//------------------------------// // Confessions // Story: Earning Freedom // by Daxisle //------------------------------// Confessions "Ummm, may I speak to Applejack?" Soarin asked, small beads of sweat forming under the intense gaze of the large red stallion before him. Now that he had a chance to look at Macintosh, the flyer looked back on his past actions with scrutiny. Was he really crazy enough to take on that bahemoth?! Mac simply stared down at the pony who'd not only wronged him, but his sister. How dare he come here after what he'd done? Had he no shame for breaking his sisters heart after admitedly manipulating it? Or was he just looking for a fight? If that were the case, the apple farmer would be happy to oblige. "You're trespasin' colt Ah suggest ya leave." He growled, his emerald eyes narrowing. Soarin bit his lip and closed his eyes, making a decision he knew would not end well. "Macintosh, I'm sorry for everything I've done to you and to Applejack, but I want to explain myself and offer her my-" "Ah don't think ya heard 'em." Granny Smith cut in, standing from her rocking chair. "Mah grandson said yer trespassin' boyo, if'n ya don't want no trouble, ya better turn yer keister 'round n' make like the jack rabbit." Mac smirked, it was nice to have Granny on his side for once. Soarin took a few steps back from the threat, but stood his ground from there and tried once again to reason with the Apple family before him. This only served to press Mac's patience, it was only by the idea of Annabelle holding it against him that he wasn't down there already beating the stuffing out of the tool of a pony, and he made sure Soarin knew that. The Wonderbolt's obvious nervousness showed a sudden tinge of annoyance. He wasn't happy about his sister's choice in a mate, but he was more than willing to allow it for the sake of respect. "This isn't about Anna, and I'd appriciate it if you left her out of it." "N' Ah'd appreciate it if you got off our property!" Mac barked, his voice growing in volume. Still, Soarin didn't move, standing by his claim to need to talk to Applejack. It must have been important in the objective scheme if he was willing to challenge Mac as he was, but the stallion wasn't thinking objectively, he was too busy restraining the urge to introduce the pegasus to the ground and making their relationship as intimate as possible. "I'm not leaving until I see her!" So that's how it was going to be? Mac decided to give him one more warning, though to a mixture of irritation and delight, Soarin refused one last time, prompting the farmer to begin walking down the porch with the intent to remove the problem. "APPLEJACK!" Soarin yelled at the top of his lungs. Mac stopped for a second and just stared at the growing sense of desperation. He yelled her name again and Mac continued his casual walk, part of him hoping Soarin would gain the good sense to make a break before he got his hooves on him. "Soarin?" Mac stopped again and turned around to see his sister and her friends outside now. "Soarin' what are ya doi-" She cut off, her eyes going blank as she took in the stallion she'd fallen in love with. "Applejack, listen to me. That night when I invited you out to apologize. I..." Soarin looked away for a moment and struggled with what he was going to say. "I slipped you a uhm, ahem Gah, I slipped you a love potion!" Mac's eyes went wide as the revelation. A love potion! Of course! How did he not even consider that! The reason finally confirmed to be something more than simple convincing, Mac's urge to beat the pony senseless finally overreached the justification to Annabelle. She'd understand, or she wasn't worth the effort. Soarin saw the coming pounce and immediately took to the sky. "COWARD!" Mac barked as he looked up at the hovering stallion. Bucking wings! Where was Star Shade when you needed him? "Applejack, dear are you alright?" Rarity asked loudly. Mac turned to find his sister looking blankly at the pegasus stallion. The stare she had a week ago that the stallion recognized as depression and hurt. "Applejack?" "Soarin?" The farmer mare asked, taking steps down the porch. "Soarin, you've come back!" She made a full on sprint. Mac's jaw dropped, she was... happy to see him? What? WHAT? WHAT! 'Didn't you just hear him? Love potion! She's being controlled by it.' So that was it! Applejack stood by her brother, attempting to coax Soarin to come back down, making promises of his safety. Though Soarin refused, trying to explain what he'd done. It was no use, Applejack was just happy to see him and went on about the relationship she wanted them to have again. "Jackie, listen to me. This isn't you!" Soarin barked, small beads of glistening tears falling from his eyes. "You don't want me as your special somepony, you're being influenced by-" "Ah don't care." AJ cut him off with a warm smile. "All Ah know is that Ah wan' ya back!" Soarin shook his head. "How are the effects still this strong? It was only supposed to last a week." "Cause, sugar cube, it's real. Ah do love you, with all mah heart." The stallion shook his head and slowly retreated from Applejack. He looked down at the burning eyes of Macintosh and sighed. "The potion wasn't supposed to last this long." He confessed, desperately trying to make himself seem genuine. "You know why I did it, and I was wrong to, and I am sorry for that." Mac didn't reply, he just stared and simmered with seething rage. How could somepony do that to another? Soarin was angry at him, and used his sister to get back at the stallion. That was one thing, but to force her against her will into it? To take away her choice all together? That was unforgivable. "From what I was told, any time she sees me, she'll fall under the potions effect of love. You wont see me again, ever, but keep her out of Canterlot for a while. I don't want her to suffer anymore than she already has." He turned around and made a mad dash back to Ponyville without another word. "Soarin! Soarin' come back! Please! Ah need you!" Mac withheld his sister from giving chase, she wiggeled and struggled, demanding release for her love, but he wasn't letting go. She wasn't right in the head and he knew that now. Pinkie and Rarity quickly followed suite and help him hold her back. "Applejack, calm down, didn't you hear him?" Pinkie wined. "AH DON'T CARE! AH LOVE HIM!" "No, no you don't darling. Listen to me." Rarity stated calmly, her calm sapphire eyes catching AJ's own, gaining her full attention. "I've heard and researched love potions during my time in Canterlot. "They sound romantic and divine, who doesn't like love, after all? But dear, love isn't just a feeling. Love is something that blooms between two ponies through sacrifice and want for the best of the other. Soarin doesn't love you, he's admitted as much, and as strong as your feelings may be, you aren't in love with him." Applejack looked between all three of the ponies restraining her, desperate to find any who were on her side in the slightest, but she was only met with harsh glares of conviction against her decisions. Slowly, she gave up the struggle and was escorted back inside by everyone with promises of coco and friendly comfort. "NO! PLEASE STOP!" "GET HIM! KILL HIM!" "HEEEELP!" "WHERE'D HE GO!?" "AAAHHHHH" "OH CELSTIA, PLEASE DON'T KILL HER! SHE'S JUST A FOAL!" ... ... ... "Please don't hurt my mommy, mister." Valiar awoke with a yelp as the remnants of the eyeless foal stared at him. Even after he'd awoken, he could still see her, crying tears of blood, begging him not to kill her mother. He sat and trembled as the memory slowly began to be repressed. He hated it when his mind tortured him like this for what he'd done. He... killed them all. All of them, the ones in charge of the sex ring, and the prostitutes. Stallion, mare, filly and colt alike. He massacred them, he didn't know how many, a dozen? Two dozen, a hundred? He didn't know, but when he passed through the door, he didn't see child or adult. He didn't see male or female, he didn't see master or slave. All he saw was rot. All he saw was an infection that needed to be stopped before it could grow and hurt others. They were damned anyways, every last one of them. They couldn't be helped, not even the foals! They were to tainted by the rot for help, it wasn't their fault, but they had to go. Valiar did his best to give them painless deaths, but he gave the adults no such respite. They screamed, they screamed and begged for death like the filth they were. They deserved it for what they'd done to the foals. He felt great remorse for his actions, but also great pride. Those foals were suffering and by their parents hooves no less! What was he supposed to do? What else could he have done? Allowed them all back into the world? No, there was no help to be given, they were tainted and would have spread it, despite the best efforts of those who would want to help them. He rubbed his eyes and looked to the stones that sat on the table next to him, each still in their place of his brown crossbelts. The red pony stood from his bed and went to the window to see the lights of Las Pegasus still shining bright. Truly it was the city that never slept, the demon king's play ground. He briefly considered going out for another serving of justice, but decided against it. There was already a chance somepony had escaped his wrath and was reporting his action to the guard, he didn't need to draw anymore unwanted attention. Resigning himself to his bed, Valiar looked up at the ceiling as the scene from a few hours ago played over and over in his head. He could remember a select few he'd killed. The lusty blue mare who'd brought him down for one, he took particular satisfaction in seeing his energy beam pierce right through her eye and out the back of her head. A minotaur guard who'd tried to stop him with a sword, only to have his Protector deflect the weapon and face death by his magical levitation mixed with Amplify, crushing the beast into a bloody and gooey mess of broken bone, blood and flesh. A younger mare who'd just reached adulthood running away and facing impalement from the sword the minotaur left behind. The chaos lead to him somehow obtaining multiple arrows and piercing foals in the head, he knew that much. Screaming, screaming of pain, anger and terror. Then there was the mother and foal, they were the last two to die. He could see them both so vividly... The mother's trembling form clutching tightly to her foal, trying to be a pony shield. Her once pristine grey coat now marred with blood, and her bedroom eyes quivering and tearing in shear terror. How disgusting that a mother would bring her foal to such an environment. She begged for her child to be spared, but Valiar wouldn't answer her. Out of all the ponies he'd killed, he hated her the most and made sure she knew why as he slowly separated the foal from her with his magic and tossed the mare around the room like a rag doll. He couldn't see it, but he could feel the maniacal smile he had all the while. He was doing the world a service, right? Stopping a foal from getting raped while her own MOTHER let it happen. He scolded her as he slammed her body against pillars and walls. Asking what kind of mother would subject her own daughter to such an existence. How she could be so depraved, how she could ever even consider such a life. Even if they were forced into it, it would have been better to kill the child as she slept than allow what happened her to be done. His speech was more for himself than her, between the foals constant crying and screaming and the fact she'd most likely died after the fourth hit, there was no point in talking to her. "STOP! STOP HURTING MOMMY!" The little grey foal begged, crying and wheezing with each wet thump of the broken corpse. In a fit of happy rage, Valiar tossed the grey mare aside and turned his attention to the filly. His heart was thumping in his chest as his adrenaline finally simmered down. He looked at the pitiful creature in his red aura and sighed, she had no chance to be helped. After being raped repeatedly, tortured, beaten and seeing her mom killed in such a brutal manner especially. He lowed his horn and called upon the power of Blaze, she deserved a quick death, and that's what he gave her. It wasn't her fault, but he couldn't allow the rot within her to spread to the rest of the world...