> The Human
>  by StapleCactus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A Meeting with a Jerk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A somber atmosphere hung over the funeral procession. Ponies walked in silence behind those carrying the casket, all following an aging stallion in black robes as they made their way up the hill. They had entered the cemetery moments ago, and every tombstone they passed only drove their sorrow further. An alicorn of purple coat trailed behind and looked up at the overcast sky, tears staining her face.

Rainbow would have cleared those clouds. She wouldn’t want them. Not today, she thought. Hoofsteps slowed in front of her, a pastel rainbow fluttered into her view for a second, then the steps kept pace with her own. Neither pony said a word, however. There were no words.

The procession reached the highest point of the hallowed ground and crowded around a tent that covered a hole, a marker already placed before it. Other markers similar to this one sat on either side, cutie marks engraved beneath names and dates. With the casket set in place on the elevator, the pallbearers pulled back, letting the minister stand to the side and wait for everyone to gather.

Princess Twilight Sparkle, with Princess Celestia at her side, took her place beside the empty grave. Her gaze lowered and lingered on the tombstones surrounding it. To the left, three pink butterflies, then balloons of blue and pink on the next. On the right side, apples adorned the stone beside a tree. There was a space still open beside that one.

She looked into the crowd, nodding gently towards an elegantly dressed mare. Her coat had lost the shine it once had as grey hairs blended in with the remaining violet ones in her mane. Bobbing her head in return, the mare dabbed her blue eyes with a black kerchief and watched the minister begin.

“Ladies and gentlecolts, we are gathered here on this somber day to pay our final respects to one of Equestria’s finest heroines.” He pulled a small book from his robes and flipped it to a marked page as the audience bowed their heads. “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.

“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to wound, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them; a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces. A time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak. A time to love, and a time to hate. 

“I have considered the task which the Gods has appointed for mortals to be busied about. They have made everything appropriate to its time, and has put the timeless into their hearts. ” With a slap of the book closing, he brought the mass out of their prayers. “There is little else I can say that has not already been said, so if there is any out there who wish to speak, I give the floor to you.”

The aging mare stood, followed by an orange pegasus, then another pony. Another and another and another. Then, in the back where he could fit without issues, a dragon stood to his full height, clearing the ponies’ heads by a meter. A bittersweet smile graced the minister’s lips and he stepped aside, motioning for the mare to start.

She stepped forward. “Thank you, Father.” Glancing at Twilight, she drew what strength she could, then turned back to the crowd. “I… was with Rainbow Dash when she passed. Let it be known that she did not leave us in sorrow, and we shouldn’t say goodbye to her in sorrow. She wanted us to be happy and to live fulfilling lives, even if she never said as much.

“Being friends with her was a challenge. She’d refuse to do anything she deemed ‘too girly,’ which ended up being everything I did, by her own admission. But... what she thought was different from what she said almost every time she said anything. She was tricky like that... and we loved her for it all the same. She—”

Her voice caught. Squeezing her eyes shut, she held back the tears. “If she ever said anything to hurt or offend you, look back on that and see how she might have used those words to push you to better yourself.” Just as the first tear began to fall, she hid herself in the mass again.

The other ponies sat down, unable to draw the strength to follow or think of something that had not been said. Silence reigned as the minister cast his gaze over the crowd. When he turned towards the princesses, he saw them peering at the back. “Spike,” Twilight began, making the ponies shift their attention to the dragon, “go ahead.”

“Gee, Twilight, nice of you to put me on the spot,” he said, a deep baritone voice thrumming over the assembled. A few chuckles danced among them before he stood straight. “Rainbow Dash. There’s not much I can say that her name doesn’t already say about her. She was a rainbow in everything she did, and she did it with a speed none could match.

“I remember how often she would hurry her friends along, and yet never broke her loyalty to them when they were too slow for her tastes. And in the later stage of her life, I watched as she slowed down, but it was a feint, because just a few nights ago, she told me so. She told me, as a smile graced her lips, ‘I never slowed down. Everyone sped up to catch me.’ As I look around me, I now realize how true that was.

“Um, that’s it,” he finished meekly. Turning to the princess, he saw Twilight nod with a small smile. Confident he did well, he flopped on the ground to let the crowd’s attention slide back to the front.

Twilight pulled a pile of papers from under her wing and took a single step forward. Sparing a glance to find her place, she held her head high and opened her mouth to speak. “I…” Then she threw them away. “I don’t need these.” As paper fluttered to the ground, she spoke in earnest.

“Who is Rainbow Dash? She’s these papers falling to the ground. She’s the wind carrying them. She’s even the pressure that keeps them aloft. She is everything around you, because you can’t live without her.

“Rainbow was the embodiment of Loyalty, and without her Equestria would have been destroyed. She was the glue that kept us together, Element Bearers or not, and her actions will not be forgotten for years to come. She was the strength that pushed me, pushed all of us, to where we are today, and not a single one of us could ever thank her enough.

“She isn’t a was. She is. Just as those who have passed before her, everything that continues from this point is due to her guidance, her perseverance, and her friendship. She is, and always will be. Don’t forget that she is smiling down upon us even now, and though we feel heartache, we will follow in her hoofsteps.

“We will persevere, and we will strive, and we will overcome.”

Her speech finished, Twilight whispered for the father to finish and stepped back.

“Thank you,” the minister said as he took his place before the coffin again. “Thank you all for speaking, and thank you all for coming.” He scanned the ponies gathered one last time and gave a sympathetic smile to whoever needed it. “And thus ends tonight’s ceremony.” With a sigh, he stepped away and started his walk back.

The crowd thinned one by one until just the princesses, dragon, and two mares were left. They watched the groundskeeper as he lowered the casket, buried it, and placed flowers on the disturbed soil. They waited until they were alone, waited until every other pony had paid their respects. Then, as one, they wept.

“Hey.”

The mourners wanted to ignore the voice. They wanted to be alone, but they were princesses and friends of such, and couldn’t just shrug off another pony in mourning. So, with what energy they had, they turned to the voice, only to see a strange being. 

It stood on two legs covered in a black denim material, the bottom of which ending with odd shoes of the same color that looked like they held a foot similar to Spike’s. The thing had two arms also similar to the dragon, but this being was covered in a pinkish-white skin from what could be seen beneath an open black coat that stretched nearly to the ground. Its head was flat from a lack of a muzzle, with beady eyes and an unkempt brown mane. They cast glances at each other as if to be sure they were seeing the same thing.

“Hello~,” it said, waving one of its appendages in front of the group. “You guys had a funeral, so you must be smart enough to understand me.”

The being’s logic was flawed, but the group could indeed understand it. Even so, they were speechless. Each of them turned to another, silently urging another to say the first words to a new being none of them had seen before, the death of a friend hindering their thoughts.

“Bah!” it said as it threw its hands towards the sky. “Just my luck.” It crouched down so it could look the unicorn and pegasus in the eye. “One of you,” it started, mimicking its voice with gestures,” point me to the closest cliff so I can jump off it and get out of here.”

“No!” all of them said as one, shocked.

“So you can speak! Hallelujah!” Jumping back to a stand, the being once again threw its hands to the sky. “Praise the Mud King!”

“The what?” Twilight asked, and inadvertently becoming the speaker for the group.

It turned its gaze towards the alicorn with a look. “The Mud King! Everyone’s heard of the Mud King. What are you? Stupid?”

Her brow furrowed as anger started its way to the forefront of the mare’s emotions. “Who are you to call me stupid, you… you… whatever you are!”

“Oh, nice comeback. Learn it from that thing there?” it countered, pointing towards the dragon. “I mean, if that’s supposed to be a dragon, it’s a pretty fugly looking one.”

“What did you call me?” the dragon asked, stepping into the fray. “I’m Spike, the Honored, and I won’t let you keep calling us names.” With a deep breath, he pulled himself up until he was standing on two legs, towering over the being who stood at the same height as the alicorns.

“Oh, pssh,” it said, waving a hand in dismissal of the dragon, “so you’re a foot higher than me. I can take you. Come at me, bro.”

Needing no more provocation, he lunged. The being stood idle, waiting until he was close, before shifting into motion. It slammed a palm into his stomach and arched its back, and then Spike was on the ground. With a well-placed strike, the fight was over and the dragon lay still.

“Well,” it began as it stood and turned from Spike, its coat trailing his movements. “That was easier than I was hoping for.” The ponies stared at it, their emotions running from shock to anger, until Celestia shielded the smaller mares with a wing. “Oh, what, is it your turn?” it asked, adding a mocking tone to it’s voice.

Silence fell over the group once again, tensions building as Celestia steadied herself for a fight. The being raised an eyebrow, as if it was contemplating the situation, before throwing its hands to the sky for the third time. “Nah, I’m done,” it said, and spun around. “You guys are boring, but maybe this place has something I can do to occupy myself.” Without waiting for a response, it started walking away, casually letting its arms swing at its sides as it whistled a jaunty tune.

“OH!” it called over its shoulder. “I’m a human, if you didn’t know. Call me Chase!” Then, it ran off towards the Everfree Forest, laughter and dust marking his route.

> Chase McJerk Strikes Again
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

To say Celestia was swamped would be an understatement. After the being calling itself a human ran off at the end of the funeral, she had done all she could to stop Twilight and Rarity from chasing. Rarity wouldn’t have made it far before her body tired, which could have left her in a horrible situation, and Twilight was needed back at Canterlot. Parliament could only hold off issues of state for so long without a princess, after all.

As much as she wanted to let Twilight mourn, the busiest season for new legislation had arrived. So, here they were, sitting upon two seats at the highest position in the congressional building and listening to yet another delegate mumble on about some new law or improvement that just had to get passed.

It’s not that Celestia didn’t have the power to stop him. All it would take is a short whisper to the crier from either princess and they would be done. The problem, though, was that she needed to let her ponies speak, or the entire process could come crumbling down. She could only let Parliament work independently for so long before chaos would split them into parties of like-minded individuals, and that wouldn’t be a fair use of the public’s taxes at all.

Her musings were cut short as the delegate finished his proposal. Murmurs of agreement spread throughout the auditorium, but just as many voiced their dissent. As such, they all turned to Twilight and herself for a final judgement.

“I understand the benefits you are proposing this ruling will create,” Celestia began, loud enough to be heard. “But, I simply cannot see the need for upgrading the road between Little Rock and Turmeric. There is little trade between those two towns enough to warrant such an investment at this time.”

Twilight nodded, a hollow look to her eyes. “I agree with Princess Celestia. There is no need for such an improvement until traffic increases, and as such, I propose we table this proposal for a year, pending changes of course.”

Voting passed in the majority, and the delegate gave a polite smile to the princesses for hearing him out and not downright throwing the idea away. As he took his seat, the crier rose from his own and scanned the itinerary, but found no further points for the day. He announced the court adjourned, and ponies calmly stood for their leave.

No sooner had a few left their rows, a soldier burst through the side entrance for royalty. “Your Majesties!” he called, ignoring looks from the delegates as he ran up to Celestia. “There’s something holding the Iron family hostage. He demands your presence immediately.” Both princesses snapped to attention. If it was what they saw yesterday…

“Can you describe this creature?” Celestia asked.

“Yes… well, sort of, Princess.”

“Tell us what you can,” Twilight urged, setting herself beside Celestia with a frown and arched brow.

“Y-yes, Your Majesty!” A stutter, a pause, and a calming breath later, he tried his best. “I could only see it from its back through a window, but it looked like it stood on two legs. I-I mean, I didn’t see his legs, but he had two more limbs near its head, so I just assumed…”

“It is okay, Morning Star. I think we know who it is,” Celestia said, determination hardening her features.  “We must hurry. Show us the way.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” With a quick salute, he turned and rushed back the way he came, both princesses hot on his heels.

This ‘Chase’ was quickly becoming a thorn in Celestia’s side. She was hoping his little bout with Spike could be summed up as his standoffish behavior getting the best of the dragon, and then the being defending himself. Now, she was beginning to think the human, as he called his species, was more troublesome than she first assumed.

Of course, it wasn’t just her judgement Chase had wronged. After they all calmed and assured themselves of Spike’s safety, they agreed the fight was partially his fault, and that maybe the being was a little confused. It certainly didn’t seem like this human knew where he was, or even what they were.

But that brought Celestia to another thought. How could she be sure of anything involving that creature? None of them knew what he was until he helpfully said so. Were there more of these humans, and were they all like Chase? She desperately hoped that wasn’t the case. Being able to knock out a juvenile dragon with two strikes and run as fast as he did, she couldn’t be sure her ponies could handle an army of Chases.

“It’s just around the corner, Princess!” the guard yelled behind him as they drew close. A small gathering was forming around the building, and Celestia noted the sign hanging above the door: an anvil with a hammer. They skidded to a halt and Twilight took up her right side before the entrance.

“Chase!” they said as one, both using an authoritative voice as a command for attention and a calming effect to the crowd. Celestia had taught her student well.

“Chase,” Twilight began, “come out and leave those ponies alone.” Silence. “I’m one of the ponies you met yesterday at the cemetery.” A few whispers started in the crowd as the store lay quiet. “I’m giving you ten seconds.” Hmm, maybe Celestia had a few more things to teach her. Then again, now wasn’t the time to correct her, and she let it continue.

“Ten.”

“Nine.”

“Eight.”

“Se—” The door was thrown inward as the human stepped out, rubbing at the side of his head with his eyes closed. The guards maintaining the border of the crowd tensed as one when they saw him, concerned for everypony’s safety with the new creature and the arm it was hiding behind its back.

“Geez, who the hell is yelling out here?” Giving his hand one last twist, he opened his eyes and looked around. His gaze swept over the princesses a few times before finally letting it fall on them. “Oh, it’s you two again.”

“Chase, was it?” Celestia asked, drawing his attention to her while she flicked a few feathers at the guards. “What were you doing in the Irons’ place of business, holding them hostage?”

The human looked like he was insulted, pulling his head back, but instead of a frown, there was a raised eyebrow and a smirk. “Hostage? Who’s being held hostage? I was just borrowing their forge.”

“And for what, pray tell, were you borrowing their forge?” She noticed a few of the guards shimmy into position at the alley behind the store, but made no move to indicate their next instruction.

“Eh,” Chase grunted, shrugging his shoulders. “That’s for me to know, but I guess I can show you.” In a flash, he had pulled his other hand from his back and pulled something from a sheath. 

The remaining guards jumped forward as soon as they saw what it was: a sword as black as obsidian running a length similar to what they would call a bastard sword. However, this one was thin, almost like it was designed for one hand with how easily the human held it. Its hilt was a hand and a half made of a polished, near silver, steel and wrapped in a black grip. The human’s other hand held the scabbard for the blade, made just the same as the hilt, but there was no sling.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Chase asked as he watched the guards study the blade and his posture. “Shame I couldn’t finish it with you guys yelling, but it’ll do.”

“Chase…” Celestia warned, charging her horn and setting herself as well, “don’t.” Twilight, in response, stepped back and set her own magic to the ready.

“Don’t what?” A wide grin split his face. “This?”

He rushed forward on a single step, twisting the blade to press against the neck of the guard to the left of Celestia and using it to push the pony onto his hind legs. Using the hand with the scabbard, he held the poor guard stable from his back and twisted so they faced the princesses.

“Star!” Twilight screamed, letting a bolt of energy fly. It missed, but still managed to shock the human. Before anypony could retaliate further, Celestia threw open her wings, a gesture she trained both the guards and the citizens to recognize from so many diplomatic visits: she would handle this.

“Wow!” Chase tilted his head back and started laughing towards the sky. “Oh, this is rich! You… you people have magic?!”

“Ponies,” Celestia corrected, anger seeping through her voice as she took a step towards him. “And yes, we have magic. If you don’t drop him this instant, I’ll show you just what that magic can do.”

“Drop him?” he asked, then looked at the guard in his grasp. “Now why would I do that? See, this is a demonstration!” With gentle movements, he made the pony tilt his head this way and that. “The interesting thing about a blade is: it won’t cut unless you give it some friction.”

“We kno—”

“Ah-a. Don’t interrupt me.” He kicked one of the guard’s legs out, but caught him before he slipped. “Now, that isn’t completely true. A sharp enough blade can penetrate the skin with enough pressure…but here’s the kicker…”

It was silent for a few moments, and Celestia decided it was her turn to respond. “Yes?”

“You interrupted me before I could sharpen it!” he yelled, ripping the blade from the guard’s throat fast enough to make the pony think he was cut. As soon as the blade was free, Chase dropped him and jumped. The dust in the street stirred as the force of his legs accelerated him into the sky.

Celestia shot a bolt of pressure at him. He blocked it with the sword and used its strength to push him onto the roof of the building. With a cry of “See ya later!” he was off, bounding from one building to the next.

“Guards! Follow him!” Celestia ordered, then turned to Twilight. “Make sure Morning Star is okay.” One great flap of her wings later, she was in the air with the guards, and took point. She wasn’t letting him get away again.

She tracked him, even as he zigzagged from roof to roof as if he wasn’t even trying. Then again, he probably wasn’t, and that irritated her all the more. Egging someone on for a fight was one thing, but threatening a guard all for a prank was taking it to a new level. Even further, he deliberately made Twilight, the guard, and herself look like a fool in front of the populace she had sworn to protect.

Chase ran out of buildings. She didn’t think he would let that stop him and sped up, only to watch him leap. She thought he would go for the streets. She thought she could catch up and hold him down with telekinesis. She was wrong.

The human had pushed himself off the building hard enough that the edge collapsed. Before the material could crash down and blind her, she spotted him shooting out over the edge of Canterlot. As much as she disliked him, she couldn’t let him fall from such a height. It didn’t matter what he was; no one could survive that drop.

With an extra burst of energy, she pushed to the edge of the sound barrier, skirting the edge of it and leaving the guards behind. The building he crushed was just beginning to billow up dust, but she ignored it. Plowing through, she scanned about around her when the ledge ended.

Beneath her, laughing, was Chase. He had landed in a stream running along the edge of the mountain and was letting the strong current lead him away. “Thought I was diving for the end?” he called after her.

Words couldn’t describe how Celestia felt at that moment. He had just made her worried about him after what he did, only to laugh in her face. She had ponies do that on occasion, but there was something about the human that made her feel so much worse. Angry, maybe. She couldn’t be sure, anymore.

“Join me for a swim?” he asked, laying back and stroking his arms against the current like the force of the water was nothing. After a few seconds without an answer, he continued. “Ah, it’s fine. Guess I’ll see you around!”

“No!” Celestia called the moment he let the water take him away. She flew after him, but he hit a section of the river that went into the mountain, and it was too small for her to follow. Knowing she couldn’t get to the other side before he was out and completely lost to her, she gave up the chase.

“Your Majesty!” a guard called from afar. She turned and noticed them flying towards her as quickly as they could.

“Stand down, sirs,” she said when they caught up. “He’s gone.”

They saluted as one. “What are your orders, Your Majesty?” the squad leader asked.

Celestia looked to the stream. “Keep an eye open for him. Send word to the other towns and provinces we have an unstable threat and to not engage without orders from Twilight or myself.”

“Yes, Ma’am!” The guards scattered, each going to a different destination to spread the word. The princess continued to stare at the stream, thinking about the human with whom she couldn’t get a good read.

“We will find you, Chase, and when we do… we will talk.”

> Chase Mc...Quiet?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ding-ding.

“Thank you for your patronage!” Rarity called as her last customer for the day exited the boutique. A heavy sigh escaped her before she plopped onto the cushion behind the counter.

Rainbow Dash’s passing reminded her of the years gone by, but her tired bones drilled the idea home. At seventy-seven, Rarity could feel her body slowing down, especially in the mornings. Oh, dear Celestia, those mornings… But even though she still had Sweetie to help her, there were some aspects of her boutique nopony could manage except her alone.

Not that Sweetie could help on a whim, either. She had passed her prime as well, but it would be a few years before her singing career was over. So, Rarity couldn’t guarantee she’d have any help, and learned how to manage on her own.

Her son had moved to Manehatten over twenty years ago; she couldn’t recall the exact date anymore. As for her husband, that stallion wasn’t worth her time. Rarity knew it wouldn’t be but a few more years before she would have to do as Granny Smith had: sit on the sidelines and let the younger generation take over.

Luckily, she had somepony to do so. Stitched Gown was a very talented mare, and Rarity had spent the last few years training her to take over Carousel Boutique. It was a godsend when that filly showed up as she had, arriving by train from Fillydelphia. She was elated to meet the mare she looked up to, after seeing her wares displayed next to other well-known pony dressmakers, and nearly begged to be taken on as an apprentice.

Another sigh left Rarity. Such reminiscing wasn’t healthy. Living in the present is the only way to live, after all.

A shuffle of fabric behind her caused her to raise her head. “I’m fine, Sweetie,” she said, knowing Gown had left a few hours prior for an appointment. “There’s still a few ye—” The store’s entrance slammed open in a light green aura, the bell above it nearly ripped off its hanger as it rang.

“Rarity!” Sweetie Bell shouted as she rushed up to the counter. Rarity took a second to calm her nerves before spotting her sister’s ever present friends, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, trailing in a few moments behind. “What’s this about the funeral being destroyed yesterday?!”

The elder sibling spared a moment to glare at the pegasus before responding. “Now, where did you hear such a thing? The funeral wasn’t ruined.” At Sweetie’s confused expression and diverting eyes between Scootaloo and herself, she continued. “There was a creature that merely wanted directions after the service was over.”

She tuned out the ensuing argument between the girls and thought back to the noise. After Opalescence, she never adopted another pet, and she was alone in the shop until they arrived. The thought of somepony breaking in crossed her mind, but Ponyville tended to be safer than most. Yet, now that her sister reminded her, that creature from the funeral…

No, Rarity thought. He was a brute, definitely, but a thief? She knew she had a tendency to assume a lot about ponies, and tended to be right more often than not, but there was the occasional error in judgement. From what she did see yesterday, the ‘human’ didn’t seem to have any ill will towards them. Though, from her grieving state, she admitted she wouldn’t think clearly enough to know for sure.

“What about Spike?” Sweetie asked when she broke away from Scootaloo. “I was told he was attacked by the thing!”

Rarity raised an eyebrow and turned to the pegasus. “Is there anything you haven’t told her? I thought we agreed to keep quiet until the princesses decided the best response.” Scootaloo, even after all these years, still ducked her head when facing the mare’s ire, only muttering an apology.

A light smile graced Rarity’s lips. “It’s fine, darling. You just wanted to tell your friends… but we might have a problem on our hooves if you told anypony else?” She nodded to the pegasus’s negative and turned to the other girls. “You two, as well. Don’t tell a soul until the princesses give us the clear to do so.”

All three nodded and shared similar responses before Sweetie jump forward further on the counter’s edge. “Spike! How is Spike?!” she asked, her eyes dancing in concern.

“He’s fine, Sweetie. In fact, he should be at the library by now, if you want to see him.” Before the last words left her lips, her sister had turned and ran back out. The other two gave Rarity a shrug before chasing after her, again, if their shared sigh was any indication.

Now alone again, the mare shut the door behind them and stood. Her body creaked slightly, but it was manageable. She started towards the kitchen for some tea when she heard a crash in her work room. A mumbled curse followed after, and she changed course, picking up the first sturdy thing she found: a book she had yet to return to the library.

Water marked the way as Rarity crept to the door as quietly as her body allowed, brandishing the book in her telekinesis. Beyond, she could hear fabric shifting about and drawers opening. 

“Where are the scissors? Every cloths maker has scissors.”

The voice was male, but she couldn’t be sure of anything other than that. Gripping the doorknob in her magic as well, she prepared herself for anything. With one last deep breath, she flew the door open. “Stop right the—”

Standing frozen next to a ponyquin was the human from yesterday. His eyes locked with her own as he held a roll of black fabric in one hand and the other reaching for another draped over the object. They held the stare for what felt like a minute before Rarity shrieked and launched the book at his face.

His arm twitched in line with the missile and it deflected away. As it landed, he dropped the fabric and gripped the limb tightly. “Oww. What the hell?”

“What are you doing in my house?!” Rarity yelled, picking up pins, rolls of cloth, and anything else she could wrap her magic around.

“Jeez, lady,” he said, rotating his hand. “Why’d you throw a book at me so hard? You could have broken something!”

“I asked you a question.” The objects floated closer to the mare as she set her hooves in place. “Answer me!”

Noticing the situation, Chase finally raised his arms in a calming manner. “Calm down. I was just looking for something to make a sling with… and maybe some way to dry this.” He shook his coat slightly and a few droplets of water landed on the floor.

She looked at the puddle growing under him, as well as the line running all over the room where he had searched. “What are you doing?!” she screamed and threw a box of small thread at him. “Out, out out!” Dropping the other objects, she used her magic to pull him from the room by his coat, then started pushing him down the hall towards the back door.

“H-hey,” he started, allowing himself to be moved and helping along the way. “What are you doing? I need my sword.”

“You brought a weapon into my house?!” she asked between shoves. “Do you not know the first thing about entering a lady’s home?”

They burst from the building and she huffed as he turned around. “Stay right here,” she ordered before stomping her way back inside. Rarity then spent the next few minutes drying her hardwood floors before any damage could result, pulling towel after towel from the bathroom and throwing the soiled ones in the laundry room without leaving the room.

“Hey—”

“Don’t you dare step a foot in this house.” A low grumble entered the room and she assumed that to be him complying. Once the floor was appropriately dry, she grabbed the materials he was using, spotting the sword and picking it up with a few other things, and headed back to the human.

“Hey, my sword!” Chase called when he spotted it, ripping it from the mare’s hold in the process. Rarity let it go freely, knowing she couldn’t concentrate on the other objects if she entered a tug-of-war with the human.

“Yes, your sword.” She stepped closer and looked him over with her brow furrowed in indignation, though she couldn’t deny the curiosity growing in her as well. “Now, why should I help you with what you need?”

“Wel—”

“You snuck into my shop, made a mess of my work room, and left water everywhere you went!”

“And as I was saying, I didn’t ask for your help. Give me what I need and I’ll leave you alone.”

A thought wormed its way into Rarity’s mind as a slick smile spread over her face. “And why would I give them to you? Do you even know what you’re doing?”

“Of course I know what I’m doing!” Chase responded and bent closer to the mare with an irritated frown.

“Then tell me how you were going to stitch this fabric—” She shook the spool in front of him. “—so it will hold that sword through those small rings.”

“I’d do it like anything else: until it sticks.”

A pitying laugh escaped Rarity’s muzzle before she could stop it, then raised a hoof to save some dignity. “Oh darling, you would use my whole roll if you did that.”

He rolled his eyes. “I don’t know why I’m bothering with you. I’ll find another store to get what I need.” With those words, he turned and marched away.

“Where are you going?” she asked as she tried to follow the human.

“I just told you!”

“I thought you needed to dry that coat?” Chase paused. “You need me, and I have questions. Answer them and I’ll make you that sling while you dry off.”

He looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. “You’ll let me back in the store?”

“Of course! Just…” She paused and surveyed his wet clothes. “Not with those on.” Before he could respond, she floated a pink bathrobe over. “You need to dry as much as they do.”

Chase seemed to think it over. He turned back and studied Rarity, then his clothes, and finally the sword. With a sigh, he reached for the robe, but stopped at the last second. “One condition.”

“You really don’t have much sway to be negotiating, darling.”

“You get three questions.”

Three questions would go a long way in understanding this new being. She would have to report to Twilight about what she learned, but first she needed to know the best way to get that information out of him. The way he looked at the moment, she didn’t think she could bargain for more, and didn’t want to inadvertently push him away. Reluctantly, she nodded and began for the boutique once more. After a few seconds, she heard fabric rustling behind her, then his steps as he followed.

When they got to the door, he handed the coat and pants over, then set his shoes down. Just as he was stepping through the entrance, Rarity called out to him.

“Do you plan on bringing that weapon in with you?”

Chase’s eyes darted between her and the sword. “Yes?” he said, confused. “You need the sheath to measure the sling, and I’m not about to pull the blade out to be exposed.”

Using the scissors she had, she cut a small portion of the fabric away and floated it to him. “Then tie this on it.”

He picked it from the air and looked it over. “Why?”

“If you want to enter somepony’s home, it is proper etiquette to tie your weapon as a sign of peace,” Rarity explained before pointing at the weapon. “Tie it tight between the top loop and the hilt.”

“I know what peace-tying is. I asked why you didn’t do it, or why I need to do it at all.”

“Because I asked you to, and it loses meaning if the owner doesn’t do it.”

With a reluctant sigh, the human set about tying the cloth, making sure to demonstrate the strength to Rarity when he was done. She nodded and entered first, leading him down the hallway and back into her workroom. Normally, she was the only one allowed in there, but she couldn’t risk somepony outside spotting him.

It wasn’t until they got settled, with Chase sitting on the floor, that Rarity finally took a closer look at the coat. There were no threads she could see, and a smell old oils permeated the room. “Is this leather?” she asked, surprised.

“You want to use that as one of the questions? Of course it is,” Chase said as he rocked back and forth, as if sitting still for long periods bothered him.

Rarity decided she had to be more careful with what she said. Now, she was down to two questions and she didn’t learn anything. Hopefully, she could get him in a good mood enough for him to rescind that first question, or she worried she wouldn’t get enough information to help the princesses. But first, she had to deal with someone who had leather and wore it like it was nothing.

“Of course…” she said, trailing her voice and adding a nervous titter to her voice.  Animal hide wasn’t completely unknown to Rarity. Over the years, she did get the odd griffon stop by for some help in maintaining pelts they gathered and wore. At first, she was horrified, but she learned to accept it after Twilight explained their carnivorous ways and how using the animal’s pelt was a way of letting the poor beast know its death was used well. She hoped the human had a similar outlook, and luckily still had some oil left over from the last griffon customer.

With a professional stance, she pulled it out from the drawer of her desk and started to work it into the material. “This oil will condition the coat, so the next time it gets wet, you only need to let it dry naturally.” Chase grunted an acknowledgment and Rarity chose now to test the waters. “Where did you get this?”

“Pass.”

Rarity arched an eyebrow at the human as she floated the coat over with his pants to dry into a bucket. “So you won’t answer any question.”

“Of course.” He was still moving about on the floor, but now he had switched to leaning from side to side.

She measured the sword’s sheath and started on the cloth. “You chose a good fabric. This is one of my stronger rolls.”

“I know what I know.”

Rarity wasn’t getting anywhere with this. Deciding to wing it, she asked the first thing she could think of. “Why did you interrupt the funeral yesterday?”

The human froze, slowly narrowing his eyes at the mare. “Interrupt? I waited until the others left. The grave was filled. I didn’t interrupt a funeral, I interrupted a bunch of upset people who had no cause to be.”

She whipped around and stared deeply into his eyes. “No cause?! One of our best friends just passed, somepony who we knew since we were fillies! Somepony who helped us save the world on multiple accounts and helped us through so many things. How dare you say there wasn’t a cause for us to grieve?!”

“I heard the eulogies. Almost every one of you said to honor her memory by pushing forward like she had you do when she was alive,” he said calmly, an almost bored look in his eyes.

“Are you really suggesting that we aren’t allowed to grieve even a little? What if it was your friend that died? Would you still be saying such things?”

“Yes.”

The sheer acceptance of his response stunned Rarity. She sat back, pressing against the desk with all her weight. How could someone think like that? Is this human some emotionless machine? What did she let in her house, and why is she helping it now?

“I…”

“Are you done?” Chase asked, standing up and looking over her shoulder. The sheath had acquired the sling he wanted, a simple strap from one loop to the other which only took Rarity a second to make. Before she could reply, he grabbed his still damp clothes from where they hung and slipped them on. As soon as his pants were snug around his waist, he threw the bathrobe over a ponyquin in the corner and slipped his arms through the coat sleeves. Without a word, he snatched the sword from the desk and walked out of the room.

Rarity chased after him as quickly as she could, spotting him slipping on his shoes at the door. “Chase, wait!” she called. “I still have one more question.”

“If you think back on it, I answered seven questions,” he replied, then slung his sword over his head and walked away towards the Everfree.

> The Forest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo flew through the skies above Ponyville. The wind in her face and wings, feeling the warm updrafts and cool eddies, and the burn of her aging wings were all she could do to be close to Rainbow Dash. Part of her wanted to believe her sister was next to her still, memories of being pushed to her limits being dredged up.

It was hard for her to start flying. Between her genetically weak wings and persistent use of them as a propeller when riding a scooter, she needed twice as long as any normal pegasus to learn. Dash, at first, tried the brute force method: strenuous exercise and tough love, like pushing her off a cloud and yelling for her to flap. Though those methods didn’t work, they did prepare her for what came later.

When the diagnosis came back from the doctor, Scootaloo collapsed and sobbed tirelessly. She felt her dreams would never come true, of flying with her hero, but Rainbow was there for her. The mare had promised her she’d fly one day, and neither hell nor high water would stop her from fulfilling it. Then, just as the filly had calmed, she was gone.

Three days passed by before Rainbow returned with determination burning in her eyes. She learned everything she could about flying for weak-winged pegasi from the flight camp in Cloudsdale. On that morning, she intruded Scootaloo’s home and shook her awake, not even explaining before grabbing her from bed and launching out the window from whence she came.

They alighted on a cloud high above town. Scootaloo protested the rude greeting and demanded to be brought back home, but the mare would have none of it. Rainbow had hugged the filly tight and said, “I promised you, didn’t I?”

“There’s no point! I can never fly, no matter what! They said so, so just leave me alone.”

“I won’t let you give up, Scootaloo. You’re my sister and you will fly!”

Scootaloo had perked up at that. After the camping trip, Rainbow had never specifically called her ‘sister’ again, and she had almost thought the mare forgot their promise. She couldn’t describe what she felt then, and even now had trouble understanding it, but it helped her decide to trust Dash one more time.

Rainbow relayed everything: how to feel the air, to glide along air currents and updrafts, to use her legs to gain speed and lift, every little tip the instructors gave her. It was difficult, unbelievably difficult, for Scootaloo to understand subjects in which even final year students needed help. Aerodynamics, thermodynamics, any physics topic relating to air was forced upon her. And sometimes, she needed to ask Twilight or study in the library when Rainbow couldn’t explain.

But she had persevered. In six months, she knew the basics and finally had a chance to try flying again. They started out easy, using Rainbow Dash to get Scootaloo moving through the air fast enough for a glide to hold herself. Words of encouragement flooded her ears again and again, and before she knew it, Rainbow had let go.

She had to hold back her instinct to flap rapidly. Every gust of wind tensed her muscles, but she slowly learned to relax and let it tell her where to go. They guided her to pressure zones where she could use the hot updrafts to bring her back to the clouds, or to cooler areas she could use to land safely.

Focused as she was on listening to the wind, the cheers from the ground below went unheard. She didn’t let a single thought enter her mind until she finally landed, inadvertently tripping over her own hooves at the speed she was going. But she was glad. She had flown, and that was all that mattered.

Over time, her understanding of physics grew, as well as her skill in flying. On the final day of her training, when she made it from the ground to a cloud on her own, Rainbow landed next to her. They had talked for a time, about everything, until the sun fell over the horizon. That was when she finally learned the name of her flying style: featherflight.

A sharp pain erupted in Scootaloo’s left wing, pulling her out of her memories and out of the currents. She let out a quiet yelp as she struggled to right herself and fall into a new air wave, but the pain throbbed at every movement. The ground filled her vision, panic overriding her senses and forcing instinct to take over.

She twisted in the air, aiming her hind legs to hit first. A part of her knew she wouldn’t make it out alive and laughed at the circumstances: cut down at sixty-four, just a day after her world fell apart. When they struck, her forehooves were ready to take the impact. But they never made contact.

The ground exploded, dirt and dust masking her vision as she was held aloft. A purple aura wrapped itself over her and deflected any particles. There was no force on her hind legs, no pressure forcing them to contract into her belly, almost as if they were still dangling in the air. As the air cleared, she was set down next to the crater her savior had caused.

“Scootaloo, are you alright?!” the familiar voice of Twilight called. She jumped into view with worry plastered on her face, and maybe a bit of sadness.

“I…” Shock had overridden everything she was about to say next, the ordeal shaking Scootaloo to the core. Her eyes darted between the hole and the mare in front of her before her legs gave out.

“Scootaloo!” Twilight yelled, catching the pegasus before she could fall. Shudders were communicated through their touch and her worry escalated. “I need to get you to the hospital.”

The word ‘hospital’ pulled Scootaloo from her thoughts. If she could avoid going back to that place, she would make sure of it. “No,” she finally said, pushing away and stabilizing herself. “I’m fine; just a scare.”

“Are you sure? Shock can—”

“I know what shock does!” Twilight pulled back at the outburst. “I’m fine.” Scootaloo took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and relieving some tension in the process. “Thank you.”

“Scootaloo…”

“I mean it, Twilight. Don’t worry about me; I can handle it.”

“But—”

“What?!” she yelled, turning on the alicorn with malice in her eyes. “I’m old? I can’t take care of myself anymore? Is that it, Twilight? Am I too old to handle anything on my own anymore?”

“I didn’t say that…”

“Then don’t. If Rainbow Dash were still alive, she’d tell me to shake it off, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” she said with a stomp of her hoof. “So thanks again. You saved me.” With that, she turned and walked away.

She heard Twilight take flight and sighed. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so rough on her. She’s probably dealing with Rainbow’s death as badly as herself, maybe worse, and there was no reason to make each other hate one another over it.

Her steps had carried her to the edge of the Everfree Forest. As many times she and the other crusaders entered the place over the years, she didn’t have the fear most of Ponyville had for it. To her, it was just another forest, one you had to pay attention to more than most. A memory bubbled up about Rainbow saving her from a timberwolf in there, but she shook it off before it could sadden her further.

In the distance, she spotted the strange creature from the funeral approaching. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, as he didn’t see her when he passed and entered the forest. Scootaloo called out to him, but received no answer. Again, she called, loud enough to scare a few birds from the trees, and he halted.

“What.” It wasn’t a question, but a demand. The strength of it unnerved her, like she had just called a bear out of its den.

“I… um…” It occurred to her that she didn’t know why she wanted him to stop. There was nothing she could ask him, nor anything she wanted to know about him.

“Yes?” he asked, turning to face her with a neutral expression. “Did you want something?”

“I just… wanted to know why you’re here,” she said, choosing the first thing that came to mind as nervousness set in.

“You’ll have to be more specific.” He set a hand on his hip while twirling the other in the air. “Here as in the edge of the forest, this place, the planet, this time. Which is it?”

“Um… Ponyville?”

He rose an eyebrow at that, and slowly, a smirk formed. “Ponyville. You call yourselves ponies, and you named a town ‘Ponyville’. Please tell me the pun was unintentional, so I don’t have to strangle someone.”

“S-strangle?!” Scootaloo said, taking a step back from the human.

“Yes, strangle. Choke, throttle, garrote. Whichever you prefer, it’s all the same.”

“Are you always so violent?” she asked incredulously. Just like Rarity, she assumed he fought Spike in self-defence and not for any malicious reason.

“Depends on the reason,” he replied, then shrugged his shoulders. “Well, it’s been fun talking to you.” Spinning on his heel, he angled himself to go deeper into the forest and started walking. 

“Wait!” Scootaloo called, holding a hoof out to him.

“What.” There was the demand again. It sent shivers down her spine and her eyes fell onto the sword across his back. She drudged up her courage and pressed on.

“What are you doing in the Everfree Forest?”

“I live here.”

“Where did you get that sword?”

“I made it.”

“You made it?”

“I made it.” Without another word, he walked off, soon blending in with the foliage. Something told Scootaloo not to follow.

If she let him go, she could let Rarity know he’s close, maybe too close. Apple Bloom would also be interested to know the human could craft tools as well. She’d be safe if she didn’t go…

But on the other hoof, she could gather more information about him if she followed. The princesses were concerned about his appearance, after all. And besides, the Everfree wasn’t that bad if she watched where she was going.

She could tell the others about him later.

With a burst of energy, she trotted after him, curiosity and fillyhood memories of similar quests pushing her onward with a smile. The trees and shrubs all felt familiar to her. It reminded her of those times she crusaded for her cutie mark with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and that tree there with the knobby branches was the one they climbed for tree climbing cutie marks. As lost as she was in her memories, she didn’t realize how lost she was becoming in reality.

A part of her still followed Chase’s trail, but the forest slowly got more and more foreign. She might have been a rascal with the others when they were young, but they knew not to go too deep into the forest. When she looked back, she couldn’t even recognize a part she had been in before. Hopefully, wherever the human was leading her, she could either gain her bearings or have room for taking flight.

If he took note of her, he didn’t show it. She was well back enough to duck behind a tree if the need arose, but she started to feel like he didn’t care. Pretty soon, she stopped cringing every time a stick snapped and focused on the surroundings for any memorable landmarks.

“There’s no point in hanging back anymore,” Chase called behind him. “I’m not going to bite.”

Scootaloo studied the human’s back, as if she could discern his intentions when she had no idea what his species’ body language could have in common with her own. His facial features seemed to be the same, but that was all she knew about it. Deciding to err on caution, at least this time, she kept her distance.

“Fine, be that way,” he said after a few minutes. “But when that spider catches up to you, you’ll have to defend for yourself.”

Spider? she thought, panic rising in her mind. Her ears swiveled about, but heard nothing other than the human’s footsteps and her own hooves on old fallen leaves. Of course, spiders didn’t tend to make noises, and they normally stayed in their webs… right? And if she couldn’t hear it, how could the human?

She was torn. Should she catch up to the human and risk getting gutted, or hold back and trust his word about an unheard and unseen threat? She could see the human, so at least she had a chance if he tried anything…

“Wait up!” Scootaloo yelled, scrambling as quickly as she could to shorten the distance between them. “Don’t let it get me!” As soon as she fell into pace beside him, he tilted his head back and guffawed.

“Oh…” he started as he calmed down, “that was a good one.”

Scootaloo turned towards him irritably, his joke not playing well with her mind. “That was mean!”

“But it was hilarious,” he responded, setting his hand on her head and rubbing her mane about. “Thanks, I needed that.”

She smacked his hand away and snorted in derision. “It wasn’t funny.”

“Yes it was.”

“No it wasn’t.”

“Yes, it was.”

“No. It wasn’t.”

“I can conclude, without a shadow of a doubt, that the previous jape at thine expense was, indeed, quite humourous.”

“Inevitably, thine escapade induced an emotion of ire within my person towards thee. Thus, I insist upon the uncomical nature of thine act and attitude.”

Scootaloo glanced towards the human, and upon seeing him staring back with a smirk, they burst out laughing. She wasn’t sure why she was laughing with Chase, but it felt good. The last time she really laughed was…

She shook her head. There was no point in thinking about it. Right now, she needed to get answers from the human, and she hoped building a favorable report with him would lead her there.

“There’s no point in following me, you know.”

“Not even the princesses know who or what you are,” Scootaloo said, easing herself over a large root. “The least I can do is figure out if you really are a threat.”

“A threat?” Chase seemed to think about that, quietly walking through the forest for a brief time. “I do what I want, when I want, regardless of what anyone thinks. If that’s a threat, I’m a threat.”

Scootaloo stopped and stared after him, stunned. Before she could formulate a response, a deafening roar echoed through the forest. Stunned silence turned into a fearful squeak when she recognized it, and she ran after the human.

“Chase!” she screamed as she broke through the trees and entered a large clearing. Before her rocked a rope bridge over a crevasse so deep that fog seemed permanently stuck within. The human had taken the first step on the wood planks when he stopped and looked towards the sound of the roar, the dilapidated castle beyond the bridge being his backdrop.

“Chase!” Scootaloo called again, catching up to him and pulling on his hand. “We have to run, now!”

He ignored her, just staring out towards the sound when the roar started again. Scootaloo’s ears pounded and her heart raced. It was coming after them! She tugged harder, even using her wings to get him to budge, but he held his ground. Finally, he spoke.

“What is that?” His voice sounded hollow, like he was remembering something from his past that couldn’t possibly be true.

“We need to go now, Chase!”

“What is that?!” he yelled, his brows furrowed in anger as he turned to glare at her. “Tell me!”

Scootaloo jerked back, fear of the human mixing with that of the creature approaching. When he stepped after her, she balled up and started shaking. “I-it’s a… a…”

“A what?!”

“An Ursa!” she cried, her voice echoing in the chasm beyond. “It’s an ethereal bear bigger than a house!”

As soon as she spoke, a blue bear made of stars broke through the treeline to their right. It let loose another roar that forced its way into her eardrums with deafening levels. She covered her ears, but when she looked at Chase, he stood facing the beast, his hands gripping the sword so tightly his skin turned white. She knew what he was doing before he could get a single word out.

“Run,” he said, a forced calm in his voice. “Run and don’t come back.”

“But—”

“I said GO!” He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and threw her behind him into the pit.

As soon as the air hit her, she automatically stretched her wings. A massive updraft quickly launched her into the air until she sailed above the trees. When she looked down, she could see Chase toss his scabbard to the ground and grip the sword with both hands. Knowing there was nothing she could do, her only thought was to get Twilight as soon as possible.

For the first time in years, Scootaloo flew.

> Impossible
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike stood at the entrance of the crystal tree, waving Sweetie Belle farewell with a strained smile. It was kind of her to stop by, but it had taken nearly two hours before she believed he was fine. His run-in with the creature left him no worse for wear, other than a splitting headache that was just on its way out when she came screaming towards his home. One thing was certain, he thought, she still had a good set of lungs.

Sighing in relief, he slouched onto his forearms—Or was it forelegs? He and Twilight still had issues sorting out the proper terminology some days—and slipped back into the foyer. He started getting into the habit after hitting his head one too many times on smaller entrances, and he was just standing up to shut the door when he heard a voice calling from the distance. A short glance over his shoulder revealed a pegasus rapidly approaching from the Everfree.

“Another visitor? Oh, be still, my aching brain,” Spike muttered before turning to await their arrival. In the seconds it took for the pony to be discernible, an orange pegasus who could only be Scootaloo if their flying style was any indication, he realized his previous statement didn’t make sense. Brains aren’t known for moving around, after all.

“Spike!” the pony called as she flared her wings into a stall, only to immediately cringe and twist them back into a glide. He watched her eyes widen, no doubt realizing her now imminent crash course, before rolling his eyes and stepping through the entrance once more. “Help!”

“Yeah, yeah, I got ya,” Spike grumbled, stretching his arms out and to the side like a wide receiver waiting on a hail mary pass. In one swift motion, she sailed between his claws as he gently closed the gap between them and spun to bleed off her momentum. As an extra finish to his catch, Spike flipped her into a cradle his arms formed. “Better?” he asked with a smirk.

A faint blush erupted on her cheeks, but she shook it off. “Now’s not the time, Spike! Chase is in trouble,” she said as she tried to shuffle out of his hold. Once he helped her to the ground, she continued. “Where’s Twilight?”

“Wait, wait. Ignoring the fact I haven’t seen Twilight since she left for Canterlot, what was this about somepony in trouble? Who’s Chase?”

“Twilight’s not here? Oh, no, where is she?” Scootaloo whipped her head side to side, her eyes scanning the horizon. “If we don’t hurry, he could get hurt. If he gets hurt, he could die, because we wouldn’t have any way to heal him. If he dies—”

“Scoots, calm down!” Spike yelled, stunning the mare long enough for him to get a few more words out. “Who. Is. Chase?”

She tilted her head at him before her jaw fell open in realization. “Oh, that’s right, you were unconscious—”

“Don’t remind me.”

“—and don’t know what happened.” Scootaloo took a deep breath. “So after you were defeated by the creature at the funeral, Princess Celestia stepped forward to stop him, but he shrugged it off and went to leave, but before he did that, he told us his name was Chase, and also something about a ‘human’, but it’s hard to say for sure what he meant by that. We eventually decided he meant that was what his species or race or whatever is called, but we couldn’t think of anything else that would fall into a category like his to compare names, so it’s still a fifty-fifty on that.”

Spike felt his migraine coming back again. Rubbing his temples with a claw, he said, “Okay, so Chase is the thing that attacked during the funeral, and he’s in trouble, and you want to help him because…?”

“It doesn’t matter. I need to find Twilight and get back to the forest or he’ll be bear paste!” Scootaloo yelled, dancing on her hooves as she started searching for anywhere the princess might be.

“Bear paste? He’s being attacked by a bear? He took me out, Scootaloo. I don’t think a bear is going to give him any trouble.”

“Not just any bear! An Ursa Minor!”

Spike raised a claw and opened his mouth for another retort, but then thought better of it and lowered his hand. “Okay, that might be a problem.”

“Obviously! Now help me find Twilight before it’s too late!”

“And I want to help this ‘Chase’ because…?”

“Because he could die!”

“And that’s a problem because…?”

“SPIKE!”

“Ugh, fine, fine. I’ll deal with the Ursa.”

“You?”

“Yeah, I know how to deal to them. Go ahead and find Twilight. I’ll make sure he doesn’t get hurt…” Spike turned towards the forest and flared his wings. “...much,” he finished before flapping hard enough to stir up dust and send Scootaloo staggering. On his third flex, he began lifting off the ground and moving forward.

“Please hurry,” she called as he slowly accelerated towards the tree-line. Just as the winds of his flying started dying down, she turned and ran into Ponyville proper.

Spike was glad for the training Rainbow Dash gave him when he finally sprouted wings. Thinking back, he was sure flying into the Everfree Forest would have thrown him for a loop in the early years. As it was, he didn’t have much trouble adjusting his larger wingspan for the thermals over Ponyville, then the calm stillness of the forest when he entered above it.

Rainbow took some adjusting, both herself to his unique wing structure and him to her interesting training style. Spike remembered days when she’d forget who she was teaching and tell him to adjust his primaries a certain way, or to bend his wings at an impossible angle. Then there were days when she’d get frustrated at his lack of progress and just expect him to figure it out as she slowly flapped in the air, snorting in annoyance when he copied her and nothing happened. They both had a breakthrough one day when he flopped painfully into the dirt, a fall that wouldn’t have happened if Rainbow hadn’t somehow managed to carry him up to the cloud layer and drop him.

Shaking off the memory, Spike scanned the treetops for any sign of the Ursa, or maybe the ‘human’ flying through the air hilariously after a good swat from said star bear. No such thing happened, however, and he was stuck holding himself in the stale air. He realized he forgot to ask Scootaloo where to go after a few minutes of circling, but also knew going back to ask would be a pointless effort.

A sharp cry of pain echoed over the treetops, just as a roar reached Spike’s hearing. It was hard to pinpoint their exact locations, but he guessed the clearing to the west of him was the right choice. Flexing his body, his wings followed suit and steered him into a dive directly towards it. In seconds, the ancient castle of the forest appeared before him, the Ursa stomping around on the ridge just before it. Unfortunately, there was no sign of Chase.

Spike banked into a glide, intending to land behind the beast and prepare himself, but froze as it roared again and looked right at him. Movement in the bushes drew Spike’s attention however, and Chase stumbled out using a warped sword as a cane. He had scratches covering his body, some deep enough for blood to slowly pool beneath him as he caught his breath. His jacket was missing, but his pants were in tatters. He glanced at Spike.

“This is my fight, dragon,” he called before straightening his back and spread his feet. The human’s voice caused the Ursa to turn back to its original foe, a growl of pure hate emanating from it. Chase took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before returning the growl. “Round three, bastard,” the human shot back as he adjusted his stance.

“Chase, stop!” Spike yelled, but the bear was sufficiently taunted and lunged. He watched as Chase dodged a paw and brought his sword up in the opening the attack caused, only to be flung back by the other. The sickening crack of his body slamming into a tree brought a wince to Spike’s face, then a look of horror as the human’s sword embedded itself in the tree as well, straight through Chase’s abdomen.

The scream of agony snapped Spike out of it long enough to drop from the sky, landing with earth-shattering force in front of the Ursa Minor. “Enough!” he yelled, calling on his training with Fluttershy and speaking to the bear’s soul. It halted its advance and let out another growl at the new arrival. “I don’t want to hear it, Ursa.” His voice took on the edge of a chastising parent, but he drew on his own power to force the bear to feel afraid.

Spike stood on his hind legs and stomped towards it, trying his best to look down on the beast even though it stood taller than him. “Do you think you’re strong? That you can do whatever you want, just because you’re big? Well, I have news for you.” He stopped when he could be considered nose to nose with the Ursa, letting the words sink in for a moment. “You are horrible for hurting this creature. I’ll have to tell your mother about this.” 

At those words, the bear slunk down completely and whined. “I don’t care if he attacked you. I heard you started it by rampaging through this area, and I’m sure he was just protecting the pony with him.” Another whine. “If you’re sorry, I’ll let you go. This time.” A grumbling noise escaped the beasts throat before it ran off into the forest. Spike waited a few minutes before sighing and letting his intimidating aura dissipate.

“Chase!” he exclaimed, turning to see the human still pinned to the tree with his eyes closed. He started forwards when a thought occurred to him. This was the creature that attacked him at the funeral, and he had no loyalties to it. Surely, he could let nature take its course, and nopony would fault him for being too late to save… him. As quickly as the thought arrived, it was defeated. Spike couldn’t think of Chase as a creature, or an ‘it’ now. And if he couldn’t do that, he couldn’t let him die. He grunted in annoyed acceptance, then continued towards the human.

“Gah!” Chase screamed as his eyes shot open, causing Spike to stumbled back in shock. “Aaah, damn, this hurts!” He looked down at his impaled sword and the blood pooling beneath him before grunting. “Why am I not dead, yet? Stupid rules…” he mumbled before grasping the hilt and twisting, flinching as the blade shattered inside him and more blood seeped out. “Stupid sword. Stupid subpar forging. Stupid dull blade.” He continued to curse this and that as he pulled himself off the remaining metal. Falling on his hands and knees, he grunted in pain, still cursing but somehow lifting himself up.

“How…” was all Spike could manage, which caused the human to look at him. He snapped a branch off the tree and leaned against it, then scowled.

“What part of “my fight” didn’t you understand, dragon?” 

The question stunned Spike. Didn’t he know he was going to die? For that matter, how is he not dead? What in Equestria is a human, and how is he even standing with that wound?

“Feh,” Chase said when he saw no answer forthcoming, then started towards the bridge. With the claw marks on the ground and shattered wood chippings, it was surprising the structure was still in usable condition, but the rough terrain didn’t help the human stumbling forward.

Spike’s senses returned to him just as Chase passed him. The earlier question angered him, the disrespecting tone not sitting well with him. “Wait just a minute,” he ordered. The human didn’t stop or say a word, but did turn his gaze towards him. The action only irritated him further.“‘Your fight’? In case you didn’t notice, you were just impaled by your own sword. If I didn’t step in, you would have died! A little gratitude would be welcome.”

“Yeah, not happening,” Chase replied and turned his sights on the dilapidated castle.

“What is your deal?!” Spike demanded as he shuffled after him. “How are you even walking? What are you, and what are you doing in Equestria? You don’t even seem to care if you die! Explain yourself!”

The human stiffened, glared at Spike, and threw his stick into the ravine. “Maybe I want to die,” he said before stepping on the bridge. His steps were solid, his limp gone, with no signs of injury. Spike strained his ears to hear when Chase mumbled under his breath. “Maybe this time will be permanent.”

The slamming of oak doors ended the any chance of continuing the conversation when he crossed the threshold of the castle.
> In the Hall of the Everfree King
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Spike!” Twilight called as she circled above the clearing before the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, finding a suitable spot to land. He looked up at her with a stunned expression, like he couldn’t believe she was there. She graced the ground in the only spot not torn up. “Spike, what happened? I heard from Scootaloo there was an altercation happening nearby.” He shook his head, clearing the dazed look from his eyes.

“Oh, Twilight, you just missed our ‘guest’.”

“Guest? You mean, what was it, Chase? Where is he?” she asked and turned to the castle doors. “Is that where he’s staying? Oh, I hope he hasn’t ruined the work we’ve been putting into it. I heard from Rarity that he tore up her shop just to get some fabric.” Twilight continued to ramble as she made her way across the bridge, Spike waiting till she was clear before launching himself over the ravine. 

She looked at the renovated oak doors blocking her path and sighed. There were small fractures in the wood, as if someone had slammed it. If she thought back to it, she did recall hearing something like that sound as she reached the clearing. “I’m only at the door and there’s already damage. That’s not a good sign. Chase, if you’ve done anything to the library, tapestries, candelabras… anything, really…”

“Twilight,” Spike started, halting her vocal thoughts, “there’s a few things you should know before you go barging in.”

“I think I have it figured out, Spike. Between the events in Canterlot and the signs of battle back there, we’re dealing with someone much more powerful than we thought.”

“Twilight, he was impaled with a sword, broke it with his wrist, disimpaled himself, and walked over here like it was a bruise. I really don’t think you know what we’re dealing with.”

“First, ‘disimpaled’ isn’t a word. Second, really, Spike? Disimpaled?” Spike rose an eyebrow at her, sufficiently getting her to move on from his perceived vocabular mistake as she sighed in acceptance. She had the feeling he wanted to argue his point, but also wanted to be free of the current situation first. “Maybe you should tell me what happened.”

As Spike recalled the past hour, Twilight’s eyes grew wide. A part of her was hoping he was exaggerating when he said Chase was impaled, but that hope flew away and laughed at her misfortune as she processed the events leading up to it. If she were to believe what she was hearing, not only was the human strong, resistant to magic, and unbelievably fast, he was also invulnerable. Just as she was attempting to process the added ability, Spike regaled her with Chase’s muttering,  something about permanently dying, and she decided to change that ‘invulnerable’ to ‘immortal’.

How could she even attempt to fight him? It was obvious he needed to be stopped, especially after what happened in Canterlot, but could she defeat him alone? She had Spike, but even just the two of them would be a paltry force if she compared them to the elements. Sure, she managed to figure out the rainbow power they received after the fight with Tirek, but Rarity was in no shape to be traipsing around like the old days. That left her with one-sixth the power and her own alicorn magic with an adolescent dragon against a being that cannot be injured out of a fight or, lest it come to it, die. If it came to it, she could attempt to banish him, but she wasn’t Celestia and hadn’t researched banishment spells until recently. She wasn’t even sure she could pull it off, having never needed to use them before.

That left her with only one option, which was not exactly the best of situations. Sure, she would always try the diplomatic approach first, but having only one option didn’t sit well with her. Three choices were her ideal number for dealing with problems. It used to be six, based on herself and five friends, but…

“Twilight?” Spike asked, attempting to draw her out of her thoughts, though she didn’t respond. “Twilight!”

“Gah!” She tensed and lit her horn, swivelling it from side to side for a threat before focusing her gaze on Spike. “Oh, Spike, sorry.” She let her magic dispel, then looked back at the door. “Thanks for filling me in. It seems like we’ll have to try being diplomatic.” Her hoof was inches away from the door when she froze and glanced to the side, making sure her assistant was ready. “If it comes to it, I want you to run back to Ponyville. Get some reinforcements. Maybe Celestia. I don’t know.”

Spike stood straight on his hind legs and puffed out his chest. He looked down to lock eyes with her, a determined gleam telling her everything he was about to say. “I’ll send a message with my dragon fire if anything goes wrong, but I’m not leaving you with him, Twilight.”

With a sigh of acceptance, she agreed and pushed the doors open. Luckily, the renovations hadn’t reached the point of locks, so the barriers spun freely on their hinges without a sound. The old castle was designed to be completely open to the throne first and foremost, so a scant few meters away rested the twin thrones, their respective banners hanging over them. Lounging on the dark cherry throne, the one reserved for the lunar princess, rested Chase.

The tatters of his pants were gone, replaced with an elegant pair of black slacks. His signature coat was back, its tails hanging off the edge of the chair, but his chest was covered this time with a white button-down shirt and a black bow tie. With his head resting in one hand and the other draped across his chest, he looked the picture of boredom, even as his eyes scanned the arrivals. It was hard to see his expression from the distance, but Twilight thought she saw a flicker of amusement cross his visage.

“Ah, princess and dragon, come to thwart the great evil. I almost feel like I’m in a fairy-tale,” Chase started, though he didn’t move from his position. “I’m sure you’ve been told of my miraculous healing by… what did you call him? Spiek? Ah, it doesn’t matter. Tell me, am I to be killed? Banished? Tortured? Am I to be told my crimes and be submitted to a trial? Perhaps I’ll be strung up and pulled until my body gives way? Maybe put in a coffin of spikes?” He seemed to ponder for a moment as Twilight and Spike were shocked into silence by the gruesome images.

“No, no. By what I’ve seen of you… ponies, physical torture isn’t your schtick. I’ve seen your history books and panes of glass during my exploration of this castle. No, you prefer mental torture, don’t you? So will it be waterboarding? Perhaps repetitive punishment?” Chase winced suddenly. “Okay, that one was bad. Did it hurt you as much as me?” He grew silent as if he was waiting an answer, turning his attention to the recently-added ceiling.

Finally seeing her moment to speak, Twilight stepped forward. “Ah, ah, ah!” he called to her as she was passed the second pillar and a mere three meters from the throne steps. “Please, I’m on a throne. The least you could do is greet me properly before approaching.” His eyes never left the ceiling, however. “Ah, that’s better. Please, tell me your worries.”

Twilight looked behind her to see Spike shrug. Neither had done any such greeting, yet he acted as if they did. She turned back to quizzically watch Chase as he finally looked down at them, though the look he gave felt more like he was looking down on them. “You come to me making demands?!” he screamed, launching himself off the throne in anger. “I am KING! I will do as I wish, and you peasants will follow my orders or be sent to the dungeons for an eternity!”

Drops of blood hit the floor, pooling before slowly running down the steps towards them as he ranted about whatever he was imagining they were saying. Twilight was about to speak up when he slammed a foot on the stone hard enough for a crack to echo through the chamber. “ENOUGH!” he yelled, then pulled the hilt of his sword out from behind him. Spike stepped forward and crouched, but Chase slammed the pommel against his skull and collapsed back on the throne.

Twilight shared a look of confusion with Spike before taking a few more steps forward. “Chase?” she asked. When no answer was forthcoming, she studied his form and the blood still flowing towards them. There was more than she figured was healthy, and if Chase was a pony, he’d be on his way to a permanent rest. 

From what she could remember of the medical texts she read, and if humans had similar physiology to ponies, it was very likely he just had an episode. Of what, she couldn’t be certain. He could have been reliving a previous moment in his life, or creating a situation in his mind, or even just acting out a play. Whatever it was, she knew he wasn’t completely coherent. The blood loss was severe enough, but if he was still alive after his stunt, she wouldn’t write his immortality off.

“Ugh,” Chase grunted from the throne, dropping the hilt and rubbing his head. “My apologies, Princess. I’m not really presentable for an audience right now. If you could come back never, that would be dandy.”

Seeing him with a semblance of sanity again, Twilight finally attempted her diplomatic plan. “Chase, it’s obvious you are unwell. If we can set some ground rules, we can get you some help,” she said as she climbed the measly three steps to his side. She considered laying a hoof on his draping leg in comfort, but decided against it. When she didn’t get a response, she continued. “If you promise not to hurt anypony and answer any question truthfully, we’ll get you to a hospital.”

Part of her screamed not to take him back to civilization and to attempt to heal him here, but Twilight reasoned that part aside with the carefully worded counterpoint of “with what medical magic?” Sure, she knew a few basic spells like reducing headaches and stopping blood loss, but Chase was in much worse shape than those spells could help.

Almost like he was reading her mind, Chase said, “Or, you work whatever magic you can here and I only do one of the two things you asked.” He had moved his hand to cover his eyes as he tilted his head back, barely peeking through his fingers to watch the sunlight slowly fade away. “I don’t feel like leaving, and I definitely don’t want to be near you ponies any more than I have to.”

“Chase!” Twilight admonished. “You are in a very serious condition. I can’t help you enough to make sure you survive.” Then, almost to herself, she muttered, “And I don’t want to compromise on those points…”

He lazily spun his head towards Spike, still crouched at the bottom of the stairs, and chuckled. “Oh, come off it, dragon. I could no more hurt your precious pony princess than I could defeat you again right now. And I’m sure you told her about my desire, so why are you letting her bargain with me at all? If anything, you should want me dead as much as I do.”

Spike let out a breath that seemed to hold all his resentment and anger, then stood and walked up the stairs as well. “Sure, you’re an ass—”

“SPIKE!”

“—but I really can’t let you die now. Scootaloo seems to hold you in high regard, so you can’t be all that bad. Let Twilight help you already.”

Silence filled the hall as Twilight awaited an answer, though she was a little peeved at Spike’s colorful language. She thought maybe she could still get him to eat soap like when he was younger, but then remembered he didn’t mind the taste of it. Just when she was coming up with a new way to punish the dragon, Chase moaned despondently.

“I’m not in the mood for mind games right now. Heal me as best you can right here and I’ll tell you what I can do with your terms.”

“I promise to do the best I can, but I still want you to see a doctor,” Twilight said, not budging on her own side.

“I’m not leaving the castle and my freedom.”

“And I’m not letting you die on that throne, in this castle, on Equestrian soil!”

“And I’m not going to answer all your questions freely!”

“And I won’t let you hurt any ponies!”

“AND I WON’T LET YOU HEAL ME!”

“AND WE AREN’T LEAVING YOU ALONE!”

“ENOUGH!” Spike shouted, his reverberating voice bouncing back to the group again and again until the two stopped screaming at each other. Once he was sure he had their attention, he coughed into his claws and spoke. “Chase, if Twilight were to heal you here, what of the terms would you change?”

“Spike!”

“Wait your turn, Twilight,” he ordered, his eyes boring into her own in a way that said, ‘if you don’t shut up, we’ll be here all night, so let me do this because I’m your friend and I totally don’t mean you are a bad person and I hope you don’t hate me.’ It was a very complicated look. The fact Twilight understood it at all was thanks to a long life with her assistant. She nodded, letting Spike know she would let him handle it.

The human looked between the two with a bemused smile. “This world… it certainly is different.” Spike turned to Chase and waved him to answer the question, though his statement did cause Twilight’s ears to perk up. “Eh, fine, fine. Now, since you are too blind to see it, I guess I have to state it plainly: I will not hurt the ponies unless they attack me, because that’s how it should be.”

Twilight made to speak, but Spike’s hand cut her off. With a harrumph, she turned her head, but waved at the human to continue. “As for the other point, it is unfair to demand I answer any question truthfully. You, or anyone else, could easily ask me inappropriate questions, and the terms would force me to answer. Then, there’s the questions I don’t feel like answering both to keep my emotions in check or because of…” He trailed off, waving a hand in the air flamboyantly, “stuff.” Setting his hand back on his head, he continued. “So, I would like to make the terms, ‘If I ask a question that doesn’t interfere with your own code, you are required to answer it truthfully.’”

This time, when Twilight tried to speak, Spike didn’t stop her. “Your own code?! Nopony knows what that code is! How could we have terms that have hidden terms that only you are privy to? That’s not fair at all!”

“Neither is telling me I need to stay alive because reasons!”

“Spike, surely you agree with me? We can’t agree to terms so skewed in his favor,” Twilight pleaded, misting her eyes at her assistant. He winced at her attempt, thinking he had outgrown the look by now, then sighed.

“Chase…”

“Ugh,” Chase started, rolling his eyes. “Look, I’m not entirely here right now, so the wording could use some work. Just… work with me here.”

Twilight and Spike huddled up, swapping ideas until they had come to a compromise that seemed like it would work for the human. Nodding to each other, they broke and she turned to Chase. 

“In return for healing you the best I can, as well as having Spike deliver a few medical supplies—like a doctor—you will agree to these terms: One, you will agree not to harm a pony unless they initiate combat, and you will attempt to subdue with minimum injury. Two, you are required to answer any question relating to your reasons being here, except those that will have a detrimental affect to your health. Three, if you are asked a question you feel should not be answered, you must supply a reasonable response to the inquiry explaining why you will not answer it.”

Chase stared at her. His eyes didn’t bounce between her eyes like one trying to pull information from a gaze alone, but more like he was just looking at the base of her horn, using it as a focal point to think. She, in return, tried to stay still so his train of thought wouldn’t derail and smash into the next station, causing several injuries and millions of bits in damage, watching his eyes glaze over.

“Did anyone ever say unicorns have phallic symbols attached to their heads, and that is why they are so demanding and uppity?” he asked, unmoving. Twilight’s eyes grew wide at the sudden question, then narrowed in anger. He was treading a very thin line, and one step had already crossed it. Such talk was nearing racial slurs. “And another thing, is the dragon’s name really Spike? Cause, see, that’s just sad. It’s like naming a pet: ‘Oh, the cat has stripes, so we’ll call him Stripes!’”

Now it was Spike’s turn to glare at the human.

“I think…” The whites of Chase’s eyes grew as the pupils started rolling to the back of his head, his speech slowing to a crawl. “Maybe… you should… help…” With those words, the human closed his eyes and slumped entirely on the throne.

“Chase!” Twilight yelled, rushing over him and applying what spells she knew as a trail of green fire flew out the window.

> Well, That Happened
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia couldn’t consider herself surprised by the news. That trouble seems attracted to Ponyville and Twilight Sparkle managed to thwart it both seemed on par with her expectations at this point. What she was put off by, though, was that her former pupil managed to strike a deal with the human. She was sipping at her favorite tea in an attempt to calm her nerves when the message from Spike arrived with the news, which again, should have been expected.

With a defeated sigh, Celestia set her cup down and rose from her seat across from her sister, with whom she was regaling the recent events. “I—”

“Save your apologies, sister,” Luna interrupted as she, too, stood. “We can always have tea some other evening, and I do have my court to attend.” The two shared a nod of understanding before Luna strolled out of the solar, two of her guard falling in line behind her.

Celestia stared after her sister, a mixture of remorse and relief clouding her mind. There were times, when their bonding is interrupted like today, that she still felt the pain of trapping her sister in her namesake all that time ago. Every time it happened, she reminded herself that the pain will pass one day, but that didn’t help the current emotion from fleeing.

Building power into her horn, she looked to the south and thought of Twilight. The best course of action was to busy herself with work and let the feeling subside on its own. In a flash of yellow, she was gone.

Only to appear in the old castle, exactly where her thoughts didn’t want to be, yet also exactly where Twilight waited. In her state, the half-decayed half-restored castle only pushed her tears closer to the surface. Celestia breathed in deep, the smell of dust and mildew still present in the air, and let it out slowly as she willed herself back into her mask. Once she was sure every crack was sealed, she turned to see Twilight fully.

She sat between the two thrones, facing her direction but looking down at a form laying before her. Spike was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed, looking on with disinterest as a pony frantically checked his patient over. There was the occasional hiccup where he would look to Twilight for help or advice, only for her to repeat a phrase quietly: “Assume pony anatomy.” As Celestia approached, she could see her former pupil’s eyes scanning the human’s body, most likely for some clue that she could use to help.

As for Chase, it was the first time Celestia has seen him quiet. Though, to be fair, unconscious beings tend to be silent, she thought. He was undressed, though a blanket had been brought over his groin, and Celestia could only think they found him to be hairless and exposed in more areas than they expected. The idea of Twilight blushing from the sight brought a slight chuckle to her lips, which just so happened to clue the group in on her arrival.

“Celestia!” Twilight cried, a mix of shock and happiness coming from her voice. She stood before flashing over, leaving the poor doctor to try his hardest on his unknown patient. “You didn’t need to rush over so soon. As you can see, Chase is in no condition to answer our questions.”

Sparing another glance at the human, Celestia could see bandages wrapped around his chest, head, and sparingly in other parts of his body. “Spike did say he met with a bear of the stars. He is lucky to have survived,” she mentioned off-hoof, then studied the surroundings further. “Is there a reason we are in my old castle instead of a hospital?”

Twilight shuffled her hooves, trying not to lock eyes with Celestia and be respectful at the same time. “Well, you see, Celestia, there was—is—a sort of agreement we agreed to before he collapsed. He won’t let us move him somewhere safer, or more sterile, but did say we could help heal him.”

“Spike also mentioned an agreement in his letter,” Celestia began, nodding to Spike when he was mentioned, ”but I cannot see Chase agreeing to much in return for our help. What were the terms, and are you absolutely certain he accepted the terms?”

Even more nervousness passed through Twilight, causing her shuffles to turn stiff. “He may have, possibly, avoided answering plainly.” She quickly raised a foreleg to stall. “But! He did tell us we should help him before he collapsed, which is close enough, right?” Before Celestia could speak a word, Twilight’s hoof interrupted her again. “And even if he didn’t agree, abiding by the terms can only endear him to us, which could help him in his decision.”

Silence passed for a few moments as Celestia waited to make sure Twilight was done. She may or may not have raised an eyebrow at some point, which may or may not have made her pupil keep quiet, but all she cared about was not being interrupted again. A gentle smile formed on her lips before she finally spoke.

“You speak wisely, Twilight, but if you only had the single term of healing him, he will not have reason to keep his side of the agreement.” Upon seeing Twilight open her mouth, she held her own hoof before her. “Ah-bupupup. It is okay. I think this will be a good chance to see what happens for yourself. Even if he does not agree, I am sure we can get a few answers out of him.”

“That… may not be possible, Celestia,” Spike said, stepping closer and unfolding his arms. “In return for our help, the terms of the agreement stated he would have to answer any questions we asked him, within reason.” His gaze turned to the human and the doctor fretting over him. “From what I understand, he could easily remember not to answer at all, if he decides not to agree, for the rest of his stay here.”

“Hmm.” Celestia started for the dais, leaving Twilight and Spike to watch her. With a short nod from her, the doctor scurried away, and she looked down on the newest foe to Equestria.

Using the moment she had alone with him, she let a scowl slip, only to hide it again. Chase was a nuisance, just on the edge of really being a threat, but she could see his status degrading if he stayed on his current path. If he had even a chance of changing, it would have to be under the terms Twilight set for him, but she just gave him the best excuse not to fall in line.

She should get Luna involved, watch his dreams, learn his intentions. She should use this chance to hold him and force him to answer her questions. She should do many things any other leader would do without thought. But she won’t. It would be easy to do any of those things, but she wasn’t a tyrant, no matter what some fringe groups said about her.

Looking him over, Celestia lit her horn and scanned his vitals. They weren’t in line with what she knew of ponies, griffons, or even minotaurs, but they also weren’t erratic, steady even. Sending a pulse of healing magic over him, she watched the blood recede from the bandages as it returned to its proper place. 

She could imagine seeing Twilight looking on in awe. The spell she cast was never recorded, and she wanted it to stay that way. It was a wonderful skill for the right ponies, but easily abused. If one had the right technique and power, death could be defeated again and again, because unlike the aging spell which relied on illusions, she could completely reverse organ failure and revitalize cells. Unfortunately, the spell passes life from one to another, but she was as limitless as the sun anyway.

Celestia was tempted to leave him with Twilight, let her work whatever magic she did to get every other threat neutralized with peace and friendship, but she had a feeling there was more to Chase than she once thought. “Twilight,” she started, “I will stay here with him until he wakes. I recommend you return home and rest.” Looking up and seeing the stars, she smirked. “It is way past your bedtime.”

Twilight looked like she was going to complain, but thought better of it. “Very well, Celestia. I’ll return tomorrow, as this seems to be his home as well.” Celestia turned her head to nod, watched Spike lay a hand on Twilight’s back, and blinked away the stars as they teleported away.

“You can open your eyes now, Chase.”

“Ugh, finally! I swear, you ponies take so long, I could take over in the time it took you to decide to send troops to the east or the west!” Chase whined as he sat up and rubbed his head. “Hey,” he said suddenly. “What happened to the doc?”

No matter where she looked, Celestia couldn’t find hide or hair of the doctor. She would have seen him if he went with Twilight, and she didn’t hear any doors, but he was definitely gone. Worried he ventured deeper into the castle, she cast an old spell, one she hadn’t used since moving to Canterlot, since it was designed only for her present location. Even with it, she couldn’t sense any life forms except Chase’s and her own within the castle.

“I am not sure,” she stated plainly, causing the human to raise an eyebrow. 

He stood and stretched. “Well, if you don’t care, I really don’t,” he replied before flopping down on her sister’s old throne. “Now, if you don’t mind, take your stupid life force back. I don’t want any pony cooties sticking around when I die.”

Ignoring the last bit, Celestia replied, “If I take it back, most of the healing will go away as well.”

“I was healthy enough after that Twilight pony worked her magic. I’ll live, and that’s what she wanted, so take it back and leave me alone.” He turned away from her and laid across the armrests. “I’m in no mood to be answering questions or entertaining ‘royalty’ at the moment.”

She studied his face, looking for anything she could use to convince him, but he was as stony as the Pie family. Thinking it over, she decided she might be able to reason a few questions out of him first. “You want me to take my life force back, and I want answers. Agree to the terms Twilight gave you, answer two of my questions, and I’ll do as you said.”

Chase narrowed his eyes, letting out a slight growl as he watched her, then sighed. “Fine. I agree to her stupid terms, so get out of my soul before I start thinking in sunshine and rainbows.”

“Why are you here?” Celestia asked before she could stop herself. She wanted to know, but it was more important to find out what his goals were, and she wanted to use her second questions to guarantee his loyalties. Of course, as long as she asked the second one properly, should always return later.

“Because I died,” came his tart reply. When told to elaborate, he merely stated that it was against the terms of the agreement to add anything further. Sighing in acceptance and vowing to figure it out on her own, she let it go.

“If harm were to come to my ponies and evidence pointed to you as the culprit, would you submit willingly for questioning or fight and damn yourself?”

It was a loaded question. She didn’t say he was the perpetrator or an innocent party, but it does force him to tell her exactly where his mindset lay. If he submitted, he was only a prankster, one that valued justice above his own freedoms. If he fought, he valued freedom above all, even if it caused others pain. Of course, the psychology behind his answer would be more complicated, but she could work out the intricacies later.

Chase thought it over, shifting his gaze from Celestia, to the windows, to the open sky above him. “Remove your influence.” At her raised eyebrow, he continued. “I can’t think properly with your pony-ness clouding my mind. Take your lifeforce back now, and I’ll answer your question.”

Keeping her eyebrow raised, she spoke. “If I do, you have no reason to answer it, as your terms would be met. If I do not, you will be in violation of my terms and I will not remove my spell. Give me some assurance you will answer.”

He smirked in response. “You aren’t as naive as I thought, Celestia. Not like that other one. Very well, what would convince you?”

She couldn’t rebuke his statement of Twilight being naive, not if she was being truthful. Her pupil had a few more lessons and years to go before she was really ready to lead, but that wasn’t the issue at hand. Thinking it over, she nodded and said, “Give me your jacket.”

“What?!” Chase exclaimed as he subconsciously reached for the leather that wasn’t there. He looked down in horror to find himself nude, with only the blanket somehow still protecting his dignity. “WHAT?! What the hell did you ponies do to me? Why am I naked? Where are my clothes?”

Celestia watched him spring up, only for the blanket to finally dislodge itself from his person, chuckling in mirth. He quickly placed a hand over himself in an attempt to hold the cloth still as he frantically searched for his trousers. In what was most likely luck for him, he found his belongings folded neatly in Celestia’s old throne, but she chuckled even more when he started for them, only to freeze.

“Turn around,” he demanded.

“Now, now, Chase. We are both adults here. I will not be offended if you address me as you are, and we most certainly do not have a rule against nudity in Equestria.” Her smile grew wider as a thought occurred to her. It was her chance to get back at him for Canterlot. “In fact, I prefer my subjects to take a relaxed mentality around me, so I’m sure your nudity will only help facilitate relations.”

“You only want to see how I compare to you horses! I know your game, pony princess.”

A fake gasp with a hoof over her mouth spoke volumes of how much fun she was having. “Moi, a pervert? I could take offense to that, you know, and have you turned to stone for besmirching a princess’s name!”

Sighing in obvious frustration, Chase glared at her with as much hate as she has ever seen from him. “Turn. Around. Celestia.”

She turned around. The smirk was still on her muzzle, but she felt she might have went too far as well. When she thought about it, she didn’t have a clue what his customs were, or any other humans to draw experience on. For all she knew, she may have just stepped further than she wanted to, and all for a joke. There was a very good chance he wouldn’t open up to anypony after that.

Something tough and slick smacked her in the back of the head and draped over her horn.

“There. Take your life back, let me answer the damn question, and give me back my jacket.”

He was definitely angry with her now. She could feel the hidden threat he wanted to add, but was thankful he didn’t. It gave her hope that he wasn’t an evil being bent on taking over. Sighing in relief, she turned around, only to be met with a glare worse than before. A meek “Sorry” left her lips before she straightened and lit her horn, though he didn’t seem to hear it.

Reversing the spell took more time and effort than it did to cast it. Not only was the subject awake, she had to find the life force she gave him under his own as it swirled in emotion. She could see the red of anger, the yellow of irritation, and the orange of controlled hate covering every other emotion all sapient beings live with every day. Trying to find her own blue, pink, and—

Wait. Something was wrong. Sure, she found her own gifted life force with every color as expected, but taking them out should have made the colors of his shift to fill the void. Instead, there were black spaces, areas where emotion was swallowed. 

Everypony had one or two small circles, as they helped control emotion, but Chase had hundreds. She could see if he had five, even up to ten, as soldiers are conditioned to keep their feelings in check more than civilians, but hundreds? She couldn’t even keep count of them, as they kept shifting, growing larger or shrinking. They multiplied and shrank in number. Sometimes, she could see an emotion strike through one, only to be devoured or destroy the void entirely. And all the while, the three flaring emotions overpowered everything. It seemed he was in no mood to control his anger tonight, so she quickly pulled away and re-entered the waking world.

Tossing his jacket back to Chase, Celestia shook her head. “Do not worry about answering tonight. I will return tomorrow, and you can do so then.” Without another word, she jumped and spread her wings. Her powerful flaps pushed her into the air, through the open roof, and above the trees as she watched Chase’s glare diminish with distance. When she was clear, she disappeared in a flash of yellow.
> Cancelled, but I can finally explain!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The solid crack of hooves striking bark echoed over the hills of Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom sat on the porch of the old barnhouse, rocking in her grandmother’s old chair in time to the sounds of applebucking season. Her children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and every other able-bodied Apple were hard at work to clear the western orchard before the sun set. She was still capable of a tree here or there, and she’d even get a full wagon if the youngins wouldn’t pester her all the time to rest.

A sigh pulled her into a slouch on the old rocker. She was over sixty years old now, and if her siblings were any indication, she had another fifteen at least before her time came. Apples didn’t retire. There was always something to do on the farm. Through the years, those chores had only increased, but the next generation was strong. All she had to do these days was teach them the secret recipes, maybe lean against the fence with the sheep to keep them company, and it was a small miracle every time a friend stopped by to drag her into town for some new thing.

She looked to the barn that had been rebuilt time and again by the family. Applejack and Big Mac had to raise it so many times, she sometimes wondered if they forgot the nails. Ever since she made a few improvements, reinforcing the joists and adding a firmer foundation, it was allowed to stand against time like a barn should. The paint was starting to peel and fade, though not enough to justify the expense of another coat, and the beginnings of some rotten boards could finally give the building the character it never had. A small chuckle escaped her at the thought.

Within that building lay her tools. Where once she could hammer away for hours on a new piece of steel or lathe a few deck posts into art, now stayed quiet and gathering dust when an Apple didn’t need to store the extra hay or straw. Her old forge, as she liked to think it, would only be filled with the very materials she banned from it in her youth. The embers could catch, she would say. But they needed the room these days.

More ponies meant more beds. More beds meant more rooms, more food, more storage. Addition after addition was added to the old house until it became a mansion like those in the southern plantations. She guessed they were a plantation at this point. No point in calling it a farm when they grew more than just apples on the large scale now. 

The house was huge, which needed a bigger barn. They had just finished building one in the back forty when Big Mac fell ill. It was nothing serious. At least, not now that she’s reaching that same point. Seventy-five years is a long time to plow, and it finally took its toll. It took two years for the pasture to take him, but by Celestia’s mercy, he wasn’t in too much pain. Most days were easier than those few that truly crippled him.

Applejack was more sudden. One day, she was up and trotting around without a care, and the next, she was gone. Apple Bloom liked to believe the Apples needed more help in the pasture beyond and called the most reliable pony to ever live. She liked to believe that. She liked it much more than the truth.

But the family grew strong with those two and had only grown stronger since. With her as the matron, more funds were put into beautifying the land, enticing customers into more than just the purchase of produce. Ponies came from further and further away to buy her works, which only helped produce sales as they tasted what was freely given of the earth and wanted larger shipments every year. Surely, she had every reason to be proud. Every reason to say she deserved some rest.

An even heavier sigh deflated her further. “So why do I feel so unnecessary these days?” she asked aloud, the rocking chair forcing her head to nod along like it was agreeing with her melancholy. She let the wind tussle her mane and counted the strands that fell before her eyes. One. Two. Three. No, wait, that’s two. Five.

The sheep might want company.

No, no, Baathelda told me to stop leaning against the fence, or it’s liable to snap. Fat chance. I reinforced it myself. Still, she has a point. Cows, then. Haven’t talked to old Steerling in a dog’s age.

With a creak and a snap that Apple Bloom will forever deny, she rose from the old chair, letting her tail brush across it as silent thanks for its continued service. She just managed to get her first hoof off the steps when somepony called. It was distant, so she couldn’t be sure who spoke or what was said, but she perked her ears and waited.

“Apple Bloom.”

She heard it that time. The voice was still far away, but she could tell enough from the tone to start in that direction. Still, it didn’t sound important enough for more than a canter, so she walked.

“Apple Bloom!”

It was Scootaloo. She knew it was, then. Nopony else had that specific type of forwardness with her A’s. She thought about calling back, but considering she was on the road out anyway, they would meet without any extra effort on her part. Between the two of them, Scootaloo had energy to spare.

“Apple Bloom, there you are! I was looking everywhere for you,” the mare said when she crested the last hill and spotted her friend. Apple Bloom rose an eyebrow and looked from one side of the road to the other before looking back with a bemused smile. “Oh, you know what I mean! Look, you remember that thing that showed up during the funeral and messed with us? I talked to him!”

“Considering I wasn’t there when he showed up, I’m not sure if I should be happy or angry with you. All I have to go on is what you told me and Sweetie Belle before she ran off to see if Spike was okay,” Apple Bloom replied. She had gotten pretty good at hiding her emotions to mess with her friends, and with how boring it had been on the farm lately, she couldn’t miss the chance to do it again. Sitting down, she crossed her forelegs and let the bemused smile return. “Is he the ‘rugged handsome stallion’ you’ve been waiting for?”

“No! Of course not.” Apple Bloom clicked her tongue at the failed ribbing as Scootaloo continued. “Look, I just wanted to tell you that he’s coming by!” she yelled, jumping and giving a flutter of her wings that reminded Apple Bloom of their fillyhood days before she registered what was said.

“What?! You… he…. What did you do?! Did you tell him where I live?!” she accused, whipping her head to and fro looking for something. What it was, she didn’t know. Something to defend herself with, maybe she should call the family in for safety, or even the creature sliding out of the shade of a nearby apple tree. “What if he attacks the family? What if he likes to eat ponies?! Why would you lead that monster here?!”

“Well that’s rude.”

Apple Bloom froze. It heard her. She was done for. First, it would start with her, then it would wait in the barn, picking off one Apple from the Tree at a time. Once it was grew in strength, it would move into town, most likely going for the outer buildings and slowly making a barricade so the ponies couldn’t flee when he entered town square. If a pegasus tried to flee, it could use its super-strength to throw a pony up and get a two for one deal!

“AAAAAAAAAAAAA!” She jumped in the air and hit the ground running. Where, she didn’t know, but she had to try to save as many of her family as possible, once she was safe from being devoured herself of course. Ponies still have their instincts. At least, that’s what would have happened, if she didn’t run face first into a brick wall.

“Calm down, Gran Apple,” the wall said. When she managed to clear her vision of golden delicious apples doing the can-can, Apple Bloom looked up to see her grand-nephew, Pippin Apple. “It was just me. I never heard you talk about a pony like that before.”

Before she could reply, Scootaloo stepped forward wiping the last tears of laughter from her eyes. “It’s nothing, Pippin. Me and Gran here were just discussing a friend visiting.” She turned to Apple Bloom and grinned even wider. “He’s no pony, but he’s no monster either, scaredy cat.”

“Oh, hush. You didn’t paint him in the best of light last time,” Apple Bloom said before turning to her nephew. She could deal with her friend in a minute. An Apple didn’t stop work for no reason, after all. “What was it you needed, Pippin? Don’t tell me the wolves got on the property again.”

“No wolves, thank Celestia, but there seems to be a ruckus in the cow’s barn and they won’t let any of us stallions in.”