A New Perspective Ch. 9
"Sir, I'm not sure I heard you correctly" I said, drying my tears and rising to my hooves, shivers wracking my body. Rarity stepped to the side, horror carved into her expression.
"While it pains me to say so, my hoof has been forced. You simply have to leave, at least until this matter is settled."
No. This isn't how it ends. This isn't supposed to happen! THIS ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN!!
"You... you can't do this! I'm one of the only ponies who knows what the buck's going on! You need me to stop this guy!"
"Well, be that as it may, that is not for me alone to decide. We must hear from the princesses, as well as the rest of the senate."
"Celestia, please!" I cried out, "You can't let him do this."
She rose slowly, showing the gravity of the situation with each subtle movement. Her eyes hardened into a steely gaze, and truly looked the part of the ruler of Equestria.
"Evan," she said, in a strong yet caring voice, "You do strike me as a proper stallion and a true friend. You showed immeasurable courage and bravery in the face of almost certain destruction, and you are to be lauded for that. However, if what you have said here today is true, then I have no choice but to agree with the Prime Minister's proposal."
"NO!" came a yell to my right. Rainbow Dash flew up out of her seat and right up into Celestia's face, her eyes filled with righteous fury.
"Rainbow Dash, what is the meaning of this?"
"You know very well what the meaning of this is! You are NOT banishing him, not if I have anything to say about it!" Thank the lord for her.
"Rainbow, while I do respect your opinion, I must ask you to take your seat. You're making a scene."
"Well, maybe I wouldn't be making a scene if you weren't going along with this idiots half-baked proposal!" she added, pointing an accusatory hoof at the Prime Minister. "Fluttershy and I would be DEAD without him, and you just want to throw him out like a pile of moldy hay?! I was there, and what I saw was unlike anything I'd seen before. When he took on the cult leader, it wasn't just adrenaline that helped. He... changed," she added, looking over at me with a worried glance.
"What do you mean 'changed'?" asked Celestia and I in unison.
"I saw it when you flew over my head and slammed into him," she said, turning to me. "You were... bigger, stronger, and magic was flying off of your body in sparks. When you looked down at me while you were taking the spell, I saw that your eyes went completely white, and were actually glowing with energy."
"But why didn't you mention it when I undid your gag? You can't see something like that and not want to tell the pony it happened to."
"Call it a lapse of judgement, but I really didn't think you needed that weight added to your shoulders as well as everything else," she answered, flying back over to me.
This certainly throws a wrench in my defense. If what she's saying happened actually happened, then I'm as good as gone. I doubt the senate is going to allow a pegasus with such pent up magic to go free.
"Sister," said Luna, rising from her throne and walking over to Celestia, "I think we should let him stay, at least for a while." My heart skipped a beat. This could be the sort of ace in the hole I needed.
"What makes you say that?"
"Just look at him. He obviously wouldn't hurt a fly, even if he has the magic in him to call down arcane lightning. Plus, he does have a point. If he knows as much about this cult as he claims, we could use his counsel."
"*sigh* Luna, you know I value your advice over any other pony in Equestria, but you are still new to the way things are run now. Putting in a good word would do little for him. While you and I hold positions of high power in this government, it is ultimately up to the senate to decide his fate. Everypony in here, including you and I, only has one vote in this matter."
"So your saying that we're POWERLESS?!" Her voice rose, and lightning crackled through her mane. "An innocent pony's fate hangs in the balance, and you would be more willing to uphold the status quo and the system than you would uphold justice? He has done nothing wrong! He's merely a victim of circumstance!"
"Luna, I'm sorry, but these are our laws. If we don't uphold them, then what separates us fro-"
"Oh, don't EVEN start with that, Tia! Our laws are here for the protection of everypony's rights. Sentencing a pony to exile without just cause is wrong, even if it follows the 'law' to the letter."
"Um, your majesties, if I could say something," I interjected before the magic started flying.
"What?" answered Luna, and none to kindly if I could be so bold.
"Look, I don't want this anymore that you do. It would mean having to leave my friends, my life I've made for myself here, but I'm not going to go down on bended knee and fight for my right to live here. I'm looking at you, Mr. 'Prime Minister'," I added, throwing him a nasty glare.
"Mr. Prime Minister," piped up Twilight, horrified that I had spoken so disrespectfully towards him, "he doesn't mean to imply that you-"
"I mean every last bit of it, Twi, and I am not going to be silenced. Not by you, the princesses, or even the entire senate."
The murmurs that broke out amongst the assembled ponies only exacerbated my growing anger at the situation, but I managed to get my boiling temper back in check.
"Listen, I understand where you're coming from with this," I said, walking over to the Prime Minister, "and were our roles reversed, I would be doing the exact same thing. But you have to believe me when I say that I have no more of an idea as to why what happened in the forest happened than you do. I need you to trust me to do what's right for this country, not just for my own sake, but for that of my friends and everypony in the land."
The narrowing of his eyes did not give much confidence, to say the very least.
"I'm sorry, but I simply cannot do that," he whispered before turning to the general assembly. "If the senate would allow me, I would like to go against protocol and vote on this matter immediately."
I turned to Celestia and Luna, hoping that they could stop him, but both of their expressions were grim. I knew then just how deep of a hole I had dug myself into, and it ate up my insides like a parasite.
"All in favor of banishing Evan from Equestria, until such a time as it is expedient to have him re-enter our noble land, raise your right hoof."
My eyes scanned the room, and even after all that had happened hooves were flying up left and right, Celestia's among them. There wasn't a single town that didn't have a representative voting against me. So much for due process.
"All opposed?"
After that horrendous display, I didn't expect anypony's hoof to go up. There were a few tentative hooves raised in the stands, as well as Luna holding hers high, but all they did was magnify just how screwed I was. I looked back to find Rainbow and the others all raising their hooves, but the looks on their faces told a grim tale.
"Very well then," said the Prime Minister, slamming his gavel. "Let it be known that the pegasus known as Evan is hereby exiled from Equestria, a sentence which is to take effect two weeks from this day. Guards, escort the convicted out."
The clanking of armor announced the royal guards, who flanked me on either side to escort me out. I calmly followed, although my mind and my heart were screaming for me to put up a fight. I took one last look back at the assembly, and up behind the Prime Minister, I swear I could see Luna shed a single tear for me.
===============
The flight back was done mostly in silence, although Rainbow would not stop going on about what had happened. I was actually thankful when the carriage stopped at the cottage to let me out, just so I could get away from the incessant nattering.
I immediately flopped down onto my couch, not bothering to take off my vest or even wipe my feet, I was just that tired. My eyes slammed shut, and as if on cue, I was in that corridor. Again.
The door was once again wide open, but I was allowed to go at my own pace. I purposely went as slow as I could, just to cheese him off. Eventually, I did find my way back to the light, and dropped out into the chamber, fire flickering brightly and the unicorn waiting patiently.
"Well, it's about time," he said. "I was beginning to worry."
"Oh, far be it for me to want to make you wait."
"It seems that somepony's upset. Might I inquire as to why?"
"You know damn well why! You and your little cult have cost me everything! My friends, my home... the love of my life! You've taken it all!! Why can't you just do whatever you need to without me!? What makes me so important?"
"Oh, how I wish I could tell you, how I wish I could lay all the cards on the table. It would certainly make things simpler, and hopefully less violent. Unfortunately for the two of us, though, I am bound by certain... restrictions, as it were."
"What restrictions?"
"Well, I'm already pushing it by having contacted you so many times, but there's more. My employer was very specific as to what I can and cannot do in regards to this assignment."
"Well, if you aren't going to spill your guts, literally or figuratively, then we're done here." I rose and turned to leave.
"Wait, stop!"
I only gave a backward glance. He had risen from his seat, eyes widened in alarm. "What else could you possibly want?"
"A great many things, but they're not important. You should know this, though. I engineered your exile, but not for the reasons you believe."
That certainly got my attention. "Why? What reason could you possibly have for planning this out?"
"Your own survival. The eyes of fate are about to look unfavorably on Ponyville. If you value what you have gained there, I suggest that you preserve what you can while you can."
"Well, where have I heard THAT before? Hmm, let me think... oh yeah, right before you nearly MURDERED FLUTTERSHY!! What in the name of Celestia makes you think that I'm going to listen now?"
"The fact that I was right. The unthinkable did happen, and it's about to again. Do what I say, and you just might survive this reckoning."
"Yeah, whatever," I said off-handedly, making my way into the portal.
The rest of my sleep that night was tormented by thoughts of going into exile. What would I bring? What would everypony think? Would they even remember me? Thoughts whirled through my head all night, and I awoke with a splitting headache, having not gotten a wink of true sleep.
Well, not so much awoke as gained a conscious awareness of my surroundings, anyway.
I heard a faint sizzling coming from the kitchen, as well as hushed whispers and hisses to try and silence the others.
"Guys, ya'll need to be quiet! He'll hear us."
"You're the one being loud! Maybe if you stopped shushing us, there wouldn't be so much noise!"
A crash sounded from the kitchen, followed by the tinkling of glass and a shout from the kitchen.
"Oh no, the orange juice! I just squeezed that!"
"Well ya shouldn't have tried to carry everything out at once. There ain't no shame in makin' a second trip."
I looked up from the couch, and sure enough there was a large orange puddle spreading across the kitchen floor. I stumbled up to my hooves and ambled over to the kitchen to find three young fillies vainly trying to clean up the juice in silence.
"Girls, what's going on?"
Apple Bloom jumped when she heard me. "Aw man, we wanted it to be a surprise. When Applejack came home last night and I asked what had happened, she said that you were feeling sad. If there's one thing that I won't stand for, it's another Crusader being sad."
"So that led to you sneaking in and..."
"We were going to make you breakfast in bed!" answered Sweetie Belle.
"I appreciate the gesture, don't get me wrong, but how did you even get in? I'm pretty sure I locked up last night."
"Oh, the door wasn't locked in any serious way," said Scootaloo, walking across the room to get a broom for the glass. "That lock picking we tried out really helped."
Great, so I've inadvertently turned an innocent filly into a potential felon. Just perfect.
"Well, let me help you get this cleaned up at least."
"No no, we made this mess, we'll clean it up," offered Sweetie. "You just go sit back on the couch. Breakfast will be up shortly. They even let me put the garnish on the plate."
"Well... alright," I relented, going back to the living room. I was going to miss those girls. It would break their little hearts to hear that I was being ousted.
I smiled slightly. Knowing Scootaloo, she'd probably put up a big fuss. Heck, she may even stow away on whatever prison carriage they transport me on. Unfortunately, the thought only made me hope harder than ever that this weren't happening, made me wish that I could just turn back the clock on this whole sordid affair.
The girls walked out a couple of minutes later, a tray of hot food balanced across all three of their backs. It all looked delicious, nice fluffy scrambled eggs, hot pancakes, and a blueberry muffin. And sure enough, there was a bit of parsley next to the eggs, just like Sweetie Belle had said.
"Thank you girls. A nice hot breakfast will definitely help. Who made it?"
"Not Sweetie, obviously," answered Scootaloo sarcastically. "You should have seen the time she tried to make breakfast for us. She managed to burn the juice!"
"It wasn't that bad," said Apple Bloom. "At least she tried."
"Yeah!" added Sweetie indignantly
"Anyway, it took a couple of tries on the pancakes, but Scootaloo is actually a pretty good chef," said Apple Bloom, getting the conversation back on track.
I dug into the eggs, which were as close to perfection as anything I had ever tasted, probably even more so than what Fluttershy had made for me.
"Wow, this is superb," I said between bites. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that cooking could very well be your special talent."
"No way! Something as namby pamby as cooking could never be my talent. I'd have something awesome, like running, or hangliding, or zip lining!"
"Just throwing out a suggestion. Still though, thanks a lot girls. This really hits the spot."
"So, what's wrong anyway?" asked Sweetie. "When Rarity got home last night, she said that you got really upset about Fluttershy's accident in the meeting in Canterlot."
"Is nothing I do a secret? Still, that did happen, as well as a few other things. *sigh* Girls, I'm not going to lie to you," I said, pushing the tray away. "The senate has ordered that I have to leave Equestria, two weeks from now."
The looks on their faces ranged from shock on Apple Bloom to sadness on Sweetie Belle to anger on Scootaloo. Just like I thought, they weren't taking it well.
"But... but why?" sputtered out Sweetie, trying to keep from crying. "What did you do wrong? You're such a nice pony!"
"Well, it's nothing that I did, really-"
"Then why are they banishing you for something you didn't do?! It's not fair!"
"Sweetie, there's more to it than that." I said, stepping off of the couch. "You see, last week Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and I went into the Everfree Forest on an archeological expedition. It started out simply enough, but it got really bad really fast."
"What happened?" asked Scootaloo, probably hoping that Rainbow had managed to save the day.
"Well, see, there were these really mean ponies in the ruins of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, and they ponynapped Rainbow and Fluttershy. They chained me to the floor, and started saying that they needed to sacrifice Fluttershy and Rainbow to remake Equestria. They almost succeeded, too."
"But, if it was that buncha ponies that was kidnapping other ponies, then why are you being punished?" asked Apple Bloom, her shock changing to curiosity.
"Well, they started hurting Fluttershy, and something happened to me. Rainbow said that it was like I was supercharged with magic, and I broke my chains. I tried to take the leader head on, but he teleported away. I then shoved Fluttershy out of the killing spell, and it got turned on me. It didn't hurt me, though, but instead charged me up with magic until it burst out in a bolt of magic lightning."
"Oh yeah, I was out on my scooter when I heard that. That was you? That is so awesome!"
"It really wasn't all that awesome, Scoot. Fluttershy got really hurt, and that's why I had to go to Canterlot along with Rarity, Applejack, and the others. The Prime Minister said that I need to leave until they fix this because they think I might attract those evil ponies here."
"Well, I guess that that KINDA makes sense," said Sweetie, drying her eyes. "But I'm going to miss you, we all will."
"And I'll miss you three too. You have no idea how much I'm going to miss you."
Sweetie jumped up and wrapped her front legs around my neck, rubbing her head against my chest. "I don't want you to leave. You don't have to."
"Yeah, who's going to make sure we stay safe when we're out crusading?" asked Scootaloo. "My parents don't like the idea of me running around town unsupervised."
"I'm sorry girls, I really am, but it's already been decided. The senate voted yesterday, and it was nearly unanimous; they want me gone."
"But WE don't!" answered Sweetie, eyes tearing up again. "Can't the princesses do anything about it?"
"Well, they probably could if they were both on my side. Celestia, regrettably, sided with the Prime Minister. Luna tried to fight her, but she was pretty much shot down, just like I was."
"So it's final?" asked Apple Bloom, Sweetie having buried herself into my chest.
"I'm afraid so."
"And there's absolutely nothing that you can do about it?"
"Uh huh."
"Well, I guess that just leaves one thing left to do then."
"What?" asked Sweetie Belle, looking up from my chest.
"We need to go out crusading!"
"What?" I asked, perplexed at her sudden vigor.
"As a sort of a last hurrah. If you aren't going to be here for much longer, we need to do all that we can to help you get yer cutie mark!"
"Yeah, that's a great idea AB! We need to get as much in as possible! What do you say?" asked Scootaloo, looking up at me expectantly.
"Hmm... Sweetie, what do you think?"
"Well, *sniff* I guess it would be fun to hang out one last time."
"Then it's decided. Let me go get my cape and we'll go. Did you all bring yours?"
"Yep," answered Scootaloo, pulling out a small blue bag. "We were planning on going out crusading after breakfast anyway, but now that this has been dropped on us, it only gives us more reason."
I slipped on my cape, they slipped theirs on, and we all ran out the door, smiles on our faces and the wind in our manes.
===============
The rest of the afternoon was filled with laughter and joy, and it almost made me forget about the impending doom hanging over my head like the Sword of Damocles. But as I've said before, "almost" and "did" are two very different words.
We all went our separate ways at around seven o'clock. I had managed to convince Scootaloo to give cooking another try, and by the end she was really getting into it. Who knows, maybe she'd get her cutie mark while I was away. Life's full of mysteries, I guess. It was only a question of time if I'd ever know the answers.
Overall, it was a great day, even if it did start off on a sad note. After the girls were out of sight, I packed my cape away into my saddlebags, along with a few trinkets we had gotten during the day. A few badges of honor, if you will.
I flew back to the cottage to find all of the lights on and smoke coming from the chimney. Weird, unless Rainbow decided to house sit for me while I was out. The door was also slightly cracked, a sure sign that somepony was still inside.
I opened the door quietly, and the heavenly scent of tomato soup and sandwiches hit my nostrils. It was pure ambrosia, and I stood there transfixed until a pair of hooves wrapped around my eyes.
"Guess who?" said a frighteningly familiar voice.
"Pinkie Pie?" I asked, already knowing full well who it was.
I was turned right around on my hooves to find Fluttershy standing there, cupping my face in her hooves. "Close, but nope."
I was almost overjoyed to bursting. She was alright, as far as I could tell. She still had bandages wrapped around her midsection and her hair was still growing in places, but other than that she looked the same as when I had first met her. She was smiling big as life, an expression that neatly mirrored my own.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be in the hospital for another week, at least."
"You know how they say that laughter is the best medicine?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Well, I think love is an even better one." With that, she planted one on me. Not as long as the one at the hospital, but just as sweet. She gave me a good long hug afterwards, and the feeling of her body pressed against mine made all of my anxieties melt away.
"I've really missed you."
"Trust me, the feeling is mutual. Anyway, why did they let you out so early?"
"I've always been a notoriously fast healer," she answered, pulling away, "but even I was surprised when the doctors said I could leave a week early. They were about as dumbfounded as I was, but all of the test results came back good, so they decided to roll with it."
"Sounds good. At least it's nice to see that there's no scarring. They must have a really good plastic surgeon there."
"One of the best. At least, that's what they told me. C'mon, let's get dinner on and catch up."
"That's the best idea I've heard today."
The kitchen bustled with activity as Fluttershy and I got dinner ready. It was the usual new couple routine, with her adding a spice to the soup only for me to grab her hoof and help out, me picking up the platter only for her to get the other side. You know, the usual.
Even though it was 7:30 or so, we decided to eat outside, just like we had on my first day. She had some tiki torches lit around the garden so we could see what we were doing, but it also lent some nice mood lighting.
"So, how have you been? You know, besides the crippling depression."
"It's not so crippling anymore, now that you're home. Still, not much has happened since yesterday. Oh, the girls came over this morning, and we went out crusading."
"Aww, that's so sweet."
"Yeah. I even think Scootaloo might be on the verge of finding her special talent. She is a wonderful cook. She even made me breakfast in bed."
Well that was certainly nice of he- wait, how did they get in while you were asleep?"
"Picked the lock. In hindsight, it might have been a bad idea to visit the locksmith the first time we went crusading."
Fluttershy tried to suppress a giggle, and failed miserably.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, just the thought of those girls actually breaking in just to make you breakfast. The last time somepony broke in, they were trying to steal from me and... well, we all know how that turned out."
"Yeah... *sigh*" I found myself staring off into space while Fluttershy ate, lost in thought.
She looked perfectly happy, but she was completely oblivious to what was cascading off of the inside of my brain. I didn't want to tell her the bad news. I didn't want this vestige of happiness and peace to end. I didn't want to crush her heart so soon after it had been patched together.
But I had also promised to be more open with her. How could I protect her and be open at the same time? And how would she even take it? Would she be upset? What am I saying, of course she would be, but would it be anger or sadness? Would she accept is as an unfortunate roll of the dice?
"Evan?" she asked, derailing my train of thought. "What's wrong? You look distracted."
"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking. So, how was the trip home?" I asked, trying to get her off topic.
"Just fine. Twilight gave me a ride. Now, what's really wrong? You aren't acting like yourself."
"Well... did Twilight tell you about how we went to Canterlot yesterday, with the princess' invitation?"
"Yes, but she was pretty vague about it. She actually said I should ask you about what happened."
"Oh did she?" Note to self: see Twilight about this later.
"Yes, she did. So, what happened?"
"Rainbow and I got to the library just as the princesses were arriving, and they asked that I ride in their chariot."
"Ooh, that sounds nice. What did they want?"
"Oh, nothing much. Celestia really just wanted to meet me, but they clued me in on what had been going on in Canterlot since the incident in the forest. Apparently, everypony's been in a tizzy since the unicorns picked up on all that magic that came shooting out of the forest."
"Well, I could imagine so."
"Yeah. Anyway, the six of us followed the princesses into the parliament house, where the senate was meeting to decide what to do on the matter. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say that I would rather have my wings tied down and be thrown off of a cliff than have to go through that again."
"It was that bad?"
"Worse, if you could believe it. By the eighth hour, my patience was hanging on by a thread, and I decided to... liven up the proceedings."
"Meaning?"
"I spilled the beans about what happened in the forest, down to every last grim detail."
"NO! Why did you do that!?"
"I thought they deserved to know." I answered, shrugging. "It was either that or claim temporary insanity and hope it blows over."
"But now they probably want you to help them fight off this cult! I don't want you put in any more danger."
"*sigh* Fluttershy, were it up to me, I would be fighting that cult with every fiber of my being. They nearly killed you and Rainbow, and turned me into a miserable wreck. Even if I didn't have a vendetta against them, just their stated goal makes me want to take them down. But... it's a little more complicated than that."
"Complicated how?"
"Well, after I gave my little speech, the senate took a vote, and... well, you see..."
"And what? What did they vote on?"
Here comes the hurricane.
"... I have to leave Equestria, two weeks from now."
"Wah... what? Evan, if this is a joke it isn't funny."
"It's not. I wish it were one, but it's not. It was nearly unanimous, and I have to leave, at least until they can sort this business out."
"No... no, you're lying," she stuttered, backing away from the table. "You're lying to me. STOP LYING TO ME!!"
"I'm not lying to you. I did everything I could to convince them that I'm not a threat, but the Prime Minister just wouldn't see reason." I rose and walked over to her, to try and calm her down.
But she would have none of that. She just kept backing away, insisting that I was either joking or lying in varying tones of voice, from forced mirth to downright rage. She eventually broke down into a fit of crying, and only then could I finally get close enough to hug her.
"Fluttershy," I whispered, "I am so sorry. You have no idea how much this hurts me, you really don't."
We both laid in the grass, her face pressed into my shoulder, for the better part of a half hour, until she had finally managed to cry herself dry. She looked at me with red, bloodshot eyes, a few tears still leaking out.
"*sniff* Can't... can't Celestia and Luna help?" she asked, gripping me tightly. "Surely they could overthrow the Prime Ministers ruling."
"Well, maybe, if Celestia were on my side. She went with HIM, though, and Luna was shot down when she tried to fight it."
"So... this is it. These two weeks are all that we have left together."
"Yes. Depressing though it is, there is just no fighting it now. I say we make the most of the time that we have left."
"That sounds like a good idea."
I wiped her eyes, those beautiful turquoise eyes, and she looked up at me with the saddest yet happiest face. I found myself overwhelmed simply by the emotions that had gone through my body in the last 36 hours or so. I had been depressed beyond belief at what had been done to her, then overjoyed at her proclamation of love. I had been eager to go to Canterlot, and now I detested that monument to government bureaucracy. I had been angry at myself for letting all of this happen, then...
I was still angry. Not at myself, but at that unicorn, at that evil, crazed, hate filled stallion. The sheer fact that he would sacrifice innocent lives, not just those of my friends but of his own brainwashed disciples, made my blood boil. He may have brought this on me, but I was not going to give him the satisfaction of having beaten me, that's for freaking sure.
"Fluttershy, I swear to you, that I am going to make that stallion pay for what he's done to us."
"Well, which one are you talking about? The unicorn or the Prime Minister?"
I couldn't help but snicker a little. Even in the face of such horrendous circumstances, she could still make me smile about it. Pinkie Pie may be the element of laughter, but Fluttershy would be a good runner up in that contest.
"Both," I answered, smiling. "C'mon, let's get dinner cleaned up."
And so we did. You know, they say a simple act can have profound meaning if you really think about it.
I think we both agreed not to think about it, for the sake of our sanity.