//------------------------------// // Personal // Story: (A)mortal // by RagingPonyRider //------------------------------// I threw the paper towel out and walked out. The bar was silent as I returned to my table. “Please tell me you haven’t killed anyone in there,” my friend half-begged me. “You don’t trust me anyways.” I drank my water. “You suggested we come here.” “Yeah, and now I see that it’s a mistake.” He looked around. “And if you do decide to cause a ruckus, I can stop you.” “You think you can?” I fingered my pocket. “Today’s a prep day. Someone’s going to die tonight.” “Hsh!” He looked around nervously. “Don’t scare any of them off! We can’t blow it!” “I could say the same to you. You seem eager.” “Shut up! I-I mean-” he put his hands together “-sorry. You’re right. But I’m just antsy. The ride I got’s not that… trustworthy. You do have the money, right?” “No. I’ll make him cooperate regardless, or he’ll be another body in the pile. You can drive. We lose nothing by it.” He pushed his glasses up and squirmed in his seat. “I… I don’t doubt that. But is this really that important to you?” I leered at him. He became flustered again. “I mean-I mean, I know how big this is, yeah? But you-you just go along with this plan that we don’t even know will work!” “And yet you supported it from the beginning and still do.” “Yeah. Sorry I’m bitchin’.” He looked at his watch. “So who’s next? We need to go soon.” I looked around. A fat, tan man behind the counter. A biker lady with a bulging stomach. A teen that looked far out of his comfort zone chewing on a burger. An old man with his grandchildren. “Not a lot of choices, man. I told you.” “The woman, then.” I got up and grabbed my gun. “Wha-no!” He grabbed my arm before I could pull it out. He looked at her belly. “Don’t. We can’t-” “I can, and I will.” I approached the woman. Before she could look up, I shot her head. She collapsed to the floor and screams filled the bar. I reached down and turned her head so I could see her face. I kneeled there for several seconds, even as people scrambled to get out. “Dude, c’mon!” My friend shook my shoulder, but I still stared into her eyes. “Goddammit! You really had to-she was pregnant, fuck! And you gunned her!” “Thanks for reminding me.” I shot her in the stomach and ran out the door with him. “Where’s the ride?” “Over here!” He led me to a truck and I saw the driver. I pointed my gun at him. “Drive or we vacate you.” Without complaint, he unlocked the doors and we climbed in. Our driver looked at me. “So, uh...you did it? I thought you were only killing one. I heard two.” “She was pregnant.” He was sweating at this point. I kept my gun pointed at him. “Did you have to do that though?” my friend asked behind me. “She didn’t need to be a sacrifice. What, did you read Macbeth before you left or something?”          "You were so defiant, yet you would still let her die?”          “Huh? What-”          “You had more than enough time to stop me. You could have fought me, fought back. Stopped me. Killed me. But you didn’t.”          “I just-I didn’t know-”          “You know me better than anyone else. You had your own gun. But you didn’t do a thing. You have no right to complain.” I turned around to face my friend. “If it’s any comfort, I got an offering from her.” He blinked and pulled out a jar from his bag. “Really? Oh...okay then.” I took the jar and pulled out the woman’s eyeball from my coat pocket. I put it in the jar and watched it float in a brown liquid, returning its empty gaze with one of my own. “It is R.E.M.” “Pardon? You mean rapid eye movement?” Celestia asked. “Yes, sister.” Luna hovered a magnifying glass over one of his eyes. “I could barely see it myself, but it’s R.E.M. He must be dreaming something. I will investigate.” “No.” Celestia waved her hoof. “We don’t know anything about his body, much less his mental state. Who’s to say his mind is the same as a pony’s when his body’s not?” Suddenly, the stallion’s body convulsed, as if a million eggs were hatching inside him. Luna stepped back in shock while Celestia herded Cadence behind her. When he stopped, his eyes returned to normal. “I… where am I? What’s this?” He got up and looked at the room. “Huh. That was a nice nap, considering I never sleep.” “Trotter!” Cadence was the first to reach him. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?” “I told you, I don’t get…” It took a while to jog his memory. “That man! Where’s he now?” He looked around the room, expecting him somewhere. “He’s not here anymore,” Celestia said. She checked him over and placed a hoof on him. “I’m sorry, but we want you here for the time being. That man, whatever or wherever he may be, is looking for you, and need to know more about him.” “But enough of that. Are you sure you’re alright?” Cadence repeated. He looked at them all one more time. “Yes. Other than a weird dream.” “Ah ha!” Luna cried triumphantly. “I told you-” “If there’s anything troubling you, you can trust us.” Celestia said. A bit too daring, but maybe he’ll start trusting them by this point? The stallion stared into her eyes and folded his wings. “No. I just… want some time to think.” He put his hooves on his throat. “How did he knock me out? I never slept before.” He eventually laid down on the bed, keeping his eyes wide open. Celestia sighed. She gestured Luna and Cadence to follow. “Call any of us if you need anything.” “Like what?” he chuckled. “Cookies and warm milk?” A tray carrying said items materialized on his bed. Celestia gave the best smile she could. “Like somepony to talk to.” As they left the room, she could barely hear him utter “Cocky shrew”, but ignored him. They were immediately confronted with Shining, Twilight, and Milkweed. “How’s he?” the doctor asked. “He’s awake and unharmed. But he’s still pretty shaky.” “May we go see him?” “I would not suggest it, but if you wish, feel free,” Luna said. “It is not as if he will be leaving in that state.” “Don’t worry, Princess Luna. The guards are stationed at every doorway. He’s not going anywhere,” Shining said. “But what about that creature? That man?” “Can’t we defend against something like that?” Twilight asked. “Like Shining’s barrier during his wedding?” Celestia shook her head. “That won’t work. I erected a barrier earlier myself, but he still managed to escape.” She turned to the door. “If there’s anypony who knows anything about that man, it’s him.” “Then one of us should go talk to him!” Twilight said. “I’ll go and talk-” “No, Twilight.” Cadence grabbed her shoulder. “The emotional stress you had the first time was enough to traumatize. I’ll go in this time. I’ll know what to expect.” She exchanged one last glance with Shining, returning his scowl with a determined smile, before opening the doors. Surprisingly, the stallion was in the exact position as he was before. The tray was untouched. Cadence looked behind her. “Didn’t he say before that he would only talk to one of us at a time?” Shining looked ready to exhale steam out his nose. “Any sign of trouble, Cadence-” “I know.” She gave a quick hug. “I wouldn’t be doing this if you weren't here.” She closed the door and went next to the stallion’s bed. “I’m sorry about that. Shining can be overprotective, but he means well for everypony.” No response. Should have known. “Are you comfortable as you are? Want some more pillows or blankets?” She eyed the tray of milk and cookies. How could anypony resist double-chocolate like that? “If you don’t mind, I would like to continue where Twilight left off.” “What’s there to talk about? I told her everything.” He turned his head to her. She couldn’t help but tense up. It was the first time she looked directly at him. It was like staring into fish eyes. She realized just what a struggle it was to talk to him like this. Reading him was going to be hard. “I mean about your dream. You said it yourself that you don’t sleep, and you got knocked out by that mons-man beforehoof. I can’t help but think it wasn’t all a coincidence.” He shoved the tray off the bed. She just barely caught it before it hit the ground. “Why should I? I finally found something that might be able to kill me. No doubt he would have showed up if you have stayed outside for another minute.” She was struggling to keep from frowning. “Why do you want to die so badly?” “Every living thing has an instinct to continue living. It’s the complete opposite for me.” “How do you know that? Just because you don’t have a pulse or can’t be hurt doesn’t mean you’re not alive.” It was absurd, even for her. If anything, those qualities only supported the rumor of him being a ghost. But she had to try to have him open up. “Are you saying that you’re not supposed to be alive?” “No. Forget it, you wouldn’t understand.” “Try me.” To her surprise, he laughed. “You, a princess of your people, trying to sympathize with a psycho?” His smile instantly dropped. “That’s a bad idea. Look what happened to Princess Twilight after spending a half-hour with me. You only talk to me because there’s some bit in your ego that think I’m a pony that you can connect to. I’m not, and my dream proves it.” She didn’t know whether to feel slapped or pat herself on the back. She got something out of him, but his remark made a mark on her. It didn’t help that he said it so bluntly. “That so?” “Yes.” He got out of his bed, causing Cadence to get to her hooves as well. “Tell me. What’s your job? Celestia raises the sun, Luna raises the moon. What do you do, besides govern?” “I use my magic to reforge and improve love between ponies.” She huffed. “Sorry if it doesn’t sound impressive.” “Hardly.” the stallion picked up the glass of milk. “Emotions are the closest things I know that prove life is real. Structurally speaking, the only difference between a live body and a dead one is several volts of electricity.” “Where are you going with this?” A chill went up Cadence’s skin, and she knew this was what Twilight had to face. “I guess that must have been the kind of mind I had when I killed her. All the rest, too.” He emptied the glass and looked it over before shoving it in his mouth. Cadence couldn’t stop herself from gasping. He chewed on the top half of the glass and even rolled it around his teeth like wine. The sound of cracking glass might have well cracking bones. After a quick swallow, he surprised her with a stainless smile. “If you’re as good with emotions as you say you are, can you figure out what emotion I’m feeling now?” Easy enough. “Satisfaction, joy, maybe a bit of pride?” “Check. Use your magic and find out. You can do that, can’t you?” “Why? Why do you want me to?” “You’re the one that wanted to learn about me. You may even read my mind to get at the dream. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” Cadence glared at him before readying her horn. This could be the closest she could get to him, and she couldn’t return to Princess Celestia empty-hooved. She knew what was going to happen. She heard several stories from Luna about her experience with other’s minds. She had to be careful all the way or she could damage his, or more importantly, her own mind. “It’ll only be a moment,” Cadence said. “If you try anything funny, the guards and the princesses are right outside that door.” “Of course. I’ll even put my hooves behind my back. Let’s just get this over with.” She walked closer, keeping an eye on his own as her horn glowed brighter. “You’re not pregnant, are you?” “Huh?” The stallion knocked his head onto her horn. Without warning, wave after wave of memories flooded through her horn. “You want to know my dream? You got it.” He smiled. Her eyes were flashing, so it must have been working, even if he couldn’t feel a thing. When tears began forming, he stepped back and she slumped to the ground. “I’ll let you think on that for a while.” He pushed the plate of cookies to her. “How was that? Did you feel anything from that?” Cadence turned away and quickly wiped her eyes. “You’re not sad. You’re scared, aren’t you. How does it feel to be the one on the trigger, looking at her eyes, and not give a damn about it all? I imagine it’s quite chilling to somepony like you.” Cadence didn’t say anything. She walked to the door. “I thought you princesses, with all your power and knowledge, could help me. It seems I was wrong. There is only one man who can help me now. Thank you and everypony else for their efforts, though.” At this, she whipped around. He was running to a nearby window. “Trotter!” “That’s it!” The door slammed open, “I knew something-hey!” But he already left a broken pane behind. Shining peered down and saw him gliding away. He turned to the guards behind him. “All pegasi! Get him back here now! Search the entire city if you have to!” After the guards left, he found Cadence supporting herself against the bed, “Cadence! Are you alright?” He saw wet spots around her eyes. “Did he hurt you?!” She snapped up at the sudden scream. “What? Oh! No, no, he didn’t! I just… read his dream.” “He didn’t tell you it?” Luna asked. “No, he said that I could read his mind if I had to. I also got to pick up his emotions during the dream and right now.” She shivered and looked at the remains of the broken cup. “I’m, sorry, princess, but can we go somewhere else to tell you this?” “Of course,” Celestia said. She picked up the glass remains onto the tray. “Luna, take Cadence to your chamber. I’ll join you after I’ve instructed the rest of the staff.” Luna nodded and ushered Cadence away, leaving her to telepathically contact the castle staff. She didn’t know who was more dangerous: the creature called man or the stallion. Whatever they both were, she couldn’t slip up anymore. She groaned as she walked in. The day felt especially long. Probably due to the Gala. A classic “Monday Syndrome”. The lectures were over and she had go out again in the next hour. She was grateful for the plentiful leftovers in the fridge. She leaned against the chair, sipping her cold coffee. One more year and she’ll be able to work full-time. Too bad that after graduating, she’ll have to spend whatever she earns on repaying her loans. Her parents’ cash only lasts for so long. The ding from her microwave awoke her from her daze. The warm smell of fried hay and sauce made her stomach rumble. It didn’t take long and in under twenty minutes, she was out. “This is your house?” She jumped at the sudden voice and glared at the source. “You? It’s you, right? Trotter?” “Yes. I would appreciate you not using that name.” The stallion leaned against the fence and tipped back his hat. “What in Tartarus happened?” She didn’t stop her pace, but kept her eyes on him. “And what’s with the outfit?” “I found it at a dumpster. Convenient.” “Huh?” Without thinking, she sniffed. “Urk! Why did I do that?” “That should be my question.” “Why in Tartarus are you wearing that?” “Guards are after me.” She looked around. She did notice a couple guards in the streets for the past week. “So… it’s probably stupid of me to ask, but how’s the last week treated you?” “Cruelly. I finally found something that can kill me, yet he will not show himself.” “Aaaaand you lost me.” She sighed. “Are you looking for me specifically, because if you are, I’m crying stalker.” “No, our meeting was completely coincidental.” “But you’re following me, because?” “Trying to be inconspicuous.” “And you think I’ll cooperate, why?” “You seemed to care for me when you thought I had died at the Gala.” She bit her lips and looked away. “Anypony would be sad when somepony dies in front of them.” There was obviously some spell cast on him to avoid injury. Why else would he be so aggressive on Princess Celestia like that if he didn't have a plan? “That is the problem: I am not a pony, nor can I die. I can only wait for something to happen.” She was getting a sense of deja vu. Should she scream for the guards after all? Stalking was a legit crime, isn’t it? “But seriously, you don’t think I’m going to call the guards?” “After how you presented yourself at the Gala, I do not think you are the type to do such a thing. You seem to be the kind who likes to fight back before reporting to authority.” “There’s no avoiding you, is there?” If he’s going to be so blunt, she won’t hold back either. “For now, no. Do not worry, I plan on leaving town tonight.” She sighed again. “So you know where you’re headed?” “Wherever you are headed. I assume a restaurant or a cafe?” “Close. A local bar, Between Two Rocks. Strange name, huh? But work’s work.” That elicited a chuckle. “Yeah, funny name, I know,” She said, rolling her eyes. “No, no,” the stallion said through his laughter. “It just reminded me of something is all.”