I Hate Decisions

Chapters

New Assignment
Waking Up
Evidence
Think Twice
Another Reason
This is Why

New Assignment

The day was just like any other, I woke up, brushed my teeth, took a bath, ate, and watched TV to pass the time. Oh, I forgot to mention, I did all this in a wheelchair. Yeah, lost my legs a couple years back in the marines. Some CQC action and an IED none of us saw coming. Rodriguez and Herrera didn't take much of it, but me and Ben were a yard within its radius. Ben's gone, and I lost my legs from shrapnel infections. I was honorably discharged and put on ex-military fund programs. I lost my girlfriend and fell into a depression, which made me sort of an asshole. My friends who weren't in the force tried to help, but me being an asshole didn't really help with that. Some of them gave up and just call to see how I'm doing, some don't bother, and my family do their best to help me.

Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Andrew Navas. As of last month I'm 29, and this is my shit apartment. Damn place is the best these vet funds could get me. Since I joined the force just to join, I don't really have any experience with any kind of profession, and without my legs I can't get a dead end job. It sucks, but it's better than ending up like Ben did.

So I was sitting here, just another regular Wednesday. Today felt even worse because of the damn rain outside, so I just sat in my rusty wheelchair watching whatever the hell came on. There was Spongebob, some ESPN, a college football game, and some weird ass cartoons. Sometimes I really wished Herrera or Rodriguez took the blast. I know, I'm a selfish ass, but seriously, without legs my life is just pointless. The least that could've happened was I got what Ben did.

Would be great if you had your legs

"Yeah, I kno-..." I looked around my apartment, but it was just me and the TV.

"Hello? I'm warning you, I got a piece right here," I called. There was chuckling coming from every direction, which made me think for a moment I was finally losing it. "Hello?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," the voice chuckled. I half expected him to step out from the kitchen or behind the couch, but my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when the wood on the floor started moving.

My jaw dropped as it started to bend, like in one of those badly animated movies. There was an antler then a horn on the head of a horse. Whoever or whatever it was had a paw grow then a talon, and his body was half goat, half snake. He had a scaled tail and feet. The wood color got more realistic and went from its maple to several colors. Whatever he was, he was pretty fucking ugly. He looked like someone put six different animals in a blender then put it on Earth.

"What the fuck are you?" I forced out of my throat.

"Now now, no need for such language," the freak laughed. "Do all humans have stubs for legs?"

I could hear the sarcasm in his voice, and I pulled my M9 from its holster on the side of my chair. "Oh the build-a-bear freak has jokes," I said with just as much sarcasm. "What the hell are you and what the hell are you doing here?"

He chuckled and put his...paw and talon behind his back. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself Andrew. I am Discord, God of Chaos."

It took a moment for me to realize this pistol wouldn't do crap to a god, if what this Discord was saying was true. "Okay, first of all, there's only one God, so you sure as hell aren't. Second, why are you here?"

"To talk to you Andrew," he said with mock innocence. "You miss spending your days with the Marines right? All those bad men you were shooting to protect your country?"

"I'm not patriotic, and if you don't cut that sarcastic bullshit out I will pull this trigger." I flicked the safety off and pointed it at his ugly head.

"I thought you liked it," Discord chuckled. I pulled the trigger, tired of hearing that annoying tone. I had to be high, because the bullet just bounced off of him like rubber. I fired the rest of the clip into his body but they just ricocheted through the house.

"Um, hello? God of Chaos?" he laughed. I tossed away the pistol and crossed my arms.

"You gonna kill me or what? If you are then do it now, it's better than this shit hole of a life," I said. Discord smirked and came over to me. I braced myself for the worst, half hoping I could see it coming to know I was free of this crappy life.

Instead, he put his paw and claw on my stubs of legs, and before I could ask what the fuck my legs started glowing. I swear to you, that as soon as they started glowing, my legs started to stretch out. Anything I could have said caught in my throat as I saw five little nubs grow out on each leg, followed by hair and some cracks of bone. My legs... they... they were back. After two years of missing my lower half I had them back, and I was still sitting in that god forsaken chair.

For the first time in two years, I wiggled my toes and moved my feet like a newborn would. Slowly, still thinking this was some sick, cruel joke, I placed my right foot on the wooden floorboard. The wood was cold, and I nearly let a tear fall as I recognized the feeling of cold feet. My other leg stretched onto the floor, bringing the same chilly feeling that I had to shiver. The moment of truth came, and I shifted forward ever so slowly. Even after two years of not having these babies and I could stand. For fuck's sake I could stand the hell up like a true marine. The drills and training made it impossible for me to stand any other way than with my back straight.

"Do you like them?" he asked with a grin. I was still getting annoyed by his smug expression, but I ignored it because I had my legs back.

"How did... when… this is amazing," I gasped. I lifted one off the floor then did the same with the other. "Thank you. My god, thank you!"

"So you do?" Discord chuckled. "Good, because you'll be needing them."

My celebratory jumping came to a stop as I turned to him. "What do you mean I'll be needing them?"

"You know, I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine?" he grinned.

"Uh, I never asked you to do it," I reminded him. "This is on you buddy."

I went to go throw the wheelchair, as I wanted to for so many months, but my body just locked up. "Now that is going to be a problem," Discord sighed. "It wouldn't be fair if I gave you your legs without payment."

I was lifted into the air, then turned to face him. "Yeah well my next check comes in tomorrow, you can have it," I told him.

"You know what I mean Andrew," he chuckled. "You see, given your skill set as a soldier, I need you to do something for me. There's this kingdom, and their rulers really bug me, so with you I can have you lie to them, sabotage certain items, and then I can bring chaos over Equestria once again."

"Equestria? Chaos? Why don't you get someone else to do it?" I retorted. My legs started to feel tingly so I looked at them. The moment I saw them my heart plummeted.

They were shrinking.

"Because Andrew, you need your legs, and I need my spy," he said a bit more venomously. "You don't even know these people, so it should be a walk in the park. Do this for me, and you'll have your life back. You can be a marine, or a busboy or a waiter or whatever it is you want. But if not, say bye to your legs."

They were shrinking slowly, which meant I only had a certain amount of time. It had to be my damn legs man, I mean, why not one? Then I could afford one of those cheap replacements. I could feel my toes retracting, and I came up with the decision right there. No way was I losing the thing that would make me a whole man again.

"Fine!" I shouted kinda panickedly. "Fine I'll help you! Just leave my legs alone and we got a deal!"

He smirked and dropped me back onto the floor. To make sure he wasn't pulling my leg - now that I finally have them back - I looked closely at them. They were as good as new, with the nails and every little hair.

"Excellent, now, you'll be needing these," Discord said to me as three little flashes came from his paw. There were three little crystal balls. "This one, is for you to contact me." He gave me the green one. "This, is just in case any of the ponies find out what you're truly there for."

He passed me the red one. "What's it do?"

He pointed it at my TV, and after tapping it with a claw it firef a bolt at it. My TV was blasted into a million pieces, making me shield myself.

"What the fuck?!"

"Oh be quiet," he sneered. He pointed his open paw at the debris, and the television rebuilt itself. "There, happy? And this one, is to send you back here. But, it will only work when I activate this one."

He handed me the yellow ball and showed me a second in his other paw. "Okay, and you'd better keep your end of the deal," I warned, as dumb as it was since he was a god.

"I may lie but I don't break promises."

"Sure, God of Chaos."

He smirked, then rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Fine. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"...what?"

"Don't worry, with any luck you'll see what it means. So, remember. Gain the trust of these six pesky girls and these two princess bitches," Discord said as he made eight pictures of women pop up.

Now, I'm not gonna lie, they looked a bit weird. For starters, their hair colors weren't your usual ones, except for the one with the cowboy hat. They had all different colors of hair, and the two princesses had hair that looked like glitter assembled and solidified. Another thing that put me off, was the fact that the one with pink and purple hair and the one with a curled violet mane had horns. The pink haired girl and the rainbow head had wings, and the princesses had both.

"This, is Celestia, and her little sister Luna," Discord pointed to the princesses. "Now, ready to help spread chaos?"

"Wait wait, what about these girls?" I asked.

"Oh don't worry, you'll meet them," he snickered. "They're very friendly, which is how you'll get close enough to do what I need you to do."

"You still haven't told me," I reminded him.

He pointed a paw behind him, and a vortex swirled into life. "In time Andrew," he chuckled. "Now come on, you have a mission to complete."

I sighed as I took my first few steps forward, slowly nearing the portal. I reached my hand forward, and it started to break up as I walked closer. My body lost all feeling, and soon I was feeling nothing at all.

Except the rip of pain through my body as I hit something hard.

I shouted and rolled onto my stomach, coughing badly before looking around properly. It was a really dark, creepy looking forest with twisted faces making up the trunks of the trees. Before I could even hope to do a little recon, I heard growling behind me. When I spun around I could see four, no, five...

...

...wooden wolves?

Yup, made of different kinds of branches and some kind of green, glowing sap. My training kicked in and I looked around for any kind of weapon, surprised to see a knife on the floor. Guess Discord didn't let me go in empty handed.

The first wooden beast pounced, and it knocked me on my already sore back. Either the little sucker was strong, or being in that wheelchair really got me weak. Whichever one, it was hard keeping it's jaw away from my face as it snapped them open and shut. I jabbed the knife into the side of its head, a little taken back when the head just popped off and sprayed the green stuff on me. I pushed the rest of the twig body off of me and sprung onto my feet. The others were circling me, and two of them came at once. I tumbled around with one while the other was busy gnawing on my new leg. I screamed but tossed the first aside and stabbed the one on my leg repeatedly until it let go. The third sucker latched onto my wrist, forcing me to yell and drop the knife.

I pulled it under me and threw my full weight on top of it, which was a whopping 220 thanks to my new limbs. It shattered and sprayed the sap under me, which was a little gross actually. The other two were coming back for more, and without the knife and my terribly injured wrist and leg I started hobbling away. I pushed through the brush and thorns, panting from the exhaustion that was coming fast. I should've listened to Gabe and exercised my arms at least so I wouldn't get lazy.

I could hear the two dogs coming up behind me, and right as I broke into a little clearing one of them pounced on my back. He dug his splintery teeth into my shoulder, which made me scream out loud. The other did his best to try and rip away a piece of flesh from my leg, but ended up breaking it from my thrashing. I used my other leg to kick it off, but the one on my back kept feasting on my back. It was all so painful, and it had been years since I last felt anything close to this. My body was giving out, and I was slowly slipping away.

"Get away from him!" I tried looking, but all I felt was something hot searing my back a little, and the wolf getting knocked off of me.

The one on my leg whimpered, and I heard two little zap sounds as it left back into the bushes. I turned my head and saw the one that was on my back, which was on fire.

"Twi what is-OH MY GOSH!"

I could hear another, more hushed voice behind me. The last thing I saw, was the girl with a pink streak in her hair, and a purple horn on her forehead.

Twilight was in absolute shock and horror at the gored man beneath her. His back was severely mauled, and his right leg was pointed oddly. He seemed to have lost consciousness after she got the timberwolves off of him, and scorching his back in the process. Fluttershy already started checking over his wounds, and he was in worse shape than she first thought.

"We need to get him to a hospital!" Fluttershy quickly said. Twilight nodded and placed her hand on the pegasus and the man.

The spell transported them outside the Ponyville Hospital, where they rushed inside with the man in Twilight's magic hold. Nurse Redheart looked up from her desk and saw the girls with the bleeding man. She sprung from her desk to one of the gurneys and rolled it over to the girls.

"What happened?" Redheart asked as they settled the man on the gurney.

"He was attacked by some timberwolves," Twilight quickly answered.

"Please help him," Fluttershy whimpered, noticing his lifeless expression.

"We'll do what we can," Redheart nodded. "Make way! Ready the ER!"

A couple of doctors and assisstants ran after Redheart as she wheeled him to the emergency room. Twilight and Fluttershy took a seat in the waiting room to wait for any news on the man.

"Fluttershy, I'm going to tell the other girls where we are," Twilight said. "I don't want them worrying about us still being in the Everfree."

"Okay," the pegasus nodded. "I'll wait for the doctors until you get back."

Twilight nodded and made her way out of the room, leaving Fluttershy to worry about the man's condition.

Author's Note

I had to write this down. I'm sure something like this was done before, but now it's my turn. So anyways guys, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day/night. Peaces.

Waking Up

"Andrew. Aaaaaandrew. Wake up."

I gasped and nearly choked when I shot up from my prone body. The first thing I had to do was cough, then groan from all the pain the coughing made. I looked around the room I was in and saw a window and some other hospital beds. Before I looked anywhere else, I saw the bastard that sent me here.

"Morning," he grinned.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" I shouted. "Are you trying to kill me?! Or can I not have my damn legs back?!"

He chuckled as he laid down in midair. "Ah, you forget Andrew, we needed to make this look as real as possible," he jabbed a finger chidingly. "They needed to meet you like this so you have an easier time fooling them."

"By dying?!" I looked over my body and saw lots of bandages on my arm and a cast around my leg.

"No, you're still breathing aren't you?" he smiled. "But now, your mission starts. You'll act as though you don't know where you are, you'll tell them you're human, your name, maybe a little background aside from your Marine life. And you must be grateful for two of them that saved you."

"And be pissed at you for nearly killing me!" I shouted again. He rolled his eyes and stood next to my bed.

"Relax, you're lucky I knew they would be out there," he said. "Now, the first part of your mission is to gain their trust. Tell them you're human, and that you need to find a way back home. With any luck, they might contact the princesses and start your second mission. Tell me when, or if, they get the princesses to help."

"And what if I can't get them to trust me?" I asked.

Discord smiled as his body started to get more transparent. "Say bye to your legs," he cackled.

I gulped, then winced from the pain in my shoulder. "Sure. Any idea how I can get their trust?" I asked.

"Be yourself," he shrugged. "Act suave, I don't know. Just act like you have no idea what happened. And keep those gems hidden."

"You haven't told me where I am," I reminded him. "So that shouldn't be too hard. Better hope my leg isn't lost or you can forget about our deal."

Discord chuckled, and his body started melting. I swear I'm never going to not get freaked out by that. "Don't worry, soon you'll be back in your world with your legs and your life back."

His body melted into the floor and disappeared, leaving me to my thoughts. Or so I thought.

"Oh, you're awake," I heard. I looked over to the door and saw a pale skinned nurse with dull pink hair.

"Just now," I groaned. "What happened? Where am I?"

"You were attacked by some timberwolves, and for where you are, you're in Ponyville. The hospital to be exact," she smiled. The 'timberwolves' part was understandable, but not this 'Ponyville'.

"Who are you?" I forgot to ask.

She giggled cutely, then smiled. "I'm sorry, my name is Nurse Redheart," she said. "Your doctor should be here soon."

"Is he awake?"

"Who's that?" I asked.

"You have visitors," she smiled. "Would you like to see them?"

"I guess," I shrugged. She nodded and stepped outside, then two girls came in.

I recognized them both, one having a light tannish skin color with purple hair and a streak of pink. The other was fairly white with long bubblegum hair. They looked worried, but then again I was nearly dog food however long ago.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," she smiled. "Princess Celestia's personal student."

"My name's Fluttershy," the other one said softly.

"They're the one's who brought you here," Redheart told me. "You were pretty banged up when you got here. The doctor's took an hour to stitch you up."

"Does it hurt?" Fluttershy asked. I tried rolling my shoulder, and the stitches stretched a bit.

"Sort of," I grunted. I remember what Discord told me, and sighed. "My name is Andrew. Andrew Navas.

They were confused a bit by my name. "That's a… an interesting name," Twilight smiled. "Why were you in the Everfree?"

"The what?"

"The forest," Twilight said. "Why were you in there?"

I couldn't tell them, not if I was going to keep my legs. "I uh… I don't know," I stammered. "I was asleep, and when I woke up I was in that forest. Those things attacked me, and I did my best to get away."

"You don't remember how you got there?" Fluttershy worriedly asked.

"I didn't go there at all," I said. "I was asleep in my house when I slammed into the dirt."

"Where's your house?" Twilight asked. I took a moment to look at her horn, then glance at Fluttershy's wings.

"It's in Miami." They each gave a confused raise of their brow. "Y'know, Miami, Florida?"

"Florida?" Twilight seemed genuinely confused.

If she didn't know this, then I know something isn't right. "America?" They shook their heads and shrugged. "Twilight, what's the name of this country?"

She seemed even more confused when I asked that. "Equestria, and you're in Ponyville," she said like it was obvious.

"Do you have a map of it?"

"Hold on, I think there's one in the utility closet," Redheart said as she left the room. I was trying my hardest to not come to terms with what was happening, but if she didn't have a sensible map I was screwed.

"Here we go." She unrolled the large poster and held it up against the wall. "What do you need it for?"

I stared at the map for a full twenty seconds without moving. Nothing, in all my years of memorizing the countries of the world, matched this. There wasn't any place with Ponyville, or Canterlot, or Manehatten, or Apploosa. Nor was there a large country named Equestria, or Gryphos, or the Dragon Empire.

"Where the hell am I?" I said barely audible.

"We already said-"

"I know what you said," I cut Twilight off harshly. "This isn't relevant to anything I've ever seen. It's not North, South, or Central America. There's no city on the side of the mountain. And there are no horned or winged people where I'm from. What are you anyway?"

"What seems to be the problem here?" a man with short brown hair questioned. "Ah, good to see you're finally awake."

"Doctor, did you check for any signs of head trauma or any injuries to the head," Redheart tried to whisper. I could hear every syllable.

"I'm not fucked up in the head, and I'm just fine! So what the hell are you all?!" Discord never mentioned where I was going, or what they were.

"Sir please calm down," the doctor said.

"Don't tell me to calm down! What the hell are all of you?!" I started to shout. Fluttershy seemed a bit scared, and was hiding behind Twilight.

"I'm a unicorn, Fluttershy is a pegasus, and Nurse Redheart is a normal person," Twilight said calmly.

Pegasus, unicorns? Discord left many gaps for me to fill in, and pretty quickly too. "No, no you're not human! None of you are!" I shouted hysterically. "What is this place?! Let me out right now!"

"Sir, you still aren't in any condition to-"

"I've been through worse god damn it! Let me out of-GAH!" My shoulder started hurting like all hell when I tried sitting further up. Nurse Redheart tried making me sit back but I shrugged her off fast. "Don't touch me! None of you! Not until I get some answers!"

Seriously, I thought it would be me just talking to some regular people. Not these… whatever they hell they were. They weren't human, and I could be having a really bad dream, or Discord decided to be an ass to me and drop me in the middle of some planet or is just screwing with me.

"Andrew please," Twilight said as she slowly stepped forward. "These ponies can help you with whatever it is-"

"I don't need help!" I shouted, making her cringe slightly. "I need to know what the hell is going on! I-"

Doctor Aid's horn continued to glow as the empty sedative floated into the waste bin. "I'm sorry, but he was having a panic attack," Aid sighed. "We'll be sure to run some tests, see if he suffered any brain damage or stress to his occipital lobe."

Nurse Redheart carefully adjusted him in his seat and lifted the cast back into the sling. "Are you sure he'll be alright?" Twilight asked, a little concerned for Andrew.

"I'm sure it might just be a minor case of short term memory loss," Aid smiled. "He still remembers his name at least."

"But what about all the 'America' he was talking about?" Fluttershy questioned. "He seemed really convinced he was from there."

"Don't worry, I'll look into it," Twilight said to the pegasus. "Maybe it's some country past Gryphos, or maybe by Saddle Arabia."

Fluttershy glanced at Andrew as Redheart fixed him some more, then sighed sadly. "Okay, can you check on him tomorrow? Maybe he can talk then," Fluttershy asked.

"Sure Fluttershy," Twilight smiled. "We can't just leave him now, can we?" Fluttershy smiled back and gave her friend a quick hug.

"I think it's best if we leave him to rest," Aid said. "You can come back tomorrow for sure, after we do some tests to see if he's alright up here," he chuckled as he pointed to his head.

"Thank you Doctor Aid," Twilight nodded. "Come on Fluttershy, let's go."

Ponyville Hospital, 11:52 P.M.

My eyes slowly opened, still feeling pretty heavy. I looked around, kind of hoping I passed out on my wheelchair and I had some twisted dream. I didn't, and I was still lying on the hospital bed all fucked up. The conversation I had with the four… whatever's came back up in my head, and with my good left arm I reached into my right side pocket. I pulled out the green gem and tapped it twice. No sooner did it start glowing a dim white.

"Done already?" I heard Discord's voice cackle.

"You bastard!" I sneered quietly. "You didn't fucking tell me I would be on some place that isn't anywhere on Earth! Where the hell is this Equestria anyway?! And what the hell is wrong with these people?! Why do they have horns and wings?!"

Discord started laughing like a madman, or mad-whatever-the-hell-he-is. "Oh, you're doing an excellent job Andrew! Never did like change did you? I knew you'd be perfect for this." A part of me wanted to punch him, while the other half wanted to just get all this over with.

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me asswipe?" I retorted. He hummed in mock thought, then snapped one of his appendages.

"Gain their trust, and keep your cover. If you contact me again, and you haven't gotten the princesses to help…" I felt my legs starting to shrink again. "Say goodbye to your legs."

"Fine," I said through clenched teeth. My legs went back to normal, and the glow died off completely.

The whole room was creepily quiet, and even though I was asleep for who knows how long, I still felt sleepy. I needed to go through with this, even if it meant meeting these things. Hey, they looked pretty okay until I noticed the extra body parts. But now, I'm a marine coming out of retirement. I have my legs, for now, and I have my first mission in three years. If I don't fuck this up, I can get my life back together and live like I never lost my legs. If I do, I probably won't remember and be sent back to my crappy life, or Discord could make me his personal bitch. Or kill me, that would work for me. But for now, I had to get my shit together and go through with the mission. My life depended on it.

Author's Note

Yup, second chap already. Remember guys, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night. Peace off.

Evidence

The next morning rolled around and that damn injection made me feel like shit. Thank God that the… whatever they are, weren't here yet. And I'll be damned if I don't find the asshole that stabbed the needle in my shoulder. It's still a bit sore.

All I could do until they got here was wait and wonder how I could make them realize I wasn't one of them. They have horns, wings, and normal people, so I don't see how they'll be able to tell me apart. And since they found me beaten to high hell, their thoughts about amnesia will really be backed up.

I needed… I needed some kind of way to show them. Like… something they couldn't possibly have here. Yeah, evidence. But it's not like I can just go back home, grab my iPod, or camera, and be back in five minutes.

…

…but…

…there is a certain God of Chaos that could help me. If he doesn't send some other guy first.

Eh, if it means keeping my legs I'll piss him off a bit. Kinda like payback for the sarcastic shit he was doing. I went into my pocket and took out the three gems, then picked out the green one and stuffed the rest in my pocket. A bit nervously, I tapped on the gem twice and waited for a response.

"This had better be good"

"Okay, first, you should have known that I look just like their regular people, so it's gonna be hard as hell to tell them I'm human," I whispered. "It they're gonna believe I'm not one of them, I need something from back home to prove I'm not from here."

I could hear Discord mulling it over, and in the end he groaned.

"Fine. But I'm warning you. Get to the princesses by next week, or you'll be back in that wheelchair of yours."

"Yes, sir," I chuckled. Hey, I was taking orders so might as well.

The gems stopped glowing and everything was quiet. I waited for something to happen, and when nothing did I sat on the bed. A couple minutes passed but still nothing had shown up or popped up.

Knock knock

Fuck me.

I laid back down and pushed the gems further down into my pocket. "Come in," I called.

The door opened, and I was surprised to see Fluttershy come in a bit shyly. "Um, go-good, good morning, Andrew," she said quietly.

"Uh, hey, Fluttershy right?" She nodded very gently and hid a little behind her dull pink hair. She had a short yellow blouse on and some jeans that ended just above her ankles. I looked down and saw she was holding a basket full of muffins and cupcakes. "Those for sale?"

Fluttershy looked at the goods, almost forgetting she was holding them. "A-Actually, these are for you," she said, holding her arm out to me.

I raised a brow, really hoping the doctors didn't put something in it. Slowly, I used my good arm to grab the basket and set it on my lap. There were all sorts of oven baked treats in it. Blueberry, chocolate chip, banana nut - I think - corn muffins, plain chocolate, and a regular cupcake. They looked pretty good, and the smell made it obvious these were fresh.

"Uh, thanks, I guess." Fluttershy looked away and nodded.

"Um, my friend Pinkie Pie made these, for you," she told me. "For you to get better."

It was only now that I saw a small letter attached to the side of the basket. When I opened it, there was a shit ton of writing. Just to be nice, I opened the letter and started to read the wall of text.

"Hi there Andrew! My name's Pinkie Pie! I heard you were sent to the hospital after Twilight and Fluttershy found you and rescued you and you were hurt pretty bad in the head and I felt so bad and had a frowny face but then I got an idea to make you happy and me too by making you goodies because no one can be mad or sad when you get a gift and the best gifts are the one's you make so me and Fluttershy made you a whole batch of cupcakes and some muffins to see if you feel better!!!!!!"

There was more to read, but ain't nobody got time for that. "Wow, she really needs to put a few commas and periods in there," I chuckled. "Uh, thanks for bringing it I guess."

"Oh, i-it was nothing, really," she smiled softly. I'm not gonna lie, even with those yellow wings, she was pretty cute.

I grabbed one of the corn muffin's, since they were my favorite, and munched on it. Good lord were they the best fucking corn muffins I have ever had in my life. And I've had hundreds of different corn muffins, it's how I put on a few pounds while out of commission. Inwardly, I moaned at how warm and moist it still was. But the taste was freaking perfect; soft yet chewy top while the rest was tender as hell!

"My God," I mumbled.

"Do you like it?" Fluttershy asked.

I snapped out of my silent prayer of thanks to the muffin gods and nodded. "They're… amazing!" I laughed. Fuck yeah is a better way to put it but…

"I'm glad you like them," Fluttershy said a bit more openly. And her smile wasn't hid by her hair. She was actually, really pretty.

Not to be a complete greedy bastard, I stuck out my arm with the basket to her. "You could get one if you'd like," I said.

"Oh, but they're-"

"Really Fluttershy, even I can't eat all of these now. Probably might get a stomach ache if I do," I chuckled.

Fluttershy nodded with a smile and took a corn muffin. While I mentally said a small 'no', she bit into it and hummed with delight.

"Pinkie Pie's a really good baker, and a nice friend," she smiled. "Maybe you could meet her after we see if you're okay."

"Maybe," I said with a mouthful of muffin. "So, where's, Twilight right? The… unicorn was it?"

Fluttershy's smile dimmed a bit, turning her features into that of caring pity. "You must have hit your head pretty hard," she said softly.

I sighed and slumped in my bed. They still didn't believe me, and Discord still hasn't brought something from back home. "I'm fine Fluttershy," I sighed. "My head's alright, my memory's fine, but my body isn't. I didn't get amnesia! I remember everything in my life! I'm not one of your regular people!"

Fluttershy cringed a bit visibly at my protest, but she still held that worried frown. I sighed and wiped my hand across my face, feeling like a total dumbass to my own reasons of why they didn't believe me.

"I'm sorry. It's just… just…"

"Frustrating?" Fluttershy suggested.

There's annoying as hell, but… "Yeah. It's pretty frustrating," I sighed as I crossed my arms.

The door opened and Nurse Redheart walked in. "I'm sorry Fluttershy, but we'll be needing to check Andrew right now," she said.

"Okay," she nodded. "I hope you get better."

I nodded as she left, then turned to Redheart. "Doctor Aid should be here in a minute," she said. "Before he does I just need to check a few things."

"Sure," I flatly said.

She removed the cast from my leg, which let me see just how bad it was. The skin was irritated to high hell and while the cuts had stopped bleeding the scabs and bruises made it look deformed almost. Nurse Redheart didn't get disgusted in the slightest as she lifted it a bit up.

"Feel any pain?" she asked.

"Not much." She lifted it another few inches and I clenched my teeth. "Felt something there."

She nodded and put the cast back on around my leg. "Sit up, please." I got my legs over the side with some help and she started removing the bandages from my back. "Do you feel my hand?"

"Yup," I said. She moved her hand across gently and rested her palm against the wound. "Is it bad?"

"Kinda," she giggled. "Gonna leave a nasty scar when it heals. Can you feel this?"

What… the… hell…

"N… no," I gasped. I had read about things like this. The muscle or the tissue being too damaged or whatever so you can't feel.

"It's alright, just a few fingers big," she soothed me. "You'll still feel a hug when somepony gives you one."

Somepony?

"What do you mean somepony? You mean somebody, right?" She stopped her test and looked at me.

"No, I'm pretty sure that's how we say i-…oh," she suddenly said. "I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but all of us are supposed to be descendants of ponies. Pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies, and alicorns all evolved or something into what we are now. But everypony still refers us as ponies."

So, unicorns and pegasi turned into them? What kind of evolution is this?

"Oh," is all I could respond with.

She put the bandages back around the gash and walked to the sink. "Not too much damage to your wounds," she said. "Just a few places the timberwolf may have damaged the tissue, but nothing major. And your arm should be good to go in a few days; no bones were actually broken."

"Good," I sighed. Discord would have my head if I was in this hospital after a week.

Well… my legs really, but that's besides the point.

The door opened once again and Doctor Aid came in. "Ah, you're up," Aid said. "Any headeaches? Soreness, throbbing?"

"No doc," I said..

Nurse Redheart turned to Aid, who nodded, then left the room. "While you were… asleep, we took a few scans of your skull and brain to survey for any damage," he said.

"MRI?" The doctor looked at me a bit confused.

"MRI?" he repeated.

I sighed with a bit of annoyance. "Nevermind," I muttered. "I told you I'm fine."

"Actually." He walked over to me and opened a file he had in his hand. There were pictures that looked pretty confusing. "We noticed you're missing your enchantican lobe, and every other part of your brain seems to be larger than any regular pony."

Now I was confused. "Enchantican lobe? What in the fu-uuh… I mean, what's that?" I steered clear of the foul language. I had to gain their trust after all.

"It's the part of the brain that allows you to use your magic," he said. "Do you remember having any birth mutations or accidents?"

These questions were really starting to bug me. "Doc, am I fff-messed up in the head or what?" I asked rudely.

"Not that we can tell," he said. "But if you can remember-"

"I remember everything goddamn it!" I shouted. "There's nothing wrong with me! I don't have amnesia, I don't have a head mutation, and I never had the enchanti-whatever because I'm not one of you!"

His horn started glowing, and when I looked to my left I saw a vaccine sucking up some clear liquid. Bastard must have prepared for me to do something like this. I squirmed a bit to get up, but I stopped when I felt something nudging me.

Nudging me in the ass.

"Wait!" I said while putting my good arm up. "I can prove it to you!"

The needle rested on the tray near the door, and Aid raised a brow. "What 'proof' do you have?" I could hear the doubt in his voice.

I reached into my backpocket - the asshole that was my boss putting it in my right cheek pocket - and took out the only thing that could get me back on course with my mission.

My iPhone 4.

I showed it to him, and his horn stopped glowing immediately. "What's that?" he asked, eyeing my phone a bit interestedly.

"It's an iPhone 4," I laughed a bit nervously. "Don't have any of these around do you?"

He got closer to the bed and took the device in his hand. He turned it in his hand and brought it closer to his face as he examined it. When he accidentally pressed the lock button, the screen lit up and surprised him. I remembered the picture on the lock screen was of me and my marine graduate class. Behind us, the American flag and some humvees.

"Who are they?" he asked.

I smiled, knowing that he was starting to believe. "Derek, Frank, Castro, Romeo, Terri, John, Daniel, and me," I recited the names left to right. "Graduating class for the Marine Corps. Best soldiers you'll find from here to… well, back home I guess."

His eyes were now wider than saucers as he looked at me then all over the picture. "Give me one minute," he said as he bolted out the room with my phone.

"Hey! Better bring that back!" I shouted after him. With my new legs I was ready to put the smackdown on someone.

It was another hour before Doctor Aid finally came back with Twilight and some other chick. Rainbow Dash if I'm not wrong. Twilight had a sort of gleeful expression, while Rainbow eyed me cautiously, and a bit suspiciously. Twilight kept trying to unlock the iPhone, and she squeed when the password key came up.

"Give me it," I said. She handed it to me and I typed in the code away from them. "Look here."

I went to photos of me before I lost my legs, and it wasn't too long ago. Four to five years maybe. I showed them the camps, some weapons I held, me firing an M16A4. The tanks, the humvees, the helicopters, the airfields, and a picture of the world map I had to study. There were a few I took while I was around Florida, which was mostly me and friends down by the boardwalk or whatever.

"So you're a soldier for the human race?!" Twilight asked with more excitment than she should've had.

"No. My world is seperated into different countries, hundreds of them," I explained. "I'm part of a very traditional and organized group of soldiers called Marines. We learn to survive, to fight, to kill, and to use caution when on deployments. I was a Corporal of the United States Marines."

Rainbow looked at some of the photos I showed Aid and Twilight and shrugged. "Don't seem so tough to me," she chuckled.

No, I'm not patriotic, but the Marines are my family, so fuck with them, you fuck with me. "Ever had a piece of metal the size of a pencil and four times as thick pass through your skull from a mile away?" I asked coldly. "Or dropped on your ass then stabbed in the neck? These guys have done it, I've done it, and they're still doing it."

The three of them looked a bit shocked at what I just said. "You mean… you've actually killed somepony?" Twilight asked.

"They were bad men," I sighed. "Extremist retards that think they're better and go around killing for whatever reasons. Marines just make sure these guys are put down so no one else gets hurt."

"So, like, a Royal Guard. Or a police officer," Rainbow said.

I chuckled a bit. "Sure, let's go with that," I said while shaking my head. "But, I'm not some sadistic killer. Just a soldier trained to 'protect liberty wherever it may reside'."

Freakin' Staff Seargant Rodriguez and his patriotic ass. Now that I thought about it, maybe showing and telling them I was a highly trained soldier was a bad idea. And maybe they might call this Princess Celestia or Royal Guards to come get me.

"So, I'm not getting dissected am I?" I asked, half-joking half-serious.

Twilight looked incredulously at me. "Why would we do that?!" she exclaimed.

I shrugged. "Hey, some alien shows up on another world, someone wants to learn everything about it and goes to the extreme?" Jesus I watch a lot of movies.

"Equestria isn't like that Andrew," Aid chuckled. "But I do think there are a few things Miss Sparkle will need from you."

"Shouldn't we get Celestia for something like this?" Rainbow nudged Twilight's side.

Celestia. The tall lady with the flowing hair! I need to speak with her!

"Well she might need to know a soldier from another world is here," Twilight smiled. "I'll be sure to send her a letter, but first I need to-"

"I need to speak with Celestia," I quickly said.

They all looked at me funny, save for Twilight who was surprised. "Why?" Rainbow asked.

"Well, she's supposed to be the ruler right?" I asked.

"Aside from Princess Luna of course," Twilight told me.

"Okay. Isn't there some way she could, I don't know, send me home? Or magic me back to my house?" Damn, really messing up with the magic stuff.

Twilight looked a bit disappointed. "But-but I have so many questions about humans!" she exclaimed. "Couldn't you stay just a little longer?"

Before I could speak, Aid cut in. "I'm afriad meeting the princess will have to wait," he said. "Your injuries won't heal until Sunday, even with healing spells. You'll need to stay here until then."

Twilight smiled enthusiastically, then stopped. "Um, sorry," she sheepishly smiled. "And, I'm sorry for not believing you earlier."

"I think I owe you an apology as well," Aid chuckled.

"Yeah, it's fine," I said. "What's today?"

"Tuesday," Rainbow said. "Twi can we hurry? The girls always get there early and I hate it when Rarity gives me a speech about being on time."

Twilight nodded then handed me the iPhone. "I'll be back tomorrow to ask a few questions," she smiled. "Just wait for me until then." She left the room, but Rainbow lagged behind.

"A little advice," Rainbow snickered. "Answer the question and nothing else. She'll never stop if you don't give her exact answers."

I nodded slowly, then she gave me a peace sign and flew out the room. She seemed pretty… athletic. And her rainbow hair was natural by the look of it. These people were weird, even if they were descendants of ponies. Wonder what this place has in store for me.

Guess I'll see before I hand it over to Discord.

Author's Note

Hey everypony! Yours truly here! This chapter went unedited, so expect a revised copy soon enough. As always, like, comment, favorite, and have a great day/night!

PS: Check out my other stories! Um, y'know, if you don't mind? See you guys later!

Think Twice

Good God, shut up!

I groaned into into pillow as Pinkie Pie went on about how excited she was to have a new face in Ponyville and how awesome my party was going to be when I got out. Frankly, I didn't care, but if it earned me her trust…

Screw it.

"That's enough, sugarcube," Applejack chuckled, probably seeing my groan. "Now get along 'fore the Cakes need ya."

"Oh! Right! Maybe they can help, too!" Pinkie giggled, hugging me tightly. "See ya later, alligator!"

She giggled loudly as she skipped out of the room, leaving the farm girl and Fluttershy with me. "Does she always talk that much?" I asked.

"Often," Applejack chuckled. "Ah don't worry much, she ain't always like that. Just mos' o' the time."

"How are you doing?" Fluttershy asked, looking over to the bandaged shoulder. She's been visiting me for the past week, keeping me some company and asking questions about nature on Earth.

Rolling my weak shoulder, only a small sting accompanied the movement. "Way better than a few days ago I bet," I laughed. "This magic stuff is way better than morphene and naps."

"Morphene?" Applejack wondered.

"Painkiller," I explained, she in turn nodding her head. "Don't know about my leg though."

I lifted it from the sling keeping it supported then placed it on the floor. "Whoa there!" Applejack warned. "What're you doin'?"

I slowly unwrapped the white fabrics squeezing my leg. "It's fine," I scoffed. "I've done this before. Just need to… there!"

I slipped off the cast, wiggling my toes and sighing contently. Damn did it feel good to wiggle your toes after two years. Fluttershy giggled some and Applejack rolled her eyes. "Ya sound like Rainbow, to me," she chuckled, patting me on the back.

"Is it all better?" Fluttershy asked, looking over my modestly haired leg.

"Yup," I nodded. "Let's take her for a test run!"

I stood up, wincing slightly as my legs wobbled violently. Of course bed rest made them feel like I was in that god forsaken wheelchair. Stretching them slightly, then jumping up and down, I laughed triumphantly.

"Alright, superstar," Applejack laughed. "Might wanna sit down 'fore Redheart catches ya."

"He's fine, Applejack," Fluttershy giggled, watching Andrew cross his legs repeatedly. "Maybe we should ask if he can leave. You… you do want to get out, right?"

Ah, Fluttershy's adorably shy nature was something that reminded me there was still innocence in the world. "Yes, I do. Lemme see if I can get Redheart to let me out early."

The woman in question walked inside, glaring at Andrew. "I thought I told you to wait for me to check it," she snorted. "At least it's healed well."

"You bet your aaaaaaaa-rse," he chuckled nervously. She'd lectured him on his foul mouth, which came from my unit and me. "So, where do I sign?"

She handed him a clipboard. "Right here." I scribbled my name quickly and headed for the door. "Hold on a second," Redheart giggled as she pulled me by my good shoulder. "You'll still need a sling to ensure your arm heals. I can imagine you'll be needing it, after all."

With a sigh, I sat back down and waited while she got out the blue arm prison and strapped it tightly around me. "And how long do I need to wear this?" I asked, bitter by the fact that my arm was the crippled one now.

Seriously, why is everything breaking?

"Probably two days," Redheart said. "Alright, you're good to go!"

I stood back up and nodded at Applejack, who held the door open for me. "Where would you like to go?" Fluttershy asked.

The princesses. But… I still have two days before my deadline

"Maybe we should go see Twilight before we head off to Canterlot," I suggested. "She's the only way we're getting in, anyway."

"Sounds about right," Applejack sighed. "Alrighty then, let's get to it."

I thrust the door open with my left and let the girls lead me. Fluttershy kept mostly to my side. "So Earth doesn't have dragons or griffons or minotaurs?"

I nodded. "Heck, unicorns and pegasi were myth, along with all of 'em," I shrugged. "But, now I have proof."

Fluttershy giggled as he laughed gently. "Then how do you control the weather?" she inquired next.

"Just the water cycle. Rain falls, gets to the ocean somehow, then sunlight evaporates it into the clouds and comes back down and repeats," I summarised. "Pretty simple. But it would be awesome to be able to have sunny days whenever we want."

"Ain't that simple, hun," Applejack smirked. "Crops need water, and so do the gardens an' all that."

"Yeah. Guess we can't always win!" I laughed bitterly. "So how is this princess of yours?"

"Maybe Twilight can answer that," the farmgirl replied. I just noticed the enormous tree in front of us, and the various homey features. "Twilight! We got Andrew!"

The front door magicked open and the unicorn came out like a giddy schoolgirl. "Great! I was just on my way to check up on you!" Twilight smiled. "I still have tons of questions on cars and planes and-"

"Actually." Andrew sniffed the inside of his shirt, his face scrunching up in disgust. "Maybe a good shower and some clothes would help."

Disappointment crossed her features, but when his smell reached each of them, they covered their noses. "And I thought Spike's burps smelled that bad!" Twilight blanched.

"Maybe some clothes would be the best start," Fluttershy suggested. "Or if you wanna get clean… that's fine too."

I chuckled, smiling at her. "Fresh clothes for a fresh man," I laughed. "So, Rarity's the one who makes clothes, yes?"

The three nodded. "She makes wonderful dresses," Fluttershy smiled. "I'm sure she can make something nice for you too."

"Ah think we can find a nice dress for ya too!" Applejack laughed. With a shake of my head, I looked around for a clothes shop or something leading to one.

"Over there, Andrew," Twilight giggled as she led us to a… carousel?

"Sure this is the right place?"

"We've been here lots of times, Andrew," Fluttershy smiled. "I mean, yes."

I pushed open the door and stepped inside, then ducked as a roll of fabric flew over me. "Aw nuts," Applejack sighed.

A very attractive looking woman, with very nice curves and a not too bad rear end, was busy fretting over a manequin dawning an exquisite dress. What? Thought I can't give a good opinion?

"Rarity?" I asked hesitantly.

"Just a minute dear," she called. "No no, gems! And just a pinch of diamond sparkles."

A chest lugged itself over via Rarity's magic, along with a jar of shimmering blue diamond powder. She artfully attached a ruby on the center breast piece of the torso, then a few sapphires adorning the neck and shoulder stitchings. Dropping a few bundles of the crushed diamonds over the lower gown and near the waist line. She examined every angle of it, a pair of stylish red glasses becoming known as she went around the side and back of it. A beaming smile stretched across her lips, and she removed the glasses and squeed in delight.

"Perfect! Now, how may I assist…" I could see the horror in her eyes, and even though I knew it was the clothes, I was still a bit offended. "What monstrosity of an ensemble is that?!"

Twilight laughed weakly, stepping foward and clearing her throat. "Rarity, this is the human I was talking about. His name is Andrew," she said as her arm gestured towards me.

"Hey," I smiled nervously, waving my good arm. "So, would you mind if-"

"Fix 'im up some new clothes," Applejack cut in. "Smells like a week's worth of spoiled manure!"

Rarity's nose wrinkled momentarily, and she then covered her nose and suppressed a gag. "Oh, how awful," she murmured. "I'll have something whipped up in no time. Just stand still."

She quickly unfurled a measuring tape over my shoulders, then down my legs, my waist size, my arm, neck, and then my torso length and width. With the measurements jotted down, she went over to a nearby desk and started some simple designs.

"I'll have these ready by the time you're out," Rarity hummed. "What colors would you like?"

I scratched my chin in thought, nothing in particular sparking his interest. "I guess white and black or something. You're the dress maker."

"Seamstress," Rarity corrected. "The bathroom is upstairs, two doors down, immediately left."

"Thanks," he nodded.

Going upstairs and following her instructions, I entered a very fancy looking bathroom. She had dozens of different kinds of shampoos, conditioners, soaps, hell, even her sink had an assortment of toothbrushes, pastes, and facial washes. Not to mention the number of makeup and nail polish. Shrugging, I went to take off my shirt, which was a struggle given my broken arm. My pants were about as easy, and soon I had a warm bath running. I thought about starting a bubble bath, but I think an enraged diva was the last thing I needed.

Flipping the bath to a shower, I stepped in, sighing while the water pelted me with warm water. I got to work a few seconds later, shampoo, conditioner, soap, rinse and repeat for good measure. I really smelled like a horse's ass! Even if I was gonna smile like some high-class lady, it was better than nothing. I moved the curtains aside and pushed my hair back. Everything would have been fine, save for one minor detail.

I forgot a towel.

"Shit," I sighed. "Maybe-"

*Click*

My eyes snapped to the door, narrowing as the door opened. "Andrew, Rarity had these done and-" Her cheeks flushed immediately, and I felt just a bit hotter.

Pulling the curtains to cover my body, I snatched the attire and hid behind the sheet. Fluttershy must have bolted out of there, given the door slamming shut. I tried calming my breaths as her footsteps receded, then slipped on my clothes, not giving to fuuuuu-nks about how wet I still was. I brushed my hair quickly and left the bathroom.

Hurrying down the stairs, I met the glances of the confused women. Fluttershy was avoiding gazes with me, and I could still see the blush on her cheeks. I saw Rainbow looking between the two of us, but my attention focused to Twilight.

"So, ready to meet the princesses?" Twilight chirped, ignoring my glances to Fluttershy.

"Uh, yeah. The sooner the better, right?"

"Yeah. And it's gonna take a day to get there," Rainbow snickered.

"18 hours," Twilight informed me. "At the latest, an hour after. We should go get Pinkie."

"Let's get goin'" Applejack smiled. "Rarity!"

"Coming!" The fashionista stepped out from the back room with a… very nice white dress. It looked formal, due to the fact that we were meeting royalty. "Oh, you look so dashing in that attire!"

I looked over it myself, seeing the black shirt with a white stripe spreading from the chest to the sleeves. My pants were white however, and pleated. Man, I really found these kinds of pants uncomfortable. But, there were pretty soft and not as tight as the ones I've worn.

"They're pretty comfy," I nodded. "Thanks. So, should we be going?"

We were on the train not too long after we got Pinkie. Apparently we walked in on her setting up my party, and we explained to her we needed to see the princess. She surprisingly gave in, and after cleaning Sugarcube Corner, we hopped on the next train to Canterlot.

"So what's Canterlot like?" I asked Twilight.

Rarity cut in, instead. "Oh, it's only the most wonderful city in Equestria!" she exclaimed. "The Gala may have been a horrid turn of events, but the rest of the city is a sight to see!"

"We never got to look around," Rainbow shrugged. "Rarity and Twi did though."

"It's pretty big, but once you know the way around it's easy to get to the best sights," Twilight sighed. "There's the theater, the Canterlot Park, Neighton Park, the zoo, and the library!"

"Yeah! And best of all, Donut Joe's Donut Shop!" Pinkie shouted, appearined behind me on my bed. "You'll love it! He has a donut for everypony! And if he doesn't he could make you one! Or you could make yourself one once he shows you! Maybe you could ask him to-"

I groaned as she kept speaking a mile a minute. "I need the bathroom," I laughed. "And maybe some food."

"Food cart's three down! Bathroom's two!" Pinkie shouted. I crossed into the next cart, nodding towards some of the passengers and entering the bathrooms and washing my hands.

I pulled up my pant leg and looked over my legs again. Two damn years without 'em really makes you wonder what it was once like. Now that they were back, I just couldn't stop staring. Every little thing was right about them. The little hairs, the faint bone structure, and I had to admit I had some decent calves. Training and shit. Man… I was missing out on my life because of these things.

Pushing my pant sleeve down again, I left the bathroom and went into the dining car, the amount of people in there surprising me. I sat down in an empty booth, looking through the menu. I forgot that these guys were strictly vegetarian, which sucked because all I really ate was steak, pork chops, chicken…

My stomach growled loud enough for me to hear, and I rubbed the back of my neck. "Hey, just a few days and we'll be able to put that meat to good use," I whispered.

"Good afternoon, sir." I looked at one of the waiters, who was a young and magenta haired woman. "What'll it be?"

I skimmed through the several exotic sounding delectables, but I couldn't figure out which would actually be good. "Uh, what would you prefer?"

She looked a little surprised, but she smiled nevertheless. "The garlic, tomato, and oregano topped sweet potato and carrot mix would be good with some wine," she smiled.

"I'll have that then," I chuckled weakly. She nodded, walking off to get my order.

I sighed as I slumped in my seat, sipping some water. I closed my eyes to think, about ruining this world. I mean, I didn't know them, didn't really care for them, I didn't even know about them. But… they're all so nice. The girls, the waittress… and the princesses sounded just as kind.

If only I didn't have to meet any of them

I groaned exaggeratedly, opening my eyes when I heard a small gasp. Fluttershy was sitting across from me, surprised by my little complaint. "Fluttershy, what're you doing here?" I asked, sitting back up.

"I-I… just wanted to see if you were alright," she said in a hushed tone. "Um, I thought you were sleeping."

I shook my head, running my fingers through my hair. "In a dining cart?" I chuckled softly. She looked down at the table, a bit of embarrasment covering her cheeks. "I didn't mean it like that, Fluttershy. I was joking is all."

She nodded, smiling just a bit from my clarification. "Were you thinking about something?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah," I nodded, avoiding eye-contact.

She shuffled a bit in her seat, and I chanced a glimpse at her. She was frowning, concern and care mixed on her face. The only other person, or woman, that looked at me like that was my family and Jessica. Like I said, being an asshole doesn't really help social life.

"Is everything alright?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine… it's just… it's just…" I sighed deeply, looking for some excuse instead of telling her the truth.

"Do you miss your home?" Bingo, but it didn't feel right lying to ber.

Instead of speaking, I nodded my head. To my surprise, she placed her hand on mine. Her soft, delicate skin was familiar, and I grasped hers out of habit. Whether or not that blush meant anything, her comfort was something I really appreciated.

"Thanks," I sighed. "I really needed that." I laughed weakly, just rubbing her hand between my palm and fingers.

She felt just like Jessica. I can't really blame her for leaving me, since I became the biggest douche this side of the planet. Before my legs were gone, we'd go to the park and late night strolls through the city and other romantic stuff. I let go of Fluttershy's hand, just as the waittress brought my food.

"Here you are… oh," she said. "I'm sorry sir, is this your wife?"

I saw Fluttershy go red faced, keeping her gaze to the table. "Just a friend," I smiled. "Want anything?"

"Just some water," she nodded. The waittress nodded back, going off to get some.

I looked at the strange dish before me. Shrugging, I cut a piece off and placed it in my mouth. While I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes, the sauce was fucking delicious! My hunger was stronger than I thought, and I hungrily dug in, only stopping to hear Fluttershy giggling.

"You're making a mess," Fluttershy giggled, pointing to the drops of the sauce on the table.

"My bad!" I laughed, grabbing my napkin and cleaning it up. "You… you got a little…" I brushed a stray piece of carrot (I presumed) from her face. She got a little surprise from my touch, because she started blushing again.

"T-Thank you," she nodded, hiding behind her bubblegum hair. I nodded, downing my wine to distract myself.

My waittress came back, the bill in hand. Thought I was smart or clever or something? Yeah, well this genius forgot about paying restaurants for food. Fuck me upside down, eh?

"Um… uh." I could probably work it off, but I had two days.

"Here you go." I snapped my had back up, watching as Fluttershy handed the waittress a bag of coins. "It was delicious."

She nodded softly, then left us. "Fluttershy, you didn't have to do that," I said. She smiled gently, tilting her head briefly.

"I-It's fine," she managed to say. "It wasn't too much."

"235 bits," I reminded her. "You barely even know me!"

"But you're my friend." Her innocent look of confusion made something… hurt in my chest. "Right?"

Was… was she serious? A friend is someone you've know for a long time, someone you'd never forget no matter how much time passes. I knew her for maybe a week, and though the company was nice, I only considered her as someone… somepony that would have to deal with Discord's rule.

And now…

"I-Is that okay, with you, I mean." Lying to her… I couldn't…

…but I had to.

Forcing a smile, I nodded. "Yeah. Of course we're friends," I laughed hesitantly.

She smiled sweetly, sipping the last of her water while I finished the rest of my wine. "Well, I-I'm heading back to bed," she stammered. "Twilight said, we'll be there in the morning. Good night."

Whether or not the wine had anything to do with it, I stared at her outstretched hand, refusing to shake it after what she just did for me. I held her soft hand, then wrapped my other arm around her waist. She inhaled sharply, I think, and stood still as a statue. Her opposite arm wrapped around my shoulder, forcing my cheeks to get hotter than the wine had made it.

She smelled… exotic. Like a rare flower a botanist would search for just to prove its existence. My hold on her gave me a good idea of how curved her sides were. Her hair was also pillowy and plush, which I delighted in as I held her closer. Her arm moved over my cast, her feather like touch running across my neck and good shoulder.

"Ah, young love." I blushed fiercely upon hearing the rich-looking man in the booth beside us.

"Oh hush, Loaded," his wife, I presumed by the ring, giggled. "They have ears as well."

Fluttershy let go of my hand, and I retracted my arm from her back. Her face was noticeably red, but I could see her nervous smile as she quickly walked past me. Deciding I had enough for today, I followed a short time after, walking back into the private car just for us. I quietly slipped into bed, staring at the bunk above me. Glancing off the side, I saw Fluttershy's hair settle back into its usual slight curl. Her breaths were quicker than someone sleeping would have, as Dash and Applejack were snoring like hogs.

"Night, Fluttershy," I whispered.

Author's Note

Ahh, feels good to get back on track! Expect the next chapter in two or three days, as I'm having trouble with other stories that need to be attended. In any case, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night!

Another Reason

"…ake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake uuuuuup!"

Pinkie shook me harder than I'd ever been shaken, pulling me out of my sleep and hurting my shoulder. "PINKIE!"

She let go, tossing me down onto the pillow. "Oops! Sorry!" Pinkie laughed weakly. "But come on! We're about to stop!"

"Yeah, sleepyhead," Rainbow laughed. "We're waitin' on you."

Groaning, I sat up and ran my hand through my hair. "Alright, I'm up," I murmured.

"You aren't seriously going to meet the princesses of Equestria looking like you just woke up?" Rarity scoffed, her hands on her hips.

"Technically, I just did," I chuckled. Rarity's eyes narrowed, and her horn started glowing a faint blue.

A brush and hairspray appeared in my face, and I got sprayed enough to get my eyebrows to stand still. Even as I coughed up a lung, she vigorously ran the brush through my hair until she pulled every knap into a straightened position. After she was done pulling my hair, she levitated a mirror over.

"Behold!" She said with excitement. "What do you think?"

"…"

I looked like some '80s white boy going to see his grandma. While my hair was still wet, I grabbed the brush and pushed my short hair back, how I used to do it.

"There," I laughed.

Rarity looked as though she wanted to scold me, but Twilight stepped in. "Ooookay! It looks nice," she weakly smiled. "We should probably-"

SCREEEEECH!

"Canterlot Station!" The conductor announced.

"Come on, sugarcube," Applejack chuckled. "No more lollygaggin'!"

I nodded and followed after them, noticing Fluttershy was in the dining cart. We got off the train and headed into the city. It was pretty amazing, to say the least. There were tall buildings and upper-class houses that looked like the ones celebrities lived in. It reminded me of a mix of Hollywood and New York, at least from what I've seen on TV about the former. I blended right in with the girls, but we all stood out like sore thumbs from the rest of the nobles and middle-class people. Except Rarity of course, who had a dress much better than most of the woman I've seen so far. They led me further in, where I started seeing more simple and rural homes, and some familiar shops. The girls squeed in delight at some of the trinkets around, while me, Applejack, and Rainbow just kept walking.

"So what happened in Ponyville with you and Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked, smirking I might add.

I knew what she was implying, as indirect as it was, and kept looking forward. "Nothing," I replied.

"Come on now," Applejack smiled. "She was redder than a red delicious when she came running down the stairs. Somethin' musta happened."

"Yeah. And you were wet, to top it off," Rainbow chuckled. "Like soaking."

I gulped silently, my hands getting a bit sweaty. "She just dropped off my clothes and that's it," I said.

"That's it? She just popped in and… gave you… OH MY GOSH!" Rainbow exclaimed, cracking up and drawing the attention of some surrounding people. Applejack soon caught on and laughed as well.

"What's so funny?!" Pinkie giggled, skipping backwards to our front.

"Fluttershy-!" I clamped my hand over Rainbow's mouth, pulling her to the side.

"What do you call cheese that isn't yours?" I smiled nervously.

"I don't know? What?" Pinkie asked.

"Nacho cheese," I chuckled forcefully. It took Pinkie a second, but she burst out laughing like Rainbow and Applejack did earlier.

"Oh, I get it!" She laughed. "Twilight! Twilight!"

She bounced over to the other girls to tell them, and I let go of Rainbow. "Are you serious?!" I silently yelled.

"Hey, I wasn't the one giving Fluttershy a view," Rainbow snickered. I think I was blushing, since my cheeks were burning, and I glared at her.

"It was an accident!" I argued. "I forgot a towel and I was done and Fluttershy stepped in with my clothes and she-"

"Got a sneak peek," Applejack laughed.

"It was an accident!" I shouted, a little annoyed at this point.

"Hey, we aren't saying it wasn't," Rainbow snickered. "So at least she knows you a little better, am I right?"

"What are you talking about?" I groaned, my cheeks getting hotter.

"Really? Ah thought it was pretty obvious," Applejack said. "Well, we think Flutters fancies ya."

"Like, a lot," Rainbow smiled.

I glanced over to Fluttershy, who spun her head around and pretended to be interested with some knick knacks. She liked me? Me, of all the guys I've seen in Ponyville? We just met… well we got to know each other over the week, but she said she'd been living here since she got out of flight school. She was only twenty-three, four years younger than me. I mean, there were some pretty nice looking guys… so what made me so special?

"You don't really think that, do you?" I questioned. They shrugged.

"Hey, you got her to open up faster than any of us," Rainbow told me. "I think that counts for something."

"And the fact that she's always lookin' at you," Applejack added.

I glanced back over to her, and our eyes met when she turned to look at me. She quickly averted them, and I realised some truth behind their words.

"I… I think she does," I slowly said.

Rainbow rose a brow and tilted her head. "Don't you like her?" She asked.

…

This couldn't be happening.

"She's a pretty girl," Applejack said. "Ah thought ya might like her."

…

I did.

But… Discord…

"I… she's cute but… I don't know," I shrugged. "I-Isn't Celestia gonna like, zap me back to my world or something?"

"You… wanna go back?" Rainbow asked. "Don't you like it here?"

"I do, and it seems better than my world… but I have a home. Family. And they're going to be wondering where I am," I reasoned. "I… I just want to get back."

They looked… down, for a lack of better words. "We're here!"

Twilight's chiming voice prompted us to look up, glancing at the large building in front of us. "Is this a hotel?" Rainbow questioned.

"Yup! The Hoofton Hotel!" Twilight smiled. "Come on. We should go tell them about our reservations."

"Reservations?" I asked.

"Yeah! Celestia always gets us someplace nice to stay! And a nice ride, too!" Pinkie giggled.

We went in, and after speaking to the receptionist we took the elevator up to the eigth floor. We each got seperate rooms… well, two for each. Apparently Spike, a dragon-person, who was Twilight's assistant got sick, and he was supposed to bunk with me since we would be the two boys. Which basically meant: I had a huge ass room to myself. Well, it would be temporary, so I guess it didn't matter. I had no luggage or anything, unlike the girls, and so I just tossed myself onto the bed. I guessed we would be leaving in a couple of minutes or so, which would give the girls some time to get settled in.

Knock Knock!

"Andrew! Come on, silly! We're leaving!" Pinkie called, continuously rapping on the door.

What?!

I opened the door, seeing the six of them all dressed nicely, aside from Applejack who was still in shorts, an orange shirt and wearing her stetson.

"To the castle already?" I questioned.

"No, silly!" Pinkie laughed, pulling me along. "Since we couldn't throw you a party in Ponyville, maybe we can go around the city instead!"

"Wait, the princesses are expecting us, aren't they?" I questioned.

"I sent them a message and told them we'll be coming tomorrow, so that Pinkie could show you a good time!" Twilight smiled. "Don't worry, it'll be fun!"

"Yeah! Pinkie's party's are always awesome!" Rainbow added.

"Thanks, Dashie!" Pinkie giggled. "So, ready?!"

I have to admit… Pinkie was doing a pretty good job of showing us a great time. We went bowling, shopped a little, walked through the park, and we had already eaten at a café. She put a lot of effort into getting me to smile, which she did on many occasions. We passed by Donut Joe's Donut Shop to get, you guessed it, donuts as we went on into the night. I was laughing and smiling for the first time in a long time… all because of them. Rarity and Twilight were getting worried about the time, as they didn't want to be late tomorrow, and the two athletes were tired as well. Pinkie was still ready to stay up as long as I wanted to, but I didn't want her to force herself to stay awake. Even she needed to sleep. But there was one girl who didn't seem to need the rest, or she just didn't want to.

Fluttershy.

"I was, um, w-wondering if you… could come with me. To the zoo… before it closes," she stammered, twirling her finger around a lock of her hair.

"Sure," I nodded. She hesitantly motioned for me to follow, and once we reached the gates we saw they were closed. "Aw, man."

"But it's only nine-thirty!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "They can't be closed!"

We spotted a worker locking up the keepers entrance, and we went over to him.

"Um, excuse, zoo keeper, sir," Fluttershy said. "I wanted to ask-"

"Zoo's closed," he said flatly. "Come tomorrow."

"But it's only nine-thirty," I said. "What time does it usually close?"

"Ten, but we're a man short, so tomorrow at ten," he shrugged. He nodded softly and strolled away, much to Fluttershy's dismay.

"I wanted to see the golden-tailed robin," Fluttershy whispered, her lips turning into a frown. "I-I'm sorry I brought you here for nothing."

I couldn't stand to see her that way. Even less when she apologized to me for something I wanted to do for her. "Hey, we came here to see the animals, so damn it we're going to see them," I said resolutely.

"But it's closed," Fluttershy reminded me. "Maybe I could come back some other time."

Before she could start walking a grabbed her arm gently, causing her to freeze up and quickly turn to me. "Flutters, we're going to see them, and that's that, okay?" I smiled. I swear to you I saw the blush in the dim light, and I let go of her arm slowly. "Just fly over."

"What about you?" She questioned. I smirked and looked over to the booth.

"I can handle this," I chuckled. "Did this one time when I was a kid."

"You broke into a zoo?" Fluttershy gasped.

I smiled sheepishly and nodded. "It was for a dumb toy I had," I admitted. "Just go over and I'll meet you there."

She hesitated for a couple minutes, but she reluctantly flew over the gate and waited for me. I got a running start to the booth outside and jumped up, grabbing onto the top and hitting my body against the side.

"Ow."

I laughed at my sloppiness and pulled myself up, then jumped over the gate and rolled so I wouldn't break my legs. Fluttershy looked… sort of amazed, and I smiled that my training had actually helped me in a situation like this.

"Come on. I hear it's better at night," I smiled, holding my hand out to her. She was blushing, I could just feel it, and her silk fingers ran over my palm before gradping my hand.

We disregarded the map and went into the zoo ourselves. Some of the animals were asleep, but a lot were still awake and watched us as we passed by their dens. Fluttershy went into their homes and used her powers of nature to befriend each of them. She petted and spoke baby-talk to some of them, cuddled a lot and got lots of returning nuzzles. I laughed a bit every time she did, and the real reason we came was soon upon us as I broke us into the bird cages. She was a bit reluctant, as usual, but I managed to get her in. I could see the wonder in her eyes as we went around the room, opening the cages and letting them go around the room until they landed on her arms and hands.

She looked beautiful.

Like a part of nature itself. A couple of birds pecked the side of my head, my staring cut short as I winced and shooed them away. Fluttershy giggled as the flew over to her, and she asked them not to hurt me. I couldn't believe that animals listened to her. When she met the golden-tailed robin she was talking about, she squeed like a schoolgirl. She held it, cuddled it, kissed it's head, and followed it around the room. I wasn't too informed on birds, except for a normal robin I saw.

She put each of them back in their cages, leaving her covered in dozens of multi-colored feathers. I helped her brush some away, especially the ones in her wings. She tensed up again, however, and I guessed that pegasus wings were sensitive or something. Hell, I could've broken them for all I know. We left the birds to sleep for the night, and we made our way back to the entrance to the zoo. She flew over again, and I managed to climb the gate this time. But my foot got caught on one of the arches and I landed on my back. Didn't hurt too bad, but I got the wind knocked out of me. I thought Fluttershy would overreact. But she didn't, as I heard her giggle as she helped me up.

"Thanks," I chuckled. "We should get back before the girls start worrying or something."

"Okay," Fluttershy nodded. We made our way back to the hotel, looking at the lights of the downtown area and did some window shopping.

Fluttershy was looking away from me, for the most part, but I felt her arm brush up against mine from time to time. She made sure to look away, and I couldn't help but smile. I held her hand as it grazed mine, and she turned to me quickly, blushing madly. I smiled at her and looked forward, chuckling to myself when she gripped my hand tighter and rested her head on my shoulder. I'm not that tall, which made it a perfect spot for her to rest her head. We made it to the hotel faster than I would've like, and we got a few glances our way. One stallion in particular sent a thumbs up my way, getting a chuckle out of me. The elevator was empty, save for the two of us, and the silence felt nice with her leaning into me. I looked down at her, and she managed to smile weakly. I did the same but more freely, and the elevator chimed as we reached our floor.

The short walk to our rooms were moments I would never forget. Our rooms were right beside each other, and so I held both of her hands as we stood in front of her room.

"I-I… I, um… had a nice time with you," Fluttershy managed to say, smiling nervously. "Th-Thank you."

I smiled and nodded softly. "Your welcome. And I had a lot of fun with you too," I told her. She blushed softly, and it only worsened when I kissed her forehead. Her wings twitched, I swear to you, and her hands felt a bit sweaty.

"S-S-So… goodnight. Andrew," Fluttershy stammered, bumping into the door before she got a grip on the handle.

She went inside and quickly shut the door, and I went to my own door and stepped in. Since I didn't want to get my shirt messy or whatever, I tossed it on the opposite bed and stripped down to my boxer-briefs, but I heard the tinkling of the gems. I went over to the bed and reached into my pants pocket, grabbing the three gems and holding the green one. Tomorrow I would be meeting the princesses, and I could finally keep my legs and get my life back. But… I struggled to press it…

…because I knew it was wrong.

This place wasn't bad at all. There were friendly people, or whatever they are, some jerks like every other place but it was peaceful unlike most places I've seen. They were innocent in their own way, trusting me right off the bat. They were nice, Pinkie wanted to see me smile, and Fluttershy…

…Fluttershy…

…

It's break her heart if I-

click

I practically dove into my bed and got under the covers, taking the three crystals with me. Cracking an eye open, I saw a figure shyly step into my room, dressed in a yellow nightgown reaching to her knees. She carefully moved across the rug, making sure not to move too fast. Her face was a mere inch over mine, and I could see her green eyes trying to find my brown ones. When she was confident I was asleep, which I wasn't… it happened.

Something soft and moist pressed against my lips. The feeling lingered for some time, during which I wished I could return the favor. She pulled away, then hurried out of the room. When I was sure she was gone, I sat up and touched my lips. I… I couldn't… damn it I couldn't do this anymore. I'm an asshole but I'm not a heartless one.

I tapped the gem three times and waited until it glowed.

"Yes?"

"The deal's off," I said quickly.

"Andrew… remember our deal."

"Get someone else to do this. It's over," I said. Pain shot through my legs as I felt them disappear suddenly, but I a cloth in my mouth muffled my scream.

"I can see the problem, so I'll remind you. You can do this for me and get your legs, your life, and your friends back. Or, you can nod you head and get sent back to that rathole of a home with that rusty wheelchair and no one bothering to help you. I'm going to count to five."

I struggled to scream as I tried massaging the pain from my stubs, falling to the floor and writhing.

"One… two… three… four-"

"E-ay!" I tried screaming, my legs still crackling in pain.

The agony stopped, and my legs appeared again. I pulled myself onto my bed and panted as I clutched my chest.

"You agreed to this, so stop being such a wimp and just go through with it."

I panted less and less as I caught my breath. "We're… we're meeting the princesses tomorrow," I forced from my throat.

"I'm sending you a fourth gem. Wear it around your neck under your shirt when you go to see Celestia. We're almost through here, so I hope you're ready to get home."

"Just make sure I don't remember any of this, okay?" I sneered.

Discord chuckled over the connection before the gem stopped glowing. I groaned and punched the wall behind me, feeling the stinging and acheing but caring less than I would have. I threw myself back and cursed in my head, glancing to the door.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy."

Author's Note

It's been a couple months since I updated this. Sorry! Anyway, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!

This is Why

This was it.

Today was the day.

The day that I betrayed people that trusted me, that stood by me, that wanted to help me, a complete stranger. I didn't want this anymore… God, I didn't want to do this to them. Their lives sounded peaceful, after everything they'd been through. But I can't go back now. Either Discord will chop my legs off and send me back to the shithole of a home I own, or he'll call me out on it and have them do whatever it is they do to enemies of the country. Or both, if he feels like it.

"Andrew!" Twilight shouted. "We're gonna be late!'

I slipped on my clothes, stuffing the gems into my pocket and putting the fourth one around my neck, the chain holding it underneath my shirt and just above my chest. The gem was flatter than the other two, which made it even easier to conceal. I opened the door to my room, saying nothing as Pinkie forcefully grabbed my arm and pulled me away, going on about her previous experiences in the castle. I slowly slipped away, walking beside them but saying nothing in particular.

They had no idea why I was here. I blended in nicely, not a suspicion in the world. They were all so happy, even without Pinkie being all over the place. I gasped softly as I felt a hand grasp mine. Looking down to Fluttershy, I recognized the care and compassion in her eyes, but they were for the wrong reasons.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she can find figure something out," she smiled, looking away a few seconds after. "I… I hope she does."

The stammer wasn't out of anxiety, she leaned into me for support. "You okay?" I asked, noticing her pace become a bit slower.

"Yeah, I guess I'm a little tired," she said, rubbing her head gently. "I'm sure it's nothing."

I nodded slowly, then tightened my grip on her hand as we kept up behind the girls. Applejack glanced back to us, giving me a sly grin as she winked and chuckled. I would have shaken my head, or even stick her the middle finger… but I couldn't. I didn't want to do anything else but get to the damn castle. And I got my wish.

The entire thing looked fantasized and medieval all at once. The various buildings that cut off from the main castle itself were connected by bridges which all led to the center structure. Posted outside were buffed out men in golden platings and armor. Some were patrolling from the top of the wall, while others were scattered at the bottom of it. The two standing to either side of the gate in front of us nodded to Twilight, their horns glowing different colors as the gates were encased in the same aura and opened.

"Pretty nice, huh?" Rainbow said, briskly walking to my right. "Oh yeah, and I guess I was right, hm?"

She nodded to my and Fluttershy's hand, which were entwined together. "I guess so," I sighed.

We made our way inside, and into an enormous hallway. The walls had to rise to at least two stories before meeting at the arches. They were mostly white, but the red carpeting and gold lined columns and arches, not to mention the stained-glass windows, were very beautifully made.

Hey, I took some architecture in high-school.

But I looked away when Fluttershy stumbled to the ground. I caught her before she could fall, a guard moving out from his position to help us. "Is she alright?" He asked, a gruff voice that sounded like it belonged to a drill sergeant.

"I'm okay," Fluttershy grunted quietly, slowly standing up with my help. "I'm just a little dizzy."

"Fluttershy, are you sure you're fine?" I questioned, watching the girls turn the corner. "I could–"

"I'm sure, Andrew," she said. "W-We should catch up… before they think we're lost."

The guard gave me an unsure look, and I shrugged. We went to catch up to the girls, which was fairly easy since they'd stopped to talk about the portrait of Blueblood, or so it said on the plaque beneath it. Fluttershy explained that he was an asshole of sorts, in my words at least. It was during the Gala, a big party they held in Canterlot. We moved on, finally to the throne room.

My heart raced. My knees were weak, my palms sweaty. Every step was an eternity going by. My body couldn't stop trembling… but I forced myself to go. The doors were pulled open by magic forces, and there they were. The two most powerful rulers of Equestria.

Like I had seen before, Celestia, I presume, had a summer colored, flowing mane, with light-tan skin and white(ish) wings and a horn of the same color, but I could swear I saw a tone of pink or something. She looked tall, even from her seat. Next to her was a younger looking woman with similar features, just in darker colors. Her mane looked like you were looking into the night sky, and her skin looked like a smooth sort of milk-color. Her wings and horn were indigo, and she had on makeup to match. Princess Luna, I presumed. They were both wearing some sort of robe with the sun and moon, and their left sleeve had a small opening on the side of the shoulder.

Aside from all that, they were pretty hot. Beautiful, whatever helps. But they looked wise, or something akin to that. Twilight went to meet the both of them, giving them both a warm hug. The girls all said their greetings, and I barely heard Twi introduce me.

"This is Andrew," she smiled, gesturing towards me.

I forced myself to focus and take in the scene. Two guards by the door, another at the foot of the stairs, and another beside the princesses. His armor had a purple plating over the gold. Probably the CO or some high ranking general. The girls shouldn't be a problem as long as this gem works correctly. And I can just blast those guards.

"So you're a soldier to your kind, I've heard." The big guy, maybe an inch or two taller than me, walked closer to me. "My name is Shining Armor. I'm Captain of the Solar Guard."

Ah. The best of the best of the best. I prayed the gems worked as well as they were made out to be.

"Andrew Navas. Do you mind the rank, or no?" I asked.

"I'm… curious," he grinned, shaking my hand.

I straightened up and saluted. "Retired Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Navas, Ex-Shadow Company," I stated.

"Retired?" Princess Luna asked. "You seem a bit young for retirement."

"Luna," Celestia chided softly. "For all we know his kind could live far shorter than most ponies."

"Actually, ma'am, we're reaching a hundred years," I chuckled. "There are a few that live a bit longer than that."

Luna gave her sister a victorious smirk, and Celestia simply laughed gently. They had nice voices… Celestia's was soft and motherly, while Luna had playful and strong voice. If their voices were anything to go by, I'm sure Luna would put up more of a struggle.

"I'm sorry. We shouldn't have digressed," Celestia smiled. She reached a hand out. "I am Princess Celestia."

My mind froze completely. My heart felt like it would either burst out of my chest or explode if I got any more anxiety. Her hand was just a foot away from me… and that was the moment my entire life was thrown in front of me.

That hand was extended to me out of trust… out of peace. She didn't want to start trouble, my whole reason for being here was to get help. But I would betray her before getting to know her, before seeing who any of them really were. I… I fought for freedom a long time ago… but now I was going to deceive and crush this nation. Did I switch sides overnight? Was I so desperate that I just jumped without thinking? I've done it all my life… joining the military… no backup plan… the IED. All my fault.

"Mr. Navas?"

What was I doing? Better yet… what was I supposed to do? I needed my legs. Without them I would always be half a man. Half a man with no job, no pay, a shitty home, a shitty life. And Discord said he would wipe my memory.

"Andrew?"

Fluttershy's voice broke me from my stare, and I glanced up to Celestia. She looked concerned… Luna looked worried… Shining Armor was confused… and I didn't need to look to see the girls' expressions.

I made up my mind.

"I'm sorry."

And I never regretted anything more.

I grabbed Celestia's hand forcefully, and the gem around my neck bursted into life. Celestia's mane and tail lost their ethereal qualities, falling lifelessly in a blob of gray. I pulled the red gem from my pocket, then turned on the shocked mares. I tapped twice, hitting the two guards rushing behind them square in the chest. My hand was aggressively pulled away from Celestia's, and I heard Shining Armor yell.

I threw myself at him, using my full weight to do so. We tumbled to the ground, and I managed to aim the gem at the last two guards, blasting one in the head while the other had shot in the right of his chest. My hand was encased in a blue aura before it was forced open. Shining Armor's arms reached under mine and put me into a master lock.

"Andrew what are you doing?!" Twilight screamed.

I threw my head back, hitting Shining in the face and giving me my chance to roll out. I jumped to my feet, but the guy was pretty quick. His fists made contact with my face at least three times before I deflected one and punched him in the gut. My hand hurt from the armor, which I had forgotten about, but I rethought my options. He tried to jab me, and I moved around it and uppercut him in the jaw. His other arm forced his elbow into my face, which knocked me down.

"You son of a—!"

I kicked my foot into his inner thigh to knock him down, and I jumped back up, right as he did. I didn't count on him tackling me, then beating down on me until blood was running from my nose and some from my mouth.

"Shining, stop!"

He pulled me up by the collar, a rage-fueled snarl contorted on his face. "He killed Astro!"

I spat in his eye, and he dropped me to wipe the blood from his eye. As he recoiled, I punched as hard as I could. It was enough to knock him off, and I quickly got up and started punching him. But, of course the son of a bitch blasted my chest with a spell to send me a couple feet away. I could tell he was tiring, and I didn't want to give him a chance with his magic.

I ran over as he got up, grabbed his head, then slammed it down onto my knee. His nose had to have been broken, because my knee felt a flatter surface. He grunted before slumping to the ground.

My face felt numb for a minute, and it was only then did I realize I was on the ground. My cheek was swelling, my shoulder was broken, and I was against the far wall, slumped on the floor. I screamed once the pain registered. Luna's eyes were glowing a ferocious white, and her fist had a smear of red across it.

"You're going to rot in the old dungeons until I die!" She bellowed, my eardrums ringing.

Luna grabbed me in the same fashion Shining did, but she picked me up a good few feet higher than he did. But I fell once my gem started glowing again, and I kicked her away. I made a break for the red gem, but my movements were restrained after I started glowing purple.

"THAT'S IT!" Twilight screamed, pinning me to the ground.

The girls were helping the guards and Celestia… and I managed to see Fluttershy covering her mouth as she kneeled over the guard I'd hit on the head.

"Well this was a nice change of pace! Wouldn't you all agree?"

I knew the sarcastic, cocky tone anywhere. I was teleported out of Twilight's hold, and I found myself standing next to Discord. He was smiling… and the girls looked shocked, terrified, and angry all at once. His paw touched my shoulder, and my injuries were healed in an instant.

"How did you… escape?" Celestia grunted, weakly trying to stand with the help of her sister.

"The Elements put you away for good!" Twilight sneered.

Discord reared his head back, laughing hysterically before wiping a tear from his eye. "What did you think I did all those years as an ornament?" He cackled. "Play checkers with my reflection? I found cracks, and I just chipped away from there."

"So he was with you this whole time?" Rainbow questioned, glaring angrily at me. She shot forward, but Discord conjured an enormous bubble to bounce her back into Rarity and Pinkie.

"You wanted to weaken Celestia," Luna snorted. "You thought getting rid of her would make Equestria yours."

"In essence, Lulu," he snickered. "And this would be a drawn out stalemate if you didn't go and break his face."

He reached into my shirt, his paw passing through the fabric, and showed them the medallion that glowed a blinding white.

"All of Sunny's magic is in here, and a just sprinkle of yours, too," he smirked. "Nice job, Andrew."

I averted my gaze to the ground, away from the expressions of the girls.

"You see, no pony would suspect a soldier looking to go home was actually here to overthrow you," Discord laughed, tapping my shoulder. "And I see Gleaming Spaulder didn't give you much trouble."

Twilight was helping her brother stand when she heard this. "Shut up!" She shouted. "We'll put you back in stone and plaster it shut!"

"Maybe we'll dump ya in cement!" Applejack spat.

The only voice I wasn't hearing…

"Andrew."

…piped up.

"Please… is it true?"

"Fluttershy, he's standing right next to Discord!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Of course—!"

"I want to hear it from him!" Fluttershy cried out, her voice quivering and broken. "Andrew… please… just say he's lying…"

I clenched my fist, trying to tune everything out at this point.

"Andrew!"

"YES! All of it! It's all true! From the moment you and Twilight found me I've been lying to get to here!" I yelled. I kept myself from showing any other emotions…

…because I didn't want to cry with her.

"Alright, I held up my end of the deal!" I shouted to Discord. "Now it's your turn!"

He… he chuckled. Then he started laughing… no, cackling. Like a maniac. He bent over wheezing, floating in the air as he hit the ground in hysteric amusement. My intuition warned me… that I wasn't going to like what happened next.

"Of course. You kept your end… so I'll keep mine."

With a thrust of his talon, I was knocked into a chair. No… no this wasn't a chair. Chairs don't roll around. Not straight back, at least.

I was in a wheelchair.

"You bring down Celestia… and I give you your legs."

The arm rests came alive and restrained me, then the foot rests grabbed onto my legs. "What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted, panic setting in.

"Giving you your legs," he smirked.

Before I could swear at him, I screamed in agony. It felt as though my legs were being ripped away from my hips. I lost the feeling of my toes… then my knees… and finally, my thighs. The pain still registered, and yet there wasn't a drop of blood. I was thrashing violently, sweat forming quickly as I desperately tried to break free. But I was powerless…

…and I watched my legs drop beside me.

The pain was nonexistent as his words rang out in my head. The deal… the deal that we made. He didn't say he would reattach my legs.

He said… he'd give them back.

"You… motherFUCKER!" I yelled, pushing my body to its limit to try and break free. "I SWEAR TO CHRIST I'LL PUT A BULLET IN YOUR FUCKING HEAD! LET ME OUT AND I'LL—"

My voice just left me.

And everything was black.

Author's Note

A little short (in my opinion) but it's something! No, I haven't forgotten about this story… but yes, I've been PROCRASTINATING! I'll try and knock it off, so here we are! And, as always, like, fav, comment, and have an awesome day or night! Peaces!