The Titans' Orb

by Mister Horncastle

Chapter Five: Dying to Live

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Crash!
“Oh yeah!”

Smash!
“Yee haw!”

Bang!
“Woo-hoo!”

Tap.
“Yay…”

Bash, crush, smack, crack and wallop, all throughout the house, a tempest of destruction waged war against the inanimate and the material, laughing and whooping all the while. Metal was bent, plastic was snapped, wood was splintered, and glass was shattered. We went to bloody town.

“Now this is what I needed!” I howled with delight as I lobbed Jan’s favourite coffee mug through the kitchen window.

Rainbow Dash galloped through the hall and skidded past me, stopping to buck the kitchen door. The bottom hinge broke and the top one bent, leaving the door hanging at a precarious angle. Applejack then came by and delivered the killing blow, kicking it in the middle and snapping the top hinge. Hurtling into the hall, the door hit the floor with a deafening smack.

“Yee haw!” she hooted, charging off to find something else to break.

Pinkie then ran into the kitchen to join us, where she suddenly froze on the spot, glaring intensely at the microwave. I was about to ask if she was alright, only for her to rear up and let off an ear-splitting war cry.

“Take this you mysterious evil voodoo box!”

She then headbutted the side of the microwave at full strength, breaking the components inside and causing it to quite literally explode, sending a flurry of sparks showering in all directions. Pinkie yelped loudly and jumped away from the appliance, scrambling on top of the kitchen countertop and arching her back like a scared cat.

“The voodoo box is spicy! The voodoo box is spicy!” she shrieked, hissing at the destroyed contraption.

The others came in to witness what had happened, while me, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash broke into full-on belly laughter, so creased up that we could barely keep ourselves standing.

“Pinkie, you absolute nutter!” I cackled, “Why did you call it a voodoo box!?”

“Because it cooks food with evil voodoo waves, duh!”

“That’s called radiation, Pinks, microwave radiation!”

“That’s what it wanted you to think, Callum!”

Laughing even harder, we pressed on with the carnage, and with Pinkie destroying one electrical appliance, I aimed to outdo her. Rushing into the lounge, I whacked the television with the cricket bat. There was a loud bang and I was rewarded with a cluster of sparks from the ruined screen. I jumped back with a shout, and Rarity sped over to see if I was alright, which I confirmed that I had never been better.

“Glad to hear it.” she breathed heavily, “Although I must admit, I do feel a little guilty for breaking so many things that don’t belong to me.”

I was about to respond, when she levitated a glass jug with her telekinesis, and then proceeded to launch it across the room and into the wall, completely and utterly obliterating it.

“Oh but by Celestia is it satisfying!”

We both burst into child-like laughter and continued to trash the house together. The adrenaline and euphoria coursing through me right now was exhilarating. It felt so good to break all this stuff, if for nothing else than the utter devastation it would bring Janice when she returned to it tomorrow. There were no real words to express how badly I needed this. All these years of torment from that woman, all the abuse, and I had bottled it, turning it inward and teaching myself that I deserved it somehow. It had twisted my mind and left me broken, instilling me with two malformed elements that were polar opposites of each other, and yet equally cataclysmal. One was the black void, the incurable depression that sucked all life and willpower from me, and swallowed the light of all things mirthful. The other element was a vengeful flame of bitterness and hatred, a wrathful, twisting pillar of fire that had been scorching and seething within me for years, and now it was time to set the house ablaze with it.

As we began to reach our fill of destruction, I decided to top it all off with the crème de la crème; the sliding door in the dining room. Being made of an enormous double-glazed pane of glass, smashing this would be a truly legendary moment… Telling the girls to stand back, I tensed every muscle in my body, and then swung my cricket bat as hard as I possibly could, spinning my whole body in the process. Letting go, the bat spun in the air, before landing exactly where I wanted it to. As the bat struck true, the entire pane screeched with dying agony as it shattered into half a million pieces. Each tiny fragment of glass twinkled faintly in the daylight and made a crystalline ‘clinking’ noise as they danced in the air during their rapid descent to the floor. It easily took a good five to ten seconds for the devastation to fall silent, at which point nopony spoke, for they were all captivated by the climactic grand finale of our staged break in. One could have heard a pin drop, until Rainbow Dash finally broke the silence.

“Dude… That was… That was awesome!”

Rearing up and flailing her front hooves in front of her, she let off a squeal. The other ponies then burst into cheering as well, with even Fluttershy letting out her famous little ‘woo-hoo’. However, for as exciting as this had all been, all good things must come to an end, and it ended by way of Twilight stepping in to cut the lights on the party.

“I thought you were staging a break in, not a hurricane.” she jeered, “But hey, I know it’s hard for your kind to show restraint when it comes to violence.”

“Oh come on, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash groaned, “This has been fun for all of us!”

“And that’s exactly what I’m worried about.” Twilight clapped back, “We’ve known this creature for a day, and he’s already influencing you all to vandalise property and destroy others’ possessions, you should all be ashamed of yourselves!”

Turning to me, she pointed to the mountains of broken glass that was now all over the floor.

“And as for this? Are you trying to get glass embedded in our hooves? Jeez, it’s not even been a full twenty-four hours yet and you’re already making attempts to hurt us. You actually can’t help yourself, can you?”

“Oh for goodness’ sake, this is getting ridiculous.” said Rarity, “Twilight, darling, just think on what you’re saying. All Callum did was blow off some steam, and we merrily joined in. Goodness knows we needed it, we’ve all been pent-up in that little camp, and you missy, have certainly not helped in that regard. As for all this glass, Callum was the one who told us all to back up, to make sure we didn’t get hurt!”

Shaking her head, Twilight would hear none of it, refusing to see my innocence.

“Really Rarity? Gosh, I thought you of all ponies would be smart enough to see through this façade.”

With a face like thunder, she went on with a hoof pointed at me.

“You have no idea what these things are like. I’m the only one who knows!”

Rarity gasped, horrified by Twilight defining me as a mere ‘thing’. However, although I was very rightfully offended, I chose not to speak for the time being, remaining in quiet observation as the situation unfolded before me. I was far less concerned with petty insults than I was with learning what Celestia had said to her pupil, and the truth was much more likely to reveal itself in the heat of an argument.

“How dare you address him in such a manner!” Rarity gasped, “We may not have known him long but-”

“But nothing!” Twilight spat back, “How can you be so blind to the truth when it’s right in front of you? Humans are monsters, ready to rip each other apart at a moment’s notice, along with everything around them! Did you know they’ve had more wars than Equestria has houses? This world is governed by evil. He is evil!”

{Some progress…} I thought with a hint of distaste.

If there was ever doubt before, there wasn’t now, it was abundantly clear that Celestia had made Twilight fully aware of our knack for war. The thing that bothered me was that she was technically right, and there was little I could do to deny that fact.

“Hey, he’s not evil!” Pinkie squeaked defiantly, “If he was, my Pinkie Sense would be going all twitchy twitcha-twitch!”

Swinging around to point a hoof into Pinkie's face, Twilight began to get herself into a state, failing more and more to remain composed.

“Oh yeah, like how your Pinkie Sense told you that Princess Cadence was fine at my brother’s wedding? You know, when she was actually that bug-eyed changeling freak in disguise? And even if your Pinkie Sense was reliable, we don’t even know if it works here! Besides, I know he’s evil because Princess Celestia told me he’s evil, and who are we to question the Princess, huh?”

Obviously, Celestia’s word was gospel to the unicorn, and it was true that the Princess had warned her of the overall danger surrounding my kind. However, these had been words of mere caution, and the others were aware of that. Twilight on the other hand, had chosen to take the warning literally, and was now fixated on it, seeing the facts in black and white, and not realising that she was now coming across as delusional and obsessed.

Choosing to finally insert myself into the situation, I calmly requested clarification, asking if Princess Celestia had actually told her that I, personally, as a singular individual, was evil. Despite my gentle approach, I received a scathing glare from the unicorn, who responded by giving me the politician’s reply, making a statement that aligned with her argument, but didn’t actually answer the question.

“The Princess told me about your conflicts and the death tolls they carry. She told me all about your weapons of mass destruction, and how all your nations were founded with genocide and slavery! Your species is evil, and even if you aren’t the worst of your kind, you’re still a human nonetheless. You can pretend to my friends as much as you like, but I know what you are!”

For once, no one rushed to my defence, but I didn’t need them to. There was a very easy way to counter the politician’s reply, all one needed to do was repeat the question.

“So that’s a no, then?” I put forward, craning my neck, “She didn’t tell you directly that I’m evil? That’s what I’m getting from this. All she’s done is warn you about my world’s past to emphasise that you’re in a dangerous place, but only a fool would judge someone for the sins of their forefathers.”

My choice of words had the others back on my side, with Rarity silently nodding in agreement with my statement. Continuing, I made sure Twilight didn’t escape this conflict without admitting that she hadn’t told the exact truth.

“I’m a seventeen-year-old kid, Twilight, I have no connection to any of humanity’s past. The worst thing I’m guilty of is being my mother’s son. But hey, if you’re so confident about who I am, then give us all a straight answer. Yes or no, did Princess Celestia tell you, word for word, that I’m evil?”

She couldn’t do it, she couldn’t say yes or no. However, she didn’t need to, because what she did do, was at last spill the beans. Lowering her head and glaring at me intensely, she practically hissed her answer.

“She didn’t have to tell me. She showed me…”

Everyone turned to look at her, and then back at me. What the hell did that mean? Had Celestia been recording me? I mean, she must have been studying me for a while at least, otherwise why would she send the girls to me in the first place? Had she captured a moment that could be taken out of context? A boxing match perhaps? Being an alicorn goddess, I presumed she could twist any sort of vision to her liking, so maybe she had depicted me in some negative light to spook Twilight. But she must have deemed me worthy for this task, so why on earth would she then provide Twilight with the means to believe I was evil?
Oh, this was so bloody confusing…

“Well, now we’re finally getting somewhere.” I grumbled, concealing my inner anxiety, “And what did the Princess show you exactly, huh?”

The unicorn’s eyes widened as it dawned on her that she had given away too much.

“That’s… That’s none of your business!”

“Actually, I think it is my business.” I snapped back, “You’re insinuating that you’ve seen something that’s brought you to the conclusion that I'm evil. That is something I am well entitled to know, so how about we stop playing this stupid game and you tell us what you've seen?”

Having raised my voice quite substantially, Twilight looked to me once again in fear. The unspoken struggle for dominance was finally beginning to shift. Before she could speak, I continued.

“Look, if we’re going to find this Orb of yours, then this nonsense needs to stop. At some point, you’re going to have to tell us what the Princess showed you, so we can discuss it and actually deliberate over what you think you’ve seen. Because as of right now, it’s abundantly clear to me that you’ve been shown something that is woefully untrue.”

Up until that last sentence, I had hit all the right beats; every single word I had said was spot on. But alas, I had made one fatal error.

“Are you calling Princess Celestia a liar?”

“I don’t know what her motivations are,” I replied honestly, “and I’m sure it’s with the best intentions, designed to protect you all, obviously. But from what you’re telling me, Twilight? Yeah, I’m saying she’s lied to you to some extent.”

Oh Callum, you fucking idiot…
Princess Celestia was Twilight’s mentor, her guiding light, and a literal goddess of whom she worshipped, and I had just blasphemed against her. Everything that came from Celestia’s mouth was undeniable truth to her, and now here I was, daring to suggest that her deity was a liar. In Twilight’s eyes, I had just committed an act of heresy, and somewhere in her mind, something very brittle snapped. Her intense glare became infinitely more vicious and she started to bare her teeth, her ears now flattened against the sides of her head; this wasn’t just excessive tiredness and stress, there was a much deeper mental issue going on here.

“I don’t think you should have said that…” Pinkie Pie whispered to me, wincing as she spoke.

With her left eye twitching, Twilight’s anger came to a threshold, and finally erupted.

“You… you… you vile, ignoble, pygmy pink-skinned flesh-golem! You deserve everything your mother does to you, you putrescent dung-eating charlatan!”

The others emitted shocked gasps, with Fluttershy covering her mouth and Pinkie’s eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. Turning tail, Twilight galloped away, back outside to her camp, with Rainbow Dash and Rarity both preparing to chase her down.

“You get back here right now! How DARE you!” Rarity shrieked, utterly livid.

“You freaking jerk!” Rainbow Dash shouted in tow, now completely red in the face.

They were just about to run after the unicorn when I put one hand out, and begged them not to. Turning to face me with their mouths agape.

“But-”

“But nothing, Rainbow Dash, please.” I interjected, my voice cracking slightly, “No more arguments…”

Seeing how watery my eyes were, they knew that enough was enough and acquiesced my plea. I wasn’t even all that upset by Twilight’s horrid remarks, it was more the confrontation itself that had got to me. I hated conflict, and the simple act of someone shouting at me was what had put tears in my eyes. But for what it was worth, this little eruption had been incredibly revealing, with Twilight accidentally alluding to the fact that her behaviour wasn’t down to something she had been told, but something she had seen.

{Now to find out what that was…} the thought echoed in my mind.

Clearing her throat, Applejack came forward and apologised that Twilight had spoken to me in such a way, and offered to go and talk to her, not to scold her or provoke her, but simply to calm her down. Although I didn’t want to risk any further conflict, I thought that perhaps it might be good to have a middle-man in the fold, or in this case, a middle-mare. I swayed my head in Twilight’s direction to confirm the offer, to which the farm pony tipped her hat to me and took her leave. Rainbow Dash watched after her and snorted with disgust, pressing a hoof into the floor and kneading it angrily. Suggesting that we went outside as well, I plodded over to the ironwood tree, where I had tethered the dogs for the time being while we smashed up the house. Sitting down, I let Chilli hop into my lap and I stroked her affectionately, knowing it would be one of the last times I ever would.

“Callum, I cannot even begin to tell you how infuriated I am at Twilight’s behaviour.” said Rarity, sitting down beside me, “I’m shocked and appalled at the way she spoke to you.”

Lowering her head, she let out a heavy sigh.

“We would all understand, and not blame you at all, if you weren’t so keen on helping us now.” she added, “Though I really do hope this doesn’t change your decision.”

Shaking my head, I lay such worries to rest.

“It doesn’t. I take my promises very seriously. There’s nothing Twilight could do, or say, that could change my mind. We’re in this together now, okay?”

A handful of the girls exhaled with relief, and I beckoned them all close so that I could reason with them further. They huddled around me, and I took in a big breath.

“I don’t know Twilight personally, but it’s pretty clear that this isn’t what she’s normally like, is it?”

Everyone nodded, to which I continued.

“Well, unlike the rest of you, she’s not coping well with the responsibility of this undertaking. But I don’t blame her, and for what it’s worth, a lot of the things she’s said are true. I’m not going to lie to you, my species has a very dark history. We’re capable of terrible things, but that’s only half the story, and for all the capacity we have for bad, we have just as much capacity for good.”

“Like Kung Fu Panda?” asked Pinkie Pie, “Because that was really good.”

“Yeah Pinkie, like Kung Fu Panda.” I chuckled, “We love telling stories and creating works of art. We love to entertain one another, and bring light into the lives of others. We’re singers, we’re dancers, poets, and musicians. We write, we play, we laugh, and we love.”

Hearing the passion in my voice, the girls looked upon me endearingly, taken by my words.

“And yet,” I murmured, “for all those wonderful things, Twilight remains absolutely right. There are bad people in this world, people who will hurt you if they get the chance, and if the Titans’ Orb is scattered across the planet, then chances are we’re going to be running into those people. This mission of yours is more dangerous than you can possibly imagine, and Twilight is terrified.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t give her a free pass to treat you like garbage!” Rainbow Dash protested.

Turning to face her, I put my head to one side and inhaled through my nose.

“No,” I agreed, “and along the way, we’ll try to sort that out. But you have to understand, those bad people out there, who will hurt you? She thinks I’m one of those people. She’s not being rude to me because she’s nasty, she’s being rude to me because she’s scared to death of me.”

Looking away, the cyan pegasus frowned, knowing with reluctance that I was right. Pressing on, I explained that we simply needed to embark on this mission together, and that hopefully, as the days went by, she would overcome her fear, and finally see me for the person that I was.

“Until then,” I said, swallowing, “we just need to accept that she isn’t going to like me, and probably isn’t going to treat me very well. But that’s okay. Trust me, it’ll pale in comparison to what my mum’s put me through.”

“No, that’s not okay.” Fluttershy piped up, “You can’t use your mother’s actions to justify Twilight’s.”

“I’m not justifying it.” I replied, “I’m saying that’s how it needs to be, and that I can handle it. Look, I know this isn’t going to sit well with any of you, but if my job, as ordained by Princess Celestia herself, is to be your guide and protector, then that’s what I’m going to do. She didn’t send you here for me to be your friend, she sent you here because for some reason, she thinks I’m the man for the job, and I intend to prove her right. I’m going to keep you all safe, and I’m going to make sure you go home with that Orb, and if Twilight chooses to hate me every step of the way, then so be it. Your safety, and success in this mission, is far more important.”

At this closing statement, Rarity leaned against my arm and sighed.

“Callum, that’s so selfless of you to say, I can see now why the Princess sent us to you. I for one, think you are very brave.”

I lowered my head and smirked at the compliment. Not that I had said any of it for praise, but I would be lying if I said I hadn’t hoped at least one of them would take my earnestness to heart. And then, in all her boyish immaturity, Rainbow Dash just had to ruin the moment.

“Ooooooooohh, someone’s got a crush.”

Scoffing loudly, Rarity was taken off-guard and practically beatboxed as she tried to gather her words, pulling away from me and scowling.

“Oh! Pff! Kch! Ts! Rainbow Dash, shame on you!”

“I’m just kidding, Rare! Jeez, chill out!”

Pinkie and Fluttershy giggled, and I begged for nopony else to get into any arguments. They dropped it in a heartbeat, followed by Applejack returning from her diplomatic mission.

“Well, I’ve calmed her down some, but I can tell you sure as eggs, she don’t like you one bit…”

“Tell us something we don’t know.” Rainbow Dash grumbled.

Ignoring Rainbow’s remark, I dipped my head in gratitude.

“Thank you Applejack, as long as she’s civil and focused on the mission, that’s all that matters.”

Giving a weak smile in reply, AJ went on to ask what we were going to do now, to which I decided that we ought to move onto the next part of the plan. With the house trashed and Bruce probably wondering where I was by now, it was high time for us to get out of here. We needed Twilight to create my clone so that I could kill it, and then for me to deliver the dogs to Bruce, then at long last, we could hit the road. Flinching, Fluttershy took a step away from me, taken aback.

“Um… k-kill the clone?”

Knowing full-well how bad it sounded, I confirmed that I did intend to kill the clone. With a nervous gulp, I explained that faking my death needed to be as realistic as possible, as human forensics were painstakingly scrupulous. After all, the whole point of trashing the house was to imply someone had broken in and killed me, it had to be convincing. Perceiving the truth in my words, Fluttershy looked down at her hooves, not knowing what to say. The others were all somewhat similar, unsure of how to conduct themselves in the face of this ugly business that needed tending to.

“Callum dear, are you absolutely sure about this?” asked Rarity, her face taut with concern.

Honestly, no, I wasn’t sure about this at all… Beginning to mentally backtrack, I thought that perhaps it was too much. Perhaps I just ought to write a suicide note and vanish without a trace? But then people would go searching for my body, it would end up as a permanently unsolved investigation as to where I’d gone.
No, killing the clone was absolutely necessary, I had to make sure there weren’t any loose ends, something even Twilight would agree to. Plus, we had already trashed the house now, there was no turning back. Besides, I wasn’t actually killing anybody, it was just a clone we were talking about. Twilight had said it herself, it was nothing more than a magical construct, resembling me. It would be no different to switching off a robot with artificial intelligence, any semblance of life was an illusion. I told the girls this, and it helped them find peace in what needed to be done.

“If it’s all the same to you though,” said Rarity, “I’d rather not watch.”

{Oh shit, did they think they had to watch me do it!?} I thought to myself.

Shaking my head, I assured her that I wasn’t at all expecting for them to watch. Following that, Rainbow Dash said something that had me genuinely infuriated.

“Well uh, I don’t mind watching. You never know, with all the potential danger ahead of us, we might need to kill someone, if they attack us first I mean, obviously. Maybe it would be good to know what we’re in for?”

Breathing in sharply, I whipped around to glare at her with a face like thunder.

“Absolutely not, and don’t you ever say something like that again. The whole reason you were sent to me was so that I can keep you away from such things!”

My sudden change in attitude certainly got the message across. How could she have said something like that? The very notion was enough to disturb me, and the fact she had even suggested it made me realise just how little I really knew about these ponies. I had been lovingly watching them and their adventures for four seasons now, and yet it seemed like I would need to unlearn so much of what I thought I knew.

“I’m sorry…” Rainbow mumbled, “I just-”

“It’s fine.” I cut in, “But I mean it, never say something like that again.”

Shame befell the pony as she understood the severity of her words. Bowing her head, she made her remorse known, and given that she had learned her lesson, I forgave her. Exhaling slowly through pursed lips, I decided that we had dilly-dallied enough.

“Applejack, it’s time. Can you go and fetch Twilight?”

She obeyed without uttering a word, and I turned to the others to find them all looking awfully glum.

“Hey, once this is over and done with, we can leave, and we never have to revisit it, okay?” I assured them.

“You’re right.” Rarity answered, lifting her chin, “It’s just that, with all this talk of death and whatnot, I can’t help but worry about what’s going on back home, I’m just feeling a bit homesick.”

The others were evidently dwelling on similar thoughts, for they all nodded in agreement.

“I’m so worried about my little Angel Bunny…” Fluttershy sighed.

The poor things, they were a very long way from home, and they were going to be for a long time, it made perfect sense for them to have home on their minds. That was when a realisation dawned upon me. When I had read the ‘My Little Dashie’ fanfiction, it had been explained that the time between our worlds was distorted; an entire year in my world was merely a day in theirs. If that story was true, of which I had no reason to believe that it wasn’t, then this meant that we had months, years even, to look for the Orb fragments. Right now in Equestria, no more than a couple of minutes had passed since the girls were transported here. As I looked to the others I started beaming, finally equipped with some good news to share.

“Well, you don’t need to be worried.” I began, “There’s something you should know, about how time works between our worlds.”

Fluttershy looked at me and tilted her head, and the others all did too.

“As it happens,” I continued, “a single day in your world is a whole year in mine. It may feel like you’ve been gone for two weeks, but back in Equestria, you’ve only been gone for a few minutes at best!”

“Goodness!” Rarity exclaimed, “Is that really true?”

“Really really.” I replied.

And then from behind me came a shrill, disgruntled voice.

“And how… did you come to learn that?”

{Oh, shit.}

I turned around to face Twilight, who quickly used her magic to open the saddlebag she was now wearing. Before I could speak, she had retrieved a piece of parchment, which she then began to read aloud for us all to hear.

“Mission Note Number Sixteen.

My dear Twilight.
I write you this guiding text, one of many, to help you in your mission.

As explained to you during the briefing, there was an incident in the past, one pertaining to the world you now find yourself on. Though I unfortunately cannot divulge to you the surrounding factors of that incident, what I can tell you is a vital piece of information, of which may ease your burden surrounding the time you will undoubtedly spend away from home.

With absolute certainty, I can attest that the flow of time differs between Earth’s dimension and that of our own. For reasons I cannot explain, one full year in their world is no less than a single day in ours, effectively slowing down Equestria’s time, from your perspective of course. In the time it has taken you to read this, I have likely blinked all but once.

Fortunately, this convoluted and seemingly fractured working of time very much plays into our advantage, as you and your company now have more time to locate the Titans’ Orb than we ever could have dared to ask for. This is not to say that you should move leisurely, as for all the additional time that you have been granted, it is still very much of the essence.

Take flight, stay safe, and know in your heart that I have every faith in you.

Good luck, my faithful student.

Yours with resplendence and grace,
Princess Celestia.”

The others looked at Twilight, then back to me, then back again to Twilight. Stuffing the note back into her bag, she took a step towards me and spoke to me through gritted teeth.

“How did you get a hold of my notes?”

Having just shot myself in the foot by telling the girls about this information, I was left with three options, and neither of them would reflect well on me. My first option was to tell them about the incident in question, to divulge to them about how Rainbow Dash had been sent here by mistake, reverting her back to a foal in the process. Telling them the truth might earn Twilight’s trust, but in doing so, I could risk causing the ‘irreversible damages’ that Rarity had mentioned. Perhaps it would cause Rainbow to recover her memories, which could ultimately break her mind from remembering two separate lives. Even if that ended up not being the case, I would be acting directly against Princess Celestia, and if she ever found out, I could very well find myself facing the sun god’s wrath.

My second option was to tell a half-truth, and simply tell them that I knew about the incident, and considering that Celestia had removed their memories, I would respect her ordainment and speak no further on the matter. This may again, gain favour from Twilight, as I was displaying loyalty to the Princess, but this posed a different issue. As I had explained to the girls already, I didn’t even think they were real until yesterday, so for me to suddenly claim knowledge over dimensional time distortion very simply didn’t add up. In other words, there was very little possibility that I could choose this option without seeming like a liar, I would have to word it very well.

As for my third option, I could very simply admit to getting into Twilight’s bag and reading her notes. I had been to their camp now when I had found Twilight crying in her tent, and her bag was just outside it. This was the safest option as far as impact went, but it would also cause further damage to my already-horrendous relationship with Twilight.

And then, I had an idea, and it was one that, although deceitful, would reflect well on me across the board. Very simply, I would stick with the second option for now, and as soon as Twilight was out of earshot, I would admit to the girls that I had perused through her notes in a desperate bid to understand why she was being so horrible to me. The girls would be sympathetic, and all would be well.

I didn’t feel good about turning the ordeal into a scheme, but with Twilight still waiting for an answer, I didn’t have time to deliberate further. Inhaling deeply, I chose the second option, and hoped for the best.

“I didn’t touch your notes.” I said calmly, “I know that fact from elsewhere.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“You said you didn’t know we existed,” she growled, “so how could you possibly know, huh?”

“Because I know what happened the last time you were here.”

I heard a few sharp breaths from behind me, and even Twilight became more curious than angry. From here, I needed to choose my words wisely, and to some degree, I believed that I did.

“I heard about it from someone, another person like me, a brony, I mean. He wrote about it in the form of a story, and it very explicitly mentions the distortion of time between our worlds. I didn’t believe it at first, it was just a fantasy. But here you all are, which means the story is true. That’s how I know, and that’s all I’m telling you.”

“I beg your pardon?” said Rarity from behind me, “You can’t just say something like this and then refuse to tell us more!”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash joined in, furrowing her brow, “What gives, dude?”

Glancing at them for a moment, I clenched my jaw and fought against the waves of panic that thrashed at the walls of my mind. Being at the centre of such a confrontation had me so far from my comfort zone that it was practically intercontinental at this point. Swallowing, I forced myself to remain calm and pressed on.

“You said it yourself Rarity, the Princess removed your memories to prevent irreversible damages. If I were to tell you, it could very well cause those damages, and that’s something I can’t allow. On top of that, telling you would be against the Princess’ wishes, and I think even you can agree with me, Twilight, that I should follow Princess Celestia’s orders above all else. To do otherwise would be a direct act of disobedience to her, wouldn’t you agree?”

The purple unicorn froze with her mouth faintly ajar. Like a deer in the headlights, she stared at me with unblinking eyes, knowing that there was nothing she could say or do to argue with this. As we had already established, Celestia’s word was gospel to Twilight, her edicts absolute and incontestable. With trembling lips, the unicorn warred with the inner turmoil as she desperately coveted what I knew, but by her own mentor’s decree, such knowledge was forbidden. Looking at her friends, Twilight’s face sank as she forced out two words that seemed about as wounding for her as they were relieving for me.

“He’s right.”

Gulping, the others knew that Twilight would never have agreed with me under normal circumstances.

“I don’t like it, but he’s right.” she went on, before looking at me in disgust, “You can keep your damn secret, and if the Princess really doesn’t want us knowing, then I expect you not to bring it up again.”

Dipping my head, I promised that I wouldn’t mention it from here on out. This had ended up playing out perfectly, and it was hard not to express my immense relief. Twilight had now ordered me not to talk about it any more, meaning the girls couldn’t direct their confusion my way. Sure, I knew something they didn’t, but it was up to both Twilight and the Princess if they wanted to find out about it. In other words, I was off the hook, and I didn’t even need to lie to the others about reading Twilight’s notes.

“Well, shall we get this clone business out of the way?” I proposed, changing the subject.

Nodding, Twilight turned around and began strutting her way indoors. I followed her with the girls at my side, who still looked at me warily, perplexed by the sudden development that I knew about their previous visit. Entering the kitchen, Rarity anxiously stepped forward and made her thoughts known.

“Um, Callum… I have to ask. How exactly do you intend to deal with this clone? I appreciate you’ve explained that you mean to kill it, but, how exactly do you mean to… uh…”

Before I could even think of an answer, Twilight levitated a grapefruit out of the nearby fruit bowl, along with a kitchen knife from the rack. Looking at Rarity blankly, she drove the knife into the fruit and twisted it, spraying citrus juice all over the countertop.

“Get the picture?”

With a gulp, Rarity nodded, and Twilight passed the knife to me, releasing it from her telekinetic hold.

“You know what to do.” she said gruffly, “Being a human, it ought to come naturally, right?”

“Let’s get this over with.” I muttered back to her.

With her horn glowing, Twilight performed the spell from earlier. I felt all the same sensations as the magic copied every physical detail of my body. The stream of light started escaping from my chest, and just like before, it came together to make a round blob, which then stretched out into the shape of a human being. And then there he was, my very own self, but there was something different about this one. Though he was clearly breathing, his eyes were glassy and unblinking, it was as though he were already dead. Taking notice of my observation, Twilight explained what was wrong with him.

“The more simple a clone is, the less mana it takes to create it.” she said, “This one is as simple as they come, it has no neural activity, or even a functioning nervous system. It’s effectively a vegetable, the lights are on but no one’s home.”

“That just sounds like me normally.” I retorted, smirking at her.

Scoffing loudly, Twilight tried to hide her amusement, though she failed to do so. Shaking her head, she led the others outside and told me to come out when the deed was done. Now isolated with the clone, I turned to face him and waved my hands in front of his eyes, to which he didn’t even blink. He truly was a vegetable, devoid of all substance resembling humanity. After poking and prodding him a few times, I felt assured by the construct’s witless and unfeeling state. Clearing my throat, I tightened my grip on the knife and prepared to strike him down, but just as I was about to do it, I froze. Those glassy forest-green eyes were my eyes, bearing that vibrant ring of hazel around the pupil. That smooth symmetrical face, devoid of blemishes or imperfections, was my face.

Even in the clone’s inanimate, witless, unfeeling state, it was still me.
I was still stabbing me…

The weight of this task dawned on me, which then seemed to pour into the knife itself, as the little instrument almost became too heavy for me to bear. My hands started to tremble like leaves in the wind, and the blade shimmered in response, reflecting the bright summer sunlight as it poured in through the kitchen window. My mouth went dry and I became deaf to the world around me. Closing my eyes, I tried to quell the dread and remind myself that it was no different to the grapefruit Twilight had just stabbed.

{Come on Callum, it’s just a grapefruit.} I thought to myself, {A great big human shaped grapefruit…}

Inhaling deeply, I forced all thoughts from my mind and leaned forward, lunging at the clone as hard as I could, and denying myself the ability to consider what I was doing.

And the knife struck true.

There was a loud thud as the knife buried itself into my doppelgänger’s gut, and I gave it a firm twist for good measure. I tugged the blade back out and stared at what I had done, watching as the clone shirt became darker and darker as it soaked up as much blood as it could. And then, the clone’s organs started shutting down. His knees buckled and he fell backwards, smacking his head on the floor amidst all the broken glass and ceramic. Looking at the knife in my hand, I found it to be slick with blood, and a small amount of it had found its way to my fingers and my palm. For a moment I felt like I was going to be sick and rushed to the kitchen sink, dropping the knife as I did so. My mouth salivated heavily, and my mind began to spin. It took me a few minutes to get a hold of myself, and then I turned on the hot tap to wash my hands. Using a generous amount of dish soap, I scrubbed and scrubbed away, until there was no more blood to be seen, and then I got the hell out of there, not daring to look back.

Shutting the back door behind me, I found the others patiently waiting near the ironwood tree. I stumbled towards them, and all their expressions soured upon seeing the state of me.

“Is it done?” said Twilight.

Rarity and Applejack then rushed over to me, both asking if I was alright. I tried to speak, but no words came forth, with my lips quivering at the attempt. The best I could do was force a perceptible nod, to which Twilight raised her chin.

“Good, then you can get moving with your dogs, the sooner the better.”

Applejack, realising just how traumatised I was, went over to Twilight and forced her to look at me properly.

“You can see clear as apples that he’s in shock.” she hissed, “For pity’s sake, give him a moment!”

After a few seconds, Twilight dipped her head in understanding.

“We can at least move to the camp.” she ordered, “Then we can start packing.”

Obeying without question, we made our way over there. Twilight removed the cloaking spell and Applejack sat me down in the grass with the dogs, where she kept a keen eye on me while the others started dismantling the tents. Stroking Chilli’s soft fur and feeling Archer’s presence definitely helped to calm me down, but deep within my mind, a thought kept playing over and over again, taunting me relentlessly.

{I just killed myself.}

---

Comments

[PonyJoe1]

“You… you… you vile, ignoble, pygmy pink-skinned flesh-golem! You deserve everything your mother does to you, you putrescent dung-eating charlatan!”

Genuinely howling at this insult, I will absolutely be using it.

Loving how different this chapter feels, I remember the "Callum knows about the MLD incident" bit being rushed over in the original and never being talked about again, which always felt weird to me.
Now it makes sense, because Angry Book Horse doesn't want to betray her beloved Sunbutt, and has straight up told him NOT to talk about it.

Also I could've sworn that picture of Callum stabbing the clone looked different in the original?

[Mister Horncastle]

11896346
Yeah, I thought the same thing when I was rewriting this one. Dialogue and plausible human/pony responses & critical thinking was something I used to struggle with when I first wrote this.
Now when I write, I always think to myself, "Is this how real people talk? Is this a realistic response?"
Helps a lot to get these sorts of in-story situations better.

Glad you liked the insult, it was a chuckle and a half to come up with.
The runner-up was - "You rancid fucking heretic, I hope your dogs die!"
Obviously that one was a bit much, so I dialled it down, just a touch...

And yes, good eye!
I enhanced the image as the original was a bit lacklustre, and also had a continuity blunder.

[MikiStenbeck]

11896370
i think the "i hope your dogs die" part would've sent him over the edge and confirmed the fear Twi has....

[Twanklight Borkle]

The you is not friend.