My Little Dashie: Jackson series

by Puking Coyote

A War in Paradise

A War in Paradise

By. Puking Coyote

My name is Jackson Turner, Male age 27. It has been what I can guess five hours since I went to bed. The sun’s rays were just starting to peek through the window as morning started to begin. I hardly slept at all since my decision last night to let Celest wipe my mind in order to prevent the oncoming war. I rolled over and stared at the wall a few minutes before getting up when I entered the living room I saw Luna sleeping on the couch. I looked around and saw thing sleeping in his little bed in the corner. I decided not to wake them and opened the door to go for a walk outside. Just then I realized that the door was rebuilt I looked back at Thing again and saw him gripping a small hammer; the poor guy must have spent the whole night rebuilding the door. As I stepped outside the sun’s rays seemed to greet me but I knew that the one who raised it would not be so pleasant. I took only one of the wolves on my walk leaving the other to watch the house. As I moved under the trees to nowhere in particular I thought long and hard of my decision last night. It did seem to be the logical thing to do my memories for the stability of Equestria, the wolf disagreed but he also decided not try to stop me if I went to confront Celest in Canterlot. In fact he was willing to come with me and be turned to stone as well if I wanted him to this was a sentiment that I knew the other wolf would have as well.

“Your loyalty always amazes me” I stated to him “I am very lucky to have you as a friend.”

He thanked me for my reply as we continued walking the woods grassy floor.

For those who do not know Timberwolves do not speak like normal people or ponies for that matter but instead they are very expressive and talk more with their eyes than anything else. They understand spoken language but it was only when I learned how to understand their expressions and feelings was I able to communicate with them. At times I can understand the wolves better than the ponies for the ponies liked to mask their true feelings where the wolves did not. It might be hard for many to understand but I know exactly what the wolves are saying.

As we walked it occurred to me that this might be the last time I would ever see the Forest again and that thought saddened me especially as I thought about how much of a blessing it had been . In fact I had also been blessed with good friends and even though this world might not have been made for me I did feel at home. I looked over at a tree and saw something sticking out of its roots half buried I went over and unburied it. After wiping the dirt from its clear surface I began to weep for it was my holo picture from so long ago, this was the place where I first came to Equestria. After running energy through its frame to charge the batteries it turned on and began to show the soft glow of me and my comrades on the battle cruiser Spitekin’s deck.

“I thought that I lost you” I said to it. “In a way it’s appropriate to find you before I lose everything again. I wish that we all could have been together longer before the invasion but it seems to be my curse to always lose what is most precious to me.”

I looked at the picture closer then put it into my pocket “Anyone of us would have sacrificed ourselves to end that war. I will not dishonor your memory by letting another start in this world as well, not when I can stop it.” I then carved my name into a stone at the base of the tree then started to head back with renewed dedication to my decision to let Celest wipe my memories and turn me to stone.

As I arrived back at the house Luna saw me “Jackson! We were so worried we thought that thou went to confront our sister.” She ran up and hugged me almost squeezing the life out of me.

She then let go letting me breath I took a few seconds then replied to her “I went for a walk but I am leaving today.” I then reached for my pocket and took out the holo picture and handed it to her “I found this in the area where I first came to Equestria.”

She took it and stared into the image for a long time “A window to another world, your world.” She then touched the glass screen with her hoof “There all dead now aren’t they?”

“Yes.”

“This is the cost of war then? I understand why you want to prevent it.” She then handed the picture out to me.

“I want you to have it I doubt that I could see when I am a statue anyway.”

She nodded and floated it into her pouch resting on the table “Then thou are going to Canterlot?”

“I must.”

She then looked away “We thought that thou might have changed your mind.” She then looked behind me and I turned to see Dash holding a box I recognized it from the baked goods store in Ponyville.

“I grabbed some cupcakes since Thing was not able to prepare breakfast in time.” Dash replied as she entered the house and put them onto the counter. She then took out two cupcakes and gave them to the wolves outside.

“Thank you Dash” I replied taking one then bit into it.

“I know that it’s not much but I wanted to get you something before you go.”

I then noticed that Dash and Luna were not eating “are you going to eat any?”

“Nope they are just for you and the wolves.”

Just then I started to feel woozy “wait, wha… what’s going on” I stumbled against the counter and knocked the cupcakes onto the ground before falling myself. Luna caught me with her magic and gently placed me onto the ground then all went black.

When I came to I was strapped to a chair in a dark room “Where am I, what’s going on? Dash... Luna!” I demanded into the darkness.

Dash then appeared “I’m sorry but we could not let you do it. We could not let you give yourself to Celestia.”

“What have you done?!” I replied struggling against the ropes tying me down. “If I don’t go Celest will cast Equestria into war!”

“Actually your too late for that” Luna replied coming out of the shadows.

“What, how long have I been out?”

“About six days” Dash replied then Luna’s horn began to glow letting me see that we were in a cave. I could see that the Timberwolves and Thing were also tied up against a wall sleeping. “The princess has been searching the Forest for about two days now and we had to relocate when she came to close to the house.”

“What about the creatures of the Forest?”

“They attacked many of the soldiers and wounded them but Celestia is pushing them back that is why we need you.”

“For what?”

Luna came up to me “we thought that we could gather the creatures and win the war but we are losing, badly. Already I have fought my sister and barely made it back without being captured, we need you.”

I lowered my eyes from them they were in a bind I could see it in their faces and Celest would not forgive them for opposing her. “So I was not able to prevent the war? Figures, most of my life is filled with it so it was only natural that it follow me here.” I then looked back up at them “Why did you do it?”

“Because it was unjust and I love you we can’t allow my sister to take thou away from us.”

“What right does a man have to cast a world into turmoil and destroy thousands just to live a normal life? What right do I have Luna?!”

She stared at with her big blue eyes “And by what right are thou to be denied a normal life? Just because thou art different than those in this land, should thou lose everything again?”

I sat there thinking to myself before replying “The war has already started and you two are already in trouble with Celest. I no longer have a reason to give myself up to her.” I then looked at them “all that matters to me now is protecting my friends.”

“So thou will help?”

“Yes, I will take command and we will win.” Luna then untied me “Thank you, both of you I know what you sacrificed for me.”

It didn’t take long for the wolves and Thing to be woken up and they were not at all happy after I told them what happened but they soon forgave Luna and Dash when they heard their reasons. However all four of us agreed never to eat cupcakes again. I quickly got in contact with many of the Forest creatures who were ecstatic that I had come back to them to fight against Celest’s army. It didn’t take me long to figure out the state of our forces and how Luna had sent them out to Counter Celest’s forces. It was one of the worst strategies that I ever seen and I quickly reorganized them after that I pinpointed where Celest’s forces were and the path they were following, this I put onto a map that I created of the area. The enemy was taking very predictable paths through the forest and I formed many strategies in my head. The enemy outnumbered our forces 5 to 1 and had a great deal of magic on their side this of course called for guerilla tactics. As I looked over the map that the creatures were helping me make I saw something very interesting about a clearing and formulated a very daring strategy that Celest couldn’t hope to ever predict . It took the whole day but I was able to organize the dragons, birds, wolves and other creatures into military cells and set them out to start guerilla warfare. However I did tell my forces to take the ponies alive at all cost and not to kill wherever possible. I then gathered a force of 150 dragons and 300 land creatures and went out to the front to face Celest.

My forces were 100 dragons for my air power with 50 in reserve and 200 land creatures with 100 in reserve. It took the day to set up our defenses were Celest and her main force was to come through but by night we were ready. The next morning we were face to face with Celest and her forces which numbered about 800 Pegasus and 1,000 pony warriors. Right then I wished that we had a good energy cannon to face them with but unfortunately we were left with ancient tactics and weapons.

“I hope this plan works” Luna commented as we stared into the distance at the large mass of enemy forces coming our way.

“If Celest has not changed her strategies since the last time you two fought then it will” I replied. I was surprisingly not nervous for after the sprites I had become accustomed to war and the horrors that it unveils but Luna and the other creatures of Equestria were not. I was going to use their inexperience to my advantage “Luna give the signal.”

Luna nodded and shot a flare into the sky from her horn in response the main force of dragons took to the air. They had flew about halfway to Celest when they were meet by the Pegasus’s who were all carrying dark clouds of many sizes. As they collided the air was filled by an array of dragon fire and lightning from the Pegasus clouds. The battle in the air started to turn badly for the dragons but they kept the Pegasus’s busy while Celest’s forces started to get into place. I nodded to Luna who shot another flare and the dragons started their retreat with the Pegasus’s hot on their heels. Like I had planned Celest sent them all after the dragons and left her ground forces very vulnerable from the air. I then gave Luna the signal to activate the 50 dragons in reserve who came flying at the enemies main force and started to scorch the earth around them. The clearing that the enemy was in was filled with Gloxian flowers which by themselves were not dangerous but when they are burned they give out a poison that will paralyze any pony that breaths it for a week and I chose this location for that particular reason. As the dragons scorched the earth around the tightly packed lines of Celest’s army they made a fiery ring around them to prevent the ponies from escaping. Soon all but a few of the ponies who were with Celest were on the ground paralyzed by the plants fumes.

On the other side of the landscape the enemies air force was being routed by my first dragon force for they fell into another of my traps. The dragons as I instructed them lead the Pegasus’s into a mouth of a volcano its heat and strong drafts destroyed the clouds they were carrying leaving them defenseless to the dragons counter attack.

I then shot a flare of my own and my ground forces covered by the reserved dragons started their charge against Celest. Once she saw me Celest gave a cry of anger and charged at us as well, Luna flew up to face her sister while I stayed with the ground forces to take care of the remainder of the enemy. Everything was going as planned that is until Twilight and her friends (except Dash) showed up with the Elements of Harmony. The incomplete Elements by themselves could not have stopped our forces but when some of the creatures saw Fluttershy they stopped fighting. The wolves and dragons did not stop but the manticores and some of the other races did. This turned the tide of the battle towards, well, nobody’s favor it was probably even that is until the dragons arrived back from the volcano but that was going to take some time. I decided that if we were to win I would have to defeat the Elements of Harmony myself.

“Jackson you’re not going to face them are you?” Dash asked.

“If I don’t then we can’t support Luna and Celest might win” I replied looking up at the fight between Luna and her sister.

“Then I am coming with you they are my friends after all.”

We then made our way across the battle field only stopping to fight when a pony got in our way.
“Dash! What are you doing?” Twilight asked when we confronted them.

“I am going to rescue my dad that’s what I am doing!” Dash exclaimed.

“What are you talking about?”

“Princess Celestia is holding him hostage to force me to help you turn Jackson into stone.”

“What are you talking about sugar cube? Celestia would never do a thing like that” Applejack replied.

Rarity cocked her head “she’s right the princess is too kind hearted and civilized to do such a barbaric thing.”

“She did and we are going to rescue him.”

“Listen” Twilight stated “I don’t know anything about your dad but I do know that Jackson attacked Princess Celestia in her throne room and is now waging war against Equestria and must be stopped.”

“Augh, am I going to be blamed for everything! Listen Twilight I know that your protective of your mentor but this is Celest’s fault. Luna and I went to Canterlot to tell her that we are dating and she flipped out. She has got it in her head that I am trying to take over the world but I am not!”

“How are we to believe something as ridicules as that? That has to be the dumbness lie that I have ever heard.”
“It is true” Dash cut in “just ask Princess Luna she’s fighting Celestia as we speak.”

Twilight looked up and saw the incredible battle against the two princesses “That is Luna” she then looked back down at me. “You brainwashed her didn’t you?”

“What? No!” I replied taken aback.

Twilights horn then started to glow as well as the jewels around her friends “I don’t believe you! If Princess Celestia says you are bad then you. If you’re going to lie and say that someone else started a war then don’t blame the nicest pony in all of Equestria.”

“I don’t even know why I bother no pony will believe the truth because Celest has blinded them to it.”

“Shut up and become stone!” Twilight shouted.

We then clashed powers, like I said the Elements of Harmony were incomplete but they still magnified Twilights powers tenfold. I started to lose my grip against the power but when Dash kicked Twilight in the face I regained the advantage.

“Even without the extra power from the Elements I think that you have gotten stronger in your magic” I stated. I looked over at Dash and realized that she had been captured and was now struggling against Applejack and Rarity.

“Thanks I have been practicing” Twilight replied.

“However, you still have a lot to learn about fighting smartly.” I then summoned two cords that gripped Twilights back legs and raised her high into the air letting her tiara the centerpiece of the elements fall to the ground.

“Twi!” Applejack yelled then let go of Dash to get to her friend.

“No you don’t” I then summoned cords to entangle them all Pinkypie was the last and the most difficult to get but I managed to tie her up as well.”

Dash then went and took the elements from them “Sorry Twilight, but I need to do this for my dad’s sake.”

“You have been brainwashed, you’re all brainwashed!”

I then went up to Twilight and looked her in the eyes “She’s not the one that has been brainwashed.”

“Everything was fine until you arrived here, why couldn’t you stay in your world and leave us alone!” She screamed as I began walking away turning into my Pegasus form.

The battle on the ground was won the wolves were just mopping up the last of the soldiers but the battle with Celest was just beginning. I took to the air to join Luna against her sister the last confrontation. I didn’t know what I could really do I was never able to give any real challenge to Celest before but I had to help Luna. I looked deep within my new form and found an ability that I had yet to try it was a mixture of my new magic and living energy. I opened my mouth and shot an energy beam out of it striking Celest, it did not really hurt her but it did send her flying a few feet and allowed Luna to get a good shot at her before Celest recovered.

“Luna” I called as I flew up to her.

“Jackson thank you I was starting to lose to her.”

I then looked at Celest who was suddenly surrounded by the dragons and losing her ground to their numbers “Now the tables have turned.” Luna and I then joined the battle, Celest could not hold her own against our numbers especially when the dragons arrived back from the volcano and she fell to the ground defeated. I quickly tied her up with steel cords as Luna made sure that Celest could not use her magic. “What now?” I asked.

Luna looked at me then her sister “We don’t know.”

“Just kill me! I know that you want to you dirty human” Celest shouted then spat at me.

“The last thing that I want to do is kill you, I was not lying when I said that I wanted peace between us” I replied. “But first you need to free Brian what you did to him and Dash was evil he did not deserve to be a hostage for your war.”

“That’s right” Dash stated as she came over to us. “You will release my father now.”

“Fine” Celest replied bitterly.

“Princess Celestia you didn’t…” Twilight whispered however Celest ignored her.

“I suppose that you will want control of my world now Jackson?” she asked harshly.

“No, I want no such thing but the creatures here were fighting not just for me but also their independence you will give that to them.” Celest said nothing “Also I would want you to accept me and Luna.”

“That I cannot do.”

“I know that you hate humans in your world but we are here, get over it.”

“If you think that I would marry you two so you can take over the world forget it I will fight you and even if it takes a thousand years I will stop you. You can’t be married into the family without the ruler of Equestria’s blessing.”

“Then I will give it” a familiar voice suddenly reigned in the air.

Celest’s eyes widened “No!”

“Yes” the voice said then the figure of Discord appeared.

“How did thou escape?” Luna demanded.

“The Elements of Harmony work best when there’s Harmony which this little war had fortunately for me weakened.” He then appeared in front of me and Luna “I was very pleased with what I saw from you willing to give yourself up to Celestia to prevent this war. I am also happy that Luna drugged you otherwise you would be stone and I would have never seen the amazing strategic mind of a human in action.”

“How do you know such things?” I asked.

“I see more than Celestia gives me credit for like even now you are signaling to Rainbow Dash to give the Elements of Harmony back to Twilight Sparkle while you keep me distracted.” He then snapped his fingers and the Elements in Dashes mouth became a bucket of fish. “I can’t allow that you see I am tired of being turned to stone. Therefore I am willing to take you up on your offer.”

“What offer is that?”

“Don’t you remember? You were reading about me and asked why Celestia and I could not make some arrangement to share power and stop our bickering over the throne.”

“Yes…I was reading in the throne room and asked your statue what it thought about having a chaos week where you could rule Equestria with chaos then things go back to normal. I didn’t think that you could hear me though after all you were a statue at the time.”

“No, I could hear you very well for when you’re a statue you don’t lose consciousness. No, your awake and know what’s going on but you can’t move in fact it is a horrible existence, one that I had to live for the longest of time. You are lucky that you did not meet the same fate as I did. It’s strange that your weak compared to Celestia but you managed to escape her judgment all these years I could learn a few things from you Jackson my boy.”

“So you want to make friends with Celest in order to keep yourself from being turned to stone again?” I then thought about it “there’s some type of rules that you must follow isn’t there? Otherwise you would have gotten rid of Celest a long time ago, you are clearly more powerful than she is.”

“Yes, there are rules even in chaos otherwise there could be no harmony. For if there was no chaos there would be no harmony since there would be nothing to compare it to the same could be said the other way around.”

“I see, so you have to act irrationally for it’s who you are at least for the most part.”

“Like I said Jackson you have some chaos in you otherwise you could not have figured it out” Discord replied with a smile. “Anyway you defeated Celestia so you are by rights the new ruler Equestria so I ask you do we have a deal?”

“A week of chaos every year like a holiday celebrating the first ruler of Equestria, then things will go back to normal the state of harmony?” Discord nodded I then looked at Luna.

“I think that if thou art not tricking us it is a fair deal. My sister does not trust thou but she does not trust Jackson as well, we say yes” she replied.

“Ok, you have a deal but if this is some type of trickery then we will be force to turn you back to stone, understand?”

“Nope it is against every fiber of my being but for once I shall not trick the ponies of Equestria in my promise. One week a year is fine but the week for the year in question must be random such is the nature of chaos now for my side of the bargain you shall be wed.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am going to marry you and Luna I thought that I made that intention clear.”

“No you can’t! Discord you…” Celest began but then a zipper appeared on her face and zipped her mouth closed.

“What like now?!” I asked ignoring what happened to Celest.

“Of course, no time like the present, and look I have your best man” just then Brian appeared wearing a tux.

“What’s going on?” Brian asked.

“I think me and Jackson are getting married” Luna answered very confused.

“Oh…ok” Brian then looked around at all the collapsed ponies and creatures of the Forest and his eyes widened “did I miss something?!”

“Oh, nothing too big just war and Celestia lost” Dash replied while running up to her father giving him a big hug.

“Wait war, are you hurt, how many died?”

“Actually nobody did” Discord answered “the ponies do not have it in them to kill and Jackson told his forces not to kill so they didn’t. Don’t you see the chaos in it? It’s a major war where nobody died absolutely priceless.”

“A war where nobody died” I said to myself happy of the news “who could have guessed.”

“Well let’s get this show on the road” discord continued “dearly beloved we are gathered here today.”

“Wait your starting now?”

“Yes, don’t you want to marry her?”

“Well yeah, but…”

“What about you Luna?”

“Yes, however I…”

“Good here are your rings” a ring then appeared on both of our hoofs “you are now married, congratulations.”

Just then a huge surge of magic filled me and I could feel a horn grow on my head as I became stronger than what I ever thought possible. It was as if the sudden surge of magic and my energy became one I then collapsed and blanked out for a second before coming too. “What happened?” I asked.

“I told thou would become an alicorn remember?” Luna replied.

“That was unexpected” Discord replied. “Your magic is stronger than it should be for a royal pony there must have been something special about that energy you had. I wonder, you might even be as powerful as me.”

“If that is true then I guess you’re grateful that we made that agreement then” I replied getting up.

“Truly” he then took the zipper off of Celest’s mouth “here is your new brother Celestia. I saw what you did to the two of them starting this war and all but now is your chance to congratulate them and to try make up for what you have done.” Celest did not say anything but her look was that of a pony who was defeated in every way. “There’s one thing that I can’t stand is someone who hates based on race I mean look at me I have just about every race in my makeup, you need to learn to accept Jackson for what he is inside.” Discord then looked at me “I will see you around Jackson my boy” he then disappeared in a flash of party streamers which fell to the ground.

Celest then got up now freed and flew away towards Canterlot without saying a single word about what had happened. Luna then looked at me “Are thou ok?”

I thought about all that happened in just a short amount of time and started to feel overwhelmed by it all “I have the biggest headache right now.”

We spent the rest of the day helping the wounded from the war and just like Discord said nobody was killed during the whole ordeal. I stayed in my pony form for that seemed easier for Celest’s soldiers to cope with when I tried to help them. Later that evening Luna started to prepare to raise the moon and to bring about the night. Her chariot arrived and to our amazement her guards including Fredrix were with it. He told us that Celest freed them when she came back to the castle. Luna came over and rubbed her head under mine then looked at me “Will thou come? I did promise to take you the moon someday.”

“Yes, I will come” I then got onto the chariot and we took off through the vortex like I have seen Luna do so many times before.

My name is Jackson, many times I have wondered what the right thing is and sometimes I still wonder for is it following logic or ones heart? The more time that passes the more I am thinking that it might be a mixture of both but with a definite lean towards the heart. So for now I will make sure to follow my heart even if logic tells me not to.

P.S. Life is but a dream and nobody wants to wake up from it.

Comments

[OdinBrony]

and then the sprites invade
he can still turn back into a human though right?