Derek sang to himself as he shampooed his mane in his giant shower, which was large enough to fit five ponies comfortably. It was an old human song, unknown to the ponies of Equestria, but one would recognize it as a much more upbeat version of 'Crawling' by Linkin Park.
After being satisfied with his washing, Derek turned off the shower and stepped at. He smiled and snapped his talons, pointing at a reflection of himself stepping out of the shower making the exact same pose. Except it wasn't a mirror, it was a painting.
Derek's horn sparked and he was instantly dried and his hair was instantly perfected into the vaguely messy style he loved. He smirked as he opened his door and prepared to walk out, only to come face to face with a small purple dragon who stared up at him with an angry look on his face, arms crossed in front of his chest.
Derek took to the air in fright, dropping into a battle pose and sparking his horn. He stared down at the Dragon for a second before sighing.
"Sorry, my guy. You startled me, man." Derek said settling down back on the floor. "Anything I can do for you? Autograph maybe? Uh... how did you even get in here?"
"Your front door was unlocked," Spike said, not stopping his icy glare into Derek's soul.
"Oh, heheh, yeah, I am not used to people trying to break in, guess locking the door kind of slipped my mind," Derek said with a laugh.
Spike's frown deepened. "I had a little talk with Johan earlier." He growled, his eyes narrowing.
Derek blinked twice. "You did? Uh... what did he say if I might ask?"
"Oh nothing much," Spike said walking away, hopping up onto a couch in the living room that was attached to the bathroom Derek had chosen to use today. One of a dozen. "Only that while you've been living in an opulent mansion with your every needs magically fulfilled almost instantly, Johan has to live in a tiny shack nearby that doesn't even half a bathroom, or heating during the winter. That and the fact that you literally refuse to let him leave town."
Derek's arrogant persona instantly disappeared, replaced by one of concern, disappointment, and disapproval. He sighed and walked into the room, taking a seat on another couch.
"I think I can explain everything. I swear it is not as bad as Johan makes it out to be..." Derek mumbled to himself as he snapped a talon. Instantly, two teacups magically filled themselves in the kitchen and floated up into either of their hands.
"Are you sure? Because it looks really bad from where I am sitting." Spike growled as he set his tear aside on a nearby end table. Instantly the teacup raised into the air, a coaster flying directly under it, before the teacup set itself back down.
"I guess I'll start with the easier option first," Derek said taking a sip of his tea, before setting it aside. It too was given a coaster. "Tell me, what do you know about deer?"
Spike froze. "L-less than I should, considering I am friends with one..."
"I know I don't look like the type," Derek started, "But I am quite the avid reader. I have studied alot about this world's races, and let me tell you this."
Derek leaned it. "Deer are, I'm sorry to say, pathetic. For starters, they don't have magic, any at all. Usually when a race has no magic like the gryphons or yaks, they make up for it somehow, like the gryphons with the ability to fly and hands, or the yaks with their freakishly high strength. Not as strong as me of course though."
Derek laughed at his own joke, which was only funny to him. It just made Spike frown more.
"Deer don't have either of that though," Derek continued, resuming his serious tone. "Deer are weak and tiny and... helpless. I mean, look at Earth Ponies. They also can't do any spells. But they make up for it with their abilities with working the earth, alongside their cutie marks with making them automatic masters at whatever they are supposed to do. Deer can't do that, which means they will always be upstaged in whatever they want to do by any pony who does it. Do I even need to bring up what it's like in the Deer Kingdom? Let me tell you, that it isn't pretty. It involves lots of trouble with their neighbors the elk."
Derek shook his head.
"If Johan tried to make it on his own, he would be crushed at every opportunity by other races. Earth Ponies will always be better at physical work, Pegasi will always upstage him with their ability to fly, and do I even need to mention what Unicorns could do? He'd never be able to get a job to provide for himself? Do you think that cottage is bad? Imagine him living on the street. That isn't even counting what other races might do. A dragon or a gryphon might try to eat him, and an elk would one hundred percent try to enslave him if they ever crossed paths. He can't make it alone. He just can't."
Spike frowned at him, standing up. "Well, what if he wants to take that chance, without you dictating everything in his life? Huh?" He shouted suddenly, quickly covering his mouth afterward.
Derek stopped and sighed. "I just want to take care of him ok? If anything, anything at all, happened to him and I couldn't keep him safe, I'd never be able to forgive myself. Did I ever tell you that Johan and I got to Equestria after a car crash?"
"Well, you did say that, but you never told me what a car is..." Spike replied sitting down.
"I'll explain later, but I was the one driving that car, ok. I got us both killed. And we didn't die at the same time." Derek said standing up. "I survived for a couple of minutes after the crash, and when I saw Johan lying there, limp and covered in blood, and I realized that I did that to him... I..."
Derek turned away and stopped for a couple of seconds. He cleared his throat and sat back down, steeling himself. "I promised myself that if I was given a second chance, nothing like that would ever happen to him again. Not a single scratch."
Spike was quiet for a long time afterward. He sighed. "Maybe you should just tell Johan that..."
Derek shook his head. "I just can't. I... I don't know what to tell him, ok?"
Spike scoffed. "Why not? Just tell him what you told me, it's that easy."
Derek slammed his claws down, standing up. "How am I supposed to look someone I got killed in the eyes and tell him that I think it's my fault huh?"
Spike bit his tongue. He really didn't have an answer.
Derek stood up and started to walk out of the room. "Maybe you should leave. I don't want to talk about this anymore." He said as he slammed the door behind him. Spike got up and rushed after him to try and continue the conversation, but instead, there was a flash of light and he suddenly found himself outside of the front door of Derek's mansion.
This time the doors were locked.
So Derek got him killed and then gets the better end of the deal when they end up in equestria. Something about that really pisses me off. I wanna see Johan catch a break
Derek Your still a dick
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I know the feeling
Dude's still an asshole, but at least an asshole with a half decent reason. Interesting that you made him be at least bidimensional.
Also lacks running water, which is WHY it doesn't have a bathroom.
Derek could at least let him stay in his house -the facilities are better.
Sounds like Deer are in the same position as Cows & Sheep.
All that guilt still doesn't explain why Derek cock-blocked him with Fler and seamed to give 0 fucks, or why Derek has Johan stay and watch him fight and show off his "Uber cool invincible powers of unstoppable awesome!!!!1!! XDDD Because he haxord the universe and he always wins and gets all the girls and has all the smexy times LOLXDDD"(fucking kill me). This all just seams like gas lighting with extra steps to me.
Ah yes the "they can't make it on their own." excuse, I remember learning about that one.
Cockblocking piece of S*** he still is....but he has some reasons about not wanting Johan to leave
Hmm...wonder if that villain changes things....
Turns out he isn't a one dimensional ass.
That's pretty nice, things are getting better.
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a good villain usualy is a challage and changes things at least a little and from what we know derek has easily won multipul times before so for this one to be diffrent they will need to do somthing unusual or have an opertunity for something diffrent to occer. like a posseser accidntly gives johan his magic or cripples derek
It just excuses, he is still a being a dick to Johan
He still left him to live in the shack in poverty
I want to see someone snap..
Really really bad...
For all the care he has he still forces the guy into mock poverty and pretty much disregards his desire, wishes and quite literally cockblocks him.
Ain't sounding so friendly here.
1. This doesn't make Derek look better, just makes him look more like an idiot.
2. Hey author, what's your thing about deer and elk again? I remember seeing you talk about it before, but I forget your lore for it.
Derek killed Johan, he forced Johan to live in shack, he doesn't let Johan leave, he shit on Johan by flirting with Johan's date, he forces Johan to watch Derek's fights which makes Johan sad. Johan don't have a freacking water!
BECAUSE IT IS FOR JOHAN'S PROTECTION!
What! Well then, I guess it is ok... WHAT O LOAD OF MANURE!
If Derek is really guilty, he could let Johan live in mansion. I bet there are many rooms. Well, at least let deer have water and glass in windows for god sake!
I think Derek is not really guilty. I think Derek don't really care. I mean, I think he care just enough not to feel too much guilt. Just enough to say "I'm helping". Maybe he researched deers just to have excuse, that shack is enough. BECAUSE WITHOUT IT HE WILL BE HOMELESS! Wow.
If deers weren't useless, then maybe he would let Johan live in mansion. Because Johan could be better without Derek, so Derek would be forced to give Johan better living conditions to convince him to stay.
But wait... Deers are useless you say? Have a shack without water and glass windows! It is better than being homeless! "I am helping!" *DERP*. Just let me shit and piss at you all the time because without me you would be homeless. Better exist without feeling alive than homeless! Right?
Sigh.
Damn. It really rilled me up.
When will be next chapter?
Be that as it may, it's still no excuse to treat him that way. Johan would probably take his chances on the street then this tbh...
10276127
Someone sounds like they are about to snap... Really really soon...
Hum, this argument is all extremely convenient for Derek.
"Deer are helpless and can't for themselves, Ihave to do this to keep him safe, I feel bad for what happened to him so this will make up for it, Johan dosent know what's best for him but I do."
It all sounds like rationalizations and justifications that Derek dose so that he can get a full night's rest. Funnily enough these are the same sort of arguments people use to rationalize their mistreatment and abuse of others.
Derek gets absolutely no sympathy from me. "Feeling bad" about your actions but continuing to do them dosent make you a better person, it just makes you a hypocrite.
Further this reinforces the need that Johan has to escape his oppressor. Derek is beyond reason. He feels that this is all justified because he's Johan's "savior", Johan is just too "ignorant" to understand that.
Srsly Derek is kind of a monster
Furthermore
"If he stumbled across the elk he'd be enslaved." Oh yeaaaaaahhh Derek keep telling yourself that, because what you are doing is so very much better. Hope that helps you get a full 8 hours in at night.
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I have a story all about the relationship between Elk and Deer, but it is rated M XD.
To sum it up, Elk are much much stronger then Deer and actually are capable of magic while Deer are not. The Elk used this advantage to bully and invade the Deer for thousands of years up until he stopped a thousand years ago. Now the two races live in Isolation and still hate eachother.
Plus the Elk kidnap 10 deer fembois a year to use as slaves. Make of that what you will.
Hah, no. He's miserable and forced to follow Derek around and watch everyone worship him. Everybody other than Spike doesn't treat him like a person, and he is miserable and utterly destitute, depending on someone who lets him suffer.
This story was interesting at the start, but now it just feels like its shitting on the protagonist. You need to havecthings changecor move forwards sometime or else it gets stale and miserable.
Alright, that’s one of the biggest loads of bullshit I’ve ever seen. You could power the midwest’s agricultural industry for a year with that. First off slavery? Sure it’s not off the board as the diamond dogs have shown, but I’m sure a .50 caliber ball between the eyes would form a good dissuasive argument for potential slavers. No fingers? Tie it to an arm with a rip cord. Failing that, he is friends with one of, if not the, most powerful beings in the world. Give him an enchantment or two. Ask equestria to politically lean on any country Johan passes through and encourage them to keep an eye on him. You have so many options to keep him safe if you thought about it for more than two seconds.
As far as jobs go... everything about that is wrong. Let’s assume he would be outcompeted in most fields. Not every market has the supply of workers that it’s demand requires. Most industries need to dip into a pool of less than the best workers. Johan doesn’t necessarily need to outcompete anyone. He doesn’t even need to keep up. All he has to do is find an understaffed job market. So long as he makes his employers more money than they would otherwise make by not employing him, he’s golden. Besides, he can’t be worse than district manager loose belt who, despite having one of the best talent for that Industry and being a magical prodigy, costs the company in bad pr and coverups with his constant sex scandals. Or derpy hooves, who causes massive amounts of property damage that the company needs to pay to fix. Speaking of derpy hooves, just because other races have special talents and abilities, does not mean that they are any good at using them, or that they are easily applied to the job they choose to pursue. Yet they can still find meaningful employment. For such individuals Johan would have a far easier time competing with.
The deer country is at war you say? Hmmm... I’m sure they would love to hear about guns, artillery, trucks, tanks, radio, heavier than air craft, ect. Securing political allies would also be nice. If only there was someone who could help provide these things with their knowledge from a technologically advanced race that is constantly at war and connections with the hierarchy of a powerful nation. Surely such an individual could live a pampered and protected life in the deer nation.
What’s more, Johan used to be a human. He could be a consultant or inspector for R&D projects either independently or working for a government.
“I had an idea for killing cancer with radiation.”
“Great idea, keep looking into that.”
“What about fixing mental conditions by cutting out the damaged part of the brain?”
“That’s called a lobotomy, and it almost always causes more harm to the patient than good.”
Humanity has learned a lot of hard lessons over the ages, even the smallest familiarity with these lessons could save an incalculable amount of money and prevent numerous deaths and injuries. If that isn’t a rare and marketable skill set, I don’t know what is. Worried that you won’t be trusted? Most creatures on equis seem to be gullible to a fault. Failing that, drop your friends name to get your
footin the door. You’re always complaining about how everyone uses you to get to him? Use that to your advantage. Johan is a human from a technologically advanced society well above any other on this world and is friends with some of the most influential members of that world. He has advantages that no one else has that, if applied carefully, can allow him to out compete nearly anyone in any market. He could be a heavy industry mogul and advance equestrias underdeveloped Industrial base. He could be an inventor and bring new and innovative creations to the world. He could be an economists and social architect and help bring the world more prosperously into the next age. I would say the sky’s the limit, but I think he could go higher than that if he put his mind to it.Johan does not suck because he is a deer. He sucks because he is socially inept and listens to derik. Johan has fallen victim to an abusive relationship with a competent narcissistic satyriastic self aggrandizing psychopath. Derik echoed many of Johans worries from the last chapter, and is likely the source of those worries. Johan has likely in part come to the same conclusions as I have above, and tried to leave. But as Johan mentioned, Derik could not allow that, tracked him down, and coerced Johan into returning to him. In the process Derik was more than happy to rip down Johan’s realistic optimism and instill a sense of unhealthy paranoia in its place. If Derik is so regretful and caring why isn’t he living in a shack while Johan lives in a mansion. It would not be difficult to set Johan up with a house in a decent part of ponyville, and set up a consistent stipend.
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Love these counterpoints x3
It's these reasons why I think Derek is in reality just making up some half baked excuses to try to convince spike not to look into the matter further, if he didn't outright lie to spike.
So far the only person to tell us these facts is Derek, if you assume Johan was told these facts by Derek which is very likely since he won't let Johan leave townk. So far it'd be extremely easy for Derek to make up almost anything and use it as an excuse.
I really doubt Derek has any genuine guilt about his abuse
10276441
Um... Wow that is alot. Um... For starters, Johan can't make guns or artillery or any of that XD. He isn't some kind of genius who know how to make weapons. Honestly, HIE characters bringing human weapons into Equestria is total bullshit to me XD.
I am unsure about that last part. Sure some work locals are understaffed and all, but the fact if the matter is, that even in Equestria, the job loads that Johan could pick up likely wouldn't be able to support him in the slightest. The ideal goes that unskilled labour like warehouse work and the like are starter jobs one uses to get experience to spring board them up into better jobs like artisans, industrial work, and in the case of ponies, stuff like weather work, teachers and magic. Stuff like that.
As it stands though, Thicket would be incapable of getting into an skilled labour, as evidenced by the fact that a pony with a sculpture cutie mark with no experience in actual sculpting besides making food statues can literally create a master work statue in seconds. (This was in an actual episode, the Gabby one.) He'd be stuck with low paying jobs that wouldn't be able to support him.
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Also, Johan just plain isn't smart enough to bring much Human technology into the real world. He is just a normal Average Joe. The normal average Joe. The normal average Joe can't revolutionize the industry of a planet and bring stuff like cars and planes and shit into the planet.
It takes a genius, and a genius Johan is not.
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He wouldn’t need to be some sort of genius, and I’m aware most do not know the intricacies of how a gun works. Nonetheless most have a general knowledge of how. Johan need not be a genius, so long as he finds a genius to give ideas and direction to. Tell them that an explosion pushingd a ball down tube is the foundation to the most powerful weapons technology ever conceived, and let them figure out the details themselves. Tell them that a train that lays it’s own tracks is possible and that will send them down the correct path. A great deal of advancement is delayed because innovators spend a great deal of time debating what is later considered obvious. Someone who could definitively say one way or another is invaluable.
As far as skilled labor goes, that depends on what skilled labor you mean. He holds knowledge that could make him an invaluable advisor in any field. What is common sense to him could lead to massive breakthroughs in any industry. Peaches don’t usually help, don’t let monopolies form, oil is more efficient than coal, if serious outcry for democracy forms, allow it if you value your head. As far as art goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and being an artist is rarely a high paying job. If you disagree with that all I can say is banana.
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I should mention, I’m not criticizing your story. It’s great. It makes me angry and frustrated in a way, but in a way I feel this type of story should. I am simply musing on the implications of facts and events presented within the story.
Also, if you’re gonna play the “the show says so” card, it does not support Derik at all. The show depicts ponies as being insanely and unreasonably good at there special talent, but completely incompetent at anything else. Anytime the show depicts a pony attempting something outside there talent, they fail. No... that’s not right, they spectacularly fuck everything up. Anytime the cutie mark crusaders did... anything really, the events leading up to twilights ascension, starlights Marxist Utopia... the list goes on. Most jobs can be done far better if done by someone who can do more than one thing. There does not exist a human job that does not require some degree of generalization, and in a world where you can do that better than any else, you are at a significant advantage. What’s more, if you follow the show closely, even the smartest and wisest of creatures are, well... slow. With perhaps discord and celestia being exceptions... sometimes. Just look at star swirl. He is supposed to be one of the most intelligent and brilliant ponies in history. But, dur dur dur, he couldn’t tell that an obvious scam was an obvious scam. Depicted ability observation and rational thought among creatures, with rare exception, drops sharply from there. Someone who doesn’t suffer from such a handicap would have a massive leg up in any situation.
I’m definitely excited to see how this turns around for johan, good or bad, so here I am, eagerly waiting for the next chapter. You’ve got me hooked.
All I'm hearing is "His life would be shit if I let him do what he wants, so that gives me justification to keep him here against his will and force his existence to be worthless."
The Derek that forces Johan to watch him fight monsters, that steals his date and agrees to a threesome right in front of Johan, and that gives Johan nothing more than a tiny shack at the very edge of his estate... Is a 100% completely different Derek than what is shown in this chapter, who feels guilt and is genuinely looking out for Derek.
This is complete horseshit, and my suspension of disbelief for the premise is seriously crumbling.
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Or it could have been a lie ;)
10277057
I am glad for your hint. Johan had every reason to be pissed off at Derek, and reading this chapter made it feel like Johan was even being robbed of being allowed to be angry at Derek because he was coming from a good place. Like Deerbro actually had even less than he thought he did, because his righteous anger wasn't quite as righteous anymore. I still want him to find happiness, but I can't see him having it anywhere near Derek, and this chapter made me think that the story could be heading towards that. Sorry for the strong language.
10277104
No worries XD
What a load of horsepucky, that all just screams way too convenient for Derek. Not to mention, this is a complete 180 from his prior behavior.
Yeah, this basically tossed any remaining willing suspension of disbelief right out the window.
if Derek really cares about johan and his safety he wouldn't make him live in a shack and would have him live in a normal size house with some security watching over him if he is sooo endangered from being associated with him. Derek skipping over on why he has to live in a tiny shack really tells you something
You know those moments when you know something bad I'd going to happen you can just feel as if something changed in the air everything is moving so fast but you feel like your in slow motion you can see as it all unfolds before you but you are powerless to stop it that moment happens to much but since it happens so much I have named it the prelude to destruction. And it is all over this chapter
I assume he knows that from experience?
That better be good...
...
But you still could have given him an decent house.
Did I really fall for a rick roll in 2021...
Damn
It’s one thing to want to protect someone, but keeping them hostage because of guilt is another. On top of that, how would he explain everything else that’s he’s done?