//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Salvation Through Destruction // by RoflLuxRay //------------------------------// Salvation Through Destruction Based on concepts from: The Conversion Bureau by: Blaze Chapter 6 “So, when do you leave Ponyville?” Spike asked with curiosity, hopping around me restlessly. “I leave in two days; Queen Celestia assigned me as Twilight’s personal bodyguard. I’m supposed to watch over her during her speech at the UN,” I glanced at the staircase hoping to see Twilight appear. It was a long day at Canterlot, but it was worth it. Pony scientists are now looking into the implementation of project HC, we have Celestia’s approval and we only need the legalization of ponification. “Tell me, Leighton. What is it like to be a human?” he asked with an intense stare at my eyes. “Well…” I looked away from his green eyes, “It’s absolutely different from being a pony. You have hands, legs, toes and fingers that make your life a lot easier. But there is really no big difference between the feel and I’m more comfortable on all-four actually.” Spike sighed as he looked out a window, “I wish I could go. I think I would look totally different. I bet Rarity would fall at my feet if I was human.” “Why don’t you tell me, Spike; if you don’t mind the question. If Rarity is a pony and you a dragon, how is something between you two going to work?” my question froze spike for a second, he turned towards me with a sad look. “Do you think that’s the problem?” his voice filled with anguish. “I’m not sure mate. You know, we humans are good at broken hearts and situations like that, just let me ask you a few questions, do you mind?” I instantly felt regret just by looking at his face. “Absolutely no! What do you want to know about,” Spike face lightened up like a Christmas tree upon hearing my words. “For how long have you know Rarity?” I approached a table next to the window, illuminated by the sun rays coming from outside; it was a beautiful morning with no clouds, and if any showed up, a Pegasus quickly appeared and kicked it away. Spike took a chair from what would be the living room and sat in front of me. “Well, I’ve know her for a couple of years now,” he said. “That’s a start; and why haven’t you told her how you feel?” “Trying to convince Spike into confessing his love to Rarity?” Twilight said with a blank look in her eyes as she walked down the stairs, carrying the same saddlebags from yesterday. “I’m learning about this situation, and where are you going? I asked with a frown. “I’m going to see Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and I have to run some errands. Leighton, take care of the library, and if you leave, there are keys on the stand next to the door, see ya!” she left the house with mild rush, perhaps she was running late because she left the door open behind her. “Don’t listen to her, where were we?” Spike closed the door behind her and clutched a jar filled of clear water from one of the shelves around him. “I asked you, why haven’t you told her how you feel?” I looked around for glasses, but Spike found them first from another shelf closer to him. “Oh…” he looked down thoughtfully, “I… I’m not sure about how she feels about me” “If I’d get one penny for every time I heard that throughout my life…” I sighed, “Look mate, that’s the way this whole business works. Commonly, women are the ones who want to be courted and keep their intentions hidden; you’re probably never going to figure out that you like someone unless she tells you so. Most of my formal relationships were born because I took the risk of saying how I felt.” “Formal relationship? Then what is an informal relationship?” he filled my glass with water. “It… have you ever heard about sex?” Spike face turned devilish as he drank from his glass. “I’ve heard that word before. I overheard Twilight and Applejack once saying that she found Big McIntosh having sex with somepony, I looked the word in a book and found a whole lot of ways to ‘have sex’.” “Well, an informal relationship is when to people only have sex and nothing else. It’s a shallow relationship, and it leads to nowhere in the future; it’s just to have fun,” I drank from the glass, the fresh water felt well on my throat. “Do you think Rarity would want to have sex with me?” I couldn’t help it and burst into a loud laughter. “Of course not! She doesn’t seem to like that kind of stuff.” “Then how do I tell her how I feel?” “You just walk into her chambers with a bunch of flowers and say: Rarity, I have something I would like to say. The rest is up to you, but keep in mind that once you walk into that room there is no going back.” Spike shot up from his seat with his chest high. “That’s a great idea! Thank you Leighton!” he ran outside and headed towards the flowery shop across the street. I giggled at him from my seat, his determination was something I had never seen before; he obviously had the soul of a child. “Well, now I’m all on my own. I wonder what I can do.” I thought to myself while staring out the window, the town was quite big and I had the whole day. It took me five minutes to prepare myself before I stepped out into the streets of Ponyville. After closing everything behind me, I walked east towards the marketplace, where it was apparently a poor day, or it was just getting started. Behind a small wooden stand I heard someone complaining. “No Apple Bloom, you can’t have some money to go and buy Rarity a dress, now, help me out with these apples.” “But Applejack!” I heard the voice of a small girl whining with southern accent. “No buts, yer a big filly. Now go n’ you earn it,” I approached the stand and saw Applejack and a smaller olive pony with a red mane trying to lift a box of apples. “Good morning, Applejack” I said from a side of her stand. “Oh, howdy Leighton. Back already from Canterlot? How’d it go?” she pushed her small sister aside and attempted to lift the box by herself. “I convinced Celestia from letting humans in. May I help?” I approached to her side. “Yes, please. This box is heavy as a dead priest,” we lifted the box with a coordinate effort into the stand. Apple Bloom quickly began sorting the apples around neatly. “Thank you, Leighton. It woulda took me the whole morning to lift that darn box,” she said with a smile. “Thank you mister!” the small pony turned to give a warm smile, that little filly was just adorable. “Oh yeah, this is my little sister, Apple Bloom. She helps me run the stand,” the small filly trotted towards me and stared at me with a pouty. “Can you loan me some coins mister?” “I would if I had any, Apple Bloom. But I don’t know the currency exchange for a five hundred euro bill.” I showed the purple bill and the child drooled at it. “You could trick a few people ‘round here with that thing,” Applejack pulled her sister away from me, “but this filly needs to learn the importance of a job and how work earns you money,” She patted Apple Bloom’s head. “Your sister is right, little one. Spending money is a better experience if you earn it through your own sweat.” Apple Bloom sighed and walked towards the stand, where a couple of customers were waiting to buy some fresh apples. “So, what brings ya here?” Applejack glanced at her sister working, making sure she wasn’t extorting the customers. “I was just passing by, I’m trying to get used to this town,” I noticed a hat was lying on a basket next to Applejack; she grabbed it and placed it in her head. “Well sugar cube, today is my day off, so whaddaya say we go n’ grab sum lunch?” “Sounds like a great idea,” I said with an honest smile, Applejack took some coins from the register next to her sister, who glared at her at the sight of the action. “Follow me, Leightn’, I know the perfect place for lunch” she walked in front of me seemingly confident, her blonde mane waved in my line of sight. “Ya know; it’s pretty awkward to have somepony staring at your flank” I snapped and trotted to her side. “My apologies, Applejack.” “So, what’s next with yer plan?” she took a sip from her chocolate milkshake through a straw. Around us, other tables with ponies enjoyed a healthy breakfast under the protection of an umbrella on their mushroom shaped tables. The seats were made of just hay, but it felt comfortable enough to enjoy the meal. “We wait, inform the world leaders and pray this works. But that is enough about me, Applejack. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself,” I sipped my white teacup. “Me?” she asked with an uncomfortable face, “I’m just yer regular pony workin’ hard to make it through the day.” “Everypony is interesting, Applejack. I am a people person, as we humans say. Do you have any family other than your little sister?” I crossed my hooves with interest. “Well, there’s Big McIntosh n’ O’l Granny Smith. All my cousins that live far west n’ Uncle and Aunt Orange,” she touched her chin thoughtfully. “You don’t have family of your own? Nopony ever reproduces in here?” my question instantly drew the attention of anypony nearby, they glared with hateful eyes. “No, I don’t,” everypony around turned away from our table, minding their own business once again, “ I haven’t found the right colt yet, why’d you ask?” “Well, it’s nice to see you can breed in this place. The only filly I’ve seen is your sister, and Spike’s crush on Rarity made me curious.” “Ah that Spike” she giggled, “they can’t precisely reproduce because dragons grow a whole lot bigger, but nothin’s keepin’ them from bein’ a couple,” “I see…” I drank again from my teacup, leaving no liquid inside. “N’ what ‘bout ya? Ya got kids of yer own?” her question instantly made me blush. “I… I once had a wife and a small child.” I hid my embarrassment under a calm tone of voice. “Where are they?” Applejack’s curiosity did not offend me, but it was touching a part of my life I do not share easily. Yet, there was something on her that made me trust her; enough to share this with her. “As war ravaged through earth, keeping my family safe became harder and harder. After we barely made it through a bombardment in our house in Liverpool, I had no choice but to make sure they were safe,” my head filled with their faces smiling, I looked down as I gathered the strength to pronounce the words that described their fate. “I… I had my family ponyfied to ensure their welfare.” “Oh my…”Applejack’s face filled with surprise, “they didn’t got to keep their memories, right?” “No they didn’t. My wife Angelica was a brilliant ecologist and my daughter Blaire was barely on kinder garden. It was hard, but it was the best for them.” “You seem… to take this matter lightly,” she asked with a frown, my face reflected no emotion at all as I talked. Deep inside, however, another story was told. “I do not. It breaks my heart to remember twelve years of successful marriage and four years raising a baby girl. Blaire’s birthday is next week’s Thursday, actually,” I took the white porcelain teapot and carefully poured the yellow colored liquid into my cup. “Would you take a look at that? Apple bloom’s birthday is that same day!” she said with a cheerful smile, my face quickly drew one as well. “You make sure she gets my congratulations when the time is proper,” I teased the tea to make sure its temperature was right, my hooves reacted quickly to the stimuli from my lips, “Bollocks this is hot!” the shout was heard all around the restaurant, everyone turned to glare at me with curious eyes again. “Just ignore ‘em. They all look at ya because they don’t recognize yer face,” she said with a playful grin. “My name is Leighton McRae; would you please stop staring at me?” Everypony turned back to their tables, food or conversation. Applejack laughed uncontrollably. “Now that’s some nerve, boy!” she interrupted her laughter to mumble. I quietly took my cup and drank some more tea from it. “So when are y’all plannin’ to return to earth?” Her laughter slowly calmed. “Two days. I still got today and tomorrow to enjoy this lovely town,” I glanced at a pink pony in the distance, her mane waved up and down with her physically impossible way of jumping. “Hey, why don’t you come to sweet apple acres help me out buck some apples?” her eyes sparkled with a look nopony could resist. “That sounds like a-” “Ah, Leighton, there you are!” A familiar voice echoed in the distance, I turned to see it was Rarity, “I’m sorry to rudely interrupt, hi Applejack- Spike told me you were back in town and I had to ask you if you could model a few attires for me” “Spike told you that? Didn’t he mention anything else other than my presence in town?” I asked while serving her some tea. “No he didn’t. But he was holding various flowers now that I recall,” she graciously took her cup and sipped. “I actually just booked some minutes of my time helping Applejack buck sum apples?” I attempted to mimic the orange pony’s accent, but failed miserably. My Scouse was too marked and I sounded like a complete idiot; and yes, both mares laughed. “Oh don’t worry Leighton. You can go help Rarity, I-” “Somepony help!” A green mare shouted at the entrance of the restaurant, “A gryphon is attacking a poor little filly in a stand at the marketplace!” Applejack’s face instantly turned white from fear. “Apple Bloom!” she shouted and galloped at full speed towards the marketplace, I followed as close as my hooves allowed me to with scared Rarity next to me. Damn she was fast. “I thought stuff like this never happened in Ponyville?” I said trying to open the wings tucked in my torso for the first time. “They don’t, a gryphon is a rare sight around here, but they are not violent.” Rarity quickly replied, passing me and catching up to Applejack, damn she was fast too. “Does somepony know how do these bloody wings work?!” my red wings slowly began unfolding, spreading. The marketplace was still far from us, I had to make my wings work and fly for the first time. “We ain’t Pegasus Leighton; you’ll have to figure it out!” Applejack sarcastically replied. The muscles around my wings became one with my body; I was able to feel them for the first time once they were wide open. Slowly, I began moving them up and down, trying to lift my body of the floor. Pushing my heart to the limit, I galloped as fast as I could and jumped once my body reached max speed. My hooves kept moving, but the ground was not there, I was floating in the air using only my wings; they felt natural and it wasn’t hard. I accelerated past the mares and saw a brownish figure next to Apple Bloom’s stand. “Leave the filly alone, you crazy son of a bitch!” I furiously shouted an instant before I noticed I did not know how to stop. The gryphon turned to stare at me with eyes full of hatred and its claws stained with apple pulp. “Leightn’!” Apple Bloom’s eyes lightened up when she saw me flying towards the stand at full speed, the little filly was covered with a mixture of apple pulp and blood, she didn’t seem badly injured though. The beast turned his body towards me, trying to receive the impact with its claws pointing at me. Adrenaline filled my veins as the beast became closer, muscles tightening, pupils constricting, time becoming slower… It was kicking in. When I approached him enough, he threw a slash at me filled with rage; I dodged it and swept his feet using my impulse. Upon impact, he flew in the air spinning without control. The collision was enough to slow me down and land, the gryphon stood up and roared maliciously. “C’mon” I mockingly whistled at it, taunting it with my hooves. It dashed at full speed blinded with anger, trying to hit me with another slash. I blocked it using a hoof and quickly dislocated the beast’s arm with the other. The cracking sound made everypony around shiver, along with a shriek of pain that the gryphon loosed. I kicked it in the chest before it could even finish its screaming, the beast wimped back with its arm completely immobilized. I saw Applejack run towards her sister, taking the small pony in her hooves. “Where do you think you’re going? I’m not done with you yet,” the beast turned and attempted to fly away but I struck it in the back and dislocated its wings as well with a forceful pull, it shrieked in pain once more and even harder. “Please… don’t…” It muttered with a defeated voice. “Looks like you’re about to get a cold shoulder!” I prepared my hoof to strike a final blow on the gryphon’s neck, but just before I throw a punch, Twilight broke through the crowd and once again grabbed my arm just in time , preventing me from killing the gryphon. “Will you ever let me execute someone?” I stared at her with a blank look. “I think this gryphon has learned his lesson, there is no need in taking his life, right?” She stared at the gryphon with authority, it looked down with remorse. “Thank you, pony. Your kindness shall not be forgotten,” the gryphon said with a male voice, it slowly stood up and walked down the street. Two Pegasi with golden armor quickly descended from the sky and escorted it. “Is everypony okay?” I looked around and noticed the surprised stare of at least a hundred ponies. One of them suddenly began stomping on the ground, emitting a noise somewhat similar to applause. The gesture quickly spread between the crowd and a thunderous ‘applause’ filled the streets. “So that’s how they do the applauses around here eh?” I asked Twilight with a proud smile. “Don’t get too cocky, they would be all over you if you’d killed that gryphon.” Ignoring Twilight’s commentary, I approached Applejack and Apple Bloom. The little filly had only a few bruises and cuts, nothing serious. “Thank Celestia you show’d up Leightn’. That rude gryphon didn’t have any change and flipped out when I took some apples off his basket,” she said with tears on her eyes, falling asleep shortly after. “That was pretty good, darling. Where did you learn to fight like that?” Rarity asked as she took a napkin and cleaned Apple Bloom’s forehead. “A few books of Jujitsu and a couple more of anatomy. Is Apple Bloom okay?” “Yeah… she’s got a few bruises n’ cuts, I’ll take her to the doctor just to be sure,” Applejack quickly replied while placing her sister down on the floor. “Alright, alright everypony. The show is over, go back to your daily lives,” Twilight shooed the crowd away, as quickly as they gathered, they disappeared. “Do you need any help with Apple Bloom?” I asked Applejack with a concerned look. “No, she does not,” Twilight said with bossy tone, I turned to scowl at her. “He’s just trying to be polite, Twi. There’s no need to be a complete bitch,” Applejack said with indignation. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” the purple unicorn sighed, “Leighton, something has happened. We have to return to earth right away,” there was a slight touch of fear in her voice that concerned me. It had to be something important.