Life isn’t done with you

by Kibat Grenbuku

Chapter 1: Stranger Danger.

The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness.

-Ecclesiastes 10:13

---

Jeez! How heavy can an alicorn get?! Psalms thought to himself as he pulled the still-snoozing crimson alicorn by the tail over to the nearby pond's edge. Without any hands to grab or lift with, Psalms was left with only his mouth to bite down on the poor alicorn's tail, leaving him to be dragged through the dirt and muck. If Rarity was here, boy, would she be having a field day.

He pulled on the tail with all of his might and continued to find himself surprised by the immense strength he has gained compared to when he was human. A stark difference he was all too eager to explore and capitalize on, and this wasn't even mentioning his untapped abilities of flight and magic. Overall, his new body was a huge change to process and get used to, especially with how he has to get reacquainted with sitting, laying, eating, sleeping, etc, as a pony now. At least he has his walking down.

With a couple of haggard steps and a few more wheezing breaths, Psalms finishes his arduous little task with a solid *Plop* of the crimson alicorn's tail and tush right on the edge of the pond and allows himself a small moment of respite to catch his breath and reflect upon his newfound acquaintance. Even though it had been roughly half an hour since initially meeting him, said acquaintance continued to remain an enigma for Psalms, despite all attempts to deduce his reason for being here. In all honesty, the crimson pony's presence could be for a variety of reasons, none of which could be confirmed so long as he remained within his obnoxious slumber.

"Now look here...uh... Crimson? Is it ok if I call you that? Anyway, I don't know if you can hear me or not, but nap time is officially over. Rise and shine," Psalms applied a few light kicks into the stranger's stomach, "Up and at 'em."

Newly dubbed 'Crimson' offered only a gargled irritated huff in response before shifting his body away from Psalms' direction.

"C'mon, Crimson," Psalms huffed back as he used his forehoof to peel 'Crimson's' barrel back to face him, "Don't make this any harder than it needs to be. Wake up now."

"Huuuughhmamamimmoouuuuuh..." 'Crimson' mindlessly filtered out, finishing with a loose tongue lolling out his maw. The following mighty bellow of snores escaping his lungs was more coherent than whatever his mind attempted to convey at that moment.

Psalms decided on a more direct approach as he kneeled beside 'Crimson's' head and peeled back the lids of his right eye. Said eye swooned in all directions without aim or focus, the tell-tale sign of deep sleep. "Nobody likes a cold shower in the morning, Crimson. If you don't look at me right now, or give a wink, or anything, you'll soon be awake and wet, but not because of any dream."

In response to the intrusion, Psalm's muzzle was roughly kissed by 'Crimson's' left hoof, flinging the black alicorn away. "I swear to God, Cain," 'Crimson' hoarsely mumbled out, not even bothering to register the world around him as he attempted to get comfortable once more. His threat was interrupted as his jaw stretched itself to its limits as the father of all yawns escapes the depths of his throat. He smacks his lips before settling himself comfortably, resuming his warning as though nothing had interjected. "Touch me again and I'll hike my boot so far up your ass you'll be tasting shit stained leather." Snoring filled the air once more.

Popping his jaw, Psalms settled himself back onto his hooves and shook his head in disappointment. Guess there's no helping it now, no more mister nice guy. Sorry, Crimson.

Closing in on the edge of the pond once more, Psalms couldn't help but take a moment to look upon his visage once more: Horn, wings, muzzle, floppy ears, fluffy chest, curly mane, his colors like a newborn phoenix covered in its own black soot; yep, it was all really real. He couldn't help but have his ears flickering and flopping to the sounds around him, feel the wind gently breezing through his black pelt, and caress the soft grass under his hooves. He just couldn't help but smile at it all. I wonder if this is what it's like to be Pinkie Pie, he contemplates to himself. Being so happy all the time, is that what it's like to be in her shoes?

Looking at his backside, he was surprised and quite perplexed that he had no cutie-mark, but he wasn't too disappointed for long. After all, he's gotten a second chance at life; he was positive that not many people could count themselves so lucky. The fact he was an Alicorn of all things was the icing on the cake.

Returning to the matter of waking up the bat-alicorn, Psalms wonders if he could conjure any magic to assist his task. Now is good enough of a time to give it a try. Closing his eyes and focusing on the water in the pond, he imagines an orb of water floating out of it.

Strange sensations flooded up his spine, past his skull, and settled within his horn which a moment later fizzled and sizzled slowly but surely into a golden glow. Magical sparks began to pop off his horn, something Psalms figured wasn't meant to happen, but summoned forth additional power regardless.

He couldn't tell what he was feeling, if anything at all, but he could tell that his horn was dispersing the magic outwards to the water, if the chaotic sounds of crashing waves and splashes were any indication. The popping sparks increased tenfold and a creeping burning sensation soon started to crawl throughout his mind as he poured more energy into the water, but like before, he still couldn't tell if anything was happening.

Eventually, fighting through the burning pain became too much and Psalms forced open his eyes, whereupon he was met with a clear view of the other side of the pond with nothing to show for his efforts.

His disappointment was soon dispersed as he realized that the entire pond which was full of water before, had turned into a large pit of mud and flopping fish. A second later, a single droplet landed on Psalms' muzzle, ceasing his investigation on the bare basin below and reflecting his eyes to the sky above. The entire bright sky, sun and clouds all, shimmered and wavered in rippling waves.

Psalms could only tremble down a gulp before shakingly turning his head back to the sleeping alicorn, rattling teeth and a nervous sweat working its way onto his face. "L-Last chance to look at me, Crimson." Psalms relayed with a wavering manic smile full of regret. Regardless of whether the bat-alicorn would follow through with his request or not, the events that had been set in motion would conclude decisively.

The burning within his mind reached a climax, followed by a sudden rush of magic that coursed through his body, catching Psalms by surprise which snapped his eyes shut with a gasp. All at once, his magic expelled out in great force and spectacle before finally simmering down, all magic ceased. Another water droplet landed on Psalms' muzzle causing him to turn his eyes upwards once more. He could only wince and flinch in fear at the plummeting torrent. A single thought crossed his mind as the flood crashed back to the earth. ...Oh poop.

The huge body of water impacted the ground with enough force to leave a sizable crater as mud and fish and rushing tides cascaded up and out of the basin. The towering waves tumbled through and tore apart the bushes and trees and drifted all the surrounding flora and fauna in every direction without struggle. Psalms was swept away like a leaf in the wind but was lucky enough to find purchase among the many sturdy trees. His lower body was left to fight against the writhing current, mercilessly flapping and flinging this way and that, like a flag in the wind. The number of creatures he saw being swept away within the current would make for a great children's story. Underwater counting with Doctor Seuss. Five rabbits, Four fish, Three turtles, Two little ducklings, and One angry momma.

As quickly as it occurred, the tide rapidly receded away down deeper into the forest or settled back to its original resting place. Hacking out what little water that invaded his trachea, Psalms was left a shivering muddy mess. ...Well... at least all is tranquil once more...

The tranquility would not last as a crescendoing scream reverberated from above with increasing volume. Psalms only caught a small glimpse of a crimson blob before it disappeared into the pond with a heavy splash of water, its size no doubt putting all cannonball records to shame. Silence settled for the nth time within the area.

Slackening his grip around his wooden savior, Psalms stumbled through the thick mud and displaced rocks until he stood upon the receded pond's edge. Fishing his eyes this and way and that, visual on 'Crimson' remained elusive, until said pony finally breached the water's surface in a spectacle of floundering hooves and panicked spluttering. Luckily he was right next to the pond's shore which he proceeded to pathetically doggy paddle on over to and promptly collapsed with racking coarse coughs clogging his airway.

"*COUGH!*, *COUGH!, *COUGH!*.... GUUUUAAAHHH! GAAAAH! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! WHAT THE HELL?!" The alicorn screamed out as his lungs gulped ferociously for more air. 'Crimson' continued to make more angry horse noises as he struggled to find purchase with his feet on the damp muddy ground only to slip and slide in all directions. The crimson stallion eventually stabilized his hooves and took frenzied surveys of his surroundings, his mind still muddy from the whole ordeal as he had yet to realize his new equine nature. It wasn't too long before he began to rage into the open air. "You're dead! You hear me!? Whoever you are, whoever did this to me, you're dead! You think you can fuck with a cornered animal and get away with it!? I'm already at rock bottom, pal! What's one more round in the clink, huh!?" It was when he heard Psalms' wet plops of footsteps that 'Crimson' finally turned his fierce scowl to face him, teeth and fangs bared from pure malice.

Whatever fiery rage that burned within him had cooled down into befuddled bewilderment as his gaze scrutinized every angle of Psalms' visage. "...What the... a... a unicorn?" His eyes reflected only further questions but his ever-slackening jaw refused to convey them. A very awkward silence filled the air as the both of them continued to stare at each other.

Psalms decided that greetings were in order. "U-um... hello there?" A sheepish smile followed.

With a flinch, 'Crimson's' eyes visibly widened to a comical degree and his breath hitched, but nothing further occurred for a solid minute. Eventually, he recovered from his stupor and rapidly shook his skull in an attempt to clear his mind. "Must be losing it. Talking unicorns... what did I do last night?" 'Crimson' brought his left hoof to his eye and began rubbing. "I keep telling them not to smoke that crap near me, but do they ever li-, OW! ...Damn, did I forget to cut my nai-..." His words ceased upon witnessing the hoof hanging in front of his face. 'Crimson' soon again wore a mask of puzzlement as he slowly came to the realization that the hoof before him was his very own. Piqued curiosity overcame all precautions as he flung his hoof up and slammed it back down before shaking it wildly all around. Once he had fiddled enough with his hoof, he would trace his eyes up along his arm to his chest, and before Psalms knew it, he was a flurry of motion, probing this and that, inadvertently mirroring Psalms from earlier. When he finished exploring his body, he reoriented himself back to Psalms, a hint of worry perched on the edge of his voice and creeping into his eyes.

"What kind of fury wet dream did I land in? Why am I a horse? Why am I even dreaming of this!? Why, just... why?" He asked no one, but Psalms opted to oblige his inquiry.

"Hey, um, I know this may be a bit of a shock, but I think I can provide some answers for you."

'Crimson' was quick to flash into a scowl as he laid his eyes on Psalms. "Of course, talking unicorn has all the magical answers, how cliché. Alright, magical flying horsey, lay it to me straight, who or what are you, and what the hell is the deal with this dream, huh?"

"Well, for starters, this is not a dream, first and foremost, and my name is Psalms. Psalms Gettenburg. And like you, I am... I'm sorry, I was human before, well, before I died. I was summoned by Archangel Sophia and was chosen to be the Guardian Crusader of this world. Thing is, she didn't mention another crusader joining me, so, I'm not exactly sure where you came from or why you're here." Psalms takes a moment to scratch the back of his head before proceeding on. "Did another angel send you here? Or did your soul, uh, hitch-hike along with mine?"

'Crimson's' face was the perfect picture of pure bafflement all throughout Psalms dialogue and continued to remain so well after. Neither dared to start up another conversation, so the two stood across each other in thick silence, awkwardly regarding each other. "...Yeah. Yeah, no. Nope. I'm done. I'm too tired to deal with... whatever the hell all of this is." The bat-alicorn then proceeded to startle Psalms by biting hard on his left forearm. Liquid crimson dribbled from the wound as the red alicorn released a bark of pain. The hoof was brought before his view, blood trickling to the muddy ground.

A few minutes of gazing later, 'Crimson's' eyes gained a whole new level of delirium as his breath began to frenzy out of control, followed by a cold chill that crawled down his back. "...That hurt... that really hurt...i-i-it's not supposed to hurt...w-why does it hurt? ...I'm not a horse, I'm not supposed to be a horse because I'm human, and humans don't turn into horses...and yet... that really fucking hurt..." 'Crimson's' wild eyes reflected on his self-inflicted wound once more before turning back onto his surroundings. The hair all across his new body stood on end as an all-new sense of dread pervaded his mind. "...W-w-what is happening... what is... who... w-where am I...h-how is this..." His words trailed off as his eyes met Psalms once more.

...Third time's the charm? "Hey, hey, hey, easy, Crimson." Psalms tried to coo to the visibly distressed pony, taking far too many steps that inched him close to 'Crimson'. "Clearly, you don't understand what you're caught up in, but that's ok. I'm here, I can help."

'Crimson's' eyes flickered from his wound, back to Psalms, before surveying the nature around him, head shaking all the while in absolute denial. "No. ...No, no, no. This... this doesn't make... no, horses don't talk, unicorns don't exist, I'm not a horse... I'm not a horse! B-Bad dream, just a bad-bad dream. Wake up, *Crack!*" 'Crimson' bashed his hoof against his forehead forcefully, eliciting another cry of shock as the pain registered, driving him to repeat the action over and over again. "*Crack-Crack-Crack!* Wake up, wake up, wake up!"

"Stop! Stop, Crimson, stop it! What are you doing!?" Psalms pleaded.

"Shut up." 'Crimson' seethed through clenched teeth as he nursed his forehead, "Shut up, shut up! You're not real! The pain is not real! It can't be! I'm no horse, I'm human!"

"Why are you saying that? Don't you understand what happened to you? Don't you know why you're here?"

"I don't know!" 'Crimson' yelled before his legs finally gave out, forcing him onto his haunches. "I don't... I don't know... I don't understand, none of this makes sense. How? How is this possible?" 'Crimson' turned his eyes to Psalms, a pleading glimmer shining within. "This... this is really real?"

Despite the current circumstances, Psalms couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing the statement, eliciting a frown from his acquaintance which he was quick to mend. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to offend. Trust me, Crimson, I was having the exact same thoughts when I first arrived here." A light breeze that blew through the meadow stung like a winter storm, as Psalms finally regarded his damp coat and muddy hooves. "Maybe we should dry ourselves off before talking more. The last thing we want is to catch the sniffles."

'Crimson' couldn't help but reflect on his and the strange talking horses' appearance before releasing a snarky huff. "What exactly do you suggest we do? In case you couldn't tell, we're horses; building shelter ain't exactly feasible with these hooves, and no way am I huddling with you."

A smirk made itself home on Psalms' face. "Don't worry, I know of a small little town that'll welcome us with open arms."

---

"I should have asked for the catch, because there's always a catch, and now I know that catch. You have no idea where this little town of yours is, do you?" 'Crimson' asked with a dead-pan look as he followed after Psalms.

A sheepish smile had replaced Psalms' earlier smirk as he answered back. "I ...will admit, I may have been a little too hasty to be on our way before I knew where we even were, but regardless, I doubt we would have made it there anytime today, especially with me having to teach you how to walk again."

'Crimson' could only scoff at his remark. "Well, excuse me, but it isn't every day that you find yourself a human one moment and a giant mutant magical horse the very next." A huff escaped from his lips as they pressed further through the wooded forest. "You still haven't explained to me how any of this is real or possible or why we're even here."

"I mean, I already kinda did back at the pond, but I understand if you don't remember. You weren't exactly in the best state of mind. What's the last thing you remember, back when you were human."

Psalms' companion would remain quiet for some time as he pondered on his previous life. "I can't seem to remember. Only bits and pieces are coming back, really. I was... I was walking. Walking home, I think. I was angry... sad... stressed. If you knew anything about my life then that wasn't exactly a surprise, but I was fuming from something that had recently happened, something to do with my job...and then... and then I..." Had Psalms turned at that moment, he would've seen 'Crimson's' hide visibly ripple across his whole frame as his eyes remained lost in his thoughts.

"...And then what?"

Psalms' question ripped 'Crimson' away from his stupor. "Huh? What? Oh! Uh, ...nothing. Nothing happened. I don't remember. I-I don't want to talk about it anymore. How about you start explaining some of this shit to me already."

"Right, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... sorry." Psalms released a heavy sigh before continuing. "Well, as I said earlier, I was also human, like you. I... didn't have the best life, to say the least-"

"Welcome to the club, pal." Crimson interrupted.

"-... but I made the most of it. I just wish that I had more time. I was only nineteen when I died of a rare heart disease. In fact, I died only two, maybe three, hours ago by assisted suicide. My greatest mistake that followed me into the afterlife."

'Crimson' had to pause for a moment as he processed Psalms' statement. "The afterlife? Y-You mean... what you said before, about an angel, Sonya or something, you were telling the truth? And by angel, you mean like, an 'Angel' Angel? Like, biblical Angel?"

"Her name is Sophia, and yes, She is an Archangel. She was the one who called for me as I passed on from Earth. She is the reason I am here. She selected me."

Curiosity raged within Crimson's mind as Psalms relayed his tail. "Selected you for what?"

"...I'm not sure I can disclose that information to you, or at least not yet. I didn't exactly drop with a divine guidebook, ya know? Suffice it to say, that I am the Guardian of this world and all its inhabitants. A Crusader."

Silence settled once more as the pair traveled through the tall grass and brush. 'Crimson' could only mutter under his breath the words Psalms used to describe himself. "Guardian. Crusader. Chosen. What about me?"

"Hm? Didn't quite catch that." Psalms called back.

"What about me? Why am I here? You have a reason for being here, you're on a mission, from God himself. But, what about me?"

"That, is the million-bit question. Are you sure you don't remember meeting any Angels?"

"You think I wouldn't remember meeting divine beings!?" 'Crimson' snapped back. He took a few moments to recollect himself before talking once more. "...I'm sorry. I don't know why I snapped. This is all just too much. I-I need a break, please, my feet are killing me."

Psalms acquiesced as they both stopped by a large boulder. A running stream layed nearby, for which Psalms opted to quench his thirst while he could. A huff of amusement escaped from 'Crimson' when Psalms leaned his long neck down to gulp the cool water down. "Really playing into the whole horse thing, ain'tcha?"

Well, when in Rome. "Hey now, you gotta do what you gotta do, especially with what you have at hand, er, I mean hoof. And FYI, we're ponies, not horses. Alicorns to be specific."

"Pfft, ponies? You for real? Look, kid, it doesn't take a horse rancher to tell ya that our size isn't proportionate to any pony species that I know of. I mean look at us! We're huge! Huge winged unicorn horses."

"Again, we're called Alicorns. A rare breed of ponies that have all three qualities of the three pony tribes." Hmm, maybe he already knows this? let's test him out. "Answer me this, Crimson; does the name Ponyville ring a bell with you? Or Canterlot? Or the term, 'Mane Six'?"

'Crimson' cuffed a hoof to his chin in thought but came up only with a shrug after some time passed. "Nope. No bells rung. Got a feeling you'll tell me anyhow."

And tell him he would as they resumed their travel, of the many people and places and things that called this world home. Of the extravagant adventures a group of young mares would brave against time and again, of the wonderous magic and knowledge that held secrets to raw power, of the terrible dangers that wandered throughout the land, and the wonderous princesses which governed all the Kingdom of Equestria. Most of all, he gushed on and on about one lavender alicorn and all the amazing feats she had accomplished since fatefully entering that small little town they were now trying to make way to.

Psalms strung his passion with all the elegance and flair he could muster for his single audience member, but once he had finished, he was not met with any praise or applause, only the poorly concealed mirth of 'Crimson' that popped the metaphorical balloon not a second later. "Pfft-hahahahaha!" Uncontrollable laughter filtered out 'Crimson's' lungs as he crumpled into a pile of flailing hooves and whooping cackles. Psalms was forced to stop his trek as he turned back to see 'Crimson' flopping all over the muddy floor like a fresh fish from the sea.

"Oh-oh, God! Ow...ow my sides! Hahahaha, Jesus Christ, did you hear the fucking shit you've been saying!?" 'Crimson' struggled to regain his footing, but upon doing so, Psalms could swear twinkling stars shined within 'Crimson's' eyes and his eyelashes had seemingly gained a certain degree of feminine texture. When he next spoke, his sentences were a tone of voice that radiated exaggerated flamboyancy. "~Twilight Sparkle vanquished Rudolph the Red-nosed Centaur with the magic of pretty sparkles and fwenship!~. ~Twilight Sparkle solved the mystery of the missing strawberry short-cake with the power of forensic science, and fwenship!~. ~Twilight Sparkle altered the space-time continuum which resulted in several botched and doomed alternate timelines each with its own unique disastrous catastrophes, one of which included a post-apocalyptic event, that she was able to rectify in the end by consoling a psychotic communist dictator because she simply lost touch with her childhood friend, with the power of fwenship!~"

His faux feminine mask disappeared within a blink of an eye as he took a moment to catch his breath, hiking his hoof over his eyes as whooping laughter infected him once more. He crumpled back to the ground and pounded the muddy floor with swift strikes before seizing his breath and ridiculing further. "Fucking...hahaha... fucking A, man, if that isn't the most retarded gay shit I've ever heard in my life. I swear, I straight on bet, this shit sounds like it's from a kiddies cartoon, ahahaha!"

"...You'd win." Psalms simply replied, but those two words alone were enough to completely shut 'Crimson' up. Psalms took this as the cue to speak further. "I cannot lie, the way you describe it, it does sound ridiculous. But, My Little Pony isn't that bad of a show honestly. I didn't have many options for entertainment where I grew up, with MLP being the sole exception. I wouldn't have traded it for anything though, beggars can't be choosers, ya know?"

"...What? What are you...you're... you're serious? Hold on. Wait just a minute. You're telling me that right now, we are living in a literal cartoon world about ponies and magic and friendship and..." Crimson nursed a hoof to his head as he struggled to make sense of this new revelation. "...I'm too tired to keep track of all this shit. What the hell is going on, Psalms?"

"I don't understand. I've already told yo-"

"Again! ...tell it to me again...all of it this time. My brain is having a migraine trying to...to..." 'Crimson' interrupted himself as he applied a hoof to the base of his skull at the root of his flaring pain. He was startled to find his namesake staining his froggy base. "Uh-oh. This isn't good."

Coming up his side, Psalms was alarmed to see blood dripping from a large scratch at the base of Crimson's skull. Oh, crud. That must've been from earlier when he cratered the soil. I should have checked for any injuries. "Crap, I'm sorry, Crimson. This looks like a scratch you caught when you crashed into the dirt earlier."

"What?" 'Crimson' lethargically asked, "What dirt? I didn't hit anything solid in the water."

"No, not from that. I found you earlier in a crater, you had fallen from the sky when you first entered this world."

"The sky? What are you talking bout? I didn't fly fro-"

"Forget it," Psalms pleaded to 'Crimson' as he seized one of his forelegs, forcefully dragging him to a nearby inclined boulder, "You need to sit down. With your coat color, it's no wonder we didn't catch this sooner." 'Crimson' didn't object as he was settled down. "I'll see if I can find some clean leaves, just wait here, ok?" Psalms turned his back before 'Crimson' could physically nod in understanding, wandering over to a nearby group of shrubs.

"...So..." 'Crimson' called out, "...I've had this scratch for well over an hour, according to you...right?"

"I haven't really kept track of time since first entering this world, nor since I found you, so yeah, I guess that's correct."

"...And it was deep enough to have been bleeding the whole time from then till now?"

"Sure looks like it." Psalms replied as his little corner of brush failed to yield any finds.

"...And you said you found me in a ditch?"

Psalms being preoccupied with finding any clean leaves, he couldn't tell if he had moved further away or if 'Crimson' had started yelling, but he could almost swear that the bat-alicorn sounded much closer than before. "No. I said I found you in a crater...which is pretty much a circular ditch... so yes, I guess I did."

"...And... there's been nobody around... except you..." 'Crimson's' latest declaration sounded more like a statement of fact than a question.

Psalms couldn't help but roll his eyes, "Once again, you are correct. You have a point you're trying to make, asking all these questions?"

"...Remind me again..."

"...About?" Psalms questionably asked.

"...All of this...everything... tell it to me again."

This again? "Alright, let's take it from the top, one more time. I died about two hours ago. I was on my way to Heaven but was denied entry because I had killed myself just before dying an agonizing death. Kinda ridiculous in my opinion, but divine rules are divine rules."

Psalms continued to forage through the shrubs.

"There I met Archangel Sophia. She had summoned me to be the Guardian of this world, to protect it from all evil that threatened it. A world she specifically picked for me because I knew the ins and outs of it. The reason being that it is a literal cartoon I was...ok, am, obsessed with."

The ruckus Psalms made while foraging masked the muddy hoof steps that tip-toed ever closer.

"Sophia told me that Hell was preparing to unleash Armageddon not only on Earth, but across all the worlds that God's Light touched, this of course including Equestria. A demon is somewhere here in The Kingdom or elsewhere on the planet, and it's my duty to stop it. That is pretty much everything summed up."

The hoof steps clip-clopped their way closer to Psalms. Psalms remained oblivious, that is until he finally registered them directly behind him, but it was too late to act by then. Without any warning, he bore the brunt of a full-on body tackle by the only other sapient individual around, leading them both to crash into the shrubs. Said shrubs had been perfectly concealing the edge of a cliff, one that Psalms had failed to see before.

Both individuals were lucky that the drop was not too steep as both tumbled down the forest canopy, breaking through bushes and branches alike. The duo eventually came to a stop before a riverbank upon a grassy dirt patch, each groaning under their inflicted pain.

Psalms was surprised to find 'Crimson' in good enough condition to begin cackling hysterically, despite his blood loss and fall damage. "Are you...argh... are you insane!? Why did you do that!?" 'Crimson' didn't reply as he only continued to laugh.

Psalms fought through the pain as he rose from his position and limped over to 'Crimson's' prone form. "Ok...ok, you're clearly not thinking straight with all the blood loss, Crimson. Just stay here and I'll- arragh!" Just as Psalms was about to resume his search for more leaves, the red alicorn ceased his cackling and promptly latched his jaw around Psalms' foreleg, rupturing skin and spilling blood. Psalms had to forcefully tear 'Crimson' off his leg and punt him a few feet away before nursing his injured leg against his chest, a mixture of pain and shock plastered on his face.

'Crimson's' laughing resumed once more as he propped himself back onto his wobbly feat with his head held low: Pin-pricked eyes, a crazed smile, a drop of Psalms blood dripping down his lip, and the flip-flopping of his horsey ears adorned his facial features as he stalked close to Psalms who cowered back in response. "Hahahaha...Oh man, I can't believe you pulled a fast one on me. I cannot believe I almost actually fell for all of your bullshit! I mean, you were selling me cheap beach-side property, and I almost handed you the card! Hahahaha!"

Psalms continued to take more steps back as he struggled to make sense of Crimson's rambling. "H-Hey now, y-you've lost a lot of blood by now, y-you're not thinking straight. J-Just take it easy, Crimso-"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT! WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME THAT!? THAT'S NOT MY NAME, IT WAS NEVER MY NAME!" The bat-alicorn raged to Psalm's cringing face.

"What has gotten into you!? Why are you doing this!?"

"Why? Because my eyes are finally open. I'm done drinking your kool-aid. I mean have you even heard a fraction of the shit spewing from your mouth?" The mad alicorn took creeping steps as he rambled off with each proceeding word. "God. Angels. Demons. Armageddon. Alternate worlds? Cartoons? Ponies!? Magic!? ...All of it, real? Hahaha, don't make me laugh. If God had truly existed, then where was he when I prayed for his help!? Where was he, when she stripped my life to nothing!? Where was he, when I needed him most!? ...Nowhere... because he like so many other things in the world.. isn't real."

The bat-alicorn took another couple of steps forward. "You want to know what is real? ME! I'm real, I'm human, not a magical flying pretty horsey." The mad alicorn hoists his hoof into the air, gesturing to his surroundings. "And all of this? A figment of my imagination, the hallucinations and delusions of a cracked and bleeding mind. I should have known the moment I regained consciousness that all of this was fake. Nowhere in Nebraska is as beautiful as it is here."

"And then there's you. Oh, you. Sure had me fooled for a minute. I didn't recognize you in your little animal get-up, but I know who you are now." The red alicorn huffed in suppressed pain before bellowing a fierce cry out. "When will you learn to get out of my head!? Time and again we've had our little battles and you've failed them all: you didn't get me on that bridge, you didn't get me on the rooftop, you didn't get me with the rope nor the gun or the knife, and you won't get me now!"

His declaration was followed with a quick charge into Psalms. Several hits were scored with the red alicorn's forearms as he carelessly flung his hooves into Psalms' side and face. Psalms' wasn't new to a beating, and had learned a simple trick to negate the brunt of the attacks. Stationing both forelegs to cover his face, Psalms weathered the storm.

"What was it this time?" The mad alicorn asked as he continued to lay a barrage of stomping hooves onto Psalms, "Did I go for a late night drive in the open countryside when you struck? Made me pedal the metal over a cliff's edge? Ramming speed into an enticing tree trunk, seatbelt be damned? Whatever the case, it seems you've gotten me good this time, huh?"

Psalms managed to hook both rear legs on the underside of his attacker's belly and heaved for all he was worth, flinging him off to allow some breathing room and space to make a getaway. Just before he could begin his dash, the manic alicorn once again chomped down onto one of Psalms' legs. The pain was excruciating and Psalms was forced to buck his attacker's face for all he was worth. His leg was eventually released, but before he even knew it, Psalms was pounced on once more, only this time, both of his forelimbs were restrained by the red alicorn's own.

"I can already piece it together." His attacker commented, with crazed eyes. Psalms figured by now that any sense of sanity or reasoning within the alicorn's mind was completely overridden by the hemorrhaging. "My body's lying in a ditch, deep ass cut bleeding me dry, and there's a couple of ranch horses just sniffing me right now, Right? Is that the reason you've gone with the horse gimmick this time?"

"I have no idea what the hell you've been talking about! Please, Stop!" Psalms pleaded, struggling to summon any magic or to free his pinned limbs, but both were to no avail.

"Sh-sh-sh, it's ok. I'll beat you just like always. I'll live to fight another day." The bat-alicorn lowered his head till the tip of his horn laid adjacent to Psalms' neck, its crimson ivory glistening in the afternoon sun, ready to run itself slick with its namesake. "And I'll make sure not to forget my meds ever again!"

"What's with all this here hootin 'n hollerin?" An aged but chiseled voice rang out from beyond a few bushes to their left, causing the both of them to swivel their heads toward its direction. Out from the brush came a hulking mountain of a pony, whose white chops covered the entirety of his beige sculpted face. A horn running from his forehead marked him as part of the unicorn tribe, quite a surprise to say the least.

The stallion only took a scant few looks at their dirty, bleeding, and bruised bodies along with their antagonizing posture before tsking away with a few shakes of his head in apt disappointment. With a flick of his horn, The bat-alicorn was seized in his magic and hauled before his face as he closed the distance to Psalms whereupon he flipped him onto his stomach and quite literally bit Psalms on the nape of his neck before trudging off back to where he had emerged from, carrying Psalms like a baby kitten. Apparently, the duo were too thoroughly stumped by the stallion's actions to express any reaction or objections.

Once breaching through the bush canopy, the duo was presented with a well-traveled dirt road with a family-sized wagon having been parked off to the side. Coincidently, a family of ponies was settled on the family-sized wagon, with each member giving off their own unique vibe. Seated up front was a slightly aged mare of green hue and sunny shades, her appearance bearing that of a well-worked and rewarded housewife. Off to her left was a young mare of age whose dark tones and dead eyes gave off a more gothic tone. Bouncing without restraint on a pile of wooden barrels in the exterior of the carriage was a thoroughly excited little sky-blue colt, whose mouth was stretched from cheek to cheek in a blindingly glaring smile with added twinkles in his eyes.

"Woo-hoo! What a catch dad, what a catch! Two for one! Done deal if I ever saw one! I call dibs on Red!" His little wings buzzed like a million agitated bees.

"Simmer on down, Rocket, lest you be blasting off to the moon before you know it." The Mare interjected before returning her sights to her hubby. "I can't help but agree with our little one though, What have you caught for us, Steely?"

The hulking pony ever so gently released Psalms out of his mouth and onto the dirt road upon reaching the head of the carriage. "Two young dirty fools who don't know when to call truce. A typical brotherly fight if I ever saw one. Just look at 'em, they be spillin' their life juice over what? Girls no doubt. Take this as a lesson, you two, ain't nothin' worth fighting over enough to spill ya kin's own blood, especially no girls."

"Ugh! For the last time, I don't swing that way, dad." The gothic mare responded.

"An it better stay that way." He was quick to add.

"Enough, both of you. Can't you see we have guests?" The mare chastized the two before fixing Psalms with a warm smile. "Now then, what's your name, young stallion?"

Psalms' mind had to reboot a few times to comprehend the moments that had transpired to respond. "...uh...I, uh... um..."

"Look mama, look! Cats got his tongue, cats got his tongue!" The little pegasus blasted off.

Peaking over her mother's shoulder, the young mare regarded the two humans with a raised brow before voicing her thoughts. "What's with the alicorn get-up? And seriously? Red and black? Ugh, that is so last decade's fad."

"Ink, Rocket, behave yourself, both of you, or else no pie tonight."

"But, mom!" Both replied.

"No buts." The mare turned back to Psalms. "So sorry about that. These two can be quite the hoofful. Oh! Where are my manners?" The mare proceeded to gesture at herself and her family as she named them off one by one. "I'm Honey Buns. That Hulking hunk over there is my sweet stallion, Steel Ingot. This young mare with her little black eyeliner phase is Ink Rose, and let me tell you, she is quite the prickly character, especially because we won't be at the festival till tomorrow. And that little blue bundle of energy is our Rocket Rush."

Said blue bundle zipped over to Psalms as soon as his mother finished. "Hello! Hi! How are you!? Wow, you have big-big-big wings! Oh, wow! You have a horn too! How come you have both? I want one too! Gimme! *Chomp*." Rocket gave no second thoughts to jumping up and taking a good chomp on Psalms horn. There he would hang like a living horn ornament as the black alicorn only continued to grow more perplexed by the second.

"Rocket, no. We don't bite other ponies' horns... well not till at least later... but that's something for you to know when you're older. Let go. I said let go."

Rocket gave a defeated huff as Honey Buns peeled him off the young alicorn's horn. Psalms couldn't help but chuckle at the family's antics. The chuckle then devolved into a full-blown gut-wrenching session of bellowing laughter as the son and mother soon join in. "I'm sorry, excuse me... It's just... one minute I was fighting for my... and the next I'm meeting a nice family. Whew, it is very nice to meet all of you. My name is Psalms, but you can call me... uh... never mind. ...And that red fellow over there is...is..." It was only now that Psalms realized that his crazed acquaintance had remained quiet ever since first being spotted by Ingot. Turning to look over at him, Psalms only sees the red alicorn hanging limply within Ingot's magic. Said stallion had apparently been oblivious until now.

The stallion's worried eyes examined the red alicorn top to bottom before gaining a new level of concern upon looking at the base of his skull. He applied a hoof at the base and was startled to find copious blood staining it. "Honey, get me my pack. Now. Ink, get back on the map. You-" He pointed to Psalms, "-clear space in the back. We have a long way before reaching home."

Comments

[dannny43]

11428464
Hmm I'm interested to see what you have to say for chapter 1.

In regards to your whole A and B character thing, I understand where you're coming from, hell I've committed this very sin in my first story to a degree.

I cannot say for sure if our story will play into your A and B character thing because Psalms and the other alicorn are not the representation of one authors views/opinions/etc, each character is owned and operated by their own author respectively. Kibat has ownership of Psalms, I with the bat-alicorn. Maybe that won't stop us from falling into your hated trope, but all I can say is wait and see, that is if you want.

[NothingImpossible]

11428507
Well fortunately for us both, after reading this chapter the only thing I said that seems to have happened is Crimson (Character B) is in fact, a lunatic. However not in a seemingly negative way, but a plot positive one.

At least some of my worries have been soothed. However one point of contention is the size discrepancy. After being filled in on the world Crimson said: "Pfft, ponies? You for real? Look, kid, it doesn't take a horse rancher to tell ya that our size isn't proportionate to any pony species that I know of. I mean look at us! We're huge! Huge winged unicorn horses."

Then shortly after their fight when Steel Ingot appears, he picks up Psalms in his mouth "like a kitten" which has me confused on their size and apparent age. I don't know if they're adults, teens or foals. Big or small. A clarification or small edit would be appreciated.

[Kibat Grenbuku]

11428537
Well, maybe the reason why Steel Ingot carried Psalms like this is probably because Steel auffers from giantism (and yes, it is an actual thing.) and the line of "That Hulking hunk over there is my sweet stallion, Steel Ingot," could mean not only is Steel's strong, but a much taller stallion than Crimson and Pslams.

[dannny43]

11428537
I think it's safe to say that crimson said that to inflate his pride a little because no way in hell does he want to consider himself a girly pony. It also helps that crimson doesn't know jack shit about pony or horses so make with that what you will.

Steel ingot can be envisioned as a fusion of sizes between bulk biceps and trouble shoes so you can kinda see how he could pick up Psalms like a kitten, not saying that Psalms is small or anything.

Both alicorns are young, Psalms 19, crimson will be specified later. Honey buns calls Psalms a young stallion so they look their age.

I wouldn't exactly say that crismon is a lunatic per say, take in mind he was losing blood for some time. I'm curious as to how you see this as a plot positive instead of negative.

[Solar_Wolf]

I'm liking what u have so far can't wait for what's next to come