Chapter 13
Nex grunted as he rolled out of bed, tasting the chemicals in his mouth that cleaned the bile and bacteria. He spat it out on his sheets, then grumbled as his stomach churned.
Hungry.
He looked over to Twilight, snorting when he saw she was still asleep. She always brought him his food in the morning. Since he still didn't know much about the house/library, he would have to wait for her to wake up. Or he could wake her up like he did the other day. She was extremely grumpy, to the point where he was tempted to hit her for being so annoyed. But the collar was for something other than keeping him near. He didn't know what, but she held onto it for dear life whenever he tried to intimidate her. She was brave for standing up to him, but she was still afraid.
His stomach gurgled again, and he gripped it as he quietly crawled to the steps. If she wouldn't wake up to feed him, he would have to find the food. He sniffed constantly while going down the stairs, trying to smell the lovely stench of cooked flesh. He only caught faint whiffs of the meal he had last night, but other than that there was nothing but a strange, flowery smell and the scent of a tree. The first place he would have to search was the "kitchen." That's where the food was kept and made. He cautiously ventured inside, sniffing again but unable to catch a trail.
"Where food," he growled, opening cabinets and drawers.
The "fridge" was where food was kept so it wouldn't go bad, so he rushed over and nearly tore it open. A loud grunt of disgust left him when he saw vegetables nearly everywhere. He slammed it shut and rubbed his nose, shivering at the memory of what broccoli tasted like. The pain in his stomach was growing, and he got even more angry as he rummaged through the room and couldn't find his next meal. He needed meat, something to feed him. A fruit, even. They weren't that bad. He rose his head suddenly, knocking over the table from searching under it.
There were two places he had seen fruits. The market was one, but he didn't want to have ponies around him while he ate. They weren't ponies he knew, and Twilight told him he wasn't supposed to be far from her while they were around others. But... there was a forest of apples he'd seen just down the road from the town. He was sure the town went picking for them, but no pony was really out at this time. This he'd learned when he fell out the window as he watched the sunrise two days before.
He listened out for any sign of Twilight, keeping still and holding his breath. Once a number of minutes passed, his stomach rumbled again, and he made his decision. He hurried to the door and opened it, being sure he didn't slam it as he bolted on all fours. However, Nex stumbled to a halt when he realized he didn't exactly know which way the forest was. He turned to look at the tree, then ran over and started climbing. He leaped up into its branches and poked his head out from the top, scanning the surrounding fields for the apple forest. Sure enough, just south of the town was the orchard. He hurried down from the tree and dashed off again, slobbering as he sprinted as fast as he could.
Apple Family Apple Orchard
Applejack rubbed her tired eyes as she washed her face, readying for another day of apple bucking. Big Mac had already headed up to the west fields, and today she would be working on the north. The orchards weren't very far apart from one another, but getting to the northern field was a walk. She dried herself off with a towel and shut off the running water before heading downstairs. Her grandmare was still resting in her bedroom, but she would be up by sunrise. Along with a certain eager filly.
"Hope she doesn't go overboard," Applejack chuckled to herself. She walked passed dozens of apple-stripped trees as she went further up. When she reached the trees ripe with apples ready to be picked, she went to work.
While she was setting the buckets to collect the fruit, a soft crunching sound echoed from not far off. She listened out for a minute, listening to rustling trees and what sounded like an animal running around. There weren't any large animals around Ponyville that would lurk through her family's orchards; the Everfree animals were too far to venture here. Still, she didn't dare leave out any animals from that twisted forest. She creeped over to a tree trunk and peeked around, spotting nothing of interest. As she took a step forward, there was a mushy sound under her foot that she recognized. Sure enough, there was a pile of apples that had been stripped of the edibles. Even the cores were shredded or chopped up.
But something was wrong. Some of the apples had literally been torn apart, the seeds spread around as if somepony had spit them out. She examined one of her mauled harvest and saw sharp imprints on them. One had been completely sliced in half... as if by a timberwolf.
The sounds of rustling alerted her, and she glared up as a figure darted through the woods. "Hey! Come back here!" Applejack yelled, running after whoever it was. "These apples ain't for no pony to eat unless ah'm selling! Get your flank back here!"
No matter how fast she ran, the perpetrator ran faster, moving around as if they had memorized the orchard layout. She was running out of breath, but she couldn't let the thief get away with eating her family's business. There was a loud grunt, what sounded like a branch snapping, then said branch came flying at her from afar. She ducked under it, holding down her stetson as it sailed over her.
"When Ah catch you yer done!" she shouted, tripping over another branch beneath her. "Rattle...snakes."
As she stood back up she heard a loud crash, followed by what sounded like her brother going, "What the hay?!"
"Don't let 'em get away!" Applejack called, heaving heavily while she ran to catch up. She made it to her brother, who had run over to meet her and keep her from getting closer. "And just what are ya doing?"
"Keepin' you back from that thing," her brother retorted, turning back to the mess of wood. Applejack squinted as she examined the wreck, then gasped when she saw the wheel.
"The wagon's broken now?!" she hollered, pushing his arm away as she stomped over to the pile. She pulled her sleeves up as she angrily glared at the form moving under what was once a wagon, but her brother once again held her back, using both hands to pull her away. "Mac, I can take care o' mahself. We're gonna teach 'em what happens when ya steal from this orchard."
“Grr... rah!”
Chunks of the wagon were tossed off to the side, smashing against the trees and skidding along the ground. Applejack's glare lightened up in a moment of remembrance, but hardened much more sternly afterwards. Big Mac anxiously watched the strange animal, noting it was clothed. But the front of its head wasn't like anything he'd seen, or the fleshy hands and small ears. It's body wasn't covered in fur, but it wasn't shaved off. And given that it was on all fours, he couldn't tell if it wanted to argue or fight.
"Go get Princess Twilight," Mac ordered. "Ah'll keep 'im here."
"First off, we don't need 'er now," she replied, keeping her voice low for what she would say next. "And secondly, the girls and Ah know about that thing."
Mac peered down at her, but jerked his head over to whatever it was as it pulled a few splinters out of its hand. "And you didn't think t' tell us?"
"We can argue this later, but right now, Ah want him back with Twilight." Big Mac nodded softly, slowly moving his way around the small grove.
The creature let out a guttural snarl, not unlike a timberwolf, and quickly shifted its gaze between the two. "Nex," Applejack called. He didn't respond to her, his panicked glances slowing as he focused on Big Mac, who was trying to get on the opposite side of his sister. "Listen, ya stole our harvest, damaged mah tree, and broke our wagon. We're gonna take ya back to Twilight's house so ya don't get into no more trouble."
He wasn't listening. Mac came to this conclusion as the creature turned its full attention on him. It saw how big he was, considering he was a good two feet taller than the average stallion, and therefore he was a threat. Reason and talking weren't adding up in its mind while something big tried getting behind him to keep him between two people. It growled louder, lifting itself up and standing at its full height. Applejack had seen this sort of thing with one of Fluttershy's bears. Nex was trying to scare Mac into backing off, but it was obvious he wasn't. Her brother was stubborn, and right now being stubborn would keep Nex in check. That, and the fact that the two were practically the same height.
"Nex, listen here" she told him, keeping her voice even, "somepony’s gonna get hurt if ya don't come with us t' Twilight's."
"What's goin' on down there?" The three looked around, Nex doing so in a terrified manner, until Applejack glanced up and saw her rainbow friend. "What's he doing over here?"
Nex recognized the voice, and he shouted when he spotted her above, back towards an exit. Applejack hurried to cut him off, which caused him to move back and roar at her. Rainbow landed across from them, encasing Nex in a giant triangle. He was almost completely cut off. Just like in the pit.
Two earthen... a flyer... what was the fourth?
He growled at each of them, doing his best to keep sight of them all. "Where's Twilight?" Rainbow called, raising her arms as Nex came closer. He tried moving between her and Big Mac but they closed in, sending him reeling back with a shaky shout.
"Ah don't know, but we ain't got time to get her!" Applejack answered, rushing to keep him from running off between her and Rainbow. "Don't let 'im leave! We gotta get him back to the library."
"And how do we do that?" Rainbow questioned, glaring back into his feral eyes.
Nex was panting now, feeling himself short of breath and hazy. His vision was splitting... the flyer was... she wasn't colorful now... she was turned... and the earthen... they changed in front of him... snarls echoing in his head... the last one... the last one haunted him... but what was it?
"...rt him!" Twilight panted for air by a tree, leaning against it in her pajama skirt. "How... did you... find... him... hoo!" She wiped her face of sweat and took a deep breath. "Nex, why are you out here? What's going on?!'
"He stole mah apples, threw branches at me, then broke mah wagon!"
"Eeyup." Twilight looked over at Nex, ready to reprimand him.
But his movements caught her eye. He was breathing harshly, panickedly growling and jumping his gaze to see everyone and to make sure they weren't advancing. He was afraid. She looked at where they all stood. Nex was at the center of a square, his exits all blocked off by at least two ponies. He couldn't escape, and he was well aware of this. There was an old saying about an animal backed into a corner.
It would fight for its life.
"Everypony stand back!" Twilight commanded, backing away from Nex. "Get away from him!"
Nex clenched his teeth as he remembered this same situation. Four against one. His master told him it was a test. He would die or fight again. Only useful Angels were supposed to be alive. That day he left the pit and almost didn't return. But he made sure they would never be useful again. And now, four ponies surrounded him. His mind mixed past and present, fueling his heart to pump adrenaline. After enough flowed through his body he would be able to change and protect himself. He would be able to tear apart the daunting earthen.
"He's ready to spring, and you want us to leave?!" Rainbow asked, keeping an eye on Nex.
"He ate a whole tree of apples!" Applejack told Twilight. "Then he tore off branches and broke our only wagon!"
"It's just two trees! You have a whole orchard!" Twilight argued, gesturing around them. "And I can chip in to buy a new one! Just get back before somepony gets hurt."
"There's three of us," Rainbow said, raising her arms as Nex grunted at her.
"Rainbow, stop it!" Twilight scolded, watching Nex pace as he stared at Rainbow's wings. "You don't get it, you're all scaring him!"
"Then talk to him before he gets outta hand!" Applejack replied. "Don't let him run away, Mac." Her brother took a step closer, and Nex slammed his fist into the ground and shouted threateningly.
"Nex, listen to me, just calm down," Twilight softly said. "They're not doing anything, and they won't if you come with me."
"All... afraid..." Nex grunted, his heavy breathing visible. "...no change... never... change... never!"
Twilight took a slow step forward, holding out an open hand and smiling as comforting a smile she could. "Nex, you just spooked them. We'll go back and-"
"NO!" he bellowed, driving his knuckles into a piece of wood. It shattered under his fist, digging jagged edges into his hand. "Want monster... I be monster..."
He readied to let loose his roar and change. His target would be the red one, then the orange one, then he would take his time with the blue one. Twilight was weak. Her magic was useless. She was just a bystander. He opened his mouth to signal his attack...
...but grunted when something stuffed itself inside.
"Whoa-nelly, I got here in time!" Pinkie chortled, looking down at Nex from on his back. "Sugar gets ponies super-duper excited! But when they're already excited it makes them relax, and you’re extra-massively excited! So I made this since Mrs. Cake told me you took a lot of sweets! But you took a lot, so you probably had a tummy ache, and since you already ate so much, I'm only giving you this! Feeling better?"
Nex just looked up at her... everything quiet as he stared at the pink pony's eyes with his smaller pair. His stuffed mouth watered with the subtle sweet taste of the muffin in his mouth, which tasted weird but good, and he realized he needed a little more food to fill him up. He lowered to the ground and sat cross-legged as he bit into the treat and held it to his mouth, slowly eating so he wouldn't repeat the night before. Twilight stared at him in shock, but the others seemed more confused than anything.
"Um... so... is everything okay now?" Rainbow questioned, feeling the need to break the ice.
Applejack sighed and shook her head, muttering swears to herself before she went around Nex and Pinkie to meet with Twilight, her brother, and Rainbow. "A whole tree's worth fifty bits! And that wagon ain't cheap, either!"
"And how much would it cost to pay for the hospital bill for all three of you?!" Twilight quietly hissed, pointing a finger to the gladiator. "How about if he kills somepony?! Remember? This wouldn't be the first time!"
"Hold on, what are ya'll-"
"Shh!" Twilight hushed, raising her head to look at Nex. He slowly ate his muffin while Pinkie watched him, rambling on about something. "Okay, short version: He was a gladiator since he was little, Celestia and Luna freed him, they want us to help him act normal. His collar has a sedative in it, so we can calm him down if he really gets crazy."
"And what's he doing out without you?" Rainbow asked, stretching her wing out. "I thought you were supposed to be with him everywhere?"
Twilight sighed, gesturing to her attire. "I was asleep." She thought to herself for a moment, wondering why he woke up so early. "Hmm... he was pretty sick last night from eating a lot of cupcakes and muffins. Maybe he felt really hungry and had to find food. He was eating apples."
"And threw branches at me," Applejack reminded her.
Twilight rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yes, and that," she said. "Look, I'll pay for the apples and help with the wagon too. Sound fair?"
Applejack went to speak, but Mac held up a hand for her to stop. "Why did he come out here? Don't ya have food in the library?"
She rubbed her arm and awkwardly laughed. "Yeah... he just doesn't like any of it. Princess Celestia had the griffons deliver a whole crate of... meat." They all shivered at the thought of it. "He only likes that so I keep it in the basement so he doesn't raid it one day. He usually waits... but he probably couldn't find it. He must be okay with fruits."
"And when there's an orchard right down the road it isn't exactly hard to find them,” Rainbow added, crossing her arms behind her head. "You should keep some of his food out for him to find if he wakes up before you."
"Or at least wake up earlier," Applejack huffed, rubbing her temple.
"I'm sorry. I know now, okay?" Applejack looked up to her and sighed.
"Listen, ferget all that payment stuff. Just fifty bits less this year, nothin' extreme," she assured her. "Ah need a new wagon, though. We pay 50/50. Alright?"
Her friend smiled and gave her a short hug as thanks. "No problem, AJ."
Nex sniffed closer and closer to Pinkie, who giggled and shook her head. "Uh uh, no moooore," she sang, pointing to his bulging pockets. "Eat those. You don't wanna feel all icky and down later!"
He tilted his head, causing Pinkie to giggle again. She sprang up and held a hand out, waiting for him to take it. His eyes looked from the hand to its owner's eyes, uncertainty in his own. Pinkie mistook his unsure response as a questioning one.
"You gotta hold my hand so you can stand up!" she explained, shaking her hand around for him to focus on it. "Look, take your hand," she grabbed his good hand and placed it in hers, then squeezed tightly, "and I pull you u-WHA!"
Pinkie pulled as hard as she could, but she couldn't budge him, and ended up falling forward, landing next to him. "I-cky?" Nex repeated.
Kinda late for this update, but it's here! I'm hoping to start setting sail for this ship, but for now I'll keep it to myself 
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and as always, remember to like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!
Stats
Page generated in 0.022 seconds
Total duration
1,007 users online
1,632,390 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Aw man, I wanted an all-out battle between Nex and the ponies. Great chapter though, keep it up man!
You really cranking these outs ain't ya, great one again.
Pinkie to the fucking rescue, what a hero
Muffins, the solution to all of life's potential homicides... I mean problems.
For a moment I honestly believed you wanted to make Big Mac being able to stop him, it wouldn't be the first time that someone would have made such a weird choice. I mean he is trained and ready to kill, Big Mac not.
Well you haven't done it and him being affrait made sense, this is really a good story so far.
"Fighting is for killing, not watching." -Strong 2015.
vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/e/eb/Strong.png/revision/latest?cb=20151214073924
Apparently he can nullify earth pony magic too... Explains why he isn't dead several times over.
How the fuck did A.J. and Dash NOT realize the situation was going South? Nex was right about one thing though, if all anybody ever sees is a monster, eventually the so-called monster actually becomes one. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
7335925 not much of a battle, more like a massacre.
Rainbow dash is fast but not strong.
Her arrogance makes her pick fights with people much stronger than her.
The ponies should understand that when dealing with an emotionally unstable individual rainbow dash should be tied up far away.