Ryan was walking home to his trench at about half past six. The first day on the farm had been easy enough. He climbed trees, took the good apples, put them into a cart, and dragged the cart to the barn. It was mind numbing and repetitive; just what Ryan had hoped for. The day had gone uneventfully, just him and Big Mac doing their work. The second day was nice too, nothing happening. Now, Ryan was walking to his trench with a bag of seventy-five bits. He had no idea if that was the going rate for labor, but he trusted Mac to pay him what he was owed. And even if he didn’t, Ryan could just keep working. This job required absolutely minimal interaction with the ponies.

Ryan was wondering where exactly he would store his money. He would have to look for a bank over the weekend. For now, though, the bag of bits was getting heavy. His best bet was to spend it. His stomach growled. “I could always buy myself some dinner.” That would lighten the sack a bit. He looked around; there were only a few restaurants that served food he would eat in town. Deciding on which to attend wasn’t much of a problem. “I think I missed dinner yesterday.” he said to himself, thinking back. He still had to get into the swing of his plan.

Choosing to spend some of his money, he walked through town looking for a place to eat. Then he remembered that Rarity mentioned a bar. “The best way to forget is to be incapable of remembering things.” He looked around, eventually finding the booze house toward the end of the town. He looked at its sign. The Salt Lick: Whiskey, Rum, and More. It seemed good enough, so Ryan went up to the door. It was a classic, old west style push door that didn’t touch the ground. Before entering, Ryan listened inside to hear if anything was undesirable about this place. He heard nothing but the sounds of hooves on wood and mugs hitting tables. “Perfect.” he thought. He pushed through the door.

As soon as he entered, everypony in the room was staring at him silently. Most put their drinks down to get a look at him. Ryan tipped his beret to them and slowly walked in. When most of them went back to their drinks, he felt relieved.

“Definitely perfect.” Around him, none of the stallions (there were no mares) seemed to care about his presence. They had probably already heard about him, anyway, so why should they care? There were a couple who were looking at him still, sure, but they were just curious. They wouldn’t approach him.

Ryan took a stool at the bar and sat himself down. The bartender, a unicorn, noticed him and immediately walked over. “What can I get you, stranger?” he asked, wiping off a glass with his magic. Ryan looked up at the rack, trying to decide on a drink. He had no idea what might be different about these compared to human drinks.

“How much is a shot of each thing on the bottom shelf?” Ryan asked. The bartender turned around to check.

“They’re all about two bits.” he said. As the bartender turned back around, Ryan looked past him to count the drinks; there were about twenty different bottles on the bottom shelf. Forty bits.

“Give me one shot of everything on the bottom.” he said, pulling his bit bag. He gave the bartender forty bits.

“Sampling, are we?” he asked.

Ryan nodded. “I’m new.” The bartender nodded knowingly as he retrieved five shot glasses and filled them up with different straight drinks.

“Ah.” He set the glasses in front of Ryan and moved away. “Drink slowly; you’ll be drinking a lot. And just call me over when you’re ready for the next five.” Ryan nodded, pulling up a glass and sniffing it.

“Hmm...” It didn’t smell fantastic, but he had never exactly been a connoisseur of alcoholic beverages. He had never even liked them. He just wanted to know which drink was the least bad to get drunk on and forget his past.

He downed the first shot instantly, and regretted it faster than he drank it. The stuff was truly abysmal. He practically convulsed in his seat, it was so nasty. Setting the glass down, he looked to where he had seen this drink come from; Budyonny Light Lime. “Augh.” he said, pushing the glass away. He thought that he knew how to drink, taking time between shots. He decided to be more careful about how quickly he drinks each shot.

“Next.” He looked at the drink warily. It was the same general color. Pulling the small glass up to his lips, he said, “Here we go.” He took a sip, and was less revolted than the first time. It was still bad, though. This one came from Budyonny Light Platinum. Somehow, this Budyonny group had figured out how to turn platinum into mercury. Ryan moved on, checking each one to avoid more Budyonny.

The next one came from a bottle labeled Kiger Mustang. “Sounds promising.” Ryan knew better than to trust advertisement promises. Or promises in general. He sipped the drink, and nearly spat it out. It was worse than Budyonny. He moved onto the next drink. Giara Lager, it was called. Ryan had never drank a lager before. “To new things.” He sipped the shot, expecting a terror of a drink. It was actually not that bad. “Hmm.” He would remember this, if he didn’t find himself liking a higher shelf drink better. Which was unlikely. Moving onto the last one, he looked at the label of its home bottle; Malopolski; Straight From Stalliongrad. He didn’t even touch that glass, except for pushing it away. He knew what to expect from a name like that; high alcohol content, and bottom shelf quality. It was on the bottom shelf, after all.

He called the bartender over. “Next round.” he said. The bartender looked at the drinks.

“You gonna drink this one?” he asked. Ryan shook his head. Shrugging, the bartender took the glasses away to be cleaned. While he did that, Ryan took a look at the next round. They were all the same brands.

“Yo, bartender.” Ryan called. he had just finished his cleaning of the glasses. “I still have thirty bits of drink left, right?” he asked.

The bartender nodded. “Yeah. And call me Oktoberfest.” Ryan nodded.

“Alright Oktoberfest. Mind if I move up a shelf?” Oktoberfest smiled.

“Sure. What’ll you have? Each drink is three bits a shot.” Ryan thought. He could get ten shots.

“What do you have?” he asked. Oktoberfest moved over.

“We got Samolaco Adams, Fouta’s, Applejack Daniel’s, Orlov’s, and Friesian’s.” Ryan looked over at the bottles. There were several variants of each.

“Give me two random shots of each.” he said. Oktoberfest nodded and filled up the five shot glasses.

“Here you go. One of each now, another of each next.” Ryan nodded his thanks and looked down at his drinks. These looked more suited for human consumption.

After finishing each one, Ryan concluded that his favorite of them was Samolaco Adams, followed closely by Applejack Daniel’s. The others could go drain into a ditch. “Yo.” Ryan slurred a bit. Oktoberfest heard this and immediately came over.

“You good?” he asked. Ryan nodded.

“Yeah.” Oktoberfest could clearly see that Ryan was exiting the stage of being buzzed.

“Next grouping.” Hesitantly, Oktoberfest got Ryan his next five shots, which Ryan finished quickly. Same conclusion as before.

Ryan sat on his barstool, silently trying to let his mind turn itself off. It wasn’t working too well, though. His thoughts kept on going to the past. The image of the burned little girl was carved into his mind. Catherine’s and Joey’s sobbing echoed in his ears like thunder in the mountains. Nadine’s screams pierced his heart like a bullet.

“Gimme more.” Ryan said, pulling out more bits. He still had thirty-five left. Oktoberfest looked at him.

”I think you’ve had enough.” Ryan looked up at the bartender.

Oktoberfest was no less than disturbed by what he saw in the human’s eyes. He had to take a step back to fully take it in. This colt had the eyes of someone who had lost everything. A lot like those soldiers who came back from the Southern Griffon Colonies. In his eyes, Oktoberfest saw nothing but pain, brought on by losing something dear to him. This colt had seen things that no pony should ever see.

“Oh.” Oktoberfest admitted. This colt was trying to forget. Against his better judgment, he went and got two more shots. “Here you go. Ten bits.” These came from just under the top shelf. Ryan pulled out the coins and tossed them onto the bar.

“Thanks, bfro.” he slurred. Oktoberfest walked away, keeping an eye on Ryan.

He downed the two shots in an instant, thus totally removing his coherence. He sat there for a minute to let it fully take effect.

Ryan tried to stand. When he got his feet on the ground, he had to use the stool to steady himself. Holding himself up on the stool, he blinked twice and looked to Oktoberfest. “Thhanks, Ahktahberfst.” he said. Oktoberfest looked at him, pity ruling over all his features.

“What’s your name, colt?” he asked. Ryan thought about it. What was his name?

“Hhhhhharknesh.” He turned around and moved away from the stool, teetering his way to the door. “Harkness. Right.” He was going to keep an eye on this guy. No doubt he would come back.

Ryan stumbled and fell his way out of the bar, only drawing a couple of looks from the other customers. They didn’t care; they all had their own problems. The only ones who were watching stopped caring as soon as Ryan was gone.

He looked around the street, trying to remember where exactly he was. He knew that he was in Ponyville. But in proximity to what? Ryan tried to get his bearings. “I shee that,” he said, pointing at a well. “And that.” He pointed at a normal looking home. “So I’ll go... this way.” He started to drag his feet and teeter on down the street. The whole way, he had to squint to keep the brightness of the street lamps from blinding him. “Damn lights.” He kept on going. The dust from the street was collecting on his boots, which were looking exceptionally dirty. Rarity would have his ass if she saw him like this. His hair was messy, as always, but his clothes smelled and looked like they were seven years old.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ryan saw movement in an alley to his left. He pulled his 1911. “Who’s thar?” he demanded. No one responded. Ryan stood in his spot for a moment, watching. When nothing happened, he started to move away, still watching. “Don’ follow me.” he ordered. Whatever may have been in the shadows obeyed, because Ryan didn’t see anything as he moved away. He calmed down. “Safe.” He kept walking.

Not fifteen feet later, he heard scuffling feet behind him. Nothing in Ponyville that would be out this late had feet. He spun around, bringing up his gun again. “I said don’t follow me!” he shouted. Before he could look for the source of the noise, a light turned on in the house next to him. “Shit!” Ryan ran, not wanting to be caught drunk this late at night. About thirty feet away, he stopped and hid behind a crate, looking behind him. A mare came out of the house, looking around tiredly. After a short moment, she went back inside, and a few more moments later, the lights turned off.

Ryan got up and looked back in the area. Still nothing. He holstered his weapon. “I’m watching... you.” He turned and walked away, forgetting to watch behind him.

He soon forgot about whatever may have been stalking him and found himself approaching a large, circular building. He tried to read the sign. No good. “Mmm... Bou-tique?” He tried to remember something about this place. He recognized it, but from where, he couldn’t remember. Then it hit him. “Rarity.” he said. He took off, not wanting to risk her seeing him, but tripped on nothing and hit his face on the ground. “Ow!” he yelped. He sat up on his rear. Putting his hand to his nose, he felt hot blood flowing from it. “Damn.” he said. At least he didn’t have to go to work tomorrow.

He stood up, a little more alert after potentially breaking his nose, and looked around. Off in the distance, he could see a familiar tree. “Trench.” he said single-mindedly. he just needed to get to the trench. Then, he could sleep, and forget everything.

Before he even knew it, he was at his trench. There was the tree, the grass, the familiar sky, and the trench itself. He looked down. “How do I get down from here?” he asked. “Meh.” he stepped off his little ledge and into the trench, letting himself fall to the ground. It was farther than he thought, and when he hit, he landed hard on his side. “Ahgh.” It hurt a lot. But at least he was in his trench.

Not feeling up to anything else, Ryan let himself slip away into the torment that was his night’s sleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ryan woke up with the worst headache. Sitting up, he went to rub his temples. He had never prided himself on being anything other than a lightweight.

Head throbbing and body aching, Ryan got up out of his trench. He fell back down. “Uhhgh.” he said. He moved to sit against the wall of his trench. “What did I drink last night?” he wondered. He could hardly remember. Something like Samolaco something or whatever. He would have to remember that. He hadn’t slept so long in a while. Six and a half hours of sleep was nice, even if brought on by comatose.

Ryan looked at his watch. It read seven o’ six. It was still early. “Maybe I’ll just sit here for a while.” And that he did.

*********************************************************************************

Discord looked down on the boy with a heavy heart. It hurt him to see this kid like this. From what he had garnered before, he wasn’t a drinker in any sense of the word. Now, the boy was already deciding to get wasted, just to try to forget everything the had happened. Only a few ponies had ever suffered like that.

Discord sent his invisible eyes down to be next to Ryan and took in the sight before him. Ryan had dried drool on the side of his face, hidden only by all the dirt that was covering his face. His breathing seemed labored, not from sickness, but just from being tired. His clothes were somehow looking worse now than they had before. Out of nowhere, Ryan rolled up his sleeves.

“Must be hot.” Discord thought. He looked at the boy’s arms. Yup, still scarred and horrible. Ryan was just looking down at them, silent and seemingly objectively.

The boy reached to his side for his 1911. He had one empty magazine for it and two full, one of the latter being loaded. Discord watched worriedly as Ryan pulled it from its worn out holster and looked down at it. For a minute, he just sat there, looking at it.

“What are you doing?” Disord wondered. Ryan ran his fingers across the top of the gun.

“I’ve done a lot of terrible things.” he said to himself. Tears rimmed his eyes. “There’s not a thing I can do to fix it.” He pulled the gun up and stared down the barrel. Discord panicked.

“NO!” he mentally shouted. He wanted to move forward to stop him, but there were two things in the way; one, he couldn’t use too much magic, or he would be discovered. Two, he wasn’t actually present. He could only observe as the boy stared down the barrel of the .45. But he didn’t pull the trigger. “What?” Discord was relieved, but confused. The boy was pointing the gun at himself, but not pulling the trigger.

He wanted to. He wanted to so bad. Pulling that trigger would end his suffering, at least for the time being. A few moments of peace was worth an eternity of suffering to him in that moment. But he couldn’t pull the trigger. He tried to force his finger back, but it refused to go. There was something stopping him.

“Promise me you won’t let yourself die.”

That was what Harris made him promise, and he had given him that promise. He said to his best friend in their shared time of greatest need that he would never do it. But why was that stopping him? If he was dead, then his promise would be just as meaningless as it was now. Ryan cried in his trench, letting the gun and his hand fall to the ground.

“Goddammit.” he said.

Discord was relieved. He was relieved to the point where he would have gone up to Celestia and bowed down to her for intervening, even though he knew that she hadn’t. He looked back at the boy. “Maybe there is hope.” With that, he ended his prying, letting Ryan have some time to himself.

*********************************************************************************

The morning had been uneventful for Celestia. There were few nobles coming to her with their ridiculous cases, something she was grateful for. She had heard from her guards that Luna wrote up a law that fined ponies who brought forth petty cases. She would have to thank her for that later.

Still, though, now she was just sitting on her throne, waiting for something to come by. She had no political or international business today, so she was totally free. But she had to sit on her throne waiting for a case to be brought forth for at least one hour, unless something else important happened to come by. She sighed. “It’s times like these that I wish something interesting would happen.”

Like she had pressed a button, a scroll suddenly appeared before her. She recognized the seal; it was from her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. Celestia looked at the room’s clock before opening the scroll. It was half past seven. “What are you doing up so early on a weekend?” she wondered. Maybe it was some kind of emergency? That would be exciting! Something urgent must have occurred, there could be no other reason for this. Celestia opened the letter.

Dear Princess Celestia,
Something interesting has occurred here in Ponyville. Celestia felt childish excitement in her veins. “Seems promising.” she said to herself. We have a new resident here. He’s really interesting. He’s not a pony, and when he told me his species, I couldn’t find any records of it. I would have sent you my notes on him, but they’re long and, at times, not easy to read. Wait. Was she referring to a male? I would love for you and Princess Luna to come down and met him. He’s pretty nice, kind of shy though. He’s reluctant to tell us about himself, though that will come with time. I already sent an invitation to Shining Armor and Cadance, and my parents. And no, before you ask yourself, it isn’t like that. Celestia smiled sheepishly to herself. She was thinking exactly that. So if you can come down Tuesday or Wednesday, that would be perfect. Any time is great, but I just thought it would be nice to have the whole family down together :). I think you would be interested in him.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

When Celestia finished the letter, she put her hoof to her chin. Tuesday wouldn’t work, she had an actual case planned to be heard that day. The next day would be fine, though. She pulled up a paper and quill and wrote up a letter.

I would be happy to meet this new friend of yours. He sounds interesting. And yes, I did think exactly what you thought I was thinking. I can’t wait to meet him. Your teacher, Princess Celestia.

She read over the short letter. “This will be interesting.” she said to herself. With a wave of her horn, she sent the letter away to be belched out by Spike.

Sine something significant had occurred, she could officially leave the throne room and be off to her chambers to do her own thing. What that thing was, she had yet to figure out. Maybe she could prank her guards or something. “I have nothing else to do.” it would be fun, so why not? She had to think hard about what to do. She could mess with their physical appearance, or have fun messing with their minds. “What would Luna do?” she wondered. She could always ask. Her sister was something of a prankster. “Yeah. I’ll go ask her.” Plus, she had to check her sister. She had been gloomy as of late.

Celestia went off to Luna’s chambers, taking her slow, flowing pace as usual. The guards would always salute when she passed, and he staff bowed to her. “I wish this place wasn’t so stuffy all the time.” she thought. Her sister had the right idea, and knew how to go about it. Her return had been good for the castle. “It’s good to have you back, Lulu.” She felt a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest as she approached the doors to her sister’s chambers. “So very good.” There were no guards outside her doors. Odd.

“Luna?” Celestia whispered. Putting her ears to the door, she could hear snoring from inside. She smiled to herself, using her magic to conjure up a camera. Luna was always flustered when Celestia got a picture of her sleeping. Slowly, Celestia opened the door.

When she saw her sister and her sister’s private guard sleeping on the bed together, she blinked twice and poofed the camera away. She wasn’t expecting this. “It seems Lulu has found somepony very special.” Starstep was certainly special to her, but not necessarily in THAT way. Still, Celestia felt more warmness and fuzziness. “They’re so cute.” she whispered. The guard was draped over Luna, like he was still protecting her from harm, even in his sleep. Celestia watched as Luna rolled over, putting the guard next to her.

Then, Celestia got an idea. Smirking mischievously, she tip-hooved her way over to the bed. Using her magic, she lifted herself onto the bed, on the other side of Starstep, and laid down. Barely stifling her laughter, she poked Luna and Starstep firmly on their noses, waking them.

Luna wasn’t really conscious enough to register what was happening, but Starstep was already swiveling around to confront his enemy. He froze when he saw that it was his other princess. Mouth agape, he tried to make sense of what was happening. Before he could speak, Celestia pulled Luna, on the other side of him, really tight and close, jolting her awake.

“Starstep, what are you-” She stopped when she saw her sister, looking at her with a devilish grin. Starstep, in between them, was trying to stammer out some sort of coherent response to his sandwich situation. Looking at him, then her sister, Luna also donned an evil grin. She pulled on Starstep, squeezing him between her and her sister. “But Tiaaa~!” she said. “He’s MY guard!” Starstep blushed furiously.

“But I gave him to you! Can’t I have him back for just a bit?”

Starstep frantically looked at his princesses, trying to figure out what was happening. “What’s going to happen to me?!” was his biggest fear. He felt the two princesses hug him tighter.

“I know!” Luna announced. “Why don’t we share him? We have time.” Starstep’s jaw exploded open, not a sound escaping from his shocked maw.

“Sounds great.” Celestia replied.

Starstep heard a bit of a barely stifled giggle fit from both princesses. He knew now. “Three can play at this game.” he thought, trying to think of something to say. He got it!

“Well, I hope you two have serious stamina. Those years in the guard have made me really... stout.” The two princesses looked down at him, their faces turning read. They looked at each other. It was two on one; they should have this in the bag.

“Well, let’s hope that your horn is as magical as either of ours.” Celestia responded. Luna blinked; she had to admit, she wouldn’t have thought of that.

“Well, I do have this magic wand that I’ve been practicing with.” The implication alone turned both princesses a deep shade of red. “And I’d love to test out my skills. Maybe experiment-” Luna jumped up, followed shortly by her sister. Starstep laughed hard. “I think I win this round, your highnesses.” he victoriously proclaimed. The two princesses looked at each other. No, they weren’t about to lose.

Starstep got up and hopped off the bed. “I think I’ll go take a shower.” he said, still laughing.

Luna hopped up next to him. “I’ll join you.” Celestia went to the other side.

“Me too.” Hmm. Starstep wasn’t going to win without a fight, it seemed.

“Well, so long as you don’t mind my ‘magazines’.” Celestia waved a dismissive hoof.

“Oh, you won’t be needing those.” she said. “I heard about my sister’s little dance.” Luna blushed, and Starstep did a double take. How had she heard about that? “I’m sure we can do something... together.” Starstep felt himself go hot in the face, and, in a panic, ran for the bathroom. He shut the door behind him as he entered. No need for his bosses to see THIS.

Luna and Celestia were in hysterics on the ground in the library where Starstep left them. They had won the battle; now, the rest of the campaign could be under way. Luna got up and unsteadily approached the now locked bathroom door.

“Would you really leave us hanging, Starstep?” she asked. “I mean, I guess that we aren’t the only ones left hanging, but still. We deserve just as much attention!” Inside, Luna could hear Starstep’s flustering about. At least, that’s what she told herself it was.

She walked back to her sister, who was just recovering from their shared bout of laughter. She sat before her sister, who was just getting up. “That was fun.” she said excitedly. “Do you do this often?” Luna nodded.

“All the time. Sometimes, he wins, though.” Celestia nodded.

“And are you two..?” she cocked her head sideways, smiling. Luna knew what she was implying.

“No, we aren’t. He’s my best friend, and we’re comfortable with each other.” Celestia nodded knowingly. She could have some fun with her sister, this time.

“Well, I think he would be wonderful anyhow. He’s sharp, witty, and can clearly hold out for quite a while.” She watched her little sister’s face slowly change as she realized what Celestia just said. It went from innocent thoughts, to dirty mind in no time at all.

“Eww!” she said, squirming. Celestia chuckled.

“And from the looks of it when he ran off, I’d say-”

Luna cut her off. “I saw it too!” she said.

“So you already know what he’s capable of!” Luna flailed her forelegs about.

“NO!” she shouted, making Celestia laugh.

“Besides, when we were on either side of him, one could clearly tell that he’s in good shape. In EVERY way.” Her little sister tried to become tiny, like that would save her from her elder sister’s torment. It didn’t work, though. “And he seemed eager enough.”

Luna was putting her hooves over her ears to escape her sister’s awkward words. Starstep was her guard and best friend. This was too weird for her to think about. “I assure you, Tia, I am not currently looking for that.” she said. “And he can... ‘take care’ of himself for now.” Celestia nodded.

“For now.” she repeated. Luna realized what she said and buried herself in her legs again. Celestia patted her head. “We all have needs, little sister. Be they deep or... ‘deep’.” Her sister whimpered. “And you can deal with them now or later. Whenever.” Celestia got up to go to her own chambers. It would be fun to do that with a guard less experienced in it.

“Oh, before I leave.” she said, getting her sister to look up. “Twilight met a new friend in Ponyville, and she would like us to meet him. Her parents and Shining Armor and Cadance will be there. Are you free on Wednesday?” she asked. Luna thought. A normal question was a welcome respite.

“I don’t believe so.” she said. “I need to take care of something the needs my full attention, and it will take some time. I wish I would go, but alas, I cannot.” Celestia nodded.

“I understand.” She turned to walk away, but not before getting her sister to squirm one last time. “And remember: Guards are there to provide protection!” She took off, several pillows flying out of the room after her.

*********************************************************************************

Ryan was still in his ditch at around nine when he heard several young girls’ voices just over the edge of his home. “Not now.” he whined to himself.

“We can get our cutie marks digging for buried treasure!” one yelled. She had a distinct southern twang.

“As opposed to what?” another asked. She sounded impatient and fast-paced. “Digging for non-buried treasure?” They argued for a minute after that, giving Ryan a few moments to figure out what to do.

He started to crawl away, hoping that he would get away from the children. It wasn’t that he hated kids. He just couldn’t handle them and had no desire to ever be around them on his own. “Hey, Harkness!” Applebloom shouted. Ryan winced at the sound of his fake name. He had been caught.

“Heey.” he said slowly, turning around in fear. He thought they would cannonball him again. Instead, though, the three fillies hopped into the trench.

“What’re y’all doin’ in here?” Applebloom asked. The other two looked at him curiously.

“I was, umm...” He tried to think fast. “... looking for stuff to sell?” He remembered that he spent forty bits the previous night. “I only have thirty-five bits left for the weekend, so I was hoping to find something valuable.” He wore a perfect poker face as he spoke. He had the fillies fooled.

They each walked up to him, getting around him, inspecting him. He felt uncomfortable with this. “What do you want, exactly?” They all stared at him silently. The little white one spoke up. Sweetie Belle, he believed.

“So, you’re, like, from really far away, right?” she asked. Ryan nodded. “So you know about a lot of stuff and... stuff.” Ryan thought about this for a moment. He did know plenty, but it was, perhaps, not all meant for ones so young.

“Yeah.” he replied.

His wariness quickly turned to terror as he watched the pupils of each of the fillies grow increasingly large. “So can you help us get our cutie marks?” Scootaloo asked excitedly. Ryan looked at them.

“What’s a cutie mark?” he asked, unfamiliar with the term. The little fillies gasped.

“They’re the marks on our flanks that show what our special talent is!” Scootaloo explained. “We’ve been trying to get ours for the longest time! Don’t you have one?” Ryan shook his head.

“No. I just figured that they were brands.” He had seen the marks, but never questioned them. It wasn’t his place to question their culture. Applebloom looked at him, cocking her head to the side.

“What’s a brand?”

Ryan changed the subject. “Well, I’d love to help you, but I have certain matters that I need to attend to.” As he got up and climbed out of the trench, the fillies followed him.

“Can we come?” they asked. Ryan turned around.

“No. I-” He stopped and looked down at them. They were all giving him massive puppy eyes, any sunlight touching their eyes being swallowed by the black of their pupils. They were pouting their lips, making them quiver ever so slightly. Ryan couldn’t tell if they would cry or not; he wasn’t about to risk it. He sighed loudly. “Fine.” The fillies leapt into the air.

“YAY!”

Ryan walked off, three little fillies in tow, towards the town, hoping to find whatever he would look for. Rarity had mentioned Martial Arts. He could find something like that.

They got to the town in relative silence, something Ryan was thankful for. He was never very good at working with kids, unless there was an experienced person nearby to guide him a bit. These three were being respectful, though. “Now where is a dojo?” Ryan wondered. He wandered pretty much aimlessly, hoping to just stumble across what he was looking for. Eventually, the fillies grew bored with this.

“What’re you looking for?” Applebloom asked.

Ryan kept his reply short and curt. “A dojo.”

Applebloom’s eyes widened, and she took on an awe filled expression. “You do Karate?” she asked.

Ryan stopped. “Yes.” he replied, surprised. He had never thought that this place would specifically have Karate; that seemed like the kind of thing that would just come from Humans and Okinawa. “I have for a while.” He walked on, causing the fillies to hurry to catch up.

“How long have you been doing it?” Sweetie Belle asked. Ryan looked left and right; no dojo yet.

“Around thirteen years.” He made it sound like nothing.

“No way!” Scootaloo shouted disbelievingly. “That’s longer than we’ve been alive!” Ryan nodded.

“Yah. I’m a dangerous fellow.” he said, looking back at the girls. They weren’t even fazed by his last sentence.

“There it is!” Scootaloo announced, getting Ryan to look forward. Sure enough, there was a classic, old style dojo before him. From inside, little could be heard, save for the sound of scuffling hooves on padded flooring.

“Alright, I’m heading in to check it out.” he said, walking forward in an effort to leave the fillies behind.

It didn’t work, though, and they just followed him in. He stopped just after the door, noticing that there was a class going on. He didn’t want to interrupt, so he sat down and watched on from the side. “Let us begin.” the teacher in the front said. Ryan watched the class for a time. After about ten minutes, he stood back up.

“Another less than legit dojo.” He had encountered them before. You can always tell if a dojo is really legitimate about its teaching of whatever Martial Art it does by watching a class. If there are kids under the age of ten who are black belts, the dojo isn’t legit. If there are weapons in the hands of little kids, the dojo isn’t legit. If the instructor has a terrible air of arrogance, the dojo, even if legit in its teaching of a style, should not be attended. This dojo had all of those things. “Nnope.” Ryan said, exiting the illegitimate dojo. The fillies followed, confused.

“Why did y’all leave?” Applebloom asked. “That’s the only Karate dojo we’ve got.” Ryan stopped at a bench and sat down, disappointed in his finding.

“That wasn’t a legit dojo.” he began to explain. “That guy is more about money then the Art. Those little ones? They should not have had freakin’ BLADES in their hands. That’s some dangerous shi- stuff.” He barely caught himself. “The guy came off as a... jerk. And those kids weren’t studying long enough to have black belts. I studied for nine years before I earned mine. And I still had to pass my Test.” The fillies were about to explode from the number of questions they had. “And I’m not going to take the time to explain all of that to you. There isn’t enough time. And Black Belt Testing is secretive anyhow.”

“Secretive, huh?” a raspy voice suddenly said from behind. Ryan spun around; it was the rainbow-manes, cyan pegasus.

“Rainbow Dash, right?” Ryan asked. She puffed her chest out.

“The one and only.” She was way too confident.

“Put that chest away; you don’t have anything to show on it.” Rainbow furrowed her brow at Ryan instantly, not really understanding what he was saying.

“Well, you’re new. I’ll let that pass.” She floated over the bench and sat next to Ryan. “So, what’s this about your ‘Secret Black Belt Testing’?” she asked. Ryan closed his eyes and shook his head.

“Not telling you.”

Scootaloo, and then her friends, also got up onto the bench, on the other side of Ryan. “Can’t you tell us a little?” they asked. They tried the faces again; not this time.

“Nope. I’m not moving on this. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he stood up. “I need to figure out how to eat this weekend on thirty-five bits. Where’s the supermarket?” he asked. The mare and fillies looked at him strangely.

“Supermarket? There’s a food mart, but supermarkets are usually only in big cities.” Ryan nodded, satisfied with the answer.

“Good enough.” He turned around and walked away.

But not without being followed. “So, you’re from a city?” Rainbow asked, trotting up next to him.

“No, actually. A suburb, not too far from... gosh, three cities? I don’t know. I know of two, though.” Rainbow nodded slowly.

“Hmm.” They walked together in silence for a moment, the fillies just catching up. “So... have you ever heard of the wonderbolts?” Rainbow asked. Ryan shook his head.

“Can’t say I have.” Behind him, Ryan heard the three fillies all gasp. Rainbow didn’t seem surprised though.

“They’re the best fliers in Equestria!” she shouted, making Ryan cover his ear. “And I’m gonna be one of them!” Ryan looked at Rainbow Dash, trying to determine if it was arrogance or real potential. There was a little of both.

“Well, that’s makes two of us hoping to be the best.” he said, drawing an interested look from all present.

“And what do you want to be?” Rainbow asked.

Ryan looked at her, then to the fillies. That was a stupid mistake on his part. They were all looking at him expectantly, like he was going to share some earth shattering secret with them. Sure, it might be just that, but he wasn’t about to tell them. “I aim to be a guy who won’t tell you.” he said. The girls all blinked twice and stopped, letting Ryan have a moment to himself. That, however, was not worth what he got.

“What d’ya mean, not tell us?” Rainbow asked, getting in front of him and up in his face. “What, you don’t trust us?” she asked. Ryan stopped and furrowed his own brow; this was not something he felt like dealing with.

“My life, my choice. And honestly? Why should I?” Rainbow looked like she was hit with a brick; she floated down to the ground, angrily trying to respond. The fillies looked up at him; Sweetie Belle was on the verge of tears. “In my recent past, I have learned not to make attachments and not to trust strangers. That’s just it. And I aim to keep to those lessons.” He pushed his way past Rainbow, who was looking on from behind as he left.

The fillies encircled Rainbow. “Wait, what could have taught him that?” Sweetie Belle asked, her question getting Rainbow to calm down a bit. Applebloom put a hoof to her mouth.

“Remember how we found him?” she asked. Rainbow seemed to be the only pony who didn’t get the implication.

“What?” she asked. Scootaloo looked up at her idol.

“We think he may have been ATTACKED, and that’s what hurt him.” Rainbow let the possibility sink in for a second.

“If he was attacked...” She didn’t need to finish her thought. She turned around and flew down the road, looking for Ryan.

She saw him not a second after takeoff and flew towards him. “HARKNESS!” she shouted. Ryan turned; he knew the voice, but what surprised him was that she remembered his “name”. What surprised him more, though, was the body slam she did to him as soon as he turned around. He lay on the ground under her, groaning.

“Ow.” he said. Rainbow looked down at him.

“Were you attacked? Is that how you nearly died?” It took a moment for Ryan to register the question, but when he did, alarms started going off in his head. he didn’t want that information out there.

“No?” he replied, trying to sound confused. It seemed like it was working. “Where did you get that idea? And please get off.” Ryan put his hands on either side of Rainbow and lifted her off of him, causing her to yelp as he did. She hadn’t expected him to be that strong.

Rainbow shrunk a little; she hated being handled. “Come on, you must know. And you’ve gotta admit, it makes sense.” Ryan gave her that, but that wouldn’t stop him from making them feel ridiculous about it.

“Yeah, it does make sense, but it’s not what happened. I hurt myself by accident through means that you won’t get because you don’t have technology.” Rainbow frowned. “And now, I’m going to go. Please, leave me be.” He turned and walked off again, leaving a very curious Rainbow Dash behind in his wake.

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Ryan went back to the bar that night. He had only a little money left, so he would just have to pick the highest content drink he could find.

Before heading over to the bar, he decided to stop and at least try to think. He went out to the park and searched for a bench or spot on the ground he could sit on. He found no bench to sit on, but he saw a little pond, which he sat beside. Before him, the small pond was still as death, perfectly reflecting the shining moon and twinkling stars in all their astonishing glory. The night sky was flawless in the reflection on the water, only the light from the stars and moon and the blackness of the eternity of space accompanied Ryan tonight. Around him, no creatures of the night frollicked and no wind whistled through the air. The cold grass tingled Ryan’s hands as he steadied himself to sit down in the wet ground near the water. He stared forlornly off in the distance, thinking.

“What am I doing?” he wondered. “Why am I staying here? I could just steal what I need and disappear forever.” He had the option, for sure. But why didn’t he do it? What was there to stop him? Maybe it was their innocence. He had failed to protect such innocence before, and he wouldn’t fail now. “Why did I do the things I did? What do I have now that I didn’t before?” He had nothing now, save for the instruments and symbols of his darkness and murderous past. He had gotten no closure from anything. He lost his best friend, told him, crying, to leave him to die in a shit-filled river in the middle of the jungle. He gave up his life. He had everything a guy could want, too. He had a loving family, great friends, a promising future. And he threw it all away.

And for what, exactly? Nothing. The worst thing, though, was that he gave up his code. His moral code that every man and woman follows, because that is what they believe is right. A person’s code defines them, it explains who they are. And Ryan tossed it aside in favor of everything it stood against.

“You’re a bad guy, Ryan.” a male voice said from behind him. Ryan shot up into the air, hand going for his pistol. he didn’t know this voice, but it seemed to know him. And no pony knew him at all.

When he turned around, hand on the handle of his gun, he halted his movement and stared. Before him was him. Ryan was right there in front of him. He was wearing different clothes, though. He wore a black T-shirt, scars overwhelming on his arms. His pants were long and black cargo pants, with a pair of simple sneakers on his feet. The darkness of his outfit contrasted with the paleness of his skin. But the eyes were the most perturbing. They weren’t hazel like Ryan’s; no, they were a dark, steel gray. They looked cold and soulless on a serious looking, hard face.

“You’re a very bad guy.” the other Ryan said.

Ryan stepped back and stepped right into the water. “What the..?” He could hardly believe it. He had thought that the events of the castle in the forest were hallucinations.

“And I know that you know that.” Ryan pulled up his 1911 and pointed it at his clone.

“What the hell?” he said, shaky. “Who are you?” The clone chuckled and stepped to the side, letting Ryan get back onto land. Ryan accepted the offer, keeping his weapon trained on the not-so-stranger while he moved.

“You can call me the Wraith.” Ryan swallowed hard. This was not something he had been expecting, even in a world of magic. “And I think I’ll call you... Umbra.” Ryan furrowed his brow deep.

“I’d rather be Harkness.” The Wraith laughed, his voice booming throughout the small park.

“So that’s what you’re calling yourself now.” he said, sounding like it was the most entertaining thing in the world. “How cute.”

Ryan pulled the hammer back on his pistol. “I don’t care about cute. I care about getting out of here.” The Wraith walked around Ryan, hands behind his back, looking to the sky.

“I know. But you know what?” he asked, turning his head to face Ryan. “You’ll never get away from this life. You’ll always be a killer of men, a taker of life. And they’ll find out. And when they do, hoo boy, will they be scared.” Ryan got his other hand on his Automag.

“Then I’ll just have to leave.” The Wraith clicked his tongue and waved his finger, looking disappointed.

“And what? You think they’ll just let you? No, you’ll be imprisoned. You’re best bet is to deal with them, and then leave.” Ryan really wanted to pull the trigger of his gun in that moment. “It’s not like you haven’t killed people who don’t deserve it before.”

“Shut up.” Ryan ordered. The Wraith chuckled some more.

“Oh, did I strike a nerve there?” he asked smugly.

“Shut up.” Ryan ordered again. “I didn’t choose to. I had no say in the-”

“You had every say! Wasn’t your code to protect the innocent at any cost?” Ryan honestly couldn’t remember that; but it sounded like the old him. “And you just didn’t. You could have died and ended your suffering and prevented their deaths. But your hubris prevented that.” Ryan stepped back.

“No.” he said distraught. He had to get away from himself. “No, I didn’t. I just-”

“You chose your life over theirs, you coward!” the Wraith yelled. “You have no honor! You have no morals! YOU ARE ME!”

Ryan turned and ran away. “You can’t escape yourself Ryan! You will always be Ryan!” Ryan shut his eyes and holstered his weapon as he ran away, running hard to liberate himself from the shackles of the Wraith’s truths.

Ryan stopped and looked back; no Wraith. He was afraid that the Wraith would follow him. God only knew how it must have been following him so far without him noticing. It could have had him any time it wanted. Ryan shook his head. “I need a drink.” he said to himself. He stood tall and scanned the area. “Now where is the bar?” he thought, trying to get his bearings. He was close to Town Hall; that meant that the bar shouldn’t be too far.

He got his bearings and moved in the general direction of the bar, intent on forgetting the events of the night and the dark truth of his own history.