//------------------------------// // Chapter XXII: The Nick of Time // Story: Equestria: The BEN Chronicles // by HylianJuggalo //------------------------------// 3:00 PM With only fifteen hours remaining, things were getting bad. This whole trip was nothing but a traumatic stress on me. Everything I had gone through was either soul-crushing, flatout disturbingly horrific, or a terrifying mixture of both. From Twilight’s labs to Sugarcube Corner, from the apple cellar all the way to the Rainbow Factory, the break-in, at the boutique, and all the wicked happenings there. The battle in Ponyville with the living dead, and the scarring experience of Sweetie Belle. Everything about this trip was nothing more than hellacious pain that ate at my being and psyche. I felt as if I was slowly going crazy. BEN just wanted to see me suffer. He didn’t want me dead, he wanted to toy with me until I gave up. And god damn it, I was about to. I’m willing to bet that he knew I would disarm the bomb, and only had Discord send it here to rack my nerves. I’m willing to bet anything that whatever he puts me through, he’s done it just to play with me. He was keeping me alive as an abused plaything. I... “Dad, are you okay?” I’m not one to bitch, and I don’t expect people to feel sorry for me. That’s not what I want... ...I just want to go home. I was in so much pain. I’m scarred with memories, walk with a limp, have two gaping wounds on my back, where my wings used to be. My robotic arm hurts like a motherfucker and weighs me down to the point of exhaustion. Everytime I touch my empty gum line or broken teeth, I get a ripple of pain equivalent to a thousand toothaches. With my broken and twisted nose, I can barely smell. The constant loss of blood leaves me weaker every passing day, and my ruined clothes smell of blood, piss, shit, and death. I smell awful. I’m in horrible shape. I’m sick beyond all repair. Why, all of this, for touching a video game? “No, Scootaloo, I’m not okay.” 4:00 PM We continued our trek through Everfree, where the air began to chill, and the sky went dark, the soul-crushing moon staring down at us. An earthquake rocked the world again, the crazed tectonic tremors a calling; a calling that we were running out of time. We needed to hurry. But what was the point? To fucking get this far and die? Really now, let’s face it. This whole thing was futile. I, like the many others, were tired and angry. I was sick, (still) hungry, and in intense pain. We had no lead as to where the ‘instrument’ lied, so we were just walking around like a bumbling pack of idiots. I... ...I just want to go home. 5:00 PM Two hours wasted, walking around like idiots. I couldn’t stand this anymore. This entire adventure was getting to me on a personal level. I want to go home. I want to go home. That’s all I’ve ever wanted since I showed up here. I thought it was all a twisted dream. Every night I lay down to sleep, I always begged to any god out there, to awaken in my apartment. As a brony, I love the TV show, but at the end of the day, that’s all it SHOULD be. I wanted to go home... “I wanna go home...” Everyone turned to look at me, and I was instantly met with looks of disbelief and disappointment. “Nick, you’re giving up now!? After all of that talk about finishing this?” Dash exploded at me, swooping down in front of my face as we made our way through the forest. “You heard me. I-want. To-go. Home. Go home. H-O-M-E.” I flatly replied, pushing the pegasus away from my face with frustration. “Darling, you can’t possibly give up now! If we ever hope to stop this moon, we need your help!” My eye twitched, and I was certain I could feel something snap within my head. I don’t want to do this anymore. I let out a vicious growl towards Rarity, causing the majority of the party to take a few generous steps back. Finally, I let it rip again. “What can I do, Rarity!? What can I POSSIBLY do? Do I use magic? No! Do I fly naturally? No! Do I have a fucking chainsaw for an arm!? No! I have no special powers; I’m just a dull, ordinary human being! I never asked to come here! I never wanted to come here! Ever since I showed up here, and realized that this place wasn’t a dream, I’ve been holding onto hope that Celestia or hell, SOMEBODY would find me a way back home!” I exploded, standing up and pushing my face against the white unicorn’s muzzle. She looked utterly terrified, her eyes now pinpricks. I could’ve sworn I heard a whimper, but I was beyond giving much of a shit by this point. “Look at me! Every part of my former life is dead! Do you have ANY idea how much physical pain I’m in!? I PHYSICALLY CANNOT FIGHT ANYMORE! I will probably die of another heart attack just because I’m screaming! That’s how bad my health is, lady!” Rarity cringed backwards, tucking her head into her shoulders. “And this BEN guy? He’s some punk-ass kid that died, and is taking his anger out on me! I don’t know how he got his power, but I can’t get this kid away from me! This fucker’s ghost has been haunting me for two years, and I still don’t know what he wants! All I get, is he’s trying to kill me, but nooooooo, he couldn’t do that in my world, so he brought me to a more ‘spirit-friendly’ one so he could get away with murdering me!” Anger clouded my vision. Pain and suffering was the only thing I’d seen since I got here. It had broken down to pure, psychological torture. Watching the ‘My Little Pony’ universe succumb to such vile things really tore at me. I didn’t want to do this any more. I continued on my rant, screaming in anger and slamming my fist on the nearby tree. “I don’t want this! I’m not a sacred warrior that came here to fulfill a prophecy or some bullshit like that; I’m just a standard college kid that’s been tortured by this fucking demon for two years straight, and I-” I stopped for a moment, and sat down on a rock, which was overlooking a gentle stream. I carefully put my flesh fingers into the water, trying to calm myself as tears began to fill my only eye. “I want to go home, is that too much to ask?” “Of... of course not, Nick.” Fluttershy timidly squeaked. At this point, I sighed, trying to stand again, but failing. “When you guys look at me like I’m a sociopath, a deranged freak that gets off by killing… I’m… I don’t kill on purpose. I’m only reacting how my father taught me. I’m only emulating what two decades of human culture has thrown in my face… I’m only acting out of human survival instinct, responding to a dangerous situation… You guys just don’t seem to get that it’s necessary. If I hadn’t killed the guys at the boutique, for example, what do you think they WOULD have done?” “We could’ve done something else! Not everything has to end in murder!” Twilight spoke up, her voice cracking from the frustration she was feeling. I sighed. They still don’t get it. “If any of you had moved an inch, let’s face it: Would. They. Have. Shot. You?” “O-Of course not!” She shouted in return, only to immediately second guess her own response. She looked down in momentary contemplation. “They wouldn’t… W-Why would they… They knew who we were, we’d all seen each other at one point in our lives…” Twilight seemed to grow more upset as the self-doubt only led her to questioning just how wrong she could be. “...well, here’s a fun statistical fact about the human world, Twilight - nine out of ten murders, the victim knew them.” That shut Twilight up, leaving her with a face of sudden disbelief and sadness that drove tears into her eyes. Rarity went up to her, leaning into her side giving as much moral support as she could whilst giving me one of the meanest glares I had ever seen. “Now you understand the gravity of the situation. I wish I could’ve let you all stay innocent, but that changed the moment that monster of a child showed up in your world.” I shivered, realizing the true nature of what just sunk into her mind - what she was up against; something that didn’t lie down without death. I looked down, then back up to see Rarity’s angry glare. “You know that’s what would have happened, Rarity.” I stated matter-of-factly, my anger gone, and a bland tone in my voice. “We would have died. You should have heard what they were planning for YOU.” That seemed to surprise her somewhat as she stared back at me with confusion. “M-me? Whatever could they want with me specifically?” “Let’s just say it would be far from that gentlemanly night on the town you dream about.” It seemed as though it had taken a second or two for her to process that statement, but her appalled reaction spoke volumes, green-tinted cheeks and all. “O-oh dear…” Tears came back to me, and I looked away, speaking up. “Now, do you see why, I HAVE to put some people down? If-if you think that… If you think I enjoy this…” Dash, unfortunately, wanted to put her own two bits in, especially when she’d seen how Twilight and Rarity were fairing just now. “So, is that just it then? That’s the solution? Murder ever-” She was cut off by a yellow hoof. A soft, but stern look being given to her by the usually shy pegasus. The stubborn mare finally grunted in response, and rolled her eyes. Fluttershy turned back to me, and seemed to be contemplating something serious within her head. Specifically, she was looking back and forth between the two sides of my body, one broken, the other largely unscathed. It probably was, for a moment, as if she was staring at two different people. Finally, after some more gentle observation, she walked forward, wrapping her forehooves around me. I froze at the contact, feeling the soft hooves that were now wrapped around me. My breath hitched, and I couldn’t help but choke back a sob. I immediately clasped my hands to her, tightly, the warm, welcoming memories of my mother - my family - coming back to me. “When I came here, I had no idea what to think of this place. I thought I was trippin’ balls on mushrooms; I didn’t think this place was real. And you know the first thing I saw when I came here? Death and destruction. The first thing I saw was a grown man raping kids, in a world where that DOES NOT happen.” My eyes were becoming more wet by the second. “I didn’t see the Equestria I knew from television. I saw a corrupt, twisted, and perverted land, ravaged by horrors that plague my world on a daily basis. I was forced here against my will, and put into deadly, soul-crushing situations day in and day out. I’ve seen a fictional world that I cherish and happily call a hobby of mine, tear apart at the very seams…” Tears were now flowing freely down my cheek as I lowered my head, trying to mask the pain to no avail. “And all for what? So this stupid kid can toy with my emotions? Does he get his jollies off of my pain? Why won’t he leave me alone!?” “Nick, yah got us. We care. We look out for yah; ah mean, ya’ve helped us fix all the darn evil BEN’s been doin’ here, and, you’re like a dad to me an Scootaloo...” The others nodded at me, giving me some reassuring smiles, even Dash, who was clearly still angry at me. “And... and I can’t help but say the same, how I feel about all of you, even for you three, Rarity, Flutters…” I closed my eyes and let a strained breath out. “...and Dash; even though I don’t spend as much time with you as I’ve had Applejack, or Pinkie, and despite all the wicked shit that BEN has done to you, and all the stuff you guys have done to me, you all hold a place in my heart, and... I’ve been living here for a good four months, so, you know, growing emotional attachment to you guys is only natural. But you know what? I miss my world.” I continued to say, my eyes burning from the freely flowing tears. Dash seemed to still be taking it all in, looking just as confused as Rarity had earlier. “But… You said that all of the crap we’re going through came from your world… So, why in the hay would you want to go back to such a shitty world?” For a second, I looked to her, then to a tree in the distance. “Because that world gave me life. Because that ‘bad shit’ is part of the human experience. Because it’s normal there.” I nearly vomited, holding back my gag reflex. “It’s not that I’m bothered by what I’m seeing - I see the death and destruction happen all around me.back home… No… what bothers me is it’s happening in a place where it’s NOT supposed to be.” Mucous gathered in my throat, seemingly by the gallon. I struggled to speak, my esopagous caked with sadness. “As dark and depressing as my world may be, it’s still MY home. Equestria is NOT my home. Equestria is NOT where my normal life is. And throughout all the darkness of my world, it’s those little things that make the whole experience worthwhile. ” Fluttershy kept hold of me, and the calming scent of flowers brought peaceful memories again. “Like... I miss going down the street to the nice German restaurant and getting a giant veal schnitzel to snack on. I miss skipping a class with my buddies to go get high. I miss plopping down on my futon, and enjoying a night locked inside, playing video games. I miss my raggedy old Sebring with the broken muffler and the missing hubcap. I miss my minimum wage job at the Tyson meat plant and my boss yelling at me that I’m late. I just want to fall asleep, wake up, and forget this all happened!” I broke down crying again, my mind wracked with all kinds of thoughts. “I…” As I tried to explain just how life was on my world compared to theirs, my mind was swimming with old and seemingly minor memories alongside major ones until it became a jumbled mess of both happiness and sadness that had begun bottling up in my mind and in my emotions. It felt like a rollercoaster gone horribly wrong. I was practically shouting by now, Fluttershy’s hooves tightening around me in an attempt to comfort the raging storms that made up my rising emotions. “I just want to get up at seven in the morning on a Saturday, turn on my TV, and see you all living your daily lives like you’re SUPPOSED to. I want to go home and get yelled at by my landlord for an underpaid rent. I want to be in MY world! I want to forget and unsee and unhear all the... fucked up shit that I’ve witnessed here! I want to see my parents again, hold my mother, and tell her how much she means to me. I want to go back, but I can’t! The only way out now, I see, is in a motherfucking body bag! I just want to leave! Why can’t I leave!? Why won’t BEN leave me alone!? Why won’t this nightmare end!?” My body was shaking uncontrollably, and I could even hear Fluttershy crying beside me, unable to take the chaotic feelings that I had anymore. This was it. I couldn’t stand the pain and torture any longer. I pulled out my gun, twiddling it in my mechanical hand. Everyone gasped but Fluttershy, who still seemed to be crying too much to even take notice. Fine by me - she doesn’t need to see this. “I just... want to go back to a time where there wasn’t any BEN. Why should I be punished and cursed for a stupid mistake I made at a garage sale two years ago? I can’t stand this anymore! What did I do to deserve this!? All I ever wanted was a nice, quaint life as a game designer, but now I don’t even know if that’s possible unless I get home... and I’m afraid there’s only one way home...” I put the pistol in my mouth, tears streaming down my face. The cold, familiar steel of my own weapon felt more welcoming than anything I’d seen in the past week. “Goodbye, every... pony. I’ll see all of you on the other side.” As I was about to pull the trigger, Fluttershy had torn the weapon out of my hands, and away from my mouth. The immediate reaction forced me to fire a shot, which went clean into the air. Fluttershy jumped back and hid in her mane. I stared at the open space in my hand where there had once been my trusty pistol. I looked back to Fluttershy, and noticed that half of the party had lunged forward, and were fairly close to me now. It took me a moment to process what had just transpired. When it did, it felt as though another choice had been ripped away from me. Something else that I couldn’t keep control of. Finally, my body reacted, proceeding to fall to the ground as I screamed bloody murder into the grass. “I…” I threw myself up at them, screaming in their faces, before collapsing to the ground again. “I haven’t had a choice in anything here… and you take away the only free decision… that I’ve been able to make for months!" I slammed my fist into the ground. “I wanna go home.” “Uh, Nick?” Dash asked. “I wanna go home!” “Seriously, dude, you okay?” “I WANNA GO HOME!” The crew just stood there, dumbstruck at the sight before them - they had never seen Nick truly lose his composure like he had just now, wailing like a scared little child. “I want to see my mom again!” “I want to toke up with my buddies!” “I want to waste my life away eating ramen and playing 3DS!” “I WANT TO GO THE FUCK HOME!” “I DON’T WANT TO FIGHT!” “I DON’T WANT TO KILL!” “I WANT TO GO BACK IN TIME AND FORGET ALL OF THIS!” And all the kid could do was cry. Cry, like the little scared child he really was - The little child he hid from everyone else, behind the visage of an angry little man. The others slowly gathered around the broken human, finally realizing that… This guy wasn’t a killer. He wasn’t a soulless monster… He truly was just a broken, scared child on the inside, forced into this nightmare. The overflowing wave of emotions that surrounded the team was abruptly stopped with a sharp beep. A moment later, Nick’s hand reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. ...and with the laugh of the Skull Kid, he finally saw, before his very eye… The last of his former life erased, one by one. As did the others. -Contact Deleted - Home - “No…” -Contact Deleted - Gramps - “BEN, please…” -Contact Deleted - Dad - “Please… let me keep their memory…” -Contact Deleted - Mom - “W...why, you asshole?” With a final laugh of the statue, he collapsed on the grass, smashing his robotic arm into the earth, and throwing the phone away. Dash stood there, for a moment, finally understanding why Nick became the way he did, with his soul completely obliterated then and there. Then, they all helped him stand. “I don’t want to go any further… kill me, please…” “No, Nick, you have to keep going.” Rarity said, gently touching the man’s back. “We’re behind you every step of the way.” Mac added. “As family.” Fluttershy’s voice barely spoke.” “And friends…” Dash said, giving the human a hug. Nick barely managed to stand, but only walked over to a nearby stump, sitting down on it in defeat. “If… if I hadn’t touched that game… “N-Nick…” “If I didn’t take that cartridge from the old man…” “Darling?” Immediately, the robotic arm violently tore through the trunk of a tree. “I SHOULDN’T HAVE TOUCHED THAT COCKSUCKING GAME!” Immediately, he began slamming his head into the tree, screaming violently. Dash immediately pulled him away, placing her hooves gently on the man’s shoulders, and turning him around to face her. A flustered, wrinkled, and beet-red face soaked with tears (and some blood) was all she could see of the often cold, unfeeling man. So… this was how he was truly feeling on the inside… The broken, PTSD-riddled mess that the cold, emotionless rage-machine hid so well. “Listen… Nick…” Dash began, nervously looking down to the grass below her, before looking back up to the human’s face a few seconds later “...I… I’m sorry. I get that… you just want to be normal, and I’m sorry for thinking you were the root of the issue here, I can… clearly see that I was wrong.” Dash swallowed a bit, taking note of the ever-so-subtle change in the man’s face. “I can see that… you’ve had almost no choice… in the things you’ve done.” Another heavy breath left the pegasus, and she clasped her hooves tightly to his shoulders. “...but you taking that cartridge… taking that game WAS a free decison you made, and it was probably the best decision you could have ever made. You‘ve made it this far in… and if you hadn’t played that game, some other poor schmuck would have, eventually. Choosing not to make that decision could have made things infinitely worse.” “You… you tell me exactly how there’s ANYTHING WORSE than COMPLETE UNIVERSAL ANNIHILATION!?” She flinched back, trying to choose her next words carefully. “It isn’t… But if it had been anyone else, we’d all probably be dead right about now. Do ya see what I’m getting at? You’re the only one who knows how to deal with this mess!” He stared at her for a moment, and then cast his look to the ground. There, he saw the pistol lying in the grass. “It wasn’t supposed to be on me… I… I just want him… gone, you know?” And, like clockwork, Equestria had its way with the world, the tone of a piano filling the air, as well as the broken man’s voice. Nobody was safe from this world’s emotional magic. “... We all do, Nick. We all do.” Dash muttered beside him, looking uncharacteristically sullen herself. Well here I am again... Must say, it's quite traumatic. Last time you drowned me down in the Great Bay. And though I've played and played, You don't get any clearer! Why can't you be less cryptic if you've something to say? You want your freedom? Take it. This has gone on too long; I used to want some answers, Now I only want you gone! Pinkie shot in, cutting through the song’s break. “You Pinkie promised Sweetie Belle! You ARE NOT backing down on that!” Questioning thoughts entered his mind as he sang, making him wonder if he could truly make it through all of this. All this shit… it all added up to something, right? You want to talk to me? Stop being so invasive! It's not good manners to invade my dreams! Though you apologised, You don't seem very sorry- As you proceed to tear my life apart at the seams! ‘Was I truly so broken…?’ I'm sick of all your secrets- What am I doing wrong!? I tried my best to help, but Now I only want you gone! “You know what, kid, you have to stop this yourself. We’ll die by your side, but this is your job!” Dash and Mac exclaimed together. There it was again, ringing through his head. ‘Friends’. I've been so nice to you; I even took your cartridge, That time I ran away from the old man! But now I'm done with you! And your persistent taunting! It's time to burn everything and forget if I can! Just stop with the fear tactics! I know I wasn't strong... I want this to be over; Now I only want you gone! Suddenly, a rush of calm doused the human, and soon, his vision became… ...confident. He stood there for a moment, twiddling his robotic hand for a second. Some more time passed, and he clenched the fist tightly, the machine whirring to life like his newfound, refreshed sense of perseverance. ..And this is not the end Oh, did you think I gave up!? Don't think I've set you free to act unchecked! I've left a legacy Of people out for justice! They'll get the truth from you, so don't get complacent yet! The man flipped a finger out to the sky. You've got to face the masses; That's what I'm counting on! They'll finish what I started, And they'll only want you gone, And they'll only want you gone, And there, Nick took his scattered equipment, walking deep into the forest with his friends, as he reseated the magazine. And they'll only want you gone! 6:00 PM We continued into the forest, eventually coming to a clearing. I kept my weapon at the ready in the event anything attacked, but, it seemed to be clear. “So... Zecora says there’s an ‘instrument’ here? What the hell are we looking for exactly?” I asked, keeping one foot in front of the other, as the rest of my team kept their eyes out for anything suspicious. The Everfree, renowned to be extremely dangerous, lived up to its reputation, that I knew. We had to stay vigilant, even if we were gonna continue on with idle conversation. I still felt terrible, shaking with sadness and fear. “Well, she doesn’t even know. She just says that legends speak of an old instrument from an age past, and it apparently has the ability to ‘heal troubled spirits’.” Twilight added, reading the book intently, Scootaloo hovering over my head. Big Mac was holding onto Applebloom, trying to do what he could as a brother to protect her from the natural dangers that were locked away in here. This place... I had a VERY bad feeling about this place. Even with all the new additions to my party, we could all easily die. This far into our mission... we HAD to look out for eachother. “We found a sword not too far from here, it’s…” Derpy began, pointing at a large, fallen and hollowed tree. “...right through there. Maybe it has something to do with all this.” Passing through a large, hollowed log, we continued further south, going over a log bridge, then coming to another clearing. Here sat an abundance of exotic flora, and through the forest canopy trickled parted rays of sunlight, which seemed, at the angle I was standing, to be pointing in the direction of a large marble altar at the end of the clearing. Making sure my weapon was full again, my team and I carefully approached the altar, taking note of a sword set in it. I recognized it immediately. Then I remembered what BEN had told me about dimensional gates. “You can’t be fucking serious. No. Just no. This is goddamn ridiculous.” “Wait, what’s wrong?” Flutters asked, looking forward in confusion.” “It’s… a sword, Fluttershy. One I know.” I approached the stand, about to place my human hand to the handle of the blade, then stopped, turning around. “Did any of you try to pull this thing when you found it?” “Ah did. Broke a tooth, couldn’t pull it with mah hooves.” Mac answered, raising one stray hoof in the air for a second. I pocketed my pistol, taking a look at the book again; now I recognized the text - Hylian. This book fell through the log behind us, a dimensional gate, and ended up in Equestria. It was all starting to come together - how it worked, where everything, including BEN’s powers came from… I rubbed my hands together, spitting (blood) on them. Here we go… the moment of truth. As I touched the handle of the blade, a searing glow emanated from my right hand - a bright golden aura shot forth from the back of it, revealing a glowing collection of triangles stacked upon each other to form one - with the rightmost glowing far more intensely. And with barely any effort, the sword lifted, a raw wave of pure power coursing through my veins. I had hold of it- The. Mother. Fucking. Master Sword. Holy-hot-damn on a stick. And as soon as I took hold of the blade, raising it to the air,… I passed out. AGAIN. My vision returned not three seconds more, this time, to a serene field, a crisp autumn air whistling through my ears and stinging against my skin. I was still standing there, sword in hand, again, wondering where the hell I was, when a gentle glow began to fill my sight. It wasn’t anything blindingly bright. For once, this was a relief from the blinding, searing flashes that often accompanied such an event. The golden light slowly took a humanoid form that of a fair maiden draped in a silk dress, her face, body and hair, nearly pure gold. The light emanating from her form made it impossible to view the woman’s face, but, I could only describe her as… ...godly. “You know, you fools really need to stop knocking me out if you want to talk to me - I’m gonna get serious brain damage if you keep cutting the air to it. The woman, with her heavenly, soothing voice, replied. “I am sorry, my child, but only in the unconscious state can you communicate with spirits at the present. I shall provide you with better means of communication, if you seek it.” So… this voice, was the one who saved me from BEN back in Termina. “Who, or what are you, exactly?” I asked, sizing the maiden up, examining every inch of her being. “Did I just die? Are you God?” The woman gave a playful laugh, before speaking again. “To some, child, yes I am. Not to your land, but this one I, and my sisters rule over. You are aware of where your body stands now, are you not?” I looked to the Master Sword in my hand, then back to the woman. “If I had to guess, I’d say Hyrule? And you’re one of the three?” Again, the gentle woman laughed. “Very observant of you. Yes, indeed I am one of the three golden goddesses that control this realm. In your world, most call me God, Allah, Zeus, or what have you. Some in my realm call me the Goddess of Wisdom, the Goddess of Time…. others call me Nayr-” “No. Stop Fucking stop, right there.” “...is, something wrong?” “Yes, actually - everything about this. This sounds ridiculous.” I dug my gaze deep into the woman’s face, making sure she saw my clear exhaustion and annoyance. “Just… why? Why Hyrule? What the hell purpose does this place serve to me? Let’s entertain for a second, the notion that Discord and BEN are right about all ‘fictional’ universes actually existing.” I took a step forward, anger starting to grow again slightly as I leaned in towards her. “What makes it so much more fuckin’ important than, say,the Plastic World from the Army Men games, or Tatooine?” I asked and sighed, looking to the blade in my hand, then back to the glowing orb of purity, the gentle golden outline of a maiden before me. Why is Equestria, or Hyrule for that matter, any more necessary than Gotham, or City 17, assuming I’m REALLY not having a prolonged nightmare?” I continued to ask, crossing my vacant, robotic arm to my right shoulder. “With all due respect, the more I get pushed against my will into this psychotic adventure, the more it sounds like I’m trapped in some craptastic fanfiction made by a moron who suffered two years of writer’s block, and got hopelessly addicted to whatever new GTA, Smash Bros, or Metal Gear got released.” At the mention of the last phrase, a strange tingling sensation emanated from… my left arm. I looked to the prosthesis, then back to Nayru. That sense of phantom pain… I’ll never forget it. I spit up another wad of congealed blood, before speaking again. "...and let me guess: Those worlds are real too, right? And in "Just as much grave danger" from BEN too, right?" I asked snidely, rolling my eye." Nayru stared at me for a moment with a perplexed expression as if she were processing what I had just said, before speaking again. “I’m sure, child, that this all indeed sounds like a ridiculous fairy tale, and my explanation may sound childish. I promise you, however, it is just and logical.” I swung the blade upwards, resting it against my shoulder. I guess I didn’t have a choice. Sighing, I relented. “Lay it on me.” “Put simply, my child, you and the one known as BEN hail from the same world. He first began gathering his powers from mine, and now, resides in this one, Equestria. Likewise, to be defeated, he must be struck down by a member of his realm with powers matching those of his, or, more accurately, powers born of my realm, and of course, the deed must be done swiftly in the same residence.” What the hell. “So any fool from Earth could have done this. Why the hell me, then?” I asked, still questioning the point. “Once more, simple: You are within the same realm at this moment, and you of all people have a greater knowledge of your adversary, and much more of a drive to persevere against the odds. In short, you are the most convenient and properly prepared hero for the task - your… psychotic bouts will certainly prove useful in the inevitable conflict. Nothing makes this place any more important than any other - the simple fact is that you will find the tools you need to stop him here, of all places. ” I was taken aback. It was all starting to make sense, as bare-bones as the explainations were. I was somewhat relieved to know it at least didn’t involve some convoluted higher force. Regardless, I didn’t want that. I. Want. To. Go. Home. And the stress of it was still taking its toll. “Oh, thank you - It’s so good to know I’m ‘convenient’. Could I get the universe anything else, while it still has use for its dog? Perhaps you’d like it if I sear you up some filet mignon, or treat you a wonderful night in Paris, at the expense of my bankruptcy? Is there anything else every Koopa or Zerg, from here to Wonderland, would like me to get for them? I’m more than willing to lose another limb so the homeless jack weasels in the Capital Wasteland can sleep soundly at night without worrying about a second apocalypse. Don’t you worry your pretty little head, I’m on it, sister!” I smiled with an exaggerated grin, planting my hands to my sides in a pseudo-heroic pose. Immediately, my face went cold. I planted the sword in the ground firmly, then turned, walking away. “Send me the fuck home, now. I’m going to the nearest liquor shop, getting ten bottles of Nelson, and drinking my ass into a coma.” I spoke, flicking my wrist behind me, in Nayru’s direction. “Seriously. This just went from plausible to batshit retarded.” I heard a barely audible ‘humph’ noise, almost as if Nayru was expressing some form of annoyance in my word choice. Don’t care. “What would that little girl want?” I suddenly heard her ask behind my back, to which I abruptly stopped, not turning around. “Fuck is that supposed to mean?” I asked, feeling slighted. “Exactly what you think it does, my child…” Nayru responded in her peaceful, angelic tone, gently extending a hand out in my direction, with an open palm. Immediately, as her hand opened to full reveal its face, a searing burn hit my head. My skull throbbed in pain, and brain lit on fire. I screamed out in anguish… As sudden vision… after vision… after vision… Oh god… In clear, vivid color and sound… My parents’ deaths… Sweetie Belle… a blanket of fire engulfing virtually every world I’ve ever seen, from Aether to Twilight Town… The screaming, the faces… Like some kind of twisted IMAX experience one would never forget, this demented movie continued to play in my mind, in tandem with the polarizingly calm, gentle voice of the Hyrulean goddess. “You made a promise to that little unicorn, that nothing more would see harm at his hands. If you’re going to throw her wishes to the wind, you have nobody to blame but yourself when hellfire rains down upon the known multiverse. I continued to writhe in pain, psychotic images rushing through my synapses. “...YOU...MANIPULATIVE BITCH…!” “You promised that girl, these ponies… you promised yourself you would see him to the end. It doesn’t matter now if you came here by choice or accident, and it does not matter if you think you have the skills or not. As stated before, you may be a poor soul who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time…” For a moment, all well calm in my head, the hellish images ceasing, only to be replaced with a moving portrait of the three Crusaders, happy, smiling, and playing. “...but now that you are here, you do understand that failing to stop him means the death of every man, woman, child... Then I remembered, much like the others reminded me during my previous breakdown, the one promise I made. Nayru’s voice began to drown out as happy memories of the farm, with Applejack and the family, crossed my mind. “...soldier, civilian, and animal.” Finally, it hit me like a freight train again - that Pinkie promise I made to Sweetie Belle, just seconds before her vile, gory death. BEN cannot hurt anybody else. I can’t let that happen- he has to be stopped here, and now. I may not be a messiah, but I have the opportunity - and a thousand damn good reasons - to stop him. He WILL NOT take my family. Damn it all… ..I’ll be your dog… ...One last time. Standing in pain, I walked back to the sword. Reluctantly, I sheathed the blade, staring at the golden Goddess of Time before me. “Does that mean I have to wear the goddamn tunic?” “No.” “Thank Christ. I think you’d see much better results if you strapped your ‘chosen ones’ out with an M60 or Dragunov now and again.” “We’ll have to consider that next time a powerful being threatens our homeland.” Before I had a chance to catch my breath and seal my fate, the image of Nayru slowly faded from my vision. I was bid farewell with one final piece of advice from the idol, though it was fairly confusing. “The weapon you hold in your hands now is merely a key to your true answer to defeating the Drowned One. When the time is right, when the final wind has passed, child, and we meet again, only then shall it be provided to you when the hour of doom is at hand.” “What the hell does that even mean!?” I asked, her image starting to fade away. “As I said, my child, when the final wind has passed, we shall meet again. To give you what you seek now creates undue risk. In the meantime, child, I bestow upon you two gifts. The first…” She began, snapping her fingers and creating another light flash around my vacant arm. “Is a shield of my subjects, to better accommodate your combat skills.” “And the second?” I asked, staring at the Hylian shield in my left hand. “The second, child…” Nayru replied, bringing her one fading hand out to touch my shoulder. “...is the ability to better control and communicate with your gift of talking to the dead. With this skill, you can now freely see any and all spirits around you, by choice, and better communicate, without the need of a medium.” As she finished her words, a familiar line of spirits - Sweetie, Lyra, Carrot, my parents… all suddenly came to my vision, standing at attention, then faded away. As did the rest of Hyrule field. “Good luck, my child. I will be watching over you and your friends.” My vision came back to my team hovering over me like vultures, staring down at me in a large circle. Painfully, I stood up, sheathing my new weapons and taking a look back at the pedestal behind me. Without saying anything, I took my gun in my hands, and began to walk towards the log portal we came from. A shiver ran down my spine as the Master Sword, strapped on my back, shook with raw energy. Immediately, whatever sadness and despair I felt was seemingly replaced with a strong sense of determination and anger, leaving a stoic expression on me as I walked past everyone. Time to kill us a little undead punk. I grabbed my nearly dead phone, checking the clock - 6:37. “Let’s get going. We don’t have much more time.” “No, boy, you don’t have ANY more time…” The unmistakable voice and subsequent laugh of BEN spoke through the air as we stepped from Hyrule to Equestria, our appearance returning to two dimensions. In most situations, I would freeze up in fear, but getting this far, going through this much, and finally having a possible chance to end it all? He didn’t scare me in the slightest. “The fuck do you want now, kid?” I asked, staring up to the sky in anger, looking around for the bane of my existence. “I just wanted to say congratulations.” BEN started, a smarmy, condescending tone about him. :Truly, I commend you for actually getting this far. I really didn’t expect you to get out of the cocitrace statue you got locked up in, and I certainly didn’t expect you to get that weapon. Fortunately, it’s not what you need to stop me, so I have nothing to fear.” The playful laugh of the demonic boy echoed throughout the forest, reflecting down off the canopy, and invading our ears. “What the hell do you want, dude?” “Me? Why, that’s simple!” BEN cried aloud, joy overtaking his voice. A sudden clap of thunder as a fast wave of clouds rolled into the area. I pulled out my phone to get a better view in the now much darker forest. -however, I was cut short as I laid eyes upon the screen, specifically the ‘zelda heart’ themed battery meter, housing a measly quarter heart left. Two seconds later, the phone shut off with the iconic T-Mobile jingle. “You’ve done such a great job, I think it only fair that I invite you all out for a nice swim, especially on such a hot day like today!” The demon giddily shouted, the laugh of the Skull Kid trailing off behind. I didn’t think much of it, and we just kept walking for a few minutes. So what? A little rain never hurt anyone. Well, it was a little rain for a while, then it started to downpour. Torrentially. Still, it didn’t seem that bad. And then it covered my ankles… As we picked up the kids to keep them out of it… It soon wrapped around my knees. “Aww, shit.... Climb! Climb the trees! GO!” At that, we huddled together, heading for the nearest one we could find. I jumped upward to grab a branch, and the pegasi began to pick up the others. Dinky, Applebloom, and Spike were on my back, panicking, and Rarity was holding onto my leg for dear life, screaming, and trying to scale me. “KEEP CLIMBING! GO, GO, GO!” three or so minutes had passed now, and by this point, the rain had created a lake nearly three feet off the ground, in every direction. I didn’t really know what to do in this situation, but I had barely any time to react before a sharp gust of wind sent Twilight out of Fluttershy’s grasp, and straight into the newly-formed river, carrying the unicorn away. Immediately I placed the children into the cleft of the tree above me, and grabbed Rarity, passing her to Dash, who had hold of Pinkie, and Derpy, who had Mac. Scoots took hold of Spike as the other two fillies rested in the top of the tree, and I dove into the rushing stream, after the lavender mare. “NICK, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?” “SAVING YOUR FRIEND! GO! KEEP CLIMBING! THERE’S A HILL FARTHER INTO THE WOODS!” I shouted over the deafening thunder. Twilight screamed bloody murder, reaching out for a nearby tree branch that was half submerged in the water. As I tore through the relentless stream to get to her in time, the growing mass of liquid covered the branch, sending her head under the waves. I dove under, grabbing hold of the mare with one hand, the tree with the other, and hoisting her up onto my shoulder as we were swept away. Macintosh was too heavy for Derpy to carry, and the stallion went splashing into the water. Panicking, he grabbed hold of his sister, pulling her out of the tree. Flutters swooped in grab Dinky, and the three pegasi, with Rarity, Pinkie and Spike in tow, chased after us. “Aw... SWEET CELESTIA, HELP!” “MAC, WE’RE COMING! HOLD ON!” I held Twilight up on my shoulder as the panicked mare splashed about and pushed me down into the water. I was thankful my father taught me how to rescue swim - always keep a victim’s head up, even if that means staying under yourself. “Twilight, you gotta give me wings again! It’s the only way we’re all getting out of here!” “I don’t… *bulb* think you realize how much *aaack!* magic that takes! It takes me *peth!* - a week to recover from that!” “HEADS UP!”” At my words, we smacked headfirst into another tree, the ocean beneath us growing tenfold. I managed to wrap one arm around the trunk, clasping ourselves to the tree. Not five seconds later, Mac came speeding by us, his screaming baby sister clinging to his neck for dear life. “MACINTOSH! TAKE MY HAND!” The red farmer extended his hoof outwards, my mechanical arm just barely able to catch him. He and Applebloom swung back around with the force of the water, and like us, held to the tree, but the water still kept climbing. “GO HIGHER! LET'S MOVE!” All of us that were grounded, began to scale this new tree like mad This endeavor was going well, but would soon find itself ruined by pure bad luck. A quick and deadly jolt of thunder struck the tree like the vengeful wrath of Zeus, lighting the tree ablaze and tearing most of the log away and into the water. Being at the front of the pack, and the highest up, my robotic arm took most of the electric blast. If I hadn’t had this arm… That electrical ground saved my life by freak circumstance, like everything else. Still, the jolt was more than enough for me to lose my grip and fall. I flailed wildly in free fall as I descended towards the raging waters below. *Crack!* The back of my head hit something hard on my way down, throwing my head forward. Darkness overtook my vision quickly, and the sounds around me became muffled as I violently entered the water. Somehow, I still heard a muffled, psychotic laugh in my head. BEN’s last words rang through my mind as I lost consciousness. “I already drowned once! Now it’s your turn, Jadusable!” *********************** In the depths of my mind, I floated aimlessly. As I looked around the vast expanse of nothing surrounding me, the Song of Unhealing began to invade my ears once again. Bringing my hands to my ears, I did my best to shut it out, my eye shut tightly. Even with my eye closed and my ears covered, I still saw flashes of the statue within my sight, its face burned into my vision. I heard the Skull Kid’s scream permeate the darkness around me. It was filled with nothing but pain and agony. Suddenly, I felt myself being pulled downwards forcefully. I tried to fight it, but I had nothing to grab onto. Whatever it was, it was unrelenting. BEN’s trademark laughter taunted me as my feeling of hopelessness grew, and as my panic grew alongside that fear, I realized that I couldn’t breathe. I clawed at my throat, trying in vain to force the oxygen back into me. Just as I was on the verge of giving up, something else pulled me upwards, and fought the force of whatever was pulling me down. Instead of going back up, however, I was being yanked back and forth, neither force unwilling to release their grip. It felt like some sick and twisted game of ‘Tug of War’. I felt a surge of force from above me, and suddenly, whatever had been pulling me down had let go. As I practically flew upwards, an overpowering sense of anger and rage attacked my mind, feeling as though it was being crushed under a ton of weight. Unable to think clearly and register the sheer amount of pain I was in, I barely heard muffled voices around me. They sounded familiar, but I just couldn’t bring myself to remember who they belonged to. They sounded so… Distraught, and scared. Like me. I have to help them. I don’t know how, though. I don’t even know where I am. And without warning, I spat out a shit ton of water, opening my eyes to see a crying filly in front of me. *********************** “EVERYPONY! GRAB THE LOG!” Twilight barked, clambering to the run away debris. Dash placed her passengers on the log, the others starting to dogpile the rampant chunk of water. Dash, on the other hand, immediately dove into the cold, unforgiving water, taking note of Nick having fallen from the tree. The pegasus found the man after some time, unconscious and sporting a nasty head wound. Pulling him up, she expected no resistance. Instead, she felt something immensely powerful fighting back. She looked back to him underwater, expecting to see him stuck on something. Instead, she saw that same statue, the one that had fucked with her and her friends for so damn long. And it was showing it’s crooked smile, seemingly unwilling to let go. She yanked back with all of her might, beginning to struggle with her own breathing. The whole time, all she could hear through her head was the muffled laughter of the Skull Kid. She wanted to rise up to the surface, and get the fuck away from this demented thing. If she let go now, however, she was sure that he was going to be done for. Instead, she looked back at the statue with a scowl and pulled on him again, allowing herself to be swung forward into the statue. Knocking into it with as much force as she could, the statue released its iron grip, and sunk down to the depths below, fading into obscurity. Feeling another hitch in her throat from the lack of oxygen and grabbed hold of Nick again, swimming up to the surface. Once they broke the surface of the rapids, she coughed and hacked, struggling to both expel the excess water and retrieve lost oxygen. Heaving his body onto the log, she finally took her much needed reprieve and recover herself. This left Scootaloo to fly to the man’s side and check for a pulse. There was nothing, as the crew sped down the watery abyss. “Oh, Celestia…” Her breath hitched in her throat, unwilling to imagine enduring Nick nearly dying another time. “He’s not breathing…” She began applying pressure to his chest, stopping every few tries to check for breathing. “Come on, Dad, not now! GET UP! ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FIVE...!” The team continued to float aimlessly for several minutes, Nick eventually spitting up a mass of water as life sprinted back into his being. As he came to, however, another violent crash rocked the party, their flotation device slamming into another tree. This time, with the little filly Applebloom holding onto the end, the yellow pony found herself split away, being carried off into the darkness of the storm. The older brother noticed this too late, his hoof stretched outwards where Applebloom had been just a second before. “BIG MAC!” Her scream rang out through the air, bringing a chill to everyone else who managed to stay on the makeshift raft. “SIS!” His baritone shout replied in vain, all of us knowing that she was out of our care for now, exposed to the dangers without any aid. The filly had sped away, too fast for anyone to keep track of. The remainder of the team kept a tight hold to the log, some of which also keeping a tight grip on Nick as he kept spitting up bloody water for several minutes. In due time, the rapids began to slow and the rain finally started to die off. With the water levels beginning to greatly recede, BEN realized that his nemesis had not died. “I”LL END YOU YET, KID! DON’T THINK THIS IS OVER!”