Crossing Anthology Two

After regaining his strength, Jonah and Mina walked through the crystal caves together. The two entered a larger room of the slithering cave; the ceiling was like a rotunda of rocks and stalagmites. As they came closer to a door on the far side of the rotunda, Jonah was tackled to the ground by a Pink blur. It spoke to him;

“Glad to see you’re awake!”

It was Pinkie Pie; she looked just like she did from two years ago. Jonah looked around to see Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity surround him. They were all happy to finally see him with his eyes open, Rainbow yelled;

“It’s about damn time you’re awake.”

Applejack added to Rainbow’s relieved statement;

“We was gittin’ scared shitless fer ya. We thought you would never come outta that comma!”

Jonah felt unsettled, he noticed something off about the ponies; with the exception of maybe Pinkie, they seemed to be dark and gloomier than the happy and playful gaggle they once were. Their movements were rigid and slow. Jonah pulled himself out from under Pinkie and stood in front of the four. Rarity spoke to him with a slurred voice;

“It’s good to see you awake, darling… a lot has changed during your slumber.”

Rainbow exaggerated Rarity’s comment;

“’A lot?’ More like EVERYTHING! Equestria has gone to hell in a hand bag because of that damn brother of yours!”

Jonah finally got his chance to greet the four;

“It’s good to see you all too, and I imagine that word has gotten to everyone about the Final Arbiter being my brother.”

The four ponies gave Jonah rapid nods, Pinkie asked him;

“What’s the deal with him anyway? Why is he so angry?”

Jonah thought about Pinkie’s question for a moment, it was one that he often asked himself growing up. Jonah saw no reason to bottle up his family’s hardships anymore. The four ponies and Mina sat in a circle around Jonah, and he explained the story of Seth;

“My brother, Seth, is a very insecure person; he’s had a rough life. As children, our parents pushed religion onto us from all angles possible. As Seth researched more about his psychic abilities, our father began to worry about Seth’s faith as a Christian, believin’ that he was strayin’ off the path he wanted him on. Seth and our dad began buttin’ heads some, arguments were had, and things that shouldn’t have been said were said. Soon he was under the impression that our dad didn’t love him anymore. I never spoke out against anythin’ our parents tried to teach us, Seth however wasn’t as silent as I was.”

The four ponies listened with perked ears, curious to know how the story tied in with the serial killer they put up with for so long. Mina had skeptical expressions as Jonah lectured;

“Eventually, Seth lost control of himself and tried to kill both me and our dad, but not our mother. Our mother was the one person that I think he truly loved and appreciated; mom would always talk about how she desperately wanted to move to Virginia Beach with me, him and dad. She had every motivation to one day get there...”

Mina interrupted;

“Wait, Virginia Beach? The same Virginia Beach we lived in?”

“Yes. Anyways, after my brother tried to kill my dad and me, our parents left the country and forced Seth and I apart until they returned from their out-of-country work. Two years past and the family was back together, Seth was actually happy for once, and spent more time with all of us. His happiness didn’t last long, one week after mom and dad returned; they announced they would leave for another two years. Seth and I were heartbroken, and we ran away to another town to start a new life together, not wantin’ to be raised by our extended family. Two years later, Seth was taken by authorities and placed in to a rehab institute for a year while I lived with some friends. After Seth got out, all of that forgotten insecurity, pessimism and anger returned full force. A couple years after he left rehab, our house burned down, and Seth immediately had the both of us travel to Virginia Beach.”

Mina whispered to herself;

“Virginia Beach…”

Jonah continued;

“Seth obsessed over the city, and forced every fiber of him to get to there. We finally arrived in Virginia Beach, and I later met Cole.”

Mina spoke up again;

“You met Cole, and that’s when your three year adventure started, right?”

“Yeah, the three years Cole and I spent tryna fight off King Zoxus were absolute hell for Seth, we dragged him through a lot of shit those years. Time went by and he gradually became more and more sadistic, it was like he didn’t want to have anythin’ to do with any us anymore. Seth eventually abandoned us, we tried lookin’ for him, and he tried to hunt us down the second he knew we were. During a standoff against him, I teleported him far away from us so that my friends could stay safe while Cole and I went on our own for a little while. I never saw him again until the shooting in Fillydelphia when he was disguised.”

The four ponies were deeply horrified and saddened by Jonah’s story, Mina even looked disturbed. Jonah continued;

“All I ever wanted was for him to be okay, after I teleported him away from us I figured he would start over and try to better himself… but now he’s officially gone off the deep end.”

Mina suggested;

“Somehow, the conflicts between him and your dad don’t seem relevant… I think this runs a lot deeper than you think.”

Jonah was offended;

“He’s my brother, what would you know? And plus it wasn’t just our dad; I think it was actually more of my doing that screwed him up.”

“You have a point with your doing, but I can’t help but feel that his issues with his father don’t connect to what’s happening now. I can’t put my finger on it…”

Jonah sighed;

“Well, you’re preaching to the choir Mina. Seth has always been a mystery. It’s not like he’d ever talk about his problems to someone five years younger than him, the only brother he had...”

Jonah walked away from the sitting audience;

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore, I gotta find Cole…”

Mina jumped up and called out;

“Jonah.”

Jonah turned to face her;

“I know you want to ignore this but… when the time comes for you to face Seth… you know what needs to be done… right?”

Jonah felt his stomach twist; the very thought of him being expected to slaughter his own brother scarred him. He looked at the four ponies behind Mina, they looked just as serious as her, and they too were expecting Jonah to do the unthinkable. He took a deep breath and said;

“I know.”

Jonah walked out of the rotunda to search for his friend. He traveled through the swerving hallways until he heard hoof steps, he stopped to see Twilight walking out from behind some rocks, and Spike was on her back. Twilight pounced out and hugged Jonah;

“Jonah! Oh wow, it’s so good to see you’re finally awake!”

Spike expressed his happiness;

“Man, you were out for so long, we started to think that you would never wake up.”

Jonah let Twilight go;

“It’s good to see you both are okay, especially you, Spike. I was worried about ya.”

Twilight spoke again;

“Equestria has changed a lot in your absence… Cole told all of us about Seth after he woke up…”

“I know, I talked with some of the others. I’m just not lookin’ forward to facing him, everyone expects me to kill him, but I don’t think I can bring myself to do that...”

“Well no shit you’re expected to do it, I expect you to do it. I’m sorry but after everything he’s doesn’t deserve any mercy.”

Jonah stressfully pulled his messy, tangled hair;

“Is corporal punishment even acknowledged on this planet?”

“It certainly is now! Seth made it that way. This was once a kind, fun-loving and caring world we all shared, but now he’s turned it into a chaotic slaughter house!”

Jonah looked at Spike;

“What about you? What do you think of this, Spike? You witnessed the death of Lemmour, and he was your brother. How do you think I should handle MY brother?”

Spike was silent; he looked to the ground below Twilight, nonchalantly rubbing he thumb into her purple fur. Jonah shook his head;

“Ah, I need to find Cole… Good seein’ you both.”

Jonah continued searching, eventually finding himself down a hall with a light at the end. He followed the light, anticipating his friend’s presence on the other side. Jonah approached the light, and beyond it was a winding cliff traveling to the mountain top. The cliff was riddled with thick jagged edges in the form of where Canterlot once hung. Half way up the winding path stood a silhouette of another relieved and happy face, it was Princess Celestia. She used telekinesis to pull Jonah into an embrace, Jonah spoke to her;

“Hi Princess, how’ve ya been? Heh…”

Princess Celestia did not respond in words, she only held him tighter. Jonah could swear he felt a tear drop on his shoulder as she held him. Jonah asked the Princess;

“Are ya okay?”

“… Yes… knowing that you’re here, awake and alive… I couldn’t bear the thought of losing anyone else…”

The Princess kissed Jonah’s forehead and let him go. She walked passed him and turned to him, saying;

“I’m making dinner for all of us tonight, what would you like? I want to make something special for you now that you’re with us.”

“I… ah… I like pizza a whole lot, it’s my favorite… Or anythin’ fried or grilled…”

Jonah scrapped the worn soles of his heels against the ground, he looked into the Princess’ eyes; he saw sadness and desperation in them, the same kind as the night she let him stay over. He figured if the Princess was being this motherly, then something must have happened to her while he was asleep. Someone she loved must have passed on, Jonah asked her;

“How is Princess Luna?”

The Princess began to sob helplessly at the sound of her sister’s name. Jonah realized that he chose the wrong set of words and walked away slowly, leaving the mourning Princess to be alone with her thoughts.

Jonah continued up the cliff of the mountain, the air turned thinner as he approached the top. He finally reached the flat tip, it was cool and windy. The view from its elevation provided a spectacular view over almost all of Equestria. And there from the opposite side from where Jonah stood, was Cole, sitting to himself and scanning the world below him. Jonah approached Cole, examining how much he physically changed over the last two years. Cole’s hair grew longer and frizzy, it faded into a darker shade of blonde; he also still appeared to be the taller of the duo. Cole had also gained a considerable amount of weight.

Jonah sat down beside Cole and dangled his shins from the edge of the platform, awaiting his friend’s attention. Cole made no motions; he only continued to stare down, looking straight at a strip of rocky spikes that sat on an isolated cliff of the mountain. Jonah grew impatient and waved a hand in front of his vision; Cole smacked his hand and turned;

“What do you want!?”

Cole glared at Jonah with an angered face; it devolved into a more pleasant expression, just as surprised as everyone else to finally see his best friend awake. Cole spoke again with a softer tone;

“Oh, Jonah… glad to see you’re awake…”

There was only temporary pleasure in Cole’s voice, every word after drained any and all optimism from him;

“I got worried about ya; I didn’t want to lose anyone else…”

Cole glanced back at the sharp rocks, fascinated by how sharp and large they were. Jonah spoke to him;

“Yeah, what was two years for you was like a minute for me. You doin’ okay?”

Cole shrugged and turned his head away;

“Stop. We aren’t talking about it… you damn well know what my problem is already…”

Jonah respected Cole’s request, no matter how much sadness he felt. Jonah thought that his best friend would be happy to talk to him again after so long. Jonah got up and left Cole alone on the mountain top.

Jonah was in the dark caves once again, the only light shining was the reflections of candle lights from shining crystals and other gems. Jonah came to a fork in the hallway; the same that Twilight earlier met him at. He took the bisecting path and found himself in an even darker patch of darkness, he staggered forward slowly, and his hands were out in front of him to feel for any surroundings. Eventually, he came to another wall, feeling around lead him to a sharp left turn, with another source of light in the distance. The light was dim, meaning it wasn’t the outside. He entered the dim lit room; right corner of the room had a mine-rail system set up with a mine cart in front its entrance. Suddenly a soft and familiar voice was heard, approaching him with the sounds of quick hoof-steps;

“Jonah! You’re finally awake! Oh, we were so worried!”

It was Fluttershy; she jumped and flew up to Jonah to hug him tightly. Jonah held her back;

“Nice to see you too, have you and the others been okay?”

“We’ve been doing the best we can; none of those metal ponies have found us yet. The worst part about it all is Princess Luna’s disappearance…”

Jonah let go of Fluttershy;

“Princess Luna… I asked Princess Celestia about her, and then she just started crying right there.”

“Princess Luna left to try and face Seth on her own… she never came back… it’s been a year now, and Princess Celestia is convinced she is dead. I think she is still out there though, at the very least she could be imprisoned. But then again she is an Alicorn… Seth may have put her in one of those terrible concentration camps he’s set up...”

“I think an Alicorn would be too powerful for one of those camps to hold her down…”

Fluttershy whimpered at Jonah’s last comment. She started to shiver nervously Jonah tried to calm her;

“Now, now! I didn’t mean it like ‘at!”

Jonah attempted forced a different subject in to the conversation, anything to keep Fluttershy from becoming upset. He then remembered;

“Oh! By the way, I’ve been looking for ya. I wanted to tell you thanks for findin’ Mina for us. It really means a lot to me.”

Fluttershy’s shaking slowed a little;

“It’s okay… you seemed really down about it that night. And I knew her pain; I’ve felt the same sort of self-loath that she felt back then.”

“Maybe you can help out with Cole’s pain…”

“Oh believe me, I’ve tried and everyone else has tried. But he just gets so angry and annoyed with everyone, we all just gave up trying to help. We figured you could help him.”

“I just talked to him; he acted like he didn’t even want to look at me. And we’ve been best friends for… what…? Seven years now? Not even friends... more like brothers… Cole was more of a brother to me than Seth was; I think Cole is the first friend that I ever had who I’ve considered to be my family. Now I just don’t know what to do for him… he’s so hurt and sad… I just don’t know if I can help him this time…”

“Listen; from how cantankerous he’s been towards us, I’m surprised he never tried to leave us. Then again, he’s become quite the little hermit on that mountain top of his… But I think the only reason he stayed with us this whole time was to wait for you, Jonah. I think that deep down he’s crying out to you, begging you to just be with him. You don’t even have to say anything, just go back up there and sit with him.”

Jonah felt a tsunami of encouragement fill him, he asked Fluttershy;

“Do you really think that’s what he needs? Just me to be there?”

Fluttershy put her hooves on Jonah’s hips and flipped him around;

“I know that’s what he needs.”

Fluttershy pushed Jonah’s back to send him back through the hall he came into the mine terminal from. Jonah didn’t look back, he kept moving, knowing then that his best friend needed him.

Jonah returned to the mountain top, Cole was in the same spot as before, only this time standing. Cole heard footsteps behind him; he turned to face the character that approached him;

“Jonah. I’m glad you could join me again… I have something important to say… I’ve waited two and a half years to say this, and I figured this would be better than only leaving behind a note.”

Jonah stopped about three meters from Cole, at the mention of “leaving behind a note” Jonah shook, afraid that Cole would abandon him, and for good. Jonah grew a sad expression, Cole continued with tears running, seeping from his eyes gradually faster as he talked;

“… Thank you… thank you for being my best friend… and for accepting me as yours… It’s been an honor to get to know you, to travel with you, to go on so many adventures and save so many people with you."

It was a side of Cole that Jonah never witnessed before, he shook and squirmed, his face was red with hurt and depression. He inched his way over to Jonah eventually reaching out and hugging him, A few seconds passed, Cole let Jonah go… He walked back to the edge that he made his home. Cole turned his head back, saying with hiccups in his voice;

“Good bye.”

Cole bent his knees and pounced from the edge, letting gravity drag him down on a collision course with the sharp, jagged rocks below him. Jonah’s heart stopped, he instantly ran to the edge screaming and weeping;

“COLE!”

Jonah jumped from the edge, activating his flight ability and racing gravity to save his friend.

It was at that moment that Jonah realized what happened; it was evolution at its core meaning. The evolution of the friends he thought knew so well. The six ponies, once resilient and happy residents of their care-free world; have evolved into soldiers thirsty for revenge against the dictator that caused them hardship after senseless hardship. Princess Celestia, the once strong and wise goddess of her peaceful kingdom; now evolved into desperate and gaping hole, only wanting to be filled with a son to love and nurture. Cole, the once fun-loving, optimistic and silly hearted childhood friend; has evolved into a depressed, pessimistic and suicidal wreck of emotions and tragedies. Jonah would need more than power and strategy to heal the scars left in his friends’ minds.