Fallen Eagle

Chapter XVII: Sinful Monster

I wish to thank you guys for getting this story up to 90 followers and 67 favorites. If it gets to 100 followers, I don't know what I'll do.

OBSERVER01: Thank you

Guest (1): I'm glad you enjoyed the wing-boner joke. I wanted to use it someplace and I thought 'Luna could be a surprising yet hilarious candidate for that.'

Dixie Darlin: Yeah, he even creeped me out in the actual Simple Ways episode. Every time I watch it, I'm like, "Come on AJ, just tell that perv to get lost!" I agree with Luna, horror doesn't automatically mean gallons of gore, suspense like in the masterpiece of Halloween, scares people more. And I needed a name for the messenger pony and I was watching Seinfeld at the time.

hammeruniverse22: Thank you and thanks again for getting me to double-check everything in my chapters.

Nukem999: Well, I feel Luna in the show hasn't got nearly enough screen time and all we really know about her is she brings night upon Equestria and helps eliminate nightmares of ponies as well as help ponies with problems like Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Since Celestia gets so much screen time in the show, I wanted to give Luna more time in the story than her big sister by portraying her as a social pony who just likes to hang out with friends and still gets attracted to certain stallions from time to time to make her more relatable to the average viewer/reader. Cougar KNOWS how to treat the female gender, with respect and patience. And he could never forgive himself if he did anything of that sort to the pony that took him in.

Ljungberg: Trust me, it's not the most enjoyable activity in the world. Moving furniture is a pain.

King Rocket: Eh, he was acting like a perv in the actual episode so I went with that route, and plus it's to help further the development between Cougar and AJ. I have never heard that phrase, 'Rustled my jimmies' before. As for action, well Cougar has to learn how to properly use his jetpack at some point.

Nathan Rowe: Yes, I do believe character development is one of the most important tasks to take on when writing. If an audience doesn't connect or grow with the characters, then they will lose interest extremely fast. That's why I love Captain America: The First Avenger. The writers for that movie knew what they were doing when it came to character development with Steve Rogers.

necron-lordwesly: Don't worry, now you can re-read this chapter just to watch Trenderhoof get his ass kicked.

Alright, so first off, I hope you all enjoy my new avatar, it's my OC Checkered Flag crossing the finish line at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. So you guys know what he looks like!

This chapter takes place one day after the events of the last chapter.

Also, a warning. This chapter contains disturbing and painful passages. Some readers may find it to be too emotional and I wouldn't blame any of you if you decided to skip certain parts of this chapter.

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(3 A.M. One day later. Cougar's POV)

For the past few days, something had been lingering in the back of my mind. Something that could only be compared to as the same annoyance as an itch that one just could not reach or could not satisfy. I couldn't understand why, but this lingering feeling felt like an omen, possibly a warning that something terrifying was about to happen, or maybe worse. I did the best I could to mask the feeling of dread welling up inside my bosom; I didn't want to scare anypony nor did I want to take away the fun that we had at the Running of the Leaves. Unfortunately, it didn't help when nearly every time there was bit of silence around me, whether it was just sitting alone in my little house or when conversation ceased at the dinner table, a huge weight seemed to sink itself lower and lower onto my shoulders. Who knew that all it took was a simple thunderstorm to reveal just what had been itching at me. God, I wish I had never woken up from that plane crash.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

I jolted awake from my cot, nearly falling off the side and onto my ass. You might think I shouldn't be surprised by the sudden occurrence of a little thunder and lightning storm since I've been in the Air Force with loud jets flying overhead every night for seven years, but I still get a nice shock when those noises occur out of the blue now and then.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

"Damn pegasi," I grumbled as I gazed up at the clock in my house. Using the lightning as a quick light source, the clock on the wall read 3:00, too early to be getting up and moving around on the farm. Laying back down, I smoothed over my eyes and hair, trying to get my head relaxed once again; then the rain came. The rain came down like soft pellets, a soothing and relaxing sound compared to more bullet sounding rain drops I saw and heard in Florida. 'Your fault.' My eyes snapped open when I thought I heard someone whispering through the rain."H-hello, is anyone there?" I questioned, reaching for my revolver that I realized was still missing in the river. "Rainbow I swear to God if you're trying to prank me I'm going to shave your mane and tail off," I threatened.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

Lightning and thunder were the only things that bothered to reply to me. I thought maybe that the wind could've easily made a whispering sound, but as I listened closer, there was no wind, only rain, lightning and thunder. My cot creaked and groaned as I laid back down and rolled over onto my right side, staring at a blank wall that I still had yet to decorate. I tried listening to the gentle rhythms of the night to get back to sleep now that I was used to the thunder. Closing my eyes, I did everything I could to command my body to get back to sleep for another two hours. I even resorted to trying to count how many raindrops hit the roof of my house to try and bore me to sleep, but to no avail.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

"Oh screw this," I exclaimed, reached to the little nightstand beside my bed and grabbed my headphones from Vinyl's work shop. I quickly plugged the end into my phone and went to turn on some music to soothe me to sleep. Yet, when I unlocked my phone and blinked several times to get my eyes adjusted to the brightness, my heart stopped. I haven't had my hands become so numb yet so shaky in almost a year. Eventually, the shakes traveled up my arms and spread across my body like the flu or a juicy rumor at a high school. My breathing became ragged as my phone shook so violently from my numb hands that the device slipped from my lessening grip and clattered to the floor, ripping the jack of the headphones out of its socket.

Breathing became a little harder as the image on my phone's screen burned an imprint in my head. I blinked several times, trying to get my head to stop spinning. Finally, I slowly raised both my shaking hands and clamped down onto the sides of my head. The shaking of my hands momentarily ceased and my breathing somewhat went back to normal. My eyes which were now producing hot tears darted downwards where my phone had laid to rest on the wooden floor. For what seemed like an eternity, I sat there, the rain continuing to pelter the house second by second as I attempted to gather up enough courage to pick up my phone.

My right hand grasped around my phone (which had fallen face down) and brought it up to my face quicker than I had realized. Taking one last breath, I blinked more hot tears away and flipped my phone over to the front where the lock screen was now displayed.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

Lightning flashed and thunder clapped as my eyes fell upon the absolute worst date of my entire life. The date that haunted me and changed both my life and my outlook on the subject: September 11th. 'Your fault!' The same voice penetrated my ear drums again. "NO!" I shouted as another flash of lightning appeared upon the inky backdrop of the night sky and thunder rattled the little window of my shack. Jolting up from my cot, my phone was sent flying into the wall where it clattered to the floor yet again. Grabbing ahold of my hair, I felt the room begin to spin around me like I was in the center of a merry-go-round.

"My God, he's dead!"

"No!" I screamed again as I slammed my eyes shut and burst out of my shack. I didn't care that my shoeless feet were now caked with mud and soaked with rain, nor did I care that I only had on my thin lounge pants. The rain seemed to gain in ferocity as it pounded away at my body. The hot tears running down my cheeks were now being washed away by the cold rain as I grabbed ahold of my head again and ran around outside, trying to get the painful memories and voices out of my head.

"They were unarmed and had NO defense!" Another voice of my past shouted into my head. My feet squished against the cold and wet ground as I kept running and running around the farm. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped again whilst I tried to shake the thoughts from my mind. With my eyes snapped closed as hard as I could force them, I couldn't see where I was going as my ever numbing foot tripped over a piece of farming equipment, sending me flying into the mud and rain puddle riddled farm ground. My face landed straight into a puddle, both dousing myself with water and covering my torso and pants with mud.

I coughed and sputtered, trying to get the filthy water out of my mouth. "REAPER!" My voice rang inside my head as I remembered the day my best friend died, all because of me. Finally, I could not take it anymore and began to sob.

"I'm gonna beat the shit out of you!" I heard my voice shout from the day I had assaulted Filthy Rich. There was now a tightness moving around in my chest. Another feeling was gnawing and itching at the back of my skull. And to top it all off, I felt as if I had a 747 jumbo jet resting upon my shoulders. Looking back up as the rain washed mud away from my face, I saw lightning briefly illuminate the tree where I beat up Trenderhoof only yesterday.

All I could see at the tree was an image of myself kicking, slapping and beating up Trenderhoof. 'You're a monster.' The faceless voice echoed throughout my head again. Looking back down in the puddle, I shrieked as I saw a skull with crossbones covering my face instead of seeing my actual face. I slapped the water to get rid of the evil reflection.

'If it weren't for you, your friends would still be alive,' the voice spoke more than just three words this time. At last, I gathered up the strength from my now numb body and pulled myself up into a sitting position against the plow I had tripped on. I bent my legs up and rested my drenched forehead against my knees and sobbed quietly to myself.

"I'm death," I faintly whispered over the sound of rain still falling around me.

'THERE WAS MORE YOU COULD'VE DONE!' The phantom voice yelled inside my head, forcing me to clasp my hands around my ears. I lost what little balance I had and fell onto my side onto more mud. With another flash of lightning, I briefly looked into the reflective surface of the plow next to me. I was both horrified and disgusted with the image I saw. It was an image of myself holding a timber wolf's heart in my hand as I squished it between my fingers like a rotten tomato.

"I. Am. A. Monster," I slowly said to myself. I squeezed my eyes shut tighter than I ever had before; tears kept on flowing out of my eyelids.

'This family doesn't deserve to have Death living amongst them,' the phantom voice whispered inside my head. I let out a choked sob as I realized what I had to do. This was a difficult decision that broke my heart, but I had to do this to protect the family that accepted me with open arms and hearts. Gripping my hand on the plow, I picked my mud caked body off the ground and stood up, allowing the rain to wash away my back. The conflicting temperatures of the rain and my tears was an eerie feeling against my cheeks, but that wasn't important right now. My hand felt hot and wet as I gripped it into a fist. Turning it over, I saw a fresh cut and trickles of blood flowing down my palm from the plow. The rain water quickly disposed of the scarlet liquid and I rested my hand back against my leg as I trudged forward through the mud soaked trail leading to the main house.

Since I hadn't cut my hair in nearly four months, some of my hair was matted down due to the rain, and it was covering my eyes. Wiping some wet strands from my vision, I found the door leading to the kitchen in front of my face. I felt slightly empty now that the awning of the house protected my skin from the never-ending assault of the cold rain. I felt even colder now that I had entered the house, but not before tossing off my socks into the garbage can outside. Although I had lived on the farm for a third of a year, I still had yet to see what it was like in the dead of night.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

The lightning gave me a quick snapshot of the ground floor. The house always gave off a cozy and heartwarming aura to me, like a family home, and it made me sick. Not because I hate family, but because how I had polluted their family lake. Looking at the wall nearest the staircase, there was a portrait of Granny Smith, Applejack, Big Macintosh and little Applebloom, all looking happy together. However, as if God, or Satan, were teasing me, there happened to be a picture-sized mirror right next to the family portrait of the Apple family.

The person looking back at me was unrecognizable. Mud caked face, matted and wild hair, blue eyes that seemed as black as coal, and an emotionless mouth that seemed to belonged to Michael Myers himself. I blinked, and I nearly punched the mirror, for I was suddenly met with the face of the devil himself as I saw the dead bodies of every person I had ever wronged standing behind me.

Was this God sending me a message of my deserved fate in Hell? Or was I going down an insane path that would force me to cause more harm others around me? I had done my best to ignore what I had seen in the mirror and the evil phantom voice that mocked me to finish what I had to before setting off and making sure I wouldn't harm another innocent life. Setting foot on the stair case, my heart stopped when the stairs creaked and groaned. The last thing I wanted right now was for one of the family members, Applebloom specifically, to see me like this and ask me what was wrong. For what seemed to take a century, I tip-toed up the wooden stairs without alerting anypony to my nighttime presence and ascended the final stair to appear at the front of the upstairs hallway.

Granny Smith's bedroom was first on the left, and the elderly pony was snoring quietly. She mumbled something in her sleep, but I didn't pay attention to what she had spoken. "Goodbye Granny." Walking ahead, Big Mac's room was the first room on the right and his door was partially open compared to Granny whom had her door wide open. Peering my head through, the huge red stallion was curled up in the fetal position, whinnying with every snore. My eyebrows went up as I saw Big Mac cuddling up with a stuffed doll. Shaking my head, I pulled away from Big Mac's room and silently crept along the eerily empty hallway. Passing the bathroom, my bare feet stopped at the entrance to little Applebloom's room.

My head leaned against the door frame as I watched the little yellow filly sleeping peacefully in her bed. Not knowing what force came over me, I walked forward into her room, tears beginning to flow again. The salty droplets flowed down my cheeks and onto her mane, thankfully not disturbing her. "I'm gonna miss you k-kid," I tried to squish the tears away by blinking, but to no avail. I bent down and lightly pecked her cheek, as if I were kissing my own daughter I never had. "W-whatever y-you do, don't e-ever stop reaching for stars, y-you're gonna d-do so much good s-someday," I choked out and softly padded the top of her head.

Applebloom softly stirred, but stayed under the sandpony's spell and continued to sleep. I whirled around and quieter than a mute church mouse, I left her room, leaving only one pony left. I had no clue if I could do this or not, but I knew I had to. Opening her door, it almost broke my heart to see Applejack asleep so peacefully in her rodeo themed room. She softly whinnied and smacked her lips as she snored in her sleep. The pony that took me in and accepted me as a member of her family, Applejack Apple, had no clue of the horrors that were caused by my doing back on Earth, and that wasn't fair. I was such a selfish bastard. I should've told everypony that had saved my life about the unspeakable acts I had done. Now it was too late to fix anything. I cried like a bitch more, knowing that even though I had caused no physical harm to Applejack, Luna, Rainbow or Fluttershy, I had hurt them on the inside.

"I'm s-so sorry AJ," I whispered when she turned over onto her side and faced the wall I was standing against. I couldn't believe the amount of irony that was dripping from God's pot. The plan I had put into place to protect my friends from me had become a double-edged sword. Trying to save them from the horrors and evil nature about me only worked against me; now that I had to tell them the truth, a little bit of themselves on the inside will die for trusting a demon like me. Bending down, I stroked Applejack's golden mane as I saw it for the first time without a hat and without the red ties; she looked amazing.

'NO! You selfish son of a bitch! You'll only hurt her more.' The voice screamed at me some more. I sobbed silently more and more. Aside from Luna, having to say goodbye to my closest friend in Equestria was the most painful thing I had experienced here.

"It's for the best Applejack, I can't hurt you anymore," I promised her as I softly rubbed her cheek with my thumb before letting go. Exiting the room, I went back to Applebloom's room, grabbed a pencil from her backpack and a piece of paper from her stack on her desk and wrote a letter explaining everything I was going to do and to tell her to not come looking for me. Her. Applejack was one of the most special beings I had met in my life, her honesty and true meanings of friendship were second to none. Other than Reaper who had always stuck by my side, I'd never had any friends before like Applejack. Placing the note on her bedside, I wiped some more tears from my eyes before heading silently downstairs and out the door for the final time. As I shut the door, I leaned against the house, breathing deeply as I tried to keep myself from crying. I sniffled and bent down before taking in one last look at the farm and heading to Ponyville.

I soon found myself at the ticket booth for the train station, with a strange bit of luck, there was an early morning line heading for Canterlot at 3:30 AM, and no force on Earth or Heaven was going to keep my off that train. "Oh hello Cougar, what brings you here this early?" The ticket booth pony asked.

"One way ticket to Canterlot please," I replied grimly.

"Any particular reason you need to head to the royal city at this hour?" He gave me the ticket as I gave him the bits. I said nary a word, pocketed my ticket and boarded the train.

(One Silent Train Ride Later. Cougar's POV)

The main clock in Canterlot rang four times as I departed my empty train car at the Canterlot train station. I'm sure I would've garnered a thousand stares had I arrived around the normal time for the stuffy ponies to be roaming about. Wearing nothing more than my muddy lounge pants, I looked like a bum, or a crazy creature. I settled for the few stares of the elitists that were waiting at the train station and set off for the castle. I made sure to stay amongst the shadows in case Luna was on a nightly patrol around Canterlot; the last thing I needed was to run into her right now.

"No rain," I commented as the sky was clear and beautifully showed off Luna's fantastic work. The stone sidewalks felt odd against my bare feet, conflicting against the dirt roads that patterned Ponyville. Walking along an empty street in a strange city with nothing more than the silvery gleam of the moon to keep me company cast an eerie vibe across my entire body. Trying to keep my eyes ahead instead of at my muddy feet, I could barely make out the images of two bat pony guards standing guard in front of the gates of the castle thanks to Luna's moonlight. "Shit," I said when I realized that one of the ponies was Bat Fang himself.

"Halt!" The second guard hoisted his spear and pointed it down at me as I approached the pair.

"Cougar!?" Bat Fang exclaimed in surprise and ordered the second guard to stand down, "what in Luna's name are you doing here at this hour and without your clothes?" He asked. "And, why are your eyes red?"

"Bat Fang," I started and raised my limp, numb hands out, "take me to the dungeon," I replied. Bat Fang's spear clattered to the ground, the echo reverberating down the street I had taken from the train station.

"What?" He shook his head in disbelief, "are you feeling alright?" He questioned.

"No, but you still need to take me to the dungeon," I replied quietly.

"Is this guy insane?" The second guard asked Bat Fang.

"Shut up Venom," Bat Fang silenced his partner. "Look Cougar, what are you talking about? Why should you be in the dungeon? That's a place for only the worst criminals in Equestria, one step above Tartarus," he warned.

"I don't care Bat Fang," I growled, "put me in the fucking dungeon. Three counts of assault against three different ponies and numerous counts of murder," I glared at him, praying he'll listen and finally toss me inside.

"Assault and murder against who?! Is this some kind of joke Cougar? This isn't funny," Bat Fang gritted his fangs.

"You want names?! Filthy Rich, Trenderhoof, Dark Heart!" I shouted at him.

"Dark Heart? You know that bucker deserved it, but there's not much we can do until we get statements from Filthy Rich and Trenderhoof themselves, and I don't believe for a second you're a murderer," Bat Fang placed his hoof on my shoulder. "Do you need to talk to Luna? I'm sure she can help you," he offered.

"Statements? You want statements?!" I exclaimed, grabbed ahold of Bat Fang's shoulder and landed a right hook across his scar from where he got cut. The bat pony went flying backwards into the gate of the castle, the punch so powerful, his helmet strap snapped.

"STAND RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!" Venom jabbed me in the side with his spear, "You want to go the dungeon? Consider your wish granted," he slapped a pair of hoofcuffs onto my wrists and slammed me down onto the ground. Bat Fang collected himself and tossed his silver helmet onto the ground before rubbing his muzzle.

"What happened to you Cougar?" he asked as he and Venom picked me up and escorted me through the gates into the castle.

"I stopped masking the truth," was all I replied. The two led me down the corridor into the dungeon area where I had been just a few days before. Numerous criminals ran to the bars of their cells, curious as to what fresh meat the guards had brought. The two stopped me at a cell directly across from Spitfire whom had been watching us from behind her sunglasses.

"I'm sorry I have to do this Cougar," Bat Fang apologized as Venom kicked me violently in the back to get me in my cell. I landed face first into the stone wall and collapsed onto the bench inside. "You go back to your post, I'm going to find Luna," Bat Fang said to Venom who nodded in reply and trotted back to his post. Bat Fang gave one last look at me before sprouting his wings and zooming away. I looked around my tiny, cramped cell. Nothing more than a toilet and a bench to keep me company. I sat down on the wooden bench that creaked and groaned under my weight. Leaning my head against the stone wall, I softly shut my eyes as I tried to get used to my new home.

'It's for the best. Get used to it; this is just a preview of what Hell has waiting for you.'

(Sweet Apple Acres. 3rd Person POV)

Applejack gave a mighty yawn as the farm's rooster alerted the Apple family to get up and get moving. The orange mare scratched at her face with her hoof and stretched as she threw the covers off her body. "Ahh, whew, them pegasi definitely put a whippin' on Ponyville last night," Applejack put her hair twists back in and her hat back on. She was set to leave for breakfast when a folded up piece of paper that was lying on the floor near her door caught her eye.

"Applejack, move yer caboose there youngin'!" Granny Smith called from downstairs. Applejack picked up the letter in her mouth and briskly trotted downstairs to where the family was eating breakfast.

"Hey, where's Cougar at Applejack?" Applebloom asked her older sister.

"Ah don't know, maybe he decided ta get a lil more sleep, he's been workin' harder than Big Mac over the summer," Applejack set the letter down onto the table.

"Eeyu- hey!" Big Mac exclaimed.

"Oh lighten up there Grandson," Granny Smith bopped Big Mac on the head. "What's that there letter for Applejack? When did the mail start comin' this early anyways?" Granny Smith asked.

"Ah found it in my room," Applejack replied as she unfolded the letter, "and it's from Cougar."

"Did he tell ya where he was goin' this mornin'?" the youngest family member swallowed a bite of her waffles. Applejack's eyes scanned the letter, ignoring questions from her family. They took note that her eyes grew bigger and bigger and her breathing became shallower and shallower.

"Well, what's it say?" Big Mac finished off a cup of coffee.

"Dear Apple Family, I'm sorry to say I am not the man you think I am. I'm no hero, all I've ever done in my life is hurt others. I thought joining the Air Force would get me on the path to saving and protecting others instead of hurting them, but my past keeps following me wherever I go. Applejack, I assaulted Filthy Rich in order to get him to have Diamond Tiara leave Applebloom alone, and I'm sorry for not telling you. What I am most sorry for is the fact I betrayed the trust you all set within me when you took me in. A loving and caring family like yours doesn't deserve to have a Sinful Monster living with them. It was despicable of me to only think of myself by not telling you of all my wrong doings back on Earth. You are all still special to me for accepting me into your family, but the only thing I did in return was put an ugly blotch onto your lives. This was not easy for me to do, but the last thing I want to do is hurt you even more. I am leaving the farm and your family forever, but do not cry for me or come searching for me; I am not worth it. I do not deserve friends, family or kindness from others. As you're reading this letter, I am gone and now doing what I set out to do when I signed up for the military: Protecting you, from the demons inside me.

-Cougar.

"C-cougar's gone?" Applebloom whined as tears spilled out of her eyes. "B-but, he was one 'o my closest friends!" the filly covered her eyes and began to cry.

"Where do ya think he went?" Big Mac solemnly slid his plate to the center of the table.

"Ah don't believe a word 'o that letter," Granny Smith smacked the table top with her hoof, "Ah've looked into his eyes, he has a heart 'o gold!" She defended. All eyes turned to the mare holding the letter. She had stayed silent ever since she finished reading, so silent in fact that the ticking of the clock sounded like a drum. Instantly, the mare slid her chair back, dropped the letter and burst outside to Cougar's house.

"No, no, no, no," Applejack chanted as she galloped over and burst through Cougar's door. "Cougar!" She exclaimed when she opened the door and found Cougar's cot flipped on the side with his blanket thrown across the room and his phone laying against the wall. "Dear Celestia no!" She frantically searched for clues as to where Cougar could have gone. Applejack grabbed the sides of her head and bolted outside and ran as fast as she could to Ponyville to find her friends, hoping that they could help her.

"Applejack, where are you going in such a rush?" Rarity asked her farming friend as Applejack banged on the door of the rainbow castle as hard as she could.

"It's Cougar! He ran away from the farm!" Applejack replied.

"What do you mean Cougar ran away?" Rarity questioned, confused as how a grown creature could run away.

"Look, Ah don't have time to explain it to you, Ah need to see Twilight!" Applejack shoved Rarity out of the way and galloped to the throne room where Twilight was signing a few papers whilst reading a textbook. Applejack couldn't stop in time and ran into Twilight's throne, knocking her over and ceasing her levitation spell, causing all of writing utensils to fall to the floor.

"Applejack, what was that for!?" Twilight angrily picked herself up off the floor as Spike gathered up her tools. "This had better be good, you just made me lose my train of thought!"

"Ah'm terribly sorry Twi, but Cougar's run away from my farm! He says that he's doin' it ta protect my family 'n all of us!" Applejack replied in a panic. Spike dropped all of Twilight's things on the floor, Rainbow accidentally knocked over her own throne, Fluttershy dropped an entire bushel of carrots on Angel and Pinkie Pie gasped and all of her balloons deflated in sync.

"What do you mean he ran away? Where would he go and why?" Twilight forgot about what she was doing and hopped back up to her hooves.

"Ah woke up 'n found a letter from Cougar addressed to my family inside my room. Ah read it out loud at breakfast; it explained that he ain't the man we think he is and he's leavin' to protect us all. Ah'm scared my friend is gonna hurt himself, or kill himself!" Applejack cried as she held her eyes in her hooves.

"He likes Rock music right?" Pinkie Pie jumped in front of Applejack, "if we play Rock music everywhere, maybe he'll come back?" She suggested.

"Wha- no!" Applejack pushed Pinkie Pie aside, "Ah have no idea where he went; Ah wouldn't know where to start!" Applejack threw her hat on the ground.

"Well uh, you know, as your friends we'll help you find Cougar, if you want help that is," Fluttershy patted Applejack's back.

"Yeah! With all six of us searching, Cougar can't hide forever!" Rainbow flexed her wings. Suddenly, a bright flash of white light engulfed the throne room, blinding the occupants until it went away. Standing in the middle of the throne room was none other than Princess Luna.

"Luna! We were just about to send out a search party for Cougar, what brings you here?" Twilight quickly bowed and popped back up with Spike standing next to her. The midnight blue alicorn trotted up to Applejack and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Applejack, our friend Cougar resides in the Canterlot dungeons," Luna announced.

"What did he do Princess?" Spike questioned.

"He turned himself in for three counts of assault on three ponies, but not before punching my personal guard Bat Fang to secure a spot in the dungeons," Luna explained. "There is something wrong with our friend. He's distant, he will not speak to anypony and all I can see is darkness within him, darkness and dread. I attempted to speak with him so we could get to the bottom of the situation, but he remains silent and unresponsive, like a statue or painting. I fear we may lose him unless we can get him to confess what is wrong," Luna exclaimed quietly.

"Did you at least try and look into his past like you did when we first met him?" Rarity asked.

"Yes, but he's blocked it off; all I saw was utter blackness. All of us must return to Canterlot to save Cougar from his own demons before he does something unspeakable," Luna conjured up a spell and whisked the Mane 6 to Canterlot.

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(Canterlot Dungeons. Cougar's POV)

I hadn't moved an inch since I had arrived in jail. Just as promised, Bat Fang left me in my cell and returned with Luna to try and talk some sense into me. My alicorn friend spent more than an hour trying to get me to talk to "bring me back," but I had no desire to do so. The only things I did in response were turn my head and look at her with my bloodshot eyes. I gave her an 'A' for effort though; Luna did everything from trying to be a therapist to just trying to have a beer with me.

Across the way, Spitfire would also try to talk to me, but even if I wasn't feeling like this, I would want no part in talking with her. Every so often she'd partially drop her sunglasses and stare at me with her icy blue eyes. A part of me wanted to throw my arms around Luna and spill everything wrong so at least she could understand why I had made my decision on locking myself away from society, but another part of me won that battle, the part that wanted to tell her as little as possible and to stay silent; she knew enough about me.

Finally, Luna decided that she could not do this alone and disappeared into a cloud of white magic and vapor. It didn't feel that cold down here despite the fact that I was wearing nothing but muddy lounge pants. Glock and Bat Fang stopped by to see if I was hungry or thirsty, but I gave them the same treatment that Luna received. Bat Fang had told Glock about the incident and wanted to help me, but I turned him away. For the first time in my life, I felt exactly like Morgan Freeman's character in The Shawshank Redemption. I was guilty of my crimes, as was Freeman's character, Red, and I also knew that I did belong here while most of the other criminals here gave a BS story that made them look innocent. At least I've still got honor on my side for turning myself in.

"Cougar!" A country voice I knew all to well bounced off the stone walls of the dungeon, followed by the clopping sounds of hoof steps. My red eyes slowly drifted to the left as I saw seven ponies and one dragon stop in front of my cell. "What's gotten into ya?" Applejack tried to open the cell door.

"What are you doing here?" I barely squeaked out.

"We're here to bust you out silly goose!" Pinkie Pie pulled out a hoof-file and began to try and grind away at the bars. Ignoring the pink pony, I rolled over so my head was no longer leaning against the corner of my cell.

"I told you to not come looking for me," I replied and lowered my head to look at the floor. Luna's magic unlocked the cell and she, Applejack, Twilight, Rainbow, Spike and Rarity entered the cell. It was getting really crowded with seven figures inside the cramped space; Pinkie and Fluttershy watched from the hallway.

"And why would we just leave you to rot in a jail cell Cougar?" Rarity questioned, "you've been a model citizen ever since you've arrived," she attempted to lift up my spirits.

"Not to mention you saved us and our sisters from two timberwolves and put your life on the line, that's pretty badass dude," Rainbow patted my back. I shrugged her away, keeping my eyes glued to the stony floor below me. Applejack removed her hat and softly wrapped her foreleg around my neck.

"Look Cougar, we just want to know why you turned yerself in to jail and why you won't talk," Applejack sat down next to me. When I still didn't answer, Applejack pressed on, "Ah was a little shocked at yer confession 'bout assaultin' Filthy Rich, but Ah understand you were lookin' out fer my sister; that Ah appreciate so much." I sighed heavily and ran both my hands through my hair.

"I ran away to protect all of you, from myself," I admitted darkly.

"What do you mean by that bro?" Spike leaned on my muddy pants with his claws.

"I'm a violent, sinful and evil man, and you should have left me to die when my plane crashed!" I yelled out, scaring everypony in my cell and in the dungeon. "All I do, no matter what, is hurt people around me, mainly people I love and care for. Had I told you some of the things I've done on Earth, you would've killed me the moment I finished my sentence, and you would've done yourselves a favor," I cooled down but still shook Applejack's grip off my shoulder. "This day, is just too painful for me. I wish I had a time machine to either be able to skip this day or go back and fix what I fucked up," I grubbed the side of my bench. Twilight cleared her throat and pushed my chin up with her magic.

"Cougar, if you just tell us why you're acting this way, we can help you; we want to help you, if you'll just let us," she kindly explained. "If you just take us back to when this all started-"

"NO! NO! I AM NOT RELIVING THAT DAY!" I angrily shouted at her and began to cry again. Luna sighed and produced my phone from Applejack's hat. "M-my phone?"

"Cougar, forgive me, but Applejack showed me a rather important picture," Luna scrolled through the photo album on my phone until she reached the specific picture she needed. I wanted to question how they knew my password, but I guess their magic could do more than I can imagine.

"Listen to me Cougar, Ah know exactly how it feels," Applejack whispered to me to control my crying.

"W-w-were you r-responsible for yours?" I silently cried.

"Please, just tell us. We'll believe you," Rarity begged.

"We want to help," Twilight repeated. The last thing I looked at was Applejack's emerald eyes before diving headfirst into the worst moment of my entire life.

*FLASHBACK. 21 years ago*

"Alright son, now we're going to be heading to New York for our business meeting soon," Cougar's father, Nick explained. A little two and a half year old boy was busy playing with his Thomas the Tank Engine toys while his father and mother packed their bags.

"I wish you weren't going, I love you daddy," little Cougar sadly pushed Thomas across the floor. Nick hugged little Cougar tightly and picked him up from the floor.

"I know, I hate being away from my baby boy, but mommy and daddy have important jobs, and they require us to travel," Nick set little Cougar down at the table and placed some Cheerios in front of him.

"How would you like a little T-Shirt son?" Cougar's mother, Patsy bopped his nose.

"Is it one of those I heart NY shirts that I've seen in the moving pictures?" Cougar replied as he ate his snack.

"Of course, nothing is too good for my special little baby," Patsy blew a raspberry on Cougar's tummy. That night, the night before Nick and Patsy were set to leave, Cougar awakened in his room, throwing up with a fever.

"Mommy, Daddy, I feel icky," little Cougar groaned as his mom held him over the toilet.

"Oh no, he's burning up Nick," Patsy felt his forehead. "Let's take him to the emergency room," Patsy quickly changed her son's clothes.

"I'll start the car," Nick replied as he threw a coat on. Cougar groaned as his little tummy still churned.

"N-no mommy, I don't want to ruin your trip."

"The trip can wait another week. My top priority right now is making sure my baby is healthy," Patsy kissed his head.

(Two Days Later)

"Hi Darrell, Nancy, thank you so much for watching over our son for the next few days," Nick thanked his friends.

"It's no trouble, besides, our boys both get along great; this'll be just like a sleepover for them," Darrell replied and ruffled Cougar's hair.

"Thank you for taking me in Mr. Jones," Cougar thanked his best friend's dad.

"I think our son is downstairs playing on his Nintendo 64, why don't you go join him?" Nancy suggested. Cougar gave a tearful goodbye and hug to his parents before they set off for New York, on flight Flight 175

The next morning, Cougar awoke to see Darrell and Nancy watching the TV in shock. Cougar didn't understand what was going on. The skyscraper on the TV screen was burning up with a large hole in the middle.

"What movie is this Mr. and Mrs. Jones?" Cougar asked. Cougar's friend then joined up with some Froot Loops in hand while his parents remained silent.

"OH MY GOD, ANOTHER PLANE HAS STRUCK THE SECOND TOWER!" The TV announcer shrieked as another airliner came onto the screen and hit the second world trade center.

"This, this can't be happening," Darrell looked as if he was going to throw up.

"We've just gotten word that the second plane was Flight 175," the TV announcer announced. Darrell and Nancy both looked at each other and tried to turn off the TV, but Cougar had heard.

"F-Flight 175? Wasn't Mommy and Daddy on that flight?" Little Cougar asked. The two and half year old reached into his pocket and looked a copy of his father's plane ticket and saw the label Flight 175 printed on the top corner.

"Now, now Cougar," Nancy tried to change the channel and get him away from the TV. The copy of the plane ticket fell out of Cougar's hand as he slowly walked up to the TV that showed both Twin Towers engulfed in flames and smoke against the blue backdrop of the September day.

"Mommy, Daddy?" Cougar reached up and caressed the TV screen with is fingers as tears began to creep out of his eyes. "Are my Mommy and Daddy okay?" The little boy tearfully turned to Darrell and Nancy whom also had tears in their was all Cougar needed as he collapsed onto his knees and cried at the base of the TV. "M-mommy, D-daddy! Come back, please! I love you!" Little Cougar wailed.

*End Flashback*

(Cougar's POV)

"So, my parents were killed because of terrorists who hated our country," I held in my tears as long as I could. All around me, my new friends were struggling to do the same, though Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike and Rainbow were all already sobbing. "I never got to see my parents again, except an image of their plane hitting a building," I started to sob at the painful memory. "My best friend's parents took me in as their son and raised me, and my friend turned out to be Reaper, that's how we became the best of friends because we turned into brothers."

"Oh Cou-Cougar," Applejack's emerald eyes were now turning red as she wiped her salty tears away. She embraced me in a tight hug and didn't let go as she started to cry too. "Ah-Ah had n-no idea," she sniffled and continued to hold me.

"B-but the worst part is, it was all my fault! I killed my parents!" my hands tried to rub tears out of my eyes, but they were flowing too fast. "I killed them, they're dead because of me!"

"How is this your fault Cougar? You did not crash that plane," Luna pointed out, her wing wiping her tears away.

"If I hadn't gotten sick, they would've gotten to New York one day earlier than when the attacks happened!" I yelled.

"Don't, don't think like that dude," Rainbow sniffled, "how could you have known you were going to get sick?"

"What difference does it make?" My voice cracked, my vision blurred and my nose sniffled, "because of me, my parents were ripped from life far earlier than they should've been. But it doesn't stop there. As I grew older, Reaper and I would befriend other kids who would die before their time. My friend Richard died of Leukemia, my friend Greg was killed by his dad in a drunken rage. I was always the common denominator. This is why I wanted to seal myself away from you all, before you all died because of this curse the Devil put me under!"

"You, you stop thinkin' like that right now," Applejack pulled away from her hug and glared at me with wet eyes, "none of that is your fault, 'n you know it," she breathed deeply.

"Even if I wasn't directly responsible, all of those close to me died sometime after meeting me. That's why I vowed to never get close to others again so I wouldn't seal their fate!" I explained loudly, "but then came the mission that took my best friend's life. When he was killed, I wanted to die, and sometimes I still think I should have died; I don't know why God continued to let me live after everything I've done. I couldn't live if something happened to any of you! All of you are the best friends I could've asked for, right up with Reaper. When I realized what today was, I was reminded of how many I've hurt and I didn't want to cast that onto any of you."

"Just stop, stop blamin' yerself for all those bad things!" Applejack demanded.

"Why? So I don't feel bad? It's all my fault! Even more than any of that! From that child molester I beat to death instead of letting the law handle it to killing thousands of innocent people because our President ordered us to despite us not knowing until it was all over, all the facts are there, I am the living embodiment of SIN! I'm a monster, and monsters deserve to die or rot away alone," I whispered the last line.

"We don't think of you like that, at all," Twilight wiped her nose with her hoof.

"You are one of the kindest, carin', most gentlest souls we've ever come across, that's the truth Cougar," Applejack's eyes still squeezed out a few tears.

"Cougar, I, nor any of us, think you are a monster, but a young man that has been put through more horrifying tests and trials than one should in their entire lives," Luna started to cry again, "b-but you preserved and joined the military to help others, th-that is something no monster would do!"

"It doesn't matter, no matter how much good I do, the demons inside me will find a way to show their work," I solemnly replied. "I let my best friend die; there was so much more I could've done to save him, but I failed; I don't want to fail any of you."

"Y-you won't fail us," Fluttershy stood up from her corner, "I've seen all the good inside you; it triumphs the evil in and around you."

"You saved Princess Luna and two guards from the wrath of a psychopath, you're a good man Cougar," Spike patted my leg.

"Please Sugarcube," Applejack swallowed her tears, "if there's anythin' we can do to heal yer pain, please tell us, Ah can't stand ta see one 'o my best friends cryin' over somethin' that ain't his fault." She begged me. All of a sudden, there was a new twinge in my chest as I looked around the small cell that housed friends that wanted to help me heal. Friends. The word had seemed foreign to me for so long that I had begun to take the word for granted. Just like Reaper did, these ponies wanted to go out of their way just to help me forget about my parents and other things I'm ashamed of. Those are true friends, I guess one could say that Friendship is Magic.

"Thank you," I replied and began to cry both happy and sad tears.

"W-what did you say Cougar?" Rarity questioned.

"Thank you, thank you for being my friends," I cried out and hugged Applejack and Luna tightly. Soon, Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie jumped on and joined the group hug, "thank you!" my tears rolled off my cheeks and onto Applejack's mane.

"How about a 'Make Cougar Feel Better' party with just us and uber close friends?" Pinkie Pie calmly suggested.

"Pinkie Pie, I'd love that," I smiled for the first time that day. I politely shoved the ponies away and stood up from my bench. Twilight quickly zapped everypony out, leaving enough room for me to leave.

"Eh, but before we leave," Rarity started and zapped me with her blue magic. I looked down to see regular blue jeans and a white t-shirt covering my body; my muddy lounge pants were long gone. "There, much better," the white unicorn slyly smiled. I nodded a thank you to her and shut the cell door on the now empty cell behind me. Luna opened the dungeon door and allowed all of us to leave the dark and dreary cavern. Spike jumped up into my chest and gave me a hug while Fluttershy hugged my leg. Pinkie wanted to tackle me; luckily Twilight held her in place with her magic until she promised to calm down.

"So Cougar, would you like it if I joined your party?" Luna questioned when we met up in the foyer. Celestia apparently had mounds of paperwork to do and after raising the sun, only wanted to speak to somepony if the world was going to end.

"Well, I'd love it if you would, but you haven't gotten your sleep yet," I replied, "isn't this about the time you go to bed?" I questioned. Luna placed a hoof under my chin and just held my head in place as she smiled at me.

"Making sure my friend is alright and happy is more important than my sleep right now," Luna replied with a tight hug. Patting her back, I pulled away and was met with Bat Fang watching us.

"Here, just give me a minute before we head back to Ponyville," I turned around to face the guard whose muzzle was swollen. "Hey Bat Fang," I looked down at the ground, "look I'm sorry about punching you in the-" I started before I felt an immense pressure on my nose followed by warm blood gushing out of the nostrils.

"There bud, we're even," Bat Fang shined his hoof on his armor and adjusted his new helmet strap and went back to Luna's side. Wiping the blood from my nose, I chuckled softly and nodded.

---

(Back at the farm. Cougar's POV)

All nine of us arrived back at the front door of the Apple house soon after leaving Canterlot via teleportation; none of us really wanted to run into anyone else on the way back. "Alright Sugarcube, it's up ta you ta set things straight with my family, though Applebloom might still be ticked at ya fer leavin'," Applejack pushed me towards the door. I gripped the door knob before turning it slowly.

"Hello, Big Mac? Granny? Applebl-" I called out before I found myself on my back with a big ball of yellow fur standing on my chest.

"Cougar! Where've you been? Ah've been worried sick about ya!" Applebloom jumped up and down. Big Mac picked Applebloom up off me and set her down so I could get back up to my feet.

"Ah think we've all been worried sick 'bout him Applebloom," Big Mac held the filly back.

"Oh, Princess Luna, what brings ya here ta our farm yer majesty?" Granny Smith quickly bowed and got another charlie horse.

"I'm here to spend time with my friend Granny Smith, and you have a lovely home," Luna replied while Big Mac quickly hit Granny in the spot where she was stuck, eliminating the pulled muscle. Applebloom took advantage and wriggled out of her brother's grasp and jumped onto a chair to get closer to my face.

"We want answers! Why did ya have ta leave us? Where did ya go?" She questioned again.

"Hold on there lil sis, Cougar's gonna explain everythin' right quick," Applejack explained while everyone else filed inside the house. And so, I sat down and explained everything to Applebloom, Big Mac and Granny Smith. As expected, tears were shed, though not from just those three. Even though I was over the hump for this year, I still let a few tears slip out when mentioning my parents. I explained why I ran away and why I felt I had to do so, and that it was also a mistake. When I had finished, Big Mac was cradling his head in his hooves, Applebloom's lower lip was quivering and Granny Smith was wiping her eyes with her bandana.

"So, are ya gonna leave again?" Applebloom questioned with puppy dog eyes while quivering her lip. I placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it softly.

"Not a chance in the world kid, no way," I gave her a little peck on top of her head.

"Good," she grabbed my collar with her hooves, "'cause if ya left like that again Ah'd have ta put a whuppin' on ya so hard yer shadow'd grow its own bruises," she threatened. I chuckled and patted her forelegs.

"Well that's good to know."

"Cougar, if there's anythin' that's a-botherin' ya, ya can always talk ta us about," Granny Smith held my hand with her hoof as Applebloom hopped off the table.

"I know Granny, thank you for letting me know," I replied. Suddenly, there was a loud blast as party streamers, balloons, banners and a record player burst from Pinkie Pie's party cannon (that still freaked me out how that little thing can hold so much junk inside) and decorated the entire ground floor of the house.

"Come on everypony, let's turn these frowns upside down!" Pinkie declared as she stuck a lamp shade over her head.

"But, nopony is frowning anymore," Spike pointed out.

"See? It already worked!" Pinkie cheered and blew on a horn, "now let's jam!" She turned on the record player to her personal favorite song. For hours, we all danced, laughed, played games, drank enough punch and soda to rot out everypony's teeth in Equestria, told jokes, told more happy stories of our past and just had a good time as friends. I felt bad that Luna didn't get any sleep today since she was helping me cheer up, but she insisted that should could miss one day of sleep and make up for it tomorrow. The night hit us rather abruptly, and I mean that literally. Spike looked as if he was going to throw up, but he belched out green fire and a scroll appeared in mid-air as he opened it up.

'Dear Twilight, I hope my sister is okay and near you, for it is time to bring out the night. She has ten minutes before I do it myself. Signed Princess Celestia. P.S. please remind her that I need to speak with Cougar as soon as possible,' Spike read the letter out loud. Luna snapped her neck up to look at the clock in the living room.

"Oh Celestia! It's already 8:30!" Luna spat out her soda and brought the moon up so fast that it felt like a literal light switch was turned off.

"Well, I guess that's our cue to go to bed, I have a huge order of suits and dresses for the Gala to create," Rarity bid her fancy farewell, but not before at least giving Spike a quick hug.

"I'm glad you're feeling better Cougar, feel free to stop by the castle at any time," Twilight levitated a love-dazed Spike onto her back and left. Luna gave out a mighty yawn as she nuzzled my neck tiredly.

"Never forget that you're a good person Cougar," her eyelids threatened to glue shut at any moment, "and I was supposed to remind you of something about the Gala, but I'll let Celestia handle it tomorrow," she shook her head to stay awake before teleporting home, at least I hope she teleported home and not under a lake or inside a volcano in her sleepy state.

"So, if you want Cougar, maybe you'd like to come and help with my animals, you know if you're not too busy that is. At least it's something that can be rewarding other than farm work, which there's nothing wrong with," Fluttershy covered up to not offend Applejack.

"I'd like to meet some of your animals Fluttershy, though don't you have Discord to help?"

"Yes, but some of the animals are still afraid of him, though I don't know why, he's changed so much in the past two years," Fluttershy replied. "But whenever you have free time, stop by with a smile on your face and a caring heart and you'll be all set," Fluttershy waved goodbye. Big Mac picked up a sleeping Applebloom and carried her off upstairs to tuck her in; Granny put her teeth in her jar next to the sink and slinked off upstairs, leaving me and Applejack to turn the lights off and put dishes away.

"Hey, can Ah ask ya somethin' Cougar? If you still don't wanna answer anymore Ah completely understand," she wiped a plate clean and set it in the dish rack where I dried them.

"Yeah shoot, talking about it is actually lifting the weight off of my shoulders," I dried another dish. The mare scrubbed out a glass cup before giving it to me and starting on another one.

"How did ya fight that fer over twenty years? Especially last night? Ah don't think anypony could've fought off those memories fer that long 'fore snappin' like ya did," she asked me. I momentarily stopped drying the cup and stared at my reflection in the window of the kitchen. 'Here it comes,' I thought.

"Uh, here's the thing, I never really fought the memories Applejack," I admitted. The mare's hooves stopped scrubbing off a plate, leaving only the sounds of the ticking clock and the swirling of the sink water to fill the void.

"'Scuse me? What do you mean you never fought yer memories or yer inner demons?" She asked, completely flabbergasted.

"You see, after the whole 9/11 incident, on the days leading up to the anniversary, Darrell and Nancy would always pretty much fight them for me. They'd always distract me from it and basically treat it like another birthday. It wasn't until I was 5 that the idea it was my fault popped into my head, but they were there to help me repress it and keep me happy," I explained.

"But, how were ya able ta do that fer twenty years?" Applejack asked, still in shock.

"Oh sure, some years it was tough, especially when the tenth anniversary hit. I couldn't talk to anyone for the week leading up to it, but that was when they kept me home from school on the eleventh and would change the date to stay the tenth, making me believe the day hadn't arrived yet and then changed the date to the twelfth the next day, making me skip it. Once Reaper and I hit 17, we lied about our ages and signed up for the Air Force. Then he assumed the role that his parents had and kept me happy, making me forget about it. I would still feel sad about it throughout the year, but nobody had any clue how I would react on the actual day if anyone forgot. This year was the first time I was unprepared and had no one to keep me distracted."

"Ya had us," Applejack reminded.

"I know, and it was stupid of me to not tell you guys, but I didn't want to put a damper on any of your lives and make you feel like you had to keep a watch on me." Once I realized what day it was this morning, the awful memories hit me, and with no distractions, I just laid down and let the bad memories win. I never even tried to fight them off and convince myself that it wasn't my fault. Turning myself in was my defeat in a battle I never even showed up for. But that defeat taught me a lesson, whether you have new friends or old friends, any friend is better than no friends on days you need them the most. I took you and everypony for granted, thinking there was no way to help me, and I'm sorry for that Applejack," I grinned weakly.

"Come here," Applejack hugged me again, "Ah'm glad ya learned that lesson partner, but there's still one thing Ah wanna know," she crossed her forelegs. "At least tell me Reaper's real name. It's really weird that his name was Reaper when you had to go through all that."

"Yeah, I know," I rubbed the back of my head, "Reaper's real name was Adam, Adam Jones," I explained.

"So then, what's your real name partner?" Applejack craned her neck to the side.

"There's still a few things I need to come to terms with Applejack, not that many, but a few important terms." Suddenly, the pantry door burst open and Pinkie Pie fell out with a huge can of cake frosting.

"Jeez guys, gettin' a little sappy there huh?" Pinkie slurped into her can of frosting.

"How long were you in there for Pinkie?" I clutched my chest.

"When did Luna raise the moon?" She answered my question with her question.

"'N you were eavesdroppin' on us?" Applejack placed her forelegs on her hips.

"No, I just needed more frosting duh!" Pinkie rolled her eyes, "do you guys want any?" She offered. We both grimaced and shook her heads as she kept digging into the can with her tongue. "Okey-dokey-loki, see you later!" She bounced away like Pepe La pew.

"That's one of the terms, to see if I can last here with Pinkie Pie," I admitted. Applejack chuckled and slapped my back.

"Well, dishes are done, oh and do ya mind if Ah do somethin' Cougar?" She asked me permission.

"Sure I guess," I replied, confused as to what she needed permission for. The orange mare blushed, stood on her hind legs and kissed my cheek. And not just a small peck like Celestia gave me on the forehead or the ones I give to Applebloom, she left her lips on my cheek for a good five seconds before removing them.

"Sweet dreams parter," she smiled as the moonlight glistened off her eyes and she trotted upstairs. I brought my hand up to my cheek and held it there until the tingling sensation went away.

"Yep, and that's another one," I said to myself.

End Chapter XVII

Yeah I know everypony going to bed that early is a little odd, but they've spent the whole day partying and loading up on enough sugar to kill the racers in Sugar Rush, that high has to come down at some point.