I’m worried about the conversation I had this morning, so I’ve made my way to the archery club before I knew it. “Geez, what am I doing?” According to Lyra, Rarity Jewel comes here often. Well, I really don’t care about that, but I know that Trixie getting angry at her is going to be a problem.
“…Trixie just doesn’t stop when she gets angry…” It’s bad if Trixie gets violent just because she turned her down. …I don’t know why it’s bad, it’s just bad. It makes me feel bad just thinking about it, so I have to stop it from happening.
“Oh, Rarity’s not here.” Rarity isn’t around. Lyra’s worries were needless.
“Oh, who’s not here?”
“…!!” I spin around.
“So… who’s not here?” And there’s Applejack, whom I just left behind.
“Oh, i-it’s you, Applejack. Don’t scare me like that.”
“Well, you were looking at the gym suspiciously. So, who’s not here?”
“Rarity. I heard that she had an argument with Trixie yesterday, so I came to see how things were.”
“Oh wow, that is suspicious. You gave your reasons without being asked. I only asked you who wasn’t here.”
“…! W-What? What I do shouldn’t concern you.”
“Yes, that’s right. But it’s useless, Storm. Rarity won’t be here. That’s because she intentionally skipped school today.”
“What?” Skipped school… so, she was absent today? “I see, she’s absent… wait, Applejack. How can you say she skipped school? I don’t think she’d do such a thing.” “Of course she will. She won’t catch a cold. As I see it, she’s evil. You’ll be eaten if you let her looks deceive you, Storm.”
“Hm.” Somehow, Applejack’s words annoy me. It’s true that I don’t know her, but I can’t imagine that she’s a bad pony. “You’re going too far, Applejack. Rarity can’t be like that.”
“Hmm? What, you’re after Rarity too? Oh, I’m sorry. Please ignore what I just said.”
“…!” A-After Rarity!? Who said anything like that!? “D-Don’t jump to conclusions! I just thought it’d be bad if Trixie got into trouble again.”
“So you were planning to stop Trixie if she attacked Rarity, huh? You’re playing an unrewarded role again. …I don’t really care, but you have a bad taste, Storm.”
“It’s not unrewarded since I haven’t done it. But Applejack, didn’t you say something strange?”
“Huh? You mean that going after Rarity is in bad taste?”
“Yeah. Rarity is really popular. I haven’t heard any bad rumors about her.”
“Yes, none. And that’s exactly what I don’t like about it.” Applejack looks away, snorting.
“What don’t you like about it?”
“Everything. The mare is a fox, a schoolmare, a monster. I just don’t like her physiologically. I won’t say anything bad, but you should try to hate her too.”
“Applejack, don’t you always say we shouldn’t talk badly of ponies behind their backs?”
“Idiot, this doesn’t count as talking behind their back. I’m speaking so that she can hear it.” Ah, no wonder I feel somepony’s eyes from the archery gym. …Thank Hasbro. I’m so glad Rarity is absent today.
“Please, Applejack. Please restrict yourself to talking behind ponies’ backs.”
“All right, if you say so. But I wasn’t insulting her at all. I was only saying that I’m on guard against her. That should be within my rights.”
“But you were saying things like monster and fox…” …And I think the term schoolmare is discrimination.
“No, that was just praise. There are good foxes and monsters too. I only applied the terms to describe Rarity.” Applejack laughs. “Well, I’ll be going. I’m going back to the student council room, but you’re going to work, right? You shouldn’t have time to play around like this.” She must feel refreshed now that she’s said everything she wanted, as she leaves calmly. I’ve known her for 2 years now, but I still don’t understand her personality.
Twenty minutes after taking the bus from my school, I arrive at the neighboring town of New Ponyville across the bridge.
“…Oh, it’s not five o’clock yet? I guess I still have some time.” Old Ponyville is a residential district, so it’s hard to find part-time jobs there, but the developing New Ponyville has many available. The school rules allow for part-time jobs, so I work a few easy ones. Within them, I prefer hard physical labor that ends as quickly as possible. It’s killing two birds with one stone, as it builds my body while I get paid for it. Today’s job is a simple loading job from five to eight o’clock. Even though it’s only three hours, there’s six hours worth of work to do. They make you run around without a minute’s rest. So I should rest when I can, even if it’s just for ten minutes. It’s a waste of energy walking around until my job, so I guess I’ll rest in the park.
This park among the buildings is like a big field. A park should be filled with ponies like families and lovers on weekends, but it’s empty here now. No… this place is always desolate.
“This place is the same as always.” I’m a bit sad. The utterly neglected ground looks awful compared to the neatly organized surroundings. The desolate area makes the wind feel cold. This is the remains of the conflagration ten years ago, and this is the place where I was saved from burning to death.
“I wonder why they don’t plant grass here. It’s a waste to keep it like this.” It’s a large area, so if they retiled it, the park would get bigger. Thinking absent-mindedly, I sit down on a bench.
“……” I stare at the burned land to pass the time. I don’t remember what happened here back then. I probably don’t remember because I was a colt, and it wouldn’t have been an easy scene to memorize. All I can remember is that it was hot and I couldn’t breathe. And that ponies died trying to save others.
“I wonder why…” For example, a stallion that tried to save a foal from a burning house. He saved the foal, but died in its place. For example, there were ponies who had their throats burned, but they gave what little water they had to one stallion, and the others died. For example, there was somepony who ran alone to get away from the fire as fast as possible, and everypony that he passed on the way died. And for example… Ponies who died because they gave away something that was saving them, only to save others they didn’t even know.
“……” I didn’t like things like that. It makes me mad that those who tried hard were sacrificed. Am I greedy to want an ending where everypony is safe and happy? All I wanted was to see ponies relax peacefully, so why couldn’t I manage such a simple thing?
‘That’s difficult. What you want is to save everypony.’ Doctor answered so to the question I asked as a foal. Of course, as a foal, I denied it. Because Doctor saved me. I knew he was a sorcerer who could do anything. I knew he was a superhero who couldn’t ignore ponies in need, who saved them for no benefit. So, I believed Doctor could have saved everypony back then. When I told him that, he made a troubled expression and said something that I remember to this day.
‘Storm, saving one pony means not saving another. Look, a superhero can only save the ponies he has saved. It’s obvious, but that is the definition of a superhero.’ I understand that. It’s obvious, now that he’s said it. Let’s say there’s a robber and some hostages, and the robber intends to kill the hostages. With normal methods, most of hostages will be killed. Even if you use a miraculous method to save all the hostages, there will still be one pony who isn’t saved. That, of course, is the robber whose hostages were rescued. The ponies a superhero saves are the only those he decides to save. That’s why even Hasbro cannot save everypony.
“All the more so if it’s a natural disaster. No pony could have saved everypony.” The fire ten years ago was like that. It’s not something I, who was miraculously saved from it, can talk about now.
“But I don’t want that.” I don’t want such a thing. I don’t want help that has a limited capacity. You have to help, no matter how impossible it is. I can’t stand to have strangers dying around me like back then. So, if I had been there ten years ago, even if it was impossible, I would have gone into the fire and… “I would certainly have died in vain.” That’s for certain. Geez, I’m hopeless.
“Gah, it’s already five o’clock.” The five o’clock bell rings. I stand up and quickly make my way to my work. When my job’s done, the sun has already set. It’s a bit before eight. I finished ten minutes early because I worked too hard. It seems I worked frantically since I went to that place before work. Here in front of the station, the night’s just getting started. There are lots of ponies, and a constant flow of cars on the road. The buildings are still lit up, and just looking at them makes me feel like I’m watching a grand festival of illumination.
“I guess I don’t have to buy anything for Pinkie.” I walk while looking up at the lighted building. It’s the biggest building in New Ponyville, so I can’t see the top clearly. I just gaze up the building, just enjoying the night’s scenery…
“…?” …When I think I see something out of place. “What was that?” I stop and stare at the rooftop. I focus my eyes, looking at the thing as small as a grain of rice.
“…What the…” it looks like somepony I know. Why is she there? What would she be doing there? With her long mane fluttering and doing nothing, she looks down at the town.
“……” It doesn’t seem like she notices me down here. No, there’s no way she could see me. She’s so high up that I, with better eyesight than most, can barely see her by improving my vision with magical energy. I can recognize her since she’s standing there alone, but there’s no way she would notice me down here among all these ponies. She’s just looking down at the town. Maybe she’s looking for something, as I can feel her sharp stare even down here.
“……” I forget about time and keep looking up at the mare standing in the sky. She is on top of a tall tower. She’s like a witch, looking down at the land with the moon behind her.
“Oh…” And then, she must be done with whatever she was doing, as she disappears. Her figure has disappeared and the scene returns to the beautiful view of the night.
“That was Rarity, right?” I have no proof, but I think I’m right. There aren’t many mares with looks that stand out that much, and more than that, I’m not stupid enough to mistake a mare I secretly admire.
“…I see. But still…” Well, it’s… Rarity sure has strange hobbies. Unlike New Ponyville, there’s no pony in Old Ponyville. After eight o’clock, there are no ponies around, and the town is terribly quiet. At the junction is the house I saw this morning. There’s no sign of ponies, and the door has a “do not enter” sign. …After only one day, the house is as quiet as an abandoned building. Parents and older sister killed by the burglar. What kind of life remains for the foal left behind?
“……” I bite my lip, feeling powerless. Even after swearing to become like Doctor, I can’t do anything about something that happened so close by. Even though I want to help somepony, in the end, I don’t even know what I can do. I climb the hill and reach the Whooves house. The lights are still on, so Sweetie or Pinkie must still be there.
“I’m home… Oh, just you, Pinkie?”
“Hm? Oh, welcome home, Storm.” Pinkie turns around, munching on a rice cracker. The TV shows a loud variety show. “Geez, coming home at a time like this again… I told you to come home early since it gets dark early in the winter.”
“I am home early. I’m taking part-time jobs that finish at eight, so don’t be so unreasonable. …So, where’s Sweetie? It looks like dinner’s ready, but…”
“Sweetie went home early. She said she had something to do today, so she just cooked dinner and left.” Pinkie says so happily. As far as she’s concerned, anypony who cooks for her is a good pony.
“I see. That might be a good idea for a while. It’s been dangerous recently, so maybe I should just cook dinner myself until next term.”
“What? I protest! You come home so late, Storm. If you don’t cook until after that, we won’t eat until after ten.”
“…Hold on. Can’t you just eat at home?”
“What? I am at home.” Pinkie seems puzzled. Honestly, I’m not sure if that makes me happy or sad.
“…Alright, I understand. I can’t exactly expect you to cook for yourself, can I? …Anyways, what’s that thing by your feet? Don’t tell me you’ve been picking up junk again.” Pinkie has a terrible habit of leaving junk at my place. Large bowls from restaurants, a heavy teapot she got in the shopping district, a strange guitar that plays by itself… I think she thinks of this place as some kind of a warehouse. “Let me see. I’ll throw it away if it’s junk.”
“This? Uh, it’s a poster that was left over at my place…” Pinkie gives me the poster. It’s probably some infamous idol or something.
“Let’s see…” Here we have a military-style stallion with his hoof up, on a cheap looking blue sky background. In letters like blood, it reads: “Love’s Lovely Ranger Land. Please join the Self-Defense Force.” …Hold on, this is an army recruiting poster…!
“I don’t want it, so you can have it.”
“Whoa, I don’t want this either!” I roll up the poster and hit Pinkie with it.
“Heheh, missed.” But. Pinkie deflects my attack with a poster she had hidden, and counterattacks mercilessly. Bam. The poster lightly knocks my…
“Guhhh!?” Stars! I saw stars!
“Heheh, don’t imagine you can hit me with your skills. You need to practice more.”
“Guh… t-that’s not the problem. What was that? Why does a poster make a crash like that…?” Could this be the skill of a master…!?
“Huh? Oh, sorry, this poster is the special first edition made from steel plate. …Storm, is your head all right…?”
“…Pinkie, your personality is going to kill somepony one day…”
“Hehe. I’m not worried. Storm would marry me if that happened.”
“Huh, I completely refuse. I have no intention of marrying such a thoughtless killer.”
“Hey… I don’t think I’m that dangerous of a pony.”
“I knew it. So it’s true that ponies never know themselves.” How true, how true. I’ll have to watch out or I’ll be killed.
“Huh, just keep saying that. Anyways, I’m hungry, Storm. I’ve waited all this time, so let’s have dinner.” Pinkie stands up. …How strange. Pinkie is helping out (even if it’s only setting up the dishes). She must be really hungry.
“Okay. Then you can get the dishes out. You can pour rice, right?”
“I can. Hey, Storm, can I use a bowl?”
“I guess so. Sweetie isn’t here today, so there’ll be some left over anyway.”
“All right. I’ll use the same for you, then.” Pinkie pours rice into two bowls.
“……” Oh well. I was going to have seconds anyway. And besides, if I argue with Pinkie, she’ll take my dinner away. And to add… Chaotic dinners like this have been common scenes for many years now. …The day ends. Finishing a rowdy dinner and seeing Pinkie off, I take a bath. After that, I practice my daily routine in the shed. I complete it as usual and go to sleep. It is one in the morning. The day ends peacefully without any troubles.
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