Chapter 11
With everything going in motion, Twilight’s organization skills were superlative as she went to put her skills into play. She had a long but accurate list of assignments for the weapon supplies, armor inspection, reviewing battle tactics, groups, and many more that will make sure Twilight’s strategy was peerless. Her friends provided help by putting the soldiers into their positions. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were tasked to give out each soldier the necessary weapons such as a rifle, force field grenade, and a handgun.
Rarity and Pinkie Pie helped design the suit armors by painting patterned line colors from the helmet, chest plate, gauntlets, leggings, and boots. The colors they used were the opposite color of what each soldier was donning. Both Rarity and Pinkie Pie hope that this will distinguish who was on their side and who wasn’t.
Zecora and Aero continued to aid Princess Luna by restoring her energy using their alchemy skills. Luna was almost at full power, yet patience wasn’t her strongest virtue. She kept wondering about her sister’s behalf, but Zecora and Aero see to that Luna stayed put until she regained her strength.
Twilight rallied up more than a half of the soldiers to discuss her battle tactics. And while she told them her plan, each soldier felt more docile than before, intrigued and pleased from her description. Spike stood more than ten feet away from her, listening to her plans and giving her room to think. He felt proud and happy to know that her hidden desire came to fruition.
“That’s my Twilight for you…” Spike said to himself.
“Ah… so you’re here too…” Spoke a woman’s voice behind Spike. Spike drew his attention behind him and saw the same female soldier who captured both Twilight and Spike, while also trying to get Spike out of his cage for a dissecting operation. She displayed a neutral face while looking straight into the dragon’s surprised eyes. Spike knew who that woman was, but was reminded that she too was knocked out by Jack. With nothing to worry about, Spike simply smiled and nodded.
“Sure! Twilight up there really has the brains for being a great leader, am I right?” The woman chuckled nonchalantly with Spike.
“You guys are very confident, huh? Well, I wouldn’t put it pass you, I’m still impressed you managed to make it this far.”
“Well gosh, thanks!” Spike displayed his slightly sheepish smile, feeling a bit embarrassed from being praised by someone. After that, Spike turned his attention back over to Twilight.
“I just hope nothing will go wrong with our plan… n-no! I shouldn’t think that! We’re definitely going to get through to this… together! I know we can do this!” Spike said enthusiastically, reassuring himself with hope. While his attention was over at Twilight, the woman looked down at the dragon, her eyes were slits. Then, she displayed a hidden sinister grin.
“We’ll see about that…” The woman uttered deviously, quietly chuckling at his false belief. While Twilight quickly explained the battle plan and how to use Canterlot’s terrain to their advantage, everyone else was doing their jobs except Jack.
Jack was sitting on a secluded bench gazing sullenly up at the Canterlot Castle in the distance. As he stared at the castle, his head was thinking of unresolved thoughts and decisions. Twilight’s speech may had lifted his spirits up a bit, yet he still had reclusive feelings. The ponies in ponyville or rather anywhere else viewed him differently, giving him disdain looks or censure insults. He couldn’t know why he was labeled as a plague or what made him look like a bad person, but he felt more distant towards them the more insults he received. Not only that, he felt responsible for involving a race that was once ruled by harmony into a mess he created. His decision on staying or leaving Ponyville was still on debate, despite the insignificant positive feedback he received so far and the dangers that manifested outside of Equestria. If his friends were to discover the truth behind Jack’s suffering...
“Are you okay, Jack?” Jack snapped out of his sullen state and turned around to see Fluttershy looking concerned. Jack trailed his eyes away from her and looked at the ground.
“Y-Yeah… I am…” Jack said, looking irresolutely. Fluttershy may not had experienced the full depths of his pain, but she knew something was bothering him.
“Jack… there’s something on your mind… isn’t there?” Fluttershy asked. Jack faced himself forward, looking at the ground between his two legs. Seeing Jack in this state prompted Fluttershy to adopt more concerns on his wellbeing. She walked towards the extra space on the bench and sat next to him.
“Talk to me…” She pleaded. Jack continued to look at the ground aimlessly. After a few silent moments had passed, Jack sighed heavily.
“Fluttershy… I…” Jack was about to tell her about the ponies in Ponyville, yet he felt that it would hurt her feelings if she found out. Instead, he turned to a relatable subject. Jack closed his eyes in a moment of pained resignation.
“...I’m just nervous about this whole assault. I mean, all I’m worried about is failing… that’s al-”
“Jack…” Fluttershy interrupted. “I know you, you’re not afraid of anything. I can tell that something else is burning inside of you. You see, Twilight told me everything that happened so far and... I understand it’s too painful to talk about it, but I want to help.” Jack looked at Fluttershy, then casted his gaze away from her.
“I’m fine…” Fluttershy shook her head and rested both hooves on Jack’s hoof.
“I don’t think you are, Jack. Please, talk to me about it.” Jack clenched his eyes, trying to contain his frustration.
“I’m… I’m fine, Fluttershy… I-”
“It’s those ponies who think badly about you, isn’t i-” Unwilling to associate with her under his stressful condition, Jack stood up suddenly, yanked his hoof away from her grasp and grunted frustratedly.
“I SAID I’M FINE, FLUTTERSHY!!” Jack exclaimed irritatedly and loudly. Fluttershy was stricken with fear, as she jumped in fright and withdrew herself from him for a mere few seconds. Both pegasus’ spoke only but naught. One stood there irritatedly, while the other stared slightly nervous. During their silent moment, Jack felt guilty of lashing out at Fluttershy like that, and yet he also felt patronized from receiving help. All of his anger, his hardship, and his guilt had lead him through an ordeal more severe than any other human being on the planet. He felt like a plague that had been cursed to roam around the face of the earth for life, causing misfortune and misery to those around him. He wished he wouldn’t believe that was the cause of Jack’s infamous reputation, but the more he thought about it, the more it strayed him from the happiness that dwelled inside his heart.
With nothing more to say, Jack began to walk away from Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked at the ground while adopting a worried expression on her face. She sat alone on the bench pondering on Jack’s behavior.
“What’s happening to you, Jack…?” Fluttershy spoke internally. Jack made his way towards the Town Hall, where he spotted Princess Luna standing all alone watching Twilight from afar. He didn’t want to interfere with Luna, but with his mind agitating him, his patience had stepped aside. Jack continued to walk over to Luna and sighed. Luna caught a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye and turned her attentions to Jack.
“Is something the matter?” She asked.
“No… nothing is wrong.” Jack lied, holding back his stress. “How long until we’re ready?”
“Telling from what Twilight is coming towards, she is coming to a conclusion. Why do you seem so tense?” The princess asked.
“It has none of your concerns. We need to move to the secret haven soon. After that… I need to find Princess Celestia.” Princess Luna tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion after he mentioned her sister.
“What business have you with my sister?” She asked suspiciously. Jack floated his eyes to the side, releasing a stressed sigh.
“I just need to ask her something… something I never had a chance to tell her before.” Jack spoke duly. Before Luna asked another question, she observed Jack’s pale and sullen expression on his face. The way he spoke and expressed his attitude made her feel intrigued on knowing what was going on in his head right now, but she was very circumspect on his current temper. Willing to put her skeptical notions aside, she simply nodded.
“Very well… I will not inquiry your desires any longer, however; we need to wait until Twilight is finished with her-”
“We’re ready!” Exclaimed Twilight happily. Both the princess and Jack jumped in shock from her unexpected outburst. Twilight darted her eyes to the side and gave off a slight embarrassing chuckle.
“Erm… sorry.” Shaking off her awkward reaction, she returned to her composure. “Anyways, the battle plan has been explained. Since our planned headquarters is going to be located inside Canterlot Haven, we will use the terrain and the environment to our advantage. We’ll set up traps, ambushes, and assigned locations to defend or attack.” Impressed by her strategist skills, Luna smiled proudly at the prodigy before her.
“I’m impressed, Twilight. You surely are a great asset to ponykind. I will leave a portal open that will direct you towards our haven. Be sure to gather up the army as soon as possible, for the portal will only last for seven minutes.” Luna closed her eyes, her horn illuminated as it hummed soothingly and made a portal appeared. Looking through it, it revealed a luscious, verdantly haven that radiated the sense of tranquility. With her work done, Luna looked towards Jack with a serious expression on her face.
“I want you to come with me… it’s very important.” In an instant, Luna used her magic to conjure up another portal. However this time, the portal was a bit smaller than the first one. Jack and Twilight looked through the portal, but had no idea where it leaded to. But Jack nodded slowly, as he had a presumptuous idea what they were going to do. Before heading into the portal, he turned his direction towards the Canterlot Castle in the distance. All of his goals now reside within that region.
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Inside Celestia’s imprisoned dome, the princess was holding on whatever was left of her conscious. Almost all of her life force was near depletion due to being kept captivated within the dome. She couldn’t move any single muscle, not even the strength to roll her lifeless eyes around to view the room. All she could do now was breathe slowly and keep herself conscious.
“L-Luna…” Celestia spoke within her conscious. “...P-Please… s-stay… s-safe…” The princess knew she was at her limit. As the prison dome sapped her energy slowly but surely, Celestia’s visions became more blurry with each second that passed. Her blood ran cold and her mind was being ripped to asunder. Her breaths became slower and weaker, while her whole body was on the verge of becoming lifeless. As the sounds she heard were nothing but bizarre muffles, Celestia took this last opportunity to reminisce the most proudest memory she could remember.
She saw Twilight and her friends smiling up at her during their award ceremony for defeating Discord. The way they smiled at their humble princess made her feel proud of her loyal subjects. The amity between her and the elemental bearers had always gave Celestia hope for the future. But her memory on that glorious day soon evaporated into a single image of her dear and beloved sister, smiling at her. Celestia loved her sister more than her own life, and knowing full well she was safe from harm’s way relieved her worried heart. Even though the image of Luna was going to be the last image she will see, Celestia wouldn’t have it anyother way.
With her final breath drawing ever so close, the vestige of her conscious begun leaving Celestia in ruin. Her visions were slowing dimming into darkness, ready for death’s embrace. Then…
*SLAM!* The door suddenly flung open, causing a loud bang.
“SISTER!!” Out came Luna, as she shouted her sister’s name. Behind Luna, Jack leaped over her with his staff in hooves. He lunged towards the dome, while building up his strength as he sailed towards his target. With one powerful swing, he bellowed a vicious roar and hit the dome with all of his might. Fissures started snaking away from the impact under the staff, as the whole dome begun to crack. Within seconds, the entire dome shattered and the force field dissolved from the plane of existence. With not a moment too soon, Celestia retained her conscious just in the nick of time. A few seconds later and Celestia would’ve been made no more.
With Celestia free from the force field’s grasp, her energy and vigor were slowly returning to her body. Her visions slowly guided her back into shape and the lack of pressure restored her hearing in a steadily pace. The first thing she could hear once more was the sound of her sister’s call.
“...L...Luna…?” Celestia responded, still in the process of rejuvenating her lost strength.
“We’re here, sister! Don’t worry, I’ll get your strength back!” Luna replied. As Celestia was compassed with Jack and Luna, Jack lifted her head and neck. Luna’s horn glowed violet and her magic encased Celestia in a purplish aura, rejuvenating her strength more faster. Celestia floated her eyes up at Jack, forcing her to grin slightly.
“W-Welcome… back…” The princess spoke wearily within her welcoming tone. Jack could of expressed the same feeling back at her, granted, he felt thankful for her from creating his body, but he felt as neutral in meeting Celestia. With time of the essence, Jack knew that this could be the only time to ask her.
“Thank you, your highness. But… I didn’t came here only to save you…”
“I-I know… Jack.” Celestia interrupted. “I know… why y-you came… back.” Celestia took a few moments to gather her strength to continue forming words.
“But… it is… no longer in my possession…” Immediately after she answered, Jack gasped in shock. He hoped that the item he seeked was still safe and sound. But deep down, he had a haunch that the item was in another’s possession, hoping it didn’t fell into the hands of the person he thought of.
“W-What?! Y-You mean-” Jack was hesitant to complete his question, yet Celestia knew Jack had already figured out the answer.
“Yes… the one you seek has it… my tiara.” As Jack feared, he grunted in frustration, knowing the tiara was in the possession of the one who claimed it recently, Nyarlathotep. While Celestia and Jack knew the situation, Luna was left in the shadows.
“Your tiara, sister? What connections does it serve for Jack?” The princess of the night inquired. Luna knew that her older sister’s tiara was nothing more than decoration, yet she was surprised to discover that the tiara served a purpose. Celestia realized that Luna was in the shadow of the subject, and there was no harm in telling her. As Celestia struggled to get herself off the floor, she layed on all fours and sighed.
“It’s because… part of him… is inside the gem on my tiara.” As she exposed the truth, sure enough, Luna gasped surprisingly. Even from knowing the truth, she was still as puzzled as ever.
“H-How?!” She asked. Since Celestia had done her part of the explaining, Jack took over and started talking.
“During my time away, I went back to rehoned my combat skills from my master, Lei Fu Kong. Lei Fu was the last patriarch of a sacred tribe. He lived for more than three hundred years, three times the lifespan of a regular human being, and has been awaiting for one last student to pass down his teachings. He had a mastery of almost all forms of martial arts and is considered to be the descendent of Xuan Wu, The Mysterious Warrior God. But anyways, as I trained with him, he told me that he sensed a part of my soul was absent. And without the other half of my soul, I’ve discovered that the nightmares I always had experienced was from the lack of my other half. Once I realized it, the nightmares started to appear more frequently… and more horrific.” Intrigued by his story, Luna was still left in the dust.
“But… that doesn’t explain how-” Before Luna could finish, Celestia answered right away.
“It… was my fault.” Luna looked at her sister, adopting a confused yet shocked expression.
“S-Sister?” Celestia stared at her younger sister with deep remorse in her eyes.
“When I was creating… Jack’s body, I had a hard time dealing with the final step. I had to transfer his soul in one piece, however; the hatred and darkness that shrouded most of his soul was eating away at his lifeforce. I had no choice but to strip the light within his soul and store almost of it inside the gem on my tiara. Only a fraction of the light remained, which to this day, the glimmer of light still wanders within the darkness, protected by a barrier I encased it in. But I soon discovered that the darkness grows stronger each day, weakening the barrier that held his remaining shred of light. I regretted immensely of taking away most of the light within him.” Celestia paused for a moment to ease herself.
Jack was lost in his mind, musing pensively at his past life, while contemplating on other options he had left. Luna, who was starting to understand, kept her full attention to Celestia. After a few silent moments went by, Celestia continued.
“I’ve recently discovered it’s special powers during my encounter with Zalgo. Mother did gave the gem to me when I was ready to fulfill as being a princess… but I honestly had no idea why the tiara held such mystical powers. But… whenever I do tap into the gem’s energy… I can feel connected to this land somehow....” Unsure of what she meant by that, Luna inquired more information.
“So… what does this mean?” Luna asked sincerely. Celestia was about to reply, when Jack suddenly responded in a resolved tone.
“It means… that without my other half… the darkness within me… will ultimately lead me towards oblivion. If that were to happen, then I… I might become a monster far worse than… him. Well… I promise that won’t happen.” Jack said, sounding so resolving in his last sentence. Both princesses were unaware of his resolved intentions and they desired to know what. With his mind made up, Jack stood up and headed straight towards the exit. He stopped at midway to finish his business here.
“Luna, take your sister to the haven with you… and be sure she is well hidden.” Jack said, his tone took a dark yet determined tone. Obliged to fulfil his request, Luna nodded her head.
“B-But… what about you?” Luna asked. Right after her question, Jack stood there silently. He hung his head down slightly, causing his triple spiky dark brown bangs of hair that framed straight forward over his forehead to cloak his eyes in shadow, obscuring half of his face. Luna could sense the weight of pain and guilt Jack carried on his back, as she was amazed how a person like him would even continue on living. But from knowing the weight he carried, she had an uneased notion of what his decision would be. Princess Celestia, on the other hand, realized what he was planning to do. Her eyes widen in terror from the realization of her discovery.
“J-Jack… please tell me that you’re not planning on to-” At that moment, Jack interrupted abruptly.
“No… I’m tired of being useless. I don’t want to be the weak and helpless fool I was back in my days. I’m tired of hiding… and I’m mostly tired of running away from that god damn demon. It’s time I should face my past… and bury all of it down with me.” Jack stood up and headed straight towards the exit. Celestia extended her forearm desperately to reach for Jack.
“N-No… Jack, wait! Don’t be so reckless! You don’t have to do this alone!” Celestia cried out.
“I have to… even though this war may have been all my fault, I’m still going to redeem myself through the only way I can.” Jack replied, walking slow towards the room’s exit. Celestia tried her might to reach out for Jack, hoping he would reconsider.
“Jack… no… please, don’t do this all by yourself!” Celestia repeated herself, her eyes were upwelling with light tears. At the door’s entrance, Jack stopped in his place.
“I’m glad I got to see my friends again… and a chance to thank you. But… from the look of things for my future… it’s clear to all of us that I truly don’t belong here. I guess… some people weren’t meant to enjoy life.” Stricken by the heartwrenching scene, Luna also was upwelling in tears.
“I… I don’t understand.” She said quizzically. Jack took a moment to stare at both of his forehooves. On his left arm, he pictured his human arm and hand, while the right arm remained a pony forearm. By observing between the two differences, Jack could see similarities in between them. Breathing in and out, Jack calmed himself down and responded.
“You see, Luna… in our world… where malicious daemons beguiling the human race towards meaningless wars and mistrusts, and where peace and happiness became scarce…it’s a great comfort to know blessed souls like yourselves have came across my life. Up until now… my life has been nothing but misery and pain, guided by vengeance that will only bring great grief and hatred towards others.” Jack paused for a brief moment to rise his head up to stare into the blue sky, despite being inside a hovercraft. He adopted a hopeful grin while thinking his future actions that will be for the good of the Earth.
“But at least… here on this day, I can do something absolutely right for a change.” Jack turned around and presented his hopeful smile to the two princesses. But deep down in his heart, he felt distraught that his end might be upon him.
“No matter what happens… I just hope the future that awaits you all… will be different from the way things were in our time. Please… take care of yourselves.” The two princesses stared at him, knowing full well there was no stopping him. Jack stood at the doorway gazing back at the two royal alicorns with his hopeful smile.
Princess Luna gazed into his resolved eyes, not showing any doubts or fear. She was amazed and surprised to know how fortunate the events turned out in her favor. A siege conquest, lead by a powerful demon far beyond Celestia and Luna’s comprehension, was slowly diminishing by the effort of a mere yet special mortal being. Luna witnessed Jack’s capacity both physical and strategically, yet she was doubtful about the percentage chance of Jack’s survival rate. But with Equestria now hanging on like a thread, she knew that he was the best chance they could get into putting an end to this madness. Luna nodded her head, noting that she gave her approval and support to him.
“You too… Jack.” Luna replied back. Jack returned the nod and darted his eyes at Celestia, who still held a doubtful face. But she knew that his destiny was beckoning him and she had no right to stand against him.
“Jack…” Celestia muttered quietly, her tone held doubtful concede justifications. With one last glance at the princesses, Jack begun his way out of the ship. He abandoned his hopeful expression with a determined face. With the princess safe, and his friends were out of harms way, he now focused on one more goal: face the demon himself. Rushing through hallways of knocked out soldiers, he eventually made his way out to the entrance. Jack rushed out the exit, leaped off the catwalk, fell and landed smoothly on the ground and stared at the direction Nyarlathotep was residing in. He was ready to face his fate, yet there was only one problem… Jack was suddenly greeted by a certain pegasus that stood in front of him when he landed. Jack gasped, unbelieved who was facing at this time.
“F-Fluttershy?!” Exclaimed Jack quizzically, dumbstruck by her presence. “H-How did you get here?!” Fluttershy gazed away at his eyes and floated her eyes at a pile of rocks on the bottom right corner of her vision.
“I-I followed you and Luna… to the portal you both went into. And… Jack… I… I…” At that moment, she became hesitant, unsure of continuing her sentence. Jack, who was still dumbstruck, was willing to listen to what she had to say. Both ponies stood in their place silently, one gaining the courage to speak up, while the other waited patiently. Fluttershy fought back her nervousness, yet it proved to be a challenge. Jack leaned closer to observe and attempt to decipher what she was trying to get out. Suddenly, when she couldn’t take the pressure any longer, she clenched her eyes shut and shouted,
“I want to fight with you!” Fluttershy held her eyes shut for a few moments, awaiting for Jack’s negative feedback. Yet, all she heard from him was a slightly sharp gasp. Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes, feeling that her request was acceptable to him. However, when she did opened her eyes again to look at Jack, he expressed agitation to the gentle pegasus. His was too stunned for words, yet he managed to get them out in time.
“You… you did not…” Jack uttered in disbelief. He turned his head away from Fluttershy and started walking around her.
“I can’t believe this…” He uttered irritatedly. As he made his way around the yellow obstacle, Fluttershy gasped in disbelief. Not willing to let him go this easily, she turned around and intercepted Jack’s path. Both pegasus now stood their ground for the moment.
“Stop! You don’t have to shoulder this burden all by yourself!” Fluttershy exclaimed anxiously. Jack already knew what she was going to say, but his arrogant determined heart casted her request aside. As Jack started to walk around her once more, he kept his eyes on her for a moment.
“But I have to, it’s the only way!” Jack aggravatedly explained. Once he finished his sentence, he took her eyes off of her and stared straight towards his goal. Starting to become frustrated at her attempts to express her reasoning with Jack, Fluttershy’s eyes started to upwell in tears. The thought of him doing this alone angered her, which gave her the boost to continue persuading Jack. Eyes now coated in tears, she dashed around and intercepted him once more, staring at him with determination.
“Is it?!” Fluttershy asked strictly. Jack stared into her black pupils that were glimmering brighter than her very soul. But Jack had no time to be lectured by her, plus, his mind was already resolved. Willing to ignore her question once again, Jack walked around her once more and kept moving forward. Fluttershy looked at the ground in distraught, refusing to believe his end was upon him. Fluttershy started to sniffle quietly, as her tears got the better of her. She grunted to maintain her composure, while determined to stop Jack. She knew that if she doesn’t give it her all on this last attempt to stop Jack, then the memories of being weak and helpless would return, plaguing her sapience existence for the rest of her life. With nothing to lose, Fluttershy quickly turned around, dashed towards Jack, and stopped in front of him again, this time she stood her ground and held her wall high. Jack stopped in his place, knowing he wasn’t going anywhere until things were resolved between him and her. Now that Fluttershy had Jack’s attention, she continued where she left off, still struggling to keep her composure.
“Ever since we met, there was something about you that I just couldn’t ignore! I was so fixated on you for some reason! Do you want to know why?!” Fluttershy paused for a moment, trying to restrain from crying. Jack could only stand in his place and watched her struggle to bring out what sentences she was storing inside of her. A few seconds later, Fluttershy continued where she left off, despite having difficulty maintaining her composure.
“I-I’m the element of K-Kindness! I help others, c-comfort them in their darkest needs! I-I’ve met and helped c-countless of ponies… who were afflicted by loneliness and misery! I’ve been through so much suffering that I thought I had suffered the most out of all the ponies in Equestria! B-But you… w-when I first understood and felt the true depth of your torment… I… I was beyond words! You’ve carried this unimaginable pain throughout your whole life, which was beyond what I’ve went through! It was so much that I wouldn’t barely even stand a chance of surviving such a torturous experience! Such a degree of your caliber… could kill a pony in an instant!” Fluttershy took a moment to ease herself, as the wails of her emotions overwhelmed her mind.
Jack listened and pondered what she had went through, yet he could only stare at her lifelessly, the face he donned was a mixture of solemn and somber. He wanted to show his sentimental feelings back, but he was deeply consumed by the greed of kismet that obligated him to fulfil his purpose to the end. So long as his emotions and his common senses were remained behind bars, nothing that Fluttershy would say could change his view. His disillusional perspective towards the peaceful town of Ponyville and his kind were responsible for creating his distant and aloof personality. The unspeakable pain he suffered during his time was what plagued his sense of judgement and the sense of value towards others all this time. And the revolutional truths he discovered from certain people was the reason his resolved notions were shaped and twisted. He felt like a broken man, doomed to wander the globe until his only purpose was fulfilled, and there was nothing Fluttershy or her friends could do to change Jack’s written fate.
“Do you understand now, Jack?!” Fluttershy continued, but she had difficult to maintain herself. “It’s because you carry such pain that I could not simply ignore! No one… and I mean no one… should go through such suffering! That is why… I… ” Jack heard enough of her crying, and time was of the essence. In truth, he felt thankful that help was being offered, yet he knew in his heart that he was meant to do this alone. He lifted his hoof to signal Fluttershy to stop talking.
“Fluttershy… my pain is not yours… or anybody elses to share. I completely understand you want to help ease me… but I don’t want you see you suffer the same pain I have. You may have healed my wounds in the past… but the scars I carried will always torment me… just like the curse mark. I don’t want to be responsible for letting you have such scars on you… or anyone else. It’s just like you said, you simply cannot ignore pain like mine.” Jack placed his hoof onto his beating chest, staring at his hoof with pained cognizance of his past.
“I’m not here to heal my wounds… but to mend my scars. Scars may be on you for the rest of your life, but it doesn’t mean you can’t ease them.” He took a moment to collect himself and retained his normal composure. Fluttershy sniveled to dry her nose from the excessive crying.
“B-But still… I want to fight with-”
“You’re not getting it… keeping all of you safe helps mend my scars. I don’t want to get anymore scars throughout my life, knowing that I’ve not only endangered everyone, but to lose those closest to me. Please…” Jack kneeled down to her level and rested his hoof on her shoulder pad.
“Let me go…” Jack spoke sincerely. Struck by his words, Fluttershy was left utterly speechless.
“I…” Fluttershy spoke hesitantly, but at that instant, Jack turned away from her and started running towards his destination. Realizing that her convictions proved to be of no use towards Jack, she desperately reached her hoof out for him.
“JACK!!” She cried out. Jack turned his head around and darted his glare at Fluttershy.
“JUST STAY OUT OF MY WAY, OKAY?!” Jack yelled in profound anger. As she watched him run off to the distance, she sat at her spot, struck down by his needless arrogant outburst. Feeling the weight of her failure, she sunk her eyes slowly to the ground.
“Jack… no…” She uttered in despair. Fluttershy thought that she was alone to deal with her dilemma, yet surprisingly, a hoof was placed behind her shoulder pad in a reassuring way. She jumped in fright from the sudden touch, only to find that the princess of the night, carrying Celestia over her shoulder, looking down at Fluttershy with concern. Luna realized what had happen, but nonetheless, she stared back at Jack from the distance, displaying her hopeful expression towards the brave living being.
“Fluttershy, he has his battle to attend to. We must do our best to protect our kind. Have faith for him.” Luna said to Fluttershy, giving her the reassurance she deserved. Of all the times Jack had faced the dangers, Fluttershy had yet to give some consideration of placing faith into a regular mortal being, facing in the dangers of powers beyond his reckoning. But at the same time, she felt that it was the best to let him do his thing alone. With nothing more to say on the matter, Fluttershy turned attention away from the princesses, and stared at the last sighting of Jack, who just entered inside Canterlot City.