//------------------------------// // The Cutie Mark Chronicles // Story: The Jack of All Trades // by Lord Zalgo //------------------------------// Phoenix walked across the fields of Sweet Apple Acres as he felt surprisingly giddy. Bag on his back as he walked through the trees and began to approach a part of the orchard that had baskets at the bases of the trees. His heart flared as he saw his girlfriend working away. Phoenix was a little embarrassed when he caught himself staring at her body covered in a slight layer of sweat. He shook his head quickly and began to walk towards her. She exhaled before turning and saw him approaching, causing her to beam and meet him halfway. They practically threw their hooves around each other for about a minute before letting go. “Sorry, Ah’m a little sweaty.” Applejack apologised. “It’s alright, Applejack. I don’t mind.” Phoenix replied with a kind smile. “Not even the smell?” Applejack asked. Phoenix simply looked into her eyes and gave a serene smile. “What smell?” Phoenix commented and caused Applejack to giggle lightly. “So, what’re you doin’ here?” Applejack asked. Phoenix responded by reaching into his bag and revealing a bouquet of sunflowers. “I, uh... bought you these.” Phoenix said shyly as he handed them over to her. “Oh! Wow. What’s the occasion?” Applejack asked in surprise. Phoenix simply rubbed the back of his head with his hoof. “No occasion. I just, uh... don’t know what boyfriends and girlfriends do exactly, so I just thought I’d get you a bouquet of your favourite flower.” Phoenix explained awkwardly. Applejack sniffed the flowers before looking back to him. “How’d you know that they’re mah fav’rite?” Applejack asked. Phoenix’s blush deepened at the question. “I... may or may not have... asked Apple Bloom what it was.” Phoenix admitted. Applejack looked a little uncomfortable for a moment. “You didn’t tell her that you were gettin’ ‘em for me, didja?” Applejack asked nervously. “No. I know you haven’t told your family yet, so I didn’t say anything about us. I just brought up favourite flowers in a conversation and she told me that your favourites are sunflowers.” Phoenix explained. Applejack noticeably calmed down as she looked back at him with a rather loving look. “Thank you, Phoenix. This was... just so thoughtful. Not just the flowers either. Just...” Applejack’s sentence trailed off as she leant in and pecked Phoenix on the cheek. Phoenix was no stranger to receiving kisses on the cheek, but the one Applejack gave him was different. It seemed to burn on his skin, but it was a burn that he never wanted to stop feeling. His hoof found his cheek in an effort to feel the sensation more. Applejack giggled at his dumbstruck expression. “Enjoy that, sugarcube?” Applejack teased. “Immensely.” Phoenix replied breathlessly. Applejack giggled again as the both of them began to walk to the farmhouse. Phoenix waited outside as Applejack placed the bouquet in a vase of water on the kitchen’s windowsill. After she emerged, the both of them decided that they could go to Sugarcube Corner for Applejack’s lunch break. As they reached the cafe, they noticed Fluttershy was already there. “Hey there, Fluttershy! What’re you doin’ here?” Applejack asked in a friendly manner. “Oh. Hello you two. I just thought I’d come here for lunch.” Fluttershy replied. “I guess great minds think alike, then. We were thinking the exact same thing.” Phoenix said. “So, what’ve you been up to today, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked. “I’ve been leading a family of ducks to a new pond. I also told my cutie mark story to the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” Fluttershy explained. “That’s funny. The girls asked me to tell mah story too.” Applejack replied. Suddenly, Rarity entered and began to walk to the counter, but stopped when he saw her friends. “Why, hello, darlings. I didn’t expect to see you here.” Rarity said as she approached them. “We could say the same to you, Rarity.” Phoenix replied. “Well, I thought I could do with a break from my work and I decided that I had quite the craving for something sweet.” Rarity explained. Before anypony could reply, Twilight and Rainbow Dash walked in. “Hey, guys! Didn’t know you were all here!” Rainbow exclaimed excitedly. “Yeah, it seems the only one of us that isn’t here is the one who bloody works here.” Phoenix said with a chuckle, causing the girls to laugh. “By the way, Rainbow, the Crusaders were looking for you. I think they want to know your cutie mark story.” Fluttershy said. “Indeed, they asked me for mine, but they did say that they were looking for you.” Rarity said to which Applejack and Twilight agreed. After a few minutes of the group conversing, Pinkie pranced through the door happily with the six Crusaders in tow. “Rainbow Dash! You’re here!” Scootaloo yelled excitedly as the rest of the Crusaders were standing at her side. Rainbow began walking to the group. “I hear you’re for my cutie mark story.” Rainbow stated. “You have no idea what I've been through today to hear that story.” Scootaloo expressed tiredly as she sat down. “It all happened during the race at Flight Camp...” Rainbow then began telling the story. She told everypony present about how she not only got her cutie mark, but she also performed the Sonic Rainboom for the first time. Phoenix looked around to see that the girls all had awestruck expressions as the story went on. Phoenix was wondering why they had those expressions, but he didn’t have to wait long. As Rainbow finished her story, Fluttershy immediately spoke up. “Wait a second. I heard that explosion. And I saw the rainbow too. Rainbow Dash, if you hadn't scared the animals, I never would have learned I could communicate with them and gotten my cutie mark.” Fluttershy said excitedly. “I heard that boom! And right afterwards, there was this amazing rainbow that taught me to smile.” Pinkie Pie exclaimed in joy. “When Ah got my cutie mark, Ah saw a rainbow that pointed me home. Ah bet it was your Sonic Rainboom!” Applejack said happily. “There was an explosion I could never explain when I got my cutie mark.” Rarity said with amazement. “This is uncanny! If that explosion didn't happen when it did, I would have blown my entrance exam. Rainbow Dash, I think you helped me earn my cutie mark too!” Twilight exclaimed in shock. Pinkie Pie then tackled Rainbow to the ground. “We all owe our cutie marks to you!” Pinkie Pie said. “Do you realize what this means? All of us had a special connection before we even met.” Fluttershy said in the same tone. “We've been BFFs forever and we didn't even know it!” Rarity added. “Come here, y'all.” Applejack said as they all gathered into a group hug. Everypony minus Phoenix and Scootaloo released a sound of appreciation for the adorableness. Scootaloo from disgust, Phoenix just remaining silent. Phoenix kept his feelings of joy inside him, but gave a warm smile. “Wait, what about Phoenix?” Rainbow asked. Phoenix and Pinkie’s eyes flew open as they tensed. “What about me?” Phoenix asked, trying to remain calm. “Yeah! This is a happy moment! Let’s just enjoy it!” Pinkie said, trying to sound casual. “Hey, I just wanna know what his story is.” Rainbow said a little more forcefully. “Well, uh... I didn’t see the Sonic Rainboom. I think that’s all you want to know.” Phoenix said. Pinkie could see that the rest of the girls were becoming curious and that the story was going to be told, so she went over to the Crusaders and persuaded them to leave. “C’mon, Phoenix. Tell us. What’re you hiding?” Rainbow said a little angrily. “Indeed, Phoenix, we all want to know.” Rarity added. “No, you really, really don’t.” Phoenix said with nervous conviction. “Please, Phoenix? We all told ours.” Fluttershy pleaded quietly. “I can’t!” Phoenix exclaimed. “If it’s painful, I think talking about it will do you good.” Twilight stated. “It won’t, Twilight. Telling my cutie mark story will just ruin my life even more than when I actually got it in the first place!” Phoenix exclaimed, his voice rising. “...What do you mean by that?” Rarity asked. Phoenix realised his mistake. “Shit.” Phoenix cursed under his breath. “Phoenix. Please.” Applejack said, looking into his eyes. Their gaze remained until Phoenix looked at Pinkie for approval. She seemed to contemplate her answer before nodding. Phoenix sighed before beginning. “Getting a cutie mark is meant to be the start of a new life. With me, that was a little more literal. Before my new life began... my old one ended. I suppose I need to give you some back-story first. My childhood was as good as one could hope to start with. Stable financial status, wonderful brother and sister, anything I could want. But, I was always taught to not be greedy by my parents. That was the only good thing they ever did for me. “On my sixth birthday, my mother: Felicia came up to my siblings and I and told us something I’ve never forgotten. She said: ‘I don’t love you, you little maggots’; she slapped us across the faces and walked out of the house. We never saw her again. After the course of the next year, my father: Amadeus began to unravel and became far angrier and far more violent. “Eventually he saw that because my brother and my sister were prodigies in their respective fields while I was just average... I was the only one he could ‘afford to damage’. Over the course of the year, his attacks became more and more severe as he became colder and colder. He no longer cared about my pain and all my brother and sister could do was watch. ...I suppose I... never told you the whole truth about what caused the scars on my chest.” Everypony was already in tears but Rarity was the only one to respond. “What do you mean by that, darling? You said it was a manticore.” Rarity said, trying not to sob. “...I didn’t lie on that front, but... It was my father who threw me into the nest while we were visiting Ponyville. He dragged me by my mane and just threw me headfirst into a manticore, laughing as he did so. I don’t think he expected me to escape that, because his response was...” Phoenix’s words stopped as he began to sob. Everypony was in complete shock. Applejack may have seen him cry before, but she had never seen him sob the way he did before. Pinkie was the one crying the least, so she wrapped her hooves around him. “What did he say, Phoenix?” Pinkie asked. She already knew as she was already told the story, but the girls needed to hear all of it. “...He... He said... ‘I’ll have to try harder next time’.” Phoenix said. Nopony could speak. They felt overwhelming pity for the stallion as they all wrapped their hooves around him. “I... can see why you wouldn’t want to talk about this, Phoenix, but... what did you mean by ruining your life?” Twilight hesitantly asked. “I haven’t got to the part that’ll make you hate me yet.” Phoenix replied, his eyes beginning to slightly dry. Nopony responded to the comment, so Phoenix took the silence as an opportunity to continue the story. “We didn’t celebrate my seventh birthday. Everypony just went about doing what they do. I grew ever more distant from my siblings let alone my father when I was that age. When I went to bed, I heard my door creak open. I was prepared for the worst, but instead I saw my brother and sister. They didn’t say anything. Both of them just walked in, kissed me on the forehead, said ‘Happy birthday’ and handed me a present. After they left, I opened the present to see that they got me a deck of cards. In that moment, I was glad that I still had them, rather than being completely alone. I put them in my pyjama pocket and went to sleep. “Minutes after they left, my door opened again. Except this time, it was my father standing in my doorway. He had his gun floating next to him, held aloft by his magic. I screamed louder than I ever had before and I didn’t stop screaming. Even as he dragged me out of the house by my mane, a mad look in his eyes and the gun never leaving him. I yelled so loudly that I woke both my brother and sister... I’ll never forget their expressions when they saw our father throw me to the ground and aim the gun at my head. Horror. Pure, unbiased horror. “Adrenalin filled my system and time seemed to slow as my eyes seemed to take in any and all information that they could. Suddenly, all the memories of the beatings, the hatred and the solitude filled my mind. And I got angry. Really angry. I noticed that he was checking the ammunition, which let me know that... he was really going to kill me like a dog. So... I fought back. “For the first time, I fought back against my father. I knew I had to stop the hammer as I’d learned about guns from the very stallion that was trying to kill me with one. I also remembered my present. I used my magic to open the pack of cards and used enough of them that the firing pin wouldn’t get any impact from the hammer. I then started using the remaining cards as projectiles. One after one, at his face, while I was silently begging him to stop and the rain began to fall. Eventually, it happened. “I ran out of cards. I had to do something. Anything. So... before he could recover... I... I took the gun in my magic and... removed the cards and aimed for his head. ...Bang...” Phoenix let the words sink in as the girls realised what he had done. “My brother, sister and I watched in horror as my father’s blood was flowing away in the downpour that had started. I thought I saw some light behind me, so I panicked, thinking somepony had caught me. Through instinct, I ran. I ran so far. It was only when I stopped that I noticed my cutie mark. It doesn’t mean I’m just good at card games... it means I’m good with cards in general. Whatever they can be used for... Including as weapons, apparently...” Phoenix didn’t wait for the girls to react. He ran, just like he did when he was so young. He stuck to the shadows immediately as he saw the girls emerge from Sugarcube Corner trying to search for him. Phoenix sighed as the guilt of his action came flooding back into his mind. He began to weigh his options in his mind. He knew that there was a chance that the girls would understand and maybe forgive him. However, if he did just let them forgive him, he’d never forgive himself. He finally decided what he had to do. He walked to his house... Over an hour passed of the girls desperately searching for Phoenix, but to no avail. Pinkie told them that they had already checked all the places that she thought he would be, but after asking a few townsponies, they ran to where they said that Phoenix was heading. When they arrived, they saw the outline of a stallion sitting on a cliff looking out at the sunset. Pinkie and Applejack immediately held the girls back as they slowly advanced towards him. Not unlike approaching a deer. “I like sunsets. Don’t you, girls?” Phoenix said without turning around. The girls tensed as Pinkie began to slowly get closer. “Y-yeah! Sunset are... are cool!” Pinkie said nervously. Phoenix didn’t respond immediately before letting out a lone chuckle. “Pinkie, I’m not going to do what you think I am.” Phoenix said, finally turning around. “You’re not gonna...?” Pinkie stopped speaking as she hinted to the cliff. “Would you feel better if I moved?” Phoenix asked. “...Yes. Please.” Pinkie pleaded, to which Phoenix complied. “What’re you doin’ all the way out here? We were worried sick!” Applejack exclaimed. “I’m sorry, AJ, but I didn’t want to make a scene in Ponyville.” As Phoenix finished his sentence, two royal guards emerged onto the cliff top with Phoenix and the girls. “Phoenix Fortesque?” One of the guards asked. “That’s me.” Phoenix said as he stepped forward. “You’re the one who called us?” The other guard asked. “Yes, I am.” “Very well.” The guards then placed some hoofcuffs on his legs and a magic lock on his horn before the first guard began to speak. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Amadeus Fortesque. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you do say may be held against you in a court of law. May Celestia have mercy on your soul.”