The Continuing Adventures of Detective Richard Pound

by Cinor

4.A Love Story With A Tacked On Alien Attack

Richard Pound
In:
The Love Story with a Tacked On Alien Attack

“Gimme ‘nother.” I mumbled. Vaguely I could hear the sound of glass sliding over wood. Through a haze of the previous glasses, I picked up the latest shot of whiskey, throwing it back. The alcohol had stopped burning awhile back. The thoughts still did. Who did Celestia think she was, she called it a choice. That was a lie. There wasn’t a home to go back to, none of it had been real she told me the second I said I would stay.

“Darling, I think you should stop.” Said a worried Applejack. What did she know? Hell, maybe if this kills me, I’ll go back. I chuckled. She looked more concerned… I think. My vision was fading. Up and down, left and right. The lines blurred. “You alright, sugar?” her words held no meaning.

“Eh, what do you know? Nothing.” I could feel myself slurring the speech.

“Richard, it’s barely noon. What’s the matter with you?” I stood up, my legs wobbling under the sudden weight. It felt as though my body was moving in all directions at once. I raised a hoof to point at her. The shift in balance toppled me over. “Let me help you there. Does, uh, Twilight know you’re here?” She lowered her hoof to help me up; I pushed it away. I got up slowly on shaking legs.

“What d’ you know? Huh? Ya’ know nothin’ about what this is,” I took a step towards the door. My balance incredibly shaky, if there at all. It was a challenge, even being able to put one hoof in front of the other. My breathing labored, vision blurred, hearing distorted. Applejack must have some powerful stuff here.

“Let me get Big Mac, we can help get you home.” She said, mocking me.

“I don’ need your help. I am capable of doing things myself.” I pushed on the door, it yielded easily to my weight. My hoof slammed back on the ground, barring the usual grace I gave it. Me, graceful, now there was a thought. I let out a small laugh, contemptuous. Applejack frowned, unsure if I was ok. She turned out of the kitchen, walking upstairs. I could hear the sounds of her walking on the stairs. I made only a few stumbling steps outside the house before I collapsed. My legs simply stopped responding to me.

“Get up!” I yelled. They merely twitched in the air. Useless legs, giving up when I needed them. I lay on my back, staring up at the sky. My eyelids felt heavier and heavier, drooping lower and lower as time passed. Slowly my legs stopped twitching and a comforting feeling came over me.

“You alright, Dick?” asked a slow voice. Big Mac stepped next to me. I was far too tired to answer that. He should know I wasn’t alright. None of them knew the pain.

“Come on, Big Mac. We can’t bring him to his place like this. Let’s take him upstairs.” The two ponies started lifting me up. I tried to protest softly. I wanted to lie on the ground. It felt somehow fitting. The sound of hoof prints changed as they entered the house. It was hard to keep my eyes open. Only the shake of the two moving me kept me awake. All that changed as they placed me on a bed.

“What was he doing?” asked someone. The voice was muffled, in another room.

“Ah’ ain’t too sure. He showed up asking for a drink.” Said someone else. She seemed concerned, they both did. How strange, that they could care for me. Perhaps that’s why they had been nice to me all those years ago, when I had first shown up.

“Is he going to be ok?” asked the first voice; she sounded close to tears.

“Yeah, he asleep in my bed, in here.” The sound of hoofs and then the door opened. The light from the hallway blinded me. Pain flared in my head. I almost threw up.

“Richard, what’s the matter with you?” her voice and question echoed through my head. I raised my groggy head, seeing Twilight standing in the doorway. Applejack was at her flank.

“What…?” I moaned. Twilight walked to the side of the bed. Her face was of concern, it betrayed slight anger.

“Richard, it’s not even five and you’re drunk.” I shut my eyes. The combination of light, sound, and guilt was too much. I pushed Twilight away, leaning over the bed. I threw up into the waste basket next to the bed.

“Bleh.” Said Applejack and Twilight. I flopped back onto the bed, panting.

“You don’t understand, Twilight. My life’s a lie. Nothing matters anymore!” I spat out. She reeled back, anger on her face, hurt in her eyes.

“Nothing matters? Nothing? Not me, not what could be our kid? I see. You come by when you’re sober. We can talk it over then.” She stormed out. Applejack walked in.

“You done bad, sugar.” She said, her voice showed empathy. I laughed.

“I guess I did, didn’t I?”

She frowned, saying, “I’ll let you get back to sleeping.” She turned, closing the door. As I drifted back to a doze, the vile smell of the bile twisted my thoughts even more.

“Get up you lazy stallion.” Two strong hooves pushed me, throwing me from the bed. The world was spinning as I got on my legs. “Alright, you have to go home now, its tomorrow. Twilight’s going to be livid.” She passed me a glass of water. I drank it heartily. The last time I felt this bad was in high school.

“I’m sorry, Applejack. I didn’t want you a part of this.”

“A part of what?” she asked.

“Nothing.” I said. I put the glass on her nightstand. It was time for me to see Twilight. She was probably mad at me. Yeah, she was probably mad.
 
Chapter II

“Twilight, I’m back.” I called into the house. Twilight sat on of the couched lining the wall. Her cheeks were tear-stained.

“Who do you think you are? That you can just tell me that I don’t matter? Richard… I thought you loved me.” Her throat tightened.

“I’ll love you until the end of the world, Twilight. It’s just you don’t understand what’s going on.” I said.

“Then help me understand! We both said we’d be there for each other yet you push me away…” She trailed off, looking downtrodden.

“You want to know what’s going on? You want to know why I was sad? Well then fine. I’ll tell you. I was told that I wasn’t born in Equestria,” she looked thoughtful for a second, wondering where I could have come from, I cut her train of thought, “No, not form Equestria at all. I was born on Earth.”

“Earth? What’s that?” she asked innocently. How could these ponies know nothing of Earth? I wondered if it would show in the sky.

“It’s my place of birth. It’s where I lived, loved, and,” I paused for a second, “died. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true.” I decided it would be best to not tell her why I died. It was a shameful fact.

“Richard, that’s impossible. You must still be drunk-“

“I’m not drunk. Ask Celestia, she’ll back me up. She’s the reason I’m here in Equestria. It’s all her fault.” As I said this, Twilight’s face showed a mixture of disgust and confusion. Why couldn’t she understand this?

“What do you mean, ‘all her fault’? It’s all her fault we got married? All her fault that you solved those crimes?” I looked at her wearily.

“Twilight, the day we got married was the happiest day in my life. I will never regret that. It is her fault I solved those crimes. She made them.”

“Why would she cause the crime, Richard? Only to have you solve them. That doesn’t make any sense.” She said. I agreed. It didn’t make much sense. Why had she caused the crimes? Maybe she was trying to make herself look less powerful. The great Celestia is powerless against the evils of Bastion. An interesting idea.

“I don’t know either, Twilight. All I know is that I’ve been living two lives, one here and one on Earth. At least I thought I was.”

“But I see you every day,” she exclaimed, “How could you have a second life?”

“In the one place you couldn’t follow me, my dreams.” That came out much worse than it had sounded in my head. Twilight’s mouth fell agape, she was shocked. “I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that my dreams brought me back to Earth.” The shock faded, she regained her composure.

“I see,” she said seriously, her tone lightened up, “well I’m glad we could clear that up.” I interrupted her before she could say more.

“Twilight,” I pleaded, “I love you, and that won’t ever change. You have to understand that this is hard for me. My memories have been messed up ever since I first came here. First I’m sure of this being a dream, then it’s the opposite. Now I know the truth after so long.”

“Is there anything I can do to help? I can tell you about my childhood.” That brought a slight smile to my face, eyes watering. Twilight always tried to cheer me up.

“No, thank you, honey. I need help from Celestia. She needs to explain this to me. I’m sorry about all of this. I didn’t want you involved in my troubles.”

“Richard, I’ll always be there to help you; you know that.” I put my head on her neck. Assured comfort. “I’ll send a letter to her tonight. With a friendship report.”

“Heh, what did you learn this time?” I asked her.

“Everyone and everything has rough patches in it, but that doesn’t mean you should get rid of it.”

“That’s awfully grim.” I said. She chuckled.

“Yes, I suppose it is.” We lay there quietly after that. I felt the urge to cry fading. That was good, I never cry. It felt alright living in Ponyville. It would never be Earth, but maybe that was alright. Karen and Jimmy… I would miss them. After a few minutes, I broke the silence.

“Twilight, could you please tell me about your childhood?” she smiled, thinking briefly about it.

“Sure thing, Richard. I was born in Canterlot, and I’ve always wanted to be great at magic…”
 
Chapter III

Celestia would be arriving later today. I was nervous. What would I say? Ask? What would she say? I was pacing through the town. Some ponies had heard about yesterday and offered to help me. Not with my true problem, but that of being an alcoholic. News travelled fast, I guess. I turned their offers down. Even Berry Punch had come up to me. She said she knew what I was going through and there are other ways to deal with sadness. I nodded, unsure of what to say.

It was heartwarming to see all of this. They barely knew me. I had shown up a stranger four years back, yet they all accepted me with open arms. This was a great world of caring ponies. Surely they would have done the same for me back on Earth, I thought. I had friends that cared. There was Barney… aaaand… no one else. I couldn’t remember anyone else. I knew their faces, but not their names. I wonder if they knew my name. Here, everypony was my friend. I could hold a conversation with anyone, and not regret talking with them.

I looked back at the sky; the sun was finally going down. There was a lump in my throat. I had never been this nervous before. I tried to swallow, it didn’t work. I had less than an hour now from what I could tell. How could I hope to know what I needed to say? I started the walk back to the library, the place that had been my home for the most of four years. Agonizingly slow step after step. What would I say? What would I ask? I wasn’t prepared. The library and time drew closer and closer.

I pushed the door open. The creak of the hinges echoed through the otherwise silent house. The streets had been quiet, but this was something else. I made no noise walking towards Twilight. She was sitting alone on the couch, eyes closed. I wondered if she was a worried as I was. I sat next to her. She looked at me, fear in her eyes.

“It’s going to be ok.” I said, breaking the incredible silence. She put an arm around me.

“I hope so.” She said bleakly. We sat together, waiting down the final minutes. I could hear Celestia’s chariot getting closer and closer. The beat of the wings, the heavy breathing of the pegasi carrying her, it seemed deafening. Finally a stop to the noise and soft noises as the chariot landed in the grass outside. Celestia walked in, moving the door with her magic. She stood before us. I stumbled for words, but she spoke first.

“Richard, I know I can never undo the damage I have caused.” She said, and that’s all. A small apology? Who did she think she was?

“That’s it?” I asked, incredulous at this pitiful display of regret. “You are sorry? Well thank god for that!” I turned to Twilight, “Did you hear she’s sorry?”

“Richard, please…” Twilight said weakly.

“No. You are right about that, Celestia. You can’t undo anything. Who are you to rip someone from his life to do work for you?” I screamed at Celestia. She flinched.

“Richard, there are things that you do not understand. To try and tell you them would be futile. I did what I had to do, as did you.”

“Well, why don’t you tell me why, at least? I want to know why you took me from Earth.” Celestia looked uncertain. Did she have an answer? Would the great and wonderful princess tell me her reasons?

“Richard, I needed you. I needed you to stop Bastion. He would have destroyed us all.” She said finally.

“Is that it? You needed me to stop someone who worked under you? He was in front of you! Why-“

She cut me off, “I couldn’t do that or it would have killed my sister. His magic was too strong at that point.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Luna told Bastion to cast the spell. Why would you protect her after that?”

“It was a show, Richard. Bastion needed to make a mov-“

“No, you’re telling me that even though you knew he was going to be trouble you needed him to actually make the trouble? I’m surprised you’re that honorable.”

“Richard, please understand.” She said, pleading.

“That’s not all. You then put Bastion in prison. Why not stone him then?”

“For that, I have no answer. I made an error, I’m sorry.” Celestia said. Twilight was crying softly.

“One more thing, Celestia, and this is a big one. Why did you force me to love you?” I asked. She thought for a few minutes, it felt like eternity.

With a deep breath, she said, “I thought I loved you. I knew you would never love me the same way. I had to play heavy handed. I can’t even tell why I acted as I did.” She had an answer for every question.

“Alright. Sure, I’ll buy that.” I held onto Twilight. The room stayed quiet, motionless. Then something came to me, “Both worlds exist, right? Both Earth and Equestria.” She nodded. “Ok. I have dreams. These dreams bring me back. Is it all real? Am I there? Karen… and Jimmy…” I could not hold back the tears. The thought of them, without me, it was heart-breaking. I couldn’t tear my eyes off Celestia. I wanted her to talk! Never before have I wanted her to talk as I did now. I wanted to watch her squirm as she struggled to answer.

Sadly, she didn’t squirm, or struggle, or sweat. She answered coolly.

“No. Your time on Earth ended when you first arrived.\.” That was it then. None of it had mattered. Karen and Jimmy, all in my imagination. “Anything in your dreams was just that, a dream.”

“Shut up.” I demanded.

“But, Ric-“ She spoke up.

“Shut up!” I yelled. She backed off. Twilight put her face to mine.

“It’s going to be ok.” Said Twilight. Would they? For the first time in years… I cried. This was insanity. The realization of what I had done hit me. Everyone at home, they thought me a coward. I had taken my life when life had become the hardest. Who would attend my funeral? Barney? He had been my only friend.

“Do not cry for your past life, Richard. It is gone now. You must accept that. This is a better life.” A better life? How did she know?

“How do you know this life is better? What’s to say I wasn’t loved by all?” I asked.

“Simple, why would a happy man commit suicide? You aren’t the only one who can put two and two together.” That was true. She was smarter than I gave her credit for. I lay back on the couch. I rubbed Twilight’s back, unsure of what to do.

“So what happens now? There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of detective work in Ponyville, or Equestria for that matter.” She nodded.

“That is true. You won’t need to work, Richard. I will take care of everything.” Never have to work again? I liked that tune. No. I must steel my resolve. She had ruined my life. She was just making up for it.

“Alright then. I guess that’s it then.” I told her.

“Richard. I trust that you will see me as a friend in the future.” Not likely, I thought. She turned and left the library. As the door closed, I let loose a sigh of relief. I tried to regain my composure, to stem the flow of tears. It took a few minutes to happen.

“How are you holding up, Richard?” asked Twilight. I looked at her.

“I’m doing fine. You?”

“The same.” She put on a small smile. “It’s going to be ok, Richard.” She nuzzled up to my neck.

“Thanks for being here for me.”

“I’ll always be there for you.” She was the sweetest thing I’ve ever met. Karen had never been nearly as nice as Twilight was. Deep down I knew this place was better, but I didn’t want to admit it. “Who were Karen and Jimmy?”

“Karen was my wife… in my dreams. Jimmy was my son.”

“Do you want to tell me about him?” asked Twilight.

“Jimmy was only six when I woke up. He was smart… always picked things up fast. I thought he was destined for big things.” Remembering the details hurt. In my head I saw Jimmy and I playing. He sat on the swing set as I pushed him higher and higher. That had been during the last summer.

“Did you think he was going to become a detective like you?”

I laughed that off, “I hope not! It isn’t easy being a detective. I hoped Jimmy would do whatever he wanted. I would always be there to support him. He was so full of energy…” I trailed off. I kept thinking of him and I talking, playing, and bonding. It all seemed so real and vivid.

“Do you think of what our foal will be like?” I had completely forgotten. Twilight and I had wanted a foal of our own awhile now, but didn’t have the time. I suppose now we would.

“I wonder alright. I hope he has your smarts.” I said, nudging her gently.

“Yeah? I hope she has your common sense.” She bit my ear playfully.

“I suppose we’ll see when we see.” She nodded, “but first, we have to get down the business.”
 
Chapter IV

I woke up next to Twilight. I was more tired than usual, yet I didn’t care. It had been about a week since Twilight and I had begun trying to conceive. Everything but that was boring. I spent most of the day helping her around the library or reading. I had put the thoughts of Earth behind me. It was around dawn. The sun’s rays peaking over the mountains into the windows.

Faintly, but louder and louder came a sound. As if there was a great roaring in the sky. It lasted only seconds until there was a great explosion. The ground shook. Downstairs I could see books and lamps fall. Twilight woke with a start.

“Earthquake?” asked a crazed Twilight. I put my arm around her.

“I’m sure it’s nothing.” I didn’t know what else to say. I didn’t know much about earthquakes. I thought I could hear screaming outside. “I’ll check it out, stay here.” I got out of bed, grabbing my hat and donning it. As I got nearer to the door, the screams became louder and louder. I opened the door. Ponies were streaming past the doorway. A few of the stallion were running the opposite way. I hailed one over.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“Something fell from the sky. It hit some houses on the other side of town. We need all the help we can get.” I nodded, rushing with him to the source of the smoke in the sky.

The houses were nearly demolished. Plumes of fire roared into the sky. A few fireponies came out; there was no one in the house.

“Did anyone see what it was?” I asked. No one saw. There was the sound of crunching timber as the fiery remains shifted. A bucket chain was formed. I raised bucket after bucket from the well, passing it to those next to me. Again the sound of crashing timber.

“What’s going on in there?” questioned somepony. More crashing, louder than the second time. I thought I saw something moving in the fire. A firepony leapt into the blaze, trying to help the trapped pony. I saw a quick movement as the firepony approached the shape. The pony was thrown from the inferno, landing feet away from me. The dark shape came closer and closer. Two stallions picked up the firepony and bolted. It was hysteria; we were all running towards the other side of town.

I got to the library. I didn’t see anything following us. I went to Twilight, she was lying in bed.

“What’s the matter, Richard?” She asked sleepily.

“You have to get up. We have to go.” She bolted up.

“What’s the matter? What happened?” She was stepping out of bed. I looked out the window; there wasn’t anything in the streets.

“Something fell from the sky. It isn’t safe.” I led her downstairs and out the door. All the stallions were gone. “This way.” We ran away from the fire. From behind us came a terrible, piercing cry. It was definitely coming closer. I made sure Twilight was in front of me. Finally I saw the clearing were everyone was milling about.

“You’re ok!” screamed Pinkie Pie. Our five friends bounded up.

“This is serious. Did any of you see it?” I asked. They all said no.

“I don’t think it was any sort of weather,” said Rainbow Dash. “Cloudsdale definitely would have told us about it.”

“There it is!” someone screamed. I ran to the front of the crowd. It was walking up the street. It stood taller, twice the height of any pony. It’s body shiny and metallic. It had long, thick arms down below its waist. Its head was surrounded by something that obscured the details.

“Don’t let it get close!” yelled someone else. Some unicorn threw a barrel at it. The creature blocked the barrel, shattering it. Some of the crowd tried rushing at it, it knocked them away with ease. I turned to R.D. and Applejack.

“Rainbow Dash, I’m going to go in and distract it, use that time to hit it with all you’ve got from behind. Applejack, same goes to you.” They nodded.

“Richard, you’ll get killed.” Said Twilight.

“Hopefully not.” I turned to the creature, it was stumbling closer. I charged with all my might. It raised one of its lanky arms to the sky, ready to slam. I took a quick turn to the right, hoping it would miss. It didn’t. The blow knocked me ten feet to the side. I saw Rainbow Dash land a flying kick straight to the back of its head. It merely stumbled. Then Applejack bucked his legs. That brought him to the ground. It reached out, trying to grab her.

“Not so fast!” yelled R.D. as she slammed from the sky to its face. The arm fell to the ground, motionless. It was then that I looked at my own injuries. The creature had claws at the end of its arms. They had sliced my side. Blood poured to the ground.

“Richard!” screamed Twilight. She rushed over, horn glowing with potent magical energy. I felt her magic close the wounds.

“Told you… I’d be fine.” I said.

“You sure did,” she said, panting.

I turned my head back to the sky. What I saw made me afraid. There were hundreds of meteors falling down all over Equestria.

“Ah Hell.” I said. I got up on my unsteady legs. I leaned on Twilight for support. “We have to get out of here. Some of the,” I was interrupted by the roar of a meteor crashing into the center of town. Most of the ponies scrambled into the forest. Only a few stayed back.

“We have to get out of here everypony.” Said a calm Rarity.

“Yup.” Said Big Mac.

“Where can we go?” I asked. They looked at me. Another meteor hit four streets down.

“Where ever it is, we better find it soon,” said Applejack. Geography, geography! I have to think, was there anywhere in the books?

“What about the underground rooms?” asked Xavier. That was the first time I had noticed him here.

“That’s true! Those are safe as well,” chipped in Twilight. Everypony nodded. She turned to me, “can you take us there?”

“Sure.” I said. I knew the route still.

“One’s coming!” yelled Bon Bon. I ran into the forest, the rest followed me.
 
Chapter V

I was the last one down the elevator. Lyra and Bon Bon and some of the mares were looking after the foals. They corralled them into a side room. I shut the top, making sure no one else was coming. We hadn’t encountered any of the other ponies or those… things. Everyone was murmuring, no noticeable voices.

“Did you see it? It was horrifying.”, “What did it want?”, “I want to go home.”

Everyone was scared. To be honest, I was too.

“Have you ever heard of anything like that?” I asked Twilight. She shook her head. Damn.

“Would the Princess know?” asked Rarity.

Twilight turned to her, “I’m not sure. I’ll send her a letter. Anyone have a quill and paper?” Everyone started to go through the cupboards and drawers.

“I’ve got ink,” said Applejack, holding it aloft.

“Paper here!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie. No one could find a quill. Rainbow Dash, standing next to me, slumped her head.

“I’ve got a quill,” I said. Twilight looked at me.

“Where?” she asked.

I turned to Rainbow Dash, she didn’t notice, “Sorry about this.” I took on of her feathers in my mouth. With a great tug it pulled free.

“Ouch! What are you doing?” R.D. exploded in pain. I gave her an awkward smile. She frowned at me, rubbing her wing gingerly. Twilight took the feather with her magic, dipping it in the ink. She began to write a letter to Celestia. A sudden thought came to mind.

“Has anyone seen Spike?” Everyone’s gaze slowly shifted around the room, bleakly. He wasn’t here. “Damn it all!” I slammed my hoof to the floor. “I’ll go find him. He’s probably at Derpy’s. Her house is pretty well out of the way.”

“You’d have to go through the center of town! That’s impossible, Richard. I’ll fly you there,” offered Rainbow Dash.

“You can’t carry Spike and I. We’re too heavy for you,” I rebutted.

“I-I can help if you need me,” Fluttershy spoke up. She walked forward.

“Are you sure you want to? It’s dangerous,” I said.

She merely nodded, saying, “Nothing stops me from a helping my friends.”

“Alright, let’s get going.”

The sky was black with smoke. Ponyville looked to be in the same condition it had been in when we left. The fires had spread though. Sections of the town burned. We strafed around the town so we had a chance of not being seen. We landed in front of Derpy’s house, it was untouched. We barged in.

“Derpy? Spike! Are you here?”

“Yes, I’m here!” came the feminine voice of Derpy. She hopped up, along with her daughter, Dinky.

“Where’s Spike?” She wrinkled her snout in concentration.

“I think he went to the market to get jewels.” She said.

“Well damn. You tw-“

“And muffins!” she interrupted.

I resumed, “You two need to get out of here.” I turned back to R.D. and Fluttershy, “You guys take them out of here. I’ll get Spike.”

“No way I’m letting you go alone!” said R.D. “Derpy can fly and Fluttershy can carry Dinky.” She turned to Fluttershy, “Right?” Fluttershy nodded.

“What’s going on?” asked Derpy. Dinky looked sad.

“Twilight will tell you. Come on, Dinky, let’s get on Fluttershy.” Dinky hopped on Fluttershy’s back.

“Where are we going?” Derpy asked.

“Trust me, Derpy. Just follow Fluttershy,” I turned to Dinky. She was playing with Fluttershy’s mane. “Can you do me a favor Dinky? The place is a secret, so you’re going to have to close your eyes ok?” She nodded, smiling at the prospect of a secret place. I turned to Fluttershy and Derpy.

“Make sure you stick close, it’s pretty smoky up there,” said Fluttershy to Derpy. Derpy nodded, she was scared.

“It’s going to be ok.” I nodded to Fluttershy, she gently took into the air. Derpy took after her.

“You ready to go into town, Richard?” asked R.D.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

The walk to town was as uneventful as I could hope for. A few meteors crashed into the Everfree forest. Rainbow and I kept silent as we walked through the town. We saw nothing moving, no birds, no animals, nothing. The market was empty. Some of the carts had been trampled during the stampede.

“Spike,” I called out, “where are you?” There wasn’t a response. Rainbow Dash pointed me to the jewelers. The door was unlocked. I pushed it open. The store was dark and quiet. “Spike, are you in here?” I asked. I heard a rustling upstairs. Rainbow Dash stood at the windows as I went upstairs. In the bedroom I thought I saw something moving. “Spike, is that you? It’s Richard.” A small hoof appeared over the sheets. I walked over behind the bed. A small colt lay cowering on the floor. I went over to him.

His small, brown coat battled with his black mane. He had two small wings on his back.

“Hey, don’t be afraid. I’m here to help you.” He looked up at me, tears running down his cheeks.

“Have you seen mommy?” he asked.

“Yes, she’s with us,” I lied. “Come with me downstairs; let’s get you out of here.” I picked him up and placed him on my back.

“One’s in the courtyard,” hissed Rainbow Dash. I froze. Would it come in here? We couldn’t fight it with this colt here.

“Come upstairs.” I told her. She came up, looking at the colt in confusion. “Take him out the window. Fly him back to everyone.”

“What about you, Richard? What are you going to do?” she asked as she picked up the foal.

“I don’t know. I’ll figure something out.”

“Keep safe, Richard.” She turned to the foal, “hold on tight, little buddy.” I opened the window, Rainbow Dash leapt out, the colt holding tight. Great, I was alone in a town with monsters in it. I walked down the stairs slowly, careful not to make any noise. Rainbow has said there was one outside. Hopefully it had left. The courtyard looked clear from my point. I moved closer to the window, keeping my head low. I looked all around. It was clear.

Now to the important task at hand. Where was Spike? What did I know? He had gone here to get jewels and muffins. He wasn’t here. Was he here when the trouble began? Something caught my eye. A clawed hand smashed through the window, throwing shards everywhere. I ducked down, dodging its grasp. It slammed into a table, turning back to grab me. I leapt to the left, near the door. I ran through it. The beast stood aside from the window, turning to face me. It let out a roar.

I turned, running down one of the side streets. It lurched after me. It’s giant gait having no trouble matching my speed. I leapt over garbage cans and refuse. I heard the clang and cracks as the creature tossed the obstacles to the side. I took a quick turn to the right down an alleyway, then a left at the end. After a few more turns I stopped to breathe. I couldn’t hear it following anymore. I must have lost it.

Now where was I? The street looked familiar, but not very. I started to walk towards the end. Nothing stood out, all houses, no businesses. At the end of the street, a familiar landmark appeared, Lyra’s house. I was close to the library.

“Alright, Dick. Just get to the library and you’re home free.” But Spike… Where was he? Maybe he was at the library. He might have gone there in terror.

The library was untouched. So was the interior. I checked upstairs, maybe he had taken a position as the foal had. Sadly he had not. I turned to walk back down the stairs. Horror struck me. Outside the door I saw the metallic legs of the beast. It was bending to get through the door. I turned to the window. Time to be like Rainbow Dash. I took a running leap through the pane of glass, rolling as I hit the ground. I got up quickly; I had to get out of there. I had never run so fast in my entire life.
 
Chapter VI

“Richard, you’re back!” Twilight exclaimed, giving me a kiss on the cheek. She pulled back, “where’s Spike?” I looked her in the eye.

“I couldn’t find him. It’s dangerous in town. Damn things chased me throughout.” There were few gasps. I pulled closer to Twilight, “did the foal find his parents?”

“No.” she murmured. Poor thing. I went to the room where the foals were being watched. Lyra was sitting with him, playing. I trotted over.

“Hey there, little guy. I’m Richard. I didn’t quite get your name.” He looked up at me.

“I’m Sunny Days.” He spoke softly. I sat down next to him.

“How old are you, Sunny?”

“Three.”

“Three? Wow.” I saw Twilight watching me from the doorway, she was smiling. “I don’t mean to ask so many questions, but did you see a purple, little dragon?” His face showed concentration.

“No, I’m sorry. I was upstairs taking a nap.” He was taking a nap when this happened?

“Hey, do you mind if I talk to Lyra for a second, Sunny?” He shook his head. Twilight flagged him over to her. He walked happily. Once he was out of earshot I whispered to Lyra, “Did he tell you about his parents?”

“No, I’m worried about that, Richard.”

“Me too. They didn’t even go upstairs, they just ran. What the Hell was wrong with them?” It was terrible. They left their kid alone. What was wrong with them?

“He seems to have gotten his mind of it. I told him they were with another group,” said Lyra.

“Alright. I’ve got to think of a way to get the letter to Celestia.” She agreed. I got up, moving to the main room. Twilight was rolling around with Sunny Days. I called Rarity and Rainbow Dash over.

“You both know the situation here. It’s not good,” I said in hushed tones. “We have to get this letter out to Celestia. I need ideas.”

“Could we get it to her by magic?” asked Rarity.

“I’m not sure. I was thinking about flying it over,” I turned to Rainbow Dash. “Can you take it?”

She was interrupted by Derpy, “I’ll take it!”

“I’m sorry, Derpy, but we need this to get there as soon as possible.” To be honest, I wasn’t even sure that she could get it there. I didn’t think it personally, but many said she was a bit dull. She frowned. Dinky pulled at her mane, trying to get her attention.

“Yeah, I can do it, Richard,” said Rainbow Dash.

“Are you sure? Do you need company?” I asked.

“I’ll go with her!” said Derpy.

“Alright, fine. You can come, but we are going to go fast. Make sure you keep up,” Rainbow Dash said to Derpy. She nodded her head vigorously.

“What about me, mommy?” asked Dinky.

“It’s fine, Dinky. I’ll be back soon enough.” She gave the small unicorn a kiss. I passed the letter to Rainbow Dash.

“Make sure she gets this,” I told her.

“Got it! Let’s get going.” She and Derpy took the elevator to the surface. What do I do now? Wait for them to get back? I went to Twilight, she was watching Sunny play.

“How are you doing?” I asked her.

“Fine.” She said.

“You like him don’t you?” she gave small laugh and a sigh.

“Yeah, I love him.”

“Me too,” I said. “His parents abandoned him.” She finally took her eyes off him; she looked at me, sadness in her eyes.

“Are you kidding me?” I shook my head. She looked back at him sadly. “That’s terrible. Does anyone know the family?”

“I’m not sure. I’m going to spread the word tonight.” I assured her. Carrot Top came up to me.

“Are there any provisions here, Richard?” she asked me. I got up.

“Yeah, they are down this hallway, let me show you.”

Twilight prodded me awake, “Richard. Richard, wake up.” I opened my eyes.

“What’s the matter?” I asked. She pointed at Sunny. He was sleeping in the corner. His little body shivered in the cold. All the other kids had bunched up or were sleeping with the adults. He had secluded himself, I imagine, perhaps for his parents to find. “Oh.” I said.

“Let’s bring him over here.” She whispered.

“How?” Her horn glowed with a slight light. Sunny’s body slowly levitated into the air, drawing closer and closer. She landed him right in front of her. She gave me a wink. She curled her body around his. He stopped shaking. Twilight rustled his short mane with her snout. It was adorable. I looked around for Dinky, her mother was gone and her father… who knew? She was sitting near the elevator, looking at the platform which was at the top.

I nudged Twilight, pointing at Dinky. She saw and frowned as well. She looked at me with puppy dog eyes. How could I say no? I got up tenderly careful not to nudge anypony. I stood next to Dinky.

“What’s the matter, Dinky?” She looked up at me, the light reflected off her tiny face. A small pool of tears had collected beneath her. “Hey, it’s ok. Come on.” I pulled her over.

“I miss mommy.” She murmured. I put my arm around her.

“It’s ok, Dinky. She’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Do you promise?”

“Yeah, I promise.” With that she buried her head into my chest. She shook with sobs for a few minutes before falling into a calmer sleep. Twilight gave me another smile.
 
Chapter VII

Someone was whispering. Too low to make it out. It didn’t sound like anypony I knew. I opened my eyes. The room was dark, the lights having been turned off so everypony could sleep. From what I could see, no one else was awake. The whispering happened again. Where was it coming from? The only light came from a small candle in the corner.

I heard something else, steps. No one was moving… inside. I looked up. The shaft was still closed. Could it be Rainbow Dash and Derpy? No, they would have just come down. Surely it couldn’t be those creatures. Maybe it was the other ponies from town. Maybe they finally found their way. I strained my ears to see if I could hear more of the noises, but there was none. They must have moved on.

Dinky stirred in her sleep. When would Rainbow Dash be back? It was nerve-wracking waiting on news. Dinky yawned, turning over. She blinked at me.

“Morning,” she said.

“Morning, Dinky.” She looked around.

“Did mommy come back?”

“I’m sorry, she’s not back yet.”

She frowned, “But you promised.”

“I know, Dinky. I was wrong. We just have to wait.” She gave a pout. The other ponies began to wake up. Yawning and stretching. I got up, stretching my back. I walked to Twilight; she looked on endearingly as Sunny walked around. “They aren’t back yet. We might have to act.” I told her quietly, I didn’t want to start a panic.

“What could we do?” She asked.

“I’m not sure. We need to get everypony together and informed.” She agreed. We took the foals out of the room.

“I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on,” there were a few ‘yays’. “We sent out a letter to Celestia. The couriers didn’t return yet. In case they don’t we need a plan.”

“Why do we need a plan? Why can’t we stay here?” asked someone from the crowd.

“We don’t have enough resources here to get past another day. This wasn’t made to live in. We’d need to go elsewhere.”

“But those things are outside!” yelled some mare.

“Yes, that is why we are in here. But we can’t stay in here. We need to get out by tomorrow.

“Where can we go?”

I sighed, “That’s the problem. I don’t know. Canterlot seems the safest, but it’s a three day walk through the forest. I’m not we can take the foals on that.” There were perhaps ten foals.

“The pegasi could carry them.” Someone offered. The crowd murmured.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. The first two haven’t even come back ye-“ There was a slam against the elevator. It activated, lowering the platform. On it was a bruised Derpy. Everyone rushed over. There were resounding cries wondering what happened.

“Give her room.” Said nurse Redheart. She pushed her way through. She gave Derpy a thorough look over.

“City… in ruins,” blurted Derpy. Gasps ricocheted through the room. She started crying, curling into the fetal position. I walked over; I got low next to her.

“Derpy, what happened?” I asked.

“Rainbow and I got to Canterlot, but the city was in ruins. The citizens had crowded into the castle which still held. We gave the letter to Celestia.”

“What did she say?”

“She said they couldn’t spare anyone to help. Rainbow Dash stayed to try and convince her otherwise. I hurried back as fast as I could.” That meant we were alone out here.

“Did you notice anything, Derpy? Were they close to here?”

“They aren’t even close. They aren’t even interested in here. They seem to be going to Canterlot.” Why would they go to Canterlot? Where they after something? I got Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie together.

“Ok you three. I need you three to do something. I need you to see if Ponyville is empty of those things.” They nodded. “If it’s not, then just come back. Don’t try and fight them.”

“We’ll try and bring back some food too, Richard,” said Applejack. They went to the elevator, taking it to the surface. I sidled up next to Redheart.

“Is she going to be ok?”

“Yes, she’ll be fine with a bit of rest.”

“I’ll get Dinky.” I said. Derpy’s ears perked up at the mention of Dinky.

“Let me see her please!” she pleaded.

“Sure thing. Just a second.” I turned going into the room where the foals were. “Dinky, your mommy’s back.” She shot up, running past me through the door. I turned back out. She and Derpy were snuggling together. Sunny came up next to me, he leaned his head against me. What were we going to do? Canterlot couldn’t hold against these things, there was no way. We could stay in Ponyville if it was safe, but then what? They would finish Canterlot and then come back for us, for everyone.

We would have to help Canterlot.
 
Chapter VIII

Ponyville was safe. We evacuated the shelter and moved everypony back into town. We only had twenty adults and ten foals. Everypony was able to stay in a concentrated area. I called the strongest ponies I knew into the library. It mostly consisted of our four friends and Big Mac. The rest were a little on the weak side.

“We can’t sit idly. We have to help Canterlot.” I told them.

“Dearie, what can we do to help? There are a lot of them to a little of us,” said Rarity.

“They need all the help they can get,” said Applejack.

“How would we even get there?” asked Fluttershy.

“We could use Twilight’s magic to get us to the outskirts of the town,” I responded. They all seemed somewhat convinced. Yet there was still the air of uncertainty. “This is the only way, guys. Trust me.” With begrudging attitudes, they all accepted. I looked to Twilight. “Are you sure you can do this?”

“Yes, it’s not that hard.” Her horn glowed bright purple as she concentrated. I felt the magic envelop my body. A bead of sweat appeared on her brow. With a great deal of pressure the magic took hold. The feeling of being in two places at once in unnerving. You never get used to it. The magic broke, leaving us beyond the great walls of Canterlot.

“Come on, guys. Let’s get inside.”

Buildings were destroyed; bricks, glass, and timber lay in the streets. Fires roared into the sky, belching great streams of smoke into the sky. It wasn’t until we got into one of the markets that we saw a creature. It wasn’t moving, just standing in the center, fixated on the castle. I motioned to Big Mac, he nodded. Taking a position behind it, I gave a mighty kick with me legs. The creature dropped to the ground. Big Mac landed on its back. It screamed in agony. It threw one of its arms to the side, knocking Big Mac away. It tried to get up unsteadily.

“Nope,” I said as I gave another kick. I connect with its knees. I could hear them crack from the blow. It fell to the floor, clutching its tattered legs. It made a whimpering sound, as though it were crying. Blood poured from between its claws. It turned its expressionless face towards me. I could feel hatred in its glance. “Welcome to Equestria.” I let loose a kick to its face. It lay back on the cold cobblestone. It didn’t rise or stir.

“Richard, it couldn’t fight back. Why did you kill it?” asked Twilight.

“That was simply barbaric, Richard,” said Rarity. I pushed what they said aside. These things were dangerous and not to be taken lightly.

“We’ve got to keep going. We can’t stay here.” I told them. They reluctantly agreed. How could they wonder why I had to kill that thing? What if it had hurt somepony? It wasn’t what I wanted to do; it was what I had to do. The streets to the castle were strangely clear. Fire burned and debris fell, but no more creatures stood in the streets.

The great castle gates were shut. Ponies on the ramparts watched us approach.

“Halt, who approaches?” questioned one.

“We come to assist. Please let us in.” I cried back.

“Who are you?”

“Richard Pound and friends. We came from Ponyville to help.” I answered. He signaled to somepony else. With the sound of great chains pulling the doors and metal scraping against wood, the doors moved apart, allowing us entry. We hurried in. The guards wasted no time in sealing the door. What must have been the captain approached us.

“What did you see out there?” he asked me.

“We only saw one of the creatures. It was just standing there. We took care of it.” I responded.

“You took care of it? You killed it? Why?”

“What do you mean, why? Those things are dangerous!” He didn’t seem satisfied. He told us to go to the princess. The gardens were deserted. There were clear signs that it had been occupied by hundreds of ponies, but no longer. The princess was waiting for us in the main hall.

“Richard, why have you come?” she asked.

“We came to assist. We heard the city was in ruins.” She scoffed.

“That is far from accurate, Richard,” she said. “The city sustained damage yes, but we pushed them back. They are retreating.”

“You held them off? Then where is everypony?” I asked.

“They went with the guards to dispatch the rest of the creatures.” How did she turn ordinary citizens into soldiers? The others asked questions, but I was too busy to listen. Celestia had led the city incredibly. Perhaps there was another side to her.

Someone nudged into me, “Richard, are you there?”

“Huh?”

“I wanted to thank you from coming to assist the city, it means a lot.” Celestia was thanking me?

“Sure, no problem.”

“I’m sorry I was unable to send help. Things were chaotic here. Luckily we found their weakness, and just in time too.” She was acting really nice.

“That’s good to hear. What were they?” asked Twilight. “I’ve never read about such a thing.”

“Neither have I. They are a complete mystery.” I thought I could hear the faintest amount regret. I couldn’t be sure.

“How many ponies were hurt?” I asked.

“Not many at all actually. No deaths either. Was anyone hurt in Ponyville?”

“We aren’t sure. A large group of the town ran into the forests. We haven’t seen them since.” I said.

“That’s terrible to hear. Once the ponies come back, we will organize relief efforts for all of Equestria.”

“That’s great to hear, princess.” Said Rarity. It was great to hear. Perhaps the princess had changed.

A guard burst through the doors. “The militia has returned, princess,” he said.

“If you all will excuse me, I must welcome the heroes.” She walked off with the guard to the gates.
 
Chapter IX

The relief efforts were underway. Construction was in all over Ponyville, and I’m sure all over Equestria. The princess had sent crews over even before Canterlot was repaired. She must have felt bad after leaving us to die.

For a few days some ponies returned from the forests, mostly everyone from town was back. The jewelers did not return.

“Mayor, what are you going to do?” I asked the mayor. Sunny Days had been staying with a few different ponies. But that couldn’t watch him forever. They had their own things to do.

“I’m not sure, Richard. I may have to send him to the orphanage in Canterlot.” She said sorrowfully.

“You can’t do that!” blurted Twilight.

“I don’t know what else to do, Twilight. No one has come forward to take him in,” she responded.

“We could take him in!” Twilight exclaimed. Both mine and the mayor’s jaws dropped.

“Are you sure, Twilight?” asked the astounded mayor.

“I am, if Richard’s fine with it too.” She turned to me. She bit her lower lip.

“Are you sure, Twilight?” She nodded. “Then I’m fine with it too.”

The mayor shrugged, “Alright then, just fill out the paperwork and you’ve got yourself a little foal of your own.” She grabbed some papers from her desk, sliding them onto the desktop, “just sign here.” Twilight signed eagerly. Mine took an amount of trepidation. The mayor took back the papers, “I guess you can go pick him up now. I’m not really sure what to do here.” We headed to Sugarcube Corner where Sunny was staying for today. Pinkie was looking after him.

“Hey, Richard, Twilight,” said Pinkie was we entered. She was standing behind the corner while Sunny ate a cupcake at one of the tables. We waved to Pinkie while we walked to Sunny. We sat at the table.

“Hey, Sunny, how are you doing?” I asked. He looked up. He had a tuft of frosting on his snout. Twilight giggled.

“I’m fine. Pinkie’s letting me have all the cupcakes I can eat!” he said exuberantly. Pinkie suddenly found herself needed in the kitchen and hurried out.

“That’s sweet of her,” said Twilight. “We just thought you’d like to know that you’ll be staying with us next.” He looked confused.

“But I thought-” he started to speak, then went silent. “Why do I have to stay at different ponies houses? Why can’t I go back to mine?” What do I even say to this? I can’t tell him his parents didn’t come back. How could I lie to him?

“You just have to trust us, Sunny. I’m sorry,” said Twilight. He looked down, sniffling.

“I miss mom and dad,” he whimpered. Twilight got up and ruffled his mane.

“It’s ok, Sunny. Why don’t we show you where we live?” Twilight said.

“Ok,” he said, looking up at her. He got off the chair. We led him back to the library. It was silent the entire way there.

I opened the door for Twilight and Sunny. They both walked in. Sunny gave a small gasp.

“I’ve never seen so many books before.” He said in awe.

“You can read them all,” said Twilight. He turned to her; a look of sadness covered his face.

“I-I don’t know how,” he muttered.

“You don’t know how to read?” she asked. He nodded weakly.

“I’ll teach you how,” I told him. He brightened up. I showed him one of the side rooms which had a small bed in it. It would be perfect for him.

“What do you do during the day, Twilight?” he asked.

“I’m the librarian here. I take care of all the books,” said Twilight.

“Cool! What do you do, Richard?”

“I’m a detective. I help other ponies solve things.”

“I want to be like you,” he said.
 
Chapter X

Twilight and I were reading before going to sleep. I heard something strange from Sunny’s room.

“I’m going to check on Sunny. I hear something,” I said to Twilight She nodded. I got downstairs, putting my head next to the door. I could hear crying on the inside. I went back to Twilight. “He’s crying,” I said again. She put done her book, looking concerned.

“Do you think it’s about his parents?” she asked.

“Probably,” I sat on the bed. What were we going to do?

“What do you suggest?” she asked.

“I’m not even sure what we can do. It’s not like he’s going to forget about them.” Twilight got a clever look on her face.

“Well, he might…” She trailed off.

“How?”

“We could get something that could help, maybe from Zecora.”

“Are you seriously considering that? Memory isn’t something to play with… It’s who a person is.” I was hurt that she would try this. Maybe she didn’t know what it was like to not know what memories were true.

“Richard, he’s clearly sufferin-“

I cut her off, “I’m sure he’ll forget within the week.” She didn’t look convinced.

It had been a month. It seemed like he cried regularly at night. It hurt us both to hear him this way. He never talked or asked about his parents. We were sitting around the table on a Saturday.

“Hey, Sunny. Want to go to Sugarcube corner with me?” asked Twilight. His face brightened. He loved going there, it was his favorite. The two left after breakfast. They didn’t return until night.

Sunny was the first through the door. He ran up to me, grabbing onto one of my forelegs.

“I love you, daddy.” He said, muffled into my leg. Daddy, I thought, he’s never called me that before. I looked at Twilight; she kept her eyes away from me. Something was up. All through the rest of the night until Sunny went to bed she kept up the silence. We were getting into bed when I spoke to her.

“What did you do? How could you?” she cast her eyes down.

“Richard, honey… I wanted him to see us as his parents.” I pulled myself closer to her.

“We are his parents.” She pushed me away.

“You saw how sad he was! I couldn’t take it anymore.” A tear fell down her cheek. “I just wanted him to love us…”

“Honey, baby, he does love us,” I pulled myself closer once more. She didn’t push me away. “He just needed time… that’s it.”

She started sobbing, “I’m sorry, Richard. I couldn’t wait.” She curled up on the bed. I put myself around her, trying to calm her.

“Will it go away? The effects?” I was hopeful. Maybe he would become normal once more. Not the lie he was now.

“No, it won’t.”