Emma’s POV – The Things that Hurt Us
The beat of my heart thumped as I stared at the silver coated stallion. His crystal blue eyes stare patiently awaiting my response. I gulped before asking, “You… can bring me back to my world…?”
“Yes, of course.” He smiled. “The things we need to bring you back are with my companions though. We’ll need to leave tonight if we’re going to go through with the process in the morning.”
The ponies looked to me as I looked down to think about it. I had a bit of sweat running down from this new information, but my grin wasn’t hidden. I finally found a way back! I was hoping for it to come! Shockingly, they came to look for me in the long run! Without much thought, I accepted. “Right! As soon as possible!”
Twilight and the others gasped while that stallion nodded. “I’ll ready the ride. See you soon.”
After he left, the girls and Spike turned to Emma with solemn expressions.
“Emma… Wow…” Twilight muttered. “You’re leaving already?”
“And after such a wonderful time like today.” Rarity noted.
“Yeah… shocking.” Emma agreed, scratching the back of her head. “Didn’t expect this at all.”
“I’m happy for you Emma.” Fluttershy told me. “Um… I wished you stayed a bit longer, but at least you’ll be able to go and see everyone back home again.”
“Aw, you turned your surprise party into a goodbye party!” Pinkie cried. “I didn’t even get you a goodbye gift!”
“Wow… Kinda wished I spent more time with ya Emma.” Applejack said. “I was planning to invite you over for another try out at apple bucking too.”
“I don’t think I’d do that again after what happened last time.” I retorted, getting a chuckle from her.
“It gives a good workout though.” She reasoned.
“After finally getting your measurements.” Rarity whimpered. “And you’re leaving so suddenly?! Such a tragedy!”
“Yeah… Sorry Rarity.” I apologized.
I turned to Rainbow and saw that she was giving a rather furious emotion instead of the sadness her friends shared. She was gritting her teeth and had eyes of a bull, ready to charge. “How could you leave right off the bat like that!?” She shouted.
I stepped back, confused and shocked as she started to rant on. “We made this party for you! And got all of your friends to talk to you! And even bought that chunk of MEAT for you!” She pointed out. “Do you know how HARD it was to FIND THAT!?”
“Rainbow, you should simmer down a bit.” Applejack warned her.
Rainbow ignored the suggestion and continued. “How could you be so ungrateful and just leave like that!?”
“Ungrateful!?” I retorted. “I appreciate all of this! But the way home is just outside! He came with the answer I was looking for!”
“SO! You were planning on ditching us when you had the chance!” Rainbow accused.
“I just want to go home Dash! Is that so much to ask!?” I started yelling back.
“Yes! Especially when we did all this FOR YOU!” Rainbow exclaimed. “But if you don’t want to be with us, than fine! Just go!”
“Fine Rainbow!” I growled, storming out of the room. “See you never!”
I ran out of the building, and kept sprinting on and on. I found myself seething in rage, while at the same time feeling remorse. I kept going until I reach the alleyway and started catching my breath. With tonight being the night I go home, I felt happy to finally find a way. But deep down, remorse was hiding in my heart. My friends are going to be here forever, and I’ll never see them again. These are the friends I could never find on my own, and now I’ll never find them again. But the reason why I have to go back is still there. She’s waiting for me, and I have the plans to make her better. Lori is waiting for me, and I have to see her one more time.
“I’m coming Lori…” I whispered to myself. “I’ll be back, just wait…”
“Are you… crying?” The stallion questioned. I jumped and quickly wiped my eyes.
“I… Yeah, I was. I have a lot to think about, okay?” I admitted.
“You’re still coming, aren’t you?”
“Yes, of course.” I nodded.
“Well, just get on the cart then.” He told me. “I’ll have us there soon. Just go ahead and rest. We aren’t going too far. It’s just a little pass the outskirts of town. Not too far, but we best be there early.”
“Yeah, okay then.” I replied.
3rd POV – The Truth we hold back
After the tantrum had passed, Emma ran out of the party. The girls and Spike turned to the somewhat calmer Rainbow as she looks at her disappointed friends. She crosses her forelegs together in response to their sour expressions towards her. “What!? We were all thinking about it.”
“Well… I did say I wanted her to stay a bit longer…” Fluttershy admitted.
“See!?” Rainbow reasoned.
“But this isn’t about us Rainbow.” Twilight reminded her. “Emma HAS to go home. She has a family wondering where she is. She has things she left behind without question. She can’t just stay here and leave those things unattended!”
“But everything we did for her-”
“We did it to make her feel better.” Applejack shot back. “Not to guilt trip her back here.”
“We know how you’ve been protecting Emma as much as you can Rainbow.” Rarity stated. “We understand if you feel a tad betrayed, but it was never her intention to stay here forever. She had a choice if this ever happened, and she chose to go home. Where she belongs is up to her. We can’t stand in her way.”
Rainbow groaned and flailed her hooves. “But she… Emma and-… Ugh… You’re right…”
The tomboyish pegasus sat down in defeat, coping with the fact that she said some pretty hurtful things to Emma, knowing it’ll be the last thing she says to her. With that said, Pinkie had an idea.
“Why don’t we go with them?” Pinkie suggested. “Might as well if this is going to be the last time we see each other.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Spike agreed. “But we don’t know where they’re headed to.”
Suddenly, from the door comes hundreds of papers flying inside. The group covered themselves from the unexpected pile of paper flushing in. When the flood of paper stopped, the ponies looked around at the strange mess the wind had brought in.
“What’s with all the paper?” Rainbow wondered.
Twilight picked up a piece of paper and read it out loud. “Beyond the forest of birch, a house of old age hides an ugly trap. Your friend that is not of this world will die there if not rescued by midnight. A friend urges you to rescue her before her… heart is taken from her body!?”
The ponies gasped and Spike fainted. Rainbow flew up to Twilight’s face and said, “I told you this was a bad idea!!”
“No you didn’t!” Twilight retorted.
“Whatever! Let’s go get Emma before it’s too late! Come on! Let’s go!” Rainbow demanded, shoving the group outside.
As the mares quickly went after their friend thanks to the new and mysterious arrival of the message, a unicorn of mint green coat and white mane watches from afar. With a smile, she goes inside and goes to her slumbering friend.
“Come on Bonbon. We have to go now.” She told her as she carried her up.
Emma’s POV – Genocide
A couple of hours have passed. We’re still deep in the Birchwood Forest, but he says we’re coming close to the building. The darkness is really discomforting, especially when you can’t really see the white wood of the trees. The crunch of the leaves make my skin jitter, the anxiousness of what is to come. A way back home is that close, and I can’t help but feel scared. I’ve been wondering when I’ll be free of this world. It wasn’t so long, but I feel like I’ve been here forever. A month can really make you get used to this place.
When we reached the old building, the wagon came to a stop. He pulled off the reins and waved me to come inside. Complying with his request, I followed him inside. As I entered the old house, I saw past through the cobwebs and found his two associates. They gathered around me and smiled.
“It’s you! You’re the human!” The dark shaded violet mare said.
“Yeah, I am.” I replied with a shy smirk.
“You found her Dolin.” The pegasus said in surprise. “I honestly thought you couldn’t find her.”
“It was just tedious to get there, alright?” Dolin, the one who found me, said to his annoyance.
I looked around and found that they had unloaded some of their equipment here. A bag of books laid on the wobbly table, near the barrels of food they had brought along. Three sleeping bags were arranged in the room, and a metal workbench was placed against the wall. The bench seemed to have been recently patched up, seeing the old and worn metal covered up by wooden planks and poorly placed nails.
The mare went over to the books and picked out the one with a red bookmark. She opens it and looks over to Dolin, nodding to him. He brushes his mane a bit, and reveals his crooked horn with a single crack. The pegasus just stood by the barrels, chewing on his carrot.
“So…” I spoke quietly. “You have the spell to bring me back to my world?”
“Ah, yes.” He said, turning to me. “There’s been a change in plans.”
With that said, he shot a charge of energy and had my body completely immobile. I found myself drop to the floor, but still awake. He looms over me, and my heart begins to quake in fear and confusion. The mare tilts her head, raising an eyebrow. “You’re still a bit off.” She says to Dolin. “That spell should have knocked her out. All you did was stun her.”
“This horn has enough problems Snatch! I don’t need to add lectures to the list!” Dolin complained.
“You liars! Are you even the ones who brought me here!?” I questioned, still trying to move in this useless situation.
“Yes, we definitely are.” He answered. “If it weren’t for this cracked horn, we would have finished the job quick. Summon you, take your heart, and throw body away. Simple as that.”
The blood from my head started to drain after hearing his plan. I quivered in fear and muttered, “W-What… W-What do y-you mean… Take my heart…?”
“While Snatch gets to the page of the spell.” He retorts as Snatch glares at him. “I suppose I can tell you of my recent… findings.”
Dolin levitates me to the cold bench as if it was my coffin. He stands beside me telling me his story before he puts me to sleep for good. “I learned many things about the humans here in Equestria. How they were wiped out. What always put a great suspicion was how the most advanced race become extinct hundreds of years ago.”
He places his face near mine and says, “In my research, I found a journal documenting a human’s spine chilling story. How the unicorns used the hearts of humans to do powerful, forbidden magic, so they hunted down the humans like beasts and prey, ripping out their precious little piece of power. To create powerful equines to control nature itself! To change the lands to however they please! To even reverse even the most potent and unbreakable of spells.”
“So, you’re just going to rip out my heart and be done with me…?” I asked hesitantly.
“Not quite.” He replied. “I have to enchant your heart. You’re not from Equestria, so you’re anatomy is just a tad different. But with this spell, you’ll be like the humans of old, perfect for extracting such a powerful tool.”
He places his cracked horn upon me and starts to modify my heart. I can feel my chest squeeze in pain and discomfort, as he changes my organs.
“This horn takes time, but it’ll get the job done.” He stated. “Soon, the power will be mine, and I’ll go back to Unity with an iron hoof!”
I didn’t know what to do. All I could move was my head, but my body still felt like it was asleep. I struggle in my mind with what I have, but all I see is my bench as my resting place, and my heart as the toll of death. I close my eyes and began to wish, hope, and pray for a miracle. For some reason though, only one thing went to my mind.
Every pony… Help me!
Twilight’s POV – Search and Rescue
We searched and searched as much as we could, but the thick forest of Birchwood was hard to navigate when it was so dark out. The girls and I stuck close, but had our eyes look around as much as we can. We couldn’t find any house as of yet, but we weren’t about to give up.
“What are they planning to do with Emma?” Fluttershy wondered.
“I don’t care what it is!” Rainbow exclaimed. “If they so much as lay a hoof on her, they’ll get more than a black eye!”
“I can see Rainbow is quite angry.” Rarity noted.
“If only we had some more clues to go by.” I sighed. “But I can’t see a thing. The place is too dark, and the forest is too thick. By the time we find the place, Emma could be…”
Applejack placed her hoof on my shoulder and said, “Don’t worry about it sugar cube. We’ll find her. We’re just going to have to keep our eyes peeled.”
“Hey! Guys! Check it out!” Pinkie shouted. “Something glittery is going on over there!”
We all turned out heads to see the shine from the darkness ahead. Making our way to the light, we found a wagon parked outside of the glowing old house. We all checked the windows and saw Emma laying on top of a bench. The stallion from before casted his magic onto her, and the other two just stood by and watched.
“My word! What are they doing to her!?” Rarity questioned.
“Whatever they’re doing, we’re not about to let them finish!” Rainbow declared.
“Alright, every pony! Behind me!” I told them. “I’ll try and separate him from Emma!”
They nodded and gave me some room. As I got ready to blast the door down, I saw the glowing from the house stopped.
“Why’d they stop the light show?” Pinkie asked.
“Hurry up Twi!” Rainbow demanded.
I quickly shot the door down and saw the stallion now levitating a knife. Just as he was raising it up high, I shot his back, and caused him to falter in his magic. It was a mistake though, and the knife still stabbed Emma. She screamed in pain, and I found myself frozen in place. Rainbow rushed in and threw the stallion out the window, going to Emma’s aid.
“Emma! Are you alright!?” She asked.
Emma slowly opened her eyes and said, “I’ve… been better.”
“Rainbow! Behind you!” Rarity screamed.
Rainbow turned to see the pegasus come at her. The two brawled while the mare went to Emma. Applejack threw out her lasso and caught her, reeling her in and away from Emma.
“Don’t just stand there!” Applejack breathed under her teeth. “Go help Emma!”
Regaining movement, I made my way over to Emma with Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie. We got to her and carefully took out the knife. She whimpered a bit, but smiled at us.
“I’m really glad to see you.” Emma said gratefully.
“Let’s get Emma to safety as quickly as we can!” I told the girls.
Nodding, Rarity levitated Emma carefully onto Pinkie’s back and carried her out. The room was small, and the only way out was blocked by Applejack and the mare. The window had a fight between Rainbow and the pegasus in the way as well. Turning to one option left, I decided to destroy the wall using my magic. Shooting the wall down, we were about to make our way out, but found the stallion up on his hooves again.
“Where do you think you’re going with my human?” He questioned.
We stepped back, finding Emma and the stallion too close again. He now blocked our way, and him being a unicorn didn’t make it easier. As he charged his horn, I looked around for another way to get Emma out. Looking up, I had an idea. Blasting the ceiling, the stallion shielded his eyes from the dust and rubble. Tapping Pinkie and Fluttershy, I told them, “Get her airborne!”
Pinkie quickly tossed Emma up, letting Fluttershy catch her thanks to the help of levitation from Rarity. The stallion regained vision and took a shot, but I managed to block it using my own magic. After Fluttershy fled, the stallion attempted to chase her down. To stop him, I shot his leg using stun magic, and had him downed for the moment. The three of us took the fight against the stallion.
“Urgh… you’ll pay for your meddling.” He spoke.
I stared at his horn and saw he had a crack in it. I then realized the potential hazard he could be, and turned to Pinkie and Rarity.
“Girls, I’ll handle this.” I assured them. “You go help Emma recover.”
“But we can take him on together dear!” Rarity told me.
“His magic is unstable.” I warned them. “This will be safer if you let me handle it. Besides, I have an idea on how to turn his magic against him.”
“Okie dokie Twi!” She saluted. “We’ll make Emma feel super-duper better when you get back!”
“Good. Now hurry!”
They left allowing me to deal with the stallion alone. He gave me a nasty grin and said, “So, you think you can beat me alone? HA! Don’t make me laugh!”
Focusing on the stallion, I prepared myself for the duel to come soon.
Applejack’s POV – The Strength to Protect
I was looking over to every pony and saw that Twilight was fighting the stallion from before. I assumed that they took Emma someplace safe. With that in mind, I looked over to the mare, kicking the floor and starting a fight. She rushed in and rammed me head on. I managed to stand my ground and throw her off to the side, crashing to the barrels.
Getting up with a couple of veggies on her head, she tried again on ramming me down. With an idea, I let her pass by me, and dropped a loop of rope. Her hoof got caught in it, letting me tie her hoof again and sling her to the ground.
“Well, aren’t you a riley little fella?” I retorted, trying to keep her down.
“Ugh! Don’t get so cocky!” She yelled before kicking out something sharp. Her hoof had some sort of knife, and it sliced my rope. I jumped back to avoid getting cut, letting her stand right back up.
“What in tarnation kind of knife is that?” I questioned.
“A special kind they don’t let run of the mill ponies use.” She sneered.
I couldn’t help but get a bit angry at her for that sly comment. Before we continued the fight, Rainbow and the guy she was fighting crashed between us. She bucked him with her hind legs and launched him to the wall. When he hits the bricks, she holds him against the wall and shouted, “Why’d you go and hurt her!? What the hay is wrong with you guys!?”
The pegasus smiled and merely said, “Why do you care for such a useless girl? She’s just part of some forgotten species.”
I suddenly found myself seething just hearing what he said. I knew there were ponies in town that didn’t care for humans, but going so far out as to kill her!? Or to play around with a defenseless girl? The mare before me chuckled a bit and continued on with their insulting banter.
“Yeah, we’re just trying to make the girl have some use in her life. Might as well not let that heart of hers go to waste on her pointless living!”
Hearing them planning to take her heart for something made me sick to my stomach. That didn’t compare to Rainbow though. She was madder than anything I’ve ever seen. She threw a right hook at the pegasus, throwing him to his side. She glared at the stallion and said, “You’re gonna regret saying that…!”
The pegasus held his cheek and looked over to the mare. “Snatch! Cut her or something!”
“Hold on!” She replied, leaping towards Rainbow. I got out another lasso and caught her hoof. Pulling her away from Rainbow, I dragged the girl farther from the two. Letting Rainbow take care of the pegasus herself, I decided to put all of my focus on this Snatch girl.
“Some pony ought ta’ teach you some manners!” I retorted.
Throwing her down, she broke her fancy knife. Rainbow brought the pegasus through the window, and took the scuffle there. This mare got up and kicked her hoof on the floor, snorting angrily like a tempered bull.
“You’re gonna regret breaking that!” Snatch sneered.
“You’re gonna regret what you said about Emma.” I sneered back.
Shen she came at me, I used my forelegs to push down on the floorboards, making it flick up to Snatch. Once she was in the air for the moment, I turned and got my hind legs to her, letting me kick her out through the door. After getting her right on the side, she was down for the count. I gave a huff before leaving to check on Emma.
Rainbow’s POV – It’s Bad Enough!
Tossing the slime ball outside, I got the dude in my sights! After what he said… After hearing what they’re planning… I’m not taking any risks! I’m gonna take them down! With all my might, I thrusted my hooves right into his chest, giving a good ringer to this guy before launching him to the tree. He got up and spat a tooth before growling, “Why do you insist on protecting her? What use is she to you?”
“Use…!?” I repeated, feeling even more furious than before. I flew and socked him in the jaw, making him roll over. “Why do you ponies have to make it hard on her!? You gave her hope that she could go home, and then crush her dreams of returning! You stupid hay suckers!”
He wiggled his legs a bit, struggling to get up. I didn’t feel like letting him off though. The only reason why I held back was to hear what he had to say. “She is not even of this world. She is basically an alien. Beings from this world should be free game for any pony who decides to take her! Her heart contains great power than you can ever gain!”
“I’m tired of this…!” I stated, gritting my teeth. “I can’t even see Emma be happy for a single day! She’s always dealing with something, like some ponies bullying her. Some random monster come and try to hurt her. Sometimes, she can’t even do anything except mope in Twi’s house all day! She’s really cool when she can finally relax, but I never see that anymore because everyday is a challenge for her! Its ponies like you I can’t stand anymore! Pushing her around! And I’ve HAD IT!”
“Well, then…” He spoke all calm. “What do you plan to do about it?”
“Taking you down!!”
“Then show me what you’re made of!” He said, managing to land a punch on me. I lost a bit of my grip there, but still stood strong. When I looked up, he slapped me with his wing and tripped me when I flinched! I looked up and saw he was about to do an elbow drop on me. Dodging to the side, he hits the floor, holding his foreleg from the epic fail of an attack. Taking the chance, I threw him up. Making my way in the air, I flew to him and slammed him down to the ground. With this dude out of the picture, I made my way to see if Emma was okay.
Twilight’s POV – Screw Up
Facing the stallion knowing his horn can do unspeakable things, with or without intent. I knew I had to be careful, but I also had to get the others away from him. As he charges a spell, I saw the sparks fly off from his horn. The fractured horn then shot a spear of energy, missing by a couple of inches.
“Stop this right now!” I demanded. “If you surrender, I’ll make sure the royal court will go easy on you!”
“Don’t act as if I’ll lose this fight!” He scolded, unleashing another faulty spell, letting it bounce all around us. “Once I steal that heart, I’ll have the power to do anything! This horn can be repaired to one that can even challenge Celestia!”
“Challenge Celestia?” I muttered. “That’s impossible!”
“For now it is.” He admits. “But soon, it will be reality.”
Holding onto a spell, I waited for the right moment to shoot him. With him casting all sorts of spells going haywire, I had to make sure I was safe from harm. Trees fall and the ground cracks, but his determination never ceases still. He continues on in his attempt.
“Stop it! You’re not going to win!” I claimed. “Your horn is cracked and beyond magic control! You won’t win!”
“Beyond magic control?” He scoffed. “What about you? That sad excuse of a rescue resulted with a knife in your friend. Let’s hope she isn’t dead because of you.”
I halted, stepping back from what he said. “N-No… I was only trying to…”
“It was obvious what you were TRYING to do!” He laughed. “But even with your horn still intact, you can’t do something as simple as stop a simple knife thrust? Perhaps a spell to protect your friend would have been wise? But no, it’s far too late. How can she forgive your blunder? You, with you cutie mark with the talent of magic, makes a great error that could’ve taken her life! How can you deserve such a talent when you’re still a screw up?”
“I’m not a screw up!” I yelled.
“Then prove it!” He shouted as he shot a barrage of bolts to me. With my horn charged more than needed, I blasted him with an energy sphere, bigger than he could ever throw. Once he realized his defeat was near, he shielded his eyes before being tossed to the boulder. With him out cold, I rested for the moment, thinking about Emma.
“I’m not a screw up… She’s fine…” I told myself, hoping this was true. She was fine… She had to be! She responded when I checked on her. She also forgave me, right? I just kept hoping that she could forget what happened, and hope that today didn’t change anything.
Once the three were tied up, we investigated what happened while Rainbow left to get some guards to sort out the mess. Emma was sleeping on the bench after Fluttershy and Rarity treated her bleeding. Looking around, we found out something unpleasant.
One book contained research notes, written about humans from our world. How their hearts can be used as a boost for magic users. Along with these notes was history. History dating back to when humans were alive, but struggling under the hunt. The hunt to acquire the flash of the humans in order to use powers that only an alicorn can use, and more. It was frightening when I told the others, and it made me concerned about Emma. Being the only human in the world, she’s out in the open and free to be hunted down by any pony. I thought it was fine to have her around, but if others find out about her existence and these notes, she will have more trouble than she can handle.
“The poor dear.” Rarity said solemnly. “She already has to deal with so much…”
“I feel so sorry for Emma right now.” Fluttershy sympathized.
“Those mean ponies go too far!” Pinkie stated. “Emma needs a heart to live! Like, duh!”
“It just goes to show that Equestria still has some bad folk around.” Applejack sighed, wishing it wasn’t true.
I of course agreed with all of them. “I just wish we could make sure she stays okay…”
In a moment of silence, Rarity rolled her eyes slowly, having an idea. “Well… Maybe we can use one of these spells…”
“Huh? What spells?” Pinkie asked.
“They weren’t lying when they said they brought Emma here.” Rarity stated. “They used a spell in one of those books, didn’t they?”
“How would summoning another human fix this problem?” Applejack questioned.
“Perhaps Twilight can change the spell.” She suggested. “Tinkering with it to make Emma go home instead?”
“Send Emma back home?” Pinkie gasped. “But I don’t want her to go!”
“Seeing how she isn’t happy here…” Fluttershy thought. “Maybe it’s best that she goes home. She would be safe from all the things that’s been happening to her, and she could finally be happy.”
Fluttershy brought up a good point. Maybe it was time for Emma to go back to her world. With the girls silence taken as agreement, I decided on what I want to do.
Help Emma home.