After failing to defeat some sort of threat, Scythe, a strong and determined young Earth Pony stallion with incredible powers, has lost his memories and knowledge of having powers.
He decides to live in Ponyville with his sister, constantly searching for answers.
This is made difficult, however, due to a certain rainbow-maned Pegasus taking a sudden interest in him...
More characters will be added if they appear in this story at any point. Feedback appreciated. Another story that takes place at the same time as this one: The Best It's Gonna Get
It felt like death. He could hardly feel anything at all. Rushed and worried voices are all that he could hear.
"Come on! Come on! We have to hurry!"
He was too weak to open his eyes. It was almost as if he was unconscious and awake at the same time.
"We're going to lose him! Get-Get him in the operating room, fast!"
After what felt like minutes of being like this, something happened. It seemed like a flashback.
He was laying in a bloody and beaten heap in what looked like a battlefield. The place looked like it had been hit by a nuke. Large gaps cracked into the ground spewed fire and smoke. Close by, a menacing looking stallion walked towards him, an evil grin on his face. He spoke.
"Had enough, Scythe?" This evil stallion spoke. He had a light brown coat and a dark blue and red mane.
"I-I'll never...I'll never g-give up!" Shouted the suffering stallion who was revealed to be named Scythe.
"We're losing him! Come on, we have to get that knife, or whatever it is out of his leg!"
"Well we can't just rip it out! He'll die of blood loss!
"Want to try that again?" Laughed the evil stallion, as Scythe flew back, partially on fire. He screamed, both in pain and anger.
"AAGGH! S-STOP THIS...I-It doesn't have t-to be like this!" Yelped Scythe.
"You're scum to me now, Scythe!" Shouted the stallion.
"P-Please, Ri--" He was interrupted by the evil stallion flying forward in a fireball and slamming into Scythe, sending him flying.
"Don't die on us!"
"Doctor, his heart is stopping!"
"What?! No!"
The evil stallion slammed his hooves into Scythe's face multiple times, before unleashing a large blast of fire. Scythe barely managed to create a small shield of electricity in time to block the fire. He was about ready to pass out, the pain unbearable.
"So, how's dear sweet Vinyl? Maybe I'll pay her a visit after I'm done with you!" Shouted the evil stallion mockingly.
Scythe suddenly flew forward in a flash of electricity and hit the stallion with a huge electric shockwave. As the stallion flew back screaming in pain and anger, Scythe spoke.
"You BASTARD! You'd even attack our own sister?!"
The evil stallion got up, slightly stunned from the amount of electricity that entered his body. He didn't seem so smug anymore. Now he seemed angry. "She's our step-sister! No real relation!"
"I consider her a real sister! She's more of a sibling to me than YOU ever were!" Scythe yelled back angrily.
"We need to give his heart a jolt, RIGHT NOW!"
"Wai-Wait! I don't believe it...i-it's...
"What?!"
"His heart...H-His pulse...Look!"
"What are you--Oh...My..."
Scythe was on the ground, blood pouring from an open stab wound on his right hind leg, the blade still stuck into his flesh. His vision was fading. He slowly started to close his eyes.
-This is it.- He thought. -I'm finished. He wins.-
Scythe's thoughts were interrupted and he was woken out of his daze as the stallion lightly prodded him with his left forehoof.
"It's over" The stallion softly mocked Scythe, a light grin on his sweaty face. He brought Scythe to his feet and laughed.
Scythe, barely able to stand due to the substantial amount of blood loss, and with the blade in his leg, closed his eyes and lowered his head.
"Oh my Celestia...His...His heart is beating again!"
"His other functions are returning to normal...S-Slowly..."
The evil stallion raised his left forehoof, a glowing red flame issuing forth from it. Scythe realized that he was about to have the killing blow delivered on him. He lowered his head in defeat, waiting for death. Suddenly, a last minute, desperate idea struck. 'The memory jolt,' as Scythe called it. A burst of electricity which targeted the brain and wiped out any memory, long-term or short-term. The backside is that it also had a chance of erasing Scythe's memory as well. He had to decide right now if he's going use it.
-It's...It's the only thing I can do...-
The stallion laughed one final time and threw his hoof towards Scythe to deliver the finishing blow. Scythe dodged and plunged his own hoof into the stomach of the threat, electricity forming around his whole body. One second, the look of pure shock on the evil stallion's face was satisfying, the next...Well...It was a blank...
The doctors stood around Scythe's badly damaged but living body in pure disbelief, wide eyed and awestruck. The lead doctor spoke, albeit in a happy tone.
"He's going to live..."
Ponyville General Hospital - One week later
Word had gotten around that a mysterious pony had, as everypony described, slammed into the ground like a meteor, unconscious. Alive. Badly injured. The Ponyville Paramedics just barely gotten this pony to the hospital in time, and he miraculously survived. Critical condition for the first four days. He'd been comatose, until today...
Scythe slowly opened his eyes, vision blurry. He had a breathing respirator mask on his muzzle, and his head ached. He was in some kind of room with green walls...A hospital room, perhaps? It sure felt like a hospital bed. As he tried to get everything into focus, he moved his right hind leg and felt a very painful burning sensation. He gave a pained groan and lifted the sheets, vision still blurry, to see that his hind leg was wrapped in a blood soaked bandage. This is when he came to sudden confusion. What happened? Scythe thought hard, but he couldn't remember anything.
"Come on..." Scythe whispered to himself, eyes shut and thinking hard, but to no avail. Dread and disappointment flooded his body, followed by frustration. He slammed his left forehoof on the bed.
-How the hell can I NOT remember what happened?- He thought angrily. Just then, the door opened and in walked a nurse. She gasped when she saw Scythe awake.
"Oh, thank Celestia you're awake!" The nurse said happily, smiling. Scythe had questions.
"What...What happened?" He asked flatly. The nurse's smile faded.
"Uh...Well, we're not sure...L-Look, I'll get the doctor. He can probably answer at least SOME questions."
Scythe nodded. He was truly confused. The nurse pony wasn't finished speaking.
"Oh, you also have a visitor in the waiting room...We're all sort of shocked, it's...The famous DJ-PON-3! She got here about three hours ago. We were all surprised to see a celebrity back in Ponyville! She claims to be your sister, but we told her she's not allowed in, celebrity or not." The nurse explained.
Scythe felt happy. Vinyl Scratch, best known by her stage name DJ-PON-3, was Scythe's step-sister. Scythe also took notice about the last thing the nurse said.
"She's been waiting three hours? Well, why didn't you let her in?" He asked accusingly, sitting up.
The nurse was starting to look nervous, but spoke anyway. "Well, we don't let in anypony who the hospitalized pony doesn't know, and she doesn't have ID on her. On top of that, you're an Earth Pony and she's a Unicorn, so we--" The nurse was interrupted by Scythe's anger.
"Are you kidding me?! SO WHAT if she's a Unicorn?! What does it matter?!" He shouted angrily. The nurse looked even more nervous.
"W-Well, she can't exactly be related to you if she's a Unicorn, so we assumed--" She was interrupted again.
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't assume!" Scythe was still shouting, getting louder with the last three words. The nurse looked like she was ready to turn around and run out the door. After a few silent seconds of glaring angrily, Scythe spoke up again.
"She's my step-sister, okay? Step-dad was a Unicorn. But we've been as close as real siblings since we were little, and we consider each other real siblings." He explained with an annoyed tone, but was not finished. "Also, why didn't the authorities check my place like they're supposed to? If they'd have done their jobs right, they would have found Vinyl listed as an official family member in a contact notebook. She wouldn't have to be waiting out there and I wouldn't have to be lecturing you like a schoolfilly! Now, I demand to see my SISTER!" Scythe finished.
The nurse didn't know what to say. "Uh...Uh, w-well...Alright, I'll go and tell them to...To let her in..." The nurse was almost stuttering. She turned around and quickly walked out of the room.
Scythe put his hoof through his mane in frustration. -Yeah...- He thought. -This is gonna be a fucking good day...-
He looked at his hoof. It felt like it had been burned. White bandages were wrapped around it. He felt around the rest of his body for any other signs of injuries. His light brown coat seemed ruffled, and his black and red mane was messy. None of this concerned Scythe, though. He was more upset about how he couldn't remember a thing. He sighed.
Just after, a familiar white Unicorn with a blue mane ran into the room. "Scythe!" She gasped, as she ran to the light brown pony and embraced him a crushing but loving hug. She was shaking, and her eyes were bloodshot, almost as if she had been crying. Though, she started crying again. Scythe returned the hug, happy that she was here. They stayed this way for what felt like minutes, before Scythe spoke.
"Jeez, Vinyl. Crying doesn't suit you. I haven't seen you like this since...Well...Ever!" He said, a large smile on his tired face.
"Oh, Celestia...S-Scythe...You're okay...I..." Vinyl seemed lost for words, so she hugged Scythe tighter, tears wetting the back of his neck. She moved her right forehoof to his back during the hug, touching a badly burned and sensitive area. Scythe winced in pain, but chuckled.
"Eheheh...Kinda sensitive in that spot right now..." He said sheepishly, still smiling. Vinyl couldn't help but giggle, too.
As she pulled away, Scythe noticed just how bad she looked. Her mane was slightly messy, as though she put her hoof through it multiple times. She had bags under her bloodshot eyes (Though her iris color is naturally red), and her face was stained with tears. This was very strange. Vinyl, being a world famous DJ and electronic rock pony under the stage name 'DJ-PON-3', always had a happy and energetic personality, and Scythe had never seen her sad. Until today.
"I-I would've been here days ago, b-but I was on tour, and my agent told me that he couldn't provide a ride for me until the tour was finished..." Vinyl explained sadly.
"How'd you get here?" Scythe asked. Before Vinyl could answer, however, Scythe asked another question. "Did you...Um...'Practice'...That teleport spell yet?" He asked curiously. She made a sound which seemed to be a mix between a laugh and a short sob.
"Yeah...No luck there...No, I just took a train. I'm so sorry Scythe...I should've been here sooner..." She started crying again. It hurt Scythe deeply, seeing his sister like this.
"Hey, hey...Don't worry about it. There was nothin' you could do. I was out cold until a few minutes ago, anyway." Scythe consoled her.
"When I heard that you were in the hospital...'Critical condition' they said...I just flipped out. I thought you were gonna..." Vinyl didn't finish. She instead continued crying and fell into a hug from Scythe. He tried to comfort her.
"Vinyl, don't think like that. Ever. I'm here, aren't I? Maybe a little banged up...But I'm here." He was almost whispering. She looked up at him and smiled. He nuzzled her gently. "Cheer up, okay? I hate seeing you like this, Vinyl. I'm used to the happy and hyper Vinyl. I love you, you know." He spoke gently. So far since he woke up, Vinyl's company was the only company that Scythe enjoyed. Vinyl smiled.
"I love you, too. We may only be step-siblings, but I love you just as much as a real sibling."
Scythe smiled. "Exactly my thoughts."
Two Days Later
The very same day that Vinyl arrived at the hospital, the head doctor had told Scythe that since he is making an unnaturally quick recovery, he'd be able to leave in two days time. Vinyl had insisted on staying with Scythe by his bedside for the remaining time, going so far as to bribing the hospital staff one hundred bits to let her stay. They didn't accept the bits, though. She could stay as long as she wanted. During the same night, Vinyl had also insisted that Scythe stay at her home, to which Scythe happily agreed.
The two were walking down the halls of the hospital towards the exit. Many ponies were surprised to see a celebrity like DJ-PON-3 in the hospital. Scythe found walking painful and difficult, due to the wound in his right hind leg. Vinyl took notice as Scythe winced and limped with every step. She frowned.
"You sure you're okay to walk?" She asked worriedly. "I can levitate you back to my place, if you want."
"No...I'm good..." Scythe reassured her. He looked her in the eye, and something strange happened. He heard a strange whooshing sound, and then a familiar voice shouted angrily.
"She's our step-sister! No real relation!"
Scythe gasped and looked around frantically, his eyes scanning the area.
"What's wrong?" Vinyl asked. Scythe looked back at the white Unicorn.
"Didn't you hear that?" He asked nervously.
"Hear what?" Vinyl didn't seem to have heard the voice, so Scythe tried to dismiss it.
"Uh...N-Noth-Nothing...Let's go..."
Meanwhile
Rainbow Dash flew fast over Ponyville, her multicolored mane flowing in the wind. Today was a truly beautiful day, but pretty boring for her. Sure, she enjoyed flying, but she wanted something else to do. She sighed.
-What to do...What to do...- She thought. -Everypony's busy! Applejack is bucking apples, Rarity is making dresses, Twilight is studying, Fluttershy is tending to her animals, and Pinkie Pie is at CandyCon...Why am I the only one who has nothing to do?-
Rainbow Dash set down gently on a cloud to lay down. Frustration was setting in.
"UGH!" She grunted loudly. "Soooo bored..."
Was there anypony who she could hang out with? Blossomforth is out of town for a while. Cloudchaser is with her sick grandmother. She didn't even know where Dumb-Bell was. Lyra is in the hospital and--Wait! Lyra!
Rainbow Dash remembered that Lyra had broken her hind leg, and was admitted to the Ponyville General Hospital. She was suddenly excited, and sprung into the air, a large smile on her face and her rose colored eyes bright. "I'll go visit Lyra!"
Back at the hospital
"You sure you're okay to walk?" Vinyl asked.
"Yeah, I'm good." Scythe lied. His leg was killing him, and the burns were stinging like crazy. He was slowly entering a grumpy mood.
"Scythe, why don't you wait outside? I have some papers I need to sign." She said. Scythe turned around to look at his sister.
"Why do you need to sign papers?" He asked curiously.
"Well, since you'll be living with me, they need to know where you'll be for contact and all that stuff." She explained. Scythe nodded.
"Alright. I'll be outside waiting for you."
Scythe walked, or -limped-, out the front doors. The fresh air smelled amazing after being stuck in a hospital room for almost a week. The gentle breeze felt good as it went through his mane. He smiled and inhaled deeply. He was finally out of the hospital.
Rainbow Dash arrived above the hospital, and noticed a certain pony -Scythe- with a light brown coat and a black and red mane. She had never seen him around before.
"Hmm...Who's this, now?" She spoke gently to herself.
Scythe enjoyed the crisp smell of the fresh air and cool breeze, pointing his head upwards and letting his mane flow. He couldn't help but smile. After a few minutes, Vinyl finally stepped outside and put her signature sunglasses on.
"Aaaaalright. Let's go." She said happily. Scythe noticed the tone in her voice and smiled.
"You sound eager." He said playfully.
"Well, I'm looking forward to sleeping for a week in my own comfortable bed. Two days of sleeping on a hard wooden hospital chair really sucks, you know." She said with a chuckle.
"Heh, It must."
--Meanwhile, up above
Rainbow Dash was surprised to see the famous DJ-PON-3 walking with this stallion. The cyan Pegasus was hovering above the clouds, just high enough so that she couldn't be seen, but she could see perfectly. As the two ponies on the ground came closer to the cloud that Rainbow Dash was standing on, she got a closer look at the stallion. She immediately recognized him.
-Hm...- She thought. -I think I'll follow him...-
--Back down to Scythe and Vinyl
The two ponies entered the main section of Ponyville. It was busy, as usual. Ponies shopping, eating, talking, enjoying life. All that stuff. Vinyl suddenly stopped. Scythe looked at her curiously.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Ehh...Ponies can get really crazy when somepony they consider a celebrity walks into their town..." She said with a frown. It was true. Last time Vinyl had shown her face in Ponyville, a riot nearly ensued from the mass amount of DJ-PON-3 fans clamoring to get a look and a chance to meet the famous Unicorn. Scythe nodded in understanding.
"True. Should we go AROUND the busy section?" Scythe asked.
"Ah, buck it. My place is still on the other side of town, so we might as well just push through..." Said Vinyl with an annoyed tone.
They continued on through the busy section of Ponyville. All seemed normal, until they were spotted by the ponies walking around. Vinyl muttered something barely audible and hung her head low.
"Hey! It's DJ-PON-3!" Somepony shouted. Vinyl said something she very rarely says. A curse word.
"Shit...Too late..." She was looking directly at the ground, much to Scythe's amusement. He chuckled, but as he looked at the other ponies, they were giving him some sort of stare. A stare of...Hostility... Scythe stopped laughing and smiling. Confused, he just continued walking.
"Uh...C'mon...Let's go..." He said slowly to Vinyl, not taking his eyes off the ponies staring. As Scythe and Vinyl approached the crowd, all the ponies seemed to back away from or try and avoid them. Listening carefully, Scythe could hear them whispering as they walked past. They were saying things like 'It's him.' and 'Stay away from him...' One mare pulled her little filly away, whispering something that nearly made Scythe's heart stop. "Don't go near that terrorist..."
Scythe darted his head in the direction of the mare, who was now walking away, glaring at Scythe. "Wh--...Terrorist?" He asked softly, barely audible. Looking at Vinyl, he asked "Vinyl...Did you hear what she just said?"
"Huh? Who?" She responded quietly, still looking at the ground. Scythe sighed.
"Just...Let's just get out of here, okay?"
They moved briskly through town, catching the eye of everypony, much to Scythe's confusion, and eventually frustration. It was starting to irritate him that all the ponies were whispering about him and staying back. What bothered him most, however, was what that mare had called him. A terrorist. Scythe? A terrorist? Thoughts swam through his head.
-Does all this have to do with...However I ended up in the hospital?- Scythe asked himself mentally. His thoughts were interrupted by a mass amount of ponies lined up at a local news vendor's stand. It seems they all wanted a copy of the newspaper for some reason.
"Vinyl...What's going on? Why is everypony acting like this?" He asked his sister.
"I don't know, Scythe..." She said flatly, gaze still focused on the ground. Scythe was slowly getting frustrated. As they neared the center of Ponyville, the avoidance and whispers of the other ponies were almost too much for Scythe. Wanting something to do to get his mind off of everything, and noticing that Vinyl was very quiet and cautious, Scythe tried making conversation.
"So, uh...Would you mind...I don't know...Telling me about this place?" He asked. Vinyl finally looked up.
"Uh...Sure. Over there is Sugarcube Corner." She said, pointing a hoof towards the candy-decorated shop. "They make awesome sweets and pastries."
"Really?" A grin grew on his face. He loved sweets.
"Yep. Way over there..." Vinyl continued, again pointing a hoof. "...Is the Carousel Boutique. It's a fashion shop. It's actually where I got these shades about three years ago." She finished, pointing the same hoof towards her purple tinted sunglasses.
Scythe and Vinyl continued on through Ponyville, Scythe unaware that he was being followed by Rainbow Dash, and Vinyl still pointing out certain places. He was genuinely interested, and forgot about all of the ponies who were behaving strangely towards him. They eventually reached a path, where a large tree with a door and multiple windows could be seen.
"That's the Ponyville Library, it's run by a Unicorn named...Twilight Sparkle...Or somepony. Not quite sure." Vinyl said the last three words with a questioning tone. But what caught Scythe's attention was the mention of his old friend, Twilight Sparkle. He went wide eyed and smiled.
"Twilight's in Ponyville, now? Why'd she move from Canterlot?" He asked, seemingly to nopony. Vinyl answered anyway.
"I'm not the pony to ask. I don't know her." She said with a small chuckle. Scythe was getting a little impatient. He wanted to see his old friend A.S.A.P.
"I DO know her! She's a longtime friend of mine. Come on, let's go see her!" He said excitedly, his ear twitching in anticipation. Upon noticing the annoyed look on Vinyl's face, Scythe reassured her. "We won't stay long!"
She sighed and smiled. "Okay...Let's go, then."
Scythe respected Vinyl for many reasons, and one of them was because of her patience. Vinyl had more patience than Scythe, and could wait long periods of time without getting annoyed.
--Up above
Rainbow Dash was still watching the two ponies walking towards the library, more interested in getting a closer look at the light brown stallion who had become very infamous around Equestria in the past week. A few feet above, Derpy flew by and noticed Rainbow Dash lying idly on a cloud.
"Hey, Rainb--" She flew face first into a cloud and landed painfully on top of the cyan Pegasus.
"AGH! Derpy!" She said loudly, annoyed. Derpy quickly got up and smiled.
"Sorry, Rainbow Dash!" She started apologizing, albeit very loudly, and flying in a small circle around Rainbow. "I guess I wasn't looking where I was goi--" Derpy explained loudly before being cut off by Rainbow Dash, who pulled her down onto the cloud and put a hoof to her mouth.
"Shh! They're gonna hear you!" Rainbow Dash hissed. She looked angry, but Derpy took no notice.
"They're not gonna hear ME, Derpy! They're gonna hear YOU!" She said frustratedly.
"Well, who's YOU?" Derpy asked innocently, the smile never leaving her face. Rainbow Dash was cringing her teeth, frustrated that the grey googlie-eyed Pegasus didn't get what she was saying.
"YOU! Derpy Hooves! YOU are Derpy Hooves! They're gonna hear DERPY HOOVES!" She shouted frustratedly, before gasping and looking down towards the two ponies walking toward the library.
--Back down below
Scythe and Vinyl both heard shouting from somewhere, and looking around curiously.
"Did you hear that?" Asked Vinyl, looking around for the source of the shouting.
"Yeah..." Scythe replied. He narrowed his green eyes and looked up at the clouds. He could have sworn it came from the sky. After a few more seconds of looking around, Scythe and Vinyl continued on towards the library.
--Above once again
When the two ponies stopped looking and continued walking, Rainbow Dash declared it safe to get up. She turned back to Derpy sharply.
"See? They almost saw us because of YOU, Derpy!" Rainbow Dash said strictly.
"See? See what?" Derpy asked, causing Rainbow Dash to facehoof again with a sigh. Derpy leaned forward, and gasped when she saw who the stallion below was.
"Isn't that a bad stallion? Didn't he made those explosions? What is everypony calling him, again? Terrururur...Terray...Terruh...Terrorits...Terrorist?" Derpy seemed to have had trouble saying terrorist. "And why is DJ-PON-3 with him?"
"I don't know, Derpy! Why do you think I've been following them?" Rainbow Dash asked, but upon seeing Derpy with a thinking look on her face, immediately stopped her. "Don't answer that. Look, don't you have...I don't know...Muffins to eat?" She thought of that excuse on the spot. Derpy smiled widely.
"Oh, yeah! Gotta go! See you later, Rainbow Dash! And don't let that stallion see you, or he might give you some big boo-boos!" Derpy shouted back to Rainbow Dash, flying away.
The cyan Pegasus quickly looked back to see if the two ponies had heard her, and was relieved when they didn't look around. She put her hoof through her rainbow mane and exhaled.
-Give me boo-boos? Ha!- She thought to herself. -He wouldn't even be able to catch me, and even then I'd kick his flank if he tried anything!-
Little did she know about the light brown Earth Pony. About Scythe.
--The Ponyville Library
Scythe knocked on the wooden front door of the library hard enough so that anypony inside would hear. After a few seconds, the doorknob turned and the door opened, revealing a lavender Unicorn who gasped at the sight of the light brown stallion.
"Scythe? Oh, thank Celestia you're alright!" Twilight shouted happily as she embraced Scythe in a hug. Scythe couldn't help but smile and laugh.
"Hello to you too, Twilight." Scythe said softly. Twilight let go of Scythe and noticed Vinyl standing behind him. She was surprised.
"O-Oh! Hello, Miss Scratch! Or Miss DJ-PON-3!" Twilight said nervously.
"Please, just call me Vinyl." Vinyl replied with a smile. Twilight blushed, but invited them in.
"I'll just wait out here. Not really a fan of libraries. No offense." Vinyl added in the last part upon seeing the hurt look on Twilight's face.
"Okay. I won't be in here long." Scythe assured Vinyl, who nodded.
Twilight closed the door gently. Scythe walked forward, and observed the library from the inside. It was a cozy place, real antique looking, too. The smell of old furniture wood and books filled Scythe's nostrils. There were books stacked on shelves all around, except for a balcony up above and a staircase to the far right.
"So, are you feeling okay?" Twilight asked Scythe, concerned.
"I seem to have a huge cut on my back leg, wh--"
"Hind leg." Twilight interrupted, correcting him.
"...On my HIND leg, which makes it painful to walk." He said, lifting up his bandaged right hind leg. "Um...Oh, and these burns really sting.......Sorry...I'm complaining..." Scythe sighed and looked around again.
"Do you want me to see if I can find a spell to ease the pain? There has to be something about one in one of these books." Said Twilight, about to levitate a book.
"Oh, n-no. It's okay. Don't wanna trouble you." Scythe lied. He'd do anything for the pain to go away.
"It's really no tr--" Twilight began, but was interrupted by a small purple and green dragon walking down the stairs. Scythe's jaw dropped.
"Spike?! Is that you?!" He asked in awe.
Spike turned his head towards Scythe, and within less than half a second, a huge smile had crossed his face.
"Scythe! You're alive!" Spike shouted, jumping down from the stairs.
"Yeah, I'm alive! A bit sore, but alive. But look at you, Spike! You've gotten bigger since I last saw you. What, five years ago?" Scythe laughed, causing Spike to laugh.
"Yeah, it's been a really long time!" Said Spike ecstatically.
After a few seconds of laughing, Scythe turned his head and saw a newspaper sitting on a brown coffee table. He remembered how all the ponies were crowded around the news vendor's stand. Scythe turned serious and looked at Twilight.
"Sorry to suddenly change the subject like this, but...What the hell is going on in Ponyville, Twilight? Everypony is trying to stay away from me...They're staring at me, but...What bothers me the most is the fact that one mare called me a...A terrorist!" Scythe explained.
Twilight turned her head to look at the table. "Scythe..." She started slowly, a look of worry on her face, while levitating the newspaper towards the confused and annoyed Scythe. "Something really bad has happened..." She finished.
The title of the newspaper was 'Equestria News'. Scythe looked at the headline, and nearly dropped the paper. Terrorist in Equestria, it said, and right under was a picture of Scythe. Now he was truly confused. What was happening? He opened the page and read the article.
Is it true? Is there a terrorist in Equestria?
Nine days ago, two large, shattering explosions occurred, the second occurring approximately ten minutes after the first, demolished and destroyed a nearby town. The death toll is reported to be almost 1,000,000, and it does not seem that anypony escaped.
Seconds after the final explosion, an Earth Pony flew from the same direction of the destruction and landed hard in Ponyville. He was knocked unconscious, but is miraculously alive. The Ponyville General Hospital confirms that the pony is a young stallion named Scythe. This stallion, Scythe, had no family relations found, except for his brother, who's name is Richter. We couldn't find any way to contact him, unfortunately.
The thought that Scythe is a terrorist started from the rich business Unicorn named Blade, who claimed that "This stallion landing in Ponyville right after the explosions is NO coincidence."
And continued to say "This pony is a terrorist! Who knows where he'll strike next? It could be Ponyville! It could be Cloudsdale! It could even be Canterlot! We cannot let that happen, and I am taking it upon myself to stop him! I will be starting a large gather-up in Ponyville, who anypony that is against the terrorist is welcome to attend, so that we can find him, and end his evil ways before it's too late! We will prevail!"
Scythe just stared at the newspaper with his mouth open, eyes wide with shock. The shock was slowly being replaced by anger and frustration.
"Uh...Scythe? Are you okay?" Asked Twilight, very concerned. Scythe suddenly threw the newspaper onto the library floor.
"No, Twilight! I'm not alright! I have my own hate group, now!" Scythe snapped. "For Celestia's sake...All this shit is happening to me and I don't even know why!"
"Scythe, please watch your language in front of Spike. Now,you don't remember what happened?" Asked Twilight slowly, unsure of what to say.
"No! I don't remember ANYTHING, and the fact that everypony suddenly hates my guts really peeves me off!" Scythe was letting out his frustration. He smacked his head with his hoof. "Come on! This is ridiculous! Why the hell can't I remember?! UGH!" He slammed a hoof against the wall. "Who is this stallion who's starting this rally?" He asked nopony in particular. He walked back towards the newspaper and looked at the picture of the stallion named Blade. He looked to be a middle aged Unicorn, brown coat and graying mane. Scythe turned away sharply. He was breathing heavily. Twilight was about to speak, before Scythe made an apology.
"Look, Twilight...I'm...I'm sorry for flipping out on you like this. It's just...You don't know what it's like, being blamed for something you don't even remember doing..." Scythe finished an looked down sadly. Twilight walked up to him and smiled.
"It's okay, Scythe. I understand." She said, hugging him.
-- Minutes later
"Come on, Scythe. You can't put on that gloomy look and tell me everything's fine." Said Vinyl commandingly.
"Look, Vinyl, I'll explain everything to you when we get to your place. Just, right now...I need to think..."
The rest of the walk to Vinyl's place was silent. All sorts of thoughts swam through Scythe's head. Two explosions? Me? I can't be a terrorist! I'd never do anything like that! With the last thought, Scythe heard another voice.
You're scum to me now, Scythe!
Scythe gasped and stopped walking. This was the second time he'd heard a voice, seemingly from nowhere. What were they? Could they be flashbacks? No...Why would someone call Scythe scum? Before Vinyl could speak, Scythe continued walking.
They eventually reached Vinyl's place. It was a huge house (She said that a mansion was too big for her) which was painted to be a light blue. It looked like it had multiple rooms and floors. As they neared the front door, Scythe finally spoke up.
"I'm gonna stay out here for a bit, okay?" Scythe sighed.
"Sure. But look, Scythe. I'm your sister. I just wanna know what's going on with you. You stormed out of the library without saying a word." Vinyl explained.
"I know. I'm sorry, Vinyl." He apologized. They moved into a hug.
"I love you. You're the only family I've got left." Said Vinyl sympathetically. Scythe suddenly remembered something and gasped.
"Wait...What about...Where's Richter?" Asked Scythe. Richter was his near identical twin brother. They looked almost alike, except for the notable mane colors.
Vinyl suddenly looked nervous. She moved her gaze from Scythe to the ground. "I...Uh...I'm not sure, Scythe...I haven't...Heard from him in a while..." She said nervously. "Look, just stay out here if you need to, okay?" She said, unlocking the door and quickly going inside. Scythe raised an eyebrow. What was that all about?
Scythe limped onto the front lawn and sat down. The entire front yard was beautiful. Trees along the sides, with birds singing. Blue rose bushes all over the grass, the blue roses blooming beautifully. The fresh air smelled amazing. Scythe put his hoof through his mane, relaxing. He sighed.
Up above, Rainbow Dash took this as a sign to act. She jumped off of her cloud and flew down towards Scythe. She landed in front of him with a loud thump, causing him to jump in alarm.
"Wha?! Who the hell?!" Scythe blurted out.
Rainbow Dash brought herself closer to Scythe to seem more intimidating. "So, you're the 'terrorist' everypony's talking about?"
Scythe stepped back, mainly because Rainbow Dash was too close for comfort. He felt a twinge of anger at what she had asked.
"Yes, I'm--I mean NO, I'm not a terrorist, for fu--" Scythe almost swore because of a rising anger, but stopped himself and regained his calmness. "...Miss Dash, I'm not a terrorist, alright? I'm also not in the mood to talk about it, so if you could just go--"
"You know me?" Rainbow Dash interrupted, flying close to Scythe again. Scythe cleared his throat and stepped back.
"Yes, I know you. Well, I don't know you know you, but I know who you are. You pulled off a Sonic Rainboom." He explained.
"Yep! You also forgot to mention that I'm best and most awesomest flyer in Equestria!" She said happily. Scythe scoffed.
"Not exactly modest, are you?" He said flatly, brushing past her toward the front door of Vinyl's house. It doesn't seem like the conversation was over, though, because she flew in front of Scythe, stopping him.
"What about you? Did you actually blow up that city over in Domus?" Rainbow Dash asked annoyingly, with a grin. Scythe sighed. He was trying not to get angry.
"Look, I told you I'm not in the mood for this. Now, can I please go inside?" He asked with an annoyed tone, looking past the Pegasus hovering in front of him.
"Oh, no. I'm not done talking with you, yet." She said strictly, but still smiling. He brushed past her again and walked up the front steps to the door. Without looking back, he spoke again.
"Yeah, well...I'm done talking with you."
Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs.
"Fine, I'll try to find you tomorrow. You can't get away from me if you're not near DJ-PON-3's house!" She said challengingly.
"Whatever you say. Bye, now." Said Scythe, as he closed and locked the door. He sighed and rubbed his eyes with a forehoof. He was tired, and it was already eight o' clock. He looked around the expertly decorated home for Vinyl. She was in the kitchen, making a sandwich. Upon noticing Scythe, she smiled.
"Hey. Want a sandwich?" Vinyl offered.
"No, thanks. I think I'm about ready to hit the sack." Scythe said with a yawn. Vinyl turned to him.
"You sure? It's only eight." She said with a concerned tone.
"Yeah...I'm tired. I'd like to sleep in a comfy bed, rather than a hospital bed." Scythe explained, finishing with a grin.
"Well, okay then. Come on upstairs. I'll show you the guest bedroom. I'll give you a tour of the house tomorrow." She explained with a smile.
After showing Scythe to the guest bedroom and setting everything up for him, Vinyl went back downstairs. All he wanted to do was sleep, now. Even through his tiredness, Scythe couldn't shake some kind of feeling. It was weird how the well known Rainbow Dash took an interest in him, without being afraid or accusing of him. It was something he never felt before. He was also having diffuculty falling asleep. Many things raced through his mind. Being called a terrorist. Everypony hating him. A rally being held against him. It was alot to think about, and he was awake for a good two hours before finally drifting off to a deep sleep.
Four Days Earlier, Edge of The Everfree Forest, Inside A House
Everything was a blur as he opened his eyes. His head ached horribly, and he was sore all over. The stallion tried to sit up, but was overcome by a strong feeling of vertigo and nausea. After a few more minutes, he succeeded at sitting up. He put a light brown hoof to his face and sighed. Looking around, he became suddenly aware that he had no idea where he was. He couldn't remember what happened, and after a few minutes of thinking, he came to a conclusion.
-I'm hung over, aren't I?- He asked himself mentally. Realizing how sore he was, he also guessed what must've happened. -Must've pissed off somepony and got my flank kicked...-
Usually when he got drunk (Which wasn't very often), he just dismissed the next morning's memory loss as nothing. He examined the room. It was a small space, with a bed in the upper right corner (Which he was currently sitting on), and a shelf right beside the head of the bed. At the foot of the bed sat a large, dark green, locked chest. On the left wall was a mirror, which the stallion got up to see.
He walked slowly to the mirror, dragging his hooves. Looking in the mirror, he could see that his normally green eyes were bloodshot, and his dark blue and red mane was extremely messy. His light brown coat looked ruffled and dirty. He sighed, and rubbed his head.
As he went to walk toward the bed to sit down again, the maple colored door opened, and in walked a stunningly beautiful Unicorn mare. The stallion was suddenly mesmerized. Her blue coat was beautifully groomed, and her light green mane bounced with every step. She looked at the stallion and realized that he was awake.
"Oh. You've finally woken up." She said softly, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling. The stallion couldn't believe how breathtakingly beautiful this mare was, and it took him a second to realize that she had spoken. He was focused on her looks, which he knew he shouldn't be doing.
"Uh...Yeah...I just woke up a few minutes ago..." The stallion said flatly. He groaned softly and put a hoof to his head. The mare frowned.
"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. The stallion nodded.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine...Look, why...Where am I?" He was searching for the right words. The mare smiled.
"You're in the outskirts of The Everfree Forest. My name is Blue Bell." The mare named Blue Bell said happily, holding out her left hoof. She was wearing a red bracelet. The stallion slowly shook her hoof.
"Hi, Blue Bell." He said softly. "I'm Richter." He added. The stallion, who was now revealed to be named Richter, was thinking of something to say. Before he could, however, another Unicorn walked into the room. This was an old stallion, with a pale blue coat and grey hair. His eyes lit up upon noticing Richter.
"By Celestia, you're awake!" He said, surprised.
"Hi, grandpa. I just came in and he was standing up." Blue Bell explained quickly.
"Really? Well, it's about time. You were worrying us with how long you were out."
"Worrying you? I was only out for a night! I must be...Hung over..." Richter said surprisingly. He was a little hesitant to reveal that he had gotten drunk the previous night. Or so he thought.
The old stallion looked at Blue Bell and back to Richter. "A night? Oh, no, son...You've been passed out for two days!"
"What?! Two days?!" Richter asked loudly, wide eyed.
"Yep, and you're definitely not hung over. You should've seen how you were when we found you!" The stallion explained. Richter stepped back. He was having trouble understanding.
"W-Wait...What do you--What do you mean?" He asked quickly.
"My name is Old Timer." The pale blue Unicorn started. "Look, why don't you get yourself cleaned up in the shower. Then you can come downstairs, and we'll explain."
Richter didn't hesitate. If not for his strong confusion, he wouldn't even be accepting any kind of help from these strangers. Besides, two days of nonstop unconsciousness can really gather up dirt in a pony's coat and mane, and make the same pony feel stiff and uncomfortable. He expected the hot water to feel nice, and to loosen up his aching body a bit.
Richter slowly walked out of the room, to see Blue Bell levitating a towel to him.
"Here." She said, smiling. "The soap is in the bathroom. Use as much as you need."
"Thanks." Richter replied softly, trying to put on a smile. Truth is, he was in too much pain to genuinely smile, but he tried his best.
Richter opened the bathroom door and stepped in, closing the same door behind him. A candle was lit, gently illuminating the room. It was nothing special. A sink. A toilet. A bathtub. Two toothbrushes and a tube of toothpaste on the sink. Just a regular bathroom.
Richter set the towel down and entered the bathtub, closing the shower curtains. He turned the hot water tap, and felt the warmness hit his aching body. It felt amazing. He could feel himself loosening up already. Looking at the drain, Richter noticed a light stream of dirt going down. His coat and mane were really dirty. He picked up the bar of soap and started to clean himself. The instant the soap touched his body, it started to sting.
"Aah.." He winced. This is when he noticed that he had many cuts and bruises, with the soap entering the cuts. "What the hell...?" He asked himself softly. He touched his left forehoof to his left side and felt a deep cut, followed by a sharp stab of pain.
"Aah!" He grunted painfully, a little louder than intended. There was a bright flash right after, and Richter was suddenly in a very familiar area. In his own body, but not in control of anything. The area looked like it had been blown up, and smoke and flames spewed from large gaps in the ground.
Richter walked up to a stallion lying on the cracked ground. When he was close enough, he spoke.
"Ohhh, no...Don't tell me you give up already, Scythe? We're just getting started." Said Richter with an evil grin. He felt very angry, but very smug at the same time. Scythe got up unsteadily.
"Richter...Stop this right now, or I'll MAKE you stop!" Scythe shouted angrily. Richter chuckled mockingly.
"Try me." He said simply. A small stream of fire shot upwards to reach eye level with Richter, and it formed into some sort of solid dagger. He took the dagger in his mouth, a lunged towards Scythe.
Scythe dodged in a flash of electricity and slammed his right forehoof into Richter's jaw, causing him to drop the dagger. Pain coursed through Richter's face, but he ignored it. He lunged for the dagger. Scythe did the same and reached it first. The two nearly impacted with each other, but stopped in time. Scythe had the dagger in his mouth, and was holding it against Richter's neck.
"Richter..." Scythe started, speech impaired because of the dagger. "I'n giffing you one last shance..."
"Well, isn't that nice of you." Richter chuckled coldly. He spun around and attempted to kick Scythe with his hind legs, but missed, as Scythe slashed forward, cutting deep into Richter's left side. He yelled out in pain, and managed to get his originally intended kick straight to Scythe's face, causing him to fly back, blood spurting from his mouth.
Richter gasped as he was snapped back to reality. He stumbled and fell onto the bottom of the bathtub, breathing heavily. Terrified of what he just saw, wide eyed.
-Scythe?- He thought. -What was Scythe--What did I--What just happened?-
Any confusion that Richter had was now doubled. He just sat in the tub, unable to move. After a few moments, he managed to pick himself up and finish his shower, still in shock.
Minutes Later
Richter walked down the wooden stairs of the small house into the kitchen, where Old Timer and Blue Bell were sitting in chairs.
"Are you okay? What was that loud noise?" Blue Bell asked worriedly, her beautiful blue eyes sparkling.
Richter wasn't sure he should tell these strangers what he just saw, for he was having trouble processing it himself.
"I, uh, I just slipped. I'm fine." Richter said simple. He wasn't telling the whole thing.
Old Timer cleared his throat. "So, get this...Bellie and I were--"
"I'm sorry...Bellie?" Richter interrupted, feeling slightly awkward for doing so. He rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof.
"Uh...Yes, Bellie. It's Blue Bell's nickname." Old Timer explained.
"Ah."
"Anyways, Bellie and I were walking through the forest to go to Ponyville for some groceries, when suddenly we heard a HUGE exploding sound, and, I swear, all of Equestria quaked violently." He explained.
"Just to be safe, I said that we should stay where we were, in case anything else happened." Blue Bell added in.
"Yep. About ten or so minutes later, another explosion happened, and something landed nearby. Whatever it was, it totaled a whole lot of trees. We went to see what caused the impact, and we found you. I tell you, it looked like you were just beaten senseless. We thought you were dead, until Bellie checked your pulse. Bringing you to the hospital wasn't on our list of choices..." Old Timer explained everything with an extremely serious tone, right until the end, where it changed to a saddened tone. "I've lost faith in hospitals since my wife...Well...I'll save that story for another time..."
Richter looked at Blue Bell, who was staring down. In an attempt to get back to the topic at hoof, Richter spoke.
"This is all so...Confusing...I don't remember anything that happened..." Said Richter, running a hoof through his dark blue and red mane.
Old Timer looked back up. "Nothing? There isn't anything that comes to mind?"
Richter closed his green eyes and tried to remember, but nothing but the memory of what he saw in the bathroom came to him. He sighed and rubbed his head. "Nothing...I don't remember how I got here, or even why I ended up here. It's so...Weird..." He said disappointingly, looking down.
There was an awkward silence, before Old Timer noticed a newspaper on the counter. He got up and looked at it.
"Well..." He began. "There IS something similar that happened to another Earth Pony, who's apparently involved with those explosions...I doubt that you have anything to do with..." He suddenly stopped. "Look, we'll talk about this in the morning, alright? You can sleep in that bed you were in. I'll clean it up for you."
Richter stood up. "Uh...Look, I appreciate you taking care of me like this, but I think I should be on my way. I need to figure out what's happening." Richter explained, head to the door.
Old Timer made a wall of magic in front of Richter. "Oh, no you don't. You think we're just gonna let you wander out there?" He said in a commanding tone. Richter sighed.
"I'll be fine. And again, I appreciate it." He tried to move forward, but Old Timer wouldn't diminish the magical wall.
"You're confused, Richter. You need some time to recover. We're not just letting you leave when you have no idea what's going on." Blue Bell explained in the same tone as her grandfather.
"Look, I don't need any time. I can figure things on my own." Richter pleaded. He didn't want to be rude, put the two Unicorns were persistent.
"We won't hear of it." Old Timer said simply.
"But--" Richter tried to speak, but was cut off.
"A few days, at least. Then, we'll let you go on your own."
Richter sighed. There was no winning this argument. It was two against one, anyways.
"...Alright...But I'm not going to sleep, yet. I did enough of that during these two days." He finished with a nervous chuckle.
Old Timer and Blue Bell smiled. "Good. I'll get the bed ready for you for later." Said Old Timer kindly.
"Okay. I'm just...I'm going to sit outside for a bit, or something." Said Richter tiredly. Upon seeing the look on the two Unicorn's faces, he added in "Don't worry, I'm not gonna run." With a smile.
A few minutes later, Richter was sitting outside. It was nighttime. It was peaceful and quiet out.
To be continued in chapter four...
To anypony who may not know, Richter is pronounced 'Rik-Ter'
Scythe attempted to dodge and block the stallion's attacks as best he could, but it wasn't enough. Blow after blow impacted his face and stomach, leaving Scythe dazed and pained. He stumbled back clumsily, causing the stallion to laugh evilly. Scythe regained himself and let out a battle roar, firing a volley of electrical blasts from his hooves towards his enemy.
The stallion's hooves, with flames issuing from them, blocked every shot, until Scythe fired a large bolt the size of a full grown horse. The electricity entered the stallion's body in an explosive blast, sending him flying back, screaming. He landed with a loud thud onto the cracked ground. Scythe flew forward in a large ball of electricity and slammed into the stallion, who was attempting to get up.
Through his pain, the stallion spewed a stream of fire from his hooves towards Scythe at an undodgable speed. He was enveloped in the flames, doing his best to shield himself with his powers. It wasn't much use. The flames licked at Scythe's back and his legs and neck, causing horrific pain.
Scythe awoke with a scream, hyperventilating and sweating intensely. Horrible fear coursed through his body. He darted his head around and remembered that he was at Vinyl's house. The sun was shining brightly through the windows, creating a faint glow that flooded the room with light. He felt relief wash over his body, but the stress of what he couldn't remember increased two-fold.
"Urgh..." He groaned. "Come on..." He whispered he himself. He was trying hard to remember, but to no avail.
Scythe sighed and rubbed his face with a hoof. He shakily got out of the bed and walked to the door. Had Vinyl not heard him scream? He scanned the pale blue hallway and found no sign of her.
"Vinyl?" He called out to his sister. No response. He stepped out of the room slowly and closed the door behind him. He called out to Vinyl a few more times, still with no response. Scythe hadn't the faintest clue where the Unicorn was, until, checking in the kitchen, he could hear a faint noise coming from the basement door.
Scythe felt curious, and slowly opened the door. The sound of a Dubstep-Rock song being played blasted into Scythe's ears, causing him to groan in pain. He had just realized that he had a terrible headache. Nonetheless, he started to walk down the stairs. It sounded as if somepony was recording an electric guitar part to a song, with the drums, bass, and synths already recorded. (Song Vinyl Was Playing)
It appears as if the entire basement was made to be soundproof. Scythe reached the bottom of the stairs and smiled in awe at what he saw.
Vinyl's recording studio was right here in her basement. Dozens of recording devices hanging on the walls, sitting on desks, with multiple instruments plugged into them. Electric guitars, bass guitars, keyboards, and even a drumset in the corner. Vinyl was playing her favorite white electric guitar like a professional (Which she is), never missing a beat. Upon noticing the smiling Scythe, Vinyl smiled herself and shut off the recording.
"Morning." She greeted Scythe warmly.
"Hey..." Scythe yawned. "How'd you sleep?"
"Like a filly. I felt fully energized when I got up, so I thought I'd come down and finish this song. Wish I could say the same for you." Vinyl explained, ending with a sympathetic grin.
"What do you mean?" Scythe asked, confused.
Vinyl pointed to a mirror near the drumset. Scythe walked up to it and examined himself. His eyes were bloodshot with bags underneath, his mane was messy, and he looked all around horrible.
"Doesn't look like you slept at all." Vinyl spoke across the room.
"Oh, I did sleep." Scythe chuckled. "I slept horribly. Some kind of dream...Or...Nightmare..." He thought about what he had dreamed, but could remember nothing.
Vinyl shifted her red eyes to Scythe's right hind leg.
"How's the leg?" She asked.
Scythe lifted his leg, and suddenly realized that it didn't hurt anymore. Not only that, but all the cuts and scrapes and bruises were gone.
"What the hell?" Scythe asked out loud.
"What?"
"Look at me, Vinyl. No cuts." He waved a hoof around his body.
Vinyl looked closer and went wide eyed.
"How--...What about your leg?" She asked slowly. Vinyl used her magic to slowly unwrap Scythe's leg bandages. She gasped.
Scythe's leg was completely healed. The stab wound was gone, and not even a scar was left. The hair had grown back like nothing happened at all.
"Whoa...That's weird..." Vinyl said unenthusiastically. Scythe gave the white Unicorn a narrow eyed glare.
"You don't sound very surprised." He said suspiciously.
"I don't know. You tell me." Scythe said coldly, still glaring.
"Uh...Well, you see...Um...I'm su-" Vinyl began to explain nervously, but was cut off by Scythe.
"Just forget about it. I'm sorry about my attitude, Vinyl. I'm not feeling so hot this morning, both physically and mentally." He explained apologetically, ending with a sigh.
A few moments of awkward silence passed, before Scythe spoke.
"So...What's this song you're working on?" He asked awkwardly, obviously trying to make conversation. Vinyl smiled anyway.
"Oh, it's called ShutEmDown. Kind of a dubstep-rock genre, but it's an instrumental, unlike the rest of my songs." She explained happily, waving her right forehoof to her musical instruments.
When Vinyl started talking about music, she would pretty much forget about any worry, any stress, and emotion (Except for happiness), and would happily drone on about whatever musical topic she was talking about. Especially dubstep.
"It's gonna be totally awesome when it's finished. Best part is: I didn't even announce this song to my fans. It'll be a complete surprise!" She finished, still smiling ear to ear.
"Ooh yeah! Now, I haven't eaten yet. Wanna get some breakfast?"
Half Hour Later
"Right, so where do you wanna eat?" Vinyl asked. Her and Scythe were standing in the busy section of Ponyville. Scythe looked much cleaner, since he had taken a shower before they left.
"Um...I don't know. What about that place?" Scythe suggested flatly, pointing his hoof at at diner named 'The Hungry Stallion.'
"Ooh, good choice! Let's go!" Vinyl said happily, grabbing Scythe's left forehoof and leading him to the diner. As usual, he was getting angry glares and whispers, along with everypony scurrying to get out of his way.
Scythe felt the anger starting to build up, but he fought it and remained calm as best he could.
"Assholes..." He muttered quietly.
As they approached the door, the manager quickly came out and pointed an accusing hoof at Scythe.
"Don't you even THINK about coming in here, terrorist!" He shouted angrily, drawing the looks of ponies eating on the outside tables.
"Grease! Come on!" Vinyl said alarmingly.
"Vinyl, I'm not serving a lowlife like him! My mother was in that city he destroyed!" The stallion named Grease shouted accusingly, glaring at Scythe.
Scythe felt the anger rising up uncontrollably again. He walked forward and put his hoof on the short metal barrier fence sitting out front of the diner.
Scythe wanted to strike the pony known as Grease, but decided to do so with words.
"You call me a lowlife, yet you're working in this cheap greasy diner." Scythe hissed coldly, with a harsh grin.
"Excuse me?" Grease responded angrily, meeting Scythe face to face.
"Guys--" Vinyl tried to intervene, but to no avail.
"Say that again, terrorist!" Grease challenged, putting his hoof on the metal barrier.
"What's the matter? Can't accept that you're not worth shit, and you have to work here?" Scythe spoke in a very cold and mocking tone.
"Guys--" Vinyl attempted to intervene again, still to no avail.
"Are you looking for a hoof to the face? Because frankly, I'm ready to give you one, buddy!" The grease brown stallion threatened.
"Guys, would you just--"
"Try me. It'll be the last thing you ever do, pal." Scythe stood his ground. Grease didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, disregarding the metal barrier. Scythe made a perfect dodge, though unnecessary. Vinyl had stepped in between them before any harm could be done.
"You two need to calm down!" She shouted, and they immediately stopped.
After a few seconds, they calmed down a bit, and Vinyl stepped away again.
Scythe put his hoof on the metal barrier. A strange sparking sound was heard at the same time as Grease shrieked and pulled his own hoof back in a flash. Vinyl quickly looked back at Scythe suspiciously.
"What? I didn't touch him!" Scythe defended.
"Ehh...Something shocked me..." Grease said softly, holding his hoof.
"Hmph...Quit acting like a baby. I've been through much worse." Scythe scoffed.
"DON'T CALL ME A--"
"Would you two just STOP? Grease, we just want some breakfast, okay?" Vinyl intervened frustratedly. Scythe scoffed.
"Screw that. I'm not eating here." He said coldly, turning around and walking away.
"Scythe! Come on!" Vinyl tried to reason, running up beside him.
"You'd better watch your back, terrorist!" Grease called out to Scythe mockingly.
Scythe stopped dead, his face clearly showing anger, and his body tensed up. Vinyl saw this, too, and tried to calm her brother down.
"Just let it go, Scythe. If you ask me, he's not worth it." Vinyl cooed softly.
Scythe sighed and continued walking. Noticing that the little argument at the diner caught the eye of some ponies, he didn't hesitate to speak out.
"What the hell are you all looking at? Mind your own Goddess damn business!
An Hour Later
Scythe and Vinyl had finally managed to find an eating establishment that would let Scythe in, the manager saying 'As long as you've got bits, you can come on in.'
After eating a delicious breakfast of hay baconstrips, veggie sausages, four slices of toast, and three glasses of orange juice, Scythe got thinking about the hostility that he's been getting. About that 'Rally.' He was thinking of what might happen. Would they search for him? Would they hurt anypony to get to him? The idea of Vinyl getting hurt or killed because of him made him shiver.
-I know she's a celebrity, but who knows what they'd do?- Scythe thought to himself. -I don't know if it's such a good idea to live with Vinyl. I don't want to risk her safety. She's all I've got left. Haven't heard from Richter, either. Hope he's okay.-
After much consideration, Scythe made up his mind.
"Vinyl..." He started.
"Hm?"
"I think it'd be best if I got a place of my own." He said simply.
Vinyl suddenly looked concerned. "But...Why?" She asked disappointingly.
Thinking for a moment, Scythe didn't want to tell Vinyl the reason, in case she wouldn't agree.
"Well...I feel like I'm imposing..." He lied. He felt a bit guilty about lying to his sister. Vinyl just made a fart noise with her tongue.
"Bull. If you were imposing, I'd have TOLD you." She said flatly
"Still...I'd just..." Scythe sighed. He wanted to tell Vinyl the truth, but at the same time he didn't. She seemed to pick up on his lie.
"Come on, Scythe. What's the REAL reason you want to live on your own?" She inquired curiously but surely. Scythe was a little taken back, but spoke anyway.
"Look, Vinyl...Just hear me out on this, okay?" Scythe said steadily, but the stress in his voice was obvious. "I want to live on my own for a very good reason, but I just don't want to say why, because I know you'll disagree, and I'm sure that--"
"Scythe, Scythe..." Vinyl chuckled softly but sympathetically. "...It's okay. I understand if you don't wanna say. I can pay for a house somewhere in Ponyville for you."
"One: Ew, Ponyville. Two: No, I'm doing this myself." Scythe said simply. He sensed that Vinyl wouldn't agree, but kept on going. "I don't want to have to rely on anypony. You remember how it was for me a couple years back."
"Yeah, but you don't have to rely on me. I'll just be helping you out." Vinyl responded with a determined tone.
Scythe sighed.
-She just won't let up, will she?- He thought to himself.
"Vinyl, look...I app--"
"Scythe, there's no way I'm just going to let you walk away all by yourself."
"Just...I appreciate your concern--"
"So, yes. I'm going to help you out by renting you a house."
"Vinyl, can you just please--" Scythe attempted to speak, but was interrupted again. He was getting frustrated.
"It's my choice to help you out, and I'm GOING to help you--"
"VINYL!" Scythe snapped loudly, frustration and stress very clear. He instantly regretted raising his voice upon seeing the hurt look on his sister's face. He sighed.
"I...I'm sorry...Look...I just think it's for the best, okay? I don't feel comfortable accepting help from anypony after what my asshole dad did to me. Just...Please, Vinyl. I don't want to argue, okay?" Scythe explained softly and regretfully.
Vinyl looked down and sighed. After a few moments she spoke again. "Okay. I'll accept and respect your decisions." She said with a smile. Scythe felt a little relieved. "But, you're going to have to get a job if you want to get a place. I mean, my friend Minuette can rent you a house or an apartment."
"I'll stick with an apartment. But what makes you think she'd even rent a place to a 'Terrorist?' I don't think anypony would." Scythe explained. This was a problem he knew he'd face. He could feel it in his gut even before the idea of living alone came up.
"Don't worry. Minuette believes you're innocent, too. But what about a job?" Vinyl asked.
Scythe thought for a minute, and a flash of happiness overcame him at an idea popping into his head.
"I think I got it covered..."
Minutes Later, Ponyville Wine Shop
Scythe knocked on the front door of the Wine Shop, but no answer came. He knocked again after a few seconds, with the same result.
-Hm...Maybe she's not working today?- He thought to himself. He felt a slight twang of disappointment in his chest. He decided to try once more. He knocked a little harder, and got a result.
"Hang on..." A familiar voice called out from inside. The voice sounded very groggy and tired. Moments later, the four locks clicked and the door swung open, to reveal a light-grayish-mulberry colored pony with a cerise mane. Her bloodshot eyes widened, but before she could speak, Scythe tried to get his point through.
"Long time no see, Berry. Now, I know what you're probably thinking about me; I'm a terrorist, and blah blah blah, and I'm not asking you to even like me anymore, but I just wanted to know if I can work in the Shop for a bit. You won't even notice I'm here, promise. I just need some bits to hold down a place for a while, and--" He explained frantically, stress emanating from his voice, before being cut off.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down, Scythe!" The pony revealed to be Berry Punch said surprisingly. "Don't worry. I don't believe what the papers said about you being a terrorist. It's cool, alright?"
Scythe let out a huge sigh and gave a half smile. "You have no idea how nice it is to hear that from you." He said to Berry. She giggled.
"Come on in. You're getting a bunch of looks from everypony." Berry said the last sentence quietly.
Scythe looked back, and saw that everypony passing was indeed staring at him. He just glared his green eyes and walked into the shop. Berry locked the doors.
"Okay, so...My first question...Are you okay? When did you get out of the hospital?" She asked Scythe curiously.
"I've been better. I just got out yesterday. What about you?"
"Heh, just fine..." Berry replied sarcastically, gingerly rubbing her head with a forehoof. Scythe chuckled and guessed what was wrong with her.
"You're hung over, aren't you?" He asked with a small chuckle.
"Ooh yeah..." Berry answered flatly, but managed to put on a smile anyway.
"Where's Berry Pinch?" Scythe asked.
"At school."
Scythe sighed. He was a little disappointed with her.
"Y'know, Berry, you really shouldn't get drunk around your daughter." Scythe said, genuinely concerned.
"Oh...Please, for the love of Celestia, don't give me a lecture on that..." Berry replied irritably, turning her cerise eyes away from Scythe.
"Seriously, Berry. It's not something a little filly should have to see."
"I'm not a mean drunk, Scythe. I'm a...Silly drunk..." Berry said sheepishly.
"One: That's not the point. Two: You're also very sexual when you're drunk. I remember when we were together, you'd want to have alot more sex whenever you'd get drunk."
Berry let out a mix between a scoff and an embarrassed laugh. "You never complained about it, though, did you? You'd always comply right away." She shot back.
"Touche." Scythe said, and the two started laughing. For Scythe, it was the first, full, genuine laugh that he's had since...He couldn't remember. It felt good to laugh like that, though.
"Anyways, look...Do you...Do you think you could hire me for a bit, Berry? I could really use the bits." Scythe explained.
"Of course. You could help with branding the bottles and storing them. Ten bits an hour. How's that sound?"
Scythe smiled. "That sounds great, Berry. Thank you. When can I start?"
Scythe went to work for Berry Punch the very same day. He was actually pretty excited to earn some bits for himself, and did the job with no hesitation. After all, putting the brands on wine bottles and storing them isn't difficult at all.
Scythe had been working for about three hours, storing a crate-full of 'Royal Canterlot Raspberry Wine' onto the wooden shelves in Berry's unbelievably large wine cellar. The cellar, which was obviously under the Ponyville Wine Shop, stretched for about two whole blocks.
Examining one of the dark red bottles, Scythe check the price tag taped onto the bottom. It read 30 bits.
"Thirty bits? Jeeze...Pricey..." He muttered to himself, although he wasn't really shocked. The Ponyville Wine Shop's popularity wasn't limited to just Ponyville. It was exceptionally popular in other parts of Equestria, and even the neighboring land Domus.
After the deed was done, Scythe put a hoof through his red and black mane and walked up the stairs back to the main level of the Shop. Berry was sitting at the front counter, talking to three stallions who were making a large purchase; five bottles of 'Equestrian White Wine.'
"That'll be thirty-five bits, please." Berry said politely to the stallions, who payed happily.
One of them turned around and glared at Scythe, giving an audible 'Hmph,' before turning with his two friends and walking out the door. Scythe sighed and looked around the Shop. It was expertly decorated, with wooden walls, floors, and shelves (Obviously stocked with bottles), and a big sign in the middle that says Welcome! No need to think, just pick your drink!
Scythe chuckled at the silly rhyme and walked up to Berry, paying no attention to other glaring customers looking for a good bottle of wine.
"There you go. All done with that crate." Scythe said happily, smiling warmly. Working seemed to get his mind off of everything else. He'd pretty much forgotten about all the stress and anxiety.
"Good. Thanks, Scythe!" Berry said warmly. "The delivery pony should be coming by in about a half hour with another few crates for you."
"Alright. What can I do till then?" Scythe inquired.
"Hm...I guess you can go on break, then!" Berry answered.
Just then, Scythe could hear something coming from the back room of the Shop, which was locked to everypony but Berry and now himself. It sounded like talking, but he couldn't make anything out of it.
"Hey, you hear that?" He asked aimlessly.
"Hear what?" Berry obliviously answered.
Scythe could swear he could hear something. Moving closer, he could make out two voices, one sounding aggressive, and the other sounding small and nervous. He opened the door to the back room, which turned out to be a small office, and realized that the voices were coming from behind a door in the office which lead outside.
He pushed open the door to see two ponies, both Unicorns, one a small pale-pink filly, and the other a big dark red stallion.
"No! I don't wanna go with you!" The filly shouted at the stallion nervously.
"I don't care what you want! I'm your daddy, and you're coming with me!" The stallion shouted back angrily, reaching out to grab her, apparently forgetting about his magic.
"NO!" The filly yelped and jumped back.
"Don't tell me no!" The stallion moved forward.
"Uh, excuse me?" Scythe made his presence known. The filly turned her scared gaze to Scythe and gasped.
"Scythe? You're okay!" The filly shouted.
"Berry?" Scythe addressed the pink filly, who's name was Berry Pinch.
The stallion turned to Scythe angrily.
"Can I help you, bud?" He asked Scythe, fury in his deep voice. Scythe wasn't intimidated.
"Yeah. You can tell me what's going on here?" He said steadily.
"Here's a good answer: None of your damn business!" The stallion snapped, turning back to the filly named Berry.
"I don't care what the court says, you little shit. You're coming with me!" He yelled angrily at the trembling filly, and moved forward again. Scythe stepped up and blocked him.
"Um, no. If you don't have custody of her, then you don't get her." Scythe said defensively. The stallion scoffed.
"Get out of my way." He tried to move past Scythe, but was still blocked. "Do you want me to kick your flank?"
"Do you wanna challenge me, tough guy?" Scythe asked challengingly.
"Pfft, step back, kid. I going to get my daughter." The stallion said rudely.
"I said I'm not going with you, you big jerk! I'm staying here with mom!" Berry yelled at her father and ran to the door.
The stallion lunged to the side to try and catch the pale-pink filly, but Scythe moved and pushed him against the wall.
"Berry, close and lock the door!" Scythe shouted to Berry, just as the stallion swung a punch at his face with a hoof.
Scythe ducked and landed two quick blows to the stallion's stomach, causing him to stumble back in pain.
"You messed with the wrong pony, mother bucker!" He shouted, before lunging forward.
He caught Scythe from the midsection. Scythe held back the stallion effortlessly. This brought great surprise to himself, but he shook it off, throwing the stallion back. He hit and cracked the wall with a loud thud. Out cold, too.
Scythe went wide eyed and stared at his forehooves.
"How did I...?" He asked aloud, very surprised and confused, before shaking his head. "Not important right now..."
The door swung open, and Berry Punch stood with her daughter, a knife in her mouth. She looked to the left to see a familiar red stallion slumped against a cracked wall, passed out. She dropped the knife. Scythe looked at the little pale-pink filly.
"Berry, what was THAT about?"
Minutes Later
"I told him to go away, but he wouldn't listen!" Berry Pinch explained fearfully. "Was I bad for saying no to him? He IS my dad, after all!"
"Of course you weren't bad, sweetie." Berry Punch explained to her daughter, gently stroking the filly's mane. "You were smart to say no. He's a bad pony."
She looked over at Scythe, who had one eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"So...Why was he so obsessed with getting her?" He asked.
"Well, the court gave me full custody of her, which meant he wasn't even allowed to see her. He's a big time druggie, anyway. The only reason he wanted her is to make himself look good." Berry Punch explained.
"'Oh, look at me! I have a daughter! All the mares will TOTALLY want a family man!'" She mocked, waving her hooves around for emphasis. "But...If you hadn't stepped in when you did..." She stopped herself, knowing it's best to not think about it.
"Thanks for standing up for me, Scythe." Berry Pinch said happily, smiling up at Scythe. Scythe smiled himself.
"No need for thanks, squirt." He said playfully, ruffling her mane with a hoof.
"No, really..." Berry Punch started. "You saved her from what could have been really bad. Thank you."
"It's okay, Berry." Scythe said light heartedly, hugging both ponies.
Three Hours Later
It was now 9:00PM, and Scythe was finished work. Coming back up from the cellar underneath, he noticed Berry Pinch look at something uncertainly.
"What's wrong?" He asked, but saw the answer before he heard it. Berry Punch was stumbling towards the filly, an empty bottle of wine right next to the counter. "H-Hey, Scy--HIC--Scythe. Whassup?" She slurred.
She was drunk. Very drunk.
"For the love of...Berry, go upstairs to your room, okay? I'll come up and talk to you in a few minutes." Scythe explained annoyingly, with a sigh.
She complied without hesitation, running up the stairs to her bedroom.
"G--HIC--Good idea, S-Scythe...We're...HIC...We're all aloooooone..." Berry Punch said lustfully, greatly slurring her words.
She moved forward toward Scythe in a very suggestive way. "C'mon...HIC...Let's have some fun!" She wrapped her pink forelegs around the light brown stallion, who pushed her off.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow your role, Berry. I like sex as much as the next stallion, but we're through. We were through two years ago." Scythe explained strictly.
"Come on...It--HIC--wont hurt any--HIC-pony!" The intoxicated light-grayish-mulberry mare advanced again.
Scythe was about to react, before Berry dropped to the floor. She had suddenly fallen asleep. Scythe just stared awkwardly, before picking her up. He put her on his back and led her up to her room.
He pushed the door open gently and brought the sleeping mare to her bed. Lightly setting her down on the bed, he couldn't help but chuckle. After he was sure Berry Punch was okay, he went to her daughter's room.
Entering the room with a sigh, Scythe started to speak. "Berry, you really shouldn't have seen that." He paused for a moment to think of what to say next. "Your mom...It's that she likes to drink...That 'Stuff,' which makes her feel really nice. Especially when she's sad." He explained awkwardly to the filly, who stared up at him with pale green eyes.
"But...Why is she sad?" She asked innocently.
"W-Well, she's not sad...But she just likes the feeling she gets when she drinks that stuff." Scythe paused again. "Look, I'll get your mom to talk to you about it tomorrow, okay?"
"Are you leaving?"
Scythe thought about it for a moment.
"Well, I don't like leaving you two alone here overnight. At least not when your mom is...Hopped up on that 'Stuff.' I'll stick around here tonight, alright?"
"Okay." Berry smile happily, before jumping up and hugging Scythe. "Good night!"
"G'Night." Scythe said with a smile, and then he turned towards the door.
"And Scythe?"
"Hm?"
"Thanks for protecting me from my dad."
Scythe simply smiled again.
"Not at all, squirt."
Four Hours Later
At was now 3:00AM, and Scythe was nearly asleep. He had to shake himself multiple times to keep from the tempting slumber. Noticing the time, he remembered that it was closing time, but he had closed much earlier due to Berry Punch passing out. Anyways, the last thing he wanted to do was talk to customers who were looking for a drink. Who knows what they'd have to say to him.
Trying his hardest to stay awake, Scythe decided it would be best if he went outside for some fresh air.
He unlocked the door and stepped outside. The cool night air was moist, but nice.
At least there wouldn't be anypony there to glare at him. Or so he thought.
"Now I gotcha!" Said a familiar female voice. Scythe wheeled around to see who it was.
Rainbow Dash. Again.
"Oh no..." Scythe didn't hesitate to express his annoyance.
"I told you I'd find you again! Now, I have a few questions!" Rainbow Dash stated strictly.
"No..." Scythe sighed and turned around.
Before he could even touch the door, the hovering Pegasus put her hoof against it.
"You're not going anywhere." She said, a slight hint of aggression in her voice.
"Why are you--...I HAVE to go in! I'm supposed to be watching the place." Scythe said frustratedly.
Rainbow Dash just gave a suspicious look.
"...I work here." Scythe added, before forcing the door open, surprising Rainbow Dash. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."
Rainbow Dash managed to slip into the Wine Shop just as the door was closing.
"Because. It's after hours, and I don't want you in here. Get out." Scythe commanded, not stepping down.
"Mmmmmaybe I don't want to! This is a free land, after all!" The rainbow maned Pegasus shouted.
"Sssshhhh! Will you keep it down? There are two sleeping ponies upstairs!" Scythe hissed back angrily. Rainbow Dash simply smiled.
"Ohhh...So you're house sitting? Or, shop sitting, rather." She said with a smug grin.
"What? No, I'm not shop sitting!" Scythe hissed again.
"Uh-huh. Suuure. You can go ahead and lie all you want. You can't hide a secret from me." Rainbow Dash said, crossing her forehooves.
"I'm not--Look, just leave, please!" Scythe was starting to get frustrated, and a little angry.
"I don't think so! Now..." Rainbow Dash said, gently flying further into the Shop. "I've never had alcohol. What's it like being drunk?"
Scythe was a little surprised to hear that she had never gotten drunk, but shook it off. "Find out on your own time. As for right now..." He gestured toward the door with a light brown hoof. Rainbow Dash scoffed.
"If you're trying to get rid of me, you're gonna have to try harder than that!" She said with a laugh. "Now, how about a taste of wine?"
She reached out to get a bottle.
"Hey! If you take a sip, you have to buy it!" Scythe almost shouted.
"Oh, come on! What's one sip gonna hurt?"
"I said no! Out!"
"Why?"
"I already told you."
"Not a good enough reason, pal. I'm staying right here until you answer some questions."
Scythe sighed. This would come eventually.
"What do you want to know?" He asked irritably.
"...Are you a te--" Rainbow Dash began, but was cut off.
"No. See, I knew you'd ask that! No questions. No staying here. Out. Now, Rainbow Dash." Scythe spoke with a strong tone of frustration. Inside, he was getting increasingly angry, and could lash out on her at any moment. He had to get her away, or get away from her.
"Look, I have to use the bathroom. Don't you dare touch anything." Scythe spoke coldly, narrowing his eyes and walking to the washroom in the back room.
Entering the cramped washroom, he started thinking.
-For fuck's sake...Why won't she just leave? And why's she so interested in me? A gorgeous mare like her can easily---
He broke himself out of thinking with wide eyes.
-There's no way I just...- He thought to himself. Realizing something...He sort of...In a very small way...'Liked'...Having her around.
She was the first pony who wasn't his friend that wasn't afraid to be near the so called 'Terrorist.' What's more is that she refused to leave. Why?
-How did she know I was here? Could she have been following me? Observing me all day?- He asked himself mentally. -Does she...Li--- He cut himself out of thought again.
The idea was ridiculous. Why would somepony like her, a gorgeous mare at that, want to be around somepony like Scythe? He was the one who apparently destroyed a city. And that tugging feeling in his chest when she was around. All these thoughts swam through his head, mixed with the feeling of not knowing anything about why he's in the position he's in now. A new addition to the stress.
"No...No!" He said softly, smacking himself in the head with a hoof.
-Stop thinking like that! You don't want her. She doesn't want you.-
He shrugged it all off as he finished his business and walked out of the washroom. Standing by one of the wine-stocked shelves, was Rainbow Dash, tasting a sample from a bottle of 'Royal Canterlot Daffodil Red Wine.'
"Eugh...Yuck! I don't think I like alcohol!" She said with a dismayed look on her face.
"Son of a...Put that back and get out!" Scythe furiously hissed through gritted teeth, flailing a hoof in the direction of the door.
"What did I tell you? Answers first, THEN I'll leave!" Rainbow Dash said stubbornly, crossing her forelegs.
"I have no intention of telling you anything. Out!" Scythe hissed. His anger was starting to get the better of him.
"You're going to answer at least ONE question, or I'm not gonna budge!" The Pegasus said, landing gently on the floor of the Shop.
"No, I'm not. For the last damn time, get OUT!" Scythe nearly shouted the last word. This was the last straw. He couldn't take much more.
"Answers first. Then--" Rainbow Dash began, but was cut off by Scythe's nearly explosive anger.
"Alright, you know what, skittle mane? I barely know you and I'm already fed up with you! You need to sod off right now, and go bug somepony else, because I'm not fucking interested in you or anything you could ever possibly have to say. Sod of, take your over-estimated ego with you, and get the hell OUT!" He lashed out on the cyan Pegasus with cold fury, shouting the last word.
He instantly regretted it, however, upon seeing the hurt and saddened look on the Pegasus' face. The feeling he felt minutes ago suddenly rushed back, bringing him to a sudden realization: He DID like having her around. He...He WANTED her around.
After a few seconds of shocked glaring from Rainbow Dash, Scythe opened his mouth to apologize, but was cut off before he even spoke.
"Okay...That's fine..." She said sadly, with a tone of coldness. "I was just trying to ask a few questions, and make a new friend, but I see now, that you're not that kind of pony..." She finished, turning to the door. Scythe sighed.
"Rainbow Dash..." He began.
"No. Just forget it. Sorry for trying to just talk to you...Jerk..." She opened the door and walked out, tears in her rose eyes.
"Rainbow Dash!" Scythe shouted after her, not caring if he woke up the two sleeping ponies upstairs. He felt truly sorry. He was truly sorry.
By the time he walked out the door, Rainbow Dash had already taken off into the sky.
"Rainbow Dash!!!" He yelled to her, with no response. After a few minutes of standing out there, staring up at where she flew away, he just sat on his rump with a heavy sigh.
In the now five days he's been with Old Timer and Blue Bell, Richter has formed a sort of bond with them. Nothing too strong, but he felt protective of them. Almost like they were family. At least, that's how they treated him.
Richter found it strange how the two innocent ponies just took him in without thought; Yes, it's true that he was in an injured state at the time; But even afterwards. Richter could have been some sort of killer, and yet they still took him in.
He respected their bravery and kind hearts, and was grateful for them. If they hadn't found him, there's a good chance he could have died.
It was 10:13PM, a hot summer night in the Everfree Forest. Richter and Blue Bell had gone to Ponyville to get some building materials for Old Timer to fix up an old broken down shed beside the house.
Old Timer and Blue Bell usually preferred to go at night to avoid confrontations with other ponies. When asked why by Richter, they wouldn't answer. Richter wouldn't push it, however. He was content with the way things were.
After stopping at the local Ponyville hardware store and getting all the supplies needed, Richter and Blue Bell made their way to The Everfree Forest, where the house resided.
"Thanks for helping me out. I'd never be able to carry all this stuff on my own, even with my magic." Blue Bell sighed happily, keeping a steady walking pace going along. It was obvious she wanted to get home.
"I understand, and it's no problem at all. I wouldn't really want you going through The Forest on your own at night, anyway." Richter explained with a smile. He couldn't stop looking at her. The blue Unicorn mare was extremely beautiful, and he was finding it difficult to take his green eyes off her.
"Anyways, what exactly is it that Old Timer needs these things for?" He asked, quickly turning his head when she would look at him.
"Did you see that busted up old shed out by the side of the house? He wants to repair it. Make it look 'Brand-spanking-new,' as he puts it." Blue Bell explained with a small chuckle.
"Really? Well..." Richter thought for a moment. "...I could probably give him a hoof with it?"
Blue Bell stopped and stared at Richter. For a second, he thought he did something wrong. He was about to speak, but Blue Bell beat him to it.
"Seriously? You would do that?" She asked with an astonished tone, and a grin on her beautiful face. Richter felt relieved.
"U-Uh, yeah! Of course!" He stuttered.
"...Are you sure it wouldn't be a problem for you?" She asked, the astonished tone still present in her soft voice.
Richter's courage was back to one hundred percent.
"Not at all! I'd be happy to help. It'd give me something to do, as well. Rather than sitting around all day." He explained.
Blue Bell started walking again.
"Grandpa is really going to appreciate that, Richter. It's very kind of you." She said warmly, and gave Richter a playful nudge with her side.
"No problem at all, Blue Bell." He returned the nudge, getting a small giggle from the mare.
After walking for a few minutes, the two ponies eventually reached the main entryway of The Everfree Forest. Blue Bell stopped suddenly.
"You okay?" Richter asked worriedly.
"Y-Yeah...I just usually sprint to the house from here, but that's kind of difficult because of all this stuff..." Blue Bell explained, a slight tone of worry in her voice.
"Why do you sprint?" Richter inquired curiously.
"...T-...T-Timberwolves..." She stuttered fearfully, beginning to shiver.
"Oh..." Richter said softly, rubbing his dark-blue-and-red mane. "...Don't worry. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you. Okay?" He explained, staring directly into Blue Bell's blue eyes. "...I promise."
"...Okay..." She conceded with a smile.
They began their walk through The Everfree Forest. Blue Bell stayed noticeably close to Richter.
"Agh...This place is so damn dark...I can barely--" Richter began to complain, but cut himself off upon hearing some sort of rustling noise. He stopped walking, which caused Blue Bell to stop walking.
"...Richter? A-Are you okay?" She asked fearfully.
After a few seconds, the rustling stopped.
"...Yeah...Thought I heard something...Let's just keep moving..."
From the back of a tree, something was cautiously approaching on four legs. Not a pony. Oh no, it was much too big to be a pony. It could see the two ponies perfectly from its position, but the opposite could not happen. It moved even closer to it's next prey. It let out a low growl...
THE REST OF THE CHAPTER WON'T BE FINISHED FOR A WHILE XtremelyXtreme
