jumping back, wondering how the hell a puff of smoke came out of my lungs. “Ugh… I don’t know. Look at you, you’re all burned to Tartarus, maybe that has something to do with that. Wait up, let me call a nurse.” Shining said as he took a small phone off of the land line on the wall, and spun the dial with his magic. “Hello? Yea can you come down to Interrogation Room 16? We have a burn patient here. Alright. Ok, see you in 5 minutes.” Shining Armor hung up the phone as he looked back. “Nurse is on his way. He knows what you are so don’t worry.” I laid back on the cement floor, trying to relax a bit. “I can also get on of the maids to patch up those holes in your shirt. Those sleeves look all burned up, wasn’t that supposed to be a long sleeve? I swear you were wearing one before we started fighting Super Nova.” Shining’s attempts to make small talk were starting to get on my nerves. In this small room I was already feeling claustrophobic, and I wasn’t really in the mood. A few more attempts at his small talk later, the Nurse walked into the room, and made short work of the various burns I had all over my torso, and I was forced to shed my “shirt” as it was serving no purpose at this point. Time droned on forever as the clock struck 8PM, 8 hours since we defeated Super Nova. How long was Celestia going to take? Shining Armor also had his wound looked at when the Nurse was there, and was now asleep with half of his body lying on the table in the middle of the room. “Ugh… please let this end soon…” I muttered as I was starting to feel the Sandman’s spell on me, it had been 3 days since I had last slept. The door was swung open by a Yellow Aura, and I saw Celestia’s form enter the room, and giggle at Shining Armor’s sleeping form. “Ahem, Captain?” She said playfully, as Shining Armor woke up with as start. “Ugh… wha…. Cadence….?!” Shining said startled, as he saw Celestia standing in the doorway. He instantly snapped to a saluting position, his Uniform all wrinkled from his nap. “You are relieved Captain, you may leave me with Project 64.” Shining Armor nodded as he looked at me once last time, before he stepped through the door, leaving me with the Goddess of the Sun. I sat up on the stool as she and I stared at each other, waiting for one of us to say something. “So…” I said, breaking the ice, “You are just gonna let me walk out of here a free person today?” Celestia nodded her head yes, before she spoke up, “Yes… after this you are free to do what you please.” She said as I relaxed a bit in my chair, sighing a long breath. I hoped that the smoke was going to puff out again, but no luck was to be found. “So what was all that back there at the Throne Room? Looked pretty serious……” “Yes… many citizens from places around Equestria have come here today, wanting to gain compensation for their suffering…” “You want to compensate somepony out there, compensate Dodge Junction. Super Nova sent a squad of her Guards to probably raze that place to the ground. You definitely need to send your best Contractors and a large Economic care package to get that place up and running once again. From what I could tell the Molten Guards Super Nova used didn’t aim to kill, but to infect, turning them into those weird monsters too, so I doubt there was too much death.” I said, kicking my feet up onto the table to relax. Celestia nodded at me, obviously already knowing about it. “And you know what I’m going to ask right now. So why don’t you stop wasting my time… and answer my question… What do you mean…… She gave her life…?” I whispered, becoming serious about what happened to Vi. I got up and put my hands on the table, being mindful of all of the bandages on my arms, leaning forward a bit to get in Celestia’s face. “I want to know what the fuck happened to her when she got me out of there…” Celestia looked away from my gaze as she thought about her answer, before she turned back to me. “She knew what she had to do to get you out of the Stone. I knew that she was going to sacrifice herself for you when she explained her plan to you. According to her she had betrayed you in a time you needed her most, and wanted to make up for her mistake.” Celestia explained, as I exploded with anger. “I GAVE MYSELF UP FOR EVERYPONY!” I yelled as I grabbed the table and flipped it over Celestia, watching it smash against the wall behind her. Smoke was now coming back out of my throat with every breath, and I felt a heat rise through my arms. The bandages wrapped around my arms were wrapped in a red aura before they were disintegrated, showing my arms were now completely healed from their burns. “She wanted you to live the rest of your life! Immortality or even longevity is an incredible curse to put on anypony! Do you know how many friends of my past I have been forced watch to die of old age as I stayed the exact same age? Ponies aren’t meant to live forever! Project #1—“ "Her name is Vi!” “Fine! VI! Wouldn’t be able to live with herself when the time came for you to die! She knew she would outlive you for Centuries, so she chose to save you so you could live your life to its fullest! She didn’t want to outlive you! That’s why she did what she did! So you could be free and live and she wouldn’t outlive you! She had to give you all of the magic she had in her entire being so you could escape the stone!” Celestia screamed back at me, not sad but angry at my outburst, as smoke continued to puff out of my nose with every exhale. I looked down at my arms to see the magic was still flowing through them, as my anger started to recede, as well as the magic. My arms were shaking as I suddenly felt dizzy, sitting back down in an attempt to stay conscious. “She… she gave me her magic?” I said, not believing what I was hearing. Celestia also calmed down a bit before she sat down as well, nodding sadly at me. “Yes… When a magical entity enters a stone prison, it won’t be allowed to leave without the same magical energy as when it entered. Vi gave all of her magical energy so you could leave the Stone. She probably passed away a few seconds after you left…” Celestia said, watching my shocked expression. She was gone…… Vi was dead and gone…… And I now had her magic inside of me…… “64 I know that this is a lot to take in, and you are very confused right now, but I have a question I need to ask you. With your specific set of skills, I know that integrating back into normal pony life would be next to impossible for you. Which is why I have an excellent opportunity for you, and if you accept, hopefully we can put the tension we have behind us. Are you willing to listen?” I didn't want to listen, I didn't hear her at first. A ringing noise was all I could hear, my eyes widened and tears rolling down my cheeks. I felt something new inside me... something foreign. It felt like liquid fire, giving me energy and power, but when I remembered who it had come from, it felt like the sickliest poison that could ever be consumed. I saw Celestia's mouth moving, but to me no words were coming out. It was obvious she thought I could hear her, but I didn't make any movement to tell her otherwise. I clenched my fist tightly as I felt new anger building up, and my vision turning red. Celestia apparently saw my change in demeanor because she immediately took my hands in a magical grasp and lifted me to the wall behind me, pressing me tightly in her magic as I began to flail and kick. "LET ME GO RIGHT NOW! LET ME GO!" I screamed, trying to make any effort to escape. Celestia said nothing as I eventually began to calm down, instead replacing my anger with a sense of despair. My best friend... My only companion... Dead... I curled up into a ball and began to sob quietly, feeling more alone than I had ever felt. I had no one else in this world rooting for me, no one else to talk to when I needed help. I was alone. Celestia walked up to me and sat next to me, wrapping one of her wings around my body. I had no other instincts to tell me to not begin crying into her fur. 3rd Person POV Twilight and her friends stood in the now empty Throne Room, all standing nervously as they waited for Princess Celestia and 64 to return. “Oh… what could be taking so long? Have they started fighting or something?” Twilight thought out loud, pacing back and forth worrying a storm up. “Now don’t fret Twi, we jus’ gotta be patient an’ wait for them to come back an’ explain themselves.” Applejack said, trying to calm down Twilight’s nerves. “Yeah, I mean, 64 is kind of a loose cannon with a short fuse, but I’m sure he can keep himself calm enough to have a decent conversation.” Rainbow Dash said agreeing with Applejack. The sounds of hoofsteps echoed through the hallway outside of the open door, and Princess Celestia and 64 stood side by side, with 64 with his arms crossed and wearing a brand new Black Long Sleeve. His eyes were red and puffy, but he was sporting a small smile, happy that he could actually be free after this day. “Hello my little ponies, it seems 64 and I have made amends for our past disputes.” Princess Celestia spoke with a cheerful tone. 64 was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Vi was now dead, sacrificing herself so he could live. “Really? What did our sister do to clear up her past transgressions?” Princess Luna spoke out, slightly disbelieving. “She gave me an offer, and i feel it was probably be the best thing she could give me. I still don't forgive her... but I feel this could be a start to a long road of rebuilding.” 64 said, walking forward towards the group of ponies in the middle of the Throne Room. "I can never live like you guys. So Celestia offered the next best thing." 64 stuck his hand straight out with his palm facing upwards, as he gathered energy as best as he could. A Dark Red sword popped out of his hand, as Twilight and her friends shot backwards, surprised at seeing him make a weapon without Vi, who Princess Celestia had revealed to them that she was dead. “How in the world are you still able to make your weaponry without that strange device?!” Rarity exclaimed, shocked at 64’s creation. “Vi gave me all of her magical energy when she broke me out of the Stone. I have my own source of magic now… all organic. It can regenerate unlike Vi’s energy, but I still can’t use it conventionally. For some reason I can only use conjuration magic, making my weapons and tools. I can’t cast spells or levitate anything unlike other Unicorns.” 64 explained with a dull voice. The ponies understood his reason for this attitude, but they still didn’t know what the offer Princess Celestia had made to 64. “What she did, was give me a chance to continue what I love to do. And that is helping ponies who can’t help themselves. I’m going to take on a sort of Royal Bounty Hunter role, as cliché of a job that may seem for someone with my specialized skill set, I think it’s the only way I could actually live. I mean, all I did before all of this was try and find a way to clear my name, but after I ended up clearing it, I didn’t plan for anything after. I think it’s best to accept Princess Celestia offer rather than turning down a very good opportunity to travel around and see Equestria for myself. Even if I have to take the lives of a few bad ponies while I’m doing so, I think it will be a pleasant experience.” 64 finished, as he took a few practice swings with the conjured sword in his hands, feeling its weight in his grasp. The girls stared wide eyed as he was speaking of his new job nonchalantly, as if hunting down ponies was the easiest thing ever. “Well I guess we are both part of the Equestrian Military?” Shining said with a laugh, walking forward as he put out a hoof to shake. 64 took it and shook, but shook his head no. “Not really. You have no power over me, but I am in the employ of combat services for Canterlot now.” 64 explained. “64, do you want the details of your first target?” Princess Celestia said, walking forwards with a manila folder in her Magical grasp. “Fuck it. No time like now…” 64 said, as he took the folder out of the air, and pulled out the small photo and profile. “Sunmoon Gaze, Pegasus, wanted for Drug distribution among small cities within the Northern city of Vanhoover. Large amounts of illegal Cannabis and Moonshine trafficking. Fugitive for 21 years? How are you now just finding this guy?” 64 asked, looking at Princess Celestia. “We have gotten an anonymous tip from one of his enforcers, revealing where he will be staying for the next week. You must travel quickly if you wish to catch him. Inside is a detailed report from the enforcer of the layout of his warehouses, and all of his hideouts. Your job is to eliminate Sunmoon and destroy his empire before it grows any larger.” Celestia explained, as 64 closed the folder. “Well then, I gotta get going before this get any more difficult. I’m guess I should—“ 64 stopped mid-sentence as he saw something on the Throne, a figure sitting there and waving at him, wearing a blue skin tight suit before it puffed away in smoke, leaving 64 blinking and rubbing his eyes. “64? You were saying?” Twilight said, waving a hoof in front of his face. “Oh, uh… yea, um… I should probably get going right?” 64 said, as Princess Celestia nodded a yes. “You aren’t going to just leave without saying goodbye right?” Twilight said as she walked up to the human, as he patted her head with a small smile. “Of course not… C’mon, Princess Celestia is going on some sort of apology tour and we’re going to take the same chariot to Tall Tale before I continue to Vanhoover. Let’s all walk to the launch pad for the Chariots, so you could see us off.” 64 said, as he started towards the exit of the Palace. The entire group of ponies walked with 64 and Celestia as they went out towards the center of the Hedge Maze, making small talk as they were preparing to say their goodbyes. They eventually reached the launch pad, with 4 Unicorn Guards wait for their orders. “Well 64, we might have not known each other very long, but I want to thank you for everything you have done. Without you, Super Nova might have taken over Equestria!” Twilight yelled out as Celestia cringed a little bit at the name, knowing the destruction she caused. “Yeah! When you get back, I’m gonna throw the most super-duper bestest party ever!” Pinkie Pie yelled out, making 64 perk up a little. “When you get back, me and Applejack are gonna take you on in hoof wrestling! And then we’ll see who’s the stronger one here!” Rainbow Dash said as she jumped in the air before falling flat on her face, not realizing that Pegasus Magic was canceled out unless you had a protective charm on you. “Eyup! Ah bet ‘am gonna whip both yer behinds when ya get back 64! Jus’ make sure to take care of yerself.” Applejack said, as he nodded at her, accepting her challenge. “Umm… Just be careful out there 64. You don’t know how many bad ponies you are going to meet with your new job…” Fluttershy whispered out, as she said her goodbye. “You mustn’t get hut out there darling! Who knows what would happen if you were to get injured out there from some sort of ruffian!” Rarity said dramatically. 64 looked at the group of mares, the mares he had come to know as his friends. “I’m gonna be okay girls, just live life as you normally would without me. I’ll be back eventually, but I bet it’s going to be hard to have fun without me. Good luck to you all.” 64 said as he stepped onto the chariot with Celestia, and it took off into the air. 64 waved his hand at his friends down below as he flew higher and higher into the air, before they were eventually above the clouds. “Are you ready for your first assignment? It will be difficult.” Princess Celestia said as they flew faster through the air, only 5 minutes away from Tall Tale. “Heh, I was made ready.” 64 chuckled, as they eventually flew over Tall Tale, and 64 stood near the edge of the Chariot. “Good luck with your little Apology Tour. And be careful in Dodge Junction! The entire city formed a good friendship with me, and they know about what happened 6 years ago! Just be careful!” 64 yelled as Princess Celestia nodded, and 64 looked down at the layer of clouds under him. “Look out Equestria, here I come.” 64 jumped off of the Chariot.