Might wanna go back and read the last few paragraphs to refresh yourself, there is no transition, I cut this thing right between two paragraphs.

As such, as she watched him walk out to the edge of the light and stare down at the dead body of the wolf it made her mad as she thought about the mare that ruined Hank’s good day. And as she saw Hank pull his knife out and start drumming his fingers over the handle she lowered herself from the window in the door and turned to the interior of the house catching the first, of what she assumed was many, stabs into the wolf’s torso as he jumped on top of it.

Leaving Hank to deal with the tremendous amount of stress he held in his own way, no matter if it were violent and maybe unhealthy by Zecora’s standards. Then again maybe it was the only outlet he knew or even worked for him, she didn’t know what it was like to have what he did in his head so how could she critique?

Walking back into the kitchen which had since turned into a yelling match between, AJ, Rarity, and Granny for who could chastise Rainbow the hardest the blue pegasus sat in her chair with her head hung low and eyes empty.

Retaking her seat the other mares quieted down as they turned to Zecora and looked at her with worried faces.

“Is he okay darling?” Rarity asked first.

“Yeah, he holdin’ up alright?” Aj added.

“He’ll be okay, it just might take a while.” Zecora fought hard to give a small smile with how hot she was burning inside, “Depending on what happened and to who it can take a while for him to sort it out, but he always does, and I’ll be there for him.”

“Does he go through it often?” Fluttershy asked.

“Usually only after something that really stresses him out or if something reminds him of something, someone, or an event from the past. So… yes unfortunately.” Zecora gave a somber smile to the yellow mare who shared a sad look back.

However Zecora’s sad look faded away entirely as she locked eyes with the antagonist of the night. Developing a look of such seriousness you could feel it in the air Zecora stared down the pegasus as she looked back.

“For you however I have something to say,” Zecora said in a eerily calm and even voice, “I do not know who, or who didn’t, raise you to have such a lack of understanding and sense of patience for your fellow being but I recommend you take some time to teach yourself these skills. I don’t just say this as a friendly recommendation but as a warning as well.” Zecora said as Rainbow and the rest of the room listened as closely as possible, “You may not know this about Zebra culture, but in all of the tribes, mine especially, lovers are not only recommended to fight on or alongside their lover on their behalf but fully expected to. It may have come from times of old where mares had to defend their stallion’s honor and standing and by extension their own but it still stands strong today for either member of the couple or group. If you take issue with one in an uncivil way you take issue with all.”

As Zecora explained, her years of self discipline kept her outside image as calm as ever, on the inside however she was already over the table and on top the pegasus.

“It can also be used if the one being attacked is too weak or not able to deal with the issue at hoof, and I’m more than aware that Hank is far more capable than I,” Zecora smiled bringing a hoof to her chest, “and that if he wanted to do something he would have done it. Regardless I will make you completely aware that the only thing keeping me on this side of the table is the high respect I hold for the Apple family and the fact that I am no longer in my birth country.”

Letting what she said stew a minute Zecora never broke eye contact with the pegasus, “If there is a next time however, which I am doubtful of, these factors may hold much less weight. Hank may hold himself back because of the pure difference in weight class but I am very much on the same playing field as you.”

Everypony surprised at Zecora’s politely worded threat, it made them wonder just what Zecora knew that she didn’t talk about or show. Just what was the ever so kind but increasingly mysterious zebra hiding? It didn’t help that she lived and was in a relationship with Equestria’s only human and possibly most mystery filled figure. Truly the two were a mystery power couple.

The ponies were so shocked they didn’t notice Mac grabbing a bottle of cider moonshine and a shot glass from the cabinet until he was already walking toward the door. Unlocking the door and opening it Mac ignored the calls for his name as he locked the door and shut it behind him, leaving the safety of the home for the eerie quietness of the dark night.

“Honey don’t come out here it’s dan-” Hank started before stopping as he realized it wasn’t Zecora at all.

“What are you doin’ Mac?” Hank sighed looking toward the stallion from his position atop the nearly mulched wolf, his blood soaked hand still clutching onto the handle of his knife.

Checking over the grizzly scene in front of him, Mac set the bottle and shot glass down, “Figured you might like this.” The stallion said gesturing to the bottle, Hank’s gaze following.

“It’s my families’ own recipe, has been forever, it’s illegal to make now since it’s outside the ‘safe’ limit and Ah ain’t gonna buy the licence anyhow but it’s good. Ah think so at least.”

A stallion much accustomed to suffering in silence and being tormented by his own thoughts, having to work things out on his own or escaping to hard labor, Mac knew the signs that Hank was showing and he wanted to show that he cared.

Leaning back Hank stabbed the knife into the wolf to hold it and laid his covered hands and arms on the top of his thighs, “It’s not safe out here right now.”

“Ah don’t care, this is my home.” Mac simply put as he looked to the blood covered arms of the man, his eyes not able to pick out the finer details in the low light, “Ah made this bottle just last fall, Ah guarantee it’s fresh.”

Pulling the knife free as he stood up Hank slowly walked toward the stallion on the porch as Mac took a seat and poured a shot for himself. Sitting down on the steps himself Hank took the rifle off his back and leaned it next to him.

Looking next to him as Hank sat down Mac saw the blood sprayed on the human’s face as he stared out into the dark. Mac wasn’t really good with words but his relationship with the human was more important to him than the possible awkwardness he may inflict on himself.

“Ah...uhhhhhhhhhh.” Mac started but instantly stopped and then had to look away as Hank’s eyes met his.

Clenching his eyes shut Mac took a deep breath and turned back to the man who was still looking at him with a blank stare, “Ah heard what ya said in there an’... well Ah’ just want to let ya know that Ah don’t think any less of you or think you’re bad or nothin’.”

Giving a solemn smile at the admission Hank reached for a shot glass that wasn’t there, “Where’s mine?”

Saying nothing but scooting the bottle toward him with a hoof Hank got the message and grasped the body of the bottle offering it in a toasting gesture which Mac accepted, clinking the shot glass off the bottle before both went in for a drink.

The shot burned Mac immensely from nose to stomach making him swallow it as fast as possible, instantly, he felt the alcohol hit his system, a jolt running up his spine. Hank on the other hand held the generous amount in his mouth for a few seconds before drinking it smoothly, but yet was still impressed at the strength of the drink and it’s nice even flavor despite the kick he could feel.

“You will.” Hank said, setting the bottle back down between the two of them.

“An’ what makes ya think that?”

Sitting up straight as ever Hank shook his head, “Cause I’m a bad man, Mac. I’ve done evil, immoral things for enjoyment. That’s why.”

A hard thing to reply to, especially from a person Mac held in such high regard he took a long breath as he thought of what to say, “Ya ain’t done that here Hank. From what I observe you spend most your time helpin’ folks… it’s just dirty work most the time.”

Reflecting at the man he had become from what he used to be, Hank slammed that opening floodgate closed before it was too late and he was sent into another seemingly endless bout of anger and sadness.

“I’m better than I used to be but to say I don’t enjoy the suffering of others and the process of making them suffer even more would be a lie.” Hank rubbed the back of his hands with a sigh, “Only difference now is that I don’t target everyone, just the ones that deserve it.”

“Ya seem to be a pretty good judge of character then, ain’t one person you’ve hurt Ah feel sorry for.” Mac said, taking another shot, needing a little more social lubricant, “Ah don’t feel nervous around ya at all.”

“I wouldn’t want you too,” Hank said, reaching for the bottle himself and taking a quick swig.

Silence falling between the two, both sat on the steps and looked out to the black abyss that surrounded them both thinking about their own individual issues.

For Mac it was keeping himself from opening up too much like he knew he was liable to do when he got a little past buzzed, like he was quickly approaching with the second shot. He didn’t want to turn the conversation to himself, because that was certainly not what he came outside to do, but it was getting harder and harder as Mac was around the human more.

“Would ya ever hurt us Hank?” Mac finally asked.

“No.” Hank answered immediately and forcefully, “Not intentionally.”

“Then why do ya think you're a bad stallion?”

Staying stoic as ever Hank barely showed emotion as he pulled back into himself as he was known to do when he was troubled, “Cause at one time Mac I would’ve, with no second thought or hesitation.”

“And how’d ya know that?” Mac asked, turning to the man, starting to get a little short with Hank’s persistence of being a bad pony.

“Cause I’ve done it before Mac.” Hank answered, turning to the stallion in turn and meeting his eyes, “Not here, but back on my planet, I’ve done it plenty.”

“Done what!?” Mac shot back believing Hank was just trying to tell himself he was a bad pony, when Mac knew for a fact he was most certainly not.

“Murdered, tortured, pillaged! Not to other bad people but to innocent people just trying to survive!” Hank slammed his fist into his own knee, “If I were still that person when I first met you, I guarantee that at the very least I would’ve beaten you within an inch of your life and then kicked that door in behind me and started taking whatever it was I wanted.”

Giving it a moment to let what he had said sink in Hank relaxed his posture and looked back out toward the yard, “And if you pissed me off I woulda beaten you close to death and then killed you anyway, then I’d walk into that fucking house taken what I wanted, killed anybody else in there that pissed me off as well, and then tourched it to the fuckin’ ground…. See what I mean?” Hank rhetorically asked, looking at Mac with a slight head turn.

Certainly being a very serious thing to admit to doing and more so enjoying it Mac stayed silent for a while not believing the man he was sitting next to and was close with, at least in his mind, had done such things.

“What changed?” Mac hummed as the alcohol in his system started to make him a bit more loose, “You ain’t done any of that to us.”

“Rage, revenge, and hatred are hot burning fuels Mac, they motivate you with such power you will do anything to reach your objective, no matter how grim.” Hank explained clenching his hands into fists, “but…” Hank let out a slow exhale and relaxed his muscles, “They take their toll. They burn so hot they twist and contort you, your very being. Those fuels ain’t sustainable and if you use them for too long they’ll consume you as well.”

“So you don’t have those feelings anymore?” Mac asked understanding what Hank was saying but not quite putting it all together.

“No no no,” Hank had to stop and laugh, “I still am full of all three of those Mac, they just don’t control me anymore, I control them, and with that control I use them to destroy who and what I desire. They are my tools now, where before I was their tool, their vessel for carnage.”

The explanation was dark and sad in a way Mac wanted to say that Hank was wrong about himself but he wasn’t, it was clear to see that the man had violent tendencies and one hell of a mean streak. It was a conflicting feeling because even though Hank had committed horrors Mac couldn’t comprehend, and usually that would be something that would keep you from being friends with a person, it didn’t matter to the stallion even if it should. Hank had done far too much for Mac and his family for him to even consider disliking the man.

“I’m not a good person.”

The alcohol now in effect, and while he wasn't drunk he was certainly more open that he would ever be usually.

Mac swallowed the apprehension in his throat and knew that he had to say what he had been thinking for so long now, “Can Ah say somethin’?”

Fearing the worst Hank’s stomach and heart dropped, “Course.”

“Ah… don’t know what you did on your old world Hank, but Ah don’t care,” Mac said, the man and stallion turning to each other at the same time.

“Ah didn’t know my dad very long, he was away a lot when I was a foal and then he went missin’ along with my mom right after Apple bloom was born. Ah was just fourteen when he went missin’. What Ah’m gettin’ at is that for a long time Ah had no pony to look up to that was another stallion at least.”

Too far into what he was saying now Mac kept pressing forward no matter how embarrassed he felt inside at what he was about to say, “Ah respect you a lot Hank, and… and.... Ah look up to you like a big brother or even a father figure.” Mac trailed off at the end and broke eye contact not able to look at the man.

“Ah’m sorry if that makes ya uncomfortable and if you want me ta stay away from ya Ah will.”

The apology falling on deaf ears Hank looked at the stallion as he looked to his own hooves flush red with embarrassment confused, but not in a bad way. He had no idea how a person could feel that way toward him and why of all people it was Mac, a pony undoubtedly older and more experienced in actual life than him but he didn’t care, it was clear Mac had been through some pretty hard stuff mentally and Hank was no person to judge; so as Mac was sitting with his head down waiting for Hank’s inevitable disapproval he was surprised to feel Hank’s arm around him before he was pulled side by side with the human.
Pulling the pony closer Hank didn’t understand how Mac felt that way toward him but it was more than clear that Mac was hurt beyond belief with losing his father and that he had been searching for that male role model ever since he had lost it originally. At fate would have it that it seemed that Mac had imprinted that onto Hank, and while the human was confused by it, the reasoning was more than clear in Mac’s head, since he had seen Hank take absolute charge over any situation he was in and always come out on top no matter the odds, it was exactly what Mac had seen in his own father before he went “missing.”

Leaning against the human’s side Mac pressed his head into the chest of the man as he clenched his eyes as hard as possible to keep the tears from coming, but it didn’t work. The stress and pain that came with bottling one's emotions for nearly a decade was all coming to a head as Mac realized he hadn't been pushed away as he had feared.

Rubbing the stallion’s shoulder and giving it the occasional pat the situation forced Hank to think about his own father, and how he had lost him. That fateful day burned into his mind from start to finish like so many others Hank felt his heart start to beat harder and harder but forced himself to calm down as he looked down to Mac and saw the tears silently coming from his eyes.

It was obvious Mac was in some serious need of help, with how little the stallion spoke, and more so of his problems, his silence and stubbornness to stay completely self reliant made it impossible to know that this was coming to anybody else but now that it was out there, Hank knew Mac had been wrestling with this for a long time.

Feeling sorry for the pony Hank kept his eyes on the stallion watching over him like an eagle as his sense of protectiveness ramped up tenfold. Breaking his eyes off the stallion just for a second to scan the surroundings Hank felt Mac’s hooves nervously trying to reach around his torso for embrace.

Reaching forward a little bit before quickly pulling back this repeated as Mac fought with himself in his mind. About to give up Hank’s right arm was grabbed and then pulled forward by the human himself.

Leaning harder into the hug Mac gave the hardest squeeze as he could, not even getting a squeak from the hardened human, as years upon years of grief and the feeling of being alone were let out of the bottle, causing more than just a few tears and sniffles.

Rubbing Mac on the back and giving a firm squeeze back the human let the pony cry un interrupted on his chest, happy that even if he felt Mac was making a mistake in looking up to him, he did nonetheless.

As the time passed, Hank’s temper cooled and Mac’s weight was lifted off his tired shoulders. Eyes still damp with tears Mac took a deep breath through his nose as he looked out into the dark still leaning his head on the human’s chest with his heavy arm resting around him. It felt wrong and really embarrassing on some level to think that he just cried into another stallion’s chest and was currently being held by one but at the same time it felt really good, like he had just found something he was missing for so long. Despite Mac’s outward appearance, that being the large burly stallion he was, in his mind he was that lanky quiet colt waving goodbye to his parents one last time, though he didn’t know that at the time. The memory instantly made his eyes grow wet again.

Taking a deep breath of his own and running his fingers through Mac’s mane Hank sighed, “I lost my dad too. I… I watched him die right in front of me. One moment alive and smilin’ the next layin’ on the ground with a hole in his chest….just, just gone.”

The memory hard for Hank to go through in his own mind he felt that stinging pressure behind his eyes but fought it down as quickly as ever, “I may not know exactly how you feel Mac, or know what all you went through but, if there’s a person that knows loss, not to jerk myself off too hard, it’s me. I uh, I have a little experience in the subject.” Hank gave a grim half smile looking down to the stallion as Mac looked up to the man as well, still with his head rested on the armored chest of the human.

“So whatever it is you got spinnin’ behind those big ol’ green eyes of yours just know that whatever you got to say I’ll understand completely, and you will be talkin’ about it. I ain’t gonna have you suffering in silence no more than you already have. Got it?” Hank said firmly, Mac nodding immediately in confirmation.

“Now I won’t pretend to know why you feel this way toward me but, whether I understand or not, I won’t push you away no matter what you say or what happens. I know what kind’ve pain it’s like to lose parents and I can only imagine what it’s like to deal with that alone for so long so I’m here for you as long as you need me.” Hank continued in a much softer tone as Mac looked up to him, a quivering smile on his face.

Giving Hank one last squeeze and taking in a refreshing breath Mac sat himself up straight,”A-Ah appreciate that, an’ Ah’m sorry for all this. Let’s just for-” Mac sniffled, giving a quick look to Hank before he was interrupted by two hands grabbing his shoulders and quickly spinning him so he was facing the human.

“You ain’t walkin’ this back now Mac, don’t even think about it.” Hank said commandingly as he released his grip on Mac’s shoulders and started trying to untie the makeshift bandage on his arm, “Now, we’re gonna talk about this in all of that uncomfortable detail, but not right now. We’ve been out here for a while and I’m sure you don’t want to raise suspicion and have someone come and see this right?”

Shaking his head ‘no’ just as Hank knew he would he ripped the old shirt free bringing the congealed blood that had set into it with the piece of cloth reopening some of the wounds, “Let’s get you dried up.”

Reaching forward without permission Hank used a clean edge of the cloth to wipe Mac’s eyes for him getting rid of the residual tears much better than a hoof or thumb wipe ever could; which in turn only made Mac feel more like a young colt.

Unbeknownst to hardly anyone that wasn’t on another plant and or dead, most certainly dead, Hank had the protective instincts of a mother bear. He was protective of his friends and family back on Earth to a fault, even before he was strong or even in shape, it was just part of his mind that had always been there. Overwhelmingly protective and caring to those he loved, Hank would cross any barrier be it physical, mental, or even awkwardness if he felt he was needed.

It was the part of him that made him especially dangerous when one of those people was threatened, or even worse, hurt or possibly killed. A person who lives to provide protection and care for others can quickly turn into a merciless and systematic murderer when they have no one left to care for.

Mac, unknown to him, wouldn’t be the first person to trigger this response in Hank, it was there in the caves, there for the shucks, most certainly there for Zecora, and all the other ponies he cared about.

However, this one was different, nobody needed put in the ground, nobody needed saved, this was a much more complicated situation, there was no killing or hurting, all there was; was a colt who had lost his father at a young age and had grown into a stallion searching endlessly for that lost connection while suffering immensely as he started to feel more and more isolated, and a deeply scarred and damaged human far surpassing his physical years in mental ones, who was quick to anger and extremely violent but ecstatic to help despite the awkwardness of the situation.

Letting the human wipe his eyes for him, Mac offered no form of protest as he sat back, his mind just as full as before but now with different musings: What did this mean moving forward? What was Hank to him? What was going to come of this?

“That’s what I admire most about you Hank.” Mac’s mouth spoke freely of his brain’s control.

Turning around slowly and facing Mac as he rose to his full height Mac stood up as well, if he was opening up he might as well explain himself some. Mac thought.

Looking at the human’s now freshly bleeding arm as trails of blood ran down toward his hand from the uncovered puncture wounds, Mac's eyes drifted upward to Hank’s firm but observant face.

“You’re always there ta help, and you’re so strong and tough. Nothing scares ya, and you’re able to protect my family better than Ah ever could.” Mac admitted feeling down on himself at his self perceived lack of ability.

“Is that what all this is about Mac?” Hank shook his head and squatted down, “You’re strong Mac, it’s pretty obvious to see that, and I know you can protect your family but comparing me-” Hank motioned to himself with his left hand dropping small drops of blood onto the hardwood, “To you.” He then pointed to the stallion, “It's like comparing apples to oranges man. I saw you standing out front with that axe that night, I saw you holding that Shuck back, you didn't think twice. You’re strong and ya got heart so don’t doubt yourself. ‘Ight?”

Offering a small smile to the stallion Mac gave a shallow nod in return as Hank gave another shoulder pat and stood back up.

“Ah don’t know what Ah woulda done if you weren’t there though, Ah don’t know how to fight, they would’ve ripped me apart and then done the same to everypony else.” Mac sighed, picking up the shot glass and half empty bottle.

“Again Mac, there are pretty significant physical differences, on top of a difference in knowledge and experience, between us.” Hank said as he gave the stallion a glance over his shoulder and took a step toward the door to signal to be let back in.

“Ah know, all Ah’ve ever done is plow the same fields year in and year out…” Mac blew air out of his nose in frustration at his lack of ability, “Ya don’t think you could teach me do ya?” Mac asked as Hank turned his full body to face the stallion, “To fight that is.”

Grinning his signature crooked grin that showed off his left K9 perfectly Hank gave a humming laugh as he shook his head, “I’m not sayin’ no Mac but I won’t teach you how to fight if I teach you anything…” The human paused leaving the stallion confused, “I’ll teach you to kill. I don’t fight to knock somebody out, I fight to make sure that person... or creature, never is never a problem again. And I fight that hard no matter my adversary or circumstance, if it’s just a sparring match, I fight that hard, with the same techniques, I just stop myself from dealing that lethal damage. So…. you mull that over for a little bit and get back with me when you get an answer okay? Cause I can only teach how I learned, and that’s by getting the shit kicked out of me over and over and over again; just being clear: you’ll get hurt if you say yes.” Hank said matter of fact before turning back around and knocking at the door, the report of hooves coming from the other side before the door opened to reveal Applejack.

Sharing a look between Hank and her brother Applejack could sense something had happened between the two just by the subtle look on Mac’s face but figured it could wait, especially as she saw dried and fresh blood on Hank’s hands and forearms.

“Thank ya much.” Hank said, stepping past AJ and into the house.

Watching the human walk into the house AJ quickly turned to face her brother, “You know we ain’t supposed to let folks know we have that!” AJ whisper yelled to Mac gesturing to the bottle.

“He needed it.” Mac said simply stepping into the house as well, AJ following close behind, relocking the door.

“And you did too? Ah can smell it on your breath.” She exclaimed.

“It’s impolite to not drink.” Mac countered.

Knowing he was right AJ pinched the bridge of her nose and stopped in front of her brother, “Ah know, ah know, but still. You and me both know the farm ain’t doin’ too hot right now and Ah just don’t want to risk havin’... that out there ya know.” She said motioning to the bottle of clear liquid.

“It’ll be fine sis, we made it back then, we’ll make it now.” The large red stallion reassured giving a small smile and walking back into the kitchen to put up the bottle as AJ followed.

“Feelin’ better?” Granny asked as Hank walked behind her toward the sink to wash his arms and hands.

“Much better.” He answered leaning his rifle beside him and starting to pump the sink.

“What did you do?” Fluttershy asked, noticing his arms and hands as he started to wash them.

“Just a little exercise.” Hank said, turning and smiling to the mare, “Don’t worry yourself Flutters.”

Smiling back Fluttershy responded with a simple, “Okay.”

“So. Here’s how this is gonna work.” Hank said, wiping his arms off, being careful of his wounds not to reopen them all the way, “Everyone gets one question about my past. No holds barred. Well minus my age.”

“Why not?” Granny asked, shaking her head at the human. Not understanding why one would be so secretive about their age, “There’s no shame in bein’ older Hank, take it from somepony who’s over a hundred years old, no shame in being one of time’s victims, happens to us all.”

Raising an eyebrow at Granny, Hank didn’t know what to say. They think I’m older than I’m leading on? How bad do I fuckin’ look? Jesus, “Uhhhh, say… How old do you think I am?”

Amused, Granny started to think, “Well Ah don’t know much about your kind but if you were a pony I’d put ya around 40? 50 maybe.”

Eyes as wide as saucers Hank gawked at Granny before looking down to his boots.

“Holy shit. I’ve aged terribly. Do I really look that old?” He asked, looking at Granny and then focusing in on Zecora.

Sensing his discomfort Zecora wanted to say differently but wasn’t about to lie, “Well, again I have no reference for your species but comparing you to a zebra or pony… I always figured you were in your late 20’s at the earliest, most likely around 34, 35.”

Knowing the look of astonishment wasn't a good sign Zecora held an awkward smile as the human slowly rebooted and then reached for his pocket before pulling out the strange device he occasionally tinkered with.

Tapping on it a few times Hank unlocked it as the ponies looked at the device confused before he tapped the camera and held it up in front of himself to use as a mirror. The longer Hank focused on himself the worse and worse he felt, there was a reason he never looked at himself in the mirror hardly.

One or two scars was cool, showed character and toughness, but so many it was hard to recognize yourself was different. Turning his head left then right using his free hand to feel both the small shrapnel scars and the large lines that took up most of the left side of his face from where the Shuck had clawed him and the piece de resistance that started at his left eye and ran all the way to the right side of his jaw splitting his face in two and making his lips hold a near permanent snarl.
The various other scars that took up his face, left and right, being felt or seen in one way or another Hank felt the left side of his head feeling the lines where hair refused to grow to the spot where the brick had hit him and left a slight dent and bald spot.

Starting to feel more and more depressed he ignored the scar on the right side of his head that started at his temple and shot straight up for the scars that led down the side of his neck to his left collar bone where he focused on a particular bite scar that was partially hidden behind the strap of his plate carrier.

His heart sinking along with his stomach Hank locked the phone and put it back in his pocket as he leaned back against the counter and hung his head, looking down himself.

Feeling sick to his stomach not as much about his physical deformities but about the memories around a select few of the scars he had a hard time breathing as he chest tightened.

“And you said I look better now then when you first met me?” Hank asked without looking up, as his arms and legs started to feel tingly.

Knowing it was her being addressed Zecora looked to the human, “Yes, you’ve gained back a lot of color to your skin, and you’ve really filled out since we first met, you look much stronger and healthier.” Zecora answered honestly and gently.

The compliment going in one ear and out the other Hank felt the static feeling grow along with the pressure in his head Hank did his best to hold the episode back as it came, desperately trying to push it back but slowly losing.

“Hey Zecora I think I’m uh…… fall over, could you move Granny please?”

Eyes widening Zecora looked closer at Hank’s face seeing his eyes scrunched tight and noticing that his breathing was in small gasps.

“C’mon Granny let’s move you for a second.” Zecora said getting up, knowing what was happening.

“What’s goin’ on!?” Granny said leaning back from Zecora, looking from her to Hank as he worsened.

“I-It’s a seizure of sorts, he can’t control his body and he might fall on you. He’s extremely heavy.” Zecora said not waiting any longer and dragged Granny and her chair out of the way.

By now the others had grown alarmed as Hank started to grow pale and Zecora adopted a more worried look.

“Hank!” AJ called out in worry as the human battled with his own memories and the outside world grew more and more distant. He could tell his name was being called, and there was panic in it, but it all came in as garbled echoes as his mind flashed and became ever increasingly overloaded.

He could also feel something, no someone, hugged around his waist. Using it to latch onto and pull himself out of the torture of complete sensory overload it wasn’t enough and he felt his mind body grow further and further disconnected from himself before something else impacted his torso and his could feel two pressure points on his hip momentarily before something else wrapped around him as well.

With the added presence of...something Hank started to work toward focusing on it as it’s warmth finally came through as well. Pulling harder and harder, more of the real world started to come through again, the sounds garbled at first started to clear and words became audible again along with volume.

Getting close Hank focused on the sensation that had since worked its way higher on his torso and even his shoulders and gave one last mental pull into the real world.

The sensation much like what he imagined being put into a new body was like immediately followed by your skull exploding Hank opened his eyes for a second and realized his elevation had changed and that he was much shorter now.

Hearing Zecora’s sweet, warm voice along with another though with a far different accent that was also very pleasant, Hank took a relaxed deep breath and leaned his head back immediately feeling it hit wood, most likely a cabinet.

Reaching a hand out and patting what he thought was Zecora’s head he quickly became skeptical since the hair was much flatter and more smooth than spiky. Opening his eyes a crack and letting them focus for a while Hank realized it wasn’t Zecora’s cheek he was running his thumb slowly across but Applejack’s and along with the tears in her eyes there was a blush on her face.

Giving a small smile that was far more reliving to the ponies than it had any right to Hank dropped his hand in his lap and started to relax a little as his mind slowed down to ‘normal’ levels.

Opening his eyes again after a few slow breaths Hank looked at Applejack again and rubbed her neck before patting it, “Sorry about that.” He chuckled groggily.

Smiling and laughing through the tears Applejack felt her own heart start to slow as she realized it was over and that Hank was okay, “It’s f-fine.” She reassured.

“And no. I’m not cheating on you.” Hank joked as he looked to Zecora and rubbed the underside of her chin as she smiled as well, mostly in relief that he was okay.

“I’m not worried.” She laughed and pushed into the sensation before it stopped as well.

His situational awareness starting to kick back on Hank realized that he was sitting on the floor leaned against the cabinet in front of the sink and that his leg was bent very uncomfortably under him.

Moving it he sighed in relief before looking around noticing just who was around him, seeing Fluttershy, Big Mac, and AB riding on her brother’s back.

Smiling at the presence of the ponies Hank groaned as he reached up and behind him in an attempt to haul himself back to his feet.

Moving slowly and despite a few of the ponies protests Hank slowly rose to his feet and waited for his legs to stiffen back up from the noodles they felt like, “Fuckin’ hate those.” He laughed as the others truly started to relax as the usual Hank came back.

“What was that?” AJ asked, reluctantly leaving Hank’s side to return to her own seat as Big Mac pushed Granny back into her spot.

“It’s hard to explain.” The human started, not knowing how to describe the experience, “Memories all come at once and the sounds drown out reality but I can still hear and see and feel and smell just not… here.” Hank grimaced as he looked up to AJ and the group propper.

“I experience everything at once but sometimes slow or fast?” Hank tried to think if he was making sense while taking his first step, testing out his legs, “All the pain and screams, explosions, gunfire, cries for help… the faces, the look of despair or terror, agony, failure.” Hank explained as he reached his chair and slowly eased into it, his knees thanking him.

“The smell of rot and burning hair and skin, chemical laced ash, the burn in your throat and lungs, ammonia, choline, home brew mustard gas. The gasping and gagging… bloodshot eyes.” He trailed off and rubbed his throat, clearing it unconsciously as he remembered one of his many accidents in attempt to kill off the infected, and the times it worked.

The table was completely silent, just trying to understand what the human was saying, they started to truly realize what the man had been through.

“It all comes at once.” Hank explained zoning back in and looking over the table, “I experience every part of everything... instantly, and it locks me up.” He finished with a shrug.

“Where are you from to experience such horror?” Granny was completely mortified at the revelation of just what Hank had seen, she heard what Zecora had said and knew he was from a hard environment but had no way to comprehend it could ever have been that bad. Obviously she really did know nothing about his trauma and what kind of stallion he was to survive all… that. It was a thousand times worse than she ever could have imagined, and Granny had seen a lot of bad through her long life.

“I guess we’re starting this questioning now?” Hank leaned forward in his chair and started to pick at his plate not looking forward to it at all.

<><><><><><>

Not getting a definite yes from anybody he was still able to read the room and get the general consensus, “Alright. Everyone gets one question. One. It can be as personal and ugly and rude as you wish, nothing is held back. You just need to be prepared for the answers that I give you cause I won't hold back either.”

Looking over the group and nodded, “Good. I do only have one request however and that is to you Apple bloom.”

Immediately locked on to the human Hank smiled at the small filly, “You get a question as well but all I ask is that if you are okay with it you leave after you get your answer and go to the bathroom and turn the shower on so you can't hear. It’s not that you don’t deserve answers just like everyone else, it’s just that I’m gonna say things that a person your age just don’t need to hear.”

Taking a bite of the creamed corn the human smiled as Apple Bloom nodded.

“Thanks AB, and just go ahead and start thinking about what you want to ask while I answer Granny, you can stay for that.”

Clearing his throat and pounding down his glass of water Hank looked back to Granny, “What did you ask again?”

“Just what kinda world did ya come from?” The elderly mare repeated as the human took a deep breath in preparation.

“A dying one.” Hank sighed, “I was born and raised in the Midwest of the United States, more specifically South Dakota, right on the edge of Nebraska so it was more green and the perfect… Perfect mix of beautiful flat rollin’ grassland and field, and dense forest. I loved it.” Hank painted the picture a smile on his face.

“The world wasn’t always what it was, it used to be… normal. I had family, friends, hobbies; I went to school and worked, just lived my life on the family acreage, and it was quite the generous property set back in the sticks after all, plenty of space for a kid to fuck around on, we may not of had much in terms of money but god damn did we have location.” Hank smiled wider as he looked over the table.

“Then it all went to shit.” He spit and slammed his fist down onto the table, “Started in Eastern Europe, way across the ocean from us but the virus laid dormant in the carriers so no one knew it was even there, and as such they got on planes and boats, travlin’ around, and just did things seemingly healthy folk did.”

Everyone at the table giving Hank their attention completely the ponies did their best to hang onto every detail, especially a particular attentive unicorn.

“Before anyone even knew it existed nearly everyone had it, just lying dormant as it mutated and became more and more violent. Then boom…” Hank snapped his fingers and paused as he thought back to the news coverage and false comforts that were put on the airwaves.

“The virus kicked on. It was just a flu at first ya know? Just a flu. But then it was a bad flu, a worse flu, then the worst respiratory infection that’s been seen in a hundred years.” The man remembered back as he was sick with it himself and how weak he felt, “Then it started workin’ on the nervous system and the brain and making people…. Volatile, unpredictable, violent and eventually ravenous and cannibalistic. In its final form the virus is speculated to have attacked the brain and caused high enough fevers to kill or subdue parts of the brain while rewiring said people around their core survival functions.”

Laughing a little Hank shook his head, “That primarily meant eat and while they weren’t zombies cause they weren’t dead, they still had beatin’ hearts and all, they sure as hell acted like it. So when all this came about there was of course a push to put down this feral horde of “Humans”.” Hank said using his fingers to form air quotes, “So the typical: Checkpoints, quarantine, martial law, bit that didn’t work one fuckin’ bit. Checkpoints got overrun, predatorial pack hunting humans don’t follow quarantine, and as such the police and military were taxed out in a week. At this point 30% of Earth was dead as they turned or were killed in the chaos, be that being eaten, shot, or whatever.”

Leaning back Hank’s face gained a crazy look as he started to slowly shake his head from side to side, “Then came the bombs and shellings. Large cities like LA, San Fran, New York, Miami, Chicago wiped in an instant as massive conventional bombs were dropped on their heads to quell the hot spots, even a nuke or two.”

“Nukes?” Rarity butted in.

Looking to the pony Hank smiled and laughed as he realized they didn’t know what a nuke was, “Yeah. Oh yeah. Nuclear bomb. Get some radioactive material and split that atom baby. One bomb with enough power to wipe out millions of lives in a blink of an eye, with the added side effect of leaving fatal levels of radiation behind, just to make sure that area is uninhabitable even after the fire dies down.”

“Millions?” Rarity pushed out, hardly able to speak.

“Easy.” Hank stated matter of factly, “Earth had a population of seven billion humans when it all started and by the end the last reports 95% of us were gone or turned, that was just a year in, and also the last thing I ever picked up on AM or HAMM radio.” Hank laughed as the ponies starred at him aghast.

“Anyway, the government started shelling and bombing the hell out of the infected and the few survivors alike just trying to kill off as many as they could, it was workin’... until they were overrun and ran out of livin’ personnel as well and it all went relatively quiet.”

Sitting still for a little bit Hank sighed, “So we remainers were left with a world that was still full of vicious cannibals but empty on regular people and also dotted with cities that were flattened and or burning, hell, the fires from the cities and other things like large forests burning made the horizon glow orange for at least a year at night, and also filled the air with ash and black smoke outta this world. There were still cities burning the day I was taken from that world, no shit.” Hank huffed.

“So. Answer your question?” The human turned to granny who looked back in stunned silence, her eyes holding nothing but sympathy for the man.

“Ah guess so.” She finally answered, “How is it possible to survive that? How did you survive that?”

Looking at the elderly mare and sighing Hank was tempted to not answer since technically he had already done all he had agreed to but decided to be open for once, he owed it to them didn’t he?

“As I said, I was an evil, mean son of a bitch. Plus I went in with a few screws loose…” Hank said gently knocking his fist on the side of his head, “From the get go I never found it hard to kill people, never hesitated, and never regretted it for the most part. It was easy to become that person, natural even.” Hank hummed a laugh as he reminisced, “With no one to care for or protect anymore I… had to find purpose and fulfilment in something else.”

A particularly unhinged look taking over Hank’s face as he stared off into nothing his pupils were almost impossible to see as his lips held a half smile half snarl all before he took a slow deep breath in and reighened in the demented appearance he wasnt even conscious of.

Coming back to the real world Hank ignored the obvious discomfort in the room and turned to Apple bloom, a genuine small smile on his lips, “What ya got?”

Sort of wiggling around in her seat for a second, Apple Bloom broke eye contact with the human and looked down to the table, “Do you have a family?” The filly asked as she looked back up.

“Not that I started out with no, they’re all gone now.” Hank answered with a solemn smile as he watched Apple Bloom’s face fall, “Would you like to see what they looked like? Before?” Hank asked in an attempt to cheer the pony up already reaching for his pocket anticipating her answer.

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom perked back up, happy to see anyone from Hank’s life due to how highly she saw the human.

Pulling his phone up he tapped the gallery and swiped through the multiple pictures before the image of him and his mother and father. Going through images like the one he took up in the tree and videos like the diamond dog interrogation, along with multiple other pictures and videos from his own world documenting his bloody exploits and the downfall of civilization along with all the carnage and destruction that came with it.

“Well…” A rush of emotions slamming into the back of Hank’s eyes as he looked at his parents faces for the first time in easily a year he set the phone down in front of the filly, “H-h-here...ahem. T-there ya go.”

Her attention fully on the small screen in front of her as she took in every part of the image Apple Bloom didn’t notice the ponies scooting close to her to get a look for themselves and even coming from the other side of the table.

Watching the ponies crowd around to get a look at his parents and even himself between them he felt slightly embarrassed letting the ponies see the still slightly chubby and massively younger looking him.

“What were your parent’s names dear?” Granny said looking up to the visibly saddened human.

“Joel and Mary.” Hank answered, the names feeling strange in his mouth due to how long it had been since he had said them.

“Who is this in the middle darling?” Rarity asked with a smile thinking of her own little sibling, “They’re so cute!”

Looking at the pony perplexed Hank gently shook his head, “You can’t tell?” His voice pained, Hank looked at Rarity and then the picture desperately wanting them to see that it was him and that the old him wasn’t completely gone, even if he knew differently.

“Well no…” Rarity hesitated seeing how troubled Hank was, “You’ve never mentioned any siblings or cousins.” She said softly as most of the ponies now started moving back to their seats while looking to the human as he sat completely motionless.

“That’s me… from before.” Hank dejectedly clarified, making not only Rarities eyes go wide but many of the others minus Zecora and Granny who either knew or could tell the resemblance.

“Oh Celestia! I’m so sorry Hank! I-I just didn’t know!”

Processing his own thoughts Hank slowly stood up and grabbed his phone, “No more pictures.”

Walking back to where he had put up the moonshine he re opened the cabinet and pulled the bottle back out and started to drink it down with no hesitation, hoping it would be able to turn just a little of his brain off.

“You’re gonna kill yourself if you keep drinking like that!” Applejack cried to the human getting up to stop him as he passed the halfway point on the bottle.

Taking the bottle away from his lips and taking in a deep breath he looked down to the frantic mare calmly, “I died a long time ago.” He said coldly, walking back to his seat with the bottle, “Would you please head upstairs Apple Bloom.”

“Okay Hank.” Apple Bloom obeyed immediately, getting out of her chair and quickly making it up stairs.

“Thank you.” He called behind him, his voice flat and monotone just like it had been when he first arrived to his new world.

Sitting down Hank closed his eyes and let his head fall all the way back as he prepared himself for what came next, “Alright…” He began picking his head back up and opening his eyes, “Let’s get this over with. Starting with Mac and working the way around skipping Granny. Go.”

Now under pressure Mac’s mouth acted before his brain and threw out what was on his mind foremost, “What’s it like to kill somepony?”

“Extremely easy physically. However, it all depends on the situation, your attachment to the person, your emotions at the time, and what weapon you use. Using a rifle at three hundred yards isn’t the same as running your knife like a sewing machine through someone’s guts. The more personal the more impact.” The human answered without hesitation and complete honesty.

“Sometimes you kill a person and it slows you down, sometimes it’s nothing, like a business transaction and you just forget about it, sometimes it's the best feeling on Earth and there is nothing more you want to do is get close to ‘em and feel ‘em break under your hands, taste the blood on your lips, be it yours or theirs. It’s better than any drug that’s ever existed... but the high fades fast… The endless hunt for bloodshed. Bloodlust, or whatever you want to call it, is a very real and dangerous phenomenon.”

Uncleaching his balled up fists Hank looked to the stallion that in return was completely gobsmacked and overwhelmed, and even a little scared, along with a few of the others as Hank’s past and violent vices became clearer.

“Rarity?” Hank signaled to the white unicorn.

His previous answer only brought up more parallels to what she saw in him in those terrible caves; she realized those instincts, those drives, still resided in the human, and it was that which she experienced that morning. She hoped the conflicted feeling she had for the man would fade but they were emboldened even more now as it was finally brought out into plain view that Hank really did enjoy ending life… and making it painful for his prey. If that morning was anything to go by.

“Back in the diamond dog cave…” Rarity began as Hank took another drink of moonshine but listened closely, “With what you did to them, h-how and why? I am so thankful that you did what you did Hank, not just for me but all those poor ponies that had it so much worse than I, but but I just can’t comprehend how you were able to do…. and what you did to those dogs. It was completely horrific and gruesome!”

Sighing Hank immediately knew he wouldn’t be able to answer the question in the way she was wanting, “For one I’m glad you can’t comprehend what happened down there. Means your mind is healthy and normal, “As for why? I did it because you and the dragon were missing and your friends were worried, but then when I did some scouting and saw them kidnapping another woman and learned of the others you could say that… I became a little more motivated. As for how?” The human took a second and shrugged, “It was easy, it was nothing I hadn't done before.”

Not satisfied with the second part of the answer in the slightest Rarity shook her head in disbelief, she wasn’t mad at the man, disgusted, and healthily scared sure, but she wasn’t trying to insinuate that he was less than her or anypony else; she just had to say things as she had seen them, “It can’t be that simple Hank! The things you did in those caves was...shouldn’t be capable by a stallion in the first place! Let alone one that can be so sweet and caring in his own rough way.” Rarity huffed as Hank listened to her completely stone wall, unflinching.

“I apologize for this Hank but you were a wild animal in those caves, what you did was horrific in every sense of the word. You didn’t just kill those diamond dogs, you ripped them apart where they stood and then moved to the next! How can one person end so much life so awfully?”

Listening to every word Rarity said Hank knew that they weren’t supposed to prompt a smile on his face and make him feel proud inside, but he couldn’t help it regardless. He was truly sorry that she had to experience what she did, but he was also immeasurably proud that his brutality was recognized. If it left such an impression on Rarity, his targets most certainly felt terror as they were wiped out.

“I don’t know how the stallion that sits in front of me currently and has been nothing but pleasant all day could be the same stallion that committed those extreme acts of carnage with no remorse.”

“I’ve said it before. I’m a bad man.” Hank said matter of fact, “And before y’all start trying to say: but you helped these people and you’re nice… Yes, I know what I’ve done. Everything I have ever done has been by my own choosing, and that is why I am bad. I may be a bad person that enjoys being nice to those who are nice to me, helping those in need, and being “pleasant”, but I also enjoy making people suffer, often while I kill them.” Hank sighed at having to go through this again, “I enjoy every part of the process. The planning, the scouting, the execution, and the aftermath. They are all things that I not only enjoy doing but actively seek out.”

Leaning forward and putting his elbows on the table Hank rested his forehead in his hands before looking back up to the table, “Do y’all think that I’m not aware of what I do? That I don’t understand? Believe me if anyone knows what terrible things I’ve done to people it’s me. The thing is though… I don’t hardly ever regret it. At one time when I was at my worst I harmed everyone regardless of innocence, those…. Those do haunt me now, and I suppose that’s a good thing but the people I’ve killed since then, that weren’t because of… circumstances out of my control.” Hank had to pause as he shook some images out of his head, “I regret none of them, even the ones that just pissed me off, don’t regret em’, Not in the slightest. After I got out of that stage in my life and realized what I had done I guess I just switched my parameters, “I don’t want to hurt innocent people anymore, and I’m not going to. The proof in that is evident by the fact those two aren’t dead right now.” Hank gestured to Twilight and Rainbow, both ponies gulping and shrinking back.

“I don’t want any of you to think I’m a monster, I really do care about most everyone in this room, but it would be an appropriate label, I’m just a monster that goes after other monsters, and enjoys what he does to them very very much. I guess I’ll put it like this: A good man could have done what I did. The difference between me and him? He would have done it for the sole purpose of saving ponies and would not look back at what he did to those dogs and smile fondly. Me? Sure my main motive was rescue, but if you don’t think I wanted that fight and all the carnage that followed, you’re dead wrong.”

Leaning back in his chair the man held any further comments while the table followed. Every pony, including Zecora, just looked at the man as he sat there relaxed and seeming unbothered after admitting that he found great pleasure and pride in ending life. He had said it before, but never had he provided so much evidence and supporting material to really hammer it in. There was no shrugging of what he had just said this time. It was all out there, if you were friends with Hank, you we’re friends with a killer, and not one that only killed for noble causes but one that killed for his own enjoyment just as much as completing his task.

Every set of eyes looked to the man the ponies ahd to ask themselves if they were okay associating with someone like that. Sure he was more than nice and caring with them, but when he went away he was out finding someone or something to fill that desire that unashamedly lived inside him. It was conflicting for most, some more than others, some not at all.

It didn't matter to Mac, he trusted the man completely and the way he saw it was that Hank was only that bad stallion to other deserving bad stallions, that was okay with the large red farm hand.

To Granny it forced her to think if Hank was healthy to have around, especially around young Apple Bloom. He had done more than anyone could have ever asked from him and she knew he cared about all of them, that was more than clear enough, and it was extremely obvious he thought the world of Apple Bloom and she the same of him, but still, it was something she had to think about being the kid's elder, she had to consider the safety and long term well being for them, it was her job.

It was much the same for Applejack, what he liked was wrong. It was plain as that; and he was fully aware of it. It didn’t matter to him though, he didn't care it was wrong, nothing was going to stop him from doing what he loved. It didn’t help that she had quite the fixation with the man; because at the same time he was hardworking, protective, kind, polite, nurturing, strong, and caring. Not to mention he was always in charge of a situation if need be and while that may be a turn off to some mares because traditionally that was the mare’s job, AJ found it even more desirable to have a partner stronger than her that she could always rely on.

To a mare raised as AJ was those mix of traits were the proverbial goldmine for a stallion to possess to start a family with. He was short tempered and stubborn as hell but everyone has their demons, now though, Hank’s demons were far greater than she imagined. Now, along with everypony else, AJ had to decide if the good outweighed that decent amount of bad.

Zecora was different, she still loved the man immensely, and she wasn’t considering leaving him, not for a second, he was that “unicorn” stallion that mares always talk about to her. And while she had a greater idea about this and the things he commited done in the past to hear it so plainly and bluntly still made her slightly uneasy about her partner. He was never going to hurt her, she knew that, but was she okay with him killing for enjoyment? Even if it was people that “deserved” it in his judgement? Was she a bad zebra if she was? There was a lot to go over in her mind.

For the others his admission came with varying degrees of shock. Rarity least so, she had been there after all so it was somewhat expected to the mare even if she didn’t want it to be. She was truly grateful for his actions but at the same time she knew she very well may never feel completely okay with who he was regardless of all he had done. She didn't hate him but she also didn't feel completely at ease around him either, even if she was pretty sure he’d never go after her. That part in her mind just wouldn’t let her drop her guard around him, not like there was much she could do even if she had her guard up and he decided to do something anyway but still.

The other three were most certainly more than scared of the man still. Anypony that was unapologetic and, even worse, open about finding enjoyment in killing ponies was a pony that should be avoided in the very least, not be friendly with. It made the three extremely uneasy to have him around their friends, and probably not as secretly as she thought Rainbow hoped this “open book” session would drive them away from the man.

“Well AJ… All you.” Hank motioned to the mare who slowly came out of her thoughts, which were numerous.

“Ah…. Ah don’t really know what ta ask…” The pony stalled as she truthfully went blank.

“What is it about me that, or my past, you want to know the worst?”

What I really want to know is if you like me back. AJ asked in her mind but held it in knowing that this was not the place or time to ask if the man had the same feeling for her as she had found out she held for him, “Do ya like it here? Equestria that is?”

Not a question about his past like he had expected Hank thought the question over for a second, having to switch what he was thinking about slightly.

“Is it peaceful, relatively? Yes. Is it clean and healthy? Yes. Empty of suffering and endless depression?...Yes. Are most of the people actually people that don’t want to take a chunk out of you? Yes.” Hank listed off as he approached his honest answer, “Does it drive me crazy? Absolutely.”

“But why’s that?” AJ asked further, not following, “It sounds so much better than your old world.”

A heavy weight in his chest Hank sighed, “It is but this isn’t my world, back on my old world most people were long gone, just a few unfortunate souls wandering until they died out as well but…” Hank paused as an unimaginable weight crashed down upon him, “There were still people! My species! Do you know how hard it is knowing regardless of how long I live, how long and hard I fight, I’ll never see another member of my species that isn’t on this fucking phone, in a picture album, or in the god damned mirror? At least back on my own world there was a glimmer… a fucking spark of hope through all that smoke and fire.” The human spit out as his face contorted in anger and pure anguish.

Hank had realized the fact pretty much immediately after he had arrived and confirmed the world he now resided on was not the one he was born on but talking about it made that sense of dread and isolation come to a violent head.

“It’s so nice here, so beautiful, so disgustingly peaceful and I’m the one that gets to come here? Me!? I get to come here when countless innocent children and families are stuck on that smoldering rock dying for no other reason but to die or become food for the hordes of relentless monsters disguised as families and friends!”

The floodgates had opened, something not even Hank expected from such a simple question but it was all coming out now, all that despair and self hatred, all that mental stress he had bottled back since he arrived, it was all pouring out and there was no way Hank could stop it now, it wasn’t even in his control.

“Nope it’s me, it’s me, it’s me, fucking meeeeee.” He repeated to himself and then ended in a growl as he held his head in his hands looking down to the table.

A long few seconds passing as the room sat in silence Hank took a deep breath to calm himself before slowly looking up and meeting AJ’s sad eyes.

“Do you have any idea how much little girls and boys would love it here? This place is basically a fucking cartoon! It’s filled with tiny colored ponies for Christ’s sake! They. Would. Thrive. Here…. They. Would. Enjoy. Every. Passing. Second.” Hank punctuated every word with a hit to the table with his pointer finger,

“Instead… it’s me.” A grim and completely broken smile flashed on the human’s face as he looked up to the ceiling as he thought about the cruel nature of fate, “Me… the guy that misses that pain and violence, the guy who is bored by peace, a man that deserves a horrible death on that planet for the attrosites he's committed.”

Clenching his teeth almost to the point of breathing them Hank slammed his eyes closed and tried to push all those images of families wiped out, the sounds children screaming as they were torn apart, the glassiness to their dead eyes as he passed their dead bodies still carrying their teddy bears wearing their Dora the Explorer backpacks.

Unbeknownst to him as he sat there in his mind a single tear started to form at the edge of his left eye and began its journey down his cheek before he was able to wipe it away or hide it.

Much more occupied trying to keep the pained sobs from escaping his throat he made a painful clicking sound as the air did its damnedest to escape through his tensed throat. His entire body clenching up his hands shook as they tried to find something to squeeze against before his right one found Twilight’s water glass.

Immediately grabbing the thick glass cylinder and starting to squeeze the pressure increased the more and more Hank’s mind tore itself to shreds as it was consumed in sorrow, pain, and self hatred for the fortune he had obtained but nowhere near deserved.

A faint *tink* followed by another and then another as he kept squeezing the ponies looked from the pained human to the glass in his hand as it groaned under the force. Leaning away from the glass Twilight flared up her horn and tried to pull the glass from the human’s grasp but found the tension too much and right as she thought to teleport it away the glass gave up and collapsed.

Hank’s hand closing hard on the now razor sharp glass shards, the pain was enough of a shock for his system to get him out of his mind and open his eyes. Immediately looking to his right hand the man shakily opened his hand dropping the glass as a fair amount of blood started to roll out of the deep cuts he had caused to his palm and middle two fingers.

“God dammit.” Hank croaked calmly as he looked at the glass sticking out of his hand.

Pulling the shards free and dropping them into his own glass of water Hank held his right thumb over the largest cut on the same hand trying to stem the bleeding as he reached for the blow out kit on his right side. Pulling it free and setting it on the table he opened it with one hand and pulled out a small roll of gauze, completely skipping the hemostatic.

Rolling his palm and then his two middle fingers hank shook his head, “What a fucking wasted opportunity.”

Hand bandaged the best he cared, Hank stood up while gathering up the broken glass on the table before walking to the trash can and throwing it in.

“At least back on my old world all of those things I did, all that death and suffering I caused and experienced had a purpose. To me at least it did.” The human spoke in a low and quiet tone while opening the cupboard that held the other glasses.

“Surprising I know,” He laughed while looking over his shoulder for a second, “Everything I did wasn’t just for my sick amusement, at least it didn’t start that way.” Opening the, for the lack of a better term, fridge, Hank reached inside and poured fresh water into the glass.

Walking back toward his chair Hank placed the glass next to Twilight’s plate and then pushed his own chair in, preferring to stand and lean back against the counter, “There was this town to the west that was perfect, it sat in this natural defilade, had a population of maybe five hundred before it all went down and had a… serviceable, but completely off the beaten path two lane blacktop through it.”

“This large two mile by two mile dip this town sat in the middle of was free of obstruction, just straight up grass, wheat, and a few fences with some medium trees in ‘em. Picturesque as hell… anyway, as such you could see all the way into town and all the way out down or up the incline which was slight to intermediate following the highway that lead straight down the hill through the middle of town and then went up the other side of the dish with a slight curve in it toward the top that started going south.” Thinking about the layout of the town for the billionth time Hank sighed, “That doesn’t matter to any of you, but either way I started clearing this town of all infected life, all three hundred of the bastards, and of course more were drawn in by the noise and activity.”

“My self appointed mission was to clear the town and then set up radios to broadcast that the town was relatively safe, I read so many books on HAM radio and broadcasting, climbed so many towers up and down up and down with car batteries, equipment, solar panels. That’s probably why I’m so fuckin’ big.”

Sighing and looking down to his boots the man thought back at how much it cost him and how it was all for nothing.

“I did it, killed them all, fire, bombs, guns, hands, teeth, axes, knives, and chemicals. Nothing could stop me but the process drove me mad. I started the journey as a child, scared and inexperienced, a person who would never engage close, used range and tactics to my advantage, became one hell of a shot.” The man chuckled thinking back.

“Anything within four hundred yards was as good as dead; but as more days passed and no one came and more bodies started to pile up, bodies that had the faces of people I once knew and went to school with, I started getting less and less afraid and increasingly enraged at the world I found myself in.”

Clenching his fists with a smile his knuckles popped loudly, “Distances shortened, and I got mean, driven to put anything in front of me in the dirt. That’s where most of these scars come from, but I didn’t care if I got hurt!” Hank laughed and shook his head, “I wanted to die, fuck being hurt, but no matter the odds or circumstance nothing could kill me! I bled and bled, came so close to sweet release so many times yet I’d always wake up and drag my broken body somewhere to recover before eagerly coming back for more.”

Silence overtaking the man he sat and tapped his foot as he reminisced about past actions and the things he had done and suffered through in his eventually successful mission.

“Wanting to die but not being able to is one of the most, if not the most, aggravating things in the world.” He finally mumbled out before looking up and rolling his neck around, getting more than a few unsettling pops and cracks out of it, “Went on a tangent there, I apologize.I guess it’s your turn.” Hank said with a small smile that Zecora tried to reciprocate as he gestured to her.

Taking a second to digest everything he had opened up about so far Zecora focused on something A little less serious but something she was also very curious about, especially since he was her stallion after all.

“The tattoo on your back? Is that your name? Full name that is?” Zecora asked sweetly.

Shaking his head Hank gave a short series of low laughs, “You could ask that anytime Z, ya don’t have to use that now. I just don’t like opening up about myself.”

Looking back with a smile the zebra nodded, “Well I’m sticking to it.”

Putting up his hands Hank shook his head, “Yeah. It sure is. Hank Campbell Lynch, pretty damn boring.”

“What does it mean?” Zecora continued.

Not knowing how to answer because there was no answer really Hank just shrugged, “Really isn’t one honestly. My first name is Hank because my parents hated me,” The human laughed and waved with his hand to show he was joking, “and Campbell was my mom’s last name while Lynch was my dad’s.”

“Soooo your last name is Lynch as in…” Twilight butted in meekly and trailed off as Hank turned to her.

“A Lynching?” Hank finished unamused.

“Y-yes.”

“Same spelling, different context. It’s fitting though isn’t it? Considering who I am and what I do.” Not waiting for a response Hank turned his attention back to his new girlfriend and felt a smile grow on his face, “That suit ya?”

“I suppose.” Zecora replied somewhat coyly getting an eyeroll and dismissive wave out of the human along with a genuine chuckle.

“In that case, it’s all you now...pink one.” Hank pointed to Pinkie not knowing her name or anything about the pony really, just that she acted completely different depending on if she was near him or not.

Not wanting to talk at all, or even be noticed by the human, Pinkie sat deflated in her seat as she met his gaze. She wasn’t just mortally afraid of the stallion but also deeply saddened by him as well. He had looked so happy and innocent in that picture with his family, being honest he looked nothing like the slightly pudgy faced early teenager in the photo, it was hard to believe it truly was him.

The only way she could really tell the child in the photo was the same as the man in front of her was the eye color, pale skin, and hair color; that was it. Now his face was stern and hardened, there was no childlike innocence in his face and eyes, only stress, anger, and sadness.

His face reminded Pinkie of her father’s, minus the deluge of scars, with how stern it was but going down from there all similarities ended. Her father, regardless of how hard he had worked, wasn’t built like a wall of muscle that was almost as agile as Rainbow Dash. Knowing that the body across the room from her at any time could be on top of her in an instant was unsettling, knowing that the head that controlled that body was filled with more than enough knowledge on ways to kill her was worse.

“D-do you have a birthday?” Pinkie asked, defaulting to her base instincts.

“Yeah.” Hank said simply.

Putting the party pony somewhat at ease she relaxed a little for the first time tonight and decided to push a little further, “When is it?”

While being two questions Hank decided the two really were a couple and decided to play along. Letting the ponies know his birthday wouldn’t get them any closer to knowing his true age anyhow.

“April sixth, or the fourth month right as spring is winding up.” Hank answered before humming as he thought about it, “Unlike my last name my birthday ain’t fitting in the slightest. Born in a time of great blooming life and beauty while I specialize in death and terror. I shoulda been born in fuckin’ January, right in the middle of all that cold, harsh, evil, bullshit.”

Ignoring his last comment Pinkie pressed on further as the man in front of her became a small bit more relatable, “Do you…. Want a birthday party?” Asking without truly knowing if she wanted him to answer yes or no, Pinkie realized it was the first time ever she wasn’t totally ready to throw a birthday party for a new pony in her life. It was strange.

“Not at all,” Hank immediately answered making Pinkie feel sad and relieved at the same time.

“Why not?” The party pony asked just out of obligation.

“I don’t want to forget the last one I had with my family.” Hank said in a cold tone devoid of emotion, “Plus I don’t really want to keep track of how close I’m getting to my expiration date.” he said in a way to comfort himself after the fact.

“Oh whatever, we all die.” Granny said refuting his last point, “No point to dread it.”

“Oh I ain’t dreadin’ it.” Hank said instantly, “But ponies also get to live a much longer life than a human so you get to count to a higher number than I ever will. As such those birthdays ain’t as pressin’.”

“An’ how long do humans typically live?” Granny shot back expecting a ten maybe fifteen year difference.

“You want extraordinary, or typical?” Hank crossed his arms.

“Both.” Granny narrowed her eyes and leant forward slightly.

“Eighty tops, with I mean some serious good fortune. Me? With all the shit I’ve already done to myself? I might get fifty... sixty years before my body just ups and gives out. Hell maybe even forty, humans throughout most of history have checked out forty five or so.”

Mouths agape none of the ponies knew what to say about what they had just heard. The only one not surprised was Zecora who had already learned of humanity's short life span compared to ponies and zebras, and well everything on Equestria. It made her tremendously sad to know that no matter what happened Hank would die long before her. She figured she just had to enjoy the time they had even more.

In the meantime as Zecora got over her momentary sadness the others were still digesting what he had just relayed to them.

“Ah’m so sorry Hank.” Aj said, looking at the human saddened, getting a look of confusion back.

“Why? We all have our time, mine is just shorter. The candle that burns twice as bright burns twice as fast.” Hank said unbothered, “Plus, I’ve outlived enough people in my life, I don’t want to outlast anymore family or friends and... I don’t know if I could handle it to lose everyone again.”

“So if you’re thirty… you only have thirty more years max? Your life is half over?” Twilight somewhat grimly stated.

“I ain’t thirty!” Hank exclaimed and turned to the unicorn exasperated, “Just cause I look like shit does not mean I’m fuckin’ elderly.”

Relaxing his posture Hank groaned. He wanted to just tell them and get it over with but not only would that cause problems with them taking him seriously with him being in a relationship now age was a bit more important. He didn't even know the age of consent or age to drink alcohol in Equestria, and if he let out how young he was compared to what they thought with him being in his mid thirties Zecora might not even want to be with him anymore, and he did not want that.

Hank was perfectly happy with older women and he knew for a fact Zecora was older than him even of he didn’t know her exact age, but Zecora probably thought he was older than her, so maybe she liked older men and by telling her he was most certainly younger than her it would make her lose interest and then… He had to stop worrying about it but he did start to think that he should tell Zecora his age before anything really serious happened. He could tell she wanted to, plenty of flirting and obvious advances happened to the young man from the apparently very hungry zebra but he kept brushing off advances even to kiss for… more than one or even two reasons. Either way he figured he really should tell her, it was only fair.

Groaning and swearing internally Hank kept it all inside but dreaded the occasion knowing that he was going to have to finally open up about his age.

“Enough of all that I’m gonna die eventually boo hoo stuff,” The human mocked before going right back to stone faced, “Now it's you.”

Slightly unease by how threatening the human could make three seemingly innocent words sound Rainbow gulped but knew what she wanted to ask.

“Um...I… Well.”

“Out with it.” The man growled, having less than his usual short social patience with who it was he was dealing with.

“What was the most violent thing you did to another pony?” Rainbow asked meekly as Hank’s eyes bore through her.

Taking a second to think through all of the violent things he had done, far more to think about in one sitting the time he Hank held off a swarm of infected from getting to his injured friend in that old house in the city came to mind, that was when he truly felt he grew into his body and his most natural mindset and mastered his style of combat. More evil happened in that house than he could ever properly describe on paper or vocally.

What truly stood out was what he had done to the man, and by extension family, that shot his father. That moment is what started his descent into madness that nearly killed him, that event was what truly molded him into what he was currently. It was then Hank realized that while the depression and anguish he felt in his heart hurt more than any physical pain that the pleasure of hurting and killing others, mostly the ones that were a threat to the defenceless, the ones he cared for and himself, made that pain go away. In those moments he felt happy and like his old self.

The more you do a drug though, the less it works. As such you have to do more of it and or more potent strains. In Hank’s case that meant more and more bodies in his wake and exponentially increasing violent ways of putting them there.

A cold chill had run through the room as Hank stared forward, a half smile half snarl on his face, as he re-lived what he had done to the man not too many years ago. The man had grown more sinister feeling as he stood there and the ponies nearly jumped as he spoke, his eyes still glued forward.

“The man that killed my father, took my last loved one from me, my last vestige of compassion. What I did to him… how I broke him.” His voice low and powerful, Hank growled out the words as his face slowly morphed into a hate filled stare, “Makes what I did to anyone else, even those diamond dogs look like pleasant walk in the park.”

“I’ll spare all the gritty details because I know none of you could stomach them.” Hank said as his eyes finally broke from their gaze and looked over the room stopping on each pony, “But I will say that a man that was stronger than me when that shot was fired was reduced to a puddle that couldn’t even scream or cry anymore because he had destroyed his larynx from how much he had wailed in pure agony, of all types. All he could do was wheeze and gurgle when I finally decided to let him die.”

Pausing to calm himself Hank took a deep breath, “If you think you’re gonna ask something like that and think that you’re gonna get a one up on me because you think I might feel bad about it. I don’t, nothing I did to that man and his family makes me feel a hint of remorse. If you wanted to out me on my violent tendencies and manic behavior, well, here ya go.” Hank smiled while bringing his arms out in a flourish, “Plenty of other evidence though.”

Bringing his arms down he looked to the pegasus as she sat with her ears flattened back, “Happy?”

“W-what did you do to his family?” Rainbow asked, completely terrified of his nonchalant and nearly nostalgic attitude towards what he had done. She really had been messing with someone much more dangerous than herself.

“What do you think?” The human said looking to Rainbow like she was stupid, “I killed them, and made him watch. Take my family from me and make the mistake of not killin’ me, then I’ll take your family from you and make sure I don’t make such a fatal error.”

“That’s completely evil.” Rarity spoke up, just not able to keep quiet after such an admission.

“Yes. Yes it is.” Hank said to the mare, “And I should feel bad about it, but I don’t. That is the wiring issue I’m trying to hint at here, born with it.” Tapping his head a few times Hank said plainly.

“How can you not feel like an absolute psychopath after doing stuff like that?” Rarity continued.

Impressed by her boldness Hank decided to humor her out of respect, “How could I know? I did worse after that to more people so obviously it doesn’t bother me.” The man revealed, “if it makes you feel any better though, they were gonna die regardless if I did it or not.”

Taking a few seconds Rarity scoffed, “How could that possibly make me feel better?”

“Because if I didn't kill them the fever would, or they would’ve turned into the infected and tried to eat him, me, each other, they wouldn’t have been actual people anymore, just flesh eating monsters in human’s skin.” Crossing his arms Hank explained before reaching for the bottle of moonshine again and taking a hefty swig.

“And how could you have known?” A little calmer, the white mare asked.

“Cause I’d seen it plenty before. If the fever is winning and or the infection is taking root the person’s veins bulge like crazy, they start going through that twitchy stage, and they grind and mash their teeth a bunch, among others. Both of them had that shit, it was clear they weren’t making it out alive, or as people. So I killed them, it was just an added bonus that it hurt him along the way.”

“I guess that is a little better…” Rarity trailed off as Hank nodded.

“Well it’s just you now.” Pointing to Twilight Hank gave a small sigh.

The pressure was unfathomable for the unicorn. There were just so many questions she had for the stallion on so many different topics. She could ask him about human physiology, technology, religion, general knowledge, or about his world’s history, or even more peculiarly about the virus that ended his world, he seemed quite intelligent, just not eloquent, when it came to virology and general medicine, or ask him along more personal lines on his psychology since he seemed to fit the bill for “perfect psychopath” to a T. With the insanely low rates of the phenomenon on Equus the possibilities for a case study made Twilight almost vibrate with excitement.

“I will skip over you if you take too long.” Hank spoke firmly, getting Twilight to return to the real world.

Coming to a decision Twilight decided to try and start to build a profile on the human and came up with a question to test his ability to feel remorse, a quality that was absent from psychopaths but always found in perfect psychopaths for certain things, “Do you have any regrets? More clearly about what you have done?”

Getting a read on Twilight knowing he had to be cautious of the mare and not only her connections to the crown but her analytical nature Hank figured answering would pose no great breach in privacy that he already hadn't forfeited, “Who don’t?”

Regular psychopaths don’t. Twilight thought while thinking of another way to get more of an answer from the human, “Well you don’t have any regrets about most of the people you… kill. So what is it you regret?”

Narrowing his eyes Hank couldn’t help but let that cold and calculating side of him take the lead with such a strange line of questions. The pony was up to something, he’d remember that.

“The people I failed to protect and save, their dying faces and last breaths fill my regrets mostly, but, surviving is dirty work and eventually you’re bound to get blood on your skin you didn’t want there. Whether it be a fatal accident or a situation where there was no good option to choose from you’ll end up killing someone who didn’t deserve it.”

“What makes a pony deserve to be killed?” Twilight pressed further but almost immediately regretted it as the human’s posture went from relaxed to hostile as his temper flared up.

“What do you fuckin’ think smart ass?” Hank tisked waving to the pony, “You try to hurt me or my loved ones. I'll kill you. If you’re an inherently bad person. I’ll kill you. Try to take my things. I’ll kill you.” Taking a second to pause Hank slowly bent over and rested his hands on the table while looking directly at Twilight

“If you’re a pony that is really overstepping her bounds and acting like I can’t tell that those cogs in her head are turning and scheming, trying to get oddly specific information out of me about my moral code in a somewhat underhand and disingenuous way… Well… You can extrapolate data, you can see where I’m goin’ with this.” His body more relaxed but a deadly serious air still surrounding him twilight could only stare back into Hank’s tiny pupils as he spoke to her.

“I know I don’t talk fancy or smart and I may not give off the air of extreme intelligence, quite the opposite honestly, I’ll admit that. But don’t you dare insult me by thinking you can out wit or slip shit past me for a second you naive princesses’s pet. Your association with her don’t make you safe neither, you may be important to her and pony society in some way, but to me you’re nothin’.”

Standing back up while grabbing the moonshine bottle he walked behind twilight before he stopped and wrapped his large hand around her right shoulder before squeezing just a little too hard, “So go ahead and jot that down in those letters you write to Celestia, she already knows her title means nothing to me but maybe if she knew that her very much mortal student meant just as little to me as her she’ll tighten your leesh just a little.”

“And you,” Hank practically growled turning to Rainbow while taking his hand off Twilight's shoulder, “You need to get that ego in check before I decide to test just how durable those hollow bones that make up that lightweight skeleton of yours is.”

Ruffling the rainbow hair on top of the pegasus’s head as he passed Rainbow shuddered as she felt his rough callused hands grip onto her skull for a split second and squeeze showing how strong his grip was.

Putting the almost empty moonshine bottle back where it came from Hank was glad that the alcohol was actually taking effect, making the inside of his head feel a little more smooth and gentle unlike how it usually felt like his brain was made of spikes trying to puncture through his skull but never making it. As strange as it sounded that was the best way the human could explain how his stress manifested.

“Ah got one more question for ya if you’ll humor me.” Granny spoke up gently to the human.

“And what’s that Granny?” Hank replied as calmly as ever without turning around, the smallest amount of sadness evident in his deep, rough voice.

“Ya had a mission back on your old world, whether that be survive or clear a town for people, But now, here, there's no reason for stuff like that. What’s your mission now? Here in Equestria.”

If there was anyone he expected such a simple but deep reaching question to come from it was Granny. Taking a deep breath to truly think about not only an answer for Granny but for himself as well the human was stumped as he stared forward closely examining the woodgrain of the cabinets in front of him.

“I…. Don’t know.” Hank answered honestly, “I’m lost without the killing and struggle, it feels like all I know is hunting and executing my prey. Sure I know more than that, I know how to build, I know mechanics, music, farming, I use my body for physical labor, anything to do with being self-sufficient, but we all know that’s not what makes me tick.”

“So maybe I’ll make that my profession, it pays quite well, but my mission? No. Not quite.” Hank spoke not only to Granny but also to himself as he was faced with the path ahead.

“On my old world I was a failure. All those I swore to protect died but yet I never would, it was as if the universe was mocking me, as if it reveled in watching me go insane with each passing day as I fought tooth and nail to keep those I cared for alive to no avail.”

Turning around Hank’s face was a mix of anger and complete sadness before, slowly, his eyes started to light up, “But now...Here… I’m stronger, I’m faster, I’m in my prime! And with each passing day I feel stronger than the last. I’m no longer a scrawny kid with no idea what he was doing, I’m healthy and I’ve learned, oh have I learned.”

A series of chuckles, that bordered on mad cackling, escaped his throat as Hank smiled, “I’m more capable now more than ever, both physically and mentally. So I don’t think my mission has changed Granny. I was born to protect people, and regardless of what planet I’m on I’ll keep on serving my purpose.”

The pure amount of conviction in the man’s voice, along with the resolute look on his face nearly spoke more than his words did as he kept talking.

“If that means dying in a puddle of my own blood surrounded by those who chose to put my loved ones at risk. So be it.” Hank nodded to himself as he caught sight of his girlfriend in the corner of his eye and looked to her, her face saddened at his words.

“But if it means growing old with a certain someone then I guess that’ll have to be okay too.” Hank smiled at Zecora as she smiled back, her chest warm with happiness and love both.
Looking into each other’s eyes for just a second over what could be considered “platonic” Hank was the first to begrudgingly break their gaze and turned to Granny, “Answer your question?”

Looking up to the visibly happier man Granny couldn’t help but smile and give a small laugh, “More than enough.”

“Good. Now, I’m gonna go into the other room and think for a while, I need to… sort through some stuff.” Walking into the other room he quickly turned around and headed up the stairs to get Apple bloom.

As the man disappeared up the stairs and assumedly out of ear shot the ponies all looked between each other just to make sure that everypony had experienced the same thing.

“Hank’s really been through a lot… and done a lot of really… reeallly bad things.” Pinkie spoke up for the first time on the matter of the human with the group.

“Yes he has.” Zecora confirmed, somewhat surprisingly for the other ponies considering the two were a pair.

“Aren’t you two a...thing?” Twilight nervously asked knowing both of the couple were not harmless in the slightest.

“I… Yes, I will confirm we are indeed a couple, but that does not mean I overlook or choose to not acknowledge the terrible things he has done in the past. Part of the territory in being intertwined with another is getting to know of their past sins, no matter how terrible, and helping them work past it, as long as they are willing to work alongside you.” Zecora explained thoughtfully, “He talks very often about getting better and being a better person, and strives for it, and I know it's working, I can see it. I know he has done horrific things in the past and that he holds beliefs, ideas, and a moral code he is willing to act on that may be too much for some or most ponies or zebras, but I’ve accepted him for who he is.”

“That’s a good mare.” Granny leaned over and tapped Zecora on the shoulder getting a smile from the zebra as the old mare smiled widely herself, “No stallion or mare is ever perfect, as a matter a fact Ah find that the ponies that have done bad things in the past and moved past them are the ones that love and care the most.”

Thinking back to her own, now gone, husband Granny couldn’t help but smile in his memory as the others held their attention to her, “No pony really knows this, not even you two,” Granny motioned to AJ and Mac, “But your grandfather was not always the kind and loving pony others remember him as. When he was a young stallion he did a lot of very bad things. Hank reminds me a lot of your grandfather in that time, not that your grandpa did anything quite like Hank. However, Hank is much more mature than your grandfather was in his younger to middle aged years. It took a long time, and a newborn, to calm that stallion down.” Granny couldn’t help but give a small laugh at the thought of her love’s antics.

Small and rapid hoofsteps descending the stairs followed by slow booming ones a smiling Apple bloom came into the kitchen while looking over to her shoulder at the human who closely followed before stopping in the doorway.

“Alright everybody,” Hank announced, grabbing the attention of all the ponies in the room, “Under the current circumstances and obvious threats everyone will be sleeping upstairs, with all the windows locked and blinds closed, preferably in a single room.”

“And what makes ya think you’re gonna tell me what ta do in my house?” Granny raised a brow at the human not liking how he was ordering her around and half to see if he would step down or stay resolute.

“Because you ain’t just in your house no more. You’re in my world now, and if you want to stay alive it’d be best if you followed my orders on this one.” The human hardened his gaze to show he wasn’t backing down.

Waiting for an argument from the elderly mare Hank relaxed when he didn’t get one before continuing, “No one is gonna step a foot outside before I say so. If you try I’ll put you on your ass before you know what hit you. That goes for all of you regardless of how you feel about me… speaking of… You’re gonna write to Celestia describing exactly what happened here tonight regarding the wolf… thing. You need to emphasize that in my professional opinion the outskirts of Ponyville, contrary to my past actions and words, is growing less safe by the day and that I want to meet her and Luna in person, in complete private, no guards. We’ll meet in front of Fluttershy’s house on the road.” Hank ordered Twilight already knowing she was going to write to the princess, “Also include that they are encouraged to bring their own means of self protection.”

Finishing up Hank turned to Rainbow, “Now you…” He practically spit, “Can you fly at night?”

Completely thrown off by the question Rainbow stumbled for a second on her answer, “I... well… I’ve done a few overnighters doing weather patrol before.”

“I don’t know what that means,” Hank shook his head in aggravation, “Yes or no?”

“Yes.” Rainbow answered.

“Can you see the ground well enough at a moderate height during night?” Hank asked further as Rainbow started to connect where he was going with the questions and not liking it one bit.

“Attttt a hundred feet under a full moon I can see well enough.” Rainbow answered honestly.

“Can you hear?”

“Yes.”

“Can you hear crickets, bird song, natural usual noises?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Alright.” Hank leaned against the door frame in thought, “I want you to fly up and slowly circle the property, including the road, for a few minutes so I can get an idea on what else we may be dealing with if anything.”

“What about not leaving?” Rainbow asked, really not wanting to leave the relative safety of the house.

“I’m not going to force you,” Hank said, picking up on her tone, “But you’ll be far too high for anything land based to get you and I’ll cover your exit and re-entry. Reconnaissance will provide me with much needed intel on how to handle this situation better. As much as I hate to say it, you’re the only one who I can count on to do this.”

Surprised at his unwilling compliment non the less Rainbow looked to her right at Fluttershy.

“Why not Flutters? You like her more, she has wings and can fly.”

“We both know Fluttershy isn’t a strong enough flier in case shit goes south. Sorry Flutters, nothing against you, just reality.” Hank looked to the yellow pegasus with his version of a soft look.

“No no, it’s okay, flying never really has been my strong suit.” The gentle mare reassured her feelings had not been hurt.

With a curt nod Hank turned his head back to Rainbow Dash, “You’re the safest option, anyone on the ground is at a huge risk, and if I leave here I leave everyone unprotected.”

While she really realllllyyyyy didn’t want to go outside in the slightest Rainbow wasn’t about to back down and look like she was afraid.

“I’ll do it.” She confirmed almost immediately regretting it.

Just nodding Hank motioned for her to follow while he started explaining how it was going to go down.

“I’ll cover your accent, you’re gonna take off fast and get to a safe altitude before even thinking about slowing down. Leave no time for things to pounce on ya.” Walking out into the hall Hank checked his rifle and stopped by the door as Rainbow nervously followed, “After that make sure you’re alone up there, if y’aint then get back here as quick as possible, don’t hesitate or try to get a closer look.”

“W-what happens if there is something up there?” Rainbow asked out of morbid curiosity.

“Then shit is really fucked and things are gonna get serious.” Hank wasted no words for a gentle explanation.

As Rainbow gulped and quickly nodded the human had already started again, “If all is clear scan the ground in the areas I already said and also check for noises, or lack thereof. I want to know even if you hear nothing if it’s really nothing, pay attention to insect and bird noise or lack of.”

Unlocking the door but keeping his weight on it he looked back to the obviously nervous pony, “Stick to my ass like glue, I want you pressed on the side of my leg until I tell you to take off so I can keep track of you. Only land when you see a repeating flashing light, solid means not safe, and no light means something really bad has happened.” He explained motioning for her to get close to him and take position which she instantly did, pushing the fear in her chest down due to her close proximity.

“I expect you to circle five times or until you have solid intel, stay observant and stay calm. Let’s go.”

I went a little crazy and wrote around 22 thousand or so more words just for this short sequence. I have no idea why other than I wanted to fit a lot of character development and regular development all in at once, and to practice dialog between more then 2 characters at once. More to come tomorrow. It'll be a little shorter and have a more comprehensive author's note at the end of it since it is the last half of this huge thing I wrote for no reason. I've cut this segment three times now.

I am a R E T A R D