Raison D'être

by mechafone

10 The Truth About Us

Green eyes shifted and glanced to light blue. The green eyes shifted upwards to glance at the light pink highlights in the stallion's hair. Said stallion rolled his eyes and looked back down into the beaker the two of them were working on. "Honestly, Melli..." He said with a thick Southern accent. "Ah'd expect a stallion to give me trouble on mah hair, but a scientist like yerself..."

The older mare chuckled as she looked back down at the beaker between them. "My apologies, Gunslinger. It's not often I see a stallion with pink highlights." She mixed some more chemicals into the beaker, her movements so precise that not a single speck of gunpowder was out of place between bag and beaker. "There, now. This should make your weapons three times more effective. Should be interesting."

"Interestin', huh? Well, let's get on with it n' see if yer little Earth pony science can actually make a difference." The yellow Earth pony scientist gave the Unicorn a curt look, then shifted the bag so that one more tiny ball of buckshot rolled into the beaker before closing the beaker and giving it a shake. She then slipped a single drop into the end of the one of the rounds in front of her. She nodded her head, giving Gunslinger the go ahead to load.

Gunslinger took the shiny pistol he'd won all those years back and opened the chamber. He looked back at Mellifluous, a cautious look in his eyes. "Now...yer sure this won't break my baby? Ah've had this thing a long time and I ain't lookin' to replace it." The scientist nodded confidently. "Of course I'm sure. I'm not really sure how those 'guns' work, but I can assure the blast won't occur until the bullet leaves the chamber and hits it's target. I've run tests."

Gunslinger gave her one more doubtful look, then took aim with his magic at the wall. The wall itself was blackened from use, and over six feet thick, specially designed to withstand all kinds of tests. He cocked the weapon, then fired. Immediately the wall exploded from concussive force and fire. The two ponies were knocked back against the wall, glass and little bits of copper wire raining down on them from the mixing table above.

It took a minute for Gunslinger to stand. When he did, he let out a big, whooping laugh. "HOOOOOO WEE! Would ya look at that! Hah!" Mellifluous looked at the wall that had stood up to so many explosions. There was a good dent in the wall, resulting in a good three foot radius that had shredded the metal inside it. It had taken her this long to find some kind of armor piercing weapon, and apparently she'd found it. She looked down at the debris that had fallen, and laughed. The entire beaker that had the mixed liquid in it had miraculously survived the explosion that knocked everything else off the table. If it had been shaken too much...

"Well, Gunslinger, I think we've found a solution to our resident Manticore problem, don't you think?"

---

Frostbite stared into the eyes of his enemy. His enemy stared right back. It wasn't a fair battle, really. A single, adult Pegasus against a Cryomancer. Frostbite started out with an ice-sword. Forming the blade with his magic, he began to advance. His Pegasus partner had fitted thin blade guards on the outside of his wings. This Pegasus was a dancer.

While wing guards were often used for advanced rush-and-crush techniques, this Pegasus was more suited to strategic dash-and-slash attacks. Wear down the enemy, then finish them when they were too tired to continue.

The two warriors approached each other. Ice and blade parried, blocked. Riposte, tierce. The two continued, neither gaining ground, neither falling back.

Finally, after a good five minutes, Frostbite landed a bit on the Pegasi's neck, the ice pick have lost it's dangerous tip a mere fraction of a second before impact.

The dark Pegasus laughed and bows, wings spread gracefully. "Frostbite, you're getting better. Must be your youth. I've lost mine."

Frostbite rolled his eyes and dispersed his weapon. "I'm not getting better, you're just getting older, Roving Gale." Roving laughed and detached his weapons from his wings. "Honestly, Frostbite. You're getting better. Your ice magic is showing some very impressive control."

The two bantered back and forth for a while before Frostbite left the room, leaving Roving Gale to his thoughts. It had been three months to the day since Spark Storm had abandoned his training for Ponyville. That was ok, though. They were all given a chance to make a choice. Most came back, though, at some point. There was just no getting around being what you are.

---

A loud knocking at the door brought Applejack out of bed to see who was calling at six in the morning. It was her day off, Big Mac and Spark were off in the West Fields today. So it came as a big surprise when she opened the door to see Cheerilee waiting for her. "Ch-Cheerilee, what brings ya 'round these parts?" She asked. She immediately began sweating. She knew she'd have to lie about Spark Storm, and her poker face was a terrible one.

Cheerilee wasted no time in establishing the anger in her eyes. "I know he's here, Applejack. The whole town knows it, and we're very upset." Applejack crossed both sets of legs and leaned against the door, a look of forced disinterest in her eyes forming. "I dunno what yer talkin' about." "You know very well what I'm talking about! Spark Storm is hiding here on the farm, and -" "Your brother ain't here," Applejack repeated. "And even if he was, I don't see how it's anypony else's business 'sides mine, 'cause the Apple Farm ain't in Ponyville borders!"

Cheerilee visibly flinched at the word brother. She hadn't thought of Spark as her family in a long time. Applejack pressed on, seeing some results to her verbal wrangling. "Cheerilee, he's yer family. Don't ya think it's about time y'all made up? What happened was an accident." Cheerilee seemed shaked, but she wasn't yet ready to forgive and forget. "He's a monster, Applejack! Didn't you see what he was capable of? He's a monster hunter!"

Applejack's hackles rose as she stood straight over Cheerilee, eyes blazing. "I beg yer pardon. Ya do know that the Apple family has to fight off monsters now and then? Are you callin' all of us monsters? I think yer visit to mah farm is over, Cheerilee." The purple mare backed away from the younger farm pony, ears back and a guilty look on her face. "Applejack, I didn't mean, I...I'm sorry." She turned around, tears in her eyes. She paused and looked back at Applejack. "Please...tell him...I need more time." Applejack snorted quietly in response. "Ya got a twisted way o' sayin' ya need more time, Cheerilee. He's yer family and he loves ya. He certainly wouldn't have a mob at his hooves if he needed to forgive ya."

Applejack sighed sadly as she watched Cheerilee go. She thought she felt a presence to her right. She looked and jumped back with a gasp. Spark Storm! "H-how long ya been standin' there, sugarcube?" Spark sighed sadly and shook his head, his gaze on the ground. "Long enough." Applejack sighed and moved to nuzzle him gently. "Ah'm sorry, Spark. Sounds like Ponyville knows you're here. I don't know what they're plannin' on doin', but ya better be damn sure the Apple's'll fight for your right to be here."

Spark smiled and nuzzled his friend back, but he still seemed unsure. Applejack raised a hoof and rested it on Spark's shoulder. "Are ya sure this what ya want, Spark?" He looked at her. Her statement had been strangely vague. "What do you mean...?" "Ya know what I mean, sugarcube. All this hidin'. It's like yer pretendin' to be somepony else. Ya can't go and be yerself in Ponyville, and bein' cooped up here all the time ain't helpin'. Yer gettin' stronger on the farm, but...What for?"

What for? Is she kidding? He thought. "I'm working on the farm to help you guys out. Plus it keeps me in shape, and -" "Nuh uh." She said, giving him a gentle shove to shut him up. "Yer all shut away here on the farm. Ya can work, and ya can protect us from the monsters. But ya can't be yerself, Spark. Not here, when them ponies out in the town want ya to leave." Spark frowned. "I don't get it, Applejack. Are you saying you want me to leave the farm?" She shook her head, her blonde mane shaking behind her. "Ah didn't say that. What Ah'm trying to say is that ya can't keep hidin' out here on the farm if ya want to be yerself. Sugarcube, ya are a monster hunter. Ya got talents that could be savin' ponies lives all over Equestria."

Spark Storm visibly shook with her words. He turned away from her, for fear that she would see the tears in her eyes. Her words. They sounded just like...Applejack reached up and gently took Spark's face in her hooves and made him look at her. "Spark...Y'all will always have a home here on the farm...Ah promise ya that. But ya gotta be true to who you are. Ya know who that is, and if I'm wrong, I'll accept that, and ya can stay here. But ya need to find the answers. Ya can't keep hidin' from 'em."

---

Four Pegasi flew through the air towards Canterlot. One, with the colors of the sun, blazing red and yellow, the only male in the group. The one closest to him was adorned with the colors of the evening and night, dark blue and violet. She seemed shy and stuck as close to the sun colored Pegasi as possible. The third, a familiar strawberry-shaded Pegasi, was bouncing through the air-yes, bouncing. She seemed as hyper as could be and flew in happy little circles around the last- a brilliant white Pegasus with mane and tail the colors the sky and blue snow. "Weee! We're gonna go see Sparky!" Lemon Pop yelled to nopony in particular. "Not now, Lemon!" Sapphire snapped. She was in no mood after hearing that Spark Storm had ditched his duties to go back to Ponyville. "Spark is going to answer for this, and I don't want -any- distractions!" Lemon Pop gasped, then somehow zippered her lips shut with a smile in her eyes.

This was going to be an interesting trip.

Comments

[Jacensolo43]

Frostbite! Well my fellow writer, it seems that great minds are able to come up with the same name! One of my OC's is named just that! oh... I swear i didn't know you had an oc named that! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!!! (I'll edit when i'm done reading the chapter)
Edit: Interesting ending. Is she angry at him or somethin? In case she didn't know, he was forced to run into the Everfree, and was given a chance after a while to live close to the only place he ever knew as home. Meh, i sense that the coming chapter's will be interesting none the less.

[Melody Brush]

Okay, le'me guess. Lemom Pop is based off of Pinkie Pie, right? That's the impression I'm getting and if so, she is going to be added to my list of top fav characters!

[mechafone]

1974823 Oh man, yeah, she's based off of Pinkie Pie, but she's a little bit different, too. She has a serious side, a kick-ass side, and a sad side, too. She quickly became one of my favorite characters to write, as you'll see in future chapters :D