Solace

by ThatLimeyFuck

5. Separate

The blinding whiteness drains from your vision to reveal that you were standing in a park, not far at all from cobblestone roads and old-looking houses, all of it having some kind of unidentifiable quality to them. Something that made them feel not entirely realistic. Then there was the inhabitants. All of them like the creature you ventured here with, small, chest-high technicolour ponies with their own unique, obscure marking on their flanks. Some even sported a horn or a pair of wings, definitely relating to the 'mythical creature' portion of the notes.

However, before you can begin to appreciate what whoever wrote those notes was on about when they mentioned a 'cartoon world', you gain awareness of the situation you're in.

Surrounding you on all sides are more locals, kitted out in golden armour, each with a spear pressed against your neck, glaring at you with venomous intent. Complying with the threat, you stay deathly still. Looking around, you see many of the natives stop in their tracks to take a look, some running away out of fear, or worse, to get their friends to take a look. If that wasn't enough, the pony beside you had gone back to trembling again. You didn't know if she could hear, or if feel was her only remaining sense, but you know you hadn't let her know you'd made it through safely, using the term as loosely as it gets.

Not long after your arrival, after some hushed chatter, one of the armed ponies broke off from the group and was out of sight before long. Where he had gone was up to the imagination. The audience, meanwhile, grew and grew relentlessly, some looking at you, some looking at the creature by your side. No matter who they were looking at, their expressions showed the same things.

Concern, fear.
And disgust.
Many of them muttered to each other, and you can pick up on random words in the air.
"It's one of -them-..."
"What are they waiting for? It deserves it."
"Terrible creature."

You know you are innocent, but the remarks judging you for a crime you did not commit did not evoke annoyance or anger, but a pang of guilt. Your thoughts are interrupted, however, as the armoured pony returns to the group, and they all withdraw their weapons from your flesh, though they still remain pointed at you. You rub the ache away from your neck, and drape a hand on the mint green pony's back, to a clamour of gasps from the crowd. Her shaking slows to a halt, and her composure is regained, causing even more quiet talk among the natives.

At that moment, another bright flash of light occurs mere meters from where you stand, and you avert your eyes. When the effect wears off, you are treated to yet another vengeful sight. Before you stands another pony, much larger than all the others, easily reaching your head-height. The differences don't end there, as you see it is adorned with all kinds of accessories, with a long flowing mane of 3 different colours, you estimate, and this one has both wings and a horn.

An Alicorn? Wasn't that what they were called? At its arrival, all around but you and the pony next to you bow. It quickly comes across that this is a bit more serious than law enforcement.

As the locals stand back up, their murmuring increases yet again, giving less care to hiding their words.
"She's mad, it's in for it now..."
"Finally it'll get what's coming to it..."
You deeply hope you won't.

It eyes you for a full minute, looking over your form with apparent malevolence, before looking worryingly to the pony beside you. When it looks back at you again, its gaze becomes even more fiery than before.

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

The fact these things are capable of sentience, let alone speech, bewilders you. Not to mention the fact that this alicorn just teleported here. Judging by its voice, it, too, was a female.

Now it's your turn to tremble.
"I...I am not the person responsible for this."

As you reply, the crowd goes silent. Either they were as surprised you could talk as you were that they could, or they were waiting for this to turn sour. You hoped they weren't waiting for your punishment. Whatever that would be.

The alicorn dismissed your response with another question, as you rack your brain trying to think how you could possibly prove your innocence.
"My subjects who witnessed the kidnapping of Miss Heartstrings described her captor as a strange, two-legged animal, not too dissimilar from the Minotaurs. You seem to fit this description very well. Explain yourself."

You remind yourself why you're doing this, why you made the decision to help this pony. With your back straight, you attempt to look strong in will, although beneath the surface right now, things weren't exactly the same.
You are not a cruel man.
"I am not a cruel man. I was not the one who did this. My kind number seven billion, and there are people far worse than I. I found this creature out in the cold, alone and scared. I took it into my care, cleaned its coat of the blood and dirt left by others far more wicked than I. And then I vowed that I would be there for it, whatever it was. It needed help, and as fate would have it, I was the one to give that help."

The alicorn looked over you again, spending a moment in silence after what your attempt to plead.
"Your words alone are not enough for redemption. How am I to know if what you say is true? How can I be sure you are not the one who did this?"

You find her disbelief after what you just said to be, frankly, offensive. This time, your stoicism was not false.
"If I was the sick bastard that did this, why on earth would I have brought her back?"
You wanted to leave it at that, and leave logic to show your innocence, but you felt the urge to continue.
"I am not so vile that I would take a being like this and turn it into a monstrosity, much less bring it back to remind you of the grave things done."
Your valiance melts away, leaving little more than a beg. You'd not come this far to fail now.
"Please. You have to believe me. I would feel like the true monstrosity if I had left this uncorrected."

You'd never thought yourself to be too religious, but you prayed she'd find your words to be true. And to your relief, the anger in her eyes dissipated. Though still outwardly dismissive towards you, she sounded calmer, and less intent on having you condemned for someone else's evils.
"...I suppose you make sense."
With that, you heard some of the crowd behind her sigh. Whether they had come to believe what you were saying, or they were disappointed you'd not been sentenced, you weren't sure.
"Very well. We will see to her. You, on the other hand...you are free to go."
Go?
You were NOT going to be made to abandon this, not now.
"Go? You think I'm just going to give up now and just hope it all turns out well? What kind of pathetic mongrel do you take me for?"
Regretting your choice of tone, you try to ditch the anger and calm yourself down.
"Listen, I NEED to know she comes out of this alright. If you sent me back now, the ignorance would be unbearable."

The alicorn gives a sigh at your persistence, though the anger in her eyes was all but completely extinguished.
"Alright. We shall find accommodation for you somewhere. But I hope you understand, until we can be sure that you are completely clear of all involevement in this, I must have some of my guard keep watch on you."

That was a small price to pay in return for seeing this put right.
"That's fine. Thank you. Thank you, very much."
You move in front of the lime green pony, crouch down and take her hoof in your hand. Whether she could hear you or not, you hoped she knew what you were saying to her.
"I have to leave you for a while. You're going to be taken care of."
Facing the fact that this was goodbye, at least for now, you began to well up in tears, your words reduced to but a whisper.
"I will be here for you. Never forget that."

Fighting back the urge to let loose, you step back and let two guards escort her away, muttering about how they're "going to need all the regenerative magic in Equestria for this" as the rest finally stand down. Most of what the escorting guards said went right over your head, and you figured you had some research to do in your time here. The crowd began to disperse, two other guards escorted you away, and the rest and the alicorn headed off into the distance.
Probably to that weird castle on the mountainside.