Joe and Nebula: A Tale of Two Evils

Joe woke with a start. He had had another one of the nightmares that plagued him almost every night now.  He started to move he felt the soreness in his legs and back. He hadn't had a good sleep since he started having the nightmares. He felt something stirring next to him and he froze. Applejack had worked extra hard yesterday while he had been away in Canterlot. She deserved some rest.

As he walked down the stairs, he heard a rustling in the kitchen. When he reached the landing he saw Big Mac cooking something on the stove top. Joe walked in, his stomach growling the entire time. He pulled back a chair and sat down, hearing this, Big Mac turned off the stove top and went to sit at the table. He put down a coffee mug In front of joe which he accepted and started sipping from it.

"So Joe, you and my sister have gotten, well, close." Big Mac said, pulling up a chair. Joe just nodded. "And are you guys, well you know, ummm, you know." He said looking slightly embarrassed.

"Are we what?"Joe asked stretching his back and popping his neck.

"We Um, you know," he said making a motion with his hooves. Joes expression changed from one of curiosity to one of embarrassment.

"N-no, we haven't done that." Joe said rubbing the back of his neck. Big Mac nodded and went back over to the stove and finished cooking the eggs. Applebloom walked down the stairs rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. We perked up when she saw Joe.

"Hey Joe, you wanna come crusading with me and the girls today. We're gonna get our cutie marks for music." She said with a hopeful smile on her face.

"Music ehh, I might be able to help with that. I played a few instruments in my world." He said scratching his chin.

"So you'll come." She said with her smile growing.

"Ya, I'll join you after I help applejack." He said. Her smile died.

"But that'll take forever." She complained.

"It won't take to long, I just gotta finish up my share from yesterday while I was away. It should only take an hour or two." He said as Big Mac sat down three plates of eggs on the table.

Joe ate his eggs quickly and headed out the front door and went to work on the apple orchard. He couldn't get thought of home out of his head. He wondered about victor and his other friends. He wondered about his house, he wondered about what the people on earth thought of him randomly disappearing. He heard a branch snap behind him. He turned around, startled. He started hearing whispers and a bush started rustling. He walked over to it and parted the branches. The cutie mark crusaders were just sitting there staring at him. All except sweetie belle who stared dreamily at him.

"What are you doing here. I told you I would be done soon and then we could go." He said, slightly frustrated.

"But Joe, you are finished. That's the last tree here." Applebloom said pointing up to the tree that he had just finished. "So technically we weren't diss obeying." She said. Joe sighed and put the last apples on the cart and hitched it to his back and started to pull. He felt the fillies jump in as well, adding weight to the already heavy cart. He unfolded his wings and began flapping them to get a little more propulsion. He brought the cart into the barn and unhitched it and started walking towards the door. The girls followed behind him and they headed towards vinyl's studio.

They pushed open the door and walked in. Vinyl came up and greeted them.

"Hey Joe, what can I do for you today." She said, her pink tinted sunglasses hiding her eyes.

"The girls wanted to try their hooves at music. Do you think they could help them out." I said. She nodded and motioned for them to follow her. She led them through a pair of double doors and into a padded room full of instruments.

"I had to have it sound proofed because of these two last time." She said pointing at applebloom and scootaloo. "Tavi almost killed me." Joe just chuckled. As the girls took to the instruments and started making "music", he couldn't help but notice that sweetie belle had some real talent. "So Joe, you play anything?"vinyl asked handing him a soda.

"Ya, I used to play the piano and the trombone when I was a human, but I haven't tried as a pony." He said taking a drink of his soda.

He heard scootaloo ask what the instrument with a slide is and realized that vinyl had one. He realized that it was his chance to resume his passion. Making music. He walked towards her.

"Do you know how to play that thing." He asked her. She shook her head. He reached down and picked it up and balanced himself up on two hooves and spread his wings for balance. He put the cold mouthpiece up to his lips and began to blow. His lips vibrated on the inside of the metal, sending a low tone flowing out of the bell. He grasped the slide brace in his hoof and began to move it along the length of the slide, moving his tongue to the roof of his mouth in a rhythm that he had known so well. The end result was garnet, a trombone solo that he had played at a competition when he was in seventh grade. All the ponies, including Octavia who had joined them whil he was playing sat there and listened in silence. When he finished and put the slide lock on the trombone and put it on the stand. He turned to the ponies to see all of them except Octavia sitting there with their mouths open. Octavia began to clap, slowly.

"Good job, good job indeed." She said. She held out a hoof. "My names Octavia, I play for the ponyville symphony orchestra." Joe shook her hoof.

"I'm Joe, I played in the wildcats honor band in high school before going to college and then becoming a pony to save my best friend." She looked at him oddly. Vinyl leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Her expression changed from one of confusion to one of understanding. As he and Octavia talked a pony appeared in the shadows. It was a great white stallion with a black mane and a scarred muzzle. He stepped out if the shadows and revealed himself.

"Hello Joe, I've waited along time for this." Nebula said out loud. Joes pupils shrank at the sound of the voice. He mumbled something.

"Who is he Joe, what's going on?" Applebloom asked scared.

"Get out, go back to the farm. If I don't come back, tell Big Mac to get ready to fight." He said turning to face the white stallion. Vinyl and Octavia lead the other three ponies out of the room while Joe and nebula stared daggers at each other. Joes look of suprise replaced with one of hatred and murder.

"Oh Joe, you know I won't kill you. Not yet. But it was wise to get the other ponies out." Nebula said drawing an evil looking dagger from within his cloak. "But that doesn't mean I can't have some fun with you." He said twirling the dagger in his hands and approaching Joe. He lunged at Joe. But he was ready and kicked up, knocking the dagger from his hands. Nebula didn't expect this and scrambled for the dagger but Joe was quicker. He flew over and bucked him in the ribs. Nebula crumpled onto the ground where Joe pinned him by the shoulders and began to beat him with his right hoof. After a few right crosses he picked the stallion up by the hair and looked him in the eyes.

"If you EVER come near me or my family again, I won't hesitate to kill you." He said. She stallion chuckled and spit out some blood. He then produced a small blade and plunged it into joes should. His horn sparkled and he disappeared leaving Joe there with his wound. He pulled the dagger out fighting back tears. He sniffed the dagger and his mouth went dry. This didn't smell like metal, this was poisoned. He clutched his shoulder as the ringing in his ears began. He flew out of the studio and made a break for the farm. He only made it to the town square before he passed out and the nightmares began.