1:00 PM
A set of cloven hooves carefully danced their way along the forest floor, the sound of fresh September leaves falling to the ground and crunching into fine dust. The hooded, four legged creature stopped momentarily to get a look at its surroundings, before hearing what sounded like a blood curdling scream, followed by the high pitched sound of a chicken’s unmistakable screech a few moments later. The cloaked animal took notice and slowly turned to head in the direction of the wicked noises, only to be knocked over by a rapidly sprinting pony - orange in color and small in shape.
“GET OUT OF THE WAY! DAD!”
--
Scootaloo had been wandering around the forest for a few minutes now, holding steady to the faint tracks left behind by Nick’s feet. As she continued her walk about, the young filly thought back on how everyone had turned upon Nick, and subsequently, her. She had been reflecting back on the time she had spent with the man while living at Sweet Apple Acres, and a memory flew through her head.
***
Nick had lightly tossed the ball over Scootaloo’s way, the soft, elastic sphere gently falling upon the young pegasus’ head with a bounce as she pushed it back towards the human before her. Then, she sat down, not bothering to respond to the sudden return Nick had made, the ball flying right past her and rolling itself into a tree. A slight look of concern overtook the human’s face, and he picked the ball up, beginning to slowly move towards the young pony, finally kneeling down beside her, his only arm bent across his leg with the orb still in its grasp.
“Something wrong, Scootaloo?” The graduate asked, worry still overtaking him.
“No. Nothing’s wrong,” the young girl replied, throwing a small chunk of dirt to the side out of boredom. “I just... wanted to talk, if that’s okay...”
With a smile, and heave of exhaustion from a long day’s work, the red-clad biped plopped against the tree, turning his head to the orange Crusader and tossing the ball a few feet away.
“Sure, what’s on your mind?”
“I... did you ever have family when you were growing up?” Scootaloo timidly asked, fidgeting uncomfortably as if she was afraid she had insulted the man.
“Yeah, I did. Mom, dad... grandfather lived with us, till cancer took him at 90 - kindest man alive, he was.” Nick flatly replied, looking at the pony next to him before staring back down to the ground.
“So... um...” The filly paused, gazing into the sunset sprawled out before them in a blanket of orange. “What was your family like?”
“Whelp...” Nick began, stretching his arm out back over his head and slumping farther against the base of the tree. “Gramps was a great man. Had a great career, a soft heart, always took care of me and played with me. And he had some of the craziest stories about the World War. Always enjoyed listening to them.”
Scoots sat in utter silence, smiling and listening intently.
“Mom had me when she was still in college. Ended up getting her degree when I turned four, and was one of the most devout parents ever. She’s a bit weak, and gets sick a lot as a type 1 diabetic, but she always pulls through. She’s the reason I’m still fighting to go home. I can’t lose the only family I have left. I can only imagine how crazy she must have become since I disappeared. It’s why I need to go back. We depend on eachother so much...”
Scootaloo suddenly became wide eyed.
“But, you have a dad.... don’t y-”
“Dead. Died in a car wreck eight months ago.”
Scootaloo cringed. Nick had told her all about cars, and they sounded frightening. She couldn’t even fathom the idea of having one hit another...
“Dad was on the frontlines during the Gulf War. Got blown up, lost an eye and an arm, just like me.”
Scootaloo gawked, not only at the mention of two wars in such a short time, but also at the physical turmoil that his father had gone through.
“So much conflict… Equestria hasn’t even seen war in a thousand years! How was he able to keep going through all of that?!” Her expression showed it all, the shock and confusion, unable to understand the sheer willpower that a human could muster up in times of need.
Nick smirked, gently ruffling the filly’s mane with his only hand. His speech was friendly, almost uncaring about the morbid topic at hand - like it was natural.
“Well, Dad had only been in one war, actually. There were plenty of wars in our world that happened within a century alone, let alone involving my nation. The amount of casualties numbered into the millions.”
“M-millions? How can you manage to-”
“It’s the only thing we truly excel at. Those skills - those kill-or be-killed instincts are what saved your life, mine, and several others so far. I never said I enjoy it. I can’t sleep at night half the time. Killing things is NOT normal for the average person, believe it or not.” A moment of silence overtook her as she seemed to process that. She thought back to his dad and how much conflict he’d been through.
“But… You didn’t answer me about your Dad… How did everything he’d been through not stop him? All the… Death?” She looked shocked at the mere thought of a being going through so much turmoil, and still having the will to go on.
Nick chuckled a bit under his breath, and turned to the filly again, ruffling her mane.
“Because some people, no matter how much you beat them and shoot them... some of us refuse to die.”
Scootaloo immediately turned away, and a few moments later, brought a hoof to her face for a brief second. She didn’t turn back around.
“Dad was a warrant officer, when he retired. Was about to get boosted straight into Colonel for distinguishment, but he turned it down, said he wasn’t fit to lead troops, and that it’d cut away from his family life.”
Then a sniffle.
“Scootaloo?”
The filly turned back to Nick, this time, tears and snot running down her face in droves.
“Awww... honey, what’s wrong?”
“Ju-j-just li-like m-m-m-my da-a-ad-d-d...” The pegasus could almost unintelligibly speak amidst her sobs.
“Your dad?” The young collegiate asked, his voice now soft, and sweet, a stark contrast to the gruff, seemingly uncaring tone he was carrying earlier.
“Mmmhmm.. most everypony I know thinks I was born an orphan... but... it’s not true.” The pegasus continued, her cries becoming louder.
“Come here, sweetie... it’s okay...” Nick gently offered, crossing his legs and patting his lap, to which the orange pony gently clambered onto and curled herself into a ball almost immediately, only bringing her head up to look at the man smiling down on her.
“I only knew my parents till I was... about three, in your years. My mom was a student at the same school Twilight went to, and she ended up coming back sick one day... It started out as a cough and sniffles... then she started throwing up... then a rash kicked in... she’d start having hot flashes and fevers... Then the seizures and pain started... She’d get sores all over her body, and slowly went crazy... Then the rash turned into flesh rot... I…”
Scootaloo broke down crying.
“I was only that little... and I had to watch my mother die in front of my face...”
Nick couldn't say anything, just sitting there stunned at the vivid, gorey details. He wrapped his single arm around the filly and gently rubbed her back, his torn and scarred fingers gingerly dancing along her left wing.
Scoots once again calmed herself, and looked back up to the human.
“My dad was the commander of the military here before Twilight’s brother took over. They sent him out one day around the time I first started school. He never came back, they declared him dead, and I lived in an orphanage for almost two years... Then I met Applebloom, and her family took me in eventually... I’ve been living in the clubhouse ever since Applebloom fixed it up...”
Nick held tightly to the young girl, letter her cry some more.
“You’re the first I’ve ever told this to, Nick. When you saved my life... you reminded me of my dad... how he was struggling day after day to protect me and take care of me... I’ve had a good relationship with Applebloom’s family. AJ is practically my mother now, Granny Smith is one to me, but... Big Mac, even before he did all that... was always distant. He wasn’t able to give me the dad I’ve been chasing for years now.
Scootaloo then sat up and gently hugged the human, visions of her past family flashing through her head. A young, orange-coated mare with violet mane and a warm, welcoming smile...
...and a violet-eyed, white stallion with a black mane, adorned in scars, with a gruff exterior, but a warm grin to come home to.
“But then you came along... and you’ve been nothing but kind and loving... even if you... can get a bit mean and crazy. You’ve never hurt me... and have always put me ahead of you... I...”
Scoots squeezed as tightly as she could.
“I love you, dad. Please don’t leave me.”
Nick only sighed, staring at the burning star out over the horizon.
“I love you too. I promise.”
***
---
The sound of a bone chilling cry, much like Nick’s voice snapped the filly out of her trance. Shaken and thrust into a panic, Scootaloo did the only thing she knew how to - follow it. The pegasus tore through thicket after thicket and branch after branch, barreling through the vast greenery of the forest at what speed she could muster. She came to a small clearing and tore past a cloaked pony, screaming at the top of her lungs and knocking the stranger aside.
“GET OUT OF THE WAY! DAD!”
Romping through the forest at breakneck speed, the young tomboy tore her way through the lush plantlife, showing not a care in the world for anything more than the owner of that scream. Ripping her way through a large bush, Scootaloo lost her sense of direction, orientation, and balance - and collided face first into a sizable, thick portion of rock. The pegasus fell backwards on to her flank, clutching her head in pure pain. WIth her skull shaking and her vision blurry, Scootaloo carefully stood up with her senses coming to. She slowly looked up, her vision clearing. There the young filly stood, frozen, and broken as her young eyes came face to face with the object she collided with.
It didn’t even take her more than a second for her to recognize what happened. As she brought her head up, she came face to face with the stone statue, looking into the eyes of a dead man.
Nick.
The filly let out a hellacious wail, breaking down into a fit of sobs, and collapsing at the feet of the idol.
“...Dad… No…!”
With the crushing realization of Nick’s demise barreling down upon her, Scootaloo continued to cry, her vocal sobs echoing throughout the dark, lifeless forest surrounding her. The filly had finally known loss in its purest form, depression at its most extreme, and of course, death, once more. Once again, she had lost one of the few around her that she held dear.
Her world was over, staring, in disbelief at the lifeless statue before her.
And all the little filly could do was cry. Cry, like the little scared child she really was - The little child she hid from everyone else.
All had been lost to her, with no clear future in sight. Yet, a sudden wave of calm washed over her with the gentle touch of a hoof on her shoulder, and a soft, rhythmic voice swirling around her eardrums.
“Fur of orange, emotions, blue? Why are you out here, Scootaloo?” The rhyming voice spoke, the filly not bothering to turn around at the response.
“Hi… Ze...Zecora…” The filly barely managed to babble, her throat congested with snot and tears. “I…. I’m sorry I ran into you…”
The hooded Zebra gently removed her cloak, revealing her less-intimidating figure.
“What is it thank makes you cry, with tears pouring out of your eyes? You seem destroyed, distraught, in pain, let’s wipe that mess out of your mane.” The zebra continued, gently brushing the messy foliage that tainted the filly’s purple hairs.
“I… have you ever… lost something so profoundly impactful on your life, Zecora, that, when it goes away, you have no idea what to do? Have you ever lost someone so near and dear to your heart, that killing yourself just so you can be with them sounds like a better option than waiting for it?”
Zecora stood there, rather shocked at the dark words that left the young one’s mouth. Never in her life had she seen one of the Crusaders so wrought with pain and anguish.
“No child, I have not felt this, but to end your life seems quite selfish. Who exactly have you lost, and all your hope, you’ve gone and tossed?”
Scootaloo sat there for a moment, then, with her face dug into the pit of her hoof, she pointed at the bust in front of her.
“I… lost him. He’s a human, but… trust me, Zecora, he’s a dad to me. I… I can’t believe he’s dead…”
Zecora looked up at the statue before her, gulping. A human, here in the Everfree. She had heard the stories before, but never believed that one actually existed. His features were frightening, as if he had been beaten, cut, and generally torn apart - a fake arm, one missing eye, no nose… ripped, torn clothes…
Zecora stared blankly for a moment, trying to process all the information that had been thrown at her. She looked at the statue, an angry glare pervading its face as she stared at the strange object in its appendages, swallowing in fear. If she had to guess, it was a weapon of some kind, and she certainly didn’t want to be near it. A human in Equestria? The hermit had heard of the stories before - they were also common in her native land, and she had heard rumors of one actually appearing in Ponyville a few months before. This was the one that everypony was talking about?
This thing… a real human… Now that was a terrifying thought. Regardless, Zecora danced around the stone idol, examining the weird device in its hands. The child behind her continued to cry. Considering where they were… perhaps, this one may have been real. The stone casing was a common symptom, but there was just one thing to check to make sure it wasn’t just a statue and/or if it wasn’t, if it was still alive. The Zebra then put her ear to the statue’s chest.
...and, to her surprise, and fear, she heard a soft beating.
Thump thump.
Thump thump.
Thump thump.
Swallowing her fear again, the goodness in the mare’s heart pervaded her - he clearly needed medical attention, and as a medicine mare, it was her duty.
“Child, do not be distraught, for a cocitrace, he simply fought. His heart and mind are healthy, see, yet to save his life, we must hurry. While the beast’s curse is curable, slow action makes it irreversible.”
Scootaloo immediately shot up, hugging the zebra.
“He… HE’S ALIVE!? Th… thank you, Zecora. Thank you so much! You think we can carry something his heavy?”
Without thinking about it, they just did.
---
I stood there, in a void of white emptiness. I was terrified that I had died, noting that the place was DEAD silent - no echoes, no vibrations, no shadows, no anything: it was just a deathly hollow void. I began to panic and sweat. Complete sensory deprivation other than sight… when it’s so quiet you can hear the blood flowing in your body? I don’t care who you are, that’s not natural, or healthy.
And then, there was a bright flash in front of me. I brought my robotic arm upwards to shield my eye from the blinding rays, which slowly faded away. As vision came back to me, I was instantly taken aback with what I saw.
“Hello, Nicholas.”
I wiped the tears from my eye, and readied my gun, pointing the weapon square at the creature’s head.
“Discord? Wh-what are you doing here?” I asked, my mind starting to lose touch with reality as the day trudged on, and my body shivering with nervous anticipation. I was expecting that BEN had sent Discord as an agent to kill me here and now; talk me into suicide or something. Judging the look in his eyes, which seemed full of sorrow and anger, however, It must had been something more. Still, I had to be wary, for I knew Discord was a master of manipulation and had quite a silver tongue. I remember he tried to get me to kill Applebloom and Spike yesterday.
“Nicholas, hear me out. I am here to aid you.” The draconequus said, his voice sounding unlike anything I had heard before. His speech carried a sympathetic tone to it, and his eyes seem to be filled with nothing but sadness. Still I had no reason to trust the thing standing before me.
“You killed my mother you son of a bitch!” I violently exploded, tears and snot running across my face as I charged and and attempted to violently swipe at the draconequus, in nothing but a fit of pure rage. “You killed the last of my family! Thanks to you, I have nothing to live for, you son of a bi-”
“Woah woah woah, I did so no such thing!” Discord flatly replied pushing me away. “Sure, I threw your world into chaos, but only in good fun. You see, I like to play with the people I torment. I just want to have some chaotic fun is all. I’m not into the whole ‘kill everything’ mentality that your friend BEN has.”
“You DID kill my mother! You were in my world, so you HAD to have done it! Don’t you dare lie to-”
“Would you let me finish?” Discord cut me off again, summoning a bottle of water out of thin air and offering it out to me, which I slowly took, and felt its cold, slowly condensing plastic shape in my hand, and slowly untwisted the cap. “BEN knows not that I’m here. He wanted me to take control of your friends, and turn them against you, but I refuse to do it anymore. As much as I despise the Elements for their stopping my chaotic reign, I’ve come to realize that working with BEN isn’t going to get me what I want.”
“And what IS it you want?” I snapped at him, drowning my sorrows in the cold water he offered me.
“To rule. Chrysalis and I want to rule, but BEN wants to drive everything into extinction. I thought I was evil, but this kid just takes the cake. What on earth did you do to him that made him so angry?”
I simply shrugged and crushed the water bottle in my robotic arm, watching the remaining liquid collect and topple out of the container’s mouth.
“I don’t know. I want to go home, damn it. Can you please, for the love of any god out there, just send me home?”
“If I could, I would. I followed him around like some dog after he freed me from my prison, hoping I would get something out of assisting him, and he abuses me for the fact that I’d rather play with my victims instead of flat out kill them!”
“I can tell he does.” I added, giving a nod of reassurance as my eye passed over his missing limb and horn. “He’s nothing but a spoiled, angry kid. Why do you follow him around?” I continued to ask, starting to regain some of my composure, and standing up to eye level with the draconequus.
“Again, he promised Chrysalis and I positions of power. He has Luna under some kind of hypnotic spell that I can’t break, and she’s the one bringing the moon down. There’s not one other ‘villain’ out there quite like your BEN. Trust me, being a god, I’ve been to many other worlds. Pretty much everypony that had some kind of evil goal in mind does it for their own gain. This guy, on the other hoof, well...”
“Wait, you’ve been to other worlds? Like where? Are all those worlds that BEN told me about on the list? How does-”
“Yes, Nicholas. BEN is not lying. There are other dimensions out there, and he wants to drive them into extinction. Now, If I am to help you, I must hurry, so this is what I do know: BEN told me of some kind of ‘instrument’ that he said, so long as you and your friends don’t find, he has nothing to fear. I don’t know what this thing is, or where it comes from, or what it does, but if there’s any faint amount of hope that you can stop him, it starts with this instrument.
“Instrument... instrument... what the hell is he talking about?” I looked down, cursing under my breath. I racked my memories around, trying to think of things that happened to correlate with the word. Regardless, I just ended up drawing a blank. I sighed, and then looked back up to the God of Chaos.
“Fair enough, but Discord?”
“Yes?”
“Why are you helping me?”
Discord stopped for a moment, and his eyes locked with my only optic. He turned away from me, and turned his head to the side, now glaring at me with only one.
“I feel your pain.”
Without having to say anything, I simply took a look at the missing pieces of his body, and gave a solemn nod.
“I was a fool to follow him around. I just thought I could benefit from it. If there’s nopony to rule over, what point is there in being evil?”
“Not much. So… I’m not dead?”
The draconequus chuckled, giving me a reassuring smile.
“No. You have a short frame of time before you do, and you will if you don’t get out of here, but… for now, you’re experiencing a pure sensory representation of the unconscious.”
“Well if I'm on a timer, then let me the fuck out of here!”
“No. It’s too risky for you, or I. Trust me, you’ll get out of here in due time. In the meantime, eat. You look like you’re starving.”
At that, another flash. This time, when my vision cleared, I was met with a smorgasbord of Chinese dishes, and another ten bottles of water. High calorie, high-carb goodness.
“Holy sweet god, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Discord.” I uttered in repetition, virtually praying to the draconequus before me, yet stopped as I came to a realization. “W… wait… how is this going to work? I’m not in my physical body. How is this going to nourish me?
“Quite simply, thanks to the magical properties of Equestria, any effects your unconscious experiences when in visual representation will affect your living body as well. Scootaloo is coming for you. Good luck, Nick. I’ll be there to back you up when you need me. I promise you.”
While it put my mind at ease, I was still doubtful, given the unknown time limit, but I was relaxed just enough to reply in the first peaceful manner in a while.
“Stay safe... brother.”
He had a pained look on his visage after hearing that, as if he wanted to say something important in response. “I’m afraid I can’t make it easy on you from here on out, my friend. I have to keep my disguise… Just know that anything you experience in the near future is my fault, and I’m deeply sorry for that.”
And with a flash of light and snap of his talons, discord faded away in a pinch.
I stared at where the God of Chaos once stood, now feeling infinitely more uneasy about what lay ahead.
But, with him gone, I could stuff my face like no tomorrow. And you bet your ass I did.
At least… until I felt myself- getting picked up off the ground?
“HEY, I”M EATING HERE! Party foul!”
---
“Okay, so… we don’t have any leads. What should we be doing, Twilight?” Dash asked in concern, stepping back through the massive, hollowed log they had entered, the world around them returning to the tones, designs, and color they knew.
“Well, honestly, I don’t know. We might as well go for Zecora. She’s the only hope we have left, what with Nick gone. Where is he, anyway?” The unicorn asked her friend, a look of puzzlement overtaking her.
“Who cares? That guy is nothing more than a problem for us. Do you really think it’s a good idea to run around aimlessly with an armed, mentally disturbed psychopath?”
“I never said that. I just think that, maybe, he’s… more normal than you want to believe.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever. You saw how he mercilessly beat the life out of Flim way back when, right, Pinkie? Do you really think that’s a good thing?”
“Hey, again, I never said it was, but don’t you think… you know, maybe he used to be… peaceful once? That he was put here against his will and has been FORCED to make poor decisions?”
“I’ll believe it when I see him show some genuine remorse.”
---
2:00 P.M.
I felt a cold splash of liquid slowly wash over me. I wasn’t sure as to where I was, but whatever the hell happened, I felt like I had been buried in a pile of stones - sore as hell, tired, bruised, cut, and almost no energy. I fell down to a cold dirt floor, exhaustion overtaking me. My gun fell out of my hands, and I struggled to stand, heaving in pain. I had felt like I had been crushed to death by an eighteen wheeler. As I attempted to regain movement, I turned my head to see Scootaloo rush over to me and jump on me, the young filly nuzzling her face against mine with a warm, loving grin.
“Dad! Oh thank Celestia you’re alive!”
After my vision slowly became clearer, I weakly sat up to see a zebra staring at me., I took a look at where I was - bamboo and grass structure, lots of tribal, African influenced furniture and architecture...
“What the hell am I doing in Zecora’s hut?” What time is it!?” I asked, sitting up and trying to look around for an hourglass, clock, or sundial, before hearing a smooth, rhythmic, and thickly accented voice.
“Young human, Scootaloo had brought you here, for stoned you were, and death, quite near.”
“Stoned? Weed doesn’t kill-”
“No, dad, you were TURNED to stone! By a cocitrace!” Scoots explained to me, hopping off me trying to set me up. I stopped, trying to think back. I was taking a piss, saw a wild chicken, got really hungry...
“Oh. Alright then. Um, thank you, ma’am. I, uh, you wouldn’t happen to have anything remotely like coffee, would you? I feel so goddamn tired right now.”
Zecora just stared at me blankly.
“He means caffeine, Zecora. Do you have something to wake him up?”
“It just so happens that I do, wait a spell, I’ll concoct a brew.”
I weakly tried to stand, only to feel the warmth of a fleece blanket touch my leg, as Scootaloo nudged me. I turned around, and took the lenins in the filly’s mouth, wrapping myself with them and patting her head as I sat down against the warmth of the hot cauldron in the middle of the room that Zecora threw some ingredients into.
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
A few moments more, Zecora dipped a small wooden cup into the cauldron, and handed it to me as her hoof emerged from the hot liquid. She carefully passed it down to me, and I took a sip - a nice, refreshing hot tea… I felt so much better as the warm drink stung my aching, polyp-filled, and torn throat. I managed to prop myself up better, extending my flesh arm outwards. Time to get down to business.
“Ma’am, I am Nicholas Brownford, and you are Zecora, yes? We had original intentions to-”
“Find a way to safely end the one you brought here with you, BEN?”
“Well... yeah, how the hell did you know?”
“I told her everything, dad.” Scootaloo chimed in, giving me a cheerful smile, amidst the fear that clearly rocked her entire body. I stood sat and looked between the Zebra and the pegasus,, picking up my gun that was at my feet, and tucking it away.
“Yes. BEN is the spirit of a drowned child, angry at the world for his death. I don’t know what you can do, but I figured it best to come to a witchdoctor. You do work with spirits, or at least, KNOW about them, right?” I asked, praying that she did. My fear that she’d have nothing to offer was soon calmed as she began to speak.
“Indeed, I practice magic with spirits and ghosts, though working with them is not time I spend most. You did say the child was angry and spiteful? A troubled ghost with a heart of coal? There echoes a legend of a tool that heals, souls of those past, with regrets that they feel. The tool works for anger and rage all the same; it sends spirits back to whence they came.”
Standing there for a moment and trying to process the Zebra’s cryptic speech pattern, I carefully chose my next words, hoping they were a proper response. As I spoke, I began gently rubbing the back of my head, which hurt like a motherfucker.
“A legend? From where? What the hell is this tool, and where do we find it?” I asked, looking at the medicine mare in intrigue, placing my robotic hand on the edge of her cauldron. “Where did it come from, what is it, and how is it going to help us?” I continued, to which the striped equine simply replied, while giving me a book she took off a shelf.
“A legend of the Everfree speaks of an instrument with magical properties. This book here tells of the device, but where it comes from, a guess must suffice. For nopony knows of its origin, though some say a world that was long forgotten. Hidden deep within in a wood, this object will save you, that it should. To stop BEN, one must play a song, for a healing touch, his soul does long.”
Honestly, I don’t give a shit what he WANTS, I don’t have a goddamn lick of kindness to give that fucker. How do we KILL him?”
“Well then child, it seems you are doomed, for it’s the only way for him to be exhumed.”
“Okay, Gruntilda, listen. We need to know WHERE it is. I know it's a legend and all, but legends always start out with something true, and get more bizarre with each retelling.”
“Dear human, you ask the wrong mare, for I do not know exactly where. I can only start you out on this hope-filled walk about. I can’t help you find that what you seek, and who’s this Gruntilda of whom you speak?”
“Well, thank you for all your help ma’am. And as far as Gruntilda goes, it was just a stupid joke, I’m sorry.”
Before I could get a response, I heard a sudden knock on the door. I picked up my gun and made sure it was loaded, pushing Scootaloo behind me as Zecora went to answer. The others in the party emerged as the door opened. I, too overjoyed to see them at the time, failed to notice a slightly greyish hue about their skin and fur.
“Hi, Zecora! We were just in the neighborhood, and wanted to stop by to see if you could help-”
“Oh, thank God, THERE you fools are!” I happily exclaimed, heading to the door, but not before being stopped in my tracks by Dash, blocking the archway.
“Aw, Nononono… You’re not getting near them.”
“Dash, what the shit gives? Come on! I nearly died these past few hours, and I can’t even see my friends?” I asked, throwing my arms up in frustration, about to push the horse out of the way.
“I don’t think so. I’m not letting you even touch them. Not with bloody hands like yours, you filthy freak. What were you doing while you were gone anyway? Murdering small animals or something?”
Great, now we’re reducing the conversation to cheap insults.
“WHAT!? Do you think I get my goddamn jollies by killing shit!?”
“Well you certainly seem like it! All you’ve ever done here is kill, kill, kill, or at the very least, hurt stuff till it can’t even freakin’ move!”
Zecora stepped in, looking somewhat perplexed at what Dash was saying. “Surely you jest? He has been rather harmless here, at best.”
Scootaloo came to my side, about to speak in an attempt to defend me. Before that, though, Dash just scooped her up and swooshed out of the doorway, slamming it in my face.
“DASH, STOP!”
“LADY, WHAT THE HELL!?”
I immediately kicked the door down, knocking Dash (and sadly, Scoots) to the grass.
“Dash! I’m not trying to start a fight with you! We have shit we have to do, okay!? Look, I got abducted by BEN for four hours and turned into a damn cocitrace statue! Will you let me speak!? Zecora and I found a possible lead on him, alright!? We have to…”
“We ain’t goin’ nowhere, till you get mah sister, back!” Big Mac suddenly lashed out, allying himself with the athlete.”
“Mac, what the hell do you expect me do with her!? She’s-”
“Lemme guess, boy - dead, and you did it because of your goddess-damn anger?”
At that, I froze. I slowly turned to face the farmer, deadness in my eyes.
"You. Take. That. Statement. Back. You. Fucking. Hick."
Determination soaked over the fool as he dug his position into the ground, a burning rage in his vision.
"No."
The next moment, Macintosh found my mechanical arm around his neck, and his back slammed against the side of Zecora’s hut. He struggled to breathe as I stared into his eyes.
Immediately I was knocked back, feeling my breath leave me as I stumbled slightly. Big Mac slumped down, trying to catch his breath. He had a defeated, but angry glare in his eyes as he stared back at me.
“Calm yourself, bipedal one! There is no need for anger to be so wonton!”
I coughed violently, spitting out some congealed blood from my damaged body. I stood, looking between her and Macintosh.
“God damn it… Both of you! Do you… HONESTLY THINK FOR ONE GODDAMN SECOND THAT I WOULD MURDER APPLEJACK!? Applejack, the woman who saved my life several times, the woman I love but can’t show it to… do you REALLY think I would kill her!?”
“You know… you aren’t really giving us a reason…. to… um… believe you…” Fluttershy timidly added.
Angry still, I snapped at the butter-yellow pony.
“Like you’re any fucking better! You murdered and tortured half of your goddamn animals!” Immediately she jumped back, tears already coming to her eyes as she hid within her mane, whimpering lightly. Rarity, being the closest, gasped at the words and went to her aid and pulled her into an embrace as she looked back towards me with spite.
“You leave Fluttershy out of this, you ruffian! She’s done nothing to deserve such hostility!”
I growled as more shit kept getting thrown at me from my own friends. “Oh hi, Rarity, I didn’t notice that you OWE ME YOUR FUCKING LIFE FOR SAVING YOU AT YOUR HOUSE! You can shut your mouth, miss ‘dissects ponies to build a frankenstein because she’s desperate for cock’! Well here’s an idea: suck mine!”
“YOU KNOW WHAT!? WE’RE NOT PERFECT EITHER, BUT WE DON’T NEED TO BE VERBALLY ABUSED!” Pinkie snapped, plugging her ears with giant corks she pulled out of nowhere.
I looked all around me as I saw the expressions on everyone’s faces, ranging from pure hatred and frustration to blatant sadness and fear. Dash, in particular, looked as though she was ready to kill. I didn’t know what to think or feel besides just hatred and anger at how they were treating me. I’m going to burn in Hell, I know that. I’ve done terrible things, but I’ve had next to no choice. I’m trying to stop the goddamn apocalypse, and all these idiots can think about is how awful I am. After everything I’ve risked and thrown away just to keep them alive...
I’m not a saint, and I don’t want recognition for my deeds. I just…
I want some help. I can’t do this alone. I want this to end just as much as they do, but I seem to be the only one to realize that we HAVE to fight our way out now. It’s not fun, it’s not pretty. People are going to die, and we’re gonna do terrible things.
“All I asked for was help! Someone to fucking stand by me when facing impossible fucking odds! If none of you want to fucking help save the god damned world from slavery, or WORSE, then you can all get the fuck out of here, and live out the lives I fought arm and eye for to just keep you out of! If all you give a shit about is what I’ve fucking done, then by all means, you can all go fix the world by yourselves!” I was beyond livid by this point, noticeably shaking.
“If you think for one GOD DAMNED SECOND, that I’m the bad guy here… Then fucking DO IT!” I fished out my pistol shakily, breathing heavily as I shoved it into Dash’s hooves. “FIX THE PROBLEM. END IT!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.
Applebloom piped up, visibly shaken, looking at Big Mac as she spoke as if looking for some sort of guidance. “I-Is he really the problem?” The older brother seemed conflicted, as if something was telling him he was wrong, when he wanted to believe that he was right.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. They were genuinely starting to believe I was it. The de facto answer to their problems.
“I’d very much rather be fucking dead, than put up with this any longer! Do you honestly think I want to be here!? Do you truly believe I like killing shit? Do you honestly think I would even remotely be in cahoots with something that wants my head on a stake!? I’VE LIVED WITH HIM PEERING OVER MY GOD DAMNED SHOULDER LONGER THAN ANY OF YOU HAVE!” I screamed. I was beyond past the point of caring now. “Do you REALLY think that I’m out to drink your blood in a sacrificial ritual to Satan!? Do you really think I’m the evil one here!?”
I pointed to the gun, then the middle of my face.
“THEN DO IT!”
Dash raised the gun.
“SERIOUSLY, YOU’D DO ME A FAVOR! I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!”
She checked to see if it was loaded, then pulled the action.
“END IT! SAVE ME FROM THIS FUCKING NIGHTMARE!”
She pointed the barrel straight at my eyes.
“KILL ME! GO ON, KILL ME!”
I could see her curl her wing into the trigger well.
“KILL! ME!”
At that, both Big Mac and Twilight rushed in the middle from both sides, screaming in unison.
“Stop!”
-“Sweet Celestia, can’t ya shut your trap, boy!?”
“This is not the way it must end, for all of you must live to defeat BEN!”
Scootaloo tore the gun from Dash, throwing it to the ground. As I was about to beat the blue pegasus’ face in, Zecora rushed up, barring my movement with her forehooves.
“You’re all acting like immature brats!” the girl fired, staring at both of us as she spoke. “You both need to calm the hell down, right now, and take a step back! We are the only ones who can stop this, and we’ve devolved to petty arguments and insults!”
“Everypony…” Twilight began, a calm air about her. “...We’re all frazzled and scared, we want it to stop, we don’t want to put up with this anymore. We’re all exhausted, hungry, and scarred for life but right now, we need to stick together if we’re going to have ANY hope for the future, alright?”
I calmed myself, lowering my fists, yet still fuming with rage like a bull.
“We aren’t going to make any progress like this…” Scoots began, looking at me, and slowly handing me back my now unloaded weapon. “Nick, I know you don’t want to be here. I know you don’t want to fight. I know that you’re scared shitless and feel like you’re a broken shell of who you used to be.” Scoots spoke, gently nuzzling her face on my leg in a lovable fashion. “We don’t have a choice but to go down this dark path, and until BEN is stopped, it’s not going to change.”
“See, Dash?” Twilight asked, putting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “It’s not that Nick wants to see mindless death and gore, it’s that…”
The pony gulped, looking up at the moon.
“We aren’t being given a choice. None of us want this. Even if you hate each other after this is all over, you both need to understand that we have forces beyond our control at work here. If we’re going to stop this threat, we have no choice but to accept the way we’ve been thrust into this ordeal.”
“There’s a method to his madness, Dash, I promise you.” Scootaloo assured, giving a nod.
At that, Dash walked forward, a fire in her eyes still, yet offering her hoof.
“I’m giving you one more shot.” she said, her fur seeming to change to a brighter color at that moment (as well as the others’).
“I’ll still throttle your neck when this is all over, woman.” I scowled deeply, slowly taking note that their bodies were gently starting to ‘recolor’ themselves. I turned back to the hut, leaving the crazy bitch hanging. So… That’s what Discord meant.
“Ponies are quite hard to read, how is it that you all still breathe?” Zecora piped in, looking quite irate from the ordeal.
Ignoring her apparent jab at their behavior, she turned her attention to the book. “Look, can we just get to it? What does the book say?” Twilight asked, looking at the faded cover in my hands, to which I complied and opened as we stepped back into the hut. Unfortunately, there was something wrong with the book - it wasn’t in English. Rather, it was in a cryptic, ancient-looking language. The words were symbolic, so reading it was absolutely no use.
It was so damn bizarre...
It wasn’t human based language I was aware of, but the shapes and formations of the symbols, I SWEAR I recognized from somewhere. It was like... a language I had seen, but knew didn’t exist in the human world. What the hell kind of writing was this?
“Damn it! How are we supposed to know what to do now!?” Dash exploded, as another earthquake rocked Zecora’s home.
“Wait... let’s look for pictures in here, so we know what to look for.” I suggested, flipping the pages frantically.
Sure enough, there were two consecutive pages, each with an image. But something was wrong. It was extremely faded, and we could barely tell what was there at one point. One was a long stick of some kind, with a pointed tip, the other was an oblong device; blue, with black holes dotted across it. I couldn’t tell what was there - the pages felt like they had been soaked in something, then dried out, the leaves thin and wrinkled.
“The damaged book, you must blame me, for I had spilled a potion, you see.”
“Son of a bitch. Well everyone,” I began, setting the book down and pulling out my pistol. “who wants to go on a scavenger hunt?”
At that, we left the structure, tome in tow, thanking the zebra for all her support.
“Sorry for the trouble, Ma’am. I highly suggest you get to Canterlot as soon as possible.”