Sometimes They Call Me Super

by KorenCZ11

First published 26th of May, 2016

My name is Jaquline Apple, but most ponies call me Applejack. However, that isn't my only name. Every now and again, ponies know me as Marevelous Red. Sometimes they call me Super, other times they call me a Hero.

Koren: "Super is currently undergoing some reconstruction. While the story will continue to see new chapters until it is complete, the earlier chapters in this story are being adapted to my current formatting process. This note will self destruct after reconstruction is complete."

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In a different Equestria than the one we know, a virus broke out thirty years ago, causing mutations in ponies in every way imaginable. Some wished to hide their new powers and forms, while others made quick work abusing them, turning into Equestria's first super villains. The Princesses put out an edict stating that those who wish to fight against these Power Ponies who would do evil would be heavily compensated for their work. It's not until many years later that the first true hero would step up on the city stage, sparking a revolution in Manehattan.

This story was inspired by all the Super Heroes and Super Power shows I grew up with, but after some time creating the world and shaping the characters in it, it became so much more. Twists and turns, changes and escalations await inside the world of Sometimes they call me Super. Our heroes all start out alone and come together to form something that no hero alone could do. Follow the excitement through the eyes of our protagonist and more as they try to defend the city they call home. Welcome to Manehattan.

It's dangerous to go alone, take this!
--[WARNING]--
The comments contain spoilers

Origin Story I: The First Hero

The streets of the most populated metropolis in Equestria were bustling today. Ponies traveling from one building to the next, vendors selling their wares on the sidewalks. The high skyscrapers stood proudly in the midday sunlight. On cue, at the stroke of noon, smoke could be seen in the center of the city. A loud percussion boomed throughout the city, reaching the ears of those out in the suburbs of the artificial island. In Manehattan square, the heroine known to the citizens as Marevelous Red could be seen opposing a large suit of mechanical armor in a broken garden.

“Look, big guy, Ah don't think it's a good idea for ya ta be runnin' around in that thing. Ya already broke a fountain, Ah don't need more collateral damage on my tab here! How about ya just-” Marevelous was quickly shut up by an incoming piece of rubble. She smashed through it by reflex, shattering it into pieces.

Well. That didn't work. At least nopony can say Ah didn’t try ta talk him out of it. With her red spandex covered body and bright yellow hoof covers, she dug her back legs into the concrete and tightened all her muscles, showing the truth of her bulk underneath the suit as chunks of rubble, concrete, and blacktop continued her way.

“Marevelous Red! I'll get rid of you, and then none of the heroes will be a match for my genius! Die!” shouted the dark gray pony hidden inside the metal suit. He picked up another large piece of rubble and flung it at Red. It wasn't until he had a clear look at her that he realized the mistake he made. For such a shapely mare, you wouldn't think she was really that bulky, but now she looked like a coiled spring ready to jump at the slightest movement.

The boulder came flying, and just as it reached her, Marevelous bounced the boulder of rubble into the air with her left fore hoof, almost like the concrete-blacktop rock twice her size was as heavy as a tennis ball. Before it had started to come down, the armored pony realized his mistake and started to make a run for it. With an arc that high and the hero's legs ready to bounce from their spot, he knew what was coming next.

“Now, how dumb do ya have ta be ta run away from me down an empty street?” the heroine sighed. She watched as the boulder hit the apex of its flight and then Marevelous released the tension she'd built in her legs, flying to meet it. She twisted her body around and reeled back her front right hoof. Quick as a whip, she threw her punch at the boulder and like a cannon, it shot after the suit of armor.

“No, no, NOOO!” he screamed, just before the boulder landed on top of him. The sheer blunt force of rock on metal dented his armor suit inward rapidly. He was surprised to realize that he could still open his eyes afterward, signaling that he wasn't dead from the impact. The armor, thankfully, had done it's job. At the same time, he realized that his power supply had been damaged, and the suit turned off. He struggled desperately to try and jump start the suit again, hoping that against all odds he might be able to escape the hooves of the famed hero.

Suddenly, a new weight landed on his suit. He could feel the heavy thump of hooves simply walking over top of his depressed armor, only to let the horror of what his eyes were telling him sink in. Standing right on top of him was Marevelous Red. He flinched as he saw the Power Pony reel her front left hoof back for a punch. The thought of a quick, painless death ran through his mind as he cringed at the sound of crunching metal and shattering glass.

“Aw, come on now. Ya didn't really think Ah was gonna kill ya, did ya? Ah wouldn't get paid if Ah didn't have somepony ta turn in.” She picked the masked troublemaker up by the scruff of his collar with her hooves and started to get to work tying him up. “Look at this mess. Ya destroyed a good portion of the park, damn it. They're gonna make me pay fer that.”

So, y'all might be wonderin' just what exactly is goin' on here. Maybe even a little confused too. Ah'm gonna clear that up fer ya, and start this story off right.

My name is Jaquline Apple, but most ponies call me Applejack. However, that isn't my only name. Every now and again, ponies know me as Marevelous Red. Sometimes they call me super, other times they call me a hero. Then again, a lot of the time, they call me both. Ya see, Ah was one of those blessed, or cursed, born inta a world filled with ponies that have crazy powers, or Power Ponies as most call them. And fer one side of the coin or the other, Ah just so happen ta be one of the Power Ponies.

About thirty years ago, a strange outbreak of some kinda incurable virus hit Equestria. Who it affected and what it caused was completely random. Anythin' from horribly morphin’ a pony's body into that of some kinda other creature or thing, even just givin' them parts that they ain't supposed ta have. That however, was just the obvious changes.

Others would gain abilities of some kind, like super strength, or bein’ able to shoot lasers outta their eyes, or makin' fire just appear outta thin air. Really, just about anythin' could happen. One of my parents had the same power Ah do. A kinda ‘super strength’ if ya couldn't tell from that little snippet of my daily life up there. Of course, Ah didn't know about it for a long time, but we'll get there.

After some ponies started ta pop up doin' whatever they damn well pleased, the Princesses put out an ordinance ta all ponies who wanted to make a livin' out of their new-found powers. The Vigilante-Bounty Trade Act. For every villain one catches, they're awarded bits based on how much said villain's bounty is worth. As with every law, there are rules associated with it though. 'The offender must be alive, and not harmed ta the point that information can’t be extracted from them.' Or, ta make that last one simpler, ya can't break their jaws or give 'em a brain injury.

For whatever reason, the second part was added later ta the act though. Of course, there are some special cases where that ain't possible. Not everypony is willin' ta comply with society down to their last breath, and those ones make sure ta get there. When that happens, the VBT Agency offers compensation for 'Collateral Protection,' which is really just a fancy term for savin' lives.

It's not easy work, but it's really the only way Ah can put my crazy power to use, just like most of the others in this line of work. Those that can't, or just flat out don't want ta... well, they just do whatever they please. For every new hero that pops up, another three Power Ponies start causin’ trouble. They call us freaks of nature, and other nasty names like mutants, but we learn ta get over it. Ta really get ta the beginnin' of my story though, we're gonna have ta go back ta where it all began, with the first famous hero.

They called him Red Hoof.

This story begins way back when Ah was a filly. Ah'm twenty years old now, so this all started when Ah was maybe three years old. While givin’ birth ta my little sister, Ma passed on. It was up ta Pa ta feed me, my sister, and my big brother on his own now. It didn't help when Granny passed a year later, and Pa lost the apple farm we lived on ta my cousins, as he wasn't an Apple.

Furious with the Apples and nowhere else ta go, we moved up to the big city with his younger brother, Blood Orange, in his hometown of Manehattan.

“I hope you can find a job soon Citrus,” Blood said.

“You and me both, Blood…” Citrus sighed. His brother was sympathetic, but they both knew the prospects of finding a job in Manehattan this time of year were slim to none. “I'm going out. Macintosh, Applejack, You kids be good for yer Uncle, ya hear?” Both colt and filly nodded their heads rapidly in reply. The older stallion patted each of his kids on the head, then went to check on his foal in her crib.

“Don't cause any trouble while Ah'm away, little Applebloom.” He kissed his baby on the forehead and headed for the door. He grabbed his old leather coat, his brown Stetson, and threw his saddle bags on with all his work history in it. Citrus Root hadn't been back in the city since he married nearly twelve years ago. It wasn’t as happy a return as he’d have liked, but anything was better than being on that damned orchard.

“Damned Apples. My kids are yer kin too, but the minute Granny passes, ya bastards jumped on the chance ta grab the land right out from under my hooves. Now Ah… have ta start all over.” In truth, Citrus owed the last decade to the miracle of stumbling upon his would-be wife just around the turn of the century, but now that she's gone, so was everything.

Everything, but the reminder of their union, and those three still needed somepony to take care of them. Even if it took another miracle, Citrus was going to do it. He rounded the corner off a lesser street in the central district of Manehattan and then made his way to the largest street in the city, Main Street. As it always was, the big city was bustling with ponies from all over.

“Ah might as well get this over with,” Citrus sighed. He had a little background in doing the finances for the farm, and if nothing else, his brother was an accomplished accountant so he figured he'd start with the banks and go from there. Office to office, one rejection after another. One more failed attempt, one more shot lower.

The sun had reached the horizon when his fifteenth application had been rejected after hours of applying and interviews all day. “Damn it all!” he yelled as he tossed his hat into the concrete. Shaking his head, he sighed. Careful now. Rosie made that. If you’d put all your strength into that, you might’ve destroyed it. He shook his hat, trying to dust it off, and then started on his long walk back home.

Manehattan was a big place. One could walk straight from one end of the city at the beginning of the day, and only be halfway through it at the end of the day. Citrus, however, was no normal pony. In fact, Citrus was a Power Pony, unbeknownst to his family and anyone else. Huh. Maybe Ah should try construction. Havin' somepony as strong as Ah am would help move equipment and material. Ah could even pretend like it's hard for me ta do it alone. The stallion was only in his thirties after all, and with his powers he had a real shot at physical labor... provided it doesn't go the way it did the first time he left the city. Ah should... make sure nopony remembers me if Ah do head back toward the docks.

“Ha ha... Well, it'd be better than nothin' anyway. Maybe Ah'll look inta that tomorrow. Today’s only the first one anyways, they won’t all be bad.” As he continued walking, the sun had all but left the horizon, leaving the streetlamps to guide his path home. Something odd caught his ears, and finally, he realized it was silent. In Manehattan.

Oh, crap, this ain't Ponyville. Ah'll get mugged just walkin' around at night. Better keep ta the shadows. Ah might be bright yellow, but anypony can hide in the dark. Following his train of thought, Citrus flipped up the collar on his jacket and adjusted his bag to better hide his flank. The silence continued for a while, but just as he approached a street crossing, he felt something cold on the back of his neck. The minute Ah forget ta look down the alley, the one time!

“I want ya ta drop the bag and get the hell outta here, you understand me?” Citrus rolled his eyes. Geez, who am Ah dealin' with here, some teenager?

“Sure. Take it. There ain't no money in it, if that's what you're lookin' fer,” He replied to his robber.

“Yeah, likely story, you fancy hat wearin', leather jacket havin', outta towner. Now drop ya bag!” Citrus lowered his neck, removed his hat, and let the bag slide off his shoulders and onto the ground.

“There. Can Ah go now?” If Ah just turned around and clocked this kid, he'd be out in an instant. Hmm, but if Ah do that, it might kill 'em. Damn. Oh well, as long as he don't do anythin' but take my bag, it's not really that big a deal. Nothin' but records in there that don't mean nothin' ta nopony anymore.

Citrus turned his head to look at his assailant as he dug through his bag. It was just some gray coated pony wearing a long coat, a belt that covered his cutie marks, and a ski mask. Nothing that stuck out to make him look like a Power Pony, and sure enough, he wasn't quite tall enough to be an adult. “Few...”

“Alright, what is this? Where's the money old man?” he said, pushing the gun further into Citrus' neck.

“Are ya daft? Ah just said Ah didn't have any.” The barrel started to shake.

“No, no, no, ya gotta be kiddin’ to me. Pl- please old man, ya gotta have somethin' somewheres?” By the sound of it, this kid was desperate.

Oh boy. This kid's no killer. He's just in trouble. Citrus turned to face his assailant, slowly to make sure he didn't get shot in the process. “Look, kid, put yer gun down. Ah'm not one too quick ta anger, so Ah'll hear ya out. Just who do ya owe money to?” When finally face to face with the 'kid' in question, Citrus was about twice his size, and probably about twice his age. The colt wasn't more than sixteen at best, and was now in more panic than he was before.

“He- HEY! D-don't move! I'll shoot!” He said, trembling with the gun on his hoof. The model was some kind of revolver with a strap that held it to his right leg.

Where did he even find that old piece a junk? Ah haven't seen a hoofgun without a magazine in almost twenty years. Those things were fallin' outta style when Ah was a kid. “Come on now, Ah ain't got all day. My kids are waitin' ta see their papa at home, and the more time ya waste of mine, the less chance ya have of me helpin' ya out. Put that thing down, you're gonna hurt somepony with it.” Citrus reached for the gun, and the colt closed his eyes.

Citrus preempted the bullet, grabbing the colt's hoof and ripping off it off his hoof and knocking the trajectory off, hopefully not hitting somepony in the process. Thankfully, nopony came out of their windows looking for gunfire and the empty street didn’t have any onlookers in either direction.

The terrified colt had fallen back on his plot, tears rolling out of his eyes as he stared helplessly at the stallion he tried to rob. “I-I... I'm so sorry... I-I didn't want to hurt nopony, I swear! He... he's got my little sister, man! Please, don't hurt me!”

Citrus sighed. Well. So much for gettin' home early tonight. Ah can't just abandon this kid. Ah know what it feels like all too well. Citrus picked up the colt with relative ease and threw him over his back like he was carrying a bag of sand. And a light one at that. He wondered if this kid had been eating right... or at all for that matter.

“H-hey, what are ya doin’? Where are ya taking me?” he asked, unable to struggle due to the incredible pressure Citrus was putting on his body.

“We are goin' ta talk on the park bench across the street. As it turns out, Ah'm not the out of towner ya think Ah am, and Ah just so happen ta want ta help ya out.”

After what seemed like an hour of interrogating the colt, whose name was Star Slate, Citrus learned that his younger sister was abducted by a local mob boss who went by the name of Shark Tooth. Shark was one of the ponies that had caught the virus fourteen years ago in 2000 during the initial outbreak, like Citrus had. Shark however, ended up with greater changes than he did.

The mobster lost all his fur and grew rough scales that were strong enough to stop bullets. His tail became thick and grew fins, and his teeth were sharp enough to bite through stone, as Star could attest. Star and his sister, Brightness Slate, got caught up with Shark's gang after their parents were killed in an attempt to make off with Shark's money. Now it was Star's job to pay Shark back, or his sister would never see the light of day again.

Citrus was skeptical about the truth of this story, as all the gangsters he used to know would never let family off the hook for something like that, not with just a slap on the forelegs anyways. There was more to it, but Star seemed honest enough to trust for now. Either way, Shark Tooth probably wasn’t a great guy.

“So, ya decided that tryin' ta mug ponies in the street was a better idea than goin' ta the police?” Citrus asked.

“Wha- are ya out of your damn mind!? This is SHARK TOOTH we're dealin' with here! The fuzz can't touch him, much less win a fight with him! And if I did... oh, Goddess, they'd kill her...” Star let his head fall into his hooves. “Sweet Goddess, Brightness is gonna die...”

After removing his mask, Star was revealed to have a pure white mane and deep blue irises. He was just a boy barely growing facial hair with a camera on his flanks. This kid was never meant to shoot anything but pictures. What kinda parents put their kids in this kinda situation? This ain’t right. As Citrus scratched at his beard, a thought popped into his head. It was dangerous, but today hadn’t been a good one, and the future didn’t look bright either. He could blow off steam, take care of Star’s problem, and maybe even figure out a new direction if he went through with it. Yeah… Why don’t we blow off some steam?

Leaning back against the bench, Citrus casually asked, “So uh, what if Ah… took care of this fish guy?”

“Do what!?” Star exclaimed, “This guy has a friggin' huge bounty on his head, and even the vigilantes don't bother tryin' ta catch him! There’s no way you could do that!” The yellow stallion couldn't help but let a grin spread across his face.

“Well, maybe the right one just hasn't showed up yet...” Citrus got up from the bench and started walking away.

“Wha-? Y-you're not serious are ya? Ya can't just... hey! Wait up, old man! You don't even know where to go!”

With Star complaining along, the two made their way further into the depths of eastern Manehattan. Broken windows and abandoned buildings littered the streets in the once prosperous industrial side of the city. Graffiti covered every other wall, but one specific mark stood out to Citrus more than the others. The shape of a jagged tooth on a string was appearing more and more as they approached Shark Tooth's lair.

“Ah assume that we're gettin' close, huh?” Citrus said, as he took in every detail around him. Not a single tag was free of the shark tooth's influence. The easiest way to tell who owned what turf were the tags that covered the walls. The untrained eye might just pass it off as some hooligan's graffiti, but those in the know knew better.

“L-look, old man, y-ya don't have to go through with this. I-I'll just find some honest way to pay Shark off...” Citrus stopped Star and pulled him into an alleyway. “Hey!” Citrus jabbed Star in the side, then covered his mouth.

“Be quiet. Somepony's comin'.” They watched as a group of three ponies dressed like thugs walked around a corner. One was an orange earth pony, but he had horns just behind each of his ears, and one on his nose. He looked like his head was half dragon. Another was a dark blue pegasus, who didn't look like anything special. That is, until Citrus saw that the thing he thought was a flashlight casting light around the group was actually a pair of fireballs floating above each wing. Finally, they were both being followed by a unicorn mare wearing all kinds of makeup and particularly... seductive clothing. Ah bet Ah know what her day job is. Other than that, Citrus didn’t see anything special about her.

“Alright kid, Ah want ya to give me that mask of yours and hold my stuff,” Citrus ordered as he started to remove his jacket.

“Oh, goddess, you're actually gonna go try and talk to them?” Citrus took the mask out of Star's hooves and put his stetson on Star's head.

“What? No. Ah aim ta beat 'em up. You said there was a bounty on this guy right? Ah bet his gang is at least worth somethin'. And if not, then hey, at least there's a couple more thugs in jail right?” Citrus smiled, then pulled the mask over his snout. He grabbed the belt that Star was using, hid his tree stump cutie marks with it and then put his jacket back on. The less of me they can see, the better.

He quietly trotted out from behind the alley without being seen by the gang members and then called out to them once he was sure he was far away enough from Star. “Excuse me!”

The three thugs immediately turned their attention to him. The dragon-like one replied. “Who are you? This is Shark Tooth territory! Beat it or get beat!” he said with a deep gravelly voice.

“Well, Ah'd planned ta ask where yer boss was. Could y'all tell me that?” Citus asked politely through his thick accent. He only lived in Ponyville for fourteen years, but that was certainly long enough to pick up their way of speaking. The three thugs looked at each other, then charged at Citrus.

The first to approach was the dragon-pony. He reared his head back and started to spew flames from his mouth. Citrus was quick to jump out of the way and threw himself into the wall of a building. After his momentum had stopped and the dragon-pony looked at him in awe, he shot off the wall and head butted the dragon-pony in the side, cracking his ribs in the process. The dragon-pony crumbled like a sand castle, and Citrus stood tall, motioning for the others to come at him.

The challenge accepted, the other two came at him from either side, the unicorn firing off light beams at him while the pegasus coated his wings with fire and charged. Citrus simply shook his head and stood on his hind legs, dodging the untrained attacks with ease. Well, Ah appreciate y'all makin' this easy fer me.

As the pegasus slowly became a flying fireball, the masked stallion twisted his hind legs in preparation for his approach, now just simply taking the rather underwhelming laser hits. Yeah, Ah’d bet gold bits that she's better with her mouth than her magic. He let go of the spring like force he'd gathered and pushed his foreleg into the burning pegasus' ribcage, knocking the wind and fire out of him.

Two down, and one ta interrogate. Perfect. Wide eyed, the unicorn mare halted her assault and turned tail to run. Unfortunately for her though, Citrus could move half across the city in about thirty minutes when he really wanted to. He jumped, then landed on and then pinned the mare, making sure not to hurt her too badly.

“So. Now that Ah, 'got beat', are y'all gonna tell me what Ah want ta know?” The mare nodded her head as quickly as she could. Geez, this is uncomfortable. How old is this mare? A few years older than Star at best. Maybe fifteen years ago, but Ah'm old enough ta be her father. Ah need a better way ta do this.

After deciding that keeping a young mare restrained wasn't the greatest idea in the world, Citrus and Star found an abandoned trailer. The masked stallion ripped several steel poles out of the ground and bent them around his collection of incapacitated thugs. It's not like anypony uses these old beat up street signs anyways. Couldn't get a car through here if ya tried.

They tossed the thugs in their trailer and moved further into Shark's territory. For every twenty steps they made, another two guards showed up. Eventually, they'd racked up a good number of ponies, half of whom had powers of some kind. Strange that they've got so many power ponies around. Ah thought we were rarer than this…

“I mean, wow, old man. What even are ya? Ya gotta be one of these freaks, right?”

Citrus glared at Star, but then shrugged. “Ah don't appreciate ya callin' me old man, and even more so 'freak'. Ah'm not that old yet. But yes, Ah'm a Power Pony, just like some of these others. Ah'm just lucky that my powers came out subtle, unlike dragon face over there.” He said gesturing to the trailer.

“Oh, uh, sorry man. But for real though, ya got some kinda crazy strength or what!? That was amazing! I ain't never seen nopony do somethin’ like that!” Citrus could only smile at Star's enthusiasm. It'd been a long time since Citrus got to fight and this time he knew how to control his powers. The money he makes off turning these guys in might be nice too, provided they're worth anything. Speakin' of...

“So, what do ya know about this 'bounty' thing?” Citrus asked.

“Bounties huh? Ya ever heard of the VBTA?” Star replied.

“No. What's that?” Citrus asked.

“The Vigilante-Bounty Trade Act. The two Princesses signed this into law less than a year after the first wave of fre- uh, Power Ponies showed up. It was basically a giant application that said, 'if you're willin' ta play hero, then we'll pay ya for puttin' bad guys away for us,'” Star replied, spreading his front hooves as if the words were in front of him.

“Is that so? How many bounties are up for this city?” Citrus asked, his wheels turning now.

“Are you kidding? This place has the highest concentration of Power Ponies in Equestria! There's bounties for days here! Ya couldn't ask for a better place ta start your career!”

Citrus turned his head. “My career? What are ya on about now?”

Star nodded with enthusiasm. “Maybe ya forgot, but I'm a photographer by trade. Well, maybe only in my spare time now, but that can change! I can promote ya! We can be a team, you an' me!” Star attempted to wrap his hoof around Citrus' shoulder, but simply wasn’t big enough to do so. Citrus was no giant like some of Rosie’s family, but he was very bulky after working the orchard for more than a decade.

“Well, that does sound appealin', but Ah can't just have my face all over the news when Ah'm tryin' ta get work done. And Ah have a family ta think about. They can't know that Ah'm runnin' around like this all the time. Ah don't need my kids or my brother worryin' about me.”

Star waved a hoof at him. “Oh, don't you worry about it. I’ve got all of this planned out. I already know the answer to all your problems.”

Citrus raised a brow. “Oh? And what might that be?”

“Spandex! It'll be just like a comic book! You can be the hero!” Citrus was confused to start with, not exactly knowing what spandex was, nor ever reading a comic book, but the word hero stuck out to him. Me, the hero huh? One hell of a job title, if nothin' else. It was around this time that the two had made their way into a dark area, and all of Citrus's senses went on alert.

Four bright lights turned on all around them, like they were in some kind of stadium. Upon further inspection, it was a city basketball court built into a little nook between a factory building and a few apartment complexes. The area looked lived in enough, the garbage around supported that at least, but the factory looked long abandoned. Why that was the case was clear enough. Everywhere the eye could see, the shark tooth tag was sprayed.

“What in tarnation!? Who’s there!?” he shouted to the empty darkness around him.

“You know, that's the same question I had in mind, Mister Mask. I see you've been quite hospitable to my employees,” said a deep voice from somewhere.

Citrus’s shock turned into a grin. This is where the boss is. “Well, yeah, Ah think Ah have been. Now, why don't y'all just come on out so Ah can get a good look at yer face?” Citrus looked around, trying to find the source of the other voice, when he noticed a box on a set of bleachers built into a wall. A door on its side opened, and out stepped one of the strangest things he'd ever seen. A blue-gray and white stallion, no mane, no hair on his tail, which instead sported fins like a fish. He had bright orange irises and was wearing a black pinstripe suit with a matching fedora. This guy looks old school. He's been doin' this fer a while.

“It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Mask. Now, pardon me if I'm wrong here, but you seem to be with another employee of mine who isn't in your cart. Why is that?” The stallion smiled with every word, revealing his very sharp, pearly white teeth to the world.

“Oh, that. Ya see, this here boy came ta me askin' fer help, sort of. He said he was desperate, so Ah took a listen. Apparently, some Power Pony named Shark Tooth kidnapped his sister after some parents of his made a dumb decision. Y'all wouldn't happen to know where Ah might find such a pony, now would ya?” Citrus couldn't tell if it was the air, the sheer menacing vibe that this stallion gave off, or the adrenalin from the earlier fight that was getting him so excited, but he was ready for whatever was about to happen.

Turning his gaze on Star, Shark smiled again in a way that was even more intimidating than before. “My, my. Have you been telling lies, little Star Slate? You see, my good Mister Mask, that boy and his sister are under my custody due to a previous arrangement. His parents were in a terrible accident around this area when a building scheduled for demolition collapsed on them. I simply took it upon myself to... look after them until they could take care of themselves.”

Finally, the trembling gray colt spoke up. “You didn't ‘take care’ of anypony but my parents, ya freak! Now gimme back my sister! She's all I have left...”

“Sounds like ya did a mighty kind service fer the boy based on that statement. So, Ah'll give ya few options. One; y'all can just give me the girl and leave the kids alone. That way, Ah can get some cash fer your goons, the boy gets his sister back, and nothin' happens ta you. Or, option two. Y'all can try and take me on. Now, if that happens, then you're just gonna end up like them employees Ah've taken 'good care of' so far.” Shark tilted his head until a loud pop echoed through the stadium. He calmly removed his hat and jacket, then set them down on the bleachers to his right, perfectly folded.

“Hmm... now that first option does sound quite intriguing, Mister Mask. But the second one, that just sounds like a threat. Quite frankly, I personally don't enjoy hearing threats from others.” Shark started to walk down the steps to the stadium floor. The muscles underneath his white button up growing thicker and just about ready to burst through his shirt. “Do you know how hard a shark can bite?”

“Nope. Ah've been pretty land locked fer the better part of my adult life. But if you’re willin' ta show me, then Ah guess Ah'll find out.” Citrus removed the harness he was wearing and tossed Star in his trailer. He then kicked the cart to the upper bleachers of the visitors side, destroying most of the ones they landed on, but keeping the trailer's axel intact. Oh. Well, that wasn't the smartest thing Ah've done today.

Shark laughed. “Now it all makes sense! You're not quite normal either, now are you?”

“No, not really.” Citrus started toward Shark.

Finally at the bottom now, Shark’s lips peeled back far further than a pony’s should to show all of his dagger-like teeth. “Perfect. Then there's no reason to hold back... when I show you how hard I can bite!” Shark's body started to grow in size, his muscles tearing through his shirt, just about ready to burst from his skin. He lowered his legs, his hooves sinking into the blacktop, and then the big ball of bulging flesh shot toward Citrus.

“Kick his ass, old man!” Star cheered from the sidelines. Shark approached Citrus with about as much speed as Citrus could muster. He slammed a heavy hoof into the ground, just narrowly missing Citrus, but making a crater in his place. Citrus took the opportunity to counter, landing a hoof square in Shark's ribs, sending him back past the free throw circle from the center of the court.

“My my, aren't you something! I haven't had a real fight in ages!” Shark exclaimed as he picked himself up. He scraped more of the ground off the court as he dug his hooves in for a charge. Shark shot off again, this time looking to ram Citrus. He was faster this time and clipped Citrus on the side as he ran. Citrus felt a sharp pain run up his side and grabbed at it with his right hoof. Damn, bleedin'. This guy ain't no joke. Kid wasn't messin' around when he said rough scales. Like his skin is made of hard sandpaper. Ah'll have to end this quick if Ah want ta keep up with my mouth. Citrus decided he needed a weapon to fight with when he noticed the goal basket on the opposite end of the court.

Shark had stopped himself and turned around for another charge when he noticed Citrus running. “What's this? Mister mask is running away? No, no, that just won't do! You can't run from me!” Shark dashed from his spot, charging at Citrus again with full speed.

Smiling, Citrus turned. “Huh. Maybe ya are just as dumb as ya look!” Using the little effort it took to rip the metal out of the ground, Citrus loaded up like a batter, and swung at Shark as he came close. Too late to stop, the back board collided with Shark's head, making the metal ring through the stadium, stopping him in his tracks. “Now, Ah know this court is fer basketball, but Ah think Ah'd rather play baseball!”

Rearing the pole back again, Citrus dug his hooves in for a home run. All Shark could see before the impact was the freshly dented back board rapidly approaching his face. Shark was sent flying into the commentator box, destroying it when he crashed. He didn't get up. Oh, crap! Ah hope he's not dead! Citrus dropped the goal post and rushed to the box to make sure Shark was still alive. When he arrived however, Shark was not only alive, but conscious too.

The hybrid stallion grabbed Citrus' neck with his hooves and began to squeeze. “Well, Mister Mask, it's been fun, but I think I've had enough of you for one lifetime.” Shark started to press into Citrus's neck with all his might.

“Gah!” Citrus struggled against Shark but to no avail. The massive pony had strength to match his stature, and in a couple seconds, Citrus wouldn't have a wind pipe anymore. Damn it! Ah can't let it end like this! Ah've got ta do somethin'! Rather than try and escape, Citrus decided that attacking was the only thing he could do. With all the energy he could gather in one hoof, he punched shark in the jaw. Pointed teeth shot out of his mouth, and blood started to pour from his face. Shark released his grip and tried to put his jaw back in place. Citrus wasn't quite done yet though. He was angry now. Punch after punch, Citrus threw all his might at Shark's joints, making sure he wouldn't get up again. Again and again, red sprayed with each slam of his hooves against the scaly stallion, until finally, something grabbed his foreleg.

“Good goddess man, it's over, it's over! If ya keep goin', you're gonna kill 'em!” Finally returning to his senses, Citrus stopped punching and started to breathe heavily. He looked over his work, realizing that his whole right front leg had been covered in blood, none of which was his own. Shark had reverted to the size of a normal pony and was now a bloody mess. Luckily, he was still breathing at least. Citrus managed to calm his heart down and took a seat on the bleachers. After a few minutes of silence, Citrus remembered what his original goal was.

“Oh! Uh, do ya know where yer sister is? Ah don't think we'll be findin' out anythin' from this guy any time soon.” Citrus said.

“Holy crap, you're right! I'm coming Brightness!” Star shot off to the far end of the court and disappeared. After taking a few minutes to rest himself, Citrus went to work turning the remainder of the goal post into a rope for Shark. He may not be at full strength now, but Citrus had no idea whether or not he could heal quickly too. Better safe than sorry.

After he finished loading Shark into his cart and carrying his pile of thugs back to the court floor, Shark started to come to. “Ugh... where am I?”

“Ah thought ya were gonna be a fast healer. Ya remember what Ah said about option two?”

Memories of the last conversation he had started to come back to Shark. “Ah, I see.” Shark felt something scratching his mouth, then spat out another tooth. “Well, that will take a few days to grow back.” Silence lasted for a good while, but eventually, Shark spoke up again. “So, what exactly is your stake here, Mister Mask? You know, I could use a stallion like you. I have quite the fortune, you see, I could pay handsomely. It has been a very long time since I ran across somepony who could rival me for strength. We could accomplish much and more together.”

Citrus tilted his head to think. “Ah'd say the same ta y'all, but Ah've still got young kids, and my wife made an honest stallion outta me. Wouldn’t be right ta spit in her face like that and go back ta… this life.” Citrus motioned at Shark and his goons. “Ah guess, Ah'm gonna try and make a job out of catchin' criminals like y’all. Ya see, Ah'm recently a widower, and her family kicked me off the land we lived on, so Ah had ta move in with my relatives. Ah was lookin' fer a job today when that boy tried ta rob me.

“As it turns out, nopony is lookin' fer new employees. Down on my luck, not wantin' ta go home empty hooved, Ah decided Ah might as well help the kid outta whatever trouble he was in. Ah didn't even know that ya had a bounty until he told me about it.” Citrus figured he might as well be honest with Shark, seeing as there was no way he could really do anything in that position. Even if he heals quickly, a broken leg or two isn't just going to reform in a minute.

“Hmm. Well, that is quite the commendable disposition you have. I can only hope my own son turns out like you. It's too bad, though. I feel as if you would have made an excellent partner to my business. As you have seen, it is difficult to find good help these days.” Shark flicked his head at the rest of the cart.

“And do what? Help y’all steal and traffic ponies and drugs?” Citrus shot back.

Shark shrugged as best he could, wincing at the pain of his broken legs. “Sure, it's not a necessarily honest business, but it is quite the profitable one. Can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs, right?”

Citrus shook his head. “Makin' money by doin' wrong is no way ta live.” At least, not any more. It was then that Star came back with a little pegasus filly. She had a bright white coat and a myriad of colors in her mane ranging from yellow to blue like a gradient. She looked like she was malnourished, even worse than Star. “Yeah. In yer care, my ass,” Citrus shot as he went to meet Star.

“Look Bright, this is the guy who saved us. Go tell 'em thanks,” Star said to the frail little filly. Her nervous walk made Citrus take a look at himself. Oh, geez. Come on now. The first thing ya do is show this filly a stallion half covered in blood? Ah'm gonna need ta make sure Ah'm clean before Ah see my own kids.

“Th-thank you for saving me, mister Red Hooves.” Citrus frowned at first, but then an idea popped into his mind. Red Hooves huh? If Ah'm gonna keep doin' this, it might be a good idea to make sure nopony knows my real name. Ah suppose there are worse things ta be called...

Citrus wiped his hoof off as best he could, then patted the filly on the head. “Don't worry none little one. You're safe now.” He rustled the filly's mane and then turned to Star. “Here. Take this and go get her some food and a place ta sleep. Meet me by the park tomorrow afternoon, and don't forget my hat. If ya think that guy was bad, just see what happens if ya lose it. Ah'm gonna go turn these guys in ta the police. Don't forget, ya hear?” Citrus took a small bag out of his jacket pocket and placed it in Star's hoof. He loaded up his trailer once more and started walking away.

Star wasn't sure just what he'd been given until he poured the bag out into his hoof to find three silver bits. “You piece of- You had all this the whole time!? Ah, whatever, you'll see me again mister Superhero! I'll make a star outta you yet!”

Origin Story II: Street Janitor

The city of Manehattan, bein' as strange as it is now, wasn't inclined ta care when another battle happened. Few buildin's destroyed? Just another day in Manehattan. Some new crazy holdin’ up a bank demandin’ money? One of the Supers will get it. Another buildin' is trashed because a villain wanted to? One of the Supers will fix it. Somepony sets fire to the court house, again? One of the Supers will fix it. Ponies are pretty apathetic about Supers these days, but it wasn't that way twelve years ago.

Later that day, Ah had finished signin' paperwork after turnin’ in the villain Ah defeated earlier who called himself the Armored Genius. Not too surprisin', considerin' what he was runnin' around in. A whole 'exo-skele-thingy' or whatever and ya decided ta try and rob a bank in one of the most hero populated cities in the world. Who thinks that? Well, apparently everypony. As of today, this is the fourth Power Pony caught trying ta steal ta get a leg up in the world within the past three days. It’s only Sunday fer goddess’s sake. Hell, Ah don't even know if this guy was a Power Pony ta begin with. He might've just been really smart. Or really dumb, considerin’ what he tried ta do.

“Thanks for waiting, Miss Red. Here's your payment for the capture,” the counter mare said. Finally pulled outta my own head, Ah acknowledged her. The station was fairly large fer a building in Manehattan, but it had ta be, what with all the arrests that were made these days. After the first pony ta call himself a 'Superhero' showed up, the influx of prisoners ta be processed or neutralized skyrocketed in a way that the original buildin' wasn't prepared ta handle.

Because, shortly after he showed up, several other Power Ponies started ta take advantage of the VBTA, puttin’ whatever they had ta hide unique attributes on and runnin' out ta 'save the world.' Some of 'em even put on flashy suits like his. Course, that’s not to say that Ah didn't do the same. As with everythin’ though, this didn't always work. That year also had the highest death toll that the city had ever seen… at the time, anyways. Havin' a power and bein' a hero are two very different things.

“Thanks ma'am,” Ah said as Ah picked up my bag of bits. The cold linoleum floor of the station was startin' ta get ta me, so Ah decided it was best ta leave. There were three other 'heroes' there waitin' to pick up their own bounties and givin' me the stink eye. Armored Genius has been wanted fer about a week, and he had stolen a lot before Ah finally decided he was worth goin' after.

Nopony in the super community was too fond of sharin', especially when the bounties started to break the ten thousands. A lonely job at best, and one ta be ridiculed and envied in at worst. Not a world ta make friends in, that's for sure, save fer a few weirdos here and there, or the odd occasion that the police hire a group of heroes ta bring down a group of gangsters. A long time ago, supers were nice ta each other. But those were in the days of Red Hoof, and it's been a while since then.

Most ponies believe he just left the game after a big fight that ended up destroyin' half the city happened a little over a decade ago. Ah never believed that, but regardless of what actually happened, the city lost its symbol of integrity. Heroes that weren't real strong or needed help faded out of existence when nopony could team up, and eventually, the ones who could work alone refused any partnerships.

Red Hoof's disappearance hurt. Emotionally, and even physically for those that tried ta take his place. Somehow, balance was restored after a few years and some outstandin' heroes showed up, but the city will never be what it was. The world was a scarier place, ever since that day… This city is constantly at war, but somehow, it manages ta get by.

Ah walked out of the station, and just as Ah thought it was gonna be earlier, it was a pretty nice day. The sky was clear, save for a few wispy clouds. It was warm but not too hot, and there was a cool breeze. A rare day in late August ta be sure, but those are just the days that always end up in catastrophe. Ah decided that Ah should head to the rooftops ta keep watch on the ground below because somethin' about today just didn't seem right. From my usual spot in the alley beside the station, a ground shatterin' jump landed me above the eight story buildin' with a view of most of the city.

Ah hated that our apartment was so close to the station. Ah understood that Uncle Orange wanted ta move away after the accident, but right here? Really? This place is a damn target! Amidst my frustration, Ah noticed my brother lookin' out the window across the street. He looks depressed. Probably another failed interview. Or got fired again. Does he have a job right now?

Ah don’t know how he does it, but he loses jobs as fast as he gets ‘em, and he’s had a lot of jobs. Ah can't say Ah blame him for it though. In this city, ya either get lucky ta find a stable job, work in construction, or have a super power and not get killed tryin' ta earn a bit. Tough is the easiest word ta describe the economy here.

Over the horizon, out toward the sea, Ah could see storm clouds. “That's never a good sign. Ah knew it was just too good a day ta be true,” Ah said out loud, expectin' ta be alone. Ah wasn't.

“Oh? And what's so bad about a little rain in the distance? We've been in such a dry spell lately.” Ah felt my skin crawl and turned around as quick as a whip. Somepony sneakin' up on me isn't usually possible. Then Ah realized it's just Diamond and relaxed. Even if she were hostile, she ain't no threat to me.

“Uh huh. Any particular reason you're still followin' me around?” Ah really didn’t care about that, but Ah hoped it would make her leave so Ah could go home. It sucks ta live right across from the station.

“Oh, not really. I was actually in the station when you dropped off that poor stallion you had hogtied on your back.” Diamond was another hero, or heroine Ah should say, because she made it clear ta all that she was a Mare. She wore a black leather suit with pale blue diamond shape cut near her chest, and one of them fancy domino masks ta hide her face. As far as Ah knew she was a white coated unicorn with a curly violet mane and tail.

When Ah got in ta this business, Ah was always told ta make sure that nopony could tell what color my coat was, and do what Ah could about my mane and tail. Diamond didn't seem ta care all to much about that. A little while back, she offered ta partner up with me, but... ta say that that didn't end well would also be easier. Ah don't like her much anymore.

“So then, what are ya doin'? Y'all know that this is my territory, right?” Keepin’ dominance was important. Bein’ shoved out of an area, be it by force or threat, still means ya have no criminals ta put away, or no income in other words.

“This is the station building, if you haven't forgotten, and it is neutral territory. Besides, you have no reason to worry about me. However, I'd like to take this opportunity to extend my-” I cut her off by stompin’ a hoof in the ground.

“For the last time, no! Ah don't want nothin' ta do with yer little club or whatever it is. It didn't work last time, and it's not gonna get better. Now get gone before Ah find a reason ta kick ya out.” Diamond knows better than ta make me mad, so she took the hint and started headin' in the other direction.

“Very well. But this isn't the last time you’ll hear from me, Marevelous Red!” And in a flash of pale gray, she was gone. Damn Unicorns. Powers and magic ta boot.

Ah took a few leaps across the intersection between the station and my apartment after Ah made sure nopony would see me and started to take off my suit. It's been a long night. Time for sleep.

Morning had come before the capture and arrest of Shark Tooth had finally been processed. When all was said and done, Star never actually told Citrus how much Shark was worth. To his surprise, Shark was worth his weight in gold. Literally. Four hundred thousand bits were to be awarded to his captor. Shark Tooth had been accused of several counts of all forms of crimes, including murder here and there, racking up quite the price on his head. Now that he was in custody, he could finally be tried.

Based on a good estimate, Citrus thought he weighed about two hundred and fifty pounds in his non-bulky form. At the current exchange rate, that came out to a little more than his bounty, which was four hundred thousand bits, or four hundred gold. Citrus had never seen so much gold in his life. After several of the police struggled to gather the reward, Citrus simply took the sack in his mouth and trotted off happily, much to the surprise of the ponies in the station. He finally arrived home just about ready to go offer his brother drinks when he realized was still wearing the ski mask and the belt. His brother reacted violently.

“Blood, itsh mhe! Calm down!” Citrus said through a mouth full of burlap as he fought his brother off. After hearing the first name that hardly anypony knew, Blood Orange stared into the green eyes of his brother. He let out a sigh of relief.

“You should have started with that. What's with the get up? You... You didn't rob a bank did you?” Citrus rolled his eyes.

“No, Ah didn't rob a bank! Just who do ya think you're talkin' ta?” Citrus said after dropping his bag, causing gold bits to spill out of it. Blood frowned.

“Uh huh. And where did you get these, mister apple farmer? You didn't even have a job yesterday, and suddenly you show up with a whole bag filled with... Gold BITS!? Oh sweet Celestia, you did rob a bank!” Blood fell to the ground muttering about how he was going to become wanted by the police, the danger his wife would be in, and even something about running back to the old world.

“Will ya shut up fer one cotton pickin' moment? Look, Ah have a receipt fer the gold. Ah didn't steal nothin'.” Citrus reached into his jacket pocket and passed Blood a piece of paper.

“'The following bounty of four hundred thousand bits are awarded for the capture of Shark Tooth and his gang...” Blood's eyes went wide. “Capture of Shark Tooth!? You took out a mob boss!?”

Citrus rolled his eyes. “Let's just not focus on that. Look! Ah have the money ta support my family now! What's better, Ah think Ah finally found a job! Come on, this is great! Be happy fer a minute, ya damn pessimist!” Citrus stood his brother up, whom then shook his head with a sigh.

“Uncle Orange? Is papa home?” said the voice of a small filly. Out of the second bedroom walked a little orange pony with her apple print blanket, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

Citrus swooped in and collected the filly in his hooves. “Applejack, what are ya doin' up so early?”

“Papa! Ya didn't come home last night...” she said as she hugged him.

“Don't ya worry none, yer Papa just had a late night, that's all.” Citrus picked up the bag and gave it to his brother. “Count that fer me will ya? It's all in gold, but Ah just wanna make sure that everythin's there. Ponies make mistakes, ya know?” Blood was unable to reply while struggling to hold the bag that his brother seemed to lift so easily. He eventually caved in trying to lift it, so he dragged the impossibly heavy bag to the coffee table in the main room. Citrus took his daughter back into the spare room in the Orange's apartment that the Root family shared.

“Papa, Ah think ya got somethin' on yer face,” Applejack said through a yawn. Citrus scratched at the spot she pointed to underneath his eye, and when he pulled his hoof back, he realized that it was a speck of dried blood. Oh, fer the love of the Goddess! If this happens again, Ah'm gonna need a better mask. He shook it off, then put Applejack back in the large bed that the three of them shared. Her brother was still curled up snoring, and her sister was sound asleep in her crib.

“Better?” Citrus asked with a warm smile.

“Better.” She smiled back. Another yawn from Applejack, then Citrus sat with her until she finally fell back asleep. He moved silently into the main room again and took a moment to look out the window. The sun had yet to rise, but dawn was just around the corner.

“Good goddess... Citrus... they made a mistake...” Blood said from behind him.

“Well, Ah figured. Ah doubt anypony has ever seen this much gold outside a bit note.”

Citrus wandered toward the couch, but Blood shook his head. “No... no, you don't understand... this is five hundred gold bits...”

Citrus's ears stood up. “Five hundred!? How in the world!?”

Bits, the legal tender in Equestria, normally came in copper, and each copper bit is worth exactly that, one bit. After you get ten, then copper bits become equivalent to one silver bit. The next step up is when you get ten of those, which comes out to a black bit. Finally, a thousand bits of copper makes up one gold bit.

If one managed to get to the point where gold bits were too heavy (or a little beyond what Citrus has at the moment), then a bit note would be written, and could be exchanged at any bank for that many bits, or an amount to be stored there. Bit notes aren't normally acceptable tender outside of banks, so they were rare to begin with.

Common place items were never worth more than a few silver bits at most, so a few black bits were typically about a whole wage for a week. This many gold bits were something that few ponies outside of banks ever saw, but to miscount almost one hundred gold bits... Perfect. Now Ah have ta find a way ta drop a whole damn bag of bits off at the station.

“So... what do you plan to do with it all?” Blood asked.

Citrus frowned. Another thing he didn't know how to approach. It wasn't like he was 'employed' by anypony, but some of the money should at least go to the city to help repair the damages. Ah did rip up a public basketball court after all... However, one thing was clear. He needed to get out of his brother's apartment. All that Blood Orange knows is that he came into money by turning in a bounty, and that didn't need to change. “Ah don't know. But, my first thought is ta get a house. Ah can't keep takin' up yer spare room forever.”

Blood scratched at his head. “A house? Where are you going to go? You know that one in a decent neighborhood will cost just about all the gold you have here, not including the extra hundred thousand. It’s not as if you have a decent credit score or a record of income, so unless you pay in full, I doubt anypony would be willing to sell something to you. Of course, I assume you plan to return the mistake, don’t you?”

Citrus rolled his eyes. “Yes, Ah do. Ya know who you're talkin' ta, don't get no crazy ideas.” Citrus shook his head and sighed. “Ah figured that much, but Ah'm still gonna have ta look.”

Blood sighed as well. “Right. I'll have Dew ask around when she goes to her office tomorrow. For once, being a realtor might actually be convenient.”

“What do you mean for once? My job is has done more for us than yours has.” From his room, Blood's wife, Glistening Dew, had walked into the living room. Still in her bathrobe, the wet, yellow-orange coated, orange maned mare sat down on the couch. Then she noticed the gold.

“Good goddess! Where did all this come from?” she asked.

“Oh, you know. Citrus is a bounty hunter now, nothing special.” Blood replied sarcastically.

“It ain't like that! It doesn't matter either. Sorry fer wakin' ya up Dew,” Citrus said.

“Oh, I should’ve been up half an hour ago anyways. Since I only came in after Blood decided to insult my job, why don't you tell me why it's relevant?” she asked, playfully poking Blood in the side.

“Ah need a house. An actual house, not just some big apartment. Somethin' that's worth about half of this, but not somewhere that's gettin' shot up on a regular basis or has a high crime rate.” Citrus explained, trying to come up with something himself.

Dew frowned. “And how much is this? I'm sure you already know that those criteria are hard to come by in this city. At least not for cheap anyways.” Citrus scratched his head.

“Uh... this here is five hundred, but only by mistake. So Ah've got four hundred ta work with.”

Dew nearly slid off of her seat. “Four hundred gold!? You were serious!? Who did you catch!?”

Citrus shook his head. “That's not important. Can ya think of anythin', or do Ah need ta go lookin' today?”

Dew rubbed at the bottom of her chin. For a minute, Citrus thought he saw her blue irises light up. “Hmm... I have an idea, but I'm not too sure about the cost. It might be more expensive than what you're budgeting here. Do you think you could get about what you have here in total for me? I could probably find just about anything with three hundred, let alone four.” Citrus scratched at his head.

She'll need three hundred thousand just ta get me a house? That Shark Tooth guy was probably a special case, Ah doubt anyone else in the city has racked up a bounty that high... Ah need ta get a hold of Star... “Maybe... Ah'll have ta get back to ya on that. Blood, would ya mind...” Citrus yawned, “puttin' a hundred of that back in the bag? Ah need ta return it, but first, Ah need some sleep.”

His brother rolled his eyes again. “Sure, why not. I can't even lift it all at once as it is. However, I want a talk out of you later. Normal Ponies can't lift three hundred pounds without trying,” Blood’s piercing red eyes bored deep into him. Citrus' little brother may not have always been the most honest stallion around, but he could always smell when something was up, and his unique eyes made him that much more intimidating. Well, it's not as if Ah was a saint my whole life either. He was also an accountant, so gold weight was something he knew well.

Citrus popped his neck. “Ya know Ah'd rather not, but Ah guess Ah'm at yer mercy here. If the kids don't wake me up, make sure Ah'm up by noon.”

Blood nodded and smiled. “Sure. Go get some sleep, cowpony.” Now it was Citrus's turn to roll his eyes. The yellow stallion made his way to the spare room filled with sleeping foals, and as expected, Applejack had sprawled herself out all over the bed. Citrus gently shifted the filly next to her brother and took the open spot. In mere seconds, darkness took him.

Whatever time had passed wasn't much, and Citrus could feel it. That and the filly jumping on him.

“Papa wake up! Papa wake up! Papa wake up- whoa!”

Citrus rolled over, sliding Applejack off his back and onto the bed. “Go do somethin' else, yer Papa's tired.” He grumbled, putting a pillow over his face.

“But... Uncle Orange said that ya wanted ta wake up at noon.” Noon? Already? It wasn't even seven when Ah got here. This don't feel like five hours of sleep. Citrus mumbled curses under his breath and sat up. The black curtains on the window didn't let much light in the room, but the bright blue square hiding behind them showed that it was midday outside. He scanned the room with sleepy eyes. The baby was gone, and so was the colt. Aside from a pile of boxes in the corner and the crib, the room was empty.

“Well. That didn't feel like enough sleep.” Citrus sctatched at his side and noticed that he'd forgotten to take off his jacket. After a short shot of pain, he figured that he was picking at a scab. He made a quick check, noting that Applejack couldn't see it, then goat a good look at it. It didn't look good. There were three big splotchy spots of dried blood that looked like they'd been clawed at by some kind of beast. Did he use his damn teeth ta do that? Ah don't even remember gettin' bit. Did he have fins or somethin' Ah didn't notice?

“Papa, what are ya doin'?” Applejack asked.

Damn it. “Nothin’ sugarcube. Y'all go on, Ah'm awake. Ah'll meet ya out there in a minute.”

“Okay...” she said warily, keeping her eye on Citrus as she left.

Her instincts are sharp, which is good, but also makes her dangerous. Never thought the day would come that Ah need ta be careful around my own daughter... Citrus stood up and stretched. He was sore on most of his legs, and his left side hurt around where the scab was. Deciding it was best to keep it hidden, he zipped up his jacket. It was a good thing that leather was easy to clean, otherwise, he would've had to explain his sleeves being bloody earlier. Making his way out of the spare room, he was just about blinded by the brightness in the living room.

Brightness... Ah wonder if he found himself a good place ta stay? Ah only had three silver bits on me after all... Ah hope they're alright.

“Ah, he lives. Blood said he needed to go out around eleven, so he should be back soon. I was about to start preparing lunch. Take Applebloom for me, will you?” Dew nuzzled the baby, who responded with laughter before being passed off to Citrus. Applejack and Macintosh were rolling bits to each other at the coffee table, and Dew had something playing on the CD player.

How did Ah not hear all this? He sat down rocking Applebloom and watched the other two spin bits, trying to see who could spin one the longest.

Applejack slid a bit to him and said, “Here Papa, see how long ya can get it ta spin!” The rest of his haul was in an old backpack labeled 'Citrus' next to the couch, and the other bag he'd gotten from the station had the extra.

“Y'all got these from my bag right? Not the brown one?”

Macintosh nodded. “Eeyup. Uncle said we could play with those ones, but not the others.”

Citrus sighed. A whole week here and they haven't gotten their toys out of the boxes. Ah gotta give it to 'em, that takes restraint. They'll make fine adults one of these days. “Alright, let me show ya how it's done.” Citrus set Applebloom down in his lap and took the bit in both hooves. The kids managed to get it to spin for a few seconds before it started to peter out, but Citrus on the other hoof...

His shoes clinked against the bit, and he spun it, making sure not to crush it, but using enough force for it to cause a breeze. The bit spun on the level table, slowly meandering toward the slight dip in its center. The sound of the spinning metal against wood attracted the eyes of the baby and made her stare at it with her siblings.

“Wow Papa... That's so cool...” said Macintosh.

Applejack put her hoof near it but pulled back as soon as she got too close. “It's like... it's makin' wind! Is it a tornado?”

“Naw, it's just spinnin' real fast. A real tornado would suck up half a buildin' round these parts.” Citrus said, thinking back to his childhood. Years ago, Manehattan was grazed by a hurricane that ripped up most of the docks, taking out a good chunk of the east and south districts. Luckily, a state of emergency was issued beforehoof, and the Princesses repelled it, but it still claimed a few lives in the process. There hasn't been a hurricane near Manehattan since.

Only grainy music remained as the three foals watched the gold bit spin in place, mesmerized by all the forces acting on it. When the front door opened, everything about the moment seemed to fall apart, like a spell was broken.

“I'm back!” called Blood.

Dew set down the utensil she was using to stir the pot on the stove top and approached him. “Oh? And did you check on that thing I asked you to?”

Blood frowned. “I did, and it's exactly what you thought.”

Dew frowned with him. “Sigh. I figured as much. Citrus? I have a proposition for you.”

The stallion in question turned his head and saw his brother and his wife looking at him with frowns. “Let me pull the crib out, and Ah'll be right there.” Taking the baby in one foreleg, Citrus went to the spare room and dragged Applebloom's crib into the sunlight, placing it just outside the door. He set the baby down, tickled her until she laughed, then made his way to the kitchen area. Citrus took a seat at the dinner table with Blood and Dew. “Alright, what do ya got for me?”

“Well, here, have a look at this.” She took a messenger bag from Blood and pulled out a few pieces of paper with a Polaroid clipped to it. The picture showed a white house of average size, a small yard, and a brick fence. It was clean, and the sidewalk being bright white was also a good sign. However, all of these things pointed to something he was afraid of. “Three hundred twenty for the land.” Dew said.

Citrus rubbed at his temples. “Really? Just fer this? What's the acreage?”

Dew looked away. “Half... of one...”

Citrus could feel his heart twisting. The Orchard was several hundred acres, the kids had all the land they could ever dream of to play on. This was… a significant downgrade. Letting out a sigh he didn’t want to, Citrus asked, “Where is it?”

Dew sucked in air through her teeth. “It's just before the outskirts, in the suburbs, a little ways south of here.” She said through a false smile.

Ah. At least it's not too far away, still in the north district. And Ah'll have... somethin’ fer the kids ta play on. But... that leaves me about eighty gold left, provided Ah just want a house with no working plumbing, no electricity, no furniture other than a mattress, no place ta store food, and no heating. At the beginning of winter. Citrus closed his eyes and started to massage his head with his hooves. Silence struck the room as the CD scratched, skipping in the player.

“Ah'll take it,” he finally said, after one of the kids got tired of the skipping and stopped it. Blood and Dew were shocked.

“You'll take it? Just like that? You know I said that was just the land right?” Dew asked.

“Citrus, you don't even have a job. How are you going to pay for anything after you get the house? I know it's eighty gold, but that's not going to last more than a few months if you have to buy appliances and furniture...” Blood said, trying to figure out a solution. Citrus shook his head and got out of his chair.

“Ah know. Ah know all of that. But Ah know what Ah'm sayin' here, Ah promise. Yer company put this up fer sale right, Dew?” She nodded.

“Yes, we did. The only reason I knew about it is because the previous owner just sold it to us a few weeks ago. I'll see if I can't lower the base price, since you intend to buy the land outright, but I don't think I'll be able to get more than twenty off at most. And then, we can run it through my family discount, so at minimum you'll get five percent taken off here.” Citrus scratched at his head, then got up and started for the door.

“Hey, where are you going?” Blood said forcefully.

Citrus looked him dead in the eyes. “Ah need ta get some more coin scraped up if Ah want ta even think about payin' fer all the things Ah'll need. So, Ah'm gonna go talk to my... er, contractor. Ah'll be back... late. Maybe even in the mornin'. Look after the kids will ya?”

Citrus then turned to Dew. “Go ahead and buy the land fer me Dew. Ah'll sign and pay whatever, as long as it gets me moved in with at least basic utilities. As long as it leaves me with fifty, Ah'll make do.” And before anypony could object, Citrus was out the door.

Ah'd better run into that kid soon. Ah need information and Ah need it fast. Fifty thousand should be enough to get Macintosh started in school again, and if Ah can start searchin' fer bounties, then Ah might be able ta get some money saved away fer everythin' else.

Citrus had been walking for a grand total of twenty minutes before he bowled somepony over.

“Hey, watch where you're-” The voice was familiar to him, a young stallion with an accent native to Manehattan. When Citrus looked down, he saw a gray colt with a white mane and tail, wearing his hat.

“Oh, thank Celestia! Ah've been lookin' fer ya!” he said as he stood Star up.

“Oh geez, it really is you. Here's your hat back, guy. I thought you said the park at noon? What happened to that?” Star asked as he gave Citrus his Stetson.

“Thanks, kid.” He put his hat back to its rightful place. “Ah ended up sleepin’ longer than Ah wanted ta. Did ya find a place ta stay last night?”

Star nodded. “Yeah. Since Shark and his gang are all locked up now, the place I'd been livin' at was free. Well, to me at least. Brightness is still there.”

Citrus sighed in relief. Well, that's one thing off my mind. “So, wait. Where is this place? Are ya up to somethin', or can we go there and talk?” Star smiled, and tried to throw a fore leg over Citrus. He failed on account of Citrus being massive in comparison, but the message was received.

“Naw, I was lookin' for you, man. Come on, I'll show ya there.” The two walked back to the intersection they first met at, and then down a string of alleyways. Each one had a new mark over the old Shark Tooth gang symbol, a cancel symbol in bright red spray paint. Ah guess Star wanted ta make it known that Shark isn't around here anymore. They passed through the basketball court, and Citrus got the chance to see all the damage he'd done.

The court itself was just about unrecognizable, save for the one goal post that was still standing. All the lines and a good chunk of the concrete toward the opposite end was missing, the goal post was horribly contorted, the entire court had Shark’s hoof prints in it, and the bleachers toward the announcers box were all smashed... and covered in dried blood. This place is a mess. Ah hope he can find me work, then maybe Ah can pay ta have it fixed. Citrus sighed.

“What?” Star asked.

“It's nothin'. Ah'm just... concerned fer the future.”

Star turned to give him a suspicious look, then carried on. “Well, a’ight. Look, we're almost there.” Star was pointing to a small building, a house that had been horribly vandalized, but with windows still intact, which was a surprise for this area.

As they drew closer, the door opened to reveal a small white filly eagerly waiting inside. “Hi mister Red Hooves!” She said, much stronger than she did yesterday, or this morning, whenever it was. Last night was a long one.

“Hey there little one. Ya get some food?” Citrus replied. She looked clean, and not completely starved at the moment, even if you could still see her ribs just underneath the skin.

“Yes sir. Come on in, Star has a surprise for ya!” The filly retreated inside, and an angry Star chased after her.

“Damn it! I told ya not to say anythin'! Come 'ere so I can pummel ya!” Left alone outside the old brick house among abandoned factory buildings, Citrus decided that he might as well go in. A surprise? Fer me? What could he have possibly done? Shrugging after he couldn't think of anything, he opened the door and followed inside. The house itself was a dusty mess. There was a diesel generator plugged into a refrigerator, dusty windows, dirty furniture, most of which was missing a piece or had stuffing showing, a ratty old radio, and newspapers everywhere. Citrus picked one up and read the title.

“Unknown citizen saves ponies from collapsing building, Applewood Times. Just when it looked like all was lost, the ponies of the Applewood Textile factory made a shocking escape when an unknown citizen zoomed through the building, taking everypony to safety one at a time, all in under a minute.” Under a minute? Sounds like a good Samaritan Power Pony. Citrus put that paper down and moved on to the next one.

“Unknown citizen performs an unusual feat, saving the day, Canterlot Daily. A freak accident in a local laboratory caused a huge chemical fire in the city, quickly spreading from one building to the next, trapping ponies before an alarm was even set off. However, by some miracle, before the fire department was even mobilized, the fires were all neutralized.

“The ponies present say that a massive wave of cold somehow came through and the fire simply died out. Reports say that the floors of most buildings were still frozen when the fire department arrived. Several eye witnesses say they saw a pale blue coated pony near all the ice as the fires began to calm down.” Hmm... Now hold on a minute...

Every paper, every front page detailed some Power Pony's act that saved other ponies, or prevented further injury. However, each one was dated at least as of five years ago, and none of them were from the Manehattan Bugle.

“Star, what is all this?” Citrus called out, not exactly knowing where the two kids went after making it inside. He looked around until he noticed a staircase at the back of the house on the opposite side. The sound of hooves on wood shortly followed, and then Star popped his head out from behind the staircase wall.

“Okay, I'm ready. Come on up.” Star then retreated back up the stairs. Rolling his eyes, Citrus followed the colt up what seemed like an impossibly tall staircase. When he finally scaled the third flight, he reached an open area that looked like a workshop with a sewing machine, pictures, cameras, newspapers, and... a printing press?

“Ta-dah!” The kids said together, holding out what looked like a vinyl suit. It was bright red along the legs and sleeves, and white for the torso. On the flank of each side, there was a symbol that looked like a hoof being swung upwards. At the neck it had a bright red cape that was about the size of a blanket, bigger than Star at least. The suit looked like it continued after the neck but was folded at that point.

“Uh... what is that?” He asked.

“It's your super suit!” Star exclaimed.

“Yeah, you can go around saving ponies like me all the time in this!” Brightness exclaimed in a much higher pitch.

“Doin' what now?” Citrus asked, more confused than he was before. Star rolled his eyes and put the suit over a manikin near the printing press.

“Look, ya said that ya didn't have a job right?” Star asked.

“Well, no Ah don't exactly have one of those at the moment...” Citrus sighed, still ashamed of the fact.

“Well, neither do I, at least now that you nixed my boss, which I'm still totally happy about by the way. So, after ya left I got to thinkin'. We could be partners, you an' me. You're a Power Pony, you've got kids, and no job. I've got my sister to take care of here, but out of the two of us, she's the only special one. And the last piece of the puzzle, this Manehattan has nopony who's willin' to try an' save it. In case ya don't know, there are bounties out there like Shark, still in the city. Shark Tooth was a big time guy, but he was one of five that are worth about the same or more.”

Five!? There are five, four hundred thousand bit bounties out in this city!?

“The problem is, the police have no way of locatin' these mob bosses, as every informant they try and send out gets bumped off, and usually left as a bloody message to tell the fuzz to lay off. Combine that with dirty cops, and you have a situation that's perfect for dealers, traffickin', and all kinds of theft. This city sucks, and there are more and more innocent deaths because of turf wars and traffickin' every year. Ponies go missin', places get shot up and robbed, and there ain't many outside of a princess herself commin' down to stop it.”

Has it really gotten that bad? Sure, the old mafia has been around ever since even Ah was a kid, but they were never this bad... Ah knew the Capo, the guy at least had some honor...

“So, wait, what happened to Franco Polo? Wasn't he the one who kept the underworld in check?” Citrus asked. Star knew a lot, it seemed. Maybe he would know something.

“Franco Polo. I haven't heard that name since I was a kid. Well, when Power Ponies started showin' up, things started to get dicey around here. About five years ago, Polo was taken down by a new gang callin' themselves the Mutants that rolled in and took the city by storm. The stallion that leads it is known as Brute Force, and he controls the northern sector of the city. I've only ever gotten one picture of him, but the dude is nastier than Shark on a good day. As much as he was a slime ball, Shark was kinda like the good Don, ya know?

“Brute looks kinda normal, save for his face is all scarred up on the left side, and ya know, he’s like twice your size. He's got a light tan coat and a dark red mane. Nopony knows what is cutiemark is though, so I've heard that when he goes out in public, he always has at least one double on him.”

Citrus frowned. The northern side? Ah live in the northern side. The house Ah just bought is in the northern side. Ah don't want a mob boss around my kids... “So uh... what's this guy's M.O.?”

Star smiled. “Oh, so you're interested in him, huh? Well, if we’re honest here, he's true to his name. Most of the reports that have him as the accused show that the victim has their head bashed in by somethin' heavy and hoof shaped. If I had to guess, I'd say that his power is about the same as yours.”

Citrus frowned again. “That's unsettlin'.” Maybe it might be in my best interest ta try and catch this guy myself. Money would be nice, especially if he's worth as much as Shark was, but more importantly, Ah don't wanna put my kids in danger just because Ah decided to move away from the safer part of the city. But somethin's still buggin' me. “Star, how do you know so much about all this?”

Star left eye contact and looked away. “Well, uh... You remember my parents? How they were caught makin' off with Shark's money?”

Citrus thought back to last night. Didn't he say somethin' about that before the fight? “Yeah, what about it?”

Star looked down. “Well, the truth is, they were cops. Both of 'em. Shark had gotten a hold of a bit note and started counter fittin' em'. The 'money' they tried to get away with were the fake notes. If they'd made it to a station, or another officer, then they would have finally had the proof they needed to put the bastard away. But he found out, and he had them trapped in a buildin' with explosives planted at the supports. The fake notes got burned, and that was worth about six million, on top of the money it took to make them. They caught me and Brightness a few weeks afterward, and you know the rest of the story...”

Poor kid. He didn't deserve this, neither of them did. Ah'll fix this. Ah'll clean this rotten city up, even if Ah have ta do it alone. Ah can't have my kids grow up in a place as awful as this, and these two shouldn't have ta either. Citrus nodded. “Ah'll take it.”

Star was confused. “You'll take what?”

“Yer suit. Ah've made up my mind. This place needs a janitor, and Ah'm willin' ta take the job. Even if it means runnin’ around in a red and white suit.” Citrus grabbed the suit off the manikin and looked for a zipper.

“Y-ya mean it? You're gonna be a super hero?”

“No, a janitor. If anypony asks, Citrus Root is a street janitor. Red Hooves, however... Red Hooves can be yer super hero.” The mask zipped off at the neck, and the neck had another zipper that ran down the side. He unzipped everything, and slid his lower half into the suit, which was surprisingly well fit. The mask, however, was a different story. It was big enough to fit his head, but it was so tight that his mane covered his eyes in it. It wasn't worth much if he couldn't see.

“Where did ya get this? Ah guess it really don’t matter, but could y'all get somepony ta let it out a little by the face?” He asked, struggling to take it off.

“Oh, uh, well, I uh... I could do it for ya... I mean, I'm the one who made it, so...”

Citrus finally the mask off and then stared dumbstruck at Star. “You made this?”

“Y-yeah, what of it? Just because I-I can sew doesn't mean...” Star stammered off.

Citrus put a hoof over his shoulder. “Are ya kiddin' me? That's amazin'! Ah can't sew worth my life, and this feels like somethin' real expensive outta some fancy athletics store! How did ya get it together?” Citrus asked.

“W-well... it's just somethin' I do. Once I see somethin' I can just kinda, make it, ya know? Even if it's in my imagination. I'm not really good with anythin' but clothes, but when Bright called ya Red Hooves, it just kinda came to me. The rest was easy. I just used that extra cash to get the materials I needed. I actually finished it this morning.” Star said, with a big bashful smile on his face and bright red cheeks.

Citrus frowned. “Ya didn't buy food? Ah thought ya needed money ta live!” Citrus was a little upset knowing where his last few silver bits actually went. He had more than plenty now, but the principle is what mattered.

“I did, but not after ya got rid of Shark! I still live here, if ya didn't notice! I had enough food for the both of us, I needed money to get Brightness back! Don't go off on me after I spent all night makin' you a gift!”

Citrus sighed and shook his head. “All right, all right, Ah get it. Thanks, Ah really appreciate what ya did fer me here. Ah guess the next step would be to figure out where this Brute guy is.”

Star shook his head and pointed at Citrus. “You what!? You literally just caught Shark, and now you wanna go after his better next!? Can't ya start with somethin' small time first?”

Citrus shrugged. “Ah used the last reward to buy a house in the northern district. Ah don't want my son goin' ta school in a mafia run area. If Ah'm gonna clean up the streets, might as well start around home.” Star put his head in his hooves.

“Sweet friggen' goddess, you're gonna get killed.” After sitting in her spot quietly for most of the hour, Brightness finally spoke up.

“I think he can do it.” The two turned to the filly.

“Listen, Bright, hon. I don't think you understand just what we’re talkin' about here.” Star said, putting his hoof on her head. She knocked it away and buzzed around him like a humming bird on her little wings.

“No, I know exactly what you're talkin' about. Don't forget, Shark Tooth kidnapped me, not you. I know what Shark could do. He beat up a damn metal post for fun just to keep me afraid! I know Mister Red Hooves is strong enough to beat him, so I think he could beat anypony!” She said, trying her hardest to defend Citrus.

“How old is she?” Citrus asked over her head.

Star sighed. “Bright is eight.”

Citrus leaned down and got her attention. “Look, sugarcube, Ah'm glad that ya believe in me. But ya shouldn't go around cussin' like that. A sweet lil' filly like y’all ain't got no place fer them words.”

Brightness put on a smug smile. “Oh yeah? How about you say that to me after I tell you what my power is.”

“Wait. Is she?” He looked to Star, but Brightness stomped his attention back to her.

“Hey! You're not talkin' to him, you're talkin' to me. I might be little, but I'm the Power Pony in the family. I'm a diviner of sorts. I can tell you the location of anything I've ever touched. I've been this way ever since I was born.”

Citrus' interest was caught. Brightness. Well, that's one mystery clear. “Alright. So, you're tellin' me you've touched this Brute Force guy?”

She buzzed up to meet him eye to eye. “That's right. I bumped into him once when Mom and Dad were on a job at a coffee shop that he owns. Their scones are really good. You bring me a map of the northern district, and I'll tell you where he is. But there's a catch.”

Citrus frowned. He didn't like where this was going. “Fine. Name yer terms, filly.”

The pegasus smiled. “Perfect. We want a cut. Star, what's the bounty on Brute Force?”

Star shook in place. “Oh goddess, she's at it again. This is the kinda crap that gets you in trouble, Bright!”

The filly rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. We gotta eat, and I know that taking a little bit of his bounty is gonna be more than you could ever make workin' at WcDonalds. What's the price, Star.” She said, adding emphasis to her brother's name. Damn. This filly is scary. At such a young age too. She'll either make a terrifyin' boss, or a big company CEO one day.

“Five hundred G’s.” Star said.

Citrus almost dropped his jaw on the floor. “There we go. Was that so hard, big brother? Ten percent outta do it. I don't know math all that well, but with a number that big, it'll still be a whole lot of money.”

Citrus tried to shake the shock out of his system. Five hundred thousand? Sweet Celestia, Ah wouldn't need ta make another arrest fer the rest of the whole damn year! And ten percent is only about fifty thousand... these kids should be in good shape, but Ah'd rather them be better off than that. “Ah'll do ya one better, and give ya twenty. Ah'll be back tomorrow. As long as ya got the mask fixed, Ah'll go out and catch this guy tomorrow night. We good?”

Star was about ready to pass out thinking about all the money, and Brightness had crossed her hooves and nodded. “I'd say so. See ya when you get back, mister Red Hooves,” she said, never taking off her smirk. It sent a shiver down Citrus' spine.

“Call me Citrus out of costume. Ah think that the three of us together are gonna make this city a nice place ta live again.” He stuck his hoof out to shake hers. She responded in kind.

“That and make us a whole lotta money! We might even be able to buy mom and dad graves after this!” She said looking to Star with hopeful eyes.

It hurt a little, knowing that a filly this age was looking to purchase a tombstone. He sighed and took the suit off. Tomorrow, this would see it's first day in action. Let's just hope it holds out. If Ah get the sneakin’ suspicion that this Brute Force guy ain't gonna come quietly. If he's got a power like mine then... Ah'll either out smart him, or die tryin'. And Ah'd rather not have my own eight-year-old lookin' fer a tombstone too...

Origin Story III: Rise

Author's Notes:

Applejack's nightmare is to be read with this in the background.

Ah remember it bein' real dark. Cold, maybe in winter or somethin'. There was somepony in a black and white suit, a mirror on his chest. He was turned around lookin' at somepony else. Ah could see him, it was Red Hoof. But, even though Ah saw Red Hoof, Ah heard Papa's voice commin' from him. He kept yellin' at me,

'Applejack, run! Applejack, run! Jaquline Apple, RUN!' When he said the name Mama gave me, Ah did what Ah was told. It hurt real bad, but Ah ran as fast as Ah could. I could hear the sound of bendin' metal, the creaks and crackin' of concrete all around. The area was destroyed, most of the buildin's around were just rubble. Those two had been fightin' fer an hour now, a good portion of the northern side of the city was completely wrecked. It was some ways away from the house, Macintosh was at home with Applebloom. All Ah could think about though, was Papa.

Ah didn't know where he was. Ah thought Ah had followed him out here before the rain came in, but Ah lost him. It was after school, on some stormy day. An explosion went off somewhere near, Red Hoof and the other Power Pony had crashed in ta another buildin'. The other one kept shoutin' at him,

“It's all your fault! She's dead because of you! You took my wife, I'll take your life!” The words were so clear, but the voice sounded fake. Then Ah saw it. The big buildin' couldn't support itself anymore. Those two were still in it. It started ta come down. Neither of them had escaped yet. It kept fallin', just like a tree chopped from the base. Ah remember yellin', “Get outta there Red Hoof!” as loud as Ah could. But the only figure that left was the black one. Shot off, like he'd been punched by all of Red Hoof's might. The buildin’ crashed. Red Hoof never left.

Ah was shocked, stuck in place. The world all around me lost sound, all Ah could hear was ringin'. There were ponies tryin' ta get away from the scene still, police tryin' ta maintain order. Ah felt my legs kick in ta gear, runnin' toward the collapse. Ah saw the black clothed pony walk back ta the collapsed buildin'. His hooves were stained red. He walked toward where Red Hoof was, and then, he jumped away. Ah tried ta reach him, Ah knew it couldn't be. Red Hoof never lost. It couldn't happen. Ah kept runnin', but then one of the police had grabbed me.

“Stay back, little filly. It's dangerous this way,” he said, pickin' me up with his magic.

Ah kicked and screamed, “No! My papa is in there! Let me go, he's still in there! Let me go! Let me-

“Go!” Ah woke up in my bed, back at the apartment. Ah was breathin' real heavy and it looked like Ah’d sweat a ton. Damn it. That nightmare again... Before Ah’d noticed, Ah was sittin' up straight, lookin' out my bedroom window. The sun had gone down most of the way. It was probably six or seven PM, maybe somewhere in between.

“Wasn't there somethin' Ah was supposed ta do tonight?” Ah thought aloud. Shortly there after, Ah started shiverin'. Another cold sweat. This is gettin' outta hoof. Ah managed ta get outta bed before my sister came in ta remind me exactly what Ah'd forgotten.

“Applejack, are ya ready ta go?” Applebloom asked as she walked inta my room. Ah hate it when she does that. She almost caught me gettin' outta costume once because she doesn't understand the concept of knockin'.

“Ah've told ya once, Ah’ve told ya a thousand times, knock first, please?” Unusually, she had some kind of jacket on and her mane looked done up.

“Well, Ah'm in now, so Ah guess it doesn't matter does it? Are ya ready or not?” She asked, clearly frustrated. Then it hit me. Ah was supposed ta take her ta her friend's birthday party. Twenty minutes ago.

“Oh, crap. Uh, yeah, just give me a minute. Go wait by the lobby, Ah'll be right there.” A quick eye roll, and Applebloom was gone. Ah sighed. If she'd come in any earlier, and Ah woulda had ta explain that Ah'm havin' nightmares.

Applebloom is on the verge of turnin' seventeen, and one of her friend is doin' so today. She happens ta live on the west side, just a few miles away from here though, and there's still a good sized gang of Power Ponies over there.

Fer whatever reason, criminals were either harder ta find or better at hidin' after Red Hoof disappeared. The guy had some kinda talent fer just happenin' upon 'em or somethin'. Nopony ever found out how he was so good at what he did, and nopony knew what his actual special talent was. It honestly coulda been anythin'. But, we try our best. Gangs pop up faster than weeds around here, so it's not always the safest thin’ ta be walkin' around alone. Especially when you're sixteen and pretty.

The unfortunate part of Applebloom gettin' up in age is that she's even more of a target fer all the things that go on in the underworld here. Mares like her go missin' all the time around these parts, and it's usually too late by the time a hero or the police finally get 'em. It's a cold place, this city.

Speakin' of, fall was startin' ta roll in. Applebloom's birthday is in late October, and September was just around the corner. It'd be nice if Ah could get her somethin' special. Maybe Ah'll see if Ah can't pull from my school savin's, or just pick up a decent bounty soon. Yeah, that would be real nice. Ah grabbed my hat, Pa's old hat, off my coat rack, and the old leather jacket he used ta wear. Macintosh out grew Pa, endin' up bein' a pretty huge guy, so Ah'm the one who wears it now.

Uncle Orange didn't do so well after aunt Dew died, even worse so when Pa followed suit or went missin'. His health had been in decline ever since, but fer the last couple of years he's been stable at least. He tried his best ta help Macintosh get through school, but couldn't get together the coin ta put him through college and feed the three of us, so Macintosh had ta try and pay fer himself. It hasn't worked out well. He can't keep a job and do well at the same time, so he's just decided ta put it off fer the time bein'. He got enough debt just tryin' ta get an Associate's at a decent school, he don't need more.

Even though he forewent school this term, he's had real trouble keepin' a job fer more than a month. He's not got a power like Ah do, well... as far as Ah know, and his skills are best used outside, but he's just a big klutz. He breaks more by accident than he repairs intentionally. He keeps gettin' told ta either go inta farm work, or somethin' with numbers. Either would be nice, but he refuses ta be a farmer after what the Apples did ta Pa, and there aren't any jobs available fer the latter around these parts.

Banks get robbed on a weekly basis, and tellers happen ta have a high mortality rate. Ah don't let him look fer a job like that. Ah mean, what's the point if he dies just tryin' ta live? Maybe it makes me a hypocrite, but if he's safe, It's one less thing Ah have ta worry about. Ah'd finally made my way down the staircase ta the lobby, where Applebloom was impatiently waitin' on me.

“How long does it take ya ta get down the stairs? You can get down ta the ground floor in a minute, Ah've seen ya do it!” She said, more irritated now. Once, she caught me testin' out my powers about ten years ago after Ah realized they were there. She never lets me forget about it. Ah jumped off the ten story buildin' tryin ta get ta the other side, fell, and it was like nothin' happened. Save fer breakin' the concrete and a few scrapes here and there. As far as Ah can tell, my body is as strong as it is durable. Ah can hit just about anythin’ hard enough ta break it, and Ah’ve never been hit so hard that Ah break. At most, Ah’ve been slashed and shot, but wounds like that only go skin deep, or a little deeper if it’s somethin’ bigger than a hoof gun. Ah still get bruised and banged up every now and again, but never ta the point Ah couldn’t handle it.

“Yeah, yeah, let's just go. Ya don't wanna be later than ya already are, do ya?” Applebloom huffed and turned out the door. “Ah figured.” From sidewalk ta sidewalk, from traffic light ta traffic light, we walked in silence. The street lamps started ta dot the city roads in the evenin’ sun, and eventually, it had all but left the horizon.

“So, did ya see that Marevelous put that guy in the armor away?” Applebloom asked. Of course Ah did. Ah was there. Or so Ah'd like ta say. Ta keep from lettin' anypony on, Ah just play dumb whenever somepony asks me about the super world.

“Oh. Did she?” Even though she's started ta get a little indifferent ta me as she's gotten older, she's always liked Marevelous Red. From the very beginnin’ almost three years ago now, she’s always been a fan. She has the first paper Ah ever made hung up on her bedroom wall. Always puts a smile on my face ta see it.

“Yeah, she did. How ya managed ta miss that, Ah wouldn't know. Y’all were probably part of the crew that fixed the garden, right?” My lie is that Ah work as part of the street janitors in the city. Ah just go along with whatever and say what she needs ta hear.

Ah shrugged. “Naw, Ah got off early today. Ah was asleep from about noon till whenever ya walked in.”

“Oh. Well... Ah saved the paper that ran this afternoon if ya want. She's in it, and somepony got a real good picture. Apparently, she didn't even chase the guy down. He was throwin' rocks her, and all she did was send em back! The picture even has her in mid air!” It's always nice ta see Applebloom excited about somethin'. The kids at school are vicious, and her and her two friends get bullied all the time by 'em. At least she has somethin' ta enjoy every time Ah make the paper.

“Alright, Ah'll look at it later. Tomorrow is Sunday, ya know. Got any homework that ya need ta do?” Ah said, tryin' ta get away from the subject. The way these conversations go, 'a real good picture' usually leads to 'who do ya think she is?' and then 'do ya think she's related ta Red Hoof? Whatever happened ta him?' Ah got all worked up and yelled at her last time, and Ah still feel bad about it. Ah can't tell her the truth. The more she knows, the more danger she's put in. Star Slate always talks about how heroes who don't do a good job hidin' their identities end up gettin' their close ones hurt. Ah don't want that ta happen ta them.

“Well...” she said, losin’ eye contact. I raised an eye brow.

“Uh huh. Is it math again?” Ah said in my, 'ya know ya should've already taken care of this' tone.

“Yeah...”

“Ah'm gonna be at work tonight, so try and get yer brother ta help ya tomorrow okay? You’re smarter than the both of us, and you have a real chance ta get in ta school fer free. Don't let it go ta waste.” As much as Ah never knew one, Ah've always tried ta play the role of mother in the family. Dad never remarried, and with Aunt Dew gone, Ah just kinda took up the torch. Ah'd say Ah've done a good job so far, at least. Ah hope.

She sighed and said, “Alright, Ah guess. Do ya really have another all night shift?”

Ah nodded. “Yep, it seems like it. But don't worry about me. How am Ah supposed ta get ya a birthday present if Ah don't work?” Ah patted her head and she tried her damnedest ta fight my hoof away.

“Applejack, knock it off! We're almost there!” She said through a bright red face. She hated it when Ah babied her. So Ah did it whenever Ah could fer that very reason.

Like she said, we had finally reached the place over on the west side. This area was mostly populated by unicorns due ta old segregation way back in the day. It's got a few ‘other’ tribe families here and there, but the unicorns still dominate the area. The city as a whole had become more friendly since the virus broke out, but old weeds run deep. The buildin' was real odd fer a livin' space in this city. It looked more like a clothin' store than anythin'.

“This is Rarity's Boutique. Sweetie Belle lives with her sister here because their parents ain’t in the picture. Please try ta keep from embarrassin' me while you're here, okay?”

In response, as all good sisters must, Ah turned my southern up ta eleven. “Wa-hat? Me? Em-bar-ra-sin'? Why, how could Ah ever em-bar-rass yew?”

Applebloom gave me a dead eyed look. “Ah don't even know why Ah asked.” She knocked on the door while Ah tried ta contain my laughter. Ah was stopped fairly immediately when the door opened to somethin’ Ah didn't expect ta see.

“Oh, hello. Why, you must be Sweetie's friend. Applebloom isn't it?” said a... familiar voice comin’ from a white coated unicorn with a curly violet mane and tail.

“Yes ma'am. This is my sister Applejack, Ah hope ya don't mind. She wouldn't let me come alone,” Applebloom said, givin’ me a good, hard glare.

“Oh, uh, right, nice ta meet ya, miss Dia- uh, Rarity right?” She looked like all the world had frozen around her, extremely fixated on me.

The air was caught with silence as Rarity stared me in the eye fer what seemed like hours, until it was broken when a younger white unicorn with a pale purple and pink mane and tail came ta the door. “Rarity? Applebloom? What are you two just standing here for? Come on in!” Applebloom had said that Sweetie was a little oblivious some times. This must be her.

Rarity finally dropped her glare and turned ta Sweetie. “Hm? Oh, right. You two go on inside. Applejack... and I need to talk.” The younger girls shrugged and went inside, and then Rarity shut the door, never leavin’ eye contact with me. Well. Ya really did it this time, Applejack.

“Red Hoof? Can ya hear me?”said the little filly's voice in Citrus' head.

“Ah can. Where am Ah goin' this time?” he replied to air.

“Take the next right down 114^th, and then a right on to 115^th.”

Citrus did as he was told, quickly jumping from rooftop to rooftop. The faster Ah get this over with the better. He learned from his last encounter that he doesn't heal nearly as quickly as he would like. This was the second attempt at Brute Force’s bounty, as the last one became a sticky situation far quicker than any of them could have imagined. Whatever Brightness’s power is, she seems to have the ability to pick up on things, locations of ponies, levels of stress in the area, and even being able to talk to somepony across long distances.

That night a week ago, Brute Force and the Mutants were about to ship large number of foal to young adult age ponies overseas to be... used for whatever means to a country of carnivorous inhabitants. Bright picked up on an extreme level of stress pinpointed near the same place Brute was located, and then a fight broke out. Citrus ambushed about half of the Power Ponies in Brute's gang before they had figured out something was up. After that, the whole place was lit like a laser show. Beams of all kinds of energy and elements were being fired at what could only be described as some 'freak in a red suit'.

It got ugly when they started threatening to hurt the hostages, at which point Citrus had to get creative. He found a flare up in the rafters of the old giant warehouse that the Mutants had holed up in, and flashed them while making an opening in the largest wall he could find for the hostages to escape through. Fortunately, all the hostages managed to escape, except one. Unfortunately, that one hostage is still in Brute's custody. Red Hoof was shot in the leg, and with only seventy five percent of his mobility, he couldn't fight Brute and save the foal at the same time.

The next day, a paper ran about the 'Pony in the Red Suit' who saved all the foals who'd gone missing that month. One of the children that was interviewed said that he had a Red Hoof on his flank, so the media took that and dubbed him, ‘Red Hoof,’ to Brightness’s dismay. Though his sister complained, Star was just happy that Citrus was in the paper at all. She’d get over it eventually. The Root family had moved into their new home, and with no goons to turn in, Citrus was just about out money after furnishing the place. It was do or die time, because utility bills and taxes were just around the corner.

“Do you see the building that has the smoke stacks?” Bright said.

“Ah do. Is that where they are?” He replied.

“Yes. From the looks of it, there are about six near Brute, and twelve more around the factory. One of them has a much higher stress level than the others around Brute, so that means the hostage is with him. You probably want to start by taking out the guys on the bottom floor. There are just four there.” The more often Brightness uses her powers, the more detailed it seems she can get. Star has been documenting all the things she can do ever since they started collaborating, and even Citrus has started to feel stronger. The virus as a whole is still completely unknown simply because nopony knows where or what the virus changes. Supposedly, Celestia herself has been researching it, but has made practically no headway.

“Ah'm at the buildin's edge. Where do Ah go in?”

“Get to the ground floor and there's a back entrance. The blue print says that there's a staircase that obscures this entrance, and it looks like there's only one mutant stationed by it. Take him out and then get the rest.”

Silently, Citrus made his way down the rooftop he was on via the fire exit. The place that Brute was hiding out at was an old abandoned factory that used to make parts for armored machines used in the last war. A stallion named Automizer had invented a device that could travel twice as fast as a pony could run, and after forty or so years had passed, the whole world was obsessed with vehicles.

When war broke out between countries on the next continent over, Equestria's allies requested help, and so they did. En masse. With their mechanical beasts, they decimated the competition and put Equestria as one of the most powerful countries the world has to offer. We haven't been in a major war nearly sixty years since then, so factories in big cities like this one were all but useless now.

The building had several large gates for moving trucks to be docked and loaded up, but as for actual doors, there were just a few. After circling the building, Citrus finally found the one he was looking for. Just as Brightness said, there was one guard here, and he was an ugly beast. Possibly a Rhino hybrid based on the large singular horn coming from the end of his snout, he was about three times Citrus's size.

Lets just hope this mook ain't as strong as Shark was. Spotting a pebble, Citrus grabbed it and broke the window next to the door to get him to turn sideways. As soon as he did, Citrus kicked the door in on him. The metal was thrown with such force that once the rhino-pony hit a wall, the door folded in on him. Citrus sighed in relief and them jumped up to the staircase to see what he could see.

“What did you just do!? The other three ponies in the room just had their stress levels spike!”

Citrus decided it was best not to reply. He could see them, but they couldn't see him. The more normal looking unicorn guard motioned for the two pegasi he was with to go check out the sound. The big square staircase took up quite a bit of the room, so once they were behind it, Citrus leapt and took out the lone unicorn. When he looked at the now unconscious blue stallion, he noticed some large fangs, and paws instead of hooves.

Eeh. Ah definitely don't want ta deal with this guy. Unicorn or not, those claws look dangerous. He quietly ripped one of the chains on the assembly line apart and then hog tied the lion-corn. The jingling sound seemed to alert the other two because one of them called out.

“Leo? Hey, Leo, what was that sound!?” The words were quickly accompanied by the sounds of flapping wings, and then the two pegasi were in the same space staring at a masked pony in red with their superior in chains on the ground.

“Sorry fellas, Leo here is a lil tied up at the moment,” Citrus said, making a dash for the teal green pegasus first. With a quick punch to the ribs, he was out for the count. The red one however, was nowhere to be seen. Citrus backed off real quick and started to look around.

Where did he go? He's a pegasus, he didn't just up and disappear... unless he can just kinda do that. Damn it! Super powers make this kinda crap difficult. He heard the sound of a chain rattling, and then noticed that Leo's chain was moving on it's own.

Invisibility, eh? This Ah can deal with. The place that the chain was moving implied that the pegasus had his back turned to Citrus, which wasn't all that smart, but it looked like this guy knew where his talents lie. Silently, Citrus approached the rattling chain that the invisible stallion was struggling with. Citrus didn't think it was possible for him to un-press the chain together, so he took his time. With a heavy slam with his right foreleg to where he assumed the invisible pony to be, his hoof connected and the stallion lost his invisibility. However, it looked like it connected a bit too hard, as now the poor pegasus was bleeding real bad.

“Damn it! See, if ya go around all invisible like, Ah can't tell where Ah'm hittin ya! Ah just wanted ta knock ya out, not break yer back!” Citrus went around the production line until he found several rags that looked relatively clean and started to tie up the bleeding area.

“W-why? Why would you help me?” The red pegasus asked. It didn't look like he could still walk at this point, so Citrus was satisfied with keeping him alive.

“Ah aim ta be a hero, not a bounty hunter. Even if Ah have both titles, murderer isn't one Ah want ta add too 'em.” He hog tied the other pegasus and left the three in a row next to the rhino-pony.

“Well isn't that sweet of ya. Eight more on the next floor, I don't think any of them have been alerted to you yet. Make your way up, but be careful, there's three by the elevator door. You don't really have a way to avoid them.” Brightness said.

“Yeah, sure. Let's just hope that these are the ones that were shootin' things at me last time so Ah can take 'em out quick. None of the guys here were armed with anythin' but their powers.” Citrus replied as he made his way up the staircase.

“It's possible, but we can't really know. Hold on, stop where you are.” Citrus froze.

“What's going on?” The sound of electricity running through wires hummed and mechanical wheels started to turn.

“The highest stress level and the lowest stress level are moving floors. Brute Force is on the move.” Brightness warned. Citrus took this opportunity to test out his grip strength and grabbed hold of one of the chains toward the top of the very dark room. There were large windows on either side, but toward the ceiling where all the chains were fed through, there was next to no light. With Citrus in the shadows now, the elevator had finished descending through the winding staircase to the ground floor. Out of the elevator walked a very large white stallion in an expensive looking suit with a small tan filly chained at the neck being pulled along like a dog.

“Now you keep quiet this time. Blow this for me again, and you'll never see daylight or your brother again, understand me?” Brute growled at the little girl, bringing his massive face next to hers. She only tilted her head down in response. Brute smiled, revealing his singular gold tooth and started making his way to the front door.

“Nopony is moving upstairs! This is your chance!” Brightness said, almost shouting with joy.

“If you feel that freak in the red, tell me. If I see him again, I'll make it so he never takes another step.” Brute said, carefully scanning the room. The filly with him immediately looked in the direction Citrus was hiding, but Brute didn't seem to notice. Citrus laughed to himself. This might actually turn out to be ironic.

“Never walk again, ya said? Oh no wait, take another step. Yeah, that one might just be a lil more frightenin', if Ah do say so myself,” Citrus said, loud enough echo through the factory.

“Son of a bitch! Where are you hiding!?” Brute yelled, scanning the room for the voice’s source. Citrus jumped from the ceiling to the main entrance Brute was heading for.

“Ah don't remember hidin' from anypony. Howdy, mister kidnapper,” Citrus said, a big smile on his face. Brute frowned.

“You make a move, and the girl dies.” He said, placing a fire arm hidden under his sleeve next to the girl's head. Citrus clicked his tongue. Yep. Hostage. That was the word we decided was right here. This time though, Ah have a counter measure.

“Funny ya say that. It's real similar ta what ya said before. Except, this time, only one hostage is gonna escape from ya. Well, that and Ah'm gonna put ya in jail.” Brute was especially susceptible to being goaded into attacking. As his given name suggested, he wasn't one to think well in a heated situation.

“You piece of shit! I'll kill you!” As predicted, Brute turned the gun on Citrus. Just as quickly, Citrus took one of the chain links he ripped off earlier, and threw it full force at the gun. It collided with the barrel just as Brute fired and caused the barrel to explode. It burned Brute's foreleg, and while he was distracted, Citrus ran in for the girl. He stomped the chain in pieces and punched Brute hard in the ribs, sending him reeling. Citrus grabbed the filly and leapt toward the corner of the assembly line.

“Stay here young'in. You'll be safe, Ah'll make sure of it.” And with that, he ran back to Brute.

“I always make good on my promises, you red bastard!” With unexpected speed, Brute had closed the distance between himself and Red Hoof.

Shit, he's fast! With a quick shuffle, Citrus managed to avoid being slammed into the ground by Brute's earth shattering force. He noticed the veins on the stallion's bulky neck beginning to bulge, and then Citrus got an idea. He's not payin' attention...

“So tell me, uh... Biff was it? Are ya normally this dumb? Or is it just that ya look that way?” With an ever reddening coat near his face, Brute charged at Citrus again. He slammed into one of the assembly lines, ripping bolts out of the ground, missing Citrus.

That's what Ah thought... now it's time ta sucker this dummy. “Ya know, Ah lived in the south fer quite a while, but stereotypes tend ta depict me as dumb. Now, that's just a stereotype, but y'all? Y'all really make the grade fer dumb jock. Ah mean, really. It's a wonder that ya figured out how ta kidnap anythin’ with a brain.” That got his attention. Brute charged again, and smashed yet another assembly line, this time turning it into a solid V shape. Yeah, Ah'm not winnin' a strength contest against this guy, that's fer sure.

“When I get my hooves on you, I'll pop your head like a watermelon!” Brute Force roared, charging at Citrus again, smashing another assembly line.

One more now... “Get yer hooves on me? Well, Ah suppose that's possible. Maybe if somepony else was runnin yer body. Think of me like an amusement park ride. 'Must be this smart ta catch.' Sorry, but ya just don't make the mark.” Brute Force roared one more time, smashing a fourth assembly line.

“Ah've had lots of fun playin' with ya, but this girl needs ta make it home, and yer keepers at the station are waitin patiently, so Ah think it's time ta go.” Now Citrus was standing in front of the elevator entrance inside the stair case, leaning on it casually. Brute force charged again, and Citrus made a jump for the closest assembly line that had been up rooted. Brute smashed head first into the wall, breaking it and the staircase that connected to it. He sat there dazed from the impact, clutching his head. Citrus took this moment to spring back from the leverage point with a chain in hoof.

Swinging with all his might, he took a sheet metal panel at the end of the chain with him and slammed it onto Brute. The Power Pony managed to rip through the sheet metal that formed around him, only in time to watch the next one slam down on his head. Citrus was about to load up the next one when he noticed that the room had gone silent. Rather than following through, he went to check and see if Brute was still conscious. Lifting one piece of the two sheets, he could see the still, but breathing form of Brute on the ground, half underneath the first sheet.

“Brightness, can you tell if he’s is still awake in there?” He asked for assurance.

“It doesn't look like there's much of any stress coming off him now. He's got even less stress than the other guys on that floor, so I don't think so. Should be safe to tie him up now. But something has been bothering me...” Citrus started to fold the sheets of metal around Brute, making a nice and tight metal cocoon for him. He picked up the lug and responded to Bright.

“What's that?”

“It's the stress levels from the second floor. They haven't done anything but go up, yet none of them have moved. At all.” Citrus reared his head back.

“They what? Why? Aren't they his goons?” Before Brightness responded, the little tan filly with the collar had tugged on Citrus's tail wrap.

“M-my friends are up there mister... can you help them?” His eyes widened.

“Bright, Ah don't think Brute has any more goons.” After throwing Brute and his gang into an assembly cart, Citrus took the filly up to the second floor, only to find more foals tied up and gagged. After freeing all the children and loading up his cart, Citrus made his way to the station followed by a trail of foals.

As it turned out, each one of these kids belonged to a politician within the city to keep the police away from Brute's activities. Naturally, this news being made public caused a fire storm in the media. At any point Red Hoof was sighted in the city, a swarm of ponies chased after him trying to get a picture and a comment.

Citrus had believed that the money he'd gotten from Brute Force's bounty would have gotten him through the year. He believed that, anyways. Problem after problem arose, and so the pool that was supposed to last a year ended up lasting for only six months. Really, managing to get a house for as cheap as he did was unprecedented in Manehattan, and something must have been wrong with it. However, something happened to be everything. If it wasn't the kids who somehow caused unusually large amounts of destruction, then it was the unreliable corner cutting builders that were to blame. Even though he could fix most problems with materials and his own know how, Citrus would always find something that he would have to expedite to whoever could do the job.

The next half year didn't go easy. Villains with similar powers started to slip through the cracks, and with each passing month, a new terror would rise up. The money was nice, but eventually, he had more than he knew what to do with. The job wasn't just to make money anymore, it was about protecting the city he'd come to love, and the kids he wanted to grow in it. However, even with all his power, Citrus was not a match for everypony he ran up against. He relied on the allies he'd made in saving or rescuing ponies from his earlier acts, even some small time crooks that turned a new leaf after meeting him.

They formed teams, Power Ponies started to rise just as much as villains did. The war zone of Manehattan wasn't so one sided anymore. Burst, Wild Cyclone, Light Bringer, Zero/One, Octofish, Radiant Blaze. Heroes of all shapes and sizes came to stand by Red Hoof to protect the city that they all loved. But, as all good things do, it eventually came to an end. It was around the middle of the second year when change was in the air.

“Meet ya fer lunch? Really? Ya know Ah work nights. Ah shouldn't even be awake right now,” Citrus said, scratching his head. It was the middle of the afternoon, and his brother had called him.

“Oh, come on. I haven't seen you in a while, and we live like, a mile away from each other. Come see your little brother and his wife, huh?” Blood said on the other side of the phone. Citrus had actually paid to replace his own neighborhood's telephone pole so many times that he did it himself not too long ago.

One time his kids broke it. Somehow. He started to suspect that one of them might have inherited something, but that first pole was also a lightning rod, and was fairly weak at the base. The second one was his fault. A fight got too close to home, and so he ended it. The last one was due to another hero's work, and said hero was reprimanded heavily for it. Citrus sighed. The older kids don't get out of school for another four hours, and there wasn't any reason he couldn't take Applebloom with him. At this point, she was just as nocturnal as he was.

“Alright, Ah'll come see ya. Where are we goin'?” Citrus finally agreed.

“Sweet. There's this new place a little ways from the house that Dew has been begging to go to. And don't worry, we can pay, it's a little pricey.”

Citrus took a deep breath. Money was literally no object at this point, but most ponies think he's a night janitor for the city. Rather than letting his pride consume him, Citrus decided it'd be best if he simply said, “Naw, it's fine. Ah got a raise recently. We can celebrate,” so the damaged pride wouldn't just eat away at him. Double income no kids couple, versus a single father of three. If he wanted to, Citrus could likely buy his brother a place in Manehattan Heights if he wanted without really putting a dent in his savings. But, collateral damage structural repairs cost money, and ‘you break it, you buy it’ was one of his mottos.

“Oh, really? That's fantastic Citrus. Meet us at the apartment lobby by one, okay?”

“Sure bud. Ah'll see ya there.” Citrus hung up the phone and rolled his way out of bed. The house had finally come together after working at it for so long. All the kids had their own rooms, and the nursery would eventually turn into Applebloom's room. They each had toys to play with, even one of the fancy and very expensive new video game thingies that had come out not too long ago. When Citrus was in his teens, the only place one could find a video game was in an arcade. He was never a big fan of them, but Macintosh and Applejack seemed to love them. The house was a home now. It was simply a shame that Rosie wasn't here to see it.

Citrus made his way to wake the sleepy toddler. Opening the door to the blackout curtained room let more light in and disturbed the little filly. Rather than wake her outright, Citrus simply picked her up and placed her on his back. She'd learned to speak recently, even if it was just a few crude sentences here and there. She talks more than she can understand, even picks up a few new things during a conversation. She seems a little quicker to get on the ball than the other two, which is interesting, all things considered.

The stallion and his daughter had made it out the door before Applebloom started to stir on her father's back.

“Papa?” She said weakly, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes.

“Afternoon Applebloom,” Citrus said turning his head. His hat rim was keeping the sun out of her eyes, and now that it moved, she started to blink furiously.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“Oh, we're just goin' ta have lunch with yer uncle Orange,” he said casually.

“Oh really!? Yay!” she exclaimed, pleased with the unusual circumstances of either her or her father being awake at this point in the day. She began to sway on his back, nearly falling over if it weren't for the 'dad sense' he'd picked up over the years.

“Hey, be careful now,” Citrus said, pushing the filly back to the center of his back. They made their way through the streets, stopping at stop lights, watching cars go by, and Applebloom questioning everything in sight. It was rare for her to be up at this time of day, so the things she saw were all the more interesting. Much to his dismay, Citrus answered all her questions as best a two year old could understand. Eventually tiring of it, Citrus gave her a challenge.

“Now how about this. If ya can stay quiet, fer the whole lunch, Ah'll get ya ice cream afterward. That sound fair?” He said, expecting his challenge to be accepted.

“Huh!? Really!? Deal! But... do Ah have ta start now?” Citrus sighed.

“Ah suppose not...” He said, and then the onslaught continued. They were just a street light away from the apartment complex too. If Ah can just hold out fer a little bit longer, she’ll shut up on her own. The crossing light turned white and then Citrus started to cross. It was oddly empty on the sidewalks today, but the roads were filled with cars as always. They were just about half way through the intersection, when all of Citrus' senses went into overdrive. The sound of screeching tires and police sirens were rapidly approaching.

A car drifted into the intersection, tires squealing, engine roaring, about to catch grip again and run down the ponies crossing. Without thinking, Citrus tossed Applebloom high in the air and then stood on his hind legs. He was staring directly into the eyes of the driver as his hoof rocketed toward the front of the car, which was no more than a meter away. The steel body of the vehicle rippled as the crushing force of Citrus' punch started to crush the metal and cancel out its momentum. The car now stopped and broken, he then leapt to grab Applebloom, who was just about to leave her ascending arc. Rather than stick around, he decided that it would be best to come from the other side of the building just in case the driver got a good look at his face.

He landed on the apartment complex roof with the scruff of Applebloom's neck in his teeth. Setting the filly down, he checked over the edge to watch what happened next. The driver had slumped over in his seat, and the police cars were a few street lights behind. Oh good. Well, at least nopony saw me. Ah hope.

“Wee! Papa can we do that again?” Applebloom said, teetering near the edge of the roof. He quickly snapped her up and put her on his back again.

“No. Also, there's a new condition to yer ice cream. Don't tell anypony about what just happened. Especially yer Aunt and Uncle. Yer brother and sister either.” The filly tilted her head.

“Oh. Okay. Papa, what does 'con-dish-un' mean?” Citrus rolled his eyes, let out a breath that seemed to contain most of his adrenaline, and answered the question as best he could.

Blood Orange and Glistening Dew were waiting patiently, facing the door. They'd heard a strange and loud sound coming from just outside the complex, and decided to investigate. When they reached the glass doors, there were two police cars and another car with a nearly unrecognizable front half. There was nopony inside, and the police were searching for something, probably the driver.

“Hey, what are y'all up to?” said a southern accent from behind them. Blood turned around to see his brother and niece looking out the window at the scene.

“Oh, there you are. Where were you? Did you see this happen? How does that happen to a car? What did it hit?” He asked.

“Oh that? Yeah Ah saw it as Ah was comin' in. No idea what happened though, it was like that when Ah got here. Decided that Ah'd go through the back ta avoid bein’ interviewed.” Citrus said.

“Huh. Well, at least you're here. And how are you, little Applebloom?” he asked, his voice dripping with sugar at the end.

“Hi uncle Orange! Hi aunt Dew!” the filly replied. Dew took the girl up in her forelegs and gave her a hug.

“Oh, hello Applebloom! I didn't know you were going to bring her!” Dew said to Citrus.

“Ah figured Ah'd rather have her with me than leave her alone at the house. Macintosh and Applejack don't get out of school fer another couple hours, so there'd be nopony home ta watch her.” He took Applebloom back from Dew and put her on his back.

“Well, isn't that nice. Should we tell him?” Dew asked, leaning into Blood.

“No not yet. Let's make it to the restaurant first,” Blood answered.

Citrus raised an eyebrow. “Tell me what?”

“Oh, you'll see. Come on, we have reservations in ten minutes,” Citrus swallowed. Reservations? Ah only brought one black with me... Ah really hope he doesn't try ta get me ta drink again.

The group left the scene of the strange car crash and made their way ten blocks down the road to one of the fanciest restaurants Citrus had ever seen. The title of the place was labeled with a cursive sign that had back lights behind it that spelled out the word, ‘Champagne.’

“Oh. Well, uh. Ain't this a little special?” Citrus asked, questioning what exactly there was to be told.

“Yeah, well it's a special occasion, so I thought we could splurge a little,” Blood said. After holding the door for his brother and sister in law, Blood made his way up to the front desk, which might as well have been a command center.

“Monsieur Orange and company, I presume?” said the well styled pale orange mare with a shiny, dark black mane.

“Yes ma'am,” Blood replied.

“Of course. Zis way. Would you like a highchair for l’enfant?” she asked, looking at Citrus. It took him a moment to process that she was asking about Applebloom.

“Oh, right, Yes Ma'am.”

“Papa, she talks funny,” Applebloom said, loud enough for most in the restaurant to hear.

Citrus quickly turned his head and stared her in the eyes. “You remember the deal?” he asked in a low tone.

“Oh. Sorry,” she said covering her mouth.

Citrus smiled and nuzzled her head. “Attagirl.”

The server mare gave Citrus a nasty look, then lead the group to their table. The dining room was floored with polished black stone and furnished with piano black stained wood and red leather cushions. The walls were all white with pictures of various cities around the country, and tastefully covered with large paintings done by artists that Citrus had read about in the news. The lights were all hanging red cones that were bright enough to read under, but dim enough to make it feel like it was dark outside. There was soft jazz piano playing in the background, and after a little searching, Citrus noticed a stage with a pianist playing on one of the biggest grands he'd ever seen. He started to sweat underneath his hat.

“How much is this gonna cost me Blood?” he asked quietly.

“Oh, it's not that bad. We managed to get away for under one twenty last time we were here.” Citrus bit his lip in an attempt to keep from dropping his jaw.

He took a deep breath, and then put a foreleg around his brother. “This better be real damn important!” He said under his breath.

Blood smiled and nodded his head. “Oh, it's important alright. Ready Dew?” He said shuffling his chair over next to hers.

“Okay, three, two, one!”

“We're pregnant!” They exclaimed, one foreleg over the other's neck. This time, Citrus did let his jaw drop.

“You're... you two are havin' a kid!?” He repeated the words just to make them seem real. After all the brothers had been through to get to normal lives in their youth, the idea of Blood having a child was… almost unthinkable.

“Yep! I found out yesterday! Isn't this great?” Dew said.

“Well... how far along are ya? What do ya know about it?” Citrus asked, still trying to absorb the information that was just given to him. His little brother, soon to be a father. Blood and Dew. Parents. With all the death in the past three years, it's about time fer somethin' good ta happen.

“We haven't seen a doctor about it yet. You're the only one who knows right now,” Blood said.

“I haven't even told my mother yet. I can't wait to see the look on her face! She'll be so proud of me!” Dew said, with an ever growing smile.

“You didn't do that alone,” Blood cooed, giving her a look. Citrus scowled at him.

“Eh hem. Y'all remember my daughter, right? The two year old filly?” He said, gesturing to the little filly who was furiously coloring something on a kids menu.

“Oh, right. My bad,” Blood said, scratching the back of his green mane.

“We're just really excited to finally share the news with somepony. I don't have siblings, and Blood said he wanted you to know first,” Dew explained, finally letting go of her husband.

“Yeah. And we were thinking...” Blood began.

“Thinkin' what? Come on, spit it out!” Citrus demanded.

“Well, we wanted to name it after you.” In that one moment, Citrus felt like the world had frozen. After me? Not her mother, or our parents, but me? Why would he want to...

“You see, we had our doubts about whether or not we could actually raise a foal...” Dew started.

“But, seeing you raise three on your own for these past couple years got us thinking,” Blood finished.

“If Citrus has the fortitude to raise three kids alone, surely we could raise our own together?” Dew said, getting closer to Blood.

“So, we figured, why not just go for it? Just take the plunge and see what happens next? Ponies have been raising foals for generations without knowing what to do, so we can’t be that bad off right?” Blood explained. They were holding each other's hooves now.

Citrus scratched his head. “Well, that's mighty kind of ya. But don't ya think-”

Blood cut him off. “No. I don't think there is anyone else we'd rather our child to grow up like. You're the most honest, kind, and strongest stallion we've ever known. This would be a little like a testament to that. I mean, where would I be if you didn't help me get through school? Dew and I would never have moved out of that moldy old apartment.”

“And think about the time that Blood tried to blow all of our savings on my engagement ring. If you hadn't knocked some sense into him, he might've done it!” Dew added.

Blood frowned at Dew, who flashed a bright smile in response. He rolled his eyes and then turned back to Citrus. “Teenage mistakes aside, this is just... our way of saying thanks. Honestly, we never would've made it this far without you.”

Citrus shrugged and smiled. “Ah guess if that's what ya decided, then Ah can't do anythin' about it. It's yer kid, after all.” Shortly afterward, the waitress returned, and within minutes of that, the food was ready. It was expensive, but Citrus still managed to hold on to three silver bits after the ordeal. Citrus and Applebloom said their goodbyes to the Oranges, and made their way home. With such great news, what could possibly go wrong?

The city might just have become the brighter place he'd been working for in these past two years. Maybe it was time to hang up the cape, and try and be that uncle he was looking forward to be.

Of course, today things were set in motion. Things that nopony could have ever predicted would happen.

Origin Story IV: Gratitude

“So. Tell me. What exactly were you about to call me?” the white unicorn asked. Ah swallowed. Ah don't know exactly what her power is, or at least, what the extent of her magic can do.

Back when we were partnerin', all Ah knew she could do was warp from one place ta another sorta kinda without ever turnin' her horn on. She always carried some kinda weapon on her too, like a baton or somethin'. Ah hadn't said anythin' else, and she just kept circlin' me, sizin' me up and tryin' ta figure out who Ah was.

“Uh… Darlin'?” Ah said. My attempt was in vain.

“Mmhmm. And… how often do you actually use that word? The way you just said it makes it seem foreign to you. Oh, and let's not forget, we've never met before, so that would make me a stranger to you now wouldn't it? Speaking of, where exactly are you and Applebloom from? You clearly aren't from a northern city like Manehattan with an accent like that.”

Ah tried my best ta keep a straight face, but Ah think she knew I was beginnin' ta break. “Uh, Ponyville, Palomino. Ah moved here when Ah was about four or so.” Ah tried ta keep as few details as I could in my sentences.

She was pickin' up on things Ah probably wouldn't have noticed just by lookin' at me. “Mmm... strange. I was born in that town, and I’ve never heard of you. But, you know, there was a hero once who had an accent like yours that’s found in that town. It was always quoted that he was from Manehattan, but many reporters always said he sounded like he was from the south. Another interesting tidbit is that there is a hero around now with oddly similar powers and that same southern accent. Ever heard of a mare who goes by the name Marevelous Red?”

Ah swallowed again. She was catchin' on quicker than Ah wanted, or at all really. She knows what I was gonna call her. Ah needed a convenient escape. Luckily, one showed up.

“Rarity! Can come help me in the kitchen? I think I did something,” her sister said from inside.

Oh thank Celestia.

“Just a moment, Sweetie.” Ah spoke too soon. She turned her head ta answer her sister, then she stared me down. Her body started ta glow with a faint gray aura, and suddenly, the world lost color. Everythin' but me and her was in some kinda light-less black and white world. The streetlamps were lit, but it was more like they sprayed white over everything that wasn't black. Once it was done, she started circlin' me again.

“H-hey? What's goin' on? Are you doin' this!?”

She stopped. “Well, yes. But the question I asked you is still in the air, darling. Do you or do you not know of Marevelous Red?”

Instinctively, Ah took a step away from her. Ah cursed under my breath for it. “Well, yeah. My sister is a big fan of hers...” Ah let my voice trail off.

“Mmhmm... so how about you? What do you think of this Marevelous Red character? Some say she's just a Red Hoof copycat, other say she'll cause just as much destruction as he did twelve years ago.”

Ah nearly froze in place. Ah had ta remember ta breathe after a few minutes. Her mentionin' Pa was one thing, but ta talk about that… “Ah… Ah don't wanna keep talkin' ta ya if ya don't mind. You're startin ta freak me out. You're one of them power ponies right? Look, Ah don't want no trouble…” Ah tried ta change the subject, maybe even get her to take pity on me.

She didn't. “I've had just about enough of this act of yours. I'll put it bluntly; you know who I am, and I believe I know who you are. So, Miss Red, tell me what you were going to call me and I'll release my world.”

Ah know it was cold outside, even colder in this weird black and white zone, but Ah was sweatin'. Should Ah just tell the truth? If Ah keep tryin’ ta deny or change the subject, she may not ever let me go. Ah don't know how long she can keep this up, but if she was willin' ta let me see her power, then she's probably willin' ta go as long as it takes.

Ah bowed my head and sighed. “Diamond. Ah was gonna say Diamond.”

“Ah ha! I knew it! You are Red! It's been so long, how have you been doing? You weren't very friendly earlier today. I've heard you've been in a kind of rut lately,” she said in a completely different tone, approachin' me and puttin' on a friendly air.

Ah wasn't quite prepared fer this kinda change in tempo. “Uh... what? Ah nearly exposed ya ta yer sister and ya just... wanna know how Ah've been?”

She made a bunch of mouth noises and waved my question away. “Sweetie is far too oblivious to catch on to me. Considering what my power is, she likely wouldn't think me as Diamond anyways. Come now, tell me what's been happening with you. You always seem so lonely when I see you work.”

Why is she so concerned? Ah just don't get it. Ah've always been told ta keep ta myself by the ponies who got me where Ah am today, and she just want's ta throw all that away. But… she's not wrong… maybe it would be good ta have somepony Ah can talk ta about work…

“Well… Ah guess… Ah don't know. Can Ah really trust ya? If Ah spill my story out here, do Ah have yer word you'll keep it ta yer self?” Honestly, Ah was putty in her hooves at this point. Ah needed a friend so badly, Ah woulda opened up ta Mac next time Ah saw him. The nightmares won't stop, work has been slow, Ah'm having trouble keepin' up with school payments. Ah feel like Ah need somewhere ta put all this stress, and she's offerin' ta help me hold it.

“Of course. Cross my heart, hope to fly, put a cupcake in my eye,” she said making motions ta follow her words.

“What?” Ah blinked.

“Oh, it's a saying that one of my friends has. You aren't the only other hero I know, after all.”

“You know others? Who they really are?” Ah asked, amazed that there were others crazy enough ta trust their secrets ta somepony else. As inconspicuous as this kind of job is, that's almost more of a shock than her figurin' out who Ah am.

“Obviously. I've been trying to get you to join our guild all this time, but you always rejected me after that, um, incident. We help each other. You can't keep the weight of the world on your back alone, after all.”

With one sentence, Ah suddenly felt lighter. This is probably what relief feels like. “Thanks, Dia- er, Rarity right?”

She nodded. “Anything to help a friend. After all, we're share the same goal don't we? Keep this city a safe place for our families?”

Ah nodded. “Yeah.” Ah looked around and noticed that nothin' had moved. The clouds, the banners, any kind of cloth that would flow in the wind that had been blowin' stuck in place like a picture. As a matter of fact, Ah hadn't felt that recently either.

“Didn't yer sister ask fer yer help like, a while ago?” Rarity rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Well, sort of. My power? I can freeze time for about ten minutes. The price for that however, is my magical ability. As far as unicorns go, I'm about as pathetic as one can get, unfortunately. More or less limited to simple levitation spells and one that relates to my cutie mark. Little and less more. Sweetie had more ability as a filly than I do now. That is why I always carry some kind of bludgeoning tool around when I do my job.” She looked a little disappointed. Her power is pretty amazin', but bein’ a weak unicorn probably has more drawbacks than Ah could know. Ah figured Ah'd tell her what my power is ta try and cheer her up.

“Well, Ah'm really just a strong earth pony. Sure, Ah can punch through a buildin' but Ah can't do nothin' special like this. Y'all can stop time! Even if it's just a few minutes, that' another ten minutes ya can add ta yer day. Ah can only imagine how nice that must be ta have around. Have ya ever thought about usin' projectiles when the world is all frozen like this? There are just so many ways ya could use this…” The more Ah thought about it, the more Ah liked the idea of what she could do. If she could keep me in her frozen time like this, then maybe…

“It... doesn't quite work like that. Believe me, I've tried, but things will only go a few meters before they get caught in my field. I'm not quite a mathematician like Twilight, and I can't quite handle a gun like Fluttershy. Basically, I'm not very cut out for that sort of calculation driven thing. Bringing other ponies into my world also cuts down the time I can use it, so everything would need to be done at about the speed Pinkie moves. I know it's crude, but whacking somepony across the head with a nice thick club is the best way for me to handle things. That is, while I'm alone, of course.”

Ah wonder who all these other ponies are. Ah bet they're part of her club or whatever she called it. “Well, why don't we go talk inside? This cold is startin' ta get at me, and Ah'm sure yer sister probably needs the help.”

Rarity sighed. “Oh right. That's what she said isn't it? You know she's almost burned my boutique down on more than one occasion. I keep telling her to stay out of the kitchen, but no, she needs to be independent and cook for herself. Ugh, I just wish she would try to rely on me more.”

Ah laughed. “Ha, you and me both. Applebloom is just about as stubborn as they come. She don't want my help half the time she needs it. Too smart fer her own good Ah reckon.”

She lost her look of disdain and smiled. “Well now. We might just have more in common than I thought. I'm just about out of time to freeze, so when it comes back just head upstairs and to the left. I'll tell Sweetie to keep to the first floor so we can talk without extra ears around.”

“Alright.” Just as quickly Ah agreed, the color, sound, and forces of the world that were sucked away returned. The wind started ta blow again, the world wasn't white and black with just outlines of thin’s anymore, and Ah was disoriented. It felt like the air had been knocked out of me and then returned just as fast as it had gone away.

“Oops, sorry. Nopony ever takes it well the first time. You get used to it,” she apologized, tryin' ta keep me standin' on all four hooves. Ah shook my head ta get a grip, and finally Ah wasn't dizzy anymore.

“That... didn't feel good.”

“Oh, you'll be fine. I'm coming Sweetie.” She released me and then we walked inside the boutique, together.

It had been two weeks since the news that Glistening Dew was pregnant became known to her relatives. The happy couple had told just about every friend and family member they could and were busy preparing for the new baby who was just months away. It was bright in their world, and Citrus envied it. His had only grown darker.

It wasn't a normal series of crimes. Nothing was ever stolen, there was never a ransom or a hostage, it was just homicide. Not of civilians, but heroes. Power Pony after Power Pony, each murdered in cold blood, the same way, one after the other. It was one of the most gruesome series of deaths that the city had ever seen. Even Shark Tooth had quick deaths for his victims, but these poor heroes… The killer always left a message above the body written in the victim's own blood.

The first one read as such; 'Green means go, Yellow means watch out, Red means kill. Do you see me? What color am I? What color are you?'

The police couldn't figure it out. Red hoof couldn't figure it out. None of the other heroes could think of anything but traffic lights, or why they asked so many questions in the first place. Then the next murder happened.

The new message read; 'Green is gone, Yellow means watch out, Red means kill. You can't go anymore. Have you seen me yet? Red should watch out. What color are you?'

Then Citrus began to get an idea the he himself was the one all these messages were directed at. The first kill was a mare who went by Wild Cyclone. Cyclone was one of the first heroes to show up in Red Hoof's wake after the Brute Force arrest. She was very good at her job, but even though she was a Pegasus, she had real difficulty flying. She could control winds with her mind, and one of her signature moves was to spawn a small tornado within a fixed radius which she used to draw in her targets and then send them flying wherever she wished.

She wore a two tone green suit and had bright pink wings with a bright blue mane and tail. She was a good friend to Red hoof, but she was also reckless. She typically went after the largest bounty she could find, whether or not she was suited for the job, and this had almost gotten her killed more than once if not for the intervention for other heroes. And now… she'd never be reckless again.

The killer's second message said that green was gone, referring to Cyclone. This helped him narrow down who the third kill might be, but he couldn't know where that hero was. The second death was Burst, a Unicorn with the ability to kick his spark producing hooves against a hard surface and cause explosions wherever he pleased. He wore a bright yellow suit, had a dark black mane and tail, but until his death, nopony knew that his coat was navy blue.

Burst showed up not too long ago. He was still a teen, but he was very good at his job and his power of controlled explosions made him one of the more dangerous heroes around. Citrus thought he'd be in this game longer than himself, but now, that wasn't the case. He was angry over Cyclone's death, and he was furious after he found out about Burst. The next two days were devoted to figuring out who red was going to be. The first two colors matched the Power Pony's suits, so red was himself or Octofish. He had Octo stay at his house, since the two knew each other's faces, but when Octo was fine and a new murder had been announced, neither of them proved to be the target.

The scene was swarming with police officers when Red and Octo arrived.

“What happened? Where's the body?” Citrus angrily asked.

The officer looked very nervous and shuffled his hooves with every word. “I-it's over at the b-back of the alleyway. Oh, Goddess, I'm gonna be sick…” The young officer quickly headed off away from where the bulk of officers were, probably to vomit. The smell in the air was rather strong…

“Poor guy. He looked green,” Octo said.

“Scales, Ah need ya to focus on the task at hoof. Somepony is runnin' around killin' our friends,” Red Hoof said to his much more relaxed associate. Octofish was known to stay calm without changing his demeanor and never letting his emotions show. He was an earth pony like Citrus, but his power was to change his whole body composition into water. He could slip between buildings, take gunshots and drop bullets where they landed. He was good at his job, but completely unreadable. His real name was Transit Scale.

“Don't call me that. And besides, these officers deserve some kind of break. These killings are all… horrible.” For what was likely the first time, Red Hoof saw Octofish frown.

Red sighed. “Ah apologize. All this has just been gettin' me worked up. Ah hate ta admit it, but Ah think this is all my fault. None of y'all woulda ever put on a cape if Ah hadn't showed up, and now yer bein' targeted fer it.”

The disgruntled hero stood and ground his teeth together when his friend put a hoof around his neck. “We made our own choices. You just gave us the courage to do something good with our powers. We all know the risks associated with this, it's just finally happened to catch up with us now.” Octo was smiling again, and that put Red Hoof at ease. He was always a relaxing agent, always knew what to say.

“Thanks. You're a good friend Octo. Ah-” The two were approached by an officer before he could say anything else.

“Mr. Red Hoof, Octofish? I think you should come see this…” the young mare said. The two looked at each other, and then followed the her to the scene. Much like Burst, this hero had her organs liquified, and her brain fried inside her skull. The smell indicated it was fresh.

“Holy hell…” Octo mumbled.

“Yeah, it's bad. Poor Light Bringer… how did this happen to ya?” Citrus said as he looked over the corpse. Painted on the wall in her blood was the new message.

'Green is gone, Yellow is gone, Red is flashing mad. Does it hurt to show your color? Stop says you can't move, but you do so anyways. If only Red was as simple as Apples and Oranges…'

Red Hoof froze. He didn't move, he didn't even breathe. The last sentence repeated over and over again in his mind.

Octofish finally managed so settle his stomach and read the message. “Oh, goddess… Red…”

Red Hoof finally breathed. “Ah know. Well, he has my undivided attention now. Do ya mind goin' back ta the house and keepin' an eye on the kids? Ah need ta go talk ta my diviner… Ah'm gonna find this guy before he can hurt my family.” A new kind of fury had built up inside Red Hoof, and now his control on it was beginning to loosen. Octo was about to take a step away from the 'hero' before he remembered he was on the same side. Red Hoof was not one quick to anger. That was probably a good thing.

“Okay Red, I'll keep an eye on them. Are you gonna be okay on your own?” The concerned hero asked. Red Hoof puffed out his snout.

“Ah'd be more concerned about the other guy if Ah were y'all. As mad as Ah am… Ah don't know how well Ah'll be able ta control myself.” With a quick crouch, Red Hoof leapt to the top of the apartment complex they were behind, and was now out of sight.

Octo shook his head. “He's gonna get himself killed one of these days. Vengeance isn't the right way to go about this…”

“Oh goddess…” Star Slate said as he dropped the fabric bolts he was holding, startled by the sudden crash. “Red, ya gotta give us a warning before ya jump in like that, man.” He started to pick up his brightly colored fabrics as Red Hoof walked inside from the second floor balcony.

In the last two years, Star Slate had become a popular designer and photographer, making costumes for heroes that would pop up shortly after receiving them, and getting some of the best pictures of them Manehattan has ever seen.

Brightness on the other hoof, had further developed her powers, all the while opting to help her brother rather than enter school. She had become increasingly more accurate with her ability to connect with the Power Ponies Red Hoof was after, and she could talk to anypony she'd established a physical link to as if they were right next to her.

“Oh is that Red? I figured he was on his way here,” called the filly from down stairs.

“Yeah,” Star called back. Then he turned to Red, who hadn't said anything since coming to a standstill in Star's office.

“Hey, buddy? Ya okay? You're bein' awful quiet over there.” Red Hoof was breathing heavily, just standing in place. Feeling something was wrong, Star went to put his fabrics down, and then Red Hoof he collapsed.

“Holy shit! Bright, get up here! I think he's hurt!” Star dropped everything and rushed to Red Hoof's side. After getting close, he noticed that the whole of his right flank had been seared and cauterized. The suit looked like it was coming apart down to the fibers where it wasn't melted to his bare skin in that spot.

Brightness had finally flown up the stairs and nearly dropped out of the air when she saw the wound. “Good Goddess! What happened!?”

“I don't know, but he's hurt real bad sis. We need to get him in a bed and try and cool him down, he's burning up.” The filly nodded and helped Star load Red Hoof on his back. The two made their way down stairs and gently placed the wounded warrior on their couch. Several replaced bags of ice later, Red Hoof had finally reached a normal body temperature and stopped sweating. It was early in the morning when Red Hoof had arrived, and it was about noon before he finally woke up.

“Applejack!” Citrus sat up too fast and started to scramble for his right flank.

“Star. Star, wake up, he finally came to,” Brightness said from nearby. Citrus turned his head to the white filly shaking her sleeping brother in his chair.

“What!? Oh, good goddess, you're okay,” he said with a jolt, then a sigh. Star got out of his chair and the two approached the now suit-less hero. Citrus' head was pounding, his flank was throbbing with pain, and most of his body ached.

“Red? Citrus? Are ya okay?” the filly asked, suspended in the air next to his head.

“Ah... Ah think so... Everythin' hurts, but Ah reckon that's just about normal.”

“What happened? Your suit was ruined and your flank...” Star trailed off, staring at the blackened part of the hero. Citrus was beginning to recall that he was on his way here when… he met the killer. He let out a breath. Just thinking about him was enough to make his legs shake.

“Ah was ambushed… he was waitin' fer me by the last murder. He got my side with whatever power he has, and then…” Citrus' ears started to ring. He kept seeing flashes of his children's faces, calling out for help. He was in no condition to fight, but he needed to find and stop that killer before he made it to his kids. Octo wouldn't stand a chance if he really was after them. Citrus tried to get out of bed, but his back right leg kept flaring in pain with every movement. “Gah!”

“Hey man, ya don't need to be moving around. Just rest for a few hours alright?” Star said, trying to help him lay back down. Citrus pushed him away, almost too hard.

“Ah can't just sit around, he's after my kids! Ah need ta…” The pain was starting to overwhelm his vision. Darkness was closing in, and soon thereafter, he passed out. The siblings were silent as the hero's breathing started to slow.

“Star,” Brightness said, sternness in her voice.

Star was concerned now. “Yeah?”

“We need to take care of this.” She turned to face her brother slowly, making the blazing determination in her eyes known.

“What!? How are we gonna do anything!? You're the only one with powers here, and we can't fight! This guy blew a hole in the Red Hoof! What are we supposed to do against somepony like that?” Brightness made her way over to the telephone on the wall and pointed to it.

“We aren’t! You know more heroes than anypony in this city, and most of them still haven't paid ya back yet. He helped us stay alive, and it's about time we returned the favor.”

Star shook his head. “Bright, I can't just call ponies out for favors like that. I know they owe us, and they're all good for it, but this… This isn't just me needing more materials or something, this is ponies lives we're dealing with.”

Brightness stomped her hooves. She could always stun her brother like that because he never thought her capable of making such a loud noise. “That's right, and it's his life that's in trouble! Are you really gonna let three little foals die because you're too much of a coward to make a few phone calls? He is in trouble, and he came to us. It's our turn to be his heroes.”

Star gritted his teeth. She was right. “Damn it Bright! You're doin' it again! Oh goddess, why does this keep happenin' to me?” With reluctant steps, Star made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a small black notebook. He flipped open the first page and started to dial.

When Citrus woke next, the sun was on the horizon, and Star Slate's house was filled with ponies he didn't know. Most of them he didn't recognize, some of them he felt he'd heard speak before, but all of them were being ordered around by a ten year old white pegasus with blue to yellow gradiated mane.

“Black Wing, I want you positioned near the south district toward 245th and 140th Street. A reminder to everypony, we're trying to corner an orange-brown coated earth pony with dark brown hair and lots of driving experience. He may be in a car, so keep on the lookout for that. Octofish, what does it look like over there? Nothing to report? Good, let's hope it stays that way. Life Leech!” Brightness barked out. The filly basically had everypony here on leads.

“Yes?” said a yellow green… bat pony? She had dark violet wings, but not the normal kind, and fangs. Visible fangs. She was about six inches away from Citrus.

“How is he? I felt a spike in his consciousness,” Brightness said, keeping her attention focused on a map with several ponies near her at the kitchen table. The mare turned to look at Citrus and they stared at each other for a few, unusually long seconds.

“Oh, he's awake now,” she said after managing to break away from the staring contest.

“Good. Get him up to speed, we need him out in the city. What? You found him!? Get him where we want him to be!” the filly said, then began to give more orders to names Citrus only half recognized. Citrus sat up and realized he wasn't in pain anymore. In fact, he felt fine. He tested his flank, and then noticed his suit was covering it again. He checked himself over, and found that his suit looked very different than it had earlier today.

Rather than it being mostly white with his limbs and cape being red, the suit was now more inline with itself, being predominantly black along the body with white sections starting at the top of each limb that turned red as they made their way to his hooves. The whole suit was done in hexagonal patterns that had different colored outlines depending on what color the hexagon inside was, and it looked impressive. Even the false cutiemark had been updated with a more futuristic design to it, while still looking like the old Red Hoof emblem.

Star must've been working on this before Ah showed up… figures. Kid is too kind fer his own good.

“Oh, please wait one moment before you start to move around,” the bat mare said, drawing his attention. Her coat faded from it's green yellow to a muted blue and suddenly, Citrus felt a wave of fatigue.

“Dear goddess, what in the world was that?” he asked, trying to get over the sudden dizzy spell.

“That would be my power. I can heal wounds at the cost of life energy. You might have lost a month or two from your life span, but all your wounds have been healed back to perfect condition.” Citrus could feel his face beginning to twist in confusion, but decided that he needed to figure out what was going on before questioning whatever sketchy detail that was.

“Okay… So, who exactly are all these ponies? And what are y'all doin' here?” Citrus started to sit up. He was sore, but he could live with that.

“Ah, right. Well, I believe everyone here but Star Slate is a Power Pony, and we're all here to help you,” she explained with a toothy smile.

“Help me? Why would any of ya do that?” A black and white stallion a little ways away overheard and joined the conversation.

“Well, because you're Red Hoof. You've done so much for all of us, this is just the least we could do.” Citrus tilted his head at the stallion, which made him realize that his mask was easier to see through than it used to be.

“Do Ah... know you?” He felt like he'd seen this guy before, but couldn't place him.

“You rescued me from a robbery a few months ago. You took a bullet for me if I remember correctly, and that inspired me to try and put myself to use afterward. I can't do much, but my power lets me phase through things,” the stallion said as he put his hooves through the coffee table Life Leech was sitting on.

“Wow. Now that is somethin',” Citrus said, trying to think back to the event the stallion described. It sounded like something he would have done, simply because bullets have a hard time getting past his muscles, but there have been enough robberies to fill a filing cabinet in the last three months, so one specific save wasn't coming to mind. Life Leech took the conversation back.

“You saved all of us at one point in our lives as far as everypony knows, so when Star Slate called asking for help, we couldn't refuse. Brightness has been working everyone like a slave driver, but we've just about cornered the guy at the edge of the southern district. Apparently, he didn't know you had so many admirers.” She flashed her toothy smile again.

Citrus curled his front right hoof and flexed his fore leg to make sure he still had his strength. At the moment, he felt better than he had in the last two weeks, and it was time to solve the problem that started all this.

“Brightness!” Red Hoof called, now standing on his hind legs above everyone else, his voice booming through the house, commanding every head to turn.

“Welcome back, Red Hoof,” the filly said with her trademark devil's smirk.

“Tell me where this guy is. Ah've got a killer ta catch.”

Brightness popped her neck. “It's about time. We have him cornered in a warehouse near the edge of the northern and southern district borders. Right around 202nd and 133rd.” Citrus' eyes went wide and he bolted out the front door.

“Oh, for the love of! Life Leech, follow him please? If anythin' happens, you're the only one who can keep him alive,” Brightness said, accompanied by an eye roll.

“Yes ma'am!”

Red Hoof leapt from rooftop to rooftop, desperately trying to reach the destination.

Damn it, that's a block away from Blood's apartment!

Origin Story V: To be a Hero

“... And of all things, he decides to call me a thief for taking the poor old mare's purse back! Can you believe the sheer ignorance of some ponies these days? It simply drives me mad, grrr!”

Ah laughed ta myself as Ah listened ta Rarity talk about some of the ponies she's put away, specifically some of the dumber ones she's encountered over time. A couple years in this business and you'll run across all kinds of ponies.

“Ha. Sounds like he got ta ya a little, don't it?” Ah replied.

“Of course he did! There's nothing I despise more than someone accusing me of being a criminal. Anyways, I ended up dropping him off in a police car after catching an officer's attention. But enough about me, what about you? Any fun stories of heroics or simple idiocy to share?”

Ah twisted my mouth a little because Ah didn't have any that immediately came ta mind. The more Ah thought about, everything Ah did was pretty routine. “Hmm... That... may be a tougher question ta answer than Ah thought...” Ah pulled my hoof ta my face and started ta think about the ponies I'd dealt with recently.

Nope, that was just a regular guy. Nah, that was just some uppity unicorn tryin' ta make a quick buck. Ah guess there was the guy in the armor, but then again, Ah think she was watchin' me that time... Ah decided Ah might as well give it a shot.

“Well, were y'all watchin' me this mornin' when Ah was dealin' with the guy in the armor?”

She tilted her head, then frowned. “Oh, right. Well, yes, actually. To be truthful, I was hoping you might need help so I could get a chance to speak with you, but obviously, that wasn't the case.”

Ah straightened my lips. “Uh huh. Thanks? Ah guess. Wait a minute. It's been a few months since that first time right?”

Her eyes continued ta wander away from mine. “I-I believe so.”

Ah narrowed my eyes, finally catchin' hers. “Just how long have y'all be watchin' me?”

She bit her lip, and then the tension that had built up seemed ta fade when she sighed. “Ever since then, for the most part, really. Myself, that is, not the guild. Even if that little operation went as sour as it did, you would have been one of the last assets we needed to fill our roster. You were such a perfect fit, I just couldn't bring myself to give up on the idea of you joining us. I suppose my diligence paid off in the end, didn't it? He he.” She made a half a smile like she was proud of some bad thing she'd done.

Ah raised an eyebrow at her. “Ah can't tell if Ah should be endeared or creeped out. So, what even is this guild that y'all've been talkin' about anyways? Ya said a bunch of names earlier, but Ah've just about forgotten what they were. Who are these ponies?”

She smiled and raised her nose. Ah wasn't pleased by that reaction. “Oh? Interested, perhaps?” she said, keeping her tone high.

Ah raised my nose and straightened up. Ah was taller than her, and Ah hate it when ponies look down on me. “Perhaps, Ah might be. If ya tell me what Ah need ta know, that is.”

She lowered her nose, but kept her eyes on me. It reminded me of a cat about ta spring on a mouse. “Well, I'll just have to take you for a visit then. I can't very well tell you the identities of my friends without your swearing to keep it a secret, and they may very well not want you to know who they are to begin with. Of course, if you were to join the guild, then they'd likely welcome you with open hooves, but until then…”

Ah rolled my eyes. Join my guild, join my guild! Is there anythin' else she wants from me? She's bein' real damn pushy about this again. Well… Ah guess if Ah'm gonna dip my hooves in the water, Ah might as well dive in and get it over with. Havin' more friends wouldn't be too bad either…

“Alright fine. Ah might join yer little superhero club if Ah like what Ah see while Ah'm there. Maybe.” Ah didn't want ta appear as desperate as Ah felt. Maybe Ah was just bein' vain, but hell, Ah feel better now than Ah have in a long time.

She seemed ta light up with my words. As well as she could read me, Ah figured she might be able ta see how hollow they were. “Perfect! I'll set up a day for us to go meet everypony this week. When will you be available?” she asked, quickly retrieving a little black book from a drawer in the room with her magic. She realized she didn't have anythin' ta write with and then went about searchin' fer that.

While Ah was left alone, Ah finally took the time ta look around. The Boutique's 'upstairs' wasn't much more than a couple of small bedrooms, a bathroom, and a little livin' area in here. The only odd thing about it was the grand piano that took up the other half of the room that the couch and the staircase didn't occupy. It was covered in random things strewn about the top that looked like they belonged to one sister or the other. Not good fer the acoustics. Looks pretty dusty too.

She must've caught me starin' at it when she came back from wherever. “Interested in my piano are you?” she said as she finally returned with a pen.

“Ah wouldn't say interested as much as confused. The thing barely fits in here, let alone that itdoesn’t look like it's been played in ages.”

Rarity sighed and walked toward the dusty black instrument, leavin' her pen and book behind. “Truer words couldn't have been spoken. When I was younger, I thought I wanted to be a star of some kind. Being the daughter of a double income and well employed family made it relatively easy to get whatever I asked for, as often as my parents were away and felt guilty for it. So, I got smart and asked for a piano one day. I had a knack for it, even won a competition here and there, but then a school play came up, and I was asked to make the costumes for it.

“I never really thought much of my ability to sew at the time since it was just a hobby, but with every costume I made, I just found it more and more enjoyable to do. A new project that needed to look a certain way, but I had the liberty to do whatever I wanted as long as it fell within the fabrics I had access to.

“The costumes became more and more extravagant and I simply fell in love with making them. Lo and behold, my cutie mark shows up shortly there afterward. I instinctively learn a spell that makes me a genius gem hunter and suddenly I'm born to sew. I wanted to keep up with it, but the piano eventually just fell out of view. I try and play every now and again, but since my powers showed up and business here hasn't been enough to make end’s meet, I've had to take up being a bounty hunter.”

She pulled the bench seat at the keyboard out until it hit the rounded wall and sat on it. “The sad truth is, even though my cutie mark compels me toward fashion, I simply can't make a living off of it with the business I'm getting here, and it's not the only thing I like to do with my life.”

She gave a weak laugh. “Ha, here I sit at my piano again, pondering what exactly I should be doing with my life when I have a magical tattoo that tells me so. Have you ever wondered, if maybe… you don't agree with it? What your cutie mark supposedly 'tells' you to do?”

Ah reached fer the back of my neck without meanin' too. You don't know the half of it. Ah couldn't help but let out a laugh myself.

It must've made her mad because then she went off on me. “Oh, you find my plight funny, do you? Then maybe I'll just have to laugh at your inner machinations when you decide to just spill them out!”

Ah stood up and took a seat on the bench beside her. “Naw, it ain't like that. Ah just get exactly what yer sayin' is all. Ya see, my family, or, Ma’s side of the family, is pretty well about themselves and their bloodline. They're The Apple family. All they do is apples, and everythin' about them or that comes from them is apples, and when they breed, they breed more apples.

“When Ah was real little, late three or so, Ma died in labor with Applebloom. Ya see, Ma was the one who was supposed ta inherit the farm Ah was born on after my granny passed, but she didn't make it that far, and granny ended up out livin' her. So, an attempt was made ta get the will ta have my Pa put on it in her place, but then granny passed away.

“The apples did not like Pa, and when they saw the chance ta get him out of their manes, they took it. Kicked him off the farm and with him, my brother, sister, and me. With nowhere else ta go, we moved in with our uncle fer the first time until Pa found a job. He came into a whole lot of money, bought a house, and we lived well fer the next four years. But... well, then he died.

“Ah couldn't stave off the depression, and Ah fell apart mentally fer a while there.” ah shook my head and let out a dead laugh. “Heh, I probably tried ta take my own life half a hundred times before my Uncle finally managed ta calm me down. He got in touch with the Apples and after a long argument, they agreed ta let me stay with them in Ponyville until Ah got better. Ah am an Apple, after all, so they figured my special talent might be with farm work. And ya know what? It was. It was fun, it came easy ta me, and Ah liked it.

“But at the same time, Ah hated myself fer it. Ah got my cutie mark and Ah knew that I should be doin' exactly what Ah was, but somewhere deep inside, Ah felt like somethin' was wrong. A month passed after they'd accepted my into their clan, but the more time Ah spent with them, the more bitter and jaded Ah felt about my siblin’s not bein' there with me. These ponies, the verysame ponies that kicked my own father out because he wasn't 'one of them.'

“The hatred just kept buildin' up and eventually Ah was sick of 'em. The smiles and open hooves just felt like a false reality ta me. So, Ah came back. Ah took care of my clumsy brother and my baby sister, and helped cheer up my Uncle because his wife died a few years before Pa did. The family Ah had was a broken one, but it was my family, and Ah just couldn't stand the thought of bein' away from it.

“Every now and again, Ah wish Ah could go back. Live on the farm, do work that suits me, work that Ah enjoy. But they don't want my siblin’s, and my siblin’s don't want them. Fer that matter, neither do Ah. The three of us are Apples, but only in name. Ma expected us ta be welcomed inta a happy family, and that just didn't happen.

“Ah do what Ah do now ta survive because Ah just don't have the skills ta live any other way. At least y'all get ta exercise that thing you're 'compelled' ta do. Me and my siblin’s though? We'll be lucky if we can get ourselves through school ta get a job that we aren't 'compelled' ta do.” Somewhere in my speech, Ah must've let my eyes drift up to the ceiling because Ah was just about leanin' against the wall by the time Ah finished.

Ah finally looked at Rarity, and she was horrified. “Oh sweet goddess…” Ta my surprise, she hugged me. At first Ah was confused, but it felt like her eyes were wet. “You've been carrying all of that for so long… It's a wonder you didn't break.”

Ah couldn't figure out why she was cryin' over me. It was just a story about the past. It's over, done with. “Are, uh… Y'all okay? Ah mean, there wasn't really anythin' in there ta cry about anymore…”

She looked up at me, even more mortified now than before. “How… How can you say that!? You… you were just a child and you tried to kill yourself! That's just so… so, disgusting!”

Ah shrugged. “It's pretty hard ta commit suicide when jumpin' off of sky scrapers doesn't hurt.”

At that one, she backed off, but still had tears runnin' down her face. “Wha...? You... you actually?”

“Weren’t ya listenin’? Ah tried several times. My powers have been around since Ah was little. My body is tough enough ta withstand most things. Ah did lose some skin on a few attempts, but never enough to cause any infections. Honestly, Ah'm still around because Ah'm just too hard ta kill. Ah think the only real drawback ta my power is that Ah sleep a lot sometimes. Ah heal quick, my bones haven't ever broken after all this time, and Ah build muscle real fast.”

She started to wipe tears away. She looked kinda mad now. What happened next, Ah was thoroughly unprepared fer. She socked me across the face.

“Ow, what the hell!?”

She grabbed my head and made me look her in the eyes. In those pools of vibrant blue, Ah could see all kinds of emotion swirlin' around, but most prominently was fear and anger. Ah couldn't break away.

“How dare you put so little value on your own life! Do you know how much you mean to everypony? How much you mean to the other heroes? How much you mean to your sister? If your family lost you, what would they think? That it's all pointless, and just to give up and go with you? Is that what you want?”

She let go of me, but Ah was still entrained by her gaze. Why is she so mad? All Ah did was tell her about my childhood! “What? Why would anypony think that? Ah was a kid, so Ah get me, but there ain't no reason fer anythin' like that ta happen. Look, Ah just don't see what the problem is. Ah'm not dead, and Ah've spent most of my life tryin' ta help support my family. That past is done and gone, so there ain't no point dwellin’ on it.”

She shook her head in amazement, like Ah was the one who punched her. “What? Done and gone? Applejack, this is a serious issue! You don't just 'get over' things like the death of your parents! How can you be so nonchalant about this?”

Ah shrugged. “It's a non-issue. Ah don't bother with it anymore because it just gets in the way of everythin' else.” Somehow, Ah felt like she was on ta somethin', but at the same time, Ah couldn't bring myself ta admit it.

“I don't believe that. As a matter of fact, I'd say those bags under your eyes tell an entirely different story. Not but a few hours ago, you looked like somepony who was desperate for anypony to talk to. You can't simply turn off your emotions! If you bottle things up, then you'll eventually overflow. Surely you can tell me, can't you?”

Ah frowned. Something felt like it was screamin' at me in the back of my head. Ah felt like Ah wanted ta, no, needed ta say somethin', but my body just wouldn't comply. “Well, y'all can believe whatever ya want ta. It's gettin' late. Ah've got bills ta pay and work ta do, so iffin' ya don't mind...”

Ah turned ta get off the piano bench, but then she put a hoof on my shoulder and let out a heavy breath. “Very well. I can at least understand that. But first, I need to make our appointment. Twilight is a little crazy about her schedule, and she can't stand it when things don't go according to plan. Which happens… always. When are you free?” She levitated her book and pen from ta her side.

“Ah'm free every night after six. But uh, Applebloom has a school thingy on Thursday, so not then,” Ah said, tryin' ta recall the other things about Applebloom's schedule that I'd forgotten. That was the only thing that came ta mind though. School had only been in session for a few weeks now. She scribbled somethin' down on one page, then somethin' else on another and ripped it out of the book.

“Alright then, I'll see if I can't get us scheduled for Monday. Here, take this.” She set the scrap of paper down on my hoof. “Please, give me a call if you need to talk. This is my cell, so I should be able to get it even if I'm masquerading around for extra money.”

Ah shrugged and stuffed the page inta my jacket pocket. We headed down ta the first floor, and Ah said goodnight to my sister and her two friends. It didn't look much like a party with just those three girls, but at least she has them. It's more than Ah've got, anyways. Ah exited the boutique and waved goodbye ta Rarity.

“Ah'll see ya later then.”

“Goodnight, Applejack. Be safe.” Ah froze fer a second. The words hit me like knives in the neck. They stung. They hurt. They were painful to hear. My eyes suddenly felt dry. Ah needed ta get as far away from here as Ah could. With one solid leap, Ah was in the air and on top of the buildin' just across the street. Ah don't think it was rainin', but it must've been misty.

“Son of a bitch! Brightness, is there anypony around here? Did y'all evacuate the nearby buildin's?” Citrus asked, mid flight from the last rooftop he'd hopped from. Brightness and Star Slate lived on the eastern edge of Manehattan, and getting from their house on 500th and 453rd to Blood's apartment in less than ten minutes was going to take more power than he wanted to use right now.

"Evacuate? Why? We have him cornered. There is no way he could get away with all of you surrounding him," the filly replied.

“Damn it! Tell the other heroes to search the near by areas and get the normal ponies out of here! This guy ain’t normal, even fer us!He has more than one power!”

"He has what!? How? Is that even possible?"

Citrus shook his head. “Ah don't know, but that's the case! He hit me with some kinda fire ball after turnin' his hooves inta blades. Ah only managed ta avoid getting skewered because he coughed somethin' up before attackin'. Ah don't know if that's it or what. Regardless, this could get ugly so get the citizens out!” With a thundering landing, he bounded on past the next six streets.

"Okay, I'll let everyone know what's going on. Red Hoof... are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

He could finally hear the filly come out in her voice, rather than the mare who'd organized over fifty Power Ponies today. He bit his lip underneath the mask. “Ah… look, if anythin' happens, you tell Pepper ta blow the place sky high. Whether Ah'm still in it or not. This guy must be stopped.”

Citrus galloped across the next rooftop and looked at the street signs as he leapt through the air. 400th and 325th? Damn it! Ah need ta move faster! As he came to the next rooftop, he readied himself to run as soon as he landed. With so much force that each roof nearly buckled underneath his hooves, Citrus shot off from one corner to the next twenty streets away, leaving a trail of wreckage behind him.

"Red, ya can't just talk like that! You're the symbol of peace around here! If we lose you, this whole city is gonna go up in flames!" The interference of the ponies around her seemed to stop.

“This isn't up fer discussion! If he can hurt me as badly and easily as he did, what do ya think he could do to a normal pony? Not ta mention what he did ta…” Citrus started to taste blood from his own lip. “He killed three of us, Brightness. This has ta end here.”

A few minutes of silence passed as the wind rushed by Citrus. He checked the street corner again and finally he'd come close. 202nd and 161st. Almost there! Oh goddess, please let them be away. He could see the warehouse and all the brightly colored ponies that were surrounding it. Nopony was moving. Somethin' ain't right.

“What's wrong?” he asked as he approached an earth pony mare clad in black and green. Her eyes were emitting some kind of green light.

“He took a hostage. Said if anypony goes in, the mare dies,” she said, not taking her glowing pupils away from the building.

“A hostage!? Damn it, Ah knew this was gonna be a problem. Wait... A hostage? What does he want?”

"He wants you, Red Hoof," Brightness answered, in an unusually quiet tone.

Red Hoof managed to keep himself from chomping down on his lip again. “Alright, then what does he want from me?”

"I... I don't know. There's something interfering with my powers around that warehouse. I can't tell what's going on in there. Beam is the only one who can see inside."

“Beam? Who is that?”

“That would be me,” said the mare he was standing next to.

“Oh. Sorry, Ah don't know too many of y'all. Who does he have in there?” The mare frowned underneath her suit.

“Some pale yellow-orange coated mare with a bright orange mane and tail. I'm not quite sure, but I can sense three souls in there, but I only see two bodies. She might be pregnant.” Citrus felt blood trickle down his chin.

“Shit!” He yelled out as he jumped through one of the warehouse windows.

"Red hoof wai-"

Brightness toppled over and fell off the table she was sitting on. As soon as Red Hoof entered the window. Her connection to him had been completely severed. The backfire of sudden loss was enough to send a shock through her body. She buzzed her wings to pick herself up and then desperately tried to get back in contact with Red Hoof.

“Brightness!? What happened!?” Star called from across the room.

The filly's eyes widened and her whole body slumped against the table. “I… I can't see him anymore...”

When Citrus crashed into the warehouse, he suddenly felt very heavy. His whole body was like soggy iron. Just standing took most of his strength.

“Finally! Oh, you have no idea what a hassle it has been just trying to get your attention, but now you're finally here! And just for me! It's a dream come true! I absolutely love the new suit, by the by. So… dark,” said the voice of a stallion near by. His inflections were flamboyant, and his tone bubbling with confidence, dripping with enthusiasm. If Citrus ever had a voice to put to a rabid dog, this would be it. The strange pressure that made him feel heavy disappeared, and so did all the natural light coming from the windows. The scent of blood was thick in the air.

“Where are ya!?” Citrus barked out, turning his head everywhere he could look to find what he was looking for. A tan-brown young stallion with a dark brown mane and tail stepped out from behind a shipping container.

He tilted his head and gave a bladed smile. “Hi there, mister hero.” Citrus froze in place. He'd seen this kid before. He looked so familiar, but Citrus couldn't match the face before him with the one he remembered. This stallion was giving off an entirely different feeling now than he had when they first met.

“You…” Before saying anything else, Citrus remembered that he wasn't in costume when they first met, and he had his daughter with him. “What do you want from me? Where is the mare!?” The thought that this creep's captive might be his brother's wife had his blood boiling.

“Oh, there's no need to rush, mister hero! Your sister in law is sitting nice and cozy on the ceiling. Give her a wave why don't you?” He looked up to the center of the warehouse and Citrus followed his line of sight.Just as the stallion had said, there was Glistening Dew, gagged and restrained, chained in some kind of ethereal magic to the ceiling.

“You bastard! You let her go this instant!” Citrus demanded.

The stallion took a single step forward and let out a laugh. “Oh, how... Charismatic! I simply adore everything about you! The heroics of champion justice, Mister perfect hero, the one and only Red Hoof! But, where would any of the fun be if I simply-” He started to cough, and Citrus took the opportunity to strike.

With one ground shattering leap, he lunged across the warehouse floor at the stallion. The kidnapper wiped at his mouth and flashed a bloody, toothy smile at Citrus before disappearing into thin air. Citrus landed with his hooves scraping against the concrete floor, only to find the hero-killer he'd just attempted to close the distance on in the same spot he just left.

“Ah, ah, ah. You're breaking the troupe. The villain first has to give the hero the monologue about how he's supposedly going to take over the city, and then they fight. I'll not have you ruin the performance I've so painstakingly set up over these past two weeks!” Citrus took a few deep breaths and lowered his body.

“It don't look like yer in the shape ta be monologin' ta nopony. You ain't no unicorn, how are y'all doin all this?”

The young stallion stamped his hooves like an excited foal. “Ooh, perfect, you asked exactly what I wanted you to! Now I get to explain my power! Okay, here it is. My power is to steal the powers of other Power Ponies!” Citrus didn't react, which made the abductor smile even wider.

“You see, If I consume another Power Pony's blood, I take on their abilities. I've become quite the vampire these days. I have so many powers now… like this one!” His eyes flashed bright green and he stood on his hind legs with one hoof pointing at Red Hoof. The wind around him started to swirl and spin violently. Before he knew it, he was in the air trapped in a tornado. The winds suddenly stopped, and Citrus was thrown into a wall. Dazed, he managed to bring himself to a stand quick enough to see the villain right in front of him. He quickly threw a right hoof toward the body, but just as it should’ve connected, her vanished.

“What in the hell!? That was…”

He finished citrus' sentence. “Curtsy of the rising star, Wild Cyclone. Or, well, fallen star, I should say! Hahaha!” The stallion belted out another laugh, and Citrus went after him again. Citrus charged, and then the kidnapper warped beside him, delivering a kick that ignited once it made contact with Citrus' ribs. The explosion sent him crashing into a storage container, causing it to warp and collapse. Citrus could feel something start to well up from his stomach, and he ripped his mouth free of his mask.

“Oh my, was that too much? I'm not quite ready to break you yet, we've only just begun!” The abductor said after spitting some of his own blood on the floor. Citrus wiped the stomach acid from his mouth and got back to his hooves. He'd been knocked around before, but this wasn't the same. His whole body hurt. Everything felt like it was on fire.

Citrus managed to get up again and stood atop the ruined container, eyes trained on the villain. “What's yer game, boy?” As things were going now, there wasn't any way for him to even get close to somepony who could just pop in and out of existence like that.

“My game? How haven't you figured it out yet? Ooh, this might help. I'll let you in on a secret. Do you know what the name of the last mayor was, oh, say, two years ago?” He asked, turning his neck so his head was just about upside down.

Citrus thought back. Two years ago? Gold Tassel? What does this have to do with him? “Ah believe his name was Gold Tassel.”

The stallion whinnied with delight. “Yes, that's the one! You see, Gold Tassel was a crook. He stole money from his own treasury to build his personal fortune along side supporting a local mob boss. I believe you knew him as Brute Force, correct?”

Citrus frowned. “Yeah. What about him?”

The kidnapper took a step forward. “About a year ago, said mob boss broke out of prison and you know what he did?” Citrus thought back, and finally, it occurred to him where he'd seen this stallion before.

“Oh, Goddess… You're Copper Tassel.”

Copper clapped his hooves together. “Bingo! Brute Force escaped and murdered my father! But between you and me? The guy was an ass and he deserved it. Not to stereotype donkeys or anything.” He shrugged innocently, then trained one wild eye on Citrus. “Dad deserved farworse than what he got, but I just laughed when it finally did happen. You even came and picked up Brute Force again yourself! I watched the fight, it was amazing! You taunted and bullied him until he couldn't think straight, and then you beat the living daylight out of him when you got the upper hoof! Truly, only one who calls himself a hero could have done that.” His tone went from bubbly and excited to dark and sour.

Citrus scratched his neck. His earlier fights may not have been very heroic, but the tactics worked. “Ah might've found a specific weakness ta that particular pony, and Ah might've exploited it. What of it? Ah saved yer sister from him two years ago. What about that makes me a target?” Citrus had been creeping ever so slowly toward Copper, and he had yet to notice.

“Well, if you must know, I thought the world of you when you first showed up. You were the ‘bright shining star’ that the city needed to illuminate it's dark alleyways and finally expose my dad for the criminal he was. I hated him for his dirty tricks and his wrong doing.”

Copper took his forehoof and curled it tightly. “Did you know that he gave Brute Force my sister? That is what sealed his fate. I was going to kill him myself, but then you showed up and saved Silver. I figured I didn't need to kill him anymore since he was still a wallet for me.” Suddenly, Copper turned his head to a 90 degree angle. “But something changed when I finally saw you in the flesh. The way you acted, how high and mighty you presented yourself, oh so righteous. I thought about you and my father in the same light.

“Disgusting. So much better than everypony else aren't you? You can get away with anything because you're untouchable! The city is just your plaything to milk for cash! That's right, I know how much each and every bounty you've racked up is worth. Over the course of two years, you made just under two million on bounties alone! And what do you do? You give it all away like some sort of saint!” Copper took a step toward Citrus, his speech increasing in speed as he did, blood and saliva falling out of his mouth as he became more intense. “Oh, Mister Hero is so generous, oh Mister Hero is a blessing to the city. Silver Tassel adored you and anything you did! Her hero, Mister Red Hoof!

“Did you know that my sister was a Power Pony? She could feel the locations of other Power Ponies and tell you exactly what they could do. The cost for this power, however,deteriorated her body a little bit more with each use. Brute Force took advantage of this and forced her to use her power over and over again, ever so slowly killing her.”Another step forward, Citrus stopped moving as Copper started to close in.

“She was hospitalized just before Dad was killed. And when he died? The moneystopped. All his stolen assets were frozen, and Silver and I were left out in the cold. She. Got. Worse! I had to start working to keep her alive, but she just. Kept. Getting. WORSE!” He was beginning to tear up. One of his nostrils started to bleed. He wiped at his nose, then started to laugh when he looked at the blood on his foreleg.

“Ha! Look at this! It's my blood! Do you see it? I know you want to take if for yourself, but you simply aren't in my league, mister perfect hero. Two weeks ago! Do you remember? I know you saw me. We looked right into each other's eyes!” Citrus remained silent. “Don't you give me that!Tell me the truth!” Copper warped beside Citrus and clicked his hoof against the ground. Sparks flew, and Citrus leapt away just before the area where he'd been standing exploded.

“Look at me!” Copper had warped behind Citrus and put his forelegs together, forming a fireball in between them. Fortunately for Citrus, he was just close enough to be kicked. With a quick twist of his torso, Citrus' hind leg collided with Copper Tassel's shoulder. The young stallion flew head first into another storage container, causing it to collapse with the shrill crunch of metal. Citrus landed and waited for the dust to settle.

From Copper’s new hole, laughing echoed through the warehouse. “I have to give Mister Hero some credit, he managed to hit me! My head hurts so bad, it's hilarious! Hahaha!” The young stallion stumbled down from the newly warped storage container and stood back in front of Citrus. He flashed another twisted smile, then threw up a pool of blood. “He he… I haven't finished the story yet! But mister Hero looked at me, didn't he? Citrus Root.”

Citrus scowled. He debated even responding, but all things considered, Copper clearly knew who he was, as far as the rest of the world is concerned. “How do you know my name?”

Copper smiled again. “It wasn't easy to get, but I'm sure you can piece this one together. On that day we locked eyes two weeks ago, Silver Tassel died. But before that, I had just stolen enough money to get her treatment. I managed to escape the police for some time, but then I almost hit a pale yellow stallion with a brown mane and his little pale yellow daughter with a red mane. I thought I was gonna kill those two ponies, but the strangest thing happened. That Stallion threw his daughter way up in the air and then looked like he was gonna punch my car.

“I thought, 'There's no way…' but then, he did! He punched my card, and my. Car. Lost!” Copper turned his head about fifteen degrees with his last three words. “Dazed and confused, I pushed the airbag back and looked for the stallion, but he was nowhere to be found. The sirens were getting closer, and Silver didn't have long left, so I grabbed the money and ran. The hospital wasn't far away and I could make it if I ran. But when I got there, she was already on her death bed.

“Her final words to me were that she could feel that I was a Power Pony, just like her. She said she left me one last thing back at home, and then… she was gone.” Tears started to stream down Copper’s face. Before long, the clear tears turned red. “The monitor screamed, the lines stopped zig-zagging, all the numbers went to zero!” He pulled at one of his eyelids, smearing blood all over his cheek. “I ran out of the hospital, I didn't even take the bits, I just left them there. When I finally made it to our apartment, my first thought was to look for her note. Hidden, just where she said it was, was a detailed guide on how to use my powers.

“I drink blood of another, and suddenly their power is mine! But, the cost of such a strong power is my own body. Just like Silver, I deteriorate a little more with every use. What a family trait, right? She even left me a little bottle of her own blood to test it out. Wasn't that sweet of her?” He wiped his hoof down his face and stood up straight. The strange hysteria in his voice suddenly disappeared and went flat.

“You never know how a carnivore feels until you dig your teeth into another pony's neck. There's a certain flavor to every blood type, but I think Silver’s blood was the sweetest I ever tasted. I killed my first victim shortly after taking Silver's power.” The smile returned, as did the flare in his voice. “Her blood changed me. I felt alive for the very first time! I finally had the power I'd always wanted, the ability to be great! I. Needed.To feel that way again, and again, and again! It was like being bathed in the most divine silk one could find!” Copper said with a moan. “But after the first three, the feeling wasn't so good any more. I'd acquired a few powers, some weak, some strong, but they just didn't taste as good as the first one.

“I needed something more… satisfying. So, I decided that I wanted to drink your blood. After all, who would have sweeter blood than the strongest hero around? But I didn't know where to start. That pony that broke my get away car was still an unknown father at the time, so I decided to find out who Red Hoof really was.” He coughed more blood again, this time, sitting down and coughing harder. Citrus was about to make a move when he yelled.

“Don't take another step! I'm running out of time, and I still need you to know my story, Mister Hero!” The chains around Glistening Dew tightened and she started to float down to the ground beside Copper. One of Copper's hooves was glowing with a bright green aura, just like a unicorn's horn would, while the other had turned silvery and into the shape of a blade. When Dew finally landed, he rested his bladed foreleg on her neck.

“Sit… down,” he managed through coughs. Seeing the blade dip further into Dew's neck and the fear on her face, Citrus complied.

He figured he might be able to get some information out of him if he just let Copper go on, so he asked a question. “Fine. But tell me this; If ya want me dead so bad, then why haven't ya done it already? Ah figure that whatever ya did ta my friends woulda been the first thing ta hit me with.”

Copper pursed his lips, as if he’d been asked a strange question. “Want you… dead? No, no, I just want to make you suffer! If I wanted to kill you, then we'd just go together! That wouldn't be any fun at all. You need to feel just as hopeless as I did trying to keep my sister alive to no avail. I want you to experience the depths of despair! Just. Like.Me!”Coppers voice dropped and his tone settled. “Besides, it takes stealing about an entire city block's worth of electricity to kill a pony the same way your friends went out, and another day to charge it.” he laughed. “I won’t ever be able to use that power again. A shame really. Your friends had such delicious blood.” Citrus started to grind his teeth.

“Like that do you? I might as well continue with my story. If you don't have any more questions, that is.” Citrus didn't say anything. “Perfect! I started to track down the heroes who'd worked closest to you. A trail of dead Power Ponies and one such who just so happened to be miss Wild Cyclone's brother eventually drew her to me for revenge. Did you know that Cyclone was a virgin? I found that one out myself!” Citrus bit into his lip. It started to bleed again.

“Ooh, there's my favorite expression! Keep that up, I want to see that face when I finally go out. After I'd gotten everything I wanted from her, I figured that one of the heroes would know where you lived, so I thought I might keep going. Of course, I knew you would eventually find the body, so I decided to make a fun little puzzle for you.

“Did you like it? It was a stop light! It was so perfect to commemorate our last meeting, I just needed to finish it. Burst was attracted by Tornado's disappearance, and it just so happens that he can’t use his power in the presence of hers. No sparks, no explosions. He didn't know anything, being as useless as he was, so I just killed him took his powers for the yellow in my little stoplight analogy. I left my last message to try and get you to lead me to your home, but finishing up with Light Bringer just had me ready for another round. When I jumped at you, I didn't think you had a bunch of friends in the area waiting for me though. That was where I made my mistake.

“As powerful as I am, I knew better than to try and take on ten heroes at once, so I improvised. You disappeared after our encounter at the streetlight back then, so I figured there was something there for you. Heading back that way, I just so happen to overhear this one talking about how her brother in law, Citrus, was going to be the god father. I wasn't getting away any time soon, so I took a hostage. As it turned out, I was right on the money wasn't I, mister hero?” Every muscle in Citrus' body was tense and ready to spring. He stood up.

“Oh, did I say something you didn’t like?” he cooed with a pout on his face. “No one said you could get up. I am not done yet.” Copper pressed the tip of the blade into Dew's neck. She yelped and a small bubble of blood started to form at the wound. “Why don't you just stay seated, hmm? I don't have much time left anyways. Considering the anemia I'm feeling, I've only got about ten minutes before I pass out, and I'll probably die shortly there after.” He smiled sweetly at Citrus, and against the will of every inch of his being, Citrus sat back down.

“There see? We can be civil about this. I haven't even told you what I want just yet.”

Citrus couldn’t keep silent any longer. “Civil!? Ya call killin' ponies and… and… deflowerin' corpses civil!? If you didn't have my brother's wife, you'd be a dead pony!”

Copper giggled and pawed his free hoof at Citrus. “Aww, what's this? The great Red Hoof is angry at little ol' me? Who could have predicted that? Come now, I'm already a dead pony! As soon as I took Silver's power, I knew I wouldn't last very long afterward. Her deterioration mixed in with my own? Even if I didn't take any more powers, I still would have died within the year. But what left did I have to live for? My mother was some whore that dumped me at my father's door step, just like Silver's was. My father was the scum of the earth, whom I'd planned to kill anyways, and the only thing keeping me going died in my hooves!”

Copper stared desperately at his free hoof, like he was watching sand fall from it. “So I thought, why not go out with a bang? Nearly twenty, a virgin myself, well, until recently that is…” he said with a twisted smile, “and with absolutely nothing but a cursed future to look forward to! If I am to die, why not take share my despair with the pony who doomed my sister? After all, if you never let Brute force get away, she'd at least be alive still.”

Citrus spat. “Doomed yer sister? How can ya even think that? There wasn't nothin' Ah coulda done ta prevent Brute from escapin' unless Ah was there at the time. Not every act of violence is preventable, otherwise, somepony woulda already killed yer sorry ass. Scum like you… you make yer father look like a saint.”

Copper's wicked smile reversed itself, the veins in his neck bulging, then he stood up and approached Citrus. His chains drug Dew behind him, and he started to wave his bladed foreleg around. “'Nothing I could have done' he says, 'No one could have prevented it' he says! She'd dead because of your inability! You disgusting creature, just like my father! Untouchable saint! Refuse! Filth! Everything I had is gone and it's all your fault! You both took her away from me!” Just as Copper got close enough to Citrus to cut his neck with the blade, Citrus stood and backed away. Then, Copper smiled the most sinister grin he'd put on yet.

“What are you up to!?” Citrus shouted. Copper ignored him and let Citrus' blood drip down his blade. He lapped at it until it was clean. Dew's chains disappeared, and Copper's eyes started to change colors rapidly, visiting every hue in the rainbow.

“He he he... HAHAHA!! I can feel it! All of your power! Everything about your being, oh, how sweet the taste!” He slammed one of his hooves into the ground, causing a crater to form at the point of impact. His bladed smile returned.

“I'm going to die, and I'm going to take you with me! Who needs to suffer when I can kill you with your own powers!? We'll go see Silver together, just you and me! She'd always wanted to meet her hero!” With just as much speed as Citrus, Copper lunged at the red and black clad hero, a raised hoof ready for a slam. Citrus dodged and slid underneath Copperthen twisted around to kick Copper into the floor, then the ground cracked and shivered as Copper sank into a crater made by the impact.

He got up quicker than Citrus was prepared for, and warped behind him. Citrus only had enough time to block the in coming bladed hoof before having a deep slash in his left foreleg send him across the room. He crashed into the wall and shattered it on impact. As the wall started to fall apart, Citrus was quickly alerted to the fact that he was no longer in down town Manehattan, but what was more akin to a black, shadowy void. The pieces of wall started to fall, and without much time to think, Citrus kicked off one to another and managed to catch the edge of the floating warehouse.

“Do you like it?” Copper asked as blood ran down his jaw. “At one point in my search for that sweet taste that Silver had, I thought it was foal's blood that would do the trick! Alas, that ended up not being the case. This child's blood was nasty, but this power is one of the more unique ones. Speaking of, I still haven't used the latest power I've gotten! Oh, what was it she liked to call out? Ah yes, Light Brigade!”

For once, seeing a power he knew was helpful because he knew the draw back associated with it. Citrus threw himself up from the ledge to nothingness and curled into a ball to hide his eyes. A warm beam hit his body, but it more or less just singed at his suit, which was holding rather well.

“Gah, my eyes!” Copper reeled from using Light Bringer's ability, and Citrus took the chance to rush him. He came in with a right to the stomach. The sheer speed and friction of Citrus' punch seared Copper's coat as it twisted into his gut. He then followed up with a left to Copper's face, knocking out a tooth and letting a resounding crack echo from Copper's jaw. Finally, Citrus reeled his right foreleg back for a last hook to the jaw. Blood started to fly from Copper's face as he was sent skyward across the warehouse, landing with a resounding thud.

Citrus didn't waste any time making his way to Copper, and stood just over of his body. Copper was bleeding seemingly from everywhere, but he wasn't dead just yet. He coughed four times, adding massive amounts of red liquid to his slowly growing pool.

“Congrats, Hero! He he…” His eyes were shot and his body soaked in his own crimson. He couldn't even see Citrus anymore, and still, he tried to taunt him. “You beat the bad guy! You let his sister die, you helped kill his father, and finally, you put him down! Aren't you glad!?”

Citrus shook his head. “None of that was my fault. Y'all made yer own damn choices, all Ah did was try ta help ponies. Not even the first bounty Ah collected was fer the money. All Ah did was help out a kid, just like y'all, rescue a sister he couldn't protect. The bounty just happened ta be a bonus.” More disappointed than disgusted, Citrus shook his head at the dying stallion.

“Not… your… fault? I know!” He coughed again and started to sit up. “Let's make something your fault! My original plan was better anyways, ha ha ha!”Copper started to laugh hysterically, and suddenly, Citrus felt heavy again. He couldn't hardly move. The world around started to shake and rumble. All the windows shattered and shot shards of glass inside the warehouse. The building was collapsing. Copper stared him down with a big bloody smile on his face as the void world started to bleed into the real one.

The warehouse came toppling down, and with one glance toward Dew, Citrus realized exactly what Copper meant. Across the street, about to enter his complex, was his brother. Dew was stuck to the floor like she was being pressed against it, and none of the three ponies inside the warehouse could move as it came down upon them. One last scream was heard before crash.

Origin Story VI: Villain

"Ahhh~" Ah went ta say somethin', but all that came out was a big yawn.

“Applejack, would you please wake up? I'd prefer my friends be impressed when they see you,” Rarity said, though it was more like she was snappin' at me. It was just about six fifteen PM on Tuesday, August 27th, and Ah'd only woken up a few minutes ago.

“Ah can't help it. Ah had classes this mornin', ya know, on top of baggin' a bulky Power Pony that socked me in the ribs last night. Ah'm still sore and tired. Ah told ya Ah sleep a lot.” Another yawn and she rolled her eyes. My ribs were still bruised, after all. It wasn't the most comfortable thin' in the world ta walk like this.

“Well, be that as it may, I'd like to have you give a better first impression than my own, so if you would…” She was lookin' at me with an eye half open.

It was my turn ta roll my eyes. “Fine. Can we at least get me somethin' ta eat real quick then? This is basically breakfast time fer me.”

She sighed. “The Guild will have food, I'm sure Pinkie will want to feed you the moment you walk in.” Ah tried ta shake some of the sleep from my head. When Ah did, Ah realized we were headed toward the south district.

“So uh, where is this place? There ain't much but the park this way. Unless we're headed toward the southern docks. Or do y'all expect me ta work before lettin' me in?” Ah asked, surveyin' the surroundin's. Not much but run down apartment complexes and a couple of factory buildin's around. The south district was typically where all the poor and minorities lived within' Manehattan. Prejudice between the three tribes was just about gone these days. Prejudice between ponies and other races though? Not quite so much.

Aside from the park, this place was more or less fer the lower class ta outright homeless or addicted creatures, most of which were not ponies. Hippogriffs, stray dragons, griffons, zebras, the occasional pony of lower standin'. Not ta say that Ah'm much better off, all things considered, but when ya just need ta find a criminal fer some quick cash, this would be the place ta go. If there's one thin' that unites a community, it's havin' somepony ta hate, and all them folks that like ta hate, hate the folks here.

Ah wouldn't call it just, but if there's a crime, these are the creatures that get looked at first. And an unfortunate amount of the time, these are the folks that get taken in fer committin' a crime. The streets here are littered with homeless ponies and other creatures, creatures addicted ta some substance or other, even Power Ponies who've been just about kicked out of their homes due ta their appearance. It wasn't like this twelve years ago, but that was then. This is now.

“With your track record? I'm certain we all already know just what kind of valuable asset you would be to us. As it happens, the Guild is located in the park. Due to the nature of our work, it's better for us to be stationed near where crimes are at a higher rate. At the same time, we can't actually 'be' in the southern district because the princess often come to visit their protégé. So, partly for appearances, partly for practicality.” Rarity explained. Ah don't know what it was, but somethin' about that sounded off.

“Hmm. Ah suppose that makes sense. Ah was here last night after all... But, ain't it a little dangerous ta have the princesses' apprentice here? Ah mean, Ah'd think that makes ya a target.” It looked as if Rarity started to roll somethin' around her tongue, then decided ta say whatever it was anyways.

“Well, nopony technically knows that the Guild is actually there, or that a protégé of the princesses exists. Well, save for us that is. It's not quite a secret, but it's also not public knowledge. Ah, it seems as if we've arrived at the park.”

In Manehattan is one of the most well maintained parks of Equestria, Celestial Park. Part of the original plan ta settle this once-upon-a-time uninhabited island was ta keep some of the natural environment as is, by order of the princesses. The city grew until the Island's natural borders were no longer enough, and then expanded artificially afterward, but this little square of nature remained through it all.

City officials have fought the princesses, specifically Celestia, over the park on numerous occasions but ta no avail. A major part of the economic stabilization plan in Manehattan is ta give ponies without jobs one as part of the park committee. Of course, this happened after Pa was already gone. Ah still wonder sometimes if what Ah think happened that day was actually the day he died, or maybe…

“Applejack?” Rarity asked, breaking my train of thought.

Ah must have drifted off because we were much deeper in the park now than when we arrived. “Oh, sorry. Ah… might've been thinkin' about somethin' else. Did we get lost or somethin’? We're pretty far inta the woods,” Ah asked, takin' note of my surroundin's again. Lots of pine trees grow in the still natural parts of the city, what few are left. Further up north on the main land is an entire forest of these thin's that stretches all the way inta the borders of Yakyakistan. They're tall and they just about blot out the sky when there’s enough of ‘em. Ah've gotten lost in the park more than once myself because of it.

“No, we're here.” Rarity took a few steps forward, and then half her body disappeared into what should've been empty space.

“What in tarnation!?” It usually takes a lot ta startle me, but this was a new one. Ah jumped a few steps back.

“Oh, come on already, it's just an illusory spell,” she explained… without movin'. Ah laughed. That made her walk back out of the field. “What? Is there something funny?”

She sounds happy. “Well, it just so happened ta look like ya were talkin'… out yer ass. Pfft- wouldn't be the first time. Ha ha ha...”

Takin’ as much time as possible to sarcastically roll her eyes, she pushed me through the field. “You know, at times I wish I had the foul mouth you do so I could reprimand you in your own filthy tongue. What? No witty comeback? I thought that was your forte. Oh, that's right. The Guild is quite the sight for your first time isn't it?”

Honestly, Ah didn't hear a word she said. What could only be described as some kind of futuristic castle made entirely of a blue-violet iridescent crystal stood in the middle of this hidden forest clearin'. Light bounced off it in all kinds of colors, turnin' this would be ordinary wood inta a display of color like nothin' Ah'd ever seen before. It was shaped almost like an archway, or a rounded spear head that pointed high up in the air, almost ta match the height of the trees that were possibly three or four stories tall.

The castle was smooth and metallic, shinin' in various colors as the light hit it, and in the very center was what must have been an emblem. A six pointed star surrounded by five other six pointed stars. What it meant or who it belonged ta, Ah couldn't know, but the way the evenin' sunlight hit it had me captivated unlike anythin' Ah'd ever seen.

“Well, come along then. If we're any later, Twilight may very well reprimand us herself. I find it strangely adorable when she attempts to skirt the use of curse words, but it's not something very becoming of her, and she doesn't always succeed when she's angry or stressed enough.”

“Uh-huh…” Ah was still just about dumbstruck by the castle's beauty as she practically pulled me along the clearin' ta the entrance. Ah never believed in my entire life that Ah would find a sight like that in this city. The dark, decrepit alleyways where my father disappeared, where criminals are born, where heroes die. That is the world Ah live in. Wonder has no place here. When we approached the rounded wall underneath the giant star, it pulled back and split in two, revealin' a doorway.

“I'm here with my guest,” Rarity announced ta the violet crystal door. Before Ah could ask what she was doin', the door responded.

“You're late! You were supposed to be here ten minutes ago! Do you know how far this is going to throw my schedule off?” The door sounded feminine, and annoyed.

“Pfft, ten minutes is nothing you can't plan around. You always have extra time anyways. At least act like you want more members. This is Marevelous we're dealing with, Twilight!” Rarity said, pushing her face against the upper part of the door.

It didn't respond for a few minutes before finally sayin', “Come in,” and then slidin' away inta the wall.

“Well, she sure sounded pleased,” Ah remarked.

“Oh, believe you me, she wasn't, but she will be once she meets you. I hate to continually sound desperate here, but we really do need your help, and even Twilight would be willing to put aside her... obstinance for the chance at you joining. Stay close, the Guild is not unlike a maze if you've never been here before.” Rarity lit up her horn, castin' an illumination spell. It wasn't long before Ah noticed the strain' it took on her beginnin' ta show. Ah didn’t know much on about magic, but spells like that are supposed ta be pretty simple.

We wandered through dark hallway after dark hallway fer what seemed like hours until we finally arrived at an area that was lit. The hues of the crystal changed from the deep indigo blue that coated the outside ta a more reddish violet at the lower floor, then a solid blue that honestly looked like Rarity's eyes. Shakin' off a thought Ah had zero intention of addressin', Ah took notice of the room we were in.

It was a large circular chamber with a big table in the center of a two stair dip in the floor. Around it were five large chairs that looked like they were part of the castle's crystals, but in some whitish opaque color as opposed ta the vibrant blue hues that the rest of the castle held.

To the left was some kinda large screen with a podium standin' in front of it, and to the right was a more casual lookin' area with a table, couches, and chairs where a pale yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail sat polishing a rifle. A very big rifle at that.

“Hello Fluttershy.” Rarity addressed the yellow pony.

“O-oh, hi Rar-” She stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed me. “W-who is that?” She looked like she was about ta jump outta her skin, while at the same time, she slowly lowered the barrel of her weapon toward my position.

“Oh, would you put that away! This is our new, tentative member, Applejack. Please, introduce yourself properly, and without your weapon, thank you very much.”

The half cowerin', half threatenin' pony placed her large rifle, which was in full view now, on the couch and shakily trotted toward us. She attempted what Ah could only guess was a smile and reached out a hoof that would make a Parkinson’s patient look steady by comparison. “H-hello… I-I'm Flut…” she mumbled.

“Ah'm sorry, what was that?” Ah asked. Ah figured Ah already knew what she was sayin' since Ah was told beforehoof, but Ah thought Ah might give her a chance ta practice again. It looked like she needed it.

“M-my name is F-Fluttershy…” she said again, quickly losin' eye contact and volume. Ah figured that was as good of an introduction as she was gonna give. Maybe she'd get better with time. Ah reached out and met her hoof, which was far lighter than Ah had anticipated.

“Well, howdy Fluttershy, Ah'm Applejack.” Repeatin' her name fer her seemed ta have some kind of immediate catharsis on the shaky mare, almost puttin' her inta a normal state.

“It's v-very nice to meet-”

She attempted ta say, but was interrupted by a very quickly movin' force that yelled out,

“TOKI WO TOMARE!”

Which was finished by Rarity behind me suddenly yellin',

“ZA WAURDO!” And the entire world suddenly lost it's color in a light gray flash, save for the ponies around me. A pink blur from the other side of the room started throwin' knives in impossible numbers all around the circular room. They moved a few inches at an equally high speed, and when they had all finished appearin', Rarity quickly grabbed me and ducked. Then the world returned ta it's colors.

The knives all flew together directly at the yellow pegasus. Somethin' in me must have snapped because Ah jumped up ta try and protect the mare usin’ my body. When the 'knives' hit me, they didn't leave a scratch, nor were they remotely sharp. They felt like rubber. What was more impressive is that Fluttershy had caught every blade that didn't land on my chest or my front legs.

Ah caught a glimpse of the mare behind me, and she was basically a different pony amidst catching the knives. No shakin', no fear, not even a hint of lost composure. Steeled, like some kind of robot… or a monster. Maybe Ah'm crazy, but Ah could swear her eyes flashed red fer a moment… When the hoof moved ta continue grabbin' knives that would have already landed on her back touched me, she changed back ta normal.

“O-oh my goodness! Y-you… you tried to p-protect me?” she stuttered amidst droppin' the rubber blades.

Once my heart had calmed down enough for me ta speak, Ah finally replied with, “A force of habit, maybe even an instinct, but yeah, Ah guess Ah did. Speakin' of, Rarity, what in the hell was that!?”

“Oh, my apologies, I am so sorry for not warning you. We have a code word when we're working together to get me to use my powers for a few seconds. It's almost second nature for me to follow through, and well… Pinkie,” she said, pointin' next ta me.

Ah turned my head and nearly jumped outta my skin when Ah saw a bright pink pony not but a few inches from my muzzle, starin' right inta my eyes. “Holy shit!” Ah spouted, takin' a step back. Twice today. What in the world did Ah just step inta?

“Hiiiii! I'm Pinkie Pie, and you must be some kind crazy or at least some kind of Power Pony to just jump up in front of knives! So, what's your power? It must be super cool if you expected to just take knives like that! Is it like, super hard skin? Or you can turn you body into metal? You know, I know a guy like that. Ooh! Is it that you're just super strong and didn't think a few knives in the ribs would hurt all that much? Maybe-” She was muffled when Rarity put a hoof in her mouth. That didn't stop her from tryin' ta continue ta talk though.

“Yes, this is Pinkie, she's our fastest, and at the moment, our only earth pony member. She came up with the code word, I have no idea what it means,” Rarity explained. Ah wasn't sure if Ah could take another adrenaline spike today, so Ah simply sat down ta try and catch my breath.

And then a voice that could probably have been heard through the entire castle shot through the room. Ah could've swore Ah was gonna go inta cardiac arrest. “Pinkie! What are you doing!? You can't just show ponies our secret technique! We don't even know if she's going to join us yet!” Ah was practically frozen in position when a relatively same height ta myself lavender mare had trotted up beside me.

Pinkie seemed ta blur from her spot ta havin' a foreleg over the much taller pony's neck. “Oh, Twi, Twilly, Twilight. Do you really think that somepony who would take a bunch of knives for somepony she just met wouldn't join us? Really though, it's probably a good thing I left the real ones in my room today, otherwise, that could have been messy.” With all my senses in overdrive finally beginnin' ta give way ta rational thought, Ah noticed that 'Twilight' was like some kind of unicorn with wings. Like she was a really short princess or something. She rolled her eyes and practically snarled at Pinkie.

“I still think that was a really stupid move on her part, but I guess that does prove that you're trust worthy. Welcome to Harmony, I'm Twilight.” She took a step forward and held out a hoof ta me. Ah finally got a good look at her her now, and this wasn't really what Ah was expectin' of this 'Twilight' character. She looked real tired, and Ah noticed that her violet aura was carryin' a stack of papers and a coffee cup on either side of her. Then Ah noticed that her Cutie mark matched the emblem outside.

She must be the protégé. Straightenin' my hat and my jacket, Ah met her hoof. It was the strongest one so far, but not quite as strong as a regular earth pony. “Howdy, Ah'm Applejack. So uh, if ya don't mind me askin', what exactly are ya?” Fer a moment, she looked like she was about to respond, but then shut her mouth.

“Uh… I, um… Well, okay so… F-first, why don't we get you all signed up? Technically, the state says I'm not actually allowed to disclose much of anything about Harmony, er, the Guild, to outsiders, so once you join I can tell you anything you want to know!”

Ah frowned. Fer whatever reason, Ah felt the need ta see what all Ah could get out of these mares before Ah signed anythin'. Could just be me bein' over cautious, but hey, better safe than sorry. “Ah'm not too sure about all this. Ah mean, even from y'all's perspective, this would seem kinda fishy right? Ah had knives thrown at me mid time stop today, Ah think ya owe me a little bit more than just, 'sign here.'” Fluttershy, more or less reverted ta bein' as shy as she was earlier, Pinkie just about did everythin' she could ta avoid the hard stare Twilight was givin' her, and Rarity wouldn't look at me either.

Ah figured since nopony had anything ta say ta that, Ah'd give em a chance. “Well, how about this. Ah'm pretty sure y'all know who Ah am with the mask on, so how about ya tell me who all of ya are?” Twilight clapped her hooves together.

“Ooh, that's an idea! Why don't we have a round of back stories again? We haven't done it since Pinkie joined!” The lavender mare exclaimed. She made her way ta the table and chairs in the center of the round room and took a seat at what Ah could only assume was the head chair.

“Hmm. I suppose that would be fine. I didn't really tell you how I got into this business, I just told you how my powers work. And I don't really know why you started doing this either…” Rarity mused as she slowly made her way to another chair. Pinkie and Ah followed, but when we finally reached the table, Fluttershy had yet to move.

“Uh, are ya alright, Fluttershy?” Ah asked. She seemed ta get snapped out of somethin', then sulked her way to a chair at the table. Since Ah was sittin' next ta Rarity, Ah figured Ah'd ask what was up. “Is she okay?” Ah asked. Rarity leaned in close and whispered ta me.

“This is a rather difficult subject for her. Without telling you anything she wouldn't really want anypony to know, five years ago she started as a first year at… Cloudsdale high.” Ah nearly chewed inta my lip.

No wonder she's so... fragile lookin'. Anypony that survived that... goddess, that's just messed up. Without sayin' anythin' else, Ah nodded and sat back in my chair. Poor girl.

Red Hoof awoke to darkness and the sounds of sirens. His whole body ached, and an immensely heavy object was weighing down on him. He could feel that he was in a puddle, everything that wasn't still in his suit was wet. All around he could hear the sounds of other ponies yelling.

“Have you found him yet!?”

“He's over there! Quick, push the rubble away!”

Light started to filter in on his left and the taste of dusty air flowed in. He took a deep breath, not realizing he was struggling for air to begin with. He couldn't remember what was going on, until finally he heard a familiar voice.

“Dew? Dew!? No, NO, NO! This can't be… how did…? Dew please… AHHH!”

Memories of the last hour started to flood back in just as the sound of his brother's screams of agony raised through air. Citrus tried to move. He tried to speak. He wanted to see his brother. But his body wouldn't respond. He couldn't feel anything but wetness and pain. The light became brighter as the large concrete roofing was thrown aside. Power ponies he barely recognized took him on their backs and began to head away.

More pain started to flood through out his body, but he couldn't yell, scream, or even make a movement to try and stop it. All he could do was watch his brother being taken away by the police, struggling to get to the body he had been laying near. He finally caught his brother's eyes. Another wave of pain coursed through his body. The last thing Citrus heard before he passed out was one simple phrase from his own brother's mouth.

“This… is your fault…”

The coming weeks did not treat Citrus well. Red Hoof was held responsible for destroying the roofs of several apartment buildings along side the entirety of the warehouse. The reward for the 'hero killer' and half of the savings he'd stored were taken to repair all the damage he caused.

When he attempted to see his brother, what he found was the shell of a pony.

“One day… I'll get my revenge…” Blood would repeat over and over again. Other ponies didn't seem to exist in his world anymore, and his tear ducts had all dried up. He would not eat, he would not sleep. He repeated one word until it finally got to the point where Citrus had to have him committed. 'Vengeance' he would say, over and over again. After a few days of it, Citrus couldn't bare to watch him waste away anymore. The last act of the stallion known as Citrus Root to the outside world, helping his brother into a mental facility. When all was said and done, Blood Orange was locked away. The doctors there didn't believe there was any hope of recovery for the broken widower.

When forced to have his brother taken in for mental health care, Citrus sank into a deep depression that he would never truly recover from.

When asked by Star Slate and Brightness if he would ever return, he simply said, “Red Hoof... is retired.,” and refused to make contact with anyone from the hero world again.

He pushed his friends away, and he left home only when it was in order to feed his children. He turned his back yard into a garden and spent most of his days tending to the plants he’d managed to grow in the ever expanding concrete island.

For two years, it was like this. Brightness and Star would come visit on occasion, those two being the only ones allowed inside the Root family home. The kids got older and continued on with their lives, being the only hope for the future Citrus had left. However, two years is a long time to go without working. With the fortune he'd built over the last six years nearly destroyed by the Copper Tassel incident, funds had become low. The time for work was approaching.

At the same time, a new enemy had arisen, and one that nopony was ready for.

The darkness of night combined with the stormy skies made streetlights the only hope for Octofish to escape from his pursuer.

How did this happen? Copper died years ago, why is somepony killing us again!? His thoughts were interrupted when a giant column of water shot in his direction, sending him flying into a brick building.

“Ack!” The crash happened so fast, he couldn't liquify in time to keep from hurting his body. He couldn't feel his left foreleg anymore. In an attempt to get up, his left side dropped in pain. His shoulder was broken.

I have to escape, I have to let somepony know! Octo tried once again to liquify himself in hopes of fleeing to the sewers, but with his broken shoulder, his body wouldn't transform. Damn it, damn it, damn it! With all his remaining strength, he pushed on with his three working legs. This alleyway has a lamp! If I can just make it to the lamp, there should be a payphone near by then, I could call… but… would he even answer? No! I have to try! If I don't, then nopony…

A shadow walked out from beside the lamp. Octo could feel his heart sink and his pulse sky rocket. Everything in his body was telling him to run, but not a single muscle would move. He was petrified.

“The last one told me that you were close to him. So why don't you tell me what I want to know?” the shadow asked. He took a single step forward. Octo could feel blood running down his other foreleg. It wasn't going to last long.

“Him who!? Why are you doing this!?” Octo yelled at the shadow. It stepped forward once more and a glistening mirror on his chest was caught in the light. Octo could see just how badly his front left leg was broken now. And his front right didn't look much better.

“Why? Because I lost everything long ago, and it was their fault. It was your fault. But above all else, it was HIS FAULT! You know exactly who I want! WHERE IS RED HOOF!?”

“I would… never tell you.” Octo spat at the dark figure. The pony approached Octo and held out his right hoof.

“Then you will die for him.” The shadow's right leg liquified, just like Octofish's powers, then he felt a stinging sensation in his chest. He suddenly lost all the feeling in his back legs. A wave of blood came pouring up his throat.

“Give Red Hoof my regards when he comes to see you,” the shadow whispered, then removed his hoof from Octofish's body. The shadow liquified his hoof one more time to remove the foreign blood from his suit, and then walked away. “You were the one who took him away that day. If this doesn't draw him out, then I'll just have to destroy his precious city. Even he, wouldn't turn a blind eye to that.”

Origin Story VII: Marevelous Red

“Well, I suppose we should decide who goes first. Any volunteers?” asked the violet… pega-corn. Ah looked around and met the eyes of the other three mares in the room. As far as Ah could tell, nopony wanted ta speak up. Twilight scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“Really now? Nopony? Pinkie?” Twilight asked, irritation crawlin' back inta her voice.

“I would, but the details are still fuzzy. If you could like, I don't know, let somepony else go first, then it would probably come back to me,” the pink earthy pony said, flickin' at one of her ears with her hoof. Must have been some kinda nervous habit because she was doin' it so fast, Ah could barely see her ear at all.

“Okay then... how about Rarity?” Twilight asked, turnin' ta the mare closest ta me.

Rarity looked at me, then ta Twilight, then back ta me, and finally ta the floor. She bit deep in her lip. “Umm… I… I need some time to gather my thoughts on the subject. I um, can't quite remember exactly what happened at the moment. Putting me on the spot like that is making my head go blank, er, it would seem.” She kept checkin' ta see if Ah was still watchin' her. Guess she didn't really want ta tell me whatever it was that set her here.

“We can't just not have the stories told. Applejack, I would tell you mine, but like I said, I'm really more or less a government secret myself, so I can't say anything until you sign. Um… oh! Joining Harmony is kinda like accepting a job, so you'll be compensated for your time. But uh… that also means you'll technically be employed by the government too, so um… there are certain 'restrictions' that we have to follow, so…” Ah shook my head as Twilight began ta trail off. Clearly, none of these ponies other than Twilight were gonna say anythin' unless somepony came and kicked ‘em in the rear ta do so, and Ah wasn't about ta force a victim of a tragedy ta tell her story if she didn't want ta.

“Look, it don't seem like any one of y'all really wanna say anythin' at all. So be honest and nod yer heads. 'Yes, Applejack, Ah don't wanna tell ya my story.' Go on.” Slowly but surely, Ah had all four nods, includin’ the first intentional eye contact from Fluttershy today.

“And that brings us ta an impasse. Since y'all were kind enough ta tell the truth, Ah'll go first. Ah haven't told anypony this story, ever. But, Ah get the feelin’, y'all have worse stories ta tell than Ah do, am Ah right?” Eventually, they all nodded again, every one of them droppin' their heads a little lower than before.

“Ah figured as much. So here's the deal. Ah tell y'all my story, then y'all follow up with yours. If Ah'm satisfied with that, Ah'll sign yer contract or whatever bindin' legal agreement filled with all that complicated bullshit, and then you tell me just what exactly you are. Deal?” This time, the nods came a little quicker, and Pinkie even said 'yes ma'am' like she was talkin' ta her mother. Figures.

“Alright then. Listen close, 'cause Ah'm only gonna say this once. Ah guess Ah'll have ta start from the beginnin' Ah'm twenty now, but my parents met almost thirty years ago…

“My mother's name was Rosie Apple, the only child of Granny Smith Apple, who was the current head of the Apple family over all, the owner of the original orchard. My father was… supposedly, a Manehattan born stallion who met Ma on his last legs after he had escaped Manehattan fer some reason or other. He never told anypony why he left, and if my uncle knows, he won't say either. We looked inta it once, and as it turns out, 'Citrus Root' may not have even been his real name.

“From Ma's stories, at least what Ah could remember, they were a 'love at first sight' couple like some kinda fairy tale. They were quick ta hook up but cautious enough ta wait since my older brother was born about three years later. There were complications with him, but it seemed like everythin' was fine. Five years pass, then Ah'm next in line. Since Ah was considerably smaller than he was, takin' after Pa, Ah was born with minimal complications. That didn't mean there wasn't a toll taken on Ma though. Time went by, and it looked like she had recovered herself in about three years.

“Ah suppose she and Pa felt like she was up ta it again because it wasn't long after she regained herself that they announced she was pregnant fer the third time. Ah don't know about y'all, but it's a pretty surreal feelin' ta think that yer gonna have a little sister. Everypony was excited, the whole family came ta visit and bring gifts fer the new baby. It was probably one of the happiest times in my life really. But those complications from the first birth reared their ugly heads again.

“About mid way through, Ma got sick, and she never got better. Time went by, and it was beginnin' ta look like the baby wouldn't make it either. Her coat was losin' color, she couldn't eat very much, and nopony knew what was wrong with her. We later came ta the conclusion that it probably had somethin' ta do with the virus, but nopony but Ma knew about Pa until after he was gone. Applebloom made it out alive, but Ma didn't survive labor. From what Ah was told, she actually passed before Applebloom was born, and that's why my sister survived in the first place.

“This is where things begin ta get complicated. Ah was three at the time, so Ah didn't really know what was goin' on, but Granny Smith fell inta a deep depression after Ma died. She was already old, and it didn't look like she was gonna last another five years in the first place, but this sped up her deterioration. Another year passes and… Granny kicks the bucket.

“Since Ah still don't know all the details about this, Pa was essentially kicked off the farm by our relatives after a fight over the land. The will was specifically was left fer Ma, and she wasn't around no more. A legal battle over who was ‘next of kin’ ensues, and Pa doesn’t win. With nowhere else ta go, we moved in with my uncle and his wife. We stayed with them fer about two weeks before Pa came inta a whole bunch of money and bought his own place.

“Ah didn't know this at the time, and Ah'm still unsure about it myself, but Ah'm pretty sure he was Red Hoof.” Ah wasn't too concerned about what everypony else was doin' ta see their reaction as Ah was tryin' ta remember everythin', but because Twilight interjected Ah noticed that the jaws of everypony in the room, save fer me, were about on the floor.

“Woah, woah, woah. Okay, one moment please,” she said, regaining her composure. “You think he was Red Hoof? Shouldn't you know if he was or wasn't? That's kind of important, isn't it?” She'd tilted her head so far over that it was almost sideways.

Ah adjusted my hat. “Well, Ah was young while he was still around. Ah'm still not sure, even if it makes sense. It was all just… so much like a bad dream…”

Ah guess Twilight realized she was tilted so far out at some point because she was sittin' straight up before she spoke again. “What do you mean by ‘like a bad dream?’”

“Just let me finish, and Ah'll tell ya. Ah think Ah can get a hold of some pony who actually knows the truth, but Ah haven't found her yet. Fer now, I'll tell ya my story. Once Ah know everythin', Ah'll tell y'all about Pa.

“Anyway, goin' forward with the assumption that Pa was Red Hoof, he ended up turnin' in the first bounty collected in this city fer the mob boss, Shark Tooth, which is what netted him so much money. However, that wasn't enough ta support us and buy the house we lived in outright. We moved in, and every day Pa would come home in the mornin', sleep, put us ta bed, then leave at night ta do whatever it was he did. He would always say he was a 'street janitor' who worked nights, but after he stopped workin', it was clear ta Macintosh that he didn't have a job at all. Of course, my brother still doesn't know what he did or what he really was, Ah think Ah'm the only one of us that does, but Ah'll explain that later.

“Things were pretty good in the first year. Pa had a lot of money, Ah started my first year of school, and we didn't have problems, save for the occasional morning when Pa would come home all bruised. It was probably the only time Ah'd ever seen Pa so… sociable. He had other ponies over constantly, even if it was only one or two different ponies that ever visited. Ah guess… Pa had friends.” Ah let out a half chuckle. “Heh, it's kinda funny… how that happened. Ah've never done anythin' that makes me feel this alone all the time, but somehow, Pa made friends doin' it." Ah shook my head. So alone, fer so damn long.

“It was durin' this year that Ah figured out that Ah had my own powers. My brother and Ah were playin' with a hoofball outside one day, and he threw it a little wide. Naturally, Ah went ta get it, not really think about hard or fast, just whatever it took ta catch it. The ball was about ta hit a telephone pole so, Ah jumped fer it. Ah caught the ball, and hit the telephone pole, but… well, Ah broke it. Not the ball, but the telephone pole. Knocked the damn thing over. Ah was more afraid of Pa’s wrath than concerned about the thick wooden pole Ah broke so Ah didn’t think about it until much later. The child's brain doesn't concern itself with logic, Ah don't think. Ah didn't try anythin' again until after an incident happened.

“One day, Pa didn't come home. This was about in the middle of the second year, and he didn't come home fer a few days. He had Mr. Scales, one of his friends, come watch us but he was gone fer about a week. When he did finally come home, he was real mopey. It wasn't until later did we find out that there was an accident involvin’ Red Hoof that destroyed the roofs of several buildin's, a whole warehouse, and finally, the death of my aunt.

“My uncle completely lost it and had to be taken in by an asylum, and Pa was… never the same. He started ta garden a lot, and he didn't take any visitors. Well, it was just… sad ta see him like that. We… never did figure out how ta cheer him up. Of course, we were hurt pretty good by Aunt Dew's death too. Ah think this is when Ah started to close myself in, but Ah'm not about to analyze myself. The whole house was quiet in those two years.

“Then… then it happened. Do y'all remember the battle from twelve years ago?” Ah looked from pony to pony until Ah saw that nopony made a face.

“Well, I was living… elsewhere, at the time, so I wouldn't know anything. I'm actually a little younger than you if you're already twenty,” Twilight said.

“Uh… yeah, me too. I was still living… not here, back then, and since I'm younger than Twilight, that'd be a no,” Pinkie explained. She had a roundabout way of avoidin' eye contact with anypony. Whatever she had ta say wasn't anythin’ she wanted ta. Somethin' about her bothers me, but Ah just can't figure out what.

“Hmm… I'm afraid not. I didn't move away from Ponyville until about um… eight years ago myself. Sorry darling, I don't know,” Rarity said. She skipped a beat when she was talkin' about how many years ago she moved. Ah wonder if that has somethin' ta do with her story…

“Oh… you mean… T-the Mirror incident… r-right?” Fluttershy stuttered.

Ah nodded, but honestly didn't expect her ta say anythin'. “Well, fer the rest of y'all, there was a villain who showed up callin' himself, 'The Mirror'. This bastard killed more heroes in one week than the number of heroes killed over the previous four years. Ah'm sure y'all know that after Red Hoof showed up, heroes started poppin' up all over the place with Manehattan bein' like, the holy land fer heroes.

“There weren't many that were killed in the first year after they started showin' up, and in the second year, there was a good string of deaths leadin' up ta the disappearance of Red Hoof before the Warehouse incident, but then it was about normal. In all that time, and through the next year, only about thirty heroes were killed.

“After the Mirror showed up though, there were about ninety. The city was in a frenzy, heroes were droppin' like flies in the summer, and nopony knew what this guy's power was, or his reason fer killin' as many as he did. Eventually, his presence pulled Red Hoof out of hidin'. Ah took a breath as ah felt my eyes drift upward. The scene in my head was as clear as it always was, just like the relentless dreams. The crashin’ buildin’s, the breakin’ glass, the flyin’ rubble, the sky of dust. Hell on Earth.

“Ah'll never forget that day. October third, twenty eighteen. Ah can still remember the cereal Ah had fer breakfast that mornin'. Ah woke up, and Pa was nowhere ta be found. It was Saturday, and since Ah was the only one of us that didn't sleep in, Ah was awake pretty early that mornin' fer no particular reason. Must've been… fate or somethin' cosmic like that.

“Instead of bootin' up the TV like Ah normally would, Ah decided Ah wanted ta go around the neighborhood and see if Pa was around. Uncle Blood was gonna be released from the Asylum tomorrow since he'd made it back to his senses after all that time, and Dad was real excited ta see him well. It was the first time Ah’d seen him smile in so long, so Ah figured he might have gone ta the old apartment ta clean it up. Ah thought… maybe he’d need help.

“The sky was… cloudy that day. It looked like it might rain soon, so Ah took a chance and headed toward the old apartment in the central district pretty quick. Ah think Ah heard a clock bell ring ten times when… the first buildin' went down. The explosion could be heard from anywhere in the city, pieces of rubble were sent flyin' from one skyscraper ta the next, breakin' dust inta the air.

“At first, Ah didn't think it was real, like maybe Ah was still asleep, dreamin' about this. Ah kept headin' inta the city, and another buildin' started ta come crashin' down on itself, like the base supports had failed or been ripped out. The rain started ta come down, not very hard at first, and then it stopped. What Ah thought was rain… was actually rubble. Little pieces of concrete and asphalt, hittin' me like rain drops… Sirens were going off by now, ponies all over started runnin' out inta the streets, headin' the opposite way Ah was. Fer whatever reason, Ah felt like Ah needed ta see what was causin' all this, so Ah kept goin'.

“Then, Ah saw them. Right about when Ah got ta the old apartment, they crashed ta the ground. Red hoof had his foreleg across The Mirror's neck, the crater they were in kept gettin' deeper, until finally, the Mirror punched him solid in the ribs and sent him inta the buildin' across the street. Another apartment complex crashed ta the ground and The Mirror shot inta the air.

“He bounded off the apartments that Uncle Blood lived in and darted after Red Hoof. Ah remember hearin' him yellin somethin' about his dead family, and other thin's along the lines of, 'It's all your fault!' They kept fightin', punch after block after kick after punch. One of 'em got a good hit in at the same time the other did, and that knocked Red Hoof a few feet in front of me. Ah never saw his face, and there weren't any tears in his costume, but Ah heard him speak.” Ah swallowed.

“In my father's voice, in his accent, the same voice that Ah had never heard scared before, he shouted, 'Applejack run!' Ah was so shocked, Ah couldn't think straight. He said it again, and Ah still couldn't move. Finally, he called me by my real name. Ah didn't question anythin', and my body responded before my brain processed what had happened. Ah ran, as fast and hard as Ah could, away from the fight. Red Hoof knocked the Mirror away and the two left the scene. When Ah saw them go, Ah felt like Ah would never see them again if Ah left, so Ah tried ta follow. A police officer caught me and dragged me away kickin' and screamin'.

“Ah... Ah never did see Pa again, after that day. He… had ta be Red Hoof, but, Ah always feel like somethin' so surreal could never have been the truth. It had ta be a dream right? My Papa was the strongest pony around, but he couldn't have been the Red Hoof. He couldn't have died that day at the hooves of a hero killer, there was just no way, right? At least… that's what Ah thought. Hoped that maybe… somewhere out there, he was still…”

Ah shook my head and restarted. “The four of us became depressed after that. But, Ah suppose that anypony who'd just lost their last parent would, right? Since Uncle Blood was the only relative Pa had left, we were given ta his custody, and we lived in that apartment again. One of the few buildin's in central Manehattan that wasn't destroyed in their fight, in his last fight. Macintosh hardly ever spoke ta anypony fer years afterward, Applebloom became self dependent and closed off like Ah was before, and me, well… Ah couldn't get over the depression, and Ah couldn't cope with it either.” Ah took a deep shaky breath. “Heh… Ah cried so much… Ah though it wasn't worth livin' anymore.

“About a month went by, and Ah couldn't handle it any more. Ah was goin' crazy, and Ah just wanted everythin' ta end. My first attempt was at the top of our apartment buildin', since it was at least eight stories, Ah figured that Ah wouldn't survive a dive off the top. But ya know somethin'? My body is pretty damn tough. There's a reason that rubble never hurt me, even as big as it was, and that Ah didn't really feel anythin' when Ah broke that telephone pole. Ah jumped off that roof and landed on my back in the alley behind it. But, Ah didn't have a scratch on me. It was like my body didn't care. The rules didn't apply here. The ground sure cared though. There was a me shaped hole in the concrete. Ah was a little sore, but there was practically nothin' wrong.

“Ah sat there and cried again. Even when Ah tried to make it stop, there was nothin' Ah could do. Ah broke a kitchen knife on my neck, my body doesn't conduct electricity at all as the toaster proved, and even when Ah managed ta sneak inta higher buildin's, Ah was never more than a little bruised. Eventually, Ah just gave up. Ah couldn't die, and Ah couldn't live. Ah didn't know what ta do anymore, so Ah kept tryin' ta off myself until my uncle caught me once.

“He managed ta talk me down, and even arranged it with the Apples ta have me live on the old farm again fer a little while, just ta… try and get away from it all. Ah didn't have any opinion at the time, so Ah went through with it. Honestly, Ah think all that Ah had left as a pony was the ability to take in information. These days, Ah can't remember what Ah was like back then. Really, Ah don't remember much about my childhood at all anymore. All those memories hurt, so now… Ah just don't remember.

“When Ah finally got ta the farm, it was like enterin' a different world. No skyscrapers as far as the eye could see, hardly an ounce of concrete anywhere, just some random small village and a big ol' farm with apple trees that passed the horizon. That smell of fresh apples and soil reminded me of somethin' Ah'd forgotten over those five years of bein' away from her, and Ah cried fer the last time that day. After that, Ah didn't get sad anymore.

“They put me ta work on the farm, harvestin' apples, makin’ cider and pies ta sell. In some… twisted turn of fate, Ah started ta get better. The world was colorful again, Ah actually wanted ta wake up the next mornin', Ah felt like Ah had some place ta belong. And then, Ah got my cutie mark. This… damned thing. It was proof that Ah was meant ta be there. A symbol that told me and everypony else that Ah was an Apple. And Ah hated it.

“Can you imagine, what Ah was like when Ah finally saw this? This, stupid little happy life Ah'd found, one Ah coulda had all my life but never got ta because of some fuckin' argument over who got ta own a goddess damned piece of dirt! Ah was furious! This is where Ah was supposed ta be the whole time! This is where my brother and sister were supposed ta grow up! We were supposed ta be Apple farmers, and they kicked us all out on account of my father bein' from somewhere else!

“The pain and sadness Ah'd forgotten started ta come back little by little as Ah got more and more angry with myself and everypony else. Eventually, Ah made the decision to give it all up. Feelin' that negative toward my relatives, wishin' Ah could see my siblin's again. Hell, Ah even missed the city after a few months of it.

“So, Ah asked ta be taken home. Ah couldn't stand them anymore, and Ah figured that destiny was stupid anyways. It was funny, ya know? When Ah did finally get back, Macintosh had gotten his cutie mark too, and he'd come ta just about the same conclusion that Ah did. Together, we made a vow ta say, 'screw destiny and all it's friends!' We had each other, and we didn't need nopony else.

“Years passed, and the four of us lived off our uncle's income and the money we got from sellin' the old house. None of us could bear ta live there anymore, it was just too much. We lived that way until that wasn't enough. Macintosh was just about old enough ta start workin' when we finally did get desperate fer money, so he got a job ta help support us. His grades fell, and he couldn't keep up with school and work at the same time, so after about a year of it, my uncle made him quit, sayin' that Pa woulda wanted him ta get an education like he never did.

“Ah was fifteen, when life changed again. A late night after Uncle had gotten a raise lead me ta pick him up from a nearby bar. His raise was enough fer the four of us ta live on, and even made it so we could finish high school without havin' ta find a job. Ah suppose the tolerance genes must of missed Uncle Blood, because he can't take more than a few shots before he's off his ass drunk. We lived a little closer ta the border of the southern district at the time, and of course, a drunk stallion and his little niece were an easy target.

“They came in a group, four of ‘em, Ah think. What they looked like, Ah honestly wouldn't know ta this day. Uncle Blood had passed out, and Ah was carryin' him home. They knocked him against a wall, and then tried ta take everythin' we had. Ah don't often get as angry as Ah did that night any more. Now that Ah'm older… Ah'm afraid of what might happen if Ah did. Ah lashed out at them, and that is when my powers really made themselves known. Ah broke all the bones in one of the mare's bodies, one stallion was in critical condition, and the other two... didn't make it.

“Uncle Blood must've woken up durin' the fight, because after Ah realized what Ah'd done, he was the only one who could've kept me from fallin' back inta that… state again. He told me that night, that Ah had a gift. And my gift, was just like a knife. It could be used ta hurt somepony. But, there are plenty of ways ta use a knife. A knife could be used ta protect. And even though Ah used my knife ta hurt that day, it was only because Ah wanted ta protect that Ah did it. Somedays, Ah still beat myself up fer it. Ah can't ever forget what Ah did.

“So, the next day, Ah decided ta try and make up fer it. Ah can't help but have my weapon on all the time, and because that's the case, why not try ta protect with it? Ah would go around after school lookin' fer ponies ta help, criminals ta stop. Nopony was ever stronger than Ah was, and eventually, Ah learned the tricks of the trade. Ah met a stallion that said he made Red Hoof's costume and wanted ta help me out. He taught me everythin' Ah know. What ta do, where ta go, even how ta make money tryin' ta protect ponies.

“The only thin' he ever asked of me was ta help him find his sister one day. Supposedly, she disappeared shortly after the Mirror incident, takin' a whole bunch of his memories with her. If anypony could ever tell me the truth about Pa, it would be her, but nopony's seen her fer twelve years now. So, Ah've been lookin' fer her and supportin' my family ever since. That… is how Ah became Marevelous Red.”

Ah looked around the room ta gauge their reactions again. Pinkie just about looked like she was in pain. Rarity was in tears again, but that wasn't much of a surprise. Now she knows that Ah'm a killer too. Ah can't blame her, Ah guess. Ah wouldn't want ta be friends with a murderer either. Fluttershy was starin' at the ground, and Twilight was lookin' around fer somethin' ta say. Ah expected as much. Ah don't have the happiest life around, and Ah've never been popular at parties either. Heh, Ah guess that much will never change. Suddenly, as if they had shared the thought in unison, they all rushed over and hugged me.

“I'm so sorry… I never should have asked you to share all that,” Twilight said, buryin' her head inta my shoulder and puttin' her wings around everypony.

“I can't believe… nopony should ever have to go through all that…” Pinkie said, somehow from on top of the chair. Ah didn't see her move, but Ah figured she was the first ta arrive.

“I… I-I'm sorry…” Fluttershy whispered. As awful as my life really is, Ah can only wonder what she's been through. Ya don't get that jumpy and shaky fer no reason, and Ah know that Ah couldn't catch about fifty knives all at once with a face like hers was. So… determined.

“You… you…” She sniffed, “you're not the only one! I… we all have… you're not a bad pony, you were just… just trying to protect…!” Rarity sputtered through bursts of tears again. That caught my attention, more so than anythin' else.

Ah pushed them all off, then focused my attention to Rarity. “Now hold on a minute. What do ya mean, ‘we all have?’” They each looked from one ta another with nervous eyes, and eventually silently agreed on somethin'.

“None of us… are free from sin,” Twilight said, slowly making her way back to her chair.

“At some point or other, there have been times when… life or death situations have arisen,” Rarity said, takin’ her seat.

“Or… it was our fault that a friend was killed…” Fluttershy said, turnin' away as she did.

“Or even that something we could have prevented… didn't end up that way…” Pinkie said through her hooves on her mouth.

Ah swallowed. “Ya mean that… all of ya fer what ever reason…” Twilight sniffed, put her wings back on her back, and looked me in the eyes. Ah noticed somethin' fer the first time when Ah looked back. In those sad, even a little lifeless eyes, were flecks of gold all around that sparkled with the light. Haven't Ah... seen that somewhere else before?

“It may be hard to believe, but even though we all wanted to be heroes, we all have seen death. We all have blood on our hooves. It's… funny, really. I've always thought of you and Red Hoof as the model hero, the 'pure and righteous,' the just ones who deserve to judge. But, really, nopony chooses this life because that's what they were born to do. In fact, all of us here? We're all the same.” As Ah looked around again, this time Ah met everypony's eyes. All of them, sad lifeless, and cold.

The room was quiet fer a while, until Rarity cleared her throat. “I suppose now that that's in the air, you deserve to know everything about us. I'm… actually a little relieved really, that you're just like us. Now I can speak to you without the thought that you might really be the idol that we all believed you were, and that my own past… would keep us from being friends.” She smiled weakly.

Ah just shook my head. “No pony is perfect.” Ah didn't have anythin' else ta say, and it seemed that was all Ah needed. She sniffed again and wiped away the runnin' mascara on her face.

“Very well then. My story starts about nine years ago, when I first used my powers...”

Origin Story VIII: Death of a Hero

“Citrus? Sugarcube, where'd ya go?” a familiar voice asked. It was a clear morning in Ponyville. The sun was just beginning to peak beyond the horizon, the sky was a painting of red, orange, and yellow hues, and all the apple trees in the orchard glistened with dew.

“I'm over here, Rosie,” the pale yellow stallion said from his rocking chair on the wooden porch of the family home. This place was ancient. For generations, her family has lived in this very house going so far back that they aren't sure when the beginning was. A mare exited the house and entered the porch. Her mane was bright orange with streaks of blonde that ran down either side. She had bright green eyes and a bright red coat with little freckles that sat just above her cheeks.

She took a seat in the rocking chair next to Citrus and began to rock slowly. “So…Ah have ta ask, what are ya just sittin' out here for? It's Sunday. Ma ain't even up yet…” she said through a yawn. She was young, still a teenager even. Of course, that isn't to say that Citrus wasn't still one himself. She was only a little younger than his little brother after all. She'd lived on this farm her whole life, and she liked to take advantage of sleeping in when she could. Lazy whenever she can be.

“Oh, you know. I've never really watched the sunrise before. This is… nice. It's quiet and it smells good here, unlike where I'm from, and… I don't know, I just feel… like I belong here, ya know?” She'd hired him only a few days ago when she found him lying in the dry streets of the little hamlet outside of her farm, beaten and bruised, thin and hungry. One day, she'd ask him what happened to get him like that, but that was a question for another time.

She smiled. “Well, Ah'm glad. Ah ain't never met somepony as strong as y'all are, Ah think you'll adjust well here. Goddess knows we needed the help. Ah never really thought Ma was as old as she is until her leg gave out like that the other day. It's been hard with just us these days…” Silence struck the air as the two watched the sun creep above the horizon. Rosie could feel her heart beating so fast that it might have burst. He was so nice, and he was handsome too. Maybe on the small side, but that wouldn't matter as strong as he was. If only…

“Do ya think that... one day maybe...” she began.

Citrus stood. “You… really shouldn't.” He bit his lip. There was so much to say, so much to explain, and if it all came out, she’d never look at him the way she did now. It hurt, but… this could never be. “Look, I really appreciate what you're doing for me, but… I'm dangerous. I'm not really this strong. I wasn't this way two weeks ago, there's… something wrong with me. I… I didn't run away from home for no reason, and I… I can't ever go back to that city. You shouldn't get involved with me.”

Rosie got up from her chair and stood next to him. She found it funny how he was a year older than her, but she was a little taller than he was. She put a foreleg around his neck. “Ah don't care about yer past. Ah guess it'll have ta be just like Ma's then…”

Citrus turned to her, confused. “Wha-” He met her snout and she kissed him. Deep and passionate, spontaneous and oh so sweet. The moment felt like it would last forever until finally, she pulled away for a breath.

Finally free and realizing that he needed to breathe too, Citrus gasped. “What the!? What the in the world was that for?” His coat was probably just as red as hers now, he'd never been surprised like that. He was never the most social pony on the block and as far as he could remember… that was his first kiss.

She smiled, licked her lips and winked. “Yer just too sweet ta be forward, ya know? So, just like Ma, Ah'll have ta be the aggressive one. Y'all just come tell me when you're ready fer me.”

Citrus swallowed. “What... what are you?” he asked. She walked back in the house without responding. Time felt like it had come to a standstill.

She came back to poke her head through the door. “Citrus?”

“Uh, y-yes, Rosie?”

She shook her head at him, her smile never leaving her face. “Ya need ta wake up.”

He blinked, like the sentence defied the laws of nature. “What?”

“Wake up, honey. We're not teenagers anymore. Ah've been dead fer years, we had three kids, and yer brother is comin' home tomorrow. Wake up.” She started to turn back into the house.

No! Don't go in there! Don't leave me here! Not again, please not again!

Citrus rushed for the door. He turned the handle, and when he opened it, he was looking at the ceiling of his home in Manehattan. He saw his outstretched hoof trying to turn a knob. He brought it to his face along with his other and began to rub at his eyes.

Damn dreams.

He moved over to his end table and checked his digital clock. The bright red numbers shone dimly in the dark of his room. Seven thirty. Ah'm up too early again. Heh. Ah did pick this up from her didn't Ah? Ya left me here alone ta take care of all three of our friggen spawn. But… Ah guess that was my fault wasn't it? Goddess… this damned plague… Ah wish Ah'd never…

“Citrus? Citrus, please wake up!” a desperate voice called. Citrus quickly looked around, but couldn't find a source. He was alone in his room. How?

“Citrus, wake up please! We need your help!”

Finally, he recognized the voice. “Brightness? Is that you?”

“Oh, goddess, Citrus! Please come to our house! Octo… Scales was… murdered…”

A jolt ran down Citrus' spine. “Scales...? He’s...”

“Citrus, he's not the only one! Somepony has been killing heroes left and right! The body count is already at thirty… we… we don't know what to do!”

Was this Brightness? That girl was so willful and energetic, there wasn't anything that scared her... how could she be this worked up? Was Scales really...?

Citrus bit his lip. “Where are you?”

She sniffed though the link. Oh goddess, she's cryin'.“I'm on the street just outside the house… looking at the body!”

He could taste his own blood. Something he hadn't felt in a long time was beginning to surge through his body. Darkness flooded his voice as he said, “I'll be there in ten minutes.” For a moment, he stared at his closet. There was an object in there, one that could make him a different pony with the simple task of putting it on. Then he turned away and pushed the curtains from his window. Throwing it open, he leapt through it, landing on the roof of the house next door.

Damn. That was too much. Ah'm out of practice...

Another leap landed him on the road, then he headed south for the Slate house.

“Damn it!” Citrus slammed a hoof into the ground. The still liquid blood near the body started to find its way into the new depression. “Scales… who did this ta ya?”

Star looked to Brightness, and then Brightness returned the unsure look back to him. She took a step forward. “R-red Hoof-”

“Don't call me that! That name… that hero is gone,” he barked.

She stepped back. “Hey, man, don't yell at her! Look, I know I could never take you on, but that doesn't give you the right to-”

Citrus held a hoof up and shook his head. “Ah'm sorry. Ah didn't mean ta yell. Just... just call me Citrus, please.” He felt his head droop, unwilled to do so.

The siblings looked at each other and nodded. “Go on, tell him. He needs to know,” Star said. The girl looked at Citrus and frowned.

Her eyes fell to the ground as she started to speak. “There's been… almost sixty now.”

“Sixty? Sixty what?”

The filly stamped her hoof and looked directly at him, her pale teal eyes filled with anger and tears. “Sixty of your friends! Sixty heroes, mister retired! Somepony is trying to find Red Hoof again, and he's killing my friends to do it!” She wiped at her eyes. “I felt something weird that woke me up half an hour ago, and I walk two blocks away from the house to find Scales bleeding out right there! He couldn't talk, but the last thought the he made found it's way to me, and ya know what he said!? Find Red Hoof!” She took a breath to shake off the frustration and looked away.

“He… he died right there, with my hooves on him. He… I…” She started to chew on her lip, desperately fighting back more tears. Without a word, Citrus stood and pulled the filly in close. Her tears flowed, and she punched his chest repeatedly.

“If you had never…! Why didn't you just…!? You were my… hero…” Citrus remained silent. He made a nod in Star's direction, and scooped up the filly in his foreleg. She clung to him as the three of them made their way to Star's home.

Brightness had fallen asleep in the silent walk back, so after returning the twelve year old to her bed, Star and Citrus made their way upstairs to talk.

“This has been going on for about a week. She, uh… didn't want ta bother ya, but then it started ta get outta hoof. This guy… he killed twenty Power Ponies in one day. Scales was the first one to live long enough to tell us what he wanted, they all just…” Star trailed off and shook his head. “Look, man, I don't know what this guy is up to, but he's way worse than Copper was. Every time another hero dies, Brightness feels it, and it's messin' with her. She's losin’ her sight, and I don't know if it'll ever come back… I know that Copper messed you up and all, but… for my sister's sake, can you please, put an end to this?” Star pleaded.

Citrus didn't respond. He rolled the Coffee in his mug around, then took a drink. “Star…”

Star sighed and cut him off. “If that's all you have ta say to me, then… I… I don't want ya here. It might've been an accident the first time, but now it's happening again. I didn't want ta say this outright, but the fact is… whatever your intentions were for hiding like ya have, it's gotten a lot of ponies killed. It's time to own up, man.” He moved to his desk and reached for a key on it. He unlocked one of the lower drawers, took a piece of cloth from it, and threw it in Citrus' face.

“You've been sayin’ it for years, so go clean up your mess, mister janitor.” Citrus took hold of the vinyl like suit he'd been given and spread it out. It was more like the original suit, bright white and red with the Red hoof emblem being proudly shown on the chest. He gritted his teeth.

“I… heh, call me a fool for thinking ya might come back one day, but I've been keeping this for ya ever since that day two years ago. Seein’ how the last one got all torn up, I figured you’d need a stronger one this time. It's more resistant to things, and I had a whole bunch of heroes help me make the fabric. They all wanted to help in the event you ever took up a cape again, so this is all their hard work and mine. Half of ‘em are dead now, though…” Star walked past Citrus and didn’t bother looking back.

Before he took the first step down, he said, “The window is open. She's been up way too much lately, so… keep from waking her on your way out, okay?” Star gave one last hopeful glance at Citrus, then disappeared down the staircase. Citrus bit into his lip again.

Damn it! Why? Why did Ah ever start all this in the first place? If Ah hadn't caught this stupid virus Ah… Ah… Ah never woulda met Rosie… Ah never woulda fallen in love. Ah wouldn't have three kids Ah love. Ah wouldn't have saved Brightness. Ah wouldn't have kept my kids fed and happy. Ah wouldn't have saved this city as many times as Ah did. And… Dew might still be alive. Blood wouldn't have gone crazy. All those ponies that Copper killed might still be around. All those heroes that tried ta be like me would never have been killed by this new guy… This is all my fault. Damn it! It's time fer me ta stop mopin' around and fix my own damn mistakes! Star's right. Ah'm a street janitor. Ah clean up the messes that normal ponies can't.

Citrus stood and unzipped the suit. One hoof through, he flexed inside it. The suit bulged with his muscles without being so tight that it hindered his movement. Another hoof through and it met his full stretched length without being in the way. The mask came on, and there were no problems with the size. He could breathe and move his mouth without problem, even spit through the material. He wrapped up his tail, making it take it's old whip like quality. The suit was complete, and the cape had returned. Citrus pushed the window to the balcony open. It's time ta go clean up the mess.

“Thanks, Star.” And then he jumped away. If Ah'm lookin' fer a hero killer… then Ah'd best start at the last place Ah was seen.

It had been an hour since Citrus left Star's home. A clock near the park read nine fifty. Citrus looked down the city streets from his perch on the office of the Manehattan Bugle.

Damn. Still nothin'. Too bad. If anywhere Ah'd like ta have destroyed accidentally in some kinda fight, it'd be this place. These pricks always give me a bad rep. What was that guy's name? Johnson? James? Somethin' or other. Oh well. Ah suppose Ah'll just head fer the trade center. Ah can see most of the city from there. Still… Ah'm not sure who Ah'm lookin' fer just yet.

In the distance, aclock bell tolled.

Ah, crap. Ah was suppose ta have Blood's apartment cleaned up today. Ah can take an hour ta do that at least.

Citrus started to head north. The bell rang nine times as he was moving, but as the tenth tone rang out, he saw a black figure out of the corner of his eye rocket toward him. Without time to react, the figure crashed into him. His eyes went wide, as the force of the impact only increased as the figure put his hooves around Citrus' neck. They crashed into the Bugle building, then the figure raised Citrus' body like a rag doll and slammed him down into the roof, crashing through floor after floor until they reached the foundation.

Citrus managed to free himself from the figure's grip and finally, he could see what attacked him. A stallion, covered in a black and white suit. The majority of his body was draped in the darkest black Citrus had ever seen where only his eyes and a few stripes that ran down the interior of his suit were white. On his chest was a mirror that seemed to reflect more than was possible at one point and time. What in the hell is that? Without warning, the stallion launched at Citrus again.

Knowing where his enemy was coming from this time, Citrus paused and locked his foreleg for a punch. The unknown stallion arrived in range, and Citrus let loose, sending his enemy through several beams on the bottom floor and out onto the street. The building began to rumble, and quickly Citrus realized his mistake. For the single moment that he was distracted, his opponent had returned with incredible speed and landed a hard blow to Citrus' ribs, knocking him out of the collapsing building. By the time Citrus had caught his breath, his opponent was upon him again. Reacting quickly, he took advantage of the forces at play and twisted his torso, letting one of his hind legs slam into his opponent's head.

The enemy stallion was sent flying into the street, creating a crater in an intersection. Cars paused and honked their horns, ponies started to turn and run, a few even noticed him and shouted, 'look, it's Red Hoof!' Since he had transferred his momentum, Citrus began to fall and land on a nearby rooftop. Waves of pain shot through his head as he tried to take deep breaths. He noticed that his stomach felt wet.

Am Ah bleedin'? Sweet Celestia, this guy is out fer blood.

A second had passed, then the sound of propelling force shot through the air. Car horns and chaos, screaming and yelling, a speeding bullet trying to kill the hero. The Mirror chested stallion was back in the air and gunning for Citrus. He managed to pull his legs together to cover his face, but that wasn't enough to stop the punch that followed.

Just how strong is this bastard!? That felt just like...

No time to think. The stallion launched after him again. He was approaching the Trade Center quickly, and a single thought crossed his mind. He twisted in the air, then loaded his legs like a spring as he landed on it. Shooting off the building with such force that it broke all the near by windows, he launched at the opposing stallion. Citrus caught him by the neck and put him in a head lock. The stallion kicked and flailed, but couldn't escape before the two crashed into the street. They plunged into the ground until finally, the stallion landed a hit on Citrus’s ribs, and a powerful one at that.

Clutching the previously bleeding spot, Citrus was thrown out of the crater and into an apartment complex, collapsing the wall he hit. Then he heard him.

“Red Hoof, Murderer!!!” The enemy stallion screamed as he jumped from the crater and bounded off another apartment building to get at him again. Citrus tried to get away, but his broken rib made him spit a well of blood. The stallion collided with him, shoving his shoulder deep into Citrus' chest, collapsing the rest of the building as they smashed through it.

Without thinking, Citrus managed to stop them from pushing further into the ground and slammed his elbow into the enemy Stallion's face. The canceled momentum gave Citrus a second to plan his next attack. Grabbing the enemy stallion’s head, Citrus put all the energy he could into his knee and slammed them together. The villain reeling, Citrus planted one hoof in the ground, twisted his hips back, and let a punch fly with everything he had in it. The glass of his bloody mask shattering, the enemy stallion flew off into the distance. With time to think again, Citrus took in the scene he was part of.

Sirens were going off everywhere. Officers and heroes alike were trying to escort ponies away from the fight which had thrown all of Central Manehattan into chaos. The Bugle had collapsed in on itself, all that remained of it was a pile of rubble and dust that coated everything near. Ponies that weren’t so lucky were stains under fallen concrete, cars had crashed in an effort to dodge the falling debris, and a hidrant that had been destroyed was spewing water.Goddess, it's like a bomb went off or somethin'!His focus was brought back to the fight when a whistling sound came from his left.

“Murderer… You killed my family!” The Mirror burst through the brick and mortar that had fallen in on him and he bounded off the building after Red Hoof once more. They clashed in a flurry of rapid blows, for every punch Citrus landed, the mirror would give it back just a strong. Their blows, shook the ground around them, each hit so powerful it blew the blacktop and concrete of the street away. For a second, Citrus saw an opening and went for a punch to his opponent's ribs. And just as he did, so did his enemy. They both landed a hoof at the same time in the same place, sending each other flying.

Citrus had crashed through an office building, skipping across the floor like a rock on a pond until finally, he broke through a window and fell to the ground. After a few seconds of laying still on black top, Citrus started to get up. He looked around to find that he was back in front of the old apartment, but then his eyes locked on something that shouldn't have been there.

A filly. About eight years old. Her coat was bright orange, her mane and tail were blonde and tied up at the ends with red ribbons. She had freckles all along her face and bright green eyes filled with wonder, eyes that looked just like her mother's. Time seemed to stop as he and the filly stared at each other.

Why are you here!? It's not safe here damn it! He's after me, you have to run! You have to run!! Citrus turned his head, a loud crash sounded through the city as another building collapsed. He looked back at the filly, and she'd taken a step closer.

“Applejack, run!” She took a step back. Damn it, now is not the time ta disobey me! The crashing soundswere drawing closer.

“Applejack, run!” Her eyes widened. Son of a bitch, she's stunned! Ah can't get her outta here, she has ta go on her own! Her own… that's it!

“Jaquline Apple, RUN!” Her tail straightened out and she bolted away from Citrus, leaving little hoof prints in the concrete as she did so.

She's… she's movin' too fast… no… she can't… oh goddess, she's just like-

The office building behind him exploded with glass, rubble, and dust as his opponent crashed through it. “You killed my wife, I'll take your life! Murderer!”

Citrus, thanks to the presence of his daughter, had entered a state of hyper alert that only a father can. As if time had come to a slow, Citrus grabbed hold of his opponent's outstretched hoof and his flank. He began to spin The Mirror rapidly, and once he’d gained enough momentum, he sent The Mirrorback where he came from. Smashing into the office with the explosive force of a bullet, the roof collapsed in on The Mirror, coming tumbling down. He turned his head to see that Applejack was far enough away and went after his opponent.

He landed on an apartment complex next to the office's rubble and watched for movement. Without delay, The Mirror had pushed a large piece of concrete off himself. Now, Citrus got a better look at him. The cover on his tail had ripped during their fight revealing bright green hair. When Citrus saw that, something started to feel wrong. It looked so familiar. Why did it look familiar?

The Mirrorspoke again,“I was going to be a father! You killed him!”

The voice was familiar too. It was a voice he should know, one that he knew should have been close. But who did it belong to? The Mirror locked on to him and leapt at him again. Suddenly, this all felt too familiar. Citrus knew exactly how to react. He reached for the blood stained white and black mask of his opponent and brought his head close. With all the force he could, he swung his opponent by the neck until the fabric of his mask ripped away and the enemy stallion was thrown back toward the Trade Center.

Citrus swallowed. If Ah have these powers… and my daughter has her own powers… then is… is it possible that… He stopped the thought. That couldn't be true. The virus only affects thirty percent of the population. It… wasn't genetic was it? But if Applejack has it, then maybe it affects ponies with certain genes… and… if Ah have it…

The Mirror stood back up. A piece of his mask was missing. Just enough to reveal his left eye. His irises were bright red, and the coat around his eye was yellow.

“No…” Citrus’s heart sank. The pain of his injury and the blood beginning to well in the back of his throat all came together at once and he threw up.

“Bastard!” his opponent yelled, charging at him again. Citrus couldn't bring himself to retaliate. He blocked and blocked and blocked, eventually taking enough punches to push him away toward the edge of the rooftop they were on.

“Why!? Why did you kill her!? She was everything to me! If you weren't around, she'd still be here!” The Mirror yelled, bloody tears streaming down his bloodshot eye.

The Mirror came in again for another hit, and Citrus caught his hoof. “Ah'm… sorry.” He couldn't look at his attacker any more.

The Mirror screamed and kicked Citrus in the ribs, sending him into the wall of the building next door. “You're sorry!? Sorry!? You killed her and my son! Sorry can't bring them back to life!” He slammed into Citrus once again, and Citrus heard something organic snap as they burrowed further into the sky scraper. The Mirror grabbed Citrus by the face and threw him back out of the hole they made, then caught him in the air.

Ah can't feel my left foreleg... Ah can't let him do this... if he finds out the truth...

With all the strength he had left, he knocked The Mirror away as he came into range, and then started to fall out of the sky. He crashed into the side of the Trade Center, taking out the southern corner. He could feel more blood beginning to well up in his mouth, his broken rib starting to make the rest of his suit red. He tried to get up, but the pain of his injuries prevented stopped him. Before he knew it, The Mirror was upon him again. He kneed Citrus in the stomach, then straddled his body and punchedhim over and over again.

“Why!? Why!? Why!? Why!?” He said with each blow to Citrus.

“You were the Hero! Why didn't you save her!? It was your job! You were the best at it! Why did you kill her!?” When he felt no struggling beneath him, The Mirror stopped his barrage and looked at the bloody beaten Hero below him. The hero turned and spat on the ground.

“Ah… couldn't… save her…” Citrus started to hear a faint rumbling coming from nearby. Crackling and popping coming from the stone. He looked up and noticed that the Trade Center was leaning.

“W-why aren't you fighting back!? Why are you telling me this!? You're supposed to be the stallion that murdered my wife! Not somepony I know! Why do you… sound so… familiar? Who… who are you?” The cracking noises erupted and the sky darkened. Dust and rubble started to fall, broken glass came crashing down.

“Because… Ah could never fight you…” Through all the pain and blood and broken body, Citrus mustered all the strength he could into a headbutt to his brother's chest. Blood was sent flying out of range of the toppling mass of glass, steel, and concrete. Citrus tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond. The darkness was approaching quicker, the building was crumbling and collapsing in on itself. He didn't have time to escape anymore. He'd lost too much blood in the fight and he'd broken his dominant foreleg. It was over now.

So this is how it ends, isn't it? Ah'm sorry Ah didn't last Rosie. Ah couldn't see our kids grow up like ya asked me too. Ah couldn't protect my own family. Ah couldn't live ta see them get married or have their own kids. Ah really blew it this time, didn't Ah? At the very least… We'll be together again.

Blood watched as the Manehattan Trade Center collapsed on the spot where he had been fighting Red Hoof. Glass, dust, and rubble flew through the sky like a volcano had erupted in the middle of the city. Ponies screamed, sirens blared, death and destruction was what remained of He stood up and rushed back to where Red Hoof was.

That couldn't have been... I was... he... he pushed me out of the way. I... He couldn't have been...

He reached the spot and cleared away the rubble until he found the body. It was bloody, but not destroyed. It was very still. Not breathing, like a life sized Red Hoof figurine.

He… He's not… He's dead… He's dead… B-but… Who was he?

Blood swallowed. He defeated Red Hoof, the hero who killed his wife and soon to be son, but... who was Red Hoof?

There's was no mistaking that accent… H-he had it ever since he married into that family… he was the only one I knew who could have been that strong… he… he could lift hundreds of pounds with his teeth with ease… he… oh, goddess…

While he still had Red Hoof's powers, Blood ripped the mask off Red Hoof's suit. There, lying dead in a pool of his own blood was a pale yellow stallion with a brown mane, inside the suit of Red Hoof, the Hero who got his wife and unborn son killed.

“No… no, no, no, this can't be real! You can't be him! I… Without you, I would have never…! We… I…! No, no, no, not again! AHHHH!!!!” He screamed at the top of his raw lungs, clutching the body of his brother with all he had. From out of the nearby crowd, he heard a familiar voice. One that he picked out from all the rest, one that he couldn't ignore.

“That's my papa in there! Let me go! Let me go!” the voice said. He couldn't turn away. He had to look. He had to know. And sure enough, he saw what he hoped wasn't there. A young orange filly with freckles on her face, bright green eyes and a blonde mane and tail, both tied up with red ribbons.

Blood bit deep into his lip, so hard the he could taste his own blood again. He picked up the body and put the mask back over his brother's face. He screamed into the sky once more before he leapt away from the destruction. As quickly as possible, Blood made his way toward the Manehattan park interior. Part of the park that was so heavily forested that nopony would ever know what would be buried there. Where nopony would ever find him.

“I've made a mistake… a horrible, horrible mistake that I can never atone for… but… you… you still tried to show me mercy. You tried to save me, even after everything I did. I… I will never use these powers to harm another again. With you, I will seal them away. I’m… the last family your kids have left, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that they live good lives, just like… my big brother… tried to do for me…!" He took a deep breath and the tears refused to stay put any longer. “Oh, Citrus… I'm so sorry!”

Blood wept and dug a hole deep in the park that day. He buried his brother's corpse, and threw the mirror in with it. Now, Red Hoof and The Mirror will die together. Never to be seen by the world again.

Harmony Stories I: Unbreakable Diamond

“I was eleven when it first happened. Living in a little village has it's perks when you're the one with rich parents, but at the same time, rich parents are never around when you need them to be. I was popular, the top of my class, an artist, a pianist, a designer, you name it. In my little pond, I was the biggest fish. Yet there was one thing that I was particularly bad at, and that was magic.

“For whatever reason, I was born with an ineptitude for magic. Nopony could figure out why I was so bad with the stuff, but all the same, my classmates eventually found out and I was ridiculed for it. Suddenly an outcast, things began to change around me. Teased every which way for being powerless, my so called 'friends' deserted me, and all I had left was my younger sister who fared much better. She was seven and already a better mage than I ever was. I didn't think my future looked very bright.

“I became jealous on top of all the other little insecurities that had slowly been building up, and this is where the turning point was. You see, being as moody as I was back then, I hadn't been putting any positive thought into anything, and that brought me to the point of skipping school one day because I'd had enough of it. I return the next day, ready for the next berating, but was surprised when I didn't get it. This was because there was a test that day. A test over a topic that my teacher had introduced yesterday. I was mortified to see letters in my math test for the first time and had no idea on how to even attempt any of the questions.

“I sat there trying to figure out what this new problem could possibly mean, completely still and wondering for almost an hour. She called time on the test. I hadn't even written anything. She began to collect papers from the other students, some looking like they were in a similar situation, others looking like they'd had no problems at all. I began to panic and write down random answers to every question, hoping that some of them might be right. I managed to get five out of thirty before she came to my desk.

“She tried to take the paper. I tried to keep it, frantically asking for more time, but my protest was denied. In a fit, I tried to pull my paper away from her with my magic, and that is when it happened. What was supposed to come out as a simple levitation spell ended up freezing the world. Naturally, I was confused about the advent at first. It's a strange feeling to suddenly see the world lose all it's color and sound.

“I was dazed by everything around me. Seeing the frozen faces of my teacher and classmates frightened me at first, but then I became curious. Magic was like it didn't exist now, so it was easy to take my paper back from the teacher. Then I decided to see what the other students had put on their papers since it didn't look like anypony would stop me. One of the other students had written out how the whole process worked, so I took advantage of that and finished my paper. After everything was complete and corrected, I simply sat back in my chair, wondering if the spell would ever end.

“I didn't quite have a real grasp on how any of this worked yet, but when time ran out, or, ‘restarted’ is a more proper word I suppose, I had no idea what I was in for. The feeling was similar to having several hundred needles stabbed into your skin all at once. Like every nerve on my body was set to pain, shooting it all into my brain so fast that it made me scream. I fainted and was brought to the town clinic shortly afterward. When I awoke three hours later, my parents had arrived to see me.

“It had been a few weeks since they'd visited last, so it was a welcome surprise, and even more of a relief just to see that they still cared. They promised to be home as long as they could while I was treated, but after being checked up, I was released. The doctor couldn't figure out what had happened to begin with, and it didn't look like there was anything wrong, so they let me go. I had my parents for a week, and it was a great one. My family was whole again for the rare time it was, but as do all good things, it eventually came to an end.

“I hadn't tried to use my powers again, but when I nearly got into a fight with one of those bullies, my powers went off. The anger I was feeling vanished, quickly being replaced by wonder, then fear. I didn't want to experience that feeling again. Terrified, I ran back home and hid in my bed, and prayed for it to stop. As if on queue, it did and the feeling returned, but not nearly as strong as it was the first time. The maid, Feather Duster, came across me after she heard me crying in my room and contacted the school about it. This strange display managed to get my parents back home again, but this time, it was to have me tested.

“I knew I wasn't capable of teleporting, but to everypony else, it looked like I did. When the results came back the same way, my disappearance only became more concerning. So, when life returned to normal, I was bestowed the title 'freak' to add on to my list of names. I started to get into fights more often, and with more fights came more uses of my powers. Every time I became afraid, the world would freeze. Every time I became furious, the world would freeze. Eventually, I figured out that I could manipulate things while the world was frozen. When I was angry enough to face and attack my bullies, I'd hit them while the world was frozen, then let it go to watch them take all my blows. It wasn't long before their ridiculing stopped.

“From my place at the bottom of the chain, I'd risen back to the top. The other students feared me, and as long as that kept them from teasing me, it was enough. After I realized how useful they were, I began to test my powers now. I figured out how to activate it on purpose in addition to being able to stop it, and this opened a whole new world of possibilities. If I wanted something that Feather wouldn't get me, then I would simply take it when nopony could see me.

“Eventually, Feather found out that I'd been stealing things, and my parents returned home to deal with me. Having them reprimand me was probably the most ashamed of myself that I'd ever been. I couldn't sleep that night. I'd never heard my parents yell, or look so angry at me. Worse still, was when they'd calmed down and could only look at me with disappointment. I couldn't get their faces out of my mind.

“Then... I heard a noise downstairs. It was likely one in the morning, and with nothing better to do, I decided to see what was going on.” Rarity paused. Ah saw her bite inta her lip fer a moment.

“I... I started to hear a slapping sound. At that age, I couldn't have known what it was. It was dark, only what the moonlight revealed could be seen. There was soft grunting and crying that became louder as I got closer.” She swallowed.

“I finally made my way down stairs and then I saw it. F-feather had been taken by some… intruder. I was horrified, so I screamed. He turned on me, removed himself from her and threw her on the ground like some kind of rag doll… I ran, and he followed. My parents got up and started turning lights on, yelling for the maid, asking what was wrong. I made it to them, and he stopped. My father attempted to fight this intruder after he realized what he'd done to Feather, only to be shot in the leg.

“Then... Then Sweetie woke up. Hers was the only bedroom on the ground floor. She called for mother as she exited, and the intruder spotted her, startled by the new voice. I could never know if he had intended to or not, but as soon as she moved, he turned and pulled his trigger. The gun fired. I screamed and the world stopped. I had moved quickly enough to stop time just before his bullet connected with Sweetie. Had I been any later, it would have pierced her skull with no more difficulty than it had moving through the air...

“I knew I wouldn't last long as tired as I was, but all the same I rushed to her. I tried to move her, but because I hadn't figured out how to freeze time with another pony in the still world, she was solid and I wasn't strong enough to get her out of the way. I didn't know what to do. I could only move things so far when the world was like this. And then I remembered. In my fights, some times, my opponent would throw things at me. With a simple flick, I could turn their projectiles around and watch as the acting forces followed, often time angling them to hit my opponents in the face.

“I ran to the bullet and with all the strength I could manage, I tried to turn it. Within frozen time, things acquire a… weight to them. It’s not exactly the weight of the object, or even a direct translation of the forces acting on it, but something like… the value of movement, not unlike a light casing of ice. Everything is almost lighter to the touch, yet nothing will move without a good amount of force applied to it if it was moving before. However, once an object has been removed from the stasis of frozen time, it's almost like pushing something on smooth ice. Things just… glide through space as if it were a void. But, just like the way it starts, when something stops moving during in my world, it goes back to stasis and becomes difficult to engage again.

“It wasn't working at first, but I was so desperate that my little body managed to get it to move just enough to break it from its stasis. I didn't know all the rules just yet, and I had pushed too hard for the bullet just to avoid Sweetie. The bullet kept turning until it came to rest facing our attacker. I was too tried to keep time frozen, and when I realized what I had done, it was too late.

“I watched as the bullet that was going to kill my little sister passed through the robber's forehead. I couldn't look away. The blood came pouring out of his head like a fountain, staining his dark coat the brightest crimson I'd ever seen. His eyes turned back into his head and he crumpled into a heap. For the first time since I discovered my powers did I really feel like time had stopped. Sweetie was crying, my mother was trying to console her and Feather, my father, injured and making calls to the police, the clinic, and his work, and I... just stood there, frozen to myself.

“The house was quickly sold and the two of us moved into our parents home here in Manehattan. To this day, that sight still haunts me. The robber, Feather, all that red… For years on, I never forgave myself for it. I swore off fighting and my powers for a very long time until I prevented another… attack on a mare one night two years ago. It was then that I decided that I would keep this from happening ever again. I made myself a costume with all the left over fabrics from my slowly declining shop and started going out every night to try and prevent that from happening to wandering mares.

“And then… I met Twilight. She approached me with an offer to help keep my livelihood while working for her under this guild, and… I've been here ever since.”

Ah wasn't sure if she could sink any lower in her chair than she already had at the moment. Ah couldn't think of any way ta respond either. There should've been somethin' ta say, but… whatever it was, it wouldn't come ta me.

“Ah… Ah'm sorry.” It was the best Ah could do. She took a deep breath and sat back up.

She looked at me and said, “Thank you,” through cold, sad eyes. The room had become dead silent again, and it stayed that way fer a good while. Eventually, the one that Ah could bet had some kind of problem with bein' in the same spot fer too long broke the silence.

“Sooooo... Is anypony else hungry? I'm willing to make food if that's the case,” she asked tryin' ta fake a smile. There was still some kinda depressin' gloom hangin' over the room, but Ah figured that Ah might listen ta my body.

“Ah am. Haven't eaten since Ah woke up,” Ah said.

“I suppose I could eat again. I haven't really eaten much today anyways,” Rarity followed.

“I-I... I'd like that,” Fluttershy added. We all looked to Twilight, who apparently didn't want ta stop the stories.

Finally, and reluctantly, Twilight finished the chain by sayin', “Alright, fine. I guess it would be better to brighten the mood before we darken it again. Go ahead Pinkie. But, try to make something quick. I'd prefer to get this done with as fast as possible. We still have a job that needs to be taken care of by the end of the week.”

Pinkie rolled her eyes. “It's Tuesday, and we'll probably get it done tomorrow. Don't you worry your little wings off, I'll be fast. It's kinda my thing.” And like that, she was a pink blur down one of the dark hallways. The room went quiet again, and this time, Ah couldn't stand it.

“So, uh… what's this job y'all were talkin about?” Ah asked.

Twilight looked at me, then looked away ta muse somethin' ta herself. Finally, she nodded and looked back at me. “You know the Argent company right?”

“Uh... sorta? Ah see that name on train cars that get tagged a lot around these parts.” Ah knew the name, but not much else.

“Rarity, if you would,” Twilight motioned.

Ah suppose that meant she knew more about it fer some reason. “Stannum Argent is my… father's boss, and the owner of Argent enterprises. Argent is the largest mineral and metal excavation company in Equestria and handles most of Equestria's exports due to our large reservoirs of silver, gold, and precious gems. Originally, he was a simple mirror smith before he bought a piece of land near the Yakyakistan border. In an attempt to dig out his own fortune, he started a mine into the frigid mountains alone and found the largest piece of Equestrian silver to date. My father was one of his first employees almost thirty years ago, and now he's one of the higher ups. My parents actually met working for Mr. Argent. My family is good friends with him.” She said it like she was recitin' an answer ta some kinda math problem, if not a little angry about it fer whatever reason. Well, that was weird.

“As for our job, there's been strange reports of workers going missing at one of the major Argent foundries just outside the city. Some of the workers have been reporting that there is literally a monster in the basement. My… uh… our boss, yes, that's the word, has asked us to investigate thanks to the nature of this task. She believes it to be some kind of power pony.” Twilight said.

Ah frowned. “That's kinda sketchy. Ah guess y'all are kinda like a special task force or somethin'?” Ah asked.

Twilight began ta muse again, then Rarity rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes we are. We take jobs that the government doesn't want to pass to normal ponies because mortality rates are high as it is, and our work… has had a habit of getting bloody as of late.” Then, she turned on Twilight. “Really, Twilight? I know you have your confidentiality issues, but Applejack is trustworthy. There is no reason to be so skeptical.”

“Look, I just don't want this to end up like the last one did okay? Who knows! Maybe the Bloody Crow is the one behind the Argent problem! Wouldn't it be fun to see her again?” Twilight shot, angry and sarcastic.

Rarity narrowed her eyes at Twilight. “I told you before we even brought her in that I didn't think she was a good fit for us, but you didn't listen to me. You were so obsessed with figuring out what she could do that you ignored the fact that she had problematic personality traits. So don't you blame me for your mistakes. I picked her out, and I trust her. Keep that in mind, Darling.”

Fer a minute there, it looked like a fight was gonna break out. Twilight was just about snarlin' at Rarity, and Rarity looked like she was about ta freeze time again.

Luckily, Pinkie returned before anythin' happened. “Dinner is ready! I made… whoa. You guys need to chill the hell out. You're making us look bad in front of our guest!” Rarity relaxed first, and then Twilight followed after.

Harmony huh? Heh. This ain't nowhere close ta that.

Harmony Stories II: All the other Kids

“Is everypony finished?” the impatientuni- er… whatever Twilight was asked. She sat at what Ah suppose was the head of this round table off ta the side of where our initial meetin' took place. It was above the rest of the room on a kind of raised platform unto itself, and it had a long booth seat ta it that followed the back wall. It looked like Ah was the only one left, so Ah gobbled up what was still on my plate and responded with a nod.

“Good. So whose next?” She stared directly at the pair of pink haired ponies ta my right, so the question was really up ta who was least ashamed of what they did. The light smiles that dinner brought quickly evaporated as the two looked from me, ta each other, ta Twilight, and finally, they settled on Rarity. Ah could have missed somethin', but Ah swore that Fluttershy said somethin' ta her. Whatever it was, Ah blinked and they seemed ta shift somehow.

Twilight must of caught it too. “What did you just do?” she asked, turnin' ta Rarity.

Rarity reeled back as if she'd been struck. “Whatever do you mean? I haven't moved from this spot in the past half hour, let alone 'do' anything,” she resolved, with air quotes.

Twilight narrowed her eyes at the smirking unicorn. “I see.” Ah'm not entirely sure what just happened, but Ah could guess it's happened before. “Did you come to a decision?” she directed at the pink maned ponies, this time in a much more civil way. Makes me wonder just what exactly their problem with each other is. Ah don't really know Rarity all that well, and Ah don't know Twilight at all, save fer the base personality traits Ah picked up on today.

How do they work together when they're always at each other's throats like this?

“I-I'll go,” said the butter cream colored pegasus from behind me. Ah was a little more than surprised ta hear it, so when my ears twitched, Ah looked at the pair. Pinkie had just about sunk under the table, and Fluttershy wasn't makin' eye contact with anypony in particular. Whatever it really meant, it made me think that Pinkie is afraid of whatever it is she has ta say. Between my fucked up life and Rarity's rape story, it couldn't be that bad, could it?

Without any further deliberation, the five of us got up and moved back to our chairs. As we did, Ah noticed somethin' about em that Ah didn't see before. At the top of each chair was some kind of colored gem. An orange one at the top of this chair, a green one above Rarity. The empty chair beside me had a red one, A pink one sat above Fluttershy, a blue one above Pinkie, and a violet one above Twilight.

Before Ah had a chance ta ask about em, Fluttershy started ta speak. “I-I, um... well, before I start this, I just want to say that... I-I'm happy to have you here.”

Ah was surprised more than anythin' so Ah just kinda stumbled until Ah could make words again. Where did that come from? “Oh, uh, sure. Ah mean, thanks, that is.” Ah faked a smile and hope that sounded genuine enough ta not raise any flags. She nodded and returned a more real one.

“W-well... I guess to start, I'll s-say that we don't really know w-what exactly my power is. E-ever since I can remember, I've always t-thought it was normal for me to b-be able to do what I can. M-my senses of touch, smell, and sight are on a l-level that most ponies would n-never know, and I... well, I can feel t-things before most ponies would see them. O-of course, you happen to um… w-well, get around this for some reason because, e-even as I talk to you, your… everything is a l-little off. B-but for the most part, I can s-see, smell, feel, and react to things that m-most ponies can't. Um… O-oh, how did I do this last time?”

My ‘everythin’’ is off? What's that supposed ta mean?

“It's alright Fluttershy, there's no need to be nervous here. Just start from the beginning. How did you come to be here?” Rarity asked.

“Oh… um, well, Twilight found me about a year ago and…” she began, but quickly stopped as she received a death stare from the pony in question.

Rarity interjected again. “Uh, further back than that. Ah, here we go, what made you want to be a hero? What drives you to help ponies?”

As if there were some kind of hypnotic trigger in that sentence, Fluttershy's demeanor... changed. Her whole presence seemed ta shift ta that determined pony Ah met when she was catchin' those knives. But... this time, it wasn't quite the same. Ah don't know if Ah could say that this was the case or not, but it almost felt like there was... blood lust in the air.

“O-oh, I get it now. Y-you want me to talk about… t-that, right?” she asked, her eyes now darkened.

Rarity bit inta her lip. “Well... only if you're comfortable with it...” Fluttershy nodded, and then looked up toward the ceilin'.

“V-very well. I-if that is the story you w-wish me to tell, then I will.”

“Years ago, I lived in Cloudsdale with my family. If you couldn't tell, I'm not quite the social butterfly my cutie mark would have you believe. I didn't have any friends, and the one I did have, I… lost a few years before. My little brother was entering middle school, and I was entering high school that year. My family was one of average income, my father worked at the weather factory as a cloud artisan, and my mother was a stay at home mom. We were quiet as a unit, my little brother being the most outspoken one of the four of us, and we were mostly normal. Well, save for me.

“My powers have always been present. While I knew her, my friend loved to pull pranks, but she could never prank me. I always knew what she had done, or sometimes, what she was going to do before she did it. I would later learn that my reaction speed is almost on par with how fast Pinkie moves, and I'm more perceptive than most magic can make a pony. My hearing is actually rather poor in comparison to an average pony, but my nose and eyes make up for it in that I can see in the dark and catch scents from miles away.

“So, I was… weird as a child. And that didn't change as a teen. When flight training came to be, it was quickly known that I wasn't very good at it. I can fly, but my family has a history of bad back muscles, and none of us can fly very well. So, I was bullied for that. But, as long as I had my friend, I didn't really care. At the end of middle school though, she attempted a stunt that would take her life during a race that was started because of… me.

“She was headed toward the ground. There was a ring they were supposed to pass through at an adult level altitude, but none of them cared. The mile high drop, they called it. Even dangerous for adults, but none of us really knew why. She was well ahead of the others, and at the same time, she was always trying to push her limits. She dove for the ring.

“She picked up more speed than most of knew possible. But then, something went wrong. In a bright red flash, the sky was stained crimson. To this day, we don't know what exactly happened, but all the same, we never saw her again.

“With my only friend gone, I withdrew into myself and made an effort to never be noticed again. With my senses as strong as they are, it worked for a good while, but ponies in high school are far more ruthless than they are in middle school.

“I never would have met her, if my first friend had never died. If I still had her, things wouldn't be the way they are now. I've done some terrible things in my life. Especially after that day. But this... this is what I regret most in my life.

“Her name was Scarlet Thread. I met her in the first week of class that year. She was just about as unassuming as I was, avoiding attention like a plague, keeping to her books and herself, and some how, we formed a bond because of it. Of the two of us, I was actually more outspoken. Well, at first that is…”

“H-hello,” I said as I approached her for the first time. I had seen her around, found her near all my hiding spots, and eventually I realized that she was the pony who had checked out all the um... eastern literature that I was trying to read from the library. I had finally worked up the courage to go talk to her when I saw her reading one of my favorites one day. I was unusually tall for my age, rivaling that of many of the teachers, but far more lanky and thin. Before all this happened, my teachers would sometimes ask if I was interested in modeling. As long as I could keep my mouth shut and make sure nopony knew about my stutter, I might've had a future there. If only I'd listened.

“Oh, um, hi?” She had bright stripes of Red and dark rouge in her mane while her coat was a much more muted red than either of the two tones in her mane and tail. Her eyes were bright violet and innocent, and back then, I really believed that. The lack of scents about her told me she was alone as often as I was, but even with all my senses, I never knew how broken she really was. Clearly, she was apprehensive of my approach. She was reading an eastern comic, and nopony that young could understand the work and detail that went into them, save for a select few.

“I-I, uh, I see that you're r-reading Prosthetic Magician… T-that's one of my favorite series.” She checked her book, then looked at me. Clearly, she was surprised that I had taken the time to even look at the title, let alone not scoff at her for it.

“I-it is?” she asked. I could see hope and the beginning of a smile on her face, so I took a seat next to her. We spent the rest of lunch together talking about it, discussing what we liked, where she was in the series since I'd already finished it a few times. My last friend never really liked my comics as much as I did, so it was really the first time I could get into a real conversation about it.

As the day went on, we figured out that we had nearly all of our classes together, and we were quick to become friends. We'd spend days after school reading our comics or watching the animations that mirrored them, discussing what we wish we could do like our fantastical characters could. Scarlet wished she was a Power Pony a lot of the time, making remarks every now and again about the things she could do if she had powers like them. I almost wished I’d payed more attention to the games we played. If life were a game the way she talked about other ponies and getting ‘justice’ would’ve been big, obvious red flags. No help for the oblivious, or maybe… I just wanted to look away.

Time went on, and soon enough we became the targets of the popular crowd. Weebs, nerds, freaks, losers. The list went on and on, and eventually Scarlet couldn't take it anymore so she started cutting school. We didn't talk for a while. I was ashamed that I couldn't stand up to the bullies like my friend did before, but… I wasn’t her, and I didn’t think I could be her, even to protect Scarlet. I was depressed, and Scarlet only ever showing up once as week just made it all harder to endure alone. One day, she just disappeared and weeks went by before she finally showed up again.

“Hey, Fluttershy,” said a familiar voice from behind me. I turned around and was surprised and overjoyed to see her again.

“O-oh Scarlet, I'm so glad you c-came back!” I said after hugging her. But then I noticed that she had changed. There were all these new, foreign scents on her, most I didn’t recognize, and some I found… particularly foul. She had three new piercings in her left ear, a small scar just under her right eye, she was wearing eyeshadow and violet lipstick, she’d dyed her mane black. This was Scarlet... but not the one I knew.

“Um… you look… different?” I attempted to sound enthused by it, but really, I was a little afraid of her.

“Oh, this? I uh… made some new friends… while I was away. Um… can we talk?” I didn't know what she meant.

“O-okay, talk about what? Ooh! D-did you see the new Unearth game is coming out? I-I read that this time, they-”

She cut me off. “I mean, in private. Just you and me. And… not here.” I tilted my head.

“B-but, class is about to start, d-do we really-”

She put a wing around me. “Please? Just this once?”

I trusted Scarlet and decided that one day of class wasn't too big a deal. You would think that with all the stories I had read up to this point, that I might've caught the warning signs. Like, 'What's that I smell on her?' and 'She was always afraid of piercings, who could have gotten her to get one?' or maybe 'Doesn't she look like that kid who betrays his best friend in the ninja manga?' We always used to joke about that, how the story went south after that kid became so edgy it hurt, but here she was… reminding me of him.

Reluctantly, I agreed to cut class, and without a beat gone by, she took me away from the school and back to her place. Both her parents worked during the day, and she was an only child, so we had the house to ourselves. We talked, played games, watched anime. It was… just like it used to be, but without all the pressures and horrible ponies from school to bother us. What was supposed to be a one day thing turned into a week and I loved every second of it. But… at the same time, I didn't notice something that was happening right in front of me.

At the end of that week, both of our parents found out that we'd been skipping and forced us back into school. It was... awful, to say the least, but I had Scarlet with me again, so I thought I could endure it all. We spent every weekend together, we learned to draw together, even made our own stories to tell each other. It was fun, being outside of the system and cursing it at the same time. We were together and we could do anything.

Then, Scarlet introduced me to her 'new' friends. Without knowing it, she'd joined a gang who had… well, ‘less than legal’ activities that Scarlet participated in. I knew better than to do it with them, but that didn't stop me from joining in anyways. We stole, tagged buildings, I smoked for the first and last time. And all the while, I couldn't help but get this nagging feeling out of my mind.

“Your parents wouldn't approve of this. Your friend would have slapped you for this. This is wrong. You know better,” the voice in my head said. I never knew I had the courage to do it, but eventually I couldn't stand the thought of my own inner voice, so I left her gang. Scarlet begged me to come back, but I had learned how to be firm with her from that experience. I told her what I thought and somehow, she listened to me. Scarlet left her gang for me. It was then that I realized I had some power over the decisions she made, and I couldn't figure out why.

I started to notice it after that. The way she looked at me, the things she would do around me. Something wasn't right, and it bugged me. It wasn't just your average friends being friends thing. She was touchy, more so than I remembered at first. I thought that maybe we'd just become more comfortable with each other, but looking back, that wasn't too far off. From this point, there is a week until it all goes wrong.

It was Friday. I was excited because my new PonyStation game was releasing, and I had bought one for Scarlet with my allowance and um… the extra money I… found… and was going to give it to her as an early birthday present. We got together after school, and I wanted to get to the Game Place store as soon as possible, but Scarlet had something else in mind.

“Hey, do you think we could go to my place today?” she asked. I didn't know what to make of it. We normally just went back to my house and played games since one of my parents was always home to feed us at some point, but I figured it didn't matter.

“Oh, okay. We're still going to Game Place first though, right?” I could tell something was on her mind. She wouldn't look me in the eye for whatever reason, and I knew from experience that she wanted to tell me something.

“Oh, yeah, sure. Just so long as we get to my place before five.”

Before five? Her parents get home at six… why does she want to be there without them? I didn't press on the subject though, I was excited to get my new game and that was more on my mind than anything else.

We made our way to the store, and I gushed about all the new features this Unearth game was supposed to have, how cool it looked, how cute the characters were, what the story was going to be about, but Scarlet… remained quiet. I would get a 'Yeah,' an 'Uh huh,' or even an 'Oh, really?' out of her, but never more than that. When I presented her with her new game, she lit up for a moment, but then went back to being just as quiet as she was before then.

We finally made it back to her house, but she still didn't say anything more than one or two word responses. We made our way to her room, I loaded up the game, and it was everything I wanted it to be. Scarlet however, didn't look like she was having fun, so I finally asked.

“Scarlet?” It looked like I had pulled her out of a dream. She shook her head and replied.

“Oh, y-yeah Fluttershy?”

Why is she nervous? What does she have to be nervous about? It's just us, her parents aren't even home. I decided that I would stop and really pay attention to her. I could feel that her pulse was much faster than usual, and she had this… strangely sweet smell about her. Back then, I didn't know this, but these days, I can even detect different pheromones in the air when I concentrate. Something was off, and now I knew that it was more than just me being paranoid.

“I-is there… something you wanna talk about? Y-you've been acting… well, strange.” It had been about half an hour since we started playing, and I noticed that she would glance at the clock every now and again, like she was waiting for something.

“Me? S-strange? What makes you say that?” she stuttered. I frowned. Scarlet hardly ever stuttered around me anymore, that was her nervous tick.

“S-scarlet, we've known each other for months now. W-what do you need to say that you c-can't say to me? A-aren't we… I mean, I'm your b-best friend right?” I'd only ever been called best friend once before, so those words held a lot of meaning to me.

She looked a little panicked now. “Of course! You're my best friend, there's nopony else I would ever call that, it's just that… I… I…” She kept flicking her eyes at and away from me.

“S-scarlet, it's me. S-spit it out already!” I don't know that I'd ever raised my voice at her before, but if I had, I might not have regretted it as much as I do now.

“Okay, fine! I… I love you.” And then she kissed me.

More than anything, I was confused. For once in my life, I didn't know how to react. I'd never been close to anypony but my last friend, and I'd never been this close to anyone before. In the span of what could have been maybe a minute or two, I probably had a thousand questions run through my head, and I didn't move. My body responded on it's own, my tongue chasing hers around in our mouths. When hooves started to get involved, that's when I was finally able to take back control. I practically threw her off, and I felt awful about it as soon as I did.

“O-oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! A-are you okay?” My mind was still having trouble processing that I'd just had my first kiss with my best friend, who was also a mare.

“Yeah, I'm fine… Did… did you not… do you not want… don't you want to go further?” She asked. Suddenly, everything was beginning to make sense. The way she looked at me, she loved me. The way she moved, how she would brush against me, she wanted to feel me. The reason I could ask her to do something was because she wanted to please me. She wanted to be with me, and I… I didn't want to be with her. Not like that. Not in love. I made a promise that I had to keep, I couldn't… not with Scarlet.

“S-scarlet…” Now I was the one that couldn't look her in the eye. She got close to me, and I had become afraid of what she might do. I stood up.

“Fluttershy?” If I would have said anything else, anything other than what I did, maybe… maybe it would have turned out differently.

“Scarlet… I… I can't be with… you…” I grabbed my things as quickly as I could and I ran out of her house. I was afraid of being around her, I didn't want to destroy any more of the ruined friendship we still might've had. I just wanted to be her friend, I didn't love her, but… she loved me.

Monday came around, and I didn't see Scarlet. I figured I wouldn't, but I hoped that I would have. I managed to sort my feelings out, and came to the conclusion that I still wanted to be her friend, but she never showed up. From then on… it only got worse. Somehow, in someway, somepony found out what had happened at Scarlet's house that day, and a rumor about it started to spread. At the same time, Scarlet came back to school the next day, only to leave crying.

We never got to talk, and she didn't show up again Wednesday. Thursday came, and once again, Scarlet was gone. At this point, I'd decided that I needed to see her no matter what, so I was going to go to her house after school ended. In a twist of fate, she came to me. As soon as I exited the school building, Scarlet was standing outside, waiting for me. I was excited when I saw her, but then I realized she dyed her mane again and put all her piercings back in.

With caution, I approached her. “Scarlet?” She looked at me, then started to walk away, motioning for me to follow. When I finally caught up with her, she was waiting for me in an alleyway between the supermarket and the liquor store just down the road. Cloudsdale is a big city for a city in the sky, but even in the air there were still dark places to hide.

“Fluttershy…” she started, avoiding looking at me again.

“Scarlet, we need to talk,” I said, hoping I'd catch her eyes again.

“I… I still love you. And that… that will never change,” she said, finally looking at me. Sincerity and warmth in her violet eyes. But at the same time, there was a hint of sadness. I could feel there was something wrong. I could smell it. There was fear in there.

“Scarlet, I just…” She cut me off.

“Look, will you do me one last favor before… I never see you again?” She asked

Never see me again? What is that supposed to mean?

“Scarlet? What are you talking about? I… I can't be your lover, but I don't want to lose you as a friend. Can't things just go back to the way they were? Who cares if those ponies tease us, it doesn't matter to me. It's us against the them, right?” Scarlet shook her head.

She moved closer, I took a step back. I hated myself for doing it. “You see? We can never be the same as we were. Not if you do that. Not like this. And them… I hate them. I hate them all so much. I can't stand it here. I don't want to be here anymore, and I never want to see any of them ever again. I… I'm not gonna be around much longer, so the last thing I want you to do, and not for anypony's sake but mine, will you stay home tomorrow? Just don't go to school. Pretend to be sick, or something, any excuse you can think of.” I wasn't sure why she was pushing this so hard.

“Scarlet, we skipped a lot of days… I might get held back if-”

She came closer and hugged me. “Please. Just don't go. Please, Fluttershy.”

I could feel her warmth up close again, the beat of her heart, the scent of my dear friend. I gave in and hugged her back. “Okay. I promise.”

She let go of me and held one last look. She looked like she was about to cry. She turned away and wiped her eyes. “You were… my one and only.” And then, she bolted around the corner. I stood there until she was out of the radius in which I could still feel her presence.

The next day arrived, and just as she'd asked, I pretended to be sick. I was hardly ever sick in reality, but since my mother knew I usually never tried to skip school on purpose, she believed me. My house was only a few blocks away from the school, and the only way to get there on hoof is by taking the bridge that leads to it. It was about the middle of the day, and I'd spend most of it grinding away the hours on my new game. That's when I could smell Scarlet near by.

But, it wasn’t just her, the rest of the gang members were near too. Something was wrong by the fact that they were all walking toward the school, or even near the place to begin with. Scarlet said I'd never see her again, and she and all the gang member hated the place. They were all dropouts that were bullied or failed out, and none of them ever wanted anything to do with the place anymore. I couldn't think of why they would even be here, and at eleven in the morning too. The only thing that was going on right now was probably lunch.

As they got closer, I started to really take in everything they were giving off. When I did, I discovered that when I started to separate all the smells out, I could sort of tell what emotions they were giving off too. Fear, Anger, Rage, Disgust, Sorrow, and most of all, Hatred. It was so overwhelmingly vile, I nearly threw up. As they passed the house, I decided that I should see what was going on.

They were covered in fog, hidden away under a wispy cloud so nopony could see them as anything but a drifting irregularity. I thought that was strange, and it was even more strange when I felt something drop on the ground. Of what sound I managed to hear, it was a metallic noise, like some kind of nail. Their cloud stopped, a hoof connected with the ground, and then they went back to moving slowly in their cloud.

Something was very wrong. Something awful was about to happen, and I didn't know it at the time, but I had the instinct to follow them at least. I snuck out of the house and took a patch of cloud myself, flying behind just high enough that they couldn't see me.

They had stopped in front of the door. I couldn't figure out why until I smelled something new. an overwhelming scent of hate and sorrow over came me, and this time, I did vomit. When I finally regained myself, it had started. Alarm bells started to ring, and all the students were driven from their classrooms by procedure. The moment everypony had started to file out of their classrooms, the cloud disappeared as several bullets flew through the glass doors.

The scent of blood bloomed into existence and death started to flow out of the building in waves and waves of nausiating aromas. The alarms had been shot and silenced, and now all that remained were screams of panic, and bullets finding targets. I felt a bullet coming toward me, and knocked it away with my hoof as a reaction. It was probably just a stray, but it showed me that I could dodge them if I needed to.

Scarlet was killing ponies, teenagers. Ponies who hadn't gotten the chance to experience life yet. Teachers, parents, fathers and mothers. She was silencing all these lives, and I got the bright idea that I could stop it. When I finally made it down to the school, there were about eight different scents left that weren't muddled by the stench of death. I stepped inside and the smell of blood bloomed into the air once more. I started to run toward the scent of life, and then two more spread death. I was confused, and then more blood permeated the air, then again. When I finally reached the scene after avoiding pools of blood and corpses, and all that remained was Scarlet.

I called out her name and she turned and looked at me. Tears were streaming down her face, she was covered in blood, and surrounded by the corpses of her friends, all of them with guns nearby and holes in their heads.

I couldn't hear what she said. But I could see her face and read her lips. Her eyes were full of fear and regret. I made out the words, “You weren't supposed to see me again…” before she pointed her own barrel at her temple and pulled the trigger.

“I was… broken after that. Because of how close I was to the tragedy, my parents elected to move us to Manehattan, to get away from it all. A year passed, I was the only survivor to witness what happened, and one of a hooful of other students that weren't at school for whatever reason that day. I was interrogated since I was the only one who knew Scarlet, the only one who cared to know her, the only one who could have… prevented it all.

“I wasn't a whole pony when I finally got back into school in Manehattan, and eventually things would spiral out of hoof even further. I dropped out, ran away from home, I couldn't stand anything that made me remember Scarlet and I’d… gained a new addiction. I... I went by another name. I joined another gang, my powers made me valuable and even more dangerous. I... I killed to keep living. They called me the Beast after a time because I was known to approach in the dead of night and never leave a whole body behind. I learned that there was more to my powers than I knew, but when it comes out of me… I lose all control.

“The ponies of this world were… nothing but fuel to me then. Nopony was ever really a pony, just something that I could use to keep on living. It wasn't until last year that I met Twilight. I had… grown tired of the life I'd created. My sins were beginning to be too much to bear. I didn't think it was worth living in this nightmare anymore.

“I was getting ready to end it all when I... smelled something that I hadn't in a long time. A familiar scent that belonged to somepony I knew once upon a time. I had to see if it was real, so I moved quickly to follow. The smell lead me to this castle, and then… then I met Twilight.

“We made a contract, and now I… work here for her. Doing something with my life, helping ponies instead of hurting them. I turned my life around, like I was given some kind of second chance to make up for all the bad things I did in the past. It was my fault that Scarlet committed suicide, and that only broke me. But I'm still around, and I don't plan on ever letting that change.”

When she finished her story, there were just about two things that came ta mind. The first of which, Ah blurted out like some kinda idiot.

“You were the Beast!?” Ah slapped my hooves ta my mouth as soon as Ah realized that ah let it slip. Ah was immediately given looks of disapproval from the other three in the room, but what surprised me more was the answer Ah got from the one in question.

“W-well… yes. I… I can't p-prove it to you now, b-but that's the truth. I-I… I did horrible things. S-so, so many, awful, horrible things. I-I still see the faces of all of them s-some nights, all those ponies I… I-I don't sleep very long or very often a-anymore because the nightmares never stop. I-if it wasn't for her, I might never s-sleep at all. I… I'm a monster…” and then, Fluttershy started ta sob. Ah was havin' trouble believin' that this shy yellow pegasus could have ever been that monster, but somethin' about the way she just… turned off all the emotion in her voice earlier made me think it was true. However, Ah reacted ta her cryin' the same way Ah always did. In that sad little pony, Ah saw my sister, and Ah felt she should be treated the same way.

Ah got out of my chair, came ta hers and sat with her. “Hey now, there ain't no need fer that. The past is in the past. If… if ya say that yer a different pony now, well then Ah believe ya. There's no point in spillin' tears fer somepony who ain't around no more.” Somehow, this one was more genuine then when Ah used ta say it fer Applebloom. But then again, this time Ah wasn't talkin' about somepony who Ah spilled more than tears over myself. Ah suppose she felt my words because she buried herself in my chest until she was done.

“Are ya okay now?” She nodded and wiped at her eyes.

“Y-yes...” It seemed like she'd returned ta the pegasus Ah met earlier in the day, and ta be honest, it was a bit of a relief. Seein' her like that, in that sorta… Ah don't know how ta describe it, but the way she spoke earlier made me think Ah was listenin' ta some kinda serial killer. That alone would’ve made me believe her. She let go of me and Ah got out of her chair, makin' my way back ta my own. Ah still needed ta get my other question answered.

“Alright, now Ah have ta know. Why are y'all goin' around recruitin' ponies like this? And more importantly, why us? Based on what's been said so far, we've all killed somepony at one point or another in our lives. That don't seem like the go-to common trait when lookin' fer employees.” Twilight gritted her teeth.

“I… we… there are reasons behind all of her actions… I…” she paused and shook her head. “You know what? We still have another story to get to don't we? Pinkie?” She tried ta turn the attention away, but Ah wasn't havin' that. Ya don't just 'recruit' the Beast.

“Now hold on a minute, ya can't just ignore me like that! Who is this 'her' yer talkin' about? And every time somepony mentioned you in their stories, ya gave 'em the stink eye fer it. What's the deal? Why are y'all so special?” My temper was startin’ ta get the best of me. Ah was gettin' tired of her, and the fact that she kept hidin' behind legal documents was only irritatin' me more. Twilight bit inta her lip and turned away.

“I… I can't tell you. I… I just can't. There's more to this than you can imagine. If you would just sign the-”

Ah stomped my hoof inta the chair, surprised ta see that it wasn't broken after Ah did. “That ain't good enough! Ah'm not signin' a damn thing till Ah know the truth. Ah don't mean no offense by this Fluttershy, but ya don't just 'contract' somepony with a kill count as high as the Beast's was! That… damn it, that just doesn't make any sense at all! Who do ya work for that would even let ya do somethin' like that? It was yer decision, wasn't it?” Ah was yellin' at this point. Ah knew Ah needed ta calm down, but Ah couldn't. Ah was about ta get up from my chair when suddenly, color disappeared from the world. Ah paused at the sudden change, but then Ah felt a hoof on my foreleg.

“Applejack… you must calm down.” Rarity said. Ah was mad enough ta pull away at this point.

“Calm down!? She hired a goddess damned murder fer her friggen 'super hero' team! The Beast was responsible fer the murders of over fifty families alone, half of them belonged ta police officers, and the other half ta heroes who tried ta take her in! She didn't even leave any corpses behind, who in their right fuckin' mind hires a damn monster-” Then, Ah realized Ah'd touched a nerve. Rarity punched me in the face.

“Don't you EVER talk about Fluttershy that way! I don't care who she used to be, the pony that's sitting across from me wouldn't hurt a fly! She's tormented by the things she did, and half the time it was under the orders of somepony else! All she does now is try to make up for it with everything she has!” It was a good enough punch fer me ta feel it, at least a little, and that got me ta calm down, oddly enough.

“Fine, whatever. Ah'm not even mad about that as much as Ah am that bitch over there. What gives her the right ta just be as rude as she is and act like it ain't nothin' more than a necessary action? What makes her so damn important?” Ah asked, still angry. In the back of my mind, Ah knew that the Beast thing was really drivin' my anger, but it just didn't make sense that that sad pegasus could be the same... thing.

“More than you could ever know. Applejack, she's at the center of everything, and I can't even begin to tell you how important she actually is. She has so much pressure on her to be something more than who she is, you just wouldn't believe. The only mistake she ever made was being born. Just look at the poor thing. I know what Twilight's been through and she's just about in tears from you yelling at her.” Sure enough, the frozen lavender pega-corn or whatever she was, looked like she was about ta start cryin'. Ears down, eyes away, wobbly lip. Well, that's one way ta make me feel awful.

“Oh… oh Goddess, Ah didn't even look at her. Why is she…? What does she have ta say that could be… oh, who am Ah kiddin'. After all the things Ah've heard today, Ah have no idea what she's been through.” Shame was startin' ta creep up my back and Ah didn't want nothin' ta do with it.

“That's right. So you may continue to act like an ass if you wish, but I will not stand for you yelling at my friends. I know I've been having my little arguments with her, but that's just how we talk to each other sometimes. Our relationship is deeper than anypony else here, and I assure you, she's not as bad as she appears.” Ah wasn't really payin' attention though. Ah'd got a good look at Fluttershy, and Ah felt bad enough already. Ah think she might've been able ta tell what was really goin' on, and now Ah just hoped she couldn't.

“Look… Ah'm sorry.”

Rarity shook her head. “Don't tell that to me, tell her. When I let this go, I want you to do three things for me. Apologize first and foremost. Nopony deserved you yelling at them for whatever has gotten you so worked up. I want you to ask Pinkie to tell you what she's been through, and then sign the contract. If she didn't believe in you, then Twilight would have asked you to leave long before now.” Ah swallowed.

Is this what it feels like ta have a mother reprimand you? Ah nodded.

“Yeah, Ah guess yer right. Ah don't know what came over me.” But that was a lie. Killin' heroes… that's a sin that Ah just can't forgive.

“Well, you should be. Attempt to put yourself in the position you were before I froze time. I'd prefer that she doesn't notice it when I do this.” With nothin' else ta say, Ah did as Ah was told. Ah got worked up over somethin' Ah shouldn't have, and Ah deserved it when she hit me. Ah sat back down and waited fer the world ta come back.

“Okay. In three… two… one…”

Author's Notes:

This chapter was heavily inspired by the song Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People.

Harmony Stories III: Outsider

Author's Notes:

Warning! From this point onward, the story is still being reformatted! Eventually, all chapters will match [Persona XIV: Revelations - Persona] in style. Chapters previous to this warning already do. Proceed with caution!

---

When things went back ta normal, It was almost like the whole tone of the room had changed. My anger had subsided and I relaxed back inta my chair. The silence must of confused everypony else because now they were all starin' at me. Nopony said a word, and Ah was the only thing with any attention on it.

“Look y'all, Ah... Ah didn't mean ta get so mad. Ah'm sorry, Twilight.” Lookin' at her again, she still appeared like she was tryin' ta hide from me. Ah'm ashamed ta admit that just made me feel all the more guilty fer it. At the very least, she reacted more civil like than Ah did.

“It's... it's fine, Applejack. You really do deserve to know, but... If word got out... It... It could happen again or... There's just too much weight behind all those words. A contract is just my way of obtaining the trust I need tell you so much about me and... and her.” She kept dodging lookin' at me every time she would pause. Like she was thinkin' of a memory, but had reasons ta withhold anythin' she wanted ta say.

It must be hard, not bein' able ta talk like that. Well, it's probably better that Ah wonder about her than think about what Fluttershy said. Ah can only hope that the last part of her story wasn't true. The less proof Ah have the better.

“That's real big of ya. If y'all were me, we'd probably be in a shoutin' match right now, and Ah appreciate that,” Ah said, tryin' ta take my mind off of that other thin'.

“Well, I'm just glad we cleared that up. Now then...” She turned ta the pony next ta her, whom did her best ta avoid eye contact. “Pinkie, would you mind?” Ah suppose finally bringin' the tension as high as it could go and then lettin it drop must of settled her down a little. She spoke with a little more normalcy in her voice instead of the sorta edge she had in it earlier.

“Uh... Ya know, I would, but... she seems ready to sign doesn't she? Why don't you all clear that up and you can tell her all about those dirty little secrets and we can just forget about me so I can fade into obscurity like normal, 'kay?” Pinkie said. It looked like she was almost pleading with me not ta ask. Ah suppose this is why Rarity told me ta ask specifically.

“If you really don't want to, then-” Twilight began. Ah halted her.

“Actually, Ah really would like ta hear yer story Pinkie. Over the past few years, Ah've obtained a nose fer bullshit, and ya reek of it, if we're bein' honest here. Experience tells me that ya did somethin' ya haven't forgiven yer self fer, and ya wont any time soon. Yer jittery and dodgy when yer past is brought up, and ya practically hide like a foal when yer asked about it. If it's any consolation, it don't look like any of us can take the moral high ground here since we've all done somethin' we regret.” Ah figured that if anypony deserved a push it was gonna be her. Apparently, it worked. She looked to every pony else, settled on me, and finally sighed.

“Well... you're not wrong, that's for sure. But me? I'm the lowest of the low. I... I hurt my own family. And I know that none of you did anything like that to your own blood.” Ah frowned.

“Well, If anypony understands wantin' ta hurt yer 'own blood,' it'd be me.” Pinkie shook her head.

“No, no, no! You just don't understand... I broke my parent's trust, I hurt my siblings, and worst of all... I'm the reason one of my sisters died...” Ah nearly bit through my cheek when she said that. Ah had ta hide my shock, otherwise she might never open up about whatever she did. Now, Ah was thoroughly invested in her story.

“Well... why don't ya explain? Ah doubt ya did anythin' like that on purpose.” And that is where Ah made my mistake. Ah assumed. She looked down and brought her knees in, wrappin' her forelegs around 'em at the same time.

“The... the problem with that is... I kinda did...” The room went silent again. Ah had lost just about all my words, and it didn't look like anypony else had anythin' ta say. Ah suppose this must of activated some kinda damage control mode in Twilight.

“Um... why don't we save this for another time? I'll go get the documents, we can get you in the system, and then I'll just wrap everything up with my story, okay?” She started ta get up, but then Pinkie stopped her.

“N-no... That isn't fair...” She paused ta swallow. “I need to do this. If I don't then I'll just keep hiding from it, and I'll never change like that... right Twilight?” The two shared a look, and Ah swore that was the first time Ah ever saw Twilight smile with any kind of genuine sincerity since Ah got here.

“I'm glad. As long as this is your choice, then you've already made a step toward a better you. Please. Go ahead.” She motioned forward with a wing, and with that Pinkie sat up straight. Clearly there's somethin' Ah don't know between these three and her, but all the same Pinkie had lightened up a little.

“Okay... I'm the third child from a family of six. My parents, and my three sisters, one of which is my fraternal twin. I wouldn't know if any of them have powers, and honestly, I don't think I'll ever see them again. I still count the days since it all happened. Ten years, four months, and thirteen days ago, when the eight year old me discovered I could do what I can.

“Back then, I lived on a farm that had been in my father's family for generations. It wasn't a normal farm though. My family sold rocks. It was more like we were miners than anything else, but I suppose that's just one way to look at it.

I wasn't normal. While I was a twin, my coloring wasn't anything like what either of my parents had, or my twin sister has. I'm bright pink and the rest of my family is various shades of violet and gray. At most, I at least share eye color with my mother, and that was enough for me. I was always the odd one out when It came to the family. I was energetic and laid back, an extrovert in a family of introverts. I didn't fit or gel well. My sisters are all strong and I'm pretty weak. My parents were really unsure of what to do with me a lot of the time because I was just so... different from them. I'll never know what they really thought of me.

I was treated like one of the family, but I always felt like an outsider when it came to my sisters. Being so different made it hard to talk to any of them about anything, and most of the time, they just found me annoying and avoided me. Sometimes, my older sister and I would get into fights because of it, but my dad was always around to keep things from getting out of hoof. However, this didn't last long. My dad, who really kept all four of us in line, got sick a little before my powers showed up. We didn't really know what was wrong with him, and at the same time, we were never really a family with lots of money, so we didn't have much of an option to get him treated. He was bed ridden for weeks and to this day, I still don't know if he survived or not.

Anyways, this is when my older sister, the one closest to my age, took the opportunity to try and take over for him. My older sisters are four and eight years apart from us, so I guess she was twelve at the time. With my mom busy handling all the paperwork for orders, and my oldest sister handling the really big jobs, the rest of us... were stuck with organization and inventory.

For a few weeks, we literally counted rocks and shuffled them around. Eventually, I got tired of it and my older sister's slave driver nature, so I called her out on it. We got in a fight and... I lost. She threatened to beat me up again if I argued with her anymore. At the time, I didn't feel like I should bother my parents or even ask my oldest sister for help because they were both too busy to bother with her.

The most I ever saw either of them was at dinner, which was the only time my mother wasn't doing paper work or taking care of dad, or my oldest sister wasn't working. So, nothing changed, and I lived in fear of her until the day that my powers showed up. It was a windy day, and I was told to start bringing in the rocks that were over by the quarry. My oldest sister had set up a bunch of carts for us to take with some precious stones in them, but she liked to put as much in one cart as she could, which was way more than I, or any of the younger sisters could carry alone. It was... so windy that day.

On the east side of the Dragon Spine range, the wind blows in full force. With the mountains in the way to the west, the land we lived on right next to them was always hit with hard, whining winds that would twist and turn and blow right back at us. When dad was still healthy, we would use it to play since it could literally pick my twin and I off the ground some days. I went to the quarry to try and pull some of the carts back to the barn. I wasn't strong enough to get it to move. I felt like if I could push it from behind, then maybe it would move. I went back to do so, and that's when the wind picked up.

I was hit with it at full force. I lost my balance and fell into the quarry. If I had to guess, I'd say that the quarry was maybe as deep as a five story building. Either way, a fall from the top of the path was a death sentence. As I fell, something inside me changed. Like it was some kind of trigger to activate my powers. I started to move my legs, and it was like the world slowed down for me. The fall wasn't scary anymore, and with each step I took on the wall, I moved forward more than down. Then I started to run, and I'd stopped moving down entirely. I ran all the way up the quarry and made it back to the carts, and it was like the wind was never there in the first place.

You'd think that being able to run as fast as I can, it would be like everything is all sped up, but really, it's the opposite. When I run, it's like a normal run for me, but the distance I cover and how everything else looks changes like some one put a video on slow playback. Afterward, I was excited and thought I'd try and do it again, but from a safer starting point. I ran up and down the quarry walls for probably a few hours.

That was the happiest I'd been in a long time. Really, since dad got sick. I went home to tell everypony about it, but the first pony I ran into was... my older sister. She had that aggressive tone in her voice and the first thing she asked me was, 'where are the carts, Pinkie?' before I could say anything about my powers. I tried to tell her that I couldn't move them, but that just made her more angry. She hit me and told me to follow her since whatever was in the carts were due for an order that night.

All of that joy I felt started to sour. I got mad. I wanted to hurt her back, but I knew that I wasn't strong enough to do it. And then... I got an idea. A horrible, awful idea. The wind had started to pick up again. It wasn't as strong as it was earlier, but it was definitely enough to affect her, I could see that she was having about as much trouble walking as I was. If I were to... give her a push... then the wind would do the rest for me. Then she wouldn't hit me anymore. She wouldn't hit me ever again. The more I though about it, the more I felt all of those nasty things she did to me over the years.

I became more and more convinced that everything would be better if she weren't around anymore. So I waited. I knew she was stronger than I was, but not so much that she could move the cart on her own either. So after I watched her fail to pull it, she went to the back to push it. When she couldn't, she asked me for help. That's when I made my move. I got up next to her, and then used my new speed to take a few steps back and slam into her.

The hit had knocked her off her hooves, and the wind pushed her to the edge of the quarry path. But then something unexpected happened. She caught he edge of the path and was hanging from there. She asked me to help her. In that moment, I forgot about everything else. My big sister needed my help. I didn't want revenge anymore, I didn't want to hurt her, that was my big sister, and she needed me. I was still for a second, and then her hooves started to slip. I started to run for her, but I was to late. By the time I made it to the edge of the path, she'd already fallen. I raced down the path hoping I could catch her, but... she beat me to the bottom.

I... I can still hear that sound. The sound of all her bones... breaking. That horrible crunching sound... And then the blood, oh goddess, there was so much blood. It all just leaked out and formed a pool. I just stood there, horrified, until my oldest sister had come out of the quarry cave. She didn't have a lot of emotion, and she never made anything but a blank face most of the time, but... when she saw L... she saw Li...” Pinkie looked like she was about ta toss her dinner. She shook the sick away and continued, “saw the corpse... she screamed.

She asked me what happened, and I couldn't respond. It was my fault. It was all my fault. I pushed her. I wanted it to happen. And when it did, I understood just what kind of mistake I made. She took a step toward me and I started to back away. She asked me what happened again, a new emotion beginning to take shape in her face. I turned and ran. I ran as fast as my legs could take me, and I didn't look back. I made a horrible, irreversible, mistake that day, and have not been back home since.

I spent my days traveling afterward. I would wander from place to place, hoping to find my next meal where ever I ended up. And I did that for years. I was sixteen when I finally settled here. A family who owns a bakery on 314th street found me passed out in the city and took me in. They always wanted a daughter of their own, but had difficulties conceiving. I just so happened to fill in the spot. My travels had taught me a lot about the world. How cruel ponies and creatures can be. The evil that hides just beneath the surface, the kind of horrible things ponies will do to each other just to get ahead. But this family, they showed me what kindness looks like. What hope looks like. Both of which, I hadn't seen in a long time.

Later in the next year, after I had moved in with them, they finally achieved their goal. The mother gave birth to a pair of fraternal twins. Seeing that the new family was complete, I didn't feel like I belonged any more, so I set off on my own again. It didn't last as long as I thought it would this time though. Funny thing is, it was actually during one of Marevelous Red's fights that this happened, but one of the bad guys threatened to hold a child hostage.

She was a little gray earth pony with pale gray hair, just about twelve years old, and for a minute there, I thought she looked exactly like my older sister beck before... before I... I guess something snapped inside, and I raced to rescue the girl. The bad guy didn't know what happened to his hostage, and you flattened him into a wall face afterward. I apologized to this little girl over and over, holding and crying over her until I realized that she wasn't the sister I lost. But at the same time, she said something to me, something I'll never forget.

'You saved me! I... I don't know who I remind you of, but... whoever it is, I think they would be proud of you!' and then she ran off to who knows where. Something clicked, and I got the bright idea that I could be like you. A hero to ponies. Somepony who saves others, somepony who could help ponies. But... at first, that wasn't the case. I tried to save ponies, mostly innocent bystanders that would get caught up in fights between villains and heroes, and sometimes I would end up in the way, or ruining another hero's chance to catch the bad guy, or worse, not making it in time. I did this for about half a year before I just couldn't handle failing to save ponies anymore. And then... that's when I met Twilight.

Now I live here and work for her. I still visit that family that took me every now and again to check up on the foals. Every time I see them it makes me hope I can be a good role model for them one day, like you were for me. Maybe one day I can be better than I am, even if I can never atone for the sin that creeps up my back. That noise... it still haunts my dreams. No life is worth the one I took out of spite, out of anger, for pitiful revenge. I'm just like... the jealous brother...”

“Oh, Pinkie...” found it's way out of my mouth. None of that was fair. None of that should have ever happened. What kinda messed up world do we live in that makes children want ta kill each other? Ah could feel myself start ta get tense. All of these stories, all this pain and sorrow. Most of it could have been prevented. If it weren't fer the mistakes of others, nothin' woulda spiraled out of control like it did! We were all kids... it just isn't fair...

Ah made my way over and hugged Pinkie too. She was still shiverin', her hooves over her ears. Ah've heard that sound before, the sound bones make when they make contact after a fall, and it doesn't get any better with time. Bein' too late ta save some pony... It just isn't somethin' ya can't get over. Of all the thin's Ah never forget, it's the faces of ponies Ah see right before they die. And then Ah thought about what she said. Ah don't... even remember that fight. Of course, it sounds familiar, like somethin' that happened that Ah should remeber, but Ah don't think Ah ever got paid fer it. Why is it that that's all Ah think about these days? It's always about the money now... It didn't used ta be that way.

All she wants ta do is save lives, atone fer her mistakes. All of them want that. Rarity is the least at fault here, and even still, Diamond was always more concerned with the citizens than the perpetrators. Ah'm no hero... Ah'm just a bounty hunter. Ah don't deserve ta be a role model...

“Applejack? Is there something wrong?” Rarity asked. Ah suppose my thoughts were makin' their way ta my face. Ah straightened my hat and popped my neck.

“Naw, Ah'm just thinkin' is all. This world... this is one messed up place ya know?”

“W-well, that's why we try and make it better... e-even if it's just a little at a time,” Fluttershy said. From somepony so steeped in blood, Ah never thought Ah would hear somethin' so... pure. Ah started ta laugh.

“Heh... he he heh! Ha ha ha hah! You... you all, yer just so... so perfect fer this ain't ya? Mistakes ya cain't ever fix, thin's ya can just never atone fer... and each one of ya has that in common, so who else ta fix the broken world but the most broken that it has ta offer!? Out of all them other heroes out there, y'all want me? Ah... Ah'm no hero... Ah'm just some bounty hunter paradin' around in a damn flashy suit...” Ah leaned back in my chair and got a good look at all their eyes. Confusion, fear, sorrow, anger, all of it here.

“Applejack, you can't truly believe that can you? I've seen you save dozens of ponies before!” Rarity said.

“Yeah! Even though I was there that day, you went to help the ponies who were attacked before you went after the bad guys!” Pinkie said.

“A-and you tried to protect me earlier... I-I don't think a bounty hunter would do that...” Fluttershy said.

“You stuck up for... somepony important to me a while back. I don't know how you've been lately, and really, I can't know what you've been feeling, but there isn't any other hero that I thought would be a better candidate than you for my team. You might not be perfect, and nopony is, but we all believe in you. You're a hero... A hero that your father would be proud of.” Twilight said. Ah could feel it, somethin' breakin' inside me. A warm sensation started ta pool in my eyelids. Ah bit inta my lip and started ta rub my eyes. Ah made a promise that Ah wouldn't do that anymore, and Ah'm not about ta break it.

“T-thanks y'all. It took too damn long fer me ta... ta find ponies Ah could call friends.”

Harmony Stories IV: Mother (part 1)

“Well... I guess all that's left is me. I'll go get the documents, and once it's all signed... we can start,” Twilight said. She got up off her seat and made her way down the dark hallway toward the back side of the room. Ah decided that it would be best if Ah sat back down, since Ah had the naggin' feelin' that 'documents' referred ta a couple hundred pages or so. Ah sighed. Ah guess the others could read minds or Ah just wasn't hard ta read with the mask off.

“Oh, don't be t-too worried... it's just one page...” Fluttershy said.

“Well, I wouldn't exactly call that scroll 'one' page, but you only have to sign it once if that's any consolation,” Rarity added. Ah relaxed and crossed my hooves.

“Sure. Ah'll believe it when Ah see it. But the word scroll has me interested though. Is it like... a magic contract, or somethin'?” Ah asked. The three looked to each other, then back ta me. They all had thoughtful faces on, like they were tryin' ta find a way ta describe what Ah was askin' about.

“Well...” Rarity began.

“Um... y-yes, uh... t-there's definitely magic involved...” Fluttershy followed.

“But uh... it's not the regular kind. It's more of the... uh, well, you know, the 'kill you' kind. The black stuff. I think one of the princesses called it a curse once?” Pinkie said. The other two gave her a look. Ah just rolled my eyes.

“Figures. Whatever. At this point, Ah'm too far in ta back out now anyways,” Ah remarked. Twilight countered.

“I wouldn't say that. I know a good memory wipe spell that will take about a week out of your mind. If you really don't want to go through with this Applejack, then I can arrange it so-” Ah cut her off.

“Nuh-uh. Ah don't want no damn magic messin' with my brain. Ah've seen the nastier side of that stuff doin' hero work enough as it is.” Takin' a look at her now, she had refilled or reheated her coffee and was now carryin' a thin scroll with a real fancy lookin' gold scroll rod with the brightest violet gems Ah've ever seen on it. Somethin' about those gems were botherin' me though. They were... attractive some how. Ah wanted ta touch them. Ah guess she noticed.

“Oh, very well then. Uh, it's best not to stare at the gems. Ponies with low tolerance to magic tend to, um, have an... interesting reaction to them. W-well, long story short, they tend to end up 'inside' ponies, and that turns them into out of control magical beasts, and it's just best not have that happen... again. M-moving on, all you have to do is place your tongue on the seal at the very bottom of this scroll and everything else will happen on it's own.” She was blushin', so Ah suppose somepony here has a low tolerance ta magic.

“My... tongue?” Ah asked, more confused about that than whatever crazy thin' happens with those gems.

“Yes. It's very ancient magic, but very efficient all the same. The contract reads, in today's Equestrian, 'The Creature that swears fealty to this oath will here by have their tongue inscribed to the royal family and their kin. If this creature breaks their oath, all memories involving the royal family and their kin shall be expunged along with this creature's ability to speak.' I know the consequences sound steep, but that compared to what she would do, if she found out you broke the contract, at least this will let you keep your life intact.” Twilight gave me a weak smile, like she was tryin' her best ta make this not look like Ah was joinin' a cult. Ah frowned and shook my head.

“Whatever. Let's just get this over with. Whoever 'she' is better be damn important fer this level of security.” Ah said, leanin' ta the table ta put my tongue on the contract. Lookin' it over, Ah'd have ta say Ah was just in between Rarity and Fluttershy on whether or not this counted as one page. Whatever language it was written in had real big characters compared ta the standard Equestrian alphabet, but this also had a whole lot of text on it too. At the very bottom of the scroll was a large red seal that looked like a combination of flames and wings spread inside a circle.

Ah put my tongue on the page, and the seal started ta glow. The image in the seal began ta float and dance on my tongue, almost burnin' me like fire and carvin' a strange taste of warm metal and cinnamon as it did. When the sensation finished, Ah had that same image almost in black all over my tongue, like it was burned in, but Ah didn't feel anythin' other than normal. Well, that and the taste of cotton or whatever this 'paper' was made out of.

“That... was weird. Ah've seen some crazy magic before, but Ah ain't never seen anythin' like this.” Ah really wanted ta see what the whole shape looked like on my tongue, but Ah just couldn't stick it out far enough.

“This is pretty ancient stuff. It's been around just about as long as the continent has, as far as we know.” When Ah paid attention ta her, Ah noticed that her own tongue was just as black and marked up as mine was.

“Has... has yer tongue always been like that?” Ah felt my head tilt while Ah was tryin' ta get a look at her 'tattoo' or whatever this thin' is.

“... Since I was eight years old actually... I signed... something similar, back then...” Well, Ah bet there's a fun story behind that. Ah ain't never seen somepony with such a pained look on their face. She rolled the scroll back up with her wings and started ta walk back toward that hallway. Then Rarity took up explainin' thin's.

“It's not just her though, we all have the brand. Only those with the brand can see it, this one being specific to our group. Every royal guard, which includes us now that you've joined, has to sign a similar contract to this one in order to complete their training and formally join the military. As of now, you're approximately a captain in terms of rank, but have the freedom to do just about whatever, save for talking about this.

It's unfortunate, but speaking about the brand, the reasons behind it's creation, or secrets of the royal family is also forbidden by the contract to anyone without it. If you ever happen to get close to talking about something that would break the contract by accident, the brand will start to burn as a sort of warning. Mine has been burning ever since I explained to you all that I did actually.” She stuck out her tongue ta show that the brand was glowin' with that same violet that the gems were, and it looked like it was almost smokin'. Ah had ta blink ta make sure Ah was seein' right.

“Oh... wow. Ain't that a bit much though? Wait a minute. Royal guard? Captain? What?” Ah asked. Ah could feel my own gears turnin', and suddenly thin's were startin' ta fall inta place.

“Yes... In the event you hadn't pieced this together yet, me being a 'government secret' is just about the understatement of the century... quite literally,” Twilight said, casually takin' her seat again.

“So... you're... not just some weird cross breed Power Pony, but... related ta one of em'? Like, the princesses?” Ah asked. She nodded. Then she looked down. It was almost like she was ashamed of it.

“You see... Princess Celestia is 'she,' and 'she' happens to be my... biological mother.” She said, runnin' one of her hooves along her foreleg. Ah shook my head, and all the pieces had fallen inta place.

“Huh.” Ah was just about dumbstruck at this point. Ah swallowed. “So uh... how, exactly did that happen? Ah mean, Ah know 'how' that happens, but uh... how did 'that' happen ta her? Ah thought she and Princess Luna were like some kinda celibates.” Twilight sighed.

“Luna is. Especially after learning that they, sorry, we, are in fact, fertile. And she was supposed to be. But... that isn't the case. I suppose I should start from the beginning. I'm just one of the things that came out of her poor decisions. This is the story of a Princess, a King, and all the problems that come with dimension hopping.”

“About two thousand years ago, Celestia and Luna were asked to lead Equestria after the three tribes were founded in this land. What they can remember of their own parents is very little, but a few iron rules were beaten into their minds.

One: they are not to manipulate the will of their fellow ponies. This is why almost every form of mind control has been eradicated and outright outlawed. What little that remains is due to Power Ponies, but we'll get there.

Two: they are never to mate outside of their own race. Alicorns were meant to only breed with Alicorns because Alicorn mares can only birth, big surprise, more Alicorns. Due to the rarity and longevity of our race, if there are too many of us, the chances of eternal wars breaking out increases exponentially. But once again, we'll get there.

Three: magic is never to be used to explore other realms. It wasn't until after the initial mistake had been made that they understood why this was a rule, but she found out anyways.

So, with that said, Celestia ended up breaking two of the three rules, at the same time. For almost two thousand years, they abided by these rules. Time went by, and while Luna kept to the rules, Mother started to become addicted to technological progress. With her partner in crime, Starswirl the bearded, the father of modern magic, they pioneered magic and science together.

Now, not everything about mother breaking her own rules ended up as disastrous as... well, me. We only have electricity and combustion engines because of her influence, so most of your modern conveniences wouldn't be here without her. But things started to spiral out of hoof after she and Starswirl had a falling out toward the end of his life. He had postulated a way to travel between dimensions. Ripping apart the very fabric of space time to open doors to other universes, similar to this one, but where the world diverged at one point and moved in a completely different direction.

At first he was ecstatic about his idea, and after a little musing with her, Celestia eventually became just as obsessed as he was about it, ignoring the warning her parents gave her. After doing some testing in secret, Starswirl argued that it was too dangerous to experiment with this kind of magic. Celestia was a little more than upset with him for taking such a sudden and harsh opposition to her new dream, but all the same, he would never cooperate with her.

Starswirl approached Luna and with her help, hid his findings where Celestia could never reach... or so they thought. Fast forward to thirty years ago, and science and magic have evolved to the point of being able to break ancient magic seals that were never meant to be broken. With an advanced magic alloy forged into a drill and powered by the combustion engine, Celestia broke into Starswirl's vault without Luna's knowledge. After realizing just what she'd found, since Luna had apparently forgotten it was there, she immediately began construction of the interdimensional portal Starswirl had drawn up plans for.

Combining the old magic with the science of the slowly beginning digital age, she created an easily used, and easily controlled portal that could transport one to any dimension they wished. In the very first run of the experiment, something went wrong though. An unknown malfunction within the operating magic caused the portal to open as one of the researchers was inside doing maintenance on it. It created a spatial distortion within his body, mutating all of the atoms it didn't outright destroy. He survived the incident as if nothing had happened and was sent home to recover.

Of course, that wasn't enough to deter Mother from continuing with her experiments, she simply let it go as 'a sacrifice for progress,' which isn't really a comforting set of words when you're talking about one of the rulers of your nation. She began hopping dimensions, exploring and bringing back new technology, and surprisingly quickly, her injured researcher healed and came back to work.

What she didn't know then was that her researcher was 'infected' with a new form of virus that came out of the mutated cells in his body. The powers he received from it were useful within the lab, and with the consent of willing ponies, they decided to spread the virus. Each pony who obtained the virus gained a power of some sort, typically relating to their cutiemark, but sometimes not at all. It only became a problem when the virus showed just what all it could change.

One of the volunteers who contracted the virus didn't react to it at first. There was nothing detectable, or even different about him. But, on his way home that night, it was a full moon out. Upon being exposed to moonlight, his body changed rapidly, disfiguring into a wolf like creature. This event would later be known as the Bloody Night of Canterlot, and what caused the outbreak of the virus to begin with.”

Ah was tryin' ta pay attention ta Twilight as she was talkin', but when she started talkin' about the wolf-pony, Fluttershy started fidgetin' with her hooves. Ah didn't like it. Bloody Night, what the wolf-pony she was referrin' ta was called in the super world, was practically the predecessor ta the beast.

“Every third survivor of his attack came back infected, and since his blood was drawn during a fight near the Canterlot aquifer, the virus was now in the water systems and spread like a torrent. Luckily, the virus could only infect ponies with a specific recessive gene that is present in about a third of the total population, but there are also about seven million residents in Equestria, and that number is ninety eight percent ponies. That means there are about two million Power Ponies out there now, give or take a few hundred thousand.

The virus was now a problem, and so the princesses put out the VBTA as a stop-gap while looking for a way to cure it. Luna decided to take the standard route, and have her own teams research a cure looking at this earth, but Celestia thought that her new machine was the answer to their problems. After ten years and one hundred and nineteen dimensions later, she finally found one that had a similar time line to ours, where some jackass made the same mistake she did, and unleashed the same virus on his own ponies. That Jackass just so happens to be my biological father.

A unicorn stallion with a dark gray coat and a black mane, or so I'm told. He was looking for the same cure Celestia was, but didn't have the longevity and experience that she did, but he did have unique technology and magic. Together they tried to find a cure and... ended up falling in love. Celestia would disappear for weeks at a time, and eventually Luna got suspicious. She started to sense something strange from Celestia when she did see her, and that lead to Luna discovering Celestia's secret lab.

Learning that she had broken one of their three sacred rules, Luna was outraged. It took several weeks to repair any part of that relationship, but then things only became more complicated. Celestia figured out she was pregnant about two months in to her argument with Luna, and suddenly there were bigger concerns than the dimension hopping. It would have been this world's biggest media scandal to date, and more than that, it would expose that the princesses could conceive.

If that knowledge alone got out, the very 'eternal wars' their parents warned of could come about from anypony with enough power to capture either of the princesses. With no other options than to hide it, contracts like the one I had you sign were forged and Celestia was hidden away in my Father's dimension for the remainder of the pregnancy.

From there though, things only got worse. Mother was discovered in that dimension, and every fear that the princess had just about came true on the other side. The King had a rightful heir now, he'd had a child out of wedlock, any and every political arrangement he had previously was dissolved. All trust in the king had been lost.

Within months, he was overthrown, and a new regime was instated with a goal to have him and his little sweetheart executed as an example for those that would come to betray the ponies' trust. With his castle on the verge of being sacked, and an angry mob of regicide happy ponies at the door, he and Celestia chose to try and escape back here. Of course, this all just so happened to be at the end of her pregnancy, and just as they were heading for the door, she went into labor.

With no choice but to have the baby, the King and those that remained loyal to him fought to defend the castle until the baby was born. Nine hours of intense battle raged at the castle gates until finally, they fell. I was born a few minutes before the raid started, but that wouldn't stop a weak and bloody Celestia from trying to make it home with me alive. Because everything that could go wrong eventually did, the portal shorted and failed before they could escape.

With everything he had, my father sacrificed himself to help us escape by reactivating the portal and using his own life force to support it. Celestia made it back with me intact, and upon seeing the state she was in, a raging Luna destroyed the lab. Celestia swore she would never travel dimensions again, and the two found a trusted pair of foster parents to raise me in Celestia's stead, separating me from my mother.

So, things reached a stable status for a while. Shortly after making it to this dimension, Luna cast a spell on me that would hide my wings from existence until she specified otherwise, and I grew up as just an unusually powerful unicorn with foster unicorn parents and a foster unicorn brother. However, this is just where my story starts.

Harmony Stories IV: Mother (part 2)

Growing up, unwittingly, I was obsessed with Celestia. She was the beautiful idol to me that she is to some of her devotee guards and subjects. I did whatever I could to get close to her, and so I threw myself into the study of magic in hopes of entering her school for gifted unicorns. I was good at it. I was really good at it. To the surprise of literally everypony who wasn't in the know, A little unicorn filly 'born to' lowborn unicorns with a below average son, had outstanding potential. At first, Celestia didn't know whether or not to allow me in. Sure, eventually I would have to be told the truth, but nopony should have needed to worry about that until I was in my forties and not aging. At the same time, she was also desperate to see me again.

Luna had made it very clear that the consequences of me knowing the truth far outweighed the potential positives, but the mother daughter bond that Celestia and I had was too strong to keep us apart. One way or another, I eventually made my way into the school at the bright young age of eight, despite Luna's protest. During a test to see just how much magic I was capable of, something inside me triggered, and by accident, I displayed more magical prowess than any unicorn before me. The two sisters realized that the seal Luna had put on me shortly after birth was beginning to break.

With reluctance, Luna finally agreed that it would be best if they could monitor me from close by, and allowed Celestia to take me in under the guise of 'personal protégé.' And so, for about two years, I was reunited with my mother. Any time I wasn't in class, I was with her. We ate together, we bathed together, we slept together, we lived together. It wasn't just the feeling of friendliness that I got from my foster parents, it was more than that. A bond that I'd always felt was there was finally being exercised, and it was everything I ever wanted. Even Luna, who was heavily opposed of anything dealing with me, the child who shouldn't have existed, came around and started to act like family toward me. But as I said, this only lasted for so long.

In the span of a mere week, those blissful two years with the family I was meant to have were shattered by a single oversight that neither of the princesses thought of. And that was, the virus. As it turns out, my Father was part of the afflicted back in his dimension, and just like our virus, theirs had the power to overwrite my alicorn genetics that prevent me from being afflicted with disease.

When Mother would talk about him, referring to him as some story book hero back when she would put me to sleep, she always mentioned at how his 'strength and determination' made him immune to magic. The truth was clearly that he was a Power Pony and that was what the virus did to him, but she never considered that it was possible for me to have it. Lo and behold, suddenly, in the middle of a class field trip, the virus rears it's ugly head and breaks all the seals on me.

A child alicorn is walking the streets of Canterlot, and it takes all of five minutes for hell to break loose. The museum we were in was being scouted by a group of thieves looking to swipe one of the many regalia that Celestia and Luna had been given over the years, when one of them notices that a unicorn filly suddenly sprouted wings. It didn't take long for them to put two and two together and... I was kidnapped.

Both the princesses felt the seals disappear, but were each too late to get to me before the robbers did. Their suspicions of me were very quickly founded when the princesses showed up, and they hightailed it out of there. The robbers were smart. They were very smart. They very quickly realized just how valuable I was and just what they could get away with due to the unique nature of my body. They used a machine to seal away my magic, and they tied me up like a piece of meat.

They knew it wouldn't be long before either of the princesses showed up, so they were quick to act. The first thing they did was send a ransom note to the castle with a threat, photos, and demands to my mother. The next thing they did was get out of Canterlot. In a burlap sack, I was thrown into a truck and driven to the far outskirts of the city to a mine near the base of the mountain.

Since the effect the virus had on me was to make me immune to magic, placing magic seals on me was just one of the many things that no longer worked. I cannot be tracked, I cannot be attacked, I cannot be acted on with any and all forms of magic. If it's not electronic or organic, it does not work on me. I can't even cast spells on myself. I'm like a sponge. I absorb magic and just store it in the near boundless capacity that Alicorns are capable of, and this quality of mine made Celestia a very desperate mare.

With little discussion and more than reckless decisions, she gave into the demands of the robbers to try and get her daughter back. But instead of keeping up their end of the bargain, the robbers made off with me and the money they were wired and tried to escape the continent. Honestly, if they had actually given me back, they might've lived. But if there is one thing one does not do, it is to make Celestia angry.

Furious that they had tried to trick her, Celestia quickly discovered that the method of communication they used to take their money was poorly encrypted. Within an hour, Celestia was given their location near the Manehattan port. They had taken to hiding in an old abandoned cabin in the middle of this very park. Things went from bad to worse when I was taken out of the bag. They saw that Celestia had arrived, so to keep from being incinerated where they stood, they pointed a gun to my head and told her to back off.

With me being so near the weapon, there was nothing Celestia could do to get the gun away since my powers absorbed the magic she tried to cast. I was a shield for them, and not one that Celestia was willing to give up.” Twilight bit inta her lip and let out a breath. Whatever she did back then ta get out of that mess probably ain't somethin' she's proud of.

“To... further insult mother, the robbers got the idea that they would... try and make... another Alicorn... It didn't matter to them h-how old I was, but they figured that they were dead where the stood anyways... When the situation had finally come to that point, I started to hyperventilate. I didn't know just yet what they were going to do to me, but seeing Celestia almost in tears, begging for them to stop and watching them... prepare... it happened again.

All of the magic that I had absorbed over time started to well up, and in my frantic state, my horn overheated and melted the device that was stopping me from using magic. The ensuing wave of energy consumed all five of the kidnappers and the entire cabin. When she described it to me, the blast must've had a diameter of ten meters, because not only did it take out everything and everypony around me, but it also unearthed an ancient crystal relic that had been buried here at the beginning of Celestia and Luna's rule.

After I passed out from the explosion, this crystal relic began to absorb all of the magic I put off and everything I had stored since my powers activated. Celestia quickly collected me and watched as this castle literally grew out of the ground, complete with my cutie mark on the front. With nowhere else to go and being drained from the whole ordeal, Celestia took refuge inside this castle.

When I finally woke up, Celestia decided it was time that I know everything. It was sad, really. At first, I was excited to know that she was my real mother. Then, the idol I had built her up to be was marred by all the flaws and mistakes she made. Everything that had happened, all the problems she caused by being careless, all the lives she ruined by letting her curiosity take over. I became bitter, and lost much of my trust and respect for her.

Luna arrived shortly there afterward and once Celestia said she told me everything, this brand was created. I was... marked... and then practically imprisoned here. The severe nature of everything that could happen, everything they watched happen in my Father's world, and the unknown nature of the castle and what the strange magic it gave off were reason enough to keep me here. At the same time, I was safe here. Nopony but the princesses and you four know about this place... anymore, and I am linked to the castle. I can sort of feel when things are near it, or when there are life forces inside, even manipulate the walls and doors just by thinking about it. With no way to argue against it, Celestia just let it happen, and I've been living here since then.

For nine years, I had no outside contact other than my mother and my aunt aside from books and newspapers. With nothing else to do, I read every book I had and was eventually given copies of everything in Canterlot Library to keep me occupied. It wasn't until a few years ago did I finally get fed up with it all. Tired of mother trying to make things seem okay, tired of Luna acting like I was some disaster waiting to happen, and most of all, I was tired of... feeling so alone. I eventually worked up the courage to do it, and I left the castle.

For the first time in years, I saw other ponies. Normal ponies, Power Ponies, zebras, griffons, hippogriffs, dragons, this city had everything! That very same day, I also saw my very first super hero battle. I was a little more than amazed to watch somepony that had been affected by Mother's mistakes actually use it for the benefit of others in person. She saved five ponies from an attack by some villain, and the two fought until she subdued the villain and was praised by all the ponies around her.

So, I came up with an idea. A way to make myself useful like that. Maybe even try and change my aunt's opinion of me. At first, I wanted to be a hero, like her. And I did try. I had a costume made anonymously, and went out there to try and do some good like the other heroes. To say the least I... didn't do well. I had grown a lot since I last used attack magic, and all of my seals had also been released too, so I couldn't control my own power. I'd also never flown more than gliding down the castle stairs, so I couldn't really do that well either.

Needless to say, eventually I was the one who got captured, and if it weren't for the intervention of that hero again, I wouldn't be here today. So, I wasn't cut out to be a hero, but that didn't stop me from still wanting to try. I tried to get in contact with some of the heroes, but was always ignored at the door. I tried to support heroes by offering them a partnership, but was turned down nearly immediately by all of them. Worse still, Mother eventually caught me sneaking out, and there was a heavy reprimanding for that.

A week or so passed afterward, and to my surprise, she asked why I did what I did. At first I felt like she was trying to trap me in some kind of guilt admission, but after encouraging a few of the things I did, I told her everything. All of the things I tried, all the ideas I had. To my surprise, She agreed with most of them. For the first time in a long time, it actually felt like it did back before everything went wrong.

We got to talking, and together, we came up with a way I could actually do something. My powers make it so I can act more or less like a magical generator, and with that, I can keep up spells like long range telepathy, or visual divination, as if they were mere levitation spells. With my unique position, I could direct a group from far away without the use of high tech equipment, or expensive spell crystals. If I could get together a group of trusted Power Ponies, I could lead them in operations, acting like my own little unit of special police officers.

With the new idea in place and mother's support, I was given permission to go out and find Power Ponies for my group. But just like the first time I tried, it didn't go well. That is, until I met Diamond. Unlike everypony else I tried to talk to, Rarity was interested in what I had to say. We got together, she told me the story she told you, and we formed this partnership. Mother was ecstatic to know that I'd made a friend, but warned me about the brand that I carried. With a little studying and some direction from her, I crafted this contract for a less painful way to spread my brand.

While I didn't like it at first, Mother eventually won me over to the idea since it served as an easy way to locate ponies in my group as well as create a more concrete form of trust between myself and those I recruited, in a less... painful way than how my brand was applied. With Rarity in, I started to ask Mother for assignments to help pay Rarity for her work and we began doing jobs for the military. They weren't exactly hard jobs at first, but it was enough to get her back on her hooves after opening her store without her parents help.

It was when Luna decided to capitalize on mine and Rarity's team work that I realized we needed more members. Celestia went out of her way to make sure we were never given anything too dangerous. I suspected that after some time, and Luna confirmed it verbally when I asked. In a sort of foolhardy ego-scratching, I asked for something that she needed help with. While we completed the job, Rarity was badly injured, and I ended having to treat her for three weeks before she recovered. Rarity's power is spectacular, but that doesn't mean she can handle a whole team of armed pirates on her own.

So, we needed new members, and then we went out to look for them. That was about the time I met... the Bloody Crow. She was interested in the money I said I could offer, but due to the uh, nature, of her powers, I wanted to see her work. I told Rarity about it, and she warned me not to, but I was too excited about the prospect of a new member to listen. She took me on a 'hunt' as she called them, and what I saw was... horrific. The things she did to that poor hoodlum were far beyond cruel, but that doesn't compare to the laughter I heard while she was doing it. Gah, thinking about it still makes me shiver.

So, I struck out, and with a quick memory wipe spell, I escaped from her and ran back home. I was beyond disappointed, and terrified that I almost trusted somepony like that. But, as luck would have it, another candidate had literally knocked on my door. I met Fluttershy the next day. She was so distraught and unhealthy that I couldn't turn her away. After about a week of living here, she told me her story, and in return I offered her a job with Harmony.

I know that she had a bad history before I met her, but the pony I had come to know over that week wasn't the one she described when she talked about herself. The fact that she immediately agreed to my proposal proved that for me. And that is when a strange thing happened. This room wasn't here a year ago. In fact, this has only been here since Rarity, Fluttershy, and myself were all in the castle at the same time. These chairs give off a strange magical signature that resonate with our auras like some kind of power amplifier.

We still don't know what they are, or why they do what they do, but Celestia and Luna thought it would be best if I could try and seek out other ponies that react to these gems. After about half a year of searching and doing jobs again now that Fluttershy could cover Rarity, one of the dormant gems reacted. I suppose you could say it felt Pinkie's dark intentions, and was more or less communicating for me to save her, or something cosmic like that. Like a beacon, the energy the gem was giving off matched a signature in the city and I basically followed the trail... about thirty feet from the castle.

She... was going to do something bad, and I managed to talk her out of it. I offered to help her become better as a hero and a pony, and with that I'd gained another member. Around the same time, Rarity tried to scout you. When she showed me who you were, I was ecstatic to say the least. You were the one who saved those ponies on that first day I left the castle, and the one who eventually saved me when I messed up trying to be a hero myself, so naturally I thought you would make a great addition.

But... you and Rarity seemed to have a... miscommunication during your test job, and I figured you were a lone wolf. She didn't give up on you though, so I guess you could say she had more faith than I did. It wasn't until we had a job where... well, the Beast came out, did I realize that we needed somepony who could combat Fluttershy if she ever went out of control like that again, which is when Rarity mentioned you. I figured if she could convince you to join, then we might as well try. If we had you, then Rarity wouldn't have to fill the role of attacker anymore, Pinkie wouldn't have to hurt anypony, and... if everything went wrong, we'd have somepony who could subdue Fluttershy without hurting her.

Unfortunately, you haven't reacted to any of my gems, so that doesn't seem to be a part you can play, but now that you're here, we finally have a four pony team. I provide information and communication.”

“I provide defense, and if necessary low power attacks,” Rarity continued.

“I-I can give cover fire and detect h-hidden enemies that Twilight can't...” Fluttershy mumbled.

“And I can get victims and VIPs out of sticky situations in a flash!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“It's more often than not we need all these abilities to do the jobs we're given, but with you we have somepony who can really take a front line position. Somepony who can do just as much damage, if not more than our opponents can, and one who can protect my friends in the event things do go wrong. A battle Tank to add to our Rouge, Sniper, and two Supports. So, without further adieu, welcome to Harmony, Applejack.”

Ah figured she was about done, so now Ah decided ta ask a few questions that had been on my mind durin' her story.

“Well, Ah suppose Ah'm glad ta be here, even if it still feels like Ah was kinda roped inta this. Ah'm sorry y'all were the product of poor choices, but Ah have a few questions Ah want answered now that the air is clear.” Ah wasn't sure where Ah stood quite yet, so Ah tried ta keep my voice from reachin' a demandin' tone.

“Oh. Okay, what would you like to know?” Twilight responded.

“Number one; how do ya have a brand if yer immune ta magic?” Ah asked. She frowned.

“Ah... right... well, the word brand is usually related to a symbol that is burned into something. While yours are all made from an ancient contract that simulates the engraving of a brand, mine is... real. The first time I ever saw Mother and Luna fight was when the idea to give me this was proposed. Mother eventually conceded, and after engraving the seals onto a branding iron, it was heated and applied to my tongue. My sense of taste barely exists anymore, and due to the nature of iron based magic, my powers don't work on it.” Twilight let her eyes fall ta her hooves, which she tapped the tips of together repeatedly.

“Oh, goddess... That's messed up... Okay, maybe the other can wait fer another time Ah suppose. Ah guess the third thin' Ah was gonna ask was, when do we do this next job? Ah'm actually still in school if ya believe it, so Ah can't just work whenever ya need me. My dad always wanted us ta get degrees so we wouldn't be as screwed in the real world as he was, and Ah can't just drop it.” If there's anythin' that Ah was gonna do, it was get my degree just like my papa wanted. If nothin' else, Ah was gonna fulfill his only real request of me before he died. Twilight wrinkled her snout and frowned.

“Ah... I see... well, I may be able to pull some strings if things ever get to the point where we need you desperately, but I'm sure we can work something out. If all else fails, I've read just about everything in any library you'll find across the country and then some, so I can be a tutor if you need it.” She was... almost too excited about that. Ah gave her a look, but then just shook my head.

“Uh... Okay, Ah guess. Well, Ah have class every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornin', so Ah can help out on my days off. If Ah can take a bullet ta the soft pallet, Ah'm sure Ah can be the tank y'all are lookin' for.” Ah realized the dark connotations of the words Ah just said and made a kinda awkward smile after that.

“That was... rather morbid, but confident? Darling, I'm sure you can do the job we need you to, but you shouldn't expect to take bullets for us. We're not that desperate after all,” Rarity said.

Goddess damn it.

“A-and um, usually it doesn't get that f-far as long as they're within my range... I-it was chivalrous of you to protect me earlier, b-but I really hope it doesn't come to that again, a-and it shouldn't so... I guess what I'm trying to s-say is... don't worry too much?” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah, we got your back, yo!” Pinkie... rapped? She was wearing a hoodie and a backwards ball cap now, and Ah don't exactly remember her leavin' her spot.

“Uh, thanks fer that, Ah guess.” Ah felt the need ta scratch my head since Ah had no other way ta react ta that.

“With... whatever that was... out of the way, I suppose our next meeting will be here at six again on Tuesday. I'll send you all reminders around thirty minutes before the meeting, and we'll go forward from there. With that said, members of Harmony, you are dismissed.”

Harmony Mission I: Argent Foundry Disappearance

“Ow, damn that hurts...” Ah sat up and rubbed at my head. What the hell happened?

“Move, you idiot!” another voice said. Ah turned ta look and all I saw was some cyan colored face comin' at me real fast. She hit me in the side hard enough ta knock me about fifteen feet away from where Ah was. Ah got up about ta yell at her when Ah heard the sound of some horrid cry and watched as the spot Ah was just at get smashed by some hairy claw.

“Holy shit! What in the hell was that!?” Ah asked the pony in front of me. She was covered in dark feathers, black as night and shined blue in the moonlight. She was wearin' boots and pants of some kind, and a sheath fer what looked like an eastern sword. She must've been a power pony because just above her back were a pair of bright red wings that flowed and ebbed like a liquid. Is that blood?

“How the hell do you not know? Oh goddess, please tell me you remember who I am.” Turnin' ta me now. Most of her head was covered by a mask of some kind, but at the same time, Ah felt like it was missin' a piece too. Of what Ah could see, her coat was bright cyan, her irises were magenta colored, and she had a scar over her left eye that looked pretty old. Also, she was bleedin' with a new lookin' hole in one ear. Ah got up quick, but winced when Ah did. My left foreleg was hurt real bad. What in the hell happened?

“Uh, no? Who are ya?” She rolled her eyes and groaned.

“Oh for fuck's sake! Now is not the time for amnesia! Shit, move!” Another horrible cry, and this time Ah got a look at whatever was attackin' me and... whoever this was. It was as big as a house, gangly and hairy. Bright pale yellow fur, almost white, draped all over it, coverin' it's eyes. It had teeth the size of mystery mare's sword, and it's right leg looked like it'd been cut. The creature slammed its good arm down where mystery mare was a second ago, and Ah hopped out of the way in time ta avoid the slam.

Ah realized now, that Ah was in costume too. Where am Ah? Wait a minute... today is Thursday! Is this the mission? Is that thing the monster that was makin' the Argent people disappear? Come on, remember damn it!

“Applejack? You're late.” Twilight said from somewhere inside the castle, clearly irritated.

“Sorry, It was my turn ta buy groceries, and Ah forgot ta do it.” Ah said. In reality, Ah was finishin' a chess game with my sister and just lost track of time. Looks like she bought it though.

“Fine. Just don't let it happen again.” She said. The castle door slid back and opened up, grantin' me access ta it. Ah made my way down the windin' halls until Ah found the Meetin' chamber.

“Oh, look who decided to show up.” Twilight sneered. Ah frowned.

“Well, after such a warm welcome, Ah'm just about ready ta leave. Let's get this over with.” Ah narrowed my eyes at the purple mare and stared her down until Ah was tired of watchin' her squirm. Ah took my seat next ta Rarity, who was already in costume as Diamond. Across from me was Pinkie, coated in some kinda blue suit with a pale yellow series of diamond shapes runnin' down either side. Then, ta my right was Fluttershy in a big black coat that hid her wings, wearin' a dark face mask with a green tinted one way lens over her eyes, and a fedora that somehow hid all her pink hair.

“Huh. So Pinkie is actually Blur, and Fluttershy is...?” Ah asked.

“O-oh, right. W-while I'm wearing this, they call me T-target Lock. S-sorry if the mask is a little scary. I-I don't particularly like it, b-but it helps me focus my dark sight better than n-normal,” she explained. Pinkie took off her mask and was just about in tears and smilin'.

“You…” she sniffed, “you know my name! I'm so happy!” in a second, she was in my lap huggin' me.

“Woah there trooper, ain't no need fer that,” Ah said, slowly pryin' her off.

“I'm glad you could make it darling,” Diamond said.

“Hey! We're here to do a job, not gush over who pretends to be who!” Twilight snapped.

“Geez. Buzz kill,” Pinkie said as she stuck her tongue out and returned to her seat in an instant.

“And you! Get in costume, we've got a job to do, and you're our front liner.” Ah'd had about enough of her. Ah got up and slammed a hoof next ta her head.

“Yell at me again. See if Ah miss next time.” The now cowerin' alicorn nodded and Ah went back ta my seat ta change.

“Ahem. I uh, apologize for being so... rude, but another worker has disappeared, and had we done this sooner, that wouldn't have happened. Well, that and Luna has been on my case about it all morning. I've been awake since about four.” Diamond giggled.

“Ha. I was wondering how long it would take before you apologized. Seems my prediction was right. Well done Applejack, you subdued the raging caffeine fiend.” Twilight lowered her ears, her cheeks red instead of violet.

“Bout time somepony did. Ah'd make a rude crack, but Ah'm pretty sure that's takin' it too far.” Ah said as Ah put on my suit. Ah zipped up my mask and said, “So now that the real Beast has calmed down, why don't ya fill me in?” Ah smirked through the mask ta make sure she could see it. She glared at me and then sighed. Her horn lit up, and on the table was some kinda computer like grid that had a display of the whole city. A single buildin' lit up red over on the south west side of town that was surrounded mostly by forest and not really connected by any major roads. The whole map shifted ta focus on it. It was large enough ta be a warehouse, but had all the makin's of a factory with the smokestacks and trucks that were docked ta it.

“This is the foundry I told you about earlier. The report says that a grand total of thirteen workers, as of yesterday, have gone missing after entering the basement via the elevator.” The buildin' expanded on the table, now showin' the basement floor underground. Based on the layout, there were two entrances ta the basement, one bein' a staircase at the southwest corner, and the other bein' an elevator on the east side of the buildin. It had two floors in total, and the main floor had several caldrons fer pourin' steel inta castin's, a conveyer belt in the center, a sand deposit and all the thin's they use ta treat it before makin' a cast. It looked pretty standard, but Ah couldn't think why it had a basement.

“Now, the blueprint for the building has nothing about the basement other than it's a big square box made of concrete, and when I sent Pinkie to visit yesterday, she wasn't allowed in. This leads me to believe that Argent has something hidden down there, but I don't know what. Why he would allow a missing ponies report to be filed if he was hiding something in that foundry is beyond me, but whatever is going on, your job is to investigate it. I have a bad feeling about this, so I'm sending everypony.

If you need to contact the others, just call out in your mind to the pony you want to speak to. The brand should do the rest, so long as there isn't magical interference. But if there is... then we have a bigger mystery than just what's in the basement.” Twilight concluded her briefin', and that made me wonder. What can cause magical interference? Unless it's another spell, but... how does that work?

“Hmph. I still don't like you suspecting Mister Argent of anything illicit, but I suppose if there is something wrong going on, I'd like to know.” Diamond said. Twilight shrugged.

“I didn't, at first anyways, this was a job Luna asked me to take care of. Blur, tell them what you were told the other day.” She waived a hoof at Blur, who then started ta talk with her hooves.

“Okay. Well, I wasn't welcomed at the door, that's for sure. There were four guards, one posted at each corner of the foundry, all carrying pretty high grade rifles. I though that was kinda sketchy, but was a little more surprised that they actually let me in. I was wearing Rarity's reporter disguise, and they told me I couldn't bring the camera along. So, after I got in side, I thought it was kinda weird that there were only a few workers there too. One pony operating the line, one quality checker, a few ponies moving carts with finished products in them, a few truckers loading up the cargo, and that was it.

Since I... know how these work because of my earlier days, I knew that there were usually about four ponies assigned to quality checking, and with an operation this big, there shouldn't be any way they could get away with just one. But what I found most weird, was that there weren't any execs anywhere to be found. Nopony was really 'running' the place. I got a good look at the elevator to their basement, and it could probably carry about twenty ponies in it, which lead me to believe that they had some kind of storage for their extra stuff down there. But when a cart filled with green glowing whatever came out of it, I stopped thinking that. I was quickly hurried out of the facility when the elevator came up, so I could only see the glow before they kicked me out. I don't know what they have down there, but it sure isn't steel.” Diamond and Ah frowned, and Ah assume Target Lock did too.

“Hmm... now what could they have down there that does that? Y'all don't think it's some kinda kryptonite like in the comics, do ya?” Ah said, half jokin'.

“A-at this point, who knows? A-all the green things I know of d-don't glow...” Target said.

“While I find your joke in poor taste, let's just hope that isn't it. Argent owning a store of a rock that can seal powers away isn't good for the economy here, and it would likely cause some kind of political movement that splits the power ponies on making themselves normal. I'd prefer not to have a war in Manehattan like in the other comic. Besides, real Kryptonite glows in pale pink when stimulated.” Twilight said. Diamond huffed, probably rolled her eyes too.

“In any case, I suppose we should get going. The sun is just about gone for the day, and you know how I hate to drive in the dark.” Diamond said.

“Drive? Are we takin' a car?” Ah asked.

“Yes, and I usually just bring Target with me in it, but today it would be the three of us.” She said.

“And that means Blur is gonna beat us there, right?” Ah asked.

“Yep! I'm going to scout ahead and see if I can't get in by myself somehow. I never saw the staircase, but now that I know where it is, I can probably get down there and check it out.” Blur said. And just like that, she was gone. A few seconds later, Ah felt the air rush past me.

“I guess Blur wanted to get a head start. Alright, Harmony, move out!”

“Red, get your head out of the clouds! It's coming after you!” Mystery mare yelled at me. The claw was a large as Ah was, and Ah wasn't about ta get slammed by it. Instead of runnin', Ah took a stance, and threw a hard punch inta it. The creature howled and reeled it's paw back.

“What the hell are you doing! Why would you hurt your friend like that!?” It took me a moment ta process what she said, then it dawned on me that this was the Beast.

“My...? Oh goddess, what happened!? Is that... is that really Target?” The memory had come back from when we left, so Ah thought ta try and contact somepony.

"Twilight? Twilight, are ya there?" Nothing but static replied.

Diamond? Blur? Anypony? What the hell happened!? The Beast was comin' in fer a swing again, and she just about sliced part of my tail. Ah took a look at my surroundin's now that thin's were startin' ta come back. There wasn't a whole lotta light in here, this was probably the foundry basement. All but one source of light was dim and bright green, and it looked like the whole place was littered with troughs of glowin' crystals. What the are these? Is this what Blur was talkin' about? Ah met up with the mystery mare, and figured that somethin' was up fer her ta talk about the Beast like it was my friend.

“Okay, Ah'll be blunt, Ah must of gotten hit on the head pretty hard ta be hurt, and even more so ta not remember the past few hours. Who are you?” The Beast came in, just about chargin' us with a full body tackle. We split, and she crashed inta the wall, scatterin' more crystals everywhere. Somethin' beyond the glowin was strange about em. They were a lot like the crystals in Twilight's scroll, and Ah was just about attracted ta them. Is that what happened? Did somepony end up with one of these inside their-

“If you have to ask, then I'm not gonna say a damn thing. All you need to know is that the thing that just attacked us was one of the ponies you came here with, and after she got hurt, well... she turned into that.” The Beast followed her with her paw and just about caught her as she was flyin' on those blood wings. Ah jumped and whipped my tail across her claw, knockin' it out of the way.

“Well gee, that helps. What about the others? Diamond? Blur?” Now her attention was on me. She took both of her claws together inta one fist and tried ta slam me with it. Ah dodged the initial slam, but was pushed back by the shock wave it created. Goddess damn! Ah ain't never seen anypony as strong as Ah am till now! Hell, she might even be stronger than me!

“Outside. After your friend here transformed, she threw the blue one through the ceiling, the other was already there. I don't think they're dead, but I doubt they're in good shape.” Ah stopped and thought, then Ah noticed that the regular light was comin' from a good sized hole in the roof, and not the staircase, wherever that was. Then it triggered my memory.

“Yep. As soon as Ah get paid, Ah am gettin' a license. Never again Rarity, never again,” Ah said, still a little terrified from the drive over. Diamond pulled the keys out of the ignition of her black sports car and shoved them inta her pocket.

“Hmph. My driving gets us where we need to go as fast as possible. You don't hear Target complaining. And call me by my hero name while in costume, by the way. Being listened in on is much more likely to happen outside the castle.”

“W-well...” Target began.

“See? No complaints. Now then... Blur should be around here-” Diamond exited her door only to have it closed by the pony in question.

“Geez, you guys took your time. I've been here for like, twenty minutes.” Target and Ah made our way out of the car, and now we were all standin' in front of a large gray cinder-block buildin'. Just like the image Twilight showed us, it was about three stories tall from above the ground and had four smoke stacks juttin' inta the sky in the moonlight. There were a few guards, but it looked like Blur had already taken care of them.

“So, what've ya been doin' just standin' around here? Ah thought ya were gonna scout inside.” Ah asked. She zipped around the car and then came ta lean on me like some kinda arm chair.

“See, I would have done that, if I could get in. None of these guys had any kind of key on them as far as I could tell. I didn't notice it before, but the doors have some kind of biometric lock that I can't make heads or tails of.” She said.

“Did you hear that Twilight? You're up,” Rarity said. Then Twilight's voice started ta echo through my head.

“Pinkie, if you couldn't get this open, why didn't you ask me in the first place? I'm only here for this exact sort of thing. Well, and I act as a safe com system, a map, a one use teleporter, an enemy detector-” Twilight started.

“It's nice ta know y'all can do all that, but Ah get the sinkin' feelin' that the guards here are supposed to trade shifts in a few hours. Seein' a bunch of heroes messin' around their facility, especially me, would probably not end well,” Ah said... ta the air. Still not sure about the whole 'talk ta somepony far away without a device' thin'. Phones? Ah grew up with em, those are fine. Telepathy? Ah learned about that Tuesday. There was an audible sigh from the other side and then,

“The door should unlock just about... now.” And just like that, the control panel that looked more or less like some kinda black pad lit up green, and the metal doors slid open.

“Remember to be on your guard everypony. We might lose contact once you make it down there. Find whatever was glowing, and if you come across any kind of shady character, interrogate them. The foundry should be closed, so none of the regular workers should be there now. Oh, and a warning for Marevelous. Whatever you do, do not let Target get hurt.” Well that was real specific. That bad feelin' she had is startin' ta spread.

“You heard her everypony. Be on alarm. If you need ten extra seconds, just call out 'toki wo tomare' and you'll get it. Let's move,” Diamond said. Ah took the lead, and we all headed inside. Save fer emergency lights, the place was completely dark. Target said that there wasn't anypony else in this room, so Blur then lead us ta the staircase and then the catwalk. We stumbled around in the low red light with Blur leadin' until we made it to the staircase. Long and cylindrical, we went down the black path holdin' on ta Target ta keep from fallin'. We made it down ta the basement, and realized that we couldn't talk ta Twilight anymore. All anypony had was static from her end.

“So what do y'all wanna do? Should we leave somepony up there in the event we are walkin' inta a trap?” Ah asked.

“Nah. If we really need to tell her anything, I can just run back up here and do it. I doubt we'll run into anything faster than me,” Blur said.

“Hmm... Marevelous makes a good point though. I suppose the code word and Blur should be enough to get us out of anything, however, getting to the point where we need them both seems a little unrealistic doesn't it?” Diamond commented.

“I-I don't know... I'm so used to the dark, I can't r-really tell if this is even ominous. I-I'll be fine with whatever Marevelous decides,” Target said. She was the only one who could see it, but Ah frowned. Why am Ah the decidin' factor here?

“Uh... Well, Ah guess we should have Blur let Twilight know what's goin' on with the interference. After she gets back, we go in. If it's still too dark ta see, Target, Ah want ya ta check around the room fer anymore doors or places that could lead further down. If they're keepin' weird stuff, then they probably have a secret records room fer it too.” Somepony moved in the darkness.

“Ooh, now that is a good idea...” Diamond said.

“Okie doki boss,” Blur said, and then the feelin' of wind followed, meanin' she was gone. In silence we waited about two minutes fer Blur ta get back ta us. Once she returned, Ah opened the basement door. From inside it spilled a bright green light that just about had the whole room lit, albeit dimly. All sides of the walls were lined with carts filled ta the brim with a bright green crystal, save fer two spots. One was the elevator, which Ah expected ta be clear. The other however looked like a regular wall. Bingo. We all flooded in, and then Target stopped.

"S-somepony is here." The moment she halted, the actual lights fer the basement came on. Son of a bitch.

“Whew. Here I thought this job was just another boring security detail, but somepony actually came!” said a voice. Out from behind a row of carts came a figure Ah wouldn't soon forget. Her head was covered by a silver helmet, hidin' her face and shinin' against the green and white light around her. Her body was covered in dark black feathers that just about shined blue. She was wearin' boots on each leg, and only reflections could have told ya there was anythin' underneath that dark coat. On her side though, was a dull red sheath fer what looked like an eastern sword with a gold hilt.

“And aren't you an interesting bunch... let's see here... the one in black carrying a big gun, the one in black with a... is that a police baton? Ooh, a bright blue clad Power Pony I bet... and finally, if it isn't the hero herself, Marevelous Red! I get the feeling I've met a few of you somehow, but how could I not know the famed hero herself! No wonder I'm gettin' paid so much.” Her voice was almost scratchy, and it had an air of cocky ta it. Somethin' about her makes me wanna hit her.

“Well, that's real nice of y'all ta know my name. So how bout ya tell me yers?” Ah asked. Ah figure if Ah can play ta her ego, she might say somethin' she's not supposed ta. She took a bow.

“I am The Crow. But you may know me as The Bloody Crow. I would say it was nice to meet you, but I'm supposed to kill anypony who enters here without permission. Hehehe... ha ha ha! Oh goddess, my blood is already boiling! It's been such a long time since I got to fight anypony decent! I really hope you live up to your name, miss hero!” The Crow lowered herself, then stretched a bright cyan colored wing over her right to her sword on her left. A red mist started to flow from under her coat until it formed a cloud above her back. The mist became thicker until it formed a pair of crimson wings. Just as she was about to leap from her spot, Target's rifle went off. There was a hole in the wall just inches from the Crow's cyan wing.

“P-please don't make a move. T-that was a warning shot. T-the next one w-won't miss...” Target said as she reloaded the bolt action on her gun. The Crow stood back up straight.

“Will it now? Geez, did you bring a teenager along with you? How old is this kid anyways? Little fillies shouldn't wave around toys like that!” The Crow took ta the air and dive bombed toward Target. She was about to pull her trigger again, when Ah said,

“Toki wo tomare!” Just like that, the world froze and Ah jumped in ta line up a punch. The Crow was just aligned with me as Ah loaded up when the world unfroze. Ah let loose and watched as the Crow sailed across the warehouse sized basement. Her wings, which Ah could tell were made of blood now, took just about all the impact, and the Crow landed on her hooves.

“Holy hell, you almost broke my wings! Oh goddess, you are as strong as they say! But who did that exactly? I doubt you're really able to teleport. I bet it was... the unicorn!” The Crow lunged into the air again, and this time deflected Target's shot. As she drew close, the red mist started to cover us so quickly that we couldn't see. Blur started ta run, takin' the mist with her, but just as she did, the Crow was on top of Diamond. With a quick draw of her crimson sword, Diamond had a gash in her shoulder.

“Aaah!” She screamed. As soon as the slash was done, the Crow knocked her away with a kick.

“That makes one!” The Crow said. Target had finished reloading and fired a shot that looked like it was gonna kill the Crow had it landed. However, the Crow redirected her blood wings to take the bullet. This wasn't enough ta stop it completely though, as it broke through and cut inta the Crow's shoulder.

“A gash for a gash huh? I like it! You're next!” She was about to take off, but Ah lunged in first. With a quick jab ta the side, Ah knocked the wind out of her. Then, Ah swept at her hooves and bucked her across the room. This time, she did hit the wall. So hard that she made an indent in it. The Crow fell ta the ground and didn't move.

“Now you listen here. This ain't no fight y'all are gonna win, so Ah suggest ya stand down.” When Ah didn't get a response, Ah figured she was down. "That outta take care of that then."

“Stand down? But... is she even alive? Can ponies survive a hit like that from you?” Blur asked.

“Ah'm not tryin' ta kill her. May've broken a few bones, but nothin' like that. Besides, she's got a helmet on, she should wake up in an hour or so... probably. Is Diamond okay?” Blur moved over ta check her, but it didn't even look like she was bleedin' too much from where Ah stood.

“She's not hurt too bad, but she definitely passed out. I get the feeling that the blood on the Crow's sword does more than help her fly though. I don't know that she'll be down as long as you think.” Ah shrugged.

“Okay, well, we'll just deal with that if it happens. You take Diamond back outside and tell Twilight what happened. Target, keep an eye on our little bird while Ah go check somethin' out.” Target nodded and aimed her rifle at the spot where the Crow was, Blur took Diamond back up the stairs, and Ah made my way over ta the empty wall. Ah put my ear next ta it and started ta tap my hoof on it. Closer toward the carts, Ah got a low tone, but closer toward the empty space, Ah got a higher one. Ah took a step back and loaded my hoof fer a hard punch, then let loose. The bricks crumbled and fell outward inta a new room.

“Now that's just what Ah thought.” Ah said, smilin' at my accomplishment. Just then, Ah heard Target.

“M-marevelous...! She's getting up!” Ah turned just in time ta watch as a ball of red liquid started ta float from where The Crow had fallen.

“That really hurt. Hah! I wouldn't be surprised if you broke a rib or two! But a fight I can't win? Now that just needs to be seen! You might not be in such good shape without your little helpers!” The ball exploded, covering the wall with blood and rocketing the Crow toward Target. Ah went ta move, but it was already too late. Target fired once and knocked the Crow's helmet off. She fired again, and shot through the Crow's ear, but neither of those kept the Crow at bay. With a clean swipe, the Crow slashed across Target's fore legs and mask, making her drop the gun and scream. Target fell ta the floor, then the Crow turned her attention to me.

“Now then, where were we?” She took a single step toward me, and Ah did the same, but then the air suddenly felt different. We both must've felt it because we both looked directly at Target at the same time.

“You... b-blood...! Aaaaah!” Half of Target's mask had fallen off after being cut, and somethin' about Fluttershy's eye was all kinds of wrong. Her iris turned red, and her sclera was more yellow than her coat. We watched in horror as her body began ta contort and change. The sounds of bones snappin' and flesh rippin' were accompanied by Fluttershy expandin'. Her hooves grew inta five nails on claws, her fur grew outta control and long, becomin' a pale yellow mess of straight hair. Her snout stretched and began ta sport a set of fangs nearly as large as her legs used to be. The costume she had was all but destroyed, save for her fedora which just fell off. The transformation finished, and The Beast howled.

“What the fuck!?” The Crow managed ta say before she got knocked across the room again, this time by The Beast. She hit the wall again, but not as hard as when Ah bucked her. The Beast howled, and Blur returned at the same time.

“Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Marevelous what happened!? I thought the Crow was down!” Blur said. The Beast then turned her attention to Blur and roared at her. The sheer volume of the sound broke all the florescent lights in the basement, returning us to the green lit darkness.

“Well, she got back up and cut Target. Now she's back on the floor. What do we do!?” Ah asked. It is very apparent that Fluttershy was, no, is in fact The Beast now, but how do we get her back ta normal? Clearly she can revert somehow, but how does that happen?

“It only lasts for some amount of time. If we can tire her out, she should just go back to the way she was, but don't hurt her! If you do, that carries over when she transforms back. I'll distract-” She was about ta finish, but then she was grabbed by the Beast. The Beast slammed her inta the ground, then threw her through the ceilin', and presumably the roof. Ah couldn't tell how far she went, but there was moonlight in the basement now. Well. Shit.

“Aw hell, Blur!” Ah didn't have time ta say anythin' else before the Beast turned her attention ta me. Ah felt like a wack-a-mole game, and Ah was the mole. How the hell am Ah supposed ta keep this up? What did Twilight think Ah was gonna do? Wrestle her back ta normal? She ten times my size! Ah missed a step just once, and she smacked me inta the wall over by the Crow. Ah could feel my head throbbin' now, she hit me hard. Almost as hard as Ah hit that wall. Ah started ta get back up ta make my way toward the Beast again, when Ah felt somethin' tug on my tail.

“Wait...” The Crow said, then coughed.

“What the? Damn, y'all are one tough pony.” She started ta stand, but her left foreleg wasn't movin'.

“I need you to tell me if what I saw was real... did... did your friend have a yellow coat and a pink mane?” She asked. Ah was struck fer a moment. She saw her face? Oh goddess, what do Ah do?

“Uh... what about it?” Damn it! Why did ya say that!?

“Oh goddess, it is her...” Now Ah was more confused.

“Who is her? What are y'all talkin' about?” Another roar interrupted any further conversation and the Beast charged at us. Against my better judgment, Ah grabbed The Crow and ran ta the other side of The Beast. She slammed inta the wall, staggerin' herself.

“I... look, this may never happen again, but I need you to help me calm her down.” The Crow said, now standin' on her own. Ah shook my head. What in the world?

“Uh... what?”Ah asked.

“Don't make me say it again! I need to right an old wrong, and I need your help to do it! I'm gonna get her attention, and you need to hit her on the back of the head in between her ears! Once she's knocked out, she'll go back to normal!” The Crow yelled, her blood wings startin' ta form on her back gain.

“Ah'm so confused right now, but if y'all are serious, then whatever.” Did the world just suddenly get turned upside down? The Crow went ta the left, and Ah went ta the right. The Beast had focused her attention on the Crow, which was just enough of an openin' fer me ta get the hit in. or so Ah thought. She took notice of me just as she started ta swipe at the Crow. Her claw kept comin and caught me mid jump. Ah managed ta block with my left, but ah hit the wall harder than Ah've ever hit anythin', and it all went dark.

“Now Ah remember! You're The Crow!” Ah said. After Ah did, The Beast swept a claw at me again. Now that Ah could remember her movements, it was easy enough ta see 'em comin'. If Ah can avoid gettin' hit like that again, that would be great.

“It's about time! Look, let's try that aga- ack!” The Crow, payin' attention ta me instead of the Beast, got caught by her claw. The Beast roared in her face, and that gave me just enough time ta get behind her. Ah jumped fer her head at about the same time she started ta crush the Crow. With a good swing, Ah punched her right between the ears. She dropped the Crow and started ta fall to the side of her good foreleg. What started as a low moan began to raise in pitch as the hairy form started ta shrink in a heap on the floor. Now all that was left was an unconscious yellow pegasus in a pool of blood that wasn't much of her own. Ah went ta check on her, and it looked like she was breathin' normal now.

“Whew. Ah'm glad that's over. Are y'all alright?” Ah asked the Crow as Ah picked up my sleepin' team mate. She coughed three times, spat out a good glob of blood, then started to raise herself up.

“Alright? No. Alive, sort of... In any case... I'm in no shape to fight... Heh. I can barely stand. Oww...” She said as she grabbed at her side between breaths.

“Well, that makes my job easy. Not gonna lie, you're really good. Ah think if it was just the two of us in a fight, nopony would come out a winner. So, out of respect fer yer talent, Ah'm just gonna leave ya here, but Ah have a question first.” Honestly though, if Ah did go hoof ta hoof with her on my own, she might actually beat me...

“Oh yeah...? And what would... that be? As one who values this... 'honor among thieves' thing, I can't say I'll... tell you much of anything.” Eventually, she'd had enough of standin' on three hooves and sat down.

“Well, Ah'd like ta know how ya know my friend here fer starters. Why would ya go out of yer way ta help get her back ta normal if we were yer enemies in the first place?” Ah asked.

“Oh, that... Let's just say, she and I knew each other as kids. She did a lot for me back then, and before my life took a different turn, we were good friends. I owe her a lot, so I'll call it even after this.” The Crow finally regained her breath and decided ta lay down.

“Huh. Well, Ah suppose Ah can't complain if things turned out like this. Ya weren't tryin' ta kill anypony like ya said ya were anyways, so ya can't be that bad.” Because if she was, Rarity would be dead. Target might be too." Ah headed ta the secret office with Fluttershy on my back. There was a desk, a computer, a few filin' cabinets and what Ah was lookin' fer was a client list. Ah bet it gets updated often... They wouldn't want ta have it just stored in the PC just in case somepony forgot ta use a VPN one day, so it should be...

“You could tell? That's impressive. But I'd guess you have a lot more experience than these other kids. Heh. I was actually told to scare away anypony who tried to trespass, but do what I needed to in the event I ran into somepony special, such as yourself. I wasn't expecting an actual challenge, really. Or a hole in my ear. Oh well. This will all heal in a few days.” Ah searched through a few drawers until Ah found the ledger with the list of all the buyers and dealers fer whatever these crystals are, and pocketed it. Ah'll just take one of these crystals too, see if Twilight can make heads or tails of that.

“So what exactly is yer power? And fer that matter, do ya only have one wing?” Ah asked as Ah picked up a crystal from one of the carts. It still had that allurin' quality ta it, so Ah had ta shake a thought outta my head before Ah pocketed it. Some of the ones that spilled on the floor durin' the fight got crushed under Fluttershy's feet, and Ah didn't want a broken one. It's strange though. They don't break inta chunks like a normal crystal would, these just kinda turned inta powder where they snapped off... that should be worth note.

“I can manipulate my own blood as if I were a unicorn or some shit like that, but that's only if I have a source to draw it from. I also heal really fast, but the drawback is that sometimes I sleep for days straight. As for the wing, I lost my right one about seven years ago in an accident.” She said. Huh. Ah figured she'd be more tight lipped about this. Might as well see how far Ah can go.

“Really? So, ya stab yerself with that sword ta get yer powers goin’ every time?” Ah asked.

“Nah. The skin where my bone fractured with the rest of my wing never fully healed, so the marrow has been exposed to the air for years now. My power continually refreshes it, and I've never been sick in my life, so that's where it all comes from.” Maybe she really doesn't care what Ah know. Ah'm not sure if that's a sign of trust or a sign of 'Ah'll kill ya later.'

“Sounds painful. How'd that happen?” Ah asked. The Crow laughed.

“I would tell you my life's story, but I figure the victor has gotten her share of information today. I respect you Marevelous. It takes a lot to break my blood wall, and even more to knock me out. Even still, you were holding back after all that.” Well, maybe she's smarter than she sounds.

“So ya noticed? Gestures between the veterans always go over pretty well don't they?” Ah wonder... what would have happened if Ah'd come across her first?

“I guess. I've been doing this for about as long as you have, working as a sort of... mercenary that is. Your power is genuine, I'll give you that. But so is my employer's. Don't look into this much more. Otherwise, you and your little friends might end up dead. Take it as a warning from somepony in the know.” Ah made my way toward the staircase holdin' one of the crystals fer light, but said one last thing before Ah left.

“Ah'll keep that in mind. If we see each other again, let's have a real fight. Y'all ain't too bad, miss Crow.” She laughed again.

“Alright, sure, Marevelous Red. I'll hold you to it. But for now... I think I need to sleep.” And then there was only the sound of soft breathing. Ah made my way back out of the foundry and collected the rest of my passed out friends.

“Twilight? Can ya hear me?” Ah said ta the air.

“Zzztt... Appl... every... kssst...” Replied the voice. What the? But Ah'm out of the basement, why is...? Then it dawned on me just what exactly these crystals were for. Ah stole Diamond's keys and piled my friends inta the back seat. Ah set the crystals and the documents down in the passenger, and walked away from the car.

“How about now, Twilight?” Sure enough...

“Applejack!? What happened? Where did all that static come from? Is everypony okay?” Twilight said, all frantic. Ah sighed in relief.

“Sort of. Diamond and Blur need ta be treated, and... well, the Beast came outta Target. Her costume is completely destroyed, but she's just got a scratch on her foreleg. We found the crystals, and based on what Ah just did, they're causin' the interference. Ah found a client list too, so we can track who has what. But uh... this wasn't exactly a clean operation. The bottom floor has a good number of dents and holes in it, and the top floor has a good sized hole in it too. Uh, so does the roof fer that matter.” Yeah, maybe about the opposite of clean. If nothin' else, somepony is gonna know we were here in the mornin'.

“Hmm... well, good work all the same. They must've had some kind of security for everything to go that wrong. Head back to the castle and we'll discuss this with my aunt. I'll see you when you get here.” And then the feelin' of somepony bein' on the other side cut off.

“Y'all got it... as soon as Ah figure out how ta drive this thing...” Ah sighed. It's gonna be a long ride home.

Harmony Days I: A meeting with the Princess

“Oh goddess, Ah'm gonna be sick,” Ah said aloud as Ah sank outta that car. Ah don't know how Rarity drives this damned thin', but it's way too fast fer me. If nothin' else, today Ah learned that Ah could drive a stick shift if it really came down ta it. Let's just hope she's more grateful fer me keepin' her alive than whatever horrible thin's Ah just did ta her transmission. Ah returned it ta the spot where Ah got in it earlier today, and started pilin' passed out ponies on my back. They didn't weigh much, but it was more difficult keepin' them there with only three hooves ta work with. My front left wasn't bleedin' anymore, but it certainly wasn't healed enough ta walk on. Slowly but surely, Ah made my way back through the forest and inta the castle.

“Wow, you're pretty banged up. What happened exactly?” Twilight asked.

“Well, first we ran inta the Crow. She ended up stabbin' Diamond before Ah could get ta her, but then Ah did and she got knocked out. That's when Ah had Blur go tell ya about that. Ta our surprise, the Crow got up real quick. A lot faster than Ah was expectin' her to. She made it ta Target and... well, ya know what happened next. The Crow got smashed against a wall again, and Ah didn't really know what ta do at that point because ya never told me how ta deal with her like that. Blur came back, but was quickly grabbed and thrown through the roof. Out of the three of them, she's hurt the most. So, that happened, Ah got smacked, and then that's where the weird part kicks in.” Twilight tilted her head as she unloaded ponies off me with her magic.

“Weird part?” Ah nodded.

“Yeah, weird part. The Crow, somehow still alive, asked me ta help her calm Fluttershy down.” Twilight shook her head.

“What?” Ah took off my mask and nodded.

“Yeah. So, she told me how ta put Fluttershy back ta normal, and we attempted ta do so, that is until Ah got knocked out and forgot the last three hours fer about ten minutes. Beat my leg up pretty good too. Once Ah remembered everythin', Ah managed to knock Fluttershy out right before she just about squeezed the life outta the Crow.” Ah finally got outta the suit and decide Ah deserved a moment ta sit. My foreleg was real bruised, and there was a few shallow cuts where Ah was slashed, but nothin' that bad. Somehow, the suit managed ta hold up through it all. Ah need ta drop by Star's place and buy him a meal or somethin'. This is way higher quality than whatever Fluttershy was wearin. Twilight frowned.

“So, what did you do with the Crow?” Ah shrugged.

“Ah left her alone. She and Ah have... an understandin' now.” Ah took my suit, folded it up, and threw it inta my saddle bags. Then Ah laid back in that chair and relaxed. That was the most stressful outin' Ah've ever had. Most Power Ponies Ah've fought didn't have a stage two boss phase.

“So... let me get this straight. You fought somepony who was hired to guard that basement, and didn't bring her here for questioning!?” She just about yelled. Ah opened one eyelid and stared at her.

“That's right. She didn't necessarily do anythin' wrong, and was just a guard fer somepony else's questionable product. That bein' said, Ah still got ya this, and one of these.” From my saddle bags, Ah took out one of the crystals, and the client list with all those names on it. Twilight took the paper in her magic, and attempted ta do the same with the crystal, but couldn't.

“What in the? Why can't I...?” Ah tossed it ta her, and she just about dropped the thing after jugglin' it with her wings.

“Based on previous information, these thin's have the power ta interrupt magic somehow, and Ah don't think it's just one kind of magic either. Ah couldn't talk ta anypony through the brand, and when Ah tried ta talk ta ya while Ah was sittin' next ta one, Ah only got static and a few pieces of words.” Ah closin' my eyes and put my hooves over my belly. Maybe Ah should take a Criminal Justice course next semester

“Hmm... I suppose I'll have to run tests on this later. For now, will you help me move them to my clinic? It looks like you did some kind of first aid, but I want them ready to go again after a day's rest.” Twilight said as she set the crystal down in the empty chair next ta me. Ah sighed and started ta get up when Ah noticed a blue light startin' ta form above the main room table.

“Twilight, what is that?” Ah asked, pointin' ta it.

“What? Oh...” Twilight sighed. “I guess she's here already. Applejack, meet my Aunt. Princess Luna.” The ball of light started ta expand and swirl the dust around it like a tornado. Lightnin' shot from it ta around the table edges, almost makin' music in a strange, but familiar melody. It flashed once and then stopped entirely, leavin' a smokin' figure standin on the table.

She was taller than anypony Ah'd ever met, just about twice my own size. Her coat had almost a sparkly quality, like there was some kind of silver glitter stuck in it. She was dark blue with a black series of spots on her flank that sported a crescent moon cutiemark. Her wings had feathers that were blue at the top, but darkened ta black as they went down, and ended before the whole wing itself, which looked more like that of a bat below the feathers, claws and all.

Her mane and tail were some kind of strange blue-purple hair the had little glowin' lights all over it. Some of the lights even had lines goin' between each other. One of them I recognized as a constellation that dad showed me a long time ago. She wore regalia on her neck and each hoof, all dark as night, but shined in the light with a rainbow of colors, like they were made out of oil or somethin'. Much like Twilight, her eyes had a sort of sparkly quality ta them too, little flecks of silver rather than copper in her bright blue irises. The alicorn looked around the room until she focused her attention on Twilight.

“Greetings, Twilight,” The princess said, followed by a curtly bow.

“And to you, Princess,” Twilight returned but almost with some kinda false enthusiasm. The blue Alicorn scanned the room again until her eyes fell on me.

“And who might this be?” She asked, slightly tiltin' her head all the while. She made a face as if she was tryin' ta remember somethin', but couldn't. Ah got up, makin' sure not ta use my hurt leg too much and introduced myself.

“Name's Applejack. Howdy.” Ah said, raisin' a hoof fer a shake. The Princess stared at it fer a moment like it was some kinda foreign gesture, but then smiled and met it anyways.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Tell me, are you from this city? You speak as though you come from a southern province.” Somethin' felt weird about it. She seems awfully nice fer somepony Twilight has issues with.

“Uh, sorta. My mom was, and Ah was born in the south, but Ah've lived here fer all but four years of my life.” Her shoes were some weird kinda cold too. Not just the feelin' of cool metal on yer skin, but somethin' more like ice, like they'd spent a lot of time in the freezer before she arrived. Must be some kinda magic on 'em.

“I see. Very well, if you have the brand, then I suppose you must be one of my niece's recruits.” She looked at the other three passed out on the couch by the dinin' table, then at my injured foreleg. “Twilight, why are they injured? I have told you more than once to keep your soldiers in good health, have I not?” She turned back ta Twilight, whom then rolled her eyes.

“They returned from your request only minutes ago. I haven't had a chance to do anything yet.” Twilight said, a bit of ornery working it's way in her voice. Luna lowered her eyebrows.

“You know I detest it when you take that tone with me. Take care of those in your service. I will discuss matters with... er, Applejack?” Ah nodded. “Right, Applejack, for now.” Luna and Twilight just about gave each other death glares, but then turned away from each other like two sisters in an argument. Twilight grabbed everypony on the bench seat in her magic, gave one last glare ta Luna, then warped away somewhere. And now, Ah was alone with the Princess.

“So. Tell me of your exploits.” She took a seat in Twilight's chair and leaned forward like she was in some kinda conference. Ah shook my head tryin' ta figure out what exactly is goin' on right now.

“Uh... well, Ah guess it started last night...”

Ah told the Princess about all the thin's that went down in the foundry, explainin' the magic disruptin' crystals, the Crow, the client list, and finally Fluttershy. Somehow, it looked like she took it all at face value.

“Ah, that is quite the tale. This Crow character you spoke of... what exactly is your relation to her now?” She asked. My relation ta the Crow? Well, Ah wouldn't call us enemies...

“Ya know, Ah'm not quite sure. Ah doubt a Princess would really be able ta get this, but Power Ponies who work as heroes here are kinda like mercenaries a lot of the time. We sometimes fight over territory, and who gets ta capture who fer how much, but after doin' it fer three years, Ah've always had this uh... well, 'understandin'' with those Ah've come across. Uh... almost like, we get a sense of respect fer each other after we know how strong, or tactical, or smart somepony is in a fight. In a way, Ah can understand somepony better if Ah've fought 'em once, than if Ah talked ta 'em consistently fer a week. Before all this, Ah knew a bunch of heroes, but the relationships Ah had were just about all like that. It helps when you're just about the biggest fish in the pond, but the Crow made me remember what it is ta fight somepony just about on level. Ah guess Ah see her as somepony that Ah'd rather not fight if it came down ta that.” The Princess nodded.

“You may find it hard to believe, but I have felt that notion before.” What? Isn't she royalty? Why would she fight?

“Really?” The princess nodded.

“Really. Since you have the brand I assume you know, but I was alone when my sister was with child so many years ago. For seven months, I ruled without somepony else to really help me make decisions for the first time in several centuries. I had to change my sleep habits and deal with new responsibilities I was not aware Celestia had, and there was even a time when I was almost overthrown during this period.” Okay. That's news ta me.

“Overthrown!? By who?” Luna laughed, though it wasn't the kinda sweet, endearin' laugh ya might expect a princess ta have , it was a little too deep and kinda off puttin'.

“One of my most trusted knights, no less. However, this was not the case back then. He was the earth pony General at the time, known for his prowess on the battlefield and his almost unhealthy devotion to my sister.” The Princess giggled. “I'm sure if he were ever granted his wish, he would be Twilight's father. But that is neither here nor there. Her general believed that I was unfit to rule after seeing my poor performance adjudicating the day courts among other things. I wasn't cut out to handle all of the responsibilities my sister and I shared, and I hated it. Even with all the things that she did wrong, my sister still had the capacity to rule the government flawlessly for whole months at a time when I fell ill years ago, yet somehow, I could not.

It did not get out of hoof, thankfully, but there was a point before we had come to an... understanding, as you put it, that it was quite unstable. With a loyal troupe of his own trainees, they tried to seize the throne on a particularly quiet day. He called out to me,

'Princess, today shall be the final day of your reign as I have deemed you unfit to rule! I demand to see Princess Celestia, and if you do not comply, then I will use force to find her myself!' I might have been known to have a temper back then, and even now, there are times when I have to remember to calm myself, but then it was different. I was stressed with trying to fulfill all of Celestia's duties and failing to meet half of them, and on top of that I still needed to meet my own responsibilities, so I lashed out.

I said to him, 'If you believe you are so fit to rule then be my guest! But know this General, if you dare take another step toward me then you will feel the weight of my crown!' The fool was of course dumb enough to take my warning as a challenge, but to be completely honest, that is exactly what I wanted. With his guards he charged me, and with my anger, I decided to relieve my stress. Nopony is old enough to remember that wars were once fought in this land, and that history books were written to omit how they were won, but that does not change the fact that they happened. Needless to say, his trainees were little more than gnats to be swatted down, but the general himself... he was something to be dealt with caution.

I had believed that intimidation was the best way to scare him off, so taking out all of his troupe was my first course of action. Once that was done, I offered him a chance to surrender himself, but he was still determined to fight me anyways. That stallion has the highest tolerance to magic I have ever seen. I could hardly touch him with my telekenetics, let alone hit him with a projectile, and he displayed a strength I had never seen in a pony. Mind you, the General is not a power pony yet he still had the power to crush boulders under his hooves. We fought for nearly an hour without pause. My magic was very quickly realized useless and so blade to blade we danced. Before I knew it, I was enjoying the fight more than anything, and when I finally did corner and disarm him, I was disappointed.

He was made to pay for his actions, but after that was done, I struck a deal with him. He was branded as my advisor, and I told him the truth of my sister's absence. He was, well, devastated to say the least. I think this may have been the first instance I had seen the same rage I felt when I discovered her myself, and we formed a sort of bond over it. He's grown old and retired now, but up until last year, he had been my sparring partner since then. Of all the ponies I have come to know over the millennia, he would be the only true friend I have known, and it all became that way over a fight.” Over the story, she'd slowly drifted to looking at the ceiling as if the distant memory wasn't too far off.

“Wow. So what did he do when Celestia got back?” The princess scrunched up her face like she was tryin' ta remember.

“Hmm... I certainly would say there was a falling out of sorts, but they eventually reconciled with each other. There are only so many ponies in the know about that after all, but there were still many that Celestia had to apologize too. Lies were spun, tales were grown, and after nearly ten years, they were finally grounded as truth to the masses. If I had to guess, there are probably about thirty including yourself that know the real truth.” Ah'm not sure how Ah'm supposed ta react here. This is one of the rulers of my nation, but she's talkin' ta me like Ah'm somepony she knows.

“That sure is somethin'. Ah never really imagined that Ah'd get caught up in anythin' political in my life, but here Ah am.” One hell of a turn life decided ta take.

“In any case, I believe it might be good for you to seek this Crow character out. Friendships forged over the heat of battle tend to be tempered the best.” Ah had ta take a moment ta process exactly what she was askin' me though.

“Are ya... you're tellin' me ta go make friends with her?” Ah asked.

“Indeed. An ally you consider to be your equal is nigh invaluable.” Ah frowned. Make friends huh? Ah wonder if she knows who Ah'm talkin' about. They don't call her the Bloody Crow fer no reason. Isn't she wanted? Ah don't think Ah ever saw a bounty posted fer her... Well, maybe she's not that bad after all.

“Ah guess Ah'm not opposed ta that, but Ah'm not sure Ah'll even see her again if we're bein' honest here.” Luna leaned back in her chair.

“Take it from somepony who has seen quite a bit over the years. If you have seen one who is meant to be your ally once, you will see them again.” Ah simply nodded.

“Ah'll keep that in mind, Princess.” She nodded, then leaned back inta conference position.

“Good. Now then, originally, I had intended these for Rarity to employ, but I feel you will make better use of them.” The Princess magic'd up a pair of black hoof bands from nowhere and levitated them in front of me. Ah took and inspected them, but all Ah could make out were a button and rune on one side and a round hole on opposite side of each band. They weighed a lot more than they looked, and when Ah shook it, it almost felt like it was full of loose wire.

“Uh thanks? What are these?” Ah asked, a little more than confused.

“A new prototype that my R&D team have been working on for the army. An increasing concern that has recently popped up is that our ground forces do not have the agility necessary to deal with powerful targets. A number of beasts have been slain in the Manehattan's forest to the north of this island over the past year, but not without taking several casualties with them. These were designed based on one of my power pony researcher's abilities. While wearing them, click your hoof against the button on the back to fire a steel cable, then click the button again to retract it. The cable has a blade at its end that can lodge itself into just about anything, it extends up to one hundred twenty meters at about four hundred meters per second until it detects collision, and retracts at about half of that with an average pony connected to it. If you press the button quickly twice while any length of the cable is out, retraction or extension will hold at it's position, then retract if the button is pressed again.” She explained.

“Oh... kay? And yer goal was ta use her ta test this out so it could help ya fight... beasts of some kind?” Ah asked.

“Precisely. However, the problem we've been having is that using it sometimes causes fractured hooves and damaged eyesight. This is the newest model right now, and since your friend can become like the beasts we've been dealing with, I believed it would be best to see it in action before handing it to the average soldier.” At this Ah frowned.

“Now hold on. That implies ya need Fluttershy ta transform ta see if this is helpful or not. And now that Ah think about it, isn't it kinda harmful on the body ta move from a restin' position at a two hunderd meters a second? That's like goin' zero ta forty-five without the rest of the car protectin' ya! Normal ponies can't use this, you'll kill em like that!” The half smile Luna had been wearin' all this time just about faded away in an instant.

“And what seems to be the problem? Your protective suit deals with much worse than that, and I assure you that the armor the guards wear is heavily enchanted for that sort of thing. All I need you to do is tell me whether or not you feel pain when using the device, and if it increases your mobility to the point you could slay a beast.” Her tone had turned almost metallic, like all the warmth in her voice had vanished.

“Slay a beast!? Goddess, just what the hell are ya up against that somethin' like this gets made? Look, Ah'm sorry, but my suit ain't nothin' more than a decoration that don't rip. My body is a hell of a lot tougher than most, and this ain't gonna hurt me because of that, but Ah can't let ya give this ta Rarity. She's gonna hurt herself tryin' ta use somethin' like this. Thanks fer the offer, but that thin' is just too dangerous fer ponies with normal bodies.” Ah pushed the bands back ta her. She stood up.

“No thank you? No, that is unacceptable. You may not be harmed by these bands, but you will test them for me. That, my dear Applejack, is an order.” Ah stood up too. Ah'm not any near as big as she is, but Ah'm not about ta let her intimidate me.

“Ah'm not one of yer damn militants, and my friends didn't sign up ta be some military outfit either. We joined this ta help ponies, not kill ourselves by bein' guinea pigs in yer damn experiments!” Ah yelled. The Princess began to form a wicked smile, revealing unusually sharp teeth. She leaned in close and grabbed my tongue with her magic.

“Oh? Were you not told? You see, this little mark here means that you have the authority of a captain, and it also means you are sworn to the royal family. I would know. I made it. You might have yet to realize this, but that little misbegotten niece of mine is not the only member of the royal family.” The pressure of the magic started ta increase, and the brand started ta burn. Black smoke started ta rise from my tongue and the pain became more and more intense with every second that passed. “I dislike it when ponies argue with me, but due to your status with my niece and this city, you will not be punished for your actions here today. Mark my words, Applejack, fail to accept an order from me in the future and there will be consequences, understand?” The icy tone had turned to sour, and my tongue was startin' burn about as bad as leavin' yer hoof over a flame fer too long. With as much force as Ah could muster, Ah ripped my tongue out of her magic and wiped my mouth. Luna was taken aback fer a moment.

“Fine. Ah'll take yer damn toy. But don't you go around givin' crap like this ta the others. If ya need somethin' like this again Ah... Ah'll do it. Just... don't do somethin' like that ta them.” Ah felt defeated. If Ah kept up my lip, thin's would only get worse fer Twilight and the others. But, at the same time, this just isn't safe. And usin' Fluttershy like some kinda lab rat... there's no way Ah'm gonna let that happen. Luna lowered her eyes again like she was about ta do somethin' else when we both heard Twilight.

“Well that took long enough. I thought you said that Rarity was just stabbed? All the nerves in her left foreleg were dead! I could only get so many of them working on my own, she's going to need to see a real doctor about that.” Twilight said as she started ta walk in ta the room. She stopped when she looked at us though. “I-is something the matter?” She asked. Ah tore my eyes off of Luna and sighed.

“Nope. The Princess and Ah were just... discussin' some memories, that's all.” Ah said. The princess put an icy wing around me and pulled me close.

“Yes... fond memories. Your friend and I have many similarities. But now that you have returned, I would like to discuss another matter,” She said, taking her warm tone again. She folded her left wing away and picked up the crystal out of Twilight's chair with the other. She placed the object on the table and motioned for us to join her in front of it. Ah quickly tossed the bands over by my saddle bags while Twilight wasn't lookin'. Yeah, that needs ta be kept between us... at least until she leaves.

“Do you know what kind of crystal this is, Twilight?” Twilight shook her head.

“No, I'm afraid I don't. I've never read anything about crystals that interfere with magic like these seem to.” Luna nodded and then her horn lit up. Four little magic balls of light formed above her, and then she organized them by the crystal. The orb about a third meter above the crystal was fading in and out of existence like visual static. The orb two thirds a meter above was affected by it, but not as severely as the first. The third orb was about the same way, and the last orb was unaffected by it entirely.

“This is what is known as a disruption crystal, original, I know,” Luna said, rolling her eyes. “These crystals, when charged with magic, have the ability to dissipate magic completely within a one third meter radius around them. However, when another crystal is near by, the radius combines. For each crystal next to each other, that is how large the radius of dissipation is. Centuries ago, these crystals were discovered in the northern mountains just outside of our border. Celestia and I decided it would be best if we kept the existence of these hidden, but as it seems, that did not stay the case. You said you found these at the foundry, did you not?” She was lookin' at me, so Ah assume Ah was the subject of the question.

“Yeah.” Ah almost spat. She narrowed her eyes at me, but then turned her attention back to the crystal.

“Then that means Argent has plans to use them in the making of... something. Something that cannot be acted on by magic. I am sure that if he has found a way to incorporate these in steel, both of you could see the repercussions of that.” Twilight's eyes widened.

“Steel that magic can't touch!? But... why? I could understand from a defense stand point, but horned creatures are the only known able to cast magic, and of those, Unicorns are about the only ones who actually practice it here. The Deer and Moose clans are next to nonexistent in this country, so... why? Wait... you aren't planning a war are you!?” Twilight exclaimed as she looked up ta her aunt. Luna smiled and shook her head.

“No, we would never intentionally go to war unprovoked. How low do you think me that I would start a war because I want to?” Luna patted Twilight's head with her hoof, but then went back ta bein' stern faced. “Jesting aside, I believe Argent himself may be willing to go to war. I have had my eyes on him... ever since I asked you to investigate a month ago. I have not been able to see him outside his main office in all that time. No tracking spell has worked, and once he leaves visibility in that window, my spies lose him almost immediately. I believe that the building itself may be lined with these crystals as well because there is no easy way to get a layout of it without electronic instruments. On top of all that, we do not know how many floors it has either. Other than the pictures we've gathered, we know next to nothing about what is inside, and that is what worries me.” We sat there in silence fer a minute, and then somethin' came ta mind.

“Ya know... well, where exactly is this Argent buildin'? Ah didn't really know anythin' about the guy until a few days ago.” Twilight grabbed the crystal, then lit up her horn. A map spawned in violet light on the table of the province. The Island of Manehattan is just the capital city of Manehattan Province within Equestria. The land here is mostly covered in dense forest leadin' up ta the border with the northern mountains. The map zoomed in closer ta the border, just about where the trees stopped and focused in on a town eclipsed by a very, very large buildin'. This 'tower' looked like it coulda been a skyscraper from the Manehattan skyline that was ripped out and dropped by the edge of the forest.

“This is Argent Industries. Twelve years ago, the company owned the Trade Center here and operated out of that, but after it collapsed for unknown reasons... er, well... ahem, after it collapsed, they relocated to the northern border of the province, which is close to the original mine that Argent started. Tin city, as it's called, is the community that was originally just a mining town that Argent owned, but it has grown exponentially since Argent built his new facility there. He took a lot of Manehattan's business with him when he left, and that's why this district is how it is now. Those that could afford it moved to Tin, and those that couldn't... well, they're still here.” Ah looked at the buildin' and noticed that just like the foundry map, it wasn't filled in.

“Huh. Well, one thin's fer sure, this looks almost exactly like the trade center used ta. Somethin' tells me you're not just here ta see how the mission went, especially since ya didn't know we left last night. What is it exactly you're here for? Ah assume it's somethin' ta do with this, right?” Ah turned ta Luna, and her eye twitched, but she kept her tone the same.

“That is correct. The oldest Belle daughter works for you. I want you to send her there to get more information on this building, specifically to see how many floors there are, and whatever else she can find out while she is there. Argent produces a majority of this country's steel, precious metals, mirrors, and half of our precious jewels. I want to know if he's up to something dangerous before anything happens. As for your last task, you may consider it complete at this time. With the knowledge that he does have disruption crystals, the missing workers are of little concern now.” Ah rolled my eyes. Maybe ta you, but those families would still probably like ta know what happened.

“Oh... but... what about the families of the workers?” Twilight asked. Well that was unexpected.

“You may tell them that the missing workers are dead, if you wish. As far as I am concerned, they are. I will be taking my leave now. I will send a lavalier camera later with your mother when she comes to visit you today. As soon as The Belle girl has recovered, I want this taken care of.” Luna took a step on ta the table, cuttin' out Twilight's map. Her horn started ta light up the room, but then stopped and turned ta me.

“One more thing. I look forward to hearing from you about what we discussed, miss Applejack.” She looked at me with that damned smile again, and then went back ta castin' her spell. Her horn lit up again, makin' it like a blue daylight underground, and then lightnin' started ta shoot around the table. With a final flash, Princess Luna was gone. Twilight took a seat in her chair and let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh thank goddess she's gone,” she said. Ah just about did the same.

“You and me both,” Ah replied. That made Twilight sit back up.

“Wait, why?” Ah rolled my eyes.

“Oh, ya know. She wanted ta force some leg shatterin' tool on Rarity and have her test it out by settin' the Beast off. Nothin' special.” Ah took my hat from my saddle bags and lowered it ta my eyes. Ah don't know why, but a suden wave of 'tired' hit me, and Ah was ready ta sleep. Twilight let out an exasperated breath.

“Again? Damn it, that's why she made me go heal the others! She didn't really care, she just needed an excuse to get me out of the room! I swear, every time I see her, she tries to connive her way into getting my friends to test out dangerous things! What did she give you? I know she wouldn't leave here without passing it off somehow.” Ah grabbed one of the bands and started ta fiddle with it, tryin' ta see just how ta put it on. Ah tapped the little rune off ta the right of the button. It lit up and the whole band started ta lose... tangibility? Ah sorta slid my hoof through it in this weird state till none of my foreleg was touchin' it then tapped the rune again. It became whole once more and even shrunk ta fit snug on my wrist.

“Well, she gave me two of these thin's that kinda act like grapplin' hooks Ah guess, but way more dangerous than one of those. It fires as blade that moves as fast as a bullet inta some kinda surface, then retracts at some ridiculous speed with a pony on it. If it helps ya any, she said it has a tendency ta break bones, damage eyes, and weighs about five pounds.” Ah figured that since Ah have ta use it anyways, Ah'd play with it. Ah could guess just about where it fires from, so Ah aimed it at one of the walls. Ah clicked the button, and damn did that thin' have a kick. A loud thunk came from the wall where Ah was aimin' at and the cable extended all the way back ta the bracelet. Ah took in a breath and pushed the button again. In a second, the thing started ta reel in and Ah was yanked out of my chair like somepony hit me with a car. Ah managed ta react in time ta stop myself from crashin' inta the wall and clicked the button twice. Ah shook my head, because that was one hell of an experience, but then looked over the room from above it.

“So uh, how do you get down?” Twilight asked. Ah blinked a few more times, then replied.

“Oh, Ah just have ta let the blade retract all the way or pull it out. Ah'm just kinda hangin' here right now. As dangerous as this would be fer a normal pony, this thing might actually be real useful fer me... She might be a shrewd bitch, but if they could make it so this wasn't so harmful, ya might actually see some royal guards with these.” Ah ripped the remainin' cable and the blade outta the wall and jumped back ta the floor.

“That is some kind of force to pull you that fast. No wonder it breaks bones, that is dangerous. Speaking of, do you mind if I take a look at your foreleg? It looks like it's scabbed over by now, but not healed just yet.” Reluctantly, Ah walked over ta her chair and held out my foreleg. Twilight took a hold of it and then put her magic ta work.

“Well, now you know how my aunt really is. She'll act civil at first, but the minute you tell her no, she gets mad. At the very least she pretends to be sweet when others are around. She doesn't typically care when it's just me though. If it weren't for the fact that Mother is basically her keeper too, she'd probably be a tyrant by now.” Ah watched as the violet light began ta seal up the wounds and replace the scabs with skin and hair.

“Does normal healin' magic do all that? Ah feel like Ah remember seein bald spots on ponies who come outta treatment like this.” Twilight shook her head.

“No it doesn't. This isn't quite a healing spell either. It creates a kind of dimensional space where time moves faster and then freezes. It will age you a little bit, but depending on how fast your body regenerates, it will only make the afflicted area a week or two older. Once real time catches back up, the spell dissipates and the rest of your body is just as old as the healed wound. As long as you aren't elderly, this spell is usually better to use than actual healing magic, though more taxing on the user. Regular healing magic manipulates regenerative speed, which can also burn out your regenerative ability, and that, is irreplaceable.” The violet glow faded and Twilight relaxed a little.

“That's kinda weird. Isn't manipulatin' time kinda dangerous too?” Ah asked.

“Not as long as you don't do two things. One, go backward, because nopony knows how to do that, and two, manipulate space at the same time. That causes atoms to dissipate, and that will kill you. Magic will let you do one or the other, and if anypony ever figured out both, then we would probably have already seen it by now.” Twilight explained mid-yawn. “I think, since everypony is at least as healthy as I can get them, I'm going to sleep. Since you are a member now, You're welcome to any vacant room in the castle to keep as your own. If you follow me, I'll take you to the spare room where you can rest for the day if you like. My mother should be coming to visit this evening if you want to meet her, but it's up to you really.” Twilight got up from her chair and stretched out and yawned again. Should Ah? Ah'm just as tired as she looks, but Ah don't wanna worry my family. Well, it should be fine if Ah can call. Mac is probably up right now.

“Well, if ya've got a phone, then sure.” Her yawnin' was infectious, and Ah was about ta yawn myself. Those thin's are contagious, Ah swear.

“If that's all, I'll just grab my cell when we pass my room. Come on then.” She started toward the back hallway and Ah grabbed my saddle bags and trotted along behind her. What a night. It's nights like these that remind me just why Ah sleep as much as Ah do.

Harmony Days II: A simple Request

“Jaquline!” A soothin' voice called out from inside the farm house. Ah stopped whatever it was Ah was doin' and Ah ran inside. Mom was wearin' an apron and makin' pancakes. The air was filled with cinnamon and nutmeg and apples with the soft sound of light fryin' comin' from the pan.

“Yes mama?” Ah asked. Mom had her orange and blonde mane all tied up in braids like she usually did, and she was wearin' an apron over her neck as so not ta get batter all over her coat. Her belly was real big and she wasn't movin' like she used ta, but it never bothered her. She chopped up a few pieces of apple and sprinkled them over the batter she'd just poured inta the hot skillet. Ah got my little self up against the stove so Ah could watch as the pancakes cooked.

“Sugar cube, go get yer brother and yer father, breakfast is almost ready.” She leaned down and kissed my head, and just like that Ah ran back outside. But, somethin' was wrong. The trees were all dead now. All the mornin' sunlight was gone, and the sky was gray and barren. A sense of fear started ta creep up my spine. Ah called out fer em,

“Papa? Macintosh?” but nopony answered. Ah started ta check further back in the trees, but then everythin' got dark. Ah couldn't see anymore, and Ah was afraid of it. Ah kept runnin' through the endless dead trees in the dark gray sky, somethin' wasn't right, but Ah didn't know what. Ah heard mom call again,

“Jaquline, where did ya go? Yer father and yer brother are already back?” Ah looked around, but everywhere Ah looked there were only trees. Ah made my way through a crevice in between everythin' and was somehow in the hospital now. Dad was cryin’ with a baby in his hooves, Macintosh was huddled in a corner.

“Papa? W-what happened?” He brought the baby in closer and shook his head. Through teary eyes and a shaky voice he said,

“Rosie... Yer momma's gone, Applejack.” The words came crashin' down like hail made of bullets. Ah could feel everythin' beginnin' ta break inside.

“W-what? W-where did momma go?” Ah asked, a glimmer of hope that she might just be lost. He sniffed hard and started ta rock the baby.

“Up ta the sky, Applejack. She cain't come back home either.” Ah could feel the breaks gettin' bigger. Ah was about ta fall apart. Ah turned back and ran inta the trees. Momma couldn't be gone, she just couldn't be! Anythin' but that, anythin' but that, please! The trees became thick again, and the hospital room Ah was just in disappeared. Ah searched fer a new exit, wanderin' around again. Ah finally found a new one, and Ah was in the city. The sky was filled with smoke, and half the buildin's around central Manehattan were destroyed or on their way there.

Two figures shot across the sky, beatin' each other with enough force ta send shock waves through the air. Ah ran toward them, one of 'em had ta be Red Hoof, he could help me find my way back home. The black figure with the weird mirror on his chest shot inta a buildin' and Red hoof skipped through another and landed right in front of me. Ah went ta check on him, but then he got up and stared at me.

“Applejack, run!” he said. But... how did he know my name? Why did he sound so familiar? Ah took a step back, but it was like my hooves were stuck in molasses.

“Applejack, run!” he yelled this time. Ah couldn't move. He sounded just like papa... but that wasn't right. There was nopony in the city that sounded like him, and if Red Hoof sounded like him, then wouldn't that mean...

“Jaquline Apple, RUN!” Suddenly, my body started ta work and Ah bolted away as fast as Ah could, back ta the trees. Ah didn't wanna watch what came next. Ah knew what came next. When Ah made it back ta the trees, Ah decided not ta move. There wasn't any reason ta move anymore. Anytime Ah left the clearin', there was only sadness ahead. Ah curled up and cried. Ah couldn't take it anymore. Ah couldn't handle it, Ah'd already seen it all too many times.

“Hush, child. Everythin' will be alright. Momma's here,” A familiar voice said. Ah looked up, and there she was, standin' tall in all her red glory. As quick as Ah could, Ah curled up around her leg and cried inta her coat. She picked me up and carried me home in her hooves.

“Come now, there ain't nothin' ta be afraid of out here.” Mom took me inside, grabbed a blanket and laid down on the couch. Ah could feel how warm she was, how soft she was. She put a feathery wing around me and pulled me close.

“Everything will be fine, rest easy my dear.” Her voice was almost hypnotic and suddenly Ah started ta feel heavy. The world started ta fade, and then, there was nothin' but calm darkness.

When Ah woke up, Ah was real warm. Ah felt fantastic, like it was some of the best sleep Ah'd gotten in years now. But somethin' was off. Ah don't remember the spare bed Twilight showed me bein' this soft either. Then Ah felt movement. There was somethin' breathin' and Ah was just about layin’ on it. My eyes shot open and Ah just about jumped off the bed. Ah looked around the room, and everythin' seemed normal, until Ah looked at the bed. There was somepony else in it.

A bright white coat that almost had a tinge of pink ta it and big white wings. The mane was some kinda four color set of green, blue, violet, and pink with a strange, almost ethereal quality ta it the made the colors fade inta somethin' like a misty sunset. The body started ta move, and then the neck turned ta face me. She had dark violet irises that looked just about the same as Twilight's and gold flecks all along em.

“Ah... Good morning. Or, evening, I should say,” She said, her tone drippin' in regal inflections, similar ta Princess Luna, but soft and warm instead of cold and metallic.

“W-who are ya, and what are ya doin' in my bed?” Ah was pretty freaked out, but at the same time, she didn't have that feelin' of malice that Ah usually get from power ponies. Just... soft and warm, like a cool sunny day.

“Oh, right. We haven't met yet.” She stood up and she was even taller than Luna was. “I am Princess Celestia,” she said, takin' what was likely the most proper bow one could atop a mattress. Ah was slow ta do it, but Ah eventually bowed back. Shocked. That's what Ah was, shocked.

“Uh... well, okay, but uh... why-”

“A nightmare. You were calling out for your parents in your sleep. I must apologize for invading your dreams, and personal space it would seem, but I figured that you wouldn't mind if I ended the nightmare for you.” The nightmare she was talkin' about started ta come back up inta my mind, and suddenly mom havin' wings started ta make sense.

“Oh... ya saw all that... well... thanks, Ah guess.” Ah don't even know this lady and now she knows some of my deepest insecurities. Perfect.

“You're very welcome. Call me petty, but I honestly wish my own daughter would call for me like that sometimes...” She looked down like she was starin' inta some kind of memory, but then shook it off and stepped off of the bed. While Luna was wearin' a whole bunch of armor-like jewelery, Celestia didn't really have anythin' on. If she were Twilight's size, you probably wouldn't be able to tell she was any kind of Princess like this.

“I... also wish to thank you for befriending my daughter, miss Jaquline. She has a disposition not to dissimilar to my sister which tends to... cause friction between her and other ponies. I know how difficult she can be sometimes.” Ah shook my head.

“Nah, don't do that. Ah don't really deserve thanks fer that. And don't you worry about her 'disposition.' Ah take it and throw it right back at her. But uh, call me Applejack. Ah figure ya saw quite a bit, but that... only my mom called me that, and Ah think it should stay that way.” Fer a second, Ah swear she looked disappointed, but it vanished as soon as it appeared.

“Very well then, miss Applejack. I suppose I should go wake her up. Today is my day off, so I had intended to spend the day with her, but you were all asleep when I arrived this morning.” This mornin'!? What time is it now? Ah looked around, but this part of the castle is underground, there aren't any windows anywhere. Or really, at all as far as Ah know. Ah cannot wait ta get paid fer this. Ah'm gonna buy a phone and a license and Ah'm gonna start savin up fer a bike. Ah'm tired of not havin' thin's that separate me from middle class. Ah grabbed the phone Twilight let me borrow off the nightstand and checked it.

“Five forty!? Ah went ta bed at four! How in the hell did Ah sleep that long!? Wait a minute. Ya said ya arrived this mornin' didn't ya? How long have y'all been in my bed?” Ah asked all frantic. Ah have a project due on Monday! Ah was supposed ta work on that today, and Ah have class in twenty minutes! Oh no, where did all the time go? Ah'm not gonna make it there in time! Well... maybe if Ah take the rooftop route, but do Ah have the time ta change? My thoughts were interrupted by the Princess.

“Well... I suppose I um... arrived at ten? I must've... nodded off myself, ha ha...” The Princess laughed nervously. Ah shook my head.

“Whatever, Ah suppose It doesn't really matter all that much. Look, Ah gotta get outta here or Ah'm gonna be late ta class, so iffin' you'll excuse me...” Ah was about ta turn, but then she stopped me.

“Well, how soon do you need to be there?” She asked.

“Uh, bout twenty minutes or so. It's on the north side of town, So I'm gonna have ta run...” Ah replied.

“Would you like me to send you there now? I'd hate to inconvenience you.” She took a step closer. Ah wasn't sure how Ah was supposed ta react ta that.

“Well Ah... aw, whatever. Manehattan Community College, north side on 35th and 24th. Can ya do it?” Ah asked. Ah wasn't about ta turn down a free ride. Man am Ah glad Ah brought my saddlebags with me. The princess nodded and her horn started ta light up with a gold colored magic. Ah grabbed my bags and my hat and waited.

“Okay, stand still. It was nice to meet you, and I'm sure I'll see you again in the near future.” The same lightnin' style orb Luna used started ta form around me and shoot all around the room.

“Same here. Thanks fer doin' this Princess.” The light flashed and suddenly Ah was standin' in front of the school. Ah let out a breath and made my way inta the doors. Damn it. Ah'm gonna be hungry all class.

“Twilight, sweetie?” I started to hear faintly. The darkness began to subside, and I was awoken to mother's snout in my face. I was still groggy enough to not care, so I rolled over and ignored her.

“Now that I know you're awake, you can't hide from me,” She said. I groaned out loud at the suddenly brightening room and covered my face with a pillow.

“Very well then, you leave me no choice.” Wait. What does that mea- Suddenly, there was a great pressure on my hips.

“Gah! Mother get off!” She laughed.

“Will you get out of bed if I do?” I took a shallow breath under her weight.

“Yes, just move!” Finally relieved of the pressure, I sat up and started to rub the sand out of my eyes. As soon as I opened them, she took the opportunity to blind side me with a hug. Why does she have to be so strong?

“Good evening sweetie. How are you?” Her grip is likely to rival Applejack's, so I struggled to get out of the hug. That failing, I was finally tired of her, so I charged up my horn and teleported five feet away. Suddenly losing her support, mother collapsed into my bed.

“Awake. That's how I am. What are you doing here so early?” She sat back up and frowned at me.

“I wouldn't hug so hard if you would just return it. I had the day off, so I decided to come visit.” I frowned.

“I see. Well, you're here, visiting. What do you need?” She rolled her eyes and stood next to me.

“I don't particularly need anything. I just wanted to see you. Is that so wrong?” I rolled my eyes in return.

“Well, that's great. If you want something to do, then feed me or something. I need to go check on my patients.” She said evening, didn't she? I hope everypony is still okay...

“I suppose. What would you like to eat my dear? I recently learned a good recipe for apple pancakes~” She just about sang. I bit my lip. I have an unhealthy love for pancakes. If Mother loves cakes too much, I love pancakes too much. They are my weakness.

“Would you really!?” I turned around and almost shouted. She smiled that smile of hers and patted my head with her wing.

“Of course my dear.” Mother made her way toward the kitchen, and I stood there just about wagging my tail like a dog. Damn it. Played again. I can never beat her in chess, and she always knows how make me act like a child whenever she feels like it. I hate it when she does that. Now angered at my own inability to contain myself, I marched across the hall to check on my friends. I quietly entered Pinkie's room first. I always found it odd that half the things she decorates with are black, but I suppose she just had a goth phase that never quite ended. I still don't know about all the jobs she's had over the years. Maybe she was in a metal band at one point. Though, I suppose she could just like the tribal tattoo look. I moved to the bed to check and see how she was doing.

Pinkie was still sleeping, her injuries were pretty serious, so she deserves that much at least. Luckily I made it to her before any of her internal bleeding got out of hoof. I hate to use regular healing magic, but she'd have died if I didn't. Maybe I should have Mother order me some medical textbooks. And a cadaver to practice on. Er... she might think weird things about me if I ask for a dead body though. On second thought, medical text books will be fine. If I don't use magic to cure them, then I can't hurt their natural regeneration... I checked her pulse and her forehead to see if there was any sign of infection, and when I didn't find anything, I decided she was okay and left just as quietly as I entered.

Next up was Fluttershy, who had the same problem with that nerve damage, only less severe. There must be more to the Crow's power than what I know for them both to have the same wounds. Applejack said that they were both slashed by her, so this has to be something to do with that sword of hers... or maybe even her blood. Since Fluttershy also lives here in the castle, everything she ever earns either goes into the things she wants or to some kind of charity when she decides to not just save it. They all work for me, so I don't make them pay rent or anything. The least I can do is give them a place to stay in my big, empty castle.

I opened the door to her room across the hall from Pinkie's and made sure not to step on the wires that ran all over the place. Fluttershy is a video game addict and she has every console and every game she's ever taken interest in. However, she's moved more toward the computer as of late. Any time I ask it's always, 'something something PC master race' and so on. If ponies called me a nerd for being a bookworm, Fluttershy is the other kind. Luckily, the damage to her nerves was dulled and half healed by her transformation, but the skin on her left foreleg had to be replaced so that she might be able to feel with it again. As per usual, she was sleeping gently, quietly, and... sprawled all over her bed in a mess of blankets. The time spell was holding stable and that should wear off in about a week thanks to her hyper regeneration. I figure that must be part of her power, part of the sacrifice of her hearing. Poor thing, can't hardly hear anything unless you're yelling at her.

I turned to exit and nearly tripped over one of her cables, but managed to keep myself from falling. If I step too hard, she can feel it, and I'd rather not have her wake up on my account. Leaving from there, I moved back into the living room where all the chairs and the big table is and I started to smell them. The cinnamon in the air, the sizzling sound of the batter crisping on the hot skillet, the sweet smell of apples caramelizing. My mouth was watering now. I don't know where she found that recipe, but it smells fantastic!

I passed the kitchen on my way to the clinic, only barely able to resist the temptation of looking inside. The moment I do, I've lost to her. She will not beat me twice in the same day, this I swear! Finally, I enter the clinic and see that Rarity was reading something on her cot.

“Oh you're awake. How do you feel?” I asked. I must've been quiet because she almost dropped her book.

“Dah! Goodness Twilight, you could at least announce your presence a little more. I swear you move like a ghost sometimes. Um... I'm not sure. Is there a specific word for lack of feeling? It's almost like my front left is half numb. There, but not completely,” She said as she levitated her book aside and sat up.

“Hmm... well, that's to be expected. Most of the nerves in your left shoulder were destroyed. I repaired the stab wound with my time spell and some basic care, but I'm not quite good enough to repair nerves like this. Do you know what caused it?” Rarity tried to put her left hoof to her chin, failed, then did so with her right.

“I can't say I do, but there was a particularly strange feeling that went through me when I was stabbed. It wasn't... well, it didn't feel like being stabbed.” How does being stabbed not feel like being stabbed?

“How so?” Rarity scrunched up her face until she thought of something.

“Do you remember our fifth mission? The first one from Luna?” I rolled my eyes.

“How could I forget? I ended pulling you off a ship a mile out from the harbor with magic. I was so drained that week that I couldn't barely levitate anything and I had to get Mother to heal you in my place.” That week wasn't my proudest moment. And Mother only did basic treatment so Rarity didn't die, I still had to wait on her for two weeks afterward just so she could walk again.

“Well, on the ship, I did get stabbed with a bayonet. Being stabbed feels like a burning sensation mixed with being bit by something. But this was... different. When the blade hit me it was very warm, not unlike warm water, but almost thick like butter or something. After it made it into my shoulder, it was like ice started to spread from it. I couldn't feel much of anything after the initial stab, but after the icy feeling spread I was hit with waves and waves of pain all at once. So much so that I fainted. More than anything else though, I felt cold.” I felt kind of guilty for this, even though I couldn't have known she was going to run into anypony like the Crow. I bit into my lip again.

“I see... Well, I'll see what I can find out, but I think you're going to have to see a real doctor for this...” From outside I heard Mother call,

“Oh Twilight, the pancakes are done! Wake your friends, I made enough for everypony!” A shiver went down my spine. Oh right, she's still here.

“Is Celestia here right now? I thought she wasn't supposed to arrive until seven.” Rarity asked. I sighed.

“She wasn't,” I said through gritted teeth. “Oh well. I'll go get the rest of the crew. Can you walk?” Rarity nodded.

“It's just one leg down darling, I can at least get along without it for now.” She got up from the cot and we made our way to the dining table in the living room only to find Pinkie already there.

“Oh. Hello Pinkie. Did you just wake up?” I asked.

“Oh, yeah. It was the smell of food. Is Applejack cooking?” She gave a shallow smile and scratched the back of her head with her hoof. I shook my head and frowned.

“No, Mother is here. Oh crap. I never even checked on Applejack!” I quickly raced to the bedroom hallway and checked the first spare room only to find it empty. I picked my phone off of the night stand and checked it. It looked like it was used to make a call at three fifty AM, but nothing since. I didn't see a note and the only sign of life at all was that the bed had been slept in and remade, because I know that I don't fold sheets like that. Actually, that's the way mother folds sheets. Why would mother have folded sheets in here? I decided I would go wake Fluttershy before questioning Mother about it. Besides... there are pancakes at stake here. Questions can wait. I stamped my hoof on the floor twice outside of Fluttershy's room, and when I heard a gasp I walked in.

“Fluttershy, Mother made breakfast.” She lazily sat up in her mess of pink hair that just about hid her face and she nodded.

“Oh... Okay...” she muttered. The zombie-like pegasus started stir in her nest, and then I made my way to the dining table. Mother had brought out half the fruit in the castle and set up the table like her servants would. I sighed and made my way to my seat. Shortly after zombie-shy joined us, we were allowed to eat. After consuming an unhealthy amount of pancakes, I finally asked Mother where Applejack was.

“So-” I swallowed a bite of apple filled syrup covered sweetness. “I see you folded the guest bed. Any particular reason?” I asked. Mother put her fork down, and wiped at her mouth.

“Your friend said she needed to leave in a hurry, so I offered her my help,” she said. Oh right, she has classes on Fridays. But that brings up another question...

“Oh... okay. So how long have you been here?”

“Only a few hours. I arrived at five forty,” she said without hesitation. I narrowed my eyes.

“That's rather specific. I thought you said you had the day off.” I returned.

“I do have the day off. That doesn't mean I didn't have things to attend to. I still happen to run the country from time to time.” Damn it. I know she's not telling the truth, but I don't have a way to poke holes in her story... I took another bite of pancake and realized something. I swallowed and then smiled.

“You know, these pancakes are great Mother. Where'd you learn this recipe?” She leaned in and smiled back.

“Oh, it was just something I picked up today.” A vague answer. One more push and she'll trip!

“You seemed to know what you were doing pretty well for somepony who rarely cooks. Who taught you?” One misstep here and I'll call her out on it. Mother paused for a moment, then responded.

“One of the new chefs. Her name is Red Gala. It's one of her family's recipes.” Caught!

“Liar! You haven't hired a new chef in ten years, and you don't hire new kitchen staff but once every fifteen years during the Steel Blade championship!” I yelled, standing up from my chair with the most smug face I could make. Mother rolled her eyes and giggled.

“Oh fine. Congratulations Twilight, you caught me. What do you really want?” I refuse to give her the satisfaction!

“When did you get here?” She tilted her head with a level of sheer smug that I wasn't sure I could match.

“Ten AM. I didn't have any plans today, so I decided to come see you, but you were fast asleep, so I didn't wake you up.” Damn it, she's still got that face on... bah, she was probably going to tell me anyways. I can never win. I sighed.

“Okay, and what did you spend the last seven hours doing?” This time she frowned.

“I would tell you, but I'm not going to. Sorry sweetie, but I let you have your game already.” I put my elbow on the table sighed again.

“I knew you were cheating from the beginning. Did you really learn this recipe today though? Because these are some of the best pancakes I've ever had and uh... I'd like to recreate it after I... inevitably run out,” I said, slowly letting my eyes fall on my lap. Nopony said I was proud of my addiction.

“Yes, and I'll show you how next time I'm here. But unfortunately, coming to see you was only my main objective today. I've brought the camera-microphone Luna asked me to, and I left that on your conference table, alongside something I need you to take care of.” She pointed to my chair on the main table, and sure enough, there was a bag with the device and a manila folder there.

“Oh? Luna was here? Did that happen when I was out?” Rarity asked. I rolled my eyes.

“Yeah, she was. Speaking of, that recorder is actually for you.” She shied away.

“Oh. Don't tell me it's another one of her... devices, is it?” she said, a tinge of fear in her voice. Last time Luna wanted something 'tested,' Rarity almost electrocuted herself and ended up burning her hooves.

“No, that was forced on Applejack this time, it's just an ordinary lavalier mic and camera. The job she wants you to do however is... well, not something I'm super comfortable with.” Mother narrowed her eyes.

“And what exactly is it that Luna wants you to do?” She asked. Mother's tone deepened and there was even a hint of sour in it now.

“She wants Rarity to infiltrate Argent tower to see what they're up to. The foundry we investigated yesterday was filled with activated disruption crystals. Luna believes that he may have found a way to incorporate them into steel.” I couldn't help but let a hint of fear creep up in my voice. Telling Mother about what Luna asks of us usually puts me in hot water with her, but being in hot water with Mother is so much worse. Mother put her hoof to her mouth.

“Disruption crystals...? Hmm... I'm going to have to have a talk with Luna. Well, as for my request, I simply want you to take out a gang that has been plaguing the local police force. You don't have to do anything drastic, just make them disband or put them away. Prioritize the lives of yourselves and the citizens, but that should go without saying. Oh, and before I forget, do you have miss Applejack's paperwork? She seems... in need, so I thought I would make an advancement on her pay.” A gang? Really?

“Um... it should be in the file room. But, why do you say that? I wouldn't mind forwarding her a payment for last month's pay since she's the reason they're all sitting here today, I just don't see why you would think that.” Mother rolled a thought around on her tongue before speaking again.

“It might have been quick, but I've come to know her very well in the few hours we spent together. Let's leave it at... I intend to fill a role that she's been trying to fill herself.” Fill a role? What are you talking about? I got up from the dining table and took my plate with me.

“I suppose I'll go get the paperwork. If you want to talk to Luna, you should probably get going before she leaves Canterlot.” I put the dishes in the sink and checked to make sure it wasn't my turn to do them, then made my way to the filing room to make a copy of Applejack's contract. When I returned, Mother was saying her goodbyes.

“Well, it was a pleasure to see you all again,” she said.

“Yeah it was! Come make pancakes any time you feel like it Princess, those were great!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“I agree, I've never had anything quite like them. Of course, it's always a pleasure to see you Princess,” Rarity continued.

“U-um... also that. A-and um... thank you,” Fluttershy finished. I made my way to the group and floated over the copy of the contract.

“Thank you sweetie. I'll contact you soon about next time I can come over. Oh, and do take care of that request as soon as you can. At the very least, I'd like it to be done by this time next week,” Mother said. I nodded.

“Yes ma'am. Harmony will carry out your request as soon as we're able.” I saluted and Mother laughed.

“That's what I like to hear. Now give me a hug and I'll get out of your mane.” I could feel my eyes trying to roll back into my head. She always does this. Saying muted curses under my breath, I hugged my mother in front of my friends. She kissed my head and said, “See you soon sweetie.” and warped away in the typical flash of light.

“Y-you know, Twilight, you could be n-nicer to her...” Fluttershy said. I whipped my head toward her.

“I cannot and will not surrender! She beat me twice today! Gah, I forgot to ask for those text books! Now I have to call her later... I swear she plans this kind of stuff every time,” I lamented.

“Oh darling, what's so wrong with loving on your own mother every now and again?” Rarity asked, sipping on some hot tea that Mother likely prepared earlier.

“She treats me like a baby and I don't like it! I'm twenty years old damn it!” Suddenly, Pinkie was leaning on me in her trademark fashion.

“Eh, you should let her do it. From the camp who haven't had mothers in the last ten years or so, I'd say I miss that kind of thing. I bet Applejack would be with me on this if she were here too.” I sighed.

“I can never win.”

Harmony Mission II: Bonding Agent (part 1)

“Applejack, ya have a call!” Ah heard Applebloom say from the other room. As Ah arose from my homework induced slumber, Ah stumbled my way ta the apartment livin' room, where Applebloom was impatiently holdin' the phone. Uncle Blood was watchin' somethin' on the TV, Macintosh was doin' somethin' on his computer by the table, and Ah had just woken up. Judgin' by the light, it was about five or so in the afternoon and Ah wasn't quite ready ta be awake. As if the world was covered in a haze of some kind, Ah slowly took the receiver from Applebloom, who quickly escaped back ta the couch with Uncle Blood.

“Hello...?” Ah said through a yawn.

“Oh, good afternoon Applejack. Can you come by the office? I need you to sign some paperwork.” Ah was too tired ta discern who Ah was talkin' ta at the moment. Everypony sounds different over the phone.

“Office? Who is this?” Awareness was comin' back ta me now, but Ah still wasn't quite up yet. The audible huff on the other end of the line gave me an idea. It was almost the sound version of rollin' yer eyes.

“Applejack, come to the castle when you get a chance,” Ah figured Twilight said.

“Oh, right. Yeah, Ah suppose. Oh, and Ah've got a question. Ya don't happen ta be some kind of history buff, do ya?” Ah heard some muffled sounds, then a receiver move on the other end.

“Pfft. Am I a history buff. Have you seen my library?” She said, all sarcastic like.

“No actually, but sure, whatever. As long as ya can help me with this, then it doesn't matter. I'll be over in a bit.”

“Good. I'll see you then.” Twilight hung up and Ah put the phone back on the charger. Who still has a land line? We do. And nopony else. Goddess, Ah cannot wait ta get paid.

“So who was that?” Uncle Blood asked.

“My manager. She's never called before, so Ah couldn't quite recognize her voice.” Ah said without battin' an eye. After doin' it fer so long, it wasn't hard ta lie ta them anymore, as much as Ah hated it.

“Oh. Are you friends with her?” he asked, just as stone voiced as Ah was.

“Sorta. She's a real bookworm, so Ah ask her for help with homework when Ah need it. Anyways, Ah should probably get goin'.” Ah headed back ta my room ta grab my hat and jacket.

“Sis, don't forget ta take the shoppin' list with ya. It's yer turn after all,” Ah heard Macintosh say after Ah finished puttin' everythin' on. Ah sighed. Ah made my way ta the kitchen and ripped off the newest page of writin' on our hangin' yellow pad and threw it in my bags.

“Okay y'all, Ah'll be back probably some time in the mornin'.” Ah was about ta exit the door when Applebloom stopped me.

“Oh, wait! Let me put somethin' on that list before ya take care of it!” She ran over, grabbed the list out of my bag and went ta work writin' a few lines on it.

“Eggs, sugar, strawberries, cream...? What do ya need all that stuff for? You know we don't have the money ta just blow on thin's.” She rolled her eyes and shoved the list back in my bag.

“Oh, just take care of it! We're just about out of eggs anyways since ya eat em' all the time.” Ah sighed again.

“Ah'll see what Ah can do. See y'all later.” They all said bye and Ah shut the door behind me. Now my real problem wasn't my homework, but how Ah was goin' ta afford all this extra stuff fer Applebloom. Ah'm not dirt poor, but Ah don't have a black bit's worth of grocery money ta spend here. What is she up ta anyways? Ah made my way down the staircase, actin' like a normal pony fer once. Today is September the second, and Ah'll get paid in a week based on what Rarity told me. It should be nice ta actually have a regular income fer once. Ah took the shoppin' list out of my bag ta check over everythin' we needed. Ah don't really have enough fer everythin' on the list right now, so Ah guess Ah'll check the bounty board after Ah get done with Twilight... Ah put the list away and trotted out of the apartment complex.

Ah made my way across town and watched as the dusk turned ta night. Ah always enjoyed the orange hued sky as it turns ta violet. Knowin' the princess who represents that kinda sours it though. Ah have ta wonder how she got like that in the first place? Bah, it doesn't matter. Ya know what? Why don't Ah try usin' those bands ta get around town? It would be nice if Ah didn't have ta walk fourty minutes just ta get ta the castle out of costume...

Ah took a side alley that Ah knew ran through town and Ah found the bands in my bag. Ah... slipped? each of them on and locked all the clips on my bags. Okay... here goes nothin'! Ah got a runnin' start and leapt off the ground. Ah shot left first and hit the corner of a tall apartment buildin'. The wire zipped and yanked me close toward the apartments and at just about half length Ah stopped it and shot the other at another buildin' further down. Ah reeled the first wire back and once Ah made it about half way up the second wire, Ah halted it and shot the first again. Within' ten of minutes of enjoyin' how fun this actually turned out ta be, Ah realized that Ah'd already passed Central Park. After a quick back track and almost slammin' my face inta the side of a buildin', Ah made my way inta the park.

If this was like, on a harness or somethin', normal ponies might just be able ta use it as is. That may make it a little more obvious if yer wearin' one, but it would certainly be safer that way. Used ta fight beasts in the forests huh? Even if that's the case, Ah don't really think these need ta reel all the way in when it's first shot. It's easier ta pull out of stuff if ya've still got momentum too. Ah'll have ta get Twilight ta send her a message...

Ah made my way through the forest and inta the field until finally Ah was on the castle grounds. A knock once and a trip down the long hallways later, Ah was in the main room where the big table was.

“Twilight? Where are ya? Ah'm here!” Ah yelled. Not a second passed before Pinkie was right next ta me.

“Hey there!” Don't react, it's just Pinkie. Don't react, it's just Pinkie. Don't react, it is just Pinkie. Ah let out the breath Ah didn't know Ah was holdin' and replied,

“Howdy Pinkie. Ya know where Twilight went?” She nodded and pointed at the western hall.

“Oh, she's just in the library. Three doors on the left side of the bedroom hallway. She practically lives in there, so be prepared to face some kind of book-sea.”

“Thanks.” Ah nodded ta her and trotted away as fast as Ah could without lookin' suspcious. Pinkie makes me nervous in a way that no other pony on this earth could, and Ah just don't know why. Ah walked down the hall until Ah reached the third door, which was far larger than all the others and met at an intersection with another hall. She really needs ta get some lights in here. Maybe Fluttershy can navigate in the pitch dark, but the rest of us can't, and nopony else has lived in a castle fer twelve years! Ah opened the large, and oddly enough, real light weight doors ta find what looked like a cocoon of books around a particular spot on a large blue crystalline table. It looked similar ta the one in the livin' room, but it wasn't like a raw crystal at the bottom and had legs like a normal table.

“Twilight, are y'all somewhere under that pile?” The books shifted and the mare in the center stirred.

“Oh crap you're already here!” said the violet coated alicorn from behind the wall of texts. A violet ball of lightnin' started ta form around the books and after a flash, Twilight was standin' inches in front of me. “Hello, Applejack.” It took everythin' in my will ta keep from lashin' out and hittin' her. Don't react, it's just Twilight. Don't react, it's just Twilight. Don't react, it is just Twilight. Ah let out the breath Ah didn't know Ah was holdin' and replied,

“Look, y'all really need ta stop doin' shit like that because Ah'm liable ta punch at things that just pop up in front of me.” She lost her smile and took a step back.

“Oh-kay then... right. I'll keep that in mind. Well, I have two things to talk to you about today. Will you follow me to the second floor?” Ah shrugged.

“Yeah, Ah don't see why not.”

“Great!” Twilight turned on a dime and headed toward the back of the library. Gettin' a better look at it now, the place was huge. There were four floors that Ah could see, and there were rows and rows of shelves, all full of books. Damn, she probably has a copy of everythin' that exists in print here! Twilight must of caught me starin' at her collection.

“Impressive isn't it? There are over ten thousand volumes in here. Every magic study and theory ever printed, every textbook used in schools all throughout the run of standard academics, as many history books and chronicles I could get my hooves on, and a copy of everything Mother would let me have from the whole Royal library. Some of the texts in here can only be found in one of two places. However, Mother won't let me have anything she deems dangerous, so some of the magic I really want to study is locked away in Canterlot. I've read everything in here, so if you need a book on something, I'm sure I can find what you're looking for.” She was very clearly proud of what she had here, so Ah simply nodded and continued ta stare at the collection. We made it up a floor, and Ah finally could see some of the details on the ceilin'. This place was massive, and it looked like it made up fer half the castle. We wandered back ta the front of the library and instead of bein' lined with books, this part was covered in filin' cabinets.

“Luna has decided to keep all her secret records here since only she, Mother, and I know this place exists. She encrypts everything she puts away so I can't read it though, but that's what all this is for. My own records are kept in last one on the far left. I've left the paperwork I need you to read on that table over there.” There were about six tables in rows of three and a few arm chairs at each one. It struck me as odd that this place looked so much like a typical library mixed with some kinda royal ballroom. Like, when is this place gonna accommodate more than seven ponies at the most? And that's if her Aunt and her Mother are here at the same time.

Ah made my way ta the spot where all the papers were laid out and started ta look through 'em. There were a whole bunch of charts with columns of numbers and letters at the top that Ah didn't know what ta make of. On the last page was a legal agreement fer me ta sign.

By signing this document, you agree to the following terms of the enlisted pony's benefits of government backed dental and health care, and the rank of O-4s. You swear your loyalty to the Royal family and the nation of Equestria. If your services are needed for the survival of this land, then you will answer the call to arms, even at the cost of your life. To keep the freedom and peace of this nation, you will do anything and everything your Princesses ask of you, and you will obey the law down to the last letter.

For the Special rank in which you possess, those with an equal or lower rank than yourself are to obey your every command, and you are to obey the commands of those above you. You are subject to the code of honor and every action you take while representing your country must have Equestria in mind. Acts made against the country in uniform will be considered as treason, and you will be prosecuted for your misdeeds.

The next part was different than the computer printed legal type set. It was written in calligraphy, somethin' Ah don't think Ah've ever actually seen outside of a computer font.

Dear Applejack.

If you are reading this then that means you're now knowledgeable of the oath you've sworn to my daughter, my sister, and I. Some of the words on this page may sound a bit extreme, and with the honesty I sensed in you I could hardly believe you would ever do something like that, but formality is formality, and giving out a rank like this isn't something that normally happens outside of a promotion for at least four years of service.

For undertaking the difficult task of leading Twilight's special operations team, I am awarding you alone the rank of Major above your peers. I believe you to have the experience in battle equal to that of my majors, and I believe you to be a leader of the friends you make here. Take your team in the direction you believe to be right, and never will your decisions lead you astray.

For the work you've already done, Twilight and I have decided to give you an advance on your pay. As you already have the brand, this document is nothing more than a reference and a letter of my thanks. I look forward to the things you accomplish in the future.

Yours truly,

– Princess Celestia

Wow. She really expects a lot from me doesn't she?

“So, what exactly does this 'O 4 S' thing mean exactly?” Ah asked. Twilight was diggin' around in one cabinet until she found the form she was lookin' fer.

“It means you're ranked equivalent to, but above, a Major. We will get you a proper Equestrian army badge once all of this is filed in the system. Anyways, were it not for you the other day, I don't know who out of my team would even still be alive right now. Based on what I could gather from Fluttershy, you not only went head to head with the Crow, but the Beast as well, on top of completing the mission. They still have their lives because you were there, and I'm truly grateful for that. The form I needed you to sign is actually right here and it's just for a direct deposit to your bank. Your pay that we wanted to give you early is right here.” She popped a burlap sack out of nowhere and set it on the table. Sittin' right there in the bag were twenty gold bits.

“Twenty grand!?” Ah exclaimed.

“That's right. Our Majors are actually paid a little less than this on a monthly basis, but more often than not, they're not in constant combat like you are. That's why we add the special rank to you guys. You all work harder than half the military does, and we want to show that. Especially considering all the crazy stuff that Luna has us do. You deserve it.” Ah was just about in tears.

“Ah... Ah don''t know what ta say. Thanks Twilight. You're the best.” Ah said through a few sniffs and then Ah gave her a hug. She patted me on the back.

“Don't thank me too fast. I've got another job for you today.” Ah let go and wiped at my face.

“Well, whatever it is can wait. Can Ah have one of these cabinets? Ah don't need my family seein' any of this stuff on accident, and thinkin' Ah went and enlisted.” Twilight frowned.

“Umm... technically... Oh, never mind. All the ones on this row are just about empty. Everypony else keeps their paperwork here too. All the drawers on this cabinet have things in them, but the next row is completely empty, so pick whichever one you like.” Ah stacked up all the pages, and realized that there was a chart with a list of base pay rates fer the military since my O-4s was listed on the front page right in the middle. Ah took the drawer on the bottom and put pages away.

“You'll be doing this assignment with Pinkie so I'll brief you both once we get down to the living room.” We started fer the stairs at the back of the library when Ah realized that Ah didn't know what she was talkin' about.

“Wait, which one is the livin' room?”

“The one with the big table. All the important halls are connected to it.”

“Oh, alright.” We walked the rest of the way down and ta the hall and then after obtainin' Pinkie from whatever it was she was doin', we took our seats at the table in the livin' room.

“For the last time Pinkie, will you please lock your door if you're going to do that?” Twilight groaned, her face a bright red now.

“I was alone and I didn't think anypony was about to come barging into my room! Have you ever heard of knocking!? Geez,” Pinkie said, irritated. Ah didn't see what was goin' on, but Ah could guess it was somethin' private.

“You know what? Fine. I'm sorry I didn't knock. Anyways, this time we have a request from Mother.” Twilight's horn lit up and once again and her 3-D map of Manehattan spawned on the table. It moved and went to focus on the harbor on the southeast side of town. “Lately there have been reports of muggings by a gang that call themselves the Boneheads. They weren't seen as anything more than common thugs until these last couple of weeks when they stole some cargo from an Argent ship. Now they're running around robbing ships that come into the harbor like there's no tomorrow.

The local police have captured a few of them, but every time they run into the boss of this gang who goes by the name Goose Fang, our police are completely destroyed. There hasn't been a casualty yet, but some of the force has come back with severe injuries all the way up to paralysis. Your job is simple. Figure out what they stole, recover it, and arrest Goose Fang. Once their big bad leader is gone, the Boneheads should disband.”

“Hmm... Ah actually think Ah'd heard of them before. That Goose Fang guy was worth a good sum on the bounty board before Ah joined up here. Ah think he was gonna be my next target provided nopony else got him first. Y'all don't happen ta know if any other heroes went after this guy do ya?” Twilight thought, then her map disappeared and a list popped up in it's place. She slid it over ta me with her magic and Ah took a look at it. There were six names on the list, two of which I recognized.

“Hell, he took out Iron Tail, and Colorless? Those guys are good at their jobs... Well, at least they're not dead...” Twilight nodded.

“As far as we can tell, he's become serious business after he looted that Argent ship. His groupies that have been arrested all say that he got some new power recently, so it has our attention. I would send Rarity or Fluttershy with you as back up, but they're both still recovering from that nerve damage. You two are the only ones left, so to speak.” Pinkie frowned.

“Oh, gee, thanks for the vote of confidence Twilight, I'm sooo glad you believe in us,” she said, rollin' her eyes all the while. Twilight beamed.

“Oh no, silly, I believe in Applejack! I'm just sending you in case she needs a rag doll again.” Twilight shot back. Pinkie got up, opened her mouth, raised a hoof, let out a breath, and sat back down.

“Damn it. Alright fine, I promise I will not get thrown through a roof or two this time.” Twilight laughed.

“Pinkie, you know I don't mean that. But all the same, don't get hurt like that again please? If it weren't for the fact that your joints have so much of your unique cartilage, you probably would have had much more than a broken rib and light internal bleeding. And you be careful too, Applejack. We don't know what his power is, or what powers he has in his gang.” Ah shook my head.

“Don't you worry none about me. Ah've got a shoppin' list ta fill out and now Ah have the bits ta do it... and a phone plan ta sign up fer. Thin's are finally lookin' up fer me, so Ah;m not about ta get killed in some gang fight.” Ah took my suit out of my saddle bags and started ta get dressed.

“Let me know when you get there, and keep in touch. Be safe you two.”

Within the hour, the sun had been swallowed up by the horizon completely, and it was night time in Manehattan. Ah'd taken a likin' ta these wristbands, flingin' myself around like some kinda jungle ape in the middle of the city. Of course, Pinkie, or Blur Ah guess, wanted a ride so I figure it's not quite as easy when you're doin' this with a passenger. After a few adrenaline inducin’ moments, we finally made it ta the harbor. We landed by one of the many piers, but somethin' was off. There weren't any boats docked here.

“Blur... what do ya make of this? Have you worked a pier before?” Ah asked.

“Well, one, this is weird. Not just because it's unusual for any ships to set sail after dark, so normally they will stay docked overnight till sunrise, but also because this is Manehattan port. There are always boats docked here. Even the little ones that the rich ponies own.” Ah guess that means she did work at one of these. Ah wonder which coast she did that at?

“Guys, you have company. I don't know how they did it, but you're surrounded right now,” Twilight said. Alarms were goin' off in my head and Ah felt it too. Both Blur and Ah were lookin' at our surroundin's, but nothin was addin' up. Just then, a thin fog started ta roll in. As it did, it ran ta about the edge of some invisible like walls and started ta fold in on itself.

“Shit.” Ah bit my lip.

“Oh. Oh, we're trapped aren't we?” Blur said.

“No, no, you're not trapped, you just can't be on the pier right now. But I must ask, what are you two fine ladies doin' 'round here on this lovely evening?” Said a voice from where we entered the port. From a similar kind of invisible wall that Twilight had around her castle, walked in a pale green-yellow coated Earth pony stallion with a spiky two tone black and white mane under a beige fedora. He had orange irises and he was wearin' a silver chain around his neck that had an emblem of a unicorn skull engraved in it with white striped black clothes.

“Me and my boys here are doin' a lil' biz 'round here, and we can't just have ponies walk in on that kinda stuff, especially a pair of fine thangs like your selves.” Ah could tell by his cocky attitude that he had yet ta get punched in the face fer bein' such a prick. Ah aim ta fix that.

“Well, not all of us gals like to be excluded. You're the Boneheads' boss right? Goose Fang ain't it?” He smiled a mouth full of shark like teeth and shrugged.

“Guilty as charged. What can I say? I'm pretty popular these days. But baby, you can call me Goose. The fangs come out when we play, if ya know what I mean. I'd be happy to give you and your cute friend there a ride on the G-stick, but we're a little busy right at the moment, so if you could come back in about an hour, that'd be best for all of us.” He keept his smooth talk up and it was almost impressive. This stallion didn't miss a beat, and it was almost... allurin'.

“Wow. Hey, Marevelous?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I punch this guy in the dick?”

“Be my guest.” In less than a second, she had rocketed off and aimed for the sensitive part of the stallion. To both of our surprise, she was caught. It was almost like Goose blinked in and out of existence for even less time than it took Blur ta travel just a few yards. Goose pinned her down and looked her in the eye, never flinching, never losing that grin.

“Baby, I'm a stallion who's been around. You can't pull tricks like that and act like it's consensual. Now, if you wanna lick my rod, be my guest, but I'm not about to do something obscene to a mare without her permission, that just ain't right!” Ah was pissed off now.

“Get off her, ya prick!” Ah started my charge in, but he just turned and smiled at me.

“Ooh, feisty. I love commanding mares. Yes Ma'am!” Goose did what appeared ta be a teleport of some kind, and flashed from one spot ta another. In my current arc, Ah was about ta land on Blur, so Ah quickly shot at the ground and reeled myself ta where Ah shot. “It's Marevelous right? You're pretty popular around here too. I like to make it my point to get to know all the pretty mares in my city, but I haven't gotten to know you...” Goose blinked from his spot ta holdin me in a tango dip. “Up close and personal just yet♥” Ah reacted just about as quick he warped and managed ta graze his cheek before he warped away again.

“Touch me again! See what happens!” Goose smiled and raised his chin.

“I think I just got permission to touch a super gal. This is beautiful consent! Oh be still my heart, lest it throb♥” Goose warped again, and Ah figured he'd try ta touch me immediately. Ah wasn't right though. Instead of showin' up from behind like Ah expected, he popped up above me and hugged himself ta my back. “Oh sweet goddess do you smell good. Apples? Oh baby have mercy, I might just bust a vein♥” Ah took advantage of him bein' a creep and elbowed him in the stomach before he could get away. He coughed once and Ah used the chance ta give him a full force punch in the face. But of all the thin's that coulda happened, Ah didn't expect him ta just block it. The punch got him ta slide back a few feet, but the only thin' that was scathed were the sleeves of his jacket.

“What the hell!?” Goose shook his forelegs of the steam that the punch left on him and straightened his fedora.

“Woo, wasn't that a punch!? Ya know, my old man said he once ran into a guy like you before said guy kicked his ass and put him in prison. You're way better than those last two guys that showed up, but I'm not about to hit a mare, that's just against my code of honor. Unfortunately, you're tough and smart enough to at least go toe to toe with me, so we're gonna play a little game instead. My boys are just about the biggest wussies you'll find in Manehattan, but my Honeys? They're the kinda jealous type and you just happen put me at half mast just by showin' up baby. So here's the deal. If you and your little friend can take down my seven Honeys, I'll go all quiet like. But if you two lose, you both get to be my Honeys. Then you can touch the G-stick all you want cutie♥” He winked at Pinkie durin' that last bit and she was furious.

“What the!? Marevelous, let's just kick this cocky cock's ass and be done with him already.” Blur she instantly made her way over ta me, but nly got more irritated as she looked at this guy. She was about ta make a move, but Ah stopped her.

“All we have ta do is beat up yer girls?” Ah asked. He shrugged.

“I wouldn't say it like that, but that's about the gist of it. I'm the chivalrous type, so I don't really like to watch ladies fight, ya dig?”

“Wha-? Chivalrous!? How in the fu-” Pinkie began before Ah cut her off.

“And you'll just come quietly?” He nodded.

“Like a sleepin' baby.”

“You'll tell us everythin' we wanna know?”

“Baby, I'll tell you anythin' you wanna know for a piece of that apple bottom, oh so sweet♥” Ah immediately put my hoof ta my forehead. Goddess damn it. He doesn't even know how ironic that is.

“Okay.”

“Okay!?” Blur exclaimed.

“Okay?” Goose asked.

“Okay,” Ah nodded.

“Not okay! Not okay!” Blur pleaded.

“Okay!” Goose clapped his hooves. “You heard her Honeys! Marevelous here either wants to be part of Goose's gaggle of chicks, or make the Goose man her precious little Gosling♥ So ladies, come on out and show her who's the alpha Mare on this port! She wants a seven on two nine-way, and I'd be happy to make it ten when she loses♥” From all sides of the invisible cube that we were in came seven different mares all wearin' the same chain around their necks Goose was. Goose blinked from inside the cube ta on top of the cube and started ta give us the rundown on his 'Honeys.'

“The first member of my harem, the poisonous rose, Petal Dance! This green pegasus gal from Galvastallion packs one hell of a punch with her knock out touch. I hope you brought your brownies, because you're about ta trip!” Like he said, she had a pale green coat and a pink mane with streaks of violet in it. She was wearin' lots of dark red and violet makeup, and her tail was bare, lookin' more like a rose stem with thorns and all rather than a tail. She was wearin' some black skin tight outfit with holes in all the suggestive places, save fer the most important one, but that just had a zipper over it.

“Hey girls... I hear you wanna piece of my boy Goose. Sorry, but I don't like ta share♥” she said. Damn slut.

“Next up is my lady of the night, the bat outta hell, Heat~ Wave! A bat pony babe from the cave side city, rescued by yours truly, and given a new place to be! Watch out, she's as hot as they come♥” Much like the last mare, this one was dressed equally, if not more slutty, but was far more... attractive. She had a pure orange coat, and a bright red mane and tail with yellow tips at the end of each lock. She wore a shiny red mini skirt and top that were probably a little greater than or equal ta ribbons. Her wings were almost black at the top and faded ta red, orange, and yellow as they went down.

“Listen here, bitches. I don't know who you are, but you tried to hurt my Goosey, and that is a crime that comes with Capital Punishment!” Her wings lit up and flared ta life in flames.

“Third and preferred, The bitch with the kick, Volt Switch! This little unicorn tart used to be just like you two ladies are right now, but she lost to the then four Honeys and fell for the G-stick herself! Keep your eyes on the prize because that hair is just like a wet power cord, it'll give ya a shock!” Probably the most modest so far, and even then, she was still wearin' a jump suit with a bunch of holes in it. Oddly enough, it reminded me a lot of Diamond's suit. Her coat was a pastel yellow, darker than Fluttershy's, but not the sunburst yellow on Heat Wave's mane. Her mane and tail were almost exactly like black telephone wires, casing and all, and Ah could swear she might have been the hero Jump Start if Ah remember correctly.

“I'm... sorry I have to do this, but Goose... He's just... He fills me in just the right way! Every time he-” Ah cut her off.

“Woah there partner. Ah don't need, or want, ta hear that.”

“As long as you understand. I uh... I'm a big fan of yours, Marevelous. I'd love to see what your... apple bottom tastes like♥” she said and winked. Blur busted out laughing, and Ah but my lip. Don't react, it's just Pinkie. Don't react, it's just Pinkie. Don't react, it is just Pinkie. Ah let out a breath and sighed.

“Fuckin' nasty.” Volt Switch bit her lip in that other way and Ah just looked away this time. Damn horny teenagers.

“Well that took a hot turn, and we haven't even started yet! Next up is the Ice cold pegasus queen, the frozen mistress, Aurora Veil! Crystal city born and raised, this babe is my dirty dominatrix! She likes it hot and she gets cold when her toys are naughty♥ She'll stimulate you senseless with her ice shape powers!” This one wasn't wearin' anythin' that drew attention ta her parts, but Ah'm not sure if that was because she didn't want ta, or fer convenience. She had a pale blue coat that was almost white and had a two tone true blue and dark blue mane and tail.

“Mmm... I smell intact hymens... I think we might fix that...♥” The air swirled around her and Ice started ta form inta the shape of whips on each tip of her wings.

“That one sounds SUPER rape-y. I hope this is what you wanted Marevelous, because this is what you're getting us into!” Blur whispered ta me.

“Will ya just trust me? We'll get out of this just fine, Ah promise,” Ah whispered back. Blur huffed and Goose continued.

“After that, we've got the Earth Pony babe from the beach, the water warrior herself, Whirlpool! A beauty from across the sea, this mare comes from Cheval and she'll show ya how to use water the way it was meant to be!” Of course she's wearin' a bikini. There's a theme ta this harem and Ah do not want ta be a part of it. Whirlpool had about the reverse of Aurora Veil in terms of coat and mane, bein' dark blue coated and a pale blue mane and tail with yellow streaks in it. Her bikini was bright orange though and did exactly what it was designed ta do. Draw attention.

“Ever see a pony drown above water? I can show you exactly what that looks like!” Orbs of water started ta form above her raised foreleg.

“Ooh, forgot to mention, Whirlpool is a pretty hard core sadist masochist combo! She likes it rough and dishes it out just as hard! Coming in at number six is the lady darkness, the shadow in the abyss, Dark Pulse! This Earth Pony mare will show ya things ya never thought you'd see in your own life time with her crazy dimensional portals!” This mare had a dark black coat and was wearin' a multicolored orange and blue zig-zaggy suit that also reminded me of Diamond's suit. Ah should talk ta her about that next time Ah see her. Dark Pulse had a dark yellow mane and tail and bright red irises.

“Goosey used to use me to warp everywhere, but ever since he got his new power, he doesn't play with me as much anymore,” She pouted.

“Hey now baby, we'll get to play again. You know I'd never ignore anypony in my harem. Speaking of, the final member of Goose's gaggle of chicks, Synchro Noise! This Applewood born unicorn was made to be a star and doesn't she just shine like the sun! Watch out for those light beams, they're absolutely dazzling!” Huh. Well, at least we can say he doesn't discriminate. He's got about two of every kind of pony here. Synchro Noise had on a similar ribbon like outfit that Heat wave did, but it was green against her more magenta coat. Her mane was blue with streaks of red in it. Her tail didn't have hair on it outside of her coat till the end of the tip, where it was short and curly, but colored just like her mane. She had that slutty eye make up on with way too much eye shadow. Her horn charged up and it was almost like mornin' light was shinin' from it.

“Latest and the greatest, Synchro Noise is here to blind and blind side♥” Those words sent a shiver through my spine.

“Blur, these girls creep me the fuck out. Let’s get this done as fast as possible. It looks like the most dangerous ones fer me are the green one and the black one. Keep the others occupied while Ah try and knock em out one at a time.”

“What!? You expect me to fight all five of these horny creeps, alone!?” She just about yelled in my head.

“Nopony said fight, all Ah want ya ta do is keep em busy. Be annoyin'. Draw their attention away from me and everythin' will be just fine. It won't take long. Trust me. Ah've got a plan.” Blur sighed.

“If that's what you want, Major, I'll do it.”

“Now that the gang's all here and everypony's gotten their introductions, Goose's Gaggle of chicks, fight!”

Harmony Mission II: Bonding Agent (part 2)

Goose clapped his hooves and just like that we were swarmed with a myriad of powers. Portals and lasers of all kinds were shootin' everywhere and Ah couldn't make heads or tails of what belonged ta who. Blur was quick to grab the attention of the beam shooters and while she played whack-a-mole with them, Ah went ta deal with the physical oriented Power Ponies.

Without a second ta spare, the green one came after me with her spiky tail. She was slow and predictable, but the red one followed suit quick and the two worked well in tandem. After gettin' used ta their attacks, Ah found an openin' and grabbed the red one and used her as a meat shield against her teammate. The spike tail jabbed into her, and she passed out near immediately. The green one was a little shocked, and that was all the time Ah needed ta punt her inta the mirror like cube wall that surrounded us. The thin' rippled and almost cracked, then the green one collapsed ta the ground like a rag doll.

“Well, that takes care of two. How are ya doin'?” Ah asked Blur. Ah turned around ta figure out what she was up ta, and it looked more like she was just playin' with them than actually fightin' back. The four elemental mares would shoot some kinda beam from all different directions, Blur would just play limbo with em, then the portal chick would redirect the beams, and then Blur would just go lean on her in her trademark fashion. It didn't look like these girls were used ta Blur's brand of irritatin', and she was relishin' in that fact.

“Oh you know. I think they're more used to surprise attacks, so they really don't know what to do with so many allies in a fight. What do you want to do?” Blur asked.

“Let's knock em' out and get this over with. Ah'll go after the portal chick first, then We'll just take the rest out. You been hit by anythin'?” Ah asked. Ah could barely see Blur until she stopped ta tease somepony then moved ta another spot.

“Nah, they're not that good I don't think. The closest anypony got was that Volt Switch girl. I think she's better than the rest- Oh shit!” Blur just about halted on a dime as a lightnin’ bolt struck just in front of her.

“Damn... One more...” Volt Switch said. At this point, Ah figured Ah'd intervene. Ah shot just under the yellow one's stomach and reeled myself in as Ah loaded a kick with my back leg. She noticed me just a little too late, and my leg collided with her ribcage. She hit the corner of the cube and dropped like a sack of bricks.

Ah pulled my blade out of the ground and turned around ta intimidate the other groupies. The girls nearly froze in spot fer a second and that's all Ah needed ta get ta work. The closest ta me was the water based Power Pony so Ah figured Ah'd go after her first. Actin' like a gorilla ta keep up the significant amount of fear Ah seem ta have struck in these girls, Ah charged toward her stompin' both of my front hooves in the ground with every move that Ah made. Ah reached her, stopped right in front of her face, spun and kicked her ta Timbucktu. Ah heard a pretty good soundin' crack come from her body, so Ah'm hopin' Ah didn't hurt her too badly. She smacked face first inta the field and after landin', the cube wall started ta crack.

While Ah was busy, it looked like the other girls wised up ta what we were doin' and tried ta even the playin' field. The ice bitch switched tactics and started ta cover the ground in ice, which as luck would have it, managed to catch Blur.

“Oh crap, they got my leg!” Blur cried as she tried ta struggle out of her icy prison. Ah turned around just in time ta watch the light mare form some kinda sharp crystal like thin' in one of her hooves like she was about ta spear Blur. As fast as Ah could, Ah aimed one of my wristbands at her hoof and fired. She musta caught sight of me just before Ah fired because right then, she canceled her crystal and ducked. The blade shot and stopped in the cube wall, and whether Ah was ready or not, it started ta retract. Just about yanked from my spot, Ah managed ta get a hold of myself and close-lined the poor Ice chick before she knew what hit her. Ah put the limp body Ah was now in possession of on the ground, and at the same time, Blur freed herself. Standin' together now, Ah decided ta offer these last two a choice.

“So. If y'all want ta keep this up, Ah'm sure we're game, but Ah figure yer a little more than out matched, and pretty soon y'all be out numbered. Why don't ya just give up? This was over the minute it started.” The magenta one narrowed her eyes at me.

“The day I give up protecting my darling is the day I die! Take this!” Synchro Noise said. She got inta that stance again and formed another crystal. This one was much smaller and much faster than the last one, and she javelin tossed it at my face. Rather than test it, Ah just stepped outta the way and punched it. The crystal shattered and shot little light-needles in the cube walls everywhere.

“Holy hell... I don't know about you, but the Boss lady would love to study that.” Blur said. Ah stood and admired my work with her.

“Honestly, Ah think Ah'd like ta study that. Yer power is formin' light right? Condensin' it Ah suppose?” Ah asked. The mare stomped her hooves on the ground.

“Are you mocking me!? I am Synchro Noise, and I will not be treated like a child! Pulse!” She yelled at her teammate. The other mare, who looked like she was about ready to give up snapped ta attention.

“Y-yes?” She stuttered.

“Do the thing we talked about.” Synchro ordered.

“B-but Goose said-” Pulse started.

“I don't care what Goose said! If we don't he'll end up in jail for good, do what I asked you!” The black coated mare pulled out her phone from seemingly nowhere, or at least nowhere that Ah could tell she was hidin' in that damned tight suit, and aimed her horn at its screen. She aimed her horn at the ground by Synchro's hooves and an orange portal opened up. Inside it was somewhere else on the docks next ta a crate in a storage container. Synchro reached down inta it and pulled out somethin' Ah never thought Ah'd see again.

“All I have to do is put this on my chest and I'll become stronger than both of you!” In her hooves now was a mirror. It was bright as the stars and reflected more than Ah thought was possible. But that wasn't right. It was the same mirror. It was the one he was wearin' back then. The stallion that Red Hoof fought. The stallion that Dad fought. The stallion that crashed through a buildin' with him. He was wearin' one just like it... That was the mirror... That was the mirror... that was the mirror... that was the mirror... that was the mirror...

“Marevelous what are you doing!? Look out!” Blur shouted. Ah was pulled back ta my senses and what Ah saw in front of me was nothin' like what Ah thought was just there. Standin in front of me now was some kinda monster. Covered in magenta scales, the creature was like a giant lizard with bat wings and several blue and red crystalline horns runnin' from it's head ta the back of it's tail. It had opened it's mouth and some kinda light was beginnin' ta charge in front of me from deep within' the creature's mouth. Ah finally realized what was goin' on in time ta dodge the beam of hot white light that fired from inside the creature. The beam traveled through the cube and shattered a hole in it. It kept goin' until finally it reached a storage container. The metal bubbled and expanded red hot until it finally exploded, leavin' melted chunks of steel all over.

“What in the fuck is that!?” Ah exclaimed.

“What is it!? Where did you go!? That's Synchro Noise!” What had happened finally dawned on me. When Synchro touched the mirror ta her chest, the thin' started ta meld with her skin. The veins in her body turned black and she started ta scream out in agony. Her body twisted and grew rapidly, makin' horrible cracks and pops all the while. Her coat was replaced with scales and her form became lizard like until finally it stopped where she is now. The dragon that was Synchro let out a loud roar that shattered the rest of the cube, and all around me Ah saw Goose's grunts runnin’ around with boxes and throwin’ them in storage containers. They all stopped and turned when the sound of shattered glass started ta hit the ground and the magenta dragon was out in plain sight. The dragon turned its attention ta some of the grunts and began ta charge it's beam.

“Shit! Blur, get those ponies outta the way! She's about ta fire again!” Blur took off and Ah ran around ta try and slam the dragon's mouth shut. Ah jumped above her head and loaded as much force as Ah could inta my right hoof as possible. Ah slammed inta the dragon, but it was only enough ta get her ta half close her mouth.

That wasn't enough!? The beam came out and Blur had only managed ta get a few of the grunts out of the beam's trajectory. When the dust settled, there was just a rut in the pier now, melted from the intense heat. Pieces of ponies were charred and scattered all over the place.

Blur dropped ta her knees, and all at once the remainin' grunts broke inta a frenzy ta get away. Screams filled the pier as the grunts dropped and broke crates. Ponies scattered in every direction, topplin' over each other and pushin' each other out of the way. The dragon let out another ear shatterin' roar and took aim at Blur now.

“Son of a bitch, get up! We don't have time ta fuck around!” Ah shot one of my blades after her and launched ta Blur's location. As Ah was pickin' her up, the monster was just about ready ta fire. Ah didn't have time ta shoot again, so Ah put all Ah could inta a jump. The beam came out of the monster's mouth just as Ah made it inta the air. The laser passed and caught the end of my tail with it. A searin' heat shot up my spine and made me drop Blur mid jump. Ah crashed inta a storage container and started cursin' at the top of my lungs. It was the most intense pain Ah'd ever felt in my life, and after Ah finally got a look at it, Ah figured out why. About half of my tail was gone, and where it stopped now was a bright orange, black charred mess melted ta red latex. Seein' the damage only made it worse and Ah screamed out.

“Applejack!? Applejack come in! What happened?! Are you alright? I can't get a hold of Pinkie, what happened!?” Twilight started ta yell in my head.

“Damn it, would ya shut up!? She melted off half my goddess damned tail! Good fuckin' hooves day it hurts! Ah, shit!” Just then, Ah heard a whine that reminded me of a camera about to take a picture. Ah looked up and saw another bright orb start ta from in the dragon's mouth. Ah immediately looked around fer Blur, and when Ah couldn't find her, Ah figured there was no way she was behind me. Ah leapt outta the way and another beam of light shot through the bent storage container Ah crashed inta earlier. The dragon roared at me and finally, my anger reached a tippin' point. Ah charged the bitch seein' nothin' but red.

The dragon reared its giant head back and looked like she was about ta snap at me. Rather than avoid it, Ah got an idea and spread my hooves out in anticipation fer it. Ah grabbed her jaws with my left hooves and then started ta punch in what used ta be her soft pallet. The dragon moaned in pain, and then Ah fired my cable through it's mouth after it started ta bleed. The wire passed and shot all deep in her skull until it stopped at the bone. The creature screeched in pain and Ah started ta loose more of the wire. Ah let go of her jaws and used all my strength ta pull on the wire. Like Ah hoped, the blade was stuck enough in the monster ta bring it with me and Ah slammed the creature on it's back inta the concrete.

The monster roared out in anguish as she tried ta get back on her hooves, but Ah was gonna make damn sure that didn't happen. The creature was about ta make it ta her side and Ah had the wire reel back in. It rocketed me ta her mouth and Ah punched right in the skin of her jaw. Ah could feel the bones shatter under my hooves, and the monster lashed out at me, kickin' me solid in the stomach with one of her stubby scaly hooves. Ah shot back until the wire caught me, only fer it ta snap and stop only so much of my momentum. Ah sank inta a storage container and couldn't hardly catch my breath after she knocked the wind outta me. The dragon roared again, blowin' a wind in my face, and Ah busted the rest of the storage container around me. Ah spat out some blood that had welled up in my mouth and the dragon stamped a hoof in the ground twice like she was about ta charge.

Ah screamed as we both charged at each other, the dragon's hoofsteps shakin' the very earth around us and my own stomps doin' about the same. As if she were a whip, the dragon stopped once she was in range and twisted her body while usin' one of her hooves as an axis tryin' ta gore me with the spines along her back. Ah saw it comin' just in time and leapt over the swipe. While in the air, Ah aimed the remainin' blade at her eye and fired. The monster writhed once the blade pierced the gooey orb and rather than bring me toward her, the blade came back with the eyeball attached ta it.

The dragon screeched again, this time so loud that she shattered all the nearby light bulbs and just about caused my ears ta bleed. Ah was disoriented but still angry enough ta keep it together and go in fer the final attack. She'd raised her head and Ah realized that the scales on the underside of her neck were smaller and not as thick as the other scales that practically armored. While she was distracted, Ah jumped and shot at the ground just underneath the monster's neck. The wire reeled in enough ta launch me toward the blade and then Ah halted it so Ah would have enough length of it ta use. Ah landed and then jumped over her neck, wrappin' it with the wire as Ah did. The creature swiped at me, but not quick enough ta keep me from finishin' the loop. Ah landed on her back, wrapped the wire around my hoof and pull with all my strength.

The Monster started ta choke. She fired beams of light every which way in the air as she squirmed and struggled under my strength. Ah pulled harder, and the creature groaned and screeched, no longer able breathe fer her beams. Her movements started to slow and just as Ah could see her remainin' pupil begin ta sink upward in it's socket, Ah was kicked off the monster. The dragon took a deep breath, and finally fainted.

“Stop it, stop it, stop it! You... you were really gonna kill her!” Ah heard. When my eyes could finally see color in the world other than red, Ah saw Goose cryin' over Synchro's limp dragon body. “You idiot...! I told you not to use the mirror at any cost... Why? You... you killed so many of our friends...” Ah finally managed ta regain all of my senses and was now able ta see just how much damage had been done. There were four new ruts in the pier, all of which still steamin' from their recently melted state. Goose's other girls had disappeared, and none of his grunts were anywhere ta be found, save fer... well, the remains of the ones that were caught in the initial beam. There was a smell in the air that just defiled the nose, like that of singed fur, waftin' slowly over the pier. The concrete everywhere Ah had been was just about rubble at this point, and several storage containers we converted inta warped or melted modern art pieces. Then a thought finally came ta mind.

“Aw hell, where is Blur?” Ah said aloud. Goose was quick ta answer.

“She... She's over by the entrance to the pier. I've been...” He sniffed, “trying to get my ponies to safety during your fight. Oh goddess... If I had known that... Oh goddess, this never should have happened... If it weren't for these fuckin' mirrors!” Goose yelled. He stepped back and found what he was lookin' fer on Synchro's body. Just between her front legs, hidden under a crest in her rib cage was a football shaped mirror pulsin' on her body. Goose punched it, and the mirror shattered. The veins on the dragon pulsed one last time, and the body started ta sink inta the shape of the pony it used ta be. Once the body had finished revertin', it wasn't movin' anymore.

“Synchro? Oh baby please... please don't...” Goose stated, but quickly lost much of his voice. The hole in Synchro's mouth and her empty eye socket were just drainin' blood all around her body. Ah spotted Blur and she looked relatively unharmed, if not just a little scratched up here and there. Ah stood up, and against my better judgment, Ah patted Goose on the back. Ah wasn't sure who Ah was doin' it fer at this point though.

“Twilight... thin's here got outta hoof in a hurry, but... Ah guess the mission is done.”

“Is Pinkie okay? What happened out there? Are you okay? I just saw a heat signature fade off my map...” Ah shook my head.

“We're fine. That... that was my fault. I'm bringin' Blur and Goose back ta the castle with me. Ah don't care which one ya call, but Ah need ta talk ta one of yer relatives, in a hurry too.” There was silence fer a moment.

“I can have Luna here if it's really that urgent...” She clearly wasn't happy about it, but willin' ta call her aunt anyways.

“Ah figured as much. She's probably the one ta talk ta anyhow.” Ah could feel it wellin' up in my throat. Ah spat out another glob of blood, but the feelin' wasn't gone. Ah knew exactly what it was, but didn't want ta say anythin'.

“Okay, I'll send the message then. Applejack...? Is... is something wrong?” Twilight asked. My teeth clenched together.

“Ah... Ah couldn't control myself and... Ah...” Now it was my turn ta lose my voice.

“Don't say anything else. Just come back and then we can talk, okay? I expect to see you here in the next twenty minutes. It'll be okay.” Ah rubbed at my eyes and sniffed.

“Get up. After everythin' you just put me through, you're gonna keep yer end of the deal, got it?” Ah said, tryin' ta keep the shakin' out of my voice. Silently, Goose stood and followed me like a lost puppy. Ah picked up Pinkie and threw her on my back as we left and resisted the temptation ta look back at the corpse we left behind. With one last deep breath, the three of us left the pier. It'll be a long time before Ah ever want ta come back here.

Harmony Days III: Tension

At first, Ah thought this was it. The low point. Could it feel any worse than watchin' a bunch of kids get killed in an accident that was practically my fault? Yes, it could. Now it was rainin'. We kept walkin’ in wet silence fer a while. The harbor wasn't too far from the castle, but it was far enough to be at least a thirty minute walk. The image of her corpse wouldn't leave my head. Goddess, Ah mutilated her damn face... Who was the monster, really?

“Hey...” Ah heard my captive say behind me through the rain. It was startin' ta get heavier and we were only half way ta the park. Ah didn't want ta respond ta him. The longer Ah keep my mouth shut the longer Ah keep from lashin' out.

“Look I... I'm sorry...” he said. Ah could feel the veins on my forehead begin ta bulge. Ah stopped and turned around.

“Sorry!? Sorry fer what!? Fer gettin' a bunch of teenagers killed? Fer lettin' that girl die? Fer half my goddess damned tail!? Tell me asshole, just what exactly are ya sorry fer? 'Cause right now, Ah think ya should keep yer damn mouth shut.” Ah eyed the teary bastard fer as long as Ah could stand ta, then turned around and kept walkin'. He didn't say anythin' back and followed quietly. Obedient little shit. We made it ta the castle after some more walkin' in the rain.

“What... is this place?” He asked, awe struck by the castle. Ah suppose the rain cooled me off because Ah didn't lose it again when Ah answered.

“Fer the next five or so hours, yer home of incarceration.” Ah walked up and knocked on the door. “Ah have the prisoner Twilight. Where do ya want me?” The door slid open and then responded,

“Take him down the second hallway to the right, then into the last door on the left. Where is... um, Blur?” Twilight said from the door.

“On my back at the moment. She passed out durin' the fight.” We started down the hallway until we found the door Twilight was talkin' about. It didn't look quite the same as the rest of the castle, and inside it was a table with two chairs and a lamp. All the walls looked like mirrors and reflected every image in them in the light blue color that most of the upper castle floors were.

“Sit tight. Ah don't know what exactly we're doin' with ya, so Ah'm about ta go find out.” Goose nodded and took a chair, all the while keepin' his eyes trained on the floor. Lookin' at him in this red eyed, sorry state reminded me of somethin'. Fer a second, if only that, Ah felt a twinge of sympathy. Bastard musta been cryin' the whole way here... Ah shut the door behind me and turned ta find the whole gang in the hallway, includin' the night princess.

“Geez! Damn it Twilight, we talked about this!” However, she didn't react right. She looked... concerned, her ears down and that frown on her face... everypony but the princess, and oddly enough, Fluttershy, looked that way.

“Applejack... are you okay, darling?” Rarity asked. Ah sighed.

“Fer now... let's just not, alright? The laser cauterized my tail on impact, and Ah've only got a few bruises here and there, so Ah should be fine. If anypony, y'all should look at Pinkie. Ah lost track of her durin' the fight and Ah don't know if she got hit on the head or not.” Rarity took a step forward, but the princess interrupted whatever she was about ta say.

“Twilight, I do not have all night to be here. I cannot stay to console whatever wounds their battle inflicted,” Luna said. Twilight sighed.

“Applejack, open the door across from the mirror chamber. It's a conference room, so you can say whatever you need to in there,” Twilight said. Ah nodded and did as Ah was told. A long table that could seat more than twelve ponies was in the middle with chairs lined all around it. Ah took the head of the table and sat Pinkie in the chair ta my left, then waited for everypony else ta come in. They all made their way in on either side, Rarity and Fluttershy sorta limpin' ta their seats, and Luna lookin' a little irritated like Ah took her spot sittin' next ta me. Once everypony was seated, Fluttershy was the first ta ask.

“W-what happened, Applejack?” she said, surprisin'ly at volume.

“And more importantly, why have you called me here?” Luna added from the other side of the table. Ah was tempted ta giver her a look, but Ah started ignored her.

“At first, it didn't look like anythin' was gonna go wrong. But once we got ta the harbor thin's kept gettin' worse. When we got there, we thought the harbor was empty and immediately knew somethin' was off. We found out we were stuck in a one way prison when Goose showed up. Goose is a power pony of some kind, but he has more than one power. Ah couldn't tell how he was doin' it, but it definitely was him and not somepony else because Ah knocked the wind out of him and he stopped teleportin'. He also took a punch from me and didn't have his forelegs broken afterward, so he's more than just an earth pony. He's a damn pervert with some twisted sense of justice that makes him think it's not okay ta hit a mare which brought us ta the proposal ta fight off his harem for his freedom.

He had seven girls with different powers come at us all at once and it went about as well fer them as ya think it would. After we'd taken out about five of em', Ah offered ta let them surrender, and that is when thin's took a turn fer the worse. One of the two teenagers had the ability ta spawn portals on surfaces she could see and opened up a hole somewhere that had a... a mirror in it. It was strange and curved, like it reflected more on it's surface than possible. She took that and put it on her chest before either of us were any wiser fer it.

Her body started pulsin' with all her veins turnin' black just under her coat, and then it started ta change. In this grotesque, awful soundin' transformation, she turned inta a damn dragon of some kind. All big and spiky, lined with crystals along her spine, scales now coverin' her body. She roared and broke the prison we were in, then fired some kinda laser in the just about crowd of grunts Goose had workin' the pier. Pinkie saved as many as she could, and Ah tried ta stop the monster from firin' in the first place but... she killed just about twenty ponies with one shot. Ah'm not sure if that's right or not, Ah was... there was a lot goin' on. There were... limbs and charred pieces... everywhere..." Ah shook the images outta my head and tried ta get back ta the story.

"Ah figure seein' all that death at once just about sucked the will ta fight outta Pinkie and she collapsed. Ah couldn't stop the dragon from firin' and so Ah grabbed Pinkie and tried ta get us away. That's when she got my tail... Ah don't remember too much after that though. Ah think Ah started ta get my senses back when Goose kicked me off her body. She broke one of my wrist bands, and Ah guess Ah used the other one ta strangle her. At some point Ah ripped her eye out, and at another Ah put a hole in her mouth... She was barely breathin' after all that, but Goose found and broke the mirror that had become part of her body in a fit of rage. She reverted, but... that... that was the end of her.

As it turns out, Goose had been rescuin' his ponies while Ah was out of it, and even got Pinkie ta safety...” Ah paused fer a minute just ta let that sink in. Ah almost didn't believe my own words. Ah shook my head and got back to it. “The reason Ah called ya here was ta ask what kinda monsters y'all have been fightin'. These thin's were just about exactly what Ah needed ta have ta fight that damn dragon. That and ta ask fer a new pair with thicker cables. If Ah ever run inta one of those again, Ah need somethin' that won't snap as easy when it gets slashed at.” Ah turned ta the princess, but she however, was not lookin' at me, but the table. Everypony else had a face of shock, and Pinkie was still out cold. It took a while but eventually, Luna spoke up again.

“I see you have had an... eventful night. I... have things I must attend to. I will send a new pair of cable braces here for you sometime in the week. This has been... informative. Call upon me again if anything like this happens in the future.” The princess said, then got up from the table.

“Hold on a minute, that's it? Ah watch twenty teenagers die in one night, one of which just so happens ta turn inta a monster that you gave me tools perfect ta fight with, and ya just up and leave after Ah tell ya? What kinda shit is this!?” Ah yelled.

“Applejack...” Twilight began. Ah cut her off.

“Don't you Applejack me, Ah don't give a damn who she is, this is fucked up!” The princess didn't look at me, but spoke.

“I understand your concerns, but as I said, I do not have time for this. We will speak privately about this matter at a later date.” Ah stood up. Ah wasn't ready ta give up yet.

“Why? What's more important than havin' yer subjects turn inta fuckin' MONSTERS!? This ain't just the virus actin' up, this a threat to yer people that not every city can deal with! If it weren't me, who else do ya think coulda dealt with that!?” She finally looked me in the eyes. Hers were cold and mostly emotionless, but deep in there there was a hint of sadness.

“I have my own job to do, Major. I protect the citizens from things you could only imagine in your darkest nightmares. On top of that, I deal with all the high courts and legal matters during the night, when most acts of crime and villainy occur. I have countless ponies to attend to, and even more to protect from the things that would like to devour them. Your concerns are validated, this is true. However, I can not spare any more time for you now. You will have audience with me as soon as I can arrange it, but until then, there will be no more cursing and shouting at me, do you understand? Major?” Somehow, she managed to keep from raisin' her voice even once. The princess kept her icy tone the entire time, save fer the moments she emphasized with stone. Specifically, every time she called me Major. Ah sat back down.

“Yes ma'am...”

“Good. I will see you soon. Goodnight to you all,” she said as she headed for the door. Twilight looked like she was gonna try ta stop her, but she relaxed and looked away instead.

“Um... thank you for coming... Aunt Luna...” Twilight said, her voice trailing off toward the end. The princess paused at the door.

“... You are welcome, my niece.” She walked out and gently shut door behind her.

“Gah! Marevelous, look out!” Pinkie yelled, breathing heavily. She then looked around and took note of where she was. “Wait... what happened? Why are we back in the castle?” Her settled on me and suddenly Ah started ta feel anger well up inside again. Ah tried ta shake it off and answer her as best Ah could. That princess pisses me off in just all the worst ways.

“Well, ya passed out durin' the fight at some point. Ah don't know what ya remember, and outta all of us, he probably has the best picture of what happened.” She looked away fer a moment, then turned back ta me, her eyes all wide under those pink goggles.

“You didn't bring him here did you!?”

“Ah didn't really have much of a choice, all thin's considered.”

“Ugh, that creep is in my house? I still can't believe you made a deal with him to begin with. Unbelievable.” Now my anger was beginnin' ta build toward her.

“Listen here, Blur, That creep is probably the reason you're still alive. Ah lost track of ya and my own damn senses and Ah didn't get em back until Ah'd killed that teenager. Ya mighta been helpful initially, but after you watched all those kids ya couldn't save die ya just fell apart! Ah don't know what you've seen since ya started doin' this, but you're a hero fer goddess sake! If ya...” Ah took a breath. “Had ya not... then maybe that girl would still be alive...” Ah trailed off. Ah could feel my teeth diggin' inta my cheeks. Pinkie looked away from me, and a deathly silence fell in the room. The other three didn't know what ta say, Ah was feelin' sorry fer myself, and Pinkie was probably doin' the same. After what seemed like hours, somepony finally spoke up, and Ah don't think any of us expected her to.

“S-suck it up,” Fluttershy said. The attention in the room shifted, and suddenly it was all on her.

“... What?” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“S-suck it up. Y-you did what you could. A-and we can't ask for any more than that. P-ponies die. N-no matter what you do or who you save, t-they'll all die eventually and there is n-nothing you can do about it. N-nopony on this earth is like Twilight and her family, y-your actions can only prolong the lives you s-save and that is all there is to it. W-what else there's nothing you can do a-about just so happens to be this s-simple fact; s-sometimes, it's kill or be killed. I-I don't know if you realize it, but you f-fought off a dragon tonight. S-she may have been a pony at one point, a-and she may have left the corpse of a p-pony at another, but when you were f-fighting, all you did was try and s-survive, and there is nothing wrong with that.

O-of all of us in this room, I would have expected y-you to know that best, b-but I guess it just hasn't sunk in yet. Y-you cannot save everypony. Y-you will not save everypony. L-letting the death of one w-weigh you down just keeps you from p-preserving the lives you could save. T-the world is cold and indifferent to us, s-so we put on these masks to try a-and make it better. B-but feeling sorry for yourself? T-that isn't going to do anything for anypony, e-especially not you.”

It made me wonder. Just how much has she seen? How many has she killed? That shy yellow pegasus, and the monster that lies just beneath the surface. Just which one has done more? Has she been holdin' that in all this time? Twilight tried ta break the tension in the room.

“Fluttershy, I don't think that that's really appropriate right now...” Ah shook my head.

“No, she's right. Ah do know better. Ah should know all of that, and Ah shouldn't have ta have somepony tell me any of it. Ah don't know that there is anypony in this line of work that hasn't watched somepony die or been the cause of death. Ah'm sorry Pinkie. Ah shouldn't be blamin' anypony fer anythin' right now.” Pinkie shook her head and sniffed.

“But... you aren't wrong or anything... If I wasn't in your way things probably would be different right now...” She said. Now Fluttershy stood up from her spot next to Pinkie. She looked... mad.

“R-really? T-this again? G-get over yourself! T-this is the third time since you've joined that you b-broke down in the middle of a fight. H-having a conscience is fine, b-but if it weighs you down that much, t-then you might as well quit. H-how many bullets have I put b-between somepony's eyes for you? H-how many brains have we s-splattered for you over these last six months? H-have you been counting? B-because it feels like any time we do, y-you fall apart like some whiny little b-brat trying to play super hero. M-maybe you're right. M-maybe you are just in the way. I-I'm going to bed. C-call me when you aren't h-having a damn hug box. I-it's fucking suffocating in here.” Fluttershy got out of her chair, whipped Pinkie across the face with her tail, and slammed the door on her way out. Pinkie broke down and started cryin', Ah was more or less stunned that Fluttershy had that in her, and Rarity tried ta console Pinkie.

“I um... I think we might all be tired right now. Why don't we pick this up in the morning?” Twilight said, tryin' ta brighten the mood. Ah looked ta Rarity and we both nodded at each other.

“Ah figure that's fer the best. What are ya gonna do with Goose? Even prisoners get a bed ta sleep on at least.” Why am Ah concerned about him?

“Oh, right. I can arrange a bed in that room I suppose. This isn't exactly mother's castle, so there aren't any dungeon cells beneath it. Oh, and before I forget, I'll try to get a hold of mother and see if there's anything we can do about your tail. I'm sure your family would be concerned if you came home suddenly without half of it.” Ah felt my lower spine twitch. Aw hell, Ah completely forgot about that! Ah'm missin' half an appendage, of course they're gonna be concerned! There ain't enough lies in the world ta cover this up. They think Ah'm a damn janitor...

“Oh shit. Uh, yeah, do that if ya would. Goddess, that's gonna take one hell of a lie ta cover up...” Ah helped Rarity take Pinkie back ta her room and Twilight went ta talk ta Goose from the one way mirror in the room next door ta the mirror chamber. Based on what she said, He wasn't gonna go anywhere any time soon. Tonight was stressful, and Ah don't think anypony felt good about what all happened here. Just another night at work Ah suppose...

Harmony Days IV: Interrogation

That night, Ah remembered havin' a weird dream. Well, weird fer me anyways. It was... pleasant. Just a sunny day at the orchard, relaxin' in the cool breeze with my family. Uncle Blood, Aunt Dew, Mom, Dad, Macintosh, Applebloom. Everypony was there and maybe in a life where nothin' went wrong, that woulda been a normal day. No yellin', no cryin', nopony died. When Ah woke up, it was all just so... vivid. The nightmares Ah usually suffer through are hard ta forget in the mornin', but that image of thin's like... like they shoulda been was just so strange. Ah haven't had a nice dream since dad died, so why suddenly...?

Rather than bother with that, Ah decided ta see if anypony else was up. No phone, no clock, no windows, so it coulda been two hours passed or twelve. Ah did however notice that the castle was a different color than what it normally was from what Ah could see in the thin darkness. The castle, even in these underground floors, usually had a pale ta deep blue tint ta it. At the moment though, the whole place was a dark violet not too dissimilar ta Twilight and her mother's eyes. There was a faint light at all corners of the crystal box, and when Ah went ta step on the floor, all the lights slowly brightened until the room was back ta it's blue color. Ah wonder what kinda magic makes these lights work? Ah got outta bed and exited the room inta the dark hallway that was just about pitch black, save fer those dim lights under doorways like the one in my room.

Ah figured if anypony was up, it'd be Twilight, so my first instinct was ta go check the library. Ah stepped carefully in the dark so ta avoid wakin' any sleepers and stopped when Ah got ta the library. The lights comin' from inside were much brighter than the ones in the hall, and Ah heard voices from inside.

“... Well then, what do you want me to do about it? They aren't just going to drop this like nothing happened!” Ah heard Twilight say. Ah guess that means she was talkin' ta somepony.

“Do whatever you can. Your team found something I have been trying to contain for almost for a very long time now, and I am not yet ready to move forward until I know Just what exactly these things manipulate,” said the other voice. It wasn't quite familiar, but not one that Ah'd never heard before either.

“Okay then, what do you want me to tell them? Just drop it because you don't want them to know?” she shot back.

“Now is not the time for you to get an attitude with me! When next you get a chance, interrogate him yourself and find out what he knows. Of all the worst possible times for this to come back up... Had I known he was in possession of a mirror, I would have captured him myself.” There was a good pause before the other voice continued again. “It seems as if I have run out of time. My duties call and I must attend to them. Keep your prisoner separated from your team, and if you must, use me as your excuse. I will come to collect him as soon as I get the chance. Even after all this time not one, but two mirrors resurface... that fool is probably trying to manufacture them again. Your top priority now is to have the Belle daughter investigate him. The moment she is able, you send her on her way, or even before then. Your major was more than correct, and if any more of these things get in the wrong hooves, we have no idea what they'll do.” It sounded stern and cold, almost metallic... which meant it was probably Luna.

So that's why she left so quick! Even if Fluttershy didn't lose her shit with Pinkie, does that mean Twilight was gonna redirect the interrogation anyways? Ya know what? Fuck her. I'm gonna go talk ta Goose. With zero hesitation, Ah quickly left the library and more or less felt my way ta back ta my room. Ah figure Ah might need ta wake him up if Luna's still awake, so Ah threw on my suit and went back ta feelin' my way through the castle. As luck would have it, there were a few of those dim lights around the places with 'higher' as opposed ta no traffic like the livin' room and the halls leadin' ta the front door. After makin' a wrong turn twice, Ah found the hall with the conference room and the mirror chamber.

Ah opened the door ta the chamber, and just like my room, the lights came on once Ah was inside it. In a bed that replaced the table that was there earlier was Goose, tossin' and turnin' like there were ants crawlin' on him.

“Gah...! It... it hurts so bad... Don't... don't touch it... Noise!? Synchro Noise, I... A monster... Agh!” He moaned and cried in his sleep. What the hell?

“Goose, wake up,” Ah said at normal volume.

“No... stop, you'll kill...” he mumbled.

“Goose, wake the hell up,” Ah said, givin' him one more chance before Ah kicked his ass outta bed.

“Dad...? Red Hoof... did that to you...?” He mumbled again. Red Hoof? Red Hoof did what? What is he on about now? Now Ah was interested in what he was dreamin' about. With a little more pleasure than Ah should've got from it, Ah pushed him off the bed.

“Goose, wake up.”

“Gah!” He exclaimed, breathin' heavily. “Oh goddess, my head... what are you doing in here?” He asked after spottin' me.

“I'm here ta make ya fulfill yer end of the deal. Get up and start talkin'.” He frowned, shrugged, looked around until he found his hat and put that on, then sat down at the head of the bed.

“Oh-kay. What do ya want to know babe?” Ah suppose that his return to form meant that he was just about done mopin', or was tryin' ta hide it at least.

“If ya refer ta me, then you'll say Marevelous, Red, or a combination of those in that order, got it?” Ah leaned in ta make sure he was eye ta eye with me, and he backed off.

“Yes ma'am!” He said all excited like. Ah didn't like it, but Ah figure that's just part of his twisted personality.

“Whatever. First, Ah wanna know what ya looted that gave ya yer second power.”

“That's fair. Do you want the long version, or the short version?” Well, clearly he doesn't feel threatened in any way. Ah can't believe he's bein' so casual. Ah grabbed the chair in the room, sat down, and crossed all my legs.

“The more detail the better. Oh, and try and keep it without all yer creeper talk.” Goose rolled his eyes.

“I'll see what I can do. Well, it all started with the boneheads...”

“Ya see, the boneheads were originally a club I started in high school like five years ago, and a few years after that, my old man kicked the bucket, so I ended up taking over his mafia. Fights between groups broke out, things weren't going well, my new guys and my dad's guys didn't get along, so I just disbanded his gang and tried to take over the business with my boys.

I have just about the same powers as dad does, save for the whole 'shark skin' thing he had going on, so I'm strong enough to fight with the best of them. Things started going my way, the ponies respected me for me and not my old man, and then the boneheads were in business. So, the gang is runnin' good, and things are going smooth until the fuzz caught our schedule and started sending heroes after us.

Now, you know that I won't hit a lady, and I don't let my boys do it either, so when one of you super chicks came after us, I realized I needed somepony who could deal with that. A sexy dream turned into an idea, and I decided to follow through on it. While we were in Galvastallion doing a job, I met Petal Dance in the bad part of the island. She was the boss of her own gang, and she threatened me like I was some regular Joe on the streets. After beating the loving shit out of her boys, we hooked up and I brought her back home with me.

I met Aurora next while I was on a relations trip to Crystal up north. Heh, she tried to mug me too but somehow that ended with us in the sack as well. A few things happen in crystal, a certain mob boss dies, I'm run out of the city with Aurora in toe, and somehow we end up all the way in Cloven Cave tryin' to get a hold of the guys back here.

Some more... stuff happens and somehow, Aurora and I end up in the red light district of Cloven and that's where we met Heat Wave. Now let me tell you, fire and ice have this weird way they interact during-” Ah stopped him before he added more details ta that sentence.

“Why don't we skip how ya got yer harem and move on ta somethin' more relevant, huh?” He blinked and scratched at his fuzzy chin. Even his facial hair grows white with black tips.

“Oh. Okay. Well... after the plane crash, Noise, Pulse, and I made it back to Manehattan with the documents we were paid to steal for some info broker.”

Ah can only imagine how he got ta this point.

“Pulse was curious about what and why we stole a briefcase full of paper, so she started shuffling through it when she found the page that had the Argent port schedule on it. If nothing else, it was a cool find, so before we handed it off to our client, we made a copy of everything in it. When I sat down and looked at it all, it had designs for suits and shields, some thing about crushing crystals up into powder, and some weird hoof written letter about reflections. The letter was more or less some kind of obscure poetry so we ignored it.

There were a couple of boats that were highlighted on the schedule, and I knew that Argent Inc. typically deals with precious metals and stuff. Noise suggested that we try and rob one of the ships and sell it's cargo ourselves. I didn't think that was a bad idea since the only thing that would happen is attract more heroes and police, and I could handle all the guys and my girls could take care of everything else.

The first one highlighted was labeled Hydrargyrum. None of us knew what that meant, so after a Hoofle search, we figured out that that was the proper name for elemental mercury. I don't know if you know it, but the use of mercury was banned in Equestria almost thirty years ago at about the same time the virus broke out. We didn't really think about that at the time, but since mercury is basically contraband now, I knew it would sell at a high price.

With our first target in mind, my crew and I got set up to hijack the ship just a little before the 19th a couple of weeks ago. When we boarded, that ship was guarded to the teeth. Everypony was carryin' assault rifles and shit, way more heavily armed than we were prepared for. With the threat of my guys getting shot, I decided to go it alone with a couple cameras on me in the event I needed to take an emergency exit via Dark Pulse. If you didn't figure it out, she can make portals on things she can see, which was pretty useful at the time.

Eventually, I cleared the deck without setting off any alarms and at that point I figured it was okay to take a few of my guys, Pulse, and Aurora with me. With the ship's crew taken out, we took over the ship and made port in my harbor. I happen to legally own that dock you two met us on, so nopony messes with me and my guys while we're doing business there. Or, that's what I thought anyways. Almost as soon as we docked the ship, we were getting shot at by more goons of the same variety as the ones on the ship. I figure these guys were the ones who were supposed to unload the ship we were on and got suspicious when it docked in the wrong port.

A gunfight later, and somehow, we managed to get them first. With that much resistance, we figured whatever was on this ship was way more important than just mercury. After a few hours of unloading and checking though all their inventory documents, we found a storage container labeled 'Hydrargyrum' again hidden way far in the back underneath several others. I thought it was weird this one was so... specifically hidden as opposed to the others, so I had Pulse set up portals inside it and on the harbor. Once inside, I realized that the doors to the container had a damn bomb connected to the handle. Whatever was in here was not meant to be found by anypony not in the know, so after disarming that, we opened some of the cargo. As it said, many of the crates had vials of mercury in them, and if that exploded, the entire harbor would have been quarantined for a month.

I don't know what whoever was thinking when they put a bomb on the door, but I thought, whatever, maybe they were just dumb. That was until I found the last crate. It was light. So light that even my boys could lift it alone. I could barely lift one of those mercury crates by myself, so that was beyond weird already, but then we opened it. We were cautious to make sure it wouldn't explode either, but this crate was filled with shock absorbing foam and cloths.” He started takin' off his shirt, and Ah was about ta stop him when Ah saw the reflection on his chest. Like it was apart of his skin, there, in his chest, was a mirror. Just like the one that he destroyed on Synchro Noise, just like the one that my father's killer wore. But... it was almost... fuzzy? Like his coat had grown over it, but it still had that reflective property like it was a single surface. It still reflected about the whole room somehow, but it was... made of coat fur?

“Inside, we found three of these and a sheet of instructions. It said something along the lines of this: 'Place Hydrargyrum 2.0 on the subjects chest in a contained area. Record results.' The actual text on the page was a lot longer and had more sciencey stuff on it, but I don't remember half of it, and there were words a lot of us didn't know and even fewer could pronounce. I'm not sure that even whoever made these things knew what would happen if they were... turned on I guess, so there weren't really any 'warnings' of any kind but the contained area thing. Being the dumb ass I am, I put one on. To this day, I don't think I've ever experienced such an intense pain in my life. It was like all the blood in my body was being sucked out and shot back into my veins. My head felt like it was about to explode and my legs gave out underneath me. I thought I was gonna die, but just as the pain reached its worst, everything stopped.

It was like the mirror had integrated itself with my body, forcing new blood vessels to spawn within it and circulate directly to my heart. I could feel this thing was apart of my body, but it was still like it was some kind of foreign object at the same time. My head was still pounding from the initial change and something was... very different, aside from the weird flesh-metal feeling in my chest now. My crew were all trying to help me get back to my hooves, and all of them trying to touch me only made my head hurt worse. Eventually it got to the point where I wanted them all to go away, and when I opened my eyes, I was on the pier.

This feeling was a lot like when I first got my initial powers. After dad got out of jail the first time and went back to doing business while I was like, in my preteens, he got caught up in a turf war with another gang and that ended up with myself being kidnapped as collateral. Things didn't go well, a fight broke out, and I was thrown into the harbor with a cinder block tied to my legs. My dad looked like, and I'm pretty sure he was, some kind of pony-shark hybrid as a result of the virus. What we didn't know then was that, like him, I have about the same thing going on, but I look relatively normal on the outside. I have gills at the base of my neck, and I'm about ten times as strong as a normal pony. I doubt I'm as durable as you are, all things considered, but when I was freakin' out under water thinking I was about to drown, suddenly I could breathe.

In that moment of high stress, my shark blood, as dad called it, woke up and changed me into what I am now. And after the mirror thing happened, I could teleport to wherever I'm thinking about at the time. With that in mind and some more testing, we figured out that that mirror gave me another power. There were still two more, so I asked one of my boys to try and test another one out. And that... is when things went wrong. Have you ever heard of the Beast?” Yeah, she's about three meters from where Ah was sleepin'.

“Ah've heard about her. What of it?” Goose tilted his head.

“Weird, I didn't think anypony knew the Beast's gender. I know I didn't. Well, whatever, you know that it's this raging wolf monster that can essentially tear a pony in half without so much as breaking a sweat. His name was Quiet Step. He was one of those young high school dropouts that the world didn't treat right, and he always hated how weak he was. He jumped at the chance to be a Power Pony if that's what the mirror would do to him, so without thinking too hard about it, I let him have it. The powers he got... they weren't quite as nice as mine were. In the same way...” He shook his head. Goose took a deep breath and swallowed.

“In the same way that Synchro did, his body started mutating... after all the screaming and spraying of blood, Quiet was turned into what could only be described as a bird-monster pony hybrid. Whatever mind he had was gone and he started attacking everything around him. Thankfully, he wasn't a unicorn, so there weren't any death lasers, but he still managed to rip apart a few of my boys, some of his own friends... It's not like I haven't seen my own guys get shot and killed before or anything, but... just watching them die so horribly like that... Anyways, with everypony working together, we managed to bring Quiet down and restrain him. I found the mirror was still apart of his skin under his new feathers and figured breaking it might just put him back to normal. He was just fifteen, ya know? He still had a chance at life...” Goose sniffed hard and took another breath.

“I shattered the mirror, and like I thought, he did start to revert to normal. But just like how I felt that there was blood pumping through my mirror, so was his. Before we even had the chance to do anything about it, Quiet bled out in a couple of seconds. These things connect directly to the heart as far as we can tell, and breaking it is like cutting off a lung. I tried to hide the remaining mirror after that and told everypony to keep the hell away from that thing. Pulse was supposed to be the only one who knew where the last mirror was in the event we needed to take it and split, but... I guess that wasn't the case.

While you were dealing with Synchro, the other girls all told me that if it ever came down to it, they would take up the mirror in an effort to try and protect me. Pulse told all of them about the last mirror and they came up with their little plan, those idiots... I knew we weren't going to last after we got a hold of that thing, we found something way more dangerous than just mercury and made an enemy of whoever created it. If I had to guess, the mercury is probably part of making these, and that's why there was so much of, but I couldn't think of why they would be shipped to Manehattan port if Argent Industries is all the way over in Tin on the opposite side of the province?

I don't think that the Northern lakes are faster to travel through than just taking the forest roads, so I can only believe that these were shipped the way they are because something he needs is here. So, since then, I've been working the harbor and having my boys try and find any information they can about Argent's business here. I have a pretty big network, but even with all my connections the only thing we turned up was a foundry just outside the city limits, and that was like after a week and a half of searching. But when we went to check the place out, somepony had already been there and destroyed it. The whole place was just an empty square of concrete.” Empty!? Ah was there two days ago!

“What do ya mean empty? Buildin's don't just disappear overnight, when did you finally find this place?" Goose frowned.

“I mean, there was nothing there. We scouted the place last Wednesday, but when we went to check it out yesterday, it was just gone. There weren't any signs left or anything. It was like there was never a building there. Did you know about it?” Ah debated on what all Ah should tell him, but the more he talks, the more Ah think he might actually not be as bad as Ah thought.

“Well, ta tell the truth, Ah was there Tuesday doin' the exact same thing y'all tried ta do. Ah probably shouldn't say too much, but all the same, they were doin' some shady shit in that foundry. It's probably fer the best that ya didn't make it before we did though. Ah don't think yer girls would be any better off if ya ran inta the Crow.” Goose reared back.

“He hired the Crow!? Holy hell... look, I don't know what's going on, but you should know that the next highlighted ship comes in next Thursday, the fifth, at eight PM. That one was labeled 'Stannum,' which is the elemental name for tin. If this one is anything like the first one, there will be more mirrors on it.” Ah started ta chew on my lip.

More of these damn mirrors... Ah wonder if that means the bastard who killed my dad is still out there with one of these thin's in his chest...? Ah shook that idea out of my head. Now isn't the time fer that. Ah can't keep this a secret, regardless of what the princess wants, we're gonna have ta deal with this one way or another. Ah need ta talk ta the others and get all this figured out... but first, Ah have more questions fer him.

“Okay, thanks, Ah'll keep that in mind. But before Ah go, Ah've still got some things ta ask ya. First off, what's the deal with your mirror? It don't look so much like it's in yer skin as it is a part of yer skin.” Goose looked down at his chest and started rubbin' it.

“Really, I don't know. It's so much a part of my body now that it's even started to grow hair. Weird mirror hair, but hair all the same. It doesn't feel cold or metallic anymore like it did two weeks ago, and now it acts like skin when I touch it, see?” He started pullin' on the spot and it stretched and receded just like the rest of his yellow-green coat around it. He pulled and squeezed the area, and it just acted like normal skin.

“Wow, that is weird... was it always as big as it is?” Goose shook his head.

“Nah. I think it's getting smaller. I figure after a while, it'll just merge with my body to the point that you can't tell it was ever there. That also kind of worries me though... If he's been doing this for a while now, you wouldn't be able to tell just how many successful attempts he's made. Maybe I'm one in a million with these things, but then again, maybe I'm just one in three... the only limiting factor here is how hard these things are to make...” His concerns were about the same as mine. Not knowin' anythin' about these mirrors other than that they have somethin' ta do the virus only makes me anxious.

“Somepony else came ta talk ta ya earlier... what did she say?” He took away his eyes from his mirrored coat, then looked back ta me.

“Just that I was going to be confined here for an indefinite amount of time, but she sounded exhausted though. I told her I wasn't gonna go anywhere any time soon. Word has probably already spread about the thing in the harbor, and I told them if I ever got caught just to disband. If Pulse kept her word and is doing what I asked her to, the boneheads should be no more by the morning, and those without a place to go should be moved to Crystal. I know I was a gang leader, but if more of these mirrors show up, I don't want any of them getting caught up in the inevitable hero-monster war that happens next. A lot of 'em really are just kids still... It took what adds up to about nine power ponies to bring Quiet down, and nopony in any number has ever caught the Beast. If something as strong and violent as that shows up, I don't know what you guys are gonna do.” Goose sighed and let his eyes drift off inta the distance. Ah shook my head.

“Ah know what ya mean. But luckily fer you, Ah've taken the Beast down once already, and if thin's go the way Ah'm hopin', we'll stop the mirrors before they get inta the city. But that brings me ta my next question... this is a little more out of curiosity than anythin' else, but, who was yer dad? Ya mentioned him a lot, and while ya were sleepin' ya said somethin' about Red Hoof...” Ah trailed off. Goose leaned back and put his hoof ta his chin.

“Hmm... If I had to guess based on how you felt earlier, I'd say you're about twenty, twenty one maybe, right?” Rememberin' just where he grabbed me earlier just about made me want ta punch his gropin' ass through the wall, but Ah kept my impulses at bay.

“Well, you're not wrong,” Ah said through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, I'm not usually wrong when it comes to the ladies after all. Anyways, his name was Carcharias Carcharodon, but he went by Shark Tooth on the streets. Coincidentally, my real name is Lamnidae Carcharodon, but you can see how that would be hard to pronounce for a foal. And spell. Elementary school was rough. But anyways, he was only really a big part of the gang scene eighteen years ago, so you only woulda been like, two at the time. I know I was only five. He had an empire over the eastern side of Manehattan for a couple years, but after two years of that, some random guy showed up and captured him. Took out like half his gang too, it was crazy.

I would later find out that this random guy ended up becoming Red Hoof shortly after that when I visited dad in jail before he busted himself out. Funny thing is, he got put in jail again by some other hero like a year or so after the whole thing with me happened. He always blamed Red Hoof for starting that 'hero craze' as he called it, but eventually he just gave up the whole crime syndicate thing after he got out the second time while I was a teenager. But it all ended catchin' back up with him and he was shot dead just as I got outta high school. Turns out he was playing puppet master for another gang and somepony found out. These days I own the Carcha shops, but I've tried to keep them clean for the most part. Didn't want to end up like dad and have my name traced through 'em.”

He didn't really sound sad talkin' about his dad, more like he was just kinda apathetic. Ah suppose that means they weren't all that close then. Carcha huh? If Ah remember correctly Carcha is a high end clothing store that has shops in a good number of spots around the country. Ah've never been in one, but we used ta live near one that's in northern Manehattan. Ah think Ah passed it on the way ta school every day. Heh. If what he's sayin' is true, then that's probably where dad got that big sack of money that we played with when Ah was little... Ah started laughin' ta myself and Goose Tilted his head.

“Find something funny?” he asked, a little offended. Ah shook my head.

“Naw. Do ya remember that random guy's name?” He shook his head.

“Never found it out. Red Hoof was really good about hiding his identity. I don't know that anypony ever did.” Goose leaned back against the crystalline bed frame, as if he was still lookin' for dad's elusive name.

“Well good. 'Cause that 'random guy' just so happens ta be my father.” Goose reared his head back and hit it against the bed frame.

“Ow... Really? You're Red Hoof's daughter?” Ah nodded.

“If he hadn't caught your dad back then, he probably never woulda became a super hero in the first place. The money he made off that bounty bought our house, and really, that's what ended up startin' the whole 'hero craze.' In an ironic way, yer dad helped start the hero craze.” Goose blinked and crossed his hooves.

“Huh. Now that I think about it, it was shortly after that that Red Hoof started showing up, wasn't it? Wow. Talk about purveyor of his own demise right?” Ah nodded.

“Ah guess things happen like that don't they?” Ah yawned. Geez, maybe it is only two. “Well, Ah figure that's enough fer now. You just hang out or go back ta sleep. Ah still don't know what we're doin' with ya, but Ah imagine my boss will want ta study ya.” Ah got out of the chair and stretched myself a bit. Goose frowned.

“Eww, really? What does that mean?” Ah shrugged.

“Look at yer chest, see what made the second power happen. Who knows what else. In any case, don't plan on leavin' soon. And don't think yer outta hot water yet either. Ya beat up two heroes and put a good number of officers in the hospital.” Goose rolled his eyes.

“Eh, they deserved it, but whatever. Honestly, you couldn't keep me locked up unless I let ya if it really came down to it, but I like you so I think I'll stay here. Besides. There's nothing but grief waiting for me outside this castle.” Huh. He can teleport after all. Ah don't really know the range either, so maybe he could just leave if he wanted to.

“Uh huh. Well... try ta sleep better this time. Ya talk in yer sleep too much.” Ah said as Ah headed ta the door.

“Yes ma'am!” he sang. Ah rolled my eyes and shut the door behind me. He's a creep and a little dumb, but at the moment, Ah really can't call him a bad guy... Ah wonder if Twilight is still up... Ah made my way back ta the library in the dark and sure enough, the lights inside were still on. Ah opened the door ta find the sleepin' figure of the violet alicorn in a chair next ta a pile of books. Ah walked a little inta the room and when she didn't react, Ah called her name.

“Twilight?” The alicorn jerked awake.

“Gah!” She looked around until she spotted me. “Oh, it's just you...” She shook her head and rubbed the sleep outta her eyes. She really did look exhausted, the big bags under her eyes, both of em' bloodshot.

“Y'all okay?” She took a deep breath and rubbed at her eyes some more.

“I suppose. I've just had a lot on my mind.” She looked at me again and tilted her head. “Why are you in costume?”

“Well, ta be honest, Ah over heard ya talkin' with yer aunt.” Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open.

“You didn't...”

“Ah did.” She got out of her chair, flew over ta me, and grabbed my shoulders.

“Why!? Why would you do that?”

“Because, fuck 'er. That aside, we're in more serious shit than she knows. Do ya know what time it is right now?” She just about sank ta the ground.

“Holy hell Applejack... I know she's horrible sometimes, but come on... you can't just go against her because you don't like her!” Twilight practically moaned her words and Ah couldn't help but roll my eyes.

“Too bad, it's already done. Ah know all about the mirrors now, and probably some stuff that she doesn't know. Now tell me what time it is. Cause if everypony's gotten enough sleep, we need ta have a talk.” Twilight was still on the floor beatin' her horn against her hooves when it lit up and floated her phone off the table over ta me. Ah took it out of her field and clicked it on.

“3:30 AM? Damn, that means Ah've only been asleep fer like, two hours. Look Twi, Ah don't know what y'all were doin', but ya won't do us any good tomorrow if yer tired. Why don't ya go on ta bed and get some rest?” She nodded quietly and got up off the floor.

“Okay...” she said through a yawn. “But why do I need to be well rested tomorrow?”

“Because. There are some thin's we need ta start preparin' fer, and you're gonna join in.” She lowered her eyebrows.

“What?”

“Oh, don't you worry about it. You'll find out soon enough.” Ah could feel a smile buildin' itself on my face. Tomorrow is gonna be a fun day.

“I don't like the sound of that...” Ah wrapped a hoof around her neck and smiled as we exited the library.

“Perfect.”

Harmony Days V: Training Day

“Is everypony awake?” Ah asked my sleepy comrades. Around the living room table gathered all five of us, some more awake than others. Ah was excited fer what was about ta happen, but Pinkie was barely awake, Fluttershy was practically a zombie, Rarity was deep in a cup of coffee, and surprisin'ly, Twilight was just about as awake as Ah was, but she just looked worried.

“No...” Ah heard Fluttershy moan.

“Perfect! So here's the deal. There's a ship comin' in on Thursday and chances are high that we'll end up havin' a monster like the one from last night runnin' loose around town if we don't do anythin' about it.” That got everypony's attention. Pinkie and Fluttershy rubbed at their eyes, Rarity almost spit out her coffee, and Twilight just turned ta me wide eyed.

“What!?” Collectively came from everypony.

“Y'all heard me. More out of spite than anythin', Ah went and talked ta Goose last night after everypony had just about gone ta bed. Based on what he said, he'd already dealt with a monster like the one we fought yesterday due ta these mirrors. Twilight, if ya would.” She shook her head and magic'd up a picture of the original 'Mirror.' Ah kept myself from grindin' my teeth too hard. Even the image of that monster brought rage in my heart. A stallion dressed in black with white stripes that all converged at the center of his chest, where a mirror about the shape of a hoofball and the size of a smartphone sat. It reflected more than it looked possible ta, and as far as we know, it was the source of his power, the power ta steal the powers of others and kill them with their own abilities, my father included.

“Who is that?” Pinkie asked.

“This was the stallion who really earned the title super villain, whom went by the name, 'The Mirror.' He terrorized this city for a week and killed supposedly around sixty heroes... including Red Hoof. We believe that he either went into hiding afterward, or died in the fight with Red Hoof that destroyed the trade center twelve years ago. Nopony knows where he came from, or even why he killed so many. His kill count is higher than any other villain to date, but what's important here is the mirror on his suit.” Twilight zoomed in on his chest ta focus on the actual mirror.

“Oh. That looks just like the one...” Pinkie started and trailed off before her ears flattened against her head.

“Right. Ah don't know if this is the same kind as the ones we're dealin' with now, or maybe it was the first one ta surface, but as it stands, there's at least one of these out in the wild and we don't want any more. After talkin' ta Goose about it, these thin's can affect a pony one or two ways. One, they'll give the pony a power, effectively turnin' them inta a power pony, or addin' a second power ta 'em. Or two, cause the virus ta go outta control and turn em inta a monster in the same way that Fluttershy transforms. The mirror, when makin' contact with the body, integrates itself inta the skin of the user and creates blood vessels within itself that connect directly ta the heart.

Over time, it starts ta merge with the user even further. The one Goose used has become apart of his skin and grew hair over it. At the moment, he looks like he has some kind of mirror like coat on his chest. The mare that we fought had her mirror broken after the fight while it was still like this, and she bled out almost immediately afterward. However, this caused her transformation ta revert.” As Ah spoke, Twilight followed up with images of what Ah was talkin' about, usin' memories she extracted from me earlier. Her depiction of the mirror on Synchro Noise crackin' was more graphic than Ah remembered it, but it was probably good that Ah could see it again. It was like poppin’ a mosquito that’d just finished up fillin’ its carryin’ capacity.

“In the event you do come across this, there is a chance to save the user, but only if you can stop the bleeding in about the same second that the mirror is destroyed. We have the capability of that, but this also means we need to have the medical equipment on standby and somepony who can perform the first aid other than myself.” Pinkie raised a hoof and Twilight awkwardly nodded at her.

“Okay, but I've got a few questions.”

“M-me too,” Fluttershy said through a yawn.

“Well, before any of that, do you expect me to be able to fight as well? I still haven't been treated. I'm not normally that great as an attacker to begin with, but I'm only so mobile while I'm down a leg,” Rarity said. Twilight nodded.

“I spoke with mother this morning about all of this, and she has offered to treat you personally when she gets the chance on Tuesday. Can you be here around eight PM?”

“Oh, of course! If Celestia herself is taking time out of her day for me, then I simply couldn't refuse.” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Right. None of you grew up with her so you all still see her as some political figure.”

“So, first question, Why, just... why did you talk to him? Alone? Ugh, that means you watched him take his shirt off too. Why?” Pinkie complained. Ah dead eyed her.

“It's not like Ah'm gonna screw him, and like Ah said, spite. He gave me valuable information, and that is somethin' that we're in desperate need of. It's about time we were the ones ta set up a trap fer once and that's exactly what my goal is. Besides. He's not that bad.” Pinkie dropped her head on the table.

“Eww, was that a hint of affection? Whatever. How do you know he was telling the truth? Why should we listen to him anyways?” Ah glared at her, but Twilight took this one.

“By cross referencing of course.” She pulled a schedule for the Manehattan Harbor out of thin air in her magic, then outlined a few names in red. “This is a list of all the ships that have come in for the past two weeks. The ship at the top of the list is the one Goose is said to have first taken over, and as you can see, it was reported that it never made it to port. All the other ships the Boneheads robbed were Argent owned, but these were reported to have docked in the right place before then. If the ship wasn't carrying contraband like Applejack says it was, then it would have been reported stolen like the others were.” Rarity tilted her head.

“It was carrying contraband?” Ah nodded.

“Yes ma'am. Specifically, liquid Mercury”

“Wasn't that outlawed almost thirty years ago? What would Argent want with that?”

“Indeed. That's something we still don't know. I asked Mother about that this morning, but she said she couldn't take the time to explain it right then. She did say that it was outlawed because it does something to the virus though, so we believe that it's an ingredient in making these mirrors. Based on what Applejack said, there was a lot of mercury in that ship. If what Aunt Luna said is right, we're a little more than screwed if Argent starts mass producing these.”

“Okay... S-so, the mirrors are bad, and I get that we'll p-probably have to deal with somepony in a transformed state... m-more or less like mine... b-but, how do we plan to do that? W-what if I lose it during one of those fights? I-I don't think Applejack could handle d-dealing with me and another monster at the s-same time... d-don't we need more help than we have? A-are we good enough to even a-accomplish any of this?” Fluttershyhad slowly moved her hooves ta her ears until she was just about coverin' her head, progressively gettin' more worried about what would happen next in her chain of unfortunate events.

“That's more or less why Ah gathered everypony today. Look, Ah'm just gonna rip off the band aid here, y'all suck.” A collective look of shame started ta grow on everypony, most of them turnin' their eyes ta the floor. “But, that doesn't mean we can't get better. Ah can't fathom how ya managed ta get as far as ya did just relyin' on Rarity as Diamond, but ya managed some how, and that is impressive on it's own. As it stands, y'all couldn't handle somepony like the Crow without me and thin's aren't about ta get easier. Honestly, if it weren't fer the cable braces the princess gave me, Ah'm not sure Ah coulda even stopped Synchro myself. We need ta get better in a hurry, and we can't have ourselves gettin' hurt again like this with as little as we are.

So, today we're gonna train. Twilight spent the last few hours shiftin' rooms in the castle around until we had a big enough spot ta call a trainin' room. Come on in!” Ah called ta the hallway. Much ta Pinkie's dismay, and the surprise of Fluttershy and Rarity, in walked Goose Fang. “You two don't know him, but this is Goose and he's gonna be our trainin' villain fer now on.”

“Hello Ladies♥ The name's Goose Fang, and I am positively throbbing to be here.” Goose said in time with a collective eye roll. Then Pinkie's eyes widened.

“We're not wearing costumes! Why would you...? Oh for fuck's sake, you didn't!” She yelled at me, even though the pony in control of that was Twilight.

“She did. I wouldn't call myself one of you, but I'm bound by the rules now too♥” he said presenting his branded tongue. Pinkie let her face sink into the table.

“Oh, my goddess, what is my life even coming to?”

“I might not know the details, but is it really a good idea to just 'let him in' like this?” Rarity asked.

“Well, to explain it to you myself...” Goose began. He blinked from his spot then next to Rarity in an instant. “I can go anywhere I want at any point I feel like it, magic be damned. So as a compromise to keep the night princess from mutilating my corpse for science, I'll be staying here as my prison sentence.” Twilight tilted her head away and nodded.

“Without a curse of some kind, there isn't really any way we could have contained him, and he knows too much, on top of being one of Argent's targets. I can give you the full details later, but after speaking with Mother, we both thought this was the best way to deal with him. Well, while keeping his life in tact. Luna had some nasty things to say about that, but Mother overruled her. However, he should remember that he is a prisoner in my castle, and he should not be using his powers whenever he pleases.” Twilight glared at Goose. The stallion took a few steps back and raised a hoof in submission.

“Woah there, take it easy princess. I was just giving a demonstration of what I could do.” Ah rolled my eyes.

“Whatever, ya damn creep. Tone it down a notch or Ah'll make sure ya feel a different kinda throbbin'.” Ah glared at him, then turned my attention back ta the table. “Anyways, let's head down ta the trainin' room. We've got a lot ta cover and only five days before the next ship arrives.” With a reluctant moan from Pinkie and shrugs from the other two, the six of us made our way down ta the trainin' room underneath the livin' room. It was about half the size of the library, but still big enough that it would take at least thirty seconds fer me ta run across at full speed. A hoofball field was about the right size ta match it.

At this part of the castle, even in the daylight, the crystal walls were almost as dark as they were at night holdin' that dark indigo, almost violet color. There were eight half sphere lights at several points on the ceilin' that lit up the entire room like the sun, and otherwise, it was just a big empty box of crystal. When we all finished pilin' in, Twilight stepped forward and her whole body started ta light up with her violet magic aura. The empty room started ta vibrate as shapes began ta erupt from the ground. Larges boxes the size of storage containers and a depression all around the edge of a predetermined space formed in blue crystal. When she was finished, the empty box looked more like a replica of the harbor.

“Now that the stage is set, this is the plan. Goose is gonna play antagonist, and you're gonna try and stop him.” Ah had Goose take his spot at the other end of the room, then Ah noticed Twilight began ta walk toward the staircase, but Ah stopped her.

“Where do ya think you're goin'?” Ah could see her brow furrow as she turned ta me.

“What? Back up to the library, why?” Ah shook my head.

“No ya don't. You're gonna play number four today. Ya said ya haven't practiced attack magic and the like in a while right?” Twilight reared back.

“Huh? Well, no I haven't, but why would you even want me to do this?”

“You're our last line of defense. Look, if somethin' happens, we're not replaceable. Callin' one of us back ain't enough anymore, the time might come when you have ta fight ta keep one of us alive. If Pinkie and Ah had somepony else with us yesterday, thin's might not have gone as bad as they did, but y'all were the only one healthy enough ta help.” Twilight looked away.

“But... I'm not a hero...” Ah shook my head.

“Maybe not, but ya are a Power Pony, and ya coulda saved a whole bunch of ponies just by bein’ there ta negate her magic. Yer power has an application, and if ya train yerself, ya might find that yer not so incapable of usin' it.” Twilight sighed.

“Well... maybe. It can't hurt to try, can it?” She perked up a little and Ah nodded.

“Attagirl. Now then. Since Goose is a pussy bitch and won't fight a mare,”

“Hey, what the hell!?” complained Goose at the back of the room.

“Ah'll be the one actually tryin’ ta hit ya. Yer job is ta defend yourselves and try and take him down. Any time he gets shot or tackled we'll call a win fer ya. Don't worry, Ah'm not tryin' ta hurt ya, so Ah'll only be playin' at a quarter strength. Ah will however, take y'all out systematically if ya don't get ta Goose quick enough though.” Ah could feel a smile creep up on my face. Ah'm not a bad liar, but Ah might just be a little too excited ta hide the ball right now. The four of them started ta form a similar look on their faces as they looked at each other.

“I-I don't like what that implies...” Fluttershy said. Ah smiled even bigger.

“Perfect. Take yer places and elect a commander. Y'all can have yer weapons, and those of ya that don't normally use any can decide on if ya want one or not now. Y'all have ten minutes ta form a strategy before Ah make a move.” Ah trotted off all merrily and the other girls very quickly started talkin' ta each other. “It's not smart ta let yer enemy hear ya makin' plans♥” Ah'm gonna teach them a lesson, even if Ah have ta beat it in their little heads. Ah made my way over ta Goose and whistled while Ah counted down minutes.

“Hey man, what was that all about?” he asked angrily.

“What was what?” Ah sang.

“You know exactly what I'm talking about. Come on, you don't have to call me names just because I have chivalry.” Ah rolled my eyes.

“Y'all can have whatever ya want, but in my eyes, the fact that ya won't fight a mare doesn't make ya anythin' but a bigot.” Eight minutes.

“What? That's just crazy. I won't hit mare because I was raised not to. Stallions are supposed to protect mares. Stallions and mares were only meant to have sensual contact.” He used a weird kind of plain tone as opposed to his normal emphasis on any word relatin' ta sex.

“And Ah think that's wrong in certain cases. Black and white don't exist in this world, it's all just shades of gray with some thin's brighter than others. Wrong can be done fer the right reasons and right can be done fer the wrong reasons. You havin' some superiority complex has nothin' ta do with whether or not somethin' is good or bad.” Ah shot back. Five minutes.

“Oh yeah? And why would it be okay, huh? Unless she's trying to kill me, I don't see a reason to, and even then, I'm strong enough on my own to deal with any one mare.” This made my little smile that Ah had goin' on get a little sharper. Ah came up beside him and eyed him.

“Is that so? Why don't y'all go join them and just find out if yer 'strong enough' ta deal with any mare♥” Ah whispered. Two minutes. Goose took a rather quick step away.

“Ha ha, fuck that. And you call me a creep.” Ah raised my snout.

“Oh ho ho, don't think you're gettin' off that easy. Because Ah want ta train myself, we are gonna have our own match.” One minute.

“What!? Why!?”

“One, ta take out my frustrations. You're the only one who can take my punches at full power, and Ah've been meanin' ta test some thin's out. Two, Twilight is our last line of defense. Now that you're stuck with us, Ah'm gonna put ya ta use if Ah need ta. Now get yerself ready. Here they come.” Goose blinked ta above one of the crystal storage containers, and Ah got ready ta start takin' out some of my new friends. As predicted, Pinkie charged forward first in an attempt ta do what she couldn't last time; punch Goose in the dick. Ah'd just about got a measure on her speed and Ah close lined her as she approached. She gagged at the sudden force on her neck and coughed a few times.

“Predictable. Use yer speed ta the fullest and make it so yer opponent doesn't know what yer aim is.” Ah picked her up by the scruff of her neck and threw her in line with the bullet that Fluttershy had aimed at Goose's head. Pinkie yelped when the rubber hit her in the side.

“Goose, get behind the container, they have a sniper fer goddess sake!” Ah jumped on the container as Goose blinked behind it, and took hold of Pinkie again.

“Oh please, not again!” Ah spun her around and tossed her inta Fluttershy. The bodies collided, then Ah blinked and everypony had repositioned themselves.

“That's better, now come at me! It's just one and a half against four!” Ah heard Goose make some kinda complaint, but mostly ignored it. Walls of violet magic came at me as Ah watched Rarity and Pinkie come from either side and Fluttershy took aim from above. Now they're startin ta get it... With a quick step back, Ah lunged forward and broke the solid wall of magic that looked ta make Twilight a little dizzy. My first instinct was ta go fer Rarity. The Crow wasn't wrong when we fought her, and havin' time against ya isn't exactly the most advantageous way ta go about it. Ah came in close and loosed a punch at her, but she blinked a few steps ta the right and Ah could hear the whistle of a bullet comin' right at my head.

Ah dropped ta the floor ta watch the thin' sail through my mane. Ah got back up quick and noticed that Rarity had retreated ta Twilight's big magic wall, and Pinkie and Fluttershy were linin' up in front of me. They'd made it ta about a third the way down from the end of the mock pier. This time Pinkie came at me again, but instead of actually tryin’ ta hit me, she just circled me about a billion times. Ah figured Fluttershy was about ta take a shot and Pinkie was just playin' distraction. With a quick step, Ah tripped Pinkie inta the wall, and then started ta charge forward. Twilight spawned more magic walls ta slow me down, but they broke with every time Ah bull rushed 'em down.

Finally close enough, Ah made a step ta look like Ah was goin' after Rarity and that was enough ta trick em inta usin' her power. Like Ah thought, they'd surrounded me and everypony was where Ah wanted them. Ah leapt off the ground backwards and watched as a bullet came sailin' right where Ah was less than a second ago. Ah landed behind Rarity and rotated my body ta lightly jab her in the stomach ta knock the wind out of her. Ah used my new meat shield ta stop another bullet and once again, tossed her at Fluttershy. Without time on their side, Twilight quickly caught Rarity with her magic, and Ah took the chance ta go after Fluttershy. Usin' Rarity held by Twilight's magic as a step, Ah hopped from the ground ta Fluttershy and lightly threw her at the crystal floor.

“Oww...” She landed with a thud and a clack as her rifle fell away. Ah kicked the gun off ta one of the depressions and then Ah looked at Twilight. Ah scraped once at the ground with my forehoof and smiled.

“Eep!” she yelped and started runnin' toward Goose, effectively droppin' Rarity. As she galloped, she started ta spawn walls of violet magic behind her, these much smaller but thicker than the last. They took more effort ta break, but didn't slow me down enough. When she saw me lunge after her once Ah was close enough, Ah felt as if she experienced fear again because her magic flared and she warped on top of a storage container. Ah twisted around and stomped the ground, just about crackin' it and leapt ta Twilight, who was breathin' heavy. She yelped again and spawned a shield around herself, but it didn't take too much effort ta break. With a hard kick ta the shield and a sweep ta the legs, Twilight was out fer the count.

Ah stood up and looked over the room. Goose was still sittin' where Ah told him ta, Pinkie was still in a ditch from when Ah tripped her, Rarity was layin' in the spot she landed in after she got shot, Fluttershy was on the floor with her wings splayed out, and Twilight was tryin' ta get back up.

“Okay, that's enough fer now.” Sighs of relief came from the four mares in various pitches of moans, but slowly, they all got back up ta their hooves. We all gathered back at the front of the Trainin' room and Ah went over what they did.

“Well, fer starters, y'all didn't really make a plan at the beginnin' did ya?” The girls looked from one ta another, then all nodded.

“Well, we did decide that Twilight should lead...” Pinkie began.

“But she wasn't quite sure what to do initially and targeted Goose,” Rarity continued.

“I thought If we could take him out quick enough, it would be over faster, but...” Twilight followed.

“That o-only really ended up getting P-Pinkie shot with a rubber... s-sorry about that...” Fluttershy finished. Pinkie shrugged.

“I can't really blame you. You would have hit the creep if I didn't get caught so easy.”

“Speaking of, you mares sure are happy to belittle me. Cut me some slack will ya?” Goose said. He was ignored though.

“So what was yer plan after ya regrouped?”

“After seeing how you fight, I figured I'd try and copy your tactics. You were quick to predict what we were doing and even faster to use us against each other. So I though using our numbers against you in combination with trying to confuse you with my magic and everypony else's powers would be enough to let Fluttershy take you down so we could go after Goose,” Twilight explained.

“But that wasn't enough apparently. How is it that you dodged everything we threw at you?” Rarity asked. Ah shrugged.

“Ah've been in one on several fights more than a few times. As much as y'all did well, this was more or less predictable fer me. First off, Fluttershy was never hidden. At all. There were places ya coulda hid her, or even Twilight coulda hid her behind a wall of her magic and that woulda obscured my line of sight. Pinkie shoulda been makin' attacks at me instead of just tryin’ ta distract. If she were actually hittin' me, then maybe Ah woulda paid attention. Now, were this somepony else, that woulda worked, but Ah know how she acts. Yer dealin' with me, so try and get in my head.

Ya can't underestimate yer opponent because that'll get ya killed, so always think they're as smart as y'all are or more so. If ya wouldn't fall fer it, then they probably won't either. Traps have ta be disguised better than that. Twilight coulda provided cover fire ta get me ta move the way ya wanted, and then Fluttershy coulda gone in fer the hit. Ah didn't dodge anyhin' she shot but by a hair's length or with a meat shield, which Ah'm sorry about by the way.” Rarity and Pinkie shrugged.

“We're the ones who got caught, that's not really your fault...” Pinkie said.

“Ta use her more effectively, let her close the gap between her target, or me in this case, durin' Rarity's frozen time while Pinkie or Twilight is attackin' me. That leaves one of ya open ta start dealin' with another target, or the one that'll be even harder ta hit. Even if Ah was outta the picture, Ah don't really think y'all coulda taken him down anyways. Right?” Ah turned ta Goose and he nodded.

“Yeah. I've had all my girls mad at me for some reason or other before and try to get me at the same time, and let me tell you, you do not make seven power ponies angry without having a plan of escape. I didn't have my teleportation power at the time, but even with seven of them, they never caught me. It always blows over in the end though.” Ah frowned.

“Ah figured as much. Anyways, y'all are slow and if yer opponent gets on ta yer tricks too quick, ya need ta adapt and change yer tactics in a flash. Ah won't always be able ta direct ya at a moment's notice. Take a half hour break and come back down here once that's over. Oh, and after ya leave, put a barrier on this room ta make sure ponies with yer brand can't leave it.” Twilight furrowed her brow.

“What are you going to do?” Ah smiled.

“Goose and Ah need ta talk.” Twilight took a step back. Fer a moment, she looked at me like Ah was some kinda predator.

“Um... okay then. G-girls, why don't we go make a plan upstairs? Good luck, Goose!” Twilight just about ran out of the trainin' room and everypony else followed just as quick. Goose however, was stopped by a violet force field at the door. He swallowed.

“Oh, mother of the goddess, please don't leave me in here alone with her!” He said as he seemed to blink in a few spots around the door.

“Sorry! Not my decision!” came from further off. Ah smiled.

“Ah suggest ya find the ability ta fight a mare real quick, because Ah'm tired of beatin up my friends at a quarter strength and Ah have some pent up anger ta let loose. Come 'ere!” Lettin' my muscles push with all the force Ah could managed, Goose looked on in fear as the crystal floor cracked under the sheer pressure of my hooves. Ah lunged only ta find him a few steps away, and then an idea began ta pop inta my head. He can't teleport very far without chargin’ it or somethin’, can he? Ah made quick motions ta turn on him and made sure ta watch his movements as he did.

Ah swept at him again, only ta watch him blink another few steps back, but closer this time. After three more attempts at him without losin' a second of pressure, his warps weren't all the way out of reach and Ah started grazin' his shirt. With that, Ah let off. He looked real tired.

“So why don't ya tell me the truth. How far can ya warp?” Ah asked. He took the moment ta catch his breath and take off his jacket. After he finally caught up, he sat down.

“I would never... lie to a lady... I can go... wherever I want. Goddess, you are relentless,” he said between breaths.

“So, lets say Ah believe that. What does it take fer ya ta jump from here ta say, Ah don't know, Canterlot? If ya had the ability ta, Ah figure you'd just jump from one side of the room ta the other with my every attack, but that's not the case, now is it?” His lip twitched.

“...No. With enough time, I can warp anywhere in the world, that's a fact. But, I can't do it too much or I start to run out of it I guess. Like, it's almost like a stamina bar in a game. If I let it charge for an hour, I can be anywhere in a second. I've warped from here to crystal with another pony before. But trying to dodge you with it is like reusing a fixed amount of stamina over and over, more so than my recharge rate can keep up with. But you figured that out on your own, didn't you?” He let the haughty tone slide out of his voice, soundin' almost normal. Almost.

“Ah did. Ah can't have ya broken after all. Now why don't ya defend yerself so Ah can take my mind off some stuff fer a while?” It was a framed like a question, but at this point it was a command.

“What? Why? Can't you just talk about it like a normal- oh shit!” Ah took a step and watched Goose's eyes go wide as my left forehoof came rocketin' in from below. He warped just before Ah made contact, and this time, he did go ta the other side of the room. Now he was up on a storage container and Ah started after him.

“Normal ponies talk about their problems!” Ah leapt with a hoof aimed fer his face and he blinked out, a little closer now, but still on my opposite side. Ah'd expected that, so Ah used the momentum Ah'd built with my left ta spin in mid air and launch from the spot where he was.

“Fighting away your problems isn't going to help!” Ah tried ta predict where he would go next, and he'd warped in front of a wall this time. Ah made a motion like Ah was gonna sweep his legs out, and like Ah thought, he warped behind me again. Usin' the wall as a spring, Ah kicked off and rocketed at him. Ah didn't give him the chance ta teleport this time, so with what little he could do, he blocked. Goose flew off toward the wall, but blinked just in front of it.

“Oww...” He shook the steam off his forelegs again and huffed.

“Maybe if ya fought back, Ah wouldn't have the chance ta hit ya that hard!” Ah ran after him again, and finally he looked like he was gonna fight back. He made the motion like he was gonna throw a punch, but just as he did, he blinked behind me again.

“Even if I fought back what's the point? If all you're doing is blowing off steam, why don't you get a punching bag or something?” Fer a single second, Ah had hoped that he was really gonna do it. Now Ah was just mad and disappointed. Ah twisted around again and hopped off a nearby storage container ta go after him.

“The point is, ya are my punchin' bag!” Ah didn't need it against the others, but now Ah was getting' tired of him. Ah flicked my right fore hoof back and shot my remainin' cable at the ground by his hooves, movin' faster than Ah had previously. Once again, Goose didn't have the time ta warp and went ta block his side. Angry enough not ta care, instead of goin' after his face, Ah swept his hooves out from under him and bucked him across the room.

“Son of a bitch!” He blinked out of motion and on top of a storage container, now clutchin' his side where Ah kicked him. “I don't see how that's fair. Isn't this like, police brutality?” Ah shot the container he was on and reeled in quick. Ah guess he'd learned from the first time and made the decision ta warp early.

“Ah'm not the police! Ah don't have rules ta follow!” Ah pulled the blade back and aimed it just in front of Goose. However, he moved forward and hit the blade up as it came close, reaimin’ it at ceilin’. Ah quickly canceled and retracted the blade again.

“I figure that's your thing now, but that makes it harder for me to dodge. Look, If I fight back will you tell me what's wrong?” Ah charged at him again.

“Maybe Ah will, but you'll have ta do somethin' first!” Goose sighed.

“Fine. Just remember, you asked for it!” Ah got close enough ta hit him, but mid swing, he blinked out. From behind me, my legs were kicked out and with enough force fer me ta feel it, Ah got bucked across the room. Ah reoriented myself ta see what had just happened when he was comin’ up on me. Ah shot the ground ta change my position and saw him blink again. When he didn't show up behind me, my memory triggered that this happened last night too. Sure enough, he was above me, both fore hooves about ta come down like a hammer.

Ah pulled the cable out and ducked just under the swipe, then Ah cartwheel kicked kicked him as he was comin' down. He went across the room ta the wall, but this time, reoriented himself and lunged at me. No time ta dodge, Ah prepared ta take the hit when he warped from in front ta beside me. The hard cross dug and twisted inta my ribs until my body gave inta it and Ah slammed inta the back wall. Well this feels familiar. Ah thought as Ah shook my head. It was a lot like gettin' hit by the Beast. Ah dug myself out of the crystal in time ta avoid Goose slam a hoof in place of where my head was a second ago. Well damn, maybe he is takin' this seriously.

Ah could feel a smile start ta build up as Ah let my muscles loose again usin' all the force Ah could build up. He wasn't so much tryin' ta block now as he was meetin' my attacks. We both kicked high and felt the wind from the forces meetin' shake our manes. A warp and a punch blocked, returned with a kick blocked and warped behind. A back flip ta dodge, jab and a right cross ta counter. A twist and a right cross met mine. Neither of us let go until a shot of pain made me pull my hoof back. Goose mirrored me, and when we looked at our hooves, they were cracked, almost shattered all the way up ta the quick.

“Well... shit.” The waves of pain throbbed up my foreleg and it hurt ta move it. Ah was actually breathin' heavy fer once. Not only could he warp, even if it was only short distances, but he could match me blow fer blow.

“Damn it, that stings! This is exactly... the kind of shit... I was trying to avoid.” He was breathin' just as heavy as Ah was, so Ah guess we're at similar levels. Another pony that can keep up with me. Maybe this pond is bigger than Ah thought... After a few seconds of shakin' his hoof, he sat down and took a deep breath. “Look, can we call this done? I don't want to break any more bones.” Ah let my own breath catch up with me and sat down myself.

“Ah guess. Maybe you're not as much of a bitch as Ah thought ya were. At the very least, ya can throw a punch.” The pain came in sharp waves over and over again, makin' me wince every now and again.

“I'll just write that one down as a compliment and leave it there. So? Come on, spill it. What's your deal?” Damn it. Ah frowned. You'd think he'd forget somethin' like that after all that adrenaline.

“Bah, Ah don't owe you anythin'.” He reared back.

“What!? That's not fair, come on, I broke my hoof for you!” Ah could feel my teeth startin' ta grind. Ah don't wanna talk about this. The whole point of today was ta get away from it.

“Ah... don't wanna talk about it.” Somewhere, buried deep away, somethin' cracked.

“You wouldn't have brought it up if you didn't.”

“You know what? Fine. Ah'm not over it. Ah can't get it out of my head.”

“Get what out of your head?”

“The corpses! The mutilated body, the destruction of the harbor, Ah can't stop thinkin' about it! Every time Ah close my eyes it's there, starin' at me with the one eye Ah didn't rip out in a blind rage. 'You did this ta me,' it repeats itself over and over again. Ah had a dream last night, and Ah know it wasn't mine because it didn't turn inta a nightmare. Ah woke up from another nightmare this mornin', all the ponies Ah'd watched die, all the ones Ah'd killed, they were all comin' after me... That's the kinda dream Ah have, and Ah don't ever forget 'em. Last night only made everythin' worse than it used ta be. Ah just can't stop thinkin' about her. She was just a kid damn it! Am Ah not supposed ta save ponies? Isn't this the kinda thing Ah'm here ta stop? It... It just doesn't ever get any easier ta deal with.” Goose was silent fer a while, and Ah didn't really expect much of a response from him anyway. Ah should know better. It isn't my fault that half of them died, but all the same, Ah can't stop thinkin' that it was.

“Hey.” Ah took my eyes off the floor ta find Goose scratchin' his head. “I don't like to tell the girls straight all the time, but you're a special case. You think it's your fault all those ponies died, right?” Ah tilted my head.

“Well, yeah. Were ya payin' attention?” He put a hoof up.

“Let me finish. And it's been like this for years right?” Ah eyed him.

“Yes.” He nodded.

“Then just own it. It might not actually be your fault, and if we're honest here that was my fault, but you moping about it doesn't help anypony. Just take it. You did, you didn't, it doesn't matter either way. It's in your head that you did, so just come to terms with it. So you killed Synchro. Synchro killed a bunch of kids, and if you didn't kill her, she would've kept killing, and I would have had to do it. So what's worth more? Knowing that you killed a teenager, or knowing that you stopped a rampaging monster?” Ah wasn't sure how ta respond. Ah just sat there and thought about it until he started talkin' again.

“And for that matter, who did you kill in the past? Ponies that were trying to kill you? Ponies trying to hurt your loved ones? Ponies destroying things in the city? You're Marevelous Red. Nopony thinks of you as anything but a hero and that's coming from somepony who used to be a gang boss. So you didn't save everypony, but that's not your job. Just by doing what you do, you're a symbol of something this city needs to keep it stable, and that is peace of mind. A deterrent to crime, a punishment for doing wrong that the police can't punish on their own. If I were you, I'd wear my own cape and walk around town in it. Kids would look at me and say, 'Look mom, that's a Super Hero!' because that's what you are. Death is just part of the job description, so don't beat yourself up about it.”

Damn it... Damn it, damn it, damn it. Why is it that nothin' he's sayin' sounds wrong? Because none of it is? Or because that's what Ah want ta hear? Just then, the rest of the girls came back.

“Applejack, we thought about it and we... Did something happen?” Twilight asked. Ah let out a puff of air and shook my head.

“No. Ah finally got Goose ta fight back and he's just stronger than Ah'd anticipated. We broke our hooves and that's gonna need ta be fixed before either of us can do anythin'.” Twilight surveyed the damage ta the trainin' room. A good number of spots had pony imprints in them, there were several broken floor pieces, one of the containers was smashed ta shards. This crystal was hard, but not indestructible.

“Well, if it's just that, Rarity can fix it for you. I'll have to repair this place before we do anything else...” The word repair triggered a memory and Ah realized that Ah'd forgotten Ah still had errands ta run.

“Uh... one of y'all wouldn't happen ta know what time it is would ya?” Ah asked, rememberin' that there wasn't hardly any food in the apartment.

“I-It's about four thirty... is there s-something wrong?” Fluttershy answered. Shit.

“Ah need ta get outta here. Uh... while y'all are together, run that same exercise we did before, but just with Goose.” Ah turned ta face him. “Ah don't expect ya ta hurt ‘em, but Ah do expect ya ta make it hard ta get shot.” Goose raised his hooves.

“Yes ma'am, boss lady,” He said with a smirk. Ah rolled my eyes and made my way over ta Rarity while Twilight went ta fixin' the trainin' room.

“Now then, let me see your injury.” Ah raised my hoof and watched as her pale blue magic cover it. The hoof almost seemed ta glue itself back together. Once she was done, Ah shook it around and stamped it a few times and it was like nothin' ever happened.

“How'd ya do that? Ah thought ya couldn't really 'do' magic,” Ah said with air quotes. She waved the question away.

“Fixing a hoof is the simplest healing magic there is. If I can do it, all unicorns can. It's one of the first things unicorns are taught, even before school.”

“Most healing magic is built off that spell, but hooves are just hardened dead skin cells that cover up the more sensitive skin just above them. All that spell does is collect the dead skin off your body, fills in the holes, and gels it together at the seams. More complex spells actually involve manipulating your regenerative capabilities at the cellular level, and that not everypony can do,” Twilight explained as she continued with her repairs. Most of the walls had been fixed, and now she was workin' on the floor.

“Ah'll keep that in mind. My next day off is Tuesday, so Ah'll come check back in then.” Ah made a sweepin' motion ta point at Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight. “Ah expect you three ta get better by the time Ah get back. Ah'll see y'all then.” The three of them sighed.

“Yes ma'am,” they said in unison. Satisfied with that, Ah headed with the staircase, but was stopped at the door.

“Don't forget what we talked about, alright? No more of the nightmares okay?” Goose said. Ah gave him a look and kept walkin'.

“We'll see.”

Harmony Days VI: Uncle Orange's Day out (part 1)

When Ah woke up the next mornin', or afternoon really, Ah was surprised. No nightmare ta get me outta bed in a cold sweat. No memorable dream at all really. Fer once, Ah slept soundly. Ah sat up in my bed at the apartment, the light filterin' in through the blackout curtains dancin' with the dust in the air. Ah looked around and didn't see my alarm clock anywhere. Ah felt a buzzin' on the floor next ta my mattress, and then remembered what all Ah'd done yesterday after Ah left the castle.

As of next week Ah should have a motorcycle license, the apartment shouldn't need groceries fer the next month and Ah am currently the owner of a new phone. Ah scooped up the little red coated device and tapped the screen ta get it ta stop buzzin'. Ah'm gonna have ta start wearin' a way ta carry this thin' around with me other than dad's jacket. Maybe Ah should look inta gettin' some casual clothes... Ah got up and tossed the device on the bed, then made my way inta the livin' room.

“Afternoon, Applejack,” Uncle said from couch. The TV was on, but barely audible and my siblin's were nowhere ta be seen. That's about right... Applebloom should still be in school and Macintosh is probably at work. Ah'm the only one who does thin's at night anyways... but why is Uncle Orange still home? And more importantly, why does he look so clean?

“Mornin'. Uh, Afternoon. Ya got somethin' goin' on today?” Ah made my way inta the kitchen and pulled some eggs and a few of the bell peppers Ah bought yesterday outta the fridge.

“An old friend wanted to meet with me today, so I've taken the day to visit. How are you? I saw that you filled the fridge.” He slowly turned his head my way ta glance back at me. Sometimes it unnerved me when he would look like he didn't have an expression on his face. Ah've lived with him fer years and Ah'm still not used ta it.

“Yeah. My boss called me in because Ah got a promotion the other day, and a big one.” Ah started cuttin' peppers up, and Ah threw some butter in a skillet and turned the heat up enough ta get it ta melt. The key was ta undercook the eggs ta leave them not rubbery and have a similar texture ta melty cheese with the crunch of the peppers ta back it up. It was quick, easy, and most importantly, delicious.

“Oh wow. Good for you. Does that come with any new responsibilities?” A soft smile had formed on his face like he was genuinely happy ta hear it. His mood is always infectious, in a way. He can change the tone of the room just by walkin' in it. Made me smile back.

“Oh, ya know. Now Ah have ta keep my coworkers from killin' themselves, and Ah tell em what ta do fer the most part, but other than that it's the same. She thought Ah was worth a leadership position. The raise was pretty steep, so Ah figured it was a good deal.” Ah cracked the eggs in a glass and whisked 'em together with a fork. A dash of salt, a dash of pepper, throw it in the pan and mix together. A little rhyme Ah remember dad sayin' when he'd make breakfast in the mornin'. He always said that mom would sing somethin' whenever she cooked and it just carried over. Macintosh won't admit it, but he does it too. Applebloom is the only one who never knew about it...

“I see... well, I'm sure you can handle it. Is that wristband new? I don't remember seeing anything like it.” He turned his attention back ta the TV, buit that only made me ferel more like Ah was caught with somethin' Ah shouldn't have. Ah hadn't taken it off since the yesterday. Wow. Does that mean Ah showered with this thin' on?

“Oh uh... it was a gift. One of my bosses was really... intent on givin' it ta somepony and Ah happened ta be the only one around.” Ah shuffled the eggs in the pan lettin' them go from a gooey liquid ta a foamy bed of pale yellow with red and green stripes. The smell was startin' ta waft in the air and Ah was about ready ta eat. Ah grabbed a plate and let the sizzlin' bed slide off the pan on ta it. Ah turned everythin' off, washed off my fork, and took a seat next ta Uncle Orange.

“Really? Interesting. I've never seen a gem quite like that before. You're not getting married on me are you?” Ah rolled my eyes and punched him in the shoulder. This ain't no weddin' band, or at least Ah hope it ain't. Especially since Ah broke one.

“All my bosses are mares, and Ah'm not inta that. The one guy Ah did meet is a creep, so Ah don't think there's anythin' ta worry about there. What are ya watchin' here anyways?” Ah finally focused on the TV, and there was a documentary of some kind on it. It looked like he was watchin' somethin' about a war before the screen flashed ta some sports event that was dramatically different than whatever he started with.

“Oh, nothing.” He looked at his watch and sighed. “Here, TV's all yours.” He he tossed the remote next ta me and got up off the couch. Ah looked at the remote then Ah looked at him.

“Ah just sit down and ya leave?” He shrugged.

“Appointments are appointments, and this one is rather important to me. It's already almost two and I'm supposed to be across the province in an hour.” Ah watched him unfold some of the laundry until he found the shirt he was lookin' fer and started ta button it up. He found his red tie that matched his name sake with its bright orange stripes over deep crimson, then grabbed his bag from the kitchen table. It was almost weird ta see him so clean and well dressed like this. He's usually more of a slob when he wants ta be.

“Well. Enjoy your... whatever it is Ah guess.” He looked back and flashed that smiled of his again.

“I would hope so. I'll be home later tonight, so let your siblings know, alright?”

“Gotcha. Bye Uncle.” Ah waved and he shut the door behind him. Pfft. If anypony looks like they're about ta go on a date it's you, ya old coot. Oh well. Even if that's the case, it would be nice ta see him happy.

I closed the door behind me and sighed. A promotion huh? I can only wonder what she's really been up to. Her father came up with the same fake job years ago, so that leads me to believe... I shook the thought out of my headand started to make my way down the winding staircase in the apartment complex. No, no, it's better I just ignore it. The moment I look at the truth, it will just bite me in the ass again. Speaking of... something looked unnatural about her tail. What would she say if I asked about it? Did something happen? She's not typically one to wear jewelry either. Of the three of them, she's the least transparent about what she does. But if she's really playing hero, there's no way she would tell me about it, would she? That night five years ago was enough to tell me she's her father's daughter. It's more than likely...

I shook my head one more time and made my way out of the lobby. Even if she's doing what I think she is, asking her about it would only make it more stressful for her. The last thing she would want is to worry her siblings. Besides. If I start poking around her life, who knows what she might find out about me. That... I can never let happen. The darker thoughts beginning to seep into my mind, I quickly brought my trotting up to a gallop as I headed for the subway. The September air rushed past me like a warm slush as I felt the minds of every other pony on the Manehattan streets shoot through my head.

A sub-pony, part lizard. A pyrokinetic. A hydrokinetic. Somepony who can freeze... time? Another sub-pony. An empath. Born an earth pony, half avian. The numbers have grown in these past few years. An earth pony with unnatural strength... What is Macintosh doing out here? Poor kid. All that power and no where to use it. At least he's got a good head on his shoulders. A psychic. A... what is that? I halted my gallop as I felt something so odd, I couldn't begin to comprehend what it was with just a passing glance. It was clearly one mind, but at the same time, it felt like there was another consciousness within it. Like a monster, sleeping inside. I followed the feeling, deviating a little from my trip to the train station. I finally spotted the source and it was a pale yellow pegasus mare with bright pink hair. I frowned.

Oh my. Could something so dangerous have any less an intimidating exterior? It looked like she was out buying some electronic or other and was... afraid of everything. Until she stopped. Her ears picked up and she started sniffing around. Then she focused on me, her expression changed from something of fear to something of concern. She began to head this way and I bolted toward the station.

I wonder if she knows about the second consciousness? Whatever it is, that second consciousness was sensitive enough to see me. She didn't have any power to tell who I was, so everything should be fine... With that, I finally finished my trip to the station. The tunnel was filled with pale gray tiling and bright fluorescent lights that illuminated it to the point of reflecting off the tiles. It was always too bright down here in the waiting area, and too dark everywhere else. I scanned my pass and boarded the subway, letting the smell of oil and machinery sink into my nose as I counted power ponies on this particular train.

Ever since I buried that mirror with him, the powers I once knew and the ones I thought I'd taken from him all but vanished one day out of the blue. For years I believed that my powers had just disappeared completely, but just as they had gone, this ability just showed up without warning or notice a little before Applejack brought me home from the bar. I can tell who can do what and even filter through some of their genetics. Anything to do with natural ability, but only ponies with the virus. The information suddenly flowing into my brain became so overwhelming all at once that my only escape from it was numbing my head with alcohol. Of course, my parents just so happen to pass Citrus the tolerance gene instead of me, and I accidentally discovered I could... taste a pony's intent too, adding to the already massive overload I was experiencing. Naturally, the drinking became a problem. I'm only glad I remembered Applejack had her father's powers at the time. Had I not the sense to call her that night, who knows what would have happened?

And then... then that stallion showed up in my life again. Somehow he must've known, known that something had changed within me. True, I wouldn't have the job I do now were it not for him, but resentment is all I can feel for him. He was the one who gave me that damnable mirror in the first place. I can only assume he's finally calling me back because he needs it again. Too bad for him, I'll never let him manipulate another pony into becoming me again. Not only will I take all this information to my grave, but it doesn't matter anyways because I can't find Citrus' grave.

“We have arrived at western station. We have arrived at western station. Ten minutes before the next departure.” The overhead com said. I watched as several Ponies and other creatures got up from their seats and left, while from the doors, a different group of ponies entered. My trip to Tin would take over an hour and stop at several towns within the province. I didn't outright lie to Applejack, but there was only half the truth there. He isn't expecting me until four anyways. My attention was caught when a young mare had frantically entered the train right before the doors closed. The conductor outside gave her an irritated look before making his way back up the train. Most of the seats were full, save for one next to me, which she happily took.

“Geez, I barely made it. If I'm late again, my boss is gonna kill me, but you know about that right?” She asked, in a scratchy, but young voice. She was a pegasus, cyan coated with a rainbow of colors in her mane and tail with one wing on her right side. The other looked more like a reddened nub where the bone should have been that only half extended from her left shoulder blade. She was wearing a small box on her neck that I could only imagine was a phone of some kind, with a small chord wrapped around it. She was looking at me, so I expected she was also talking to me. Her right eye had a scar running down it. Strange. Ponies usually don't just start up conversation with strangers on the subway, especially not scarred cripples.

“Oh, is that so?” I asked. She nodded, confirming my suspicions, and continued talking.

“Yeah. Didn't do so hot on my last assignment so now he wants to talk to me in person. What are you on the train for?” What an odd young mare. She's likely not much younger than Applejack, yet here she is talking to some random old stallion on the subway. Taking a closer look at her, I felt her mind telling me that she wasn't just an ordinary cripple. Hemokenetic? Blood? She can manipulate blood?

“I'm going to visit an old friend in Tin.” Hmm... I can only wonder what she does...

“Oh cool, I'm going to Tin as well. I work for Argent Industries at the HQ. Have you ever actually seen the old man? Like, the guy himself, Mister Argent?” She had a hint of excitement in her voice from what I could tell. Hmm... I doubt anypony knowing who I know would be a good thing.

“No, but I do work for a branch of that company myself. I'm off to visit the main office today.” She put a hoof to her chin and tilted her head at me.

“Really... Do I know you? You look... sorta familiar...” I shrugged.

“I don't think so. I think it would be pretty difficult to forget somepony as unique as yourself.” She put her hoof over he mouth.

“Oh crap, you are just some guy on the subway. Sorry man. The name's Rainbow Dash.” She put a hoof out and I met it, but kept my distance. Not only hemokenetic, but her blood is toxic. If it gets in my cells, the nerves will be paralyzed. What a dangerous mare. Two unsuspecting pegasi today, and they both have the power to do something terrible. Oh well, at least she doesn't seem to be trying to con me. this flavor is... strange.

“Blood Orange. Nice to meet you. What do you do for Argent?” The mare laid back in her seat and started to unwrap her phone and placed one of the little buds deep in her ear.

“I'm a Pony Resources consultant. I work for a lot of Ponies, Argent is just my current client. The guy is loaded, so he pays well but... I'm not so sure about it after my last job...” Her ears drooped and she looked down. I frowned. A PR consultant? At what, twenty? There's no way. No, I bet you can use that hemokenesis a lot better than you can manage ponies.

“Really... At such a young age, you must be good at your job.” She shrugged as she flipped through a screen on her little device.

“Eh, it's all I'm really good at. A Pegasus who can't fly isn't any good for weather control, so all I've really got going for me are my pony skills. I started a conversation with you didn't I?” I looked around the train and then the conclusion that I was the oldest pony on it came to mind. Not only that, but there's nopony else on this train wearing a tie. Huh. She singled me out because of my appearance. Not bad.

“You're smarter than you look. So what kind of job does a Pony Resources consultant like yourself do?” Her ear seemed to twitch at that first statement, but she didn't let it bother her.

“Lately, I've had to deal with a lot of special interest clients, specifically the ones Argent has me following. You know who Marevelous Red is, right?” She looked up at me with those magenta irises, and now she was definitely trying to get something out of me. With all of my will, I kept my face from twitching. Do I know who Marevelous Red is. Honestly, I hope I don't know who Marevelous Red is. The real question here is what are you after?

“I've heard of her. What about her?” She had me lean in before speaking into my ear.

“Well, apparently, she was spotted at the harbor on the night that it was destroyed. Huge damage to the Argent pier and Mister Argent's personal port. They said that there were grooves in the concrete like it was melted by some kind of giant laser beam or something. I didn't get there until after the fight was over and the police had taken control of the scene, but from what I heard, there were charred pony limbs scattered all over the place and a whole mutilated body. Some ponies are saying that Marevelous herself did it, but I get the feeling that she stopped whatever did that.” She was whispering now, but her intentions had become foggy again. Limbs? Like, back legs and forelegs? Wings? What in the world? The story only said that part of the port was destroyed in an accident Saturday night...

“How could that happen? Who would even believe Marevelous could do something like that? She's never displayed any feat of energy manipulation.” I responded at a normal volume, but I suppose this was all supposed to be a secret.

“Shush!” she checked around to make sure nopony was looking at us and then continued, “I don't know, but this is where the real story starts. Apparently there's a rumor going around about ponies getting second powers.” Second powers!? No... he can't be... how would he even be making them? The one I had was the only one if it's kind, it had fragments of the original element crystals in it... unless... he found the rest of them...

“Second powers? I thought power ponies could only have one because of the way the virus messes with a pony's genetic makeup.” I made sure to keep my voice down this time and she nodded her head.

“While that's true, there's this guy, a stallion who goes by Goose Fang, who can teleport. But he couldn't always do that. Originally, it was believed that he was the long lost son of Shark Tooth, the mob boss who disappeared like, fifteen years ago, and he had the powers and the looks to back that up. But a few weeks ago, all kinds of ponies were talking about how he could just pop from one place to another and deliver the smackdown like nopony's business. He was in control of that harbor until a few days ago when he just up and disappeared. Nopony has seen him since.”

I don't like this. Too many things in her story are correlating for me specifically. There is no way she doesn't know who I am. But... how could she know who Marevelous is? In that suit you would never be able to tell. The only reason I suspect anything is because of her father's lies that match up with her own... well, that and I know what her powers are. I have to ask.

“So, why tell me?” She shrugged.

“You seem like a guy who's seen a lot. Somepony who has a few secrets. I don't have high hopes of being able to just 'walk away' from Mister Argent's office today because I fucked up bad on my last job. I figure I'd tell somepony what I thought in the event I don't get a chance later.” That energy she had when she started the conversation had faded away, and now she just sounded tired.

“You really think you would just get offed in broad daylight? Even the mobs haven't been that bold for more than a decade now since that singer was gunned down in her own home.” She leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.

“Maybe. The stallion has more power and influence than you know. If we're being honest here, he probably has as much control over the country as the princesses do. If he wants some cripple with no ties to anypony dead, then he can make it that way with a few calls. What am I supposed to do, fly away? Even if I could, he would still find me. At least this way my foster sister doesn't get hurt in the process.” I know that voice. That's the voice of somepony who's given up hope.

“You can't think like that. If you don't try to improve your standing, how is it supposed to get any better? Sure, you might've botched a job, but I doubt you're worth more dead than alive to him. The news story about the harbor had less information in it than yours did. If nothing else, surely your information gathering skill could be put to use. The dumbest thing anypony can do is kill a spy, after all.” Her ears perked up, if only a little and her face relaxed.

“I guess. You're not some ordinary old dude, are you Mister Orange?” I shook my head.

“No, I'm about as normal as they come.” Blatant lies, all of it. “Just your average accountant trying to make a living for his family.” There we go.

“Oh yeah? You married?” I winced. I swallowed a dull pain.

“A long time ago. She died in an accident that spiraled out of hoof in a hurry.” Her ears flattened again.

“Oh, geez... I, uh... I'm sorry about that.” I shook my head.

“Don't worry about it, you couldn't have known. That happened almost fourteen years ago.” She brought her hooves to her mouth.

“No way... you don't mean she was part of the Copper Tassel thing do you? Was she... was she a power pony?”

“Not a power pony, but that was when it happened. She was in the building that collapsed.” I said. It was hard, to keep the memories at bay. I lost my mind so quickly that I didn't even learn who Copper Tassel was until three years later. All that anger and hate that had built up so much was only directed at the suit and nowhere else. And then that stallion stepped in right before I was released... he gave me that cursed thing and I went wild with that power... So many... so many...

I lost count at one point. I could only see red in those days, and finally, when everything was clear again, it was my own brother who brought me back to sanity. I'll never forgive myself, and I'll never forgive that bastard for giving me that... that thing!

“Hey, are you okay?” I felt the girl's hoof on my foreleg before I realized I was clutching my own head in my hooves. I shook the thoughts away. Just more memories to bury.

“Sorry. Just some... unpleasant memories. What about you? You're no more than twenty I would guess. Are you supporting yourself and this er,”

“Foster sister.” She corrected.

“Right, foster sister, or do you live with somepony?” I asked. She shook her head.

“No. I've been alone since I was... probably twelve or so. I was actually born in Cloudsdale, but I fell off the city and broke my wing off on the way down to the forest below it. I couldn't get back up and I was never found by anypony, so I've never been back. It's a miracle I survived after all this time, really. My sister was in a similar position when I met her, but she could never fly to begin with. We help each other get by these days.” I can only imagine trying to live in that city alone as a child. I'm sure there's more to that story.

“Now arriving at Tin station. End of the line, Tin station,” The overhead com said. Already? Must've missed the other announcements...

“I suppose this is our stop. We'll have to part ways here.” She yawned and stood up.

“Yeah, I guess it is. Well, it was nice to meet ya old man.” I rolled my eyes. Old man. I'm forty five. I might not be in my prime anymore, but I'm certainly not that old...

“The same goes to you. If I see you again, you'll have to introduce me to your sister.” She headed for the opposite end of the station, but turned and gave me a smile.

“You got a deal old man!” And off through the crowd she trotted. Alone within the mass of ponies getting on and off trains at the platform, I looked for the clock. Three forty five PM. I'd better hurry over there. That stallion is unpredictable...

Harmony Days VI: Uncle Orange's Day out (part 2)

Before today, I don't remember ever visiting this place. I certainly don't remember the trade center being that imposing, that's for sure. Tin, the city in which Argent more or less owns every scrap of land around, isn't so much of a city as it is a collection of small homes and businesses and one gigantic tower that overtook the skyline, casting a shadow on the places below. Depending on the time of day of course. At the moment, it was nearing 4 PM before daylight savings kicked in, meaning that the shadow of Argent Tower was just about to fall over the city.

The little town was more or less dead at this time of day because shifts had yet to switch, the miners were still in the mountains, and everypony else was either in Argent Tower or waiting to open when the shifts switch in about an hour. Tin was further north than Manehattan and today it was particularly cold for whatever reason.

I had made my way through about half the city, or really half way to the tower, when I spotted my train ride partner. Her mind was very active as far as I could tell, her power swirling just above the surface just ready to be activated at a moments notice. I wonder what she's up to. The mare made quick movements of scanning around and continued further down a well hidden alley way that I wouldn't have likely noticed if there weren't a bright blue, rainbow maned pony walking through it.

It must be inconvenient to have a coloring like that when one is trying to be sneaky. She seemed rather smart, so I bet she has a costume. But I wonder if her costume would also attract attention? Maybe... it's not like she had anything on her but that phone of hers. I continued to watch her until her mind gave notice of her powers spreading outside of it. The mare unraveled the gauze on her broken wing bone revealing that it was like the wound had just been made. The blood started to flow from it, floating and pooling just above the mare's head in front of a wall that had a strange groove on it.

The liquid traveled into the wall, filling it until all the groves were red, making some kind of rune pattern out of the various lines. The blood began to glow and I felt another power of somepony beginning to work on the door. One latch, two latch, three latch, four latch. The door began to slide away, and the mare's blood started to flow back into her bone like it'd never left. She wrapped the spot back up and headed inside.

I checked the tower's shadow to see how far it had moved in the last few minutes to make sure I still had time to investigate, and when I decided it had only been five minutes or so, I inspected the spot. The door had closed as soon as Rainbow entered, returning back to the near invisible wall. The best place to hide a tree after all... Had I not been looking for it, I wouldn't have seen the grooves in the first place. They were so shallow that it barely looked like there was anything different about this section of white wall than all the others on this little building. The runes looked like something you'd find in a unicorn spell book and formed a circular pattern on the wall that made a few triangle shapes inside.

A six pointed star? That's unusual... I heard movement from nearby and decided it best to make my way to my appointment in the tower. The shadow had shifted another few inches and four PM was growing ever closer. As soon as I had entered the giant white coated place, I was immediately directed by somepony toward the main elevator. After reaching the interior of the mirror walled box, I noticed that there were at least eighty buttons on the elevator panel. The mare, who was a stark white pegasus probably in her mid twenties with a range of colors in her mane and tail from blue to yellow, pressed the top left button and entered a code into a keypad that caused the elevator to rise.

A strange feeling occurred when I realized that this mare was... different. With normal ponies, their minds came off as more or less bland. Mostly colorless and usually without any particular flavor giving me almost nothing to read as I passed them. With power ponies, there was always a color, and there was always a flavor, telling me what they were, what they could do, or what their powers do to them. This mare however was a mixture of both sides. The color was more grouped toward her eyes as opposed to her whole body like a normal power pony, and the flavor was almost as if it were masked somehow. As if she was intentionally hiding her powers, but not specifically from me.

“So... Have you worked here for long?” I asked. The mare made a movement like she was going to answer, but hesitated before she did.

“A while. I've known Mister Argent for a long time,” She said. Have you really? You powers are stirring...

“I see. Are you... very close to him?” Her mind looked almost as if it were fighting itself. The flavor wanted to stretch out and expand, but the color was keeping it all locked away near her eyes. It didn't look so much like she was trying to hide it anymore, but like she was desperately trying to control it. The mare nodded.

“I'm his personal secretary and have been so for years, Mister Orange.” When she said my name, her powers swirled like a vortex, spinning and winding, rapidly trying to escape it's prison. Her tone was harsh, as if she wanted nothing more than to be away from me. How strange. I've yet to do anything and this mare is already hostile.

The elevator dinged as the upward momentum stopped. The light above the door came on and the two doors slid open, revealing a small hallway that lead to a large open room with a singular desk that appeared to be empty, a couch and several glass display cases lining either wall. I followed the mare, even her movements seeming to hold resentment as she lead me to the couch. Hidden in front of it was an another chair and a coffee table with a chess board on top of it. I noticed the girl's powers flare and caught her staring daggers into me with her pale gray eyes. For a moment I thought she might've been blind, but by the way she was staring at me there was no way she was... but then again, maybe that's why her powers are grouped so close to her eyes?

“Mister Argent will be with you shortly. Please take a seat and wait for his arrival.” She turned on her hooves and just about stormed back to the elevator. Rather than continue thinking on what I could have done in the few minutes I've been here to cause so much malice in that girl, I decided to focus on the chessboard in front of me. The pieces were made of aluminum and glass, one set facing the other in traditional fashion. As with most chess sets in Equestria, the king's piece was in the shape of Celestia's crown, and the Queen's piece that of Luna's. The rest of the pieces appeared to be normal, but upon further inspection had engraving in the back of each one.

The bishops were engraved, one with a six pointed star almost identical to the one I saw on the door, and the other with a diamond shape on the back of it's head. The knights, A lightning bolt and a butterfly, the rooks a balloon and... an apple. What a strange set of pieces. Surely these shapes mean something to Stannum, but what? Just as I picked one up, I heard the elevator door open behind me.

He was an older stallion, but that didn't make him look any less intimidating. An earth pony, strong and built of an imposingly tall and muscular figure with a silver gray coat. His mane was a mixture of brown orange and white, somewhere between rust and old age, cut short like somepony used to working in the military. He had a neatly trimmed beard and mustache that matched his rust speckled mane. He was wearing a suit that was stark white, much like his assistant, that had six colored pins along the lapels. He carried himself like a creature that had been at the top of the food chain, but at the same time with an almost royal air of dignity around him. His dark orange irises settled on me and showed his near shining white teeth under a smile. His mind was covered in a sickeningly sour flavor that danced with the same silver color of his own coat. With all the effort I could manage I kept the scowl I had been anticipating from forming on my face and stood to greet him.

“Hello Stannum,” I said, finally subduing my own hate into something that appeared pleasant.

“Evening Mister Blood Orange. It is wonderful to see you again,” he replied with a voice made of southern velvet and deep tones. A twinge of pain struck my heart as his voice was only so much different from Citrus', yet more refined. I hated it, but if nothing else, Stannum Argent oozed charisma. His mind sprang to life nearly covering his whole body in a burning silver aura that I have only seen once before when he approached me years ago. The flavor and color of Argent's mind were so unique to himself, even I didn't know how to read it. If anything, it reminded me of that pegasus mare I saw back in Manehattan today. Like a monster deep within. No, no, this is Stannum. The monster is already on the outside.

“If that's how you feel about it. So, what can I do for you today?” He made his way over and took a seat at the other side of the table and motioned for me to to sit as well.

“Blood, do you play chess?” I didn't like where this was going. Stannum was a stallion that practically enjoyed torture, and as much as he looked to be covered in brawn, he was just as cunning. Dangerous, is the word I typically use to describe him.

“I have before.” That's about the understatement of the century. Applebloom uses me as her practice partner. It's a miracle that I can even manage to keep ahead of her at the rate she learns. If I can't keep up with her, she has nopony else to practice with, so I'm always looking for new tactics. He nodded slowly.

“Good. I've called you here today because I have a little game to play with you.” 'I've called you hear because I want to see you squirm,' I translated. Stannum likes nothing more than tormenting ponies who know his true nature, but what he was really after today I didn't know.

“I suppose I can't really say no now that I'm here.” The old stallion gave me a big smile and leaned over the board.

“Perfect. I'll take the first move then.” Argent began by moving his white king's knight to F3. Opening with a knight? Just what have I gotten myself into? In response, I played black queen's pawn to D5.

“Hmm... I must ask, Mister Orange, do you have a history with this game?” Stannum asked. What is he after now? I could feel a change in the flavor he was giving off. The taste at its core was the same, but now there was a hint of something else to it. Genuine curiosity? Or is this a ploy to get me to start talking? He met my pawn with his own, and I responded by mirroring the board.

“I suppose. My youngest niece loves this game, so I try to keep up with her.” No new information to him, he knew about all of them, long before I knew about him. The flavor changed again and Stannum started the beginnings of a smirk. A white pawn to C4. Why would he just give me that? Should I just take it anyways? Bah, she would know better... the less pieces he has, the better off I am... Probably. I take the pawn and he cuts me off. Blocked off... what now? Apply pressure? I need to get something moving... Black queen's bishop to F5.

“Well, this is a rather pleasant surprise. It seems like your mind is still sharp after all these years. I suppose there never really was any need to worry about regression.” White king's knight to H4. I figured he'd cut me off, but not with his knight. Aggressive bastard. One move after another, my bishop retreats. Damn it, he's making my moves for me at this point. I don't want that queen out of her box just yet...

“I have to take care of them somehow. I am their guardian after all.” I won't get anywhere retreating like this... A trap maybe? So much for that pawn. Pressure to his knight for trade. Bishops move, pawns shift. We both have an avenue for our queens, but I'm certain he'll go on attack first.

“So, I've heard that Manehattan has become an interesting place over the weekend.” Getting to what you really called me here for now, huh? Pawns die, bishops glide, and more and more it looks like he's setting up to set his monster loose. Is he about to move out his knight? Where would he go with it?

“Is that so? Why do you say that?” If Rainbow was under orders to tell me what she did, then he won't bring up old information. I apply pressure, then it finally happens. White queen to F3. Gah, the bitch is in play. As if I wasn't having trouble keeping up as it is. Might as well bolster defense on my king's bishop. Black rook's pawn to A5. One pawn each, I have his king's knight, he has my queen's bishop. Stannum chuckled.

“Well for starters, my piers were damaged in some kind of fire fight. Supposedly, the entire harbor has grooves in it from high heat exposure of some kind, but my two ports were much more heavily damaged than any others. Sounds like some kind of... monster got loose doesn't it?” A distraction maybe? So far he hasn't done anything without purpose. But that makes me believe that Rainbow was telling the truth. I wonder if she's to meet with Stannum next? A monster... Wait a minute... Black queen to E7. What has he been up to?

“Really? It almost sounds like you're being targeted, but I can't think of anything in the last few years that would warrant that. I'm sure you haven't made any enemies recently.” I made sure to let the sarcasm drip from my voice. Goddess, that queen makes me nervous. I can't leave any openings here. Damn it. Bah, putting that in front of the rook will only make things worse. I'm better off checking his remaining knight.

“It could be that. I doubt you know this, but some punk ass kid thought it would be fun to hijack one of my import ships and then he stole all the cargo. But... I left a present in there for him. From what I've heard about the harbor, I'd say he got all three of 'em...” Damn, he's trying to attack my weakened side. I need to get my king out of the way... All three of what? Is he talking about that Goose Fang guy? Why would... no, he already knew the boat was going to be stolen. Black king castles to C2.

“A present huh? What kind of present?” He looked at me and smiled. You don't have anywhere for that rook to go! What are you doing with it? Speaking of nowhere to go, what do I do? Moving my more powerful pieces right now would more than likely prove fruitless if Applebloom has taught me anything about mid-game. Let's see... that knight's pawn hasn't been moved. Maybe I can clear a spot so I can push my chariots into action...

“Oh you know... something shiny and reflective, just what a punk like him would want.” Other thoughts went on hold.

“You did what!?” One of my pawns dies in passing. No, no, no... more of them? How? How could he have made another one? He didn't actually find those relics did he? They were supposed to be lost shortly after the nation was founded, there's no way... Oh no, I wasn't paying attention to that knight! That's why he moved the rook! His queen is already trained to take over that whole side of the board. This is fine. I can just take the pawn and react to whatever he does next. Black knight's pawn captures F6.

“Trigger a memory perhaps? I merely tested out a new product using a very... special sample group.” The white queen storms ever closer. Lab rats. He's treating gang members like lab rats at the expense of his own harbor. There must have been some kind of horrible reaction to whatever these new mirrors are made out of, but that certainly explains the second power. However... is the gang boss still wearing it? Surely it could have been damaged in a fight if he wasn't specifically protecting it... Mine had more than a few layers of magic protecting it in that suit, and even then Citrus almost broke it and killed me... sigh. I almost wish he'd succeeded. How different things would be if I was the one who died in that fight. Divert his attention, or protect the pawn? He probably wants me to protect the fake target while he goes after the real target. That queen still has two places to move that could screw me over... Fire with fire, my chariots are in play too.

“There are those in this world that I can't ever forgive, and both of those ponies happen to be the same room right now. How are you making them again?” Stannum moved a pawn to corner my knight, and suddenly, he had nowhere to progress to. Damn, he was after my king's knight all along. Well, nothing I can do but retreat for now. At least my bishop is still relatively safe, but that could change rather quickly. I feel like the board is going to tip very soon...

“Oh, you know, a little of this and a little of that. I think I've finally solved that whole, fracturing problem. You see, mercury has a fun little interaction when it's exposed to the virus under a disruption crystal and then frozen and charged with magic. Once activated, not only will the new mirror force integrate with the host's body, but it will eventually become permanent to the point of removing all traces that it was ever there over a few month's time, which means...” The back row pieces are all moving now, encroaching ever closer. Three moves and ponies start dying left and right.

“The powers received never go away... the host will permanently have an additional power until it dies...” I said, more to myself than Stannum.

“Exactly. See, I knew you still had your whits about you.” He can make soldiers... he can just create power ponies with what is essentially the flip of a switch. If the mirrors integrate with the body, then not even an immunity to the virus would save you, it manipulates genes! But... wait. There must be more, otherwise he'd have already started his campaign. He gave them away? On purpose to test them... because there's a variable he can't control. A variable he can't know for certain until after the deed is done... Fortify the king before the carnage begins. Black king to B2.

“So what is it? What's causing these mirrors of yours to malfunction? If anypony knows you, it's me, so why haven't you already started your conquest yet?” Stannum frowned. The first sacrifice moves, a pawn that will become a domino. I can pull my bishop out and pressure his queen! Stannum puffed out some air through his nostrils. The monster backs away. Now is the time to take back the hill! My bishop dies in battle and now the hill is contested even further. Stannum started to smile again. What are you planning now? I'll avoid the death trap that is that pawn and use my king's knight to pressure his bishop.

“Well, as you know, magic isn't the most predictable thing in the world, and neither is science to a certain degree, and with the virus being biologically unique to each pony, there have been a few... interesting reactions.” His tone sounded so displeased that it almost made me smile. The bishops dance on opposite colors, parallel forces that can only watch mournfully from a distance. He's disappointed? He must not know how to fix his problem... Maybe I can take his knight next...

“Interesting reactions?” Stannum nodded. He captured my king's pawn at and then put his hooves together.

“Mister Orange, have you ever heard of the Beast?” The Beast? What is he on about now? Hmm... I have an opening for my chariots now... Queen's rook to D8. Ah yes, D8. The space she likes to refer to as 'Sad face,' or the place 'Rooks go to die.' She's not wrong about it either. Any time we do trade rooks, it's almost always at D8 or D1.

“No, I'm afraid I haven't.” He's blocking? Well, now would be the time to take that knight then. The Black knight slays the white knight. Why yes, you will bleed on me.

“The Beast is an unusual power pony that showed up in Manehattan about three years ago. Nopony has survived to see what the creature looks like before it transforms, save for one who managed to see it's outline in the dead of night. We know that it is a pegasus when it walks around like a pony, but that is not what earned it the name, 'The Beast.' Under exposure of something, this pony transforms into a monstrous creature more akin to a wolf, like a strange pony hybrid. It becomes almost two stories tall and manages the strength to literally crush a pony like a tomato in a single claw. It's earliest appearance was some time in twenty seven, and it was most active in the following year, yet the year after there were maybe one or two sightings, less since.” Hmm... he wants me to go after that bishop with my rook, but that would only be disastrous. Take the pawn instead. If I lose my knight, he loses his bishop and effectively loses the trade. Another victim falls to the black Knight.

“And you're telling me this because it has something to do with your new mirrors?” Stannum nodded. I figured as much, those bishops seem to be his new wave of pressure. But now that the secondary threat is gone, let's put pressure on three of his pawns and trap his king in one spot. His monster sets out to be an obstacle. Protecting his rook. Fine, his pawn dies. Black queen to capture A4, another victim of the Beast.

“The second generation is dealing with a similar flaw that causes the host to mutate not unlike the Beast into a monster that more or less goes berserk and destroys everything in sight. We don't have a large sample size yet, but so far it affects most of our test subjects.” Ha! I've got you now! Time to kill your rook. The Beast tramples on, one less chariot in the clear and silver world. And next is your king...

“Check. That doesn't sound like you, you normally have these things planned better.” Stannum shook his head.

“While I thank you for the praise, even I can't know everything.” He blocks with his bishop. Now I get to make you dance. And another one down, and another one down, and another one bites the dust! Now that I've killed that off, time to move into position. We're about to enter the end game. My Beast bathed in the blood of her enemies looks for her next victim.

“I see. This game is gone on long enough, why did you call me here Stannum?” His monster stands in the way of mine, but that damnable bishop is baiting me. Trading queens now? You're not in a great position as it is, but I don't see a problem in that. My Beast kills his monster, only for her to be taken out by that bishop at C5. With my Knight as my largest threat remaining, he moves in.

“I need the original.” My knight chases his chariot, and soon there will be nowhere left to run. I have him on the ropes, if I can just... the original?

“The original? I thought I told you, that was destroyed.” Stannum shook his head.

“No, no, no, there's no way that could have happened. That thing was loaded with fragments of the six element crystals! This game has already ended in stalemate, tell me where the mirror is, Mister Orange!” He stood and rose to full height, the Adonis like stallion imposing over me. Looking at the board, in only a few moves, it would end up as me having a single pawn more than him, and two bishops on opposite colors. Unless one of us suddenly decided to give up, it was over. I stood up myself.

“I told you years ago, the mirror was destroyed with the trade center. There is nothing I can do about it.” Stannum looked at me with eyes burning, the taste of his power had suddenly turned spicy. Oh goddess, please don't tell me he's about to attack.

“I don't think you understand what I am trying to tell you mister Orange. Get me the mirror. Or there will be consequences.” I lowered my eyes. No... he should have no way of knowing I don't have Citrus' powers anymore, he should know better than to challenge me.

“And I don't think you understand Mister Argent. The mirror was destroyed. I don't have it and I don't know if even the fragments remain.” I felt his powers flare and begin to grow to fill the rest of his body. I was about to turn tail and run when I felt another mind rising from below by the elevator. The doors slid open and our attention was drawn to it. Out trotted... or half rolled, a younger pony, probably in his late teens or early twenties. His coat was a dark green, and his mane and tail were a shiny mixture of white and silver with irises that were a dark orange color. His lower body was strapped up in belts and hooked to some kind of wheeled apparatus that allowed his more or less malformed hind legs to move with the rest of his body.

“Dad, are you ready to go? We need to... I'm not interrupting anything am I?” The young stallion asked. I watched the older stallion visibly and mentally relax before he let out a breath.

“No, Silicon. Mister Orange was just leaving. But we'll speak again soon. That you can be sure of,” Stannum said. The air in the room seemed to become very thin very fast. I took in a deep breath that didn't seem to do much for me and simply nodded.

“I see. Very well then. It was... a pleasure, to see you again Stannum,” I lied through my teeth. I quickly made my way to the elevator, passing the cripple on my way out, only making eye contact with him long enough to figure out what his power did. I nearly ran to the elevator and slammed the doors behind me. Goddess, how is that kid even alive? After the doorsclosed and I clicked the button for the first floor, I simply sat in amazement that that young stallion had even made it to the age he was. It was almost like a growth, that vision of color and that taste of bitter. Coiled around his body like some kind of ball of wriggling snakes tightening around his organs.

His mangled hind legs were the least of his worries with a power that was likely actively killing him. I tried to shake the sight away, but nothing would have it leave my eyes. Whatever power it granted him was likely not worth the literal suffering it caused in return. Is that why he was so desperate to get his hooves on the original? I should see if it's still there... That kid didn't look like he had much time left, as thin as he was. He called Stannum dad. The stallion was dangerous as it is, but desperate too? This can only end poorly. Maybe... maybe I should test my suspicions. If she is who I think she is, then maybe she can do something about it... My thoughts were interrupted by the elevator ringing, signaling me that I had arrived at my floor. When the doors slid away, I was greeted to the sight of a more depressed than angry looking, likely blind, white pegasus.

“Please come with me, Mister Orange.” She didn't give me a chance to question her, he just turned away from me and exiting the building. I suppose 'no' isn't an option is it? Reluctantly, I followed the young mare out of the building. The streets of Tin had come to life in the time that I had spent with Stannum. The roads and restaurants now full of occupants, streets filled with noise. The white mare had stopped and stared in my general direction just a few meters away, then trained her eyes on my location after stretching out her wings once. In that time, her power shot through them like a lightning bolt, then returned to her eyes.

“This way,” she said, unusually clear through the mass of voices and minds swirling around me. The crowd seemed to be half made up of power ponies, making it difficult to keep my concentration, yet somehow, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was alluring in a way that I couldn't quite put my hoof on. I followed her deep into the shadow of Argent tower, the east side of Tin becoming more like night out, the streetlamps already coming on. As I followed her, my memory started to trigger, making me remember that I had come this way not too long ago and once I had made the final turn, I realized where we were. The mare pulled a glowing blue liquid out from under her wing and flew to the top of the grooves on the wall. She removed the cap and poured the liquid over the grooves, and I watched in awe as, instead of following the established laws of physics, the liquid followed the grooves on the wall, filling them with an ethereal glow that just shouted 'magic' at anypony who could see it. One latch, two latch, three latch, four latch. The wall shuttered and slid away, leaving the magically charged liquid to flow back into its original resting place. The mare put the cap on her test tube and hid it beneath her wing.

“Hurry, or the door will close,” she said with that strange clarity again. She disappeared behind the wall, and as if enchanted, I followed. The moment my tail entered the space in front of it, the wall came back down behind me like lightning, grazing me and sliding back into place. The hall was remarkably dark, and it seemed to circle the building, leading to a set of dimly lit stairs going down the next wall to my right. The mare was waiting for me at the top of them and then began to hover, not unlike a humming bird, down them. For minutes, we went down stairs, deeper and deeper underground. I finally saw a brighter light at the end of the fourth turn and watched the white mare gently float inside it on her near invisible wings. Quick to escape the darkness of the stair riddled hallway, I galloped after her and into the room, only to be immediately stopped at sword point.

In a black cloak made of feathers that shined blue in the light was another figure holding a sword underneath it and pointing the tip at my neck. The figure wore a silver helmet and most of her dress was stark black and gray, save for her silver boots and small golden buttons on whatever coat she was wearing. The urge to swallow overcame me, and I took the feeling of multiple powers ready to activate as a sign to take a seat. It was when I felt the powers that I realized the one pointing the sword at me was familiar. A hemokenetic? Rainbow?

“What are you doing here?” The harsh tone pulled my attention away from the sword at my neck and toward the white mare who I'd followed here. The room itself was a bare basement-like block of cinder colored stone with a single exit on the opposite side of the room with an almost out of place, high tech steel reinforced door with a green glowing sign above it.

“What am I doing here? I followed you here at your instruction!” She made a motion to the black feathered character I could only assume was Rainbow in disguise, and the sword disappeared under her cloak. I never saw the end that was holding it, but based on the fact that she had no horn and the sword was on her right, I figure she recognized me and was trying to hide her singular wing. The white mare relaxed and sat down, but Rainbow kept her powers just an inch away from surfacing, and the bitter tang to it told me she was still on edge.

“Don't play dumb with me, you know what I mean. Who are you? Why are you in Tin?” Her voice seemed to have more calm mixed in with the anger now, so I relaxed a little. I would ask the same questions, but I don't have a weapon to threaten you with.

“Blood Orange. I'm an accountant who works for one of Mister Argent's subsidiaries. I was called in by Stannum for a visit.” And that is the truth. The mare frowned.

“How do you know Argent then? Why would he call some random accountant to his office personally?” She narrowed her eyes, but not specifically at me. Her powers had moved back to her wings and her eyes were left darkened. Ah, so she really is blind.

“I... was hired by him personally years ago. I'm... one of his acquaintances.” I'm certainly not his friend.

“Very well then. What did you talk about in his office?”

Why would you ask that? Aren't you his secretary?

“Be that as it may, that does not mean he will tell me all of his plans. Answer the question.”

A mind reader? That's not what I felt...

“Felt? What do you mean, 'felt?'” At this point I figured she was at least in tune enough with me to read whatever I was thinking, so there was no point in not voicing my thoughts.

“I can feel the powers of others... uh, it comes as a combination of taste and color in the pony or ponies nearest to me. You're blind... and you in the mask, you're Rainbow Dash, aren't you?” As quick as the words exited my mouth, the feather coated mare flew back on wings of crimson that materialized out of thin air and the sword returned to view now covered in a pulsing red liquid, being held at the golden hilt by a cyan wing. She looked like she was about to dive bomb me, when the other mare stood up.

“Stop! We can't kill him yet!” the white mare exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.

That's reassuring.

“At the very least it'll prolong your life. Calm down, Rainbow.” She hesitated at first, but then her wings evaporated and she settled on the ground. The sword lost it's glowing red and was quickly sheathed in a bright red case on her left side. Her wing took hold of her helmet to set it down on the table and then she removed the pale gray mask underneath it.

“He knows who I am! What are we supposed to do now? Just let him walk away?” Rainbow angrily shouted. The white mare shook her head.

“He already knows he's trapped, and we have a common enemy here. If he's smart, he will work with us, right?” I sighed and nodded.

“There's no hiding anything from you, and I'm sure she can out pace me if I tried to escape. But then again, who says a one winged pegasus can't fly after all?” I couldn't help but let the sarcasm out in full force. Rainbow eyed me.

“You know damn well I couldn't just do that out in the open. Sure I won't kill you, yet, but maybe I'll send you home a leg short! See what a cripple's life is like for a change!” She yelled, her wing gripping the sword hilt, her blood flowing around it in a red haze. The white mare stamped her hoof in between us.

“Stop it! Fighting with him will do neither of us any good. Sit down and be quiet while I try and figure out what to do next.” Rainbow looked from her, then back to me, growled once and let the sword click back in it's sheath. She just about threw a chair out from the table with her wing and slammed herself down in it.

“And here I thought you weren't an asshole. Shows what I know.” She said at me. I shook my head and sighed again.

“I would love to see how you act while being held hostage at sword point. I would imagine you might just feel a little upset. What do you want from me? And really, why do you want anything from me? Did you know I had powers before, or did you just assume I did because Stannum asked for me personally?” The white mare sat back down on the floor across from me and took a deep breath.

“First off, before anything else, why? Why do you give off almost the same signature as Citrus Root?” The words stabbed me like a cone of ice jabbing through my heart. Nopony has said his name aloud in almost eleven years. Pain and memories started to flood my eyes, a stabbing sickness filled my whole body. I only just managed to relax the sudden tension in all of my muscles before I could reply.

“You... you knew my brother?” Her ears flattened on her head and her pale gray eyes went wide.

“You're... I...” She paused and swallowed, as if a similar pain had gripped her with my own words. “Tell me everything. Everything you know, everything you think you know, and anything you suspect about the events going on right now. I want to hear it all.”

I didn't know what time it was, and I could only guess it was close to five thirty PM when I left Argent tower. I wouldn't leave Tin until it was time for the last train departure to Manehattan, near midnight that day.

Harmony Days VII: Sisters (part 1)

Author's Notes:

--[ Warning ]--
Applebloom is a teenager in high school in this story, and as such she has a particularly foul mouth, a dirty mind, and strong opinions. Fair warning to you all.

Tick, tock, tick, tock. The clock keeps movin' forward, makin' noise with each movement of it's hands, and soon enough it'll be two AM. Ah stared back up at the door from my new phone. Come on, ya said ya'd be home late, but really? Where are ya? Ah went back ta readin' the article Twilight linked me about the monsters that have shown up in the deeper part of Manehattan Forest.

...Sightings include multiple figures over the past month resembling large creatures of an almost fantastical origin with great destructive power. The Lunar Guard report noted that many of the creatures had a singular spot near the chest area that resembled some kind of shiny, chrome-like substance made of fur, feathers, or scales depending on the creature. The reason for these creatures and their appearances, which some have taken to calling Kaiju, is still unknown. The guard hopes to keep up their fight, but some of these beasts possess terrible power.

We've attempted to get a quote from the Night Princess herself, but any and all mention of this topic has been quickly brushed aside with a “Trifling matter for the public to be unconcerned about,” more than once, which raises the question; what does the princess not want us to know? More on this story as information becomes available.

This article has been brought to you by...

Ah could feel my face twitch. It still bothers me. What does she know that she won't tell us? Or anypony fer that matter? Ah can understand givin' the news the cold shoulder, they're not ta be trusted most of the time anyways, but why Harmony, of all units? The clock continued to tick and still no sign of Uncle Orange. With nothin' better to do, Ah started ta text Twilight.

“They mention the shiny part on the kaiju. Ya think that means these were all products of the mirrors?” Send. A few seconds pass and a response.

“That's what my guess is. I've asked Mother to speak with Luna about this for us, so we'll see what she has to say. I'm more concerned with whether or not we'll be prepared for whatever happens on Thursday though.” Not completely unwarranted worry, that's fer sure. Ah mused fer a minute ta think of what ta say back.

“What makes ya say that? Ah figure if nothin' else we can use Goose as a meat shield. Kek.” Maybe not the best way ta relieve worry. A buzz and a soft chime go off.

“ :I Come on, at least take this seriously. We practiced your drills, at least Pinkie, Fluttershy, and I did, but I don't think we're getting any better at it. I could only barely hold off Goose and we still couldn't get a shot off on him. You two are unreasonably strong, by the way. How you can smash my best magic without so much as a thought is a little terrifying. He said we did better, but I'm still not sure. Are you absolutely certain you're busy tomorrow? You would really be helpful in running these drills.” Ah figured as much. Ah shook my head like there was somepony else in the room and went ta typin'.

“Yeah. My little sister has a half day and she said she wanted ta hang out. Ah'm almost never home or awake at the same time as she is these days, what with all the work, school, hero, or otherwise. Ah feel like Ah've hardly seen her in the past month and we don't ever talk as much as we used ta. Family first, ya know?” Ooh, damn it, that's not gonna go over well.

“ :\ Not really, but I understand. Just be sure to come by at about noon Wednesday so we have a chance to talk about this with Mother, okay?” Ah nodded in real life and proceeded ta reply.

“Gotcha. Thanks with the help on the history stuff, btw. Ah made a B on that test, which is more than Ah expected.”

“NP. Equestrian History is fun for me to talk about because I'm blood related to most of it. I would never give them this credit out loud, but Mother and Luna have done some really cool stuff over the past few thousand years. Luna I can see, but reading about Mother as a war hero is a little surreal at times. It's a little hard to imagine that my own Mother and the mare that once lead a campaign to conquer the south western half of the country are the same pony.” The words put inta perspective just how many times that that warm mom like creature everypony called Princess Celestia had ta make hard decisions and order ponies ta their deaths over a land struggle. Ah shivered.

“Eh, don't remind me. Ah knew the Caballo-Equestrian war was a bloody one, but ta think that she actually caused a fourth of the casualties in it is crazy.” My ears flicked up as Ah heard noises by the door. A jingle of keys and a twist of the lock, the door handle dipped down and in wearily strolled Uncle Orange. He softly shut the door behind him and started ta undo his tie. His eyes looked real tired and almost reddened like he'd been cryin'.

“Hey, are ya alright?” He must not have noticed the lamp light or me on the couch when he walked in because he jumped.

“Gah! Oh, it's just you. Yes, I... I'm fine.” Ah set the phone down and got up from the couch.

“Ya sure? Ya don't look fine. Did yer meetin' go sour?” He had began to dig in the fridge he made quick work of one of the bananas from the fruit drawer. He finished that and shook his head.

“No, but it was more... taxing than I expected it to be. Mister Argent can be... irritating at times.” Now he grabbed an orange and started ta peel it. Mister Argent!? Ah managed ta contain my surprise fer the moment, but ultimately that proved fruitless.

“Ya went ta see the Mister Argent? That's yer friend?” Ah probably said that louder than Ah wanted ta. His ear flicked and sank a little, then he went back ta his orange.

“Mmhmm. Well, I wouldn't call him a friend anymore. Somepony I know is a better term. We spent nearly an hour talking over a game of chess, thank the goddess Applebloom has been so obsessed with it lately that I was in practice enough to not get destroyed. But our conversation was interrupted when he had made plans to do something with his son.” How he did it, Ah will never know, but the stallion could pick off all the pith while he was takin' the peel off of almost any citrus fruit he touched. Dad was the same way, but none of us were ever any good at that. Wait a minute. Mister Argent has a son?

“He has a kid? Ah thought he was never married.” Uncle Blood nodded.

“Biology doesn't care if you're married. It was definitely his though, looked just like a younger version of him, had he a green coat. He was about your age, but his hind legs were severely malformed and he didn't look... healthy. I got the distinct impression that he wasn't going to last for very long and Stannum hurrying me out only furthered the idea. I talked to his secretary about that and she had a similar thought. Supposedly he's been in and out of hospitals his whole life.” Thin's were startin' ta fall inta place in my head. That... that is really good ta know. Ah need ta tell Twilight about this before we go in with the infiltration. Uncle Blood finished two thirds of his orange, then reached in the freezer for his vodka and poured himself a small glass. He squeezed the rest of the orange in it and downed it all in one round.

“Geez, I needed that about eight hours ago. How was your day?” He put the cup in the sink and his bottle back in the freezer. He trotted over ta the couch and took a seat next ta me.

“Okay Ah guess. Ah made a B on my history exam today.” He nodded.

“Good, good. The better your grades are, the less we have to pay to keep you in school. You know, I met a young mare today who reminded me of you. I've never seen anypony colored quite like she was, an entire rainbow of colors in her mane and tail, a cyan coat with magenta eyes. She just came up and started talking to me on the train ride to Tin out of nowhere on one of the stops.

We talked almost the whole way there afterward, but the whole time I couldn't help but stare at her back. She was missing a wing and... oh, she was a pegasus by the way. So, she was missing a wing, it was like, broken off at the middle of the bone. I asked her how that happened, and she told me that she fell off of Cloudsdale over seven years ago. How crazy is that? Even she said she was lucky to be alive.” But... that sounds... really familiar. Haven't Ah heard somethin' similar ta this before? He yawned and got back up ta go ta the kitchen, then shook his head mid way.

“I should go to bed. If I stay up any later I'll drain my booze. You should probably sleep too. Your sister told me she invited her friend and her sister to go do whatever it was.”

“Ah guess. Ah was only still up because Ah wanted ta make sure ya got home. Ah-” A yawn found it's way out of my mouth. “Ah didn't think ya were gonna be out this late, really. Ah thought late fer ya was somethin' like eleven at best. Ah guess now that yer home Ah can go ta sleep after all. Night then.” Ah got up and headed ta the opposite side toward my room, but Uncle Blood stopped me.

“Oh, one more thing.” Ah turned ta look at him and the slightly buzzed look he had was gone and replaced by a much more serious face. One that Ah hadn't seen in a long time.

“While you're working, try to be safe okay? The harbor was attacked over the weekend and I don't want you getting caught up in the aftermath if something like that happens again... If... if you do happen to find yourself in a dangerous situation just... Just make sure you come back home, okay?” Ah swallowed. That's not the booze talkin' is it? He did down like eight ounces all at once, but that ain't a face he makes often... Ah nodded.

“Y-yes sir.” He smiled at that and returned the nod.

“Good. Oh, and if you see Rainbow, tell her Blood Orange said hi.” Then, he disappeared behind the door ta his room. Ah guess that must be her name. Ah wonder if it's a family thin', or if she was named that because of her mane? Eh, probably doesn't matter. He met some random mare on a train ride, Ah doubt Ah'll ever see her. Ah turned off the lamp as Ah went ta my room. Ah checked my phone one last time ta make sure my alarm fer tomorrow was set and noticed that Ah had a reply from Twilight.

“... I mean, I guess you could bring that up. I suppose it's true, but sometimes, I find it hard to think that my own Mother is that much of a force of nature. I can only wonder if my magic has that capability already, or if that's something that came with time for them? I mean, technically, I'm an Alicorn-unicorn half breed, and the only one of my kind. Would my magic even be as powerful as hers over time? Or maybe I'll only be as good as I am now because that's the limit to my potential. Sigh. All this is making me tired. I'm going to bed Applejack, I'll see you when I see you. Night.” It read.

Not a fun topic fer her either Ah guess. A unicorn's got nothin' on the legends and testimonies about the Princesses' power, but nopony still alive has seen the princesses really do any insane feats of magic in the last two centuries. Ah shuddered at the thought that Ah might see a feat like that sometime and tossed my phone on the night stand after sendin' her a simple 'Night Twi' in reply. My hazy thoughts drifted back ta tomorrow.

Ah have ta make a run by Star's place and get my suit dropped off. Ah need ta visit the dealership and get somepony's number so Ah can set up a payment plan after Ah get my license on Wednesday. Eh, Ah should probably get a helmet so Ah don't look suspicious. Maybe even a ridin' suit too. Even if terminal velocity has nothin' on me, based on past experience, It'd look weird if Ah hit a wall and just walked away with a few scratches. Ah need ta get a quote on the insurance cost. Then we'll go ta the fair... Her friend and her friend's sister huh? A wonder if that means Ah'll see Rarity tomorrow... A last passin' thought and then the darkness took me.

Saturday, August 24th, 2030.

Today, Applejack took me ta Sweetie Belle's fer her birthday. Ah ended up wakin' her up damn near twenty minutes after we were supposed ta go and we were just about thirty minutes late ta the party. It's not like we have a whole bunch of friends between the three of us, but the least she could do is actually make good on her promises. Ah know she works nights, but that really isn't much of an excuse if all Ah needed her ta do was get up at five.

Sigh. It makes me mad, but really, Ah can't blame her. She looked sweaty and not well rested when Ah woke her up. If Ah wasn't so mad Ah probably woulda asked her what was wrong, but so much fer that Ah guess. Ah only lived with dad fer so long, but it probably still eats away at her and Macintosh.

The interestin' part of today was when Sweetie Belle's sister, Rarity Belle, decided ta have a chat with her at the door. Sweetie told me that Rarity is out real late at night these days, and is worried that she might be a prostitute or somethin' since her boutique hasn't been doin' all that well, but Ah don't get the same feelin'. Granted, Applejack and Rarity are both pretty enough ta do it, but Applejack's probably never owned any makeup and Rarity doesn't seem like that kinda mare. Ah've always had this idea that Applejack isn't ever honest about what she really does fer a livin', but it wasn't until tonight that Ah really thought about it. She's always out late too, sometimes she doesn't come home until noon, like today, and every now and again Ah see bruises and cuts on her that she just says she got at work.

How would she even do that? If she's really a city janitor, there's no way she gets so many cuts and bruises just workin' street sweepers and cleanin' up debris after hero battles. Ah feel like dad used ta say he did the same thin', but Ah don't know that my memory of him is all that reliable. He was just about always home fer as long as Ah can remember. Well, until he didn't come home that one day. He probably died durin' that big fight that happened when the trade center collapsed, but nopony in the apartment ever wants ta talk about it, so Ah still don't know what happened ta him fer sure. These ponies frustrate me ta no end sometimes.

Scootaloo says her big sister is just as bad about tellin' her how she makes her money, but apparently it's good enough that she can afford ta pay fer all their stuff. Lucky little shit got a new cellphone fer her birthday in the summer and now Ah'm the only one without. Ah know Uncle Blood has ta make more than her sister does ta feed all of us and help pay fer Applejack and Macintosh's college, but damn it, Ah wish he made more, if only enough ta pay fer a phone fer me. Sigh. Bein' selfish doesn't get me anywhere. Maybe Ah should look fer a fast food job. Ah'm old enough ta work, but Ah don't really have anythin' ta put on a résumé.

Oh well, Ah'll have ta ask Macintosh about it later. If anypony knows about gettin' a job it's him. He's landed... and lost fer that matter, enough jobs in the past few years ta offer career advice. If Ah can say anythin' about my family it's that we're all damn pretty, or charismatic, or somethin' that makes us ponies that others want ta have around. That bitch from the Tiara family keeps approachin' me and Ah can't tell if she hates me or wants ta fuck me half the time. Probably both. She and her lesbian friend always make it a point ta talk about my body in front of me. Fuckin' faggots.

Tuesday, August 27th, 2030

Today was a little weird. Ah woke up ta Applejack draggin' her hooves around the kitchen this mornin', makin' her usual three egg breakfast while readin' somethin' in one of her text books. The weird thin' was that she had her jacket on, and just about winced every time she touched or moved her left side. She must've gotten another bruise because when Ah asked her about it she just said that she had a cramp on her side. Ah got smart and gave her a little hug on that side when Ah had the chance and she popped me on the forehead so hard that Ah thought my skull was gonna crack.

Obviously she had a bruise, but damn it, she didn't even try ta hold back. Ah swear every time she hits me... eh, even if it's really always my fault, she just about punches me. My head was all red fer the rest of the day and Ah had ta do my bangs different ta cover it up. The lesbians complimented me on it and Ah still don't know how ta feel about that. Ah don't think Ah'll do my bangs like that again any time soon though.

When Ah got home from school, she was leavin' ta go hang out with Rarity, of all ponies. Ah knew the two of them spent a good hour or so talkin' at the party... Ah say 'party,' but really there were only five ponies in Carousel Boutique that night, and Applejack was one of em. Anyways, Ah thought they were, ya know, kinda hostile toward each other at first. Ah guess that isn't the case though, since they're all buddy-buddy now. She'd probably get along with Rainbow Dash too if they ever hung out. Ah should see if Scoots and Ah can plan a day fer them ta meet or somethin' later.

She still hasn't come back and it's already almost ten. Ah wonder what they're up to really? Ugh, this crap with Tiara has my brain all messed up. There's no way Applejack is gay... right? Ya know what, fuck that. Ah'm crossin' it out and Ah'm not thinkin' about it again. Just because Rarity always comes off a little fruity doesn't mean that my sister does. Damn gutter mind. If it's not a sex joke or some kinda awful dark joke, it didn't come from me or my friends, that's fer sure.

Ah got another chess book today and Ah've been tryin' out the new strategies with Uncle Blood. He learns too fast fer my comfort. Ah won one of those games with the new techniques, and then he started pullin' stalemates on me, and almost beat me toward the end. Ah knew he was smart, he's an accountant after all, but damn he's good at chess. Ah thought Ah was a fast learner, but the guy can see like, four moves ahead of me, it's unbelievable. Ah'll have ta start diggin' through my books ta see if there's any way Ah can do better. If anypony at the tournament in October is as good as him, Ah'll have a run fer my money. And there really is money at stake here. If Ah can buy it myself, he said he'll help me play fer the plan on a new phone! Ah'm so excited, Ah might even have a phone by my birthday, and Ah'll be damned if Ah lose a game that costs me my phone!

Wednesday, August 28th, 2030

Applejack is startin' ta worry me. Ah haven't asked Uncle Blood or Macintosh about it yet, but she came home with puffy eyes and a real sad look on her face yesterday day. Ah asked her if anythin' was wrong, but as usual, she wouldn't talk about it. She never talks about her personal life, and somehow Ah don't think she ever will, the stubborn bitch. She's not cried in years, really since she got back from the Apple family orchard so long ago, but it looked like she'd been cryin' a lot, or holdin' back tears, or somethin'. She said that nothin' was wrong and that she made some new friends, but somehow that doesn't line up with the way she looked. Unless they were havin' some kinda hug box together, goddess knows she needs it. She's got less friends than Ah do, and Ah've only really got two.

Speakin' of friends, that theater kid started talkin' ta me again today. His name is like, Taps or somethin', and he's got that kinda high pitched voice that immediately makes ya think he's a fag, but he kept complimentin' me again and tryin' ta get my number. Of course, Ah more or less blew him off because Ah don't have a number ta give, and Ah'm more embarrassed about that than anythin' else. Ah hope Ah didn't hurt his feelin's or anythin', cause he's a nice guy and Ah wouldn't mind gettin' ta know him. Maybe Ah'll approach him after Ah do get myself a phone. Goddess knows Ah'm the only one in school that doesn't have one. Ah told him that if he could beat me in chess, Ah'd let him have it, but we all know how that went. Poor guy didn't even know how knights moved. He tried though, so that's at least somethin'.

Ah tried ta ask Uncle Blood about dad today, but as per usual, he just got that pained look on his face and wouldn't say anythin'. Ah hate not knowin'. It's not like it's hard ta tell me that he died, or somethin', or anythin' at all, right? It's that stupid hopeful thought that Ah might see him again if he's not dead that keeps makin' me wonder about it. If he isn't dead, then what happened? Where did he go? Was he really so much of a bastard that he dropped us on his brother and skipped town or what? Goddess, it's just so frustratin' how my own family likes ta keep thin's from me like this. Whatever, Ah'll just go back ta drownin' myself in chess books. Maybe Ah'll get good enough that Ah can join the Equestrian circuit and make a livin' off it. Creatures all around the world play this game, and if Ah get good at it, then who knows what Ah'll do?

Still though. My cutiemark has me worried that Ah'll be in the military or back at the apple farm against the rest of my family's wishes. It's a shield with three stripes of color, an apple and a heart inside, and we're still not sure what that means. The cutiemarkologists say that it's the most complex cutiemark that they've ever seen, and on top of that, Scootaloo and Sweetie both have almost identical marks just with different shapes in the middle of the shield. We got em all at the same time durin' an argument way back in middle school and we still don't know what ta do with 'em. It's been somethin' Ah've been thinkin' about a lot lately. Ah don't want ta go ta the Apple farm, so Ah've been lookin' inta combat sports and military branches. Ah'm pretty good in a fight, and... well, Ah haven't told anypony about this, but sometimes, Ah can tell who and how many ponies are around me within' some kind of radius. Ah'm not sure how big it is, but Ah'm pretty sure it's gettin' bigger the more Ah try and use it.

Ah'm also really good at predictin' what ponies are about ta do. Like, the other day, Scoots made me play this game she's really inta, where ya run around in some kinda Victorian fantasy world covered in monsters that ya hunt down. It was a lot of fun and Ah was really good at it after she told me how ta use the gun. She said she was amazed that Ah never missed a parry since it was apparently hard ta do. She had me play another game that was similar, but set in a medieval fantasy world, and even though it was a slower game, the results were about the same. Though, Ah couldn't parry the bigger weapons so that made fer some funny deaths.

It really just makes me wonder if Ah shouldn't try out fer some kinda combat club or even Junior Guard... Ah might ask Uncle Blood what he thinks about it later. Ah know Macintosh and Applejack would shoot me down immediately if Ah asked them, but if Ah had his permission, Ah might at least get ta try it. As much as they like ta think they are, they're my siblin's, not my parents, and Uncle Blood is the one who gets final say on who can do what. A thought ta keep in mind when Ah come back and read this.

Thursday, August 29th, 2030

Ah talked about the thin' with Uncle Blood, and even though he didn't like the idea of me bein' in the military, he did say that it paid well and would have a future fer me if my Chess goals didn't pan out. He said Ah should at least tell the others about it if Ah did go through with it. He knows how 'hover parent' they like ta be with me and figure it's probably right ta come ta him before them with somethin' like this. But with that outta the way, the three of us signed up fer Junior Guard and the first meetin' is tomorrow. Sweetie said her dad was real excited that she might go inta the military like he did when he was in is early twenties, and Scoots said that she practically had ta fight Rainbow fer her signature. Both were almost equally surprisin' considerin' how rich Sweetie's family is and how not Rainbow and Scootaloo are. Ah suppose parents are more supportive of somethin' like that than protective older siblin's are. Still haven't told mine yet. No idea how they'll react, and Ah think Ah'll just let it happen when it becomes necessary ta say somethin'.

The first school chess tournament was today, but Ah was really disappointed by the turnout. There were about half the number of ponies we were expectin' and even fewer that were anywhere as close as good as Ah was. Ah won on time not once, not twice, but three times. That Taps guy showed up, which was cute, but even so he still got his ass kicked. He seems really interested in me, at least enough ta learn chess, so Ah think Ah might look him up in the near future. At least he's clean and doesn't openly stare at my ass. The more jockey dick heads that try and talk ta me always smell like shit and never take their eyes off my cutiemarks... Goddess, am Ah the asshole here or what? High school has tainted my vocabulary. My older diary entries were never this vulgar.

Anyways, the tournament was over almost twice as fast as Ah wanted it ta be, and even though Applejack came and watched like she promised, she said she had other thin's ta do that day and ended up goin' ta work shortly after Ah got my prize. Oh well. At least she played a game with me before she left. She wasn't much of a challenge either, but it's somethin'.

Ah made five silver off the school's generosity, so that's more than a few used chess books, or even a quarter the way ta a new phone. A cheap phone, but If Uncle Blood helps with the plan, maybe Ah can actually pull this win off and find a deal on somethin' nice. They don't tell ya this in the adverts, but a brand new smart phone like the one Sweetie got fer her birthday costs like, seven black bits without a plan! Ah'd have to work fer like, ten hours fer seven days straight just ta make that much at a minimum wage fast food job.

It really puts inta context how much Uncle Blood actually makes ta support all of us. Even havin' a couple black ta spare every week must be a challenge. It's a good thin' Applejack works herself, otherwise we'd probably be pretty worse off than we are now, what with how unreliable Macintosh havin' a job is. Speakin' of Applejack, Ah have ta wonder how much she really makes. She said she's a part time street janitor, and if that's true, how did she even get the job in the first place? Like, it's not like Ah've seen adverts in the paper fer that kinda job, and she's been doin' it fer three years now. It's not like she had any other work experience when she was seventeen, so what makes her so special? She paid fer herself ta get inta Manehattan community initially, and even then, she still offers ta buy the groceries every other week. Maybe Ah should ask some time.

Ah doubt she'll tell me, but whatever, it's worth a shot ain't it? Ya miss every shot ya don't take right? My Junior Guard instructor taught me that one today. He said that the military uses guns and precision long range arms ta fight these days, but fer more internal stuff, they still train with swords and lances along side the guns and such. He said Ah looked pretty strong fer my age and somepony who doesn't do a lot of physical stuff, so Ah might even be cut out fer a heavy armor position. Not gonna lie, Ah'm pretty excited about this. Ah know it can be dangerous, but Ah feel like this is somethin' along the lines of what my cutiemark wants me ta do, ya know? Applejack and Macintosh didn't really get the chance ta act on theirs, so Ah'm hopin' this is a way fer me ta use mine. Scootaloo and Sweetie felt the same way, so maybe it is?

Of course, Sweetie and Ah are worried about what Scootaloo can actually do fer the military. She's not the brightest hue in the pallet, and even though her motor skills are somethin' ta behold, she's a pegasus that can't fly on straight up disability. Unless she turns out ta be some kinda genius marksman, Ah don't think she's got a good shot at this. But maybe. She's pretty good at those shooter games, and she's real fast, even if she's not very strong. Her wings might even be of some use since she can manipulate her feathers about as well as Rainbow can, which is somethin' ta be spoken for. Who knows? We'll find out, that's fer sure.

Friday, August 30th, 2030

Applejack didn't come home until after her classes today from whatever she did for work yesterday. Where did she sleep? She didn't say anythin' but that she was out with a friend. Bullshit, ya don't have friends. Or was she out with Rarity? Ugh, that thought from the other day is rearin' it's ugly head back in my mind and Ah don't wanna think about it. Just because we're Apples doesn't mean she's a fruit. Please, oh please, goddess don't let my suspicions be true. Ah respect my sister, and Ah don't want ta be disgusted with her.

She looked better this time than she has in the past, but Ah think Ah saw a few new bruises on her coat. Rememberin' the punch ta the forehead made me not try and touch 'em again, but Ah figure they were what Ah thought. It was a weird pattern too, like she was hit by somethin' with massive claws, and she had this fresh lookin' scar on her front foreleg. Ah got the usual 'it was a work accident' when Ah asked, but she wouldn't have any more about it. Ah suppose if nothin' else, that means she really was workin' yesterday which eases my thoughts a little. Somehow though, Ah get the feelin' she had a good experience in the last little while because she was... Ah don't know, happy? One: that's weird. She hardly ever smiles. Two: she hardly ever smiles. Fer any reason at all. Three: why was she smilin'? What about gettin' beat up is reason enough fer Applejack ta smile? That brings me back ta that other thin' and... Ugh, let's just drop it fer now. Heh. Cowgirl likes it rough. Oh, goddess, can we not? What is wrong with me?

Ah talked ta Taps again today, told him the truth, and he was pretty okay with that. Fer some reason. Totally into me, but at least he's clean and not too bad lookin'. His full name is Tender Taps, but Ah forgot his first name fer so long that Ah just refer ta him as Taps and that's that. We're gonna hang out at the cafe near the school on Saturday. Ah guess Ah'm excited about that, but Ah don't know how much of my extra money Ah should bring. Ah don't wanna look cheap, but it's just coffee, so Ah shouldn't need more than one silver right? Ah don't know. Ah told Uncle Blood about it, and he seemed happy fer me. Somethin' along the lines of 'If you find love, don't let it go and enjoy every minute of it. Never forget that, and have fun. But don't do anything too crazy. Biology doesn't care.'

Ah'm smarter than teen pregnancy, but Ah suppose his worries aren't unfounded. Sixteen in Manehattan has a lot of negative thin's associated with it, especially since this province has a real high abortion rate and an even higher birth rate fer ponies under twenty. Eh, Taps isn't my ideal anyways since in that relationship, Ah'd be the big spoon. Ah don't know. Ya never know what those stallions are hidin' under there, and shorter ones are always called breeders because... ya know. Low and long. Ah should stop before Ah do somethin' Ah'll probably regret in the mornin'. It's not like that isn't already a bad habit Ah have as it is. Active imaginations are a blessin' and a curse.

So, our first day of Junior Guard was today, and holy shit was it hard. Ah don't think Ah've ever been so tired after a workout in my life. First lieutenant Gray Scale had a workout planned for each individual pony! There were like, fifteen of us, and Scootaloo, Sweetie, and Ah only signed up yesterday fer fuck's sake! Ah didn't know it was possible fer my back ta feel that sore and in so many places all at once. If this pays off, Ah better look like Applejack does when she flexes. Ya can see every damn muscle on her body when she wants ya too, and it's somethin' ta see after she gets outta the shower. How her skin and coat stays so neat while apparently gettin' beat ta shit all the time is beyond me.

Guard works out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so Ah think Ah'm gonna have ta ask Uncle Blood ta buy some extra Ibuprofen so Ah can have a bottle of my own just fer this. Ah'll be damned if Ah give up though, that's fer sure. It hurt a lot, but Ah felt fantastic after and Ah could even start ta see my own muscles startin' ta bulge all over the place. Man, if Ah could look like Applejack does, that... Ah think even mom and dad would be proud, somewhere.

Saturday, August 31st, 2030

The whole apartment feels like everypony has been down lately, so Ah decided ta test a theory and see if Ah couldn't make everypony feel a little better. Applejack got a call from her boss Ah guess, and that gave me an idea. Taps and Ah talked about our families on our date or whatever, and he said that his mom always made a cake when the house felt a little depressed. Ah made sure ta tease him about me not havin' one, but he's a boy, he'll get over it. Probably. Ah'll have ta check back up on that, he's a little more of a girl than Ah am, after all. Ah figured since we're never in position ta buy ingredients on Uncle Blood's salary, now would be a chance ta test out Applejack's income and see if she couldn't get what Ah needed.

She was reluctant when she saw strawberries and cream on the list in the middle of fall, but she said she'd do it, so Ah expect ta have all my ingredients by the time she gets back, probably tomorrow based on what she said. I can't say how long she'll be gone though. Obviously, she has someplace she can stay that isn't here, but Ah wouldn't know where. Ah felt fer her with my powers as she was leavin', and not once did she head toward the west side, which is where Sweetie lives, before my radius ran out. The thin' that surprised me though, is how fast she did it. There ain't no way in hell that she can run that fast, and Ah know she won't take the bus because, and Ah quote, 'If two bits can fuel the bus, then two bits can get me a snack on the way ta wherever Ah'm goin'.' So she wouldn't be ridin' or drivin' anythin'. Macintosh is the only one who can drive Uncle Blood's car anyways.

Ah don't know how she did it, but Ah'm damn sure gonna find out. Uncle Blood started givin' me weird looks today too, but only when Ah caught him doin' it. Weird part is, He only gave me that look when Ah was usin' my powers. Makes me wonder if he has 'em too. Wouldn't that just be funny if the whole family had super powers, yet all of us were too afraid ta tell each other about 'em? It would make sense based on how the virus works after all, provided mom or dad had 'em. If Uncle Blood has 'em then that probably means Dad probably had 'em, which means we should all have 'em...

Huh. Well, that would make a lot of sense. If Applejack has super powers and is puttin' em ta use, then that means her 'job' is really just a cover story... Macintosh might not actually be as clumsy as we think, and Uncle Blood... what does he know? Ah'm not sure what ta do now. Would askin' make thin's worse? Or... hell, this ain't somethin' Ah can just ask about, now is it? Powers are a touchy subject across the board. Ponies who have 'em are ostracized by those that don't because we're the minority and looked down upon like we're diseased, which isn't entirely untrue all thin's considered. But at the same time, Ponies with powers don't typically like the normal ponies and neither side gets along well, especially in hospitals.

A lot of the time, Power Ponies have high mortality rates due ta whatever part of their virus is messin' with their internal structure, and that can cause a lot of health problems and who knows how much time in the hospital until the virus eventually kills them. It's not like the thin' is curable, and only time can say if they'll survive at all. The virus has only been around fer thirty years, so nopony really knows what all it can do, especially since testin' on it was outlawed even before Ah was born.

If it weren't fer the Super Heroes that started showin' up around the time Ah was born, Ah think there might have even been a war between the two sides. The Princesses can only do so much ta prevent ponies from killin' each other within our borders, but Ah don't think they could really do anythin' that wouldn't result in mass casualties if the problem ever became somethin' they needed ta step inta. Goddess knows that's how the New Caballo crater was formed. Eeh. We just went over that in my world history class, and the thought that that huge crater was made by somepony who sits on the throne is a little terrifyin'. She looks so nice in the pictures, Ah can't think that almost two centuries ago she stepped in and ended a war in a single day. Probably explains why Equestria hasn't been the target of somepony's attack in almost two hundred years now.

Sunday, September 1st, 2030

Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it. Ugh, she came home with a brand new phone. A brand new smart phone! The same one that Sweetie got, the same one Ah want, and she barely even knows how ta use it! Goddess, it's just so fuckin' frustratin', Ah just... Gah! Goddess damn it. Ah'm so jealous and Ah can't even hide it a little. Ah love her, but she pisses me off ta no end when she does shit like this. Where did she even get the money fer that? Has she been savin' up? She said somethin' about gettin' a raise or whatever, but did she get paid yesterday too? Who the fuck even knows how often she gets paid, she probably beat the shit out of some sorry fuck and stole his damn sack of bits. Fuck!

Sigh. Ah can vent all Ah want, but that's probably not gonna do me any good. Ah don't know what all she did, but she said she's gettin' a license, she's filled the fridge full with just about whatever she wanted on top of gettin' all the stuff Ah asked fer, and she got her new phone, all in the same day. How much fuckin' money does she make!? It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't fer the fact that she asked me how ta set the damn thin' up. Ya bought a 700 bit device and ya don't know how ta fuckin' activate it? Really!? Goddess shit, Ah need ta write about somethin' else before Ah go on a rant again.

Today Ah got in contact with Scootaloo... on Applejack's new phone... after makin' sure she was free on Tuesday, since it's Caballo day and schools get a half day. There's gonna be a fair in Central park and all kinds of festivities this year since it didn't rain unexpectedly durin' set up this time. It should be good fun, and we'll finally get Rainbow and Applejack in the same room together, so Ah'm excited about that.

Taps wants ta do somethin' with me again soon, but Ah'm not sure what we should do since Ah'm poor as shit, and Ah can't stand the thought of him buyin' shit fer me on his allowance. He said somethin' about wantin' ta visit a place over by the harbor on Thursday. Ah think he called it Charka? No wait, Carcha. Some store called Carcha that's over there. Ah don't know what it is, but he said it was a pretty cool shop, so Ah figured what the hell. It's not like Ah do anythin' but homework and games with my spare time while Ah'm not with Scootaloo and Sweetie... which is depressin'ly more often than not. Ah know Ah'm not an extrovert, but sometimes Ah wish Ah had more friends.

Ah was pretty surprised at Macintosh and Applejack's reaction when Ah told them Ah had a boyfriend. A lot like Uncle Blood, they said they were happy fer me, but not ta go fuckin' around and get knocked up and so on. Ah honestly thought they'd want ta know everythin' about him that they could find out, medical records and criminal history included, but they didn't even ask. Heh, maybe they just want me ta get hitched so Ah have another somepony ta rely on fer income and stability. It would be nice, but Ah've only known the guy fer a week, so Ah probably shouldn't be thinkin' about gettin' married just yet, right?

Ah didn't think Ah was the kinda gal ta fantasize about that kinda thin', but now that it's even a little relevant, these ideas are startin' ta pop in my head like weddin' dresses and so on. Applejack is less of a girl than Ah am, and Ah'm not much of a girl ta begin with, but... maybe Ah am about this? Ah don't know. Somethin' ta think about Ah guess.

Ugh, speakin' of, mares suck. Ah'm already tired of this month and that fuckin' pain under my belly, and it only just started. Applejack got sick one time while she was in hers, and she had this terrible coughin' fit that just wouldn't stop. Ah guess she was in the end of it because she had ta go clean her tail afterward 'cause she had a big red spotty spray on it. Ah guess she forgot ta put one in or somethin' on account of bein' sick, but ta this day Ah make sure Ah always have some on me because of it. Thank goddess my tail is red, but the thought that it could happen ta me if Ah sneezed too hard over the next few weeks is absolutely terrifyin'.

Geez, even after goin' as far as ta talk about my gross body functions, Ah still can't stop thinkin' about her damn phone. Damn it, Ah want my own and Ah want it right now! Fuck this shit, Ah'm gonna go play that game since Scootaloo let me borrow it. Ah don't give a shit about her fuckin' phone, and Ah don't give a fuck that Ah'm tired and angry because my body hates me, and Ah don't give a shit if it's nine PM and Ah have ta get up at six AM tomorrow. Six hours is enough sleep if Applejack doesn't force me off the TV earlier than midnight. It's not like anypony is asleep yet anyways, so who fuckin' cares?

Monday, September 2nd, 2030

So. Much. Regret. Ah should not have stayed up that late. It was a mistake, Ah was mad and made a bad decision, and not somethin' Ah should ever do again. Ah was so dead from Junior Guard this mornin' that Ah ignored all my friends, Taps included, blew off my teachers, and got in trouble fer sleepin' in class. Mistakes were made. Ah get the feelin' that my mornin' after J.G. is probably what a hangover feels like. Ah'll have ta ask Uncle Blood about that one.

Applejack's not old enough ta drink, and Macintosh is so big that he out drinks all his friends and coworkers ta the point that he's barely tipsy after twelve shots. Never had a hangover in his life. He did tell us a story of how he almost got fired after one of those parties because his boss screwed him afterward. He eventually lost that job anyways, but not because of her. She still calls here every now and again. If my brother is anywhere near proportionate, then... Ugh, Ah'm literally writin' about my brother's dick now. Applebloom, ya can't just keep followin' these random trains of thought. Those thoughts lead to other thoughts which lead ta nasty chess pieces and shame. Eww, I still need to clean the black king from last time.

Back ta the drinkin' thin' before Ah got distracted, Ah think they're still sex buddies, and Uncle Blood is the only one who can get drunk with relative ease. He's not all that big fer a stallion as opposed ta Macintosh, and body mass supposedly makes alcohol easier to handle, which is why mares tend to get drunk easier than stallions do. It's not supposed ta be a fun topic, but because my friends and Ah are horrible ponies, we make a lot of rape jokes when we talk about alcohol at school. And in general actually. We're just terrible over all actually. Where Ah got my twisted sense of humor, Ah'll never know.

Well that could have been less of a ramble. What did I even write here? Ah went from school, ta alcohol, ta touchin' myself, back ta alcohol, then ta rape. Geez. Ah need ta slow my damn roll, this escalated too quickly. Heh. It's funny how that strin' of thin's is just about how thin's involvin' alcohol usually go these days. See? There it is again. Ah have no filter. Well, it's better that Ah let my thoughts run wild on paper than out my mouth. Scoots does that, and she gets popped in the back of the head a lot, be it by teachers, Lieutenant Scale, or her sister. Most often it's Rainbow doin' it though. Ah feel like she gets on Scootaloo's case little more than necessary, but we've all come ta the conclusion that she's just over protective. She really is a lot like Applejack.

Everythin' is still set up fer tomorrow ta go ta the fair, but Applejack said she has a bunch of errands ta run before we go, so as soon as Ah get outta school tomorrow, we're gonna make a bunch of trips ta places. Don't know where though. Guess Ah'll find out at about noon tomorrow.

Oh, Ah almost forgot! Ah was feelin' better today, mentally that is, so Ah started on the cake. Ah got the recipe from Taps before Ah started ta feel like shit this mornin' while he was at marchin' band practice, and Ah modified it a little so that it would work with strawberries. Why anypony would ever put pineapple in and on a cake is just downright weird ta me. Ah got the cream and the batter made, and Ah cut the strawberries up so Ah figured Ah'd throw it in the oven once we get back from the fair and finish it up once we're done. Tomorrow marks Caballo day, but tomorrow is also the day we first moved inta this apartment almost twelve years ago. It might not be much, but at least it's somethin' we did together as a family.

Harmony Days VII: Sisters (part 2)

Come on now, ya said ya got out at noon, so where are ya? Ah impatiently sat on a bench just outside of North Manehattan High as Ah waited fer Applebloom ta get out of school. It’s currently 12:05 on Tuesday, September 3rd, 2030 as my phone read. Teenagers flooded past me, as few of the colts gave me stares and Ah stared right back. Is it a blessin’, or a curse? Ah only started ta notice it when Applebloom was gettin’ up in age, but now that she has her own little boyfriend, Ah pick up on just about all of ‘em. It’s that side glance slack jaw look that they all get. Ah knew she was close ta the ‘ideal’ body, but am Ah?

Ah felt another stare, but when Ah locked on ta the source of the feelin’, Ah realized it was just Applebloom and her pegasus friend that was at the party the other day. Ah know that she’s known her fer a good long time, but Ah can never remember her name. It’s not like she ever brings her friends ta the apartment, so Ah only see ‘em at parties, and that’s only if Ah’m the one droppin’ her off. Ya know, which is rare.

“Took ya long enough,” Ah said, tossin’ my little device back in my saddle bags. She had been walkin’ directly toward me, but the only one who was lookin’ at me was her friend.

“Yeah, whatever, Ah’m probably only two minutes late, and school got out at noon anyways. Ah’ll see ya at the fair Scootaloo,” she said, usin’ two very different tones ta talk ta both of us.

“See ya then!” the orange pegasus pulled a skateboard out of her backpack, threw it on the ground, and jumped on it to ride away. She headed south, so Ah can only imagine she lives in that direction.

“Sure. Fine. Treat me like the stranger, that’s cool.” Applebloom rolled her eyes.

“Whatever. Passive aggressive isn’t yer style, so why don’t ya just say what yer thinkin’? Anyways, where are we goin’ first? Ah told Scootaloo ta meet us at the park by two, and Ah don’t really wanna be late.” Ah grabbed my device outta my bag and pulled up the up checklist Ah made yesterday.

“Well, first we need ta go ta the east side shoppin’ district ta visit my tailor. Gotta get my work clothes repaired. Ah need ta visit the roadrunner dealership and get a helmet. And after that, Ah need ta take a trip ta our insurance place in the middle of town. Ah don’t think that’ll take us two hours, but we should get a move on anyways.” Ah started ta walk south eastward, and eventually a slack jawed Applebloom followed me.

“You what!? Roadrunner!? Are ya gettin’ a bike!?” Ah couldn’t help but feel a smile formin’ on my face.

“Eeyup.” Ah replied in my best attempt at Mac's voice. Applebloom just stared off inta space.

“First a phone and now a bike… Okay, what’s up? Where did ya suddenly get all this money?” Eh, it’s not the whole truth, but it is the truth.

“Ah got a promotion. And a big pay raise ta go with it. With the money Ah’m makin’ now, Ah could move inta my own place if Ah really wanted ta.” She just stared at me with her mouth open again.

“And... yer not?” Ah shrugged.

“Ah don’t really have a reason ta move out, so why go outta my way ta make it more expensive fer me ta live? Besides, somepony has ta take care of y’all. If we’re bein’ honest here, unless Ah suddenly get married or somethin’, Ah probably won’t move out even if Ah do have the money ta.” But… is that true? Ah’ve never had this kinda money before, and Ah’m only gonna get more with each month. Ah mean… as of last Saturday, Ah’ll be gettin’ ten gold every two weeks, and my next payday is Friday. Ah was lucky ta make that in two months when Ah was just bounty huntin’, and now…It’s almost like Ah’ve got a real job.

“Well, Ah guess… Ah don’t really mind livin’ with ya either. It’d be sad ta see ya go more than anythin’, really.” She lost volume and her eyes found the concrete. A smile started ta creep up on my face. Ah put a hoof around her neck, which was becomin’ incresin’ly difficult ta do on account of her havin’ mom’s build like Macintosh does, and dragged her close.

“Ah appreciate that ya feel that way. Ya know you're my sister, and Ah would do anythin' fer ya, so maybe somewhere in that little black heart yers ya feel the same fer me.” She struggled ta free herself from my iron grip until finally Ah felt Ah’d laughed at her enough and let her go.

“Asshat! Let’s just go before Ah regret invitin’ ya ta hangout with my friends,” she grumbled under bright red cheeks. Ah smiled and we made our way through the city. A trip ta the subway and a few minutes ride across town lead ta the eastern district. This area used ta be filled with factories and thin’s of a wartime nature a long ago because high tensions between the Equestrians and the country of Zvyr, A powerful nation of mostly carnivores ta the far north east. Manehattan was one of the largest production areas in Equestria, and it was expected to get blown up. Instead of that happenin’, Equestria and Zvyr fought their wars through other countries, always choosin’ ta help the other side just ta get at each other. When Celestia finally stepped in, that was pretty much the end of that. They don’t tell ya this as a foal, but Celestia or Luna showin’ up on a battlefield has signified the end of many, many of Equestria’s wars. Sometimes creatures need a reminder that ya have livin’ weapons of mass destruction on hoof with feelin's of their own, one of which has a bigger temper than the other.

Ta say that we’ve never really lost would be an understatement. There were a few strategic withdraws over time, but that’s because Celestia put her hoof down and said no. Some thin’s are just lost causes, and Equestria hasn’t been the aggressor of a war in a few centuries. All this history Twilight and Ah went over really got me thinkin’ about the princesses lately. The reason they can’t just come in somewhere is because they don’t want ta risk killin’ their own ponies or just about destroyin’ everythin' wherever they attack, and if they don’t come in with full force, then there’s a chance they might get hurt. Based on what Twilight said, they’re ageless, not immortal. Here Ah was, some dumb uninclined fuck, about ta go fightin’ one of em. Even if Ah won, and Ah had Twilight around so that mighta been possible with her magic locked away, there’s almost no way Ah woulda been spared some horrible punishment afterward.

“Applejack, isn’t this the place?” Ah heard Applebloom ask. Ah turned around and realized that Ah’d missed Star’s shop because Ah was too busy followin’ thin’s that didn’t happen.

“Oh, yeah it is. Sorry lost in thought.” We were on the sidewalk, it was rather crowded today, but with all the schools out early, ya can only expect ta find so many places empty.

“Uh… not ta rag on yer tailor or anythin’, but… doesn’t this place look… Ah don’t know, a little rundown?” Ah looked around myself and noticed what she was talkin about. Star Apparel, his shop, was not the newest place around. He personally couldn’t remember, but the documentation says he’s had the store for about fourteen years, somehow managin’ ta buy it when he was eighteen. He used ta live deeper in the district in some of the spotty housin’ around the old factories, specifically by a basketball court he remembers, but moved here when his sister disappeared on him. He makes a decent livin’, doin’ tailor work when he can and the occasional photography job he gets.

He’s always been fantastic at it, and every now and again Ah’d conspire with him ta get a few extra coins he’d make off of good photos of me in costume, but it’s really the clothes that he does best. My suit has been beaten ta hell and back, and it only ever rips when my own skin gets cut too, makin’ it almost as tough as Ah am, which is no small feat. We entered the ‘in need of an exterior wash’ store, as Applebloom put it, and sure enough, there he was readin’ the paper at the counter.

“Welcome to Star Apparel. Take a look around and let me know if ya find somethin’ ya like or need a custom order.” He said in his true ta bein’ Manehattan born accent.

“Nah, Ah just need some repairs done.” His ears twitched from behind his paper, and he nearly jumped out of his chair after he put it down. Star was a silvery gray stallion with a bright white mane and tail, both cut short and what was essentially the inverse of five o’clock shadow on his face from a recent attempt to shave. He liked ta wear a hat these days, his looked a lot like Goose’s fedora, but the hat itself was black and the band matched his mane. He also wore this weird white blue green and yellow tie that he always said was his good luck charm that he essentially never takes off. Ah know Ah’ve never seen him without it.

“Applejack!” he said as he rushed over ta give me a hug. “Sweet Celestia, is it nice ta see a familiar face. Oh hell, it’s been a long time. How’ve ya been? What’ve ya been up to these days? Oh, and who is this? Hello there. The name’s Star Slate, nice ta meet ya.” He took a bow in front of Applebloom, who just stared from him ta me and back.

“Oh, uh… Ah’m Applebloom? Nice ta meet ya… Ah guess.” Star nodded and stood back up ta his slender full height, just a bit taller than Ah am these days.

“Ah, I see. Yeah, you two look just a little alike don’t ya? Speakin' of, you remind me of your dad quite a bit. Same coat, same eyes, but definitely easier on the eyes if ya know what I mean. The guy didn’t know what a razor blade was, I swear.” He started back ta his desk at the other end of the little shop, but then stopped just before he went behind it.

“Oh, uh… ya said repairs right? So, she’s not…?” He made little stutterin’ movements with his neck, his blue irises dartin’ from her ta me. Ah shook my head.

“Just repairs, and no, she isn’t. At least as far as Ah know.” Star nodded and then Ah turned ta Applebloom. “Look around and just sit tight. If ya see somethin’ ya want, Ah can get it fer ya, but Ah need ta talk ta Star alone fer a bit okay?” Applebloom half nodded, half rolled her eyes.

“Sure, whatever. Ah don’t mind spendin’ yer money, since, apparently ya have a lot of it.” Applebloom didn’t bother ta wait fer me ta reply and just went ta browsin’ the racks of clothes that lined the store. Ah made a motion fer Star ta move and we both headed behind the counter and up the stairs. Most buildin’s in this area were stores with apartments built above them, and Star owned this one. It was fairly cheap ta live in this shoppin’ district about fourteen years ago, and Ah guess he had sense enough ta buy the place while he could afford it, whether or not he remembers that event. Nowadays, an apartment here will cost about eight black a month fer rent, and minimum wage is only a little over seven bits an hour. It takes most ponies about three weeks ta work up enough black bits ta make rent here, so unless ya own the store below yer livin’ space, ya probably don’t live in any of the shoppin’ districts.

We made our way up the staircase ta the third floor and stopped when we reached Star’s workspace, the real workspace. As most in the hero community know, Star Apparel is the biggest purveyor of hero costumes and one of the most in the know ponies around. He knows more secret identities than anypony around and makes costumes fer half of ‘em. He said he remembers startin’ this almost sixteen years ago, but not really why. So much of his memory from the time Red Hoof was around is either gone or so spotty that it’s almost like four years of his life are just missin’. He does however, know that he made all the Red Hoof suits that appeared over those years. He still has the original sketches lyin’ around, which was the thin’ that convinced me he was trustworthy in the first place.

“Alright, what did you do to my suit, this time?” He lost the much brighter tone he had a minute ago and gave me the 'Ah know ya ruined it otherwise ya wouldn't be here' look. Ah rolled my eyes and tossed the thing at him from my bag.

“What did Ah do, pfft. Ah’ll tell ya what happened. Y’all hear the news story about the shit that happened at the harbor Saturday night?” Ah took a seat in one of the nice leather chairs he had. Star lived alone, ran his own business, and has owned this buildin’ fer a long time, so he had the money ta do just about whatever he wanted, includin’ buyin’ expensive Cavallian leather.

“Yeah? Geez, ya ripped up the whole damn foreleg sleeve. What happened ta the tail wrap? It’s ripped ta hell in some parts, and half of it’s gone. Are the boots like this too?” Ah shook my head.

“Nah, those didn’t get hit, unfortunately. It was only the sensitive parts of my body that the Beast cut up.” He stopped fiddlin’ with the suit at that.

“You went toe to toe with the Beast? For real? But wait, how did the harbor get melted if it was just the beast? That would explain the limbs but...” Ah shook my head.

“Nah, that happened a few days before the harbor thin’.” That turned his attention ta me.

“Well, clearly you’ve been busy. I know ya said ya needed some more cash, but goin’ after the Beast even after it disappeared fer a whole year? Where did ya even find it? And what happened at the harbor? I had another hero come in and ask me about it yesterday durin’ a conference about a new suit.” Ah took a deep breath.

“Ah’ll summarize ta keep this brief, but here goes. In a strange twist of fate, Ah am now actually partnered with the Beast. The pony behind the monster isn’t really all that bad, at least not any more, and durin’ a job fer my new outfit Thursday, the Beast came ta play against that pony’s will. The harbor thin’ happened because some serious shit is goin’ down that Ah don’t think anypony else is prepared fer, or even knew about save fer one asshole, but Ah have him in my entourage somehow now too. Long story short, there was a monster similar ta the Beast that showed up and in the near future, there may be more. Spread the word and let the other heroes that come by know ta be on high alert. Ah’m on a team now, but if we fuck up, it’s up ta somepony else.” Star just stared at me with a frown on his face.

“You’re tellin’ me ta spread the word? Applejack, just how deep in are ya? You better not go off and pull a Red Hoof on me, ya hear? I swear, if you get killed, I’ll revive ya just so I can kill ya again fer bein’ a dumbass. And what’s this about an entourage? I thought you and that other chick didn’t get along? Wait, I’m still just tryin’ to process this. So, first off, ya know who the Beast is?” Ah nodded.

“Don’t expect anythin’ more than that.” He nodded.

“Okay. Fine, whatever, you work with a serial killer, it’s fine, whatever. You fought with said serial killer, and that’s how you ripped the suit, correct?” He made a face that bordered anger and confusion.

“Eeyup. But that was just the leg.”

“Okay, sure, whatever. And you work for somepony now?”

“Eeyup.”

“Not only that but on a team… with the Beast.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And a monster just popped outta nowheres, and that’s how the harbor got all fucked up, and the tail of yer suit got burnt. Wait a minute, what happened ta your actual tail? If the suit ripped...”

“Don’t think about that one too much. Just know that my tail will be back ta normal later tonight... probably. Ah’ve… made some friends.” A buzzin’ accompanied by one of the many songs Ah’ve downloaded in the last twenty four hours started ta play in my saddle bags. Ah grabbed the little device and shut off the alarm. “Look, Ah’d love ta talk with ya more, but Ah’ve got other things ta do today. Ah’ll be back tomorrow ta pick up whatever ya can get me. Ah need the repairs done or a substitute suit by the time Ah come back, and Ah can pay whatever ya need ta do it. Ah promise, Ah have plenty of cash at the moment.” Ah started ta head toward the stairs and Star threw the suit on one of his manikins and followed quickly behind.

“Oh yeah? And where did all this money come from?” We hit the second floor landin’. Ah stopped and turned around.

“That Ah can’t say. Even ta y’all. Sorry.” Ah made sure he looked me in the eyes. The brand started a thin hiss in my mouth and Ah could feel the burnin’ sensation startin’ ta creep around the back of my tongue. His expression turned ta stone and he simply nodded.

“Okay, yeah, I’ll do what ya asked. But I want a real talk with you later. I can’t have both of my best clients die on me, alright?” Ah flinched at his words. Ah never really thought about it, but he was probably hurt by dad’s death as much as we were. Star always spoke of him like he was his own father, and since he stepped in right when Star’s parents died, it’s not hard ta believe he took up that spot while he was around. Ah didn’t do anythin’ but nod and let Star lead us ta the bottom floor where we found Applebloom tryin’ on a big pink bow. It was silky, almost iridescent and it suited her pretty well.

“Wow, don’t that look nice on ya?” Star commented from the top of the staircase. Applebloom just about jumped out of her skin an immediately pulled the bow off.

“What!? No, i-it’s just some dumb girly bow, that’s not...” she stuttered, soundin’ almost like she was truly ashamed of it. Star puffed after he got ta the landin’ and Ah followed. Ah figured sayin’ somethin’ wouldn’t do her any good fer her self esteem here.

“Aw come on, don’t be like that. What do ya got to be shy about?” He picked the bow off the floor and had Applebloom stand in front of the vanity mirror to reapply the bow, with his professional touch. “Now that, looks great. What do you think Applejack?” He just about holdin’ the poor filly still, her ears flat against her head, tail tucked between her legs like she’d been caught stealin’ or somethin’. Whew, boy, she needs a confidence booster. Ah know it’s her time right now, but Ah think this whole boyfriend thin’ she’s got goin’ on is makin’ her more self conscious.

“Ah think she looks cute in that thin’. Ah mean, ain’t no reason a gal cain’t look pretty every now and again.” There it is. She really wanted ta hear that and she’ll be damned if she admits it, but at the very least, that little smile is all Ah needed ta see.

“W-well… Ah guess. Y-ya said y’all were buyin’ right?” Her ears perked back up and she looked a little more steady now.

“That Ah did. Oh, and while we’re on the subject, y’all don’t have anythin’ like a bandanna with a pocket, do ya? Ah got a phone recently and don’t really wanna have ta carry my saddlebags with me everywhere Ah go now.” Star nodded.

“Yeah, I figured you’d ask about that as soon as I saw it. Most ponies just ask for a necklace, but I know ya like ta dress up like your old man. Come on over ta the counter and I’ll get you all set up alright, little miss?” Applebloom nodded and followed Star ta the counter and Ah met them both there. Ah tossed a gold bit on the table and he gave me a look like he wanted ta strangle me, but rolled his eyes and started movin’ coins around in the register. He started pickin’ up coins but then stopped in the middle fer some reason.

“Ya know what? I think it’s about time I made you somethin’ new. I’ll charge ya three black for it, and you can just have the bow and the bandana, alright?” Ah thought about it fer a moment. A new suit huh? It has been almost a year and a half since Ah got that last one… maybe it is time fer a new one.

“Alright, Ah’ll take ya up on that.” He dropped all the silver and copper bits back in their holes and picked out seven black bits, then threw the gold bit in his register. Ah picked up all the coins and threw ‘em back inta my bag. He took a bright red bandanna out from under his counter and pushed it toward me.

“This is more or less made fer the purpose ya wanted it for, so all ya have to do is hook it together on your neck and press the button to get the latch ta lock. It’s pretty strong and hard to rip to prevent theft, but it also hides things in it pretty well. It’s much more popular with the tourists from the south, but then again, you two are almost like tourists anyways. As for the bow, don’t just throw it in a laundry machine when ya need to clean it, ya need to take good care of it and hoof wash it in cold water. Otherwise it’ll shrink and fall apart.”

“Yes sir.” Applebloom just about saluted. That was weird. Defiant is more her style.

“Thanks Star. Ah’ll be back fer my work clothes whenever yer done with 'em. Oh, ya know what? Take my number and just call me when you’re ready.” Star nodded, and Ah wrote down my number on the receipt and handed it back ta him. We headed out the door and Star rattled off his slogan as soon as we turned our backs.

“Thanks for your business, and remember, Star Apparel will make a star outta you!”

“So… do ya really think it’s cute?” Applebloom asked. We’d walked in silence almost all the way ta the Roadrunner dealership fer the last ten minutes, listenin’ ta the bustlin’ streets, the angry car horns, and the whistles of police officers. Ah gave her a nod.

“Ah sure do. Yer little boy toy oughtta feel lucky ta have such a pretty thin’ like you around.” She punched me in the side and pouted in the other direction.

“Whatever, ya friggen putz. So what kinda bike are ya gonna get? Ah’ve heard that most ponies usually go fer somethin’ small ta avoid killin’ themselves first. Like a 250R, or a 300cc. Scootaloo said her sister almost crashed her first bike the day she got it because it had more power than she was able to handle on the road. That was like a couple years ago now, but still.” Applebloom said. If ya didn’t know her as well as Ah did, you’d probably figure that she’s just a prick, but really that’s just how she acts around me. Uncle Orange, Macintosh and Ah love ta baby her, and she hates it ta tears, so it’s really our fault that she acts like this.

“Ah don’t know. Ah was thinkin’ Ah’d get a liter ta start, maybe sell that and get a 1300 after Ah get used ta it. Not really sure whether or not Ah want ta sell it though, so Ah may just get the 1300 outright.” She made a slow head turn toward me.

“A liter ta start!? Oh goddess, you’re not kiddin’ either. Applejack, what the hell is wrong with ya? You’re gonna die on one of those thin’s!” Ah shook my head.

“Ah think ya’d be surprised at what Ah can survive. All the same, Ah need somethin’ that can go somewhere in a hurry, reliably, and often.” Ah said, more or less like it was a casual conversation fer me.

“Ya’ve got ta be kiddin’ me. What, do ya need ta go from one side of the outskirts ta the next in half an hour or somethin’ doin two hundred down the roads? Applejack, that’s like askin’ fer a bike that goes as fast as the subways and not knowin’ how ta ride it.” Ah looked back at her. She looked just as concerned as she sounded.

“Now who said Ah didn’t know how ta ride a bike? Ah promise, Ah’ll be fine Sugarcube.” She rolled her eyes.

“Breakin’ out ancient words huh? Sure, just go kill yerself just like him. Y’all can have a party in hell together. Maybe dad’s been lonely down there!” That touched a nerve.

“Hey! Who the fuck do you think yer talkin’ about? Yer papa did not kill himself, and he certainly didn’t go ta hell if anythin’! You do not bad mouth yer father that way!” Ah popped her across the back of the head, and she immediately took a step away from me.

“Yeah? And how would Ah know any of that!? None of y’all will tell me what happened, and everypony just ignores me when Ah ask! Ah don’t even remember him much! Fer all Ah know, he was some bastard that dropped his kids off on his brother and skipped town!” Ah was about ta start yellin’ back when her words made it through my temper. She really doesn’t know, does she? Ah sighed and went inta defusin’ mode.

“Look, it’s not... somethin’ that we like ta talk about okay? Those wounds aren’t quite all healed yet, and it… it’s just not easy ta talk about. Dad died twelve years ago. He didn’t leave, he didn’t run away, and he would never have abandoned us.” A few ponies around had stopped ta watch our little spat, and Ah decided that we should keep movin’. Applebloom didn’t say anythin’ back fer the entirety of our time in either the dealership, the subway, or the insurance office. Ah ended up buyin’ a ridin’ suit after all since Ah figured Ah could wear it over my suit, and my insurance is set up ta start on Wednesday after my license is registered with the Manehattan DPS. It wasn’t until we started toward the park that she spoke up again.

“So… look, Ah’m sorry, Ah didn’t mean all that. Ah’m just... frustrated, is all. And… probably afraid that ya might get hurt okay? Ah just don’t want the day ta come where ya don’t come home like that.” Ah sat us down on a bench in the sunny, clear, sky and gave her a hug.

“Don’t you worry none, yer sister is always gonna come home, okay?” Ah held her in the quiet of the more remote part of the city by the garden until she spoke up again.

“It’s just… Ya come home all bruised up, more so lately than before, and ya have all this money outta nowhere, and it was more like ya were scared ya wouldn’t have any all the time before. Ah just… Ah don’t know what ta make of ya these days. It’s like Ah don’t know who ya are half the time because ya won’t tell anypony anythin’, so… why? What is it ya have ta hide that ya can’t tell yer own family?” Ah gritted my teeth. What am Ah supposed ta say ta her now? it’s not like Ah can just tell her what’s goin’ on fer real, especially since this brand is on my tongue now… Ah looked away and tried ta come up with somethin’, anythin’ ta tell her, but nothin’ would come ta mind. Ah can’t tell her the truth, but Ah shouldn’t lie ta her either. What can Ah say that would satisfy her?

“Applebloom?” Ah heard from from the opposite direction. Ah looked up ta see an orange filly with a short curly magenta mane and tail and violet irises approachin’ fast on a skateboard. She leaned back, turned the board sideways, started ta flap her wings, and halted momentum just before she woulda collided with the bench we were on.

“Oh. Hiya Scoots. Are ya alone?” Applebloom asked. Scootaloo shook her head.

“Nah, she’s a little further back. What are you guys doing here? We were just about to go to the park.” She turned her head quick and looked behind. “Oh, there she is. I think I lost her when I started taking rails through the subway. She has trouble balancing on them due to the… uneven body weight she has.” From the direction she came, goin’ so fast that she just about left a rainbow colored trail behind her, was a rainbow maned, cyan coated pony with one wing on a skateboard headed right fer us, and it didn’t look like she was slowin’ down. Oh, hell she can’t stop at that speed!

“Get out of the way!” She yelled as she came closer. In an instant, all of my reflexes turned on. Ah pushed my body off the bench with one hoof and slid Applebloom ta the edge with the other. Ah grabbed Scootaloo as soon as my hind hooves hit the ground and shoved her on the bench, and prepared ta catch the cyan pegasus. She was goin’ some kinda fast, and when she collided with my body, Ah felt like Ah was catchin’ a big bullet. All of the force shuttered through my body and the skateboard slammed against my right hoof, luckily just under my fetlocks, keepin' me from feelin’ anythin’. The air felt almost frozen ta the point that Ah checked around fer Rarity and made sure the world still had color, and when it did, Ah let out a breath.

“Shit, ya could hurt somepony!” Ah yelled at the remarkably light adult sized pegasus in my hooves. She shook her head, and just looked at me dumbfounded. Then Ah noticed the other eyes. All three pairs of ‘em were starin’ at me. “What?”

“That was sooo cool! Oh my gosh, did you see that? She just flipped over everypony and caught Rainbow like it was nothing! I knew your sister was strong, but holy crap, that was awesome!” Scootaloo exclaimed. Oh fuck. Ah just did all that didn’t Ah? Oh no. Ah looked at Applebloom who was still just starin’ at me dumbstruck, and then ta my rescuee, who had formed a smile on her face that almost looked like it had malicious intentions. Now that Ah looked closer at her, thin’s were startin’ ta fall inta place. Magenta irises, a scar over her right eye, a cyan coat, a single wing.

“I don’t believe we’ve met before… I’m Scootaloo’s sister. The name’s Rainbow Dash. Nice. To. Meet. You.”

Harmony Days VIII: Caballo Day

“Uh… Okay, Ah guess. Nice ta meet ya too?” Ah replied nervously ta the mare in my forelegs. The rainbow maned cyan pegasus kept up her insidious smile, not even fer a second takin’ her eyes off me. It reminded me of one of the cartoons Ah’ve seen playin’ in Fluttershy’s room at the castle. It was in Umanese, but the subtitles were what struck me. ‘Boku ga Kira.’ or ‘I am Killer.’ All she needed to do now was laugh hysterically ta finish the scene and everythin’ would have fallen inta place.

“So… I don’t really know what’s going on here… but ponies are staring, so could you two just kiss and get it over with so we can leave?” Scootaloo said. Ah felt a quick surge of heat run through my cheeks and Ah dropped the mare on the ground.

“Oww...” she said, rubbin’ her head where it hit the skateboard. Applebloom popped Scootaloo across the head and let out a puff of air.

“Ya dumb ass, that’s my sister, not one of Tiara’s lesbians.” Scootaloo rubbed at the back of her head.

“I call it like I see it. Besides, that’s my sister that yours was so romantically holding for a few minutes, staring deep into each other’s eyes like they were about to go at it in a tongue tornado.” Applebloom frowned and gave her a different look, then started ta walk off, whippin’ Scootaloo in the face with her tail.

“Piss off Scoots. Come on guys, we’re gonna miss the fair.” Scootaloo rubbed at her muzzle, then picked up her skateboard in put it in her backpack.

“Learn to take a joke, geez.” She she caught up ta Applebloom, and Ah didn’t bother makin’ sure Rainbow was okay and caught up with my sister as quickly as possible, probably a little faster than Ah should have on account of already almost blowin’ my cover once today. Ah didn’t really appreciate the gay joke, but Scootaloo has kept me out of hot water twice today and it’s only been a few minutes since she showed up.

“Man, you guys suck, you know I’m not very fast.” Ah heard the slightly raspy young-ish voice say behind me. She looked like she was kinda winded from runnin’ with that Skateboard under her wing. Is this the Crow? Really? There’s no way her stamina is that bad. She fumbled with it until she caught up ta the rest of us and shoved it in the violet colored backpack she was wearin’. She finally finished with that, then came up and brushed her flank against mine. And gave me a different smile. One that reminded me of Goose’s harem girls. Volt Switch was her name Ah think? Ah immediately pushed her away as far as my foreleg would travel.

“Personal space, thank ya kindly.” Ah felt that heat in my cheeks again, and Ah was ready fer that ta stop. Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“You can’t take a joke either. Come on, my mane is literally a rainbow, how many times a week do you think I get hit with the gay jokes?" Considerin' yer line of work, probably as long as ya can stand ta not kill the offender. "So what are you? I think I missed some the conversation when you dropped me on the concrete.” Ah shrugged. Well, ya didn't seem ta care all that much when Ah flattened yer ass inta the wall the other day.

“Sorry. Reflex. Ah’m Applebloom’s older sister. And y’all are…? Ya don’t exactly have many traits in common with Scootaloo.” Ah asked.

“I’m… her guardian. We call each other sisters though,” she said, like she was distracted. Well that isn’t somethin’ ya see every day. She can’t be much older than me, if at all. How long has that been goin’ on?

“Huh. You two been together fer a long time?” She nodded.

“I’ve been alone for a long time now, and I met Scootaloo about four years ago. I was pretty good at feeding myself by that point, so I got her out of a bad situation. She’s only legally been mine for about two years now though.” A memory came ta mind. “...she told me that she fell off of Cloudsdale seven years ago.” That’s right. Uncle Orange was talkin’ about her, wasn’t he? But… Should Ah really say anythin’ about him? If Ah think she’s the Crow then… should Ah let her know who my family is? There’s no way she doesn’t recognize my voice right? But then again, we’re with our sisters. If she’s anythin’ like me, Ah bet she wouldn’t tell Scootaloo about what she does fer a livin’.

“Oh yeah? Ya know, Ah think ya know my uncle. He asked me ta say Blood Orange says hi.” Her ears perked up at the name and she looked at me all wide eyed.

“Y-your uncle? Uh, I mean, y-yeah I know him. Uh, thanks, I guess. Are we at the park yet? We should hurry up, so we don’t miss anything...” Her eyes darted all around, then she retrieved her skateboard from her backpack and started ta roll down the sidewalk past Scootaloo and Applebloom. What was that about? Why would she be afraid of Uncle Orange? Or maybe… somepony associated with Uncle? Argent maybe? But he said they weren’t friends, so… hmm. Somethin’ ta think about fer sure. The girls started ta run after Rainbow, and once Ah was far enough behind, Ah did too. Ah made sure not ta run too fast because last time, Ah felt my hooves start ta dip inta the concrete. A good five minutes of runnin’, we finally made it ta the park, and the whole place was covered in decorations, rides, booths, and restaurants.

A mariachi band lined up on the outdoor stage composed of an accordion, two violins, three trumpets, two trombones, a percussion player, and a dancer played one piece after the next almost robotically without pause, dancin’ along with the dancer in her flowin’ red dress that spun and flew as she moved. The ponies around were sellin’ cotton candy, roasted corn with chili powder on top, tacos, taquitos, margaritas, tamales, among other thin’s from or associated with Caballo. Ponies were everywhere doin’ all manner of thin’s but once Ah saw the rides Ah figured-

“Ooh, let’s go ride the roller coaster first!” Applebloom exclaimed. Yep.

“Ah figured as much. You two up fer it?” Scootaloo nodded vigorously, and Rainbow sighed.

“Well, so much for avoiding that. At least I haven’t eaten anything today. Let’s just get this over with.” Okay, there is no way she isn’t the Crow, but this… this is about the opposite of what Ah expected from her personality.

“Rainbow, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to ride with us,” Scootaloo said. Rainbow rolled her eyes.

“You will never let it go if I don’t, so don’t you give me that crap.” The filly shrugged.

“Well. You’re not wrong. Come on, let’s go before a line builds up.” As we approached the bright green tangled mess of steel pipes, Ah heard Rainbow groan.

“That bad huh?” Ah asked.

“You don’t even know. I have chronic anemia, so I get sick and tired really easily. Trying to keep up with Scoots is a chore sometimes.” Ah just about scrunched my face thinkin’ of how one would get like that.

“You have AIDS or somethin’? Not ta be insensitive or anythin’.” She shook her head.

“Kinda. I have sickle cell. My body produces mostly malformed blood cells at about two thirds the normal rate, and I also happen to be O-, so getting transfusions is really hard. I was actually really lucky to come across Scoots because she shares blood type with me. In a way, she keeps me alive just by being around, so I take care of her in return. Oh no, we’re at the front of the line.” She said as she stared at the next set of ponies entering the Roller coaster train. There was noise all around as ponies had conglomerated behind us waitin’ ta ride the shootin’ metal contraption, but as she pointed out, we were next in line.

“Bah, this don’t look that fast. Fair rides are usually disappointin’ but Ah’d hoped this would be special since it’s the first Caballo day in two years,” Applebloom said, dismayed with the current speed of the roller coaster.

“Geez, talk about never satisfied. Nothing is good enough for you, is it?” Scootaloo asked. Applebloom rolled her eyes.

“No it isn’t. Ah need ta get better friends too, it seems.” She stuck her tongue out and Scootaloo laughed.

“Yeah, good luck with that, ya cunt. You couldn’t make friends even if you tried. It’s not like you made friends with me anyways. I made friends with your sorry ass out of pity.” Scootaloo wrapped a hoof around Applebloom’s neck and they both laughed as the next train came in. The passengers departed and the set of ponies were told ta board.

“Let’s sit in the back so Rainbow doesn’t make a mess. I made that mistake the first time we went to Equestria's Flags.” Scootaloo said as she shook her head and flicked her wings, “Never again.” Ah ended up next ta Rainbow at the back and Scootaloo and Applebloom sat just in front of us. Rainbow crossed her hooves and shook her head.

“I really hate these things. It’s never as fun as I remember flying and I always feel like I have no control.” The overhead harnesses started to come down and stopped after pressin’ inta each of our chests.

“Well, just look away from me if ya start ta feel sick. Ah’d prefer ta not have ta clean throw up outta my coat fer the rest of the day.”

“I already feel sick. If I just keep my eyes closed, I should be fine. I think.” She tilted her head ta the edge of the car and waited fer the inevitable jerk that would signal the beginnin’ of the ride. An all clear from the operator and the lightnin’ bolt painted coaster train began ta move. At first Ah thought it was gonna more tame than it actually was. The wheels were slow ta get us goin', but once we caught em, it was like we turned inta a bullet. It wasn’t the normal agonizin’ wait ta the big drop, this thin' had what amounted ta speed boosts all along its track which shot us up, down, left, right, and sideways. We had come ta the end of the assault of G-forces until finally it had slowed down and the train returned ta facin’ upright.

Ah don’t normally get dizzy with thin’s like this, especially considerin’ my line of work, but this was somethin’ else. The girls were both laughin’ and discussin various parts of the ride with each other, since they’re both speed demons when they want ta be, and Rainbow was bent over the side of the cart, not really movin’ much at all. She jerked up straight when the cart latched itself inta place fer the next set of passengers.

“Gah! I didn’t pass out!” she said as she took in all her surroundin’s. Her wing looked like it was about ta reach fer somethin’ at her side and there was a thin haze of red around the same spot. She looked at me, then the girls, and finally she relaxed. The haze evaporated and she put her wing away.

“I really need to learn how to say no. Scoots teasing me for a while versus passing out on a roller coaster, the choice should be clear. Let’s get the hell out of here.” The restraints raised back ta the up position, and Scootaloo and Applebloom wobbled out out the car. Ah just walked out bein’ used ta bein' thrown around and all, and Ah ended up helpin’ Rainbow get out too.

“Guys, we should get back in line! This coaster is the shit!” Scootaloo said. Rainbow pulled her feathers together and flicked one at the center of Scootaloo’s forehead. “Ow! Damn it!”

“Watch your mouth, there are kids around. And no, I will not be doing that again. Can’t we just go play games or something?” Scootaloo shook her head and Applebloom decided ta answer fer her.

“Ah don’t see why not. The coaster was fun, but Ah still wanna see all of the fair. The park is pretty huge after all, and just about everywhere up until the forest should have thin’s ta do.” Scootaloo shrugged.

“I guess. I still wanna second go around before we leave. Also, ‘Yes, mom.’” Rainbow grunted and rolled her eyes before headin’ toward the general area where food vendors stopped and arcade games started. We all followed her until we reached a large tent that had about a real arcade’s worth of games set up. Most of the booths outside were cheap carnival games that gave ya cheap knockoff prizes or cheap plushies of some ridiculous size that had no place ta be carried around, much like the big banana sittin' in Applebloom's room, but here were actual video games.

“Whew. Ah haven’t seen some of these games since Ah was a filly. Is that Marevel versus Comcap!? Ah haven’t seen that since Ah was seven!” One of the few remainin’ memories of bein’ a family with dad was playin’ Marevel versus Comcap with him and Macintosh and... somepony else. Ah always liked ta play the stallion in the white and red since he looked like Red Hooves back in the early days. Ah wasn’t very good at it, and Macintosh always smoked me with his Umanese mare that liked ta kick, but it was always fun. Ah feel like there was somepony else we played with, yet... Ah shook my head. Maybe Ah'm just goin' crazy. Ah went ta my saddlebag ta get some bits when Ah remembered all that Ah had on me.

“I could go for a round if you’re up for it. You got cash?” Rainbow asked. Scootaloo and Applebloom had already gone off ta play some racin’ game, somethin’ thunder or whatever and Ah was alone with Rainbow again.

“Uh… well, ya got change fer a black?” She reared her head back.

“A black? What do I look like, a money changer? How much are you carrying around?”

“More than Ah should be. Ya don’t see a changer around here do ya?” She shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll cover the games if you cover the food, deal?” Ah nodded and she went ta the lone token box and threw in some copper bits. She came back with about twenty tokens and off we went ta the Marevel cabinet. The game looked as Ah remembered it, all with pixel sprites of a buncha burly stallions and poorly clad mares, the gravely sound effects, the poor quality recorded voices in comparison ta now. A good bunch of memories back from when we lived in that house together came floodin’ back and Ah watched ‘em all until that day finally showed up.

“You okay?” Ah shook the memory away just as the buildin’ started ta fall, blinkin’ the tears away.

“Yeah. It’s just… nostalgic. Well, what are ya waitin’ fer? Pop a coin in and let’s get at it.” She shrugged and did exactly that. The choose your fighter screen came up and Ah immediately went fer my guy, and she went fer Captain Equestria.

“I’d say Scoots has just about forced me to ‘git gud’ at fighting games since I bought her that friggen Pony Station 4, so don’t be too surprised if I wipe the floor with you, alright?” Ah popped my neck at one side and back.

“Ya might remember that what ya do with Scootaloo is about the same as what Ah do with Applebloom when we hang out. Ah might be rusty, but that don’t mean Ah don’t know what Ah’m doin’ in a game like this.” Ah could feel a smile buildin’ on my face that mirrored the one she started ta form.

“Oh really? We’ll just see about that, now won’t we?” We both turned ta the screen as the stage and characters loaded.

“Get Ready, Fight!”

Well, that could have ended better. We ended up spendin’ almost two silver in total tryin’ ta one up each other in every other game at the arcade. Ah won half the fightin’ games, she won the other half the fightin’ games, and there were an even number of those, so we moved on ta the next cabinets and started racin’. Ah won half of those, she won the other half. Slaughterin’ zombies? Even. Killin’ demons in a carnival? Even. Even runnin’ through almost half of Bracer, the dark legacy, we still ended up havin’ the same stats by the time the girls forced us ta leave and go get food. As a final show of who was better at what, Ah made her play a punch meter which Ah ended up destroyin’ just ta prove a point. Ah may have let my competitive side get the best of me, and it probably wasn’t the smartest decision Ah made all day.

“Holy shit. Dude, what the fuck!?” Rainbow said, lookin' at me, then back ta the machine that had a hoof shaped imprint on what remained of the top half. It had mostly caved in on itself, and Ah only realized my mistake as Ah was throwin’ the punch. The glass shattered, the machine was destroyed, thankfully it was only my sister Rainbow and Scootaloo around, but they were all starin’ wide eyed at me in the evenin’ light.

“So… me saying she was strong earlier was probably an understatement at this point, huh?” Scootaloo noted.

“No shit Sherlock. Good goddess. Applejack, how long have ya been capable of this? Ya know normal ponies can’t do stuff like that, right?” Applebloom asked.

“Hey! What was that noise!?” We heard somepony yell in the distance.

“Now’s not the time, let’s go find a diner or somethin’!” We all ran away from the scene, leavin’ the smashed punch meter fer somepony else ta deal with. After a good ten minutes of runnin’ from the now closin’ fair, we made it ta a diner across the street on the east side of the park that was relatively empty. Most ponies who’d gone ta the park had their fill at the fair. We on the other hoof, spent all day playin’ arcade games immediately after a single roller coaster ride. It was a quiet place, looked like it’d been around fer a while what with it’s red and white decor and sparkly red vinyl chairs and booths. We found a booth and Ah sat on one side with Applebloom, and Rainbow and Scootaloo sat on the other.

“Alright, let’s have it. What was that? Rainbow asked, shortly after our order was taken.” Ah narrowed my eyes at her.

“Ah don’t know. Why don’t ya tell me what that red mist was earlier? When ya woke up from yer little blackout on the roller coaster, ya reached fer somethin’ at yer side like, Ah don’t know, a sword maybe, and the whole spot was covered in said red mist. Didn’t look natural ta me.” Rainbow closed her mouth and made the same face at me. There was silence until the girls spoke up.

“Uh… Rainbow? What is she talking about?” Scootaloo asked.

“Applejack, can’t ya just tell me the truth fer once in yer life? What was that?” Applebloom asked.

“Just drop it for/fer now, we’ll talk later.” Rainbow and Ah said in unison, not lookin’ away from each other. It seemed like the whole diner went silent at that point, only fer the spell ta be broken by some old music.

“Ah~ look at all the lonely ponies. Ah~ look at all the lonely ponies...” The food arrived from a waitress who could read the air and didn’t say a word. A hay burger for Applebloom and Ah, a carrot dog for Rainbow and Scootaloo, served with fries and a soda.

“Well, uh… man am I sore from running. Are you still sore from working out yesterday morning? My forelegs are killing me,” Scootaloo said. Applebloom’s ears perked up and she went wide eyed in the middle of a bite. She just about dropped her burger back on the plate.

“Holy shit, why would you say that!? Ah specifically told ya not ta say anythin’!” Scootaloo’s ears flattened and she cowered away a little.

“Oh, crap sorry.” She looked toward the window, casually munchin’ on a fry ta avoid Applebloom's death stare.

“Workin’ out? You’ve been workin’ out? Why?” Ah asked.

“Oh, fer fuck’s sake,” Applebloom said amid puttin’ her hooves ta her temples.

“What? What aren’t ya tellin’ me that ya didn’t want me ta know about?” Rainbow answered.

“Oh, you didn’t know? She, Scoots, and their other friend joined Junior Guard.” Ah almost thought there was a hint of sarcasm in that.

“Junior Guard? Wha- Why would ya do that? Yer not really thinkin’ about goin’ inta the military are ya?”

“Ah don’t know, maybe? Ah wanted ta try it out and Ah kinda like it. Who knows! Maybe Ah will.” She said it almost like she was bein' interrogated or somethin'.

“Well, Ah mean, Ah’d rather ya didn’t, but why exactly? Ya know there’s more ta that than just workin’ out all the time right?”

“Yeah, girls, military life sucks,” Rainbow followed.

“You're in fights constantly.”

“Your boss always yells at you and is usually an asshole.”

“Ya come home with new scars every day.”

“You’re bruised and tired all the time.”

“Ya don’t get the luxury of havin’ time off whenever ya want.”

“You can’t ever stop, even if you try to quit.”

“There’s the constant memory of the creatures ya watch die.”

“And there’s the blood. It never comes out of your uniform.”

“Speakin of, if yers gets damaged, ya have ta pay fer a new one, and that’s never cheap.”

“And the worst part,”

“More than anything else,”

“Is making/makin’ friends with ponies you’ll end up fighting/fightin’ later,” we said in unison. We looked at each other, then away from everypony.

“Ah... think it’s about time we went home,” Ah said.

“Yeah, me too. Come on Scootaloo. Thanks for the food, I uh… I’m sure I’ll see you… soon.” Rainbow made eyue contact with me once, then got up and headed fer the diner exit.

“I... have no idea what just happened here. Um, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning then?” Scootaloo said. Applebloom nodded.

“Uh, yeah. Bye Scoots.” Applebloom said. The waitress, sensin' the change, brought our check quietly, almost ta the point that Ah didn’t notice her as Ah watched them leave. The air in the diner had felt like a rubber band stretched ta the point where it was gonna break, and now it was easy ta breathe again. Ah let out a breath Ah didn’t know Ah’d been holdin’ and finished the remnants of the fries on my plate. Ah threw a black bit on the check and said,

“Ah’m ready ta pay,” before the waitress could move. She took the bit and returned with six and a half silver, but Ah just left the coppers on the table fer her. Goddess knows she thought Rainbow and Ah were gonna break out inta a fight. Applebloom and Ah left the diner in silence most of the way home. The sun had set over the city and the orange hue of evenin’ light had spread over all the windows in the city. Ah always loved ta look at the town like this. Every one of our skyscrapers was practically made of windows, so the yellow, orange, and red colors of the sun danced across ‘em like fire.

“So… ya know Ah haven’t forgotten right? Ah know a lot happened today, but… At least tell me somethin’. Ah don’t know what’s goin’ on with you and Rainbow, and Ah don’t know why either of ya would know so much about a life in the military when you’re not in it… unless ya are. Yer stronger than anypony should be, ya reacted ta Rainbow like yer used ta stuff like that happenin’, and it almost looked like ya were gonna fight with Rainbow fer real. Applejack, what’s goin’ on?” She ran around and stopped in front of me. Most ponies had gone home or relocated ta the bars and clubs by this time today, so the streets were particularly vacant at the moment.

“Applebloom, ya know how Ah said dad died twelve years ago? Well, it wasn’t in an accident or anythin’ like that. Yer father died when the trade center collapsed on his body.”

“What? What does that mean? Why would you know that?” Ah could tell she was beginnin’ ta connect dots.

“There was a stallion runnin’ around who called himself the Mirror. The Mirror killed a lot of heroes in the single week he was around, and in the end, he killed dad before he disappeared too.” The gears were turnin’ and it was pretty clear she didn’t like what she was hearin’.

“Applejack, what are ya sayin’? Yer not tellin’ me that dad was Red Hoof are ya?” Ah nodded. “What the? But… then… wait… that means, not just you, but we should all...” Ah nodded again.

“If ya know ya have one, and ya know what ya can do with it, then that’s fine. Use it ta yer advantage, but don’t take advantage of anypony else with it. Ah’m not in the military… sort of. But the reason Ah’m makin’ all this money now is because Ah have ties ta the royal family. Ah have a, quote unquote, ‘job,’ like what Ah did before, but it’s just about the same work with a better reward. There are thin’s Ah can’t tell ya fer other reasons, but fer now, just know that Ah’m my father’s daughter.” The gears in her head paused and she just looked at me.

“You’re… but… ya can’t be, right? There’s just… ya… Oh goddess, why did Ah ask? Ah shoulda left it alone. Ah shouldn’t know any of this, why did Ah ask… Then… at the tailor, ya dropped off yer ‘work clothes’ right?” Ah nodded.

“He made dad’s ‘work clothes’ too. Now, you’re not gonna say anythin’ about this ta anypony else right?” She nodded quietly and spent the rest of the trip processin’ everythin’ that Ah told her.

“So… Ah think Ah get it now. You’ve been doin’ this fer us right? All this time?” Ah nodded.

“If Ah’m self sufficient, that means Uncle Orange can spend money elsewhere.”

“Well… Ah’m sorry. Fer, bein’ so rude earlier. It can’t be easy… doin’ all that on yer own.” Ah shook my head.

“It isn’t. And up until a week ago, Ah didn’t have any friends either. But now there’s at least seven ponies who know the truth, includin’ yerself. That is, provided Rainbow isn’t who Ah think she is, but that’s just about impossible at this point. But don’t worry too much about that, and don’t ask her or Scootaloo about it either. As ya now know, some secrets are best left unsaid.” Ah turned the key ta the apartment, and we spent a quiet night at home with everypony, enjoyin' the cake Applebloom had made. After all, today was the anniversary of when we moved in, oh so long ago.

Harmony Mission III: Release... (part 1)

“Goose, grab the new stuff!” Ah heard Twilight yell from the other end of the livin’ room. Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, and Ah had all gathered. Today was Thursday the 5th, and it was 6 PM. In two hours, the ship on the list labeled Stannum would come inta port. If we don’t stop them from unloadin' it, chances are that more mirrors will end up in the city and who knows what will happen if they’re used. Either way, nothin’ good will come out of it. As soon as Twilight sat down in her chair, Goose blinked right next ta me and sorta cowered behind me.

“Oh thank the goddess, you’re back! These mares are insane! Using me as a literal punching bag, even if they’ve only managed to get me once, making me do house work, barely feeding me! they’re treating me like I’m some kind of-” he started.

“Prisoner? Because last Ah checked, ya are.” He shook his head.

“And here I thought we had an understanding. I’m disappointed in you, Apple bottom.” Ah turned around as quickly as possible and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

“Ah swear ta the goddess, Ah will end you if ya call me that again!” The poorly withheld gigglin’ behind me made my cheeks heat up and now Ah was mad at everypony. Ah threw Goose on the floor and angrily sat back down.

“I must say, you’re quite adorable when you blush like that, darling,” Rarity said. Ah turned and death stared her until she stopped movin’ like a rabbit in headlights.

“Okay, that’s enough everypony. Goose, do what I told you to and give everypony their new equipment,” Twilight said. Goose groaned, then blinked away. Twilight, satisfied with that, lit up her horn and made a 3D map of the harbor on the main table.

“Alright, now that we’re all here, let me begin the briefing. After suffering through dialogue with Mother and Luna, I finally have all the information we were missing. As Goose said, there was a list of ships recovered by the Lunar Guard a few days ago and the ship highlighted and labeled ‘Stannum’ arrives at 8 PM tonight. Intel from deeper interconnected Argent HQ moles have gathered rumors from the local staff that mentions a new set of ‘vanities’ will be arriving on Friday. This code word was caught around the same time the first ship was captured by Goose and his gang so it’s safe to assume this is how they refer to the mirrors within Argent Tower.

This just about confirms our suspicions about the next ship, and we will be there to stop the mirrors from entering the city. Luna was obstinate about not giving anypony the information she was hiding, even Mother, so we still don’t know what she knows about this. She did however, offer us new equipment in return that we allow her to tell us what she knows when she feels it necessary. I suspect that she has suspicions that haven’t been confirmed and the problem isn’t yet big enough for her to act on suspicion alone which, in her defense, is fair.” Goose blinked next ta Twilight with forelegs full of stuff that he just about dropped in a pile on the table.

“Thank you,” she said politely.

“Sure, princess slave driver,” he shot back with an eye roll. Twilight ignored the comment and began levitatin’ gear toward everypony. Ta Rarity went a baton with several gems like the one on my cable bracer in it and some kinda harness lookin’ thin’. Ta me, new cable bracers, these ones bein’ much thicker and actually had a little heft ta ‘em. Ta the red gemmed seat that Goose had taken residence in, somethin’ that looked like lunar guard armor mixed with a hero suit, and a harness like Rarity’s. Ta Fluttershy, a new huge gun that she looked just about ecstatic about, and a harness. Ta Pinkie, a set of knives that had some kinda violet glow around the blade and the same gems that my bracers and Rarity’s batons had.

“Aunt Luna said that she had been preparing these for us anyways on account of our work for her and decided to just give them to us for field testing. Oh, and she also said to thank you, Applejack, for the idea on the cable harnesses. Apparently, the cable bracers that you have were the last pair made since testing on the cable harnesses went so much better. The cable harnesses, in case you haven’t seen Applejack use her bracers, have little blades connected to long cables that extend until they hit something and immediately retract afterward, pulling you or whatever you hit to the base of cable’s barrel. On the harnesses, this is located at the hips, so you’ll have to practice using them, but since we don’t have the time for that, just figure it out as you go.” Goose had raised his hoof like he was tryin’ ta get the teacher’s attention, and while a little confused, Twilight called on him. “Y-yes Goose?”

“Uh, why do I have this?” Ah was wonderin’ the same thin’ too, really.

“Oh. Aunt Luna believes that since you have the brand, you will be deployed on missions as well. She had a set of guard armor tailored to your approximate size and a harness made for you. This way, you can save the teleporting until we desperately need it, and we can have you fight alongside us, effectively adding a sixth member to the team. As you know, we’re not really concerned about your past as long as you help us out.” Goose and Pinkie frowned.

“Really? We’re just gonna use him, just like that?” Pinkie argued. Twilight nodded.

“We don’t have much of a choice in the matter. He’s just about as combat experienced as Applejack, and we’re not really up against normal ponies anymore. Or normal power ponies for that matter. Having essentially another Marevelous on our team should really make things easier on everypony.” Well, Ah can’t really argue with that. As much as he’s an ass, he is good in a fight. He’s strong, and not really a bad guy either. Pinkie groaned and picked up one of her knives.

“Fine, whatever. Tell me what this thing does? I know it’s not normal. Because apparently, ‘normal’ isn’t cutting it anymore.” Twilight simply nodded.

“The knives are enchanted with three different settings. When you press any of the three crystals at the bottom of the hilt, the corresponding enchantment will activate and give the weapon a new property. Red will cover it in flame, blue will electrify it, effectively making it a taser, and green will coat the blade in a lethal poison. She said not to even use the green button unless it’s absolutely necessary to kill your target. If you accidentally cut yourself with it, you’ll have about ten minutes to administer the antidote hidden in the base of each blade before you die.” Pinkie quickly let the knife drop back on the table and Twilight turned to Fluttershy.

“Much like Pinkie’s knives, your new gun has similar settings but they change the power output that the rifle fires with. The white gem is for nearby targets, within forty meters, the pink gem triples that range to one hundred and twenty meters, and the red gem will extend your range to three hundred meters. She said that while the red gem is on, even rubber bullets will kill a target under within one hundred twenty meters, so be careful about that.” Fluttershy’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“S-so wait, the g-gun does this?”

“Specifically, the gun will add an additional explosion to the chamber when igniting the primer on whatever bullet you’re firing. If you put a rock that fit in the chamber and just used the gun to fire it, it would go about half the distance of whatever gem you’re using, white being the default setting. She said this was part of another thought to make reusable bullets, but finding a less expensive substance to react with the spell properly would take more time that it's worth, so this gun is likely the only one to ever be produced.” Fluttershy stared wide eyed at the large gun in her hooves, and Twilight moved on ta Rarity.

“Your baton has similar properties to Pinkie’s knives, but in this case it changes what kind of weapon it is. Like Pinkie’s knives, the blue gem will electrify whatever state you have the weapon in. the violet gem will change the baton into a sword, and the maroon gem will turn into a thin spear, much like a javelin. Oh, and this is for everypony, pressing your gem again while active will revert your weapons to their normal state.” Twilight explained. Rarity picked up the baton with her magic, and pressed each gem. With the blue one, the thin' came ta life covered in pale blue lightnin’ that swirled around the weapon from the top of the hilt ta the top of the weapon. She pressed the violet one, and the thin’ morphed inta a long sword without really lookin’ like it lost mass. She then pressed the black one, and the whole thin’ stretched out until it was about as tall as she was on her hind legs, still swirlin’ with lightnin’ from one point ta the next, save fer the hilt which was now in the middle. She pressed the maroon button again, and it reverted back ta the silvery baton it was before.

“Oh my. Well, this certainly would have been helpful during the fight with the Crow,” she said, still marvelin’ at the weapon. Twilight sighed.

“And it may yet be. Some of the rumors from Argent tower talked about her. The moles believe that she may be there waiting for the ship to arrive as an extra measure of security. If she is then… you may end up testing your new weapons on her.” Ah shook my head and stood from my chair.

“No ya won’t. Listen here y’all. If we run inta the Crow, you're not ta interfere. She and Ah have somethin’ ta settle and we cannot kill her.” The others started talkin’ ta each other about why Ah would say that until Goose finally asked.

“So, I get that you’re Marevelous, and your whole thing is that you’re the good guy but… why? If we take her out, then she won’t be a problem anymore, especially if she straight up works for Argent.” Twilight nodded.

“You know, I said something similar when I first heard that Applejack let her go during the foundry incident. What’s the deal?” Ah shook my head.

“Ah can’t say. Look, Ah need y’all ta trust me on this, we just can’t hurt her. There’s too much at stake if we do.” If she dies, Scootaloo goes back ta wherever she came from, or worse, the street, and if anythin’ that Luna said ta me was true, she’ll be a friend one day. If we kill her… Ah just can’t help but feel we’ll be doomin’ ourselves in the future. Twilight frowned.

“You can’t seriously expect us to just take your word for it without telling us anything, can you? We’re a team after all, why can’t you just tell us?” Ah shook my head again.

“Ah need yer trust. Ah know Ah’m askin’ a lot here, but just do exactly that fer me. There are other factors at play.” If she finds out about Scootaloo and tells Luna… that poor filly might end up a hostage and cause a real fight ta break out with the Crow. She won’t go down without a fight, and if she’s cornered… who knows what she’ll do? She could have a mirror sittin’ around fer an emergency, and Scootaloo gettin’ captured? Well, if it were me and Applebloom… that would be an emergency…

“Look, Twilight darling, I can tell she’s serious about this. I trust Applejack, so I’m going to vouch for her here. Besides, while Applejack deals with the Crow, alone, we can infiltrate the ship. If things get desperate, I can freeze time and Goose could get her out of danger.” Ah raised a hoof but shut my mouth and put it back down. The thought of him rescuin’ me makes my blood cold.

“I suppose that has some merit to it. Very well, as long as you don’t leave Rarity’s range, we can let you handle this.” Goose put a hoof to his chin and smiled at me.

“Don’t you worry baby, if the time comes, I’ll be your Super Hero.” Ah could just feel the itch ta punch him in his perfect shark teeth growin’ in my stomach. Twilight made a face that just about looked like she was gonna gag, but resumed without acknowledgin’ that.

“Anyways… The mission this time is to retrieve the mirrors. It sounds simple, but based on what we know about the first ship, there may be planted explosives within the cargo, and we’ll have to check every container. I’ll be sending a device with Pinkie that makes a sonic reconstruction of the interior of whatever it is attached to, so we can easily figure out what’s in what. It’s set to change frequency if it detects magic or explosives, so we’ll know what container has what. If you are found out, attempt to show mercy and do not kill if at all possible. We do not need another pirate ship fiasco.” She stared directly at Fluttershy, who in turn rolled her eyes.

“T-that wasn’t my fault and you know it.” Twilight shrugged.

“Complaints aside, it’s already seven and you need to be at the harbor fifteen minutes before the ship arrives. Use the cable harnesses to get to your location and you should be there in about fifteen minutes… provided you get the hang of it fast enough. That being said… Harmony, Move out!”

After the five of us had equipped our gear and put our suits on, we looked like a bunch of weird ponies travelin’ in a group that didn’t quite fit. My new suit as Star promised, ended up lookin’ more like the original Red Hoof suit but reversed, all the yellow Ah used ta have on it now white, with some kinda white section runnin down the middle. While Ah was thankful that he’d replaced the old one, Ah probably should’ve asked him ta make it a darker set of colors, because now Ah stuck out in the night worse than Rarity did without her suit on. Goose on the other hoof… looked kinda intimidatin’ in that armor.

He was wearin’ a dark suit that covered his entire body like mine, and he was featureless in it save fer the lenses over his eyes so he could see. The Armor was almost identical ta the Lunar Guard’s set with big plates along his sides and chest that almost completely covered his upper and lower body. The helmet that went with it took away what little ya could see of his face, makin’ him damn near invisible in the night along with any indication of what he was gonna do next.

All of ‘em however, were strugglin’ with their harnesses due ta how tight around the hind quarters they were. They could still move around well enough, it was just the pressure on certain areas that made them uncomfortable ta wear. We moved ta the more remote side of southern Manehattan away from the park and Ah showed them how ta use their new equipment. After about ten minutes of crashin’ inta walls, everypony eventually got the hang of ‘em. We made our way toward the harbor, but this time, we had the sense ta stop and survey the area first. There were a few ponies about and a few boats were docked in various places, like there should've been last time, but there was just about nopony anywhere near either of the Argent docks.

“What do y’all think about this?” Ah asked everypony.

“Well, I for one, think this is sketchy as all hell. There were at least a few Argent ponies around when we nabbed the first ship. This… this is weird,” Goose said.

“As much as I hate to say this, I agree with him. There should at least be somepony to guide the ship into port,” Blur followed.

“W-well, couldn’t it just be anypony? W-what if they’re not even using the s-same dock anymore? I-it's still damaged from last time,” Target added.

“Hmm… that’s a good point. These two docks look like they haven’t been repaired yet. He could have rented one of the other ones just for this,” Diamond finished. Ah thought about it all and formulated what ta do next.

“Alright then, spread out and watch every dock. Goose, you and Blur head ta the far end since y'all can move the quickest if we need ya back in a hurry.”

“Yes ma’am,” they both said, Blur almost like it was a complaint, then each blinked and shot off respectively ta the opposite side of the port further out in the water.

“Target Lock, take a high point and make sure ya can see the whole port from where ever it is ya go. If ya can get a cloud in place, do that, otherwise just do what ya can. If ya see anythin’ strange, let me know, and Ah’ll relay it ta the others.” Target nodded and flew up inta the twilight sky until she found a nearby buildin’ at about the center of the harbor that overlooked it and landed.

“And what would you like me to do?” Diamond asked.

“Stay near enough ta me that ya can freeze time if Ah call. Ah get the feelin’ that the Crow will show up before the ship does, and if that happens, y’all need ta get together and clear out the harbor. Ah can’t promise this won’t get ugly. Take over if she and Ah start fightin’. They’ll need somepony ta give directions, and Ah’ll need all my focus ta deal with the Crow.” Diamond frowned, but sighed in response.

“I suppose. Look, I don’t know why you’re so adamant on taking the Crow on by yourself. Why exactly? I promise I won’t say anything to the others, but at least tell me what’s going on.” If anypony, Ah could trust her with this since she knows Scootaloo.

“Ya promise ya won’t say anythin’?” She nodded and we both moved a few buildin’s over toward the near end of the harbor. “Do ya know who takes care of Scootaloo?” Diamond got a confused look on her face.

“Scootaloo? You mean the girl’s friend? The disabled pegasus?” Ah nodded. “No, but I do believe Sweetie has mentioned her before. Her name is Rainbow Dash I think.” Ah nodded again.

“Well, Ah met her Tuesday. Tell me, what do ya remember that was interestin’ about the Crow?” She tapped a hoof ta her mouth in thought.

“I suppose I thought it was odd that she only used one wing and that she held her sword with it. That and it was cyan. You don’t typically find such a bright blue green like that on anypony. Why?” Diamond asked.

“Well, Scootaloo’s guardian also just so happens ta be a crippled cyan pegasus with one wing. She works just ta give that filly a good life, and after a roller coaster ride that she passed out on, Ah saw Rainbow use her one wing ta reach fer her side while a blood red mist was swirlin’ around in a long curved shape. Without a doubt in my mind, Rainbow Dash is the Crow. Now, if Twilight just so happened ta mention ta her aunt somethin’ about this, what do ya think would happen ta that little filly she takes care of?” Diamond’s eyes went wide and she covered her mouth.

“Everything could go wrong all at once...” Ah nodded.

“If nothin’ else but fer our sister’s friend, we cannot kill or disable the Crow. At the same time, we can't let Luna find out either. If thin’s go the wrong way too fast, we could end up with some kinda monster that can spew toxic blood everywhere. The worst thin’ we could do is let Luna know.” Diamond looked down ta take in my words, but suddenly her head snapped ta a spot that she stared at.

“Speak of the devil and she shall appear...” Ah followed her line of sight, and out of an alley closer ta the third dock at the near end of the harbor, the black feathered figure started ta walk. She was accompanied by one other pony who looked like a dock worker and they both stopped near the water.

“Twilight, what time is it?” Ah asked.

“Seven forty-five exactly. What happened?”

“The Crow just showed up with a dock worker at the third dock. Let everypony know and tell ‘em ta get the civilians out. Ah’m gonna engage.”

“Wait, now!? shouldn’t you wait for everypony? The ship hasn’t even arrived yet!”

“Goose can teleport a group. Speakin’ of we need a code name fer him. That aside, when the ship docks, just have him take Blur and Target ta run the checks and Diamond can manage the ponies tryin’ ta leave the ship.” Without waitin’ fer any further response from her, Ah jumped from rooftop ta rooftop until Ah was at the harbor’s edge. Ah jumped off the buildin’ Ah was on and landed just a few meters away from the Crow. She turned around ta face me and used her wing ta motion fer the worker ta back away.

“Hey there. Long time no see,” she said in her young-ish raspy voice. Ah nodded.

“Same ta y’all. Ah was hopin’ this wouldn’t happen, but… we already knew it would in the diner, didn’t we?” She nodded in return.

“We did.” She took in a deep breath and drew her sword. “I’m not gonna hold back this time, and you better not either! You might have beaten me in a pure strength contest, but I’ll be damned if I lose to you in a fight!” The red liquid flared ta life around her frame and formed a pair of movin’ wings just above her back. Ah stood on my hind legs and got in a stance ready ta fight back.

“And Ah’ll be sure as hell ta clean yer clock first!” And just like that, the fight started.

“So, Ah’m still a little lost, where are we goin’ exactly?” Ah asked behind Taps as we passed central park.

“I told you once already, we’re going to Carcha,” he said. Ah shook my head once he was lookin’ at me.

“Ah know that, but like, where is it? Ah thought it was by the harbor, so why are we at the park?” He'd gotten ahead of me while Ah was lookin' around, so Ah caught up ta him real quick. Taps wasn’t real big, and Ah was a good bit taller and bulkier than he was. If we’re bein’ honest here, Ah look more like the guy in this relationship, save fer my giant bright pink bow. His cheeks went red and turned away.

“I… only know one way to get there.” My face deadpanned.

“Really? That’s it? Ya coulda just told me where it was and Ah coulda gotten us there. As much as Scoots, Sweetie, and Ah screw around town, we know just about the whole city by the back of our hooves.” Taps sighed.

“I know, I just… wanted to look like I knew what I was doing.” He paused fer a moment and looked me up and down. “I don’t get it. How are you so confident all the time? You just, you know, do whatever you want to. Don’t you worry about things? Like what other ponies think? I always feel like everypony expects something of me that I’m not capable of delivering.” Ah wrapped a hoof around his neck and pulled him in.

“Look Taps, ya gotta learn how ta stop givin’ a shit. Ya see those mares in the park? Who gives a damn what they think! And fer that matter, you’re probably the furthest thin’ from their minds anyways. Same goes fer everypony at school. Fuck ‘em.” He laughed and shook his head.

“You know, you’d probably get put in jail if you did that.” Ah hit him up side the head and let go.

“Ya knew what Ah meant. Quit mopin’ ya pussy.” He laughed and rubbed at the back of his head.

“Yep, mom was right. You are definitely something else.” Ah shrugged.

“Maybe Ah am.” My thoughts went back ta Tuesday and then ta the feelin’ like Ah knew just how many ponies were around us right now. Maybe Ah really am… As we turned the corner toward the south eastern side past the park, a coulda swore Ah felt Applejack and Rarity pass through my radius. Ah picked my head up and listened carefully fer anythin’ outta the ordinary. It was probably closer ta 7:30 PM, so there was a good bit of traffic around the southern shoppin’ district right now, but if ya’ve lived in Manehattan long enough, ya get real good at tunin’ out certain sounds. Fer just a second, Ah felt ‘em pass again, this time accompanied by the sound of… wire? It was real quiet, but loud enough that Ah could pick it up.

“Taps, where exactly is this place? Ah bet we could get there faster if we cut through some alleyways.” Ah asked, a little more concerned what Rarity and my sister would be doin’ together all the way out here. He frowned at me.

“Really? You want to go through alleyways in the south district?” He asked. Ah rolled my eyes.

“Ah don’t see why not. Didn’t ya see the post on Ponnit? The boneheads disbanded a little while ago, so there shouldn’t be any gangs around here right now. Just tell me where the damn store is.” Ah was quickly gettin’ frustrated with him because they were movin' fast. Ah don’t know where they were goin’, but they were headed there in a damn hurry. It didn’t make sense that they could move that fast between buildin’s, and Ah know Applejack didn’t have her bike yet, so…

“Fine,” Taps sighed, “it’s on the corner of 540th and 541st. It’s like, a couple blocks from Manehattan port, but this is the way mom always takes me.” With that said, Ah grabbed him and just about dragged him along as Ah ran after Applejack’s signal. Come on, Ah’ve got ta catch up with her somehow…

“H-hey! Why are you running!? The store doesn’t close until ten, we have plenty of time to-” Ah got tired of him not bein’ fast enough and threw him on my back. He was about at light as Scootaloo is, and Ah could literally bench her. Ta be fair though, she’s a mare and a pegasus, weighing her in at about one hundred or so pounds. Taps… should probably weigh more than he does. Ah forced him ta grip around my neck and then with all my hooves free, Ah ran as fast as Ah could toward our destination. As Ah did, Applejack and Rarity popped in and out of my radius several times before they just suddenly disappeared. Ah tried ta get a feel fer her again, but Ah just couldn’t get anythin’. It was like they popped out of existence. Ah would have kept goin’, but Ah’d accidentally reached our destination.

“Um… can I get down now?” said the embarrassed voice from my back. Ah felt a certain shape and warmth on my haunches and realized how this might look without context.

“Oh! Uh… yeah, go ahead and do that...” Ah said feelin’ a bit of the embarrassment myself. He clambered ta the ground as quick as he could and combed back his violet mane ta look respectable again.

“You know uh… usually the stallion asks to ride the mare.” Ah sat down on the concrete and rubbed my temples with my hooves.

“And just like that, even if we ever do get that far, you will never get the chance.” He laughed which made me laugh, and after that stopped, Ah finally took a look at my surroundin’s. 541st was just about the closest street ta the water, goin’ almost all the way from the harbor ta the edge of Manehattan, about fifty miles north of here. Ta the left facin’ the water in the evenin’ twilight sky in some kinda pearly white marble was a fancy lookin’ store that had the name ‘Carcha’ written in gold serif letterin’ on it. Maybe a couple blocks down was the entrance ta the harbor and the few buildin’s that were built onta it. A big clock inside the display windows of the store, also with gold serif on white marble, had it’s hands pointin’ at just before eight and nine, makin’ it seven forty-five.

“Well. It might have been a weird way to get here, but we made good time, that’s for sure.” Ah barely registered that he said anythin’ though because Ah was still tryin’ ta find Applejack and Rarity. There were a few ponies nearby, but fer the most part, they were either in apartments, stores on the waterfront, or just outside of stores on the waterfront. In total there were about thirty within my range, includin’ Taps, but Ah knew him so Ah could tell him apart from everypony else, just like Ah could Applejack and Rarity. Neither of the two were here.

“Damn it...” Ah said absentmindedly. Taps got a confused and concerned look on his face.

“Wha…? Why? Applebloom, is there something wrong?” Ah shook my head and muted my ability fer now ta finally address him.

“Oh, it’s… nothin’. Ah just thought Ah saw one of the heroes.” Which isn’t exactly untrue. “This is the place right? Why don’t we go in?”

“Oh, right. You’re really into them, yeah? You’ve talked about them before, uh… you said your favorite was Marevelous Red right?” Ah know that she isn’t around, but the sheer fact that she could find out those words came outta my mouth made my blood cold. Ah’d never live it down.

“Yeah, sure, whatever, let’s go inside. Now.” Ah just about pushed him inside Carcha as the glass doors slid away when we came near. The store itself was somethin’ of a sight ta behold. Ah’ve never seen so much pretty white marble in Manehattan all in one place before. It’s like the entire room was lined with the stuff. The walls were covered in clothes that Ah’d seen Taps and some of the other highly wealthy families in, a few outfits that Ah’d actually seen Tiara wear around and even some that Rarity had last time Ah was over there. Dresses, shirts, pants, shoes, everythin’ looked expensive and like it were made fer somepony who could spit and make money off it. But that was just the front of the store.

As we traveled back ta where Taps was leadin’ me there was even more stuff in the veritable gold mine of what was probably actually gold. Books written by famous ponies and famous books in rare print or edition, watches, rings, and every kind of jewelery ya could think of. Even then, our destination was the back of the shop which was a coffee bar that smelled amazin’. It was somehow less bright over here where the tables and chairs were, even with all the white and gold on the floors and the walls, but Ah suppose the black ceilin’ will do that with the right lightin’. We took a seat at a table and Taps was then approached by a waitress and greeted by name.

“Good evening mister Taps. What is it you would like today? Ooh, I see you’ve brought a friend this time. The usual then?” The white coated, blonde mane and tailed waitress asked.

“Yes please,” he said before lettin’ her pass me a menu.

“Very well then, I’ll be out with that shortly.” And off ta the bar she went.

“Thanks Soprano.” There were finally enough questions in my brain directed toward Taps ta take my attention away from Applejack.

“So uh… there somethin’ ya wanna tell me?” Ah asked, relaxin’ in one of the ridiculously comfy black leather chairs that dotted this side of Carcha. All in all, this was a pretty cool place. Ah could see myself hangin’ out here… if Ah could even pretend that Ah could afford any of the shit in here. There was no way that a marble faced waterfront store covered in gold had anythin’ affordable in it. Ah know that he knows that Ah’m poor, so Ah bet he had planned ta pay fer whatever the whole time. We weren’t the only ponies in the coffee bar section, and everypony else here looked like they belonged in the northern part of Manehattan near the university. Ya know, where all the mansion-esque apartments and expensive hotels were located. He wouldn’t meet me eye to eye.

“Well… not really, but my family kinda owns most of the performance venues in this city.” It took a moment ta process that, but if that’s true, that means he’s part of the Carneigh family.

“… Really?” It was at that time the waitress had returned with two almost plastic lookin’ slices of cake, they were so perfect, and a couple of cups of coffee that smelled like the rest of the buildin’; absolutely delicious.

“Here you are mister Taps and his friend. What is your name miss?” The question just about blindsided me because the thought that Ah was hangin’ out with somepony from one of the richest families in Manehattan was strugglin’ ta make it across ta reality.

“Uh… Applebloom.” She put a hoof ta her mouth.

“Oh, one of the Apple clan? I hear Sweet Apple acres is more productive this year than it’s ever been.” Ah shook my head and stopped her before she could continue.

“No! Um… no, Ah’m uh… not. One of them. Ah’m just… related,” Ah said, far louder and angrier than Ah should have at first. She looked confused, but shrugged my outburst off.

“I see. Well, I hope you two enjoy your evening.” Then she wandered over to another table to greet one of the other guests.

“So uh… is there something you want to tell me?" He copied my tone from earlier, and Ah couldn't help but roll my eyes.

“No, really there isn’t. Let’s just ignore that fer now, you’re a Carneigh?” Ah changed the subject as fast as Ah could. The last thin’ Ah wanted ta do right now was talk about my family. With everythin’ that’s happened in the past few days, Ah still don’t know how ta feel about all this. Yer sister is one of the biggest super heroes in the city. She’s the Marevelous Red. Yer father was the Red Hoof, the biggest hero ta ever grace the planet. Within' just yer immediate family, just because of a damn blood feud, yer father died a super hero at thirty four and there’s a good chance yer sister will die young too.

“Applebloom?” Ah shook the thoughts away and brought my attention back from the corner of the floor my eyes were focused on.

“Oh, yeah?” He tilted his head, lookin’ a little ashamed.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. A lot of the ponies I know who have the kind of money my parents have are assholes and I didn’t want anypony to think I was like them just because of my status.” He must have said more while Ah was lost in my own thoughts.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. My real question is why aren’t ya in a private school or somethin’? Surely money isn’t an object if you’re part of the Carneighs. Why go ta a public school?” Taps started ta sip on his coffee.

“Well… Rich kids have a lot of time and money on their hooves, and teenagers like to play with things they shouldn’t. At my old school, which was private, I was just about pulled into a drug ring because some of my so called ‘friends’ got caught trying to sell speed. The ponies who caught them weren’t the police either. I managed to get away, but the others attempted to integrate themselves in the gang that caught them, a few of them were successful. I eventually told my parents about it and this was their solution. The ponies at North Manehattan aren’t too bad off, but none of them are rich and dumb enough to try and pawn off meth on the streets.” Ah nodded my head.

“Well, that sounds reasonable. So what about yer name? Ah figure it’s gotta be Carneigh somewhere.” He took a bite out of his cake and responded after he swallowed.

“It is. Tender Taps was a nickname given to me after I got my dancing cutiemark. My real name is Performance Carneigh. I go by my nickname to avoid association at school. I’d prefer ponies know me as I am rather than for my namesake you know?” Ah nodded again.

“Ah know that feelin’. Ah’m Bloom Apple. If there’s one household name across the damn country, it’s the Apple family name. What’s worse is, my siblin’s and Ah hate our extended family, and we’re one of the remainin’ direct descendants of Johnny Apple who founded Sweet Apple Acres centuries ago. If Ah had the money, Ah could get a blood test done and hire a lawyer ta take the farm right outta their damn hooves! But… Ah’m not old enough ta own property, and we’re so poor, just gettin’ through college is a challenge fer Applejack and Macintosh. Plus, Ah don’t know anythin’ about runnin’ an orchard, even if it might come natural ta me. Most ponies Ah talk ta immediately think Ah’m one of them and really, that just pisses me off. Ah, uh… don’t have the cleanest behavioral record at school ya know?” Ah let out a nervous laugh thinkin' about all the fights Ah've been in. Ah quickly shoveled cake in my mouth ta avoid openin’ it again.

The cake itself was a fantastic, some kinda coffee flavored chocolate and vanilla, almost cream like stuff over white bread-like cookies. Ah think they call this tiramisu, and it’s a Cavallian, but Ah don’t actually know. Macintosh used ta cook the most thanks ta all the food jobs he’s had, so he knows a lot about it, but these days everypony fends fer themselves. At one point Applejack made meals fer everypony when she had the time before jobs, but the minute we had ta throw out food she stopped.

“Well, I think I’ve seen you fight more than once if I remember correctly. You got in an argument with one of the hoofball dickheads and ended up kicking his ass last semester didn’t you?” Ah could feel my ears droop. He was a dick, but the thin’s Ah did ta him borderlined cruel. Well, if one thin’s fer sure, that guy is outta the gene pool. They almost kicked me out on account of violence, but Uncle Blood managed ta convince them otherwise. It was the advice he gave me about it that really stuck with me that day.

“If you ever get into a fight, make sure nopony can see you do it. He probably deserved to get punched in the face, not saying you didn’t take it too far, but that’s not the point. As long as it’s your word against theirs, they can’t prove much. Besides. If it’s somepony like him, he’d never admit that a mare kicked his ass.” Put him in a new light fer me that day. Ah didn’t really know dad since he died when I was four, but somehow, Ah think Ah woulda gotten somethin’ similar if he were still around. They were brothers after all. And yer dad was a super hero. He didn’t have any qualms about beatin’ the shit outta ponies.

“Well… Ah might’ve done somethin’ like that before...” Reluctance found it's was inta my voice and Ah took another bite. Ah took a look around the room ta avoid lookin’ him in the eye and Ah settled on another one of those fancy marble faced clocks. The hands pointed at eight fer the hour and two fer the minute. Eight ten huh? Just then, a loud crash was heard outside the storefront. Nearly everypony in the cafe turned ta look at the direction it had come from, but we were too far inside. Ah got up from my chair and made my way out the store ta see what was up. Ah made it outside and met up with Soprano, who’d come ta check before Ah did.

“Shit, that hurt,” said a stallion in a suit that was dark as night and armor that made him look like he was part of the Lunar guard. He was in a crater that was about ‘him’ sized and he got up ta rub at the space where his helmet and armor didn’t meet on his neck.

“A-are you okay?” Soprano asked. The stallion turned ta look at her and came in and gave her a hug.

“Soapy! Long time no see! How’s the shop? Actually, don’t answer that. My boss is yelling at me and I have to get back to work.” She just about pushed him off.

“Lamni!? Where have you been!? Everypony thought you got arrested! What are you doing in... all this!?” Soprano gestured at the suit and armor the stallion was wearing. before he could answer, everypony turned when the sound of some horrid monster’s cry shook the air. Over on the visible side of the port, there was some kind of giant green tentacled cthulhu lookin' thin' destroyin’ thin’s as it was swattin’ at flies or somethin'.

“I’m gonna have to go, but it was nice to see you again. Don’t tell anypony I talked to you. Oh, and you should probably evacuate the store. There’s a low chance of this, but we might not be able to deal with that thing over there. Loyal customers and dead customers don’t mix well, ya know? Whoops, sorry, my boss is really getting on my ass now, and between you and me, I’d like to get on hers, so if you’ll excuse me...” It looked like he was about ta do… somethin’, but Ah managed ta catch him before he did.

“Wait! Are y’all with Marevelous!?” His helmet turned and nodded, then he just popped. Like, there was never a pony here. Gone, disappeared inta thin air. Applejack is over there. She’s fightin’ that thin’ with the black armored guy. A knight maybe? But wait… if she was over there, and she was with Rarity, does that mean…? Ah have ta know. More ponies had exited Carcha ta see what all the fuss was about and they were all stopped just about dead in their hooves when they looked at the sea monster. Soprano was the first ta move.

“Everypony, a kaiju has appeared in the harbor. An, um… Black Knight, yes, a Black Knight has asked us to evacuate while he battles the monster! Please head deeper into the city or move to somewhere safe beyond the south eastern area!” They reached a consensus and all started ta head the opposite direction, but Ah was determined ta find out just who all was over there fightin’ that thin’. Ah started ta head ta the harbor after the crowd moved through an alley when Ah felt a hoof on my shoulder.

“Applebloom, what are you doing? We need to get away while the supers deal with that... thing,” Taps said. Ah shook my head.

“Look, there’s some serious shit happenin’ right now and Ah need ta see it. Ah’ll be fine on my own. Don’t follow me!” Ah easily removed his grip on my shoulder and ran down 541st. When Ah’d gotten far enough away and didn’t see him come after, Ah galloped as fast as Ah could and made my way ta the harbor. When Ah was about half way there, that’s when Ah felt the knight guy and Applejack in my radius again. It really is her… No! That isn’t enough, Ah have ta see her! She… she just can’t be Marevelous, she just can’t! If she is… oh goddess, what would we do without her? What would Ah do without her? She can’t end up like dad, she just can’t!

As Ah got closer, Rarity came inta my radius and so did Rainbow. All three of them!? There’s no way! That just doesn’t make any sense! Isn’t it one in three? The odds don’t match, this can’t be right! As Ah neared the tail end of the harbor, Ah finally saw the ponies at work. The one in the red and white suit, whom Ah knew was Applejack, was Marevelous and currently in the world’s most dangerous game of whack-a-mole with that sea monster… pony? It looked distinctly like a pony, yet at the same time, it looked like some kinda kraken out of Alogo’s dangerous seas. Ah looked around and tried ta match up everypony with what Ah knew. Ah felt one that was far up above me and watched rounds that just about glowed in the night as they impacted with the sea monster that barely noticed them when they hit. Ah couldn’t see the pony doin’ it, but the fact that there was a lone cloud in the sky told me it was a pegasus.

Zippin’ around the thin’ was whom Ah identified as Rainbow in some kinda black feathery suit flyin’ on red wings that ebbed and flowed like water… blood maybe? She kept makin’ cuts with the red sword in her lone wing and the sea monster seemed ta take notice of that and it was swingin’ some of it’s huge tentacles at her too. The Black Knight guy was doin' the same thin’ as Applejack was, but he kept poppin’ from place ta place tryin' ta hit the thin’ in the eyes. Ah could feel Rarity was nearby, but Ah think she was gettin’ ponies from around the area away from the area. There was a cargo ship that had been mangled ta death and thrown on the port so likely chances are it was the crew.

Ah watched as the team of ponies attempted in vain ta damage the sea monster and eventually, they regrouped while dodgin’ tentacles from the monster, the pegasus from above comin’ down ta join nearby, but not quite on the front lines with those three. It looked like they’d come up with a plan, but just as they were about ta move, the sea monster backed up and started ta make a low pitched noise that seemed ta grow with every passin’ second. The sea green half-pony creature’s tentacles all split open inta three appendages with huge needle lookin’ thin’s in the center that were probably as long as a car is. The creature screeched an impossibly loud sound and started ta swing it’s needles at the group, makin’ all the heroes scramble ta get away. Fer a second, it looked like it was gonna pierce Rainbow right through the middle, but just before it did, the Applejack jumped and grabbed her out of the way.

Ah took a step forward and a vision of what was gonna happen next ran through my head. The monster had six tentacles, and all but two were after the heroes. One was after the Black Knight, another was blockin’ the shots that it had apparently started ta take notice of. The other had just missed Rainbow, but the last one was aimed at Applejack. Ah was at the back edge of harbor at this point, and there was only one thought runnin’ through my mind. That thin’s gonna kill her!

“Applejack, look out!” Ah shouted at the top of my lungs. She made a quick movement with her hooves ta toss Rainbow away and did the opposite of what Ah expected her ta do. With one fluid motion, just as the lightnin’ fast tentacle shot down at her, needle ready ta pierce her from her neck ta her tail, she punched it. Even in the low light, even in her suit, even at night, Ah could see every single muscle in her body workin’ as hard as they could ta put as much force inta that punch as she could manage. The needle shattered and sent pieces rocketin’ toward the creature, diggin' bloody holes in the sea green monster’s hide as they did. It screeched out in pain, and fer the first time in my life, Ah felt true fear.

It was lookin’ right at me. Ah couldn’t move. Ah couldn’t do anythin’. Every inch of my body was tellin’ me ta run, but it was like my muscles wouldn’t act. No, no, no, no! Move damn it! Move! The tentacle that had tried ta get Rainbow had moved in position ta strike at me. Ah stared down the needle, completely frozen. This is it. Ah’m gonna die. The last thin’ Ah remember hearin’ was my name, yelled in my sister’s voice.

“APPLEBLOOM!!!”

Harmony Mission III: The Kraken! (part 2)

In a strange moment of still, the Crow and Ah simply stared at each other. There was an odd silence around, and not even the wind had managed to sound. It was a single moment that caused hell to break loose, and it was the sound of a nail hitting the concrete from somewhere, possibly somewhere further away than anypony could have known. My legs put as much power as Ah could inta ‘em just as the Crow’s bloody wings made a powerful flap, rocketin’ her toward me.

Ah kept one hoof up ta block in the event she managed ta avoid the slam Ah was gonna give her, but just as she approached, she tilted off in the other direction as my right forehoof made it’s way ta where her body was gonna be. Ah felt the tips of the feathers on her cloak graze my hoof as it traveled inta the concrete harbor, formin’ a crater that was Rainbow sized in its wake.

The new depression in the surface was enough fer me ta stop my momentum and change direction in time ta block a swing of her sword with my rear shoe. Ah went inta this fight knowin’ that Ah was gonna have ta defend against her sword without lettin’ that toxic blood get inta my skin, otherwise, it’d be game over. Sparks flew as metal slashed across metal. The crow reeled back in time enough ta get the sword away from my hoof before Ah dislodged it out of her wing’s grip.

Ah repositioned myself back ta a neutral stance and waited fer the next attack. The Crow had taken up ta the sky and started ta circle me like a vulture, the blood of her fake wings beginnin’ ta form a haze around her front. She’s chargin’ somethin’… if Ah let her do it, she’ll dive bomb me, but if Ah go after her up there, she has advantage on me and Ah might get cut tryin’ ta hit her… Oh well, here goes nothin’.

Without so much as a second thought or a plan, Ah launched inta the air after the Crow, placin’ myself right beside her with more speed and momentum than she probably predicted Ah would. Her blood shifted just as my hoof was enterin’ the space where her real left wing should’ve been and Ah met resistance much like a magic barrier. We’d been practicin’ with those earlier in the week when Ah returned ta get my tail repaired, and this was nothin’ compared ta the barrier Celestia could put up. Really there wasn't anythin' that could compare ta that since Ah couldn't even dent it, but all the same. The hardened blood cracked under the force until it eventually shattered inta a million pieces and my hoof connected with the Crow’s right shoulder.

Ah didn’t have near the same force ta hit her with as Ah did ta break her barrier, so when Ah saw that Ah made it through, Ah pulled back. The last thin’ Ah wanted ta do was hurt her too bad. The Crow yelled out in pain as my hoof dug inta her flesh beneath her coat, and the blood surroundin’ her turned ta a red haze that followed her down as she crashed inta the harbor. Gravity had called me back downward and Ah landed a few feet away from her. Ah knew what she was capable of since our last fight at the foundry, but Ah had new weapons and she didn’t.

The Crow picked herself back up with shaky steps on her left side and called her blood back inta place. The flowing liquid around her sword seemed ta stop movin' and almost turn ta crystal as she extended her wing out ta the side. Now twice as thick and long as it used ta be, the crow took the red crystal weapon in her fore hooves and stood on her hind legs.

“You’ve gotten better,” she called out ta me. Ah nodded.

“Ah have. Ah’ve been trainin’ almost nonstop since Ah last saw ya. Ah couldn’t just show up and lose, now could Ah?” The Crow cracked her neck ta either side, and the blood wings swirled inta a new shape that formed around her hooves. They were like oversized claws that formed just out of her forelegs and wrapped around the sword’s hilt.

“I haven’t had to fight for my life in a long time... But you! You’re holding back! You could have killed me right then and there, and you didn’t! Why!?” The Crow charged forward, the weapon in both bloody claws as she took ta swingin’ it like a minotaur. The shiny red blade sliced through the air makin’ whippin’ sounds with every swing Ah dodged. She was fast and Ah could feel it as she grazed at my suit with every other swipe. Ah managed ta see ahead by one swing just in time ta block her sword with my bracer and push it away.

With the continued motion, Ah pulled up my right hind leg and kicked deep inta her shoulder as close ta her broken wing as Ah could get it without shatterin’ the bones in her ribcage. She screeched out again as some of her blood turned back inta liquid and she nearly dropped her sword. Her wing flared out and she managed ta catch herself in the air ta stop spinnin’ and land on her hind legs, usin’ the crystal edge of her sword ta support herself while she clutched at her side.

“You cheating bitch! You never planned to fight me for real in the first place!” She yelled at me between breaths.

“That’s right! And there ain’t nothin’ ya can do ta beat me now! Ah know where yer weakness is and Ah don’t have one fer ya ta abuse back! Just give up now and we can work somethin’ out!” Her blood flared ta life again. This time, rather than move, it looked like more started ta pour out of her back. The wings she had before reformed above her, but the claws and the sword remained.

“Never!” She came at me in a fury, much faster now and barely usin’ her own body ta do anythin’ but strike at me. Ah wasn’t fast enough ta keep up with her and dodge her attacks, so all Ah could do was block. She nicked my suit once. Twice. Three times. Ah was gonna get cut if Ah let this continue, so Ah finally used my cable bracers. A second after Ah blocked a swing, a pulled my hoof in downward and activated the weapon. Ah wasn’t tryin’ ta hit her at first, but Ah didn’t know what had changed about these thin’s from the last ones other than size. Apparently, the rate of fire and how much force accompanied it was upped because, not only did Ah feel the recoil from the cable exitin’ it’s barrel on the brace, but the blade pierced through the Crow’s upper right foreleg and pulled her in close. Ah used my elbow ta knock the sword out of her remainin’ blood clawed hoof, then grabbed at her neck and slammed her ta the ground.

Ah couldn’t tell if she was tryin’ ta scream or tryin’ ta breathe, but she squirmed and struggled quietly under my iron grip. The bloody wings faded and seemed like they lost connection ta her, fallin’ ta the ground in a puddle around her. As the seconds passed, more and more of her blood liquified and fell ta the ground. In a vain attempt ta remove me, her free hoof pawed at my foreleg until her movement started ta slow. Just as Ah was sure she would die if Ah didn’t let go, Ah released my grip and she took in a huge breath.

As quick as Ah could manage, Ah ripped the cable out of her foreleg, shot more and stopped it once Ah had enough, then wrapped her limp body up in it. Ah gave her just enough room ta breathe, and once she was tied up, Ah took a deep breath myself.

“The Crow is neutralized everypony.” From all corners of my brain Ah heard sighs of relief.

“I don’t know how you did it, but good job all the same. That last minute training with mother must have done wonders for you. What did you two even do anyways?” Twilight asked.

“Ah’ll tell y’all about that later. We need ta get her treated or somethin’. Ah uh… well, Ah damn near strangled her and Ah shot her in the upper foreleg, more on accident than anythin’ else. Her blood hasn’t returned and she’s not lookin’ too good.” My tied-up cripple pegasus was breathin’, but it was gettin’ slower quick.

“I-if you wait a moment, I’ll tend to her. F-for now, stop the bleeding. T-the ship just came into view. I-it’s still about a hundred meters out, b-but we don’t have more than five minutes b-before it reaches port,” Target added.

“Man, this telepathy thing is weird. Anyways, what do we do in the meantime chief? The ball’s in your court, so to speak… think? Whatever, we need a plan. Blur and I were talking about it and we thought it was weird that they only sent one guy with the Crow. It normally takes four to dock a ship like this,” Goose responded.

“Don’t lump me in with you! Ugh, this is just the worst,” Blur complained.

“Quit yer whinin’, he’s yer teammate fer goddess’ sake. Fer now, regroup here. As long as yer side of the dock is clear, we need ta probably evacuate the surroundin’ area. Worst case scenario, and also the most likely while we’re at it, we end up havin’ ta fight some kinda monster in the event this is a trap. Get everypony up ta 560th out. Luckily, the nearest apartment complex isn’t close enough ta the harbor ta be in… immediate danger, but the houses and business are. Get to it!”

“Yes ma’am!” said four voices, then the link ta all but one faded back ta somethin’ akin ta background noise. Ah saw Target’s silhouette approach, and suddenly the Crow started a coughin’ fit.

“Hey! Are y’all okay?” Through her coughin’ fit, she answered,

“Does it look… like I’m… okay?” through a pained voice. Target arrived and immediately went ta work patchin’ up the Crow’s upper foreleg. She pulled a kinda glowy green liquid outta one of her coat pockets and started applyin’ it ta the wound. That blade musta cut deep, because underneath all the torn flesh, there was even a cut on the visible bone. Ah musta hit her just in the right spot, otherwise, the blade mighta just cut through her whole foreleg… Ah need ta talk ta Luna about gettin’ the output speed reduced, this thin’ is too powerful…

“Ah, shit! Goddess, you couldn’t wait to take me in to torture me!? Holy hell, what is that!?” When the liquid touched torn skin, it started ta smoke and travel all the way down inta the wound until it was completely covered in the stuff. She filled the wound until the all the blood was hidden and then put the bottle away. The glow started ta fade, and now there was just a gooey lookin’ spot on her foreleg.

“T-this is a healing agent. It s-seals your wound until your body repairs itself, then dissolves after it’s n-no longer needed.” Target replied. The Crow squirmed around in my bind until she was facin’ Target.

“Well, maybe I don’t need a healing agent, did you think about that!?” The blood puddles all around us started ta flare again, the whole mass of red liquid spiraled around the Crow’s body until it flew ta the spot on her back where a wing should be and disappeared. “I guess you didn’t notice last time we met, but I happen to heal quickly as long as I have all my blood.” There was a long silence from her until she finally turned ta me. “So, what now? You beat me, you cheating bitch.”

“At the moment, Ah just wanna talk. Thanks Target. Take a high point and keep watchin’ the ship fer me. If ya notice anythin’ weird, let me know.” Target nodded and just about sang a,

“Yes ma’am!” and then flew back inta the dusk sky. Ah guess she found a cloud, because there was a lone one just sittin’ in the middle of the violet-orange expanse toward the center of the harbor.

“Oh… I take it, that was the Beast right?”

“Maybe. Depends on what you’re gonna do next. Ah’ve got ya tied up, but Ah don’t think you’re powerless. Ya gonna let me talk?” She raised and lowered her shoulders.

“Think what you want, but I can’t manipulate my blood if it’s too far from my body. Unless you wanted to nuzzle my face, I wouldn’t be able to do much right now. You can already beat me just by knowing about my wing, why not share every weakness to my powers? I’m fucked now anyways.” She stopped ta take a hissin' deep breath. “Goddess, my foreleg hurts. What the hell did you even do? Did your friend with the gun shoot me? You just, up and lie to me knowing you weren’t gonna give me a fair fight?” Ah frowned.

“Look, there are more important thin’s goin’ on right now than us havin’ a fair fight. Ah didn’t even want ta fight ya like this, but Ah need yer help.” She stared at me fer a moment before respondin’.

“Well, I can’t say I’ve had somepony kick my ass and then ask for my help before. Why in the hell would I help you do anything? You shot me! Or she shot me! Or whatever, fuck this hurts!”

“Ah shot ya, and that was an accident, and Ah’m sorry. If she shot ya, you'd be dead. Look, if we don’t try and stop this Argent guy from doin’ what he’s doin’, the whole city will end up destroyed.” She turned her attention away from her foreleg and back ta me.

“What? Why would he destroy his largest source of income? That doesn’t make any sense.” Ah frowned again.

“It’s the mirrors. Do ya know anythin’ about the mirror incident twelve years ago?” Had she not been wearin’ a helmet, Ah think her face woulda contorted inta somethin’ like a frown because she just about flinched.

“I-I might. W-what about it?”

“Wait… just what all do ya know? Normal ponies don’t freak out when ya ask ‘em a question unless they’re tied ta it.” Ah a darkness entered my voice that Ah don’t remember addin’ ta it.

“M-Marevelous, the ship is just about to reach port. W-what do you want to do now?” Ah heard inside my head. Ah looked away from the Crow long enough ta see the rather imposin’ cargo ship mere meters away from the dock. Shit. She’ll have ta wait.

“Everypony, get ready ta board the ship. We’ll continue the check as planned, but Ah’ll be joinin’ the search. Target keep an eye on our friend. Shoot her in the other wing if she moves the wrong way.” Ah made sure ta say the last part out loud. The Crow flinched, meanin’ Ah achieved the desired effect. “Finish clearin’ what area ya can and come back. Ah’d say we’ve got thirty seconds before this thin’ reaches port.” Ah grabbed the Crow and jumped ta the nearest rooftop. Ah unraveled the cable and retracted it back inta my bracer and let her go.

“So what, you’re just gonna leave me here?” Ah shrugged.

“If necessary, Ah can have ya killed at a moments notice without so much as openin’ my mouth. Target got a new gun that can make shootin’ pebbles lethal within’ a hundred twenty meters. But Ah’d prefer it if my sister’s friend didn’t lose her guardian.” The Crow looked away.

“Oh yeah? Well… so would I…” she said quietly. Ah nodded satisfied with that.

“Good. As Ah said, Ah want yer help. Y’all sit tight and Ah bet Ah’ll have somethin’ fer ya ta see. In the event somethin’ like, Ah don’t know, a monster, happens ta show up, it’d be real nice if ya decided ta help us kill it. Or save it if we can manage that, but that doesn’t look like a possibility at the moment.” Ah said. Ah turned ta pier and watched as the ship began ta slow down.

“Heh. Never thought I’d hear Marevelous Red ask anypony to help her kill something. Some ‘champion of justice’ you are.” Ah could feel a vein on my forehead bulge. Ah turned around and came face ta face with her.

“Rainbow Dash, Ah am tryin’ ta be nice here. Until Tuesday night, Ah didn’t even know if Ah coulda beat ya here, but now Ah could do so without really tryin’ all that hard. Keep yer mouth shut and cooperate if somethin’ happens. Ah’ll even give ya a hint. Whatever ya see tonight is just the first one. If ya thought dealin’ with the beast was bad the other day, well… you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” She was particularly silent after that. The ship reached the dock, and the others met me on the rooftop.

“Alright Harmony, it’s time ta check out this ship.” Ah left the rooftop with an indifferent Crow on it and joined Diamond, Blur, and Goose just in front of the now stopped ship. “Diamond, what did you do with the guy the Crow brought with her?” Ah asked.

“I had him evacuate with everypony else from the dock. He was nothing more than an innocent worker right?” Ah let that sink in for a minute before Ah responded.

“Ah suppose. Ah’m not too keen on lettin’ their ponies walk free, but Ah guess it don’t matter too much.” A loud bang came from the ship’s side where a metal ramp crashed ta the dock. We rushed over ta investigate, but it didn’t seem like anypony was around.

“What the-? Hey, there’s nopony here!” Blur said before the rest of us made it ta the ramp.

“Oh, now this registers on the close side of creepy. Did anypony see magic on this thing? Target?” Goose asked.

“I-I didn’t, and I had a clear view the whole time...” she said ta the group from up above.

“Either somepony had this on a button, or we’re dealin’ with an invisible pony. You two search the containers on the ship and Diamond and Ah will search the bridge and everythin’ else. If ya run inta anythin’ sketchy, regroup back in front of the ship. The last thin’ we need ta do is walk onta a bomb. Y’all got that equipment right?” Blur gave me a look, then gave Goose the same look, and finally she pulled a thin black box out of her… mane?

“It’s right here, major,” she said, begrudgin’ly.

“Look, y’all are just gonna have ta get over this thin’ with Goose. It’s been five days already, geez. Get ta work. Come on Diamond.” Blur sighed and everypony else said ‘yes ma’am’ in response. The knight and the blue suited mare began scannin’ cargo containers, and Diamond and Ah headed toward the bridge. The ship wasn’t a normal cargo ship. As a matter of fact, it looked more like somethin’ outta Zvyr, the largest country in the world on the northern side of the two eastern continents. Equestria and Zvyr have a very strange relationship due ta the predator-prey thin’. The country consists of many different species, but most, if not all of them, are carnivorous. It’s a rare thin’ ta find carnivores in Equestria, but not completely off the table. Our country worked with them when a neighboring country and an island nation decided ta team up and try ta take over the world. Needless ta say, the moment Celestia got involved, it didn’t go well fer them. She would never admit it, but Celestia is more or less the goddess of the sun in a physical form. It wasn’t until after that war that the rest of the world understood that.

We reached the back of the ship and with me in front, Diamond and Ah began ta search the levels. Control room? Nothin’. Bridge? Nothin’. We even went so far as ta check the cargo bay, yet there still wasn’t anypony there. A thought crossed my mind and suddenly Ah became very nervous. Ignorin’ Diamond’s warnin’, Ah raced over and ripped open one of the storage containers in the cargo bay. Completely empty.

“Everypony, get off the ship now!” Ah shouted through our mental link. Ah grabbed Diamond and started usin’ my bracers ta get back up through the ship.

“Good evening, passengers of the Stannum,” A voice said from somewhere above us. Diamond and Ah reached the deck and looked ta see if anypony was in the bridge window. Nopony there. “You have been invited today to test out a new product for mister Argent. You see, after the list was known leaked, we rerouted all of our ships to pass through north hoof bay. You filthy thieves are nothing more than insects to mister Argent and I have been offered the chance of a lifetime to deal with you.” It sounded male, but native ta Manehattan.

Where’s that comin’ from? Thieves? Do they think we’re with Goose’s old gang? Diamond and Ah rushed ta get off the ship, and that’s when we saw him. Standin’ just in front of the buildin’ at the edge of the harbor was the stallion that the Crow came with and Diamond ‘evacuated.’ He was a pale, almost gray green unicorn with a dark sea green and blue mane. He had dark orange, almost red irises and was still wearin’ his dock uniform, holdin’ some kinda microphone.

“Well then. You don’t look like the thieves I was told would be coming. As a matter of fact, you look like super heroes. Isn’t this just a delight. Mister Agent will be very pleased when he hears about this. My name Knots White, and I will be your entertainer today. Please, enjoy the show!” He took an object from his pocket that shined and reflected the same way Ah dreaded it would.

“Blur, Diamond!” Ah yelled. Diamond jumped off the ship and Blur caught up ta her as the unicorn began ta unbutton his jump suit.

“Toki wo tomare!”

“Za Warudo!”

Ah blinked and suddenly Rarity was caught in his field and he was fightin’ Blur knife ta knife.

“I’ve had quite enough of this game!” With a flick of his head, Diamond went flyin’ inta Blur and the two tumbled down the harbor.

“Goose, get in there!” Ah said as Ah jumped off the ship myself. The stallion dropped his knife and took the mirror in his magic. The blade of my cable bracer hit right under his hooves as Goose showed up behind him and the mirror made contact with his chest. A bright white light accompanied by maniacal laughter lit the pier as the stallion went flyin’ toward the water from Goose’s kick. The water bubbled as the stallion sank and the light grew brighter, then suddenly, there was nothin’.

“Damn it Goose, ya were supposed ta break the mirror, not punt the bastard!”

“Yeah, whatever, how in the hell did he move in frozen time!? He fought them both off after time was stopped!” We looked at each other fer a second and raced off ta Blur and Diamond. They were dizzy, but not hurt.

“You two okay?” Diamond managed ta collect herself first.

“I think so… I’m more confused right now than anything. One moment I stop the clock with Blur and everything is normal. He was frozen, and so were you two. The next moment, I land on the concrete, and suddenly I’m in his field and he and Blur are at knife point. I couldn’t tell you how he did it, but he entered my frozen time after it started. Where did he go?” Before either of us could answer, a low groan started ta come from the water. It was like the call of some giant sea animal that turned from a growl ta a screech mid way through. The bubblin’ started back up and became fierce where Goose kicked Knots. The water swelled and shook as somethin’ big came from underneath.

The creature was almost as tall and wide as the ship facin’ us was. It was a scaly, sea green color with a head that was some kinda mix between a giant bald pony and an eldritch horror from another world with tentacles all over its face. Its back had some kinda wings like a dragon and the rest of it’s body had large thick tentacles like that of an octopus. It let out another loud half-growl half-screech and then turned its attention our direction. Its dark orange eyes scanned the area until they locked on us. Then the creature looked ta smile underneath its beard of tentacles.

“Everypony run!” Ah yelled. Ah grabbed Diamond, Goose grabbed Blur, and we each used our fastest methods of travel ta narrowly avoid the six giant tentacles that smashed our position.

“A-are you all okay!? W-what the hell is that!?” Ah heard from inside my brain.

“That’s the thin’ our guy turned inta. Where’ve ya been? Could ya see him from up there?” Ah asked.

“N-no, I didn’t even know anything was happening until I saw D-diamond and Blur jump off the ship. W-what made you get off in such a hurry?” Target asked. Damn it, that’s right, she can’t hardly hear anythin’ and she's fifteen meters in the air.

“Don’t worry about it. Circle around and see if ya can’t spot the mirror on him anywhere. Provide cover fire if ya see we need it, but don’t get too close. He just put a rut in the harbor with his tentacles just like the damn dragon did with a high powered laser. Hit him as hard as ya can.”

“Y-yes ma’am!” Ah watched her move from her cloud, and then a large green tentacle comin’ my way took my attention back ta the monster. With Diamond still in toe, Ah shot at the buildin’ Ah left the Crow on and lunged my way away from the appendage. Out of his reach now, Ah set Diamond on her hooves and turned ta see that Goose and Blur were playin’ the world’s most dangerous game of Whack-a-mole.

“Holy shit… You weren’t kidding…” Ah heard the Crow say from behind me. Ah took this opportunity ta give her my recrutin’ speech.

“Yeah, no shit. Ya see that? As it stands now, we don’t know how many more are gonna show up, or even worse, when and where. This time it was a trap set fer a gang that robbed a ship. Next time, it could be an attack on the city. From anywhere. At any time. Without warnin’. As it is now, it looks like Argent has the power ta make hundreds of these thin’s and we don’t know how many he has. So Ah’ll leave ya with this; if ya help us, we can figure out a way ta prevent this from gettin' outta hoof. And if ya don’t, well… Ah hope ya can stop one of these thin’s on yer own, because it’d really suck ta just have one pop outta nowhere next ta yer apartment with yer little sister in it. Give it some thought.”

“Honey, I know you’re having fun threatening our feathered friend over there, but if you could just be a dear and help out over here, that’d be greaaAAAA-” Ah turned my head just in time ta see Goose rocket down 541st after a giant tentacle slapped him in mid air. He crashed right in front of a storefront, thankfully not on top of anypony.

“Blur, get outta there! Target give her cover fire, Ah’m goin’ in!” The sound of powerful percussion followed by red blossoms on the creature’s hide let me know that it was time ta go take its attention myself. Ah got in close as the blue Blur shot toward the buildin’ Diamond was on and loaded a punch. With as much force as Ah could manage, Ah dug my hoof in the beast’s slick scaly sea-green hide. My hoof sank into it’s flesh as it ripped and twisted, turnin’ the once white part of the suit ta a sickly crimson as the blood sprayed over it.

The monster groaned out in pain but was quicker than me in reactin’ ta it. A thick whip like tentacle shot from it’s face ta my chest, knockin’ me back inta the buildin’ over ten meters away that Ah’d just came from.

“Holy crap, are you okay!?” Ah heard Blur say from next ta me. Ah shook the brick remains off and got back up ta my hooves.

“Yeah Ah’m fine. Ah want y’all and Diamond ta stay outta this. If ya get hit by that, Ah doubt you’ll survive. Next Ah-” Ah stopped mid sentence as Ah watched in horror as the wound Ah just made on the creature untwisted itself and returned ta the way it was before.

“M-marevelous, it’s healing my bullet wounds! W-what do we do!? I-I can’t find the m-mirror anywhere!” Holy shit… what can we do about this?

“Goose, where the fuck did ya go!?”

“I literally just got up, give me a second please.”

“A second too late! Get back here as fast as ya can, we’ve got a problem!” The creature groaned again and it’s six large tentacles began ta expand they grew in size and length, specifically length enough ta reach our position from the water.

“Shit! Toki wo tomare!”

“Za Warudo!”

The world flashed and froze in place, turnin’ ta its black and white state. The monster stopped thankfully, and Ah jumped ta the rooftop with Diamond.

“I’m down to less than half my limit Marevelous, we can’t keep this up forever!” Diamond said.

“Do what ya can fer now, and stay close enough that ya can do it if Ah call.” Ah grabbed the frozen Crow and picked her up as if she were some kinda statue. "As soon as yer off the buildin’, restart time. We need a plan. Where did yer baton go?”

“He did something with it during our first encounter. I don’t know where it is.”

“Find it and get it ta me. We’re gonna have ta start severin’ limbs or somethin’. Ah don’t know how we can beat this thin’ as it is now.” Ah turned the other way and jumped off the buildin’ with the Crow in toe. Time restarted and the tentacles crashed inta the rooftop Ah was just on.

“Oh. Uh, when did you get here?” the Crow asked from my shoulder.

“Less than a second ago. Have ya seen enough yet? Ah need yer help, and Ah need it bad. He’s healin’ every wound we give him.” Ah set her down a few buildin’s back and the monster screeched off in the distance. It looked like Goose and Blur were back at it. “Damn it, Ah told her ta lay off!” Ah was about ta jump back toward the kaiju when the Crow stopped me.

“Wait! Look, I don’t know about joining your club or whatever this is, but I’ll at least help for now. If this was their plan from the beginning, well… I was probably expendable already anyways.” Ah could feel a slight weight fall off my back as soon as she finished.

“Ya have no idea how happy Ah am ta hear that. Go after its tentacles and get yer blood in it’s system. It might be a monster now, but it’s still at least part way a pony. If we can break down its nerves, then we might be able ta stop it.” She puffed air out of her snout.

“I don’t like taking orders, but whatever. You have my allegiance for now.” She popped her neck ta both sides and then the red wings flared ta life. She sped past the buildin’s and grabbed her sword on the harbor floor. Ah followed suit and started ta put my bracers ta work.

“Marevelous, we have a problem,” Blur said.

“Aw hell, what now?”

“My knives aren’t scratching it anymore.”

“M-marevelous!” Target called. Ah sighed as Ah dodged a tentacle slam.

“Not y’all too!”

“T-the bullet wounds are healing j-just as fast as I make them! I-it’s becoming more resilient!”

“What the hell is with this thing? I can’t so much as cut it!” the Crow yelled.

“Fer fuck’s sake! Every pony back off, we need ta regroup and make a plan!” The game of ‘don’t get hit’ continued as we retreated further inta the harbor, but just as we did, Blur got caught on one of the tentacles and knocked inta one of the buildin’s. Ah shot after her and held a tentacle at bay as Ah took her ta a safe spot.

“You okay!?” Ah yelled tryin’ ta fight the thin’ with one foreleg. The blows were almost as heavy as Goose’s attacks from the other day and Ah couldn’t take too many of ‘em.

“Oh fuck… I’m… alive…” As soon as she said that, she started ta cough, spittin’ blood out on the ground.

“Shit. Twilight? Ah need an emergency pick up. Blur is hurt bad.”

“Oh no! What happened? Did another monster show up?”

“Yeah, and it’s provin’ ta be even more difficult ta handle than the last one, even with all of us. Do ya have a lock on her yet?”

“I do. Stand back. I won’t be able to do this again for at least half an hour. Don’t need me.” A violet ball of lightnin’ encased Blur on the ground. The light flared once, and after a flash, she was gone.

“Thanks. We’ll try, but this ain’t goin’ well. The damn thin’ heals everythin’ we do.” Ah turned ta make my way back as the fight raged on. The Crow was circlin' the air and slashin' at it with her bloody sword, Goose was fightin' tentacles, and Target was shootin' at its face.

“Keep me informed. If you get desperate, I think I can come help, but it’ll be a while before I can teleport anything again.” She sounded… nervous.

“Will do.” Now ta figure out what the hell Ah’m really gonna do about this. We aren’t gonna last another half hour against this thin’.

“I got one!” Ah heard the Crow yell from the other side of the harbor. As Ah went ta look, Ah saw one of the thin’s tentacles fall limp, just covered in scars. The thin’ that really caught my attention though, was the red spot that looked like a bullet wound mixed with a sword slash. Ah shot my bracer and went toward the scene just in time ta kick Goose outta the way of gettin’ slammed.

“Y’all should be more careful,” Ah said as Ah punched a tentacle away. Only a second after sayin' that, he returned the favor by beatin’ away a tentacle Ah didn’t see comin’.

“Same to you.” Ah couldn’t see much of his face, but Ah doubt he wasn’t givin’ me that damnable smirk of his.

“Crow! What did ya do ta get a tentacle down!?” She was zippin’ around tryin’ ta make cuts on the base of the monster’s tentacles. She slowed down just as she reached near me.

“Your friend, uh… Target or whatever, almost shot me in the head, but hit the monster and I managed to cut the same spot while there was an open wound! My blood managed to work it’s way through that tentacle, but then something inside the monster stopped it! If you guys can make holes, I can poison this Cthulhu mother fucker!” She couldn’t stay in one spot fer too long and went back ta circlin’ the monster as Ah fought off more whip like attacks.

“Target, Goose! We need ta open wounds fer the Crow ta get her blood inta this thin’! When ya see an openin’, try ta aim fer the base of it’s tentacles! Wait a minute… what the hell is it doin’?” Ah hadn’t meant ta send the last part ta them, it was only an afterthought when the monster dove underwater. There was silence. Still, complete, eery silence. Broken by what could have only been the sound of bendin’ metal. We all seemed ta see it at the same time judgin’ by our reactions. The cargo ship was in the air, and it was headed right fer us.

“Everypony move!” Ah shouted as shippin' containers and mangled ship flew toward our general direction. The boat was comin’ closer and Goose hadn’t moved yet. Ah didn’t know what it was, but an overwhelmin’ surge shot through my body all at once. Ah shot my bracer just next ta him, kicked his ass outta the way, and then rushed the ship. There was a yell that made it’s way out of my mouth, some repeated sound that Ah couldn’t quite place, maybe some kinda instinctual roar that was hidden deep inside like a primal cry. With everythin’ Ah had, Ah punched and kicked the ship as fast as Ah could, beatin' down the metal, sendin’ shock waves through the air with each blow. Ah think my ears had flattened against my head before my brain knew what my body was doin’, because Ah couldn’t hardly hear anythin’ but ringin’. By the time Ah’d made it through the ship, Ah’d damn near cut the thin’ in half by force of blows alone. Ah felt the momentum stop and my body start ta complain. With a final punch and my brain taken back over, the last yell came out and Ah slammed the remains of the ship back ta the ground.

“ORA!” The bang of metal ta the ground echoed across the harbor, and finally my body had had enough of fightin’ gravity off and sank on top of the mangled mess of metal. When Ah landed, Ah felt a sharp pain in my right foreleg shoot up my body. Damn it! This ain’t good…

“Holy shit.” Ah heard from Goose.

“A-applejack? A-are you okay?” Fluttershy stuttered.

“Applejack! What the hell just happened!? There was a huge spike of energy from one of my gems directed at you!” Twilight just about screamed in my head.

“Ah don’t fuckin’ know! Damn it, Ah did somethin’ ta my foreleg!” Ah yelled as the pain grew more intense. Ah couldn’t pay attention ta that fer too long because just then, the monster resurfaced and let out its cry. “We can’t keep this up, and my dominant foreleg is damaged! Get together and focus on the front right tentacle! Tell the Crow and work together! Target, Diamond! If either of y’all have pain killers on ya, now would be the time ta come forward!”

“I have some, I’ll be there in a moment!” Diamond replied. Ah sat in place on top of the mangled ship clutchin’ my foreleg as Ah waited fer her ta get here. Goose and the Crow had moved near each other, and with a quick nod, the two started drawin’ the monster’s attention ta either side of the thin’. Ah heard the sound of a cable’s blade make contact with the mangled ship’s hull, and shortly thereafter, Diamond pulled up next ta it.

“Which one is it? I’m sorry, but I couldn’t find the baton. I think he may have tossed it into the water. As long as its still there, we can collaborate with the guard and have it found later.” Ah held out my foreleg for treatment and she took a similar teal colored gel ta the one Target used on the Crow out of a small tube, spreadin' it over my foreleg with her magic. It damn near felt like my whole leg was bein’ seared, but the pain was minimal in trade fer what it was relievin’ me of. Ah could still move my wrist but it sure as hell felt like somethin’ was broken before the anesthetic took full effect.

“I suggest you avoid using it if you can, otherwise the injury is only going to get worse. What do you want me to do? I hate standing around in the back like this, but I know I can only provide support in a contest of strength...” She sighed and shook her head. Ah put my good hoof on her shoulder and looked her in the eyes.

“There’s nothin’ wrong with ponies havin’ roles that they play, yours just happens ta be givin’ us extra seconds, without which, we woulda been screwed twice over now. Stick near enough ta us that ya can do what we need ya ta, but keep searchin’ the area for stray ponies that mighta wandered in. Ah don’t know what came over me a minute ago, but if Ah can do that ta this monster, then there won’t be nothin’ left and this whole mess will be over.” Ah stood back up, but felt the weakness in my front right and decided ta keep off it.

“Please, don’t hurt yourself if you can avoid it. What you did just now was amazing, and it would be a terrible loss for everypony if we lost you.” With a shot of her harness, she returned ta the shadows behind the line of buildin’s at the edge of the harbor. Ah decided it was time ta switch thin’s up ta my left side, and with that, Ah shot my bracer and zip-lined over ta the rest of my team. Just as Ah arrived, Target had made a shot and Goose followed through by diggin’ a chunk out of the monster’s tentacle. Ah joined in by shootin’ my cable inta the monster’s body and makin’ my way up and diggin’ a bigger chunk out of the tentacle.

“Crow!” Ah shouted, and just behind me, she came in and dug her crimson coated sword inta the monster’s body. She pulled away, and the tentacle went limp. The monster let out its cry and we had successfully made damage ta its body. However, there was a change. Almost like a shift in the air. The creature backed away from the harbor and let out a deafenin’ half-growl half-screech that echoed metallically across the harbor. The tentacle we’d damaged started ta move ta the back of it’s body as if it were just a replaceable part in a greater machine. The creature came back at us with a much greater speed than before, making it difficult ta do anythin’ but defend.

“Everypony pull back! We need a new strategy ta kill this thin’ in one go, otherwise, we’re gonna get killed! Target, get down here but stay far enough out of his range, Ah’ve got an idea!” Ah said and thought the message so Target would get it too. We managed ta cluster together a little and back away from the monster whilst fightin’ the thin' off. When we’d finally made it ta a point where the creature’s tentacles were stretched ta reach us and manageable ta deal with.

“Okay, here’s the plan! When Ah give the signal, which will be Diamond’s queue, Target will pierce its chest, then Goose and Ah will try and dig holes as big as we can in this thin’s body. Ah figure the mirror is hidden deep in there since it can just move parts around. If Ah’m right, the mirror will be in it’s most protected spot, which would be the center of it’s torso. If we can get deep enough in ta see it, then the Crow will come in from behind and use her crystal sword ta stab it. If nothin’ else, that should paralyze the monster and win the battle regardless. Y’all got that?” Ah confirmed everypony got the message when they all nodded and a reply from Diamond came back, then we went in.

We fought the tentacles off ta the best of our ability, but it still felt like somethin’ was different. It was fightin’ back, but it felt weaker than before. Just as we had reached our position, the creature backed away again and let out a low pitched noise that started ta grow with every passin’ second. Accompanied by a horrid rippin’ sound, the creature’s tentacles split open and folded back, revealin’ giant needle-like shinin’ pieces inside. It screeched some kinda noise that just about made my eardrums bleed and then it started ta swing the thin’s around like swords. The Crow was now usin’ her sword ta block attacks and it didn’t look like it was goin’ well. Then Ah noticed what the creature had done. It split us up usin’ it’s new weapons ta get her alone. With the fourth tentacle, it had it positioned ta spear the Crow through. Once more, Ah felt that burst of energy shoot through and Ah launched ta grab the Crow away from harm. The needle speared clean through the concrete, and just as Ah thought we were clear, Ah heard somethin’.

“Applejack, look out!” In what felt like a second in Diamond’s time, Ah turned my head toward the sound of the voice and saw Applebloom on the other end of the harbor, completely within range of the monster. Then Ah saw the needle positioned above my head ready ta spear me. Once again, Ah didn’t have time ta think about what Ah was doin’, and that primal urge overcame me. Ah tossed the Crow ta the side and pulled my right back with everythin’ Ah had. The needle moved a fraction of a centimeter and Ah let loose my punch. The hoof met the needle before the needle met my neck and it shattered inta pieces, sendin’ ‘em rocketin’ toward the center of the creature’s torso.

It screeched out its cry, and as it did, Ah noticed it reposition one of its tentacles, the one that had hit the ground. It moved so casually, almost lazily toward its target. Ah saw its glistenin’ point and where it was aimin', and my heart skipped a beat or two. My body went inta full gallop toward Applebloom, my mouth moved, but all the noise in the world was gone. Ah felt myself mouth her name, but as Ah did, the needle started its way toward her. There was only one way ta save her at this point, and Ah wasn’t about ta ignore it.

“TOKI WO TOMARE!”

“ZA WARUDO!”

“DO IT NOW!” Ah yelled out in the frozen time. The five of us were all in it, we only had seconds ta accomplish what we needed ta do before Diamond’s power caved in, and Ah had ta save my sister, so they had ta do it alone. My hooves touched the ground as Ah passed the tentacle’s needle and Target Lock shot past me toward the monster. My hooves touched the ground again, and Ah was just about near Applebloom. The shot went off, but Ah didn’t have time ta look back. Ah heard the sound of armor clink, liquid flap, and crystals crack. Ah grabbed her body and leapt off from the spot. Unless it could suddenly turn at a ninety degree angle, she was safe. Just as Ah was outta the way, time returned. The percussion of the high grade rifle bullet made impact with the creature’s flesh. The clang from metal coated Hooves collidin’ and tearin’ off more flesh followed it immediately. Finally, a scream from the Crow and the sound of somethin’ sharp stabbin’ inta flesh was followed by the sound of somethin’ shatterin’.

Ah landed on the nearby roof as the wail of the defeated monster rang through the harbor. It screeched and moaned at unfathomable levels of volume as it bubbled and just about melted inta the water. A let out the breath that Ah’d been holdin’ since time froze and sighed in relief.

“Harmony, the monster is down.”

Harmony Days IX: Silver Belles (part 1)

Author's Notes:

The following two chapters, Harmony Days IX: Silver Belles parts 1 and 2, are properly formatted. Everything after and up to Persona XXVI: Revelations - Persona, remains unformatted.

At the moment, I find myself in a meeting with most of the other members of Harmony, just a few hours after our ordeal with the sea monster that was Knots White. I’m fighting off a migraine with painkillers, and my friends are yelling at each other. It's not pleasant.

“Absolutely not! She ain’t got nothin’ ta do with this! Ah told her who Ah was before any of that even happened,” Applejack argued from her chair at the table.

Twilight shook her head and knocked her hoof on the tabletop. “You aren’t getting this, so let me make it clearer. If aunt Luna finds out that your sister knows who you are, she’ll do it herself! We have to brand her, otherwise, this could get way out of hoof! I’m not saying do it to put her on Harmony, I just want to protect her from my family okay?”

“How is she gonna find out if nopony tells her? Y’all keep yer damn mouth shut and we outta do just fine. Y’all gotta know that none of my family is free of the virus at this point, save maybe my uncle. What if she has somethin’ that yer damn Aunt finds useful, huh!? She’s not even old enough ta be drafted yet, but Ah bet ya a Princess could make a ‘special exception’ if she wanted,” Applejack rebutted, tilting her head and doing that thing where she raises her eyebrow. I remember seeing that back when I lived in Ponyville so long ago, but I do believe it was only the Apples that really did it.

“That’s… look, you don’t know what she can do! She’s the Princess of the night, she can enter dreams! If this memory comes up and she’s watching…”

Applejack shook her head. “Then we’ll deal with it at that moment. Ah’m done with this discussion. What else? Ah know there’s more, so spit it out.” Sometimes it makes me wonder how I would act around her if either of us were stallions. I’ve had my strange fantasy about Marevelous Red before, but now that I know the mare beneath the mask… it makes those all the more real and I can’t say that I’m comfortable with it. However, between she and the actual stallion in the room, I feel as if there’s an odd, but growing chemistry between. I giggled at the irony of it, which had her attention drawn to me.

“Got somethin’ ta say?” She sounded a little more hostile that I would have liked.

“No, no, you two go on. Don’t mind me, I’m just… off in my own little world here,” I said in an attempt to lighten the mood. In the back of my mind, my body was screaming at me to sleep from over extending my time today. Applejack and Pinkie both asked me to freeze it, and a third time, I froze time with four ponies inside. I’d practically never frozen time with more than three ponies before, so I didn’t realize how much degradation that actually caused. If one pony removes two minutes of my time for every instance of my power, then four ponies at once should nearly spend my time entirely after mere seconds, and it absolutely did. I’d already lost four minutes and the seconds that went by while frozen, and by what little rules of this power we’ve managed to test, we still don’t know what the multipliers for additional ponies are.

Had I not the sense to inject pain killers when I did, I likely would’ve passed out where I stood. Even then, I could feel the pain beginning to well up in my body and it’s only going to get worse as they wear off. I must remember to thank Goose at some point for teleporting us here after we’d cleaned up. In this condition, I doubt I could have walked the miles between the harbor and the castle, let alone attempt to use the cables.

Then, there’s also Applebloom to think about. Applejack said she didn’t know what her power is, but I could swear she looked right at me like she knew me. Not Diamond the heroine, but Rarity Belle, the seamstress. How would she know that? And for that matter, why did she come running to the harbor if she knew about the monster in the first place? Goose said he told everypony at his store to evacuate, including her. He was dressed like a night guard, so I’d imagine they thought he was official…

“Well, actually, you are the next thing on the list. You did contact your father right? When Mother came over to fix Applejack’s tail the other day, she told me that we needed to make the investigation of Argent Tower out top priority after this. Especially since there actually ended up being a monster in the harbor, Argent has clearly got a game going on and I’m really hoping that we don’t have to see much more of it… but, based on what you all told me that worker said… I highly doubt he was the last one.”

Ugh, speaking of, I never did find my baton. Contacting the Lunar Guard about that is going to be a nightmare after the princess finds out… maybe even literally. And then there’s my father. I felt a twitch run across my bottom left eye lid. Bronze Belle, the current chief of sales at Argent Enterprises. Greedy bastard, lying cheater, old worthless stallion!

“Rarity?” I could feel my forehead veins throbbing as Twilight brought me out of my little fit and the pain of overusing my power coursed through me.

“What? I’m sorry, the um… the pain killers I think are wearing off.” Anything to keep that relationship in my pocket.

“Oh… is it that bad? Would you like me to see if I can’t do anything about it? It wouldn’t take more than a few-” she began, but I cut her off. I don’t need her worrying about me, this should all fade away after I get some sleep.

“No, no, I’ll be fine after I’ve had some rest. I have yet to contact my… father, but I will do so tomorrow after he gets off work.” I’ve never told any of them about my relationship with my parents since it never came up, and I don’t intend to now either.

Applejack however, was curious. “Ya sure it’s just pain right? Not somethin’ else that’s botherin’ ya?”

I shook my head and rubbed at my temples. “Applejack, we nearly died fighting a monster today, and I’ve more than over used my powers. If I am to be truthful, the painkillers must be working still, otherwise, I doubt I would be conscious at this moment.” There was a hint… well, more than a hint of irritation in my voice.

She narrowed her eyes at me, and I knew she could tell that what I said wasn’t the whole truth, but she decided against pressing the matter, thankfully. “Ah guess. Ya know what? That reminds me. Pinkie and Rarity cannot fight these thin’s without some kinda better protection. Whatever it is that Goose has, y’all need ta get some of that fer them. And uh… get another set made fer a pegasus…” I could already see where her train of thought was, but Twilight doesn’t know what we do.

“Why, exactly? I mean, Fluttershy is more than welcome to an armor set if she feels she needs one, but as far as the range on her rifle is, I highly doubt that-”

Applejack cut her off. “No, this is fer somepony else. Ah’ve been thinkin’, and it might be a good idea if we tried ta get the Crow on our side.”

Her true, honest green eyes near shoot through Twilight and she reacted negatively. “What!? No way! Don’t you remember that we already tried that? She didn’t work because she disables or dismembers her victims! We can’t have somepony like that on our team! On top of that, she and I did not get along. Besides, if we gave her a brand, she’d remember everything I took away from her the first time…”

Applejack shook her head. “Twilight, will ya just shut yer damn mouth fer one minute and listen? Ah know you’re skeptical here, but if she wasn’t there, Ah don’t know that we coulda taken that thin’ down. We just set her up, she’s the one who shattered the mirror. We need all the help we can get. What are we gonna do if the next one just shows up unannounced in some populated area, huh? Y’all just gonna teleport a few thousand ponies away ta a safe place while ya let us deal with it? On top of that, they’ve all been different! Every monster we’ve come across has been entirely different from the last, and they just keep gettin’ bigger! We don’t have the resources ta pick and choose who we like, we need power, and Goose and Ah ain’t gonna cut it!”

Before Twilight could yell back, Goose intervened. “Hey, slow your roll there. I know this is important and all, but you guys need to cool it. Yelling at each other isn’t going to solve any of our problems right now. Maybe we should just put this on hold and talk about it later. What do you think Flutterbutter?” There was a collective cloud of ‘what’ over the mares at the table, and just about all of us had our heads tilted at him.

Fluttershy had remained essentially quiet the entire meeting, but she was the first to snap out of the trance. “I… I don’t know what to think. I… I didn’t get to hear her voice or, or smell her scent last time we met her, but now that I did… the Crow… she, she was just so familiar to me, I… you know, I agree with Goose, we should call it a night. I um… I’m not too fond of the nick name, but there’s a lot on everypony’s minds right now, and Pinkie hasn’t even regained consciousness yet. We really shouldn’t be discussing our next plan without her I don’t think.”

Goose put a smile on and nodded his head with her as she spoke. “Well, the quietest voice has spoken, so what about you three? We need at least one more for a majority vote here. You and I are both pretty banged up Applebo-” He was about to say it, and Applejack slowly started to raise her snout at him with a fixed death stare. “Eh-hem, Applejack. I mean, we did what we set out to do right? Find the ship, make sure there weren’t any mirrors, and destroy the one we found?”

I mused that for a moment, but Twilight let out a breath and spoke the conclusion I had come to. “No, the goal was to take the mirror in one piece so we could study it, but… I can’t blame anypony for what happened instead. I’m sorry Applejack, I shouldn’t be so… obtuse about this. Goose is right. Let’s reconvene on Tuesday shall we? My healing spells should be finished working on Pinkie by then, and she should regain consciousness by Sunday at the latest. In the mean time, I must ask you to discuss with your sister what she knows, alright?”

Applejack let out a sigh as well. “Ah know, Ah was just… hopin’ it didn’t come ta this. Ah’ve managed ta keep my family outta this hero shit fer years now, and suddenly, it feels like all those walls Ah built tryin’ ta keep ‘em safe are fallin’ apart.” She shook her head and let out a defeated laugh. “Heh… it’s funny, really. Ah always thought Ah’d make an enemy outta some mob boss and have my family traced and kidnapped or somethin’. Never in my wildest dreams did Ah think that the threat of monsters destroyin’ the city was what would cause me ta tell any of ‘em about this…” I was about to attempt to comfort her because it looked like she needed it, but Goose beat me to it. He just popped from one chair to the next and draped his forelegs around her neck from atop the chair’s foreleg rest.

“Hey there honey dear, it’ll be alright,” he said softly. She didn’t reciprocate the hug, but she didn’t fight it either. In the end, it looked like she’d just let herself lean on him, but… after all she’s told us, surely that meant she accepted Goose as a friend… or maybe more… I’ve never met a mare as stubborn and closed off as she is, yet here she is, letting herself lean on another. We all sat in silence, I was more stunned than anything, but eventually Goose let himself go and decided to head to bed.

“Well, that was a good talk. Maybe we might try and be a little more civil around each other, huh? I know this is tense shit and all, but… you ladies don’t have to fight over me♥” There was a collective groan and eye roll that followed his back to form doucheyness, but it did get a giggle out of us all the same.

“Yeah whatever, y’all go be a douchebag somewhere else. Ah’m gonna head out y’all. Ah’ll see ya on Tuesday Ah guess.” Applejack got up from her chair, and for a split second, I thought I saw that orange gem sparkle as she moved, but it came as soon as it went and I wasn’t sure if it was real or just a trick of the light.

“Alright, I suppose that will be that. I’ll keep you two posted about Pinkie’s recovery until she’s back to normal. Rarity, do you want me to send you home, or do you want to stay here for the night? I know you said you were in a lot of pain…” Once upon a time, we tried to experiment with the limits of my powers and to say it didn’t end well… is more or less an understatement. I was injured fairly heavily and kept in stasis for nearly forty-eight hours just to keep me from falling into a coma. Had Princess Celestia not intervened, who knows if I’d have ever woken up? All the same, Twilight still feels guilty about it almost a year later and uses extra caution around me when I have headaches.

“I… think I will take you up on that. Goodnight everypony.” I woozily stood and wearily made my way to the room Twilight had reserved for me. I don’t remember much of what happened next, other than that I flopped on something soft in a dark room, so I suppose I made it to a bed at least.

The morning went about as I expected it to, had I a hangover. Sure, the drinking age is 21, and only next year do I actually attain that age, but all the same I’ve already had my fair share of hangovers in my lifetime and that is more than enough to remember how awful they are. You’d think with how my parents treated me, I’d have never touched the stuff. I’m glad Sweetie doesn’t have the friends that I had in high school. This time, however, I don’t have the memory of being blissfully intoxicated, just in pain from being in pain. However, I wasn’t angry when I woke up, no that came a few minutes later. On the end table next to the bed, in the little crystal box of a room that I’d slept in, was my buzzing and singing phone.

“Why so down tonight? Just another day that didn’t go your way well, don’t you make me sigh. Just take my-”

“Hello?” I said wearily as I silenced the ringer with my hoof. It wasn’t normal for me to get calls on my personal phone these days, and I wasn’t quite awake enough to read yet, so I had no idea who I was talking to when I answered.

“Rarity? Good morning darling.”

A voice I’d heard enough times to recognize and one I’d slowly started to hate as I grew older. My senses alive and well now that my father was clear in my ear, I sat up quickly, only to feel dizzy and nearly vomit from the pounding on the back of my skull.

“What do youuuu…” I held back the liquid projectile just waiting to happen. When the feeling passed, I tried again. “What do you want? Why are you calling me on a Friday? Shouldn’t you be at work?” I attempted to say again, this time with venom in my voice.

“Rarity… it’s five pm.”

It’s five!? I slept for almost seventeen hours!? Ugh, so much for opening the boutique today. At least I made sure not to have any appointments. However, that still doesn’t give him a reason to call me.

“Eh-hem, so it is. That doesn’t answer any of my questions, all the same.”

“Well… uh, it’s been a while and I though I’d just uh… check up on you. Your sister called me the other day and so I though that maybe...” The words registered in my head.

“Sweetie did what!?” Reign it in Rarity, it’s not like he’s some sexual predator, it’s just your bastard of a father… So maybe it’s worse than that…

“Geez, she called me. She asked me to sign a form so she could get into Junior Guard at the school. Didn’t she come to you first?” Oh ho ho ho, no, she didn’t. Because if she did, there was no way I would have let her in, and she knew that… She and I will be talking when I get home.

“I see. Please refrain from speaking to my little sister without my consent in the future. A checkup is all you said you wanted right? Well, now you have it. We are doing just fine.” The words were only there to keep my teeth from grinding against each other. I was mad at him for existing, and now I was also mad at Sweetie for lying to me.

“Now, wait just a minute! Rarity, please just hear me out! Hasn’t it been long enough? I can never make it up to either of you if you won’t even speak to me!” Groveling swine! You’d better beg because I have no sympathy for you! I was just about to retaliate with the most scathing insult I could think of when I remembered the position I was in. I still needed him to get me into Argent Tower undetected. Damn it! I was supposed to call you, you old fool! I sighed as if I were about to try and pick up an eighty pound weight and took a deep breath.

“As you can tell, I still harbor ill will.” I heard a sigh from the other end of the line and forced myself to keep talking. He might be a horrible pony, but he is my father. “However, maybe two years is long enough. Why don’t I meet you up there in Tin? We can do lunch and you can give me a tour of Argent Tower. It… has been a long time since I’ve seen it. Are you free Tuesday?” I could almost hear the smile forming on that old stallion’s face as I spoke. I hold so much disdain for him yet… the thought of him smiling again might have even made me grin.

“Oh, of course! Er… Actually, I’m supposed to make a trip to Zvyr on Tuesday for a deal on some new bulk mining equipment. Would Monday work for you? A favorite restaurant of mine runs a special at one PM every Monday, and I’d love to have you try it. It’ll be… just like it used to…” he said, trailing off and no doubt watching the train wreck that became his life later on. A thought crossed my mind, and I wasn’t sure why I hadn’t already issued this ultimatum yet.

“Very well, I can take Monday off. But! Know this old man, if I smell a drop of alcohol on your breath again I will leave right then and there. Do you understand me? I am not defenseless anymore.”

There was a pause, but then he responded, “Of course. Yes, why would I even consider… drinking again…” His voice fell to a whisper, which made me suspicious, but I wasn't about to press on that just yet.

“Then it is settled. I will meet you at twelve forty-five by the train station. If you are late, I will go home and block you from this number. This is your final chance to make amends. Do not disappoint me.” I hung up before he could respond. Anymore of this and I don't know what I'll say. I sighed. I probably shouldn’t bear this strong of a grudge against him at least. He’s making an effort, which is more than I can say for that harlot. For every time I think about them, my hooves always move to feel the small scar just under my jaw. Worthless, evil mare.

After talking to Twilight about it and making my way home, Sweetie and I had a discussion about her little adventures in the Junior Guard. I didn’t know why she’d been getting up so early in the morning this past week, but I simply thought she was getting up to go see her friends before school. I suppose I wasn’t entirely wrong.

“You went and joined Junior Guard without even telling me!?” I said just about as soon as I saw her. She froze in place amid eating some reheated pizza, nearly dropping the pie on the floor before catching it in her magic.

“… Maybe I did, what about it?” she said as she set her pizza down. I could feel the veins beginning to bubble up to the surface again.

“Why!? What could have possibly possessed you to do something like that? It’s one thing to go and join some, child soldier program behind my back, but to call him just to go over my head!?”

Now that we were at the real reason I was angry, or at least the bigger one, Sweetie stood still like a statue. “I…” she began, but didn’t continue.

I took a few stomping steps closer. “Well? You, what, exactly?” I realized that I was starting to lose my temper, so I lowered my volume without losing intensity. I could see the veins beginning to surface on her head as well. She stood up and came to eye level with me. Sweetie was shorter than I was, but not by a large margin anymore. She's seventeen now, almost a full grown mare.

“It’s not like I could’ve come to you! You wouldn’t have even let me talk about it as soon as I said anything about the military! You know what? This is exactly why I never asked you, because I knew it would end up with us yelling at each other! Scootaloo said she just about fought Rainbow to get her signature, but Applebloom said that after she told her siblings about it, they understood that it was something that she wanted to do! At least Dad was happy to hear from me!” We were just about snout to snout at this point.

“Oh, and you think that your abusive father cares whether or not you go off to fight in some war and die in your twenties!? If all you needed was a signature, I honestly believe that you could have gotten it from mother if you knew where to find her! They don’t care about you, me, or either of our lives! I care about your well being, I don’t want to get a knock on the door from some random officer saying you were promoted two ranks, I don’t want to hold a funeral for my little sister!” She promptly backed down and lost eye contact with me. I let out a breath and tried to calm down myself.

At the current moment, Equestria is in high tensions with a few countries, namely another major superpower, Zvyr. Were it not for the good ties that Argent has with them and the exports and imports they deal with, I doubt our ‘good’ relationship would last very long before somepony started a fight. The rumor that’s floating around is that Stannum Argent has recently been in decline and he doesn’t have a successor lined up to take his place. Supposedly, he has a son, but said son is not in a good place health wise either. The future is uncertain to say the least, but the last war that broke out happened in about the same way and ponies tend to panic when they get the opportunity. The real chance that she could fight in a war if she did join the military is rather high at this point if nothing is done to fix Zvyrian relations. I crept up next to Sweetie and pulled her into a hug.

“I shouldn’t have come home just to yell at you, but this isn’t something you can just brush off.” I made sure to bring my volume down and try to actually get across to her. She just doesn't understand what what a firefight is like, and I don't want her to learn too late.

“I… I’m sorry, I should have come to you about it. But, the thing is… I really like it. The training, the exercises, the outfits, it just… feels like it’s what I should be doing, ya know? Scootaloo and Applebloom felt the same way, and since we all have similar cutiemarks… maybe… maybe this is what my cutiemark really means after all?” She looked at me with those big green eyes of hers. Maybe it was the color that made me think of her, but it was the sincerity I saw in them reminded me so much of Applejack. If Sweetie turns out like her, then… maybe it wont be so bad after all…

I sighed. “If… If you really feel that way, then I’ve no right to stop you from doing something you love. Just… just don’t go off and do something to hurt yourself, okay? If I lose you, then I’ve lost everything.” I squeezed her tightly and she reciprocated my feelings with a hug of her own. I giggled to myself a little after finally we let go of each other. “Of course he would ask if we got along and then I start a shouting match the minute I get home.”

Sweetie furrowed her brow. “He? You talked toDad?”

I closed my eyes and felt my lids twitch again. “I… I did. As a matter of fact, he’s the one who told me about your little excursion into the military. You might find it hard to believe, but I’m actually going to see him Monday afternoon.” She reared her head back, as I expected she would.

“Really?” she questioned, almost in disgust.

“Really,” I replied, near void of emotion.

“Why?”

“If it was just to see him, I would have made him meet me here. I needed to go to Argent Tower for a job and he called me asking to make amends.” I decided to do something about the rumbling in my stomach and started to dig around for something to make, when I remembered the pizza Sweetie had. “Did you already reheat that, or should I make dinner?”

She shook her head to fight the stun. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You are going to see Dad… to makeamends?”

I knew this was coming, I did. “Food, Sweetie, stay on topic for me.”

She put her hooves together and touched her lips. “I… No, I haven’t heated the pizza yet, make food please. But back to the Dad thing.” I rolled my eyes and let out a breath. I didn’t want to think about it, I was already dreading the mission I was on to being with, adding him to the mix is just another reason to make me not want to go. I don’t have a choice in the matter either.

“Yes, to make amends. You talked to him didn’t you? Did he not sound like a broken, but apologetic stallion?” I began acquiring cooking utensils from the cabinets. I was feeling like pasta since I hadn’t eaten in nearly twenty four hours apparently. Overexerting myself must have done a number on me if I had to sleep for that long.

“Well, sorta. He’s always had that kinda… broken spirit to him ever since mom left, but… do you actually believe him this time? Like, this isn’t going to end in fallout like the boutique did, is it?” I stopped moving for a moment as the memory of the last time I saw him came flooding back to me. It was a few months after I had custody of Sweetie taken from him, a little after I turned eighteen and proved that I could provide for her with the business I’d been running for the last year. I didn’t make much, the apartment we lived in was… for those with low income, to call it something nice, and one day, he just showed up at the door.

He had cleaned himself and looked presentable for the first time in a long time, outside of being at work, and he had come to ask for forgiveness. I was wary at first, but it really appeared that he had given up his drinking habits. We talked and I let it go that I had been looking to move into a shopping district and then he offered to help me finance it. The offer was far too tantalizing to refuse, so we went through with it. We were in the final stages of having the building furnished when the old bastard stumbled in wasted out of his mind. A whole week. That’s how long he hadn’t been drinking, and he gave in to it, again, just after so little time had passed. I had a restraining order signed to keep him away from Sweetie and had him removed from the loan that bought the boutique. It was a struggle, but after two years of hard work, a military salary, and additional bounties turned in, I managed to pay off the loan and the boutique was finally mine.

I shrugged. “If it does, then I don’t think I’ll ever see him again. If you want to seek him out at a later time when you get older, that’s none of my business, but if he lies to me again, then… I’ll stop holding out hope.” I put the pot of water on the stove and reached in the pantry to levitate a pound box of fettuccine out. A sharp pain shot through my horn down my spine the moment I attempted to use my magic, and I dropped the box. “Damn it!” A wave of pain and nausea came over me and suddenly everything hurt.

Sweetie rushed to me as I felt my legs beginning to give out and helped me sit down “Rarity! What’s wrong?”

I shouldn’t have done that. I know better than to use magic after overexerting myself, I do! Oh goddess, it hurts! The sick feeling followed by throbbing pains in my head lasted for nearly two minutes before they started to subside. A sudden feeling had me dash for the nearest trash can and lose a cup of burning stomach acid. Once that whole ordeal was done, Sweetie had grabbed me a kitchen towel and I wiped my face off. Sweaty, dry heaving and sick to myself, all the signs of overusing one’s magic, or in my case, my powers.

“What did you do? It isn’t like you to get sick like this out of nowhere… Have you been using your magic too much?” She asked once my body finally settled for a moment. I nodded my head.

“I was… rather involved in a fight last night… I might have… bitten off more than I could chew…” As far as Sweetie knows, I work part time at a bar as a server. Me getting involved in ‘fights’ is always my excuse for when I return beaten or sick.

“Rarity… you can’t keep doing this. If you keep this up, I won’t even get a chance to get into the military before you burn yourself out.” Well, she’s certainly not wrong. But then again, I don’t know how long any of the six of us will last if these monsters keep showing up. One wrong move and we end up with broken legs like Pinkie last night, the poor filly.

“Oh, don’t you worry about me, I didn’t even get hit this time. I mostly played support, it was my friends that did all the heavy lifting.” Overexertion of my powers was far more taxing than over exerting my actual magic, but on the other end of it, I could usually hold my powers longer after. The time I had every day never extended, but the strain of adding ponies to it usually became less every time this happened. Before the first experiments, having another pony in my frozen time reduced it by half and downward. The fact that another pony only takes two minutes out is the work of physical and magical endurance training every day. I got back to my hooves and made note to find my limiter ring before I tried to cook again.

“Friends? Did you have somepony come visit you?” I thought about the question and eventually nodded.

“I wasn’t really expecting it, but I met Rainbow Dash yesterday. Applejack was the one that brought her actually. It was… odd, but welcome.” I try not to lie to Sweetie when I can word it in such a way. She doesn’t even know about my powers as far as I can tell, but… the thing with Applebloom has me concerned about her. It had never occurred to me before that she could also be a Power Pony, but now that my head is clear, I’m not sure… Should I… talk to her about it? If nothing else, I could prod what she knows… Yes, that’s what I should do. If she has anything, it might be good to know in the event something like last night comes up again…

“Really? Huh, I didn’t think she was the type to go to bars… Applejack either… aren’t they like, too young to drink though? I thought you were the oldest out of our sisters, and you’re not twenty-one yet…” Sweetie rambled, some of which I recognized as her talking to her self out loud.

“Yes, they were in the neighborhood and decided to come visit. But that aside, Sweetie, what do you know about the virus?” I took one of my magic limiting rings out of the kitchen drawer and unhooked the latch. This overexertion thing has happened far more times than I’d like to admit over the past two years, and because of that, I have a limiter ring in every room of the boutique. I fixed the thing to the base of my horn and then went to pick up the box of pasta I’d dropped. I hope this didn’t snap too many pieces. I hate short noodle pasta. I poured some salt into the water and watched as the pot started to bubble near the bottom.

“Uh… it’s not always bad? I don’t know much. We kind of glanced over it in biology last year, but I’ve never really talked about it with anypony… it’s uh… a touchy subject, I think.”

Oh, I'm sure. ponies with physical mutations always get the brunt of humiliation, and that's not as uncommon as one would think. “I see. You know, supposedly, the virus can overwrite genes across generations. Studies over a few years have come to the conclusion that any parent with it will breed children with it.” I poured the pasta into the boiling water, and just as I feared, almost half the box came out in half sized pieces. A sound of irritation escaped my lips.

“Oh. That’s… interesting? Um… why exactly are you bringing this up?”

That's a nervous tone if I've ever heard one. “Sweetie, if you had powers, would you tell me? I can tell that there’s something to this, you’re not being forward with me like you usually are.” Well, if I want something like this to not happen with her, I might as well come clean. Applejack mentioned that she thought there would be an evil rival or something, and I can’t say I wasn’t thinking something similar, but now… I may not get the chance to tell her anything with a future so uncertain.

At any point she was nervous or afraid of something, Sweetie had this twitch in her ear and she’d spin the tips of her front hooves around each other. “And… if I did, and… and maybe they weren’t something so… nice, something that could… really hurt ponies, what would you do?” Which means you do have something, and you have something you can’t control very well at that. I turned the heat down on the mostly done pasta and turned to face her.

“Sweetie, you know that I would never stop loving you, even if you did something wrong, but having powers isn’t anything wrong at all. In fact, I believe that having powers is a wonderful thing, something you should be proud of. Sure, some ponies have talents that make them ‘more special’ than others, and some ponies can do things that you could never dream of doing, but to have powers means that you can do something that other ponies could never dream of. A power that has potential to be dangerous has equal potential to be used for good.” I moved closer. She took a step back. Is she afraid of what she can do?

“But… but what if… what if I- somepony can’t control their powers? What if it just happens on accident sometimes and… and you don’t know how to turn it off? What if you’re afraid that one day, you’ll just be having a good time, and suddenly they turn on and hurt somepony? What if your powers turned on, and you didn’t know what to do and you ended up ki-” The poor dear… I could have intervened with this sooner. Had I known she was so afraid of whatever she can do I would have tried to help her learn how to not be.

I silenced Sweetie and brought her into a hug. “Shh… It’s okay. Nopony knows how to control them at first.” I ran my hoof through her mane. She was shaking.

“Do you… do you have them too?” I nodded and kept silent. She wriggled her way out of my hug and stood back. “Then… can I show you? I… I don’t know really how to do anything but turn it on and off…” I hadn’t expected her to do that, but I suppose if it’s not too bad then it shouldn’t be a big deal…

“I… suppose. But first, what is it that you can do, Sweetie darling?” I can’t show her my powers right now, but if she’s just willing to show me, then maybe she really hasn’t told anypony about it…

“I can… I can turn myself into fire. Like, do you remember back when we were kids, that show about all the ponies who could all those crazy things, and there was the one guy who could just… turn into fire? Like, he was the lighter guy?” Like the Torch? From that cartoon? Really? I’ve seen plenty of elemental powers in my time, but being able to just… turn into something else usually resulted in more… monstrous visages.

“Sweetie, how much of yourself turns into fire? Is it just like the show, and your whole body is set alight, or can you do just parts at a time?” Her ear twitched again and she looked away.

“I… I don’t know. It happens on accident some times. When I get mad, or angry enough to hurt somepony, I’ll hear it start like a little buzzing sound in my ear. And then I’ll feel it somewhere. It’s like… my body is waving and flickering, but at the same time, it’s not my body that’s moving but the flames. I… I got in a fight the other days with those two bullies I’ve told you about and… if we hadn’t been in the bathroom, I might’ve hurt them.” As she spoke, she curled her tail around her side and I saw it flicker.

“My whole body went up. It’d never happened before, all the way, like that. Applebloom and Scootaloo and usually keep me calm enough to keep from losing it, but they weren’t there. It’s such… such a weird feeling, ya know? Like, I am the wave, the flickering flame, but I’m also not. Everything is lit in color, but my vision changes to something else, like I can only see heat. There’s always so much light, but things and ponies don’t look the same, it’s all hot and cold to me, but at the same time, I’ve never felt anything but cold before.

“Do you remember the time, back before we moved, when we went swimming at the lake? Everypony else was so happy to be in the water and out of the ‘heat’ but I didn’t know what they meant by it. I was perfectly fine and the water made me feel sick while I was in it. I remember getting a funny feeling in my stomach and needing to get out. I don’t vomit like a normal pony, like you did a minute ago, my body makes me spit out charred carbon and smoke. You thought I was playing with rocks at the time, but those came out of me.”

The memory she was talking about, from way back then, nearly eleven years ago. I do remember getting out of the lake to see what she was doing, and I remember the rocks too… She said she spit them up, but at the time, I thought she’d just swallowed them or something, she was six.

“Sweetie, how long have you been holding on to this?” She stuck her hoof out and I watched as it burst into brilliant orange flames. She just waved it around and stared at it like nothing was wrong.

“I don’t know. This is about the most control over it that I have. I can’t get burned, fire reacts weird to me and I can light myself if there’s an open flame near by. It’s been like this as long as I can remember, but after I… once I set a blanket on fire after a nightmare while I was sleeping one night, I’ve been afraid of it. I’ve tried to get a better grip on it over time, but I just… I just don’t know what to do. This is the best I’ve ever been able to do, and I’ve only been able to do this for a few weeks now.” She admired the brightly glowing flame, and I had to stare too. A power like this is... certainly unique. She flailed her foreleg around and the flames slowly died out until they were all gone.

“Oh Sweetie, I should have asked about this sooner. I can help you get a grip on this. With as unwieldy as my own powers were at first, I’m sure yours are just as hard to deal with.”

She looked away from the ground to focus back on me. “So… what can you do? I… I have a few weird memories of you just flickering from one place to another from a long time ago, but, I wouldn’t know what that really means. Or maybe I’m just crazy, which is always a possibility.”

I shook my head. “No, you’re not crazy, far from it actually. Sweetie, to tell the truth, I’ve never been in a bar fight. I don’t have a part time job, and none of my extra money has come from tips. My powers are… fairly unique among the Power Ponies I’ve come across. Had I not over exerted myself the other day I would show you what I can do, but me throwing up is the least of my problems if I try to use them now. I can stop time.”

Her face contorted into a frown mixed with confusion. “Stop… time?” she asked, like the words were foreign.

“Yes,” I said, bluntly.

“Like, you can move around while everypony else is frozen or something?”

“That’s rather specific, but yes.”

“And… the world is all frozen, like nothing moves. Anything that was moving just stops in place, and it all loses color, and everything is in black and white?”

“That is… exactly what my powers do… Sweetie, why do you…?”

“That night. With the um… Ms. Duster… I didn’t know if what I saw was real or a dream, but… you screamed, and you rushed over to me. I tried to talk, but I couldn’t move either, and when you pushed on me, I didn’t feel it, like were were in the same room but separated by some kind of glass. The bullet that was maybe half a meter from my head. You tried so hard to turn it, and when you did, you fell over and then everything started to move again. All… all that blood and… I uh… it’s hard to think about that, but I guess maybe it wasn’t a dream if I was only half frozen in your time.”

Did I… did I really almost bring her in my frozen time all the way back then? I wasn’t even able to bring other ponies in until a few years ago when I started using my powers more liberally… then again, I was under quite a bit of stress, and I know my powers are tied to magic. Young unicorns tend to have spurts of powerful magic in puberty… maybe I did?

“I… see.” She nodded and let her eyes fall to the floor. I remembered that the burner was still on and went to check on the fettuccine. The pasta was a little overcooked, but it would be fine after I threw a bottle of sauce on it. “Why don’t we continue this discussion at another time? It’s been… some kind of day today and I feel like I could use more sleep.”

“Are you one of them?”

What is she talking about? “One of whom?”

She quickly pulled her phone from somewhere in the house with her magic and started furiously swiping around the screen with her hooves. She turned the device around and showed me a picture of Harmony at the harbor. All of us in the shot, save for Target, fighting off the monster Knots White turned into. This was taken last night! Who could have taken this!?

“Specifically this one, right here in the corner. They call her Diamond. Her mane and tail look just like yours do, and she’s got a white coat. Is this you?” She asked so forcefully that I felt I was under interrogation here.

“Well… um… y-yes, that is, um, me.” I had planned on telling her, but I wasn’t about to go and say that I was off fighting giant monsters. This... is not going to go well.

“So, you came in here today, yelling at me for running off and joining the pre-enlistment, training program at school without telling you. And then, you turn around and tell me that you have super powers, and you’re off parading around in a leather suit fighting off giant monsters!? How can you even do that? You… you… ugh, you’re so infuriating!” Her tail went up in a blaze.

“Me go off to fight in some war, me get killed at twenty, what about you!?” Followed by her mane. “Huh!? Am I going to be looking for a tombstone soon? Is my sister going to die in her early twenties? Or are you also working for the military too, and will I get notified that you’ve suddenly been promoted two ranks one day, I don’t know, maybe tomorrow? Goddess, what the fuck Rarity!? You’re such a fucking hypocrite!” Then her horn and ears lit themselves.

“You know what? You eat alone. I need time to think. I’m not hungry anymore.” She shook herself not unlike a dog, and forced all the flames to peter out. “Great! Now that I’ve tried to use it today, I don’t know if I can stop using it! Thanks a lot!” Her horn covered itself in a bright green aura and so did the kitchen drawer. Out of it floated our full box of aluminum foil and toward the stairs Sweetie went. “You should turn the fire alarms off. I don’t know how long I’m gonna be mad.” She finished climbing the stairs, made a turn to the right, and then the last thing I heard was a door slamming.

“Well. I suppose that could’ve gone better.”

Harmony Days IX: Silver Belles (part 2)

The next day went about as I expected it to. Sweetie wouldn’t talk to me and barely came out of her room for anything other than food. I attempted to get her to speak to me on several occasions throughout the day, but the most I ever got out of her was a ‘yeah, sure, whatever’ and the noises one makes when answering a question while distracted. My magic, and subsequently my powers, had restored themselves, so every now and again I would check in on her and more than once, I found her doing… unsavory things in front of the computer.

On the one hoof, can I really blame her? She’s less social than I ever was and she certainly doesn’t have any of those passing friends like I did at her age, but on the other hoof, I know she spends hundreds of bits electronically on those games she plays with her friends. If she has all those games to play surely that’s something better to do than… her unfortunate hobby.

In the end, I never said anything and wrote it off as her being an angsty teen. It’s not like I’ve never had my own lonely night before, but I also had access to the real thing from time to time… on second thought, it’s probably better this way. I’d rather have her doing that than getting wasted and screwed at a party. Sometimes I wonder how I ever made it through high school like that. I suppose that once I was rid of my father, I pulled myself together and killed the party girl I used to be.

Today had me getting a few of those regular Saturday sales, ponies coming in, looking, pretending like they were going to buy, then leaving, and even the rare, but welcome, large order. It made things complicated now that I was going to have to fit an entire staff come Tuesday though. It seems like Tuesday is going to be a long one, considering I’m going to spend most of the day fitting ponies for suits and the rest of the day listening to my friends argue about that to do next. And then there’s that. A glass of cold, sparkling, white wine sounds rather tempting right now...

What do we do next though? It’s not as if it’s been quiet just because we killed one of those monsters. Supposedly, the guard lost a few members last night during a fight with another kaiju in the forest. A civilian happened to be making the trek through the northern forest on hoof as some kind of spiritual adventure and witnessed the fight. He said the monster they took down looked like some kind of pony-golem amalgamate that was just as horrifying in power as it was in visage. The article described the creature as some kind of diamond dog-esque biped with four hooves, metal scales all along its body, and a particularly shiny silvery part right at its center.

I can’t say that I wasn’t relieved to know that we didn’t end up having to fight that. The guard ended up using some kind of prototype tech to shoot what amounts to a big metal spear through the creature’s chest which pierced right through it’s body and ended it right then and there. The interviewee said that this is when he began to see the golem change, but he was hit on the head with something before the creature finished morphing.

Which makes sense, the guard would have likely knocked him out the moment they spotted him. If she won’t tell us anything, there’s no way Luna would allow the fact that these things were ponies once to get out into the public. It would cause hysteria.

What would we have done, in that situation? It took an artillery class ship destroyer to take that thing down. Could Applejack, Goose, and Rainbow have managed that kind of power? I know I wouldn’t have been much help, and poor Pinkie. The mare can’t catch a break. First Fluttershy throws her through a roof, then she ends up costing Applejack half her tail, and now she’s in a high grade healing stasis because she was beaten up again. Twilight is concerned that she shouldn’t go out again until we have a better way for her to fight in these situations, but other than picking up a rifle and playing support with Fluttershy and I, what can she do?

Rainbow Dash… I don’t know the mare all that well, but if nothing else, she, Applejack, and I are all fighting for similar reasons. At the same time, Applejack and Twilight are the only ones who really know how she works. The doctor I visited managed to flush the poison from my body, but it took hours and a good amount of painkillers and bits to have it done. If things ever become normal again, could we still use her for regular jobs? Then again, what is normal these days?

In the span of a month, it went from the odd job every now and again to... expecting a new monster to show up any moment from now on. It feels like the reports of somepony spotting the guard dealing with some monstrosity in the forest are becoming more numerous as time passes. How long will it last? This… fleeting sense of safety. When will the bottom fall out, and everything we’ve been trying to prevent wash over this city? How long can we keep it safe?

I let my thoughts run wild with all the things that could, and at this point, might go wrong while I found my hidden supply in the freezer. It’d been awhile since I’d had a drink, but right now, I needed it. I was pouring my glass when I heard her from behind me.

“Rarity?” Sweetie asked.

I nearly dropped my champagne bottle for two reasons; she snuck up on me… somehow, and I didn’t expect her to start a conversation with me. “Oh for the love of the goddess!” I took a deep breath once I realized it was just her. “How you managed to be so quiet, I’ll never know. Yes darling?” I put the bottle down, making sure it wasn't in any position to fall.

The stuff is expensive and had to get a hold of… for somepony considered under age anyways. I was tempted to freeze time just to make sure she didn’t know where I hid it. The last thing I want is to have her in the sauce as early as I was. Granted, that’s not possible since she’s already seventeen, but all the same.

“Oh… If you’re busy, we can just…” she shied away. I took the glass in my magic and draped a hoof around Sweetie as I lead us to the couch in my office.

“No, no, no, I’m the furthest thing from busy right now. Come, tell me what you need to say.” I sat in my office chair and she on the couch in front of my desk in my work room at the back of the shop. The building as a whole was round, but the actual business end was almost strictly the front half of the ground floor. The back was split into the kitchen, staircase, our little TV room, and my office.

My office was not the largest thing in the world, probably about the size of a dorm room were I at Manehattan University or somewhere similar, but was the most private room in the building. Any time Sweetie and I had a serious discussion, it was usually in here. The fact that she wants to put off whatever it is means she’s finally ready to talk to me seriously about something, and considering our last conversation, it was probably about our powers, or my main source of income.

“Well, it’s all you.” After a sip of my bubbly, I turned on my computer and started some soft music. I had planned on sitting down to watch one of my shows anyways, so I might as well get in that mood. It was only eight PM after all, and what better way to spend your Saturday night? Alone… and with alcohol… come to think of it, maybe Sweetie had the right idea earlier…

“I, uh… well, I just… I’m sorry for freaking out on you yesterday.”

I took another sip. I was tempted to go get the rest of the bottle. “Oh, don’t worry about it, that was justified anger if nothing else. I should have told you about this long ago anyways. Sweetie, do you know how long I’ve been bounty hunting?”

“Uh… not really? I think I knew of Diamond for maybe a year or so, but you haven’t been in any of the big super hero fights like Marevelous has, so I don’t hear about you as much, or at all, really.”

Gee, lay it on thick why don’t you. “Two years.” I finished my glass.

“Wait, really?”

“Mmhmm.” I felt my thoughts drifting around. One glass wasn’t normally enough to get me buzzed, but I suppose I haven’t drank in a good while, and I did abandon sipping on entirely. I shouldn’t have any more today if this is all it takes… I might need to eat something.

“So, all that time, those ‘extra jobs’ were really you out there… doing hero stuff?” I shook my head.

“‘Hero stuff.’ Ha. Honestly, that’s what I wanted it to be at first, truly, but in the end, all I ever became was a glorified bounty hunter, and by your reaction, not all that glorified to begin with. I’m not even a hero for hire per say.

“You were right the other day, I actually do work for the government. Did you know that I’m ranked as a captain? I could walk up to a subordinate member of the guard, go tell them to do something, and they would be legally obliged to do it. It’s funny, really. I’ve never used that power, but I hope I’ll never have to.” I was hoping she’d get to the heart of the matter before I did. Sweetie may be a little oblivious at times, but she’s a smart girl.

She shook her head and leaned in.“What? Like, for real?” The way she asked was almost like there was a spark of… happiness in there maybe?

“That’s right. Commissioned by a…” I stopped as the dull searing on my tongue began to intensify. That’s right, you’re not allowed to say too much more than that. “Certain high ranking pony herself. I’m not quite allowed to say who though, top secret you know.” With my magic, I opened the lock on my desk’s bottom drawer and pulled out my official badge. I took a moment to inspect the little pair of silver bars before I set the leather patch in front of her.

Twilight has told me that I can be promoted if I so desire, but if I do, then I have to take on additional responsibilities like actually coordinating with the royal guard of either princesses’ court, the police, and the military branches. I wonder if she intends for Applejack to move up within the service? She did receive a higher rank than the rest of us from the get go, and she seems like the type to do it. Of course, she’s far more suited to leading a team than I am. My life might not be the glamorous one that I’d hoped for when I was younger, but these days, I find myself happy with what I have.

“Holy shit… this is real…” I debated giving her a good pop for the curse word, but I figure she’s going to say things like that when I’m not around anyways. Besides, it’s not like she didn’t call me a ‘fucking hypocrite’ last night anyways, even if I deserved it.

“So, what is it you wanted to talk about, hm? Saying you're sorry is always your opening line when you want something from me,” That took her attention away from the little silver piece and she put it back on my desk. I threw the badge back in the drawer and settled my mane back to where it was supposed to be.

She wouldn’t look me in the eye, just about hiding behind those curly violet and lavender locks of hers. “Well, I…” she attempted, but didn’t finish.

“Well, you what? Act like you’re at Junior Guard, you’re speaking to a Captain for goddess’ sake!” I did my best sergeant impression, and I suppose something must’ve clicked in that head of hers because she straightened up and looked me in the eyes.

“Yes ma’am! Um… You… you wouldn’t have told me anything if… you didn’t think something was gonna happen right?”

There it is. “That is correct.”

“But… wha… why would you… do that? Or… what is going to happen? You… you don’t usually make guesses, and if you do, they’re almost always spot on. What’s going on? Is this about that monster? The kaiju from Thursday?” I shook my head.

“Unfortunately, no, this has been going on for longer than that actually. Since the beginning of August. There was an article published about the kaiju, which I assume you’ve read since you know the word, correct?” Sweetie nodded.

“Later on toward the end of the month, shortly before Marevelous joined our group as you saw in the picture, we were requested by our… boss, to investigate a foundry that’s at the northern edge of Manehattan. Or I should say ‘was’ there. Upon investigating the foundry, we found something disturbing on top of a very powerful Power Pony, a true hero for hire, however I wouldn’t call her much of a ‘hero’ after that. This was the first time in a long time that I thought I might not make it back from a mission, and had Marevelous not been there, I likely wouldn't have. We reported our findings after that, then received another mission from our other boss shortly afterward. You remember how I was more or less limping around everywhere on Friday?”

Sweetie nodded again. “Saw it, but I wasn’t sure if I should ask. You didn’t look like you were in pain or anything, just not using your front left. You were fine by Sunday, so I didn’t think anything of it.” Blunt honesty.

“Well that was because my left foreleg was paralyzed by our attacker on that night during our fight. My actual wound had been sealed before I returned, but without medical attention there was a chance I would never use that leg again.” When Luna offered to treat me back then, I wasn’t sure how to take that. It was almost like she was only doing so to apologize, but whatever spell she used certainly wasn’t one that felt good. She couldn’t numb me for it because the whole point was to restore the nerves in my leg, but she also turned them all on at the same time.

It was like having fire shoot through a limb as it’s being stabbed and electrocuted with thousands of needles. Had she not woken me up by force, I likely wouldn’t have been conscious when Applejack and Pinkie returned from their mission. Two years of contact with the princess, and I still can’t read her. It’s almost like she enjoys being a horrible pony at the time of doing so, but then comes to feel awful about it later.

“And… you’re still doing all this because…? Like, I just don’t get it. If you get hurt so bad, because I know this probably isn’t the only time something like that has happened, and there were a few times where you were gone for whole weeks, why keep doing it? The boutique makes enough money to live on, and you own the store now, so… Why put yourself in danger if you don’t have to?” When I started this conversation, I didn’t expect my raison d’etre to be questioned, and that made me think.

Why am I still doing this? Sure, the boutique could stand on it’s own now that I’m not paying off loans… And I’ve ‘served’ for the minimum two years already, so technically, I could just quit if I wanted to, but… I didn’t start all this for money to begin with now did I?

“Sweetie, when you started your Junior Guard training, why did you do it? I know it’s bad form to answer a question with a question, but humor me for a moment.” Sweetie got into her thinking pose, putting one hoof under her shoulder and the other on her snout. The white coated young mare tapped at her face for a good three minutes before she finally came to a conclusion.

“I… guess just because I wanted to. Applebloom is the one who brought it up, but I still went and looked it up on my own, and it just looked like something I wanted to do. It helps that… well, I don’t know how to describe it, but it feels right. Like, maybe I was meant to be doing this, ya know?” I nodded.

“With a cutiemark like yours, I can’t say that surprises me. That feeling you get is the same one I get when I exercise my talents related to my cutiemark. It’s almost compulsory, in a way. At the same time though, one shouldn’t let their cutiemark limit what you can do with your life. My powers also had applications outside of just giving me extra time and I wanted to put them to use. It made me feel like I could do something nopony else could and that I might could even be a hero like those in this city before me. For a while there, I really did try to save ponies and I did well. However, If I ever ran into an opponent who I couldn’t incapacitate, it didn’t end well for me, and usually had me retreating.

“My entrance into the ‘military’ was really the aspirations of another pony who wanted to do good. It wasn’t nearly as militant as it is now when we started it, and it was just the two of us for the longest time. I did get hurt, but that didn’t affect my resolve. Even with all the things that have happened recently to make the world so much scarier, I still don’t think I’m going to stop. You see, I’ve made friends playing hero. I’ve helped ponies, and I really do feel like the city has become a better place since I started doing all this.

“Sure, I’ll never be on center stage like Marevelous is and Red Hoof was, but you know? I’m okay with that. As much as I’ve always dreamed for the spotlight, age has taught me that it just doesn’t suit me to have it. I like seeing other ponies happy with the things I do more than anything else, and I think that’s how it was meant to be. If all I have to do is give my time and my abilities to help others, then, well, that’s all I need.”

Sweetie raised a hoof, put it back down, raised it again, and then put it back down. Finally, she sighed. “So… that being said, no matter what happens, even if more monsters are going to show up, you’re not going to stop are you?”

I shook my head. “As much as I only play support, my powers are very important to my friends, and they’ll need my help when the next monster does come along, and to be sure, there will be more if my intuition serves me right.”

Sweetie nodded. “Okay then. I guess that tells me what I wanted to know. Can you help me? Get a hold of my powers, I mean. I spent a lot of time thinking about it yesterday, and I finally decided that I wanted to try and use my powers for something, but I couldn’t think of what other than joining the military. I’m still probably going to do that since I apparently have ‘such a good control’ over complex shields, but if it ever came down to it, I’d like to be able to fight back with what I can do.

“Maybe I’m not ready to fight a giant monster, but if it was just a regular creature, I bet I could hold my own if I could just figure out how to control the flames, ya know?” I figured this would happen eventually, and I don’t have anything to do Sunday but prepare for my investigation.

It would be interesting to see just how good she is in a fight… I smiled. “Very well then. How about you and I go a little ways out of town tomorrow and see if we can’t figure this thing out together, hmm?” She lit up with excitement… quite literally. A few flames appeared on her ears.

“Really?” she asked with those big eyes of hers. I reached over and put the flame on her ear out with my hoof. And nodded.

“Yes. You might want to go ahead and turn in though. It took a lot of effort and repeated use to get my powers to the point they’re at now and yours seem to turn on whenever they want to as it stands.” I shook my hoof of steam. And based on that, her emotions can trigger them. That's going to be the hard part.

“Okay, cool! When should I be up? Are we going early in the morning?” That’s probably a good idea. Considering the place I have in mind, we might want to spend all day there…

“Yes. Be ready to go by eight. You’ll need the rest, I promise.”

She gave me a stare, but shook it away and headed upstairs. “Okay then… goodnight Rarity!”

Goodnight indeed. Tomorrow should be fun...

When I woke up Monday morning, I nearly just shut my alarm off and pulled the covers back over my head. In our feeble attempt to get Sweetie some control over her powers, we ended up almost burning an entire field down. Sweetie is also a better fighter than I thought she was going to be, so on top of the fire, I was a little bruised and burned. It went too far and I ended up using my powers to put her out with repeated blows and then we went home. By the time that happened, it was already eight PM.

Somehow, Sweetie still found a way to enjoy all that and asked to do it again next weekend when I had time. Ah, to enjoy getting in fights, learning how to fight. To be a teenager with so little to care in the world. I finally removed myself from my bed and got across my room to the bathroom and took a look at the damage we’d done. Aside from the fact that my front hooves had a good amount of charring, the only noticeable thing that came out of yesterday was the hoof sized bruise on my right shoulder. Well, I certainly won’t be getting away with that without a question or two. I had debated on wearing an outfit to tour the Tower, and then to subsequently sneak around in, but it looked like I didn’t have much of a choice anymore.

An hour gone by and everything was ready for my trip to Tin. I’d taken the black three piece suit I made a little while back when I planned on looking to buy a storefront so many years ago and modified it to fit me in the current day. I wasn’t mad about letting out the hips, but I wasn’t happy about having to let out the shoulders. I shouldn’t have broader shoulders, I’m a mare for goddess’ sake! Applejack can look like a stallion with child birthing hips all she wants, but I’ll have no part of that!

I sighed. Ever since she joined, I find myself comparing myself to her. On some, base, instinctual level, I feel like I should try to out do her in some way. Like I need to strive to be better than she is, but at the same time, I know that I could never physically compare to her. She’s on a level that I could never reach, so I really need to give this whole strange rivalry thing up.

Of course, there’s no reason I can’t try to better myself, but I don’t want to look like she does, do I? If it weren’t for her extremely feminine frame, chances are she’d get mistaken for a stallion as toned and muscle bound as she is. Ugh, she has a body of a goddess and the strength of a god. I sighed once more and resigned myself to go ahead to the train station. Dwelling on my own shortcomings is going to get me nowhere. I headed downstairs to grab my keys, and then exited the building, locking the door behind me.

As usual, the drive to the station was relatively normal. Packed to the brim with cars and ponies was the parking lot, making finding a spot to leave my car damn near impossible, and then trying to enter the place was like joining a school of fish in a strong current. I almost gave in and froze time just to get around all these ponies, but considering I don’t know how much I’m going to need it, I decided to save everything for later when I was in Argent Tower.

Speaking of, that’s another thing I find myself concerned with these days. Even when I’m alone, I catch myself repeating our stupid phrase in my head like it’s a condition to activate my powers. I did it yesterday and subconsciously sent the message to Fluttershy while working with Sweetie. I was more embarrassed than anything else, and I went so far as to say it out loud later on. Needless to say, I need to get a hold of that before I start freezing things later.

While on the train, a thought crossed my mind, and I remembered what I was doing before Infiltrating the tower and who was getting me into it. That’s right, I have to deal with him today. I wonder if he’ll open up by shooting himself in the leg? A terrible conversationalist, that stallion. How he ever managed to get laid, I’ll never know. Perhaps it was the money… yes, I could see that. The harlot was just as much of a gold digger as she was a sex addict. Utter filth.

I decided to stop thinking about that because it would only make me not want to do this more. These feelings I keep bringing up are justified, aren’t they? They were the ones who betrayed us, right? It was their decision to leave each other, and it was his decision to start drinking to cope with it all. I have every right to despise them, yet… somehow, I feel like there’s a part of me that desperately wants to reconcile this deep seeded hate.

I’ll never forget the good memories from my childhood, before everything went so terribly wrong. All those piano recitals before my cutiemark appeared, the family trips over the summer, learning board games with him, learning to sew with her. They made me who I am today, yet I never should’ve had to grow up so fast just to survive.

Where does my hate stem from? Probably there, more than anything else. I was stripped of innocence at a young age, and I was denied a childhood any further afterward. Had we never left ponyville, had we never been intruded upon that day… would it all be different now? Sweetie is the one who likes all the sci-fi stuff, but the idea of the multiverse theory still intrigues me, or really makes me fantasize anyways. Somewhere, out in another world, there’s a me who had all her dreams come true. A me whose parents never gave up on each other, a me who never had these powers. Some days, I wish her life was mine.

“Rarity? Have you boarded your train yet?” Twilight asked from the back of my mind.

I nodded to nopony in particular. “I have. I decided to take an earlier train because I wanted to get a look at the town before going in.”Of course, that’s not the real reason, but it is what I’m going to do while I figure out whether or not I’m up to dealing with him just yet. I’ll not follow their example and just never show up, but I’m still not prepared to be civil.

“Oh, okay. That’s probably something we should’ve thought about now that I think about it. Good job for being on the ball, I guess. How long til you reach Tin?” She asked.

I shrugged to the air. “I’d say I’m about halfway down the line. I should be arriving in about forty five minutes.” I always found it strange that we didn’t just use our phones to communicate in public. Telepathy is really only used by the military these days since radio waves started becoming easy to intercept, but I don’t even look like a militant to begin with. She could just call me and it not look like I was making gestures to nopony in particular on a train full of ponies and children who stare. She doesn’t seem to have a problem texting when it’s not important.

“Okay, keep me posted. Let me know before you enter the Tower so I can get a lock on the device. Once I have that, we can start mapping the layout. I don’t expect you to go everywhere, but try to keep travel in time so that I don’t lose any data.”

I rolled my eyes. “I will use my powers if and when I need to, and only then. You of all ponies should know better than to give me orders about how to do my job.”

“Rarity, she is practically breathing down my neck right now. Please, just act like you’re under chain of command.” Twilight pleaded, much softer this time.

Oh for the love of all that is in sunlight, why is that wretched Princess awake right now? “Eh-hem, yes Princess,” I replied, like a soldier would.

“Thank you. I will contact you again in an hour if you haven’t entered the tower.” And then the line was cut, almost like being hung up on. With something new to distract me, I spent the rest of the train ride thinking about the trio of royals I found myself in constant contact with.

When I arrived in Tin, it was noon on the dot, a quarter short of an hour before I was supposed to meet with him at the station. I set an alarm on my phone for twelve thirty to make sure I could get back to the station in time to see if the old bastard actually kept his promise, then went on my merry way exploring the small town in the shadow of the tower. I had come to visit this place once or twice when we first moved to Manehattan years ago, and it looked just as imposing as it used to.

The building itself doesn’t look ‘evil’ per say, it just looks entirely out of place and it’s more of an unsettled feeling that I get from looking at it. Like there are eyes in every window, staring down at me. A quote came to mind as I stared at the thing. ‘If you gaze long enough into the abyss, it gazes back into you.’ I shook the words from my head and somehow managed to tear my eyes away from the tower.

It was much like the disruption crystals, or the alluring crystals. I feel… drawn to them somehow. At least I can’t do to that tower what I did to the alluring crystals. Shame, embarrassment, and sick for a few weeks because of some strange attraction. I’m so glad she had the sense to withhold that information a few weeks ago.

Quickly tossing that thought away, I started my investigation of Tin and found… nothing. It was very strange being here. My magic isn’t very strong or very sensitive, but at the same time, I felt like there was an odd pressure over the whole area, like something was bearing down on me, making it hard to use even levitation spells. In this kind of weird magic… less? No, magic suppressed zone, I doubt I could even cast a light, which is difficult enough for me to do to begin with.

Other than the strange feeling this place gave me, I also think I saw Rainbow Dash here. It was maybe for an instant, but the single wing and the rainbow mane she sports that I’ve heard about from Sweetie and Applejack are very difficult to miss. She disappeared around a corner and then I lost her. I was going to explore that alleyway more, but my alarm rang, and it was time to go see if the old stallion would show his face to me. I made a note to come back to this more out of the way part of Tin after my investigation of the main building was done, then headed to the train station.

I arrived at one thirty-five, and to my surprise, he was already at the station. There he was in his old tan suit that could’ve come out of the same color swatch as his chestnut brown mane, carrying a red gift bag and a bouquet of red and blue irises. I’m shocked. He remembers what my favorite flowers are. Color me impressed old man, you might just not shoot yourself yet. Then again, I haven’t given him the chance to open his mouth in front of me. We shall see. I figured that the best time to approach him would be from on the train I was supposed to arrive in, so this would be my first use of my powers today. I sat behind my corner in the pristine white stone covered station and watched him until the train arrived.

He was his usual self as far as I could tell, the impatient bounce of his left hind leg and the nervous stroking of his neatly trimmed mustache all while he read a real newspaper. How he got a hold of one of those, I’ll never know. They’ve been outdated since the last ten years, and Manehattan stopped printing them entirely last year. All the news media has moved online where everypony is these days. Interesting that Tin still prints a paper. Old habits die hard, I suppose. The train finally came in and the moment the doors opened enough that I could get in, I used my powers.

Toki wo tomare!

Za Warudo!

Oh, blast it all, I did it again. One day, I’ll figure out how to not whisper this to myself while the others aren’t around. I went inside the train and took a seat as quickly as I could, then released time. A blast of color, followed by a slight shift in motion as the train came to a complete halt and the doors slid all the way open. Nopony in this car was paying any attention to anything other than the door and their phones, so I didn’t get any weird looks. I mentally prepared myself to face the old stallion and then followed the small crowd out the train car. He saw me immediately and calmly started toward me with his gifts floating in his light green magic.

“Rarity, it’s so good to see you, darling!” He approached me for a hug. I held out a hoof and stopped that dead in it’s tracks though.

“I don’t think so. You might be here on time, and you might not smell of anything but clean linens, but you are still not in my good graces yet, darling.” Geez, that was a little much don’t you think? Hmm… no, not really. The pair of my own voices argued in my head. At the moment, the balding stallion looked like both sides of my father as I remembered him. The nice stallion who treated me like a daughter, and the old bastard who treated me like a slave. I hadn’t yet decided how to treat him in return, so for now, he was a stranger to me. In the two years that have passed since I last saw him, he could be a completely different pony as far as I know.

Understandably disappointed, the old stallion lost his smile and replaced it with a more pathetic, sad frown, only to let that fade into business sales casual when he went to speak again. He was Argent’s chief of sales, after all. “Ah... yes, I suppose that’s entirely fair. I-in any case, I picked these up for you on my way here. I remember irises to be your favorite, so I figured why not have a souvenir to take home with you? I also found something a while back that I figured you would appreciate but never had a chance to give it to you so… consider this a birthday present that’s a few months late.” He levitated the two objects to me. For a moment there, I struggled to get a hold of the bag with my magic, almost like it was slipping off somehow. I gave up on trying to encase the whole thing in my field and simply took the handles in it instead.

“Hmm. To be completely honest, I’m surprised you remembered I liked these. For that, you earn a point. Thank you. Now then, I suppose this restaurant is close by if you expect me to carry all of this?” The business smile fell flat as he realized that he’d given me a pair of gifts that I had nowhere to store.

“Oh, my apologies, I didn’t think to… Let me just take those for you as we head to the place. It’s just a few minutes trot from here on the sunnier part of town. The uh, tower’s position happens to cast a shadow on everything at some point in the day or other, but this place is just in the right spot to miss the shadow until much later in the day.” He took the objects he’d given me back in his field and began to motion for me to join him as he headed out of the station’s chrome covered archway and glass doors.

We lazily made our way to the restaurant as he gave me a run down on every single thing we passed on the way to our destination. Surprisingly enough, most of these buildings are stores. The Argent tower actually has apartments within its massive walls, and while some of the employees that do sanitation work typically live inside the tower, other ponies live there just because it’s convenient. He offered to take me to visit some of these stores and maybe pick out a new outfit, but I reminded him that this was just lunch and he still needed to tour the tower with me before he had to return to work. It was a Monday afternoon after all.

The restaurant he wanted to take me to was oddly familiar to me as we approached the outside, but I couldn’t figure out why. Every building in Tin had the same whitewall and cinderblock composition, as did this one, but none of the others looked so familiar to me. The shape of the building was completely different than the others, having a high peaking roof easily being two floors on the inside and an almost… home like appearance to it.

“Well, here we are. Does it uh… remind you of anything?” It was right on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t place it until the smell hit me. The aroma of tomato sauce, the wafting air of mushrooms frying on a skillet, the smell of a good wine alight in a pan. I had been somewhere like this before. Back when we were a family, before we ever left Ponyville, there was a Cavallian restaurant that we would always go to when they were home. It was owned by a couple whose children Sweetie and I were friends with, but I couldn’t recall the names of any of them.

“It does… What is this place called?” I asked. He’d formed a smile again, this time a true, genuine one, not the one he puts on for work.

“This is Bisque’s.” That’s right, I remember it now! The Bisque family, Tomato, Uva, Formaggio, and Fragola! They were the ones that ran the old restaurant! We spent so much time with them, how could I forget? We lost contact after the move, but… I remember Formaggio telling me he’d come back to marry me one day. Hehe… Wouldn’t it be interesting to see him again? I wonder what he’s been doing after all these years?

“I can’t believe it! They moved all the way out to Tin? How long has this been here?” I asked, maybe a little more excited than I wanted to sound.

“About six months ago. Formaggio runs the place these days, that kid always did have a better head on his shoulders than his father. Tomato runs the kitchen and Fragola goes to school in Manehattan.” We walked into the restaurant and just as I remembered them, the smells of all the dishes I used to eat came flooding into me like a torrent.

The pasta I made out of a box with canned sauce the other day was blown out of the water by what Mr. Bisque could cook. Mrs. Bisque was from Cavally, and she had a talent for growing plants on top of being a good cook. She would make the pasta by hoof with a press and everything, while Mr. Bisque prepared all the food. They were a fantastic team, bring in fresh ingredients and having a new special every week for us to try. Formaggio and Fragola would occasionally work as servers or entertain guests since she was a talented violinist at her age and he was a pony pleaser.

“Buon pomeriggio signore Bronze, and hello bella signora. How may I serve you two this fine day?” the host said. The words sounded familiar to me, but I couldn’t place them. I took Chevallian in high school, so I was sure he was saying something like good afternoon since buon and bonne were about universal across Chevallian, Caballish, and Cavallian, but Equestrian was only half based on Equuis, the other half Rossian, and even then it was kind of it’s own thing. However, it didn’t seem that the bright red stallion recognized me, and he just called me pretty.

“My, my, bella signora? Who ever thought Formaggio Bisque would call me pretty.” I said as I stared him in those green eyes of his. The green and yellow headed earth pony tilted his head at me, and then I could almost see the light bulb go off.

“R-rarity? For real? Is that you?” he asked, dropping the accent entirely. His mother was just about naturalized by the time we met and she didn’t have much of an accent left. He only ever used his accent when he was mixing Cavallian words in his speech, which he did rather frequently.

“That is correct. It seems I’ve become different since I last saw you. You however look like the same kid I used to know.” Formaggio ran around his podium to give me a hug, and I easily returned it.

“Oh mia Dia, it’s been so long! What is it, ten years now? Geez, you’re so… wow, I mean. You know? Why don’t I get you two seated and we can talk after It dies down a little. We’re pretty popular here, Dad and I. Scusi, camereri, come take care of my friends will you? Take them upstairs to ventitré.”

Quickly following his call, a pink coated mare in what looked like a bartender’s outfit came and grabbed a few menus from behind Formaggio’s podium. “Please follow me.”

The building was laid out just like the old one was on the ground floor, but upstairs was a much nicer and a more ‘high class’ arrangement of seating complete with a bar, a balcony, and a giant wall of windows to let light into the dim white, cream, and violet covered restaurant. We were lead to a booth which just so happened to have a vase with the exact same flowers my father was carrying with him.

“Well now, I feel is if everypony knows what kind of flowers I like. Or did you arrange for this?”

The old stallion nodded his head. “I might’ve mentioned that my guest happened to like these. I’m good friends with Tomato and Formaggio after all. I eat here pretty often, and I tend to steer meetings to be catered by this place. It’s good to have friends when you can scratch each other’s backs.”

We were seated and the waitress passed us large spiral bound menus with plenty of options. “Please take your time to look through the menu. Is there anything you’d like to drink? We-” the waitress began, but he cut her off.

“Just water will do for now. I’d like to look through the menu some more. And for you darling?” I narrowed my eyes at him. I know exactly what kind of place Mr. Bisque ran back at home.

“You have a wine menu don’t you? What was it you were going to say?” I asked the waitress.

“Oh, of course. We recently obtained a new sparkling wine that pairs phenomenally with our halibut sulla capellini. A lightly crisped fish fillet over fresh made pasta with a butter and lemon sauce topped on both. All our dishes are served with fresh baked bread from the Tin Bakery here in town.” The gold eyed mare explained with as much energy as I imagined she could contain. She seemed to really like her job as far as I could tell.

“I think I’ll have that, but bring me a Lemonade instead of the wine, thank you,” I said. The pale green headed unicorn took a little pad out of her pocket in her field of pink magic and scribbled down my order.

“And you’re sure you don’t want your usual mister Belle?”

He sighed and nodded. “I suppose I’ll take that. But swap the drink for water, please.”

“Of course. I’ll go get the order to mister Bisque and tell him you’re here.” She tossed her notepad back in her black outfit and walked away.

“Oh? Showing restraint are we? A sparkling wine sounds right up your alley right about now. How often hmm? And how much while we’re at it.” I heard the venom slowly starting to work its way into my voice.

“Once a week, two glasses at most, and only here. Rarity, I do not get hammered anymore, I swear. Is it so wrong that I like the taste?”

I shook my head. “Not at all. The problem I had with it is that you would nearly down an entire bottle in one sitting and become violent at the drop of a pin! The reason that I feel the slow burn of rage welling inside me is because I thought you had quit entirely based on what you said to me Saturday! So why didn’t you just say that?” I already knew the answer I was going to get, but I wanted to hear it from him.

“Because I knew you wouldn’t even speak to me if I said anything about it! I know I made a mistake back then, and I will never make that mistake twice. You two are all I have left to care about and… and I would never forgive myself if I never tried to repair the damage I did. You know… she died, last year…”

She? Is he talking about her? “She who?” I asked.

“Oh, for Goddess’s sake Rarity, your own mother!” He buried his face in his hooves.

Something went off in my head, but I couldn’t figure out what the feeling was. “So what? It’s not like she ever bothered to try and make up with any of us, and I haven’t seen the mare in nearly six years, why should I care after she just abandoned us like that?” I didn’t even hesitate to say all that. The feeling that I couldn’t place was growing stronger, but I had yet to come up with what it was.

My father simply looked at me in amazement. “So, you feel nothing at all? Even the years she spent raising you, all that time we were together, it just means… nothing now?”

I shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not sure. Maybe the reality hasn’t set in, and maybe I really don’t care. The fact of the matter is, I saw her last on bad terms, and if that’s the last memory I’ll ever have of her, then good riddance. Really, Feather Duster was more of a mother to me than she ever was, and I still talk to her these days. I suppose I can at least relay the fact to Sweetie, but I doubt she feels any different about is since she spent even less time with her.”

He merely let out a deep sorrowful breath and shook his head. “I… I guess I can’t really blame you for your feelings. We didn’t do a good job. The most important job that we had and we botched it. I just… well, at the very least you know now. I… I don’t want to end up like that. I don’t want to suddenly die and have the two of you just remember me as some awful father.”

Gently, he took hold of my hoof on the table with both of his and stared me in the eyes. “Look, I will do whatever it takes, but I want to be apart of your lives again.” Those greens of his now more sincere than I’ve ever seen them. They reminded me that Sweetie has his eyes, and… I can’t place this feeling, I just… do I feel conflicted right now? Is it confusion? Gah, you infuriating old fool, why…?

I shook my head and pulled my hoof away. “Well, I’m here right now, so make an effort to give me the best day you can and we’ll talk again. I… I really never did think I would see her again, but now that I know I just… I don’t know what to feel. I mean, it’s not like I wanted everything to go as wrong as it did. I…” I shook my head. “Let’s just talk about something else for now shall we? How are Uva and Fragola? I haven’t seen either of them yet. I would think Uva would have shown up by now…”

I searched the restaurant but didn't see the violet mare anywhere. The upper floor was almost like a loft, probably over the kitchen. From where we were, I could see just about the whole restaurant, but when I looked about, something was missing. It was like, those little things that Uva did for the place weren’t there anymore. The restaurant was pretty, but it didn’t have the green touch that Uva brought with her. I took a look back at his face and it was all clear. “I see… Is that why they moved?”

“It is. She fell to a terminal disease she caught about a year and a half ago. Fragola is the only reason Tomato still runs a business, but I think it’s helping him get over it. Formaggio picked out the location and they sold everything off. They buried her under her garden. I went to the funeral back then, the kids played her favorite piece and some of her family from across the ocean came to pay their respects. I uh… tried to call you but you never answered.” We fell silent, and the soft mandolin music playing in the background went unbroken until Tomato arrived with our food. The older earth pony sported a thin dark green beard and a dull red coat almost like an aged version of the fruit of his namesake.

“Hey there Bronze, and miss bella signora. Your usual linguine e vongole and the halibut sulla capellini for the young miss. Don’t I know you? No wait! You’re little Diamante aren’t you?” I nodded.

“It’s good to see you too Mister Bisque. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that name…” I trailed off. Little Diamante. Uva is the one who gave me that name so long ago…

“Hey, Keylime, will you take over for Formaggio and tell him to get up here? Let Stainless know that I’m gonna take a break for a little bit,” he asked the mare as she brought us our drinks and a basket of warm bread.

“Of course sir. I hope you enjoy your meal.” She then disappeared down the staircase, only for Formaggio to return in her place. He and Tomato sat with us while we ate and we all had a good time talking about the past. Somewhere deep down, I could feel sadness taking root in my heart and I hated it. It wasn’t just memories of Uva that were coming back to me, but memories of her too. Pearl Belle, the name alone is enough to make my skin crawl normally, but now I wasn’t feeling that.

That violet maned pink unicorn mare was… not somepony that I had an unyielding hatred for anymore. She was my mother, my real mother, and now, with all these childhood memories in my mind, I couldn’t remember the bad things. I couldn’t remember all the reasons I should have to hate her, all I could see was somepony I used to care for, and now she’s not been on this Earth for almost a year and I didn’t even care to know…

How could I be so… horrible… I’m just as bad as they were…

Harmony Mission IV: A Tower of Silver

For the next hour or so, I spent most of that time being quiet and reflecting on myself as to how I felt about my parents. I would add the occasional comment to the discussion that my father Formaggio and Tomato were having, but in the end, I never came to a conclusion. I was finally brought back to reality when Twilight interrupted my thoughts.

“Rarity, it’s a quarter to two. Have you entered the tower?” To my forgetfulness, I answered out loud.

“What? No, not yet.” The three stallions at the table stopped what they were doing to stare at me.

“Uh… not yet what?” Formaggio asked. I had to use everything in my will to keep myself from throwing my hoof into my forehead.

“Oh, nothing, just… talking to myself.” I pulled my phone out of my suit’s pocket and clicked it on to check the time. As she said, it was one forty-five PM.

“Mister… um, father, I don’t mean to rush, but don’t you think it’s about time we got on with my tour? I do have other things I need to do today after all...” I said, thinking more on the ponies I would have to fit with suits I had yet to put together lying in pieces all over my workshop than the conference I would have to have with Princess Luna later. I’m sure she’s there because she wants to talk to me personally about this… The old stallion lifted his foreleg and slid back his sleeve to reveal a rose gold plated watch around his wrist.

“Oh my, I didn’t expect to be here so long. I apologize Tomato, Formaggio, I need to be back at the office by two. We’ll have to get together again soon. Maybe next time we can bring Fragola and Sweetie, hmm?” He said, making a side glance at me. After glaring at him, I managed to keep from going off in front of the Bisques. Hold your tongue. He knows he put me on the spot and he’ll get an earful about that later…

“Of course… It was a pleasure seeing you again, Tomato, Formaggio.” I gave a curt bow and followed my father out of the booth seat we were in.

“Thirty two bits, right?” he asked them. Tomato shook his head.

“Nah, this one’s on the house. For little diamante, alright?” Tomato gave me a hug and then began to rebutton his pure white chef coat. My father took five copper out of a bit case in his pocket and left it on the table.

“Very well then. I’ll leave this here for Keylime, if nothing else.” Tomato gave him a pat on the back and said,

“You’re a good stallion, Bronze Belle. See ‘em out Formaggio!” as he headed down the stairs and back into the kitchen. The three of us made it back down to the lobby, and after getting a piece of paper expertly slipped into one of my pockets by Formaggio, my father and I left Bisque’s Cavallian Restaurant.

“Wow. I’m impressed I didn’t catch him do it.” I said not really caring who heard.

“Him do what?” my father asked, still carrying my extravagant Iris bouquet and that bag with the strange property that refuses to let my magic grip it. Oddly enough, it looked like his magic was only gripping the handles as well… What in the world is in there?

“Formaggio. He slipped a paper with his number hastily scrawled on it in my pocket. I always knew he had sticky hooves, but I suppose he’s gotten better at it.” I catalogued the number in my phone. Maybe I will give him a call soon.

“Ah, I see. So… you seemed… distracted? At lunch I mean. Is there something wrong darling?” Of course I was distracted. You made me feel terrible about myself because you were a terrible parent for half of my life! You and her… Goddess, you frustrate me!

“No, nothing in particular. Nothing more than normal I guess.” Well, at least there’s no monster attacking me now. Sweet goddess, please let me not have just jinxed myself.

“I see. Before I show you around, let’s get to my office first. I’d uh, really appreciate it if you opened your present.” We approached the entrance to the tower, and like any other Manehattan skyscraper, Argent tower broke the clouds above and just about rivaled the mountains in the distance for its spot in the sky. I’d never remembered it being this big, but at the base, it was almost the size of a hoofball field.

“Quite a sight isn’t it? This tower is fifty percent taller than the original trade center was in Manehattan. It’s currently the tallest building in Equestria.” There was pride in his voice and it was plain on his face that this was his achievement as much as it was Argent's. As much as I blame his job for some of the things that went wrong with our family, he still seems to love the work he does here. I wonder if he knows about the mirrors… Let’s find out…

“I’ll say. So, tell me. Does Argent produce mirrors?” He furrowed his brow.

“Not directly. We sell much of the tin and silver that we mine to companies that make mirrors and looking glasses. Indirectly we do, I suppose.” Wasn’t there a code word for them?

“Not even vanities?” I asked. He tilted his head and looked at me.

“I don’t know of many vanities that would be made of silver. This place is mostly offices. We run all the technical stuff here and give the workers a place to live. The only thing that’s ‘manufactured’ here is when we take the raw gems to be cut. Unless you count internal programming as manufacturing a program, but I don’t think that’s common place.” He checked his watch again. “Gah, I need to be back to work in the next five minutes. Do you mind hanging out around my apartment for the next half hour? I’d hate to not get to show you around, but I just don’t have the time right now.” I internally rolled my eyes and let out a long sigh.

“No, I suppose I don’t.” I we were standing on the concrete porch just outside of the doors when I remembered why I was here in the first place. “I’m about to head in Twilight.” As soon as we walked in, I was greeted to the nearly pure white and silver bottom floor lobby akin to that of a hotel. There were two desks on either side of the lobby which was shaped like a plus symbol made of varying sizes of rectangles. There was a dark green and gold crisscrossing carpet in the center that was over-headed by one of the largest chandeliers I’ve ever seen, lined with possibly thirty white candles just from the front alone. The base of the floor and all the countertops were done in polished white stone that I could have sworn had flecks of gold all along them, and every piece of wooden furniture was made of a dark red grain of some kind, studded with more gold that held the fine leather upholstery to the back and the seat. White vases with intricate blue designs running along the tops and bottom in an Algol fashion filled with clear water blue Lupine flowers in every corner of the lobby.

While I was stunned by the decor at first, I was quickly pulled out of my trance when I felt eyes on me. The room was nearly empty save for my father and I, or so I thought when I spotted the mare who was more or less glaring at me from behind one of the counters. I glared back.

“I see you’ve finally brought a mare back with you. Although, this one is a little young I’d think,” she said in an almost spiteful tone. She was a bright white pegasus, presumably a few years older than me, with A mane that ran through blue to yellow like a gradient and eyes that were almost completely gray blue like ice, as if she were blind. How is she staring at me if she’s blind? Or is she blind? She commented on my appearance… Wait a minute, a little young!?

“Gah! Oh, Brightness, you startled me. No, no, this isn’t anything like that. This is my daughter, Rarity.” Her expression was a mixture between bored and spiteful as her eyes moved from my father to me and back.

“Ah, my mistake. I suppose I can see the resemblance, but she’s far too pretty to be your ilk. In any case, she’s properly dressed so I doubt she’s from a street corner around here. Nice to meet you, my name is Brightness.” She bowed her head after my father started his way over to the counter and I hesitantly followed, still not sure what to make of her just yet. Either she was just plain rude, or she knew my father well enough to make jabs at him almost as sharp as my own.

“I… I see. Rarity Belle, how do you do…” Her expression lost it’s spitefulness, but attained something else to replace the boredom. We shook hooves, and it was almost as if I were struck by lightning or something. I pulled my hoof back as soon as I could, but she acted like nothing happened. Was that static?

“In any case, I didn’t call you over just to poke at you, Mister Argent is getting impatient. I was about to call you when you walked in the door. He needs you. Now” So just what exactly is she? She’s almost… intimidating…

“Oh, right, I suppose I am late. Brightness, would you mind taking Rarity up to my apartment? I’d prefer not to make Stannum mad before I head to Zvyr. He might make me stay longer than I have too…” Zvyr was a good ways north of Equestria on the globe and fall has just started. I’m sure it’s cold up there, and my father was never one to do well in the cold. Brightness let out a loud sigh and buzzed her wings like a humming bird over the counter.

“I guess I don’t have anything better to do. Very well. Follow me to the left elevator.” She stopped to meet my father, who was tentatively holding out my gifts in his magic for Brightness to take. She scowled at him and took my things begrudgingly, then the two split and my father waved as he entered the rightmost elevator. I was almost confused by the gesture, but eventually my body responded and I waived back as the doors shut. “Well? Come on, I don’t want to carry this crap all day,” she said to me from the still open elevator, my vase wrapped in one wing, and the gift bag on the other. The spell was broken, and I shook my head before making my way to the open elevator.

“I can carry those, they are mine after all,” I said politely as she pressed an elevator button with her muzzle.

“Oh, by all means.” Then she just about threw them at me. I managed to catch everything in my magic, barely remembering that whatever was in the bag was difficult to grab as the elevator door closed. Once it did, she pulled a small panel next to the button list open, then pressed a button behind it. “Now then, little miss super hero, what exactly are you doing here?” She suddenly cornered me in the elevator. Her nose was just about touching mine, and my tail was pressed against the wall.

“W-what? Super hero? Whatever do you mean?” I was startled by the sudden change, but this confirmed my suspicions. She is intimidating. She slammed her hooves into the floor, the noise so loud it just about stunned me.

“Don’t play dumb with me! I know who you are, and I know who you work for! Tell me why you’re here!” I shook myself out of my daze and fought back.

“What do you think you know? I am just a tailor who runs a shop in Manehattan! I have come to visit my father for the first time in two years and he wanted to show me around his workplace! I don’t know what you’re on about!” I couldn’t guess why, but her expression softened.

“Ah, so you’re pretty good at coming up with BS on the fly. It helps that all of that is mostly true. But that doesn’t change the fact that everything else was a lie. Fine, I’ll just state some facts and let you stop me when I’ve said enough. Rarity Belle, Age twenty, born April tenth, twenty ten. Your parents, Bronze and Pearl Belle, had two children in the southern town of Ponyville, where you were both raised before your house was intruded upon. After you displayed unique magic, the intruder was killed by a bullet he shot. Your family, Bronze, Pearl, yourself, and Sweetie Belle, moved to Manehattan where you have lived ever since.

After a fallout between your parents, your mother left with another stallion to Applewood, where she would fall to a disease that had been eating away at her mind since she was in her twenties, as of last year. You and your sister lived alone with your abusive father whom you personally reported to Child Protective Services at the age of eighteen, a year after you had been selling your wares. Around the same time, you picked up another name and started turning in bounties as the heroine Diamond.” I flinched. Names, dates, and accurate times. She died of a disease? I knew she was a bit different those last few years, but I didn’t know she was deteriorating… Was she the virus carrier?

“Need I say more? Or should I talk about your employer? Maybe I can get your tongue burning just because I say the right things? I could talk about your friends, your family, even the new members your group picked up not too long ago. Both were rather popular for different reasons.” Shit. Now I’m really in a corner. There’s nothing but static when I try and contact Twilight, I don’t know what to do…

“Damn it, what is the point of a secret identity if everypony just finds out anyways!? Fine, you win. I don’t know how you know what you do, but clearly, you know more than I do. I am here on orders. I would never have contacted my father if I didn’t need his position for something.” She put on a smile that almost rivaled Twilight’s for smugness, and I felt the rising urge to punch her in the face.

“Good. Now that we have honesty in the air, take this card, and whatever you do, do not lose it.” From inside her wing, hidden under her feathers, she took a key card and slid it into my suit pocket. “Take the center elevator and insert it to the slot at the bottom of the panel. This will open a keypad, and you enter the number fifty fourteen. That will take you to what you’re looking for. Use your powers if you must, but be careful. We have sensors here that can detect the use of powers within the building. Remember, fifty fourteen. Five, zero, one, four. Now turn around, face the door, and act like we were having a conversation, somepony is coming around the hall near your dad’s apartment.” When did the world turn on its head? What in the hell is going on here? Who is this mare? The elevator door slid open, and she just about dragged me out with her.

“Ah tits, it’s Silicon. Be prepared to get hit on. I don't know how you come from that ugly old stallion, but you are pretty and he is a thirsty motherfucker.” I looked around, still confused by more or less everything that just happened, but there was nopony else in the hallway. Like the lobby, the floor was completely carpeted in that same dark green and gold crisscrossing pattern all the way down in each direction. The walls were a light gray and black with cone shaped lights in between each door that lined them. The hallway was so long in each direction that I could barely see the end of each side. She started off toward the right, and I quickly followed.

“Wait just a minute, what exactly is the meaning of all this? Who are you?” Of all the feelings I was experienceing right now, exasperation was the one I couldn't help but express.

“Shut up! Get the pearls out of the bag and put them on. You’ll need them if you get found out. Now smile! He’s about to turn the corner.” Pearls? Oh, the present. I figured that I ought to listen to her advice, even though this was all extremely sketchy. I dug through the gift bag until I fished out a string of beautiful black pearls that had a strange alluring quality to them and an odd violet shine when held to the light. I tried to grip them with my magic to no avail, and simply wrapped them around my foreleg. One disadvantage to being a unicorn is that any and all clothing to go over the head for normal ponies must open on one side or the other, thanks to the sharp bone that juts out of my skull.

I looked back up, and as she had said, a pony came around the corner. His coat was a dark green, and his mane was an almost luminescent mixture of silver and white. He was an earth pony, but his hind legs looked… as if they’d been gripped by some horrible monster and twisted into terrible shapes, then strapped up to a contraption akin to a wheelchair. He was very thin and frail looking, presumably my age, with dark orange irises.

“Oh, good afternoon Miss Brightness. And who might you be?” he asked as we approached each other. Brightness stopped in front of a door, I stopped with her, and the stallion half-trotted half-wheeled his way to us.

“Hello Silicon,” Brightness said, in a tone that was far too cheery to be real coming from her.

“Um, Good afternoon. I am Rarity Belle, a pleasure to meet you,” I said, holding out my hoof to greet him. Instead of shaking it like a normal pony, he took it and kissed it. Oh boy.

“The pleasure is mine. These are lovely. Did they come from one of our jewelers?” He asked. Argent has jewelers? Oh, right, didn’t he say that they cut gems in house?

“Possibly, I don’t really know. I received them today, actually.” He gently released my hoof and stood back up. At full height, he was a bit shorter than I, and even smaller in frame. Goodness, this stallion has a feminine frame. With a bit longer mane, you could put him in a dress and… Hey! You cut that out! The fantasies were bad enough the other day, this will only make things worse! At least he’s a boy… my brain fought with itself, immediately dressing this doll like stallion in a thousand different outfits, most of which were for mares. Why are so many of them maid outfits?

“They did, in fact, come from this very building. The serial code is always engraved on the first pearl in the string. You wouldn’t know where to look unless you accidentally found it in the right light, or somepony told you, but if you got these today, I’m sure they were from somepony who cares quite a bit. These are a special order item, since the magic resistant pearls can only be manufactured. They aren’t very cheap to make, and we wouldn’t be making much of a profit if we sold them for under a few gold.” His voice was on the higher end of the male spectrum, probably be an alto with a maximum of mid tenor if he had to sing that low. If we sold them?

“I see… are you employed here, or…?” He laughed again and shook his head.

“My apologies, I didn’t even introduce myself. I am Silicon Argent. If we’re getting technical here, I suppose I own the place.” Argent has a son!? Good goddess, did anypony know about this!? Do the Princesses know? How did we not know about this!?

“Oh, so, you’re the heir I presume?” This certainly explains her attitude toward him.

“I am. If I may, why are you here? It could just be simple coincidence, but you don’t happen to be related to Bronze Belle do you?” I could feel some kind of negative emotion radiating from Brightness to my left, but I couldn’t be suspicious or stand out in front of this stallion. He owns the place, for goddess’ sake.

“Yes, actually, he’s my father. He was supposed to give me a tour of the building, but he had to go to an urgent meeting with yours. I was really just going to wait here in his apartment for the next half hour or so. Miss Brightness was kind enough to guide me here.” I'd hoped that would give her the chance to escape. As long as there aren't two of us, I can ditch this guy at any moment.

“I don’t know why you’re telling him all this, but I sure hope you have a plan to get away from him.” I heard Brightness in my head almost as if she were speaking through the brand. I fought every urge to give her a look of confusion, but she followed my queue.

“That is correct. This is his door actually, so I believe my work here is done. If you need anything, give me a shout, at the help desk in the lobby,” she said for the whole class to hear this time, putting specific emphasis on her words. Well, she obviously has some sort of telepathy. I wonder if that means this connection is open to her now?

“It is.” she responded to my thoughts. I simply gave her a blank stare and she bowed after unlocking the door. “Au revoir.” Then she quickly trotted back to the elevator.

“Well, if you’d still like to see the building, I can give you a tour if you like. Father had more than he initially thought to discuss with mister Belle, so he might be longer than half an hour.” At least he’s polite.

“Only because he wants to bang. Not into mares, but you're at least an eight.”

Can you not?

“I can, but we’ll see if I will. I suppose I’ll stay out for now. Call out my name in your mind if you need me. Remember, once you manage to lose him, get to the elevator and enter the code. I can only keep this up for so long, so don’t take forever.” Once she finished, the feeling of being alone in my head returned as if to signal that she was gone. The connection was still there, but very faint. I wonder if this is what she did when she shook my hoof earlier? … When I didn’t get a response, I figured she’d really left.

“I would like that. I’d hate to disappoint him, but I’m sure he’d rather have me see the place before I have to return to my own shop back in Manehattan.”

“Oh, so you have your own place? What do you do?” I opened the door to my father’s apartment before I responded and was surprised by what I saw. It was clean, well furnished, and filled with pictures. Pictures of us…

“I uh… I’m a seamstress. I make clothing. This suit is one of mine, actually.” I was barely paying attention to Silicon now, this whole room had memories of home and it all started to flood back in. Frames on every shelf, different photos of times back before we moved. Mother was in some of these pictures, and he still had them displayed. What in the world… He was just as bitter about her as I was, why would he…?

“Mister Belle keeps a clean place. Did he get those flowers for you as well? I’ve always found those particular colors delightful together,” Silicon said from behind me. In all these memories, I’d nearly forgotten he was there. I set the flowers and the empty bag down on my father’s dark wood coffee table in the more or less monochromatic apartment.

“Oh, right. Irises are a favorite of mine. They used to grow in the wild around the house we lived in back when I was just a filly. They aren’t so common up north, so I don’t see them much anymore.” There were only two doors in this apartment, and after checking one, I found the bathroom I was looking for. The place was still nearly spotless, the counter made of the same gold speckled white stone to match the tub while the room just about matched the hallway for its black lower wall and light gray upper wall. I stood up at the sink and unraveled the pearls from my wrist to put them on properly. Special order, huh? You lying bastard… yet, I can’t say I’m, angry about it this time.

When I was little, I would always find a way to get a hold of my mother’s pearls and try to dress up like her. She was always the lady of high class dress and style, and I wanted to be just like that. She was a singer by profession, so dressing to be admired was merely part of the job, yet she always did it so well. She carried herself with an air of elegance, behaved like a mare of fortune, yet at the same time, was always so caring and kind when I was young.

Through the years though, she began to lose that air, becoming more out of place with each annual passing. When she finally left, I had expected it, really. She wasn’t the pony I remembered at that point, didn’t say so much as a word to either Sweetie or I about leaving. Were it not for the screaming match the two had before it all fell apart, we wouldn’t have even known. Oh, mother. What ever happened to you? Couldn’t you have said something? Why didn’t you tell anypony you were sick? Why didn’t we notice?

I let the pearls sink on my neck, just reaching the collar of my suit, shining with a violet light on their strange black surface that just about matched my hair. Well done, father. You couldn’t have picked out anything more sentimental, nor anything that fit me as well as these. I exited the bathroom and found Silicon holding a family picture of all of us, the last one that was taken before we moved.

“Interested?” He mustn’t have heard me exit because he fumbled with the picture for a few moments.

“Oh, my apologies, I was just looking. Mister Belle doesn’t talk much about his family, so I always assumed him to be alone. Do… you and your sister live with this mare in the picture?” I shook my head.

“No, my mother died last year.” I found it strange, the feeling I had to associate with those words. Not one of sadness or regret, but pure disappointment. Things… probably wouldn’t have turned out the way they did had she told us about it. I wonder if father knows?

“He doesn’t. I did quite a bit of digging to find that one out. She kept it very hidden. Supposedly, the stallion she ran off with was a doctor who was looking to try and treat her. She couldn’t bear to let her family see her like that, so she decided it best to take off. I imagine she wasn’t supposed to get found out, but things don’t always go according to plan. I think your father was the initial carrier, but I don't think his powers are something he can actively control.” Brightness echoed.

Gah! I thought you left! I almost jumped in front of Silicon.

“No, no, I’m always listening. Call it an old habit I just never managed to kick. The boy is talking to you, you might pay attention.” I looked back at Silicon and managed to read ‘to hear that.’ on his lips before I heard it.

“Yes, It… it was unexpected, to say the least.” He nodded and put the photo back on its shelf. That picture was after one of her performances. I only picked up the piano back then because I wanted to play with her, now didn’t I? Strange, how fast things can change. I’d almost forgotten…

“I see. Well, I suppose you won’t see much of Argent tower if we don’t go ahead and get a move on, now will you? Is there any particular floor you had in mind to see first? This side of the building, as I’m sure somepony told you, is mostly apartments for our employees and the rare few that choose to live here. It’s not particularly expensive, but it certainly isn’t the most budget friendly option around.” He laughed. Yes, I’d like to see your basement, where you keep all of the skeletons this company is hiding.

“My father mentioned this was the tallest building in Equestria. I’d love to see what the view looks like.” If I can’t go down, I might as well go up. With any luck, he won’t have much to show me, and I can get out of here and explore the lower floors…

“Ah, of course. That view is about the only real tourist attraction Tin has, actually. Follow me.” We left the apartment and I didn’t have any way to lock the door, so I just hoped that closing it would be enough. I spotted a camera every few meters on the ceiling, so if anything did go wrong, they would have a record of it… but on the other hoof, that might make things difficult… I’ll have to move through frozen time to avoid being detected when I do start my mission proper.

“I can guide you once you finally manage to lose Silicon. There are only about ten floors outside of the lobby that he’d probably want to show you. Make sure he doesn’t try to walk you out of the building, otherwise you’ll lose your chance,” Brightness added.

Understood. I followed the stallion to the center elevator and noticed the card key slot at the bottom of the button panel right away. It wasn’t quite in plain sight, but it clearly wasn’t for those who didn’t know. If I wasn’t looking for it, I wouldn’t have seen it. Silicon pressed the top most button on the panel that read ‘R’ and the elevator doors closed. I suppose I wasn’t paying attention earlier, but at the moment, we were on the seventy-fifth floor… out of one hundred fifty, not including the roof. I’ve been in most of the skyscrapers in Manehattan, but nothing even came close to this. The tallest I could think of was probably the Empire building, and even that didn’t go more than one hundred floors.

“Goodness, I didn’t realize we were this high up!” I exclaimed.

“Ah, yes, it’s pretty tall. It’s not called the tallest building in Equestria for no reason. Originally, the Trade Center held that title, but after it fell, my father had to relocate. After two years of nonstop construction, the tower was seventy five percent complete, and most of the lower floors were already back to work. My father wanted this to be a place to break records, so that’s what he set out to do. Nothing of this scale had ever been completed as fast as the tower was, and nothing in this country is nearly as tall. Come a few years, Tin should be a huge city, possibly rivaling Canterlot for size thanks to the rapid growth this town sees. Nothing may ever top Manehattan for size and commerce, but Tin is bound for a track like that. It should be quite a sight, one day…” I found it strange that he would say something like that. It was as if he had hope for the future, but was sad about it at the same time.

“I see. Well, that doesn’t surprise me. I believe that Manehattan lost almost fifteen percent of the population to Tin during the tower’s construction, and only more have followed. That isn’t to say that the space hasn’t been filled since then, but I know that the population here is always growing.” We continued to discuss business and population rates until the elevator finally rang after what seemed like hours of upward travel.

“We call this floor the sky deck. It’s sole purpose is to be a viewing area for the general public. Triple reinforced glass makes up the walls from floor to roof here. The upper floors aren’t as wide as the lower ones, so this part of the tower is about as small as it ever gets, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t accommodate several ponies. As a matter of fact, this part of the tower is used not unlike a ballroom to host parties for when we celebrate anniversaries of the company.” Just like he said, the room was more or less empty, save for the column that functioned as a support beam and housed the singular elevator. The windows ran all around us and touched the floor and the ceiling, leaving the breathtaking view from above the clouds and the forest below for all to see. I was never one for heights, but the sight was something only a pegasus would know. The sun was just beginning its descent and the sky was clear blue, save for the occasional cloud one could look down on. Pine trees ran as far as the eye could see, fading into the blue horizon where it looked like there was a small fog forming.

“What is that? The fog down there?” It didn’t look… quite right. It was definitely fog, but it was swirling, almost like it was moving.

“Oh, yes, that would be the hidden lake. Most ponies don’t know about it because it’s surrounded by dense forest, but there is a small lake over there that produces a strange fog that’s said to only fade on nights of clear blue moons. Essentially, it only appears once every three years. My father took me there when it was clear years ago. A place so untouched by civilization that it has a strange magic around it. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day.” His tone was not one of fondness, I but... something I couldn't place. It was strange. Just like our earlier conversation, he sounded positive, yet I could tell there was a negative emotion behind it as well.

“Is that so? Maybe you can show me some time.” He turned and gave me what I could only describe as a sad laugh and a disappointed smile.

“Sure, it’s a date. The last one was actually in may of this year, so it’ll be a while before then. Any where in particular you’d like to see next? I have a few places in mind if you don’t.”What an odd stallion. I don’t know how to read him at all…

“I suppose I don’t. Lead the way.”

The next hour consisted of us talking while visiting various unique floors within the tower. A floor that was mostly an indoor ‘pool’ as he called it, but I would call that a water park. An indoor garden with unnatural lighting that made the plants grow in unusual ways, a laboratory, busy with workers running around who all seemed to want to show Silicon some new experiment that produced some strange reaction to the gems they mined. The floor with my father’s office, which was almost as luxurious as his apartment, the floor that was more or less a jewellery store where he almost gave me a pair of diamond earrings that I couldn’t accept. I turned him down because I called it far too gracious for a stranger, but in reality it was because I never had my ears pierced. I’ve always been afraid of needles, but that’s something I keep to myself. The fight with the kraken was probably the most terrifying one I’ve ever been in, simply because it was literally my greatest fear. Eventually, with one amazing thing after the other, Silicon ran out of things to show me, which left me back at my father’s apartment.

“Well, this has been quite the experience. Had I known that this place was more of a resort than a business, I might’ve visited sooner.” Silicon laughed and nodded.

“Of course. I always tell father that we should advertise some of these things more, but he prefers to keep things like that specifically for his employees. ‘Why pay to send them somewhere when they can vacation within their workplace?’ He would always say. Of course, it’s not as If I don’t take advantage of these things myself, but you know how it is. The clever entrepreneur always tries to keep growing their business.” I nodded in agreement.

“Of course. But that does beg the question, does your father intend to pass this on to you?” In an instant, Silicon’s smile faded.

“Not for some time. He wants me to have at least ten years of experience working before he gives it to me.” What an odd tone. No emotion at all. You would think he'd at least be angry about something like that, yet... he's just so apathetic.

“I see. I suppose that makes good business sense, this is quite the large operation, even this building alone. Argent owns several facilities on top of this, so I imagine there’s far more to it than one could just pick up in a few weeks.” He nodded.

“Honestly, if something ever happened, I could pick up the business in the event I needed to, but I doubt that day will ever come. Or at least I hope so anyways.” He laughed, picking his happier tone back up again. Anything discussing the future and he always sounds so ambivalent about it…

“Well, I had a great time today. I suppose you must be busy, but if there were ever time where you were free again...” His eyes lit up and for once in this entire event, I thought I saw a genuine smile out of him.

“Oh, but of course! Please feel free to contact me whenever you’d like. I’m always here, but I’m sure I could make time if it’s you.” He took a business card from a pocket in his wheel harness and passed it to me. I took the card and slid it into my suit’s pocket. As I did, I felt the key card and remembered what I was really here for. Such a shame his father appears to have ‘evil plans.’ I wouldn’t mind getting to know him. And making him model for me! He’s just so tiny, he’d be perfect for- Hey! What did I say about that!? Stop it! He is a boy and the son of a very important pony! … I doubt he’d crossdress for you anyways. Especially not in lingerie.

“I absolutely will. Until then.”

“Until then. Au revoir.” He bowed, and then I pulled the apartment door to a close. I waited until I heard the elevator ding, then I prepared to do my job.

“Brightness, I’ll be coming to deliver my things to you in a few moments. Don’t be alarmed if you suddenly find them behind your counter.”

“Ah, so you finally managed to escape lover boy? Or is it that you remembered why you came here initially? Speaking of lover boy, you had some pretty… interesting thoughts about him yourself, to say the least.” Can she see images!? Oh goddess, please no. Nopony needed to see that.

“Um… If you could just not bring that back up, I would really appreciate it.”

“I mean, I can see images but that's a little more than sending a thought. It's kinda like a computer in that text is easy to send across, but anything else and it gets harder to parse. Not that I didn't look, just that it's kinda hard. You should probably move.”

I put a hoof to my face in hopes of shaking the embarrassment away and started toward the elevator. Forty five minutes later, after a monumental discovery and nearly being caught by Argent security, I escaped the tower and made it onto the train.

“Twilight? We have a problem.”

“So, did you tell him?” Silicon said from the couch in Stannum’s office. The Chess board had all the pawns removed and the king and the queen left on black's side. White's side had all of the higher pieces, one extra knight and one extra rook. Silicon took the black pawns and set five in spaces surrounding the black king and queen, then moves out the white bishop, the only piece in play.

“I did. He said he needed some time to think about it. I knew he would be apprehensive about it, but I’m sure he’ll come around. He trusts me,” Stannum replied. The old stallion looked tired, so, so very tired.

“Good. The girl has also seen what she needed to. I couldn’t get solid evidence as to who guided her, however. She’s rather social, and she spoke to nearly everypony we came across. It could have been any number of them.” Silicon reclined in his seat, careful to not move too fast. He scratched at the belts that kept his hind legs in place and became irritated when he felt nothing. “These damn things. I’ll be glad to be free of them once this is all over, one way or another.”

“So, what do we do now?” Silicon shrugged and put his hooves behind his head.

“Continue with the plan and see what happens. We don’t have much of a choice in the matter anymore, now do we?” Silicon sighed and Stannum shook his head.

“Surely there must be another way?” Silicon sat up straight and stared his father down.

“Do you think I would be going through with this if there was!? It’s a gamble at best, and if he doesn’t show up with it, then we’re screwed anyways! None of this would have ever come to pass if that blasted mare had never shown up in the first place! It’s her ponies that are collateral here, so who gives a damn!? You keep your mouth shut, and you do as your told. We don’t have time to fuck around anymore.” Stannum shook his head once more and then let it sink into his hooves.

“I suppose all we have left really is hope and threats...”

Persona I: Name of the Mask

Ya know, when today started, Ah almost thought it was gonna be a regular day. Ah later cursed myself fer thinkin’ that anythin’ would ever be normal again, but fer a moment there, Ah really believed it. It was Tuesday, September 10th, and just like any other Tuesday in September, it was sunny and relatively warm with that slight chill in the air that makes ya want ta wear a jacket. You’d be hard pressed ta find me not wearin’ mine, but all the same, Ah wasn’t the only pony wearin’ one today. Last Thursday, Ah saved my sister from one of those monsters in the middle of a fight with it, and we had ta lay down some ground rules about her trackin’ me down, because apparently, she can do that without even lookin’ at me.

“Ah cain’t believe it! Y’all really killed that thin'! Holy hell, how many does that make!? Have you been doin’ this kinda stuff the whole time!? Ah’ve never seen a real super hero fight up close, but goddess, was that some kinda sight!” Applebloom exclaimed from my back as Ah hopped from rooftop ta rooftop ta get ta the apartment. Ya aren’t supposed ta be here, damn it!

“Sure, maybe it looks cool, and it’s certainly all fine when everypony gets out alive, but just remember a few thin’s while you’re runnin' wild over there. One; ya almost died. Skewered alive like some kinda piece of fruit. Who knows? That thin’s tentacles were so fast it mighta just tore ya apart instead of just stoppin’ at the base. If ya managed ta survive the initial stab, ya certainly wouldn't have lasted long after. It woulda ruined yer lungs, stomach, digestive tract, and who knows what else along the way? But that’s just the first thin'.

Two; one of my partners got knocked the fuck out and is currently havin’ broken bones, muscles, and skin replaced on account of her now missin’ a good bunch of it from gettin' hit by that thin’. All it took was it hittin’ her. Ya know Ah’m not average, and she isn’t either, but thank goddess she happens ta be an earth pony. Were her body any more fragile than it already is, who knows if she’d be alive or not right now? Even after all the shit Ah’ve seen, Ah don’t know that Ah’ve ever seen a leg bend that way. Let’s just hope my boss can reset the bones so Ah don’t lose what little assets Ah already have.

Oh, but let’s not forget the other one. Three; Ah almost died… and, had ya not shown up when ya did, then Ah mighta been the one skewered. So… thanks, Ah guess.” As awful as it had been earlier, it was really a pretty night out. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and ya could see just about every star in the northern hemisphere. The city was beginnin' its night life, and those mere miles away from the monster fight had no idea it ever happened. Of course, Ah doubt that’ll last long. It’s only a matter of time before somepony reports whatever they recorded of it. Unless we run inta a monster that can put out an electromagnetic pulse, Ah doubt we’ll ever get outta a fight unnoticed.

“Well… you’re welcome Ah guess?” Applebloom said after we crossed more of the city. Finally passed the end of the park, the apartment was just a few more miles down the road.

“So, tell me. Why did ya do it? And fer that matter, how? It’s not like we took a conventional path ta get where we were goin’ or anythin’.” More silence and the rush of the night air followed until we were just about at the apartment.

“Well, Ah just… Ah got a bad feelin’ about it, ya know? Like, somethin’ told me that Ah’d never see ya again if Ah didn’t go and find ya. When that guy in the black suit crashed in front of the store Taps took me to, I knew Ah needed ta see it. You, and Rarity, and Rainbow. Ah know Ah can’t do anythin’ like y’all do, but if Ah could just be there ta watch, then maybe Ah could do somethin’.” Well, shit, she knows they were there too…

“Ah see. But, ya didn’t answer how. Ah imagine it has somethin’ ta do with powers right? Ah doubt there was any way ya woulda recognized Rarity from that far away, and there ain’t no way ya shoulda known Rainbow was there at all.” We finally arrived at the rooftop of our apartment and Ah let her down. She shrugged.

“It does. Ah can sorta… track ponies Ah know. Like, if you’re in my range, Ah know where ya are ta the point where Ah could give somepony yer exact coordinates all the way down ta elevation level. Ah don’t know the exact range, maybe fifty meters, but definitely further than Ah can see, and there ain’t really anythin’ that keeps me from seein’ ya as far as Ah can tell. If Ah don’t know a pony, the only information Ah get from them bein’ near is that they’re there, but if Ah’m focused on somepony, it’s almost like Ah can see a few seconds inta the future. Like, Ah know what they’re about ta do.

It’s… kinda weird, but if Ah didn’t panic back there, Ah coulda dodged the needle even as fast as it was. Of course, ya teleported or somethin’ so Ah’m not really sure how Ah did get outta that in the first place. Can ya teleport? But wait, all of ya moved back then, so it’s not just y’all… and it wasn’t the same way that knight guy did it, he kinda ‘blinks’ and there was a heat distortion when he disappeared the first time, so it couldn’t of been him…” Perfect. She’s just too damn smart fer her own good. What do Ah do now? Tell her the truth or…? Ah sighed. It’s probably better that she knows. Ah’ll just have ta sit down with her somewhere and fill her in, otherwise, she might get too curious.

Hmm… that power of hers could be pretty useful though. Maybe if she can recognize ponies that’ve been in the city before, we could use her as a kinda… early warnin’ system or somethin’… Ah shook the thought out of my head. No, that would mean she’d need a brand, and Ah will not do that just because she’d be convenient. As a matter of fact, it’s probably fer the best that Ah keep this ta myself… Ah clapped my hooves together as the idea came inta mind.

“Uh… ya okay there?” Ah waved the question away.

“Don’t worry about it. Are ya doin’ anythin’ this weekend?” She tilted her head at me.

“Ah mean. Ah guess Ah’m not doin’ anythin’ in particular.” She sounded a little more confused than Ah’d like, but she'll figure it out.

“Good. We’re gonna take a day ta hang out. If you’ll do a little experiment fer me, then Ah’ll tell ya anythin’ Ah can tell ya. Deal?” She nodded. “Perfect. You go inside and tell whoever’s home that Ah’m gonna be out late. Ah don’t think Ah need ta say it, but keep quiet about what happened today, alright?”

“Gotcha. Ah’ll see ya tomorrow Ah guess.”

The next hour after that was spent arguin’ with Twilight over almost the same thin’ that Ah got in my head. However, she doesn’t know about Applebloom’s radar or whatever, so it was just her irrational fear of her secret gettin’ out. Ah’m not too sure where my boundaries are at the moment, but Ah suppose Ah have enough power over the group ta just make decisions since she dropped the idea when Ah finally said the conversation was over. A thought crossed my mind and Ah wasn’t sure Ah liked it. Am Ah becomin’ like her? My own actions, even the way Ah used intimidation at times, Ah was beginnin’ ta think that maybe… Ah wasn’t so different from the night princess after all. While Ah didn’t like the idea, the more Ah thought about it, the more Ah could see similarities. Either Ah'm gettin' worse, or she's not as bad as Ah think. Probably the former though.

When Ah woke up the next mornin’, Ah had the remnants of a dream. In it, Ah met Princess Celestia again and Ah asked her about this whole thin’ with Luna, but rather than answer my question she showed me a story. The images and details had grown fuzzy, but of the thin’s Ah remembered very clearly is that together, through six magic stones, they defeated some evil creature bent on throwin’ the world inta chaos. Later, Celestia used those stones by herself to save Luna’s life after she got sick from some ancient disease. The stones were destroyed by this abuse of their power, and the fragments scattered all across the country.

They had a strange look to 'em, those crystals. They shimmered and shined in the light like an emerald, but they didn’t cast a shadow. It was more like they created light, like they were pieces of the sun, split inta segments and colors. They looked so familiar, but Ah couldn’t place where Ah woulda seen em before. There wasn’t hardly any history recorded about when Celestia and Luna first took power, and that… thin’ they fought… A mishmash of parts with the body of a snake, able ta do damn near whatever it wanted with the snap of it’s fingers. Just thinkin’ about it made me shiver.

Ah spent the rest of the day thinkin’ back on that, all the thin’s the dream showed me, most of it half remembered. It was a lot like when Celestia trained me Wednesday, the way it was half real and half like she was showin’ me memories. Some of the thin’s Ah learned that day, Ah didn’t know Ah was capable of, and even more of it Ah still haven’t figured out. There’s some hidden potential she kept talkin’ about, somethin’ that only true emotion of the purest form or whatever could bring. The thoughts never went away, and Ah just about missed half of my lecture that night thinkin’ about it all.

The next day went about as Ah expected it ta, and my theories proved correct. Ah tested what Ah could, and eventually, Ah had Applebloom tellin’ me just how many ponies in town were new today. The unfortunate part about that was how many had actually never been here. Manehattan was the trade center of Equestria, and as such, ponies and creatures from all over the world made their first trips here on a daily basis. On top of that, her ‘radius’ as we’ve decided ta call it, only goes fer about a mile out. If she stood at the center of Central Park, we’d get about half the width of it and maybe a quarter of its length.

It was a good try, but unless somepony strange shows up within a mile of her, there ain’t no way she’d be able ta tell me. But, she did get that phone she wanted out of it, just in case. It cut my pocket deep, but if it helps keep us safe… then Ah’ll spend everythin’ Ah’ve earned. The bike has certainly been a big help ta gettin' around places quick. As fast as Ah am, this thin’ could easily out pace me, even with traffic… provided Ah wasn’t drivin’ all too legally, that is. Ah got pulled over once, but thankfully, the officer took pity on my since it was my first day drivin’. Damn Rarity and her powers. Ah don't know why Ah ever thought ta follow that example of all thin's. Ah have ta wonder though... will Ah get in trouble with it if Ah’m wearin’ my suit?

Ah would test it, but not until Ah can afford a ticket. Ah don’t get paid again till the fifteenth, so there ain’t much Ah can do but wait fer now. Ah told Applebloom what Ah could about my team, and she was more enthusiastic about what Ah had ta say, specifically the part where Ah was a Major. Ah don’t care fer the fact that she asked more questions about the military than about what Ah’ve been doin' these past couple weeks. Ah hate ta say it, but Ah think tellin’ her what Ah did just about shipped her off ta some war in the future. If she had doubts about enlistin’ before, she certainly didn’t have any after today. With any luck, my own rank might come inta play if they really do send her off ta fight some day. Ah can only hope that won’t happen, but as relations are right now, Ah just can’t believe thin’s will stay the same.

Sunday was almost completely uneventful, and Ah spent almost the entire day ridin’ my new bike. Ah had never run from the police before, but now Ah can say that Ah have, and Ah’m not proud of it. Thank Goddess Ah was smart enough ta buy a ridin’ suit. Ah can only imagine that my face woulda made it up on the bounty list back at the station, and the thought made me shiver. Ah decided very quickly that it would be smart ta get outta the city if Ah wanted ta test the limits of the bike, and with that, Ah practiced swervin’ thought trees on the road ta Tin. Ah guess Ah’d lost track of time, and Ah actually went all the way there. It’s not like it’s a long drive or anythin’, but it’s still an hour and a half from Manehattan and Ah shouldn’t have ended up that far from home in less than an hour.

Ah nearly crashed the bike more than once, and There were a few times where Ah broke a tree on my back tryin’ ta protect the bike, but at this point, Ah can say that Ah could dodge ponies in a crowd if Ah needed ta. And that may end up happenin’ one of these days… Ah took some time ta explore the small town, significantly slower than my trip here and couldn’t help but feel like Ah was bein’ watched the whole time. Ah could never find the source, but it was like somepony was lookin’ at me without ever seein’ me. But that wasn’t the weirdest thin’ that happened Sunday. While Ah was in Tin, Ah got hungry and decided ta try the closest restaurant around, which happened ta be this hole in the wall diner. Ah couldn’t have even imagined Ah would have run inta her, but lo and behold, there was Rainbow Dash sittin’ alone at a table.

“Well, Ah’ll be. Didn’t think Ah was gonna run inta anypony Ah knew here.” Ah got close behind her, and she froze in place, her singular wing poppin’ out and her other beginnin’ ta form a thin red haze, almost invisible were Ah not lookin’ fer it. She slowly turned her head and looked at me with startled magenta eyes.

“Oh, my goddess, why are you here?” she complained like me showin' up was the worst thin' ta ever happen ta her. The red haze faded away, and her wing settled back on her side.

“By accident, really, but Ah could say the same fer y’all. What’s got you in Tin?” Rainbow shook her head.

“No, no, no, this is all wrong! You weren’t supposed to show up! I wasn’t supposed to run into you again yet, you aren’t supposed to be here!” She put down a few bits at her seat and started ta drag me outta the restaurant. “Thanks, Pan Fried, keep the change!” A little after we exited the diner, Ah finally got tired of her pullin’ me along and released myself from her grip.

“Okay, Ah walked in there ta eat, and now you’re tryin’ ta take me somewhere else. Ya coulda just said ya wanted ta talk instead of draggin’ me.” Rainbow shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh.

“Sure whatever, will you just follow me?” She came in and leaned close ta whisper, “we can’t talk just anywhere here.” Ah got that feelin of bein’ watched again and checked the sky. Ah didn’t see anythin, but Ah figured there was somethin’ there.

“Alright, Ah guess.” Ah shrugged and she turned and headed toward the forest that surrounded this place, not another word between us. We kept walkin’ in the dense wood until the noon day sky turned ta sunset’s dusk, and Ah was finally tired of it.

“Holy hell, are we not far enough out yet or what?” Ah asked, frustrated. Rainbow checked all around us, then spread her blood out in a thin cloud that shot in every direction. She turned her head toward one direction and started that way, motionin’ me ta be silent. A little ways further, a small cloud of blood was circlin’ around a little metal box that just about blended with a tree it was on. The rest of her blood came back and hardened around the box, and finally, she relaxed.

“Now, we should be safe.”

“Good goddess, even all the way out here? We musta walked fer half an hour just ta get here, why would there be surveillance this far out?” Rainbow looked up at the little bubble of her blood and then back ta me.

“In the event one of their experiments got out this far. And it’s happened, more than once,” she said, solemnly. Experiments?

“Is that why ya brought me out here? Tell me what’s goin’ on Rainbow,” Ah demanded.

“I can’t. There’s a plan in place, and if I say too much, it will all be for nothing. However, there’s something you need to know, and something I can only trust you with. Will you listen?” Whatever it is, she’s some kinda serious right now. Ah suppose Ah could make her talk if Ah’m not satisfied, but Ah doubt that would end well.

“Okay. What’s up?”

“If something goes wrong, If you never see me again, please, look after my sister okay? I don’t have anyone to turn to, and if… if something like what happened on Thursday… No, because something like what happened on Thursday will happen again, I need to know that there’s somepony out there who will look after her, alright? We’re all we have…” Well, that was unexpected.

“What do ya mean somethin’ will happen?” She bit inta her lip and looked back at the blood bubble again.

“I… I can’t. Just… on Tuesday, there’s going to be an announcement. Unless you’re hiding under a rock, you should see it. Somepony very powerful and very dangerous is currently being experimented with, and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t touch him with the power I have now. I doubt you could either, honestly. If the worst comes, and it will, I will join your little group and tell you everything I know. But until that happens, just promise you’ll make sure Scootaloo stays safe, okay?”

“Okay, whoa, that’s a little much ta take in all at once. Who is ‘he?’ Why are you afraid of ‘him’ and why can’t you tell me what’s goin’ on?” She stood back up and angrily rolled her eyes at me.

“Don’t you get it yet!? They’ve got my ovaries in a hydraulic press if they find out what I’ve been doing behind their backs, and what’s worse, I doubt there will be a pony left alive in Manehattan if their plan succeeds. I need you to keep your mouth shut, and make me a promise that you’ll help when I ask for it, okay? On Tuesday you’ll learn everything you need to know and how bad the situation really is right now. We’re completely fucked if something goes the wrong way too fast. Let me give you a little glimpse into the future if that thing gets out.

Picture Manehattan, and imagine that we had an orbital rail gun hit it. As if that weren’t bad enough, add that to the same force that put a crater in New Caballo, and you have what will be left of Manehattan when all is said and done. Nothing more than a hole in the ground so deep that you wouldn’t be able to even see the bottom. You get me?” She was practically yellin' now, and she sounded... panicked. The force that… She doesn’t mean…

“You’re sayin’ the princesses would have ta come and stop whatever gets loose?”

“Provided they could.” Her little bubble over the camera released and floated lazily back inta her wing bone. “I’m sorry that you got lost on your way to Tin. Let me show you how to get back,” she said, not lookin’ at me, but already headin’ back the way we came.

“What the? Rainbow, ya can’t just drop all that on me!” Ah caught back up with her as quick as Ah could. She turned and puffed at me, a little more than frustrated.

“I wasn’t supposed to! That was somepony else’s job, and you screwed all that up just by showing up! Leave me alone, and don’t approach me again if you see me! Stay away from Tin, and do not come back.” She sighed, and another red bubble appeared over a tree that Ah didn’t even notice. “This is more serious than you could possibly know and we can’t make any mistakes or we’re all dead. If you want the city your dad fought so hard to protect to still be there in the next few months, then I suggest you do as I say.”

Ah didn’t say another word after that. Ah couldn’t even imagine what could be so bad that the Princesses would have ta get involved ta stop it unless they were hidin’ some monster of equal power, but what would that even look like? Ah’ve seen some of the crazy shit Celestia can do in person… well, in whatever that ‘sharin’ environment’ thin’ is. Ah’ve never felt my eyes burn just from tryin’ ta look at somethin’ like that before, and if Argent has somethin’ that powerful hidden away, then what have all these other monsters been up ta this point?

Are we dealin’ with ants by comparison? If… if those thin’s could kill us if we aren’t careful, then… then what the hell are we gonna do if we keep runnin’ inta stronger monsters? If they keep gettin’ bigger and we don’t get much more than a little experience, then how are we gonna keep up? She’s been so confident every other time Ah ran inta her, if this is how she acts when she talks about the future… Ah never forgot anythin’ she said, and Ah spent the rest of the day tryin ta imagine what it was that she was so afraid of, and that… creature the princess showed me kept comin’ back ta mind.

The next mornin’, Ah woke up in a haze. Ah didn’t sleep well fer all Ah could remember, but Ah distinctly remember seein’ Princess Luna kill whatever thin’ was hauntin’ my dreams. It wasn’t just… a memory that turned ta a nightmare, this was… somethin’ more. It was almost like the monster Ah was dreamin’ of had a will of it’s own, and when the princess finally showed up she asked me where Ah saw it. Ah can’t remember if Ah told her the truth or not, but whatever Ah said, she wasn’t happy about it and disappeared in a way that caused me ta sit up straight in my bed.

Ah decided Ah’d try ta talk about all this with Twilight, but she told me that there was somethin’ else that needed her full attention today and said it was best ta just wait and bring it up durin’ tomorrow’s meetin’. Ah didn’t know what ta do with myself so Ah spent most of the day seein’ what kinda bounties Ah could catch. As usual, this city was filled with corner store thieves that were wanted fer some crime or other, and as strange as it was, Ah got bored real quick. It was almost like, Ah was doin’ a job Ah didn’t like. Ah remember when Ah first started, Ah always felt like Ah was doin’ somethin’ ta make the city better, somethin’ that was worth the time and effort Ah was puttin’ in. In the end, Ah didn’t even take anypony in. Most of 'em were just kids that couldn’t afford basic needs, and the others were just as bad off. With as much influence as Ah have these days, Ah ended up gettin’ a few of those wanted posters removed. The officers in this city are good ponies and we all know that sometimes it’s just hard fer the abandoned and unwanted ta live.

It made me think, more than anythin’ else. Who am Ah really doin’ all this for? The more Ah thought about it, the more Ah realized that Ah never had any interest in ‘protectin’ the city.’ Everythin’ Ah did when Ah first started was a desperate attempt ta try and lighten the burden that my family carried and escape from the depression that was slowly eatin’ away at me. It wasn’t for anypony’s sake but my own. Atonement fer the sins that weighed on my back, a way ta get away from everythin’. Ah put on a mask because it was the easiest way ta be somepony else and live their life. So what was Ah doin’ now?

That world, the problems of a younger me that no longer existed. The pony who called herself a hero for the sake of fightin’ the crushin’ reality of the real world that she didn’t want ta live in, the world she hated fer takin’ her parents, the world that could care less fer her hardships and the sadness she faced. She wanted ta be a hero because it was a life that didn’t have that anymore. So… when did it change? It was long before Ah joined harmony that Ah started doin’ thin’s fer other ponies, and before, Ah know Ah wasn’t the pony Ah am today, so what happened that changed my view? And fer that matter, what is my view now? The Celestia thinks Ah’m some kinda saint, Twilight and the others thought Ah was some kinda idol, but Luna… She was the one who saw me fer what Ah used ta be. Ah was a just a soldier with a death wish.

Constantly in fights just as a way ta distract myself, Ah never got over those suicidal attempts, Ah just found a different way ta vent ‘em! Ah never had a noble cause in mind, Ah never wanted ta be a hero for a hero’s sake, Ah wanted a way ta end it all that looked like Ah was tryin’ ta move on! So… when did it become this? Ah wouldn’t have batted an eye three years ago at those kids Ah protected today. They were just change ta put in my pocket before… How many were like that? How many were just tryin’ ta survive because they didn’t know any better way? Ah wanted somethin’ ta hit, but there was nothin’ near but the roof Ah was on, thinkin’ about all this.

It would be easy wouldn’t it? Just ta punch it all away, ta let all these thoughts Ah don’t want fly ta the wind so Ah wouldn’t have ta deal with ‘em. Can Ah really say Ah’m all that different now? These last couple weeks have been so crazy with one monster ta fight after the next with no time ta think. What do Ah want now? It would be easy, just ta use the money Ah have ta run away from here. Manehattan would become a crater soon if anythin’ Rainbow said was true, and Ah’d never have ta think about it again. My family would be fine, and we could just resume life in another town and act like nothin’ ever happened.

But… Ah don’t want that. How could Ah ever run away? If dad were here, what would he have done? Oh, come on, as if you don’t know. If it would keep the city and it’s ponies around, he’d lay down in front of a goddess damned train. Fer all Ah know, that’s what he did! Some menace showed up and killed so many in just a week, and he fought back ta try and stop it, only ta end up dead. That stallion died as a hero because he believed there was somethin’ here worth it ta protect.

Could that be it? If it was just my family Ah cared about, then why would Ah put myself through all this? There’s somethin’ here that Ah care about, and maybe it really is just here, after all. This place… this is my home. Were it ta turn inta a crater and Ah just stood by and watched, Ah don’t know that Ah could ever live with myself. The light of dusk had began ta fade over the horizon, and the stars started ta shine in the sky. An idea creeped it’s way inta my head, and Ah think Ah finally figured it out.

The next mornin’ came, and before Ah even made it ta Harmony, Rainbow’s warnin’ had already come. Like any other mornin’ where Ah was up before noon, Ah made myself breakfast and sat on the couch in front of the TV. My brother was doin’ somethin on his computer at the table with him bein’ off today from his ‘newest’ job, my uncle was still home fer some reason, and Applebloom was at school. It felt, like any other mornin’, us watchin’ the news together, and then all screens in the station changed ta somepony’s face until finally, the whole TV screen changed.

The mask, on whatever it was that wore it, was two colors. Black on the left side with the face of comedy, and white on the right side with the face of tragedy. There was nothin' behind him but black empty space, and the strangest feelin’ like he was lookin’ right at me washed over my body.

“Greetings, Populace of Manehattan. You might be wondering why You are seeing me instead of whatever programming was on the channel you were watching, and with good reason. I have something very special to show you all, so sit tight and watch.” He said, his tones dark and filled with enthusiasm. The voice was a sort of high pitch and a low pitch overlaid with a chaotic feel ta it, almost like two or more ponies were speakin' at once.

On the screen, it switched ta a video that looked like it was taken with a home camera. A pony was bangin' on a door of some steel laden cell that shook with each swing. There was no audio with this, but ya could almost feel the aftershock with each beat against the door, his hooves startin' ta crack and bleed with each desperate swing. He suddenly stopped and looked up at a vent. He tried ta hide from whatever it was he saw, curlin’ himself inta a corner and then… he started ta change. The bones in his back started ta jut out, and he grew nearly twice his size. The now monstrous pony began ta smash everythin’ near, puttin’ dents in walls and destroyin’ everythin’ he could. It turned ta look at the camera, the half melted look of its face lost all of the shine of sentience, leavin’ nothin' but the husk of a wild animal. It jumped toward the camera until a beam of bright red light shot through it. The creature staggered, but went after the camera again, only ta be met with the same punishment. This continued until the creature finally collapsed in on itself in a smokin’ heap of burned flesh. The screen flashed back ta the masked pony.

“That, was a live feed. You might be asking yourself now, why show us this? A few of the smarter of you should already know why, but as for everypony else, I’ll let you in on the secret. This could be your future. But why go so far as to show this horror instead of just act on it? Simple, you have a chance to continue living as you are now, I just have a very easy-to-comply request for one pony in particular who lives in your city. That pony knows what I want, but unfortunately, they don’t seem to care about their own life, so I’ve decided to add more weight to the camel’s back, so to speak.

For the rest of you, I’ll still give you a chance, even if they don’t return to me what is mine. The stallion you saw just now was simply a prelude. A grand beginning to my magnum opus! For those of you that haven’t seen one yet, the Kaiju are my doing and I will send more of them to your city, each one more powerful than the last, more destructive than before! If your heroes can protect you, then your lives will be spared and you can go on living, knowing that I will be dead and gone! However, as with all things, there must be a caveat.

Six of my kaiju will appear! Over the span of six weeks, starting with this one, there will be six that appear in your city. If my lost object is returned to me, my precious mirror, then the attacks will stop, and you will never hear from me again. But! Know this! If you find me, or try to end my game early, then what you just witnessed will be your future! The moment I die before the appointed time arrives, the plague will be released in your city and spread across all Equestria! The lives you once lived will be over forever, and just like me, you will live in suffering until your pitiful end comes!

Despair not, for your heroes should surely be capable of taking down one, lonely monster in the weeks to come when my item is never returned… or will they? It would be truly sad, if another Caballo Crater marred Equestria’s beautiful face, but as it stands, that may be the only way. For the one I speak to, return to me my lost item and this can all be avoided. If you are to wait, then the destruction will be unparalleled, and your city will become a war zone unlike any you have seen before. When the day the goddess rested arrives, your city will be plunged into chaos. For when you wish to curse the one who brought this upon you, curse the name of the mask! I am Persona!”

Persona II: Innocent Sin

“What in tarnation? Applejack, what’s goin’ on with the TV?” Macintosh said from behind me. Ah didn’t move, Ah didn’t even respond. He came and sat next ta us and watched the message with Uncle Blood and Ah. When it finally finished, Ah was stunned.

“Bah, just another crazy hijackin’ the air waves. Probably wasn’t even real footage,” Mac dismissed. Ah could feel that there was a look of horror on my face when Ah finally turned ta him because he just about reared himself off his seat.

“Wasn’t even real!? Are ya outta yer damn mind!? Do ya even pay attention ta the news!? How could it not be real!? Monsters have been showin’ up around the city fer a month now, and ya don’t think that this little threat ain’t nothin’ more then some crazy blowin’ smoke?!” We were centimeters from each other's snouts, and he put a hoof on me and pushed me back.

“Okay, somepony is takin’ this way too seriously. Listen, Applejack, Ah know ya like them Supers just as much as the next pony, but Ah don’t really think that ‘fake news’ is worth much.” More often than not, My brother gave me a reason ta want ta hit him in the face, but the words ‘fake news’ had my interest more than my anger. Ah took a deep breath and calmed down.

“Fake news? What do ya mean by that?”

“Ya got yer phone on ya? Let me see it real quick, Ah’ll show ya.” Ah took the device outta the pocket on the bandanna around my neck and gave it ta him. A few swipes and several taps that looked like corrections later, he gave it back with another story on it from the local news station.

“As it turns out, all that crap was made up. The foundry that they said a monster destroyed was really scheduled for demolition months ago, and the harbor thin’ was just the dock owner tryin’ ta hide pony remains. Pretty expensive coverup is ya ask me, but Ah figure it’s better ta shell out cash than lose everythin’ on homicide charges.” Ah read through it and Ah just couldn't believe what was there. A cover story!? That’s… that’s just ridiculous! How could they just… lie like that? And not just the foundry, but both the fights at the harbor too! There's no way they could just... manipulate information like that.

“Ah… Ya really just believe whatever they tell ya?” Macintosh shrugged and scrolled a little further down the page.

“They say the witnesses were paid off by a gang boss who was in control of the harbor at the time.” He pointed my attention ta that particular part of the page. They even used Goose! But Ah know better, last time he was at the harbor, he was with me…

“Unbelievable.” Ah couldn't contain my frustration at the ordeal. Ta my right, Uncle Blood leaned back in his chair and stretched himself out.

“It might be just a little strange that all of those incidents just happened to get redacted after they were put out though, wouldn’t you say? However, with the city being as skeptical as it is, I think you’d be hard pressed to find anypony who buys into this ‘TV threat.’ It’s quite possible that this is all real, and a monster might show up in the city. But on the other hoof, how many times has somepony hijacked a TV station in the last two months? Twice, Three times now? Just another crazy is relatively easy to dismiss. For somepony who seems to keep up with the news, forgetting that wont do you any good Applejack.” Uncle Blood got up and headed ta his room, but then stopped and came back with a little pad of paper in his hoof.

“Before I forget, would you mind giving me your and Applebloom’s numbers? I’ve forgotten to do this twice now.”

“Oh, sure.” Ah quickly scribbled the numbers down and gave the pad back. Satisfied with that, he headed toward his room.

“Oh, and before you go out, I think you should remember to keep in mind that ponies tend to get in trouble with motorbikes like yours. I know you couldn’t do anything to hurt yourself, but please try to keep from getting a ticket. If you have that on your record, It’ll only make your already expensive insurance even more so.” He stopped at the edge of the hallway then looked me dead in the eye.

“I get the feeling that this particular threat has some weight to it. If you hear something today, talk to me. I have the weekend off. If we need to take a little family trip, then maybe we should. Macintosh, do you work Sunday?” The red irises finally broke from their hypnotic gaze and Ah could finally look away. Macintosh looked just about as confused as Ah did, and he was slow ta respond.

“Um… well, Ah suppose Ah could get off work if Ah really needed ta…”

“Good. Do that. I’ll start making plans. Call the apartment if you need me, I’ll be working from home for the next few weeks.” And then disappeared behind his door. The noise of the TV was the only thin’ now penetratin’ the wall of silence that Uncle Blood had left in the livin’ room. Finally free of the spell, my thoughts broke through the fog.

“Well… that was weird.”

“Eeyup.”

“Where do ya want me ta park?” Ah asked the air.

“Take it around the back of the castle. It took a lot of effort, but I made a garage a while back. Just be thankful that the internal road runs right by this place, otherwise, there would be a lot of fake trees for you to drive through.” Eventually, after circlin’ the castle three times, Ah found the slight indentation she was talkin’ about. Ah tapped the spot three times and it opened up just like she said it would. Ah guess it’s noticeable, but only if you’re lookin’ fer it. What’s the point of the garage bein’ secret if nopony can find the castle in the first place? Ya need ta be with somepony who’s got the brand ta get in anyways, and it’s not like there ain’t trees in every which direction fer at least a mile.

Begrudgingly, Ah drove down the crystalline ramp and watched as lights came on all around me. As far as Ah could tell, ya could fit a pickup truck in here if ya wanted, but that’s about it. A few more seconds of ever lowerin’ hall until finally Ah saw the reflection or Rarity’s black sports car. The actual garage could likely fit five, maybe six full sized vehicles if need be, so Ah suppose Twilight had always intended fer more ponies ta show up with vehicles. Ah didn’t see any reason ta take up much space since the bike was really just about as big as Macintosh is, so Ah just parked by the edge of the hallway leadin’ back out. After wanderin’ through darkness and barely lit halls, all adjusted ta Twilight’s dark adapted eyes, Ah found my way ta the livin’ room, where everypony else was waitin’ fer me.

“Would it kill ya ta turn the damn lights on around here?” Twilight rolled her eyes, which Ah could swear were bloodshot around the edges. Somepony's tired.

“It might. But I suppose I could adjust them to be a little bit brighter for you.” Wow, she sounds like shit too. What happened? Ah let that though file itself away and made it a point ta check Pinkie over ta make sure she looked normal again. Save fer a few bald patches around the parts where Ah think her leg was broken the worst, she looked like she was back ta normal.

“Glad ta see you’re okay Pinkie.” She looked at me and smiled, but it didn’t last long, and she put her eyes back ta the floor real quick.

“Yeah, thanks…” she just about whispered. Ah was about ta press on that, but a cue from the others told me not ta.

“Well, now that you’re here, did you see the news this morning?” Twilight asked, now in business mode. Ah nodded.

“Yeah, and what’s worse, Ah heard my brother’s reaction ta it. He didn’t even believe it was real. Ah mean, it’s not like he has any reason ta, the last couple station hijacks ended up just bein’ kids screwin’ around, and somepony covered up everythin’ about the monsters we’ve been dealin’ with up till now. It wasn’t any of yer family was it?” As soon as Ah read the story, my thoughts went straight toward the night princess. Cover story, that’s exactly somethin’ she’d do.

“Surprisingly, no, it wasn’t. Well, at least not the ones from the last two weeks. The article I sent you about the guard she had covered up, but only because she has guards stationed to watch over the roads in the province now. As for this though… I’m sure it must’ve been Argent, or whoever is pulling the strings over there… Honestly, even though we have proof that some serious stuff is going down in the tower, we don’t actually know who's ordering it.” Toward the end there, it was more like she was talkin' outloud than ta me. Her jaw was rotatin’, and Ah noticed that the bags under her eyes were more… visible than normal. Ah know the mare has a hard time sleepin’ but…

“As far as I’m concerned, it has to be Mister Stannum. After all the horrible things I saw down in that tower, it wouldn’t surprise me if he did it on purpose to make it look like nothing was really going to happen. If he did that, then he could kill more ponies in the aftermath,” Rarity said.

“K-kill ponies? W-what good would that do him? T-the families of his workforce live here...” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh, right, you two weren’t here when we watched the recording. We should probably show them that first, shouldn’t we Twily?” Goose said. Twilight rolled her eyes then nodded.

“I suppose. I don’t know how you figured out my foster brother’s nickname for me, but Twilight is just fine, thank you.” Her horn started ta glow with it’s violet corona, and then the table lit up. “This… it gets a little gruesome, but I’m sure that’s nothing you two haven’t seen before as of last week. But um… the sounds… well, I’m just going to play it.” The table flashed the number five in a circle that slowly disappeared and changed ta four down ta one just like in an old movie reel, then it started. The view was like it was recorded from a child’s perspective. The image was that of an elevator with gold colored doors. A white hoof in a black suit slid a key-card into the bottom of the floor panel and another panel slid away to reveal a keypad. The hoof pressed five, zero, one, four, and then the elevator started ta move.

“This was shortly after… Um, that mare I met gave me the key. We believe that she did something to my memory before I left, but I couldn’t tell you what. There wasn’t magic involved, so Twilight can’t reverse it either. It’s such a strange haze about it. I can remember everything she’s supposed to be in, and everything she said, but it’s as if all the mentions of her name and what she looked like are just… gone. Had I not tried to talk about her, I doubt I ever would have noticed the memories weren’t there,” Rarity said.

Several minutes passed and then finally, the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. The camera feed cut out, and then, from the other side of the hallway it restarted and the elevator doors closed. The hall was a dingy steel gray, lit only by the green glow of low level lights that lined every direction.

“As you can guess, my power interrupts the working parts in the camera, so it cuts out like this a few times. Every single one of those lights has a disruption crystal in it. For the entire rest of the video, my magic is suppressed. That mare said that she’d fed the cameras in the lower sector a looping playback and I had an hour before it ran out to find what I was looking for. However, it didn’t take that long, and they caught on long before I was done.”

From here the camera went from door ta door and checkin’ inside each window. Most of them were filled with laboratory equipment, drills, what looked like lasers, and fer a while, it continued like that. She checked another lab, all of them either empty or occupied by one very busy hazard equipped pony. On one room she stopped and watched the pony work on whatever they were doin’. The suit covered up all of their features, so not even the race of said pony could be determined, but whatever was goin’ on here was certainly interestin’.

The Lab worker was doin’ somethin’ with a green glowin’ crystal, most likely a disruption crystal. The worker took some kinda pastry knife lookin’ blade and chopped off the end of the crystal, then set the whole crystal aside in favor of the dust the other piece turned inta. The lab worker then scraped the dust inta some kinda receptacle, and then hooked that ta a big machine. Next, they moved ta pull some kinda sickly yellow vial out of a drawer that was full of ‘em. They put the vial in the other side of the machine and then flipped a few switches which started ta spin the machine. Even from the other side of a door that was likely protected with all kinds of magic and at least a few inches of whatever kinda steel based on the window depth, the microphone picked up everythin’.

Once the machine was done, the lab worker took out the vial, which was now filled with a green glowin’ sand. The lab worker put a cap on the vial then then turned ta the door just as the video feed cut out. It started back up again in a much darker place across from where the lab worker was. The suited pony exited the door and then removed their mask. The mare, now identifiable by her short round muzzle and long lashes took a phone out of her suit pocket and dialed a number.

“Hello? Yes, the next batch is ready. Whether or not it works the way we want it to is yet to be seen, but all the same, it’s done. Very well. To the next phase I suppose.” She put the device away and then slid the vial in her pocket. The dark green mare with the dusky orange mane headed down the hallway, and then the camera blinked ta another view, this time inside the door the mare had just left.

“At this point, I decided it would be best if we figured out just what was in those vials. I stole one and got pictures of all the readings in the room. I thought that if we could recreate the experiment, we might be able to reverse the damage it might do, whatever it was that it did. While I was in the tower, I met Stannum Argent’s son, Silicon, and I thought that this mare looked strikingly similar to him. She could have been as old as my father so the idea popped into my head that she might be his mother. Were that the case, she might be clued into what was going on, so from here on, I follow her.”

After the screen had taken clear images of all the written and digital data around the room and Rarity pocketed one of them yellow vials, she returned ta the hallway which the other mare had yet ta leave and followed her at a distance. No idea how she did it, but Rarity managed ta keep the camera focused on the mare without ever losin’ sight of her, all the while keepin’ unnoticed. The other mare reached an elevator at the end of the hallway and once she stepped inside it, the camera blinked out again, only ta come back with a view from above.

“I needed to get on the elevator with her, but remain unseen. It was difficult, but I managed to open the emergency hatch and hide above it.”

The mare typed in a few numbers inta the keypad and the elevator floor display went from negative one ta negative twenty in a hurry. The door opened and the camera blinked once again. Now Rarity was in some hidin’ spot, carefully watchin’ the mare travel. The new location was much less like the previous in that this place was much more… open. Almost like it was some kinda cavern with seemin’ly no bottom and steel catwalks that looked easy ta fall off of. Where Rarity was gettin’ this view from was completely unknown ta me.

“How are you recordin’ her right now?” Ah asked.

“I am not afraid of heights, and the lighting seemed safer to walk on than those dreadful catwalks. I think I move right about… here,” Rarity said, intently watchin' the video feed.

The camera blinked and now she was closer ta a cross section between two walkways. The mare turned left and entered a door in the side wall of the cavern, then the camera blinked and was showin’ the inside of another hallway. Here, the mare met with another suited worker.

“This is the sample. Let’s just hope it works this time.”

“Indeed. And if it doesn’t, well… I suppose we’ll just have to show our hoof, now won’t we?” The muffled and distorted voice replied. The mare nodded and put her mask back on. The two walked inta another door and then the camera blinked and the view was from behind them. The other lab worker put the vial inta some machine slot and then began pressing buttons and switches on a very advanced looking computer console.

“Test subject C45 preparation complete. Now administering vaccine version 135…” The camera focused in on the screen the two were lookin' at and a familiar scene from a different angle began ta play out. However, there was sound to accompany it this time. The pony from before reacted when the vent in the room opened. His eyes, wide and bloodshot, grew frantic and he began ta beat on the door. His nose started ta twitch and the bangin’ stopped. As if it would do any good, her curled himself inta a tight ball, hooves clamped over his nostrils as best he could until… he started ta change.

The snappin’ bones, Ah could deal with. The horrible crackin’, wasn’t the worst thin’, neither was the sound of bone scrapin’ on metal. It was the screamin’. Of everythin’ that could’ve unsettled me, of all ponies, it was the horrible low moan that became frantic pantin’ bursts of agony that rippled out across the chamber in distorted liquid screechin’. It didn’t stop. It only became louder and filled with rage as the contorted creature, only barely recognizable as a pony now, started ta destroy everythin’ around him. In a strange clarity, the mare said,

“Version 135, negative. End the experiment, I’ve seen enough.” The room was filled with a bright red beam of energy that focused in on the creature. It looked like the pony had just about kicked it when it lunged at the source of the beam once more, only ta be met with another beam, this time through it’s half exposed skull. The mare made an angry noise and quickly turned toward the door.

“Eek!” Rarity’s voice said from the video feed. The camera blinked out and was now headed fer the elevator, then the video stopped entirely.

“And that was where I was nearly caught. I was going to explore more, hopefully find where the mirrors were being produced in the tower, but I had to escape as quickly as I could. I don’t believe anypony saw me escape, but from here on it’s just a race to the door. I don’t know about you, but climbing twenty flights of stairs while running from security guards isn’t something I would call a fun afternoon… especially after hearing… that.” She shuddered.

“I-I don’t blame you, that was um… n-not something anypony should have to see…” Fluttershy said.

“If nothin’ else, we have more information now. It’s just unfortunate that this is about as real as it gets. Ah doubt we can risk goin’ back either, so…” Ah began.

“We fight monsters, or die trying, am I right? I mean, it’s not like we have much of a choice anymore,” Goose finished. Twilight shook her head, scrapin’ her teeth together in frustration.

“We don’t know that we don’t have a choice. We don’t even know what our options are, we don’t know whether or not he’s actually ready to release the new airborne virus, or even if there’s any more of it than what is being tested on those innocent ponies. We don’t know if there are more mirrors floating around, and we don’t know why the mirrors cause such a violent and drastic transformation.

Obviously, the two are working on the same principle, and both manipulate the virus, but we can’t figure out how it’s happening. The virus was an enigma to us before, but now this is just one impossible mystery mixed with another. I know we could never do what those ponies are doing, but maybe if we’d continued experiments with the virus, we might have a way to fight this. But at the same time, that’s what caused all this in the first place!” She started ta dig her hooves inta her mane and scratch at her head.

“Gah! The problems of the past are the current generation’s responsibilities, but we’re so stuck in a quagmire right now that I don’t even know how to begin to look for a way out! I can’t show up and make demands for mother and Luna’s information, I can’t put out an emergency evacuation with out getting either of them involved, I have no authority anywhere but here, and I can’t even help you with anything outside the castle! It’s just so infuriating! What is the point of being the daughter of the most powerful pony in the world when I’m reduced to nothing more than a glorified prisoner!?” Twilight slammed her hooves on the table, quickly drawing them back in pain. “Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it! I can’t do anything but watch and hope you all don’t get hurt!” finally stopped and rested her head on her forelegs.

Ah’d just about finished makin’ my way over ta her when Ah noticed the wet stains and mats all over her coat. Her wings had missin’ or feathers half bitten off here and there, and her mane was beyond the normal messy that it typically was. Ah’ve seen this before. Without sayin’ a word, Ah put a hoof in between her wings and started ta rub her shiverin’ back. Moments passed, and soon the silent sobs and shakin’ stopped. The tension started ta fade from her muscles, and she began ta relax.

“Twilight?” Ah asked softly. Her ears twitched.

“Hmm?” Even just a noise came out shakily. Poor mare.

“How long has it been since you’ve slept?” She sniffed.

“T-two, maybe three days...” Ah shook my head and picked the mare up ta throw her over my back. The limp body barely protested and Ah just sighed.

“Meet me down in the trainin’ room in an hour, all of ya. Even if we’re about dead where we stand, we’re gonna do everythin’ we can ta make it hell fer the pony tryin’ ta destroy our city. The princess taught me some new tricks last Wednesday, and it’s about time Ah passed ‘em on. Dismissed.”

Persona III: Midsummer knight's dream (part 1)

“Alright, so, I think I speak for everypony here when I ask, what is this new ‘trick’ of yours, huh?” Goose asked impatiently as Ah made it inta the trainin’ room. The four of ‘em were waitin’ on me, surprisin'ly, and Ah wasn’t even ready ta start yet.

“Look, it was hard enough ta learn this circle thin’ as it is, and Ah’m not sure Ah remember it exactly as it should be, so if y’all could just shut up fer a bit, that’d be great.” Ah took a piece of chalk from my bags and started on the spell circle. Ah haven’t taken any advanced magic chemistry classes yet, and this is an old outdated unicorn magic that was meant ta teach other races how magic works. In theory, provided the magic can be applied ta the matrix, this should allow anypony ta cast anythin’ they so desire. If the magic can be applied, that is. If Rarity can’t turn it on, then we have ta go down an even more experimental route, and Ah’d rather not try and use anythin’ that’s part of Luna’s hoof work. In about half an hour, Ah’d just about recreated the half remembered memory on the floor. And unicorns just have ta think about this image and push. Foals know magic like this and do it all without even tryin’. Now wouldn’t that be nice?

“Okay y’all, Ah’m just about done. Everypony needs ta stand at each of the pentagon points.” Finally lookin’ away from my work, Ah noticed a rather large amount of confusion from just about everypony.

“Uh… you mind explaining what this is? We’re not about to summon a demon or something… right?” Pinkie asked. Ah scratched at my head.

“As long as Ah didn’t get the circle wrong. Probably. So, this is what’s called a spell matrix. It’s more or less what unicorns use ta cast magic when they do, but some of ‘em are just born with all these patterns, while others have ta learn ‘em.” Rarity stepped forward, lookin’ over the circle. When even the unicorn looks confused, then there may be a problem.

“Well, yes, I can see that, but this isn’t some ordinary spell one would use on a daily basis. I wouldn’t know what this does just by looking at it, and I was trained to do that. And what's this inscription that runs along the edge? I’ve seen some of these characters before, but never used them. Do you expect me to cast this or something? Because I doubt I could, especially as complex as this is.” It was definitely some kinda mess of lines, that’s fer sure. When Celestia showed me this, she said it was more ancient than she was, which was sayin’ somethin’ since nopony knows how long she’s really been around. The language that runs along it was hers as a child, and even she hardly remembers how it sounds anymore.

“Uh… well, not exactly. Look, Ah can’t really explain it as well as she did, and since Twilight is out, we either do this, or Ah try and show y’all how Ah did what Ah did by doin’ it, and Ah don’t think that would be real fun fer anypony but me. Ah mean, Ah can beat y’all up if ya want, but...”

“N-no! I-I mean, um… n-no thank you. I-I think it was bad enough the first time, a-and we had Twilight with us then,” Fluttershy blurted out. Ah nodded.

“Well then, Ah think we have a consensus, so y’all quit pussyfootin’ around and let’s do this. Stand on the edge and once we’re all in place, Rarity feed yer magic along the lines of the circle. As long as ya can get the whole thin’ ta light up, then it should work.” With a look from everypony ta everypony else, they eventually joined me at points on the circle and Rarity began. Her horn lit up with her light blue aura and a beam of magic shot at the center of the circle. The glow began ta spread from line ta line, fillin’ the floor with pale blue sparks and trails of lightnin’. She looked tired, and just as it seemed she was gonna give out, the last character lit and the whole circle grew in intensity. Now that we were all connected, it was my turn ta fulfill the next part.

The venue needed ta be somewhere Ah could remember with the utmost clarity. Somewhere Ah was fond of, somewhere Ah was emotionally tied ta. Ah took hold of the memory Ah knew would work, and it all started ta flow out. The expandin’ darkness on the ethereal circle started ta sprout green on its edges, dotted with reds and yellows, and followed by lines of brown. The sound of rustlin’ leaves in the wind, a wind that carried the scent of home, the scent of mom in the air. The soft ground beneath my hooves, the springy grass that circled them. When my eyes opened, we were in the place of my childhood memories, Sweet apple acres in Palomino, Equestria. Before Ah could catch myself, Ah let out a sigh. Ah was told this might happen, but Ah truly wished it wouldn’t have. With all the focus Ah could manage, Ah took my attention away from her, and focused on the ponies in front of me.

“Did… did I do all that?” Rarity asked with wonder as she took in the scene. The other three were equally focused on the orchard that sprawled around them, and after Ah let my attention drift again, Ah pulled everyone back ta the original purpose of this exercise.

“Sort of. Like ya said, this isn’t magic that many ponies can accomplish on their own. But because there’s five of us, it's kinda like an electrical circuit, where the magic accesses everypony's innate magic and uses that ta produce the power needed ta keep the spell active. Even though you supplied the initial burst of energy, Ah'm the one who's in control of the spell because Ah have an idea on how it works. So, Ah’m essentially runnin’ a memory through everypony ta give us a space where Ah can teach y’all how this power works without bein’ limited by anythin’. In reality, we’re all just sittin’ on that circle asleep, but once we leave, yer body is gonna retain all the information Ah pass it.

The princess calls this the Sharin’ Spell, however, it’s tedious and heavily strains the caster in small group settin’s like ours, and quickly fell out of practice long ago. Supposedly it’s still used fer military trainin’ though, so this is perfect fer us. As long as we don’t spend too much time in here, Ah shouldn’t be quite dead tired by the time we’re done. That said, we outta get a move on.” My body began ta wander toward a clearin’ Ah knew was in the trees off ta the left and the rest followed me.

“So, not to pry or anything, but who was that other mare?” Goose asked. Ah shook my head.

“Don’t worry about her. She’s just part of the memory. As much as Ah’d like ta, my brain can’t filter out everythin’ about the place of this memory, so anypony who’s tied ta it has a chance ta show up every now and again. Try not ta interact with her if she shows up. The more my brain has ta simulate, the less time we’ll have ta work.” Now let’s just hope she doesn’t come interact with us...

“So, like… this place is your home right?” Pinkie asked. Ah nodded, but didn’t go any further. The more Ah think about it, the less inclined Ah am ta do what Ah’m here fer. Part of me just wants ta wander around and take it all in, and another part just wants ta see them together again…

“If y’all would, we really need ta get on with this. Princess Celestia could hold this for days at a time, but the five of us together won’t get more than a couple hours, okay? This shit ain’t easy ta learn either, so we need all the time we can get.” The four looked ta one another again, then nodded and turned their attention ta me. “So, ta begin, what Ah’m about ta have y’all do is somethin’ that most of ya have never tried before, and that is castin' magic.” As expected, Ah was immediately met with another look of confusion.

“What? I think you’re about the opposite of stupid, but you know that only one of us is a unicorn right? We aren't really 'equipped' to do that,” Goose said, Ah rolled my eyes and nodded.

“Look, Ah know this is gonna be weird, but in a sense, yer actually capable of it, and ya have been all yer life. The thin’ is, ponies as a species are inherently tied ta magic. Earth ponies are called that because our hooves can do thin’s that no other creature can. With every step we take, magic pours inta the ground and helps life grow. Earth ponies are doctors and nurses because our hooves have a healin' touch in a literal sense. Earth ponies are demolition workers and fighters because our magic can be used fer destruction as well. Sometimes it takes a special talent ta boost these abilities. However, a talent is just a way to say you’re naturally skilled at somethin’, and skills can be taught.

As fer y’all two, yer a unicorn and ya know how ta ‘use’ magic, but not how ta reinforce it. There’s a trick ta it, but with the right trainin’, ya can absorb the energy around ya ta cast. What Ah was taught is real similar ta what ya need ta learn, so it shouldn’t be too hard ta help ya figure it out. Once Ah get them started, Ah’ll get ta ya next.

You on the other hoof are gonna be tricky. As a pegasus, yer magic is mostly tied ta yer wings, and since Ah literally don’t have the appendage, it’s gonna be difficult ta show ya a feelin’ that should be in a place that doesn’t exist. Ah can share what it feels like fer me and maybe ya can figure it out from there, but we’ll have ta experiment with it either way. Fer now, Ah just want y’all ta spar while Ah get them goin’, okay?” The pegasus and the unicorn shrugged and nodded respectively, then trotted off ta the corner of the clearin’. Within’ minutes, they were on their hind legs throwin’ kicks and punches at each other, maybe a bit too similar ta the way Ah’ve always done it. Ah turned away from them them and then focused on my own race.

“Okay, I’m just a little lost here. Why can you do all this? Or, how, really?” Goose asked. Ah took a deep breath.

“Celestia used this same thin’ ta teach me everythin’ Ah’m tryin’ ta teach y’all. She taught me how ta recreate it, and how ta pass it on. That circle out there is somethin’ she learned as a child, and only so many ponies even know it exists. Like Ah said, it's a lot like an electrical circuit, or an engine. Rarity is the spark plug that ignites the Gas, and we're the fuel that keeps the engine runnin'. As fer the spell itself, much like yer brain has electricity runnin' through it ta process and store thoughts and actions, yer body also has magic in it ta keep ya connected ta the world and everythin’ in it. There was more ta all this than Ah can explain, and still don’t understand it completely, but it lets me share feelin’s with y’all, and that’s all Ah could ask fer right now.”

“Ooh! I have a question!” Pinkie said as she raised her hoof in the air. A moment passed as Ah let what she just did sink in, and then Ah answered the school filly.

“Yes?”

“Why is it that my powers aren’t working? I feel… so… different,” She asked. She picked a hoof up and flexed and stretched it all around, makin' what small muscles she had bulge and swell like she was much stronger than she really is.

“That Ah can answer. What y’all are feelin’ right now is my body. Before ya say anythin’, don’t make this weird. It’s more subtle fer the other two since we’re not physically the same, but if ya look, they’re both fightin’ like me right now.” Ah checked over my shoulder, but subtly was about the opposite word fer this. Ah saw Fluttershy shoot a cable from her wrist goin’ after Rarity, my bracers just suddenlt showin' up like she had 'em on beforehoof and knew how ta use 'em. The white mare doubled above her and did the same and the fight raged on. Wow, she really did fix a lot of my form issues. Ah wouldn't even know where ta begin if Ah had ta fight them... er, me? Goddess, this is weird. “Uh, maybe not so subtle. In a kinda ‘monkey see, monkey do’ way, you're gonna learn how ta get some of that destructive power out of yer hooves after ya lose the feelin' of my body and get yer own back. Ah imagine ya don’t feel too different, right Goose?” He shook his head.

“Not really. My skin is kinda soft, which it’s never been before, and I think my teeth are like, I don’t know, not sharp, but the whole strength thing is about the same, if not a little stronger than usual. Is this how it feels to have normal teeth? How do you ponies even eat with these things?” He said as he clicked his oddly straight teeth together. Ah simply shrugged.

“No idea shark boy. Anyways, Ah just want ya ta copy what Ah’m about ta do. You’ll feel it since we’re connected right now, but pay specific attention ta yer hooves. It’s kinda like… if ya ever watched a wave crash up against the docks and spray out. It’ll be a big ol’ burst power that just kinda flows through everythin’.” Ah went up ta the nearest tree and tried ta remember exactly what it looked like when Celestia showed me how ta do it.

The first thin’ ta come was the color. She made sure ta highlight the ‘magic vessels’ as she called them that flowed ta the hooves. Ah sat and focused my power there and then opened my eyes once it felt right. The orange glow that looked like bulgin’ veins along my legs appeared ta be right, so next came the action. With every collision, Ah was supposed ta imagine that color explodin’ like a wave splashin’ white spray along the harbor shore. Ah got up in my stance and loaded my right hoof. Once Ah was focused on the tree, an instinctual thought came inta mind and Ah threw the punch. The color splashed in a circular wave along the tree bark, shootin’ sparks like lightnin’ behind me and all across the sky. Torn from the ground, the tree shot back across the empty space behind it inta the next tree, knockin' all the apples off and uprootin' it. The momentum passed from tree ta tree until around six very large and very thick apple trees had been torn from the ground and removed of their apples.

“Okay… One, holy shit. Two, holy shit. Uh, just to be clear, this world is kinda real right? Like, physics and stuff works here so those trees weren’t made out of cardboard or anything, right?” Goose asked. Ah nodded.

“This memory is from back when Ah was about three or so. While my parents could easily buck apples off these trees that’ve been growin’ fer centuries, my little body could barely shake ‘em. If Celestia was tellin’ the truth, this world should feel about the same as Ah remember it, so I imagine they’re pretty hard at the moment. If Ah were ta equate it ta somethin’, the trees should be about as hard as a six foot thick concrete pillar.” The two reared back.

“You for real? Like, really?” Pinkie asked.

“See fer yourself.” In truth, my hoof still stung from the force Ah put inta the punch. Ah shook the pain away and watched Pinkie and Goose struggle ta shake a tree. The leaves barely so much as trembled under their meager efforts.

“So, my statement still stands. Holy shit. And you think I can do that?” Goose asked, a little excited even. Ah nodded.

“Ah know that both of ya can. At least in here. You should be able ta do it outside too, but that’s practice fer another time. Ya felt it, right?” The two tilted their heads and thought fer a moment.

“Well...” Pinkie began.

“It was there for sure,” Goose continued.

“But it was also like it wasn’t,” Pinkie added.

“Almost like there was this phantom feeling,” Goose furthered.

“Like I was feeling it as if I was doing it, but at the same time, I wasn’t,” they finished in unison. Ah nodded again.

“That sounds about right. It was similar when the princess showed me, but Ah think she had a better grasp on what she could make me feel. So, Ah’m gonna do it again, but real slow this time, one step at a time.” Ah made my way ta the next tree over and got in my stance.

“The first step is ta let the magic build. Ah’ve only really used this twice, and it was more of an instant thin’ both times. It’s a little strange ta do it before hoof, but Ah bet ya could charge it longer if ya needed ta. It’s almost like tensin’ up yer hooves, but there’s a liquid feelin ta it, like somethin’s movin’ inside.” Ah held my hoof at the back of my swing and watched as the bright orange light started ta fill my hoof from the inside. As Ah held it, Ah could feel an almost burnin’ comin’ from inside. The magic was writhin’ and violent, just waitin’ ta burst out like a waterfall bein' held back by a dam.

“As y’all can tell, this don’t feel too nice, so after ya get here, ya want ta let it go.” After bitin’ my lip ta take some of the pain off, Ah turned my attention ta the tree and let the magic go. The squirmin’ fire inside was relieved with the mediocre punch that landed on the tree. From the epicenter of the blow, the magic exploded in all directions, findin the little cracks in the tree that my hoof made and expandin’ them in an instant. Bark turned ta shrapnel and shot outward and inta the trees around it, yet leavin’ the apples on the ground in a neat pile. Fer a split second, Ah swore one of the trees turned inta a green tentacle, but it went away as soon as it appeared.

“I think the magic wants to let itself go, geez,” Pinkie said, shakin’ her hoof in the air.

“Yeah, I’m with Ponko on this one, that hurt. Like, a lot. Is this safe?” Goose asked, as Pinkie gave him an off color look. Ah scratched at my head. Well, Ah didn’t really ask about that…

“Ah don’t know. Celestia gave me a vague warnin’ about over usin’ it, but that’s about it. Now that Ah think about it though, it’d probably everywhere if it was, so try not ta go over board. That said, nothin’ is ‘really’ happenin’ here as far as our bodies are concerned, so give it a try.” Ah motioned toward another couple trees and Pinkie shrugged and went ahead, but Goose didn’t move. “Somethin’ wrong?”

“I’m still not sure about this. I know we might have no choice but to use it at some point, but shouldn’t we get more information about it first? Like, what if this does damage that can’t be repaired in the long run?” Ah furrowed my brows.

“Long run?”

“Yeah, like, later on in life.” Ah shook my head.

“What does it matter if we die in a fight because we’re afraid of usin’ the power we have available? As a matter of fact, Ah bet she didn’t tell me anythin’ because of that. Look, Ah know this is more than likely dangerous and all, but what’s the point if we’re dead? A little sayin’ Ah learned in my first couple years of hero work; ‘Dead mares tell no tales.’ Learn ta live it, or die without it. Make it ta tomorrow before ya think about the next day.” Usin’ this much force and messin’ with internal magic probably is gonna fuck us up later on in life, but only if we make it that far. Ah’d rather live with a problem than die early. Goose frowned.

“I suppose. But maybe… let me go first, huh? I know I haven’t known you girls all that long, but it’d be a real shame if this world lost you. And I mean that.” He took those sincere orange eyes off me and moved toward his own tree. Huh. Didn’t expect that. He sounded completely serious too. Pinkie’s hoof started ta flicker a bright pink, and with a quick jab at the tree, it gained a new big dent in the center. However, Pinkie reared her hoof back shakin’ it off like it was on fire.

“Holy hell, that hurt! Goddess, why does it burn so much!? On top of literally punching a wall, it burns me, geez!”

“But ya did it, didn’t ya? Try it again and put more inta it. Ah want three trees down by the time we get done here.” Pinkie sighed.

“Sure, whatever,” she said in a disheartened tone. Ah was about ta go reprimand that, but the Ah thought better of it. Ah should probably figure out what’s goin’ on with her before Ah go off on her… At the other tree, Goose was makin’ dents in it, but there wasn’t much of a glow at all. A pale yellow green would gather near the tip of his hoof, but falter just as he tried ta throw the punch.

“I just can’t get it to work. I can feel it, but it’s nowhere near as intense as what you did.”

“Hmm… Just keep at it, try chargin’ it longer if ya have ta, or try gettin’ the magic up as yer throwin’ the punch if it just fails too quick. We really have next ta no information on how this works at all, so we can’t rule anythin’ out until we do.” Goose frowned again, but went back at tryin’ ta get magic ta pool in his hoof. Well, he can do it at least, so that’s somethin’… but Ah wonder if there’s maybe more ta this than we know? Damn… Ah’ll have ta try and get in contact with her again. Ah really should know more before we try this out in the real world… The next thin’ Ah did was attempt ta get Rarity and Fluttershy’s attention, but that wasn’t workin’ at all. It was almost like the two were in some kinda trance. They were nearly missin’ each other or blockin’ one attack after the other relentlessly. Geez, why couldn’t they be that vicious the other day? After another minute of watchin’ the spectacle that they were, Ah decided it was time ta end their little ghost match.

The two shot at a tree on opposite ends and were about ta collide with each other as Ah grabbed one of the cables, ripped it out of the tree and sent a wave down it. Rarity at the other end seemed ta come out of the trance after bein’ literally shaken from it.

“Wha- what in the world!?” Ah let go of the cable and it shot back inta the bracer on her wrist as she came back down ta earth. This must've pulled Fluttershy outta whatever she was in because she face planted inta the tree her cable was hooked ta.

“Oww...” Ah caught Rarity and set her back down, then pulled Fluttershy off the tree. After she could stand and focus her eyes again, Ah figured Ah’d ask about what they were doin’.

“So uh… were y’all havin’ fun?”

“To be quite honest with you, I’m not sure what I was doing. One moment, We begin to spar, and the next we’re zipping around this field trying to kill each other,” Rarity said.

“I-I don’t entirely know what was going on either. S-shortly after the fight s-started, everything began to look different. I-I think I was in the city? And Rarity didn’t look like herself, s-she was some… b-black figure… I-I don’t know, I thought I was going to d-die if I didn’t fight back.” Maybe my other memories are startin’ ta blend inta this one? Hmm… If that’s the case, we need ta get done and get outta here before somethin' happens…

“Okay, well, let’s not do that anymore. Seein’ as y’all were fightin’ ghosts, ya probably didn’t see my demonstration. So, watch this and pay attention ta how it feels.” Ah used the power once more, this time dialin’ it back a bit ta keep from breakin’ too many trees in the process. When the second tree didn’t uproot the third, the show was over and Ah checked the shocked faces of my friends.

“A-and you think we can do that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Uh… maybe? The important thin’ is that feelin’ right before Ah hit the tree. The liquid tension, and the burnin’ sensation, did ya get it?” Ah asked. The two of them tilted their heads like the other two did.

“Well, kind of. It was certainly what you described, but it didn’t line up with what I saw,” Rarity said.

“How so?”

“Well, that feeling is associated with the light, yes?”

“Yeah, that’s the gist of it.”

“Well, it was more like I felt as if I were taking in the aqueous fire instead gathering it from inside. Almost like it was coming from somewhere else and not… me?” Ah nodded.

“Yeah, that sounds about right. Celestia said that’s what it should feel like fer a unicorn. What’s happenin’ here is that Ah’m poolin’ magic up in my hooves and then lettin' it go as raw power. Ah’m not real sure how ya would start the process, but once ya gather the magic Ah figure ya can push it inta a spell or somethin’. Ah know that there are combat spells out there that reinforce the body, so maybe we can look inta that once we get back ta reality. Fer now, just attempt ta put dents in the trees with yer hooves. If ya can do that, then we can look inta gettin’ it ta work in the real world.” Rarity nodded in agreement.

“That works for me. Who knows, this might give me the ability to be a ‘normal unicorn’ for once,” she said with air quotes. Huh. Ta become normal by becomin’ more than normal.

“Maybe. But we don’t know what this will do ta yer body, so then again, maybe not.” Ah waved her away and she shrugged and made her way ta the nearest tree. My attention then turned ta Fluttershy.

“So, what did you feel?”

“Um… I-I think it was the whole build up thing, b-but in a place that’s usually kinda numb for me. Like, y-you know how pegasi have nerves near the tips of their wings?” Ah nodded. For what little Ah knew about each tribe’s anatomy outside the basics, unicorns have a specific part at the base of the horn that connects it ta the brain, and pegasi have wings that come in all manner of shapes and sizes that resemble birds in the wild. Earth ponies don’t have anythin’ that’s specifically unique ta themselves, but all our cells are tougher in comparison ta the others, makin’ bones, skin and organs harder ta break. “W-well, it was like I could suddenly feel everything around my feather tips. L-like they were super sensitive. I’m not s-sure what that means though…”

“Huh. Well, Ah figured it’d be different fer ya. Why don’t ya try poolin’ the magic and then flyin’ on it?”

“O-okay.” She closed her eyes and Ah took a step back as the tips of her feathers started ta glow with a yellow light. Without warnin’, the light quickly climbed up her feathers and over her wings. She made a motion ta flap them once, and like a rocket, she shot in the sky. Screamin’ all the while, the pale yellow rocket started ta come down as the light faded away in a trail. When she didn’t fix herself and she kept fallin’ though, Ah knew somethin’ was wrong.

“Remember to use caution when using this spell. The world may not be real, but the mind perceives this world as a place in reality. If the consciousness is discontinued in here, the consciousness has a very low chance of returning to its owner’s body.” Celestia’s warnin’ echoed through my mind. My brain went on high alert and suddenly everythin’ Ah ever knew about physics came ta the forefront. In an instant of panic and clarity, Ah figured out how ta save her.

“Goose, Pinkie, Rarity, here, now!” Ah ordered. The three showed up in an instant. “Rarity, Pinkie, get ready ta play catch! Goose, throw me!” Ah yelled as Ah pointed at the rapidly fallin’ figure. Without a word the other two got in position from where Fluttershy had taken off, and Goose picked me up.

“Man, I hope you know what you’re doing!” He said. Ah pooled magic in my rear hooves and Goose did the same with his front. As soon as Ah felt Goose begin ta throw me, Ah released my own magic. The two opposin’ forces shot me like a bullet and directly in line with Fluttershy’s flailin’ body. Just as Ah reached the crest of my arc, Ah caught Fluttershy out of the air and began ta fall myself with ever increasin’ speed. Ah tossed the limp body up and away toward the others just as Ah was about ta reach the treeline. Bark came up ta my face quicker than Ah was prepared fer, then everythin’ went dark.

Persona III: Midsummer knight's dream (part 2)

“Oh, come on, damn it! Wake up! Please…? Ugh.” In the grand span of about twenty seconds, we had gone from an orchard in some kind of serene rural area back to the city. The problem with that being that the dream or whatever this place is, hasn’t ended. See, shortly after Applejack caught Fluttershy out of the air and tossed her to her friends, she landed face first against one of these crazy trees. Feeling that I could suddenly warp again, I blinked over there to see if she was okay, but that wasn’t the case. Completely out cold, but not a scratch on her, either by some miracle or whatever effects that this ‘sharing spell’ has. Then the world changed. The trees morphed into buildings and the city I grew up in sprawled out around us. The vibrant greens and clear skies turned into a cloudy day filled with all the dull grays, browns, and reds that made up the skyscrapers we were surrounded with all the time. Unsure as to what else to do, I picked up Applejack and made my way back to the others.

“Hey, I’ve got the princess. Sleeping beauty doesn’t seem to want to wake up though,” I called out. It looked as if Fluttershy was stumbling back to her hooves with help from Pinkie, but Rarity turned to me in alarm.

“Won’t wake up? You mean to tell me she’s asleep?” she asked. I nodded. At the same time, I started to feel my teeth change back to normal and my skin return to it’s scratchy texture. She must’ve seen me frown. “What’s wrong?”

“Hey, will you all check to see if your powers are back to normal?” The unicorn blinked from one spot to another, and the conscious earth pony sped from a few spots around the alley we were now in and back. “So uh… you’re the one familiar with magic here, any idea what’s going on?” Rarity shrugged, to my disdain.

“No, not really. This was new territory to begin with. However, an educated guess would say this is a dream or something. At the very least, we’re still inside Applejack’s head. Look over there. Do you remember that sign?” She pointed to a store front on the other end of a street behind us. Sure enough, I immediately recognized the old ice cream shop. One that had closed down almost eight years ago.

“Well, that’s not there anymore.” A bolt of lightning shot through the sky, shaking the ground we stood on.

“Eep!” The pegasus jumped and hid behind one of the dumpsters in the alley.

“Hmm… I don’t like the looks of this.” Rarity said. “I’m no psychologist, but based on the things Applejack has told me, I doubt she has the most pleasant dreams. If we’re still in her subconscious, and she’s not actively controlling it anymore, then there’s a chance anything could happen. We should probably find a place to weather the storm.” Pinkie rolled her eyes.

“Provided we can...” she muttered.

“Hey, now, don’t be like that! So we’re a little stuck, no reason to get down about it,” I said, my natural charisma coming out. My cutiemark just so happens to make me a pony pleaser, even more so than when I was young and didn’t have it yet. Almost without fail, I can provide comforting words to whomever needs them. It’s got like a ninety ten split on working and not working though, and ponies who don’t like me, don’t usually take too well to my silver tongue. Specifically this mare, who has some kinda vendetta against me. She glared at me.

“I’ve been putting up with you. Remember that.” Geez, she needs to lighten up.

“No, he’s right. If we act like the situation is hopeless, then it truly is at that point. I figure we might try to head toward the castle. If nothing else, Central park has weathered every natural or ponymade disaster this city has suffered, so we should, in theory, be relatively safe there. Applejack said that together, we could only keep the spell active for a few hours at best. If we can just wait out this dream until she wakes up, or the spell ends, I think we’ll be okay.” Yeah, that’s about as sound as logic can get right now. Who knows what could happen in a dream? Even more so in this weird magic… However, the quiet mare spoke up.

“I-I’m not so sure about that… I… T-this is what I saw, w-when we were sparring. The sky is the same, and we’re really close to where…” Something must’ve clicked for her because she immediately bolted down the alley and searched around, finally stopping when she looked right. She then sank to a sitting position and stared wide eyed at whatever it was that shocked her. One by one, the rest of us followed. Had I not had an unconscious Applejack draped over my back, I would’ve wanted to sit down too. Breaking through the sky, sitting high above all the other skyscrapers in the Manehattan was a building I hadn’t seen in twelve years. The Trade Center.

“Guys… we need to figure out what time it is. Now,” I ordered. The three mares turned to me.

“W-why?” The butter cream pegasus asked.

“The fight starts at ten. The Trade Center goes down twenty minutes after the fight starts. We are right at the epicenter of where the collapse happens.” Stunned, none of the mares reacted. I remember how this went down… I was here to see it happen. So much destruction in such a short time. This was the day that I realized how destructive super powers could truly be… and this was the day she lost her father… When I looked up and nopony had moved, I figured I was the only one who really knew how screwed we are.

“Well!? What are you waiting for, find a clock! Rarity was right, Central park is the only place that’s going to be safe, so we need to go, now!” Surprisingly, that kicked everypony into gear, and they all looked around for something that had the time on it. That ice cream shop was in the northern district near the corner of 202nd and 161st. That means Central park is only ten miles away. If we can make it there before ten twenty, we’ll be fine. If not, then we risk getting caught in the dust storm that followed the collapse and all the chaos that came with it…

“Guys, it’s nine fifty nine…” Pinkie said as she came back. All around, the sound of a bell rang loud and clear, as if it were being struck right by our ears. One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine… Boom! A crash, not but across the street into the Bugle building. Waves of percussion shot through the city, another crash, the sound of concrete erupting through the center of the Bugle. A boom, two figures shot across the sky, one in a bright white suit with a flowing red cape, the other covered in black with a shiny piece on his chest that looked strangely familiar. What was that? Is that guy wearing a mirror? Hmm… if this is at least partially a memory, then maybe…

“Hey, new plan. I’m going to try and get a closer look at this. Take Applejack and get to the park alright?” Before I could give any of them a chance to argue with me, I set Applejack down and bounded up to the top of the nearest building. Now that I was above everything, I spotted the two fighters again. Red Hoof twisted himself around and kicked the other guy in the head, landing him straight into the street. Red Hoof stopped on a building just in front of me. Taking the time to look him over, he was nearly identical to Applejack in stature, if only more masculine. However, the side of his suit has been stained with a red spot that was slowly growing. Good goddess, that’s unsettling. I know he dies in this fight, but… to see the hero bleed…

Another near explosion level of sound shot from the crater the other stallion had been thrown into. The black figure flew through smoke and dust after Red Hoof, and the two took to the air. This is where they first damage the trade center… I followed close by, barely managing to keep up with the unreal speed these two had. Red Hoof landed on the trade center and shot back after his pursuer, stretching out one hoof and close lining the guy in black. Finally, I got a good look at the mirror, if only for a second. There was something different about it compared to the ones I knew. First off, it was still solid. No signs of melding with the user at all. Second, it had a strange shine to it. On top of the weird property that makes them reflect more than they should, this one almost had a faint rainbow of light that glistened around the edge. What in the world? Isn’t this supposed to be her brain recreating everything? How would she have seen all this? Unless… she did see all of this?

I began to look around to see if I could spot Applejack, in whatever form she may have taken right now. Sirens started to whine as the two crashed into a new crater they made in the street, taking my attention back to the fight. A familiar scene came to mind as I watched them from above. They were only in the same spot for so long, as Red Hoof was kicked out and into an apartment complex. Ah, I remember this. Yep, there I am. The apartment that Red Hoof crashed into was the one that I lived in at the time. Sure enough, little me was standing there with my guardian, horrified that a super hero had just crashed into my home.

“Red hood, Murderer!” The other guy yelled. I was lucky enough to turn tail and run as soon as Red Hoof crashed in. Almost immediately after the maid and I escaped, the other guy jumped and slammed his elbow in the bleeding side of Red Hoof, collapsing the entire complex as they sailed through it, my little self watching in horror. My friends, ponies I lived with were still in there, and the building fell apart on top of them. Half of them would die here, and the rest would be wounded, some for the rest of their lives. Then it hit me. This isn’t just her memories, these are mine too… Why is it mixing? Is it because we’re all connected to this magic still? Seconds later, Red Hoof had kicked his opponent away, finally taking the time to look around. Even under the mask, I remember the mortified look he had on his face.

“Murderer… You killed my family!” The other guy jumped out of fallen brick and cement after the hero. The two fought hard, oddly enough now that I could watch it in detail, this looked not too dissimilar to when Applejack and I sparred the other day. Blows were almost match for match, every movement done with a purpose, no energy wasted. The earth shook with every clash, the force of the wind they made scattering dust in every direction. Finally, they both struck each other in the ribs and went either direction. As if compelled, I followed Red Hoof, warping to keep up with him as his body broke windows in an office floor. The hero skipped until he finally made it to the other side and fell into the street. Then I saw her. Just as Red Hoof got up, he froze when his eyes must’ve come across her too. She was so young, no way she was more than eight. But… haven’t I seen her before? Like this? She looks... so familiar. Another crash sounded out through the city and she took a step closer to him. Red Hoof turned his head back to her, and said,

“Applejack, run!” He used her name? She didn’t move. She didn’t even respond. It was like the words paralyzed her. Red Hoof said it again, more volume in his voice this time, more fear. She didn’t move again, her little body completely frozen in place, just short of shivering. Finally, Red Hoof said,

“Jaquline Apple, RUN!” As if she’d been released from whatever hold had her, she turned tail and bolted. I followed the filly, watching her hooves make prints in the concrete as if it were sand. Damn, she’s quick… and strong from the looks of it. Noise boomed through the air in succession and the filly stopped. She turned to look toward the scene again and held still. One last wave of sound was followed by the crackling and snapping of metal and concrete. I saw her mouth the word ‘no’ and she started to run back. The Trade Center fell, and the sky was filled with dust and debris. The filly froze once again.

“No… Ya can’t! Ya can’t do this ta me!” Her voice was little. Truly like it was coming from a filly and not a twenty year old mare. She headed back to the collapsed Trade Center, and then things started to change. The bright gray sky started to fade to a violet and black swirling mess. A figure started to grow out from the fallen tower, a monster of some kind.

“That is correct… He is dead, and you will be next!” The demonic feminine voice said. The creature was some kind of dragon, not unlike what Synchro turned into, but of a blue-ish black color that shined like oil. It had bright blue and violet spines running along its back that seemed to glow in the darkness, and a jagged white crescent on it’s forehead. The creature crushed a building under one of it’s massive hooves. Applejack took a tentative step back, but held her place.

“N-no! Ah won’t! Ah can’t! There are too many ponies who need me!” She yelled back, her voice much closer to normal than the filly’s from before.

“Try as you might, all your efforts are meaningless!” Applejack dug her hooves at the ground and then charged at the monster. What are you doing!? You can’t fight that thing! Her anguished scream filled the air until she finally landed a kick on the monster’s hoof that could nearly be ten times her size. There was a small clack from the sound of hooves colliding, but the monster looked unphased. “Foolish girl, there is nothing you could ever do to harm me! Now, die like your father, miserable and alone!” The hoof started to rise, and Applejack tried to run. She did what she could, but it was almost like she was being drawn beneath it. I have to stop this! I can’t watch her die!

Without much thought in the heat of the moment, I warped just in front of her and tried my best to use that new power. The burning in my hoof was enough to make me want to grab her and run, but I didn’t have time. I had to stop the monster. The power was fading, and the pain was keeping me from charging more. The giant dragon’s hoof came close enough to attack, and little Applejack had just curled into a ball trying to protect herself. The sight did something to me. It was as if the pain was suddenly irrelevant and I felt I could draw in more power. A seething, burning feeling filled me, but not one that I remembered ever feeling before. A primal yell escaped my body as I let go and punched the monster. The bright yellow-green magic exploded from my hoof into the dragon’s, illuminating all the scrapes and scratches of battles long past. The monster reeled back as it’s hoof started to disintegrate.

“Don’t you ever forget! I told you that I would be your super hero if the time came!” In some strange feeling of numbness combined with the power of that magic, my body sprang into motion again. I could feel a change, but I didn’t know what it was.

“Fool! You dare defy me!?” The dragon echoed as if she were speaking directly into my head.

“She’s been everypony else’s hero all this time, dealing with monsters like you and carrying all that weight on her own! If I can step up and take some of that off of her shoulders, then damn it, I will!” I could feel the power building as I ran. In some kind of desperate attempt to stop me, the dragon began to hurl buildings at me, bathed in blue magic. As if it were some kind of movie choreography, I jumped from each building to the next as they fell, gaining more speed and power with each leap. When I was finally close enough, I raised my hoof, the light almost as bright as the sun itself.

“It’s time to wake up! The nightmare is over!” My punch landed square on the monster’s muzzle. The light spread and grew ever brighter with each passing moment. Eventually, it became so bright, that I couldn’t see anything but white.

“Goose?” A voice said.

“Huh?” Everything felt like it was in pain. I didn’t want to move, I just wanted to go back to sleep. I felt so drained, like all my energy had been sapped out.

“Goose, wake up.” The voice said again. A mare’s voice, for sure. I know I’ve heard this one before. Who is it? I finally rubbed the sand out of my eyes and saw the world again. Above me was a blonde mare with an orange coat and concerned green eyes that I don’t think I’d ever seen before. Then they became relieved. “Geez. Okay, he’s up. Everypony’s accounted fer now,” she said to somepony else behind me.

“Very well. I will be taking my leave now,” the other voice said. Suddenly, I remembered everything I just went through and recognized the voice. I turned around and stood up ready to fight, but instead what I was expecting to see, there was just a very tall, very tired, and very annoyed looking princess sitting there. She barely reacted to me, only frowning even more and letting out a sigh. “If ever you attempt to use my magic again, please refrain from doing so without an outside guardian. When next I see Celestia, she and I will have a very long discussion about who is allowed to learn my magic.” She stood and took a few steps back, then her horn started to glow. Blue lightning began to spark in all directions as she was covered by a bright glowing ball of it. One final flash, and she was gone.

“So uh… mind filling me in here?” I asked. Applejack took a seat on the training room floor and let out a sigh.

“Oh, ya know. Ah lost control of the magic and nearly got y’all killed in one of my nightmares.”

“Okay, but what about-”

“She stopped it. Dreams are kinda her thin’, ya know? As it turns out, she picked up on her magic bein’ used and tried ta figure out what was goin’ on. When she couldn’t access our little shared dream remotely, she realized why and warped over here immediately. Had she not shown up when she did, the circle probably woulda drained us all ta death, or the monsters in my head woulda killed everypony.” Applejack stared absently at the ceiling, a tired look on her face. We sat in the empty training room together in silence

“So… do you… remember anything?” Part of me felt like I really did something to stop that nightmare, but if the princess just came in and fixed everything, then what did it even matter that I tried at all?

“Like what?” she asked, never taking her eyes off the ceiling. It was almost like she was looking at something I couldn’t see.

“About the dream.” Because asking about myself probably won’t get me anything I want to know. She let her head fall, and she crossed her forelegs in thought.

“After the trainin’ session failed, it all gets kinda murky. Based on what everypony else told me though, y’all dealt with my usual nightmare up ta a point, but then Luna got everypony out. About where the Trade Center collapses, Ah think.”Where the trade center collapses? But everything important that happened came after that… how could that be?

“Oh… I see.” It isn’t like me to be speechless or disappointed, but everypony gets that way sometimes right? Applejack stood up and stretched herself in some kind of upright yoga pose. If nothing else, this mare can bend in ways most ponies could only hope to.

“Well, now that yer okay, Ah guess Ah can go sleep fer real.” She started toward the staircase, and I just watched her go. It hasn’t happened in a long time, but every now and again, I find one of those mares that I just can’t help but watch. They always stun me to silence and take a piece of me captive to themselves. A piece that I’ve always tried to share, a piece that so many have wanted for themselves that I could never hope to give away because of my cutiemark. It’s only happened once before, a long time ago before my powers ever showed up, before my cutiemark came along. I remembered that moment today and here she is again. Twelve years later, walking away, taking my heart with her, her relentless hold never loosening once. Just as she made it to the door, she stopped.

“Oh, and before Ah forget…” she looked at me with those bright green eyes, like emeralds that could pierce a stallion with a glance.

“Thanks.”

And then, she disappeared.

Persona IV: The Line Between Dreams and Reality

“Gah, that’s enough!” Ah yelled. Down in the trainin’ room, not one, not two, not three, not four, but all five of my teammates were seconds from collapsin’ where they stood.

“Oh thank goddess,” Pinkie said as she let herself slide ta the floor, covered in sweat. “Oww...”

“Geez. I know you were pulling your punches, but did you have to stop doing that when I was the target?” Goose complained.

“Ya don’t get sympathy, none of ya, but especially you.” Ah can’t just play trainer here. Ah have ta be better than Ah am, and they can’t stay as terrible as they used ta be either. We don't have the time...

“So, I suppose… I quite understand the... the consequences of our failing tomorrow-” Rarity began. Ah probably overreacted, but this set me off.

“Don’t say another fuckin’ word! Don’t even think about it! We will not fail ta do anythin’! Tomorrow is gonna come and go, and everypony is gonna wake up the next mornin’, y’all hear me!?”

“Yes ma’am!” They said in unison. Ah didn’t realize how heavy Ah was breathin’ before, but now Ah could tell that Ah was probably just as tired as everypony else was. Fer the past week, We’ve been trainin’ every day, sunrise ta sunset, and even further if we had the energy. And today, or rather tonight, it was Saturday, September 14th, 2030. If the threat held water, and as far as we believe, it will, then tomorrow, somethin’ will show up in the city at some time ta destroy it. The heroes that live here might know, maybe they took the mask’s warnin’ seriously too, and maybe we’ll have some help. But, Ah can’t say fer sure we won’t just be on our own. That’s why we have ta train. We have ta be ready. This can’t end up like the last time, we cain’t lose anypony durin’ the fight, we don’t have that kinda luxury. Ah shook my head and made my way ta the little break room that Twilight set up at the corner of the trainin’ room ta check my phone fer the time. Seven thirty? There’s still sunlight out, and Ah’ll be damned if we’re not ready fer tomorrow.

“Y’all have twenty minutes! Get some water, a snack if ya must, but be back down here by seven fifty fer the next round!” A collective groan came from the heaps of pastel around the floor. “Don’t y’all give me that! Get up and get refreshed! Tomorrow is the day! We’re outta time!” Slowly but surely, yellow, then pink, then white, then violet coats began ta move ta standin’ positions and up the staircase. When Goose was still on the floor by the time the rest were gone, Ah made my way ta get him up personally. “Well? What is it? Get yer ass up.” He raised a hoof, but didn’t leave his position on the ground.

“You know, I would, but I’m just tired to the point where... moving isn’t really much of an option anymore,” He said between breaths. Ah rolled my eyes and pulled him off the ground. He made it ta a wobbly stand, but then slowly sank back ta the floor.

“Look, honey dear, sugar cube, I know we’re kinda out of time here, but us being overworked doesn’t do anything but hurt us tomorrow.” My ear twitched.

“What’d ya call me?” By the look of his terrified orange eyes, Ah figured my tone made it across.

“Uh… honey dear?” Ah picked him up by the scruff of his neck and brought him inches from my face.

“Not that, the other one. Please, say it again.” He swallowed.

“S-sugar… cube?” The fire started ta build up in my hooves. Ah raised it back ready ta punch through his head, then when my foreleg started ta move, Ah quickly angled it down and let it smash inta the ground. Ah suppose, if only by accident, Ah used the magic inside ta reinforce my blow because after the dust cleared, we were in a crater, and not a small pony shaped one like Ah intended either. Ah let him go and then started my way ta the stairs.

“Ah believe Ah’ve made myself clear.” Ah turned away and headed up the corridor, not givin’ him a second look. When Ah could tell Ah was finally out of sight, Ah quickly went ta nurse my wrist. Goddess, damn it! Get a hold of yerself! Ya can’t just get mad and lose it like that, that’s how ya break shit! Earlier in the week, Ah managed ta get in contact with Celestia. As it turns out, our new ‘magic’ isn’t much more than an unlockin’ spell that doesn’t need a unicorn’s horn ta cast. In reality, it simply removes the blocks the brain has in place on the muscles. With this, one can put everythin’ they can inta their enhanced parts, i.e., the magic center of a unicorn’s horn, the wing roots of a pegasus’ wings, and the hooves of an earth pony. The nice thin’ about mine and Fluttershy’s bodies happens ta be how quickly we regenerate.

We attempted ta use the ‘magic’ in the real world, but only ta varyin’ degrees of success. Twilight has yet ta manage it. Not really all that surprisin’, since she can’t use the sharin’ spell and all. She watches when we try it ta see if she can’t trace the magic in our bodies from the outside, but so far, that hasn’t had any effect. Rarity got it twice, but on the second attempt, she fractured her horn. That took intensive care and a visit ta the hospital ta fix, and even then she’s still not supposed ta touch her magic until next week. If we get desperate, she can still stop time, but only if that. Goose never got his ta work, at all. Or at least, not when he was tryin’ ta. In one trainin’ session, he did it, but completely by accident. In an attempt ta keep me from taggin’ out one of the girls, (who, Ah can’t really remember because they may have sent me inta a blood rage at the time) he picked up a whole chunk of the wall and threw it in my way. It caught me off guard so much that Ah got knocked inta the wall without even protectin’ myself. Ah’m still a little bruised from that, but it should be gone by tomorrow as small as it was. It was almost funny how sorry he was afterward. He groveled fer forgiveness until the next day when Ah finally managed ta get him ta believe Ah was never mad.

Fluttershy and Pinkie both managed it once, and Ah can honestly say that Ah was glad ta finally take a hit from both of ‘em. The others are clever, even when they don’t act like it at times. The two performed a pincer on me, Fluttershy usin’ the crazy boost in speed ta get right next ta me and hit me point blank, then followed that up with a punch from Pinkie that could rival one of Goose’s better punches. Thankfully, Ah didn’t get hurt too bad from all that, but Pinkie cracked her hoof, and Fluttershy sprained her wings (this is also when Ah went inta blood rage mode and probably why they’ve been kinda avoidin’ me lately).

Needless ta say, we haven’t tried again since. Because it’s become the last resort, we’ve decided ta call this power ‘trump card’ since it didn’t have a name before. Ta this day, Ah’m the only pony Celestia has ever seen use it effectively without breakin’ myself afterward. It’s typically only taught ta ponies of higher rank than Ah, and only so many times has it actually been used in combat due ta the rather intense side effects it has. Ah finally made my way up the staircase, only ta find Pinkie and Fluttershy passed out on the couch together and Twilight with her head on the table half awake gnawing on a carrot. Rarity however, was just readin’ somethin’ on her phone.

“Look, darling-” she began.

“Don’t give me none of that darlin’ shit.” Ah headed ta the fridge ta get some of the pain killers. Ta this, she stood up.

“Applejack!” Ah stopped and finally took a look at her face. She was… not happy, ta say the least.

“Yes? Ya have my attention now.”

“We cannot keep this up!” There was a pause. Ah knew she still had somethin’ ta say, so Ah wasn’t gonna say a word till she was done. “Just look at them! Fluttershy and Pinkie are completely exhausted, and Twilight is only awake because she’s been practicing being a zombie her entire life! I can’t support you if I’m dead to the world tomorrow, and neither can anypony else. What good does it do us if none of us are rested enough when the time comes?” Ah shrugged.

“So what? It’s a quarter ta eight right now! Fer all we know, it’ll show up the moment the clock strikes midnight! If Ah can’t rely on y’all, then Ah’ll do whatever Ah can alone if Ah have ta!” Ya know, you're tired too. Ya couldn’t do a damn thin’ ta a monster as bad as Knots White was right now. You keep yer mouth shut. Ah still have trump card…

“Oh, really? You could just, slay a monster like Knots all by yourself? You’re better than this. I don’t know what’s come over you, but just take a look at this scene you’ve created. The ponies who call themselves your friends are beaten and bruised from this ‘training’ you’ve been putting us through all week. Ever since your little episode with that spell, you’ve been acting like you’re the only pony you can depend on. We are your friends, at least try to act like you believe that.” Ah grit my teeth.

“What does it matter if yer all dead!?” Ah slammed the fridge closed and took a step toward her. “What does any of it matter if everypony dies!? Carin’ about ya just makes ya a goddess damned liability! Fine! Yer tired, then just go home and don’t come back tomorrow! Leave the city, just get out while ya can!”

“And what about you? What happens if you die, hmm? What can you protect then? Are you special? Are you, immune to death? Your powers are the same as your fathers were, and last I checked, he wasn’t around anymore.”

“Ya just crossed a line you’re gonna fuckin’ regret!” Anger flared in me, and nothin’ in the logical side of my brain had any way ta stop it. Ah could feel the fire build, not just in one, but all my hooves. Ah leapt fer her, destroyin’ the floor behind me, both fore hooves ready ta smash her skull in. Her expression hadn’t changed. Those angry blue eyes, meetin’ mine, ready like she was just gonna take the hit. Before Ah even made it ta the crest of my arc, Ah felt a very strong pain in my stomach Ah didn’t expect. The wind flew outta me, and then my whole body was slammed against the ground.

“Stop it, stop it, stop it! Good goddess, what the fuck has gotten into you?” Goose said as he removed his hoof from my stomach. The the wind had yet ta return ta my lungs and Ah couldn’t do anythin’ but watch. “Why would you provoke her!? Do you have a death wish?”

“She can’t just work us to death like this!”

“And why wouldn’t you just discuss that with the rest of us and agree not to continue? Nopony can continue working as hard as we are, and I already said that to her. If nopony works with her, then what does she have alone?” Rarity's lip twitched.

“Just a spineless shark who’ll do whatever she asks! You complain, and complain, and you just take everything she puts out like some kind of masochist!”

“Can you guys quit yelling...? I’m tryin’a sleep here...” Pinkie mumbled as she rolled over on the couch.

“So maybe I’ve been part of the problem, but how could I have known you felt like that if you didn’t tell me? Look, I get it, everypony is tired and stressed to hell and back, but you guys can’t start fighting with each other like this.” Ah’d finally gotten ta the point where Ah felt Ah could get up again.

“Didn’t ya hear her…? She has a death wish… lemme just get back ta fulfillin’ oof-” Goose slammed his hoof inta my rib cage and kept me in place. Ah don’t know where he’s gettin’ all this strength from, but Ah couldn’t do anythin’ about it as weak as Ah was.

“Stay down damn it! Geez, is there any group of mares who can stay civil for more than a week?” He looked up ta the ceilin' and shook his head while he ran a hoof over his face. Next he turned back ta Rarity, who had yet ta lose that stare of hers, and it was makin’ me mad. “Everypony just needs to calm down and be rational here. You’re exhausted, in pain, and probably suffering from lack of sleep, both of you. Rarity, just go home, or go sleep in your room here, I don’t care which, but just let it go for now. I will clean up alright?” She finally stopped lookin’ at me, and the let out a puff of air with her fore hooves crossed.

“Very well then. I will leave them to you.” Then she looked back at me, the furious stare returned. “Because I believe I can trust you as a friend!” She stormed off toward the garage with all the fury an exhausted mare could muster. Goose finally took his hoof off me and sat down.

“I could have sworn I was a prisoner here, not the counselor,” he sighed.

“Ya don’t have ta take the job if ya don’t wanna.”

“Yeah, sure, and let you kill the ponies who care about you?”

“Ah wasn’t gonna kill her,” Ah said quietly. That's about the opposite of the truth.

“Really!? Really!? You can’t bullshit a bullshitter, you were aiming for her head, and you used magic! Not only were you going to kill her, but you were going to destroy everything around you!” Ah rolled my eyes.

“And how would you know that, mister spineless?”

“Oh my goddess, you’re a fucking child. What is it? Huh? Why are you acting like this?”

“Ah don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.” Ah turned my head lookin’ away. Ah don't owe him a damn thin'.

“Hey, look at me!” He pulled my face toward him until he was starin’ me in the eyes. He wasn’t mad though. He looked… confused, and disappointed. “This isn’t the Marevelous I know. This isn’t the Marevelous that goes around saving ponies. This is a filly who’s afraid of something. Tell me what’s going on with you.” Ah could feel the heat in my eyelids. My teeth were seconds away from cuttin’ a hole in my lip and Ah couldn’t look him in the face.

“Damn it!” Ah pushed him away and ran as fast as Ah could ta my room in the castle, slammin' and lockin' the door behind me. Ah slithered my way inta the bed and balled myself up in the covers. At least this way, nopony could see me cry.

“So, as far as we know, the monster that Persona promised has yet to show up thankfully. Now that you’re all here and well rested we need to be proactive while we can and spread out. If you spot anypony suspicious, follow them. Maybe we can catch the target before they get a mirror applied,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, somehow I don’t think we’re going to be that lucky, but ten points for optimism Twilight. That’s rare for you,” Pinkie snarked from her chair. Everypony was suited up and ready ta go, Pinkie now in armor provided by the royal guard ta match Goose. Nopony knew when she had the time ta do it, but Pinkie had repainted it and now sported a bright pink that nearly matched her coat on top of her blue and yellow suit. She told us ta call her ‘Crazy Diamond,’ but everypony rejected that immediately. It seemed like everypony was fine, but Rarity had yet ta talk ta me.

“Really? I never thought I was much of a downer…” Twilight trailed off. Suddenly, Pinkie was next ta the violet mare in her trade mark lean.

“Nah, but you’ve been better lately. Honestly, I think just about everypony has been better lately… even you, Sharky.”

“Aww, Pinkie. I didn’t know you had that in you♥ Does that mean you’re finally ready to accept me into your heart and maybe even-” Goose began.

“Woah, I just tried to give you a compliment, don’t make me take it back by sticking your hooves in your mouth, ya jackass.” Goose let his form fade back inta business mode and nodded politely.

“Very well then. Yes ma’am.” It was nice, ta finally see them gettin’ along fer once. Well, really Pinkie not actin’ like Goose was a cancer on her bein’ anyways. In the back of my head, Ah knew somethin’ felt off. Somethin’ about today wasn’t right, even more so than how Ah thought it would feel.

“That’s more like it. Today… today is gonna be okay. Maybe she was a little off her rocker yesterday, but Applejack was right. We’re gonna come home and wake up tomorrow, all of us. But really… I don’t think that’s enough. I think, we’re gonna trash whatever monster shows up, and we’ll get out without getting hurt. Maybe that’s a lofty goal, but damn it, I think we can do it! Come on guys, who’s with me!?” From five ponies in the room, we all gave a cheer fer Pinkie’s speech, but one stayed particularly silent, and her gaze was trained on me.

“Well, that just depends, now doesn’t it?” she said. Ah wasn’t proud of what happened last night. Ah could barely look Goose in the eye, but her… Ah lost my temper and tried ta kill her. That isn’t ta say she didn’t cross a line or anythin’, but it never shoulda gotten so far outta hoof.

“Really? Can we just act like that didn’t happen for today? You two can have your little fallout later, when we’re not about to deal with impending doom,” Goose complained.

“No. I need to know that I have all my friends here today. I have no intention of working with somepony who doesn’t trust me!”

“Fine! What do ya want then? Say it ta my face instead of starin’ at me like Ah'm some kinda criminal!” She got up and slammed her hooves on the table.

“I want an apology! How dare you tell me to run, how dare you call me a liability! Somepony like you doesn’t deserve the friendships she has, but I don’t believe that we could do this without you, me, or anypony at this table.” Now it was my turn ta slam the table.

“And what if Ah still believe everythin’ Ah said!? Ya might be useful in the right situation, but yer hurt and still not okay ta use magic! What happens if suddenly yer powers give out when we need ya most!? Ah think ya are a liability! Everypony else here can still fight, but if y’all can’t work in the background, what good are ya other than another thin’ ta worry about!?” Goose looked like he was about ta intervene, but then Twilight gave him some kinda queue and he settled back down.

“Oh, and you really believe I have nothing to offer but my powers?” Ah shook my head.

“Ya know that’s not what Ah meant.” She huffed and crossed her hooves.

“No, that’s exactly what you’re telling me and everypony else here. Without our powers, we’re nothing to you. That is what you’re saying to me right now. Fine. Have it your way. If any of you survive, then maybe I’ll see you again. Let it all crumble! When the city is destroyed and I’m the only remaining member of Harmony, I’ll make sure to have you buried right next to your father!” She slammed the table again. Ah blinked and she was gone.

“Damn it!” Ah was about ta punch the table myself, but my hoof was caught before Ah could put any power inta it.

“That’s enough. Let her cool off. Don’t lose your head again. We still need you,” He whispered. Ah ripped my hoof outta his grip and looked at everypony else.

“Y’all don’t believe that, do ya? Ya… Y’all know that Ah wouldn’t just abandon ya if ya didn’t have yer powers, right?” None of them met me in the eyes. “Oh come on, really!? Please, just tell me that ya believe me!” Finally, Fluttershy alone looked at me.

“W-well… we wouldn’t have ever m-met without our powers… S-so, what use would you have for us without them? I-it’s not like you talk to us out s-side of work, so… I-I mean, you can be selfless, I-I’ve watched, no, e-everypony here has seen you do it, but… w-what do you know about any of us? D-do you know how I got my cutiemark? O-or what I like to do in my free time? D-do you remember that I’m allergic to s-strawberries, or t-that Pinkie is potassium deficient a-and has to have bananas around in the e-event she has an attack?”

“Ah…”

“T-these are things you would know, i-if you got to know us. I-I’m not saying that you won’t get the chance, b-but maybe… it would be a good idea in the f-future? I-I think Rarity is overreacting, b-because, even though you don’t know m-much about our lives, I s-still think I could trust you w-with mine.” Before anypony had the chance ta say anythin’ else, we all felt the ground shake.

“What the hell was that!?”

“It can’t be…” Twilight whispered.

“Twilight, what’s goin’ on!?” Her horn lit up and a display came up in the center of the table. In the city, not too far from here, was a creature. Towerin’ over most of the buildin’s around, the bipedal thin’ looked like some kinda giant monster out of a comic book. It didn’t look like it had any normal muscle structure, its spindly arms and legs not much more than oblong points. It had a face that looked like a white mask, somethin’ from way back when doctors used beaks ta keep the sick away. Its shoulders looked ta be covered in smooth bone domes, and bones jutted out ta points that looked like blades all along its ribcage and elbows.

“What is that!?” Goose exclaimed.

“Oh, goddess, it’s huge!” Pinkie said in fear or awe, probably a mix of the two.

“W-we have to f-fight that… thing?” Fluttershy whispered. We all watched as a screen on one of the towers behind it came on. There, was the mask.

“Good afternoon, my dear Manehattanites. When the goddess rests, the demons come out to play. This is Sachiel! The first of my Kaiju! For those who did not believe, I suggest you pray! My item has not been returned, so now I will have to search for it! I will tear down this entire city and upturn the earth if it have to! Now, Sachiel, begin!” The mask disappeared from the screen, and then Sachiel began ta work. With its massive spindly claw, it dug through an apartment building and started to rip and tear through stone, brick, and mortar as if it were sand. With each claw came blood and fur, little spots on the massive monster. Ponies could be seen screamin' and runnin' away from all around. Once the first apartment complex was completely destroyed, it moved on t' the next, takin' a step without care and crushing fearful ponies underhoof.

“Oh goddess…” Twilight trailed off, wide eyed and horrified at the sight.

“What are we still doin’ here!? Goose! Get us over there, we have ta stop that thin’!” Ah guess that finally shook everypony inta motion. We all made our way over ta Goose, and once everypony was accounted fer, we blinked. In an instant, we appeared on the buildin’ just across from the one the creature destroyed. There were… parts and pieces everywhere. The entire street was stained red. A foal was cryin’ near one of the stains, ponies were runnin’ away as fast as they could. The panic, the hysteria, the fear. It chaos everywhere, it made me sick ta my stomach. Before Ah could do anythin’, Pinkie tossed what little she’d eaten. This… how could this happen? We weren’t prepared for this, we never could’ve been prepared fer this… Ah shook my head and forced myself ta move. We’re the only ones here that can do anythin’ now! Get off yer ass and move!

“Goose, Blur, get down there and help get the civilians out! Do whatever ya can ta save as many as ya can!” Goose shook Blur and helped her get back up ta her hooves, then they both saluted and blinked down ta the street below. “Target, take a high point and start tryin’ ta get it’s attention! Set yer gun ta max and prepare fer more orders! Aim fer the mask lookin thin’! That looks like the best protected area its got, so if there’s a mirror on this thin’ its gonna be there! Start with yer weakest bullets! We don’t know what works, so when Ah get in range Ah’ll get a gauge on what we’re dealin’ with. Move!” Without needin’ any kinda conformation, Target and Ah got ta work. Blur was herdin’ ponies toward Goose, who was makin’ short distance jumps with several groups at a time. Slowly but surely, the streets would be clear, but by the goddess, this was a horrific sight. Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever seen so many dead in one place before…

“Twilight! Can ya hear me!?” Ah called out after an idea came ta mind.

“Y-yes… I… All the life that just… just blinked out in an instant…” She swallowed somethin’ down. “What do you need? Just say the word and I’ll get it done. Anything to stop this… this carnage…”

“Get in touch with yer mother and issue an emergency evacuation! Tell her and her sister ta stand by if we can’t handle this. Damn it, we shoulda done this before…” Ah didn't mean ta send her anythin' more than my order, but what does that matter now?

“Understood. I’ll keep you updated.” Then the link went back ta background noise. Now closer ta the monster, Its skin looked almost… liquid like. As if it were more like jello in a shape than a creature. Its claw reared back over its next target fer destruction, and just like that, my body went inta gear. Ah shot a blade just under its claw. The blade held and quickly, Ah scaled the massive thin’. It wasn’t very fast, thank the goddess, and it had only begun ta react ta me after Ah had charged my hoof in an attempt ta smash it’s claw. Aimin’ fer the wrist, Ah let my punch collide with the jello lookin’ thin’ only ta be met with marginal resistance. Like gelatin, the creature’s skin flew and splattered about revealin’ somethin’ Ah was afraid of underneath. Its skin ain’t nothin’ but a case… the real body… lies underneath… Just under where Ah punched was a smaller version of the monster’s arm, but made of ripplin’ muscle and tendons just like an anatomy model.

Ah prepared another quick punch and tried ta bury my hoof in the monster’s wrist. Ah twisted as Ah made contact with muscle, and sure enough, it was enough ta rip through, but not very deep. Blood started ta spray from the new wound, but not fer long. Within a few seconds, the gelatinous skin around the new hole climbed up inta it and filled the missin’ part like it was never there. Damn it. Ah just knew it would be like this… However, the wound didn’t heal which means… this one will fall after we do enough damage…

The weight of the arm Ah was on stopped travelin’ upward and started ta move downward. Ah ripped my blade out of its muscle and jumped away before gravity kicked in and the massive monster began ta tear through the next buildin’.

“Target, we need coordinated attacks here. I need Explosive rounds with every time Ah say fire, got it? Ta everypony else, the target has a shock absorbin’ coat that regenerates in a few seconds, and a muscle bound skeleton underneath. It’s not hard ta get through, and it looks like it don’t heal the damage instantly like the last one. Blur could likely rip through the coat with her bare hooves, then damage the interior with her knives. Once y’all get everythin’ clear, get together with… er, meet up with me and we’ll try and rip a hole through this thin’.” The group gave their ‘yes ma’ams’ and then Ah was alone in my head. At least fer a moment.

“She could’ve helped here,” Ah heard Goose say in the back of my head.

“Damn it, don’t ya think Ah realize that!?” Ah shot at the monster’s chest and decided ta go fer the mask lookin’ thin’ once Ah reeled in, a couple of red lights appeared in the empty lookin’ eye holes and they were pointed right at me. A feelin’ shot through me. Somethin’ Ah’ve had in the back of my mind this whole time, somethin’ Ah wasn’t willin’ ta admit even as Ah was losin’ a friend. The monster spoke in a low, loud, nearly inaudible voice, but at such volume that it was impossible to ignore. With vibrations that shook me ta my very core and sank deep inta my heart it said,

“So you’re going to kill me are you? Not if I kill you first!” As quick as Ah could manage, Ah jumped off the spindly thin' and then Ah watched it’s claw shoot toward Target. She barely had time ta react. The claw took her lower half and squeezed. What seemed like a gallon of blood flooded out of her mask, and her scream filled the air and my mind, a horrible gut wrenchin’, agonizin’ cry. Without lettin’ a beat go by, Ah jumped after her body and yelled at the top of my lungs,

“TOKI WO TOMARE!” but nothin’ happened. The monster didn’t let a beat go by either. With unreal speed, it kicked the ground underneath Blur and a few ponies she had with her, sendin’ them up inta the air. The claw with the other half of Target angled itself in line with Blur, then darted straight through her.

“NOOOO!!” Her remainin’ parts fell ta the ground in a shower of red, the sky blue suit stained and ripped ta pieces, the armor bent and twisted like it’d been drilled through. Every part of my body was set afire as the magic poured in from everywhere. Ah slammed the mask of the monster and watched it crack. Harder than steel and textured like bone, it shattered and fell ta pieces, revealin’ a mirror hidden just under eyes made of light, holes that bored deep inta the monster. It staggered back, and Ah shot at the mirror. The monster caught my cable before it landed, missin’ the mark. It pulled me along and slammed me inta the ground. Ah could feel every bone in my body, broken entirely or fractured. Ah tried, but nothin’ would move. The monster lined up its claw with me, and Ah couldn’t do anythin’ but watch.

So this is it. Ah’m sorry. Ah shoulda told ya, but now Ah’ll never get the chance. Mama, Papa. It hasn’t been long enough yet, but Ah guess Ah’m comin’ ta see ya. Just as the claw reached the end of the monster’s arc, a stallion in stark black and shiny black armor blinked in front of me. He grabbed me by the suit and tossed me away.

“I can’t… watch you die...” Ah heard in the back of my head. The claw shot. It was almost like time had slowed so Ah could see it as it happened. It was like watchin’ a sharp warm knife cut through butter. The bastard was smilin’ the whole time too. It pierced his armor, then his back. It kept goin’, forcin’ his ribcage up as the claw impaled him further, the blood not even havin’ time ta catch up and spray out in this strange form of torture. The claw had made it ta the ground, removin’ Goose from his torso and lettin’ his remainin’ parts fly with the wind it dragged with it.

His head rolled over ta me when all was finished. Ah wanted ta scream, cry, vomit, run, escape, close my eyes, but Ah couldn’t do anythin’ at all. Ah was paralyzed in place and Ah could only watch as the horror played out. The monster pulled back its claw one more time, and this time, there was nopony ta stop it from reachin’ its target. Please, just end it all. In it came, and then, Ah couldn’t feel anymore.

Kaiju I - Sachiel - The Day the Goddess Rested (part 1)

“AAH!” My scream carried through the nightmare as Ah sat straight up in bed.

“What, what, what!?” followed it and suddenly Goose was standin’ over me like some kinda cat protectin’ it’s kittens. Oddly enough, there was a weird, upward runnin’ spine or somethin’ along his back, and his eyes looked like somethin’ out of a dinosaur monster movie. It was… intimidatin’. Ah started ta breathe, and after a few moments, Goose’s body returned ta normal and he got off the bed.

“What are ya doin’ in here?” Ah asked, too tired ta make sure Ah sounded irritated. He ran a hoof down his back and then looked at me. Honestly, he looked just as tired as Ah did.

“I was concerned. Yesterday kinda ended on a bad note and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Judging by the screaming though, I’d say you’re not. Was it a nightmare?” Ah took in a deep breath and tried ta rub some of the sand outta my eyes. Yeah, one hell of a nightmare. It was all so clear. Every detail, every second that passed by… Ah wonder… was it really a nightmare and not… some kinda vision...

“Goose, what time is it?” Ah asked as Ah checked the color of the castle walls. After bein’ here so often lately, if ya pay attention, ya can tell the time dependin’ on how close ta dark violet the castle is. At the moment, it was somewhere around the indigo range, and this far down in the castle that meant it was still early in the mornin’ at least.

“Uh… seven forty five. What happened?” he asked as he put my phone back on the end table. Why? Why are ya so concerned about me? Every time Ah look at ya, Ah always feel like Ah’m forgettin’ somethin’, and it’s just drivin’ me crazy. Ah shook my head and scratched at my temples. Whatever, that’s not important now. We need ta figure out how ta get the city evacuated. Ah will not let a bloodbath like that happen in my lifetime.

“Ah’ll give ya the details later, but the short of it is that Ah think Ah’ve had a vision or somethin’. Go wake every pony up and uh… talk ta Rarity fer me… We need ta figure out how ta evacuate the city before noon.” He stared at me fer what felt like an hour until finally he started toward the door. He made it right ta the knob and then turned back around and sat back by the bed.

“I can’t do that. Before we do anything, and I mean anything at all, I need you to tell me what your deal is. You’ve been a little more than a slave driver all week, you nearly killed your friends on two occasions, and would have had I not been there, and you won’t talk to anypony about it. I get that you’ve been through some rough shit, I’m pretty sure we all have, but this whole ‘lone wolf’ thing has got to stop. Let me in. Or if not me, then at least one of them. Tell somepony what the problem is or we’ll never really be a team. We can’t help you if you don’t trust us.” Goddess damn it, do ya really have ta do this now? Ah let out a breath. Maybe Ah should just tell him. What changes if he knows, really? Would he think any less of me? Would they think any less of me? How would Ah know before hoof? Ah can predict what they’ll do in a fight, but Ah don’t know how they think. How could Ah if Ah never talk ta any of 'em? Dream, vision, future ta come or whatever, Fluttershy was right. Ah don’t know them, and Ah act like they’re baggage… Liabilities…

“Ah… Ah’ve always had these… horrible nightmares. They started when Ah was real young, probably a little after my mom died, but my family used ta sleep together, so when Ah was around them, the nightmares would go away. But… ever since then, or the day Ah watched my dad die, night after night, Ah’d watch that scene play out over and over again. Each time it’d be more detailed and clear, the noise always louder and louder ta the point that Ah’d wake up screamin’. The depression and the fear that it might happen again ta somepony else close ta me drove me toward suicide, but Ah could never get the job done. It went on like this fer months until my uncle caught me and had me sent away in an attempt ta get over it. Fer a while there it worked, and when Ah came home, the nightmares were few and far between. But more recently, they’ve gotten worse and closer ta real. The nightmare about dad keeps comin’ back, but ta add ta that, Ah’m startin’ ta have these dreams where Ah watch the rest of my family and y’all die in horrific ways.

Ah… Ah don’t think it would be so bad if… if it weren’t so real, ya know? After that thin’ with Synchro, it’s always been the same story. A mirror shows up, a monster follows, and it turns out that we can’t stop it. And then… it kills everypony. Ripped apart in claws, eaten alive and cut in half by teeth, blasted by some kinda energy and left as nothin’ more than a shadow on the wall. And… and every time, all Ah can do is watch. The worst ones are always when the monster talks because… the thin’s they say, they’re always what Ah’m most afraid of. ‘If you were stronger, this wouldn’t have happened.’ ‘You couldn’t save your friends from me, how could you save anypony?’ ‘If it were your father, he wouldn’t have lost.’ ‘What a shame. To watch a hero fall when everything was riding on her.’

Ah always get so close, there’s always a feelin’ like there’s still hope right before somethin’ happens and Ah’m incapacitated and made ta watch. The faceless ponies in the background always leave rivers of blood, and if Ah make it far enough, sometimes Ah’ll get burnt away in the Princesses’ light. The nightmares they… they just never stop…” Ah could feel that Ah was shakin’ just from rememberin’ it all, every horrible nightmare, every death that has me wake up in a cold sweat. Goose sighed and shook his head.

“You idiot. Everypony has those fears. The only reason we make it through the night is because have somepony to rely on and share those fears with. Bottling it all up and keeping to yourself only makes it worse. I hate to be a broken record, but how could we ever help you though this if you didn’t tell us what the problem was in the first place? Maybe this is a new concept for you, even though it shouldn’t be, but you have friends. If we didn’t care about you as much as you seem to care about us, do you really think Rarity would have gotten as angry as she did yesterday?” Ah must’ve lost a tear or somethin’ while Ah was talkin’ because he wiped somethin’ wet off my cheek and gave me a hug. “If nothing else, I will never leave your side again.” He let go and headed toward the door. “I’m going to go wake up the others. You should call Rarity.” And then he shut the door behind him.

Why…? Why does this all feel so familiar?

Within two hours, we managed ta get in touch with Celestia and then the emergency weather system activated. Ever since the great hurricane of 1990, Manehattan has had a series of sirens installed throughout the city that override all the radio and television channels, tellin’ everypony ta get the hell out. It’s only ever been used once, when the mirror incident happened and the Trade Center fell. Considerin’ how high the death toll was then, the current generation of adult ponies don’t make light of it. However, if my prediction doesn’t hold water, Ah’ll lose just about all credibility at the expense of Princess Celestia havin’ ta save face.

On the other side of thin’s, Rarity never answered my calls. It woulda made sense that she might not’ve heard the ringer the first time, but ta miss four calls and two after she’s normally up is weird. Well, not weird, but definitely a sign that she’s still mad about yesterday. Eventually Twilight got a hold of her and last we heard she was on her way here twenty minutes ago.

“So, when she gets here, you know what you need to do right?” Goose asked. Ah rolled my eyes.

“Of course Ah know what Ah need ta do. It’s just… actually doin’ it that’s the problem. Ah don’t know how she’s gonna react, Ah don’t know how any of ‘em are gonna react. Ah… Ah’m not the ‘emotional’ type, and Ah never have been. Ah don’t talk about my feelin’s with others and Ah usually don’t ask either. Ah mean, Ah can usually read the mood pretty well, but it’s not like… Gah, Ah don’t know.” Ah pacin' my room tryin' ta think of a way out of this and so far, Ah'd come up with nothin'. True ta his word though, Goose was barely not around me fer the rest of the day. But it was still botherin’ me. When Ah’m around the girls, they just feel like ponies Ah know. The same way it does when Ah’m with Star. A pony Ah know who knows me at least a little more than somepony like a teacher or professor. A friend, Ah guess, even if the word tastes weird in my mouth.

Goose is… different. He knows me better than he should, and Ah feel like Ah should know him better than Ah do. He kinda gives off the same vibe that my uncle does. He clearly knows somethin’, somethin’ that Ah never told him about me but somethin’ that’s important ta both of us. That’s it, he knows how Ah work better than he should. Why? This and the fact that there’s a memory Ah can’t place that keeps tryin’ ta poke outta my brain when Ah look at him makes me think he knew me before this point, but if he did, Ah couldn’t say from when.

“Yeah, no, you’re pretty much the definition of a tomboy so that doesn’t surprise me much. You were always like that if my memory serves me correctly. Look, they’re your friends, I think they’ll get it. Everypony gets scared and nopony reacts to fear the same way. You just happen to be one of those angry types on top of having crazy strength. Probably not the greatest combination in the world, but I’ve seen you put it to good use at least once, and so has everypony else.” He shrugged. Ah paused. You’ve always been that way. Ah sat down and stared at him with a hoof on my chin.

“Uh, do I have something on my face? I know I haven’t been able to shave in a while, but I don’t think it looks too bad yet…” He rambled. Ah shook my head.

“Do… Do Ah know ya?” He frowned and raised an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah, I would hope so. It’s been a couple of weeks after all.” Ah shook my head again and started ta circle him.

“No, no, Ah mean… did we used ta know each other? It’s been botherin’ me more lately, but even though Ah should feel like ya were a stranger ta me two weeks ago, Ah’ve never felt like y’all were completely unknown ta me. Ah think that’s part of the reason Ah accepted yer terms a while back. Ah knew ya’d keep yer word beforehoof.” He looked a little nervous now. Those spines on his back had risen, if only slightly. Now that Ah knew they were there, Ah started ta pay attention and they were almost a tell as ta how he was feelin’.

“Uh…” he began, but then Twilight interrupted.

“Rarity is here and we’re all at the table. Are you ready?” Shit. No, Ah’m not ready, and Ah never will be.

“Yeah, Ah guess. Let’s get this over with.” Ah turned back ta Goose and stared him down. “Provided we make it though today, we will have this discussion later.”

“Uh, yeah, sure…” He lazily followed me out of my room, the usual pep in his step lost. Ah exited the hallway inta the livin’ room, and there they all were, starin’ at me with varyin’ degrees of concern and one in particular with a good amount of resentment. Goose and Ah sat down, and Ah took a breath tryin’ ta figure out what exactly Ah was gonna say.

“Well? Let’s hear it. I believe you owe me a few words,” Rarity said, hooves crossed, glarin’ at me from her seat. Ah tried my hardest and failed ta not roll my eyes and glare back. Ah was about ta open my mouth, but Goose stopped me before Ah could put my hoof in it.

“Hey, let’s not start this off with a fight, please?” he asked. Ah pulled away and took a deep breath. “Oh, goddess help me,” Ah whispered ta the ceilin’. Sometimes Ah felt it strange ta pray since Ah haven't believed in years now, but sometimes, it just comes out anyways. Old habits die hard.

“Alright, so… Ta start this off, Ah just wanna say that y’all are the only real friends Ah’ve ever had. Ya know that Ah’ve had a pretty rough life, and between takin’ care of my family and work and school, Ah didn’t have time fer other ponies. On top of that, Ah don’t really spend a whole lot of time with my own family anymore and we’re probably not as close as a unit as we used ta be so… Ah uh… dealin’ with this kinda stuff is… well, new ta me, really.

Ah mean… the closest relationship Ah have outside of y’all is my sister, but she knows me better than Ah know myself sometimes so she tends ta just ‘get it’ more often than not. Or, at least she used ta. Anyways, Ah think of y’all in the same way, really. You're like a second family ta me, and Ah can’t really stand the thought that Ah might lose one of ya in a fight in the near future. Uh… Ah…” Ah swallowed. “Ah’ve never really told anypony this before, but, Ah’m uh… real prone ta n-nightmares. If Ah sleep fer more than six hours, then it’s a miracle. Ever since Ah was real little, it’s been like this. My mom diein’ was probably the catalyst, but it wasn’t so bad while dad was still around because he could help me sleep. But… when he didn’t come home… it became relentless.

A month of ‘em and Ah started tryin’ ta kill myself, and y’all know how that story goes from there. These days though, it’s startin’ ta become like it used ta be. The more we fight, the more Ah watch y’all get hurt, the more real and intense the nightmares get, but none more real than the one from last night. Just within’ this week, Ah’ve probably seen y’all die in horrible ways at least six times so far, and it’s drivin’ me crazy. The threats from before and the anxiousness of what’s ta come today have me scared ta death that Ah’m gonna lose another family member and fall back inta that despair, and Ah never wanna feel like that again.

Ah know Ah’ve been a real hard ass this week, and Ah’ve lost my temper more than once, but Ah just thought that if Ah could keep ya alive, Ah wouldn’t have ta feel like that again, and Ah would do anythin’ ta keep it that way.” Ah turned ta Rarity next. Lookin’ at her now, she’d lost just about all of her edge and was probably a few words from breakin’ inta tears herself.

“Ah’m sorry about what Ah said yesterday. You're right, Ah did treat y’all like baggage. But only because Ah’d rather try ta fight alone than watch anypony Ah care about so much die in front of me again.” And with that, she broke and rushed over to give me some kind of hug while tryin’ ta punch me at the same time.

“You lumbering idiot, why wouldn’t you say something if you’ve been feeling like that all this time!? Maybe I overreacted yesterday, and I shouldn’t have provoked you, but you not telling us all that and shouldering it alone just to fester is like leaving a wound untreated!” she half cried and half yelled. Ah pulled her in ta stop her from punchin’ me and just let the hug run it’s course. Ah never realized how soft she was. She eventually let go and cleaned herself up before she started to speak again. “I suppose it was terrible of me to provoke you yesterday, knowing all that I do about you. Besides, you’re more of a stallion then you are a mare most of the time, and Celestia knows that they’re just as bad at talking about their feelings. Well save for Goose. If only you were cute, then you could probably pass for a trap.” He put a hoof on his chest and reared his head back.

“Oww, rude. Where did that come from? Look, I’m just a stallion who knows his mares. I’ve been down this road once or twice before. Sixteen times to be exact.” He held that statement with pride. Rarity rolled her eyes as did everypony else.

“Whatever, ass hat. So, that heart to heart thing was great and all, and I appreciate that you care so much, but I thought we were gonna talk about your vision/nightmare thing from this morning? We kind of already got the city evacuated, so I expected something to show up by now, ya know?” Pinkie said. Ah nodded and took a deep breath.

“You’re right. So, this last nightmare was… real different in comparison ta the ones before it. In the same way that the nightmare about my dad is actually an embellished memory, this one was a hell of a lot like that. Everythin’ was real clear, even the sensations that Ah felt, almost like it was a memory instead of a dream. This monster wasn’t nothin’ like anythin’ we’ve seen before, and Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever seen anythin’ like it either. Ah’m not really the creative type, so Ah don’t usually make shit up like this. The fact that there were ponies Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever seen before and… well, actually, let me test a theory. Pinkie, is there somethin’ wrong with yer body?” She made a few side glances across the room and lowered her brows.

“Like… what? I mean, yeah, but… are you talking about something specific, or do you want me to list off all of my weird bodily functions here? I mean, I can, but I really don’t think everypony wants to hear about… most of that.” Ah shook my head. Ah should’ve known.

“No, ya have a potassium deficiency right?” She raised her snout.

“I do. But I don’t know how you would know that unless somepony else told you or you were looking through my medical records upstairs.” Well shit, this does not bode well.

“And… Fluttershy is allergic ta strawberries right?” Ah asked the relatively silent pegasus through a sigh. Her eyes went wide and she quickly looked away.

“W-well, I mean… I-I am but… b-but I never told anypony about it…”

“You’re allergic to strawberries!? Oh my goddess, That explains so much! Why wouldn’t you tell me that!? So much fruit gone to waste because I always ordered for three,” Twilight exclaimed. Fluttershy rolled her eyes.

“I-it’s not like you ever asked… b-but that still doesn’t explain how Applejack knows t-that at all, unless she s-somehow ran into my family, whom I-I haven’t seen in years.” She brought her hoof to her chin in thought and now Ah was concerned. Okay, that about prooves it.

“Right, and it’s not like Ah would know who yer family is anyways if Ah did run inta ‘em. So with that said, Ah think that it was really a vision and we’re gonna be dealin’ with some major shit by the time noon rolls around.”

“How major are we talking about here? You said… you watched us all die…” Goose trailed off. Ah nodded.

“It wasn’t pretty. The monster was a giant biped that looked nothin’ like a pony. Its limbs were all real spindly and covered in this clear black skin like jelly that had shock absorbin’ properties. It was almost shaped like a diamond dog without a neck and its head was level with its shoulders. On its shoulders were these big caps of bone, and at its elbows and ribs, there were bones juttin’ out that coulda passed fer razorblades as sharp as they looked. Its head, or at least where its eyes were, there was some kinda mask lookin’ thin’, almost like a doctor’s beak from way back in the day. That was made of the same bone that everythin’ else was but uh… after it uh... killed Fluttershy and Pinkie, Ah managed ta break it and the mirror was right under the mask’s center just below its eyes.” Fluttershy put her hooves ta her mouth.

“T-there’s no way…” she said then quickly flew over the table ta her room. She came back with one of her backwards comic books and flipped through pages until she stopped on one and flattened it in front of me. “Is this what it looked like?” She asked. The title of the book was When the Goddess is in her heaven, All is right with the world and the artwork in front of me was damn near identical ta what Ah saw in my dream.

“What the hell!? Why is that in a book!? Twilight, magnify this, so everypony can see it.” She took the book in her magic and then a screen appeared above the table with the page magnified.

“So… this is what we’re gonna fight?” Pinkie asked.

“Sort of, it doesn’t look quite the same, but it’s damn close. Does this thin’ regenerate and move real fast?” Fluttershy frowned.

“W-well, yes and no. The m-monster does regenerate, but it isn’t v-very fast. Guns and b-bombs don’t work on it, a-and the way the characters defeat it is b-by using a giant robot thing. W-was it really that big too? I-I mean… i-if we have to fight t-this…” Ah shook my head.

“Thankfully, Ah was able ta damage it since the muscle underneath didn’t regenerate, and neither did the mask, but mine was fast. Real fast. When it went after us, ya didn’t react fast enough, and Pinkie was caught tryin’ ta save some ponies… It broke all the bones in my body with one attack, and it cut through Goose like a hot knife and butter… if this turns out that fast… Ah don’t know what we’re gonna do…” Rarity lowered her brows.

“Well, was I in the dream too?” Ah shook my head.

“Sort of, but not in the fight. In my dream, we ended up havin’ a shoutin’ match and ya left before it showed up. Ah wouldn’t know if ya died gettin’ out, but the monster showed up near the center of town…” Ah shivered, suddenly feelin’ cold. All that blood. There was just so much…

“I see… but, I think we do have a way to slow it down if we really need to, don’t we Twilight?" Rarity said. We all looked at her, then everypony looked at Twilight.

“I uh… well, um…” she stuttered, clickin’ the tips of her hooves together. Rarity rolled her eyes.

“Thanks to your ‘intensive’ training recently, Twilight has been looking to try and make a new spell. This spell allows one to ‘slow down’ time in a localized area and is based off of my powers. Since they are directly tied to my magic and are part of the reason I am so limited in performing like a normal unicorn, Twilight and I have started looking into a way to reproduce the effects. We’ve had very little success, but success all the same.

The way my powers work is unique to magic in the sense that the energy required to do it is much less than equal to the power it puts out, or at least that’s what we thought in the beginning. After Applejack’s little mishap with the sharing spell, the idea that I might be able to produce a spell circle for my power came to mind and I’ve started to attempt to do that. However, I can’t seem to get everything right, or I’m missing an understanding to the laws that the circle, or circles, I should say, that govern its properties. Twilight, please draw up what we have if you would.” Twilight nodded and in her violet magic, the circle started to appear, and it was huge, complex, and way different than anythin’ Ah’ve ever seen in school.

Typically, magic consists of one circle, and then a pattern inside it that. When combined with runes that give it instructions, a circle can be passed energy ta manipulate the physical world with. These circles can become very large and complex, but a rule that they all follow is that nothing can exist beyond the runic boundary of the circle, and circles cannot intersect with each other. The one on the table however was breakin' both of those rules at the same time, and probably more based on the number of them.

“This is the best recreation we can get of Rarity’s circle. It consists of six different arrays laid upon each other with six arrays that break the runic boundary within each circle, on top of having a unique array in each center of each circle. Please note that this is without any runes because we have yet to figure out just what rune system this magic uses at all. The runes we’ve found that do work are very archaic and don’t quite cooperate with the circle as intended, nor are the same language as the ones Rarity uses. If I’m being honest here, this circle violates every rule of magic I know and runs on a system entirely unto itself. However, when flattened and given a few runes in mother’s tongue along the edge as instructions, one can pass it a little energy and…”

The gigantic circle, or set of circles that tiered the table like a cake, collapsed in on each other ta form a unified shape that looked like an even bigger mess of lines than Celestia’s circle (or Luna’s fer accuracy). The violet magic flashed once, and then in the center of the circle, a strange gray dome appeared. Ah got up from my chair and leaned over the table ta look through the odd lookin’ thin. Everythin’ inside the space was gray fer a few seconds and then it was colored like everythin’ else. Twilight then popped a strawberry out of thin air over the still strange space in the center of the table and dropped it. Once it hit the area that the strange space was in, it began ta slow and fall at half the rate.

“What in the world did Ah just watch?” Ah asked.

“You just watched light travel at half the normal speed, and a strawberry fall at nineteen meters per second.” Twilight said with a smug smile. A smile that was quickly ripped off her face and replaced with a very pained look until her horn stopped glowing and the magic all disappeared.

“And that would be one of the side effects we don’t know how to fix. In essence, the circle I use cannot be recreated simply because it runs on a language unique to myself that even I can’t read. However, using the basic matrix structure and runes that translate accordingly to what I believe the circle says based on what we know now, we’ve managed to make this work at about half the effectiveness of my powers. Oddly enough, if I don’t use my own circle, I can’t actually cast the spell myself, and based on the strain it puts on Twilight, I assume only a unicorn of high caliber can actually use this. However, it causes immense strain on the user after only a few seconds, and as you can see, freezes anything caught inside the field.” Lookin’ back ta the strawberry now, it was a solid piece of red ice instead of the bright red fruit it used ta be. Rubbin’ her head, Twilight took over.

“I can’t use it for very long, but as it turns out, the area in which the spell slows is up to my imagination, which leads me to believe that the amount of time it’s cast is the factor that determines the strain on the user, and not the effect of the spell itself. And then there’s the energy thing. Since it freezes whatever enters it, be it organic or not, we believe that it takes heat away from everything around it to power itself, much like trump card does when Rarity uses that, albeit I have yet to recreate that spell since Rarity hasn’t used it enough times to figure out what the complete circle looks like thanks to the archaic nature of that magic.” Rarity clapped her hooves and pointed at me.

“Speaking of, you didn’t say whether or not you’d unlocked yourself during that fight with your nightmare. You did, didn’t you? I assume you would be a bit more than angry…” Ah nodded.

“Yeah, that was definitely a factor. But only when Ah broke the thin’s mask. When Ah hit it, the skin itself came off surprisin’ly easy. The muscle took much more force ta rupture, but not so much that Ah would need trump card ta do it. The bone however Ah wouldn’t have been able ta break without and that’s where our target is. Provided my dream is accurate though, we need ta stay as far away from it as we can. Somethin’ that big and powerful along with speed that can beat Fluttershy’s reaction time isn’t somethin’ Ah’m lookin’ forward ta dealin’ with…” Another shiver. The images would never leave my head.

“Then we have nothing to worry about. Twilight will join us in this endeavor and since we have fore knowledge of our foe, we can simply take it down as soon as it shows up,” Rarity said, almost as if the fight had already been decided.

“You know, while that would be great, I get the feeling that it’s not gonna be that easy. I mean, think about it, when has anything just gone our way?” Goose asked. Ah let out a breath.

“Ah hate ta say it, but Ah agree with him. Thin’s in real life are already different than in the dream, and if multiverse theory is ta be proven true, then we could end up with an entirely different monster.” Rarity raised a hoof, opened her mouth, closed it and then sat back down in thought.

“Multiverse theory is true, mother proved that thirty years ago…” Twilight said. We all became quiet and everypony was in their thinkin’ position.

“You know, maybe it will be that monster, and maybe it will be something else entirely, but all the same, I think today is gonna okay. Maybe she was a little off her rocker yesterday, but Applejack was right. We’re gonna come home and wake up tomorrow, all of us. But really… I don’t think that’s enough. I think, we’re gonna trash whatever monster shows up, and we’ll get out without getting hurt. Maybe that’s a lofty goal, but damn it, I think we can do it! Come on guys, who’s with me!?” Pinkie said. The others raised their hooves and yelled ‘yeah!’ in unison, but Ah just sat there and stared at her wide eyed.

“Why…? Why would ya say that? How could ya say that!? That’s the same thin’ ya said before we all died! Twilight, what time is it!?”

“Eleven o’clock!” Ah held out my hoof ta silence everypony and we waited. Nothin’ came. Ah tapped my wrist and nodded ta Twilight, who then pulled up a digital clock with her magic. The minute changed and nothin’ happened.

“Ah want everypony ta get suited up right now. Twilight, if ya got that extra suit of armor like Ah asked, put it on, Ah don’t care if it fits. As long as y’all don’t get stabbed or crushed by this thin, the blunt attacks the armor can take. As soon as we’re all ready, we’re gonna go ta the center of the city, and we’re gonna wait. Nopony will die today, but Ah’ll be damned if we don’t handle this with as much care as a bomb technician. Ah want y’all ready ta go in the next five minutes, got it?” In a strange silence, they all nodded and moved to their respective rooms ta get ready, as did Ah. By eleven o’ five, we had reconvened at the livin’ room table, everypony was in their usual suits, save fer Blur, who’d painted her new armor pink, just like in the dream. She opened her mouth and Ah stopped her right there.

“No, we will not call ya ‘Crazy Diamond.’ Now let’s move.”

Kaiju I - Sachiel - The Day the Goddess Rested (part 2)

Ah figured it’d be best if we didn’t put any strain on Goose unless we had ta, so from the castle, we walked. As it was now, it was oddly silent in the park. Some of the homeless creatures lived here. Fer there ta be not a single sound around was very strange, but Ah was thankful for it. As we made it further in, the sound was even less. No cars, no buses, no trains, no trolleys. The city looked like a model of itself, completely empty and completely silent. It had been botherin' me since Ah saw her, but Ah couldn't break the silence. In the end, Pinkie was the one who asked.

“So… if nopony is going to, then I have to ask. Twilight, what in the world are you wearing?” At the moment, Twilight looked like she’d walked out of an ancient history book. The guard armor these days was essentially a collection of enchanted long solid plate mail pieces that covered most of the body, but had enough gaps in it to support movement while still makin’ it hard ta pierce the body with somethin’ like a bullet. Twilight however, had fitted hers in such a way that it went with her outfit, which resembled that of an ancient Equuin Centurion. A plume, A Cape, Tassels along her waist, a full face mask that resembled her mother’s face, oddly enough. All she was missin’ was a scutum and a spear and she’d be ready ta make a phalanx.

“W-well… I figure that if everypony else is wearing their costume, I might as well wear mine, right?” She said sheepishly.

“Ya say costume, but this has always just been a way ta hide in plain sight. Ah don’t really care what ya wear as long as it keeps ya alive though. Can ya see outta that mask? It looks a little… restrictive Ah guess.” The conversation was a bit of a nerve easin’ agent at the moment. Still no sounds but our own hooves. Everythin’ about this feels wrong, but this is definitely real. Ah can’t tell if this is worse than it was in the dream or not…

“Of course I can see! The centurion armor was one of the most advanced designs of the age, nothing could rival it. The ponies themselves were the pride of Equuis’ armies, early centurions literally earning their names for leading one hundred soldiers into battle.” Ah looked her over her under that mask, her eyes pretty well visible, save fer the obvious parts that Ah could tell restricted her vision, but she seemed pretty adamant about this.

“Ah see. Any particular reason why though? It seems… Ah don’t know, a little unusual, given the standard ‘hero’ outfit these days is essentially a skin-tight suit and an emblem.” We turned the corner along the side of a buildin’ and Ah stopped. Fer a single second, reality had gone away and all along this road Ah saw rivers of blood. Body parts, destroyed road, smashed buildin’s, the whole horrible scene from the dream came rushin’ back without warnin’. My breath had yet to escape my body when Ah shook my head, and Ah almost thought it was never gonna go.

“Are you okay?” Goose asked as he put a hoof on my shoulder. Ah looked back and everypony else had stopped with me and they all had the same expression on their faces: concern. Ah shook my head again and started up the street.

“It’s nothin’, let’s just keep movin’.” Ah tried ta move on, but Goose held me back.

“No it isn’t, talk to us.” His tone was softer now, but more stern than before. Ah glared at him, but figured he was right. Ah sighed.

“This is the street. The monster shows up two buildin’s in front of the stock exchange, and that electronic billboard is where he makes his announcement.” Seven lanes, splittin’ off in the middle fer the island of offices that segment apartment complexes. This area is a high mix of commercial and non-commercial buildin’s, but almost always has about ten thousand ponies in it at one point and time, regardless of the time of day. Traffic here is the worst it gets in Manehattan, and more bikes are stolen here than anywhere else. In the nightmare, this area was as bustlin’ as it usually is, which is why the death toll was so high in the first place. Ah don’t know who has his ‘object’ or whatever, and Ah don’t know why he decided ta choose the most heavily populated area in Manehattan ta strike first, but the bastard has a reason fer it and Ah wanna know what that reason is. However, these thoughts were distracted by the suddenly high amount of metal, belts, and hooves Ah could feel through my suit on my body.

“It’ll be okay this time. We’re all here with you,” Diamond said. Everypony backed away and Ah just stared at em’, a little more than dumbfounded. What am Ah supposed ta say ta this?

“Usually, this is where one says thank you.”

Ah wasn’t sure who's voice that was, but the suggestion felt right, so Ah took it.

“Thanks, Ah guess.” Ah scratched my neck. Geez, Ah've never like this before. “Let’s uh… keep goin’ then. Ah’d like ta get a good look at all these buildin’s. Ah think the monster specifically targeted certain ones, so Ah’d like ta try and figure out why.” The girls and Goose nodded and followed me ta the stock exchange buildin’. Everypony made their way up ta the rooftop, and after Twilight awkwardly flew herself up, we moved ta the edge and looked over the road. Now on the right side, the first buildin’ that caught my eye was ‘Argent Holdin’s.’ What the…? Isn’t that where Uncle Blood works? Immediately next ta that was the apartment complex that was first attacked in my dream. It looked normal enough, so… why go after it? Persona said he was lookin’ for his ‘object’ in the first announcement and the in one in my dream. He also addressed somepony in particular durin’ that first announcement too… Ah turned around ta address my ‘flock’ when they asked first.

“So, what’cha thinkin’?” Blur asked. Ah nodded and turned back around.

“This is the first buildin that the monster attacked. It was… oddly precise, as much as it was a pony blender, and none of the debris really went anywhere but inward. It managed ta take down three apartment complexes before it took notice of us, and they all ended up the same way; torn down from the center inward. The more Ah think about it, the more it seems strange that he’d go out of his way ta have the monster kill, but not destroy any more than necessary. Another thin’ that was weird was the fact that he attacks here first.” Ah pointed at the complex next ta Argent Holdin’s. “As far as we believe, Argent himself has ta be behind this since his company is makin’ the mirrors, but where he attacks is likely where most of his staff for this accountin’ buildin’ lives. Ah think it’s safe ta assume he’s after one of his own employees, but doesn’t know where said employee lives.” The five nodded, then Rarity took a step forward.

“That is strange though…” She tilted her head ta one side once, then panned across the area. When she was done, she then turned ta the group. “If he was looking for one of his employees, don’t you think he would have their address in his records? With that in mind, take a look around at the offices here. Just on this little block of buildings, we mostly have law firms, a few big franchise and chain restaurants, the Stock Exchange, and three different accounting firms. They don’t call this road the bit river for no reason after all. Centurio Reginae, who owns the Argent Holdings building?” Diamond asked, not even lookin’ ta see Twilight glare at her.

“The Rossfeller family. They own just about every building around here. You know I don’t appreciate-” Diamond moved close and put a hoof on the muzzle of Twilight’s mask.

“Shut up for a moment, please? Thank you, darling.” She moved into the center of our little circle and continued, “I’m sure you all know that the Rossfeller family is one of the richest families in Equestria, rivaling billionaires like Argent and the Carneighs for who's the top dog in Manehattan. But, do you know that Argent has a particularly nasty history with the Rossfellers? I was told this story when I was young, but when Mr. Argent initially went into business and first started his mining, he appealed to Pursue Manehattan Bank for the loan to buy his equipment, which just so happens to be the bank in which Crude Rossfeller junior owned the most shares of. After a shady deal, he obtained his money, but he would well more than pay for it later. Current head of the Rossfeller family, Petrol Rossfeller, was about the same age as Argent at this time and the CEO of Pursue. Pursue Manehattan has a long history of snowballing as it absorbed more and more banks through history, but when Argent struck gold, (or silver in this case) Petrol wanted to buy his company.

Now, the Argent I grew up hearing about wasn’t quite the power hungry monster he seems to have become. Equestria has laws against monopolies, and that is exactly what Mr. Rossfeller was trying to create. With Argent contributing a majority of Equestria’s silver and Rossfeller controlling the third largest bank in Equestria, he would literally have access and control over almost a third of Equestria’s wealth. As the stories were told, Argent was a very honest Stallion about his business and he did not want anything to do with Rossfeller’s grand scheme. This ended disastrously for Argent because most of the buildings he rented were owned by Rossfeller. Everything he rented went up to astronomical prices and just trying to get out of Rossfeller’s world almost caused Argent Enterprises to go under.

So, why does this building have Argent’s name on it you ask? Well, that’s simple. It’s not really his. Stannum Argent’s sheer hatred for Petrol Rossfeller occasionally has the two of them trying to destroy each other within Manehattan when they can. The company that rents this building originally belonged to physician Glider Rossfeller and managed accounts for Healers of Creation, the non-profit that sends doctors all over the world. Whether it was out of spite, or because he appreciated what Healers did, Argent donated heavily to this facility and the foundation. Glider sold this building two years before his death three years ago to Argent, but never managed to get the title to him. As it stands now, Glider Rossfeller is technically still the owner the building, and the company that resides within it. Since nopony can find the titles Glider left behind, the building remains in Argent’s ‘custody,’ but at the same time, he’s not allowed to the documents of the workers here. Essentially, if somepony wanted to stay close to Argent, but still out of reach from him, this would be the place to go.” The rest of us sat on that until Goose brought up an important point.

“So, this guy clearly has no problems breaking laws, why wouldn’t he just steal the records?” Diamond nodded.

“Because he doesn’t know where they are or how to access them. For a couple years, this company did belong to Glider Rossfeller and as such, their data was stored in Rossfeller servers. And that means…”

“He would really start a war if he tried to go after it…” Twilight finished.

“And so Centurio Reginae figured it out.” Diamond finished. Twilight glared at her, then rolled her eyes.

“An all out war between Argent and Rossfeller would wreak havoc on the economy and likely destroy both in the process. As much as they might hate each other, Equestria as a whole would be at a huge disadvantage in the world market if we lost either. Goddess knows that Argent is the only reason we have good ties to Zvyr at all,” Centurio Reginae continued. Damn it, now she’s got me sayin’ it. Huh… Ah kinda like it though.

“S-so, I get that all this money talk is o-over my head, b-but why would he just search at random? And… k-kill so many in the process…” Target asked from her imaginary corner. Even with the mask and the hat and the coat and the gun, she still somehow manages ta be completely not intimidatin’ when she opens her mouth. Still, the question was valid. If he has the power ta make his monster follow specific instruction, why all the death?

“Hmm… That I can’t say. While educated, this is all still conjecture. We can’t know anything until we hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.” She was about ta open her mouth again when the clock tower bell started ta ring. Everypony froze and we waited. One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine… ten… eleven… twelve. On queue, a bolt of bright orange lightnin’ shot from an alleyway just a buildin’ away from us. Black ooze spilled out like oil and filled the road like a swimmin’ pool. The ooze began ta collect itself in two pools, and then the monster from my nightmare started ta form itself from the ground up. The monster let out a low gravely metallic moan and began ta look around. Finally, it settled on us, and from an electronic billboard on a completely different buildin’ that we could see, Persona appeared.

“Well, well, well! It looks like somepony took my warning seriously! And what a unique group you are… An Equuin Centurion, Diamond the heroine, A Lunar guard, an Assassin of some sort… Mmm, I don’t know the pink one, and of course, Red Hoof’s successor. I’m honestly surprised there aren’t more of you here. I suppose one can beat a raid boss with a small party, but that usually isn’t the smartest decision. Very well then. This is Sachiel, the first of my Kaiju. In a test to recreate my lost object, he was the first success, but the price for this success was much of his mind. Defeat Sachiel and the round is yours. Fall to Sachiel and you will all die, losing your homes, your city, and possibly the world in the process until my object is found. Win the round and I will answer one question of your choice, save for anything I cannot say, such as my identity or my location. True heroes rise when the odds are stacked against them! Go beyond! Begin, Sachiel!” Persona finished, and with his words the monster started ta move. Raisin’ it’s claw back, Ah remembered the where the top of it’s arc was, and just as it hit it, Ah called my first order.

“Jump!” Ah yelled just as the claw shot forward like a missile. Twilight and Fluttershy took ta the sky while the rest of us bounded away ta different buildin’s. The creature seemed stuck somehow in what remained of the Stock Exchange. Is it… slower than Ah remember? Somethin’ is… different… Ah decided ta test its skin while it was preoccupied. From my initial jump, Ah shot at the ground toward its opposite foot and loaded a normal, but powerful punch with my right. When Ah collided with the monster’s ankle, it was almost like the jello-esque skin absorbed all the force Ah’d put into it. It didn’t break and my hoof traveled in and out like it was water, makin’ an oozy black spray follow me ta the ground. A shiver ran up my foreleg. Why am Ah suddenly so cold?

“Guys, this is different. Its skin is even less solid than Ah remember and it don’t care too much whether or not Ah punch it. Target, take an AP shot at its skin and its mask. Centurio, do the same with whatever attack magic ya can think of, but if ya can, Ah think lightnin’ might be our best bet here. Go from at least a 45 degree of the monster and shoot at the same time. Everypony else, play distraction.” Directly across from each other, two buildin’s apart from the destroyed one, Target began ta line up her shot and Twilight started ta charge her magic. Goose and Ah aimed fer the same ankle and dove straight in fer a punch on either side of Sachiel. It finally managed ta free its claw from the ruined buildin’ and made a quick step back ta avoid us.

At the same time, its balance looked ta be slightly off and Target called ta fire. The first round struck true, the spinnin’ bullet pushed away the liquid skin of the creature and pierced deep inta its main body below, but it didn’t look ta do much damage. Just as quickly as the hole was made, it was closed up and hidden underneath a darker, more solid lookin’ ooze. Fer Twilight’s attack, it didn’t seem ta do hardly anythin’ at all. The bright violet tesla coil strike just spread through the monster. The jolt seemed ta make it faster though, which wasn’t really helpful. Its leg pulled back further and it looked like it was about ta try and punt Goose and Ah. The two of us bounded separate ways just as the foot reached the top of it’s arc. The whole creature angled and the spindly giant point dug through the ground like sand, kickin’ up blacktop and concrete in the air like dust. The poor Stock Exchange buildin’ was all but completely demolished now, pieces of road juttin’ out of its remains and the apartments behind it had new spikes of concrete stickin’ out of ‘em.

“No more magic on the skin. Aim fer the mask now. Twilight, try ta shoot a barrier at it. Ah think this thin’ might be capable of stealin’ energy. Best not ta test the theory. If yer rounds don’t do anythin’, Goose we need ta make an effort ta try and break it.”

“Yes ma’am!” they responded. Just as we started ta get inta formation, the creature squatted and spread it’s claws ta either side of it’s body.

“Never mind! Target, Centurio, get outta the way!” Just as they started ta move, the monster shot inta the air in an arc with claws out stretched and ready ta crush my two snipers.

“ZA WARUDO!”

When Ah blinked, Goose and Blur had Centurio and Target respectively, not too far from me as the monster landed on a now flattened apartment buildin’. The creature let out a low metallic growl as it stood back up and turned toward us.

“Target, Centurio, fire!” Much like the first time, Centurio’s magic didn’t do anythin’ visibly, and Target’s bullet made a crack in the mask. Or so we thought. As the creature took a step forward, the visible cracks in its mask started ta seal up with hardened black ooze. Damn… it’s gonna be one or none with this… wait a minute. What is it lookin’ at? Rather than the five of us, the creature’s mask was facin’ slightly away, like it was focused on somethin’. “Diamond, where are ya?”

“In the alley between the two apartment complexes across from Argent Holdings. Where is it going?” That’s a good question…

“Target, follow it and keep firin’ at the mask. Everypony else, keep yer distance and watch fer now.” Target continued ta fire at the monster as it traveled seemin’ly aimlessly. Ten new cracks all filled with ooze before we ran out.

“I-I’m down to two rounds left. W-what do you want me to do?” Target asked. Damn. Why can’t this be a video game and we just pick up more ammo off the ground? Where the hell is this thin’ even goin’ anyway?

“Ah don’t know what it’s doin’, but we can’t just stand around and let it do whatever. Goose and Ah are gonna circle around and try ta break its mask the rest of the way now that it’s weak. Diamond, stay near, and the rest of y’all figure out what we still have and what might damage it. It absorbs magic as far as Ah can tell and it don’t really care too much fer blunt force either. If we can’t get through the mask with what we’ve got, then we’re kinda screwed”

“Nice confidence there Major, real inspiring,” Blur replied sarcastically.

“Talk ta me when ya figure out how ta fight this thin’.” Damn pessimist. Go be snarky when Ah don't need yer ass.

“Uh… guys? I think I figured out what it’s after,” Goose said.

“Mind sharing with the class?” Diamond asked.

“Well, it absorbed the lightning and got faster right?”

“Yeah. What’s yer point?”

“Isn’t there a big substation around this area?”

“Oh shit.” The rest of us said. Just as Goose finished, the sound of a thousand chirpin’ birds shot through the air and jagged bright blue-white streaks pierced the sky. Sachiel had made it ta its goal before we even figured out what it was doin’. The oozy creature was vibratin’ with blue sparks all along its now movin’ liquid skin, and with unsettlin’ speed, it turned back around ta face us. Mixed in with the whine and shriek of lightnin’ was a low metallic moan. Deep inside the mask’s eye holes two bright blue-white lights appeared and settled on us.

“Everypony, scatter!” In a mere second, the monster jumped from its position and landed right in front of us with a claw pulled back ready ta punch the hell out of its target. When Ah turned ta get out of the way myself, Ah saw the most unfortunate thin’ that coulda happened at that moment. Goose and Blur had made it away with Diamond and Target, but poor Centurio had gotten one of her wings crushed under some of the rubble from the monster’s landin’. Goddess damn it, this is gonna hurt if it doesn’t kill me. As quick as Ah could, Ah ran and destroyed the rubble underneath Centurio’s screamin’. With no other options, Ah punted her away hopin’ somepony would catch her. Ah felt the wind bein' pushed away behind me and Ah turned just in time ta see the shape the monster’s fist had taken. The pointed claw, the same one that had speared my friends in my dream, was meters away from me.

“TOKI WO TOMARE!”

“ZA WARUDO!”

When Ah blinked, Ah was on top of a buildin’ away from the monster and in Goose’s hooves. The stallion let out a breath in relief and turned ta me.

“Good goddess, that was close. Please don’t do that again. I don’t think I could live with it if I had to watch you die.” Ah stared at him dumbfounded fer a second before Ah shook myself out of it and got back ta the ground. Ah can’t believe Ah let that happen twice. Thank Goddess fer Diamond, this woulda ended up the same way without her.

“Guys, I have an idea!” Blur called out. The creature, clearly not bein’ the smartest thin’ around, had gotten itself stuck again. This time however, it was havin’ a much harder time removin’ itself from the ground.

“What is it? Did somepony catch Centurio?” Ah asked.

“I-I did. Her wing is s-shattered though… I-I’ve done what I can, b-but she passed out from the pain…” Target responded.

“Well wake her ass up, we need her for this!” Blur exclaimed.

“Need her for what darling? You haven’t told us what your plan is,” Diamond pointed out.

“Okay, so, you know how my knives have a real deadly poison in them? Well, as it turns out, that poison is magically concentrated acid. This shit will kill a pony in a few seconds, but the reason it does so is because it steals calcium out of the body. It might not melt a whole body, but it will turn bone to mush in a few seconds.”

“That’s great Blur, but how does it help?” Ah asked.

“I have six of these knives, and they each have about two ounces of acid in them. Less than that is enough to kill more than a score of ponies, and you said the white parts are all bone right? If that’s the case, then what do you think will happen if we stabbed it’s mask with one of the knives?” Nopony needed any more than that.

“Target, wake up Centurio, Blur, test the theory! If it works, we can do this! The mirror was just under its eyes in the center of its body! Come here and Ah’ll give ya a lift!” Target started ta dig through her medicine and Ah got in position ta throw a javelin. Not a second passed after Ah reached the bottom of my arc before Blur was on my hoof.

“Fire!” she yelled, and with everythin’ Ah could, Ah tossed her at the monster. Two knives extended, the blades both glowin’ a sickly green, she landed in the monster’s mask and slowly started ta carve out a hole in it. Sachiel took notice of his new occupant and finally managed ta rip himself out of the ground. Blur staggered and fell off the monster as it jumped back and started ta claw at its mask, the new wound steamin' as the acid ate away at it. The monster screeched another low hiss and began its assault.

“It don’t seem too happy about what ya did! Get out and fall back!” As fast as the monster was now, even Blur was havin’ a hard time avoidin’ its attacks. At one point, it looked like it was gonna bash her inta nothin’ and Ah made the choice ta intercept. Unlike it’s ankel, its fist was very much just as hard as it’s mask seems ta be. There was so much force in the punch that my forelegs almost gave out, but just as Ah was about ta lose it, the fist pulled back. What the? Is it… weaker? Come ta think of it, it was stuck the second time fer a while wasn’t it?

“Marevelous, I can see the mirror! Check the mask again!” Diamond reported. As quick as Ah could, Ah doubled back and bounded away from the monster, who was currently… shakin’ his fist in pain? Just like Diamond has said, the mirror was visible where the mask had melted off, but just underneath a layer of ooze.

“Target, take the shot!” Ah yelled. The black clad pegasus quickly dropped her medicines and picked up her rifle. Sachiel however, was too quick. The moment Target pulled her trigger, he raised his claw to cover the wound. The round put a crack in his fist and nohin’ more. It locked its eyes on Target, and now she was his target.

“Shit. Goose, get his attention! Blur, grab Centurio and fall back! Diamond, do ya have any more time left?” Goose and Ah jumped in and we both went after the mask, only ta be batted away like flies.

“I’ve got a few seconds with anypony other than myself. Do you have a plan?” Ah removed myself from the rubble of the once standin’ apartment floor and made my way back out ta see what had happened. Goose has warped ta avoid getting hit and was now playin’ the part of the mole in whack-a-mole with Sachiel, narrowly avoidin’ gettin’ smashed by warpin’ ever so slightly as he was attacked. Ah sighed and felt all the aches in my body. Goddess, am Ah gonna be sore tomorrow. Just one more push…

“Yeah Ah do. We need ta regroup and get set up just like we did with Knots. Target is gonna shoot one of Blur’s knives and Centurio is gonna protect it. If all of that fails, Goose and Ah will be right behind the knife ta smash the mirror. Everypony get that?”

“Y-yes, but Centurio hasn’t…” Target began.

“I’m up…” Centurio moaned.

“N-nevermind.”

“Good. Get in position! When Ah give the signal, cast the spell and fire!” While Goose was playin’ distraction, Ah snuck up from under the monster and tried ta aim at it’s mask. Just as quickly, the monster pulled its arm across its chest and got ready ta swat me away. Ah cued Goose, and he took hold of the monster’s other claw. Ah looked the monster in the eyes, and it looked at me. The game was won, and Ah couldn’t help but smile.

“TOKI” The monster’s claw at the edge of its arc.

“WO” The monster’s claw about ta collide with me.

“TOMARE!” The monster’s claw about ta launch me away, mirror exposed.

“ZA WARUDO!”

Color evaporated from the world and the remainin’ momentum from Sachiel’s arm faded as Ah fell ta the ground. The gunshot went off and echoed through the frozen time. A bright violet cone formed around the knife just as Goose and Ah made it just meters from the mirror. In a rush of wind and sound, the world was filled with color again. The bright violet cone zipped across the sky and inta the hole, piercing deep, but bein’ stopped just short. Goose and Ah launched, but the only part of Sachiel fast enough ta keep up with us were his eyes.

“This is our city, and nopony is gonna take it from us!” The magic filled my hooves, and in tandem, Goose and Ah struck the knife lodged just in front of the mirror. The blade continued on its path and deep inta the ground, along with shattered pieces of the monster’s whole torso. Sachiel fell, and as he did his form began ta change back inta what it had originally been. When all was said and done, there was a pony in front of us, missin’ a piece of his chest and coughin’ up blood. It was weak and quiet, but just as we came close enough, Sachiel spoke.

“My… congratulations… heroes… but, know this… I… am the… weakest…” He hacked once more in his puddle of blood, and then, he stopped movin’.

“Well. So much for that,” Goose said through a sigh. “I can’t believe we managed that. Are you okay?” Ah shrugged.

“Somehow. Ah doubt Ah won’t be bruised ta hell and back tomorrow though, provided nothin’ is broken. How is everypony else? Y’all okay back there?”

“I’m fine, I was only caught by some unfortunate debris in the beginning,” Diamond answered.

“I can’t feel my right side, and that is probably a good thing. All my feathers are broken, and I’m surprised my wing is still attached at all at this point,” Centurio said.

“N-no problems here,” Target responded.

“Also that,” Blur finished. Ah took a deep breath and let it out slowly. One down, but we’ve still got five more of these thin’s… The sound of static caught all of our attention. When we all turned toward the source, the big screen on a buildin’ completely untouched by Sachiel’s destruction lit up. As promised, the mask returned.

“Color me impressed, heroes. You may not have saved the structures of the city, but only one pony died here today, and none of them you.” Ah walked toward the screen and the mask seemed ta track me as Ah did. It was almost like he was lookin’ at me through it.

“Yeah yeah, yer damn monster destroyed thousands of homes and did millions of bits worth of property damage. What in the hell is it yer after? Why would ya make somethin’ so destructive? Do ya know how many ponies that thin’ coulda killed!?” Ah was yelin' at him, but it just made Persona laugh.

“I’ll answer one of those questions, as that was your promised reward, but for free, I will tell you that lives are simply part of the collateral. How many could Sachiel kill? Any number of ponies, especially those who didn’t expect him. And when the next of my kaiju come, they too will have the power to end lives in the blink of an eye. But that is for next week and the future ahead of us. For now, you may ask. One question; barring my identity or location. You have until twelve forty-five to decide.” A part of me was furious and wanted ta scream at him more. The stronger part of me said ta cool down and think.

“Son of a bitch. One minute ta figure it out. Y’all hear that?”

“Yeah.” Ah got back.

“Any ideas?”

“I don’t think I’m all the way here yet, but I think the schedule of the monsters arriving would be the first thing to ask. If he wants this to be like a game, and he’s clearly watching it, does he plan to do it at the same time every week?” Centurio said with a strange drunken canter ta her voice. Ah looked ta Goose, and after gettin’ a nod, Ah asked her question.

“When are these monsters gonna show up? And Ah mean at what time of what day will each monster show up?” The mask seemed ta bounce with excitement, and after a little more laughter from the strange, augmented voice, it tilted at me.

“Again, you impress me. You do not ask for yourselves, but for your city. You six are exemplary. When the clock strikes noon on the day the goddess rested, my kaiju will make their grand entrances, followed by an announcement from yours truly. I will proceed any battle and appear every time you win to answer one more question. Well done, heroes. Until we meet again~” Persona finished and the screen cut out with him. Ah gritted my teeth. Seven more days ta prepare and this starts all over again with a brand new monster. And we have no idea what’s comin’ next…

Persona V: A Stolen Heart (part 1)

Normally, when one has an epiphany, one finds themselves in a situation they never could’ve predicted would ever happen in their lifetime. A few days ago, Ah literally fought a giant monster. Ah did not have an epiphany there, that was more like dé ja vu. In my current situation, Ah’m at a table. In a restaurant that used ta be well above my pay grade. Ah’m wearin’ a dress that used ta be a whole paycheck. Now, all of that is strange, especially fer me, but the one thin’ Ah never thought Ah’d ever be doin’ is sittin’ here in all this… across from Goose. Do ya ever sit and think, what has my life come ta? Because that’s me right now. How did Ah get here? Well… that’s just a long story in and of itself.

“Hold still, damn it!”

“Aah! It hurts mommy, it hurts!”

“It won’t after I finish, now shut up and hold still!”

“Pinkie, Fluttershy, grab her legs!”

“Aaah!!!”

“Alright, you may let go now.”

Not more than a few seconds after we arrived ta the castle did Celestia warp ta here ta tend ta her daughter. Ah learned a few thin’s that day. One, Twilight has a lot more strength than she lets on. Two, hearin’ the princess curse is the weirdest thin’ Ah’ve ever heard in my life. Everypony but Rarity let go of Twilight, and her wing, which wasn’t much more than a crumpled red and purple mess before, was now back ta the shape it should be. Well, save fer it bein a weird mix of bald patches and scant feathers. Ta prevent ruinin’ Twilight’s natural regeneration, all Celestia could really do was reset the bones and put the muscles back where they belonged. That was no small feat though. Twilight needed ta be able ta feel so Celestia could trace the nerves as her brain tried ta use em. The bones were set, but reattachin’ the tendons was the hard part. Thankfully though, we were finished with that now.

“Thank you all, for helping me with this,” Celestia said with relief. “Stubborn little mare.” She glared at her daughter, then let out a breath and looked away. When she showed up and saw the wing, she was mortified. And then angry. Ah don’t believe anythin’ has ever scared me ta my very core before, and Ah don’t think anythin’ other than the face she made ever will. “If anypony else has any injury, I will happily fix it for you. That much you’ve earned at the very least.” She addressed the rest of us. Twilight had quickly limped away nursin’ her wing and Goose and Ah were treated. The adrenaline must’ve been doin’ its job because Ah walked back ta the castle with a fractured foreleg and didn’t know it until she told me what all she repaired. The bruises would stay, and so would the soreness, but my first broken bone was already good ta go. There aren’t many ponies who can afford this kinda treatment, and even less who get it fer free. When everypony was all good ta go, we sat down and had a discussion with the princess.

“So, ya came here real quick. How did ya know we were already done?” Ah asked. Celestia let out a breath.

“Of course you wouldn’t know this yet, but your battle was broadcasted,” she said wearily. The room went silent.

“What? How?” Celestia shook her head.

“I don’t know. We don’t know. Even with all my networks, we couldn’t trace the signal, nor could we stop it. Every television and computer screen across the country watched you fight that… that thing. Some of you weren’t well known before, but now all of you are. Including you, my little secret.” She put her hooves on her temples and rubbed at them. She was like that fer a while, then a look of 'really?' crossed her face and she turned ta Twilight. “Centurio Regine?” Twilight sighed.

“For that, you can blame Rarity,” Twilight shot.

“Of course it was somepony else. You’ve never been good at naming things. Why a centurion though? Why my face?” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Is this really what you came here to discuss?” she complained.

“No, it isn’t. But I have to ask. What does that phrase mean?” Celestia asked, not to anypony specific.

“What phrase?” Pinkie responded.

“The one a few of you called out before Rarity stopped time,” She continued, focused on Pinkie this time.

“S-stop time, then something Pinkie made up. I-it’s Umanese. I have n-no idea where she learned it though. S-she never wants to watch my shows w-with me...” Fluttershy answered, albeit a bit bitterly. We all looked ta Pinkie, who shrugged and Celestia shook her head.

“At least it makes some semblance of sense. I’ve been monitoring messaging forums for the past hour. There’s already speculation about all of you, but most of it is directed at Twilight and I. Some ponies think you are me, others think you’re related to me, some think you’re Luna, and I don’t know what to do about it.

Rossfeller lost sixteen buildings, the stock exchange thankfully moved their servers last year, but a piece of history was lost today and ponies aren’t happy about it. Ten blocks were connected to that substation and they’ve all lost power until it’s repaired, thousands of ponies have been displaced and have nowhere to return to, as if Manehattan didn’t already have housing problems as it is, and to top it all off, there will be five more of these attacks if we can’t figure out how to stop the spread of whatever horrid concoction this Persona villain has created. We don’t even know who this pony is. Or if they’re even a pony in the first place.

I’ve cursed myself for my mistake back then, but none more so than today. Honestly, I came here to escape my cabinet and get some time to think. Fixing your injuries was really just an unfortunate but welcome distraction. I don’t want to make light of you, or have you feel devalued, but there’s just so much going on right now and I’m the one who has to fix it all.” Celestia was practically ramblin' at this point, endin’ it with her hooves over her eyes and her head on the table. Her mane wasn’t it’s usual ethereal, flow-y cloud of hair, but a sullen tangled mess of long blue, violet, green, and pink strands. Ah don’t think Ah’ve ever seen her disheveled before, even when Ah woke up next ta her. She’s all kinda stressed out right now, and not without good reason. Ah can only wonder if she’s been like this all week? Nah, today must be a special day. She ordered an evacuation this mornin’ and now everypony knows why, which means she must be gettin’ a lot of heat. Eventually, Twilight came over and rubbed her mother's back.

“It’ll be okay. You always fix problems like this.” Celestia pulled Twilight into a hug.

“Thanks honey. Some days, I wish we could just cuddle like we used to when you were young.” She let go of Twilight then sat up straight to address the rest of us. “But unfortunately, those days seem to be much further away than I remember. You all did what you could and I can only be thankful that this didn’t end in a worse disaster. Nopony died today, and it’s all because of you. These few moments of rest have given me the chance to collect my thoughts, and I’d like to share them with you all before anypony else.

I don’t believe we’re going to be able to deal with Persona. As well timed and calculated his attack seems, I imagine he’s been highly integrated into our systems for a very long time now, and we’ll have to play his game. An unfortunate truth is that Luna and I would be just as, or likely more destructive than his monsters in a fight like that, and we can only help as the absolute last resort. With that said, that doesn’t mean we can’t offer assistance. If you need, or can even think of any piece of equipment the military might have, then ask and you shall receive. I hate that there’s nopony else I can entrust a mission like this to, but ponies without powers here… they simply couldn’t compete. As it turns out, you six just happen to have all the right qualities to fight in the city without completely destroying it or causing more damage than you prevent.

I will use everything in my power to make sure there is nopony in your way for the next five weeks. I have no idea what form your foes will take, but we’ll give you some of everything to make sure you’re prepared for anything. I need to return before those idiots go wake up Luna. Goddess knows that they’re like chickens with their heads cut off without me. But before I do, is there anything you all need now?”

(And this is where my current predicament started.) Goose raised his hoof.

“Yes? You’re… the Carcharodon boy, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, we don’t need to bring that up. Goose is fine. Uh, anyways, I think I’ve more than proved I’m here for the long run, so can I have the freedom to leave the castle as I please?” he asked. Twilight took a step forward, but Celestia stopped her.

“Provided you swear you won’t cause trouble, I can’t see why not. Nopony would risk their life like that if they didn’t have something they wanted to protect.” A smile started ta form on Celestia’s face that had way too much family resemblance in it. Not quite a smile Ah guess then, but a sneer that Ah’ve seen Twilight make more than a few times. “If it goes well, I’d like to hear about it. Keep in touch, all of you. Until next time, then.” Celestia took ta the top of the table and her horn began ta light up. She gave a partin’ bow, but winked at me before the orb of golden lightnin’ flashed and she disappeared. What was that about?

“Cool. I’m officially off the hook, so I’ll be around. Later!” Goose stood waived and blinked off ta who knows where before anypony could do anythin’ about it.

“Wait- damn it! Where the hell did he go? Oww…” Twilight raged, then grabbed at her wing.

“Darling, please calm down. What does it matter? He clearly has something he’s been wanting to do, so why not let him do it? He and Applejack have fought so much today already, we might as well let everypony take a rest.” Rarity said.

“He can’t just…!” she sighed. “Whatever. I wanted to talk about today, but I guess it doesn’t matter if we do it later. I’m going to take a nap. I’m sure mother will have made an announcement soon and the city will become a busy place very quickly. You all are free to do whatever, just be sure to meet back here Tuesday around six PM. If any of you see him, tell him he’s an asshole.” Twilight angrily left the table and headed down the hallway ta her room. After she slammed the door, the rest of us speculated.

“Well. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her do that. What do you think she’s so mad about?” Pinkie asked.

“I-I wouldn’t know. But if anything, I t-think she’s mad at herself right now. She probably d-didn’t feel very good about getting in the w-way earlier…” Fluttershy stuttered. Yeah… As much as Ah hate ta think we’d all have died without Rarity, Ah’m not sure Twilight really did us any good back there.

“I wouldn’t worry too much. This happened before when we started out and I’m sure it will happen again until she becomes more practiced. Well, I think I’m going to go collect my sister and maybe drive south to get dinner while the city repopulates. What do you three plan to do?” Rarity asked. What am Ah gonna do?

“We were thinking about just sitting here and watching one of those shows Fluttershy has been trying to get me to watch. I figure I might not have too long left, so I might as well,” Pinkie said with a shrug.

“I-it’s horrible that you would say that! B-but, I’m glad you’re finally willing to h-hang out with me…” Fluttershy trailed off.

“Hey, we hang out!” Pinkie argued.

“B-but we only ever do things that you l-like to do!” Fluttershy countered. Pinkie raised a hoof opened her mouth, then closed it and put it back down.

“Yeah… You know what? Why don’t we just go sit down before I put my hoof in my mouth, huh?” Pinkie offered.

“T-that’d probably be best,” Fluttershy said, and then together they walked ta her room.

“Well? What about you?” Rarity asked. What about me? What do Ah do? Do Ah ever have free time like this? Ah always went out ta train or do more hero work before…

“Ah don’t know. Ah guess Ah’ll go sleep. Ah’m pretty banged up as it is, so Ah might as well take the opportunity.” Rarity nodded and got up.

“Practical as always. Why don’t you and I walk to the garage together? I have a question I’d like to ask.” Ah nodded and walked with her. Once we made it down the dark blue crystal halls of the castle, she stopped at her car and Ah stopped at my bike. She then turned ta me, a little too close fer my comfort. “So? What is it?”

“What is what?”

“Oh come now, you know what I’m asking about.”

“No, really Ah don’t. All ya said was ‘what is it.’ Not really any context fer me ta pull meanin’ out of.” Rarity rolled her eyes and huffed.

“I mean you and Goose. Him leaving earlier was the first time I’ve seen him not within ten meters of you. You didn’t look too pleased to see him go either.” Ah furrowed my brows.

“What? Ah’m not followin’.” Rarity frowned.

“Do I have to spell it out for you? Fine then. Are you two a couple or something? Because that’s what it seems like,” she said in a much flatter tone. Ah reared back.

“Are ya crazy? No, we’re not.” Rarity narrowed her eyes, then nodded.

“Very well then. We shall see. I've played this game a few times before, and I know what the beginning looks like. Don’t be surprised if he asks for your company alone in the near future.” She climbed in her car and then started the little sporty thin’ up. The engine roared ta life and filled the crystal garage with sound. That car is more engine than it is car, Ah swear.

“Wait a minute, why would he do that?” Rarity stuck her tongue out and shifted inta first. “Rarity!” The engine roared, her hoof pulled back off the clutch, the tires squealed, and up the ramp she shot. Why would he do that?

With the Princess’ word that I can do whatever, and her seeming to understand what I was after, I left immediately for my first location. I have a laundry list of things to get done before I even ask, and then I have a whole bunch of other shit to take care of in the event she says yes. It’s going to be a long couple of days for me. Down on the south western side of Manehattan is where my personal hide out is/was, whichever fits right now. I’m not too sure about it just yet, but I don’t really think I want to move out of the castle. It’s a safe place, and I haven’t slept so well in a long time. It could be that my foalhood dreams are more or less coming true these days, but the simple fact that my insomnia hasn’t been acting up is the biggest plus for me. And of course there’s her. It’s been a very long time since I went this far for a mare. Especially for this mare.

I pushed that thought out of the way and finally went to turn the lights on in my room, the one at my old place. My Dad’s house. I haven’t been here in years, and it seems like nopony else has either. Judging by the posters on the walls, the last time I was here was while I was still in highschool, before I took over the gang, before anything in my life was more complicated than watching my back. I always thought I would just run into her one day. Didn’t think it’d happen while she was in spandex though, that threw me for a loop. I cannot believe I groped her of all ponies. This playboy facade has to die.

My old room was a little box with walls covered in posters, a bed, a desk, a TV, a few dressers, some old game consoles, and what I came here for, a book shelf. I had my dad buy every single year book since I entered elementary school onward. In the beginning, it was just so I had pictures of my friends (cell phones weren’t such a huge thing just yet back then). After she just up and disappeared though, it was to search. I thought that maybe she did keep going to school and I just never ran into her. I was wrong. My fourth grade year is when she disappeared, the same year as that memory, the same year all my friends in that apartment complex died. She was the only one left from before everything went so wrong and she disappeared just like everypony else.

I never gave up hope though. She was the only one who I didn’t see die, so maybe she didn’t. It was when school ended that I did give up hope. I had my own group of ponies, my gang before it was really that, looking for her the whole time but we never turned up anything. After months of it and the decision to go to college or not coming close, I just stopped and tried to do something with my life. She probably died that day too, I would think and try to keep moving. It was shortly after I got my associate’s that my dad was killed and I had to step up. Everything has been so crazy since then, I’d just about forgotten her completely.

And then she showed up, finally, after twelve years. Of course, I didn’t know it then. I didn’t really realize who she was until the next morning. At first it was like the memory was chipping at the edge of my brain. Even the ‘fight’ we had the first time was familiar, almost like the way we used to dance when we were kids. She still moved like she used to, she still spoke like she used to. What was her name? I thought that day. Nah, there’s now way, followed shortly after. When they woke me up the next morning, all I could do was stare at her. You look just like… just like that filly I used to know… I thought. And then they said it. With her name came back all the memories, everything I’d done to look for her and here she was, right in front of me. And to her, I looked like a bad guy.

This was the mare I made a promise to all those years ago as a kid. This was the mare I’d been searching for the past twelve years, and I look like the bad guy. I couldn’t tell her, and she couldn’t figure out who I am. Not until she remembered on her own, or I’d done something to prove I wasn’t the bad guy, at least in her eyes.

“Ah ha, there it is. Jaquline Apple, born May 26th, 2010. I guess that makes her three years and a month younger than I am? Damn, that means I met her when she was five. I wonder if she’ll remember my old nickname before I tell her? Nah, if she hasn’t figured it out by now, I doubt she will. I already told her my full name once. Not really a name a five year old could pronounce, much less remember since she immediately made one for me.” I started piling my things on top of my bookshelf and got ready to warp back to the castle. No place on the planet is safer than there, probably, so if anywhere, that’s where I should keep my memorabilia. If she’s having visions and they come at least part way true, then maybe that dream… I sighed and it echoed through the empty house.

“Focus Lamni. Now’s not the time. We have a goal here. Get. It. To-gether,” I said, slapping my cheeks. I finished looting the house and piling all of that shit in my little ‘prison box’ as I so affectionately call it and headed to the next chore on my list: make sure the guys are okay. I was about to warp away when Fluttershy walked in.

“Oh. S-so you did come back. T-Twilight’s kinda pissed,” she said, taking note of my pile of things. And it really was just that. Half of it consisted of pictures, my dad’s big-old expensive camera, one of the few pictures of my mother and father that still exists, some games from back in the day.

“Is she? Man, who’d have thought I would cause such a disruption in her precious little heart. I supposed I’ll have to go soothe the ache soon♥” I really didn't want anypony interrupting me right now, so anything to get her to go away. An unfortunate part of my perceived character is that I’m also the harem master. If even half the things I said were true, then maybe it would have been easier to get them to trust me. I’ve only had one real relationship before, and even then it never went as far as I want ponies to believe. And all of that was only in the last five years. The lies are just so natural at this point that they’re easier to tell. She raised her snout and nodded slowly.

“Mmhmm. I-I wasn’t going to say anything, b-but I think the ‘gang leader’ t-thing is a little old now, isn’t it?” I just about froze in place. Damn it, it’s always the quiet ones!

“What do you mean? That’s kinda who I was not too long ago.” Not the greatest way to get her out of my mane, but I’m kinda screwed if she knows.

“Y-you know what I mean. A-also, did you know that your r-right ear twitches when you lie? Y-you used to do it a lot, b-but it’s less common now. I-it’s really subtle. I-I don’t think anypony else would've p-picked up on it yet.” That emotionless face of hers. She’s impossible to read. She’s an assassin alright, Persona got that one dead on.

“What do you want.” There was no point in keeping the appearance up, she already beat the game. I’m on a schedule and she’s cutting into it. I’ve spoken to her alone like three times. She’s harder to deal with than dad was, and I spent years with the guy!

“M-me? Nothing. I-I just want to know w-what you’re up to. Unless you’re as oblivious as T-Twilight and Applejack, anypony would know w-what you want.” Cold. As. Ice. It’s like talking to a wall.

“I’m just making dinner plans.” The truth. Not all of it, but the truth.

“Mmhmm. And how about the whole story?” I rolled my eyes.

“Weren’t you watching a show with Pinkie?” I countered.

“S-she’s so absorbed with that that she wouldn’t notice if the castle w-walls fell around her. T-the others might not be i-innocent, but you and I? W-we’ve killed for sport. W-what do you plan to d-do with my friend?” I honestly cannot believe that I’m being threatened by a mare with a stutter.

“Look, I’ve done some bad shit in my life, but I’ve never-” She moved closer.

“L-lies are dangerous. T-they can get you killed,” she said quietly, locking with my eyes. It was like staring at a wolf. Oh wait.

“Fine. I’ve done some really bad shit before. But at the moment, I’m trying to accomplish a life goal, so if you’ll kindly just-” She pushed me against the wall. I could feel points on her hooves digging into my chest.

“L-let me make myself v-very clear. If you hang my f-friend and leave her out to dry, I-I will put a hole between your ears. U-unlike the others, I-I have different little voice in my head, one t-that tells me to do bad things. S-she’s very persuasive, very e-easy on the ears.” She spoke like a carnivore. However, she was acting like she knew me, and that was pissing me off. I pushed back.

“Don’t you think for even a second that I would ever betray the mare I’ve been searching for most of my life. You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do this, and you don’t know who I am! Make threats to somepony who cares. I have things to do.” Then she immediately perked up and smiled, revealing teeth that were more pointed than they should be, possibly more so than mine.

“I-I guess sharks do h-have spines. Y-you will tell me your plans later. I-if anypony needs somepony in their life r-right now, it’s her. I-I just wanted to make sure y-you were the right stallion for the job. C-carry on.” And then she skipped out and down the hall, humming a tune. I had to blink.

“What just happened?”

After being grilled by what I can only assume was the real Fluttershy, I went to see if my gang was alright. As it turned out, they had stuck around Crystal and opened a Carcha there. Well, not a real one, but something similar. I wandered around the vicinity of the empty safe house when I spotted somepony familiar working in a coffee shop.

“Excuse me miss, do you know any lovely mares around here who can make a good cup of coffee?” I said to the unsuspecting Dark Pulse. Pulse, was one of my long time friends that I made shortly after the mirror incident. As my cutie mark has it, ponies take a liking to me rather quickly, but she was one of the rare few it didn’t work on, so I made her my challenge. After finally breaking through, we became great friends and have been so ever since. Her eyes lit up and she just about dropped her jaw in a smile. I put a hoof over her lips just as she was about to speak. “Shhh. I’m not here to cause a scene. Real name. How is everypony doing?” I asked as I put my hoof back down. She gave me a hug.

“Oh my goddess, I can’t believe you’re here! Lamni, where have you been? I heard from Soapy that you fought a monster!” She leaned in closer to whisper. “It wasn’t another one of those… things was it?” I nodded again. “Oh, goddess… what about that thing that happened in Manehattan today? Were you one of those ponies?” I nodded for a third time.

“Look, I’m only here to reestablish contact with you today. I can’t fill you in completely because of some legal stuff, but I’m finally ‘free’ so to speak and I’m just here to see what’s up. I don’t have a whole lot of time, but you remember that mare I was looking for back in highschool?” She put her hooves to her cheeks.

“You found her!?” She just about yelled. I quickly covered her mouth and checked around. It didn’t look like anypony from the gang was in the shop, just a few crystal natives who gave us a weird look.

“Not so loud! And yes, I did. Where is everypony?” I asked, quietly. She pushed my hooves away and straightened her apron.

“Eh-hem, In school, mostly. It’s only two PM after all. When you left, I told everypony what your last orders were, and nopony argued. Well, after Whirlpool decided to tighten the screws anyways. The six of us have managed most everything and um… we buried Synchro and what we could find of everypony else.” I watched her ears droop and I felt mine do the same. Synchro loved me. So much that she would die for me. And I couldn’t love her back, not the way she did for me. We were silent for a few moments until I finally took a deep breath and relieved the tension in my forelegs.

“Thanks. I… that must’ve been hard. Did you buy this place with what I left for you? Where do you guys live? The safe house looks like it’s barely been touched,” I asked, trying to get my mind off it. Every night, I think about it. What should I have done, back then? Was I wrong in trying to stop Argent myself? Could I have hidden the mirrors in a different place and prevented all this? Should I have destroyed them? Should I have ever taken over the gang in the first place? Should I have rejected Synchro? Or would that have made it worse?

“Lamni, snap out of it.” I shook my head.

“Oh, sorry. I uh…” She put a hoof on my mouth.

“It’s okay, I know how you are. Yes, the girls and I figured we might as well do something honest like you wanted. It was hard getting all the paperwork since most of us don’t have a history, but after a week of getting it all together, we finally have something to show for it. Soapy was a real big help getting us started. She took a few days off to show us how everything worked. I wanted to make this place a real Carcha, but you weren’t around and I can’t just do that without getting a building built, so we did what we could. We bought a plot of land just at the edge of the city since it’s real cheap and we’re gonna have something big built back there once we can afford the down payment. We’re kinda crashing in tents right now until we can get a place built.” I scratched at my head.

“You bought a shop and land. With a million bits. Did you spend all of it?” I was trying very hard to keep the irritation out of my voice, and i was failing. She made a noise and waved my question away.

“Pfft, Are you kidding? We didn’t even spend a quarter of it. The girls and I decided that we should try to make our own money,” she said with a laugh. I rubbed at my eyes.

“Pulse. Listen to me. Use that money to buy a house. I don’t want you guys sleeping in fucking tents in the northernmost city in Equestria. You do realize that winter is like, two and a half months away right? You will freeze to death. If that’s how you feel about it, then just use the money now and pay me back later.” She sighed.

“I know you’re right, and that’s what I wanted to do, but you’ll have to convince the rest of the girls first. We had a majority vote and they’re being stubborn about it. On top of running the Cafe, Volt Switch has gone back to bounty hunting, Petal Dance picked up a job at a florist, Heat Wave works for a spa, Aurora Veil went back working at that place we found her, and it’s just as creepy as it was, and Whirl Pool has like, two fast food jobs. I don’t know how she does it. We get enough to feed every pony and resupply the cafe, but it’s not anywhere near a level where we would have enough to build a house in two months. We’re lucky they let the kids back into school, we don’t even have enough to pay taxes when those come at the end of the month. I don’t know how they expect to pull this off.” Pulse rambled off as she slowly sank onto the counter. I shook my head.

“Silly fillies.” I checked the watched I grabbed from the house and nearly cursed. “Bah! Look, I have to go, but give me a coffee. I will come back tomorrow and we’ll get this all straightened out. You guys can do it on your own after you get set up, okay? I still have plenty more cash stored away, you know the kinda stallion my dad was, so don’t get worked up about it. When you get the chance, take this and go find a contractor today. Give everypony a room of their own and make it something you can take care of. You remember the plan from all those years ago? Time to make it real.” I gave her my dad’s gold card. She looked at it, then looked at me, and finally, she shook her head.

“You always make me do the hard part.” She slid the card in her uniform pocket and rang up my coffee.

“I know you can do it.”She filled a cup, sprayed whip cream over the top and put a lid on it. She came back to the counter and set it down.

“I swear, you’re some kinda guy. I’m gonna be mad if you don’t make this thing with your girl real, you hear me?” I smiled and nodded.

“I’ll do my best. She’s about as stubborn as they come though.” I threw bits on the counter and she raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, yeah, as if that's ever stopped you before. Get out before one of the girls shows up and you’re stuck here.” I saluted with a

“Yes Ma’am!” and warped away.

Manehattan had become a busy place in the last couple hours of me doing stuff. With Celestia calling the shots directly, the city was being put back together much quicker than I expected. The stock exchange was cleaned of what remained and already had a wire frame going up. The other buildings didn’t have as much progress, but power was back on in this block, and the streets were already being repoured.

“Man, she must’ve hired every contractor in the city,” I said absentmindedly as I drank my coffee. Since my usual outfit was widely known, I took the time to get some old clothes from home earlier. I’m lucky enough that most of my dad’s stuff fits me now. I probably look like an old mob boss. I must say though, I look good in his blue suit. My next stop was Star Apparel. Sneaking out of the castle has been difficult, but not impossible. When Twilight sleeps, the barrier she usually has up goes down and it gives me the chance to go out. It’s pretty hard to get away when the mare sleeps like once every forty-eight hours, but I digress. I’ve had a guy watching Applejack for me, and this is where she brought her suit to get it repaired a while back… and where she got the new one I guess. It’s kinda scary how she just looks like the female version of her dad now, minus the cape. In any case, if anypony knows something about her, it’s got to be this guy. I warped over to the street the shop is on and made my way to it. Thankfully, the place was open. A lot of the places I need to visit are just closed right now because traffic is terrible and not everypony has made it back home. I walked in and was immediately greeted.

“Welcome to Star Apparel, we’ll make a star outta you. What can I do ya for, my finely dressed sir?” the stallion asked. He was probably in his thirties by my guess, slender and well groomed. White mane, pale white stubble on his light gray coat and holding a newspaper. The shop’s interior was far nicer than its exterior, and I was impressed. I never visit other clothing stores than the one I own for anything but recon, but this one has been small enough that it’s off my radar. I never did quite figure out how he kept himself running with the little sales I saw, but if he’s supplying super suits… that could explain a thing or two.

“Hi. I have quite a few things to do today, so I really need to make this quick. Would you mind closing your shop for a few minutes for me?” As I expected, he looked confused at my request.

“Uh… any particular reason sir?” He then leaned over and whispered in my ear. “You’re not here for a costume are ya?” I hadn’t thought about it, but why not? I’m currently in a position where I have to fight a monster every week until this all ends, I might as well look like I’ve always wanted to while I’m at it.

“You know what? Sure.” He pursed his lips in approval and nodded.

“Alright then. You head on up to my studio on the third floor and I’ll be there in a second.” I didn’t wait for him to lead, so I decided to look around. His place was pretty empty, save for essentials, at least until I made it to the top floor. The first thing I noticed was Red Hoof’s and a few other legacy hero suits from before the mirror incident. Geez, how long has he been at this? Those look real… I decided I’d inspect the Red Hoof suit since I was going to get one myself anyways. The cloth was strange, more like it was made of nylon fabric. Well, this feels tough. I took a small section and tested it. I pulled lightly, and it barely moved. I pulled harder, and it still didn’t move much. Finally, I got really close to using everything I had to rip this crap when it budged enough to satisfy me.

“Holy hell, what is this made out of?” I asked out loud.

“That would be a creation of yours truly. I call it meteor fabric. A special compound I had a friend come up with for me years ago. Hardened and twisted inta wire, then woven inta fabric. Not many ponies can make it stretch like that, so you must somethin’ special. Take a seat and we’ll talk.” The owner pointed me to a black leather chair at the back. Wow. Talk about fancy. I don’t even have these in all my stores. After sitting in likely the most comfortable chair I’ve ever sat in, he grabbed a small drawing desk and a sketch pad, then sat down himself. “So, what are we thinkin’ about? You’re a pretty strong dude, that much is obvious, but uh… are those… gills on ya neck?” Every time somepony does, it always makes me conscious of them and feel a sudden urge to go diving.

“Uh, yeah. But ignoring that, I didn’t actually come here to get a suit today. Well, that isn’t to say I don’t want one, but it wasn’t my original goal. You see… well, when I was little, I knew the guy who wore that suit over there.” I pointed at the Red Hoof suit. I say that, but really, I only saw her dad once or twice. I knew he was yellow and had a brown mane, and he spoke like Applejack, but that was about it. He tilted his head.

“You knew Red Hoof?” I weaved my head around.

“Sort of. See, he was an old friend of mine’s dad. Somepony I’ve recently gotten back in touch with. Uh… did you see the fight from today?” He nodded, slowly like he was wary of me.

“Well, the guy in black was me, and she’s Marevelous now. She told me about her dad, which is why I know.”

“Uh huh. So… Why come ta me?” I took a breath. Why am I nervous? I swear, it’s like I’m talking to her dad or something.

“I made a promise to her when we were kids, and I plan to follow through with it, but to do that, I need to know more about her. I work with her, but with how crazy everything has been these last couple weeks, I haven’t gotten the chance to get her alone and talk. For the record, she doesn’t remember me, so, it would be nice if I could take her out somewhere she likes to go aside from what she wanted to do when we were kids,” I spouted. He nodded slowly again. His expression was just as serious as when we started and it was creeping me out. Unfortunately, this is the only pony I know of that I can talk to right now, so if he doesn’t want to talk…

“I can fill ya in, but I want two things from ya first first.” I nodded.

“Okay?”

“One; tell me what Marevelous’ full name is. Two; what did ya promise?” He said. I tapped the tips of my hooves together.

“Jaquline Apple, or Applejack.” I stated. He nodded, quicker this time.

“Well at least I know ya really know who you’re talkin’ about. Geez. A boy coming in here asking me about her of all ponies. Most ponies are put off by her… unique personality and she’s not the most pleasant mare to be around ya know? That isn’t to say the guys don’t try, but she didn’t used ta have any friends either. I’m almost relieved that at least one stallion is still after her knowin' how she is.” He rubbed at his head with a wide eyed expression on his face, as if something impossible was happening. Fair. I did stop her from literally killing one of her friends the other day.

“So you’ll help me?” I asked.

“Yeah, but only after you answer my second question. Judgin’ by how you’re actin’, I can probably guess what ya promised, but I need ta hear ya say it.” I swallowed.

“Well uh…” My eyes fell on my hooves.

“Look me in the eye and tell me what ya promised. You’re never gonna be able ta ask her if ya can’t tell anypony your plan.” And he’s right. You can do this. You’ve been thinking about it for years, and now that she’s back in your life, you mean it.

“I promised her… that I would marry her someday.”

I was talking with Star Slate for so long that I lost track of time. It was kinda surreal that I was asking him for help. He told me about how he met Citrus Root, the stallion who would become Red Hoof, sixteen years ago and that my dad killed his parents. I don’t know what sick and twisted game Fate is playing, but it’s just so weird that all this is happening. I didn’t even know she was alive two weeks ago, and now I’m back at trying to fulfill my promise. I’ve never failed to do it before, which has gotten me into trouble, that being part of the reason I… did some bad shit a while ago. But this one is a promise worth keeping.

When I made it back to the castle, Twilight gave me an earful about not saying anything before I left and then Fluttershy made me tell her everything as she promised. She also got my room expanded like she promised as well, so I think she might just be on the crazy side more so than the bad side. I spent most of the night putting all my stuff everywhere I wanted it… with Fluttershy’s help because she wouldn’t leave me alone. The ‘prison room’ I used to live in/still live in still needed to be where it was, so she moved my room to the bedroom hall with all the others. But like, literally. She just shifted it through the castle. I still don’t know how this shit works. It’s like one of those 3D modeling programs I played with back from when I was in highschool. She just does whatever because she can.

After helping me get unpacked and everything settled, Fluttershy offered to come with me Tuesday to help with my errands. I said I didn’t need the help and she said she was coming anyways. To be completely honest, I think I’m kind of afraid of her. She is very clearly the beast, even if I’ve never seen it, and I’m beginning to suspect she has more control over her powers than she lets on. A lot more. She tried to grab something and couldn’t get a hold on it because it was too large. Then she rolled her eyes and her hoof morphed into a claw and she picked it up. She also told me not to say anything about what she did to the others either. At the very least, I think she trusts me? Maybe? She’s so weird. It’s like, she’s terrifying, but she’s also really feminine in comparison to Applejack and Twilight. She like one of my girls, really. Crazy, crazy, intelligent, and crazy.

In any case, I wanted to get an early start Tuesday because Manehattan was as close to ‘normal’ as it could be after the events of Sunday by that point. That and I wasn’t sure who would still have reservations open for Thursday. Most restaurants should, but based on what Star said, I needed to break out the cash. She’s always wanted to make it big and raise the quality of life that her family has. That, coupled with some emotional trauma and having a nack for it, is the main reason she started being a hero in the first place. I mean, sure, a good chunk of my money is ill gotten, but at the very least I could help her out with it.

Our first stop was a restaurant called Champagne. It’s been around for a while, even surviving the mirror incident way back. Dad took me here when I graduated highschool, so I have good memories of this place. He even played the piano for me for the first time since mom died way back. It didn’t happen often, but this was one of the few times he said he was proud of me. I’ll never forget that day.

I can’t believe my son is going to college. You’ll be the first Carcharodon to get any kind of degree. If only your mother could’ve seen this.

“H-hey, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked. She’s so quiet, I’d just about forgotten I wasn’t alone. I wiped at my eyes and sniffed.

“Yeah, I just… this place gave me some of my best memories. Come on.” We walked in and it looked just like I remembered. The polished black floors, the red cushioned booths, the perfect lighting and colors for the jazz that played softly in the background. It was surprisingly full, for a restaurant that is typically way above most ponies pay grades. The ponies here didn’t really look like the kind that could afford this place either… If I get this booked, I am gonna have to find somepony to play my dad’s song.

“’Ello and welcome to Champagne. Today we are running a brunch special for all ze fan-ta-stic construction workers ‘ere repairing ze city. ‘Ow may I serve you?” the Chevalian mare said. If I remember correctly, this is the owner, Haute Société.

“Hi, Mrs. Société, I’m actually here to see if you had any reservations for Thursday night around six PM?” The pale orange mare with a shiny black mane pursed her lips and stared at me through her glasses for a moment, then she clapped her hooves.

“Ah, you are Mr. Carcharodon’s son, oui? We do have some open spots for zat day. Are you interested in booking for you and zis mare here?”Pointed her tablet pen at Fluttershy and I shook my head. I'll give her props for the tall, supermodel-like body she has, but I am nowhere near interested in somepony as crazy as this one is.

“Uh, no she’s just a friend,” I said quickly.

“A hungry friend,” she dead panned. I sighed. Yep. Exactly like one of my girls.

“Yes, I am, and I was wondering if I could book the whole restaurant for that time slot. As you know my father, money is no object. Can you do it?” She stared at me again and then slowly started to form a smile.

“Ah, I see what zis is. Of course Mr. Carcharodon. Should I ‘ave a server ready to bring an engagement ring as well?” I felt my face heat up.

“Oh, no, no, no, we’re not uh… no thank you.” Fluttershy laughed.

“Ha! W-who knew you had the c-capacity to be cute.” Société laughed with her and stepped down from her command center with her tablet, then motioned for us to follow.

“Very vell, follow me. Brunch is on ze ‘ouse. If zere is any-zing I can do to ‘elp your special night go well, let me know and I shall make ze proper arrangements.” Hmm... I wonder...

“Actually…”

“T-that was some of the b-best food I’ve ever had! S-she’s going to l-love it there! B-but, I have to ask, h-how much is this going to cost you?” Fluttershy asked. I sighed.

“A good sized dent in my budget. Lemme be real with you here. I could eat at Champagne for the rest of my life and never worry about money with the wealth my father gathered over his life time, and Carcha is still making money on top of everything I own. He was a five million bit stallion to the state, but he was a billionaire under his real name. I try to keep my expenses low though, because I used to provide for about eighty ponies. I still kind of do, but that doesn’t mean I need to start blowing my dad’s savings. To answer your question, closer to fifty gold.” Futtershy’s eyes widened and she froze in place.

“F-fifty gold!? B-but… b-but…” She stuttered.

“She’s worth more than that to me anyways. Way more. But the price is so high because I had to pay the opportunity costs of the potentially lost clients Mrs. Société had to tell that their reservations were moved. There were fourteen reservations for that time slot and most of those were four or more pony groups. Most ponies, especially when alcohol is involved, tend to spend closer to one or two gold alone. About one and a half gold per pony, and then you multiply that by several parties, and it begins to get crazy. Champagne is almost never full, but their profit margin is something to behold, really.” Fluttershy sighed.

“S-some day, I n-need to go back and finish highschool. I-I get what you mean, b-but I wish I didn’t h-have to figure out what “p-profit margin” meant based on context,” she said, in a more down tone than usual.

“You never finished highschool!?” She cowered away a little. How a mare so tall, yet so potentially threatening looked so small, I would never know.

“Uh… n-no? Oh, w-well, I guess you never heard the story, s-so you wouldn’t know. W-we’ve all had some pretty b-bad stuff happen, and I-I was emotionally broken after moving here a-a few years ago. I-I dropped out, ran away from home, j-joined a gang, became the Beast, a-and eventually tried to k-kill myself before Twilight found me. A-at least, that’s the gist of it.” She said it casually, I just had to stared at her.

“Oh, my goddess, Fluttershy! Finish school! See your parents! They’ve probably been looking for you all this time! Dude, what the fuck!?” Everything in my brain immediately treated her like one of the guys. If she hadn't ended up at Harmony, she probably would've ended up with me. She giggled and shook her head.

“Oh, y-you. M-maybe one day, but not n-now. W-we’ll have to s-sit down for story time again soon s-so you can learn what happened t-to get everypony here. S-some of us are w-worse than others, b-but I bet Pinkie’s story will p-piss you off more than mine~” she sang. I sat down on a nearby bench and rubbed my temples.

“Oh my goddess. No wonder I play counselor so often. You guys are just a highschool gang under the government.” She skipped back over and sat down with me.

“Oh, I-I wouldn’t say that. A-applejack is probably the m-most ‘normal’ out of us. S-she doesn’t hate or ever w-wanted to run away from her immediate family, i-instead she does everything she can f-for them. O-on top of that, she’s s-still in school, unlike the f-five of us.” I lowered my brows at her.

“Hey, don’t lump me in with you weirdos. I’m not in school because I finished it, I even have the Associate's degree to prove it!” She giggled again.

“I-I know, I helped you p-put it up yesterday. Y-you’re not nearly as b-bad as Pinkie made you o-out to be now that I spend some t-time with you. Y-you’re… onii-chan. Y-yakuza onii-chan. Y-you’ve done some b-bad things, but you’re s-still a good guy at heart a-and take care of your own. I-I think that’s why p-ponies are attracted to you.” I looked her in those green-blues of hers.

“You think so?” She got up off the bench and stretched out her wings.

“I-I know so. Come on, w-what’s next?” She she shuffled her feathers back to her sides and looked all around. There were quite a few ponies out right now, as opposed to the norm, since a lot of construction was still going on. Manehattan was never not a busy place, but several roads and buildings were destroyed Sunday and Celestia wouldn’t have it. Once again, she was here in Manehattan for the third day in a row, making sure the construction got done and as quickly as possible and correctly. Just like the sun, she raised spirits everywhere she went, and not a cloud in the sky could obscure her radiance. I crossed my hooves and nodded. Yeah. I’m not a bad guy anymore, and she knows that. This will work.

“Well, I was actually thinking of visiting Rarity. I don’t want her to feel out of place, so I thought I’d get her a dress. I got her measurements from her tailor the other day and he recommended me her. Apparently she’s the pony to see about something like this.” Fluttershy gave a slow nod.

“W-well, I hope you plan to explain what you’re gonna do. S-she’s gonna ask and she’s n-not gonna take no f-for an answer.” I sighed.

“I figured. Well, at least she didn’t come in my room and threaten me about it,” I shot. Fluttershy raised her snout and smiled a set of slowly sharpening teeth.

“M-my parents always t-told me I was special. C-come on, I’ll show you t-there.” With that, she trotted away, humming that tune again.

“Ha-shi-ri-da-shi-ta! O-mo-i ga i-ma de-mo~

Ko-no mu-ne wo ta-shi-ka ni ta-ta-i-te-ru ka-ra~

Kyou no bo-ku ga so-no sa-ki ni tsu-dzu-ku~

Bo-ku-ra na-ri no a-su wo ki-zu-i-te yu-ku~

Ko-ta-e ha so-u i-tsu-mo ko-ko ni a-ru~” Fluttershy sang as we arrived at the boutique. I sighed. It took us about half an hour to get here since she doesn’t know what subway runs where, and this is on the west side, and we started in central Manehattan. She’s been singing Umanese songs the whole time, and I was finally getting annoyed by it.

“Do you even know what you’re saying?”

“I began to run! Because my feelings even now~

Are definitely beating against my heart~

The me of today will continue towards our destination~

We’ll amass our own tomorrows~

The answer, yes, is always right here~” she sang in the same cadence. Somehow. I shook my head.

“I’m honestly impressed. I thought you were making shit up this whole time. And you didn’t stutter either.” She nodded.

“ A-as for my s-stutter, it just doesn’t h-happen when I sing. A-as for the songs, m-most ponies do. I-I can’t speak it fluently, b-but I can repeat what I’ve h-heard said pretty well. T-that song always makes me feel better w-when I’m down, b-but I figure it’s appropriate f-for you today.” I tilted my head.

“Have they all been in relation to me?”

“Yes! W-when you’ve seen as much a-anime as I have, you a-amass a collection of music. I-I have several s-songs for almost e-every occasion,” she said with glee. Huh. And here I thought she was just another weirdo. Who knew she was so thoughtful?

“Well, why don’t we go in?” She nodded and I opened the door. The building was a large circular multi-tiered cake shape with violet banners and white stone making up most of the exterior.

“One moment please, I’ll be right with you!” Rarity yelled from a back room somewhere.

“Oh, j-just take your time. I-I brought Goose,” Fluttershy half yelled back.

“Fluttershy? Is that you darling? And you brought…” She started. Then we heard the sound of things dropping and she quickly ran to greet us. Covered in measuring tape, pin cushions and wearing half a roll of violet fabric, she ran straight up to me and stared at me through red glasses.

“Are you here for what I think you’re here for!? Ooh, no, you likely own many suits, and in that case… You’re going to buy Applejack a dress! Ooh, this is so exciting! I’m sure you got her measurements some how, come to my work shop, and tell me everything!” she said as she immediately went back to where she came from.

“T-told ya,” Fluttershy whispered.

Because I wasn’t allowed to leave until the dress was ‘perfect,’ I ended up telling Rarity most of my life story and how all of this started. She was… more than enthused.

“Well, if that doesn’t sound familiar. Now if only my promiser will keep up his end of the bargain. In any case, that’s some kind of dedication you have. I suppose I can understand why after all that you two went through together at such a young age though. Sharing hardship is certainly a good way to bond. I’m just more surprised she doesn’t remember your old nickname. It’s just so… pfft, Catchy!” Rarity laughed. I rolled my eyes.

“Please continue, that pun has only been made so many times before,” I said sarcastically. Rarity stopped and went back to stitching what she was working on. Star Slate was right, she was good at this. The dress was a bright red silky kind of fabric that had a metallic shine to it and faded through to indigo at the bottom. It was open back and open shoulder with a high thigh cut on either side. The bottom of the dress shimmered and sparkled like stars in the night sky. As unrestrictive as this looked, I honestly believe I could actually see her in it. It was almost like, if her suit was made to show off her instead of the pony she pretends to be. She placed one last pin at the top, circled the dress, nodded, and turned to me.

“Well, that about does it. Does this just scream ‘Applejack’ or what? Honestly, I wish she would use her proper name when she goes out in this. She has so much potential to be elegant and beautiful with a name and body like hers, yet she squanders it with that damnable ‘cowpony’ look she likes so much,” Rarity said, getting bitter toward the end.

“N-now, now, Rarity. E-envy isn’t very pretty,” Fluttershy giggled. Rarity rolled her eyes and huffed.

“Don’t you preach to me you little ‘assassin’ as you were called. Anyways, I was thinking of adding a veil maybe on the back, but I figure Applejack would want as little unnecessary cloth as possible. Of course, this a gift after all, and she doesn’t have the heart to refuse. I suppose it’s up to the buyer, now isn’t it?” I nodded.

“Yeah, no I think it’s perfect as is. I’m not the most creative person in the world, but you got it exactly as I wanted. Or really, how she wanted it, I think. She always wanted a dress similar to the mare with buns in Marevel versus Comcap, but more like her mom’s wedding dress that she would often steal and play in. I always wondered how she never got caught doing that, but considering her dad was who he was, it makes sense that he wouldn’t find out. Heh. If she put spikes on her bracers, and wore those with it, she’d be damn close.” I laughed and Rarity gagged.

“Eyuck, Oh heavens no! Do not let her wear those god awful things with my dress. Just because she could fight in it does not mean she should,” Rarity said adamantly. Fluttershy and I laughed, and then I decided to check my watch. Damn, it’s already almost four. So much for finding a pianist. I let out a sound of my irritation and sighed.

“Hmm? W-what’s the matter?” Fluttershy asked. I sighed again.

“Well, I wanted to find a pianist who could play that song for me, remember?”

“Oh, t-that’s right. W-what about calling the Manehattan Orchestra? I-I mean, I know it’s supposed to b-be a hard song, b-but it’s also popular because of that movie. S-surely somepony knows it.”

“Yeah, but well enough to perform it in two days? I could barely get the first half with my dad teaching me when I was a kid, and he could breathe that piece. Mrs. Société said that she didn’t know many in the city that could do it, at least not on such short notice.”

“Well, what piece is it? I learned quite a few harder pieces when I used to play. Maybe I could do it,” Rarity chimed in. We stared at her and asked in unison,

“You can play the piano?” She nodded.

“I can. For a while there, we believed that it would be my cutiemark before I started sewing. I was pretty good back in the day.” There was a hint of pride in her voice. I stroked my small beard. Maybe she can do it...

“Give me a few seconds and I’ll go grab the music.” I blinked from my spot on the chair in Rarity’s workshop and back to the house. I went into my dad’s office and grabbed three things; the old dark red leather folder he kept the sheets in, the record player he used to listen to it on, and the record with the song. It was a special record that he had ordered so that it contained all four ballads that Sixteenth Chorus wrote. They were Dad and Mom’s favorite pieces, and if I remember correctly, how he won her heart to begin with. I held still for a few seconds and then blinked back to where I came from.

“Oh my. You brought a record player?”

“Yeah, I had planned on letting whoever was going to play it for me borrow this and the record I have it on. Uh, here’s the sheets. It should be the first fourteen pages. What do you think?” I asked as I passed her the folder. She began to smile.

“I think you’re in luck. My parents told me to try something easier to learn when I first heard this. I told them I was going to learn it anyways. I spent an entire summer on this piece alone and played it over and over until it was perfect. This was the piece I played for my last recital. Ballade number one in G minor, Opus twenty three. Come with me upstairs. Let’s see if I can’t just tear into this again like I did when I was a filly. One does not simply forget what they lived and breathed for an entire summer.

To my surprise, Rarity missed a few notes on pages six and fourteen that she said she always had trouble with. At tempo, on her first try. She didn’t miss anything on the second try with the record, so if anypony can do it, it’s her. How in the hell she learned this as a filly, I will never know. I had years to practice and I still never got it all, but I’m just glad she can do it. With that, everything is in place. Now all I have to do is ask. And that will likely be the hardest part. Rarity pulled into the garage, and as soon as we did, I saw that her bike was already here.

“Well, are you ready lover boy? This is it. This is your big moment,” Rarity said, turning the car off. I never looked into it, but she’s a very smart pony. Her profit margin is something similar to Champagne, and she makes a killing off of anything she sells to anypony, me included. Two gold bits for the dress and the song and all she loses is a few hours of her day practicing and some prototype fabric that she made herself. Her costs are so low and her products are so high quality that she can charge a thousand five hundred bits for a dress that cost her fifty to make. No wonder she drives something like this.

“No. I’m kind of terrified. What if she says no?” I could feel the panic settling in.

“W-well, first off, I think s-she likes you as it is, so I d-doubt she will. S-second, you can just take us. I-I will certainly not decline an i-invitation to Champagne again f-for free,” Fluttershy said. I rolled my eyes.

“Free to you maybe. I could’ve given all this money to my guys and fed them for months with it, provided they weren’t so stubborn. Did you know on Monday I had to tell all five of the girls each individually that they would not survive a winter in a tent in Crystal? And of course, their schedules are all insane with all the jobs they picked up, so I was there all day trying to sort out the mess they made with out me. Aurora Veil and Heat Wave didn’t believe me until I went into the details of what frostbite and hypothermia does to a pony. Sure, one of them controls ice, and the other controls fire, but neither of them can keep it active for 24 hours, 7 days a week, and frost bite doesn’t take long to work. That was an entire day, lost just to make sure my group of idiots would survive the winter this year. I swear, some ponies are unbelievable.” Rarity put a hoof on my shoulder and made me look her in the eyes.

“So, you’re doing that thing where you talk because you’re nervous. You already told us this. Stop that. Grow a pair already, this is the mare of your dreams we're talking about here! She’s lonely, vulnerable, and an easy target for somepony she trusts, like you. All you have to do is ask. We will get Twilight and Pinkie out of the room.” Sure, Fluttershy is the obviously dangerous kind of mare, but Rarity is the subtle dangerous kind of mare. She’s the one who you’d find tied you to a bed and ran off with your wallet right after foreplay. Crazy. They’re all crazy. Every last one of them. I don’t know that I want to hear their stories. Then Fluttershy socked me across the face.

“Ow?” I said, more in surprise than because of the rather weak punch.

“S-snap out of it, y-you’re getting distracted. A-act like a real stallion and f-find that one track mind,” She said holding my face. I took a deep breath.

“You’re right. She’s what I’m here for. Okay. Let’s do this.” We walked from the garage, up the ramp and into the living room. There she was, looking tired and stressed out, sitting in her chair. Here we go.

Persona V: A Stolen Heart (part 2)

Later on Sunday, Ah found myself home alone, and it was kinda strange. It’s not like Ah really expected him ta be around me twenty-four seven, but him not bein’ here was weird all the same. Well, especially after he said that… It shouldn’t be though, so Ah couldn’t place why Ah felt this way. Ah set down my bags and opened the big window in my room. It was a bright, sunny day in Manehattan. Not a cloud in the sky, perfect weather ta be outside doin’ somethin’. And ya just spent the last hour fightin’ a monster. Talk about a busy day. Ah figured Ah might as well take a nap, Ah still had ta do school tomorrow and come heaven or hell, it will never stop. Ah had just laid down and pulled the sheets over when my phone started ta ring. It wasn’t a known number, so Ah just answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, are you okay? I’ve been trying to call you for the past hour now.” Uncle Blood asked from the other end. Shit, he probably saw the recordin’!

“Uh, yeah, Ah’m just layin’ in bed right now.”

“I see. I assume since you’re home, you saw that the big battle ended?” Ah nodded ta nopony in particular.

“Mmhmm. Where are y’all? Are y’all together?”

“We’re at the amusement park in New Jockey. We left a little before the sirens came on earlier. You’re welcome to join us if you feel up to it.” Ah could just say no and lay here. Ah did fight a monster today, Ah really shouldn’t have ta do anythin’. Then again, when was the last time we went ta an amusement park together? Ah haven’t spent time with Macintosh in months it seems. Ah figured Ah could ignore my bruises fer my family fer a while.

“Yeah, sure Ah guess. Which one? Ah know New Jockey ain’t that big, but there’s at least two.” We went to one of those parks way back with Dad and aunt Dew, but Ah can’t remember which one. Wasn’t there some other mare with us then? The memory is hazy, but Ah feel like it was more than just us that went…

“Over Equestria. Just pull it up on your phone, you’ve got headphones right?”

“Ah do.”

“I thought so. Provided traffic isn’t crazy, it shouldn’t take you more than an hour to get here. I suppose I’ll see you soon then?”

“Yes sir. Ah’ll call ya when Ah get there.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re okay. Bye.” And then he hung up. Ah’ll get ta the bottom of this if Ah can corner him at some point.

After half an hour down the highway, since all the vehicles were headed in ta Manehattan instead of out, Ah found myself at the gates of Over Equestria. It felt familiar, but they’d clearly updated a few things, and it all looked new from this part. Ah paid my entrance fee ta park and then made my way ta the gates ta call uncle Blood.

“Hey, Ah’m here,” Ah said after the line picked up.

“Oh, howdy sis. Uncle’s on a ride, you’ll have ta wait a few minutes,” Macintosh said from the other end. Well, it makes sense he didn’t take his phone, and Macintosh has always been kind of a pussy when it came ta theme parks.

“Okay then. How are ya? Ah haven’t talked ta ya in a while.”

“Oh, Ah’m alright, Ah’m more concerned about you though. Where were ya? Ah mean, Ah guess you're okay now, but did ya make it out durin’ the evacuation? Nopony told me what was goin’ on, so Ah was worried. Never would Ah have believed that the threat from the other day would come true…” Ah wonder, if Ah told him the truth, would he believe me? That Ah’m caught up in the center of all this. If my guess is right, he’s the only one who doesn’t know… Maybe it’s time Ah fill him in, in case the chance never comes.

“Uh, Ah’ll tell ya later. Heh, Ah doubt ya’d believe me if Ah told ya now.” He made a sound and Ah could just see him roll his eyes on the other side of the phone.

“Sure, Applejack, whatever ya say. Oh, here they come now. We’ll be up there in a few.”

“All right, bye,” and Ah hung up. Every time Ah fought a monster so far, it’s always been at night. It’s only two in the afternoon now, and Ah think Ah’m still processin’ everythin’ that happened. It’s like, unreal, somehow. The dream had this scary air of reality ta it, but in life, it’s almost like there’s an air of unreality. How bizarre. Ah’m gonna hurt tomorrow, but the day just plain ain’t over yet. Ah don’t know what ta do with myself. After a few minutes of waitin’, the gang arrived and Applebloom was wearin’ a shirt she must’ve picked up here and Macintosh was carryin’ too many game prizes. A guitar, three different kinda sports balls, some giant stuffed thin’.

“Wow, y’all sure got a whole lotta stuff there,” Ah noted. Applebloom raised her chin and said,

“Well, that’s just ‘cause Ah’m the best.” Uncle Blood nodded.

“You sure are. Before we get you in here, would you mind running all this sh- er, stuff to the car? There aren’t many ponies here today, so we parked not too far away.” He said as Macintosh started passin’ me stuff. Ah passed his car on the way in, since uncle Blood got a better parkin’ spot than Ah and apparently everypony else did. After stuffin’ all the shit Applebloom won inta the car, Ah made it inta the park with relative ease. It was pretty empty as far as Ah could tell, but in the back of my head Ah felt like a memory was just tryin’ ta jump ta the forefront of my brain. It kept happenin’ too, and Ah just couldn’t figure out what Ah was supposed ta be rememberin’. After a few rides and about an hour passed, Ah pulled Macintosh aside ta figure out what it might be.

“What’cha need sis?” The other two were on a ride, and Ah think they had a competition goin’ on or somethin’, but Ah wasn’t too concerned about it since Applebloom looked like she was havin’ fun.

“Have we been here before?” It was about three now and the sun was beginnin’ ta dip in the sky.

“Well, yeah. What about it?” Ah scratched at my ear.

“Well, Ah’m havin’ trouble rememberin’ who we were with. Ah know we came once and it wasn’t just us. We didn’t have a car. But Uncle Blood’s old car wouldn’t fit us all, so who else did we come with?” He tilted his head and scratched at his little beard. His was bigger than Goose’s and it looked like he was formin’ a mustache or somethin’ ta go with it.

“Oh, ya know what? It was Mrs. Swan Song and her son. Y’all were better friends with him than Ah was though. Damn, what the hell was his name?” Swan Song… Why don’t Ah remember her? That sounds right, but…

“Do ya remember what she looked like? The name sounds familiar, but Ah just can’t picture her.”

“Mmm, Ah’m not sure. Y’all got a phone, look her up. She’s probably in some directory somewhere. Wasn’t she a singer? Ah swear she was one of aunt Dew’s friends…” he trailed off. Ah quickly pulled out my phone and started my search. It didn’t take long ta find who Ah was lookin’ for though. First article popped up and it made sense as ta why Ah didn’t remember.

“Singer dies in tragic shooting protecting children.

2017, May 26th

Gang violence is at an all time high in Manehattan after the disappearance of Red Hoof last year, and now it’s taken one of our treasures away from us. Swan Song, world renowned opera singer for the Manehattan opera, was found dead at her home earlier today with a filly and a colt. As our sources learned, Swan Song was heavily involved with the Shark Tooth gang that supposedly broke up three years ago and this is what caused the initial incident.

Police are investigating the scene as this article is being written, but the current speculation is that this was done by one of the larger color gangs that have sprouted up due to the shortage of heroes in recent times. We’re being told the children have been returned to their parents, yet the colt was supposedly Swan Song’s unannounced son. Further details as they come.”

Ah put my phone away and Ah tried my hardest ta fight back the emotions. Ah was seven at the time. We were playin’, and Ah went over ta his house because his mom was the one watchin’ us. She was such a nice mare. A pretty white coat, a shiny black mane that faded inta orange and yellow at the tips, fluffy white wings and a voice that could put a monster ta rest. She would always have her mane up in a bun, and she made these little rice balls that were just the perfect snack after a long day outside. Ah’d already had so much shit happen by that point, watchin’ it happen right in front of me… she wasn’t even the target, he was. That colt. That pale green colt with the white and black mane that looked just like his mother.

“Oh goddess…”

Ah spent the rest of the time at the park rememberin’ thin’s Ah’d forgotten about those years. Of course Ah forgot Goose. Ah watched his mom get killed tryin’ ta protect him. He was the only pony Ah talked ta fer a while after, and once it looked like we were gonna be okay, he just up and disappeared on me too. And then it happened ta me, not but a year and a half later. Ah felt like Ah was a death magnet. Everypony Ah care about dies right near me. If Ah was still around, everypony left would die just like them. So Ah was better off… dead. Ah never woulda stopped tryin’ ta kill myself if Ah didn’t forget. They worked me so hard at the farm, Ah didn’t have time ta remember, and soon enough it was fun and the memory just never came back.

But… that means that… he never forgot the promise. And he’s gonna ask me somethin’ alone later? Oh goddess, Ah ain’t ready fer this shit. What do Ah do? Should Ah just play dumb and act like Ah still don’t remember? Geez, this is all too much at once. Disappear fer thirteen years and then suddenly show up like nothin’s changed. Ah shouldn’t expect anythin’ else, he was always that way…

“Applejack?” Ah shook my head. Ah guess Ah hadn’t been payin’ attention, but we’d already made it back home and Ah was walkin’ inta the apartment with the giant stuffed banana Applebloom won. It was ten PM and Ah was some kinda tired.

“Oh, sorry Applebloom. Where do ya want this thin’?” Ah asked.

“Just throw it in the corner. Is there somethin’ on yer mind? Ah uh… Ah know ya had a busy day before ya showed up at the park, so uh… if ya wanna talk about it-” Ah grabbed Applebloom, slammed her door shut and locked it, then jumped on her bed. “Ah mean, ‘yes’ would’ve been acceptable too.”

“So, y’all were too young ta remember this probably, but do ya remember a colt we called Catchy?” Ah asked. She tilted her head.

“Catchy? Like, that was his name?” Ah shook my head.

“Well, no, but it was what Ah called him. He had a light green coat and his mane and tail were white with little black patches all around the edges. Orange eyes, uh… don’t think he had his cutiemark back then either.” Geez, he was so cute when he was little too. What the hell happened? Oh, right, the whole shark thin’.

“Uh, not really. Ta be honest, Ah don’t remember much of anythin’ from before… Ah know dad’s death probably hurt ya the most, but part of the reason Ah always wanted ta know about what happened is because Ah can’t hardly remember him at all,” she said with a sullen look. Ah patted her head and shook mine.

“It’s alright sugarcube. Well, ta put this simply, he was a friend of mine before dad died. A good friend, a real friend. But uh… well, somethin’ horrible happened ta his mom while we were together one day, and not too long after that he disappeared. Before that happened though, he made me a promise.” And he promised me that one day…

“He promised ya what?” She leaned in and Ah backed off.

“He uh… well, ya know what little colts say ta fillies they like…” Ah mumbled.

“Ohhh, he said he’d come marry ya, right?” She said, a smile startin’ up on her face. Ah could feel my cheeks warmin’ up.

“Uh, yeah, he said that. So, after thirteen years…” She just about opened her mouth enough ta fit a whole bowl in there.

“He came back!?” Ah nodded. “Wow! Ah always thought y’all would end up alone the way ya are, but a childhood romance breakin’ through the super mare’s hard shell, it’s just like a story book!” Ah grabbed her and gave her a noogie.

“Always thought Ah’d end up alone!? What the hell is that supposed ta mean ya little shit?” She squirmed until it looked like she couldn’t breathe and Ah let her go.

“Holy goddess, Ah thought ya were gonna kill me. Uh, yeah, not ta be rude or anythin’, but you’re not the easiest mare in the world ta approach. Yer pretty, but ya got that mean look about ya,” she remarked with a hoof motion after takin’ a deep breath.

“Thanks, real confidence booster there. Can Ah continue? Ah wasn’t done,” Ah shot. Applebloom sat back down and nodded. “So, as Ah was sayin’, he came back, but Ah didn’t remember him. Not until today actually, and who he is now makes all this… a whole lot more complicated.” Ah scratched at my head. Way too complicated. She tilted her head.

“How so? Does he know about ya? Or did he forget too?” Ah shook my head.

“No, he didn’t forget, and yeah, he knows. He was with me earlier today. He was the guy in the black suit.” Applebloom tapped at her chin.

“Him? Really? He sounded kinda like a tool when Ah heard him. Wait a minute… are you his boss?” Ah raised a brow.

“Well, kinda. Why’s that?” She quickly looked away.

“Uh, no reason. Carry on. He is kind of a tool though, right?” Ah rolled my eyes and sighed.

“He is. Or he was. Or he was pretendin’ ta be, Ah’m honestly not sure anymore. See, it all starts with our dads. His was Shark Tooth, the gang boss. When he got older and his dad was killed, he took over the gang and he was a gang boss. That’s how we met back up actually, it was in a fight. Neither of us recognized each other because Ah had forgotten and he couldn’t figure out who Ah was under the mask. A whole bunch of shit happened and somehow he ended up on my team. He kept sayin’ thin’s that confused me early on, like how he tried ta comfort me at every turn after… some shit happened… and then again after Ah more or less had a fight with my friends, and then he stopped that nightmare, and he’s kept me from losin’ my temper more than once. It was just so strange that this stallion Ah essentially arrested was so devoted ta me, ya know?

The thought came around that maybe Ah was just another one of those girls like the ones he had just about hangin’ off him when we met the first time, but after a while it was… different. Nopony had ever treated me like this before. He wasn’t actin’ like his douchy self, and he wasn’t actin’ like some stallion lookin’ ta get a piece of me. The entirety of last week, Ah spent tryin’ ta prepare fer today and Ah just about worked my friends inta the ground, but he never didn’t take my side on anythin’. Ah was terrified of what we were gonna have ta fight and Ah was havin’ all kinds of nightmares that just about drove me ta tears but… he was there every time. He’d always ask if Ah was okay, and he’d always help me do whatever it is Ah wanted ta do, even if Ah was bein’ unreasonable Ah just… Ah don’t know anymore.” Applebloom shrugged.

“Well, let’s be real here, this guy clearly doesn’t have just some crush on ya if he’s supportin’ ya when yer actin’ all crazy. Ah’ve seen that before, it is definitely not pretty.” Ah sighed.

“And the more Ah thought, about it Ah realized that. Ah just don’t know how Ah should go forward now. He’s my teammate, and he’s just as important as Ah am in these fights, and we still have five ta go after today. It’s not as if Ah don’t like him but… Ah don’t know,” Ah lamented.

“Ah think it should be pretty obvious what ya should do, but since yer you, Ah know ya wouldn’t think about it. Just give him a chance and try daitin’ him.” The words collected in my head and it took a moment for them all ta process. A date… with Goose. A date… with Catchy? Ah don’t think either of the mental images associated with those names is a good one. One is a gang boss with a harem, and the other is a ten year old colt. “Applejack, come back ta Earth.” Applebloom clapped in my face ta break the trance.

“What? Sorry, that’s just… that’s not somethin’ Ah ever thought Ah’d hear, really.” Applebloom half smiled at me.

“Well, why not? What’s stoppin’ ya? If yer beginnin’ ta suspect he more than likes ya, and from the sound of it he probably does, ya might as well see what it would be like. Ya know what uncle Blood told me when Ah started goin’ out with Taps?” Ah shook my head.

“No, what’s that?”

“He said, ‘If you find love, don't let it go and enjoy every minute of it.’ Ah figure if anypony deserves ta find a relationship it’s probably miss super hero herself right? Next time ya see him, see what he has ta say about it.” Applebloom was makin’ a whole lot of sense here, and Ah don’t know that Ah like that. Me and him, huh? Ah grabbed her and gave her a hug.

“Thanks fer talkin’ ta me about this, Ah guess. It’s gettin’ late, we should probably go ta bed huh?” She yawned and nodded.

“Yeah. Tell me how it goes when ya finally do see him. Night sis.” Ah turned her lights off and said,

“Night sis,” then closed the door on my way out. Try datin’ him. Ah’ll have ta talk ta him about what Ah remembered today first though.

Monday passed and it was almost like the whole day just dragged on. What am Ah gonna say when Ah see him? How do Ah even begin? Sorry Ah forgot ya because yer mother got shot in front of me? Ah’d been playin’ mom fer the house fer so long by that point, some of the thin’s Ah did back then… maybe Ah was just tryin’ ta cope with the scary world, but him… he woulda seen all that different. Ah went fer a drive ta try and clear my head, but the entire day Ah couldn’t get my mind off it. So much fer talkin’ ta uncle Blood or Macintosh about anythin’, Ah practically never saw either of ‘em all day, and even if Ah did, Ah was preoccupied.

My best friend and Ah grew up apart from each other. Now that he’s back and tryin’ ta regain the relationship lost… how do Ah just go back ta the way thin’s were? Can Ah? Ah went ta bed with these questions in mind, and wakin’ up didn’t really do anythin’ fer me. Well, that and the fact that Ah slept fer about four hours. How Ah managed ta not feel just completely dead ta the world was unknown ta me, but in all honestly Ah was hardly tired at all. Maybe this whole thin’ was stressin’ me out and that was why. Nothin’ better ta do, so Ah sat down and tried what Applebloom always did when she was mad. Play an angry video game. Everythin’ is tryin’ ta kill ya, ponies are turnin’ inta monsters, and yer weapons are some kinda sword or whatnot and a gun. Man, don’t this seem familiar. Ah really hope this virus doesn’t get out because Ah don’t wanna live this game…

My alarm ta leave rang and Ah was suddenly brought out of the video game world. Ah coulda swore it’d only been a couple hours and not fourteen. Ah think Ah ate once, but Ah was hungry now and Ah needed ta go before traffic got bad. What a weird game. Monsters, aliens, blood. All too familiar. Ah made my way through traffic and ta the castle with at least five minutes ta spare before our meetin’. Well. Nothin’ is gonna be the same after today, one way or another… Ah rubbed the sleep outta my eyes and checked the time. The clock struck six, and just as it did, he stepped in the livin’ room.

Persona VI: Childhood Friends (part 1)

“Wow, I’m honestly surprised you all made it on time… and together? Well, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t hang out I suppose. Take your seats and we’ll start.” Twilight said from literally out of nowhere. The four of us were the only ones in the livin’ room right now. That is until Ah looked ta my left and found Pinkie in her seat.

“Twily, where even are you?” Pinkie asked, not seemin’ ta care as she laid across the arms of her chair. In a bright flash of violet lightnin’, Twilight appeared on top of the table with a ton of… well, stuff, as far as Ah could tell. Ah was lookin’ at it all when Ah caught Goose’s eye. He quickly looked away and turned his attention ta the stuff, almost like he was avoidin’ me. Is he… nervous?

“So uh, I kinda have some stuff to do, so can we get this over with in a hurry?” he asked. Twilight gave him a half lidded stare and a raised brow.

“You can go when I say you can go. It’s my turn,” she shot.

“Well, I see you’re still mad then.” His tone had a bit of his usual self in it, which made me feel relieved fer some reason. Twilight ignored the statement and sat down in her own chair.

“Anyways, Mother and Luna stopped by recently to um… address my performance in Sunday’s battle and I have spent quite a few hours training with them each for the next encounter.” Pinkie sat up and gave Twilight an annoyed stare.

“Yeah, somepony definitely needed to ‘address’ your performance alright. We almost made it out without getting hurt! But no, the princess has to play damsel in distress and get saved in the middle of the fight. I always thought I was the cannon fodder hero, but you took that role all on your own,” she said as sarcastically as possible. Ya could almost see the veins ready ta burst on Twilight’s head, it was really somethin’.

“I… will admit that I… didn’t do a very good job, but, I have since been trained by my Mother, and the wonders that did for Applejack will surely carry over to me.” Ah'm impressed, Ah probably woulda blew up and went after Pinkie fer talk like that. Of course, if Twilight's teeth were like Goose’s, she woulda bit a hole in her lip.

“I sure hope so. The ‘ominous message’ we got from Mr. Ooze doesn’t have me excited about this coming Sunday,” Pinkie added. She put her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hooves. “I don’t know about you guys, but… if we didn’t manage to make a hole in that mask… do you think we still could’ve done it? Like… you broke your wrist, and it took both of you to punch that dagger through Sachiel, even if that may have been over kill, but still… If the next one is just a bigger, faster, harder to kill monster, then… do we even stand a chance?” Twilight certainly didn’t have anythin’ ta say ta that. Nopony did, really. Ah sat and thought about it fer a little bit, then somethin’ came ta me.

“Pinkie… Ah honestly believed that we were all gonna die last Sunday. In the dream, we didn’t stand a chance. But the dream didn’t come true either. By luck, strength, skill, or virtue, we managed ta get the job done without losin’ anypony and only really havin’ minor injuries all thin’s considered. We can prepare, and we can train all we want, but we don’t know what comes next. Sometimes, ya just gotta plan fer the worst and hope fer the best.” Ah don’t always know what ta say in situations like this, but thinkin’ about Ms. Swan Song had me remember a whole bunch of stuff about her, and that quote Ah wish Ah never forgot. As Ah figured, this got his attention, and he was lookin’ at me again.

“Huh. Well, I can’t really say anything against that. Plan for the worst and hope for the best… I like that.” Pinkie's frown quickly turned inta a smile, and Ah was happy ta see it. She gets so irritatin' when she's in a bad mood.

“And that’s exactly what Mother said, or why we have all this. We got a ton of medicine and pockets for the armor that we can put it all in. This way, everypony who’s armored can carry it, and we’ll have it for a while.” Rarity nodded.

“Okay, but medicine doesn’t really do us much good if we’re dead you know. How about protection? A Pinkie has already voiced her fears, I would say that my fears involve energy attacks. While it wasn’t a problem last time, I get the feeling we’ll need more than just blunt force protection sooner rather than later. The guard armor can only do so much to repel a beam from attack magic, what happens when it’s ten times as intense and twice the size of a pony all around?” Pinkie gagged.

“Ugh, don’t remind me… I just want to forget all about that night.” She said as she laid her head on the table. Goose looked down and scratched at his chin. That was not a good night… but she’s right, we could run inta somethin’ like that again… Twilight picked up a big clear rectangle off the table and started slidin’ off sheets ta everypony.

“That would be what these are for. They aren’t the strongest things in the world, but they absorb magic up to enough to power Manehattan for a day. If any kind of energy hits this, the shield would just absorb it. And um… if all else fails, really I could…” She scratched at her foreleg ta hide her eyes, and Ah was not a fan of that notion. Just because she might be able to don't mean she needs ta. Rarity beat me ta voicin' my concerns, however.

“Oh darling, please don’t go jumping into energy beams. We don’t know what would happen if you were ever overloaded, and we don’t know how much you can take to begin with,” she pleaded. Twilight shook her head.

“No, don’t worry about it. My power and my Father’s power are supposed to be the same, and he was never hurt by magic, at least as far as Mother’s stories go. It-” Now it was my turn.

“Twi, Ah would really appreciate it if ya didn’t jump inta lasers fer us either. Sure, maybe it won’t hurt ya, and if that’s the case then fine, but don’t go tryin’ ta figure out if somethin’ like that works. It’s like playin’ Zyvrian roulette. It’s not a game anypony wins on purpose. The shields are fine, as long as somepony can carry ‘em.” Ah why does she seem so desperate ta sell us this stuff?

“Ah, right… um, well… we’ve been given some special ammunition that’s all fitted to Fluttershy’s gun, including some prototype weaponry that involves using magic to split apart high density atoms.” Everypony raised their ears at that.

“Y-you… you mean like a nuke?” Fluttershy asked for everypony.

“Uh… well, I suppose it’s like that, but this is a more sophisticated than a nuke. It’s more like shooting a big bundle of dynamite than it is a nuke. The radius in which it explodes after the shell makes contact is only fifteen meters, and the magic is supposed to remove the radiation afterward. I mean, it still works on the same nucleus splitting tech, and it will vaporize any organic tissue within it, but nothing around it. It’s uh… not been tested more than a few times due to the um… cost to make these, but all the same, this is bleeding edge stuff.” She explained herself almost in a confident manner, if not fer a few shaky spots in there. Fluttershy slowly shook her head and frowned.

“R-right… so, I’m just going to… n-not use these if at all possible. W-when you say ‘supposed to’ that means that i-it doesn’t ‘always’ do what it should,” she said, eyein’ the bullet.

“Well, yes, I didn’t say always but-”

“T-twilight, how many times did this work?”

“Fifteen.”

“O-out of?” The violet mare let her head sink.

“Forty-five...” Fluttershy frowned harder.

“Um, yeah, t-there’s no way in hell that I-I’m firing a miniature nuke in the city. I-if the magic fails, it would take years f-for whatever spot it hit to recover, a-and there’s only three of these. W-with those numbers, a-at least two aren’t going to work right.” Twilight sighed.

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to carry them anyways… this is an order.” She couldn’t even look at Fluttershy at this point.

“I-I can’t believe she’s making us do this. W-who gives somepony like me t-the power to just… destroy? I-I’m nineteen, I don’t want a doom’s day b-button,” Fluttershy said angrily. Twilight shook her head.

“This… this isn’t them, this is… from me,” Twilight said softly. Fluttershy stared at Twilight in awe.

“Y-you personally, are asking me, t-to carry this death bomb?” Fluttershy pointed at the metallic green shell and Twilight looked away and nodded. “W-why?”

“I can’t let it happen again.”

“Let what happen? Twilight, darling, what’s going on? This is completely uncharacteristic of you,” Rarity stated. Of all of us, she’s known Twi the longest, but even Ah could tell this was a weird request.

“I… you all just…”

“Come, on, talk to us. I can’t have you losing your head and getting into fights with everypony too.” Goose said while Ah rolled my eyes. Made sure he saw me do it too. Twilight sighed and shook her head.

“I just felt so useless the other day. You and Applejack did all the heavy lifting, Fluttershy kept the monster under pressure, Rarity filled her role, and Pinkie even figured out how to finish it off. And I… I just got in the way. Made things worse, even. I just thought that if we had more tools, then maybe I wouldn’t… get in the way…” In a blink, Pinkie was on the arm of Twilight’s chair givin’ her a hug.

“Hey now, we can’t all be top of the line super heroes from the start now can we? So you had a rough time out there. It’s not like you’ve been dealing with monsters and Fluttershy for the last few weeks like the rest of us.” Pinkie smiled and Fluttershy gave her a half lidded frown.

“I-is that bruise on your head gone yet?” she said dryly.

“It will be when I decide to stop bringing it up~” Pinkie sang. “You don’t have to be your mom just yet. She’s had centuries of fights to draw upon and you’ve had like what, four? Give it time, huh? You’ll get there.” She rubbed Twilight’s back, careful not ta touch her wing and Twilight hugged Pinkie back, then sat up straight.

“Thanks Pinkie, all of you. The rest of this stuff is just more ammunition for Fluttershy based on your other weapons, so all I really have left is to figure out our schedule this week. I figured a few days to recover would be best, but now that we’ve had that, I think we should get back to it,” Twilight said, this time with more enthusiasm. Oh, right. We haven’t prepared for the next one at all this week. Ah’ve had so much on my mind since Sunday, Ah damn near forgot about it.

“Uh, about that… see, I’ve kinda got stuff going on and while I don’t care if we work, it just needs to be earlier rather than later in the day. Specifically, whatever training we do needs to end before five PM, one way or another,” Goose said. Twilight was about to open her mouth when Rarity beat her ta it.

“Ah, yes, I also have a previous engagement that I need to attend to during the week, so ending before five would be best for me as well.” Twilight frowned and sighed, then turned ta me.

“Well, I’ll let you decide on this, since you’re the trainer and all. When should we practice?” she asked. Hmm… Ah don’t know what they’ve got goin’ on, but Ah’d rather have ‘em here and ready ta go than leavin’ in the middle of practice. Well, this is technically a job, so how about nine ta five? Ah nodded in agreement with my inner thoughts.

“Alright then, we’ll meet and be ready ta go every mornin’ from now until Sunday at nine AM and run till we’re either all dead tired or five PM, whichever comes first. That okay with everypony?” Ah asked. Goose shrugged, and everypony else nodded.

“It’s settled then! I can’t wait to show you all how much I’ve learned over these last two days! You’re free to go, see you tomorrow!” Twilight warped away somewhere and Ah was a little confused at the sudden tone shift. Okay... Ah guess she's fine now? As soon as she was gone, Rarity made a nod at Fluttershy.

“Pinkie, may I have a word with you? There’s something I’d like to discuss with you in private if you don’t mind,” Rarity asked. Pinkie shrugged.

“Sure, I don’t see why not.” Then the two headed toward the garage.

“I-I don’t know about you two, b-but I’m tired. S-sunlight… makes me sleepy, a-and I’ve been in it all day it seems. G-good night,” Fluttershy said mid yawn.

We both said, “Night,” and lazily she strode ta her room. Then there were two. Just me and Goose. Catchy and I. Should Ah ask first? Maybe we should go somewhere else? Or… Ah don’t know… aw, fuck it.

“Hey, can we talk?” we said in unison. In the same moment, we had both reached out a little, but then pulled our hooves back.

“So uh…” Ah started.

“I uh… um, what is it you wanted to say?” he asked. Ah scratched at my ear. There was some kinda weird synchronicity goin’ on and every time we looked at each other it was like we always caught each other’s eyes. Fer the first time since he was little, he was bein’ shy around me. Ah shook my head.

“Ah… no, y’all go first. Ah uh… Ah’d rather know what ya wanted before Ah uh… ya know…” It wasn’t the most graceful thin’ Ah’ve ever said, but Ah figure it worked.

“Well… I think I probably know what you want to say, and… I’d rather you didn’t, just yet, at least. So, with that in mind, I’m just going to pretend like I don’t know, and go ahead with this.” He swallowed and walked over toward me, a little slow and cautious. The spines under his suit were just about standin’ on end, or at least tryin’ ta, and he was probably doin’ his best not ta shake where he stood. He took a deep breath and then looked me in the eyes. Oh goddess, is he gonna ask here? Oh no, oh no, what do Ah do if he asks? Ah don’t… Ah don’t know that Ah wanna just turn him down, but Ah don’t wanna get married with all the shit that’s goin’ on! “I have a reservation at a restaurant in Central Manehattan on Thursday. It’s not a regular place, and probably not what you’re used to, but… will you… come to dinner with me? Just the two of us?” Ah let out a breath Ah didn’t know Ah was holdin’.

“Whew. Good Goddess Ah thought…” Ah took a deep breath myself and nodded. “Yeah, sure Ca- er, Goose. Sure. Ah’ll go ta dinner with ya.” He let out his own breath and a laugh ta match.

“Oh, great. Geez, I don’t know what I was so worked up about, you know? It normally doesn’t take this much effort to ask a mare out.” His little laugh was infectious and Ah stared ta giggle myself.

“Heh, sure doesn’t sound like ya. So, where are we goin’? Hmm… more importantly, how much is this gonna cost me? Ah don’t got a whole-” He shook his hooves and stopped me.

“Nothing, nothing, I’ve already got it covered. I’ve got everything covered, really. Uh, I can either pick you up, or you can meet me at Champagne at 6, up to you really.” Champagne? He… he has reservations fer us… at Champagne? Oh… shit.

“Uh, ya know, Ah think Ah’d like ta drive myself actually, why don’t ya just uh… Ah’ll meet ya there! Yeah, Ah’ll uh…” He raised a hoof.

“If you don’t want to ride with me that’s fine, but… if it’s because you don’t have something to wear…” He blinked away, and a second later he blinked back with a long flat box wrapped in white and red paper and tied up with a yellow ribbon. “I think I covered that too.” He held out the box for me and ah just kinda stared at it. Should Ah…? It’s not like Ah couldn’t afford ta go get somethin’ myself, but we only got paid just a few days ago…

Why don’t ya just give him a chance? Applebloom’s voice repeated in my head. Ah scratched at my cheek. Too damn intelligent fer yer own damn good. Ah swear it’s gonna get ya in trouble one day. Ah carefully took the box and unwrapped it like a time bomb. Well, it’s definitely a clothin’ box, that’s fer sure. Oh goddess, how much did this cost him? How much is dinner gonna cost him? Ah… Ah just better not think about that. Ah set the box on the table and pulled off the lid. Inside was… somethin’ out of a childhood fantasy.

When Goose and Ah were little and we would spend our time on the playground just by my house, Ah would often steal my mom’s old weddin’ dress that dad kept. Ah didn’t know what it really was or why he had it, but Ah thought it was pretty. More than that, Ah thought it made me look like my idol at the time… Red Hoof. It was pure white and flowy in the back with all it’s see-through white layers. It didn’t fit of course, but it smelled like her and made me feel like him. Like Ah could be the super hero, like Ah was the one who saves the day. When Ah was in white, he was the bad guy and Ah’d beat him up ta be the hero. When a year passed and Red Hoof started wearin’ a new suit, Ah wanted a change too.

“So, if not the white dress, what would you wear now?” Catchy asked.

“Somethin’ just like him… somethin’ bright and shiny. It’d have ta be red like his, but… maybe with a few other colors too, like the coats of my family, ya know? Ooh! Like a sunset, with stars in it! And, and it would be like that mare’s from the game, somethin’ Ah could kick in!”

And then we went on ta play another game. Ah was six… how could he remember somethin’… from so long ago? Ah guess… he really never did forget… Ah sniffed and wiped at my eyes. Come on now, ya aren’t this sentimental. What are ya gettin’ so choked up fer?

“T-thanks… Ah… Ah don’t know that Ah could ever tell ya how much Ah appreciate this.” Ah didn’t know what else ta do, so Ah gave him a hug.

“I’m just glad that you like it. I uh… If I didn’t know better, I don’t know what I could’ve found for you. You aren’t the easiest mare in the world to shop for, after all.” Ah let im go and folded the dress back in the box. Should Ah tell him still? He knows, but… that wasn’t all Ah wanted ta say…

“Goose, Ah-” He put a hoof on my lips.

“Please… just wait for me, okay? I’m… I’m still trapped in the present. On Thursday, I’ll reach the future, because you’ll be there, with me… and not somepony you used to know. I… I don’t know that I can be him again. So… before you make me remember the past, meet me... as I am today, all right?” he pleaded through a shaky smile. Ah sighed and nodded again.

“Okay, Ah’ll wait fer now. But remember this; what we need ta talk about… isn’t all Ah wanna talk about. Ah’m gonna head on home now. Ah’ve still got some work ta do, so… Ah guess Ah’ll see ya tomorrow.”

“Yeah… see you… tomorrow.” He slowly followed. Ah gave him a look, but then shook my head and grabbed the dress. As Ah made it ta the end of the livin’ room, Ah thought Ah heard somethin’.

“…watch her as she goes…” Ah turned my head just in time ta catch Goose blink away. What was that?

As Ah made my way ta the garage, Ah passed Pinkie, who stopped and stared me down.

“Uh, is there somethin’ Ah can do fer ya?” She stared on silently and slowly shook her head. Ah turned my eyes away and kept movin’ forward. “Well, alrighty then. See ya tomorrow.”

“I… as long as it makes you happy, I guess.” Ah heard, but as soon as Ah turned, she was gone. Was she… listenin’ in? Do they all know? Or… well, who cares anyways? It’s not like it’s official or anythin’ yet. We’re just gonna go have dinner… right? As Ah made my way ta the garage, Ah noticed that Rarity was still parked. Or rather, she was waitin’ on me Ah guess.

“So? How did it go?”

“What?”

“You know what.”

“So what if Ah do?”

“Then tell me about it!” It echoed in the crystal chamber and back up the hallway. Ah closed the distance and put my hooves over her mouth.

“Okay, geez! Not so loud! Can we go somewhere else first?” Ah whispered. She swiped my hooves away and wiped at her face.

“Please refrain from putting your dirty hooves on my face, thank you. Of course. Why don’t we meet up at my shop and we can talk? Besides, I wasn’t quite sure on some of those measurements he gave me, so I want to know if your dress fits.” That caught my attention.

“You made the dress?” Ah blinked and Rarity was in her car with the window down. The engine roared and Ah tried ta catch her.

“What was that? Sorry, see you at the boutique, bye!” Clutch popped, tires squealed, and out the garage she went.

“Son of a bitch! Y’all were in on it!” Ah jumped on my bike and kicked off the floor, startin' it in mid air. All the way on the gas, Ah was full throttle by the time Ah hit the ground.

“I didn’t know you were such a capable driver,” Rarity said as she sipped on somethin’ she must’ve stopped time ta make. She beat me ta her boutique by seconds, so there’s no way she made it without her powers.

“Rarity, we almost caused a wreck.” She waved my complaint away.

“Oh, nopony was hurt and no damage was suffered. Besides, you were the one who made the decision to try and catch me, my dear darling Applejack. It would’ve never gotten so out of hoof had you not wanted a race.” She had that haughty tone of her on and it was threatenin' ta piss me off. Ah rolled my eyes and huffed.

“Still don’t know how ya beat me, but whatever. What’s the deal? Is that why y’all came in together earlier? Because ya were makin’ the dress today?” Ah felt my tone come down as my blood started ta cool off. It was apparent after she more or less swerved through alleyways how she gets everywhere so fast. That little thin’ she drives ain’t near as big as a police car. Ah’m just surprised she’s never hit anypony doin’ it. She must use her power pretty liberally ta make split second decisions like that. Another thin’ Ah learned today is that her powers don’t work on machinery. It’s probably a good thin’ though, otherwise she’d be blinkin’ through traffic around cars. Good driver and reckless driver aren’t too far apart in her case.

“Hmm… Now what exactly should I tell you? You are the one who owns the dress, but you weren’t the client either… decisions, decisions…” She tapped at her lips as she moved from the kitchen ta her workshop with that damn smirk on her face. Ah followed and just stared at her. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. Just because I’m being coy doesn’t mean I’m not serious either. I didn’t just drop everything to make that today for no reason after all. Come stand over here and put it on. I want to see you in it.” Ah rolled my eyes and did as Ah was told.

“So that was what was goin’ on. Why was Fluttershy with y’all?” Ah tried ta squirm inta the thin', but it was about as loose as a stuck bolt. Geez, what is this, my suit? Why is it so damn tight?

“Stop! Don’t go any further, you’ll ruin it!” Ah kinda just stared at her until she motioned fer me ta give her the dress, which Ah did, even if reluctant.

“Ah almost had it on…” Ah mumbled. Rarity shook her head as she threw the dress on a mannequin.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Of course you did. I knew the measurements I had seemed wrong. There’s no way somepony so well suited to… child birthing would fit in the average medium. I even made a guess on the high end too. So much for that.” She waived a hoof in a circle around my cutiemark with disgust on her face. Ah frowned and raised an eyebrow.

“Ah mean, ya could just insult me ta my face, that’s fine.” Once again, my complaint was waived away.

“Pfft, ‘insult me’ she says. You will never know how good you have it. I only insult out of love and jealousy. That said, it doesn’t really surprise me that the measurements I had were a little on the small size. I didn’t make it easy to adjust without reason it seems. It didn’t feel tight anywhere else did it?” She asked after she started ta unravel what Ah could only assume were clear threads along the seams. Whatever she had in her magic, it was barely visible.

“Uh, Ah don’t know that Ah made it far enough ta tell. Ah don’t really have a whole lotta clothes ya know. Or buy them often fer that matter.” Rarity sized me up then went back ta what she was doin’.

“I see. Well, that doesn’t really surprise me either. What about that ratty old jacket you wear all the time?”

“That was my dad’s, thanks.” She gave me a frown.

“Well, you certainly know how to make me feel bad. I’m surprised it’s in such a good condition for leather that old. Stand up straight for a moment please.” She asked as she came over with a tape measure.

“Hey! Watch where yer puttin’ that!” Ah said when Ah felt somethin’ cold too close fer comfort.

“Applejack, I have been doing this for years, there is only one place to measure a pony waist correctly. One can only see things so many times before they become numb to it. And, just as I thought, you have an almost a twelve waist on your eight body. Congratulations, you are the ideal, and the hardest kind of mare to fit. I bet your shoulders don’t even reach this far out, even with all that muscle. Truly, you are the envy of mares.” She penned a few numbers on a sheet of paper and then put her tape back on a shelf. “And now I have that in my records, so when next you need a dress, you can buy it yourself.” She picked up the damn near invisible thread and began ta resew it back inta my dress.

“Shouldn’t ya measure the rest of me too? Ah mean, if one was wrong, wouldn’t the others be wrong too?” She shook her head without skipping a beat as she worked.

“I can just look at you and tell you what you are. The measurement I just got was what I suspected from the beginning. The only reason I went lower is because I was given these measurements from somepony I respect. Who however is not for you to know, at least until after he tells you himself. I really hope you appreciate what Goose is doing for you here. Some mares would kill to be treated like this. I know I would.” If it wasn't clear before, she made it very clear with that.

“Huh. So maybe a little bit less ‘love’ and a whole lotta ‘jealousy,’ right?” Ah said with air quotes and a smile. She rolled her eyes.

“Oh absolutely. It’s a Glass Slipper story. He’s the prince and you’re the pauper.” Ah giggled some more.

“And that makes you the fairy godmother don't it?” She paused and looked up for a moment, then went back to work, this time on the other side.

“I suppose it does. However, in this story I believe it was the prince who asked me help him go to the ball.”

“Was it? So wait, if not just the dress, what else are ya doin’ for him?”

“Hmm, I wouldn’t say doing ‘for’ him, I was paid, and quite generously at that, for this. I won’t say though, you can find out about that bit. While we’re on the subject, what do you think of him?” Good question.

“Ah don’t know. Ah mean, sure, he’s kind of a tool, but after Sunday… Ah know better than that, or remember anyways. Ya see, he was my best friend when we were little.” Rarity nodded.

“I do know, actually. You should hear his side of the story, it’s quite… well, something, that’s for sure. But that’s not what I want to hear. Ignoring the bit about your past together, the stallion whom I assume you’ve agreed to have dinner with, what do you think about him as he is now?” Ah feel like Ah’m gettin’ punched here.

“Ah… Ah don’t know. He… he’s Goose. And Goose is… well, Ah don’t know who he is. At least not like Ah used ta. Ah talked ta my little sister about this and Ah figured Ah’d give him a chance, but he didn’t even give me a moment ta talk today. Honestly, today was the first time Ah’d seen him act like the colt Ah used ta know. We used ta get in fights over who got ta play the hero, and only in the last couple days did Ah realize that him promisin’ ta be my super hero a few weeks ago wasn’t the first time he’s said that ta me. And he did it too. He pulled me outta the way in the middle of the fight and it was just like… just like when we were kids. Three weeks ago, he was just some ass hat on my bounty list. Today… it’s a completely different story.” Rarity shook her head.

“No, that won’t do…” she mumbled.

“Well, Ah know that, but Ah don’t know what ta do about it.”

“What? Oh, I said that out loud. No, that was for me. In your case, I figure you do have a lot to think about. Based on what the two of you have told me though, I expect it to be easy for you to return to form once you finally talk to each other. That is provided, you do talk to each other. I always suspected he was never being true to himself in the beginning, but after hearing all that, I’m surprised he made it as far as he did.”

“Well, hearin’ what? What happened after he left? We were only together fer a few days after his mom died.” Rarity nodded.

“There’s quite a bit to be told, but I shouldn’t be the one to tell you. I’ll just say that his mother was only the beginning. Speaking of, I actually saw her in concert while she was still singing. A real shame, truly.”

“Yeah. Kids… kids just shouldn’t have ta watch their parents die.” Rarity flew the dress over ta me in her magic and said,

“Here, see if this fits now. It should. Speaking of, why did you remember? I imagine that seeing that happen just meters away is more than enough to traumatize a seven year old, as brutal as it was, but… if you had forgotten her completely, and Goose as well, how did it just come back?” Ah tried ta put the dress on, and this time it was easy ta get inta. It fit just perfect. Ah walked around in it and stopped ta look at myself in the mirror. Ah look like a wreck. Ah’m gonna have ta do some serious work on my mane before Ah go out Thursday. And sleep fer more than four hours fer a change. It wouldn’t be so bad if Ah didn’t look so tired.

“You’d probably be surprised, but Ah went ta Over Equestria with my family. Back when we were kids, and even before my aunt died, we all went together since she had that minivan. It was the only time we ever went out of the province with dad, so Ah didn’t forget, but Ah couldn’t remember who we were with. Ah asked my brother, and he remembered his mom’s name. Ah looked her up and that’s when Ah read an article about her death. It uh… all came back ta me after that.” Rarity looked me over and then she started ta mess with my mane.

“Hmm, so it was just happenstance?”

“Kinda. Ah mean, the whole thing was just happenstance. Everythin’ so far has just kinda been happenstance. Ya know why he was with his mom in the first place? Because my dad put his dad in jail! She stopped singin’ in the first place because she had ta suddenly take care of her son, whom she had out of wedlock and hid from the media. Ya know, with his mob boss dad. His powers only showed up because he got kidnapped after his dad took him back. Who knows what else could’ve happened in all those years! Ah swear it’s like fate itself is screwin’ with me.” Ah couldn't keep from gettin' worked up, and after a bit, she smacked me in the nose.

“Quit moving, I’m not finished!” Ah stood still and nursed my muzzle.

“Oh, sorry. Anyways, that all just kinda came back at once and Ah think Ah’m still probably tryin’ ta process it. So much has happened and everythin’s changed since then.” She stepped away and nodded ta herself, then Ah looked in the mirror.

“Hehe… Maybe Ah should wear my bracers with this…” Ah said through a giggle.

“You will not! But I must say, this suits you, even if a little strange. For such a southern pony to wear a Mǎnese dress and mane style. If your mane was black, I’d say you fit the bill, really. And even then, it just looks so perfect as is. Hmm, maybe not that perfect. Your mane is too long, those buns are too big. Ah, you know what? Let me try something…” Rarity started ta undo her work, then she braided each side of my head. She wrapped the braids around themselves, then let them fall after a certain length. Once she had them where she wanted them, she took the ribbon from my tail and tied up both sides. She let go and Ah laughed again.

“Now it looks like Ah got the ribbons flowin’ down too. This is great. Never did Ah ever think Ah’d live out a childhood fantasy.” Rarity smiled and raised her chin.

“Well, you might just find that those are closer to reality than you think,” she said with a smug smile. Ah shook my head.

“Ah’m not sure about that. My last ‘fantasy’ was too close ta reality. Waaay too close.” Rarity nodded.

“True. But this one isn’t a bad one, not in any way that I can see anyways. I… have a stake in this now, so would you mind coming here after training Thursday? I’d like to make sure you’re… presentable.” Rarity flicked her hooves at me and Ah glared at her.

“Presentable? What’s that supposed ta mean?” She rolled her eyes.

“You know what that means, I don’t trust you to know what you’re doing. Or to own many of the things I do, really.” Well, that was blunt.

“... You’re not wrong. Sure why not. But uh, why do ya… ‘have a stake in it’ Ah guess?” She put on a thin smile and closed her eyes.

“You’ll find out. Now off with you, I still have other work to do today.” She shooed me out of her office, but Ah stopped short.

“Can Ah leave this here? Ah don’t really wanna take it home…” Because then they’re gonna ask, and then Ah’m gonna have ta tell them somethin’, and he’s smart enough ta make a connection, and Ah don’t feel like dealin’ with that.

“I suppose. Leave it on the mannequin.” Ah slipped out of the very soft dress, now that Ah take note of it, and set it down carefully on the doll.

“Thanks Rarity. Ah’ll see ya in the mornin’,” then headed out the door.

“Au revoir, miss hero~”

Persona VI: Childhood Friends (part 2)

Wednesday came and went almost like it never happened. At the same time, it also felt like the day agonized by. Until you’re pulled out of the flow of time, ya don’t realize that ya can feel every second that passes by. After trainin’ was over, Ah didn’t know what ta do with myself. Should Ah talk ta him? Should Ah just wait till tomorrow? Should Ah just go home now and sleep fer once in my life? Eventually Ah just gave up on it and went back home ta sleep, only ta realize that Ah couldn’t. Eight at night, and an hour wasted away on my phone, Ah decided ta open up Applebloom’s game again only ta get sucked inta the dream until two in the mornin’.

How does this happen? Ah didn’t even finish it either, Ah was just so focused on explorin’ and not gettin’ killed by the next big monster, hunter pony, abomination or whatever that Ah forgot ta even glance at a clock. Why? Why can Ah never sleep? Ah guess irony would say somethin’ about bein’ trapped in a dream based on the game, but that doesn’t help me sleep either. Ah ended up wastin’ another hour on my phone before Ah finally passed out, only ta wake up an extra hour early. Ah gave up on tryin’ ta sleep anymore and just made breakfast fer everypony. It’s rare that any of us have the time ta cook in the mornin’, so Ah figured why not? My extra hour gone, Macintosh and Applebloom fed and off ta school and back from work since he’s started workin’ nights… where ever it is he works now, so Ah headed ta the castle, albeit early.

Trainin’ today went a bit different than Ah expected. Luna was apparently sent by Celestia ta give us a few of her hours and a sparrin’ partner, and that… that was almost worse than fightin’ the monsters we have been. Usin’ the sharin’ spell properly, even ta the point where she managed ta get Twilight in, we fought a big monster that was nearly identical ta the one from Sunday. Didn’t go well either. In all four simulations, Twilight died. In three, Pinkie died. In two, Rarity died. In the very last one, the whole team got wiped. In the end, she gave poor Twilight an earful and ta the three of us who didn’t get killed in all but the time she amped up the difficulty… a compliment?

It was strange, but apparently, she didn’t expect any of us ta survive more than two of the runs. The simulations were mostly ta test our team work, but the last one was just ta see what it would take ta kill us.

“I simply cannot believe that you have been killed in every simulation! I will be back every night just for you my dear niece! You too, pink one. As for the rest of you, you have either performed as expected, or out performed what I had hoped for. Well done. For you all to last as long as you did in the fourth simulation… you must be very hard to kill.”

Much like the sharin’ spell, all our fights took place in somethin’ like a dream, but these were more concrete than when we did it ourselves. If Celestia’s dream felt even more like a dream, then this was hard ta tell apart from reality. Apparently almost dangerously so because she yelled at Goose more than once for ‘taintin’ the simulation’ or somethin’. Ah don’t know what that was about, but he jumped in front of me on the round that we got killed in, and that makes me nervous. Ah know it was a simulation, but this is the second time he’s done that, and this time it was really him, regardless as ta what Ah think my dream was. He can’t keep doin’ this.

Ah tried ta make it my goal ta get him alone after trainin’, but as soon as we were done with the simulations, Luna dismissed the rest of us in favor of keepin’ Pinkie and Twilight. Goose blinked off ta who knows where immediately after that, and Rarity figured we outta go ahead and get me ready fer tonight. Once again, Ah didn’t get a chance ta talk. Ah did however, hear the tail end of Luna talkin’ ta Twilight, and… well, all Ah can really say is better her than me.

“I have forsaken sleep this day for you, and I will be damned if you cannot survive the first simulation before I leave here! We will run again and again and again until you get it right, do you understand me? You will not fail rookie level battle training!”

It made me wonder whether or not her mother knew what was goin’ on. Then again, Ah think Celestia has an easier time lettin’ Luna speak fer her anger. Somethin’ about that sounds right, but the dreams Ah’ve had with Celestia are fuzzy ta unclear now. She’s said more ta me than Ah can remember at this point. When we left the castle, it was only three, so we still had a whole lotta time ta kill before dinner. Or so Ah thought. Between her makin' me use every kinda coat and mane care product she had and then her doin’ up my mane in an even more complicated fashion than the first time, that extra hour and a half was gone faster than it came.

“Now then, I need to go bathe myself. Feel free to make yourself at home. We’re an internet family here, so you won’t find TV or anything like that, but my computer is in my office. It shouldn’t require a password for you to use the browser, so you should be able to find some way to entertain yourself,” Rarity said as she headed inta her bathroom.

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” Ah got in before she shut the door. Without much better ta do, Ah started down stairs. Just as Ah did though, Ah noticed somethin’ on the piano. Unlike last time Ah was here, it was open and not completely covered in dust. In fact, it looked like it’d been used recently. Ah moved back up the steps and circled around ta the keyboard side, then saw two thin’s that looked awfully outta place. The first thin’ that caught my attention was a record player. A plugged in and recently used record player. The second thin’ was an ancient lookin’ piece on the music shelf. It was kinda yellowy and in plastic sheets that were covered in markin’s that meant somethin’ probably ta Rarity and nopony else. Aside from Rarity’s own markin’s that covered the pages, the music itself was covered in black dots and squiggly lines that meant somethin’ ta somepony with more know how than Ah. Geez, is she practicin’ this?

“Oh. Hi.” Ah heard a behind me. Ah turned quick ta see Rarity’s little sister starin’ at me just outside of her door. Has she been here the whole time?

“Uh… hey there?” Applebloom doesn’t talk much about her friends, so Ah don’t really know much about Sweetie. She sauntered over ta the piano and took a seat next ta me.

“So, do you know how to play too?” Ah chuckled and shook my head.

“Not even close. As far as Ah’m concerned, this is just a buncha dots and squiggles,” Ah said as moved my hoof across the page. Sweetie nodded.

“That’s fair. But this is that for some ponies who know what it all means too. There aren’t many who have the skill to play this in the first place.” She flipped through the pages... and when she kept goin' after six, Ah finally realized that this was all once piece. Ah knew it didn’t look like it ended after the second one, but Ah didn’t realize that all the pages here were part of the same piece.

“Wow. That’s uh… kind of a lot ain’t it?” Sweetie nodded.

“Mmhmm. It’s kind of insane that she could play this back when she was ten. Even now, I still think it’s crazy that she can still do it after ten years without practicing very much. Out of the ten or so times she practiced yesterday, she only screwed up like, twice.” She put her hooves up ta the keys and played a few notes that seemed ta go up ta a point, then down a little until she ended with four keys pressed. Hooves have some kinda magic ta ‘em that lets ponies grab and hold stuff, and apparently that can be used ta apply pressure ta certain points too, but Ah’d never seen it done until today. Sweetie wasn’t usin’ her magic either, so her playin’ four keys at once was a little weird ta see.

“So, can y’all both play?” Ah asked. Sweetie shook her head.

“No, I kind of missed out on that. I know a little of everything, and I can play most instruments to a degree, but that makes me a jack of all trades and a master of none. Part of my cutiemark is music, but Rarity… she can do special things on this instrument. Things I don’t know that I could ever do, even with a cutiemark to help me out. You would think that, with practice and dedication, anypony could play this. It’s just instructions to be executed and that’s all there is to it. But… even when I play, and I know what I’m doing, I can never get the sound the way she can. A song that sounds sad will sound sad regardless who plays it, but when you can hear joy, anger, bitterness, and hope all mixed in the sad song that somepony brought with them, it becomes so much more than what it was before.

It’s not just notes on a page at that point. The black and white fade away into all these colors of sound that make it truly special. Sometimes I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Why can’t I get all that emotion into music? Why is it when I play, that it’s just so monochromatic? I still haven’t figured that out yet.” When she finished, she started playin’ somethin’ and… it was just so sad. It was a waltz of some kind, probably one that Ah’ve heard before, but at the same time it was hers. When she finished, she just sighed and put her hooves down. Ah saw my own little sister in that, so Ah gave her a hug.

“Sometimes, it just takes time. Thin’s are always slow ta start at first. Back when Ah was yer age, Ah started doin’ somethin’ Ah’d always wanted ta do too. At first it was… well, pretty rough. Ah’d get beat up ta the point where Ah could hardly keep goin’, and Ah’d lose out on a job because Ah screwed it up bein’ more concerned about the catch than the ponies around me. Ah thought a lotta the same thin’s like, why is it that Ah’m not as good as he was? How come Ah can’t do it as well as he did? Even now, three years later, Ah still don’t know if Ah’ve caught up or live up ta what Ah’m supposed ta be. But Ah kept at it, and Ah keep at it.

Ya can’t know if ya make it ta yer goal when that pony ya want ta catch up ta isn’t around anymore, so ya just gotta keep goin’. Before ya know it, ya might be doin’ thin’s that ya never imagined ya’d be doin’. Doubt is impossible ta get rid of. You’ll always wonder if ya really made it, or if you’ll ever make it there. It sucks, but you’ll get there. As long as ya never give up, you’ll get where yer tryin’ ta go.” Why does that sound familiar? Sweetie laughed and nodded.

“Yeah, you would say it like that. Thanks. Applebloom talks about you a lot. She says you always give good advice, so I figured I’d talk since you’re here. You look pretty.” Ah swear I’ve never interacted with this filly before.

“Thanks, Ah guess. Ah’m not really used ta lookin’… well, like this.” Ah almost felt awkward all dressed up.

“That doesn’t surprise me. You’re more used to wearing spandex right?” she giggled.

“Ah what?” Sweetie froze.

“You… uh… I… need to go, so bye.” She tried ta get off the bench, but Ah grabbed the scruff of her neck.

“Where do ya think yer goin’?” She swallowed.

“… Y-you know… I uh…”

“Who told ya what?” Ah asked, not playin’ games anymore. Dependin’ on what she says, somepony’s gettin’ an ass whoopin’.

“Okay, okay. Look, I know this looks bad, but… but it was my fault because I asked. I mean, she already knew about Rarity, and since you’ve been over here so often, and, and Scootaloo told me about that thing you did on Caballo day so I started to suspect, and since she has that power, she would know, so… I kinda forced it out of her. I swear I’m not gonna tell anypony, honest.” Ah leaned forward and put my hooves on my face, makin’ some kinda awful sound on the piano.

“Sure, whatever. Ah don’t care as long as ya keep it ta yerself. Ya already knew about Rarity?” She nodded.

“She told me herself a little while ago. My powers are… probably kinda dangerous if I don’t get a handle on them, so I asked and we just talked about it.” Ah scratched at my face. Perfect. Somethin’ else ta worry about.

“What about… were y’all three together when ya made her talk? What all did she say?” Sweetie scratched at her ear, which Ah noticed was lettin’ off a thin smoke.

“Well… Scootaloo wanted to know about Rainbow too, since Rainbow never tells her what she does or how she can afford everything she can, so she told us about that fight with the Cthulu kaiju, and how you all worked together. Not really anything specific, just that you were all there.” Ah sighed. Oh, that ain’t gonna go over well. Ah know she told me not ta look fer her again, but Ah should probably check up on them soon.

“What about her? Aside from what Ah know, anythin’ special about Scootaloo?” If she does have somethin’, that’s three outta three.

“Um… that’s kinda broad, you know, since it’s uh… Scootaloo, but I assume you mean powers, so no idea. We've seen some weird stuff happen around her, but what exactly her powers would be we don't have any idea. She has to be the cause of it, but I don't know if she's psychic, or she accidentally fixes stuff, or what.” Great. Three for three and Ah can only see this goin’ wrong if Rainbow is as stubborn as Ah think she is. But Ah know better, and she’s probably worse than that. Hmm… Ah bet Ah could get Goose ta get eyes on them… Ah was about ta ask another question when Rarity came outta the bathroom.

“Applejack, we need to leave in the next few minutes. Oh. Good evening Sweetie. I’ll be down stairs in a moment, be ready to leave,” she said as she headed toward her room. “Oh, and while I have you, I’m going to be out for a while tonight, but I should be home before nine.” And then she shut her door.

“Okay!” Sweetie yelled. “So… what is going on with Rainbow? I’ve only seen her a few times, so I couldn’t really guess.” Ah scratched my cheek. It would be nice if Ah knew.

“Not somethin’ good, that’s fer sure. Don’t tell anypony Ah said that. Just know that she’s… much more than she appears ta be. Ah figure ya know how dangerous thin’s have gotten so Ah’m not gonna lecture ya, but try ta stay outta this, okay? Even as bad as it is now… it’s only gonna get worse with the weeks ta come.” Ah got up from the pianoand Started toward the stairs.

“Oh…” When Sweetie started followin' me, Ah noticed somethin’ bright from that smokin’ ear, only ta see that it was on fire now. “Uh, thanks, again. It… makes me feel better that at least somepony knows what’s going on.” Ah barely heard her. Ah was more focused on the task at hoof, which was puttin' out the fire. Ah reared up and raised my hooves. “Uh… What are you doing?” Just like tryin’ ta swat a fly, Ah quickly and gently smothered the tip of her ear. Ah pulled back ta shake the smoke off my hooves, only ta see the ear as it was before it lit. How bizarre. Ah tilted my head.

“Does that happen often?”

“Only when her emotions are all over the place. I don’t know what you did, but we need to leave, so I’ll save the interrogations for later. Bye Sweetie,” Rarity answered. All dressed up in black, baby blue, and silver, her own dress had a more shimmery effect ta it where it caught and reflected light about as bright as it came in. She passed me and made it down ta the ground floor before Ah even started ta move.

“Shiny ain’t it?” Ah asked as Ah caught up. She nodded.

“But of course. However, I am not the focus of tonight so my colors are muted and closer to monochromatic. The bright sunset will draw the eye, even if I’m around it. Now get in the car. I’m going to have to… ignore certain rules to make sure we arrive on time.” Rarity unlocked her vehicle, sat down and brought the engine ta life. Ah sat down myself and looked at the clock.

“Five fifty!? We can’t make it there by six! How long does it take a pony ta shower!?” Rarity shifted inta reverse and waived my complaint away.

“As long as she needs. Besides… I can get anywhere in this town in under ten minutes…” she said with a smile on her face. But not a nice one. This was more the crazy kind.

“Oh dear goddess help me.” Outta the parking lot, shifted inta first, and hoof ta the floor, the engine roared.

“Ya know, most ponies would be afraid ta drive as fast a ya do on a highway. Other ponies fuckin’ die drivin’ as fast as ya do through the damn alleys! How often do ya have ta replace yer tires? Ah’m pretty sure ya left more rubber on the ground than ya started with.” Ah complained as we arrived at Champagne. Rarity giggled.

“Ha! You’re right, other ponies would get themselves killed driving like that. I’m just better than other ponies,” she said with her snout raised. Ah rolled my eyes and got outta the car.

“Whatever. Ah don’t think yer really that good, ya just cheat by freezin’ time every couple seconds.” She made a noise.

“Pfft. I cheat she says. So maybe I do use my powers to assess whether or not I need to turn down an empty alley. Would you rather have me making turns blindly and possibly hitting somepony?” Ah shook my head.

“Ah mean, ya could also be normal and drive on the roads like everypony else.” She smirked.

“Ah yes, this coming from the mare who regularly lifts her motorbike off the ground to weave through traffic. Please miss Saint, lecture me more.” She locked the thin' and threw her keys in her purse. Ah raised a hoof and she stopped and raised her eyebrow. “Oh? What’s this? Is that a double standard I hear coming? Something about normal ponies, possibly abuse of my natural born abilities, when she herself in fact, abuses her own natural born abilities?” Ah closed my mouth and walked inta Champagne. Nope, game over. She won.

“Let’s just go in already,” Ah mumbled. Ah entered first, and the thin’ that immediately caught my eye was that there didn’t look ta be anypony here. Huh. that’s weird. Ah’ never been in Champagne before, but Ah know this place was pretty popular with the rich folks, so why ain't there nopony here?

“Ah, ello. You must be miss Apple, oui?” Ah heard a mare say. She must’ve been hidden behind her big semicircle podium because Ah didn’t even notice her.

“Uh, yes ma’am.” She stepped down with a tablet under one hoof and motioned fer me ta follow.

“Zis way.” Which Ah imagine translated ta ‘this way’ through her accent. She’s gotta be Chevallian. The restaurant was laid out with three rows of booth tables on the left and right, then down the center with free standin’ tables in the large gaps between. At the back was a bar and a stage with a very large piano, probably a bit bigger than the massive one Rarity had in her boutique. The floors were black, the walls were white and every cushion was red on the polished black wood furniture. There was a single thought runnin’ through my mind and Ah knew Ah shouldn’t be thinkin’ about. How much did this cost? How much is this gonna cost?

“Oh, hey, you made it,” Goose said as we turned round the last booth in the center row. Instead of bein’ set horizontally like all the others, this booth was aligned just so that one could see the piano without somepony havin’ ta move. Goose… well, in a weird way, didn’t really look like himself. Much like the other day, he was wearin’ a dark blue suit with a bright red tie, and everythin’ had a gold accent of some kind on along the fringes. His mane was all slicked back, and his little beard had been shaved down ta where it formed a neat smooth shape along his chin. He always looked ‘clean’ ta a degree, but this was a step above that. And… there was a smell. A sweet, welcomin’ fragrance that Ah knew but couldn’t place just kinda enveloped the air around him. “You alright? I know it’s not my usual look, but you don’t have to stare,” He laughed. Ah shook my head and nodded.

“Uh, yeah, Ah’m fine. Uh… Rarity’s drivin’ is a little scary, so Ah’m kinda…” Ah looked behind me and finally realized that Ah’d walked inta Champagne alone. “... out of it, Ah guess,” Ah said as Ah scratched at the part in my mane. He nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I know how that is. Please, have a seat. You look amazing in that, by the way. I’m not sure it’s complete without your bracers though.” Ah laughed and sat down.

“Yeah, Ah had the same thought when she put my mane up like this. Ah’m not sure if Ah’m just supposed ta look pretty or beat the snot outta ponies from across the world in a gauntlet.” He took his seat, and the server mare put her tablet on a little stand on the table.

“Well, I am 'appy to see zat your evening is off to a good start. Zis is ze menu, just tap your order and zen confirm once you’re all done, and it will give you an estimate on when it should be out. Zankyou for dining with us.” She bowed and went back ta the kitchen Ah guess, and then it was just us. Alone. In this big fancy restaurant. Ah’m wearin’ a dress Ah never could’ve afforded before Ah met Rarity. Am about ta eat a meal Ah never coulda afforded before Ah joined Harmony. And ta top everythin’ off, Ah’m here… with Goose. Ah put my hooves ta my muzzle and took a deep breath. Don’t ask about the money. Do not ask about the money. Ah swear ta goddess, if you-

“Goose, how much is this gonna cost ya?” Oh, goddess damn it. “Ah know ya wanna make a good impression or whatever, but Ah can’t have ya blowin’ thousands of bits-” He put a hoof on my lips.

“Shhh, don’t worry about it. Let me be real with you here for a minute. If I wanted to, I could take us here every night for the rest of our natural born lives. Sure, if I didn’t try to impress you, then I wouldn’t be doing my job right. But, that’s not the main reason I brought you here. For now, let’s just… forget about everything else. The food is great, the music is nice, and we’re here, together. Pick out anything from the menu you think you want and we’ll have a nice dinner.” He pulled his hoof away and Ah frowned.

“Goose, will ya just-”

“Just for the hour. I don’t want to talk about anything from before until after we’re done. Then I’ll be at your mercy.” He cut me off. Ah sighed.

“One hour?”

“Unless we take longer to eat than that. I do have something planned for when we finish, but I don’t think it’ll take us that long.” Ah sighed again.

“Fine. But Ah wanna know everythin’, and Ah mean everythin’. If Ah ask, ya tell me the truth, no matter what it is, alright?”

“Yes ma’am~” he sang. Ah chewed inta my lip ta try not ta smile and rolled my eyes.

“Whatever. So what’s good here mister money bags?” Ah asked movin’ on ta address my slowly growin’ hunger.

“Now there’s a question I’ll be happy to answer.”

Ah’ve eaten a lotta food in my life, but there haven’t been many times where Ah’ve eaten till Ah’m full and wanted ta keep eatin’ just because it tasted so good. Ah searched the table with my hoof for a napkin and brought it up ta my face. Ah would never say Ah’m fat. In all honestly, my whole family is probably a little malnourished from years of only managin’ ta put enough on the table. At the moment though, Ah was havin’ a hard time not fallin’ asleep from my food coma.

“Ah’ve made a terrible mistake,” Ah moaned.

“I warned you it was a lot of food. You dug this hole yourself, cowpony,” he said through a chuckle. Ah rolled ta sittin’ up straight and put the napkin down.

“Ya didn’t tell me it was a damn pound of food! Good goddess, Ah didn’t know Ah was capable of puttin’ that much pasta away. Ah ain’t never even had lobster before, much less a whole one. That’s like a dish ponies share right? There’s no way they expect somepony ta put all that away on their own.”

“You would be surprised at what my dad could put away back when we used to come here all the time. I uh… I’m not sure if you care about the whole ‘meat’ thing or not, but since we’re carnivores, dude could, and often did, put a whole thirty two ounce steak away on his own. Like, this one time when I was like fourteen, we made a bet that he couldn’t down it in one go. And then I lost that bet. He was sick for a while after, but damn, if that wasn’t impressive to see.” Ah scooted back in my seat and leaned on the table.

“Meat huh? So, does that mean eatin’ a pony wouldn’t make ya sick?” Goose gagged.

“One, gross. I’m a carnivore, not a cannibal. Two, that’s a good question, but not one I’m willing to find the answer to. I mean, maybe? Ugh, just thinking about it makes me kinda nauseous.” Ah shrugged.

“Ah suppose. Ah mean, there are only so many sentient races on the planet. Ah figure it’s not a question of if ya could, but whether or not ya could ignore the morality of it. Like, if ya had ta do it ta survive, would ya?” He reared back.

“Are you inebriated or something? I’m pretty sure the alcohol is cooked out of the dish before they serve it…” he said as he started lookin’ though the menu. Ah shook my head.

“Nah, this isn’t that. Just curiosity, really. Aside from the griffon or stray big cat ya can find around Manehattan, Ah’ve never really talked ta somepony whose eaten somethin’… well, like me ya know? How much different am Ah from a cow ya could find across the ocean in Bovania or somethin’? Their bodies are of such a high value around the world that they’re constantly at war with themselves, and the slave trade is just terrible. What if that was us? We have laws against that for our own species, but that doesn’t change the fact that we can import beef and leather. My own jacket, the one that was my dad’s, is leather and Ah couldn’t imagine wearin’ anythin’ else in the winter, but that used ta be a cow’s skin. It just makes ya think, ya know?” When he was silent, the music in the air stated get my attention. Soft jazzy piano, A sting bass, a couple violins, and a drum kit. Ah could swear they were playin’ the same thin’ the whole time. When did they get here, anyways? This place was empty when Ah came in. Still don’t know what happened ta Rarity.

“You’re not turning into one of those 'green peace' ponies on me are you?” Goose said after a bit of a pause. Ah reared back, almost in disgust.

“You kiddin’ me? Ah’m not one of those tree huggin’ pussies. A carnivore has the same right ta live as much as a vegan does. Ah just think the culture around vegans is dumb. Ah mean, Ah just ate a lobster. Just cause it’s shellfish don’t mean it wasn’t alive at one point, Ah just don’t care.” Goose laughed.

“Wow, rude. I see you’re no less outspoken than you used to be. Well, if you’re ready for it, I’ve got one last thing before we can go and…” He let out a breath. “Talk about the past.” Ah nodded.

“As long as that one last thin’ isn’t dessert. Ah’m pretty sure Ah could force somethin’ down if Ah really tried, but it’d come back up in a hurry,” Ah said though a laugh.

“Nasty. Okay! Go ahead!” he yelled out ta the band. Everypony on the stage picked up their instruments and started ta fill the seats at the bar, patiently waitin’ and watchin’ the piano. From the back returned that server mare and she took a microphone that had been standin’ unused on the stage.

“We would like to zank our ‘onored guests zis evening for zeir patronage. As requested by monsieur Carcharodon, a special guest Will be playing a piece for us tonight. Please come back if you’ve enjoyed yourself tonight, and of course, try ze Champagne. We welcome madame Rarity Belle to ze stage.” She moved ta a seat at the bar herself, and then, sure enough, Rarity sauntered from the back room ta the piano, her shiny dress almost glowin’ in the low lightin’.

“So that’s where she went! Did y’all-” He stopped me.

“Shhh. Just listen. Of all the things I did for tonight, I think this is probably the most important.” He slid over next ta me and gave a signal ta Rarity, who flashed me a smile. As soon as she started playin’ the piece, it all made sense. When Sweetie said Rarity could make the piano come ta life, she wasn’t kiddin’. Ah didn’t even recognize it when Sweetie started this earlier, but now… the memories and nostalgia are all just floodin’ back ta the surface. She wasn’t just his mom, Swan Song was the mare who played the role of my mother fer those three years. Ah didn’t just forget Goose, Ah forgot her too. Everythin’ she used ta do, all the thin’s she taught me, and the one thin’ Ah never shoulda forgot, her voice.

This was the piece she would play at her house all the time, one that she would sing ta and dance the way she did, how it was almost hypnotizin’ the way she moved. As she played and Ah listened, the emotions from back then started comin’ back. All the fun we had, all the thin’s we shared, how sad we were after she died. By the time Rarity was finished, Ah didn’t even notice that Ah’d been cryin’ until Goose wiped away the tears on my cheeks.

“Ah’m… Ah’m so sorry. Ah never shoulda forgot. We never shoulda been separated, and… and all this is just so fucked up.” He pulled me in fer a hug and Ah noticed the tears on his own cheeks.

“Yeah. Yeah, it really is.” His voice was just as shaky as his touch. Ah wiped away his tears and reciprocated the hug.

“It’s been far too long, Catchy.”

Author's Notes:

The piece Rarity plays - Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

Harmony Stories V: The Shark, The Swan, and The Goose

After dinner, the three of us left Champagne and went back ta the boutique. Ah picked up my bike and then Ah drove Goose ta the castle. We parked, said hi ta the girls and then he led me ta his room. Now that he’d moved halls and ‘officially’ become part of Harmony, he decided ta really move in and brought a good amount of his stuff here, some of it Ah even recognized from when we were kids. A particular little green robot lookin’ figure caught my eye and brought a smile ta my face.

“Well. If that ain’t somethin’ Ah never thought Ah’d see again.” A little green build-it-yerself figure made outta about sixty parts if Ah remember correctly, and one we played with all the time. There were six in total fer each wave that came out and they all had their own story ta go with ‘em. The heroes that come from the goddess ta save the land when the evil mastermind threatens it. Goose always wanted the green one, and Ah of course wanted the red one. However, when the time came, Ah let those toys go. The memories hurt too much, and with all the death that surrounded me, Ah couldn’t bring myself ta look at ‘em anymore. And eventually, Ah forgot.

“Heh. I thought you might like that. Aside from the stuff I wanted, I picked up a few relics while I was at uh… home, I suppose. That bin in the corner has all the pony bots from way back when, and I even found my Ponystation in working condition, however I was blackmailed into letting Fluttershy have it for a while. I’m probably pretty rusty, but I managed to pick up a copy of Marevel versus Comcap.” He picked out the red pony bot from the bin and looked past it, like there were memories just beneath its mask. Ah set the pony bot down on his bookshelf where there was empty space and took a seat on a couch he’d managed ta get in here. The room wasn’t little, but the door frame was certainly not big enough fer this ta fit through it. It must be nice ta be able ta warp everywhere.

His walls were covered in pictures, most of which Ah didn’t recognize, save for one that was on an end table next ta his bed. Ah’d seen it before, in Ms. Song’s house, oh so long ago. It was Goose, or really Catchy as Ah remembered him, his mother and a Stallion Ah’d never seen before. Based on the blue and white skin and the teeth, Ah could only guess that this was his dad. Ah sighed.

“Goose, what happened? So much time has passed since then, Ah don’t even know what all we missed. When does Catchy become Goose? Why did it happen in the first place? Ah just… Ah don’t know why thin’s had ta go and change so much.” Ah haven’t cried in years. The tears had all but dried up fer twelve long years, and that… that changed today. Goose scratched at his clean little facial hair, then took off his suit jacket. He took a seat next ta me on the couch and let out a deep breath.

“So… I thought I would be ready to tell you everything and… I honestly don’t think I am just yet. I’m sure you’ve figured out that I was playing up the whole playboy shtick when we first met by now, but not everything I said was untrue. I… maybe I’m not the pony you thought I am, so-” This time Ah was the one ta put a hoof on his lips.

“Goose. Ah’d like ta think that three weeks of ya, and a whole week without ya leavin’ my side is enough fer me ta know that Ah trust ya. Ah’m sure Ah haven’t told ya about some of my own problems, and even Ah’m ashamed of some of the thin’s Ah’ve done. But a few days ago, some asshat told me ta let somepony in, and after Ah talked, Ah got over some of my issues. Take yer own advice. Tell me what happened.” Goose rolled his eyes and leaned back till he was starin’ at the ceilin’.

“Open mouth, insert hoof am I right?” He said with a dull laugh. He sat up straight and pulled his back legs under him on the couch ta face me. “So you want to hear a story huh? Let me tell you a tale of a colt who grew into a stallion at a young age. A colt who wanted so desperately to not become his father, that in the end, he did exactly that.”

To start, we’ll have to go back where we left off. The year is 2014. When I was still Catchy, I knew what my dad did for a living. How he had all the money he did, the horrible things I saw him do. Shortly before I met you, I witnessed my dad… at work. He killed a couple of officers with his own hooves and then destroyed a building set for demolition to cover it up. He bashed their skulls in, letting all the blood and leftovers tremble and writhe on the floor. I was terrified. When I ran, his men caught me and I cowered at the sight of him.

The next day, I was sent to live with my mother. A completely different side of town, away from him and anything to do with him. I swore I would never do anything like that, never become a monster like he was. After I met you and your brother and started making friends, things were normal for me for a while. I managed three years without even seeing him. And then in May of that year, he showed up again. Bloody and half beaten to death, he crashed into the door and mom brought him in and treated him. I was entirely against it. I didn’t want him in my house, and I would’ve just left him on the doorstep to bleed to death. Mom though… she was too kind for that. He would be there for a week recovering. Even with his increased regeneration abilities, he was an inch away from death’s door when he showed up and several of his bones were smashed to splinters. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

For most of that week, I avoided him. When he could finally limp around, he tried his hardest to interact with me, and I wouldn’t have it. It wasn’t until mom had to leave for a performance was I finally forced to be alone with him. I was playing Marevel versus Comcap on arcade mode, and he sat in the living room watching me. Eventually, I got to the point where I couldn’t progress and I threw the controller.

“Hey now, why all the anger? It's just a game, little goose,” he said.

“Go away! You shouldn’t even be here, just leave me alone!” I was mad and wasn’t in the mood, so I attempted to storm off to my room. This was of course all before my powers showed up, so I wasn’t anything more than an earth pony foal at the time either, so there really wasn’t much of a contest when he grabbed me by the tail.

“Come back here little goose, I want to talk to you,” he said, easily pulling me back and holding me in place.

“No! Let me go!” I struggled in vain. He sighed. I was still pretty small at the time, especially compared to the giant that was my father, so he was literally holding my in the air. In my tiny fury, I curled up and tried to bite into his foreleg with mixed results. He did let me go, but then he grabbed me by the face and forced my mouth open. Ya see, sharks constantly lose and regrow teeth. They have rows and rows of them for the sole purpose of tearing through flesh and bone in the event one falls out, or they lose one trying to capture prey. That was about the time my baby teeth started to fall out, and the ones that grew in their place… weren’t adult pony teeth.

I had one, just one adult tooth at the age of ten. As you know, it’s weird for foals to not already be in their adult teeth by the time they’re nine, so for me to still have what I had was strange, and when I did finally lose them, these grew in their place within hours of making room. To this day, I don’t know if he had his own plans for me, or what, but when he saw my tooth, he looked disappointed. Instead of reprimanding me for what I did, he picked up the controller himself and beat the fighter I was struggling with. He did things I could never do with whatever character it was, and he even used real combos instead of just violently smashing buttons.

I was furious. I made him play me, and when he throttled me, I demanded that he teach me how to do it. If there’s one thing I will never deny, it’s that my dad was a smart guy. He knew how to get me to react the way he wanted, and just by playing my game, he got me to open up to him again after not seeing him for almost three years. Dad was with us for two more days, until he and mom got in a fight, and he left. At the time, I couldn’t hear what he said or what they were arguing about, and I wouldn’t know until long after mom was gone. This was on the 19th.

When the day came for my father to pick me up, I honestly believed for the longest time that he was the one who had her killed. I yelled and accused him of it every time I had the chance, saying ‘It was your fault! You’re the reason she died!’ He never said anything against it, and eventually, he just sent me away to live with a maid in an apartment in the southern Manehattan. Most of dad’s work was done in the east, so here I was far away from it, and with the maid around me everywhere I went, I was sure to never run into anything involving him.

Time passed, and with new friends, I started to recover. But a day didn’t go by where I didn’t think about it all. My old friends, you, my mom, what happened. I had a hole I didn’t know how to fill, so I started acting out, playing the bad kid because I could. I got everything I wanted as soon as I wanted it and nopony would tell me otherwise. Except, none of that stuff was enough to replace my mother.

Then we move a year later to October. The Mirror event killed tens of thousands. From the Trade Center, to the Manehattan Bugle, offices and apartments, all of it so suddenly and without so much warning as the toll of a bell, destroyed. The apartment I lived in, Red Hoof actually crashed into. Honestly, now that I think about it, I was probably one of the last ponies to see him alive. I was friends with a lot of the kids in that complex. We all went to school together, and they were part of the reason I never fell into depression. And in a day, they were all gone. Crushed and buried alive in their own homes.

Dad didn’t think it was safer anywhere than right next to him anymore, so from then on, I was with him twenty-four seven. I hated it. I hated him. I can’t remember a day for the next year that I was ever anything but angry. I didn’t go to school, I never met new ponies, I was always with him, smoldering as I watched him work. I wanted him to screw up, get killed just like he killed her. He was someone I could vent all my anger on, so that’s what I did. He started to teach me how to fight, using his own derivative of that silver tongue to manipulate me into what he wanted me to do. A whole year went by like that, and when I got my powers in the middle of it, I decided I would plan to take him on. Finally, we had our falling out and I tried my damnedest to kill him.

“Tell me the truth! It was you wasn’t it!? You were the one who had her killed! It was you!” I screamed at him as he had me pinned on the floor. With his ‘shark skin’ being as tough as it was, he was pretty hard to cut in any way, but I was a special case. I had the one natural weapon that his skin was weak to, his own teeth. I’d made a few small cuts on him, nothing major or really anything more than a paper cut to him, but it was enough for me to outright attack him to rattle his cage.

“You dare insult me like that little goose!?” He yelled back in my face. That was the first time I’d ever seen him really angry at me, and he made sure to show it too. He followed that up by tossing me into a wall and nearly breaking me even after I’d initially gotten my powers, and then rushing up to pull me out and hold me by the neck. “You look at me, little goose! Be angry, that’s fine, I am to blame! Her death was my fault, and there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret what happened. But if you think I would kill the only mare I ever loved on purpose… you’re no better than I am.” I’d never seen my father so much as tear up before that point, and I would never see it again after.

The rage I’d built up toward him just… evaporated after that. I couldn’t be angry at him, he felt just as bad or worse than I did about mom two years later, and all this time he just let me take out all my hatred on him. I was hollow for a long time. Nothing but a husk that quietly followed orders and slowly but surely made my way up in the gang. After several months, dad made the decision to put me in school again. I had my powers and I was tougher than most of the adults in his gang, so he wasn’t as worried about me getting hurt. As a matter of fact, he was actually more worried about me hurting other ponies instead. So, he assigned me an equally young pony he had control over to be at my side while I was at school, and her name was Dark Pulse.

We’d met while I was still a little ball of rage, but she was more like my shadow back then. Just another gang member I didn’t care about. School went on for about a month, and I was still… broken. I only spoke when spoken too, I did all my work and made the grades I could and I avoided contact with other ponies entirely because… I didn’t know what to do with myself. While I was mad, I had a goal. I just wanted revenge, and that’s what I worked for, only to have it fall apart in the end.

It wasn’t until one of my classmates asked me whether or not Pulse was my sister did I even realize she was there all this time. It was like a switch in my head had finally turned back on and suddenly I was interested in something again. It was around this time that I finally got my cutiemark and picked up another piece of my father to add to everything else. After finding out that my cutiemark doesn’t work on everypony, I finally got her to talk to me, and I eventually opened up to her. She was my first real friend since I’d lost everything.

A while went by and an idea started to form in my head. I didn’t even know if you were still alive after the Mirror incident, and I wanted to find out. I’d lost a lot of friends, but I didn’t know if the first one I ever made, and the same one I made… that promise to, was still around. A lot happened in two years, and with the third one about to pass, I wanted to do something.

The promise I made in mind, and finally a purpose to work toward, I started to gather my own group and thus came to be the Boneheads, a nickname that Pulse referred to me as in the early stages of our friendship. See, while I was a smart kid, I was by no means an academic prodigy. Unless it was math, I was kinda shit outta luck in school without help. Um, I’m getting distracted, where was I?

Oh right. So uh… for a few years, I gathered ponies and started looking for you. The only problem was, I could never find you. I didn’t know where you moved to, if you were still alive, who you were living with, anything. Since your old house had been sold, I tried to get information from the new owner but they didn’t have anything since the land was apparently bought by a private retailer. With no leads, I would spend the next seven years slowly losing hope. In the middle of it all, dad started to get sick.

He ran the gang for a long time, but after getting captured by a hero for the second time around when I was fourteen, he started getting a whole lot more careful. The stallion known as ‘Shark Tooth’ disappeared and a new guy took the role of Shark Tooth. In reality, he was still the gang leader, but he did so from the shadows, announcing to his upper leadership that he was giving the spot to his trusted underling who was nothing more than his puppet.

By the time I was getting close to graduating college, dad’s health took a turn for the worse. we’d known there was something wrong with him for the longest time, but when he collapsed while we were out one day, I finally forced him to check into a hospital. Stage four terminal lymph cancer. It was already to a point where there was nothing that magic or medicine could do anything for him. He lasted for about two months. Just long enough to see me graduate. In a weird way, it was like he wanted it to happen. Like he was just tired of the life he’d created. Seeing me succeed where he failed was the last thing he wanted to do.

On his deathbed, he finally told me what it was he and my mom argued about that day. He wanted her to escape from Manehattan. He wanted her to just drop everything and leave, taking me with her. He didn’t think it was safe at home anymore, and if anypony from one of his rivals saw him here, either of us would be their next target. And she wouldn’t have it. She’d finally achieved her dream of being a singer, and she wasn’t willing to throw it all away just to be safe. He couldn’t bring himself to force her to do it, so he left.

When he finally lost to his cancer, an old emotion I thought had gone away rekindled itself in my heart. The unrelenting rage of my childhood returned in full force now I knew that there was somepony out there still breathing that gunned down my mother. As it turned out, Dad already knew who it was and where they were, but never managed to do anything because he didn’t have the power. He’d grown too weak by the time he found them, so in the end, he just tried to hide it all away and forget. I however was not. Three years ago, I would make the greatest mistake of my life, and to this day I still regret what I did. The Boneheads went from being a group of strays I took in to a weaponized gang in full force in just a month.

The leader was an old villain who was put away numerous times, but there weren’t any facilities capable of holding him, and since Manehattan has outlawed the death penalty, he kept getting away with every atrocity he committed. The more I learned, the more my anger burned. This was the stallion that had my mother killed, and she was only one of many. If the state wouldn’t put him down, then I would. I’d assembled about half my main force at the time, and with Me, Pulse, Aurora and Heat, it was more than enough to… kill a few ponies.

When it finally came down to it, I had all the ones I wanted to hurt myself rounded up and brought in front of me. When it was said and done, I’d realized that I’d become my father. I bashed their skulls in with my own hooves, even destroyed the abandoned building to cover it all up. The stallion I promised myself as a child that I would never become stared me back in the mirror every day. Once again, I was broken. I didn’t know what to do anymore. I’d given up on going back to school, I still had ponies that relied on me, and in some twisted turn of fate, I’d become the gang leader I never wanted to be.

My goal of finding you was forgotten and suddenly I had to be the boss. After a while I’d just resigned to it. It was fate, this was destiny, mocking my childhood ideals. It wasn’t until we picked up Synchro did I finally start to regain myself. The gang liked my playboy personality, and just about everypony but Pulse knew me that way. Synchro on the other hoof, saw through that pretty easily. She forced me to come back to reality and slowly regain the self I’d lost when the anger took over.

Then… we got the job about those goddess damned mirrors. I knew it was sketchy from the get go, but it was supposed to be easy. All we had to do was steal a briefcase with information in it for hundreds of thousands of bits. Had we never opened the damn thing, then Quiet and Synchro would probably still be around today. But… that’s just not how things went. So, the rest you know. Fate finds itself constantly laughing in my face, I ended up having to kill my first real marefriend and now I’m back here with you trying to make up for all those years lost. My ‘gang’ is no longer that but just a big family up north now, and the only thing left to tie me to my dad’s name is that I’m the current owner of the Carcha company.

When Goose finally finished, Ah honestly felt kinda relieved.

“Whew. And here Ah thought ya did somethin’ really terrible,” Ah said with a sigh. He blinked and shook his head.

“Excuse me? I had like, twenty ponies killed out of hollow revenge, how is that not ‘really terrible?’” Ah shook my head and patted him on the shoulder.

“Ah’m not sayin’ it isn’t. Ah am sayin’ that yer kill count isn’t the highest around here though, and at least ya had a... twisted sense of justice fer it. Out of the six of us, Rarity and Twilight are the only two Ah really consider truly innocent. Ya probably don’t know it, but there ain’t a pony around here who doesn’t have blood on their hooves, be it by accident or not.” Goose just stared at me.

“You’re kidding me right? You’ve got to be kidding me. This is just a prank, and the others are going to burst through that door right now to point and laugh, right?” He turned his attention ta the door waitin' fer somepony ta bust through and laugh, but nopony came. Ah pulled his head back my way.

“Afraid not.” He just stared at me with a blank look on his face.

“So… all of you?”

“Yep”

“Each of you, the squeaky clean super heroes that run around saving ponies?”

“Ah don’t figure any of us are ‘squeaky clean’ but Ah think y’all would fit in that category too at this point.” Goose put his hooves ta his head and started ta rub his temples.

“I’m sorry, I think I’m just having trouble processing this. So, not only do you not care that I’m a murderer, but you’re telling me that everypony in this crazy place, including yourself, the hero of Manehattan, are also… killers?”

“Well… in a sense. What happened with Rarity and Twilight were really outta their control and Ah wouldn’t say it was their fault that what happened happened, even if they blame themselves fer it. But the rest of us are still guilty of somethin’ we regret. Thin’s that were really our fault. Ya called yerself a bad guy earlier, and in all honesty, Ah don’t believe that. Ya made a mistake once, and ya regret it with all yer heart. Somepony who didn’t care wouldn’t take homeless kids off the street and give ‘em a job, would they?” He scratched at his head.

“I… I mean, I guess not…” he mumbled.

“And on top of that, ya tried ta keep the mirrors from gettin’ in the city again after ya found out what they could do. Somepony like that probably cares about the lives of others just a little bit more than the average slasher on the streets, don’t ya think?” He sighed and laughed to himself.

“You know, you’re making it really hard for me wallow in my self loathing.” Ah gave him a playful punch in the shoulder.

“Good, let’s keep it that way. Ah had a good time tonight, and Ah’m glad we finally got ta catch up.” Ah said. He rubbed at his shoulder and smiled.

“Hey now, you can’t just make me talk and not tell me what happened with you. I pour my heart out and you just up and tell me that you’ve killed before like it’s nothing. The suspense is killing me, I'm dying to know.” Ah let out a breath and checked my phone.

“Well, Ah guess Ah’ve got time. It’s a long one, so ya might as well get comfortable.” He laughed and nodded.

“Maybe you haven’t noticed this yet, but us here together with nopony throwing punches or trying to kill me is about all I’ve wanted for the past twelve years. I think I’m plenty comfortable right now.” Ah nodded and smiled myself.

“Fine, have it yer way. It all starts sixteen years ago. A single dad moved inta his brother’s apartment with his three kids. He’s unemployed, got maybe a gold bit ta his name, and he starts off by lookin’ fer a job.”