//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Business // Story: Lost and Fallen // by Superdale33 //------------------------------// Lost and Fallen Chapter 11: Business As Rainbow pushed open the door to the bookstore, everyone inside turned their gazes to her. They weren’t too surprised by her entrance, but when I came after, they were more than a little shocked. I wasn’t fazed though, and continued on until Rainbow was in her seat at the table. I preferred to stand away from everyone else, not wanting to sit at the moment. The stares persisted as they were confused as to why I would join them so soon. But all I did was shrug as I glanced over to Rainbow, a subtle gesture that she would explain. “Why is he here?” Shining Armor asked harshly. “I… trust him now,” Rainbow revealed with a gulp, causing the group at the table - except for Dusty, who already knew - to gasp. “You trust him?” Shining asked with a raised brow. “Stop the presses,” I remarked quietly and sarcastically. Applejack and Twilight were happy at Rainbow’s declaration, smiling slightly with a nod of approval. Dusty was unmoved, whether he didn’t care or was on the fence of Rainbow’s decision was unknown. Cadence was contemplating the thought of a friendly human, and Shining was obvious about how he felt about the issue. “Did you forget who we’re dealing with?” he asked, pointing an accusatory hoof a me. “He is a human! You know, the species that took over Equestria and enslaved everypony!” “Shining,” Twilight spoke with both authority and anger. “Do you know what Nolan has gone through? What he has done?” “What does it-” “Shining,” Cadence exclaimed, catching his attention as he faced her, his expression softening. “Give him a chance, like your sister did.” He looked at the ground, obviously conflicted, and I knew I had to say something to change his mind. “We’re all living beings,” I said, catching more than just Shining’s attention. “Even if we’re a different species, doesn’t mean we’re that different.” I was mostly bullshitting my way through, but it felt like what I said had a layer of truth to it. “You need me,” I continued, finishing up my impromptu speech, “And I need you guys. We need to work together if we want to get your homes back, and get me back to my world.” “Still don’t believe that,” Shining muttered, and I sighed. “We have to work with him,” Rainbow told Shining, earning a growl from him, “Especially if we want to get Fluttershy back.” I perked my head up at that, remembering her to be another Element of Harmony. Another step towards getting myself home. Walking towards the table, I took a seat in my chair, giving Rainbow my utmost attention. “Why do you need me to get Fluttershy?” I asked, putting my elbows on the table as I leaned my chin on my hands. “The scouts have been able to narrow her down based on rumors and snips of information,” Rainbow explained, dipping her head below the table. She returned with a rolled up paper in her mouth, and laid it upon the table. Using both of her hooves, she opened it up to reveal a map of Equestria. There were so many markings that I had a hard time figuring out where the major cities were. “She’s in Fillydelphia,” she announced, tapping a point of the map that must have been around the East coast. I couldn’t stop myself from giving a low chuckle, causing everyone to face me with the most confused expressions I had ever seen. I composed myself as I cleared my throat in embarrassment. “What’s so funny?” Twilight asked for the group, more out of curiosity than being upset. I rubbed the back of my neck, “Well… there’s a city where I’m from that has the same name, except it doesn’t have the word ‘filly’ in it.” “Uh, alright,” Rainbow said with shake of her head, her face turning serious again. “Anyway, she’s in Fillydelphia. But that’s as much as we know. We need somepony to go in there and figure out specifically where she is, and hopefully get her out.” “And that’s where I come in?” I asked nonchalantly, leaning back in my chair as I crossed my arms. “Yep,” Dusty said with a sigh, obviously not liking the idea in the least. “You’re the only one here that won’t raise attention.” “Fine by me,” I shrugged, and Applejack glanced over to me before turning to Rainbow. “And he’s goin’ in alone?” she asked. “Well, that’s the idea,” Dusty put in. “No, he isn’t,” Rainbow snapped quickly, catching Dusty off guard. “We are not putting him through another mission by himself.” I was glad that Rainbow was truly giving my a break for once. Applejack looked at me again, causing me to wonder what was going through her mind. Was she really worrying over me? She knew I could take care of myself, so why get all worked up about me going in by myself? Especially after I just went through a mission where I was by myself. “I’m goin’ with him,” she declared with a determined face, making those at the table gawk at her. “A-Applejack?” Twilight stuttered, “You want to go-” “With Nolan?” Applejack finished, “Yes, I do. He’s already had enough doin’ everythin’ while I’m just twiddlin’ my hooves. If anypony’s goin’ with him to Fillydelphia, it’s me.” “You don’t have to,” Rainbow told her, “He can go with somepony else-” “I want ta help,” Applejack emphasised, slamming a hoof to the table. “And nopony is goin’ to stop me.” I smiled at her bravado, and I nodded in her direction. “Thanks, Applejack,” I said, causing her to smile back. “I want to make up for how I treated ya back when we first met,” she explained, her head dipped low as she pulled her hat off her head, holding it in front of herself. “It’s the least I could do.” Having Applejack want to make up for her behavior was a nice change of pace. Perhaps I could learn more about her while we were on this trip. Thinking about the location we would be going, I had never been to the East side of the United States. Though I wasn't in the United States anymore, this would probably be as close as I would ever get to seeing Philadelphia. “You’ll be leaving tomorrow,” Rainbow finished up, looking between Applejack and myself. “You deserve some rest.” I rubbed my eyes, feeling the tiredness set in from her reminder, “Hell yeah, I do.” Knowing that the small details would be settled later, I made to stand from my seat, but not before someone else spoke up. “I’m coming too!” a different voice exclaimed, causing everyone at the table to look around. Seeing that everyone at the table was silent, I turned my head to the door to see Carrot Top. As all eyes turned towards her, she fidgeted under their gazes as she faced away sheepishly. “I mean… You know, if it’s alright.” My smile grew bigger at her gesture of friendship and I stood from the table, making my way over to her. She faced up at me when I stood in front of her, and put my hands on my hips as I gave a humorous grin. “It’s good to have some good friends with me,” I said, making her smile brightly. Then, unexpectedly, she hugged my torso, snuggling against my chest. It felt awkward, but not really out of place, and I wrapped a single arm around her. I was glad I had met her. “Does anypony else want to suddenly join him?” Dusty asked loudly, looking around, almost daring someone else to raise their hoof. “Anypony at all?” “Nolan!” Pinkie said out of nowhere, charging through the door that Carrot Top had also entered through. To say that everyone was shocked to see her was a good understatement. She was still pale and skinny, but the sadness she had in her eyes was no longer full of self pity. She didn’t bother looking at anyone else in the room, her eyes fixed solely on myself. “I can’t lose a good friend…” she whispered, as Carrot Top backed away to allow me to address Pinkie. “Pinkie…” I said in a hushed tone, “You… left your room?” She gave a firm nod, “I thought about what you told me, and I know you’re right, but I need help. I don’t think I can figure it out on my own.” I didn’t think she was wrong; she was the type that cared about her friends, and I knew she would need help from a friend to truly get back on her hooves. I crouched to a knee as I put myself to her level, and faced her with a frown. “I need to go, Pinkie,” I explained with a heavy heart. “Maybe… another friend can help you.” It was at that moment that Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack - with her hat on - and - surprisingly - Dusty came over to her with forced smiles. Of everyone that was presented to her, Dusty was the most puzzling. I didn’t even think he knew her all that well, and yet he stood amongst Pinkie’s other friends. I didn’t voice my concern though, choosing to give Pinkie a smile. “You still have friends, Pinkie,” I said, patting her head as she gazed at the four that stood before her. “They’ll help you, no matter what.” She was still taken aback by her friends’ gesture of friendship, and it caused me to give a suppressed chuckle. For some reason, I found it humorous that she would be so shocked that her friends would help her. “You’re in good hands,” I finished, standing back to my feet, “I’ll take my leave.” I was about to head for the door when a thought caught my attention. I turned to face the room, seeing everyone curious as to what I have to say. “If I’m being given my ‘freedom’, here,” I said, crossing my arms, “Then can I have my weapons back?” “‘Course ya can, Sugarcube,” Applejack answered rather quickly, causing me to feel happy that she was so different compared to when we first met. Most of the ponies raised no objections, and even looked like I deserved to have them. As Applejack went over behind the table to get them, Shining Armor glanced over to me as he looked to everyone else. “Aren’t any of you worried he’ll turn on us if he gets his weapons?” he asked, making Princess Cadence sigh. “Shining,” she scolded, “Twilight told us he has been with them for a while.” “That’s right,” Twilight continued for her, “He had many chances to attack us.” “And he didn’t,” Applejack finished with a smile, coming back to me with my stuff on her back. She halted as I got my revolver, shotgun, and knife, putting them in their respective places. It felt good to be armed and ready for anything. “Thank you,” I said, causing Applejack to wave a hoof dismissively. “It was nothin’,” she said, “I mean, I just got your stuff.” “Besides that,” I elaborated, looking over everyone, “Thanks for giving me a chance.” Rainbow looked to the floor glumly for a moment before turned to me with a smile, “You’ve earned it, after the way we’ve been treating you.” I gave a single nod at them, and stepped over to the door and headed back outside. As I shut it behind myself, I turned to face the street and was met with more than a few ponies hanging out by the door. Their faces held a mixture of hate and confusion, probably for many reasons involving myself. It was highly annoying to see there skeptic faces, but I would have to wait until Rainbow would spread the word that I was suddenly trustworthy. In the meantime, I rolled my eyes, made my way through, deciding to just walk around as I absorbed everything that I had just gone through. A prison break, a filly dying, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, finding out about Princess Luna. Shit, I went through a lot in only a few short hours. It was a good thing I went for a walk to clear my head a little, otherwise I would have been overwhelmed with all this stuff. It would probably be for the best if I got some rest, seeing as I hadn’t slept for nearly a full day. The sound of a revolver discharging echoed through the streets, but I didn’t react like I did the first time I heard it. Instead, I wondered who would avoid what I was doing and practice firearms. It only lead to one conclusion: Trixie. I had my revolver back, and I figured it was time to put her in her place. Turning to the direction of the noise, I quickly made my way over to the sandlot, where I was able to find thanks to the occasional revolver shot. I was still tired, but I ignored it, wanting to show up Trixie for a change. In time, I finally had the shooting range in my sights, and picked up the pace. Hearing my footsteps, Trixie turned to me nonchalantly, levitating a revolver, and wasn’t even fazed that I was there. “So, the human has come back, has he?” she said with a smug attitude. “Do you really have to ask?” I replied bitterly as I began to think that it was a bad idea to visit her again. “Trixie believes so,” she said with a nod, as if confirming to herself that was what she meant. Giving a long sigh, I rubbed my eyes, trying to remember why I came to her in the first place. “About that challenge you started a few days ago,” I reminded, looking down the range, “I accept.” “Oh,” she remembered as she looked to the sky, “Yes, that’s right. You wanted to be destroyed by the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Damnit, not that stupid catch phrase again. She didn’t care that I had my weapons either, and I wondered how unconcerned she was for her safety or the safety of others. Rubbing the small headache that was building, I walked over to the range. “Let’s just get this done,” I sighed, wanting to hurry up and put Trixie in her place. Trixie pranced over to the wall that separated us and the firing range, raising her revolver to her eye level as she aimed down the sights. Already, I could tell that she had quite a bit of experience wielding a gun. She was relaxed, concentrating only on the target presented to her as she slowed her breathing slightly. Since these ponies were so unfamiliar with these types of weaponry, she must have learned how to handle it herself. That was pretty impressive on its own. A few seconds later, she pulled the trigger and fired the bullet. It hit a bit to the left of the center, but all in all it was a good shot. However, Trixie wasn’t humble in the least. “Another brilliant shot by Trixie,” she bragged, closing her eyes superiorly as she raised the barrel up. “Try and beat that.” “Won’t be so smug in a minute,” I grumbled, unholstering my revolver and opened up the cylinder. It was still loaded, making me feel lucky that it hadn’t gone off while the ponies were handling it. A revolver suddenly firing would probably paint me as a saboteur of some sort. Clicking the cylinder closed, I instantly took aim at the target, lining up the center with the sights. The distance wasn’t so great - about half of what the target practice range was back at the police station - but I was having trouble. My fatigue was catching up with me as I struggled to keep the gun still. If this was in an actual firefight, I would have been dead already. I tried to shake the sleepiness out of my head with little success. I ground my teeth as I focused entirely on making the shot, ignoring all the ambient noise as I held my breath. Gently, I shot off the gun, the bullet landing further away from the target than Trixie’s shot. I gave a quick, concise curse as I shoved my revolver back in my holster as Trixie gaped at my shot. It probably wasn’t a good idea to skip some rest. “I… won,” she said with a hint of surprise before quickly collecting herself, glancing over to me as her pompous attitude returned in full. “Was there any doubt?” “Emma would be scolding me at this point,” I whispered, shaking my head as I gazed to the ground with a blank expression. Unfortunately, Trixie caught my words as she looked up to me with interest. “Who is this ‘Emma’ you speak of, human?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. “A sharpshooter like you wouldn’t imagine,” I answered without really thinking, my mind in the past. “Every time I’d miss, she’d shout me down until I could get her tips in my head. Pretty pissed one time when I won a wager I made with her.” “She was… really that good?” a voice said behind me, and Trixie and I looked over to see Applejack, a look of amazement in her eyes. I gave a wide grin, “One of the best back at the station. She taught me everything I know.” “Could ya…” Applejack started, swallowing as she looked away. “Tell me more about her?” It was at that moment that I realized that I was freely speaking about my old girlfriend, without a care about what had happened to her. It caused me to frown as the bad memories began to overrun the good ones. I quickly shook them out, but they still lingered there in my mind. “I guess I could talk a bit about her,” I admitted, slipping a hand into my pocket. I gave a sideways glance over to Trixie, who was still listening to the conversation. “In private, anyway.” Trixie gave me a deadpanned look before groaning loudly, trotting away. I kept track of her until I felt like she couldn’t listen in and faced Applejack again. She knew that I had been reluctant to talk about Emma before, and probably knew that I felt more comfortable talking about her. My tiredness was causing me to say things that should have stayed in my mind. I gestured with my open hand to the street and we walked side by side as I thought of a good place to start. “I joined the force when I was twenty-one, a few months after my mom died,” I started, gazing at the cloudless sky above. “I was put on as a patrol unit with Emma. She had been on the force for… I think a year. She instantly forced me to practice with a pistol, giving me a hard time all the while. We barely spoke with each other, besides the shouting matches we had against each other.” I heard a stifled giggle from Applejack, and I looked at her with a raised brow, a smile growing. From someone else’s point of view, it was a bit funny, especially knowing that we would get together eventually. Facing forward, I continued, “Well, you can imagine that I got better, thanks to her coaching. When I was able to make twenty clean shots in a row, she wanted to celebrate, and we went out for dinner. We learned a lot about each other, and you can see where it goes from there.” Applejack nudged me with an elbow, “You two must have been close.” “You can say that again,” I muttered, looking down at her as I gave a sly smile, “And the few times we had sex were nice as well.” Applejack recoiled at my blunt wording, blushing profusely as I chuckled. I’d never had a chance to make a joke like that before. When I turned to Applejack again, I noticed she was walking slower, her head hanging low. Thinking I had crossed the line, I stopped in my tracks a heavy frown on my face. “Look, AJ-” I started, but caught myself as I realized that I used her nickname. I was waiting for a rebuttal from Applejack, but she simply looked up to me, waiting for me to continue. Maybe she had allowed me to say that name at last. I shook out my thoughts, “I’m… sorry if I made you uncomfortable. It’s just that I’ve heard a lot of people joke about it-” “Was it really that good?” she asked suddenly, making my eyes widen as I faced away with a hint of embarrassment. “I… Well, yeah, I suppose,” I answered, then I faced her with concern, “Why do you ask?” Her eyes were watering up, and she looked away. “Its nothin’,” she said, “I’ll leave ya alone now.” Then, she trotted away, just like that. I would have stopped her, told her that it couldn’t have been nothing if she behaved like that from the mere mention of sex. But I had experience with something that didn’t want to be discussed. Hell, I might have even been an expert. If I wanted to talk to her about her problems, I had to tell her mine, and I just wasn’t up for that. Sighing sadly, I made my way over to the shack at the back. I knew that I didn’t have to sleep in the decrepit old thing, but it was isolated and quiet. Something that I didn’t notice when I slept in it. At that moment, I just wanted peace and quiet, and this would grant my wishes. “Um… Nolan?” a sweet voice asked quietly and nervously, making me involuntarily sigh at delaying my rest. Turning around, I saw that it was Sweetie Belle, looking sad and a bit lost. My grouchy attitude was instantly gone as I gazed at her large, cute eyes, knowing that she wouldn’t have bothered me without good reason. “What’s up, kiddo?” I asked kindly, hoping it would lighten the mood a little. “...Where’s Rarity?” she asked in the sweetest and saddest voice I had ever heard from a child. It was so heartbreaking that I nearly teared up from how depressed she sounded. I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it afterwords, my thoughts suddenly wondering something else. “Why don’t you ask someone else? I’m sure they would know.” “Everypony keeps saying they don’t know,” she replied, facing the ground as she sat on her haunches. “Applebloom has Applejack, Scootaloo has Rainbow Dash, but I don’t have my sister.” That sentence not only confirmed that they were related, but that they were probably close. At that thought, I knew she was simply feeling left out and terribly lonely. I didn’t want to have to answer her question, for it was only what everyone else had said. “Sorry,” I mumbled with a shake of my head, “I don’t know either.” “Oh,” she said, somehow looking even more sorrowful as tears threatened to leak from her eyes. “Sorry for disturbing you.” She turned to leave, but I would hate myself if I just left her in that state. “Hold up,” I called, causing her to look back with her ears folded back. I walked up to her and picked her up, causing her to squeak as she tightened up. I didn’t say a word as I held her close to my body in a hug. “I promise you, Sweetie,” I said quietly, rocking slightly on my feet. “I’ll find your sister.” Sniffling, Sweetie hugged my neck, pushing her nuzzle into my shoulder. “R-Really?” she said, feeling a very slight wetness on my shoulder. “I miss her so much…” “I know you do,” I said, closing my eyes as I simply hugged her, acting tough for her. After a minute, I slowly knelt down and set her back on the ground. Her eyes were a bit red as she wiped what had spilled out. Afterwards, she looked up, a smile on her face. “Thank you, Nolan.” “Don’t thank me yet,” I responded with a smile of my own, “I still need to get your sister back first.” She nodded and trotted off, looking much happier than she did before. I, on the other hand, felt really bad at that moment. Everything that I had seen in eight hours had piled on top of each other, building up a mountain of grief that had no intention of being demolished any time soon. My shoulders sagging, I went over to the shack and made my way inside. I tossed all my weapons to the side, including my combat vest and boots, and plopped on the bed. These ponies were too innocent to have such terrible memories and times. They lived in a utopia that was far better than anything a human could dream up, and yet they were the ones suffering. It wasn’t fair. But then again, life is rarely ever fair. {~+~} I opened my eyes to find myself in a familiar white void, standing on my legs. I had fallen asleep in my shack, and was a bit surprised that I was contacted by Luna again. At least I could ask her some questions. I also had my mask on, and it made me ask myself a question: Why is it on when I’m in my dreams? If Luna was inside my head, then wouldn’t she know what I looked like? “Nolan,” I heard the voice of Luna behind me, and I turned to see her, but something was wrong. She was on the ground, clutching her sides in pain as her face was contorted in agony. I walked over to her as I looked her over, seeing what was wrong. Strangely enough, I couldn’t see any visible injuries. She looked just fine. “What’s wrong?” I asked, though without a hint of concern. “The Baron,” she wheezed out, and I noticed that she was breathing heavily. “He will not let up.” “Are you trying to trick me again?” I said harshly, crossing my arms as she faced me with disdain. “W-What?” she said, slowly standing back up, her legs wobbly, “I have nothing to gain from tricking you again. You already know who I am.” I stared at her for a moment before I spoke, “Then explain why everybody thinks you’re a traitor.” She froze in movement, staring at me in complete surprise as her mouth was wide open. “T… Traitor?” she wheezed out, “B-But… how?” “They say you sold out the ponies you were escorting,” I explained, her face even more stunned than before as my voice grew in volume, “You betrayed them when you could have fought back. You let those humans capture them and put in enslavement!” “T-That was not my intention,” she said desperately, but I didn’t want to hear it, turning away from her in a anger. “How am I supposed to believe anything you say anymore?” I questioned, putting a hand against my forehead in exasperation. “First you try to trick me, than I find out that you betrayed the ponies you ruled over.” “I’ll admit that I did surrender without a fight,” she said, bowing her head as I looked over my shoulder to her. “But it was so nopony would be hurt. I had lost my sister, and I didn’t want to lose anypony else. Especially not the Elements of Kindness and Generosity.” I recoiled as I whipped around to face her. “What?” I whispered dangerously. “They were in Canterlot during the attack,” Luna explained, facing me again, “I was supposed to help them out of the city like most of the ponies in my company.” “So, let me get this straight,” I said, facing her as I struggled to comprehend her meaning. “You surrendered even though you had two of the most important ponies in Equestria!?” “I just…” she muttered, shaking her head over and over again as if it would make her forget. “wanted to do what was right.” “Well, guess what, Princess,” I snapped, clenching my fists, “You. Fucked. Up.” She rounded on me, showing anger that I hadn’t seen since Applejack back when I first met her. “What would you know!?” she shouted, a stray tear streaking down her cheek as her eyes trembled. “What would you know of sacrifice!? Of surrendering!?” “Don’t you tell me that I don’t know sacrifice!” I roared, throwing my arms back. “You haven’t seen the shit I have! You don’t know me! All you know is what those humans have done to this place!” “Then tell me,” she seethed, her eyes furrowing, “What would you have done different in my position?” I stared her down, and she did the same. It was a match that seemed to last longer than I anticipated, and I was the first to look away. I knew the answer in my head, but I guess I was trying to view things from her perspective. Like no one else did for me. I faced her again, my expression hardening. “I wouldn’t give up,” I answered, seeing her face drop to mild shock. I turned away from her, “Don’t enter my dreams again. Ever.” I didn’t hear a thing. No words, no movement, nothing. I turned around to find only the whiteness that surrounded me. She was gone, and hopefully for good. Whether she was truly a traitor to her kind would remain a mystery for some time, but I was glad I wouldn’t be a part of her schemes. But if I was happy that she was gone, then why did I feel so guilty? {~+~} The inside of the compartantment that made up most of the carriage was silent. Not a single sound was uttered from the three of us. The only source of light was from a small oil lamp that cast an orange hue on everything around it. I glanced over to Applejack, staring at the lamp as she mentally prepared for our mission. Looking over to Carrot Top, I could see that she was doing the same. I rested my head back, remembering what the same atmosphere was like in the S.W.A.T. van back home. Everything was nearly identical, from the swaying vehicle to the prepped weaponry. Though I was the only one with a real weapon, it did not change that fact. To think that something so familiar would be in a world where familiarity was anything but. I would have also been getting ready for what we would have to face, but I was distracted as my mind went back to the time before we were heading to Fillydelphia. I had slept for nearly twelve hours straight, and even after awakening, I still felt exhausted. However, since the mission didn’t start until the next day, I decided just to sleep some more. The second time I woke, it was in the middle of the night, and I had to wait a few more hours before any other pony was not asleep. When they eventually did get out of their beds, we got everything sorted out, and we were on our way to Fillydelphia. “Nolan?” Carrot Top’s voice rang in my head, echoing very slightly in the small compartment. Turning towards her, I could see the faint puzzlement in her expression, and with a sideways glance, I could see that Applejack was interested at what Carrot Top had to say. “Have you ever…” she started paused a second as she searched for right words to use, “been to a big city before?” “I lived in one,” I answered simply with a shrug, causing her to perk her head up. “This would be the first time for me,” she announced, giving a small, nervous chuckle. “I always found them intimidating.” “They ain’t as bad as they look,” Applejack put in, “I went to Manehatten when I was a filly, and they can be kinda nice, I suppose.” I only gave a ghost of a smile at the pun of Manhattan. I guess I was getting used to hearing these locations. “That’s good,” Carrot Top replied softly, closing her eyes. I closed my eyes as well, hearing the wind howl through the other side of the wooden walls. That’s when I felt my gut pull as we descended to an unseen place. We must have arrived. “Okay, one last run through,” I said, sitting back up as the ponies focused on my words, “We have a few days to find out where Fluttershy is and get her out. If we find her early, than we’ll have to camp out and wait. We meet back with Rainbow wherever she lands.” The two ponies gave a curt nod, and we waited for our landing. In time, we felt the buckle of the vehicle as it made its rough landing, nearly making us tumble out of our seats as the ride slowly came to a halt. “RD really needs to work on her landings,” Applejack muttered, glaring over to where Rainbow would be hitched up. Shaking the comment out of my head, I opened up the doors and hopped outside. As soon as my feet made contact with the ground, I took a gander around the area. There wasn’t a building in sight, just golden fields. But when I peeked behind the carriage, I saw the city in the distance. It was way bigger in terms of building size, with many of them being nearly twice the size that I was used to, and it seemed like it would take awhile to search through all of it. Luckily, each pony was unique in color, from what I could figure out, and it would make it a bit easier to ask around for Fluttershy. “Alright,” Rainbow said, stepping over to us as Applejack and Carrot Top got out as well. “You guys know the drill, right?” We gave our confirmation and she nodded, “Okay, be careful and find Fluttershy.” “You can count on us,” Applejack said, puffing out her chest. I think she was taking this mission a bit too proudly. “And Nolan,” Rainbow addressed to me, facing me with a hardened expression, “Please, take care of Fluttershy, when you find her. We’ve been friends since we were fillies, and I’d feel terrible if something happened to her.” “You don’t have to worry,” I responded, facing her with a sad frown. Fluttershy was very special to her, and I didn’t think I wanted to feel Rainbow’s wrath if Fluttershy got hurt. “Yeah, I guess,” she said quietly with a shake of her head. “I just… I can’t even imagine what those humans have done to her.” “Hey, I said you don’t have to worry,” I repeated, slightly irritated, “We’ll get her back.” “Right, right,” she said shaking her head as she looked between us again. “I’ll come back in a few days.” We nodded and she hitched herself back up to the carriage. After giving us a quick salute with a hoof, she got a running start and flew back in the air, turning around in the sky and flying back. Once she was out of sight, I noticed how we would know where to come back to. A small lake. It was quite gorgeous, its surface glistening in the afternoon sun. It only went as far as a half a mile, as far as I could tell, but it was enough for us to spot from a long distance. Rainbow had chosen well for a rendezvous point. “Come on,” Applejack said to us, walking towards the city, “We better get goin’ before it gets dark.” She trotted away and we followed along. I hoped no one would question a man simply walking into the city with two mares alongside him. Of course, only a few had ever questioned my outfit, but there was no harm in being a bit cautious. {~+~} In time, we came around the borders of the city, a dead orchard surrounding the trail we walked upon. It was no surprise that I didn’t see it before our approach, considering that it looked like mere bushes from a distance. There wasn’t really anything special about it either, just a bunch of dead trees, simple husks of their former selves. I stretched my arm as my gloved fingers glided on the rough surface of the bark from a nearby tree, feeling a tinge of sadness. There was no evidence that the orchard was ruined by artificial forces, it was just not cared for, withering away in time. “This must have been Apple Fritter’s farm,” Applejack said, staring off into the distance. Looking over to her, I raised a brow, “Come again?” “Apple Fritter,” Applejack repeated, facing me with a small frown. “She used ta own the apple orchard outside of Fillydelphia.” “How many apple orchards are in Equestria?” I asked with a hint of disbelief. It was radical to think that so many apple trees resided in a single country. “I lost count a long time ago,” she said with an amused grunt, breaking away from us and towards the nearest tree. “But I remember when I visited here, me and Apple Fritter would always buck apples in the mornin’ while Red Delicious slept in.” This would be the first time Applejack spoke about her family, though these sounded like distant relatives. She was still holding back from her immediate family, but I didn’t pressure her, facing away as I remained silent. “We’d play all kinds a’ games too,” she continued, her mind lost in memories, “Like Hide n’ Seek and Tag.” Carrot Top giggled, “My brother and I played those games too!” I was glad that they were keeping positive, especially in an environment of death. Unfortunately, they had to break up their revelry as a farm house came into view. It was very similar with Applejack’s home, but it was painted apple green instead of red. We stopped for a moment, examining its peeling paint and decaying wood from afar. It was obviously abandoned, but I had a nagging feeling that there was still something around. “We have ta keep movin’,” Applejack said with a sigh, turning along the path that lead away from the house towards the city. Carrot Top watched her for a moment before glancing over to me. She was silenting asking why Applejack’s demeanor suddenly changed, and all I could do for an answer was shrug. Carrot Top turned and trotted away to catch up with Applejack, but I remained, staring at the house. Perhaps being near this house brought up bad memories, or perhaps it was a reminder that we still had a mission to complete. Shaking the theories out of my head, I made to follow, but something caught my eye. Quickly turning towards it, I caught a glimpse of something blue dashing through an open window. This really made me a nervous, since I had seen the exact same color and movement in Appleloosa. Were we being followed? What connection did this have with what I had seen before? Unlike before, I had time to spare, and could afford to deviate from my objective even for a few minutes. I needed to know what that was. With my eyes trained on the window, I snuck quietly towards the front door of the house, afraid that a single misstep would alert whatever I saw. “Nolan,” Applejack called from the trail, causing me to flinch in reaction. “Shush!” I hissed, facing them as they blinked in surprise from my attitude. Waving my hand over, they quietly made their way over to me, which was quite a feat with their hooves. When they stood beside me, I crouched down to their level, never taking my eyes off the window. “I saw someone go into the house,” I whispered, gesturing to the house, “I saw something similar back in Appleloosa.” “Are we bein’ followed?” Applejack asked, glancing over herself. “Probably,” I nodded, standing back to full height, “I’ll check it out, you two wait here.” “Why can’t we come?” Carrot Top asked, her face showing more worry than anything else. “Because I have a gun,” I explained, jabbing a thumb to my shotgun on my back. I stepped forward towards the front door, and entered quickly, cringing when the door creaked in protest. Leaving it open, I turned to the room and gathered my bearings. It was nearly identical to what I could remember from the farm house in Ponyville. Dull brown walls and floor, oval rug, and couch. The only difference was that dust had settled on all the furniture, and pictures were strung around. Some were hanging on the walls, while most were set on side tables that were against the wall. The stairs were not hard to find, being directly across from the door. I slowly made my way to it, looking at the pictures as I passed them. They depicted many ponies, doing various things. The ponies that appeared the most, though, were a green-maned mare with a soft golden coat and a cyan-maned stallion with the same coat. Maybe they were the two ponies Applejack mentioned: Apple Fritter and Red Delicious. Then my eyes found Applejack as a filly, looking like she was trying to buck a tree. I stopped where I was, staring at the photo for longer than I imagined. Seeing a carefree and happy Applejack made me realize how much the ponies had changed from who they were initially. War changed people. The sound of glass shattering was like a jolt through my system, reminding me what I was doing. Looking straight up, I knew the noise came from above me, on the second floor, and with finality, I made my way up the steps. The first door I came across was slightly ajar, and taking a deep breath, I slowly pushed it open. The door didn’t make a sound, thankfully, and I saw immediately who was inside. It certainly wasn’t a human, but a pony that stood there, searching through drawers for something or other. It was a mare, sporting a uniform of sky blue, light yellow lightning bolts on her stomach. The only parts that I could make out were her ears, wings, mane, and tail. Speaking of the mane and tail, they were deep orange, almost looking like fire. I leaned back on my feet, wondering what I could do now that I figured out that this pony wasn’t a human. However, as I did, the floor board underneath creaked, and the pony’s ears perked up as she stopped all movement. She whipped her head towards me, and I was able to catch a glimpse of her flight goggles before I was suddenly tackled by her through the doorway, across the hallway, and into another door, smashing through it. I fell to the ground with her on top of me, and she attempted to slam her hooves into my head.. By some miracle, I was able to dodge each strike, and got the time to throw her off of me. She tumbled onto her back as I hastily pushed myself to my feet, unholstering my revolver. By the time the pony was on her hooves, I had the weapon pointed at her. She froze as she stared down the barrel, though I couldn't tell how she was feeling because of her goggles. “Now just… calm down,” I demanded, taking deep breaths from the sudden attack. “I’m not going to hurt you.” “I know that’s a fat lie,” she commented bravely with a snarl, and I sighed. “Just listen for-” I couldn’t continue as the window behind me smashed open and when I turned around to see what happened, I was met with a hoof hitting me in the face. My revolver flew out of my hands as I stumbled to the ground, the mare getting out of the way before I fell to the floor. My cheek was in pain as I rubbed it with a groan. “That’ll teach you, human,” a voice said with venom. I looked up from my position on the ground, and saw a stallion standing beside the mare. “Took your time,” the mare grumbled. “I told you to wait for me,” he snapped back, not taking his eyes off of me, at least I thought that was what I was doing. He wore the same outfit as the mare, but had a cyan coat with a dark azure mane and tail. “We don’t have time to go by protocol,” she said turning towards him. “I took a risk.” “And it failed,” he grunted, gesturing to me, “Now we have to take care of him so he doesn’t know we exist. You know how long that takes.” “I know, I know,” she sighed, dipping her head, “I’m sorry.” “You’re not going to kill me,” I declared, sitting up as I leaned on my knees, catching their attention. “And why is that?” the stallion said taking a few steps forward. “Because I’m not alone,” I muttered, facing the floor. “Nolan!” Carrot Top shouted conveniently from downstairs. “Nolan, are you okay?” “More humans!?” the stallion whispered frantically, backing away. “We need to get out of here.” “But what about him?!” the mare pointed out with frustration, “If he tells other humans about us, Cloudsdale is ruined!” “Up here, Carrot Top,” I exclaimed, making both ponies recoil as they stared at me. “Horse feathers!” the stallion cursed, stomping a fore hoof. “We’re out of time!” “Wait…” the mare said slowly, confusion laced in her words tilting her head, “Isn’t ‘Carrot Top’ a pony name?” “Then she’s obviously a slave, Spitfire,” he said, “Now let’s kill this human, and get-” “What in tarnation?!” Applejack shouted, coming into view of the doorway, while Carrot Top was just behind her. They were both surprised, but the other two ponies were the opposite of that, both behaving angrily. “What should we do now, captain?” the stallion hissed, placing a hoof over his muzzle in agitation. “Would you two just cool your fucking jets for two minutes!?” I yelled, but they ignored me as they shook their heads in thought. I grunted disdainfully, throwing an arm up in exasperation. It was like Las Pegasus all over again. “Now hold on there, Wonderbolts,” Applejack protested, stepping forward as she stood by me, her expression softening. I couldn’t help but wonder how she she knew what these two were associated with. “Nolan here ain’t our enemy, he’s helpin’ us!” “What are you? Brainwashed?” the stallion accused. Applejack groaned, “Why does everypony think we’re brainwashed?” “Don’t look at me,” I commented with a shrug, “I just work here.” “What do we have to do to prove that Nolan is innocent?” Carrot Top spoke up, trotting into the room to stand by Applejack’s left. “I don’t know,” the stallion said with annoyance, “Maybe if he was a pony, I would think differently.” “You and most of Las Pegasus,” I muttered, closing my eyes with a sigh. “Heh, maybe if he was the Masked Man,” the mare, known as Spitfire, chuckled. Applejack, Carrot Top, and I stared at the two with mild shock, while glancing to each other. Could it really be that easy to convince them? “Oh please,” the stallion waved off, “That’s just a stunt pulled by the humans to make us think we have hope.” “And if we had evidence against that?” I said, pushing myself to my feet, wincing from the sore spots on my chest and cheek. The two looked to each other and then Spitfire faced me. She raised a hoof and brought up her goggles, resting it on her forehead to reveal her brilliant orange eyes. “Are you saying you’ve met the Masked Man?” Spitfire said in disbelief, leaning forward. “Met him?” I replied with a smile, “I am him.” Spitfire jerked her head back, her eyes wide, but the stallion just gave a bark of laughter. “You’re just giving an excuse to live, human,” he laughed, shaking his head. Glancing at Applejack, she gave me a look that showed that she wasn’t amused in the least like myself. With a roll of my eyes, I held out my hand and Applejack complied almost instantly, reaching into her saddle bag with her mouth for my mask and placing it into my outstretched hand. As I put on my head gear, Spitfire’s expression changed from curiosity to awe, her jaw dropping. I hadn’t worn my mask for a while, and it felt strangely good to put it on again. A smile began to grow on Spitfire. “W-Wow,” she whispered with a smile, “You’re him?! You’re the Masked Man!?” I was a bit weirded out that she would freak out like that. After all, none of the other ponies came close to the way she was acting. In fact, they didn’t even believe me! What was different with her? “I saw how you saved all those foals in the prison!” she said excitedly. Well, that explained that. Even still, that didn’t feel like it was enough. “It was amazing!” The stallion, still agitated to no end, grunted, lifting up his own goggles to see properly, “Strange that you, Spitfire, were the only one to see it.” “Soarin,” she said back with a sigh, turning to him with a small glare, “What’s so bad about liking a human that helps ponies?” “Maybe because they don’t exist,” the stallion, Soarin, emphasised, turning away from us. Spitfire gritted her teeth, but when she turned back to me, she gave a small smile. “I was there when you were in Appleloosa,” she explained, looking at me in a new light, “I saw how you made a part of the prison explode and then follow out with the rest of the foals.” “Wouldn’t you be a bit more concerned that I’m a human?” I asked before hastily adding, “Not that I’m evil or anything. It’s just that… you seem to trust me very quickly.” “Are you kidding?” she asked staring at me incredulously, “Your wanted poster is all over Equestria! Everyone’s heard of you!” I guess it wasn’t too hard to accept. I had seen the price I had on my head back in Ponyville, but everyone in Equestria? I must have really been messing up these people’s plans. I gave a quick chuckle as a thought passed my mind, “What’s my bounty right now anyway?” “Five thousand bits,” she answered nonchalantly. I balked at her, and Applejack and Carrot Top were no different. Five thousand dollars was a lot in my world, and from what I understand in this place, bits had a higher exchange rate. Spitfire wasn’t fazed in the least about the money on my head, and was in fact laughing softly. “I can’t believe we ran into you!” she said, sticking a hoof out, “I’m Spitfire, captain of the Cloudsdale Hunters!” This time, it was Soarin’s turn to be shocked, “Spitfire! Did you seriously just tell a human what we were!?” She put her hoof down before I could shake it, and whipped her head at him, staring daggers, “Yes, Soarin, and there’s nothing you can stop me from telling him more.” Soarin gripped his head with his hooves, “Ah! The higher ups are not going to like this!” “Whatever,” she waved off, turning to face me again. I was absolutely stunned that she would risk compromising her faction so blatantly. There had to be some logical reason to it, but I couldn’t think of a good one off the top of my head. “I have more questions than I expected to have,” Carrot Top mumbled, but Spitfire caught what she was saying anyway. “Why wouldn’t you?” Spitfire said rather playfully, “We’ve been keeping the Cloudsdale Hunters a secret since before the fall of Equestria.” “I can kinda see why’d you want ta keep it a secret,” Applejack commented, rubbing her chin with a hoof, “What with all the humans ‘n all.” “Exactly,” Spitfire nodded, “We couldn’t let anyone but a Pegasi know about them.” “But why tell us all this?” I questioned, feeling lost in this explanation, “Wouldn’t all the secrecy be pointless?” “Perhaps,” she said offhandedly, “But I have these feelings in my gut about these types of things. And my gut is telling me that you guys won’t tell any of the humans.” “Your gut is why we’re in this situation in the first place,” Soarin added, still upset with Spitfire telling us all this. “Hey,” Spitfire snapped, “I followed my gut with Rainbow Dash, and look what it got her.” “Wait, you know Rainbow Dash?” I couldn’t help but ask, crossing my arms. “Of course she does,” Applejack said with a smirk, “They’re the Wonderbolts. They used ta perform all sorts a’ stunts back before the invasion. Rainbow was a big fan.” I raised a brow and really examined their suits. When I looked at them long enough, they did remind me of some sort of plane acrobatic group back on Earth. But I couldn’t really remember their name. Throwing that thought out, I put my hands in front of me in a gesture to hold up. “Okay,” I said with the shake of my head, “So, what do you guys do then?” “Collect food mostly,” Spitfire answered, “We can’t grow any in the clouds.” Well, at least some form of logic was still present on this planet. “Alright, that’s enough, Spitfire!” Soarin roared, making her flinch, turning to face him. “I will not just stand here and let my captain give away all our classified material!” “Watch your tone, Soarin,” she growled, getting back her bravado, “I’m still a higher rank than you.” “Don’t do this, Spitfire,” he said, suddenly quiet, hanging his head, “Don’t turn away from everything we worked hard to achieve for just a single human.” I instantly became guilty for allowing her to spill out everything she wasn’t supposed to. I didn’t do anything wrong, technically, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t have done something to stop it. “Nolan has saved many ponies,” Applejack interjected, all eyes on her, “He had more than enough opportunity to turn on us. He was even in Las Pegasus, where the Pony Resistance is!” “That’s not going to convince our superiors,” Soarin pointed out, “We have to face the music when we get back home.” “We can trust him, Soarin!” Spitfire shouted, looking very hurt that a friend would turn on her. “We can bring him to Cloudsdale! He can make his case, and-” “Listen to yourself,” Soarin said gently, his eyes holding regret, “You think we can convince her that a human is actually trustworthy?” I would have said something sooner, anything to bail out someone who would trust me so quickly, but I was afraid that in doing so, it would make matters worse for her. I had a feeling that Applejack and Carrot Top were the same. Spitfire looked both fearful and uncertain, wondering if what she did was the best decision. “Come on,” Soarin said, gesturing to the window that he had broken earlier. “We have enough food for a while, we should head back.” Spitfire sagged her shoulders, looking depressed, “Alright, I’m coming.” “Hold up,” I said, making Spitfire look up at me. Turning to her, I gave a small smile, “Thanks for telling me what you did.” It wasn’t much, but I had to give her my gratitude for telling me more about what was going on. She nodded, smiling sadly, then an idea struck her as her eyes lit up. Quickly, she reached into her blue saddle bags, whispering to herself. “Here it is,” Spitfire said with a hint of joy. When she pulled back her head, she had a card in between her teeth. She reached forward to give it to me and I took it, immediately reading what was written on it. Spitfire Captain of the Wonderbolts It was all that was written on it, so I flipped it over and saw a picture of fire. “That’s my Wonderbolt card,” she explained, “I want you to have it.” “What would I do with this?” I asked, realizing afterwards how mean that sounded. “It’s just something you could use to get into Cloudsdale,” she said before glancing to Soarin, “That is, if the other Pegasi don’t kill you before hoof.” “I appreciate it,” I said, not knowing if I would even go to Cloudsdale at all. She nodded and slipped her goggles back over her eyes. “Catch you later…” she said trotted over to the window before freezing in her tracks. She turned to me, “What’s your name again?” “Nolan,” I answer, carefully slipping the card into my pocket, “Nolan Anderson.” “Nolan…” she whispered to herself, tapping her chin thoughtfully. I didn’t know why though, my name couldn’t have been that unique to make her contemplate. At least, when it was compared to the other human names. “Spitfire!” Soarin yelled, already hovering outside the window. “Coming, coming!” she said, running for the window before hopping through it, not even touching the glass shards. Carrot Top made her way to the window, glancing outside for a moment, “They’re gone.” “Well now,” Applejack said, smirking, “It seems you got yourself a fan!” “What!?” I exclaimed, staring at her incredulously, though it was hard to catch, since I was still wearing my mask. “A pony being a fan of a human? Yeah, right.” “I guess it is a bit far fetched,” Applejack admitted, stepping back into the hallway. “Let’s get goin’, we need ta get to Fillydelphia.” Carrot Top followed quickly, and after retrieving my revolver, I caught up with them. But as the two went downstairs, I remained at the top, gazing into the room I had entered before. A picture frame was laying on the ground, the photo facing the ground as I only saw the backside. It must have been knocked down from the dresser when Spitfire was looking around. I stepped into the room and quickly found out it was an old bedroom. I crouched down to the picture frame and picked it up, flipping it to see the front. I was instantly met with a large gathering of ponies. They all stood in front of a barn that was very similar to the one back in Ponyville. As I examined the ponies, I noticed some familiar ones: Apple Fritter, Apple Bloom… Applejack. It must have been a family picture, before everything went to hell. She had lost a mighty big family, that was for sure, and I understood why she was hesitant to talk about them. “Hurry it up, Nolan!” Applejack shouted from below, and waited a second before replying. “Just… looking around,” I lied, opening up the frame and extracting the photo within. Once it was free in my hands, I folded it up as I stood, putting it inside my pocket, right next to the card Spitfire gave me. Something told me that Applejack would want this. It may have been the last picture she took with everyone she had loved so dearly.