Hatred of the Anti-Brony

by Angrywritingskills

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Human
Length: 186999

I hate the world of Equestria. Eversince Earth and it became connected I have gone through a deep depression. I know whose fault it is and I know one day everyone will look at me and know I was right about ponies and the bronies too.

One day the world took a turn for the insane. Earth and Equestria connected and now humans and ponies live together in harmony. Bronies are now a widespread culture and everyone is happy because of it. Everyone except me the only sane person alive. I know that this isn't right and I know that maybe one day humanity will wake up. They will see how stupid they've made the world and what they let into their hearts. One day I'll finally feel like I'm not an outsider. One day ponies and all pony sympathizers will perish in a violent spectacular marvel.

Published 2013-10-07 01:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-02-13 02:43:51 UTC

Chapter 2: Where I 'm now

I’m twenty three now and it’s been a year since I joined the anarchist revolution or whatever they call it. The old shack in the forest that had been their headquarters was moved to the city and now we live in a garage. I wasn’t too happy since it's closer to ponies but I’m never happy anymore. I only seem to wear a black jumpsuit and a black trucker hat pointed backwards since it was the only outfit I had left to wear. Adorned on the back of the jumpsuit is a red anarchy A which is our symbol.

This building is abandoned so I’m basically a squatter but since nobody has come looking for me I'm safe here. As for what’s inside, it’s pretty much a big concrete room with some tools around. That’s what tipped it off as a garage. Also there are these tires and cardboard boxes around some filled with stuff like car parts and some not. So when I first came here I figured it wouldn’t be so bad but I soon found out that this place has nothing to offer me in terms of opportunities.

Actually the reason we all moved to the city was so we could cause a little chaos on the population. However it was about ten months ago when I realized this little movement I joined was just the false dream of a lying man. We are kind of a group but it would be hard to tell considering there are just five of us counting me. The other members seem to believe in something but with the absolute no progress we’ve made I don’t. This group was literally made when I joined meaning that it was originally just a bunch of people who somehow met and decided to quit their everyday lives and pursue a life of anarchism. Guess the leader thought that more people would come flocking to the scene but they didn’t. In conclusion I made a stupid decision joining a worthless cause and should have stayed drifting. Too bad my old car is gone because I was taken by the cop.

So to pass the time I let my mind drift and I’ve gotten pretty good at it. Just letting myself be overwhelmed by deep thoughts and images is how I get time to spin by. It's also a good way to really discover myself. That is how I discovered exactly how deep my hatred for bronies is and how I was influenced all those years ago. Yep just some soul searching and my mind was clear and set. Problem is it gets boring thinking when there’s nothing going on. So I make up events and scenarios to give me some kind of excitement. I’ll admit I can get eccentric with it. Like how one time I acted out what I would do if I saw Princess Twilight herself every come down to this town. When someone walked in they were surprised to see I was pacing back and forth and trying to imitate a girl’s voice.

So today I'm just doing what I always do. I've begun to notice I'm lacking creativity in my little fantasies. I always go for the bare hands route. Maybe throwing in a chainsaw would liven things up. Oo or maybe a machete! As I finished my thoughts on how I’m gunna strangle one of the mane six, one of the other members walks in.

“Morning Jim. You’ve been here all day?” Bill greeted me. His dirty blond hair was gleaming in the low handing lights. He still had that moustache going that made him look like a cop. Bill the officer was the one who recruited me to the cause. Bill was nice to me as he was with everyone. Whenever I felt down Bill had come to save me from slumping back into that mood I had contracted from the world going insane. He had to quit being a cop since it distracted him from his mission. I wonder what he does now? He sure doesn't uphold the law anymore.

“Yeah I’ve been here all day.” I replied. “Don’t think it’s a good idea to walk around with this on.” I held up my arms to show off the jumpsuit.

“Eh true.” Bill said taking a seat next to me on a cardboard box. “So what have you been up to? Haven’t seen you in a week?” Bill asked. Even though he wasn’t a cop anymore Bill was the only member to actually get out and see what was happening around town. Out of all of us he was the one that acted the most normal. I mean compared to the rest of the gang and he’s the most approachable. I'm a bit unhinged and I act like it so that usually repels people away.

“I’ve been up to nothing Bill.” I said stretching. “Just waiting for something to happen.”

“Ain’t we all?” Bill agreed. We sat in silence for a moment but soon our peace was interrupted by the sound of heels walking towards us. Just the bitch I didn’t want to see.

“Bill.” She greeted. “Jim.” She glared at me. Her name was Mariah something, she told me once and I forgot. But she insists that everyone call her Myriad for some dumb reason. She basically hates me and I hate her back. It seemed that she was the stereotypical detached from society wackos when I first met her and I was right. She wears her braided ponytail with a black leather outfit. It seemed like a slutty outfit to me so that’s why when we first met I hit on her. Big mistake on my part. I mean sexy black girl and I’ve been off my game for at least seven years. To top it off turns out she’s a lesbian. Yeah and she’s fully able to kick my ass. Anyways I always felt that she’s just an idiot who is looking to stand out but her idea of standing out is to be nasty about everything. Reminds me of the bronies and their need to emphasize that they are a brony to everyone.

“Zayn wants to speak with us.” Myriad stated. “Meet us in the main room.”

“Okay.” Bill said standing up. Myriad glared at me like she always does. She still won’t forgive me for grabbing her ass. But she shouldn’t tempt a man with a weapon like that wrapped in those jeans.

“Jim.” She said biting down on the word.

“Yes.” I smirked.

“Go get Kyle from whatever hole he’s dug himself into.” Kyle is an interesting character and Myriad hates him too. But she hates me more.

“Uhh but Kyle’s scum. Can’t I just let him smoke his brains out?” I groaned. Myriad grabbed me by the collar and stood me up.

“Now!” She said forcibly pushing me away. I groaned and walked away. Finding Kyle wouldn’t be too hard since he was usually just lying around. Our group stoner was usually alone getting high. My only question was where he got the drugs and how he paid for it. All of us are pretty much dirt poor but with no bills or anything we get by.

As I rounded a corner I found Kyle lying down on a pile of boxes with smoke coming out of his mouth. His yellow and black outfit smelled of weed and his long blonde hair was frizzy and unclean. I hate seeing him like this. He should be on his feet at all times and be trying to accomplish something. I don't but at least I try. All he does it swamp his brain in THC.

“Kyle!” I said rather loudly. “Kyle wake up you lazy douchebag.” I gave him a good kick on the shoulder and he collapsed on the floor.

“Hm what? No I don’t want to submit to a drug test.” He said in slurred speech. I rolled my eyes and grabbed him by the arm.

“Kyle shape the fuck up!” I ordered like I had any authority over him. Kyle shakily got onto his feet and gazed around the room. He was probably trying to figure out why it was melting. He finally turned to me and I could smell his rank breath.

“Oh hi Jim. Wow.” He grabbed my face and moved his thumbs over it. “Your skin is really soft.” I swatted his hands away.

“Come on Zayn has something important to tell us.” I said sarcastically.

“You know you two are always fighting with each other.” Kyle stated holding his hand out as if to feel what was in front of him. “You know if you two just acted more… more.” Kyle never finished his thoughts.

“Acted more peacefully towards each other to further benefit the welfare of others and maybe actually get this group into motion.” I finished for him.

“Yeah that.” Kyle smiled dopily. I sighed. I decided to try something again that I usually try when I’m talking to Kyle. Try to get him off the drugs. Problem is I use reasoning and in his world there is no reason.

“Kyle.” I said getting his attention. “I’ve told you before that the reason this group doesn’t work is because we are dysfunctional. The lesbian bitch doesn’t work with anyone except Zayn. So she’s basically a carpet munching dog. Zayn doesn’t want to take action because he's too big of a pussy to do anything. And you’re always high so you’re completely fucking worthless.” Kyle began to stagger and I ran over to catch him. Clearly he wouldn’t be walking. I resorted to just giving him a piggy back ride. “You see Kyle.” I continued with him now on my back. “The only ones who are ready and willing to do anything are Bill and I. So over half the team is useless. Especially you. At least Mariah could do something if she wanted to act. You’re too high to be useful.” I know I’m being cruel but Kyle really had a problem and he is more of a liability than anything else. In fact he hasn’t helped at all. Not even when we moved here. I had to carry his blond ass into the moving truck.

“Yeah well.” Kyle said burying his face into my back. The material of the jumpsuit must feel good on his face. “At least I fucked more bitches than you.”

“Heh yeah.” I laughed. “Well you got them high and all so that really doesn’t count. For every bitch I’ve fucked she counts for ten of yours.” I carried him on my back across the complex. The garage was actually part of a bigger abandoned building but we stayed on ground level. So yes we are homeless but at least we got a roof under our heads. Equestria is strict on keeping a clean environment so the homeless aren’t really ignored like on Earth. In fact the ponies are enthusiastic to help solve human problems like homelessness. Of course I would never accept help from a pony. Not that they’ve come looking around here for trouble. In fact I've never once been asked for help from a pony. It’s odd but I don’t really care enough to question it. As I rounded the corner again I found that our little group was already set. I dropped Kyle on a set of tires and he rolled behind them.

In the center of the room stood Zayn. He’s a real asshole but not the kind where he can still be a friend. From the ceiling a light was cast on him since he feels people need to notice him. To tell the truth it would be hard not to. He dressed like a friggin hipster, skinny jeans, high tops, fingerless gloves, and a scarf. He thankfully didn’t wear fake glasses or a fedora but still. He’s actually what I expected the leader of a cult to look and act like. This guy is unfucking believable. He held his arms open as if he was about to get a hug.

“Friends and family.” He said in his usual annoying speaking voice. “We for so long have been oppressed by the norms of corporation, government, and society. Each day we try to bring these weaknesses of man down and show the people, what they are truly capable of.” For the love of Christ! This is one of the things I hate about Zayn. He talks like he’s some sort of prophet and it’s all the same. Everyday all we do is sit around here and wonder what our leader is planning. When we do find out he gives another speech like this. I’ve sat for nearly a year waiting for some action. The reason I joined them was to really cause havoc. I was told we were going to bring an end to society which of course meant lots of people would get hurt. And by people I mean ponies. My theory is if society crumbles then humans and ponies would get drawn apart or they would turn on each other. Either way there would be a lot more dead ponies. “But soon this will end.” Zayn continued. “Soon everything that has kept humankind from achieving true unity will die. And from it.” I couldn’t take it anymore. The same thing over and over again and I’m siting here expecting shit to change. I stood up.

“Um excuse me.” I interrupted. Zayn’s mouth was still open when he turned to me. I walked down to join him in the light. “It seems to me that we’ve heard this song and dance already.” This wouldn’t mark the first time I’ve spoken out. But this time I was really going to make a fuss. The whole anarchy thing has been told already and by now even Myriad was bored of it. But as the leader we had to respect him and all that bullshit. “Come on Zayn old pal. When are we gunna do something?” He looked at me with contempt. Everyone knew there was tension between us but it was a common thing. Still, Myriad moved behind Zayn as the rest watched.

“I don’t feel like I should be addressing this subject right now.” Zayn said with a slight bit of annoyance in his voice. He was pretty good at hiding anger in his voice but his facial expression says it all.

“Well I think you should.” I said. Myriad shook her head in disgust.

“Alright first.” Zayn turned to me. “Thanks for wearing your uniform.” I smirked, flattered that he noticed. “But second. I can only tell you what I’ve always been telling you.” I rolled my eyes.

“You’re going to say we have to bid our time and strike when society is at its most vulnerable.”

“Good you’ve been listening to me.” Zayn said but I could tell he was unimpressed. “Now would you please just sit down? There is something important I have to say.”

“Then say it!” I spat raising my voice. My increase of volume must have sent him over the edge. He gritted his teeth.

“Listen, shut the fuck up! It seems that every time you always wanna start something! Well I’m sick of it.”

“Then do something to shut me up!” I roared.

“No!” He yelled back. “We mustn’t be fighting amongst ourselves. So I’m gunna ask you one more time.” He pointed his finger at me. “Sit the fuck down.” I laughed a bit. A hysteric laugh that you laugh when you know no one is listening to you.

“You’re still the same. You’ve always been the same!” I said smiling shaking my head. “Even after a year you still sit on your ass and do nothing.” My anger was rising. “If you were a good leader you would have made sure your followers are happy. You couldn’t lead the bronies to Bronycon. You worthless motherfucker.” My anger spilled over and I swung my fist at Zayn. Of course everyone in the room saw this coming, so I missed Zayn’s head by about a mile as he ducked. The worst part came yet as the guard dog, Myriad, grabbed my forearm and twisted it. I cried out in pain and my face winced as the agonizing pain of my wrist bending shot up my arm. Myriad had been trained how to fight and her training was good. Don’t know where she got trained from but it must have been some kind of Asian guy. She knocked me on the ground with her leg and I collapsed on the ground right before she dug her heel into my kidney. Zayn looked over me and smiled triumphantly.

“Maybe you need to go for a walk to remember what you’re fighting for.” He looked to Myriad. “Escort him to the door.” He ordered. Myriad nodded and picked me up by my bad arm.

“Let’s go punk.” She muttered walking me to the door. I gritted my teeth at the pain but that wasn’t all I felt. These walks Zayn would make me do were just frustrating. He, like everyone else, knew of my hatred for the ponies. In fact I’m sure he’s been manipulating me through that hatred to make me stay. It might be one of the reasons why we moved to the city so I could be at my full potential. After all if you use the logic, hate equals rage equals power, then maybe I’m an asset worth keeping. But these walks make me frustrated because everywhere I go there would be nothing but bronies and ponies. And gosh I hate them, but I’m smart and I know I can’t do anything unless I want to go to jail. When we reached the door, she paused to unlock it.

“Tight grip ya got sweetheart.” I said. She unlocked the door with the key and began to push me out. “Kind of want to see what else you can do with them hands.” I smirked and she held me in the doorway. She smiled something I rarely see, and put a hand on my inner thigh.

“Oh the things I could do to you.” She said seductively running a finger up. Then at the last second her hand turned into a fist and she jabbed me in the balls.

“But I’m gay.” She spat thrusting me out of the building where I landed on the dirt. She slammed the door behind me as I withered on the ground.

***

Myriad returned to the group where she took a seat. Kyle was passed out so the group was smaller than usual. Zayn let out an exhausted sigh; it’s what he did when he had to deal with Jim’s anxiety. Bill, who had watched the whole thing in silence, spoke up.

“He’s got a good point though.” He said grabbing Zayn’s attention. “We do only sit here and wait for you to make us do something. There must be something we can do or even I am going to get angry.”

“I was going to get to that.” Zayn said exasperated. He cleared his throat. “Anarchists! I would like to show you our ticket to spreading chaos throughout the land of Equestria.”

***

I forced myself to my knees as I gently held my ball sack. Somewhere in the back of my mind told me to not try arguing. But I did, and now I was experiencing pain. Myriad was always a bitch but that wasn’t my concern. After I while I got on my feet and stumbled off. I walked down the little dirt back alley; dusting my back off. My hand brushed the red A and I cursed myself for still having this on. Swallowing my paranoia I walked out onto the sidewalk, hoping no one would give me weird looks for wearing an anarchy symbol on my back.

Author's Note

Yay second chapter

Chapter 3: Hatred for the ponies

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 4: Why the hate

The next morning I woke up at my usual time of seven o clock. I’m a morning guy so I’m able to get up quickly. I brushed my teeth in a rusty sink that was located near me. Originally I had just let my teeth go to waste in the years before but it was actually Myriad’s forceful orders to start brushing and flossing again. She didn’t like the smell of my breath or something. After I was done I headed back to the meeting room and waited. The other group members didn’t wake up this early so I would have to wait an hour or two.

In the meantime I could think about things and fantasize about what’s happened and what would happen next. This was finally it. The time to act and things were now going to change. And if there was action, it means I have something to think about. So I entered that deep thought process. It was relatively easy since I was tired and being tired made me sink back into that deep state of mind more easily. In time I could see the fate of Equestria. Cities falling, people yelling, bodies shot all over the floor, and me playing an important part in all of it. Maybe not a major part, I’ll be behind Discord the whole way, but I’ll be at the side of Bill maybe. Or it might be me and him fighting along. I hope there’ll be fighting. Would be kind of boring just watching it all. Also hope that Kyle would join us. He’s one of my only contacts so it would be nice if he were there. Whatever happens, it’ll be awesome to finally experience that feeling of triumph over these things.

As I started imagining the faces of ponies in fear of my actions I was slowly going back to something that kept me going. Why I hate the ponies and bronies? It would be easy to say I just hate them for being different but that wouldn’t cut it in most people’s eyes since it sounds ignorant. I could also say that because of my past I harbor a grudge but unless I was disturbed then I wouldn’t say my past would drive me to act so drastically like I’m about to. But my past interactions with the Equestrian kind have made me bitterer and before that the bronies definitely shaped my opinion.

Starting with when I was only in high school I had a strong dislike of bronies; simply enough. They made me uncomfortable but I didn’t do anything about it. When the torment of my friends died off and we just went back to being friends, I learned to tolerate bronies and not get so worked up. That all changed of course when it turned out ponies were real things you could touch. As I’ve said before something snapped inside of me. Yeah I went berserk but I recovered. Even after the incident I wasn’t sure on my position on how I should feel about how the world was changing.

But after I started to lose contact with the world because I didn’t feel right, a cold bitterness set into my heart. It didn’t help that the bronies got popular, the same people that I thought would lose their fame as soon as the fandom died suddenly made a huge step into legendary stardom. That definitely drove me a little insane. Maybe it was the unexpectedness of the portals opening or maybe it was how everyone was getting so happy over something they never heard of before. Not everyone knew what bronies were but they soon found out and ended up adopting the culture.

Whatever it was I felt detached from the world like I was drowning and everyone could see but they didn’t want to help me. So maybe I’m just a sick man with hatred in my heart or I’m just jealous that everyone found a way to be happy except for me.

My eyes snapped open as I suddenly realized something.

“I’m a fucking anti brony.” I said out loud. The words felt wrong but I felt as if there was some kind of romantic truth about them.

I shook my head. “Fucking anti bronies.” Way back when that was the term bronies used describing haters of the show. Not all bronies used it of course but I remember some videos using that term and then there was some artwork of the “anti brony brotherhood”. Ironically one of my friends used to call me an anti brony. The joke was there was no such thing as an anti brony.

The problem with anti bronies was the term implied that there was a separate group specifically designed to antagonize bronies. This group does not exist however and was merely another piece of evidence to show that bronies are all idiots.

Think of it like this. Why give name to something that upsets you? To give the thing identity so you can cast blame onto it. Bronies came up with the phrase “anti bronies” so they could acknowledge the hatred towards them. It died out sure but the whole idea just proved that the bronies have a persecution complex. It seemed to me that bronies needed to feel antagonized so they could feel special and loved. I mean why else would there be so many videos on YouTube of bronies talking about how much hate they get? Didn’t help that some haters adopted the title but still bronies brought attention to the fact they were getting hatred. I learned from my father that you’ll go through your whole life with people who will hate you no matter how much good you’ll do and that will never change. But to be constantly on edge about it; frustrated me so much.

I shifted around the small place I was confined too. All this thought about my future and my hatred really stirred me up. I was pumped and ready to do work. It only took at least half an hour for someone else to get up. It was thankfully Bill who walked down sleepily and greeted me. We had a quick conversation. He too was excited about getting into action. Soon Myriad came down to join us and to my surprised she didn’t sound as bitchy as usual. Even more surprising was she was even more excited than me to get to do something.

“Don’t think you’re the only one who is bored out of their head.” She said. She went on to say that Discord and Zayn had already drawn up plans and such. Turns out we were starting our first mission today and they were going to come down and tell us. My hands shook with anticipation. We talked for at least thirty more minutes. I was kind of surprised since normally the three of us didn’t talk except for a few grunts and sneers. And to tell the truth, when she’s like this, Myriad isn’t that bad to be around. Maybe it’s my fault for being a pervert but just getting to know her was pretty nice. Almost felt like I had a friend.

After a while we thought it would be a good idea to wake up Kyle. He probably wouldn’t be doing much to help but he deserves at least to know what’s going on. We all dragged him out of his mattress and dropped him on the ground. For a minute I thought he was dead but suddenly like some kind of insect; he scurried to his feet and then sat back down.

It wasn’t long before Zayn joined us at around ten o clock. He greeted all of us in a way I found annoying. I don’t really like seeing him in a happy mood but I won’t let that spoil my own mood. At least he cut right to business, leading us down to where Discord was. We found him in our normal meeting space and he awoke in some comical way. But I expected that, he was Discord. Still didn’t change my attitude towards him. When we were all settled in Zayn turned to us.

“Alright everybody.” He said in an energetic way. “Today is the day you’ve all be waiting for.” Zayn then went on to say he was thankful for this agreement and how he knew that we were always going to be the ones to help lead him through this journey. So basically a load of bull shit since he has been looking for new volunteers for months. As my attention to Zayn started to diminish, my eyes drifted to Discord. Gosh I still hated him. But something was off about him today. He looked awake but he seemed kind of freaked out. In fact it was like he was nervous.

“But none of this would have been possible if it weren’t for our newest friend, Discord.” Zayn said pointing to the spirit of chaos. Discord seemed to snap to life. “Discord would you like to say something before we get started?” Zayn asked. For a minute Discord just sat still. Finally he spoke.

“Yeeeeah about that.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Wow this is awkward.” As he said that, it started to get awkward. What was he talking about? Furthermore why was he acting strange?

“Um I don’t think I understand.” Zayn said confused. “Is there a problem?”

“Well yes, I mean no, I mean yes but not immediately.” Discord struggled with the sentence. Now I was starting to get tense. I had doubt with this the whole time and now it was coming true. I knew the pony fag wouldn’t hold up or he would do something to screw us over. But I’ll admit I didn’t expect him to bail on us.

“So what is it Dischode?” I yelled standing up. Immediately Bill put his hand on my shoulder and forced me to sit. Guess he was nervous that I would ruin relations with Discord. But Discord didn’t say anything and just looked around the room. I was getting very anxious now and ready to do something. That was until Zayn spoke again.

“Discord we need to know what’s going on.” Zayn said desperately. It was obvious to me that even Zayn had had doubts about all of this. His voice sounded shrill as if he too was nervous. Myriad stood up and got closer to Discord, so did Bill and for some reason Kyle followed too. I was left alone in the corner the reason being I didn’t want to get too close to that thing they were congregated around.

“Alright it’s like this.” Discord said feeling the pressure of the others amounting on him. “I didn’t know how long it would be till they found out. So I kind of thought there would be more time.” That was the breaking point of my paranoia. Now I was really angry, confused, and frightened. But before I could ask the obvious question, Zayn beat me to it.

“Who are they?” As he said that the wall in front of us exploded in fire. Everyone except for Discord were looking right into it as it went off. On instinct I moved my arms up and my head to the side. As I did, I spotted Discord just standing there un-phased. As my face continued to move I found myself staring at my three acquaintances that had left my side only moments before. Through the dust that had kicked up from the explosion, I could see them standing there and then suddenly all three of them flew backwards with amazing force and then a succession of rocks smash their bodies. I blinked to make sure I wasn’t just imagining it but I saw each of them fall to the ground and just lie there. It all happened so fast I couldn’t tell what was happening or what happen next. Were they dead?

As my confusion started to die out, I realized that there was probably something bad happening and I wasn’t too safe out in the open. Immediately I dove behind a stack of tires. My brain was racing, my heart was thumping, and my breath was quick in succession. I thought maybe this is what it would be like if I took up the offer to be a marine with my friend. To tell the truth I don’t like this feeling.

A silence overtook the room and I was starting to get anxious. Cautiously I snuck a peek over the stack of tires. What I saw made me jump out of my boots. Emerging from the dust were the shadows of the group of individuals I hated the most. More specifically the mane six. If I were a brony I would be star struck but I’m not so I’m just awestruck. The mane six is usually never seen outside hotels or wherever they are staying. They are literally stalked by adoring fans which begs the question why they love their new human friends. Really I would’ve thought that the fact their entire lives have been viewed by a bunch of man children would really disturb them. But instead they adored their human fans just as much as humans adored them.

But what were they doing here? Out of all the places to be they were here. They could’ve been dining in Canterlot, touring the American west coast, making their way across Europe, or be on one of those talk shows. But instead they were here in a dingy garage on a sleepy morning. I wasn’t the only one who was completely stupefied. Zayn stood with his mouth open as the six ponies approached him.

Newsflash on the mane six. They’re all grown up now meaning they look different than their show appearance but not too much. If the Equestria girls painted them as high school students, than if they were to go back to that dimension then they would be young adults around their mid-twenties. Too bad they could never go back to that dimension because the mirror was shattered a long time ago with the return of Sunset Shimmer. But that is a whole other story. Basically now in horse form they looked older and wiser with slightly taller stature and more profound facial construction.

From my place behind my tire barrier I could see it all unfold. After the initial shock I could see Zayn had entered alert mode. He took a step back and brought his hands up as if to suspect a fight. To tell the truth I was kind of rooting for Zayn at this point. Sure I don’t like him but I really don’t like his competition. But as the ponies got closer I knew something horrible was going to happen.

“Get the hell away from me!” Zayn said backing away. The ponies for a second stopped their advance. “I know what you’re here for!” Zayn said on the border of hysteria. I would be hysteric too if I were in his position. “You want to stop me from achieving my individual rights. Well I’m not listening to your lies! I’m an anarchist! Discord help me!” Zayn looked to Discord but received no support.

Then I heard princess Twilight speak. “Discord? Have you been up to your old tricks again?” She sounded like this was some kind of routine.

“Oh I was just trying to have some fun.” Discord said. “No harm really done… yet.”

“Well thank goodness we found you.” This time Rarity spoke. Still had that uptight fake English accent. “Fluttershy has been worried sick about you.” From behind the group the yellow Pegasus flew straight at Discord.

“You have a lot of nerve leaving us in the dark there mister.” She sounded angry.

“Well geez I just wanted to have fun.” Discord said sounding almost like he was afraid. Guess he should have been because Fluttershy grabbed him by his ear and began dragging him away, claiming he was going to be in big trouble.

I looked back over to where my three acquaintances laid. I couldn’t see them except for the rubble was blocking my view. I had to check if they were alive. Very carefully I leaned to the side of the tires to get a better view. Zayn was still standing there. It was as if they had ignored him. Obviously they hadn’t spotted me yet since they seemed focused on other things. I got on my stomach and inched my way towards the rubble concealing myself in the darkness of the room.

Zayn began to back away from the group of five ponies. “Hey where do you think you’re going?” Rainbow Dash spoke up. With her amazing speed she got behind Zayn and pushed him towards the group of ponies.

“Stop it! Stop it!” He shrieked.

“Is your name Zayn?” asked Twilight. Zayn jumped back in surprise.

“How? How?”

“Actually we’ve heard a lot about you.” Twilight said. “Discord told us about you.”

“W-what do you know?” Zayn stuttered. This time Pinkie Pie spoke.

“Your name is Zayn, you were born in New Hampshire, your blood type is AO, your real last name is Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele which you changed because it couldn’t fit on your driver’s license, and you want to spread anarchy across all of Equestria and Earth because when you were little you saw the power of government take away your fathers job” She took in a breath “and your family lost everything so you vowed revenge.” See that would’ve been impressive if she did it in one breath.

I was still unseen somehow. Guess they’re either blind or I’m just a ninja. As I moved alone the back wall I could still hear the conversation going on. I didn’t like it and I knew where it was heading.

Zayn was taken aback by the betrayal of his newest ally, the knowledge these ponies now had, and Pinkie’s ability to explain shit. “I don’t understand.” His breathed starting to enter a state of panic and he was on the verge of panic. After all, the mane six are the leaders of Equestria. They joined the princesses after humanity basically forced them to accept a more liberal form of government. Yeah I use the word force because us humans told how bad monarchies are and how Equestria should be more like us. We’re sickos like that.

Anyways I listened to more on the conversation as I continued on my way to the rubble. To tell the truth it wasn’t going the way I wanted it to go. It went with the mane six getting Zayn to lighten up to them. How? By simply being sweet innocent little ponies and making him feel welcome. Doing so would lower his defenses so they could go in for the kill. By kill I mean take the fight out of him.

I’ve seen this happen to celebrities back home and it made me sick. Not everyone bought into this accepting of Equestrian culture, in fact, there were some notable celebrities who opposed it. Mostly old guys but there were some younger fellows that opposed dropping everything because Equestria rolled into town. The celebrity I remember the most being opposed to Equestrian culture was Howard Stern.

Bronies friggin smashed him and basically openly discriminated him for being against their culture in the past. I heard it was horrible for him and he couldn’t escape getting letters that were all “I told ya so”. After about a month of it, he couldn’t even progress his regular show without it being only about responding to bronies, he made an official apology on live radio and then signed off forever. No one heard from him since and I’ve been waiting to meet a brony that will try and defend their actions. Because to me, it seems they just attacked someone only for the reason of getting personal revenge. Never heard anything about revenge in the magic of friendship.

Another thing I remember being effected by bronies was music. More specifically the music that was rather violent in lyrical content. I never listened to metal but I heard from a couple sources when I was traveling that ponies killed the rap game. All those rap songs about guns, drugs, and hoes were in decline during the years ponies were introduced. Either the industry changed or maybe the ponies had a deal in it. Either way rap is dead being replaced by this techno shit with guys that think they’re rapping.

Finally I remember the conflict with militia groups throughout the world. At one point I believe the bronies thought they could achieve world peace or some shit. Well that’s a foolhardy goal because there is no way the citizens of Earth are just going to lay down arms because ponies say so. Always wanted to travel to a third world country just to see how they felt about the whole situation. Wonder if they even acknowledge ponies as sentient creatures. Maybe to them, an animal is an animal.

At last I finally made my way to the rubble pile. Somehow they hadn’t seen me and for that I’m thankful. Rising to my knees, I peered over the rubble and what I saw made me lose my breath. They were dead alright. But seeing them just lying there made me quiver.

Chapter 6: Peter

Exiting the building and walking onto the side walk I realized it must be around noon because there were lots of people out. Everyone must be heading out to lunch or to their jobs. Rush hour happens at mid-day in this city. Kind of odd since usually it was morning when I experienced rush hour traffic when I traveled Earth in my younger years. I still remember those days. Just me driving my car around aimlessly in rural America looking for a way to escape the ponies and never finding it, instead I learned more about them than I ever asked through television and occasionally social media and the internet. Now it seems like I will have to return to that way of life except this time I don’t have a car to help me escape today’s society.

But in the meantime maybe I’ll use this time to think about things. The chore of coping with today’s events must be done. I would try to clear my head of my troubles but that only leaves me feeling empty inside. I need a motivation to live and I can take loss such as this. After all I did lose every single friend I ever knew in one event and I’m perfectly fine standing here today.

I’ll start out with me and Twilight’s conversation. That was certainly something. Not many get to meet her face to face these days other than other important people and ponies. She’s so high and mighty so her life is now crowded with appointments and such. But what stood out the most to me was I didn’t do anything to harm her which absolutely goes against my fantasies about what I would do if I was caught in a situation such as that. I’ve always wanted to get my hands on her or any pony for that matter and that was the perfect chance yet I let myself talking myself out of it. My own paranoia about the possible consequence made me shift my thinking from an offensive approach to a defensive approach. It’s like thinking about it and using logic made me suddenly afraid to even be near her.

What can be learned from this? I’m not as willing to just end a life for sake of enjoyment or destiny. Or rather I can’t do something I’m not totally prepared for. But what will that mean for the rest of my life? I’ve always wanted to do something and I was given the chance and I didn’t do anything. I guess maybe the reason I was squatting in an abandoned building is because I’m a failure.

Well other than my failure there was something else about that conversation. Something I said to her. I told Twilight I had to get to my mom’s house and her response was unordinary. I expected her to give me some kind of confused response that was the obvious reaction. But oddly she was almost startled at my response and actually looked ready to leave instead of trying to press me for information like she was before I lied to her.

What could this mean? It could mean nothing but if I’ve learned anything from watching pony-human relations on the television, it’s that body language and someone’s reactions are a great way get a good picture of their personalities.

From the way she moved back when she heard me. She was visibly nervous, almost fearful. I wonder what that could mean since it must take something astounding to give a pony like her the shakes. After all she is an all-powerful alicorn with deep connections in both pony and human relations. She could get the Equestrian guard and ask for the armies of the Earth to help her. That’s just how significant ponies are now. They can get human armies to fight for their cause. This was done so when human armed forces surround the changelings in Ghastly Gorge. But what happened to the changelings is another story.

I rounded the corner trying to be mindful to not bump into other people. After thinking about Twilight I think maybe it would be a good time to address my late acquaintances. It would be easy to call them friends but they simply weren’t that. Sure they were the only people I’ve come to know but it’s not like we were close. I barely got to know Kyle and Myriad and I never saw eye to eye until recently. Bill was the only one I could talk to and he was barely around. He had a life outside the group unlike the rest of us. Sure it is tragic that they’re gone but if I really think about it, it is like I lost nothing at all. I’m going to be talking to myself from now on but at least I was still alive. And to boot at least I still know my purpose in life. That purpose of course is to do something to hurt the Equestrian culture. Cause change to really make them panic. Then maybe humanity and ponykind will become enemies like I’ve always dreamed.

Still walking down the sidewalk, surrounded by a crowd of people, it became apparent that maybe I should leave this town. There isn’t much to offer me since I’m all alone now. Zayn is probably off with the mane six; I can only imagine what they will put him through. If I had to guess they’ll try to give him some new direction in life and it’ll probably work. Back when this whole thing first started, there were programs that were aimed to help people who were having it rough by teaching them the “magic of friendship”. They selected people who either had no purpose in life or were a menace to society and put them through training that usually gave them some kind of job in the end. I think the preeminence was for humans to “find their cutie mark” which was a metaphor to find their way through life. A couple lucky “winners” got to meet ponies from the show; yippee. It’s just another way they force their culture on to us and make humans less radical and more docile. Kind of hypnotic is you ask me.

But enough dwelling on the past because right now I have to think about the future. My goal right now is to get out of this city. I need to get away from these people; they annoy me so much. But to get away I need some kind of transportation. Public transportation won’t work because I have no money and I don’t want to be on a bus with a bunch of ponies. So it looks like I’ll need a car or a motorcycle. Yeah a motorcycle would be badass. Just cruising around, dressed all in black.

“Excuse me sir.” I wouldn’t give a fuck and people would know it.

“Excuse me sir.” Just chilling that’s what I need right about now.

“Excuse me.” I felt a hand touch my shoulder. On instinct I whipped around ready to sock whoever was touching me. I was about to too because behind me was the living embodiment of everything I hate. But I hesitated with my fist in the air a bit.

“What?” I said confused. A couple of people bumped into me and I realized I should get out of the middle of traffic. Quickly I bounded to the side of the sidewalk against a wooden fence. The person who tapped me on the shoulder followed me. He was definitely a brony, I can tell by his clothes. Odd that even after all that’s happened they still show their dedication to the now dead show.

This brony wore what would be stereotypical of a fan of the show way back when. Skinny jeans and a Wonderbolts hoodie which is out of season because it’s late summer still a little hot out. To top it off he had a friggin fedora with my little pony buttons. Also he was a little on the fat side. What a fag.

“So sorry to interrupt you sir.” The brony said. His voice was annoying as fuck. Had a lisp and sounded very feminine.

“Umm.” I moaned like an idiot.

“Please to meet you I’m Peter.” He held out his hand. “Judging by the A on your back I assume your name is Andy.”

“Wow.” I looked away for a second, a slight smirk on my face. Is this guy for real? Maybe I should have hit him. I turned back. “You’re correct I am Andy.” I shook his hand as he smiled. His hands were sweaty; gross.

“Oh thank Celestia.” He said excitedly. Gosh this guy. “Um by any chance are you a mechanic?” Damn this guy is on a roll. Well I was definitely dirty and wearing a jumpsuit. I’ll let this one slide.

“Yeah man. I’m a mechanic.” I said. This really brightened up Peter’s mood.

“Bless Twilight’s lucky stars.” He exclaimed crossing his hands over his chest. God I hope nobody looks over here.

“Um can I help you man?” I’m getting impatient now. Who was this asshole and what did he want? If he just pulled me to the side of the walkway to have a friendly chat I’m knocking him the fuck out!

“Why yes.” He said. “Could you come over here please?” He beckoned me forward. Reluctantly I followed since I had nothing better to do. Besides maybe he’ll give me a reason to beat the shit out of him. We walked down the sidewalk a little bit. He kept checking to make sure I was following. To tell the truth I have no idea what I’m doing. There is absolutely no point to follow this guy so why am I doing it? It’s because that’s what drifters like me do. We drift off of the current of others. I’m no stranger to being a follower. But if my mother could see me know she would be ashamed. She always told me to be a leader not a follower.

After walking about a block we reached a rather cramped parking lot that was next to a parking garage. He walked me down the rows of cars. At this moment I was starting to get nervous. For all I know this guy was setting me up to get mugged. This wouldn’t be the first time something like this has happened though. Lucky for me I’m a fast runner and I escaped. But that was almost two years ago and I doubt I’ll get so lucky this time.

Scanning the lot I looked for other people but found none. What if I were mugged by a pony? That would be funny. What would they do buck me in the stomach and stab me with a knife in their mouth? As we walked down the lines of cars we finally stopped at one in particular. A two door Rav4. Now I don’t know much about cars but this one looked kind of new. I also heard from one of my friends that Rav4 are gay.

“So um now what?” I said.

“Oh um you’re still a mechanic?” I nodded. What kind of question is that? “Well you see I kind of need someone to change my tires. This one happens to have a nail in it.” Peter pointed to the rear right tire.

“So why don’t you just drive to the nearest garage?” I asked. Really this guy seemed like he dropped out of school or maybe he’s just clueless. He looked younger than me but I’m just twenty three and this can’t be his first time leaving home.

“Well I’m just out of high school.” Peter explained. “And I was gunna call for someone but I saw you and I thought this must be my lucky day. I’m sure you could bring it to your garage somewhere.” This guy is completely crazy. Asking for help from a stranger! God damn you bronies! What happened to minding your own god damn business? Well this guy has to go. Guess the only option is first degree murder.

I looked at Peter and his gullible face but then I got an idea. A Rav4 isn’t a motorcycle but it’s definitely transportation, and what do I need right now? This kid has no idea what he’s doing. It would be so easy to manipulate him. It was obvious to me what I’d have to do. This opportunity might not ever come again. No really this is a one and a million chance and fuck yes I’m taking it.

“Yeah actually the garage is just down the block.” I said. “We can drive the car right into one of the garages.”

“But won’t that damage the tires?” Peter asked.

“Not really and we’re changing it anyway.” I said. God how stupid is this guy. No way he has any friends.

We hopped into the car. As soon as I entered it I gathered more information on what kind of person Peter is. He actually might not be that bad of a person. The car was very clean on the inside. There was no trash anywhere to be found and looked brand new. This tells me that Peter is at least respectable and cares a little bit about his own image. Even if I disagree with it. I remember my friends and how dirty their cars were. Trash was just piled up on the floor.

I kept my car clean as well. Just common knowledge to me. In fact while I was staying with the anarchists I would kind of be the janitor for them. It was one of the ways I showed my usefulness.

The ride was pretty short but that was bad for me. I’m nervous since I will have to bluff my way through this. The game plan will be to get the car in, tell Peter the car will be “repaired” later, and then peel off. My obstacles will be the whole scene of the place. It looked abandoned which will make Peter suspect something but I will have to convince him this is legit. Also I will have to hide the huge hole in the wall which luckily for me is just a closed door away. Finally were the bodies. Just would have to close the door. Besides they’re hidden any ways. Twilight was only a couple feet away and couldn’t see them.

As we pulled up towards the garage I signaled for Peter to turn into the driveway. He questioned if it was the right place which of course I reassured him. I could feel a knot forming in my gut. This could either go really good or really bad. Bad because he could not believe me and report me to authorities. It would be worse if he found the bodies because to me he seems like the type of person to freak out at things. But it could be good because I’ll get a free ride out of this city.

However to achieve this goal I will have to fall back on a skill of mine; lying. Truthfully I’ve always been a decent liar. I’m not Applejack in the slightest and I could pass a lie detector I’m that good. Well maybe not that good but lots of people would believe. There are multiple tricks to lying. One is to come up with a compelling story. This requires imagination and on the fly thinking. It works for situations that involve having to get out of something. Another one and my favorite tricks is to have just a bit of truth in the lie. It makes the lie seem legit but really is bologna. It’s like watering down an alcoholic drink. Some people will be persuaded into thinking they’re drinking hard liquor and getting drunk but they’re really not. Very deceptive of me.

I remember I had one friend who could see through my lies like they were windows. Whenever I lied to him about something he would come around and call bullshit. Things would get awkward then but they sorted out. This actually taught me to be more truthful and eventually I learned to only lie when I had to. Telling the truth also boosted my confidence because I learned to tell people things that made them angry but they wouldn’t do anything about it. One time I admitted to kissing this kid’s girlfriend and he lost it. It gave me an excuse to kick his ass.

At last we were at our destination. I quickly exited the car.

“Are you sure this is the place?” Peter asked again.

“Yeah I’m telling you this is it.” I said agitated. His doubt made me nervous but nervousness gave way to annoyance. I walked up to the front of the garage. There were no indications of this being a business. It was just a plain white building. I walked to the front door and opened it. Really hope this’ll work.

“After you.” I said holding the door open into the darkness of the room.

Author's Note

Sorry for the lack of an update. Been doing other things. I'll try to get an update out at least every couple of weeks or month. Don't know the how people normally update things.

Chapter 7: Stealing candy from a baby

Peter stepped inside and immediately started looking around. I closed the door quickly behind him which shrouded the room in darkness for a few seconds until I turned on the lights revealing the dusty old garage. Quickly I stomped across the room and shut the door that was the entrance to the room where I had my confrontation with Miss Sparkle. Now with that easy task out of the way I’ll have to sound convincing. Here’s goes nothing.

“So Peter.” I said walking towards him. He was looking around the shop, probably trying to figure out why it was so dirty. Personally I would be offended if he was. I did try to keep this place relatively clean. But in the past week I admit I’ve been slacking. Not my fault though. I was too busy moping and wondering what to do with my life.

“I’m gunna open up the door and you can drive the car on in.” I said walking over to the garage door and pressing the button to open it up. Luckily, even though unused for a while, the door still worked fine.

“This place is kind of out of shape don’t ya think?” Peter said as the door was rising.

“What?” I asked putting my hand on my ear. For some reason this garage door was noisy when it opened so I didn’t quite here him. And here’s to me thinking that the “whisper quiet” models would be the standards by now. But living in this city taught me that “New” Equestrian architecture is just cheaply reworked human architecture. I’m pretty sure they used old parts from buildings on Earth. This hypothesis leads to multiple conspiracy stories that I’ve heard from underground sources, most having to do with resources on Earth and Equestria and why Equestria isn’t exactly like us as of now. But human generosity on a scale as rebuilding an entire architecture takes time so I don’t really believe anything those conspiracy nuts throw at me.

When the door finally opened fully the air was filled with an almost awkward silence. This is what I was trying to avoid. I quickly spoke up again.

“Alright so drive your car in and I can begin.” I restated my instruction.

“Um alright.” Peter said cautiously. He pulled the car in but I could tell I was freaking him out. Now I can sympathize with him because this is damn sketchy. But I’m not him so I need this to work. If all goes to shit then I’ll have to do something drastic. Just hope it won’t come to that.

As Peter got out of the car it was more apparent he was having second thoughts. His expression said he was hoping he would get an excuse to get out of here. But the only way I was going to let him leave would be with me in his car.

“Um A-Andy.” Peter stammered.

“Yeah man.” I said.

“N-no offense but… your shop kind of looks, how do I put this? It looks out of use.” He rubbed his fat fingers together. This was the statement that I knew was bound to come. There is no way in hell I could pass this off as a place of work. But I can try. All I need is a good lie.

“Yeah about that.” Think of something stupid. “You see.” Anything should work. Well not anything. Telling him the ghosts of Elvis and Tupac trashed the place last night probably would be a bad excuse. It has to be something mildly believable.

“Alright the thing is our place of business actually moved across town.” What? Alright might be a good start. “This is the old garage and we haven’t moved all of our equipment yet. So I took you here because it’s closer and has everything I’ll need.” No way he’ll believe this.

“Oh alright.” Peter nodded. I can’t believe this guy, I love him! “But shouldn’t you have told me this earlier? Seems like pretty relevant information.”

“Must have slipped my mind.” I shrugged. I got this in the bag. Now I just have to get him out of here and give myself ample time to leave the city. Don’t want to be here when he finds out he was robbed.

“Well how much time do you think it will take?” Peter asked. “Oh wait I mean how much money? No, how much money and time?”

“Both very important things in this world.” I said. This guy should have stayed home. His speech tells me he wasn’t that sociable as a kid. Well neither was I in my later school years but at least I can hold a conversation without confusing myself. “Well you got insurance right?” Peter looked stumped then had some sort of a revelation.

“Yeah I’m still on my parent’s plan.” Jesus, how old is this guy?

“What so you’re like still under twenty six?” Personally I think it’s outrageous that twenty six is the limit a person can still be on their parents’ insurance. I don’t even have insurance and I remember being terrified if a cop pulled me over and I couldn’t give them insurance information. I’ve been off insurance ever since I ran away from home. Parents did that to try and lead me back but it didn’t work. They pulled me off months after I left home. Must have thought I would get some of my own.

“Yes I’m eighteen.” Peter said awfully happy about himself.

“You’re eighteen?” I looked at him again. This guy doesn’t look eighteen. Looked maybe my age or a year younger, but I’ve been told I look young for my age. Still if this is the product of the new Brony generation then I’m glad I’m part of generation Z. At least my generation was only known for laziness and drugs and I’m not some loser in a Wonderbolts hoodie.

“Yeah well.” He looked away still smiling. “I took up smoking at a young age and I tried to kick the habit but… it just eases my nerves.” Huh, three day hump bro. That’s all it takes. I’ve never smoked since I looked down on people who did in my school. Which was pretty much my whole group of friends but at least only a few were chain smokers. So even in this state of mine, who should I sink down to their ranks? Also I was gunna be a marine so I was going to need my lungs.

“Yeah well your insurance should cover this.” I don’t know that. “But uh what brings you to Equestria anyways?” Wait, why do I care?

“Well um. Hold on.” Peter reached into his back pocket and produced a cigarette pack. Then he produced to put a cigarette in his mouth and light up. “Oh I’m sorry. Want one?” He said offering me the pack.

“Uh no thank you I don’t smoke.” I said.

“Oh a straight edge I see. Come on.” Peter gave me a playful nudge. “Need to experience life sometime.” That kind of pisses me off.

“Bro I’m twenty three. I’ve got a job and I live on my own. That’s as real as it gets.”

“Oh.” Peter could tell he fucked up. “Actually I’m vacationing from college. Came to Equestria to see what I could see.” This guy in college? Equestria has a massive tourist industry. And shouldn’t it? Before the portals you never go to see real live talking horses in a magical land where anything is possible. “Wait do you by chance live here?” Peter asked excitedly.

“Yeah I do.” I said with a sigh. Here it comes.

“Oh my sweet Celestia. You’re so lucky.” Peter exclaimed. “You must’ve seen so much here.” Not really. Humans having permanent homes in Equestria aren’t too common but there are definitely multiple human communities in the huge cities. Most cities are under construction though. But still we have presence almost everywhere in Equestria. Still I know that we’ll always be minorities in Equestria.

There was an agreement to preserve the land of Equestria that humans made with the ponies. We leave some of their landmarks alone and help them anyway we can. So far humans living in Equestria have been living in slums although no one calls them that.

I turned to Peter. “Equestria has been interesting. But uh.” I need to speed this up. “About your car, it should take maybe four hours to finish.” Peter looked at me confused. Come on think of some backup! “You know paperwork and everything. Car bought outside of Equestria take a lot of time to process. You know paperwork.” I tried to sound convincing.

“Okay that makes sense.” And it worked. “Well I guess I’ll go and check into a hotel. Want me to get you anything sweetie?” Did he just call me sweetie? Well actually there is one thing.

“Yeah your car keys.” Again he looked at me funny. “That’s just the way it works. You have been to a car shop before?”

“N-no.” Peter admitted.

“Well that’s how it works.” I don’t know that either. I know I’ve never been to a car shop to get my car repaired. Peter handed me the keys. I grasped them tightly in my hand. I’m so close right now.

“Alright I guess I’ll see you at” Peter looked at his watch. “around three?”

“Sounds good my man.” I shook his hand and after that he headed off. I watched him every step of the way. As soon as he rounded the corner I shut the garage door. The last light from the sun disappeared and I was left in artificial light. For a minute I stopped breathing. Did I really just steal from someone? No not someone; a brony. In all seven years of ponies I’ve never done one thing that was intended to cause harm. But I just did. And more importantly, I’m leaving this dumb city.

“YYYYYYYYYYES!” I threw a punch into the air. “I’m home free!” I yelled. “All of you faggots! I am leaving!” I ran into the big room where Zayn made his speeches, throwing my hands up and running around. “No more of this shit! I can do what I want! I’m free! Nothing can tie me down now! I’m, I’m.” I looked to the three corpses still in the rubble pile. “I’m all alone again.” The gravity of the situation hit me and I could feel myself sink. I feel so small all of a sudden. I walked over to the bodies. There was something I would need to do before I leave.

“Hey guys.” I said to them. “I hope this isn’t too creepy but I kind of want to say goodbyes.” They didn’t respond. “Don’t really know what to say.” I took a whiff of the air and grabbed my nose and backed away cursing. Stupid gross dead bodies! “I’m just gunna stand here if that’s okay with you guys.” Still no response.

“Anyways. I just wanted to say thanks for kind of being my friends for the past year. Well friends may not be the right word but you guys were my only human contacts.” I’ve decided calling them acquaintances is too harsh and untrue. Sure they’re not like friendships I’ve had in the past or like how ponies characterize friends to be like but they suit the role fine. “Each of you comforted me in your own way without even realizing it. Kyle you may not realize it but I envied you. You were always so happy even when the others weren’t. You lifted my spirits kind of. Being an outlet for my frustration at times. Also you’re right; you’ve fucked more bitches than me. No way around that fact. And Myriad.” I looked at her. “You made me realize the faults in me. Sure you were rude about it but you help me realize how I can grow stronger as a human being. You worked well with tough love.” Finally I turned to Bill.

“Bill my man. Uh you were the one who got me through all of this. Without you bro I would have been nothing but I dead guy who shot himself in a mall. But you showed me that there is always a way to rise above and be all you can be.” Then I remembered something. “Oh and one more thing.” Something I guess I learned from Fallout and any other RPG game. Actually I learned this from being homeless. Looting. I stopped breathing through my nose. “I hope you guys don’t mind but I gotta survive.” First things first I need clothes. My jumpsuit doesn’t really help me become inconspicuous with a crowd since it is kind of an obvious way to tell me apart. And I would need to be very unobvious if I plan of getting away with stealing a car.

“Hey Kyle you wouldn’t mind if I borrow that jacket of yours?” Of course he wouldn’t. Like me us Anarchists only have one pair of clothes. Except for Bill who I’ve seen with different outfits but I don’t know where he got them from. Kyle’s yellow and black jacket would suffice for covering me up. “Hey bro don’t mind me.” I said as I slipped Kyle’s jacket off and put it on myself. Well now I smell like weed but give it four hours and I bet it’ll come off me. Now I need some pants. I looked down at my three friends. The fact of dead bodies hit me again.

Yolo. Undoing Bill’s belt I ripped his pants right off him. Looking into them I was relieved to see they were unsoiled. Thank god. I quickly got redressed. In the yellow jacket and blue jeans I could blend in perfectly now. But it kind of felt incomplete. I cast my vision to Myriad. Perfect. I took her fingerless gloves and put them on. Now I looked like I’m from the eighties. With my now completely changed outfit, complete with my trusty trucker cap. I look like a dork by back in my day standards. But today I would be rather fashionable. Nerd/Brony culture took full effect with Equestria’s introduction so dressing kind of odd isn’t odd anymore.

“Well I guess this is goodbye my friends.” I said with a sigh. “I’ll miss you guys but you’re all in a better place now. You’re free like me. But you’re better than me because you’re away from them. Don’t worry I intend on continuing my fight, I will avenge you somehow. It will be easy, kill the mane six. That’ll shake things up.” Easier said than done. “But one more thing.” I shamelessly went through their pockets trying to find something of use. I found nothing in Kyle’s pockets, figures, but in Myriads I found a small pocket knife. Don’t know what I’ll use it for but I’m sure it’ll come in handy. I dove me hand into Bill’s jeans and felt something metal. I pulled out a small key and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“Did Zayn really trust you that much?” I asked out loud. Walking over to the cabinet in the corner of the room, I inserted the key and turned it. My hands shook as I took my prized weapon out of its dark prison. We’ve been apart for so long I just wanted to hold it in my hands and rock it to bed slowly. With I could do anything. Use it as an intimidation tool and maybe rob some people for money. It would be better than diving through dumpsters.

“Zayn you dumb motherfucker!” I yelled happily. “See now I got a tool of destruction to unleash on ponies. So actually maybe you ain’t dumb. But you’re still a motherfucker.” I laughed and took the three magazines of ammunition. Walking to the door I looked back at my friends.

“So long guys. Maybe one day, I’ll see you again and we can really get to know each other. But I’ve got a mission to do.” I slowly closed the door. “So loooooog.” I whispered shutting it quietly as to not disturb their rest.

My life restarts now. Taking a one year break helped me get my head straight again. But I belong on the road with all the freedom it offers. I tossed my jumpsuit in the car with me and collected a bandana from the garage just so I could have something to wipe my hands with. I would need another garment in my travels so the jumpsuit can still be used. Diving into the car I proceeded to go through what was in it. Checking all the compartments, I found a pair of sunglasses, about nine dollars in spare change, and just random crap such as napkins and receipts. So nothing of real value but I guess that’s good because I won’t have to carry much when I will inevitably have to abandon this car. No way I have money for gas and when the law comes after me I’ll be long gone.

I cautiously exited the garage and got on the main road. My first objective is to get under the radar and escape attention from local authorities. I’ve never been pulled over in my life but that doesn’t mean I never will. I ran away from home at eighteen and such have never renewed my driver’s license since then. So for two years I’ve been without a driver’s license. Actually I lost it somewhere but that’s not important. If the cops pull me over I am done for. That means I have to go somewhere there are no cops. Out in the country where the population is just old men rocking on their chairs is where I’ll be heading. Of course I’ll be avoiding ponies so I hope I’ll get lucky and find a small town to hide out in.

I scanned the street and sidewalks looking for both Peter and cops. I found none as I navigated the streets of this city. These streets are well known in my mind since I walked them so heavily in those walks Zayn made me do. Now it was paying off as I came close to the exit onto the freeway I’ve been dying to take for the past year.

Anxiously I accelerated off onto the highway. Relief struck me as I merge into traffic. Relief that I hadn’t gotten caught yet, after all I had about three hours now at least but more of relief that I was free of this accursed city. No more ponies just me and the open road.

After a while I noticed I was exited the city. That’s when I noticed something amazing. Zooming by me was a sign saying I was now leaving Las Pegasus. But that couldn’t be right because any town that was mentioned in the show was usually gushing with tourists and if I was there then why were there so much less volume of people than normally in cities notorious as this. As I thought about if however it made sense since I lived in a slummy part which meant it was away from most traffic. Still in the whole year I’ve lived in the city I never knew its name.

After about an hour I exited onto a long stretch of road. Soon there wasn’t a car in sight. I was alone and there was desert on my left and right. Using my memory of an Equestria map I’ve seen I must be in the San Palomino desert. Well hopefully this would be away from most of civilization. Maybe I’ll find a small town and lay low until I find what I’m going to do next. After all I have two hours left until Peter comes looking for his car.

In the meantime it is time for some tunes. I turned the radio on. Now some may say radio is dead but there is still FM channels out there. Especially in Equestria where it was introduced since satellites haven’t been shot up into the sky yet to broadcast their satellite radio. No Pandora for Equestria, what will the brony hipsters do! Eventually a channel did tune in.

“And now bringing you those hit classics from the nineties.” An enthusiastic radio host spoke. Oh hell yes. I turned up the volume and rolled down my window as the song started to play.

“Bye, bye, bye!” I sang along.

Chapter 8: Batesville

“And that ends the nineties marathon. We’ll be back soon with Living Tombstone after these commercial messages.” Eh, I turned off the radio after that. Dubstep just isn’t my thing. But it was an unexpected but pleasant surprise to find that marathon. All of the greats were there. Kind of brought me back to the time where all those fags on the internet were complaining about the nineties. Now that was a nice time. Everyone would just complain over their childhood. Everyone was unhappy that they weren’t this or that. And we all acted tolerable towards everyone even though this never made us happy. And we still would laugh at jokes no matter how hurtful or rude. Kids these days are concerned with being “the best they can be” and striving towards their “destinies”.

Now instead of living in the past and complaining about how things were better, kids look to the future hoping for the best. Now in theory this sounds like a positive situation but it’s the opposite. Kids are out of control now. If the older generations thought my generation were work shy then they must shudder at todays. Kids only look towards the future but they don’t understand the future is ever-changing and they need to focus on working towards it not trying to predict it. But back to that playlist I just listened to.

The thing that struck me the most was that Living Tombstone part. Brony artists finally got their big breaks when their art and songs suddenly exploded in popularity with both ponies and humans loving it. All those artworks on Deviantart became posters and were put up in museums and art galleries. Furthermore, the music industry changed immensely. Brony music artists from the fandom flooded the scene and gained almost immediate popularity with their songs about ponies. Other artists came along too and copied the bronies’ style and thus the music industry started pumping out these fags who made the fags of my time look like the hardest motherfuckers. I personally liked some of the brony artists old songs before all this but now its ruined more me once it became so commercial.

Now that may sound like good news to the bronies. They get even more notoriety for making catchy songs and that’s all good and all. But did they ever consider what happened to other artists? Rap is dead because it couldn’t update to the new sissified industry but it wasn’t the only genre affected. Take metal, after the pony invasion things quieted down. Doing shit like being outright unpleasant or expressing one’s self in either a violent or taboo manner was looked down upon. Thus metal’s lyrics were toned down significantly. That voice that lots of them do when they throw their voice was removed completely. And they weren’t’ the only.

In fact all songs were toned down in lyrical content. Yep censorship took hold real fast after ponies were introduced to our culture. I don’t know why but suddenly humanity started to be toned down. We acted nicer to each other and started acting more friendly for no reason. Yes it seems like some kind of miracle but I know it’s a lie. Just by looking at the music industry I started to realize that if you weren’t down with ponies you were out. It’s not like you had to be like me and be a hater but if you didn’t have an opinion then you were done for. Censorship of everything took hold and just to not offend our new neighbors. In the new world of ponies you are forced to like them or be shunned. That’s what happened to me and is still happening to others.

I’ve been on the road for about three hours now and it’s about three and the most that I’ve seen was open desert. A car would occasionally join me but then it would go off an exit. I hadn’t taken an exit yet since I want to put as much distance between me and Las Pegasus. But I’m getting hungry and besides I need to rest from all this driving. After about another thirty minutes I came to the next exit. The green sign said some place like Batesville. A human name? I took the exit and exited the off ramp.

The name Batesville gives me hope. Human name must mean human town; right? But what would a human town be doing all the way in the middle of a desert? Do human towns even exist in Equestria? Seems too good to be true. I might have found a town void of ponies.

As I drove closer the scene reminded me of an old west ghost town. Nobody was here and the place was actually pretty small. I mean the road was paved rather newly but what was off was the buildings were old. They were all these gray boxes basically with signs on them. Also there is nobody here. The streets are empty.

I was reminded of my hunger and I quickly spotted a little diner a little drive in front of me. Since there was no front parking lot I parked on the side of the building that was an alley in between another building. I exited the vehicle and stepped inside the diner.

Inside there were only two old men sitting at a table and a middle aged woman behind the counter. I staggered in and sat down on one of the bolted in seats that lined the long bar that all diners seemed to have. Taking a peek at the menu my hunger kicked in and it took me almost no thought to make up my mind. It also didn’t take long for the woman to serve me. After all she was just cleaning the counter with a rag.

“What can I get for you sweetie?” She asked but I could tell she didn’t really care.

“A turkey and bacon grinder.” I requested.

“Alright.” She said not even writing down my order but I saw her go over and yell it to the chef behind the scenes.

No wait something is off. But I can’t put my thumb on it. Oh yeah that’s it. Why the fuck are they serving turkey in Equestria? Meat is a highly controversial thing humans and ponies had to overcome; naturally. All the prissy herbivores were devastated that we ate other living things. I remember there was this big deal and eventually something happened and we moved on. I personally didn’t really find out what happened in the end. All I know is the whole event got swept under the rug and everyone started treating it like water under the bridge. If it sounds fishy that’s because it is.

But anyways the real question was why meat would be served in Equestria. Wouldn’t the ponies be so frightened that they’d shy away from the sight? The only option would be this must be some secret criminal activity serving meat because I refuse to believe ponies would allow meat in Equestria. I’m mean Fluttershy has a seat in the pony government setup and I know her with her love of animals would never allow such a thing as meat to be served in Equestria.

By the time the waitress came around I was starving. She set the grinder down in front of me.

“So I take it you’re not from around here.” The waitress said dully going back to cleaning. At first I didn’t respond to her but when I felt someone staring I looked up.

“Uh yeah I drove here from Las Pegasus.” I answered.

“Hmm city boy. What you doing all the way out here then?”

“Oh just escaping the city. Wanted to get out of here and see the country.” I must sound like a tourist.

“Well if you want to see the country then you’re going the wrong way.” The waitress informed me. “Nothing out here but desert.”

“Oh no I’m here to escape the city. Can’t handle all the people if you know what I mean.” And I do hope she knows what I mean.

“Mhmm I feel ya. Oh and that’s eight for the sandwich.” She said with an outstretched hand. I reached into my pocket and took out the nine bucks I got from Peter’s car.

“American money is good here right?” I asked holding the money at my side.

“Any money’s good here.” The waitress shrugged. I shrugged too and handed the nine to the waitress. She took it all and without checking it; she pocketed it. No change really? I ain’t too mad though since a dollar won’t get me much. Remember when a vending machine only cost a dollar? Yeah now it’s a dollar fifty. Where the fuck am I getting fifty cents?

Also noticed that she pocketed it, which is completely odd. What’s the matter? No cash register? Seriously this town is kind of freaking me out but it’s not too bad. I still remember my travels around the American mid-west and the crazy places I went to. Come to think of it, this place is very similar to places I’ve been to around Earth.

I liked traveling to these types of places. They’re just places where old men, like the ones in the corner of this diner, sit and wait and joke around. So they’re moderately safe. And by safe I mean I’m not looking around for a jacker when I’m stopped at a red light.

Originally in my adventures away from home I had gone through several ghettos or hoods. Probably one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in my travels. You know me being a cracker and all that. At first I thought it was pretty tight. Sure everyone looked sketchy but that was what I expected. I was thinking of settling down in one of those places but that turned out to be a big mistake.

I remember the second day I was in a hood; I watched someone get gunned down right in front of me. It was two guys and one just pulled out a pistol, pulled the other close, and shot in the stomach. The perpetrator ran off for a second but then came back and fired off six shots into the victims head. All that in plain daylight while bystanders watched. Then he ran off and so did I.

That wasn’t the only incident. The time that official made me not want to visit a ghetto was when my car was almost jacked. I was at a red light and some guy came over and demanded I get out. Banging on the car door he was starting to get pissed it was lock. Then he pulled out a gun and that’s when I sped off but not before he fired at me. With that experience under my belt I decided I would avoid places such as those for obvious safety reasons.

That’s why I stay in towns with less population and an older population if possible. Less chance of wackos attacking you since it’s easier to live with few people in one area. Here it seems that it is peaceful which is good for now. But I can’t stay forever since I’ve decided to take up arms against pony kind. No more running and hiding from the problem. I’m heading in to it and if I die then so be it. In Heaven there aren’t any ponies.

I looked back down at my sandwich and still it was bugging me. “Excuse me miss?” I said getting the waitress’s attention. “Um could you tell me if it is legal to serve meat in Equestria?”

She looked at me funny. “What are you? Some kind of healthy inspector?”

“Oh no of course not.” I said not trying to make her suspicious or anything. “I was just curious.”

“Well.” She said continuing to wipe the counter. “It depends on where you are and if you have a permit.”

“And do you have a permit?” I asked. She instantly gave me that kind of look a teacher would give their student when they’re expecting an answer.

“Boy does it look like anyone who cares comes out here looking for one?” I liked how she said that. One she said anyone which means she hasn’t adopted the dialect of a pony or a brony. Second she basically told me no ponies come out here. This is great! I knew there was something special about this place.

I was about to take a bite of my sandwich when a voice caught my attention. I looked up to the right and saw that there was a flat screen playing the news. A male and female reporter seemed to have concerned expressions on them. They were humans so it must be serious. Something noteworthy, ever news station I see seems to have a mostly human cast. Just gave me something to think about late at night.

“Shocking news today in Las Pegasus.” The female reporter said.

“Yes we’re going live to David who is down there on the scene; David.” The male reporter said as the screen transition to a big crowd with a reporter in the middle holding a microphone. My breathing stopped when I read the caption.

“Yes it seems that a car was stolen around noon time here in Las Pegasus by a man who claimed to be a mechanic.” David said looking as shocked as the other two reporters. “This young man here claims he’s a victim of fraud.” David held the mic to none other than Peter who looked like he just watched someone die in front of him.

“Yes it’s true I was robbed of my car.” Peter said with his annoying as fuck voice. Everyone around him looked concerned. “It’s a Rav4 and it was stolen by a guy named Andy.”

“Andy who?” David asked.

“Um uh, hum.” Peter stammered. “Andy? I don’t know I never got his full name.”

“Well what can you tell us about the suspect?” David asked.

“Well he’s white.” Haha I am white! “He’s wearing a black jumpsuit with a capital A on the back and a trucker cap.” Sorry Pete but I changed outfits. What you gunna do now? “He also hasn’t shaved in a while.” Hey! I grabbed my face. Alright maybe he was right. I’m a little scraggly.

“Yes here is an artist’s representation of the suspect.” My heart skipped a beat and my stomach filled with a feeling of lightness. As soon as the drawing came up I breathed out, relieving my anxiety. In fact it was funny. That piece of shit didn’t even look like me. Looked like someone on drugs or someone who just got punched in the face. Besides the forehead was too big and the nose too small.

“If anyone has any information on the suspect, we beg you to please report it to the authorities. Crime in Equestria is a serious issue and we want to make sure this peaceful society that our Equestrian friends have upheld is preserved forever.” Crime in Equestria? Oh come on! There are so many cops in the city that you couldn’t point your finger without getting in trouble. This is some federal government controlling your mind bullshit. Crime in Equestria; I’ve lived in the low end part of a city for a year and I’ve never seen someone end up dead or stabbed and dying.

The camera switched back to the two reporters. “Thank you David.” The male reporter said. “Coming up, the rapper, known as 8-Set, is coming under attack for behavior at a concert when he criticized the” suddenly the reporter put his fingers to his ear. I stopped paying attention and went to take a bite of my sandwich.

“Everypony we just got in that the mane six are in Las Pegasus and are talking to that young man. Can we switch back to them?” I stopped and put the sandwich back down. Now this would be interesting. What would the goody two shoe ponies tell poor Pete? We extend our apologies and ask you follow in our philosophy of fucking gay bullshit!

The camera switched to the scene. Everyone, pony and human, kneeled as the mane six arrived. Always hated the sight of humans showing respect to any pony; we’re bigger and superior so why do we have to kneel? It’s demeaning.

The mane six wore clothing that fit their personalities. It had become custom for them to wear something when they were in public places or meeting with people. Wait then why were they naked when they meet us anarchists? What are we not important enough to dress formally? Dumb murderers.

Speaking of those murderers they seemed to be really enjoying the spotlight. Smiling and striding about. And everyone else seemed to be really enjoying their company. They paraded up to Peter who was on the ground kneeling like they were some kind of emperors.

“Hey I heard you were in trouble.” Twilight said. “And don’t worry the mane six are here to help.” The crowd went nuts. I wonder if they mean they’ll help like they did to me and my friends. Cause they sure are helpful in that case.

“Applejack?” Twilight looked to her friend.

“Tell me Pete. It was a Rav4 that was stolen and inside it there is a computer?” Applejack asked. At first Peter didn’t respond because he was still on the ground. But he shot up like a soldier when he realized something was talking to him.

“Y-yes.” He said breathing heavily.

“Well then most cars like that have a tracking device in them.” Applejack said. “And I know that it’s only a phone call away to activate it.” Peter’s mouth flew agape at the obvious solution and everyone watched as he dialed the number.

What?! How in the possible fuck? Could she know that! That doesn’t even make any sense! Fuck that shit! I’m calling serious bull! Applejack a hick pony knowing about cars? She lived in a medieval society for much of her life! There were no cars in Equestria till humans came around. Flim Flam’s stupid locomotive does not count!

“Alright so since there are no satellites in Equestria.” Peter said. “They can’t find my car.” A chorus of disappointment came from the crowd. “But.” Peter continued. “Using Unicorn magic. They found it!” Cheers sprang from the crowd at the good news. But seriously why in fuck does Applejack know about cars?

“I’ll go get it for you.” Rainbow Dash said boastfully. Everyone seemed to roll their eyes.

“Oh thank you so much.” Peter said gleefully. “It’s in a town called Batesville.” My heart nearly jumped out of my chest and barricaded itself under a table. Luckily my rib cage was stopping it. The old people in the diner looked at me. The two old men and the lady.

“Also the alarm will be going off so be on the lookout for that.” Peter added. And of course as soon as he said that, a car alarm outside went off. One of the old men looked out the window to try and see what car it was. Immediately I stood up and began to walk towards the door. As I did one of the old men burst into laughter. I glared at him and his friend shook his head.

“Oh don’t mind Gus.” He said. “Just get outta here. Quickly that fast one is looking for ya.” I nodded my head and began to push the door open.

“Hey wait.” The waitress said loudly. I turned around kind of getting anxious now. “Don’t you want your sandwich?” I thought about it for a second. Yeah I probably do.

“What are you waiting for? Move!” The old man said probably just as anxious as I felt. In a mad dash I ran over and grabbed the grinder and made a beeline for the door. All the time, Gus was cracking up.

“Ah shut up you old fool!” His friend said slapping Gus gently on the arm. As I left the diner a thought came to me. Those people, humans, had shown some kind of concern for me. Sure one of them laughed but it wasn’t a cruel laugh. He was probably happy something relatively exciting was happening in his life. The others were just cheering me on. I forgot what it’s like to have people looking out for you.

I booked it outside towards the Rav4. Cursing my luck I found it noisily causing a scene with its lights flashing and horn honking. Why did this have to happen? Put a complete stop to my plan to get away from ponies. Now they’ll be heading towards me instead.

For a minute I just stared at it, wondering what to do. Running away would be pointless since driving around with a honking mess will just end me up in prison for stealing a car. And there is no way I’m going to prison. Right now the only thing to do is run away. But run away to where? I took a bite of my grinder.

That’s when it hit me. I still had stuff I needed. Swiftly I grabbed the car keys out of my pocket and opened the driver’s side. There was the essential item, the Uzi, but also there was my jumpsuit. Don’t want to lose that. I climbed in and took the two out. While I was sliding out I also grabbed that bandana that I was gunna use as a rag or something. Looking around I found a dumpster and I stashed the items behind that. If I somehow evade Rainbow Dash and find myself alone then I can come back for them.

Time was running out she’s a fast flyer and can get here in no time. It’s all part of some elaborate physics bullshit that is too confusing to understand. Basically she was based on a cartoon that defied physics and now that she’s in reality but still defies physics like she was in a cartoon.

I took another bite of the sandwich and I got another idea. Either food gives me ideas or this is a brain enhancing sandwich. However this idea was dastardly. I threw the grinder into the trashcan since I wouldn’t be needing it. What a waste. I reached into my back pocket of my jeans and found Myriad’s knife. Almost forgot about the little bugger.

Reaching back behind the dumpster I grabbed the bandana and proceed to put it on my face bandito style. Then I remembered something else and retrieved the sunglasses from the car. I put them on and now my face was completely covered. Black hat, black sunglasses, and a black bandana. My face is completely hidden.

And it will have to be for what I’m planning to do next. It was simple, kill Rainbow Dash. Really I would be face to face with one of the mane six all alone for twice today. The only difference between this encounter is I will not hesitate this time. No one time was bad enough but a second is too much.

Besides I have the element of surprise on my side. All I have to do is ambush the little fucker and then stab her to death or something. How hard could it be? That bitch deserves to die anyways! With all the awards she took. I mean almost immediately she became the symbol for homosexuals everywhere. Just because the color of her hair. And the biggest insult was she isn’t even gay. Pretty sure she’s been seen with stallions.

But if I kill her then I’ll be the most wanted man in Equestria and Earth combined. It’s a risk but I can do it. Besides nobody even knows who I am. I’m just Jim. Some human who stole a car. No wait I’m Andy. Yeah Andy who’s a fake mechanic and stole a car. I laughed to myself because at that moment I realized I really am nobody. I’m just a guy.

As I waited one thing that was distracting me was the car alarm. It just wouldn’t stop. I pulled out the car keys and tried to turn it off but it wouldn’t. Come on! Now it was just annoying. I paced for a while and waited for Rainbow faggot to come and join me.

After a while the sound became unbearable. “You stupid piece of shit!” I walked over to the car and gave it a swift kick. Immediately the alarm turned off and it was silent. Which was great because now there was peace and quiet. But something didn’t feel quite right. I looked to my left and right but I couldn’t see anything. It felt like someone or something was staring. I remember something my old friend once told me. People always look to their sides, never up or down.

I made an exception and what I saw made me jump both physically and mentally. Rainbow Dash was perched on the diner roof, staring down at me like some kind of bird of prey. I made eye contact with her and my fight instinct kicked in.

You and me Dash, we gunna have fun.

Author's Note

This chapter was longer that I thought it would be. Oh well.

Now the question is who will win in this face off? Some guy named Jim? Or Rainbow Freaking Dash?

Obviously Rainbow Dash. Jim's gunna go to prison and that's it fic's over.

Alright not really.

Chapter 9: Me, Dashie, and pain

For a minute we stared each other down. It would have been intimidating if I was afraid. But instead I felt alive. The adrenaline inside me went on overtime and I swear if she comes within six feet of me I’ll tear her apart. I’m that pumped. She wore a Wonderbolts outfit something she seemed to always be wearing either to support her team or as an act of pride.

Oh and a little fun fact about her ascension into the Wonderbolts. She would never have gotten into that little posse if it weren’t for the bronies. When they came around they spread their ideas about and eventually something came about that Rainbow Dash should be made a Wonderbolt. They absolutely demanded it! Literally sending letters and staging protests. Over a dumb pony not being in a group!

See they started by praising that rainbow mare, swelling her ego and eventually after a big shit storm the Wonderbolts agreed that they’ll give this mare a shot. And they made it a big deal. The whole thing was televised and Rainbow Dash became a Wonderbolt and had a ceremony for the occasion. Too bad it wasn’t due to her own skill.

What they don’t tell you about the Wonderbolts is they are not based on skill set alone. No a Wonderbolt is an entertainer and has to follow a procedure that is written by someone who coordinates everything. They’re more like the circus than fighter planes like bronies like to characterize them as. Problem with the Dash is she didn’t know that or still doesn’t know that. The Wonderbolts are based on following orders and instructions. Rainbow Dash is loose cannon and expects people to follow her, not the other way around. So a pony that wouldn’t listen to other makes a terrible choice for a Wonderbolt, no matter how skilled. Too bad the bronies like her so much.

I’ve done my research. The actually test was not recorded since it had to be kept a secret. But somewhere in the darkest corners of conversation and just general thought; I found the unspoken truth about it all. It was all a big lie to appease the bronies. See Rainbow Dash actually failed her test miserably. See the test is two parts. One part tests a Pegasus’s skills at flying. Which Rainbow Dash passed but what she really failed was the psychological test. This test was to make sure she could be a follower or if she could do as she was told. Kind of like what the military does when they check pilots or people that are going to be operating a vehicle. But who would expect a mare with an ego as big as the sun to do that? Haven’t they even seen episodes such as The Mysterious Mare do Well or May the best pet win? Cause they could do that. They could go back and see that Rainbow Dash is not the pony you want to be set up for the position of an entertainer that serves as a role model for Pegasi. Oo a sonic rainboom! Yeah how about assisting the general welfare of a group. Six ponies you know well don’t count as cooperation. That’s just choosing favorites.

Now some could argue that she’s the element of loyalty and a leader now so she is a good personality to be representing both Equestrian leadership and ponykind. No! My fucking dogs were loyal and nobody would make a dog a king. Ponies have changed. They aren’t innocent snowflakes like they were portrayed in the show. They’re scandalous and corrupt. Not so different from corruption in humanity but the evidence is there for anyone who looks. Ponies are the enemy. Ponies are what is making humanity start to become soft and anxious. Eventually I believe that ponies will overtake humanity with their culture and politically power that we gave them. Then we’ll be overtaken into a pony empire that excludes humans from prosperity. We’ll be pets.

After a while a grin appeared on her face. “You know I’ve been watching you for a while. Can’t believe you didn’t spot me sooner.” Wait what? “Yeah I got her a while ago while you were busy hiding your stuff.” She boasted. “Let me just say you are exactly what I thought a car thief would look like.” That’s impossible! No way she could fly that fast. Could she? And what does she mean by stereotype. Better ask her.

“Fuck you bitch!” I roared. Damn that came out wrong.

“Heh. Yeah you’re the stereotype alright.” She continued. “Hot headed, foul mouthed, probably cowardly.” Cowardly? Oh I’ll show this bitch.

“How bout you come down here and fucking say that to my face?” I yelled.

“Gladly.” She said. With finesse she floated down in front of me. “Now how bout you just hand yourself in. Don’t want to ruff you up too bad.” Is she joking? She’s only about two steps in front of me so I’m taking the shot. With two quick steps I swung my fist at her head sure I was gunna land square on her cheek. I have no problem with punching a pony even if she’s a girl. But coming into physical conflict with a pony has become like hitting a girl. You don’t do that even if they deserve it. But that’s not stopping me now.

As I soon came to realize, my fist collided with nothing and instead I received a blow to my side that made me stagger away. What happened?

“Really?” Rainbow Dash mocked. “You really are gunna try this.” She had a smirk on her face. “Whatever I gave you a chance.” I turned back around to face her and it was like watching a blur. Like it was a mirage, she battered me with her front hooves, landing each punch into my stomach. Odd thing is the punches felt like stinging sensations that grew to hurt more. It was like she was holding back.

Eventually it stopped and I hit the wall behind me. Instantly I fell to the ground grabbing my chest and stomach.

“I guess I should have warned you. I am a black belt.” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. I remember that now. The next part was terrible. I bent over and threw up all over the street.

“Ewwww.” Rainbow Dash stuck out her tongue. “Definitely didn’t mean to do that. Sorry.” Sorry doesn’t really count when you’re emptying you stomach out. I spat a couple times and staggered to my feet.

“Hey listen.” Rainbow said. “How about we call it quits?” No way in hell! Then I remembered something. That knife! I reached back and grabbed it. How could I have forgotten this? As soon as I flipped it open, Rainbow Dash’s eyes went towards it. “Seriosuly? A knife?” She opened her wings and got in a position to pounce. I wouldn’t let her. Again I barged towards her with the intention to stab her anywhere I could.

In a flash she was gone and I face planted into the ground. Guess she used her wing or something to trip me. I tried to get up but suddenly her hoof came down on my wrist. The grip I had on the knife gave way and Rainbow Dash picked it up with her teeth. She wouldn’t stab me no way. And she didn’t instead throwing it away from me.

“Give up yet?” She asked. I reached up with my other arm and grabbed her ear. Now I’ve got her. I was about to shove her to the ground when the little fucker head-butted me! My grip on her ear was released and we both distanced ourselves. I think I might have gotten her because she was rubbing in between her eyes. Or maybe my glasses weren’t the softest thing to slam her head on.

Anyways this fight is doing horrible for me. So far she’s made me lose my lunch and disarmed me. I thought I could handle this with no problem. My strategy was simple, avoid her back legs since they have the most power but instead she pelted me with the front. What the fuck am I doing? For Pete’s sake I ripped a kid’s face off! And now suddenly I’m worthless?

“Alright that’s enough. Let’s go I’m bringing you in.” Rainbow said exhausted. That can’t happen I need to drag this out. If I do then maybe I can make her give up. Rainbow Dash is impatient; if something doesn’t interest her then she’ll leave. At least I hope.

“What’s the matter? No more fight left in ya? Surprising the Wonderbolts let you in.” I tried to sound as much like a douchebag as possible. It worked because she glared at me and then shot right in front of me, pinning me to the wall.

“I earned the right to call myself a Wonderbolt!” She spat. “Don’t ever doubt that my skill isn’t enough.” This was my chance. I grabbed her neck to keep her in place while I went to town on her face. I got in about four hits before she wiggled herself out of my grasp. Now she was even angrier than before. Before I could do anything more; she slammed her body into me and I feel to the ground battered for the third time.

This time though she went all out on the attack. “You worthless cunt! You bitch! I’m a Wonderbolt of Equestria! You’re just some useless thief!” Wow. And she called me foulmouthed. Mainly she kicked me in the gut but aimed at couple times at my head which I was blocking with my arms. All the while she threw insults my way. She sounded furious but what got me was this type of behavior was never seen before in her or any other pony. I would have expected a human to do this to me but a pony regardless of their position in society never did this. They usually acted friendly to strangers wherever they went. It’s in their society, to do different would be looked down upon by both ponies and humans.

This is fantastic! Finally proof those ponies are scum! I’m the proof now! It’s happening right now! I was always right! If given the chance they’ll beat the shit out of you which goes against what bronies try to tell you that they’re pure and innocent creatures. I lowered my arms off my face and her hoof came down on my cheek. Hope it left a bruise because I can now tell everyone about how much these ponies aren’t friendly towards humans. Makes it even better that it’s Rainbow Dash; a leader of Equestria.

Eventually it started to really hurt. And I mean really hurt. I couldn’t take it anymore and I cried out in pain and agony. This snapped Rainbow Dash out of her rage induced chaotic state. She began to back away slowly and her facial expression told me she couldn’t believe herself. Good. I hope she regrets this. Because I’ll make her regret every blow, somehow. Don’t actually have a plan to convince people a pony did this to me. Or that is was Rainbow Dash. Or to cover the fact it was because I stole a car.

But really I feel terrible. I’m out for the count. She’s beaten me for good now and there’s no use trying to fight back. I’ll just get knocked back down again. If this was any other fight then I would be on my feet again but I’m just too tired. Kind of sad actually. I’m lying down like a wimp to a pony. I got beaten by a lesbian horse. And now I’m lying here just waiting for her to go away like I’m some kind of beaten puppy.

I feel like crying. I honestly feel like crying. But I won’t. Not in front of a pony.

“Get up.” Rainbow Dash ordered. I don’t want to. “I said get up darn you.” She croaked. She sounded sorry for me. Oh great I’m getting pitied by a pony. Well I’m not budging. She can hit me all she wants but I don’t have to do what she wants.

Eventually she came over and grabbed me by the collar. She hoisted me up to a sitting position. “Now how about we take a look at that ugly face you’ve been hiding.” Ugly? Bitch I’m flawless. She raised my chin up since I was making it hard for her by letting my body go limp. I thought about resisting but I’m just too tired.

So she ripped off my disguise. Bandana, glasses and hat. I smiled once it was all off. “Sup bitch.”

“Huh.” She tilted her head a bit. “Is that guy friggin blind? You don’t look anything like the drawing.”

“Yeah he kinda came off as a fag.” Hope this bitch gets out of my face.

“Hey!” she gave me a light slap. “That word is very offensive and has hurt a lot of people.”

“What? Fag?” I asked not believing what I just heard. “Hurt who?” Rainbow Dash floated away from me and was just above my head. I got to my feet. It hurt to move but not enough to impede movement.

“It’s a very offensive word to homosexuals. I thought you humans would be more prone to watch what you say.” Why would we do that?

“Hey since when are gay people the only people you can call fags?” Rainbow Dash looked sternly at me so I explained myself. “Just because someone is gay does not make them a fag.”

“Oh really.” Rainbow Dash floated close to my face again. “Because I know a lot of you humans whose lives have been impacted by that word.”

“So.” I scoffed. “I know a lot of people whose lives been impacted by drugs and violence.” And cults but that’s another subject. “Get on my level.” She stared at me sternly for a moment before turning away. Has she ever been on Xbox before?

“You know I was starting to feel bad for you.” She said hovering over to the car. “You’re so desperate you ripped off some kid which is the reason why criminals do these things. They’re desperate.” Dumb misconception. Well correct in my case but I know some criminals have other reasons. “And I just whooped your ass.” Okay putting insult to injury, nice one Rainbow. “So anyways.” She put out her hoof. “Hand them over.” I groaned to myself and pulled out the keys. Extending my arm to the fullest I dropped the keys on the ground.

Rainbow Dash sighed at the sight and flew over to retrieve them. As soon as she reached down with her neck to pick them up I raised my knee towards her face. But I hit nothing! She had dodged the attack at the last second with her speed.

“Hah nice try Andy.” She smirked. “But you gotta be faster than that.” She flew back to the car and opened the driver side door. “Get your stuff and get in.” She said with a flick of her head. I stood there unresponsive. What bitch? “Come on we’re getting out of here before my escort gets here.” I looked at her some more until she responded. “Let’s just say I’m never without bodyguards now. Some agreement Twilight made a while ago. I went ahead of them so I could get to you first.” I still didn’t budge. “Fine you could stay and have five ponies beat on you.” She said turning around. More ponies? That made me move.

I quickly collected my items again. The sunglasses, the bandana, the jumpsuit, my Uzi. Wait? My Uzi! Without thinking I covering it with my jumpsuit and wrapped it up. I don’t know what’s going to happen next but me with a gun in Equestria! I’ll be deported so fast that it’ll make Rainbow Dash here look like a tortoise. Last time I checked guns are banned from civilian use and only given to those with special privileges like cops or others. There’s no gun licensing and even then I’ve only seen pistols on cops.

While I walked towards her I realized something. I’ve got a gun. I could just shoot her down and speed out of here in the car. Sure I’ll be on the run but I won’t be going with her to get turned into the authorities. I stopped in my tracks.

What are you stupid? Those words echoed through my head. This bitch just beat the shit out of you and every attempt to hit her has been thwarted. If I use logic then it’s obvious that I’ll lose and be in even more trouble. Besides the gun’s not even loaded. It would take too long to load it and blast her. Actually any action against her will probably result in my failure. It’s just logic.

“What are you waiting for? Keep it moving.” She sounded like some kind of gym coach or a drill sergeant. If a gym coach or a drill sergeant had a squeaky voice and sounded like a bitch.

Cautiously I made my way to the car and got in, setting my possessions on the seat next to me. Rainbow Dash slammed the door behind me. I watched her walk around the car eyeing me. I have no fucking clue what’s she’s planning and I don’t like it.

Also I’m an idiot! Fuck! Fuck me! Goddamn it! I’m handing myself in! Shit! What’s the logic here? Just let her hand me over and then go to prison? I won’t survive two seconds in prison. They’ll mop the floor with me. I began to literally shake in my seat. It became uncomfortable and I shifted uncontrollable. It was a fight if I should run or just stay and neither side is winning.

Suddenly the passenger side door opened. “Hey you okay?” Rainbow Dash asked. I snapped out of it and nodded. “Well okay then. Say do you like rollercoasters?” I fucking love rollercoasters!

“Yeah.” I said. She smirked.

“Then just pretend this is a rollercoaster and hold on tight.” She said before slamming the door. I had about two seconds to wonder what she meant. After the two seconds I realized and I nearly passed out.

In quick successions, she circled the car rapidly until she created a tornado around the car. Eventually the car began to lift up off the ground. I clicked my seat belt in so I wouldn’t start to rise too. That’s when I started to notice it became hard to breathe and I realized it. She was going to kill me. That’s gotta be it. I’m going to die of suffocation. That way there’s no blood and she just has to get rid of the body.

Panic set in and I grabbed my neck and gasped for breath but found none. Never thought it would end like this actually. Thought maybe I’d get killed by a pony in dramatic irony but nothing like this.

But as I thought I would be done for, another feeling set in as I was catapulted across the sky. The feeling was; it felt like I was on a rollercoaster. But I couldn’t enjoy it because I was too busy trying to fill my lungs. When I finally regained my breath and was breathing in and out heavily I pieced together what would happen next. I’m going to crash.

I’m going to crash and burn and die. But it all made sense. See she says I tried to escape and then accidentally crashed my car and died. My body is totally destroyed so they can’t identify it and nobody not even my family will know who died.

My family. Guess this will be a selfless act to think of one’s family before death. I remember all of them. My dad, mom, little brother, and two dogs. Yeah they’ll never know what happened to me after I ran away.

As the car began to tilt forward I braced for impact. Hope this will be painless. The car began to go really fast and the feeling in my stomach really picked up. But suddenly it began to slow down. Not abruptly but gradually until it was as if I were driving. Then I began to descend and I noticed I was in a tornado again. And again it got harder to breath. But this tornado didn’t last as long and before I knew it I was on the ground.

As soon as the car landed I jumped out of the car and landed on the pavement face first. I clung to that earth never letting it go. Thank god for stable land. Behind me Rainbow Dash landed.

“Heh that was interesting. See what I mean by rollercoaster?” She was acting friendly but I wouldn’t be. This time she must pay with her life. She could have killed me. That crazy bitch. I got up to approach her but my legs felt weird. I collapsed after taking two steps.

“Here are your things.” She tossed me my stuff and it landed on the ground in front of me. “Geez something heavy in there.” She commented. I felt like unloading a clip into her but the thought struck me as dumb since she would probably just knock the gun out of my hand like the knife.

“Hey.” She was over me and tipped my head up with her hoof. “See that building?” She pointed to a building we were in front of. “That building was built to help people like you. They’ll sort out what’s in your head. And they accept walk ins.” She walked back to the car. “Do the right thing and get some help.” She gave me a condescending smile and then did that tornado thing again disappeared along with the car.

After I while I realized I was in the middle of the road and I scrambled to the sidewalk with my stuff. I wasn’t disoriented anymore but I was exhausted. I looked up at the building. A granite sign read The New Equestrian- Human Conformity Offices. Human conformity?

I took another glance at the building and then I understood. She wants me to go through the routine that the skeptics of the ponies had to. She wants me to be like them. Find my cutie mark. Actually that is an option I could take. After all I’m homeless, broke, and on my own with nothing but a gun that will only end me in prison.

I took another look back at the building. Wait who am I kidding? Everything that happens in my head is perfectly normal for a man of twenty three trying to find his place in the world. And wait a minute. I’m white! I strolled down the street with my belongings tucked under my arm. Yeah everything is going to be fine.

Author's Note

Please tell me how the story's going. I would like to know if I need to speed things up or if you think the story is progressing too slowly. Criticism is welcomed and encourage. But if you think everything is fine then so be it I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

Chapter 10: My BFF

I’m putting Rainbow Dash ten marks up on ponies to kill first. Now she’s right below Lyra and right above Octavia. No seriously no way I’m ever letting it go after that little stunt she pulled. She’s gunna get hers quicker than the others. Except for the other twenty six above her. The only reason Rainbow is marked so low is because I figured she’d be harder to get my hands on. And the only reason other ponies are marked so high is because they’re more beloved by fans so they die first. But really bronies were so excited to meet all those side ponies only to find out that there weren’t at all like what they fantasized them to be like.

I mean who would have guessed that Lyra wasn’t obsessed with humans and Octavia and Vinyl Scratch aren’t an item. Yeah me neither. Unfortunately a sad reality came to be and the side characters had to meet the needs of the masses of squirming bronies. Time Turner became a time lord and was forever associated with Doctor Who even if he found that show to be silly. Basically all the background ponies changed for some reason. The obvious answer is that if they let down the bronies then we would have a severe backlash but that could never happen. It’s not like bronies are dependent on those things.

Walking through the place I ended up realizing pretty quickly that I was back in Las Pegasus. The whole urban environment gave it away and where else could I end up? It was the closest city after all. Back to the slums of a nice pony neighborhood, where there are no drunks or drug addicts just ponies and humans peacefully living in government housing. I’m back home except I have no idea where I am in the city. If I walk some more I’ll probably find familiar ground.

It had dawned on me that I could potentially visit my old friends down at the garage. Maybe tell the authorities and give them a proper burial so their bodies wouldn’t just rot there. Seems like it would be the right thing to do. But Peter probably told them about the garage and the authorities have probably discovered the bodies and are dusting around for fingerprints. That might be interesting what they find but I’m not too worried. I did clean the place thoroughly while pointlessly waiting for something to happen. But what are they going to do? Send me to Equestria to make me learn a lesson?

I walked some more and found I could see the horizon from where I was. It was getting late out and the sun was just starting to set which turned the sky an orange color. Celestia still sets the sun. In Equestria they still control the weather and things like that but now it’s decided in a council of humans and ponies. I forget why but it has to do with humans knowing what’s better for soil and all this other technological bullshit that spells out ponies are retards for making flash flood conditions to balance out a drought.

The New Equestrian government has an odd setup which is really confusing. If I tried to compare it to anything I could say it’s a republic but there are differences that make it hard to call it anything. First there is the High Council or whatever they call it. Its recipients are the elements of harmony, the three princesses, and all the cast members of the show. Yep all the members who voice acted the characters and wrote the story are leading a nation. When I find out who allowed than there will be consequences. Seriously who puts animators as political leaders? I don’t even think they do most the work considering they’re on TV every other second.

After the council there are other delegations of government. There’s the court system which is composed of humans and ponies. Thought if I recall it’s mostly humans though the higher system that almost mirrors the U.S. Supreme Court is all pony. I wonder why they need courts here. There’s no crime after all.

Finally the last part of the government I know of is the Equestria guard which would be their equivalent to human militaries. It’s lead by a bunch of human generals and some ponies that answer to none other than Shining Armor himself. Before humanity the guard was stuck in the medieval era. When humanity stepped in we modernized the guard. Now the guards traded their armor for Kevlar and their spears for guns. Yeah they armed the ponies with modern weapons. Gave them assault rifles and pistols. Ever see one shoot? Me neither but I heard they can. They still have the golden armor but it’s more of a ceremonial uniform now. I think it was a terrible idea to arm a nation that’s new to the world. Just look at what happened when American helped modernize Japan. I think the ponies will want to use those guns and when they do they won’t be pointing them at other ponies.

As I walked I noticed the sun was getting closer on the horizon. That means it was going to set soon and I would need to find a place to sleep for the night. I would need somewhere from wandering eyes since the Equestrian population doesn’t like the homeless. They would want to take me to a homeless shelter probably or deport me. They just want to keep this place so illustrious for bragging rights.

I soon found an overhang underneath a highway and settled on my back looking up at the bottom of the overhang. It would be perfect for tonight. Highways in Equestria are rather new editions but we made them pretty quickly in the years of our first contact. Although not many people use them it will serve its dual purpose as my shelter. Might be a little cold but I’ll survive.

I remember driving past overhangs and looking at the huge communities of homeless underneath them. In Equestria it’s just me. The traffic overhead won’t be a problem because conveniently there aren’t many cars in Equestria since only humans drive and the traffic dies out around nighttime. It’ll get loud in the morning which is perfect because that’ll be my alarm clock. Then tomorrow I’ll set off to go somewhere.

For now I’m just gunna kick it under here until I fall asleep or get bored. Maybe I’ll reminisce of days past and the good ole days. But those days sucked because I was either being shunned at my school or travelling the American Midwest alone. I could always think about how terrible the world is but if I do then I’ll never get any rest.

Oddly enough even though I haven’t really eaten I’m not hungry at all. Then again I’m usually never hungry; another one of my bad habits. Eating to me became more of a duty I had to fulfill then a necessity after a while. Eventually I knew I had to eat three times a day but that number had dropped from two then to one as I began to have trouble getting money. Some days all I would eat would be a bag of cookies midday and go to sleep hungry.

But even though I never seem to eat I’m not skinny. I used to be back in high school but towards the end I started to bulk up. Now I’m almost medium build but not noticeably puny. My parents were amazed at the change for some reason. When I ran away I began to get bigger for some reason. I once considered why and in doing so I remembered something I had heard on a video.

Some people theorize that the reason some people such as prison inmates are so strong yet they barely exercise is because the body has a passive instinctual response to get bigger to defend itself. It all is just a matter of survival, the bigger you are the more you are a threat to others. On one of my late night rides it came to me that my increase in size was due to being on my own making me tougher. Those years of being alone had made me stronger because it was just me against the world and my body knew I had to get to get stronger. But now that I think about it, if I became stronger then why couldn’t I beat Rainbow Dash. I mean humans are stronger than ponies, it’s been proven. But I’m obviously so out of shape that I’m weaker than one.

I shot up into a sitting position. “That’s it!” I stood up with a lot of energy.

“I’m terrible out of shape and that’s why I can’t do anything. I mean I haven’t eaten all that much and to top it off, all I’ve been doing for a year was sit around and get lazy.” I began to pace.

“I mean just because I’ve gotten bigger doesn’t mean I’ve gotten stronger. I need to train myself. Rainbow Dash is an athlete and faster than any normal human or pony. Other than her speed she’s got nothing. If I was actually trying then I would have whooped her ass into next fucking week. That little bitch would have been on the ground with a black eye and a chipped tooth. Fuck it I need to get active again. I mean look.” I got on the ground and started doing push-ups. I did about ten before I stopped.

“See I should be doing much more. I was training to be a marine. I could’ve done push-ups all day in high school. Besides there’s always tomorrow. Yeah tomorrow there’s no stopping me. I can do what I want. I’m, I’m a fucking Anti Brony. The one and only. Fuck Rainbow Dash, fuck bronies, fuck every pony, fuck Lauren, fuck brony celebs, fuck the writers, fuck the songs, fuck everything because I don’t give two shits! One day I’m going to show those fucktards that my way of thinking if fucking right. Humans and ponies living together my ass! I’m gunna make sure we never get along. Anarchist for life! Fuck Zayn I’m my own definition of anarchy! I’m.”

My conversation with myself was suddenly cut short.

“Scott?” I heard a male’s voice to my right. I stiffened as I heard footsteps coming towards me. Someone was coming under the overhang with me from above. And he used my name. My real name. Not Jim, not Andy, but Scott. I gave up that name when I ran away who could it be?

As the person got closer I could see who it us and I cringed.

“Scott.” The person said now being able to see my face.

“Lewis?” I said not really believing he was here. Him out of all people. Lewis was one of the friends I had before my little incident. He was one of my better friends and that’s why his betrayal was one of the harder ones to cope with. Actually now that I think about it he wasn’t really a good friend meaning he did some things to me that really pissed me off but I let them slide because I’m nice like that.

Actually he was one of the first ones to actually attack me for my hostility to the show back then. But it wasn’t always that way. In fact me and him shared the same frustration and hate for bronies. Yep we would be constantly telling others to shut up around the lunch table and that if they wanted to discussion their obsession with cartoon horses we wouldn’t make it pleasant for them. Things were pretty good and for some reason people respected his opinion and wishes for no more MLP while they kind of disregarded me and just chose to treat me as some ignorant aggressive asshole with no common sense.

However nothing good could stay and things changed. See Lewis had a moment of weakness and he watched the show. Now I had been watching the show before all my group of friends so my opinion about the show was well formulated and my own. But I never told anyone this and in doing so it hurt my argument. They even said that if I watched the first episode I could talk all the shit I wanted but I stubbornly denied it. Why? Because bronies think that people should try to walk in their shoes, which is understandable but if the shoe doesn’t fit then they freak out. As in my case.

Anyways so Lewis watched the show and he enjoyed it. Which I can almost understand because I watched it and I used to enjoy it until my friends ruined it for me. But Lewis enjoyed it a lot. In fact he started to really get into the show. Remember the friend that really enjoyed Discord? Yeah that’s Lewis. Lewis began to like the show so he stopped criticizing our brony friends which was fine since he would’ve looked like a hypocrite. Although at the time I didn’t understand and got angry with him. But after my initial angry died down I felt something else. The feeling of betrayal.

It was bad enough that he wouldn’t be supporting me in my “crusade” against brony conversations. But the thing that really irked me was he became one. He became one of them bronies and then he joined the assault on my sanity and he became the most brutal of all of them. Imagine if someone who was always there for you suddenly held you down and let everyone beat on you. That’s what Lewis did. And it tortured me inside.

He completely forgot the words he had said and the feelings he felt. Instead he acted like he was a brony the whole time and all those hate filled venomous words he spewed forth were forgot by both my brony friends and him. Bronies like to forgive and forget and so Lewis became like them and he did things that made the other bronies’ acts look like playground bullying.

He went behind my back and told people things that put me in bad light. Because he was one of my non brony friends, I felt I could trust him and kind of bond with him. Well I wound up regretting that but looking on the bright side I learned to never open up to anyone ever. I learned that if I keep myself closed up then nobody can hurt me again. Simple logic.

Anyways after a while the tormenting stopped because they got bored of bringing up ponies with me. So I hung out with them again but I was still conscious of the words we exchanged even if they chose to ignore them like they never happened. And things went well up until the ponies became real and the tormenting started again. Then then pushed me past my breaking point and I assaulted one of my “dear” friends. Lewis wasn’t the one to get his face ripped off but he watched. Then after that I was alone. I could tell my friends felt sorry for me but they weren’t sorry enough to apologize. I mean I wouldn’t expect little back stabbing pussies to take the high road.

I haven’t realized how long we’ve been staring at each other.

“Scott!” Lewis called. “Snap out of it man you’ve been staring at me and it’s getting weird.” I shook my head and stared at him again. My Uzi was just a couple steps away. Revenge time?

“Man if you were talking to yourself. Then don’t worry I heard nothing. I know you have a habit of doing that.” Okay revenge time. I hate it when people bring up my bad habits. I took two steps towards the jumpsuit when it hit me. I don’t need to be a douche and kill him. Just because he hurt me doesn’t mean I have to hurt him. Logic if someone is bad to you then you don’t have to be bad to him. Besides his brief anti brony opinion still counts for something. At least to me.

But still I really don’t want to talk to him. He was a dick to me but a lot of people were dicks to me. So I’ll make up some excuse to get him off my back.

“I think you got the wrong person. I’m Jim, er I mean Andy.” I finally said. Lewis smirked and laughed.

“Oh please I know it’s you Scott Douglas.” Well fuck now I have to stick around which sucks because this is someone who knows my real name. I gave up my real name when I ran away. At the time I did it so I wouldn’t be tracked by my family if they were after me. I guess it worked.

“Alright fine it’s me. What’re you doing in Equestria; Lewis?” Lewis still smiling took a few steps over my way.

“I ought to ask you the same question.” Lewis said holding out his hand. I didn’t want to but my courteousness got the better of me. As our hands touched I realized that things weren’t that much different with Lewis. We did dabs for some fucking reason. Probably because we’re clearly so hood. But that’s the type of things kids do. Not just kids but friends. But I thought I had no friends?

“Well I just you know. Wanted to see the whole world and all.” I came up with an excuse.

“Ah liar.” Lewis pointed. “You fucking hate ponies.” Hate? “In fact you always hated ponies.” He knows me so well. “So my question is what changed? Because I never thought one of my best friends whom I haven’t seen in years would be here. No really though it’s good to see you.”

I’m his best friend?

Author's Note

Sure rolling along smoothly. However I can't help feel like this was a lazy addition. Oh well next chapter's gunna be a milestone. Yippee.

Chapter 11: Deception

Standing before me was my apparent best friend which is odd because I loved all my friends equally. Doing this made them expendable so it wouldn’t be too bad if I lost one. Now if I lost all of them then I would be heartbroken. Oh wait that actually happened.

Now a ghost from the past is trying to contact me again and I’m freaking out.

“Uh Lewis?” I said nervously.

“Hey please call me Lou.” Lewis said. “Like old times.” I forgot he hated the name Lewis, says it made him sound like a dork.

“Lou it’s really great to see you but uh.” Ah fuck it. I’m just gunna be nice. “Man how are you? We haven’t seen each other in a while.” Lewis smiled wide.

“Man I’m great. Just got out of the army and now I’m going in for college.” That’s right. I remember that Lewis also wanted to pursue a military career but instead he was going into the army and I the marines. I remember he offered me to join him but that was a long time ago. Besides I wanted to at least wash out of the marines before I go army.

“That’s cool man. You have fun?” I asked.

“Yeah army life was fun but now I actually need to have a career planned out. Don’t really got one so came here for a break.” Heh lucky him. He’s got all the time in the world. Well so do I but it’s different. “But what are you doing man?”

“Oh nothing much.” I responded. “Just.” I looked behind me for a second. “Getting around.”

“You kidding me?” Lewis said with a motion of his head. “I don’t believe you for a second.”

“Lou listen.”

“No you listen.” Lewis pointed again. “You fucking hated MLP and bronies. I’ve never seen hate like that even when talking to some prisoners when I was in Iraqi. They hated Americans but they were nothing compared to the passion you had over Equestrians.” How does he know so much about me? I mean we were closer friends than my other friends but I didn’t know he knew so much about me. Maybe I should ask him.

“Who said I hate Equestrians?” GOD FUCKING DAMNIT! That wasn’t what I was supposed to say! This is one of the reasons my friends tortured me. I never say the right thing. Now he’ll probably think I’m some pacifistic fag with a hard on for civil rights.

“Wait a minute.” Lewis peered at me. “You telling me that you let go of your anger and hate. Because I’ll have you know passion like that doesn’t go away, it just turns into something else.” I felt nervous under his stare. To tell the truth with every word I felt more awkward. Here was someone who I had broken ties with suddenly in the flesh before me. And we’re talking about my life up until now. Guess I should have gunned him when I had the chance. Damn my tendency to hold back.

“Maybe.” I said although it sounded forced. I fucking suck at reunions. Now he thinks I’m a pussy. Or worst some kind of pony sympathizer. Lewis wagged his finger at me.

“You know I don’t really trust you that much.” He looked away for a second pondering. Well asshole I don’t trust you either. Not ever again! Mister friendly one day, the devil the next. Little miss flip flop!

“Hey come with me.” Lewis finally said.

“What?”

“Just follow me. I’ve got something to show ya. And we can talk more where we’re going. I need to get to know ya again.” Lewis began walking back up the side of the hill on top of the overpass. Should I really go with him? He’s a conniving little cunt but he’s the only other source of conversation. I looked back at my stuff.

“Hey you coming?” Lewis called down. I looked back in his direction.

“Yeah I’ll be right there.”

Following him up, I found that he had led me to a parking lot. Rather crowded parking lot too with all the cars. Behind me was the overpass with a bridge leading to somewhere. But the featured thing in the parking lot was a lone building. Kind of reminded me of the garage except this building was made out of bricks. Old bricks that were probably reused bricks from older buildings. Anyways it was just a lone building with a flat roof and actually rather shady looking especially at night.

“Uh Lou?” I said getting his attention. “What the fuck is this?”

“Oh you’ll see.” Lewis smirked. “You may like this.”

“I may?”

“Yeah you may.” Lewis started walking over to the building.

“Whatever you say Lou.” I said following him.

As we got closer I noticed a rather big dude standing to the side a door. A metal door to be exact. Also the guy was bald which gave me the impression he was a bouncer. A bouncer for what? When we got to the door he looked at us. No he looked at use angrily. Almost disgusted.

Lewis walked up to the door and gave a nod to the bouncer. I walked up behind him and nervously followed him in. Where were we going? The place inside was dark and I couldn’t see anything. Also it smells terrible. Smelled like drugs and a gym locker. Of the two smells I like one. As we walked down a dimly lit hallway I became very suspicious. Either Lewis was leading me to a cult to be sacrificed or he was gunna eat me. Either way I’m missing my Uzi right now as my mind was racing with the possibilities. I kind of feel like a kid unwrapping presents with the anticipation killing him but the only problem here is the anticipation might actually kill me.

After a while he led me to a room which was actually rather crowed and rather crowded with bronies. I don’t like it. They could start a jerk circle for all I know. I mean who could tell? This place is darker than the movie theaters bronies fapped in during the premiere of Equestria Girls.

The room was oddly shaped. It all revolved around stage in the front of it. Everyone was facing that way so I assumed something was going to happen. Wait. What’s the stage for?

“Hey Lou.” I whispered to my friend.

“What?”

“What the fuck is this place?” I asked.

“You’ll see soon.” He said. “Just wait for it.”

Now I’m officially scared. I ain’t waiting for shit. There are just too many things that could happen and in the dark it made it even scarier. I won’t lie I’m a paranoid mess. After the whole ghetto incident I don’t trust anybody, especially when that person is someone who has betrayed me in the past. But I feel I have a right to be paranoid. After all I’m all by myself in a world where ponies exist and people latched on to them like leeches. If I don’t stay on my toes then something terrible might happen.

I was about to leave when suddenly music started playing. I jumped and started looking around the room to check if there was something happening, but found nothing. Then I groaned. The music was today’s music that was played everywhere. Probably a remix of some retarded song. Anyways it sounded very upbeat and rhythmic. Which I would normally like but it’s pony music so I have to hate it. But really I really can’t stand the whole buzzing sound that I hear in this type of music. It sounded like a plane crashing.

Everyone around me started to get excited. This immediately put me more on edge since whenever bronies get happy it’s usually my cue to duck out. They have such stupid delights that it makes me want to take the Uzi to all of them. And when they get happy I get angry, and when I get angry I do something stupid. It’s better to not torture myself, that’s why I separated myself from them by hiding in less populated areas. I was doing them a favor.

But, fuck that music! God! I heard a huge chant come from the bronies around me. Something was happening. I looked to the stage and saw that the curtains were lifting. Well it’s about damn time! Wait, what the hell is this!

Emerging from the curtains came three ponies but the odd thing about them was how they were dressed. Ponies usually wore no clothes or wore dresses. But the dresses usually covered them completely. These things they had on could barely be considered underwear. They were fucking dressed as skanks! What in God’s green earth is this? I looked for Lewis so he could explain this shit but I couldn’t find him. All around me bronies were cheering and making these comments that made me question what their sexual preference was. It was disgusting.

And what was weird were the ponies had their mane styles and colors exactly as the mane six. On stage were Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Lewis had to be somewhere to explain this. He has to explain this because if he doesn’t then I’ll find out and I won’t be nice about it.

But the worst part came later as suddenly the ponies got onto their back legs and started to dance. And when they did the crowd went nuts. Bronies just cheering and getting their cash out. Their beady eyes absorbing the scene. All I needed was one glimpse of the ponies shaking their badonkadonks and I turned away. The whole scene made me nauseous.

The music was starting to get into my head and the rhythm of it was terrifying. Sounded like some kind of cult sacrifice or there was something that was going to eat me. But even more terrifying was the image plastered into my mind. I desperately tried to forget it but the whole scene made it hard. The music, the chants, the darkness. This place is evil.

I felt like how I did in the car when it was flying through the air. Trapped, despair, fear, and dizziness. I have to get out of this place. I’m not going to last two seconds. My gut felt weird as I pushed and shoved bronies out of my way.

Eventually I made it to the exit of the room and I burst through the door, bumping into a brony as I went. I fell to my knees but quickly recovered and made a mad dash to the exit of the building. It must have took me three seconds to get out but the sprint to the door felt like ten minutes. When I finally escaped I fell down on my knees in the parking lot.

Then came the terrible part. I puked again today but this time the only thing that came out was yellow liquid. My stomach was empty so now I was just kneeling there gagging. Eventually I heard footsteps behind me and I turned expecting the bouncer. But instead it was Lewis. What was he doing here? Also it looks like the bouncer left his post. Now I understood why he was there. That was a pony strip club.

I looked away from the faggot approaching me. “Jesus Scott you really caused a fuss to some people.” Lewis said.

I was breathing heavily. “What the fuck, Lou? What the fuck? Why? Why?”

“Why what?” Lewis asked. He seriously didn’t have a clue.

“Why does that exist? Why did you bring me in that place? Why is Twilight a hoochie?”

“I thought you might like it.” Lewis shrugged. What part would I like about that place? “And the mane six have been a crush of many people so it makes sense to club owners to do that sort of thing.”

“Are you fucking retarded?” I looked at him still on my knees. “Why would any sensible human being enjoy a place like that? Why does it exist?”

“Alright you’re repeating yourself.” Lewis said sounding annoyed. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about? Lots of humans like ponies.”

“In that way?” I asked.

“In that way.” Lewis nodded. “Even got pony whores.” So those rumors were true. They were whores but I don’t know whether to be happy or frightened. I was happy when I was confronting Rainbow Dash because she confirmed something that I was hoping would be true but this confirms something I hoped would never be true. And now that it is I’m speechless. So speechless I started to gag again.

“Are you serious? I know it’s a culture shock but damn buddy.” Lewis said ashamed. And by ashamed I think he was ashamed of me.

“AM I SERIOUS?” I said almost shrieking. “YES I AM FUCKING SERIOUS! I JUST WATCHED CLOPPERS UNITED IN THERE!”

“You do realize that “cloppers” is a useless term nowadays.” Lewis said monotonous, the voice he gets when he’s arguing and wants to hide his frustration.

“I didn’t even know it’s a god damn term! Fuck!” Well I know what I’ll be pondering later.

Lewis took a deep breath most likely so he could keep his patience. Fuck him! What the fuck drove him to this?

“Lou?” I said as a crazy thought popped into my head.

“Yes.” He answered.

“Do you like ponies that way?” I sounded delirious but that’s because I am. And if he answers how I think he will, I’m gunna give up on him.

It took him a while to answer. “Yes I suppose I do like them that way. After all I did decide to seek a strip club when I arrived, so I guess I do like ponies that way.”

And then I officially gave up on him.

“Can I tell you something?” He asked trying to sound polite.

“I don’t know, can you?” I said not so polite.

“I actually knew you would act like this. Well not so dramatically.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Remember how I said I was going to be a medic in the army and then become a surgeon?” Yeah I do remember that. He had claimed that he was going to be a doctor or something in high school. I always doubted it. He never showed effort and was often too sick to convince me he could heal people.

“Well.” Lewis continued. “That didn’t really work out.” Why does that not surprise me? “So I decided to become a psychiatrist. It has really opened my eyes to the world.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, Lou.” I growled. My thoughts were confusing me to death. There was a lot of information to take in. And I’m still thinking of a way I’m going to murder everybody in that club.

“Well I learned to interpret people in a different way.” Lou explained. “You’re my first patient actually. I wanted to see if you were still like I remember you. And you are, sadly. Still in denial eh Scott?”

“What the fuck do you mean?” I angrily asked.

“Well Scott. When you were in high school you denied you were a brony. And now you’re denying what you saw in there. The unavoidable truth is you’re denying that you have affection for ponies. And there’s nothing wrong with denial because it’s just the first stage to acceptance.” Then he coldly stated. “And you’ve been denying all this time, haven’t you Scott?”

I was losing control of myself. As soon as he said that I felt like crying. Not because I thought it was true but because I hated hearing him say that. I HATE it!

“Stop calling me that.” I moaned almost in pain. “Just call me Jim or Andy or whatever. Just not that name.” I saw Lewis shake his head.

“Amazing.” He said. “You even deny your roots. A runaway trying to escape the past, a perfect love story.” What does he think this is? A game? This is my life.

“Go fuck yourself Lou! GO FUCK YOURSELF!” I screamed so all of Equestria would hear me. But Lewis only smiled.

“I like how you haven’t denied you’re in denial. Just proves me right.”

His words were doing a number on me. He was always able to carry more weight into them and he was doing it here. I put the pieces together in my mind and I realized what he has done. Like in high school how he betrayed my trust, he did it again in Equestria. I acted nice to him and he manipulated me into a state of delusion so he could attempt to warp my opinion so I would see things his way. He’s never changed since high school; he’s still a manipulative bastard with a sadistic passion to prove himself.

At that moment I made up my mind. He must die and I’ve got just the gun to do that job. I briskly stood up and walked past him.

“Where are you going?” He asked.

“I’m leaving.” I called back.

“Hey just a question but do you by chance need a place to stay for the night?”

“No!” I yelled. “And ponies are gay!”

“The world’s changed, Scott!” He yelled back. “And I’m sorry to see you haven’t changed with it.”

Anxiously I unwrapped the Uzi and loaded it. I’ve never used it before but how hard can it be? Just need to add the magazine and turn it off safety. Immediately I ran back up to strip club with my belongings with me. I’m gunna have to make a break for it after I off my “best friend”.

I reached the parking lot with my gun pointing in one hand and my belongings in the other. It only took me about a second to scan the lot and realize I couldn’t find him. Another second and I was able to process that he had vanished into the night. Then it was about ten seconds of heart crushing disbelief.

I threw down my belongings besides me and fell to me knees.

I screamed.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
until I was out of breath.

Author's Note

Well I feel like this one will be a controversial chapter.
Apologies to anyone who found the Equestria Girls joke or the cloppers offensive but this story is meant to be in the mindset of an antibrony and does not represent my personal views.
Merry Christmas to all or Happy Holidays or whatever you want it to be called.

Chapter 12: Hanging at the Mall

I staggered, and staggered, and staggered. I can’t feel my legs anymore because I’ve been walking in one direction for so long. After my legs stopped feeling, my eyes stopped working. I was slowly losing my ability to see and carrying my stuff was becoming cumbersome. Worse I can’t remember where I was two seconds ago. It’s like my mind is shutting down.

No wait, what’s worse is I didn’t go into that strip club and shoot every brony in there. Damn my nerves. That place can’t stand and it shouldn’t stand. If people only knew the truth they would totally not be so attentive to please those ponies. Some people, the brave, would oust them and expose them as freaks that are influencing society for worst.

I yawned and now I realized why my eyes aren’t working. I just need some sleep. Today was one of my worst days, in fact it was the worst, but it was the most eventful. I looked to the horizon and caught a glimpse of the sun coming up. How long have I been up?

It started getting bad when I could no longer feel my toes or fingers. I staggered some more because I couldn’t tell where I was going. Everything looked like a concrete wall. I need to reach those walls and just rest against them.

I took two more steps and collapsed on pavement. With my last strength I moved my jumpsuit under my head and that’s all I remember of the night.

I lifted my head up for the first time since I set it down. I’m mad sore. Throughout my whole body but mainly my legs there was a continuous pain. I must have laid there for about another thirty minutes before I got the strength to roll over. My eyes took some effort to open fully but then I had trouble with the rest of my limbs. Eventually I was able to get myself up into a sitting position against a wall that was in front of me.

My first observation about my environment was it was daylight out. Not sure what time of day but it’s definitely daytime. So much for being a morning person. At least I’m still alive and I don’t have a cold from sleeping out in the open.

I worked myself up onto my legs and leaned against the wall. Still sore but at least I’m gaining my consciousness. But with my consciousness came the remembrance of the day before. As memories flooded back so did the questions. What happened to that car that Rainbow Dash took? Where did Lewis go? What’s gunna happen now? Where did I stumble off to last night? Wait. Where exactly am I?

I picked up my stuff and took a few steps back from the wall until I could see the top. It wasn’t as tall as I thought but when I looked to my sides I saw it went on for a while. That’s when it hit me. It’s a mall. I have stumbled to a mall. Well this is weird. Where did it come from? No wait, this reminds me of something.

I held the Uzi and searched for an entrance. This has to end. I’m not meant for this world, I’m just too different. I need to do what my dear friend, Bill, stopped me from doing a year ago. I gunna walk in there and not walk out again. It’s that or I wander about like last night for the rest of my life.

I walked along the mall looking for an entrance. I dropped my jumpsuit and other possessions so I only have my Uzi. I spotted a large entrance that most malls had. This one was for Sears, who before Equestria arrived, was going down as a corporation but with the introduction of Equestria, lots of corporations received a second chance to revive their business. But more importantly Sears was usually a quiet store so I would need to just run through the store and into the main part of the mall. Screw my logic saying it was a dumb plan because it’s logic to see that I need to leave this world. Maybe God will let me in Heaven for a second and Satan won’t poke me that much as I drown in a lake of fire.

When I finally got to the entrance I pulled on the glass door. But to my surprise it didn’t budge. I tried with both hands but still it wouldn’t open. Then it hit me. Obviously it’s a push not a pull. Dumb ponies can’t pull doors unless their unicorns and they use their magic. At least I think that’s the reason. Ponies ruined everything that’s just a general rule.

So I pushed and it still didn’t work. I pushed harder thinking it would work but it didn’t. I kicked the door and bashed it with my Uzi but it didn’t do a thing. Angrily I plowed my shoulder into the door but the only product of that was a sore shoulder.

“Well fuck!” I exclaimed. I tried the other doors along the first door I tried but they were locked also. But I did find something. On the middle door a yellow paper was taped up. It read that the mall was closed due to structural deformities and it would be open for the holidays. I saw a collapsed wall on the inside which explained the case. The entire mall was close? I took a few steps back and looked behind me to find the parking lot. There was no cars save for one lonely maroon one. But other than that the parking lot was completely empty.

“Well if this isn’t a whole piss load of FUCK!” I shouted. Just when I think things are going to be fine after all I’m thrown a curveball. When I met Discord I thought I would be free of the anarchists but that didn’t work. When I took that car I thought things would be fine but then Rainbow Dash ruined it. And when I thought that I was gunna walk away from it all, a ghost from the past came and reminded me of everything that has caused me pain before. Now I’m stuck in limbo to be forever tortured by the disability to act.

I glanced at my Uzi. “When am I gunna be able to use this?” So much for owning a firearm, probably the only one owned by a civilian in all of Equestria, and it hasn’t been shot once. I need to get away from here and start over again. This time I’m taking it safer. No more people to tie me down. I can create company with myself. No more ponies. Maybe I’ll find a rock and crawl under it. Actually what I to accomplish anything is a car. Walking is for hikers and people who aren’t sore all over.

Wait. Did I see a maroon car? I looked back to the parking lot and indeed it was the color I thought it was. I approached it rather quickly. It can’t be. It couldn’t be. It shouldn’t be. But it was.

“My old car!” I exclaimed hugging the hood. “But what are you still doing here?” It didn’t respond but that’s okay because it’s just lonely and hasn’t seen human contact for about a year. I had completely forgotten about it. I mean I worried what would happen to it when Bill took me away but I hadn’t thought about it after that. Wait this isn’t the same mall is it?

I looked up. Las Pegasus Mall was written on a sign that lead to the parking lot. Well whadda you now? I guess there really is such thing as fate. Or Equestria just has a tendency of bringing people together. Or everything that’s happened is the decision of a playful god that has a plan to carry out a specific order of event. Either possibility is acceptable. But the real question is, does it still run?

My car is a jeep wrangler and one of the newer models from when I was still in high school. So all I have to do is enter the code on the door and it should open. I did so and I heard the click of the locks unlocking. My heart raced as I opened the door and slumped into the driver’s seat. A habit I have is leaving the car keys in the car since it can lock and unlock from the outside. Got that habit from my father for better or for worst. I reached into the cup holder and got the key. I gave it a quick kiss before inserting it into the ignition.

Then there was the moment of truth. I turned the key and almost immediately the car hummed to life. “Yyyes!” I shot a fist up in the air. I shut the driver side door and drove to get my jumpsuit, bandana, and the sunglasses I had left. I collected them and jumped inside the jeep and set off.

After about an hour on the road I had finally calmed down. My old car was back and that meant all my old possessions. Actually all that has been added to my inventory was a granola bar which I ate. But also there is five hundred dollars in my pocket, so I’m back to being rich. This is good because now I’m all set with a full tank to head anywhere.

Right now I’m on a highway going seventy. Perfect time to think about what to do next. Actually maybe I want to clear my head first. Lewis really did a number on me. But at least I know he’s gunna be the world’s worst psychiatrist and probably lose his job and be on the streets like me. Little clopping faggot.

Still that strip club though. Why does that exist? Kind of scares me that enough humans got together to convince ponies to do that vile thing. Kind of wondering what Lou meant by saying clopper was a useless term. Probably because it isn’t as controversial because ponies are real. Whatever the reason I’m honestly conflicted due to my opinion on the matter.

Now way back when I discovered bronies I was totally against the sexualizing of ponies. But eventually, after hearing very good arguments, I let myself take a step back and realize that I have to respect other people’s tastes and just avoid topics like that. After all we live in such a sophisticated and diverse society so maybe it’s time we look for similarities instead of differences. On the bad side I had to learn tolerance towards others but on the plus side I learned an important skill. I learned I can hate someone as long as I’m in the right, meaning if they attack me first then I can go all out on them like they did me. Two wrongs make a right I guess.

So I guess due to what Lewis did to me I can hate those bronies and ponies in strip clubs all I want. It makes perfect sense! Oh and when I meet Lewis I’m gunna shoot him in the head and run. Wonder what Zayn is up to. I’m gunna shoot him too if I meet him again.

From now on, if I am gunna walk into somewhere and shoot up the place, I’ll choose a strip club instead of a mall because quality of the people I kill over quantity. But for now I have to think of the future. I’m driving to nowhere in my own car without my license or insurance. But it doesn’t matter because I don’t plan on sticking to populated areas. I just need to avoid places. But I guess in the meantime I’ll turn the radio on.

“This is radio 97.3 bringing you the classics. And now with Mistress Kerry.” A voice said. “Hi this is Kerry and right now I’m giving away tickets to Bronycon out in New Canterlot.” Wait, what? I turned up the volume. “Yes about a week from now Bronycon will be coming to New Canterlot and I have tickets to what will be the biggest event in Equestria. And I have news that the mane six will be there to answer questions. To apply just call”.

They still have Bronycon? It’s probably just a celebration but they kept the name. Well I know where I’ll be avoiding next week. Actually I wonder what the date is. Oh well I’ll find out eventually. But the mane six in person! I’ve already had that privilege and it was terrible. Wonder what would happen if people knew they were second degree murderers? Probably forgive them immediately and say it was an accident. Yeah because blowing up a wall with what I assume was magic is a great idea especially if you know there are people in there. If my Uzi wasn’t locked up I would’ve shot them all dead and never be in this situation.

Wait that’s it! I have an Uzi and the mane six are out in the open not suspecting anything. A plan formed in my mind at that moment. It was a simple plan but very noble. I simply walk up to them and blast them in front of the whole world. Then everyone will see their “heroes” aren’t heroes at all. If that isn’t noble then I don’t know what is. Besides this way I’ll be free of this world because I’ll probably be shot by an overweight security guard and change the world at the same time. My childhood dream of changing the world will come true.

I switched radio stations to give me something to listen to on the road. And on came that same radio station I listened to yesterday.

“And now a whole One Direction marathon starting now.”

“Oh hell fucking yes!” I rolled the window down and stuck half my body out. “You don’t know-o-o. You don’t know you’re beautiful!”

Author's Note

So that chapter to me was boring. Oh well next chapter is Bronycon!

Chapter 13: Boom Headshot

About three days later I’m now about a day away from New Canterlot resting on the side of a road. I’ve gotten a map and checked the date at a rest stop I passed by not long ago. It’s late August which really opens my eyes since I thought it was still June. Also I’ve finally had something to eat recently so I’m all set to go in to that city. All set to kill six murderers. Personally I’m at a conflict over who I should kill first. Twilight killed my friends but Rainbow Dash did call me a worthless cunt. I’ll decide when I get there.

A day later I arrived at New Canterlot. Bronycon will start in three more days so I have time to kill. However I’m sticking to the outskirts of the city for the time being. That place is crawling with ponies; I can see them from the highway and I have no intention of associating myself with them. I already seen enough of them and I don’t want to see anymore. Oh and New Canterlot is huge like skyscrapers huge.

I looked it up at the rest stop where I got the map. On the little pamphlet I picked up it detailed the history of the city. Turns out New Canterlot is located in the valley under regular Canterlot which means I passed by Ponyville as I traveled here. But anyway the important part is this place is still under construction. It’s to be a shining example of pony and human relations and that’s why it’s the new capitol city. Yeah Canterlot is now a kind of private estate more or less and New Canterlot is to be the center of Equestria. This Bronycon is more like a celebration rather than a con like it used to be. Yep this Bronycon will be like a ceremony to commemorate human and ponies getting along and that really sickens me because that should have never happened.

Two days before Bronycon it occurred to me one morning that I should probably scout the area out to make sure I could do this. I mean it would be tragic if I was tackled before I could even get to the ticket booth. I need a game plane and then a backup plan. Oh and I’m getting in for free because tickets are for pussies and rich kids. Which I am one of the two.

As soon as I drove into the city, I was surrounded by pony after pony. Yeah there were humans but there were mostly ponies. It wasn’t like Las Pegasus where there was a human district; this was diversity at its finest. I could barely look at the ponies as I drove by them. It just reminded me of that thing Lewis took me to. What I would give to have the courage to pull my Uzi out and just spray a crowd of them. They would fall faster than the fandom should have after the show was cancelled.

Eventually I found the place that Bronycon would be at. Wasn’t hard to find because there was advertizing everywhere. People were setting up stands and stages in this big courtyard and there were a lot of decorations. I got here by following a pamphlet that some pony was handing out. I didn’t actually approach the pony to get it but instead waiting around until someone threw one in a trashcan and then I reached in and grabbed it. I really don’t like ponies.

The important thing is the courtyard will be easy to sneak into. I’ve already planned something out. The city is pretty much just a construction zone so all I have to do is sneak through the construction places and simply blend into the crowd. Should be easy since I have time to prepare and I’ll be cautious. To hide the Uzi all I have to do is awkwardly walk around with one hand in my jacket. No one will suspect a thing.

Have to admit I’ve never really broken the law. Well never broken the law intentionally. Okay nobodies gunna believe that but even when I’ve been with my friends and there were doing stuff they shouldn’t, I refused to partake. This could have been movie hopping or diner dashing but I’ve never actually done anything this bad. Normally my nerves would take hold but I’m fairly confident. After all I’m either dying by another guy’s gun or by my own.

On the day of Bronycon I drove as close as I could get. There was heavy traffic so I was about a quarter of a mile until I had to park and take a walk. By walk I mean I pretty much jogged and weaved past bronies and ponies. I need a spot directly at the spot the mane six will be. I may be early by about four hours but I’m not giving them a chance to elude me. The con started at ten but they arrive at two.

I quickly found a map of the con on one of those big map things that are found in malls. They’re pretty much in the middle of the con so it looks like I’ll have nowhere to escape when I cap them. That’s kind of concerning since I’ll get torn apart by an angry mod of pinkie pie cosplayers. Oh well, all’s well that ends well.

I made my way to the alleyway that’ll lead me to my free ticket to Bronycon. It’s kind of a maze since I will be going through a couple of construction zones but it’ll get me to where I need to go. I just hope that no one spots me. Then this will all be for nothing.

I turned into the alleyway that was basically two construction zones next to each other with that fence with blue tarp being the two walls. That was when I saw him. Right to the side there was this guy sitting on this wooden box. What was he doing here? Smoking dope? He didn’t look like a security guard so what was he doing here? Well I’m gunna have to go past him since I have no other alternative.

As I walked past him he eyed me with these beady little eyes. I stopped in my tracks. I just realized I forgot my Uzi and my face isn’t covered so I’m gunna get caught. It dawned on me yesterday that I may be able to escape but I can’t do that if they see my face. All I would have to do would be move down a crowd of bronies and make it to freedom. Sounds like a piece of cake.

My stopping must have been a signal for him because he stood up and greeted me. “So you here for the weapons?” He asked. I froze and stared at him confused. He literally grabbed his chest. He’s an older looking man and I must have given him a scare which may have given him a heart attack.

“Shit. You’re not here for the weapons are you?” He looked ready to piss himself.

“No.” I said. “But I am now.” The old guy smiled obviously relieved. Who was this middle aged guy? But more importantly what does he mean by weapons. My curiosity is begging to be sated.

“Name’s Frank.” He said shaking hands with me. “So you didn’t know I was here?”

“Nope I was just walking and happened to find you.”

“Well lucky you.” Frank said turning around to open the box he was sitting on. “If you’re looking for weapons I carry guns and some blades. No assault weapons only hunting equipment. You know like rifles and shotguns. It’s too hard to get assault weapons on Earth so don’t bother trying to get them here.”

“You get a lot of customers?” I asked.

“Not as many as I would like.” Frank said undoing some latches. “With Equestria being gun free I would think that people would want to own a firearm. You know for self defense, but I only get a couple of clients.”

“Yeah ponies aren’t very keen on guns I hear.” I tried looking past him to see what he had. “So where do you get these.” Frank opened the box and turned to me.

“That is privileged information.” He pointed then got out of my way. I walked up to the box and gazed inside. There was a shotgun, a rifle, a couple blades, and three pistols one being a revolver, all laid out in a foam case. It was pretty astonishing actually. I’ve never been around guns that much so this was kind of neat.

“Are these all ya have?” I asked.

“Oh no. These are just for display.” Frank said. “I also got machetes if you’re interested.” I nodded. Well that’s really nice.

“Um how much do these cost?” Frank pointed to each one.

“The 12g is four hundred, the rifle is six hundred, the Glock is five hundred, the M9 is six hundred, the revolver is five hundred, and the knifes are twenty five, fifty, and a hundred.” Well fuck. I got five hundred dollars in the car so there’s nothing I can get that’ll be useful. I can’t conceal a shotgun, and why would I buy a pistol when I have an automatic. The only thing I would want is the rifle because maybe I could snipe them from somewhere. Actually that’s a good idea. Yeah then maybe I’ll actually have a chance to escape. But I don’t have enough money, damn!

I stood there admiring the weapons. So beautiful, reminded me of my own gun, that I sadly will have to go back for. Wait I got an idea. A wonderful idea that involves a mutual benefit. Yes it is a wonderful idea because I’m about to be generous. Screw Rarity, I'm the fucking element of generosity.

“Hey Frank could I offer a trade?” I asked.

“What? A trade.” Frank thought for a second. “I suppose so but what do you mean by trade?”

“I’ll show you. You’re gunna like it. I’ll just be a second. I’m gunna be driving up in a jeep.”

“Alright.” Frank said with a wave.

I ran back to the car and jumped inside. In about five minutes I was back to the alleyway. I parked to the side and reached for the Uzi. Stuffing it and the three magazines in my jacket I walked back to Frank.

“Here” I said. “A genuine mini Uzi, and” I stacked the three magazines. “Three fully loaded active magazines.” I could tell Frank took immediate interest. He picked up my gun and examined in and did these things like pulling it back. It was obvious he was impressed. And shouldn’t he be? This was hand held firepower and after the laws that were placed, guns are a dying breed in the world. Although nothing will ever destroy the stockpile of munitions on Earth, they can keep them from civilian hands. And that scares me. Dumb ponies and their stupid moral code of friendship.

“So how about I make you a deal. My Uzi for that rifle with the scope and everything.” I pointed to the display rifle. Frank put my Uzi down and then held the magazines for a second before putting them down too.

“You got it buddy.” He said with a smile. “I’ll be right back.” I’m not stupid I know I’m making a bad deal. An Uzi is worth more than that rifle probably. I forget what I paid for it but I remember it being in a shady alley like this. Some gang member sold me it if I remember correctly. But that Uzi will be worthless when I’m dead. Besides I’m being generous like I said because he’s getting the better deal.

Frank returned with the rifle in hand. The rifle was this brown wooden one. Looking like the stereotypical thing a hunter would have. Too bad I was never a hunter so I have no experience with this type of thing. Oh well never hurts to try out new things.

“Here ya go.” He said setting the rifle down on the box. I picked it up and looked down the scope. Yeah I can make this work. I noticed there was no clip in it.

“Hey I gave you three mags, can I have just one?” Frank nodded and walked away. He came back with the mag and set it on the table. “Any you may want to get a case to cover that. Even on Earth they hate it when you openly carry.”

I smirked. “Don’t worry I’ll be careful when using it.” I walked off before he could ask me when I would be using it.

So the original plan to infiltrate Bronycon and spray the mane six has been replaced with this new plan. I just have to find a vantage point and aim down. It’s a better plan I think because now I might be able to escape. I’ve got that bandana and sunglasses so all I have to do is wear them and my face will be hidden. Now I just need a good place to wait.

After searching around for thirty minutes I found my place. New Canterlot is a construction zone basically. And me being a lucky fuck found the perfect place. It was high up about three stories at least. It’s an open balcony so I’m exposed from above but I’ll be hidden from view if I just duck behind the concrete wall of it.

If I plan on making my escape then I’ll have to run down some stairs and just get out of here. Even if I flee the city then I’ll be hunted down. Which will be okay because I have no problem going into hiding for a while, might actually be peaceful being alone.

My car is parked at the bottom of this building so I’m gunna try to use it as a means of escape. Still I doubt that I’ll be able to get out of here without being tailed by the entirety of Bronycon but I think I can at least give it a try. And if worst come to worst I’ll hurl myself off a building and crack my head open in front of everyone.

I can see Bronycon, an entire plaza of people in pony clothing, just a sea of multiple colors. Kind of sad actually if I think about it. These people are here in a developing city ready to worship another culture. And I say worship because when Princess Twilight and her entourage come out I’m gunna see something that will make me blow chunks over the side of this building. They’re gunna bow because they saw it in the show so they have to imitate that. Seriously I’ve seen human world leaders bow before them. They should be bowing to us. Or even better no one bow at all because it’s just stupid how bronies imitate ponies like they saw in the show. Can’t they see that we should act like humans and they should act like ponies? Stick to our cultures and they stick to their.

I waited at least three hours for those six devils in pony skin to come out. To tell the truth I really had some time to think. Like what will happen to the government of Equestria when they fall? I hope something really awful because it’s what they deserve. But what of bronies, I care about what happens to them the most. Will the subculture die out when their precious mane six are assassinated? I hoped that would be the case way back when, but then ponies just had to be real and the brony fandom achieved immortality. Still I would like to see the effect of my labor so I could gloat or something.

I could hear crowds cheering and I got up and picked up my sniper. I laid it on the railing and looked for them. I found them but they weren’t where I thought they would be. For whatever reason they appeared on a balcony overlooking the bronies below and from my perspective they are the building in front of me and I’m looking down on them by about a story.

It kind of pisses me off that they think they’re so important that they need to address people from a higher point. But the real question is why? Are they so afraid of us humans that they distance themselves? Wait a minute. If I think back to that Twilight reaction of me saying I live with my mom, then could it be that maybe they’re a little intolerant of bronies? I mean every since their culture took hold kids have been more dependent on their families and thus it is more common for people to live with their parents until their mid twenties, early thirties. Which is outrageous.

So maybe the mane six are just like me and they don’t like to see people like that. Which would make their little act of solidarity completely justifiable because they would dislike stuff I dislike. Which would mean we aren’t that different. I lowered my rifle.

“Nah that’s bullshit.” I said raising the rifle back up. “I’ve watched them on TV and they greet those bronies with such enthusiasm. My brain is just trying to play tricks on me, thinking I’m the same as they are. I gunna kill them all.”

Once all them were seated in a line and staying still, seating themselves in chairs, I adjusted my scope on a broad range. Now it’s time to address the real question. Who do I kill first?

Author's Note

Decisions, decisions. Then again Rainbow Dash did call him a worthless cunt.

Chapter 14: We did it, we did it!

So it just dawned on me that I only have five bullets. Four in the clip and one in the hole. So unless I score a double headshot then I’m shit out of luck if I’m planning on killing all of them. But wait that’s impossible too because if I remember anything I’ve watched on television, then I would know that a hunting round is controlled expansion and only penetrates so much before it lodges into the tissue. Damn you R. Lee Ermey for teaching me that.

All right no problem just means one of them gets to live. Question is, who? Well it’s not going to be Twilight or Rainbow Dash. So it goes down to Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, or Pinkie Pie. Uh great another hard decision. Well they haven’t done much to me personally like the other two but I guess it comes down to how the survivor will react. Let’s see Rarity will probably have a heart attack. Gosh did she put on some weight. Fluttershy will probably become more of a social recluse and Pinkie Pie will probably do that depression thing that bronies love. Actually I think Applejack will be the most devastated because she’s apparently all about that bonding stuff.

Ah fuck it I’ll decide when I start shooting. Twilight got on this podium thing and started talking. Probably was making some kind of speech but I can’t hear her from here. Now back to the issue at hand. Who to kill first?

Let’s see it would be traumatic to kill Twilight right now because she’s making a speech and everyone’s eyes are on here. But Rainbow Dash did beat the shit out of me and kind of want revenge. I think I’ll narrow it down to the two of them. Rainbow looks pretty bored right now. I would be too if I had to sit and listen to a speech.

But gee is it just me or is this rifle getting heavy? No really why is it shaking? No fuck no. Really I’m getting nervous now? Come on Jim. Or Scott, or Andy, or… what is my name again? Jim, my name’s Jim. Come on get it together you can do this.

But what if I can’t? What if I miss or worst I miss and can’t fire another round? I don’t know how to use this! Alright just calm down and take it slowly. Really so what if I can’t figure out how to use this. There’s one in the barrel so all I have to do is pull the trigger. I can get one. I can kill one.

So Twilight or Rainbow Dash? Well Twilight because she’s the leader figure. But Rainbow Dash was rude to me. No Twilight because she can definitely be considered more important since she’s a princess. But Rainbow Dash has that twenty percent cooler bullshit that must be exterminated. But Twilight is just so beloved. But then again so is Rainbow Dash.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Twidash! No that’s gay. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack! No fuck Applejack. Twilight, Rainbow Dash! Everyone wants me to kill Twilight and I must obey. Wait a minute what am I talking about? It’s just too hard to decide. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy!

I aimed my sights on the yellow mare. Yes she’s perfect. Fluttershy is the fan favorite I believe. And what better way to instill into bronies a feeling of loss than to take her out. In fact it might be the most traumatic to only kill her and make the bronies watch as her friends mourn. Yeah I can do that. Just one shot and no more element of kindness. All I have to do is aim in the kill area. Horses are like deer right? They got hooves so they must be similar. I played those hunting games at the arcade. Kill zone is in their chest area so if I hit her in the chest then maybe it’ll be fatal.

Still were there always twelve of her? Wait I’m looking at a cosplayer. I aimed back up at the real Fluttershy. Geez when did she get so small. No really she’s absolutely puny. It would be like hitting the wings off a bee from here. Am I zoomed in all the way? Yes. Well I guess I’m just exaggerating.

“Come on Jim.” I whispered. “Just stop shaking and be a man. You’re twenty three. Um twenty two, four, five, eighteen? No twenty three and you’ve chosen you’re life. And you chose to, to kill a pony fucker. But as I look down at her, I get doubts that I can do it. Not because I hate to kill but because what if I screw up? What if I fail and go to jail. I need time to think.” I put the sniper down and stood up and began to pace.

“You’ve been preparing for this for days which is different from the other stuff because this time you are ready. But now I’m just standing here wondering what I’m doing. What am I doing? I decided a couple days ago that I’m gunna do something. Oh wait that’s right I’m killing the mane six.” I ran back over and picked up the rifle and zoomed back to Fluttershy. “But what if I fail and go to jail. GODAMN IT, you already said that. Aaaaah!” I put the sniper back down and approached the wall behind me. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” I banged my head against the cement. My glasses fell off and I went to pick them back up so my disguise would be complete again.

“Alright that’s hilarious.” I heard a voice close to me. Immediately I jumped back, scrambled to put my sun glasses back on, and searched for the source as my mind raced for a respond to go to. In front of me I found this little kid, more specifically a boy probably like four or something, I don’t know.

“What do you want kid?” I said instinctively because I didn’t really have a response for this.

“Oh nothing.” The kid said. “Why you wearing a mask?” I touch my face that was covered by my bandana. Knew this would come in handy.

“No reason.” I lied.

“Looks cool.” He said with his eyes wandering. “Say is that a Remington?” He ran past me.

“What?” I watched as he picked up my gun. Now normally if someone saw a kid whatever age pick up a gun they would scramble to take it away but this reaction didn’t occur to me. Instead I just stood there and watched him play around with it. I eventually just walked next to him and knelt down.

“Hey kid where are your parents?” I asked.

“Down there.” He pointed down to the crowd. Great some kid running away without supervision. His parents must be looking frantically for him. That ain’t good because they’ll find him and then me.

“How old are you?” I asked.

“Almost eleven.”He answered looking down the scope.

“Almost eleven wow.” And he escaped his parent’s supervision? I actually feel bad. Somewhere down there are two frantic parents desperately searching for their missing ten year old. Oh gosh that’s terrible thank god he stumbled upon someone who’s at least a bit responsible.

“Hey kid.” I tapped his shoulder. “You should probably get back to your folks. They’re most likely worried sick and you could get kidnapped or something. Your mom must tell you stories of all the missing children that wonder off and are never seen again.”

The kid shook his head. “They’re the ones who told me to go find my own adventure.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well.” He laid the gun down and sat with his back against the wall. “It was really boring down there. I mean really boring. And I was asking my mom if we could do something else. But she said that this was a very important event. Like really, really important. So then my dad said I should go entertain myself. He gave me a twenty and that’s really dumb because twenty dollars won’t get you fucking shit in this mother fucking place.”

“Jesus, kid, watch the language.” I sat down with him. Sure killing the mane six is on my mind and I should get back to it but they’ll be up there for a while. Their little thing lasts an hour.

“So.” I looked at the kid. “You got a name?”

“Yeah.” He laid my gun in his lap. “Daniel.”

“Well what’s up Danny.” I said with an outstretched hand. He just looked at it.

“My name’s Daniel. Not Danny, that’s a little kid’s name.” But you are a little kid, I felt like saying. Instead I just rolled my eyes.

“Alright fine. What’s going on Daniel?” He shook my hand for that. To my surprise he knew dabs.

“I’m bored.” He admitted. “I mean who wants to listen to some pony talk for an hour?”

“You and me both pal.” I slouched up against the wall next to him. He was admiring the rifle.

“You know anything about those?” I asked.

“Yep. My dad hunts and sometimes he lets me come with him.” Daniel looked through the scope again this time at the wall in front of him. He really knew how to handle that thing or at least looked like he did. Gives me an idea.

“Hey Dan.”

“Daniel.” He corrected me sternly.

“Daniel.” I peaked over the wall back to the con. “Bring that sniper up here.” He stood up holding the rifle pointing towards the con. I promptly shoved him down to one knee and but the barrel of the rifle on the wall we are behind so it would rest giving the kid a way to stabilize the rifle.

“You ever shoot anything when you were out hunting with your dad?” I asked crouching next to him.

“Yeah I shot at a deer once.” He said looking through the scope.

“You shot a deer at age ten!” My mouth was agape but he couldn’t have seen it. “Damn that’s impressive.”

“No I shot at a deer. I didn’t hit it.” He sounded annoyed.

“Oh well still that’s pretty good for your age.” I looked back out at the con. “Yeah I have no idea how to handle that thing. I just bought it because it looked cool.”

“Well at least you turned the safety off that’s a common mistake for rookies.” Look at this kid, a pro hunter already. “How did you get this thing anyways? My dad says guns aren’t allowed here.”

“Kid, that’s privileged information, you don’t go around asking people where they get their guns.” I said sternly.

“Whatever.” He shrugged looking back into the scope. We were in silence for a second until I remembered my plan.

“Hey kid.” I tapped his shoulder again. “Get a clear look on Fluttershy. You know the yellow pony up there on that balcony.”

“Yeah I know her.” Daniel did as I said. “Why though?”

“Just hear me out.” I pointed to where she was. “Think of this as practice. A horse is like a deer right?”

“Sure they got hooves.” Daniel said. I grinned behind the disguise.

“And I have a question. Where exactly is the kill zone in deer? In the chest region right?”

“Pretty much. I know the place by heart. There’s the lungs.” He swung the barrel slightly. “The liver, and then the heart. Pow insta kill.”

“Really?” I gleamed. “You think you could hit the heart from here?”

“Oh yeah it would be an easy shot.” Oo hot shot here.

“Easy eh? You sure?” I asked.

“You kidding?” He looked at me and I turned his head back to the scope to make sure he could remain focused. “The shots I’ve made on chipmunks were harder.” I was trying to make sure he was still on Fluttershy but I couldn’t tell. Oh well.

“Hey kid, what’s your trigger finger? I knew guys who liked to use their middle finger instead of their index.”

“Yeah me too I like my middle.” He moved his finger to the trigger. “I can fire faster especially with pistols.”

“Show me.” I said almost like a demand. “Just yam on that thing for a sec.”

“Alright.” He said still not taking his eye off the scope. “I can go about twelve rounds in” BANG! Daniel’s shoulder went back and then returned to aiming position. He looked scared out of his mind. Screams erupted from down below and the rainbow of people started moving around in a frenzy. It was like rainbow ants were just going nuts.

“Little something even I know about gun safety.” I grabbed the rifle out of his hands as he looked up to me. “Never pull that trigger while there is someone near the line of fire.” I looked through the scope to that adjacent balcony. The mane six were all crowded around something. Eventually Rarity moved her fat ass and I saw Fluttershy had fallen over and wasn’t moving. Not as much blood as I would have thought but still she was either dead or dying.

“God damn!” I exclaimed. “You shot her in the fucking heart just like you said you would!” I placed the rifle down.

“I what?” Daniel said in disbelief. I scooped him up and spun around.

“You did it! You did what I couldn’t do. You’re my fucking hero Danny!” I placed him down. “Oops I mean Danny.” I patted him on the head and picked up the rifle again. I gotta get rid of this thing. Would be bad if someone saw me with the gun that killed Fluttershy. I raised it over my head and threw it off the balcony. Don’t know where it’ll end up but I’ll be long gone when they find it. I started to leave when I remembered the kid. He was sitting down and curled up with his head in his knees.

“Hey thanks for your help kid.” I said. He didn’t respond. “Couldn’t have done it without ya.” I looked to my escape route which was just a couple of flights of stairs and then to my car. But shit I need to do something about the kid, I owe him.

“Hey kid, come with me. They’re gunna be hunting down a culprit. Don’t worry I’m really good at escaping stuff like this. Well I got away with one crime so it’s a safe bet I might get away with two.” He still didn’t respond. “Yeah I guess running away from home is a big decision to ask you of.” I leaned against the wall next to the exit of the balcony. “I was eighteen when I ran away so I guess I’ll ask you when you’re that age.” Damn this is sappy. I need to give this kid something to go on, my conscience demands it.

“Hey kid.” I looked at the ball of sadness that didn’t look back. “When they find you and question you, tell them exactly what happened, don’t lie. Don’t be ashamed to admit what you did. You wanna know why? Because this ain’t your fault, it’s mine. Tell them a masked man made you shoot the element of kindness. Don’t apologize to them just tell them the truth. Tell them I am to blame and when you do you will be forgiven. Trust me the media will eat this up and you’ll be loved because you’re still just a kid.” I took another looked at my escape route. “Well so long Daniel. I gotta go so maybe we’ll see each other again. I’ll buy you an ice cream. See ya.” With that I made a sprint for the stairs, leaving poor Daniel alone to the screams of Bronycon.

I raced down the flights of stairs like a mad man and by the time I was to my car I was in a panic but I felt alive somehow. The reality of the situation hadn’t set in yet, all I know is to get into my jeep and drive away from this crazy city. I hopped in and turned on the ignition. I began to drive through the construction zone and to the alleyway that would lead to the road but I stopped.

The sounds of horns were coming from the road where I would get on to escape New Canterlot. No it’s too risky to go the street, people will see me suspiciously emerging from the construction zone and when the questions start being asked, they’ll refer to the car and they’ll find me for sure. Well no cops gunna get me by using my own property against me. I turned off the car and hopped out. I grabbed my money which was tucked away in my wallet and I set off.

But wait there’s another problem, my clothes. Little Daniel is gunna be asked to give a description of the suspect and when he does I’m screwed. I may be covering my face but I’m wearing the same clothes. And these are my only clothes so I’m fucked.

But wait I do have my jumpsuit. That’s genius; I knew that it would come in handy. I reached back into the car and took it out. I slipped into it with my clothes I got from Kyle and Bill. I zipped it up and that’s when it hit me. Why didn’t I wear this when I was planning to sleep out in the open that one night? That night I met Lewis I could have worn this and been toasty. Wait then I wouldn’t have had a pillow. No wait there’s something else.

I looked at my hands. I was still wearing those fingerless gloves from Myriad but there was that word, fingerless. Now I really hope that nobody finds that sniper rifle. They’ll just match my prints up with those in an international database and then bam! My ass gets thrown in the jailhouse.

Well nothing I can do now but, wait! I turned to my jeep. My damn fucking license plate! I ran over to it. I have no doubt that they’ll find this car. But what they find on it is the bad part. Fingerprints, information kept in the glove compartment, and my license plate number! Well if this isn’t the worst! I kicked the tire in frustration.

“God damn it!” I roared. “Just when I think everything is going to be okay, this happens!” I looked around frantically. Maybe there’s a place I can hide in these construction zones. Maybe I can jump off a tall structure and just get it over with. Maybe I can, an idea occurred to me, get rid of the evidence. I spotted a crane not far from me. Well I’m gunna learn something today. I’m gunna learn just how close I can cut it and I’m gunna learn if construction crews leave their keys in their vehicles.

***

So I think I’ve been labeled luckiest man in the world. So yeah apparently this construction crew does leave their shit just lying around. And me being me took advantage of it. With a screwdriver I removed my license plate and threw it in a big hole filled with water along with everything in my car’s compartments. Then taking an excavator I went to town on my car. Did the best I can and when I was finished, it was like a crushed soda can. I pushed it against a junk pile in the hopes nobody will question the newest addition. I climbed out of the excavator and walked off.

I took off my disguise and made it to the sidewalk. People and ponies were running towards Bronycon and the ones who were at Bronycon were running away from Bronycon. I didn’t stick around for too long. The whole place was chaotic, pandemonium, anarchy! I could get hurt if I wasn’t careful.

But really I must be cursed to cause misfortune around me or blessed that I can walk away from it all. Really I’m surprised my car didn’t explode when I crushed it. The thought had crossed my mind but I continued my task. Sad to see it go but this is a victory. I pretty much killed a pony. And not just any pony but a mane six. And not just a mane six but Fluttershy, every brony’s favorite pony. Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Fluttershy is not alive!

I wonder if God just likes me. Eh this ain’t the time to get religious. It’s time to celebrate. When I get to a safe place I’m gunna do something great. All by myself. Pushups maybe? Yeah I’ll get buff to celebrate.

I continued to walk down the street when the sound of a car speeding came from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder getting ready to start running. But I calmed down to see it was just a sleek black limo. Probably some celebrity or celebrities trying to escape Bronycon before it descends into a true state of chaos. That’s when suddenly the limo came to a halt a couple of feet in front of me. I continued walking although I was nervous. When I got a little in front of the back door of it, I felt myself being pulled backwards. I tried to fight back but whoever had me, had my arms held.

I was dragged into a rather luxurious and spacey interior before I was let go.

“I ain’t did nothing wrong.” I said scrambling away from my attacker. But when I looked at my attacker I almost couldn’t respond. “Darius?” I said not believing my eyes.

Darius smiled. “Yo chauffeur.” He called. “You speed away these people are crazy. Shooting around at crowds. If I wanted to get shot at I would go back to my hood.” He nudged my shoulder. “Ain’t that right Scott?”

Author's Note

Well that's one lengthy paragraph down and see Jim didn't screw up, kind of.
Oh and I know how everyone suggested to kill Twilight. Sorry this is just the way the story goes. Don't worry though it'll be better to keep her alive later on.
Well one down, five more to go.

Chapter 15: Ghost from the past

I got a good look at Darius. He wore this really shady looking getup. Looked pretty expensive actually considering the fact it was all brand named apparel. Really what I would expect some kind of emcee to wear. Oh great my only black friend is here, who’s gunna be the next ghost from my past to invade? Wait that’s right, Darius is here? Darius.

All right I’ve been exaggerating when I said I lost all my friends after my little face tearing incident. Darius was really my last contact. Me and him were part-time neighbors due to his parents have complications. Anyways he had to go to school in a bad part of a city. So the transition must have been rough going from a nice suburban school district to an intercity school. He changed from overtime into a different kid but I adapted and grew to like him even more. Sure he was rougher and talked odder but he seemed to act more outgoing and it eventually rubbed off on me. He’s why I act like how I do today. We were childhood buddies

I remember him being more distant than my other friends but friendlier. Distant because I pretty much saw him on the weekends but friendly because we really connected together. In fact out of everyone he was the only one who didn’t care about my incident with my friend and his face. When I told him he insisted on seeing photographic evidence and then congratulated me on winning my first fight. I really owe him for that because he made me feel like a person not some monster to be shunned.

“Yo but for real though I ain’t seem shit like that in a long time; ya’ll know what I mean?” Darius laughed. I’m still trying to get over the fact he’s here.

“D- Darius? T-that you?”

“Would you look at this man?” Darius said acting like he was talking to other people. “Course it’s me, who else?”

It took me a while to respond. “It’s just I didn’t expect you to be here. Fuck I didn’t expect you to drag me into a limo.”

“Can you really blame me though? I mean I see someone I haven’t seen in five some years and I just got to have a conversation with them.” He then got really excited. “I mean motherfucker you ran away from home!”

“I was eighteen.” I crossed my arms. “I can leave home at that age.”

“You could.” Darius nodded. “But you didn’t because, now I’m gunna break it down for ya.” I turned towards him to better pay attention. “You didn’t tell ya folks.”

“Mhmm.” I nodded.

“You didn’t tell anyone else yous was leaving.” He was counting on his hands.

“Mhmm.”

“You didn’t show up to your graduation.” He looked at me. “You do realize that means you never got your diploma and shit.”

“Mhmm.” I nodded to again show my understanding.

“You took your car that your parents were still paying for.”

“Mhmm.”

“And you left everyone worried sick about you and we could never find you because you did stuff like throwing away your phone so we couldn’t track you.”

“Mmmhm.” I gave a finally nod.

“Man.” He slumped back against the seat then he jolted back up with some kind of renewed energy. “You just don’t give a fuck do you, ahahhaha!” He laughed at me. “Oh we’s got some catching up to do.”

I couldn’t help but smile. So I was inclined to tell him about my life and his mine. I kept out important details out of my story such as the anarchists, Rainbow Dash, and most importantly what all of Bronycon just witnessed. In turn he told me about his life. He was the friend that wanted to join the marines with me so I asked him how that went.

“Man.” He shook his head. “I was gunna do it for real but when you left, well I got mad nervous. Then of course I thought about it and uh, yeah military is a fucking joke now, know what I’m saying?”

“No not really.” I said. Darius seemed to focus up.

“Well think of it like this, 2019, and we’re on good terms with them ponies. Well they see all them soldiers training and troops in other countries training and they all like why? You know wondering why we need so many soldiers and we tell them that it’s to defend our country so they don’t believe all that. So then they bat their pretty fucking eyelashes and tell world leaders ‘oh look at our Equestrian Guard there are only enough troops to defend our country. Why don’t you do that too?’ And people fucking believe that shit and all of a sudden we start demilitarizing all over the place. Yeah and you got other countries who are looking at this shit and are like, for real though? And they don’t listen to ponies, because ponies are just fucking animals and when did we start listening to our dog? It’s just damn fuck em.” He got a little emotional there, I could tell.

“So you gave up on military life?” I asked trying to sum up his little speech.

“Yeah but damn did I want to be a soldier boy.” He said slouching back again. Now I felt real bad. I mean I selfishly ruined my friend’s life by running away.

“Yeah I’m real sorry for that.” I said.

“Oh are you?” He dived on top of me and we fell onto the floor of the limo.

“Yo what the fuckk aaaaaah!” He grabbed my wrist and twisted it.

“Apologize!” He demanded.

“I just did you dumb motherfucker!”

“Apologize again!”

“Fuck you faggot!” I laughed. He twisted harder. “Aaaaah!” I slammed my other hand on the ground repeatedly.

“Don’t try and tap out.” He said. “Just apologize.” I wanted to see how long I could last but it was really starting to hurt. We used to do this thing all the times when we were kids, just roughhousing. It’s kind of how we bonded. He might be bigger and strong but hey I can still try.

“Alright, I’m sorry.” He didn’t let go.

“Sorry for what.” He said smiling obviously enjoying this.

“I don’t know? Sorry for being a pussy and not joining the marines with you.” That seemed to be the response he was looking for because he released me and sat back down. I got back up too and rubbed my now sore wrist.

“Hey.” I slapped him on his arm to get his attention. “We’s back!” He lit up.

“Oh hell fucking ya we’s back!” He yelled. “Woo! We taking this country over now! Oh but one thing.” He calmed down. “If you and me is gunna bang, you gunna need to dress differently.” I looked at my clothes. Yeah he’s probably right. “I mean what the fuck you wearing?”

“I was a janitor and I kept the clothes, give me a break.”

“You still a janitor?” I took a while to answer. Darius was there when I got my first ever job as a janitor.

“No.”

“Yeah I guess being homeless and cleaning people’s shit really does something to you. Yo ain’t that right?” He spoke as if there was a larger crowd around us. “Hahaha, anyways you can borrow some of my clothes.”

“Uh Darius?” I looked him up and down. “I don’t think I can pull off that thug look you got on.”

“Hell no you can’t, yous a white boy.” He laid back on the long bench. “But we can work something out. Yous going on tour with me. Yo I don’t give a fuck if you got a deal somewhere; you and me are sticking around.”

Tour? I don’t know what he’s talking about but I like the idea. A tour means going around the place and if I’m lucky he might go back to Earth and I can leave this place. They’ll never think to look for me on Earth. But another reasons is so I can travel. It’s kind of my passion to travel the roads since I don’t plan on settling down ever.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” I nodded. “I’m homeless after all so it’s not like I have anywhere to go.”

“Motherfucker!” Darius exclaimed. “I’m homeless too! You think I got a home somewhere? Fuck no I’ve been on tour pretty much from the start of my career. I ain’t bought a big place on the cliffs but that’s gunna be different after this tour.”

“Well that’s a good plan.” I said looking out the window. This is fantastic. I’m escaping the city and I met another ghost from the past. Oh wait this is going to go bad. I quickly glanced back at Darius. He’s probably plotting my death as we speak. But there’s no way that can happen. After all this is Darius, my last and only friend. I know he’s one of the good guys.

“Hey Darius.” I spoke gaining his attention. “Who you on tour with?” A frown appeared on his face.

“Other musicians.” He said with a grunt.

“Oh that explains all of this.” I motioned with my hands to point to the entirety of the limo. “You’re a music artist. What do you do?”

“I rap.”

“I guessed that.” I said with a smirk.

“Why? Is it because I’m black?” I said with scorn.

“Yes.” I replied still smiling giddy.

“Well shit you had me figured from the start.” He tried not to smile. “But anyways I’m not the only emcee here. And I use that term with little actual meaning behind it.”

“What, emcee? Why?” Darius waved his hands.

“It’s just bullshit that I’ll tell you about later.”

“Oh okay.” I looked out the window again. We were driving around in a city I knew nothing about but I’m with my best buddy so whatever. Only question is where to now? “Hey uh, where we going?” I asked.

“Well it’s,” Darius looked at his watch. “almost three so, I don’t know what do you want to do?”

“Well I’m kind of hungry.” I told the truth. Haven’t eaten a whole meal in a while, I had a budget I needed to maintain so those five hundred dollars weren’t really that useful. Actually I think I have about four hundred something left now. Still I need sustenance to survive.

“Well where you want to go? I know a lot of good places around here.” I looked out the window thinking. Just then we passed by the answer.

“Right there!” I pointed. Darius leaned forwards to see.

“Oh come on, really Mickey D’s?” I nodded my head furiously. “Please I know plenty of places that serve great food instead of that crap.”

“No I want McDonalds.” I insisted.

“Come on man.”

“I WANT MICKEY D’S!” I shouted.

“Alright man fine!” Darius snorted. He moved over to the front of the cabin grumbling all the way there. “I got your McDonald’s right here.” He said under his breath. Pressing a button on a speaker, he talked briefly to the driver.

“And go through the drive thru.” Darius said. “I don’t want to be around the public after that little assassination and my guest isn’t dressed appropriately to be seen by the public.” He moved away from the speaker. I’m slightly annoyed.

“Hey!”

“What you look like a fucking bum and,” He leaned closer to me and took in a whiff of air. “Dawg you fucking smell like shit. When was the last time you showered?”

“Yesterday!” I lied. Actually I haven’t showered in a while; I’ve actually forgotten… the sweat of my brow is my shower! Eventually we pulled up into McDonald’s driver thru.

“By the way I’m inclined to say you’ll be paying for this.” I informed my friend.

“Yeah bitch I guessed as much.” Darius spat taking out his wallet. We ordered our food. At first I was guilty because I doubled up but then I remembered he was rich now so it doesn’t matter. The driver seemed to speed off as we left the parking lot. We were beating the traffic from the panic of Bronycon so it made sense why he was in a hurry. If I put some thought into it, we’re probably following up with the rest of the tour, where ever they maybe.

“Be conscience of how you eat.” Darius said roughly. “Don’t fuck up my ride.” Little fact, when your friend is rich as hell, disregard his warnings, he’s just being cheap.

But really these cheeseburgers are delicious. One thing I remember about going to that rest stop before coming to New Canterlot was that is answered cultural questions. There was this guide about the culture of Equestria and it answered questions that I thought I would never get answered. Who knew that to find answers you just had to look for them? Anyways the rest stop served as to teach tourists about Equestria culture so they could better meld with the scene.

Turns out meat is fine in Equestria. Ponies are perfectly fine with carnivores roaming free in their country eating in front of them. I don’t know I thought that they would be all nervous and such but there were fine with it. In fact they actually suggested that we improve our food industry which included meat. Every human knows that food is processed in ways that are killing us slowly and when the ponies found out they raced to our rescue. Ponies have influence on humanity, it’s rather hypnotic, they talk and people listen because good ole Lauren Faust sold us this “perfect” society and we have to follow what they want. Sure we look like children at the schoolyard but who cares because ponies have such a perfect way of understanding and fixing every problem ever. Not!

Anyways ponies in government offered their council and eventually it started this whole thing and very quickly laws were put down to improve the quality of meat and other food produced by corporations. Eventually places like McDonalds started making more superior food. It’s still crap by regular standards but at least instead of killing you in ten years it’ll kill you in twenty. So it goes that ponies made Earth a healthier place.

I stopped eating and looked at the burgers in my hands. It had just occurred to me that the reason that these aren’t under so much heat is because of ponies. Oddly it seems that ponies actually did something good to benefit humanity. They gave us compromise.

Wait no that’s not right. They did it to gain our respect so they can control us through our thankfulness. Common tactic of villains and bad guys alike. But still if ponies are improving society like this then how can I prove they’re the bad guys. Sure maybe I hate ponies but I’m not wrong in my opinion. After all I’ve been attacked and told I’m a nothing by ponies so I have to have some credibility. This will be something I’m gunna think on. I know that ponies are not to be trusted and should be ignored but if I wanted to convince someone I’ll need evidence.

“Darius.” I said getting his attention. He looked up at me from his food. “Why are you dressed like a no good rotten drug dealer?” Darius rolled his eyes.

“I thought I told you I’m an emcee.”

“You’re an emcee?” I asked bewildered.

“God damn it!” Darius exclaimed. “Fuck have you been paying attention! Yes I’m a fucking emcee. Would I dress like this just for the fuck of it?”

“Yes, you’re black.” I was inclined to say it.

“No I rap for a living mother fucker!” Darius sounded angry but he softened up. “I need to look the part. You know criminal rap game and all that shit.”

“Ooooo.” I smirked at him. “Someone’s a studio gangsta.” He smirked back.

“Nah I’m just the only one who is still willing to rap about guns and drug dealing. Everyone else raps about clubs and strippers.”

“Oh I stand mistaken.” I backed up. “I didn’t know I’m in the presence of an OG.”

“Man.” He waved his hand. “I’m gunna tell you just how fucked up the game is these days. Just keep in mind what is was like for us growing up and you’ll get the picture.”

“Yeah so what’s your rapper name?” I asked.

“8-set.” He mumbled.

“Oh sounds familiar.” A that comment Darius lit up.

“So you heard of me?”

“Somewhere.” I said. “Think you were in the news?” I recalled that dinner and how just before I left it mentioned a rapper.

“That was me!”He smiled. “I need to tell you about that shit too.”He rubbed his hands together. “Some underground nobody beating a legend, now that must have been a good news story.”

“Must have.” I shrugged. There was a question that was nagging at me. “Darius do you hate me for leaving?” Darius stared at me but was smiling.

“Hate you?” Darius seemed to laugh. “Hate you? No. Sure I’m was pissed off. Still pissed off that you abandoned everyone but at least you’re here now. So no I don’t hate you. Remember I had five years to get over it. Don’t think I’m that much of a pussy.”

Alright so I guess Darius isn’t like Lewis but still I wonder if he’ll try something. Guess I’ll have to see what happens. However I have a feeling that this could be the best opportunity for me yet. My break away from my poverty and into a relaxed state. I’m not going to pursue a career or anything but I’ll try and not stoop to staying in abandoned buildings. Still hate ponies, now more than ever before, but this time I think I can cope with a friend by my side.

But I want to go back to ponies and their deal. I know I just pretty much changed Equestria forever but I feel like I’m not done. There’s something in me that just needs to have satisfaction but I just don’t know what I can do. Fluttershy’s death sated me but it was only for a short while. Now I feel like I need to do something more but I don’t know what. There’s nothing more I can do short of more death. That opportunity was a chance in a lifetime and I at least didn’t completely blow it. Now I’ve got to look to my own future.

I’ve always wanted to change the world and I did but I don’t think I changed it enough. Ever since ponies arrived I wanted them gone or something bad to happen to them so I would never have to hear about them again. But now it happened and there’s more I can do since I’m guessing nobody is going to shut up about Fluttershy for the next ten years.

Question is, how will I deal with the situation? I always dreamed of pony genocide but that’s far beyond my grasp. But what if I could somehow changed the public opinion? What if humans hated ponies and they treated them like how I think they should be treated? Only problem with that is I’m all alone.

No wait I’m not all alone. I looked at Darius. I have a friend that had the nerve to drag me into his limo and wants me to stick around just because of our friendship. That has to count for something right. Maybe this is what I’ll do. I’ll hang with him and maybe get back on my feet. No more starving every night and slinking around in abandoned buildings. I’m gunna live my life and show these ponies that I’m not one of them and never will be. And maybe one day, everyone will see things my way.

Author's Note

This is definitely a milestone.

Thank you everyone for the like and favorites, it is all appreciated.

Chapter 16: Aftermath, Changelings, and Diss

The next few days were mainly spent on my feet travelling all over the place with Darius or Eight as he’s called by others who don’t know him personally since his stage name is 8-set. We travelled with the tour as he said. It was basically a whole gathering of artists in the hip hop genre that were travelling around Equestria. They were sticking to Equestria so that means that I’m still in the country that can find me guilty for murder. But I guess as long as I stay anonymous and hidden they’ll never find me even if they find evidence to convict me.

Speaking of murder, everything that’s happened recently in the news over Fluttershy has come true to my predictions. I watched the news for as long as I could everyday so I could follow what was happening. So it goes that they pronounced Fluttershy dead at a nearby hospital about an hour after the shot. She died from a disabled heart. Damn that kid’s a good shot. Of course the news reporter broke down along with everyone one else in this fucking world. I remember hearing this bit of the story in a bar that Darius took me too. Everybody in the bar moaned and cried when they made the announcement. Well except for me and Darius which is interesting to me.

Anyways after that I heard about all the chaos at Bronycon and how there was basically a stampede and some people got hurt and other things that would be expected of a mass panic. Eventually cops from nearby cities and towns came to stop the panic but on a scale like that it’s hard to have any authority so there were some bad instances but everything turned out okay in the end. Everybody went home okay except for the people that were trampled, assaulted for no reason, pepper sprayed, and asked for information on the subject. Some ponies even got hurt which is more good news for me. There were what, ten confirmed deaths? All children, seven of them ponies.

As for the mane six, oops I mean the mane five, they made brief statements and then were shielded from the public eye. Everyone had questions and there were no answers so far. To my relief they haven’t found Daniel yet which is good because, the things they would have put that poor kid through. I mean geez he didn’t do much wrong it was just an accident. It’s like how I’m not responsible for those ten shmushed children. That was the crowd’s fault.

One thing I hadn’t thought of was Discord. I kind of forget about him but to my surprise the question on the lips of the bronies were how he was doing. They brought up the point that he’s always had a strong bond with Fluttershy after Keep Calm and Flutter On. They also brought up the fact that he may not cope well with another loss. John De Lancie died of a heart attack some odd years ago and Discord apparently liked the guy so he was saddened about that and had to be comforted. Apparently Fluttershy really helped him get over his loss.

After some questioning a spokesperson for the mane five revealed that the location of Discord was unknown. It seems he ran away. This of course led to debate as to what he was doing and some people seem to think he’s out for revenge.

Oh shit I’m gunna have to meet that fucking queer in person, again. Actually I’m kind of scared now. Not because I’m afraid of Discord. I mean who is really afraid of a mismatched creature that was probably the son of a gang raped horse dragon creature thing. No seriously they say he’s a draconequus but has anyone really questioned why there’s only one of him? Seriously why give him a specie name if there’s only one of him? The only thing he is; is a sad old fool that somehow is the embodiment of chaotic power.

But that’s not really important, I not scared of him I’m scared of his powers. He could strangle me with silly string or turn my organs into musical instruments. It’s like if someone threatened me with a gun, I would be more afraid of getting shot then of the person behind it. Now if that person threatened to beat me up then I would be afraid of that person. Funny how that works, take away the source of power and the real threat is shown.

So it goes that Discord is missing, Fluttershy had a humongous funeral, people are mourning and questioning, and there are no answers in sight. Well it has been a week of this so I think it’s safe to say I’m in the clear. Well until they find Daniel but then what’s gunna happen? I’m completely safe and it’s all because of my logically thinking and cautious behavior. Darius had something to do with it too but he’s more of a blessing than a salvation.

Speaking of him, he’s been doing well. The tours been set back due to the circumstances but I did get to see him perform. He even dragged me on stage with him once. It was damn nerve racking but I stayed on for most of his performance. He raps well it’s actually quite entertaining and he seems to really bring the stage to life.

I’m actually wondering about his state of mind right now. He has a lot of stage presence and I can tell he loves it up there. He becomes a different person and it’s wonderful to see. But what questions me is how he acts to other people off stage. By people I mean ponies. One of the downsides of traveling with him is there are ponies again. I do my best to avoid them but the odd thing is so does Darius. In fact he kind of avoids confrontation with everyone except people I guess he trusts. Gives me assumptions that I hope are correct. I may like him more than I thought.

Oh and on an unrelated note but totally friggin important, humans can use magic. No seriously I watched one of the performers do it at that concert. He levitated a mic to their hand with the aura thing around it and everything. That was when I had to leave the stage and take a seat. I had trembled a bit as it happened because that changed everything for me.

Eventually after the show I had Darius sit down with me and explain everything. He was actually kind of annoyed with me that I didn’t know this. I mean I know I lived here for about a year but come on I barely went outside to experience it. Truthfully he didn’t know much so when he was finally fed up with my barrage of questions I took to research it.

So this human magic works that it’s given by unicorns to the human through some kind of spell. After it’s completed the human has some magic stored inside that can be used to perform spells of their own. Only problem is the magic is pretty weak, only being able to pull off levitation of small objects for a few seconds and there’s no way to train it to become stronger. The only possible way would be to have more magic stored inside but humans can’t handle that and the magic just ceases to work and becomes null.

Magic “rights” work that a human can apply for this magic potential by signing up at designated location. You have to pass tests like psychology and a physical to make sure you can handle the privilege and of course there is the processing that goes on behind the scenes. Then you have to pay this outrageous amount of money and then you are in the system to get your magic. Some unicorn bestows it onto a human through some spell. I don’t know what type of unicorn but apparently they have to be pretty advanced in magic which Darius believes there are but it’s unlikely meet one on the street.

But there is a catch, there’s always a catch. Human magic is very weak with levitation being the only real magic use. Since someone can only use it for a few seconds that diminishes it for a lot of purposes such as heavy lifting since the object has to be small. This has something to do with humans having no magical appendage like unicorns do. But the worst part is the levitation only reaches as far as a person’s arm can reach, meaning that it is completely worthless since you could just as easily reach for whatever you were trying to get.

According to the website I was on there are at least two thousand five hundred people with this new human magic. Two thousand five hundred people that are corrupted indefinitely by ponies. I hope for their sake we don’t ever meet. Gosh I would tear their fucking hearts out and strain their bodies of fluids so at least what’s left over would be pure and untainted.

What freaks me out the most is not the human magic thing but that I’ve learned so much in the past weeks that I haven’t known for the seven years ponies has invaded. How much don’t I know about the world I live in? This learning open up so many doors that I didn’t know exist. It’s scary what I haven’t known. It’s like I’ve been living in a dark secluded place with only my memories for a while. Oh wait I have been. Well no more. I’m gunna know Equestria in and out so I won’t have to have any more surprises like humans with magic.

As of now I’m sitting in a hotel room looking at the computer screen. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to leave Equestria since the country has been shut down in an effort to catch the sniper that killed Fluttershy. Also I’m paranoid because I kind of led myself to believe that if I ever am seen by authorities they will read me mind and instantly know my secret. So truthfully I haven’t been leaving Darius’ side, he’s been leaving mine and when he does I retreat to a hidey hole such as that limo and hide.

Research on everything Equestrian has really helped me get a better grip on the world I now live in. Sure watching the show helped me but there are things the show never told me and a lot of thing humanity has changed. One example is the changelings. That story is absolutely crazy.

So picture this, the changelings don’t really like humans. They can feed off our love so we were technically good for them but the only problem is they really didn’t like humans helping out ponies because they saw that as another enemy, humanity, helping out another enemy, ponies. So of course they start harassing humans so we chase after them. Don’t think we killed any of them, don’t know if that was a plea from ponies or because we didn’t want to kill them, but eventually we trapped Queen Chrysalis and a couple of them in Ghastly Gorge and surrounded her with guns and all other sorts of nasty military hardware.

So just as we are about to annihilate them, there is a cease fire because crowds of bronies come to the rescue. Yeah they were following this military convoy and they were pissed. They couldn’t stand that their precious changelings, which were very popular in the fandom, were nuisances that had to be eradicated. But hey that’s how life is but not to bronies. So basically they climbed into the gorge and stood side by side in this cute little display to protect the changelings.

Here’s the twist. Apparently bronies had a lot of love for changelings. I mean they had a lot of love for these mutated fucks and, well a miracle happened. Suddenly in that gorge the changelings began to transform and in a flash of light there were ponies. Yeah it was a shock to everyone. Those changeling beasts became full blooded ponies of every kind and the queen became another alicorn who now is part of the government and her changelings are now average pony citizens.

Now what pisses me off is that the bronies tried to turn this into some kind of humanitarian, or maybe ponytarinan, learning experience. They wanted to show that with enough love you can bring out the best in someone. Or was it love is the gateway to the heart, okay it was some mushy bullshit like that. But I actually feel sorry for the changelings.

Think about it, wouldn’t it be terrible to sacrifice what you are to make everyone else happy? Well that’s what the changelings kind of did. The heart breaking fact is the changelings were basically forced at gunpoint to adapt. It was recorded and I know I must not be the only one to notice they cried out at first when they became to transform. They used to be original and their own thing because that was how they were made to be. It was their destinies to be changeling monsters. Then some meddlers came and they either had to conform or be destroyed. And if I think about it, they were destined to be antagonists so it’s kind of messed up that their originality was taken away and now they’re just like ponies. They were unjustly indoctrinated by feeding off the thing that kept them alive. What a shame.

Darius burst through the hotel room door, flustered as he usually is these days. He told me not to worry about it because it was just the stress of being a celebrity getting to him. So I don’t. However it was obvious that today was a pretty stressful day. He’s told me he hates the bustle of it all but he really enjoys the benefits it offers so he stands it. Still I know it helps when he has someone to talk to so I turned off the computer and turned to him. I actually want to find out the deal with his distance from everybody who has four legs or a Wonderbolts hoodie.

He stretched for a bit before collapsing into the hotel bed. He exhaled which to me sounded like he was in distress. I need to act. So I promptly jumped on top on him, slamming my body on top of is.

“Dawg.” He murmured. “Get the hell off a me!” He shoved me off and I fell to the ground giggling.

“Ooo buddy. Got some muscles there.” I smiled getting up from the ground.

“Yep. Got some hip hop abs and everything so I could fit my job description.” Darius said sleepily. “You should go to the gym with me next time. We can fix what you got.”

“Hey it’s not my fault. You try getting muscles on a diet of pretzels and Mountain Dew.”

“I could do it.” Darius smiled. “You’re bitch ass has never worked out in your life.”

“Bro we were going to be fucking marines.” I reminded him. “And I used to be able to bench more than you at one time.”

“Yeah at one time.” He rolled over. “But then things changed.”

“Yeah I ran away.” I don’t want to be a downer or anything but I know I’m the reason Darius is in the position he’s in now.

“Not even that.” He said. What’s he talking about? “The real problem is ponies. Fucking fags came unwanted and now we’re here.” Did he just call them fags?

“You don’t like them?” I asked. What the hell is this? Am I fucking right about something?

“Yeah I don’t.” Darius sat up. “Do you?”

“No they’re fucking homos.” I retorted almost relieved. I saw Darius relax.

So I guess I’m right about him. He hates ponies like me. Well maybe not like me per say but it’s a start. I knew he’s a good friend.

“Yep they changed the game. Changed life as it is.” Darius sat back. “All this bullshit about friendship and tolerance today. You do realize they stopped us from becoming marines right?”

“Yeah I know.” Ponies told us we shouldn’t train for war. Don’t they know that’s like a custom for us? We don’t tell them to not eat cake because it’ll give them diabetes.

“Say, did you ever watch the show back before?” I asked.

“Yeah I watched a couple episodes of Netflix one night. Did you?”

“Yep.” I nodded. “Watched it all.” Darius rolled his eyes probably trying to keep back a comment.

“The show wasn’t even that good to start with.” He said.

“Fuck no it wasn’t.” I said. He seemed be light up at this. “I mean it was good for what it was, but what is was wasn’t extraordinary like everyone said it was.”

“Yeah man. I only watched it to see what everybody was bitching about.” Darius agreed. “Then it wasn’t even that good. It just wasn’t Jesus like people said it was.”

“You’re telling me. I ripped a kid’s face off over it.” I laid down on the opposite bed from him.

“No you didn’t rip a kid’s face off over a kid’s show; you ripped a kid’s face off over the fucking shit that we are forced to deal with now.” He turned around to me. “Have I told you yet about that thing that got me into all that bullshit?”

“Very fucking poorly descriptive.” I said sternly. “But yes I know about that thing that got you into all that bullshit. See how hard it is to know what you’re talking about?” I smiled. “Anyways I saw that video online.” I laughed remembering it. “You fucking stood up to like five guys and they were the ones that were afraid afterwards.”

The video itself was Darius basically launching a few quick rhymes he came up with on the spot. He was critiquing how one of the other artists was off beat but it got ugly when he wouldn’t admit he was messing up. Then he called his posse over and Darius stared them all down. The best part was when Darius twitched towards them and they all flinched.

Darius laughed. “Those skinny white crackers. No offense.” He shook his head smiling. “If it wasn’t that I had some things to say first, I would have taken them all on. Each one and piled them on top of each other.”

“Would have made the concert worth the ridiculous admission.” I said. “Still I see what you’re saying by the games changed.” Darius lit up.

“So you see how mad bull it is?” He asked. “The game man, the game. Ya’ll know about the game right?” He again spoke as if there was someone else with us. “Let me explain this so you can have a picture, alright?” I sat up to better pay attention.

“So.” He started. “Rap is dead but you probably know that.” I nodded to show I understood. “See what they call it now is Equestria hip hop. All those artists that were at that concert are those guys. Bunch of fucking cocksuckers and wannabes who haven’t fucked pussy in their lives. Probably because some of them are gay but that’s not why they can’t get into a relation. They just skinny and awkward and that’s their thing. And who wants to see an emcee like that?” He slumped on the bed again and moved his hand over his face. “Have I told you how I ended up here?”

“No not really.” I responded. “To tell the truth I would have expected you to rap. Didn’t people in that school of yours question your blackness?”

“Damn right they questioned how black I was.” Darius said with energy. “It’s how I ended up like this. Picture it.” He sat up. “So I’m in one of those underground rap battle places. You know, the one’s where they hate white people.”

“You mean the one where you never let me go to?” I crossed my arms and pouted.

“Hey I did that shit to protect you.” He said. “Always have. Remember how I had to pull that kid off a you and kick his ass myself?”

“I would have won that.” That kid was a pussy which is why I was fighting him.

“Yeah he was on top of you and weighted more than you. You sure had him.”

“Whatever.” I growled. “But go on with your story.”

“Okay.” Darius got back on track. “So one day I’m there because the people I was hanging with wanted me to hand with them there. I actually fucking hated it there. Everyone just smokes weed and you can hardly breathe at times. But the real problem was the only thing to do there was watch these underground rappers yell at each other for about thirty minutes. And half of the time it’s just made up words.”

“Isn’t that what rappers do though?” I asked.

“I pour it hot on your girls just like my pancakes surrals.” I’m surprised Darius said that with a straight face. “Does that sound like a word to you? And if you say yes!”

“Fine!” I snapped. “You win just telling me about your rapping career.”

“I was motherfucker!” Darius attempted to regain his composure and continued on. “Anyways I was in the front one day for some reason. Think it was because there was less smoke in the front. The camera men don’t like it when they can’t see the actual rappers because the lenses are all fogged up. But I was watching this guy getting destroyed by this poser. They were both posers but one of them was worst. Forgot his lines or something. So everyone was laughing at him and such and he started to act like a bitch. And what do bitches do?”

“I got this one.” I said raising my hand. “They don’t shut up.”

“True.” Darius nodded. “He didn’t shut up. He just started to bitch and bitch and started yelling at everyone. Then it got ugly because he came at me.”

“Big mistake?”

“Big fucking mistake!” Darius laughed. “See I’ve seen those motherfuckers up there every week or so and you know sometimes I would get into it. So I had some rhymes I was contemplating and basically I stepped up in front of those cameras and just laid him out. You don’t even know!” Darius said kind of loudly. “How fucking bad I made him look. And everyone was just amazed. See cause I didn’t do what they did. What they did is say one line and then act like they the shit. But what I did was I said five lines, took a breath, and said five more in rapid succession. By the time I was done they were already cheering. Then my opponent tried to swing at me so I ducked and hit him in his gut. So what the cameras were rolling and now people know I got flow and can fight? Ain’t that the greatest career started you ever heard?”

I smiled and nodded. “Sure that’s great. Now I want to make a speech.” I cleared my throat. “So after that you were asked to perform again and again. Eventually you began to perfect your skill and it became a hobby. So you gained notoriety and eventually you were noticed.”

“Shit.” Darius dropped his head. “Was it really that obvious?”

“Well that’s the story of how most rappers start their careers also.” I smirked. “Started from the bottom, now we’re here.”

“Oh right how stupid of me.” Darius commented. “Too bad I didn’t know what I was getting into.” I took notice that his tone shifted towards a more depressed state. Well no friend of mine is gunna be sad while I’m around.

“So what did you get into?” I asked. “Don’t tell me the pressures of the high life are catching up to you?”

“Oh no I can handle the pressure as long as I can go to sleep at least a couple hours a day.” Darius said. “It’s just I realized too late that I was doomed to fail.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well.” Darius stretched. “See I’m signed with New Equestria records. Most artists today are signed with them no matter the genre. They signed all the originals, WoodenToaster, Tombstone, Mic, you know the brony superstars.” Again I nodded to show I understand.

“I actually kind of liked their stuff.” I said.

“Yeah they were good. I heard their stuff a couple of times although I’m not a big fan of dubstep. The problem is they don’t make songs anymore because you know they became politicians and such.”

“Yeah I know.” I actually didn’t know that at all. Who the fuck puts music artists as political leaders? Imagine Skrillex as the senator for Ohio or something.

“Anyways continue with your story.” I prompted.

“Yeah .” Darius continued. “So it was a shock that they tracked my ass down and asked for a sign. Well this was about two years ago and two years ago all I had to look forward to was my rap game so I took the deal.”

“Big mistake?” I asked.

“Maybe.” Darius mumbled. “Don’t know quite yet. All I know is this.” He leaned in closer to me. “About a month after I signed, my producer came in and told me that I should enjoy the fame I’m gunna get because it’ll come fast and then it’ll be gone. He told me that no matter how creative or talented I was I would never be relevant for more than a month. That’s when I knew I had to prove him wrong.”

“And that’s why you’re still here?” I said.

“Exactly.” Darius pointed. “But then about a year after that he came to me again and laughed. He said that even though I’m gaining popularity it will cap off soon. I’m apparently not what the industry wants right now so I’ll peak soon and then I’m just a fading star.”

“And he was wrong.” I said with enthusiasm.

“No he was right.” Darius replied. “A couple months ago I hit the top and now I’m here with my popularity fading. See it’s not common place anymore for hip hop artists to rap about killing people and explicitly about violence. You know what made the genre popular. So I’m out of what is considered mainstream these days.” Darius then grew kind of depressed like some burden was unjustly handed to him and he didn’t know how to handle it.

“My producer did say that at most I would get a small following of devoted fans but never will I have mass fans screaming my name. You know those fags I was challenging at that concert?” I nodded. “Well to tell the truth they are vastly more popular than me in every way. Not because they’re better, don’t think that.”

“I wasn’t.” I assured him. “I told you I saw the video. You basically dissed some dudes rapping skills after he was fucking up his lyrics.”

“And you know what the fucked up thing about that vid is?” Darius shot up. “The fucked up thing is I was fucking right about the whole thing. He couldn’t rap and I was being all courteous about it and then he started acting like a bitch and suddenly I’m the bad guy.” He laid back down but this time in frustration. “So then they started a twitter campaign and I’m this villain all of a sudden.”

“That’s what they do.” I sighed. “Wait a twitter campaign? Really? Why not just make a diss track?”

“Please that would be so looked down upon today.” Darius flicked his hand. “We’re supposed to be all tolerant even if it ends up not letting us be able to defend ourselves. Besides they couldn’t even respond to a diss track because they’re that bad. Fuck I wrote at least five of their chart toppers, each.”

“So uh sounds like you have a real problem on your hands.” I said.

“No fucking shit captain obvious.” Darius sneered. “My only opinion is to fade into obscurity but, fuck, I don’t want to go!” Darius stood up. “I want to fucking keep doing what I love doing. If I have to go back I’ll go back to nothing. All I got is a fucking limo. They got fucking houses on cliffs to go back to!”

Suddenly Darius flung the TV remote off the little table next to the beds. Then he covered his face and sat back down on the edge of the bed. I’m unsure if he’s crying but he’s really scaring me right now. Not because I feel threatened but because I feel like it’s my responsibility to do something about it. He’s my only friend in this world and I can’t let him be like this. Besides he took me in for no reason other than for the sake of friendship. I would like to see those mane six fucks do something like that, especially if they had grown apart for seven years.

“Hey Darius.”I shook him a little. “I have an idea about how you can get through this.” He didn’t respond. “Listen you really got talent. I know because I’ve been listening to your albums in my spare time. You have flow and great lyrical content but there’s something missing from your career.”I stood up and got in front of him. “Dawg, where are your diss tracks? You haven’t insulted anybody. Isn’t that a part of the rap game?”

He looked up at me. “Wait are you stupid? You obviously don’t know what the consequences would be. I would probably get fired. They are signed to the same label after all.”

“Bro you just said you’re gunna get fired eventually anyways.” I said back. “Besides is it really right for them to say hateful things over the internet and you can’t even defend yourself because it’ll only hurt you more?” I sat down next to him. “Listen these guys are obviously bullies. They’re picking on someone who’s smaller and they know you can’t fight back. But that’s where they’re wrong.”

“What are you trying to say here man?” Darius frowned at me.

“Simple, diss them back. Make a freestyle or something and destroy them.” Darius began to shake his head and deny the plan but I continued on. “Listen you’re probably the best artist right now to do this shit. You’ve been practicing in those underground places man; you know how to hurt somebody’s feelings. All the greats are dead or gone now. We can’t rely on Eminem, 50, or any other of those artists to speak out on the atrocity of this generation’s taste of music. You have to do it or nobody else will.”

Darius again covered his face in his hands. This time though he was thinking about it. I just need to say something more to cement the idea. I’m doing this to help him out.

“Hey.” I tapped his arm. “Remember they went after you first. They drew first blood when you were just trying to help out. If I’ve learned anything after I ran away it’s that if someone wrongs you first you have every right to take it out on them. That way you have something to fall back on if people ask why. Shit if you do this right then they’ll be no reason the public won’t see you as the good guy. Just looked at the Eazy E and Dr Dre beef. Dre started it and Eazy finished it. You can finish it too.” Hopefully he won’t die of AIDS.

Darius got back up. “Yo you’re right!” He said with vigor. “They fuck with me I’m gunna match it. I ain’t got a clique like they do but fuck it. I’ll take on all those motherfucking fake ass misanthropic hipster faggots. Doesn’t matter if they a group and I’m one man. Ice Cube did it and he was going up against competent motherfuckers.”

“Yes that’s it!” I rose up with him. “Just show people how fake they are and their careers will be over. Then that paves the way for you to spiral upwards to true fame.” Darius wagged his finger at me and smiled.

“You know I’m glad I brought you with me.” He said. “You and me we’re gunna go places after this. We’ll get girls and I’ll buy a mansion and I’ll get one for you too.” He punched my shoulder. “You’re right I’m gunna get em back and then I’m home free.” We sat back down on the bed. There is something I just gotta ask him.

“Hey I take it you don’t like ponies.”

“Fuck no I don’t like ponies.” He said with a grin. “Some of my most powerful critics are ponies so yeah I hate the little fucks. But also, I’m sorry but they are so friggin stupid and annoying. Like damn of all the universes we could have been connected to why did we have to get My Little Pony? Couldn’t we have gotten Halo or Pokémon or some shit? Damn.”

“I know right.” I agreed. “At least those wouldn’t have invaded our culture.”

“Damn right about that.” Darius said with a slap on the back.

After that we shared a few laughs and talked some more. The sun was down by the time we stopped our conversation. By that time I felt anxious for that diss track. It’ll be great to see some brony artists humiliated like they should. Shame on them for hoping into the industry for the sole purpose to just ride it and make money. Artists should make songs because they enjoy it and the challenge that comes with it and then they do it for the money. Today they just have to get signed and do whatever they are told. Kind of makes them seem like they have a printed personality which really makes them seem commercialized.

Darius eventually walked into the bathroom. I looked at the clock which read nine o clock.

“Hey where you going?” I called.

“To bed, I’m tired.” Darius called back.

“Dude it’s only nine, we should go do something.”

“Hell no I have an opportunity to get some sleep and I’m taking it. I have a busy fucking schedule.” I heard the sink turn on.

“Fine!” I yelled and slumped onto my bed, pouting in disapproval. About a minute later I felt something hit my back.

“Yo brush your teeth.” Darius said to me. “You’ve been slacking I can tell.” I picked up the toothbrush he had thrown at me.

“What are you Myriad?”

“Mira who?” Darius looked at me strangely.

“Nothing it was just this girl I knew.” I went over to the now unoccupied bathroom to brush up.

“Oooooo Scott got bitches on his tip.”Darius mused. I ignored him for now and got ready for bed. When I was done I just got into the bed opposite Darius’.

“Now if you do some bullshit like you’ve been doing every night while I’m asleep.” Darius warned. “I’m gunna hold you over the balcony again but this time I won’t position you over the pool and I’ll use one arm.”

“I’m not making any promises.” I said turning off the lamp. “Also if you wake up with a strange taste in your mouth. That’ll be me.”

“And if you’re in a wheelchair tomorrow. That’ll be me.” Darius said with a smirk.

Author's Note

Well this was a long chapter.
But look at these two. Two pony haters united again.
So I did answer what happened after Fluttershy's death, I know some of you, if not all, were wondering. But if you find this explanation a little lacking feel free to inform me because next chapter it'll go deeper and I don't want there to be a detail missing that I didn't think off.
Next chapter, everyone say hi to Twilight again.

Chapter 17: Money and Power

In wake of the investigation to find the murderer of Fluttershy, the city of New Canterlot was blockaded by a heavy police presence and no one was to leave. The hope of local law enforcement was to find the suspect if they were still in the city. In other cities, local officers were on the lookout for anything suspicious. It was a bad time to be a criminal in Equestria. It was usually bad before but it is really bad now.

But it wasn’t just bad for criminals but it was bad for everyone else. With no evidence that gave even a clue to the murder there was no other solution but to make up an explanation. With the current generation being very much a computer generation there was many people who got together to try and explain this. It went deep but eventually, confusion turned into despair, despair turned to fear, and fear led to stupidity. And when people are stupid, they say things that hurt others. Tempers flared on talk shows and there were instances of violence. In one instant a pony blamed a human for the death of Fluttershy since it was becoming public opinion that the deed was done by a human since it seemed impossible for a pony to do it given the species limited experience with projectile weapons. All of this had sparked short lived bitter resentments between the two groups until finally the mane six and their cast counterparts came on and encourage everyone to chill. It indeed is a dark time in Equestria for everyone.

But it was none darker than for Twilight Sparkle. It’s been hard coping with her friend’s death. It was hard to believe that somehow someone had snuck past all those guards and then gotten away scot free. It was even more devastating to know that there was someone out there that wanted to hurt her and her friends. But the worst part was out of all the ponies they could have chosen, they chose Fluttershy. The kindest of all ponies and just an innocent creature and now she was dead in a brutal way.

All the evidence they had was an autopsy on Fluttershy’s body and that’s it. There was nothing else they could piece together since there really was no way of telling where the bullet came from. But there had to be more. As of now Twilight was in a place that officially doesn’t exist. It was a bunker in New Canterlot that, when the assassination happened, she and her remaining friends had hid in. The bunker had been a gift from the humans as a show of their friendship and that ponies were valued friends.

However the real treat about this piece of engineering was it was filled with technology, technology that could be very useful to a government looking to monitor its citizens. Which exactly what Twilight was using it for. The inside of the bunker had a huge mainframe that could hook up to surveillance systems and could scan the faces of strangers and come up with information on them. That was its most useful purpose and that’s exactly what Twilight was doing. Someone inside he told herself that she could tell who the assassin was if she got one look at their face. So she sat herself like a human which was a thing she learned to do and was busy using her magic to operate a touch screened computer that was hooked up to the mainframe.

While she was busy doing this for the fiftieth time this week, a sleek dressed businessman walked into the room with her. He was dressed in his business attire but that was because he had just come out of a hard day of making negotiations and doing stuff to profit his corporation. Another million wasn’t going to make itself. He walked up to Twilight who was hard into her business of finding Fluttershy’s murderer.

“Good morning Twilight.” He said with a slight accent most likely from southern Europe. “Have a good sleep last night?” Twilight didn’t respond at first but eventually after she got the feeling she was being watched she glanced over her shoulder.

“Oh hi Curizno.” Twilight said to the man. Dark circles had formed around her eyes from lack of sleep.

“Please Twilight no need to be formal around friends. I told you, call me Tommaso.” The business man smiled but he had noticed the dark circles. “Say did you get some sleep like the doctor said you should?”

“Sleep?” Twilight stopped for a second. “No there’s time for sleep. I have important duties to do.”

“Nonsense princess.” Curizno said. “You need to relax. Come on how long have you been awake?”

“You know Tom.” She turned around for a sec waving her hoof towards him.

“Tommaso.” He corrected.

“Tom.” She repeated. “You really need to find a good girl. Oh, oh.” Twilight barked tapping her hoof on the monitor. “Quick come over here.” Curizno looked over Twilight’s shoulder to what she was pointing at. On the monitor was a shot of a group of just random people walking in a busy part of the city but Twilight was pointing to one in particular.

“Look at that one.” She said. “He looks like the type.”

“The type for what?” Curizno asked. There was nothing really that stood out, it was just some probably forty year old man.

“Just the type, the type.” Twilight prodded the screen. That’s when it hit him.

“Twi.” Curizno said putting his hand on her shoulder. “You’re not going to find what you’re looking for.”

“I know that.” Twilight growled thrusting her shoulder so Curizno’s hand was off of her. “It’s just there has to be something that is missing.”She began scrolling on the touch screen in front of her.

“I mean fuck!” She swore rather loudly. “Whoever killed her just had to do it in the place there were no security cameras since it was a damn construction site. Where were the workers? It was just Bronycon. Same fucking shit ever year.”

“Geez princess.” Curizno rubbed his forehead. “Could you stop swearing like that? Very unlike a princess.”

“Oh shut up.” Twilight said with a flick of her hoof. “There’s no one here to hear me except for you.” She went back to scrolling. “I just know there’s something out there that can give us a clue because that’s all we need. I mean fuck aren’t you humans supposed to be good at solving crimes. I mean what else do you need this surveillance stuff for?” She angrily scrolled through pictures until she found one.

“I mean look at this guy.” She pointed to a man in a grey hoodie. “His name is Derrick Frecko and he’s twenty nine years old.” She turned around to Curizno who had taken a seat. “The only explanation I can think of is whoever did it is a pony which in that case the machine can’t recognize because we don’t have much digital information on my own species. But I doubt that’s the case.” She kicked the side of the machine in frustration.

Curizno sighed. He was one of the regulars Twilight sees. She and he are very much intertwined in the business. With her being an important politician and him being an important man, they usually found themselves in need of each other. But he noticed very early on that the princess is very emotion prone. Whether it is because of her compassion for everything or her being a woman, he didn’t know. But what he did know was that the student inside her always looked for logic and all he had to do was present logic and he could twist her into whatever he wanted. After all she’s a very important asset and he being a business man works with assets.

“Don’t be so quick to disregard that possibility.” He informed her. “Humanity and ponykind have taught each other a lot. Maybe not a lot of good thinks on our part but still. Anyways I think you’re not looking at this correctly.” He got onto a computer next to her. “I know about this type of thing. These people that do these things aren’t the type you would see on the street.” He moved his monitor to Twilight so she could see a list of other convicted killers. “These people here are in jail for either first degree, second, or voluntary manslaughter. They are only accountable for one incident. Now if you looked at these people.” He minimized the first screen to reveal a second. “These guys are the professionals. Serial killers who kill for their own benefit and have become good at it. See Twilight.” He pushed the monitor away. “The difference between a murderer and a serial killer is one does it once for whatever reason but a serial killer has his reasons and does it many times. There are even differences in the scenes of a crime. A murderer is bound to leave some kind of evidence but a serial killer will leave little to scavenge. That’s what makes them psychopaths and that’s what I believe we are dealing with. Whoever killed your friend, be it human or pony, is a complete and utter psychopath which makes this crime both easier and harder to solve. Easier because we’ve dealt with this kind of case before but harder because it is not simple to catch a psycho.”

“I really don’t care who it is.” Twilight scoffed. “When I find them they will receive the highest punishment that can be appointed by the judicial system.”

“I don’t disagree.” Curizno said. He looked at his watch briefly. “I’m glad we’re on this conversation because I have something important to tell you.”

“What?”

Curizno exhaled. “We found our psychopath.” Twilight instantly jumped out of her chair.

“Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place?” Twilight paced in a circle. “You know Tom you really know how to piss me off. How long have you known this?”

“Just about an hour ago. The information is pretty new. The suspect turned himself in about a couple hours ago at a local police station.”

“Uuuuuuuuuuh!” Twilight groaned. “Tell me who did it? What’s their name, gender, and occupation.”

“He’s in the building if you want to see him.” Curizno informed her but Twilight was already trotting to the door. He caught up with her at the door. “Oh but Twilight.” He stopped her. “Just remember what I said about psychopaths. Cause the true culprit is a professional psychopath.”

***

So I learned an important lesson. Darius doesn’t like to wake up with fingers in his butthole. I understand that now and I can accept it as something I shouldn’t do in the future. I also learned how scary it is to be suspended eight stories over solid concrete by a friend who was losing his grip. I now understand the consequences of my actions and will not try it again. Or I won’t try it unless I have a select course of escape.

After that morning we acted on that little plan we had. Of course it took a week to write the lyrics and about another week to convince him to do it. Yeah he got cold feet but that’s okay because he agreed to do it. In those weeks I just helped him out and did what I normally do now which is watch the news carefully for signs that I could be a suspect.

Good news though because although people won’t shut up about Fluttershy, nobody has reported on any new development and I ain’t in jail. So I guess I’m in the clear and Daniel is probably safe for now so I’m happy. Besides Dan’s a kid he has the rest of his life to get over it.

After Darius finally got the nerve to do his thing after two weeks of planning; he took me to the studio. His tour was called off early because I guess people don’t want to party in such sad times. Odd I thought they would want to forget their troubles. But anyways we went to the studio in Manehattan which meant a short road trip. When we got there it was; how should I say this? It’s very deceptive. It looks like New York but it’s not.

For starters it’s so clean and stuff. I mean damn. I’ve been to the human counterpart, Manhattan, once in my life. In Manhattan there were homeless people and it was so busy. This place is busy too but it’s not the same. Actually it would be quite nice if it wasn’t for the ponies. I mean if rap originated in New York then I can’t imagine what would happen if there was a separate counterpart and it originated here. Ponies rapping yeah right. Oh wait that already happens.

Anyways we arrived in his studio and walked straight to his booth or whatever it was. We had his guy who makes the beats in there waiting. His name is DJ Secondary or some shit like that. Basically it was just us and him. It’s that way because this whole thing is supposed to be a secret. Darius’ manager can’t know until it’s too late and we’ve released the single.

“Ay Second this my boy Scott.” Darius introduced me. I copied what they did when they greeted each other and it worked fine. “Listen man I want to thank you for coming in today.” Darius continued.

“Yo anything for you Eight.” Second said. “But uh you still promise that you won’t release them pictures?”

“Bitch I didn’t promise anything.” Darius sneered by soon gave way to a grin. “Nah, I’m fucking with you. Do this for me and I’ll get rid of them photos.”

I took a seat in the studio while Second went over to this control panel thing. I honestly have no idea what it is but it looked like what I’d imagine the controls to a spaceship would looked like.

“So I have some beats we can use or if you come in a little later I might have something else.” Second said.

“Oh don’t worry I don’t need anything too complicated.” Darius explained. “You know I’m not like those other rappers. I just need a beat to rap with. Besides this track will kind of be freestyle so we’re probably gunna do it in one take.”

“I hope you can do it in one take.” Second said. “Last time I was here we spent a whole day on this one guy’s track. It was only the third in his album too.” Damn I guess he chose the wrong career field.

We listened to a few beats for the songs and personally I liked all of them. But Darius being the expert was hard pressed to hear them all out. One thing I noted about them was they were relatively simple. It was really easy to fall into the rhythm which is unlike some of the songs I’ve heard of today’s genre. Sure you get that one really good one but I’ve noticed that most are just boring and don’t make me want to dance or get up. These ones are head bumping rhythms. Why the fuck doesn’t this guy make more of the beats?

Eventually Darius found a beat he liked and went inside the booth. He really looked like an emcee and I mean really. He got the paper in front of him and the headset on with the hat so his hair isn’t messed up when he takes off the headset. So one might mistake him for 50 cent if he was still relevant these days.

“Alright so lay down the beat and I’m gunna do my thing.” He said to Second. “Just keep the beat and don’t turn it off. Scott make sure he doesn’t.”I got up and stood next to Second. He looked at me strangely but I guess he should because I was looking at him weird. I just haven’t been able to get this stupid grin off my face for the past week.

Darius started. “Lemme talk about that motherfucker named Tony. He raps worst than that shit talking pony. Both of them gotta be shot dead in the studio for being nothing but wannabe phonies.”

Watching the diss track come to life is something very special. Darius put some hate into the song really gave it a fire. And shouldn’t he? I especially like the part where he disses the pony in the group since those were mostly my idea. Yeah that pony deserves what’s coming. All of them do and nobody messes with my friend unless they kill them in which case I can’t do much. Fucking Twilight.

Second, on the other hand, just sat there shocked. He didn’t try anything but I was keeping my eye on him. He cringed and sighed at some of the lyrics, especially the ones I laughed at. I don’t blame him since some of them were really grotesque and this ain’t exactly seen as socially acceptable. Making fun of ponies is like making fun of a cripple. It’s not right to give ponies that privilege but that’s how people today see it.

It’s fucking bullshit because ponies really don’t deserve it sometimes. I mean when I was in Las Pegasus for the third time during a concert with Darius; I heard a pony talking trash about humans. I thought I was the bad one but I guess I’m wrong. Anyways the pony basically was complaining about how humans are the bad ones. She said we pollute, eat defenseless animals, and kill each other with no remorse.

It was a shock to me as well as her friend across from her. I mean I already know that ponies will do basically whatever we humans do in terms of bad things. We either taught them that or they’ve been looking for an excuse to. I learned this all the way back when Rainbow Dash kicked my sorry ass. Damn I need to go to the gym. Next time me and Dash square off I’m making her bite the curb.

But back to the hateful pony. I actually like her. She’s seems like the type of pony that wouldn’t want to make friends with me on the spot like some other ponies I know of. Fuck Pinkie Pie making friends this random pony knows what her priorities are. I was going to talk to her, maybe engage in a friendly shouting match, but then Darius made me leave. Too bad I wanted to get into a fight with a pony again.

After Darius finished his little rap I just had to fucking tackle him as soon as he got out of the booth. Of course I didn’t knock him down but he staggered back.

“Darius that was fucking amazing.” I exclaimed.

“Get the hell of me!” Darius yelled. I promptly removed myself fearing he would try something like he did at the hotel. But instead Darius just gave me a brief hug back.

“Think that was any good?” He asked.

“Hell yes!” I said. “You were in there for like five almost six minutes. I’d like to see those Twitter campaigners do that.”

“Um excuse me Eight.” Second spoke up. “Could I have a word with you in private?”

“You should have it with both of us. We both came up with those lyrics.” Darius informed him.

“Well then I’ll have you know that there is no way we can use that recording.” Second scowled. “I can’t even begin to say what’s wrong with it.”

“How is it wrong?” Darius asked. “They’ve been dissing me and I’m dissing them back.”

“Yeah it’s called a diss track.” I added in. Second didn’t respond and instead put his knuckle on his head in thought.

“Come on you must have heard of one of these.” Darius said. “It’s when”

“I know what they are!” Second snapped. “But do you know how unacceptable it is these days? You ain’t even that big. How can you even think about something like this? Does your manager agree with this?”

“No he doesn’t and he don’t need to know.” Darius growled.

“Oh come on man don’t say that bullshit like that.” Second groaned.

“Bullshit!” Darius snarled getting angry. “You know what’s bullshit?” His voice was getting hoarse. “Having to know you’re only a second rate act even why you deserve higher. And the people on top are always going to be higher than you even when they don’t deserve it. Then they start to fuck with you and you can’t even fight back. Oh wait you do know about that. Isn’t that why they call you Second?”

Darius must have struck a chord because Second looked like he was contemplating something. Well I think it’s good that Darius is trying to get people to see his position in this. Let’s face if someone who wasn’t biased looked upon this situation they would obviously side with Darius. It’s not fair for some who’s bigger to pick on the smaller person. That’s just bullying which is what kids did to me in high school after my little episode of zombie rage.

“I don’t like this Eight.” Second finally said. “It’s not just that you’re dissing your agitators but you’re dissing ponies as a race.”

“No I’m not.” Darius defended himself. “I’m just saying what the truth is. If it sounds bad that’s because it is. Not my fault that people treat ponies differently than humans. When you and I both know that it ain’t fair that we are seen as morally inferior than them. Let me tell you a story. Sit your ass down.” We all took a seat as Darius spun a tale.

“As you know Second I’m a visitor in Equestrian. Not a citizen like you are. So you may have heard that after the first big influx of humans who came to live in Equestria there were certain steps that were taken in the case of another influx. The PCBI. Heard of it?”

“Yes I know about the Pony Customs Board of Information.” Second said. “Your point?”

“Well you probably didn’t have to go through the whole procedure that I had to do when I crossed the border.” Darius continued on. “But people like me and Scott did.”

“Well um actually.” I interrupted. Geez this is awkward. “Uh this is kind of off topic but do you remember when I said that I bought a ticket here? Well what I mean by that is I didn’t have enough money so I drove my car into the back of a fruit truck and snuck aboard. Don’t ask me how I did it because I don’t know how. All I know is that guy was sure shocked when I came backing up out of his truck.” The two of them looked at me for a second. Darius had his ‘I’m gunna rip your head off’ face on.

“Alright so he may be an illegal alien but I’m not.” Darius said giving me a light punch. “As I was saying the PCBI makes you go through a little screening. Lot of it is testing for stuff since we still don’t know if there are diseases that could be transmitted between the species from Earth and Equestria. But it’s the last part that will really get to you. They put you in this big square room. I remember it was so hot that day and everyone was sweating bad. I mean we already did everything like learning the culture differences, food, weather, basically everything that would be expected except for this. But there was one more thing. So they played this movie. It showed all the human atrocities. Anything you can think of massacres, school shootings, murders, genocide, you name it. After that we were giving a lecture. By both a human and a pony representative about how destructive we are. About how we’ve been messing up so much and that everything we’ve done has been to kill one and another. Well that didn’t really phase me that much cause I didn’t give two shits. What did scared me was how everyone was nodded their heads. Like this.”

Darius bounced his head for a second. “It was like they believed all the bullcrap that these two bitches were spewing. Yeah but anyone who has a mind of their own and a spine to support it knows that what they’re doing is conforming us. Humanity is trying to be like ponies because they’re so much better than us. But that’s wrong. Did I ever tell you what’s wrong with society and the kids these days? Not their taste of music that is something all old guys like me hate but it’s their values. They value ponies more than humans. It’s bullshit. Everybody’s so misanthropic about their own species. They act like we shouldn’t exist and they treat ponies like gods especially those six sluts. They want something like the Conversion Bureau to happen.”

“Whoa bro.” I put my arm over him. “You know about that?”

“No.” Darius spat. “I’ve heard it used by some of them faggots. It’s all going towards us being these yes people who are just ponies in human skin. They want us to conform or some shit. Yo Scott you said it the best.” Well I was the one who first told him about this.

“Yeah it’s very simple.” I agreed. “See they make us look like the bad guys and then they offer a way out. But it’s all a lie and they just want to control us. They ain’t like those ponies on the TV show that was just a show. They’re diabolical. And it’s obvious. Just look at Applejack. You see her face on advertisement everywhere and she has her own business; Apple Core. Pinkie Pie is a party slut let’s face it you must have seen the photos. Then there’s Rarity who became fat because of her greed and shit. It’s fucking obvious that they’re little cunts that are so corrupt in what they’re doing that it’s beginning to show physically. What do you think is going to happen when they allow pony officials in government on Earth? We’ll be nothing then. Nothing will remain except for our appearances and even then I wonder what’ll happen.”

Second’s mouth was agape for awhile and he looked very afraid. I don’t blame him though. Learning the truth for me was both a shock but he will soon find it liberating. Sure it’s hard to know that your culture is being assimilated but it’s easy to fight back. All he has to do is let us release this song and he’s done his part.

Finally he responded. “Oh my god. You two are madmen. You’re absolutely insane.”

Hey, I’m not insane! I think out my actions and look for other possible outcomes. Like with Fluttershy I could have walked away but I decided that I had to smoke her ass. And with my friend with the mutilated face, I was on top of him and the only solution that made sense was to mutilate him for life and… oh my god I am insane.

“Listen you know what? Fuck it!” Darius said getting up. I got up too.

“Darius what are you doing?” He isn’t thinking about throwing the whole thing out? He took out his phone and began scrolling through it.

“See these?” He held the phone to Second’s face and then brought it back. “Now look they’re gone. So now you got no reason to say yes to this.” Second looked touched and I must have looked about ready to have a stroke. Second is right we are insane. How could he do that? Now we can say goodbye to this because he can walk away from this.

“Ah fuck!” Second exclaimed sitting back down. “Alright you guys win come on I always wanted to do a diss track.” Wait what?

“Yo for real?” Darius asked excitedly.

“Yeah man if you’re serious about it then I guess who am I to prevent that decision? And as I said I’ve always wanted to do a diss track. I’m an old man too man.”

As the three worked to make it ready for the public there was something else going on. Two weeks ago Twilight had been introduced to Fluttershy’s killer and it was only until two weeks after that had all the information had been collected. The kid was very unresponsive for quite a while but gradually he released the whole story. Of course the new task was now to decide what to do next. Everything had taken a dark twist for the investigation and there was still no course of action. But now everything was a bit clearer but not much.

The information had been released to the public which started a new wave of conspiracies. Everybody knew about the ten year old that had killed Fluttershy and the sniper that made him do it. The blockade around New Canterlot was lifted and things died down with physical confrontations but still there was a lot of speculation. Many people were thinking about the whole case since it seemed like it was deeper than it looked. Nobody really thought this was something that couldn’t be connected to something else. It was common opinion to assume this was no random occurrence by some crazy person since that seemed unlikely given the lack of evidence and scale of the attack.

All the people knew about the true suspect was it was some human male wearing a yellow jacket that had covered his face up. But given his notorious crime he was hated by much of the population of both Earth and Equestria being placed at the Osama Bin Laden scale of evil. The sniper rifle had been found but there was little that could be interpreted by it since by some luck it had fallen into a puddle and cleansed of prints and worst there was no serial number to trace it back which meant that there was an illegal arms dealer in Equestria that would also have to be dealt with. Still there was little left to be scavenged. At the most a crumpled car was found at a construction site that wasn’t supposed to be there but it revealed nothing important.

Again Twilight was in the bunker on the mainframe. Now she knew that there was someone out there and he would be somewhere in the crowd at Bronycon. So there was a slight chance that he could be in the stampedes after Bronycon.

Curizno stepped in holding two glasses of wine. He’s been checking on the princess lately since he was in charge of the company that was in charge of the investigation. Hell he was in charge of a lot of companies in Equestria which meant he had a lot of things to manage.

“Hey Twilight. Watcha ya doing?” He asked putting a glass in front of her.

“Oh hey Tom.” Twilight muttered. She noticed the wine and took a sip. “Just chasing some leads. You know whatever I can do to find our culprit. See I figure he’s got to be in here somewhere.”

“Don’t bother Twi. I alright got some of my guys to look through. Everybody is already catalogued and tested.” Curizno took a seat across from Twilight.

Twilight stopped. “You’re always on top of thing aren’t you?” She levitated her wine and chugged it down.

“Well when you have assets and resources like mine you learn to make sure you’ve covered everything.” Curizno replied. He took a mental note to remind himself to teach Twilight how to properly drink wine.

“Yeah I guess I’ve never really adjusted to this authority position.” Twilight sighed.

“You okay?” Curizno asked.

“Oh it’s nothing.” Twilight said. “It’s just I’ve been thinking about this. Well it’s the only thing I’ve thought about recently.”

“Rightly so.”

“Yes and I’ve been wondering things.” Twilight continued. “Just how far will I have to go to find this guy. I mean I’ve learned so much already but there’s still nothing we really have. It’s like he knew everything that could be used against him and made sure he was untraceable. I mean what kind of monster uses a child as a scapegoat?”

“Remember what I said to you the first time we met with the kid. Professional psychopath.” Curizno chuckled to himself remembering something. “As for your question about what kind of monster; I remember in 2003 there was an African warlord who kidnapped children and indoctrinated them for an army. Then in 2012 there was a resurgence of awareness for it despite the guy and his army being disbanded. It was really funny.”

“Um excuse but what’s so funny about kids with mutilated faces and guns?” Twilight asked knowing full well what he was talking about. She watched the documentary.

“Oh no, no.” Curizno corrected himself. “It’s just the people’s reaction to the resurgence was funny. Um but anyways.” He finished his wine and set the glass down. “Listen I know you’re shook up about this. The whole world knows about the closeness of the mane six and everyone is grieving for you but I’m going to go the extra mile. I’m willing to help you fully and you know that I may be the only one is Equestria that has the power to find this guy given my influence here. But I have to ask for only one thing.”

Twilight crossed her front legs and turned her head. “No I will not.”

Curizno’s upper lip turned up into a snarl. “Why not?”

“I’ve already told you.” Twilight swiveled so her back was to Curizno. “It’s just too weird for that. Think about it will you? A human and a pony going out? On Earth my species are just mindless animals and you are like aliens to us. Plus what would everyone else think? A member of the High Council, and a princess at that, dating a human.” When Twilight had told Curizno to meet a nice girl she hadn’t meant her. Then again she knew he had been eyeing her and she sensed his intentions even before he had asked her the first time. By the fourth time it happened she was starting to get nervous instead of embarrassed. It all frightened her whenever he was near now.

“Need I remind you I’m the richest man in the world right now?” Curizno turned Twilight’s chair forcefully so she was facing him again. “Also.” He ran his fingers on the side of her face. “I’m doing so much for your country and your friend Applejack right now. You practically owe me this.” Twilight swatted his hand away.

“Don’t touch me like that.” She growled but this only seemed to excite the wealthiest man at the time.

“You know Twilight you really worry too much and people like you and me don’t have to worry about nothing.” He leaned back in his seat. “We got so much power that there is really nobody that can hurt us. And besides there have been unions of pony and human ever since our species first met. So really it’s not taboo or anything.”

“It’s just weird alright.” Twilight stood strong.

“Listen Twi.” Curizno leaned closer. “I’m not gunna end up like Flash alright.”

“I know.” Twilight said in a hushed tone. There was a silence after that. Twilight could feel the gaze of the man on her despite them not keeping eye contact. Finally Curizno spoke.

“So can I invite you on a date?” He said. Twilight didn’t respond and instead continued to look to the ground. “Alright I see how it is.” He said standing up. “Listen.” He began walking to the exit. “I’m here whenever you need me. But you know that you and the rest of your government can’t go anywhere without me. I pretty much am the workings of Equestria.” He turned around in the door way. “You know how to contact me when you’re ready to cooperate so I’ll see you later.”

With that Curizno disappeared leaving the princess alone in the dark room. Twilight looked over her chair to make sure he was truly gone.

“Creep.” She murmured sadly under her breath before going back to work on the computer she’s been using.

Author's Note

Well this was another long chapter.
Well Jim's life seems pretty stable right now. Time to ruin it, again.

Chapter 18: Oppurtunity

Still bitter over his rejection, Curizno sat in his big executive desk pouting. He had everything a man of business could want in the market and his power was rising. As of now he owned sixty percent of the market in Equestria. Yet still he couldn’t get things that were actually of importance to him like the princess. When she finally stops being a bitch, he’s gunna open those legs like a book.

But in the meantime it would be most beneficial to work this whole High Council assassin thing out. If there was someone who could hit the High Council then they could hit him. It was a threat to national security which meant national business and if business hurt; he would hurt. So eradicating this guy would be a good step for Curizno to achieve. Also Twilight might like him more if he does.

Despite his absence from the actual government Curizno was very essential to Equestria as a whole. After all a country doesn’t run off its government but on its industry and Equestria is prime for industry. With no rules and regulations it was an entrepreneur’s paradise. Good thing Curizno got to the pie first and set down the ground works to work to his benefit. Good ole free market will never fail those who take the chance.

Well it only made sense now to continue working on controlling the entire Equestria industry. There was this mom and pop store that he had to accuse of contamination. Maybe he would replace it with a parking lot for something more important. But before he could make the call; he received one.

“Hello.” He answered the phone he had on his desk.

“Mr. C there is one of your agents here saying he has something to tell you.” The voice of his secretary came through the receiver.

“Well send him up.” Curizno said before putting the phone down. This is good he was expecting a visitor today. In a couple seconds there was a knock on the door. “Come on in.” Curizno said and the agent stepped through.

“Hello Mr. Curizno.” The agent said.

“Please have a seat.” Curizno offered. The agent sat down to discuss business. “You’re from the security company right?”

“Yes sir. Copperhead Security. We’re the company assigned to ensuring the safety of participants at this winter’s Grand Galloping Gala as to relief the Equestrian Guard for the night.”

“Oh yes.” Curizno laughed. “Those idiots hiring a security company. Who’s gunna threaten them? Don’t they know that there’s nobody with a gun in Equestria?”

“Well except for Copperhead.” The agent said. “We probably own some of the only weaponry in Equestria.”

“I know!” Curizno said enthusiastically. “And I own Copperhead! Friendly advice to you. Whatever the condition of the world, there will always be a market for weapons. Even despite the fact that there is protest against guns. I’ve made more money than ever selling to countries that don’t support Equestria’s treaties.”

“Well that’s all good sir but the problem we have is with the guns.” The agent explained. “So that sniper rifle test came back and that rifle is indeed from the Copperhead armory.”

“Huh I thought so.” Curizno said. “Well whatever.”

“W-whatever?” The agent’s jaw dropped. “N-no sir. Not whatever. Do you even know what this means? It could mean that the assassination was carried out by one of Copperhead’s employees or that the gun was obtained inside Equestria. If people trace it back to Copperhead then we’ll be ruined.”

“Oh don’t get me wrong I know of the risks.” Curizno reached into a drawer. “You look nervous. Are you nervous? Here have a cigar.” He held out a rather large cigar which the agent took.

“Uh thanks.” The agent said as Curizno lit the cigar.

“You see.” He leaned back in his seat. “The purpose of a rich man is to have luxuries and I am a very rich man thus I have many luxuries. These luxuries include having a clear mind and a plan when things go bad. Take example the rifle that was acquired at the scene. When government employees inspected it they found no prints and no serial number which means they will have to go through steps to check where the parts were made and such fine details to find anything useful. By the time they do that they will trace it back to Copperhead and the business will be doomed. I will cut my losses and make sure that I don’t lose too much in the aftermath.”

The agent almost lost his grip on his cigar. Truthfully Copperhead is a very new business but it has a very bright start. With their past work proving their worth such as substituting positions for the Equestria guard or being bodyguards for many of the government officials related to Equestrian politics, they have cemented themselves as reliable. And with their contract to run security for the Gala, they’ve almost enacted a solid grip on all future job opportunities. All of this was of course made possible by their investors who with influence in Equestria were able to give them the chance to prove themselves. So with Curizno, their biggest stock holder, saying he would pull his money, it would be a massive blow to the company.

“Hehehehe.” Curinzo giggled. “Good thing I won’t have to do that.”

“What do you mean by that?” the agent asked still trying to get over the shock. The cigar was helping.

“It’s easy.” Curizno explained. “The biggest threat of a business is another business. Not even war can condemn a good trade. Competition can though and I believe there is one other competitor that must be dealt with until Copperhead can own all of the market on security. You struggle with Bluestar Security Co. do you not?”

“Well yes we do.” The agent replied.

“Well it’s good for you that I have many friends.” Curizno lit up a cigar for himself. “And some of my friends may or may not work for law enforcement. Remember friendship is magic and I can do quite a few tricks. Like shift blame onto Bluestar, after the law finds the sniper to match up with their signatures then they will be doomed. From there I will buy the company and it can be absorbed by Copperhead.”

“Hmm.” The agent thought on this. He was told that Curizno was a smart man but not this smart. If his plan comes together then a powerful hand will take hold of Equestria. “Seems like everything will be fine then. But I still must warn about the rifle.”

“Oh fuck the rifle.” Curizno blew smoke. “If you find the employee that either did the deed or gave the rifle then you should give them a promotion. This tragedy can be used to our complete advantage. I am a man of opportunity and even in tragedy there is opportunity. Things change and one can make it change to their liking. When something happens in business, nothing happens, it’s just us making more money.” Curizno grew a devious grin.

“Huh.” The agent exhaled some smoke. The office was starting to get really smoky. “Well I guess my business is concluded here.” He began to walk away. “Just one question. What kind of cigars are these?”

“You American?” Curizno asked. The agent nodded. “Well then these are Cuban cigars. With everything that has happened I would think they would lift a silly embargo.”

“I don’t make the rules, sir.” The agent answered back.

“Eh whatever. Now get out of my office.” He turned his chair around. “I think I’m gunna straighten out a fucking rapper who things he can do whatever he wants. Fucker is gunna hurt my investments in him and other musicians.” The agent disappeared through the door once again leaving Curizno alone. He picked up his phone and called his secretary.

“Hey Linda.” He said. “Make sure that rapper, 8-Set, gets a talk from his manager.”

“Yes Mr. C” Linda answered.

“Oh and email me Twilight Sparkle’s schedule for the day. I have business for her.” Curizno said with a grin before hanging up.

***

“Yes, yes, I know sir yes. Well that’s just. Hey that’s not my fault. Well it’s supposed to be offensive. No shit. Yeah, yeah fuck you too. I don’t give a fuck. I’m, I’m. I can do what I fucking want! Yeah suck my dick!”

Darius has been on the phone ever since we released that track. God the fucking reactions were hilarious. See all we had to do was some editing and then we released it on the internet and let it ricochet from there. It got mixed reviews but we expected that, what we were aiming for was the reactions and they were priceless. For the most part the normal people were shocked and declared this to be absolutely terrible. But I guess some fans of 8-Set came and began defending the song calling it bold and just a harmless song. Then there came people who didn’t give a fuck and liked the fact it was so catchy and said to hell with lyrical content. Still all of this started a flame war over the internet which was nice but it was better to see the reactions of the people we were aiming for.

The five ‘rappers’ who we insulted were filled with a rush of emotions. I know because we accidentally ran into them at the studio about two days after the whole thing. All of them were a combination of anger, hate, embarrassment, and fear. I mean they didn’t know what to do. Darius pretty much completely toasted them in that diss and they knew that. What they didn’t know was how to respond properly. So they mostly antagonized him on Twitter and over the net. Three of them threatened to make a diss track back but Darius just told them to do it so he could make another. The pony of the group looked ready to piss himself.

Anyways Darius really freaked them out when he basically challenged to fight all of them. I was ready to take them out, I mean Darius calls me small but they’re something special. They’re literally anorexic fucks. I thought rappers were supposed to be big and tough. I’m really nothing special since I’m mostly just oversized clothing I got from Darius. But still I could take them on maybe two on a good day.

So we chased them off after Darius pretty much ran at them like a god damn mad man. They ran straight to their cars and drove away. Serves them right for trying to act tough and not being able to support themselves. I mean I’m skinny too but I only talk tough when I’m confident in my ability. Although last times I talked tough both Myriad and Rainbow Dash kicked my ass. Great I’ve been beaten up by a girl twice.

The only threat that we anticipated but haven’t dealt with successfully was the Darius’ manager. He was absolutely pissed; I could hear him on the phone even when it was up to Darius’ ear. It was awful, he was threatening to come down and strangle my friend. But more importantly he was threatening to end Darius’ career. That must have really shook him because Darius was just on the phone trying to appease the motherfucker but I guess there’s only so much he can take.

The song was a week ago and right now it’s the most viewed video of the week and is on the top of the charts. Yeah it was such a shock to everyone that it just had to be played everywhere. Sure they censored the swears and everything but the beat was so catchy that people wanted to hear it. Truthfully not many people have heard of 8-Set but they now know his voice. Not many people knew about the beef, but they do now which got Darius publicity and publicity equals sales. No really there’s been a huge increase in his album sales of which he has three. The manger ought to be happy not pissed off.

“Hey Darius next time he calls, ask him what pair of his wife’s panties he has on.” I said lying on the bed.

“You already said to do that Scott.” Darius said with his face in his hands. “And I did that remember?” Actually no I don’t.

If there was one thing I did not see coming, it was Darius’ reaction. He was really enthusiastic a week ago when we made the track. Sure he had those cold feet but then he just went for it. Now that he’s here I guess all the attention is getting to him. Sure he’s gotten positive things but there has been a lot of hate. And I mean a lot of hate. Attacking mainstream artists like that was a gutsy move but so far it’s going fine. But I guess between his manager and the confrontational nature of everybody, Darius hasn’t been feeling too well.

As a friend I’ve been trying to cheer him up but so far I can’t do anything. I’m not Pinkie Pie who can make people smile. She’s a bitch anyway and annoying as fuck, why people tolerate her I don’t know. But Darius right now is not in the mood for anything. I feel like this is my fault because it was my idea to diss those fags and I didn’t think once to wonder what my friend thought on it. I took another look at Darius who as staring into the corner of the wall. Yeah I’m not letting some hothead a thousand miles away and some Twitter cunts getting my buddy down.

I quickly grabbed Darius’ phone from next to him and went on the Twitter app. “Hey look.” I said. “That guy, Piercing Note, you know the pony, posted another tweet. If I see Eight I’m gunna buck him in his chest. Hashtag punk ass.” I tried saying it in an annoying voice. “Ha that’s funny. Remember he met us and he was the first to run. Wait a minute how does a pony type on a phone?”

“They type using magic or their wings.” Darius explained with his hands still on his face. “If they an Earthy then they shit out of luck. He probably has an assistant to do it for him.”

“Oh.” I muttered. I scrolled down to see some more tweets. Geez these guys are really flustered about this. Tweet after tweet for the last couple hours have been nothing but how much they’re going to destroy Eight or how rude the diss was. Even a couple other celebrities tweeted about it; this thing is really getting out. Oh look a post from Tara Strong how cute. Doesn’t she have a country to run instead of posting tweets that don’t concern her? She’ll pay too when I do something really awesome that’ll kill all of them. No really if I ever find I have the chance I’m taking the whole political system down.

It’s really a simple plan. I take down the government and then everything falls apart. It’s like Zayn always told me, if I want to truly cause the death of ponies then all I have to do is make them vulnerable. The only thing is his idea to make them vulnerable was to destroy authority but I always thought that was just stupid. Everything Zayn told me was stupid, such as where the government is weakest and how they could be tipped by a single event. Really he was such the anarchist, but he would never act which was the problem. But me I did act and I think I have a couple more blunders ahead of me. Maybe I’ll even include Darius, that would be fun.

But seeing that he’s really feeling down right now I still need to do something to cheer him up. So I flicked on the TV. Immediately there was footage of the news. Yeah lots of the TV programs in Equestria are usually government owned since Equestria is still being constructed into a modern nation. Right now there was some kind of report on the whole Fluttershy assassin. Figures it’s all they would talk about. It’s been like a couple weeks you’d think they’d have something else to talk about. Truthfully I haven’t been keeping up too much since it was just the same thing over and over again.

Wonder what they’ll bitch about now.

“So again in the news today a new shocking and disturbing evidence has been found recently.” A human female reporter said looking very distraught. She has a nice rack. Wait I’m supposed to be paying attention, this might be important.

“As I’ve said before, the sniper has come forward but the true assassin is still at large.” The reporter continued. Wait what? “Daniel Francisco, a ten year old boy from Idaho, came with his parents two weeks back to confess to the assassination of the beloved pony Fluttershy.” N-no Danny why’d you do that? I told you not to.

“Yes Mary.” A male pony reporter said. “Daniel admitted to authorities that he was the one who killed the beloved Fluttershy but he also revealed a disturbing detail.” The screen cut to montages showing Dan in custody and other things relating to this whole thing like footage of crowds mourning. This must have tipped Darius’ interest because he looked up.

The pony reporter continued. “About two weeks ago, Daniel and his family members came forth before authorities in New Canterlot to tell the story of what happened. It all started when Daniel got bored waiting for the main six and wandered off without his parents’ supervision. Eventually on a construction site overlooking the con he ran into a man who forced him through intimidation to take the shot that would end the element of kindness.”

“This man.” The reporters switched to the female. “Is the one ultimately responsible for this tragic event. Daniel described the man but it proved to be very faulty information.” The footage then changed to an interview with Daniel in presumable prison. His face was blurred out and voice changed, probably to hide his identity.

“He never told me his name because I never asked.” Daniel said in this slow almost slurred tone. Jesus Christ did they drug him? “He wore a yellow jacket that smelled bad that had black stripes on it like Bumble Bee. Then there were jeans that were too big for him.” The tape cut and there was a voice asking him about my face. “No his face was covered by sunglasses and a mask. On his head he wore a black hat with mesh so I know that he had brown hair cut short… buzz cut.”

I touched my hair. I had gotten a haircut along with the change of clothes when I met up with Darius. Actually my hair was beginning to get long back then but it could still be a buzz cut. Now it was pretty shaved like a skin head that needed a haircut. Well they got my hair at least. Still in the clear I hope.

But what I’m really disturbed, sickened, and depressed by is how disturbed, sickened, and depressed Daniel looked. How does a kid who was so full of life when I met him go to this sack of sadness? Surely it’s not all my fault. Maybe I can be blamed for the initial shock but not for this sorry state. It’s just… fuck me.

What did he ever do to anyone? It should be me on the television and he should be the one watching. I’m not guilty of just killing Fluttershy; I’m guilty of killing a kid’s innocence. Damn it.

“Whoever did this is a whole new kind of monster.” I heard the pony reporter say.

I could feel my eyes water and I quickly turned off the TV so I wouldn’t have to look and listen anymore. That was a big mistake. I should have just taken the shot and see where it went from there. Next time, there’s always a next time. Next time I’ll be the one to take the shot. Next time it’ll be me and no one except my target will get hurt. Huh, that sounds almost heroic.

“Damn.” Darius murmured. “That kid’s gunna have some issues when he grows up.” I didn’t respond to that. Feel bad but I guess it’s all part of the job. I take a life I have to be responsible for everything that comes after it. Even the things I feel sorry for. It’s just I thought I was in the clear for so long. What could have made Dan have a change of heart?

“Yo.” Darius just said. “A yellow jacket that smelled bad with black stripes like Bumblebee and jeans. Hmmm.” He looked directly at me and I looked at him. We kept this up for a minute before I got anxious.

“Got something to say?” I asked spastically. He just stared at me for a bit longer before responding.

“Nah man. I ain’t got nothing to say.”

“Well good.” I turned back around. “Because that’s good.” I sounded stupid there.

Eventually Darius stood up and walked to the closet. I saw him disappear into it. He was probably looking for a change of clothes. Eventually he came out wearing my yellow jacket with some of his jeans. I looked at him like he was crazy.

“Why you wearing my clothes buddy?” I said.

“Eh I don’t know?” Darius replied. “Can I keep this?” What is he insane? They’re looked for someone in that getup right now. I may have lost Danny but not him.

“Yeah sure you can.” I said not really thinking about it. The words just came out of my mouth.” Can I keep the clothes you lent me?” I just continued to not make the conversation awkward.

“Yep.” He nodded and sat back down on the bed. “Hey where exactly did you get that jumpsuit?” Darius suddenly asked.

“I told you I was a janitor and just kept the outfit.” I replied. “I think the place was called Andy’s repair shop.”

“Why would a repair shop need a janitor?” Darius asked.

“Um.” Ah shit he got me. “Well I was more of a hired hand that was just there to clean the place and sometimes run errands.”

“Alright.” Darius lied back on the bed. “Sounds like an intern but isn’t it odd that there is the anarchy symbol on the back? Guess it was a local business then.”

“Um yep, yes it was.” I stammered. “Got paid for a week’s work and then I got out of there.”

“Yep that could be a reason.” Darius nodded. “Or you could’ve been a gangbanger. You know an anarchist. There were a couple in this Middle East place I performed at. Crazy motherfuckers you know?”

“No.” I replied stiffly.

“Yeah you’re way too soft to do anything like that.” Darius chuckled.

Well I guess I’m bored. No I’m anxious. I don’t know what’s happening or what to do. Fuck if I was a marine then I would be trained to respond to stress. But no I’m just a bum who is so pathetic he has to use children to do his bidding. Damn it I’m not going to feel bad for myself!

“Hey Darius. Let’s go out.” I said getting off the bed.

“Go where?” He asked.

“I don’t know, just out.” I stretched. “I’ll drive.”

“Motherfucker you ain’t got a license remember?” Darius mocked. Yeah I kind of destroyed my license after I realized it was invalid and since I no longer have a car. But really who’s gunna pull me over?

“So what let’s drive.” I insisted.

“Where?” Darius asked again.

“I don’t know let’s cruise.” I replied. “It’s five and we’re in Manehattan.” I thought for a second. “You know what? I want to see the hood.”

“What hood?” Darius said sarcastically.

“Oh there’s gotta be some kind of perverted pony version of the hood here.” I said. “We’ll find it and get street cred doing some stupid shit. Don’t you wanna see where rap was born? Or at least an alternate version of it.”

Darius thought to himself, probably considering what else he could do. “Alright fine.” He said finally.

“Sweet!” I exclaimed. “Oh and you ought a change.”

“Why?” He asked.

“Dude, you’re wearing the clothes of an assassin.” I pointed out. “You wanna get hauled off to jail?”

“Eh I see your point.” Darius went into the closet and came back soon with a change of clothes. “Alright let’s go.”

“I’m driving.” I smirked dangling the car keys.

So we eventually found out how to get to the hood. Had to stop at McDonalds before we got there since Darius was apparently starving. Anyways we got a map from a tourist spot and looked for the residential district. Our mentality was that the commercial district is usually safe because of the law enforcement but the residential district will have a higher concentration of people. A higher concentration of people always means bad things happen. Darius knows this the most since he grew up in a hood.

It took a while to actually find the residential district since we were kind of lost and I couldn’t concentrate with Darius yelling at me every time we made a wrong turn. Then of course when he started getting impatient he wanted me to start running red lights. It only got out of hand when he grabbed the wheel and we started driving on the side walk. We didn’t hit anyone but I did almost piss myself.

In the end we found our residential district. It was kind of like how it was in Las Pegasus. There were housing projects made of bricks all sat close to each other like dominoes. This was definitely the hood or as hood as it would get. Definitely had that pony cleanliness to it but it brought back that human friendliness that I love to see.

Everything was so euphoric. Reminded me of how it was back when I was still in high school and Darius would want me to hang so I’d drive down to the bad side of town and we’d chill. Got into a lot of trouble but those were memories. I always remember Darius was a madman when it came to living off the streets. He’s so crazy he once followed someone home and waited in their closet just to show them not to mess with him. Yeah he’s that kind of inspirational.

We parked alongside a building eventually and tried to see what would happen. Can’t do much but drive around and I think Darius doesn’t really like me driving his expensive rental around. No really the only car he has is a rental since most of his money goes to his manager. It’s a very parasitic contract he’s under.

Speaking of his manager, he called a couple times and I decided to have a talk with him. Let’s say Darius might have to bring in some flowers to calm his boss down. Might have hurt his rep with his boss but I made Darius laugh and that’s what matters.

After a while we decided to go out on the main part of town again. I don’t like ponies and that’s where they’ll be most concentrated but we can’t stay in the residential district all night especially when nothing happens. It was nice to see the hood but right now we need to spend our times productively. So Darius suggested we go to a club. He said something about getting our beefs wet. And I was all like, I thought we were going to the club not a grocery store. He slapped me for that.

By the time we were back in the main city it was already dark out. That was when the night life of the city started. There were all the lights of Manhattan that I remembered and they shone so bright. It would be kind of beautiful if not for the ponies in the advertisements. Still it was like humanity. Bright and shining in the dark. Beautiful just needed to get rid of ponies to really shine.

“Damn it’s fucking warm out.” Darius said taking off a hoodie he brought and rolling down his window. “It’s supposed to be late fall right?”

“Yes it is.” I said rolling down my own window. “You can thank ponies for the unseasonal weather. Those unnatural fucks changing the temperature around. They’d do anything to appease us just so we’ll get on our back and they can gut us like fish. Did I ever tell you that one time I gutted a fish? My dad slapped the shit out of me when I threw the intestines at him.” That was a fun time.

“I know I was there.” Darius sneered. “You fucking slapped me with a flounder.”

“Yeah well you threw me overboard and everybody laughed at me... good times right?”

“Yeah. Everybody here remembers that.” Darius reclined back. He did that thing again when he talks like there are people around us. It’s a fun story behind that. Full of paranoia and excitement.

“So you know where this club is at?” I asked looking around for it. Lucky for us there isn’t a lot of traffic since humans are minorities and we are the only ones that drive cars. I actually wanna see a pony drive a car so I can slam into it.

“You know what man.” Darius said when we stopped at a red light. “Let’s just go back to the apartment.”

“Are you kidding?” I spat turning to him. “No we’re getting our beef wet or whatever.”

“No let’s just go. I don’t think I should be showing my face in public after our little stunt.”

“Hey listen!” I snapped at him. I slammed on the acceleration as soon as the light turned green. “You and I can do whatever the hell we want!” I grabbed his face. “We are beautiful people and nothing will tell us what we aren’t capable of. Not your manager and not some butt hurt ponies!”

“For fuck’s sake grab the wheel!” Darius screamed as we rapidly approached a red light. At the last second I slammed on the brakes and the car lurched forward as it came to a halt at the stop line.

“See we’ve got nothing to worry about. Nothing can hurt us.” I rasped. “If you and I were actually trying to get somewhere, we would be unstoppable.”

“The hells wrong with you?” Darius smacked me on the back of the head.

“The hells wrong with me?” I snarled. “The hells wrong with you?” I took off again as soon as the green light lit. “You just want to go home and sit and wait for your manager to call. It was your idea to go to this place so we’re going!”

“It’s not my fucking manager man!” Darius shot back. “He’s been calling me nonstop. I could use my phone as a dildo if I wanted to. It’s just I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be stuck around a lot of people. I’m not exactly the most popular guy right now.” Alright now I’m pissed off.

“I, I, I. It’s always about you isn’t it?” I sneered. “But you’re not alone anymore bro. I got your back now.”

“Oh great. Scotts got my back. Woopty fucking doo.” Darius said sarcastically.

“Yeah I do got your back.” I shot back. “I’m your crew, man. You definitely need one. Then it would be all out war on those fake ass rappers.”

“Man I’m the only one, you know.” Darius stated. “It’s just me against the entire industry.”

“Didn’t I just fucking say you’re not alone?” I growled. “Remember how we chased those guys away a couple days ago? The key word is we, Darius. We’re invincible.”

“That’s the name of the diss track.” Darius said. A silence followed. “ But I guess you’re right though. I’m just afraid of what people will think if I walk into that club.”

“We were gunna be marines.” I glared at him. “We were going to go to the Middle East or somewhere and get shot at. And you were fine with that. In there they won’t dare say a thing to you and if they do then you can smash a bottle over their head.”

“Yeah keep your eyes on the road.” Darius informed me. There was another red light coming up and I slowed the car down to a stop.

“Alright listen.” I turned to Darius. “When we get into that club just act natural. People just wanna party and if they mess with you then see that as an opportunity. Remember Tupac and 50 got shot and that only gave them street cred.” I looked behind me to the car along side of us. There were these two real cute girls sitting up front. That gave me an idea.

“Hey look.” I nudged Darius and pointed to the girls. “Those some nice white girls. Eh, eh?”

“Scott, your racism is showing.” Darius grumbled.

“Who cares Buddy boy? We’re getting our beefs wet.” I rolled down the window. “Yo bitches!” I hollered to the girls. I could hear Darius’ hand meet his face. “You wanna roll in VIP for the night?” I quickly turned back to Darius. “We do have VIP, right?”

“You talking about that club on Gravel Street?” One of the girls asked.

“I don’t know? Yeah probably.” I turned back around to them.

“Do you have any idea how degrading that place is to woman?” The girl said.

“No.” I stated.

“The bouncer only lets in people who are pretty enough or have enough money. Meaning if you’re not hot, you’re out.” The second girl stated seriously.

“No that’s a good thing.” I retorted. “See the bouncer is looking out for everyone because he knows that when I go in there and get drunk. I won’t have to worry about bringing home and humping a pterodactyl.” The two girls’ jaws dropped. “Good thing you girls are alright. He look I got 8-set in the car with me. Hey you like 8-Set?”

“Isn’t he that rapper?” The passenger asked.

“Yeah he’s the one with that really offensive song.” The driver answered for me.

“Yeah do you know how offensive that song is?” The passenger scowled me.

“Do you know how big my dick is?” I joked. “No but seriously it was supposed to be offensive. When someone says mean things don’t you say mean things back?”

“I guess so.” The passenger admitted.

“And that song does make me want to dance.” The driver nodded her head.

That was when Darius grabbed me.

“Scott.” He said in a hushed tone. “Whatever you’re doing. Kept doing it.” I nodded and went back to the girls.

“So you wanna come?”

“Well I’ve never been to VIP before.” The driver said prompting an elbow from her passenger. Well I guess they’re in then.

Just then a black car drove up alongside us on Darius’ side. It immediately rolled down its driver’s side window revealing two bronies inside. They looked at Darius.

“Hey are you 8-Set?” The brony driver asked. Darius barely noticed them until he happened to glance over in their direction.

“Yo what?” He answered them.

“Yeah you’re 8-Set.” The driver said.

“Uh yeah.” Darius turned to me. “Hey let’s get out of here.”

“Hold it man. We need to wait for the light to turn green.” I pointed.

“Longest fucking red light of my life.” Darius sighed. I turned back to the girls. “Hey so meet us at the club. We’ll get you in.”

“Hmmm alright. You’re cute enough.” The driver smirked. Hah score! Wait cute enough? Ah fuck it. “We’ll just be a minute getting ready and… what?” The girl driver turned to her passenger that was prodding her. Then she pointed to me presumably. The driver instantly got this shocked expression on her face that was just pure terror. Immediately she slammed on the gas and sped off. Was it something I said?

I looked up at the light and notice it was still red. Well either two things happened. Either I’m a creepy guy and they were playing me or there is really something scary in my car or behind me. I turned to Darius and that’s when I saw what they were pointing to.

In the black car the passenger had pulled a handgun and was aiming right at us. Darius stared right back at them like he was daring them to pull that trigger. They won the dare.

In six cracks of sound there were six rapid flashes of light. And throughout them I froze up. Sitting perfectly still I could only watch as Darius twitched and convulsed with every flash. As soon as they were over with the black car rolled up its windows and made a turn, running the red light.

Darius lied slumped over. I could clearly see six exit wounds on his body, one being on his head. He didn’t move as I slowly realized that I hadn’t been hit nor was I the target of the hit. But it was obvious that someone had just shot my best friend.

“D-D-Darius?” I prodded his side but got no response. Blood was starting to ooze from the wounds I could see.

“Come on man this ain’t cool!” I cried. But Darius was just slumped there unmoving. The light turned green and I sped off straight down the road, screaming the whole time.

Author's Note

Well that puts a damper onto the mood. How will he possible get over this?
I sense violence in Scott/Jim/ Andy's future.

Chapter 19: So long old friend

I’ve been driving forever it seems. I’m looking for a hospital but there is none. I don’t know where I am. I tried to call 911 but I don’t have a phone so I had to reach into Darius’ pocket to get it. I got fucking blood on my wrist cause he’s bleeding everywhere and worst the phone was shot so I can’t do shit on it. Basically my friend is dead or dying and I can’t do anything but drive frantically looking for a way out. Fuck even a cop or some stranger could help me.

I tried asking for help but everyone is fucking gone! There were people on the sidewalks but when they heard the shots they disappeared. So I was alone at 9:30 at night and then it turned to 10:30 and Darius was still bleeding all over the place.

It was around that time that I had found another car and I drove up next to it. There were these two brony girls in it doing something with their heads I don’t really know. But when I drove next to them I started pleading for them to call for an ambulance and they took one look at Darius and just screamed. They screamed and drove off like it was some sort of prank. My friend’s fucking dying and people just think it’s a joke?

So eventually at eleven I had completely lost it. There was blood everywhere on the passenger side. Darius was slumped over and I could barely look at him because if I did I would start to lose my nerve and drive sporadically. Blood was getting on the floor of the car and I know it’s getting on my shoes. I took a quick look at Darius despite the consequence it would have on me. There was so much blood just flowing all over him. I figure there must be something I can do to try and plug the holes to stop the bleeding. So I put my left hand against his head to try and stop the bleeding from his head. I could feel the warmth and the stickiness of the blood racing over my hand. It was too much and I retracted my hand immediately shaking it and wincing. There was so much blood on it. Dark red goopy blood. Now there were tears on my face.

“My friend!” I yelled. “My friend he’s all over me. There’s blood and everything. I’m just trying to plug the holes and I can’t because he won’t stop bleeding. It’s so disgusting!” Then a horrid truth hit me.

“And nobody will help!” I wailed. “Nobody’s helping me! Why won’t anybody care? Why can’t they just help me? I haven’t even done anything fucking wrong!” I slammed on the gas which only increased my hysteria.

“I wanna go home!” I screamed. “I wanna go home, I wanna go home! I wanna fucking see my mommy and my daddy again. I want to annoy my little brother and I want to pet my fucking dogs again!” I was crying profusely now with the speedometer rising. “All I wanted to be was a marine! I wanted to get yelled at and suffer to save lives! Now what the fuck am I doing?”

I slammed on the brakes causing me to race to a halt. But before I came to a complete stop I steered into an empty parking lot. Almost crashing into the guard rail but I made it okay. Well I may be physically ok but I’m not okay in the head. I just lost my fucking friend to a shooting and there is nothing I can do about it.

I mean we used to always joke about getting shot like this because of how much trouble we got into as kids. But it always seemed like it would never happen and we always thought it would be in his own neighborhood. The whole reality of it now is not funny at all. And I thought I was the only one with a gun in Equestria. What’s happening, what did I do to deserve this?

“It’s not my fault.” I cried into the steering wheel. “I didn’t do anything wrong. Ponies and bronies ruined my life. And now they’re ruining it again… please God don’t let this happen. I was gunna kill them, not them kill me.” My tears intensified and for a while I was banging on the horn in a mix of sadness and frustration.

Some time passed and I almost had gotten myself together. Actually I started to get kind of considerate of Darius. I mean I check his car and found he had a spliff all rolled up. Not wanting this to stain his reputation after death I kindly smoked it for him. Alright it’s a selfish act but I just need something to distract myself.

I never done something like this before since drugs are an expensive habit and I’ve never had a lot of money on me. Also I’ve never seen the need to enhance my life since I’ve been pretty happy for the most part. Well not happy but not really depressed. In fact I’m not really depressed right now I’m just hollow. This weed stuff just makes me feel numb and empty.

Eventually I threw it out the window and held my hands together. I wonder what Kyle would think if he saw me smoking dope. He would probably laugh. Hmmm. I haven’t really accessed my life for a while. Been busy living in the present I haven’t really thought about the past. Well let’s see.

“My best fucking friend is dead.” I started. “I mean look he’s like a god damn noodle. Just eh.” I wiggled his arm for a bit. “I’m responsible for the death of a mane six but why does that seem so unsatisfying? Is this really my goal in life? To kill ponies and be empty inside. Look at what I’ve lost so far. It started with my future for a good life. Then it went downhill and I lost my friends. Even Danny who doesn’t even deserve to get half the shit that’s coming to him. Fuck and Darius is fucking dead. What am I going to do with my life?” I buried my head in hands and let out a few more tears. It was around that time that a car pulled up next to us. It was a brony boy and girl, two things I don’t wanna see right now.

“Hey are you two alright?” The brony boy asked.

“We saw skid marks on the road and we wanted to see what happened. Is everyone okay?” The girl looked over the boy’s shoulder to me.

“Huh oh.” I’m still a little high but enough to hold a conversation. “Yeah we’re fine. Things just got hectic. Isn’t that right Darius?” I grabbed his shoulder so he sat upright and proceeded to kind of jostle him around. “Yep everything is hunky dory. It feels great to be alive.” Not that he’s alive.

“Hey.” The boy peered at us. “Is that 8-Set?”

“By God it is!” I said stupefied.

“Um is he okay?” The girl asked. “Why are you doing that to him?”

“I don’t know are you okay Eight?” I again shook him a bit. “No I’m not okay. I just got shot a couple hours ago and my friend smoked all my weed.” I stiffly turned Darius’ body towards them and they both gasped.

“Is that blood?” The girl asked shocked.

“Why indeed it fucking is.” I replied cheerfully. “It’s all over my hands and I got it on my white sneakers.” I held up my blood caked hands and they both cringed.

“Oh my God, I’m calling 911.” The girl immediately got on her phone.

“Yeah it’s about time someone calls them.” I snorted. “Tell them 8-Set is here with bullet holes on him. Then tell them that THEY’RE CHUCKLEFUCKS AND DESERVE COTTONMOUTHS UP THEIR ASSHOLES!” I jumped out of the car and slammed the door shut.

Stomping over to the passenger side I carried Darius’ body out and set him face up on the ground. There were footprints of blood wherever I stepped.

“What are you doing?” The boy asked still in his car.

“This.” I pointed at him. “Is what I should have done in the Manehattan street. Yeah he was shot on a busy Manehattan street and nobody gave a fuck. The entire fucking street probably saw him get popped and they did nothing at. Let that be a lesson to you if you ever die.” I took Darius’ jacket that he took off in the car and I draped it over his head. I don’t know it looks official now. At least I don’t have to look at his frozen face. A face frozen in agony.

“Oh fuck, what am I going to do?” I whimpered.

“Alright police are on their way with an ambulance.” The girl announced.

“Okay.” I said to her. “But what will they do? He’s fucking gone and nobody was around to care.” I collapsed on Darius’ rental, crying yet again.

“I just want to go home.” I murmured sadly from underneath my arms.

Cops and paramedics arrived on the scene quickly but it was too late for that. They acted quickly like they should but I know it’s for nothing. The cops quickly made this a crime scene. Then they came for me. For the most parts they were humans but there were pony cops. Pony cops that were probably responsible for this. Somehow those fuckers killed my friend. I mean who else has guns.

They took me in as a witness. Confiscating the rental as evidence, I had to ride in the back of a cop car since the passenger side was taken by a pony officer. We went to a hospital. It must have been halfway across the city. Which means I was going in the wrong direction the whole time. But really there is no way anybody would have found this hospital. It’s so remote being located between two huge skyscrapers. Even if I had used that map we had to get to the residential district I still wouldn’t have been able to find this place.

So it went that they rushed Darius into the emergency room and I was stuck in the waiting room with some other guy. I sat quietly waiting to be told something. Deep inside me I had some kind of hope that all was not yet lost. Maybe the doctor would come through and say he’s stable. But as the minutes ticked by I was started to lose my hope.

I looked up at the guy across from me. “Hey.” I said to him. “What’s your name?”

“Jay.” He responded reading a magazine not really paying attention.

“You gotta friend in there?” I nodded to the emergency room.

“Yeah. She got hit by a car.”

“Oh that’s cool my friend got shot. Heh, no guns in Equestria, am I right?”

“Mmmm.” Jay nodded to me but he was more preoccupied with his magazine like he was ignoring me. I don’t like his respond.

“I said AM I FUCKING RIGHT, JAY!” I yelled gritting my teeth. This startled him.

“Um what?” He looked up at me. Before anything else could happen further, the doors to the emergency room opened up and a doctor, I assume, stepped out.

“Um Jay was it?” The doctor walked up to Jay who immediately rose to his feet. “She’s in stable condition. You can see her now.”

“Oh thank you.” Jay breathed a sigh of relief. The doctor pointed him down the hallway and he disappeared. Then the doc looked at me. He looked downtrodden. Really, why so sad?

“Um I’m sorry I never got your name.” The doc said walking towards me.

“Well doc that’s because you never asked.” I replied. Oh shit I need to give him a name. Well let’s see I have three that people have called me. Scott, Jim, or Andy. Well I’m not fond of Andy and Scott is my old name that only Darius has used because he knew me so that leaves me with one option.

“Name’s Jim.” I said.

“Oh and your that friend of 8-Set?” The doc asked.

“I am.” The doc rubbed his hands as if there is something on his mind.

“If there’s something you need to tell my doc, then say it.” I said irritated.

The doc exhaled slowly. “Well I regret to inform you that your friend is dead.”

“What?”

“It was just out of our hands.” The doc explained. “He lost a lot of blood and there were still three bullets still inside him. Also there was a fatal shot to his head.”

“Listen doc.” I stood up and grabbed his shoulders. “Tell me how he went. Was there anything I could have done?”

“Well.” The doc shrugged. “No there really was nothing. The loss of blood was not what did him in. It was the gun shots. As I said the one in his head was fatal and that’s probably what killed him.”

I took my hands off him and sat back down. Well I don’t know if that’s reassuring or what. This means there was nothing I could do after he got shot so no fault on my part for driving around screaming. But, it’s just, he’s still dead. So basically there is nothing I could have done to save him. I sat back down and held my head in my hands. At least they were clean.

“Hey Jim get it together.” The doc said. “Listen you’re the only witness who knows anything so far. So there’s gunna be a cop coming in to question you in a moment.”

“A cop!” I jumped to my feet. “I had a friend who was a cop. He’s dead but, hey man I trust cops. I mean they couldn’t find Fluttershy’s murderer so yeah I trust them to find his.”

“Alright well he’ll be here in a second.” The doc said leaving me alone. And in a couple seconds a cops did indeed come in. Problem was he was a unicorn.

“Hello I’m officer White Watch.” The unicorn greeted me. “Listen I’m gunna ask you a few question and I’m gunna need you to answer them to the best you can.”

You have got to be kidding me. I feel to my knees so I wasn’t towering over the pony. I put this stupid smile on my face.

“Alright officer I will try.” I said sarcastically. Must have weirded him out a bit because he tugged on his collar.

“Okay so what did the suspects look like?” He asked first.

“Oh um lemme think.” Let’s see I didn’t get a good look at them because I was too preoccupied watching Darius die. But if I think about it I could really see their faces because… “They were wearing masks.” I said quietly.

“I’m sorry what was that?” White Watch asked. I stood up.

“I SAID THEY WERE WEARING FUCKING MASKS!” I yelled. Full of rage and hate I picked up a chair and hurled it across the room. “I wonder where they got that idea from? Fucking punk ass cock loving faggot bitches! I’ll beat the shit out of them!” Those magazines that Jay was reading, I threw them all over the floor. They scattered all over the place.

“Calm down!” White Watch roared. “I know it is stressful but you have to cooperate so we can find the people who did this.”

“People!” I turned around and yelled. “They don’t count as people. They are freaks! They don’t even deserve to be treated normally!” I’m of course talking about bronies but I won’t tell White Watch that. I then noticed another officer arrived in the room. A human one, thank God. He walked over to White Watch.

“Is this our man?” He asked the unicorn.

“Yeah he is.” White answered.

“Well he certainly is what Jerry told us he would be like.” The human cop grinned. “Did he tell you how he sang along while he was in Jerry’s cop car? And when asked to shut up he responded with kicking his back seat the whole time commute.”

Were they talking about me? Alright a great song came on the radio and I had to sing. Of course the cop was a dick and started harassing me.

“Listen son.” The human cop stepped over a magazine and placed a hand of my shoulder. “You need to be strong. I know how hard it is to lose a friend. But listen I got good news. We think we know who killed him.” The cop looked happy but really this was no new news.

“Cool. I do too.” I stated. The cop furrowed his brow.

“Who?”

“Well I can’t really tell you because it will be awkward since one of them is in here.” I looked over my shoulder to White Watch. The human cop looked at me one last time before I flung his hand off my shoulder.

“Can I go now?” I snarled.

“Yeah, you need a ride or something?”

“Um yeah I’m in a hotel or somewhere.”

“Oh you mean the Equus Maximus? The one 8-Set was staying in?” White Watch asked. “You’re in luck because it’s two streets down. Take a right here and keep following the sidewalk. Get you there safe.”

I didn’t say thanks or goodbye or anything. I just walked out and followed his instructions. I made it back to the room which I luckily had the key for. Darius had the other one.

I walked into the room and turned on the television and waited for Darius’ death to come on the news. It never happened and instead there was this thing involving the Mane five. Twilight came and spoke some bullshit on a stand like she usually does. She’s thinks she’s some kind of politician or spokeswoman. I muted the TV and put my face to the screen.

“You killed four of my friends.” I growled. “I killed one of yours. We’ve not even yet you bitch. How could you?” I fell to my knees and wailed hugging the TV. “How could you be so fucking cruel? I’m supposed to be the bad guy! Wanting to kill everybody. But you’ve killed four and I’ve barely killed one. What do you have against me!” I turned the volume back on.

“To the families of the three” She said before I muted the TV again.

“Shut up you cunt!” I yelled into the TV. Don’t know why I did that. Maybe I just wanted to call her a name.

That night I collapsed on the bed and threw a tantrum. I ripped the sheets off and screamed into my pillow like some angry child. I punched the mattress and soaked it in my tears. When I was finally done I migrated over to the other bed and fell asleep in it. The next morning I got up late and almost missed breakfast. Too bad I rushed to be in time because I ended up throwing most of it out.

I don’t know I feel empty. Kind of like how I did when my three friends died. It like I can’t feel anything inside but I want to. It’s like there’s this hole that needs to be filled but no matter how much I cry and punch, it remains empty.

Soon it came to me that I was feeling helplessness. Makes sense to me. There is nothing I’ve been able to do to stop anyone around me from getting hurt. Bill, Kyle, Myriad, Darius, Danny, even Zayn who was abducted. They’ve all been out of my control and they’ve suffered while I’ve survived.

The next days I spent inside the hotel room. Darius’ people are still paying for it and I’m a resident so they can’t kick me out yet. One day the cops came to search the room for evidence but I denied them entry. Equestria is like America in that there needs to be a warrant. Only difference is that law in Equestria is number eighty something instead of the fifth like in America. So I probably kept them off me for a little. Doesn’t matter because I’ll be long gone by the time they’re back around.

But where will I go to? My mission in life is to kill ponies I think. No it’s to do something that hurts pony society as a whole. Killing the Mane Six is my goal but that seems like such a wasted effort. I did that once and failed. Sure it caused a stir but it died down and now it seems like life is normal. It wasn’t the end all that I hoped for. People panicked and then it ended. I wanted riots in the name of humanity and human governments to start a war. But instead I got tears and condolences.

I spent some time on the internet since I have about three days until they stop paying. Mainly browsed some news sites and YouTube. As expected 8-Set’s death was frontline news. Another murder in Equestria of a notorious figure and this was a week after his diss track so it was spawning controversy. Mainly they were saying how he was unique and stuff and how this is a shock to the nation since this was another gun death in a place that isn’t supposed to have guns.

Then on YouTube, I saw something that took my breath away. So it turns out Darius lied to me when he said that he was the only gangsta rapper left. This guy called Sullen is also apparently about that hard life. The only difference is he’s underground and works independently. So basically Sullen has a concert but he stopped it midway to say a few words.

“Yo, yo hold up.” He said on stage the lights shining down on him. “Everyone quiet down, there’s something I need to say. Alright now this has been bugging me this whole concert and I’ve been debating if I should say it or not. Alright so around eleven at night, somewhere in Manehattan, 8-Set, my boy who I did a collab with, was found dead in his car.” In the video an uproar of wails came from the crowd.

“Now everyone shut the fuck up!” Sullen yelled into a mic quieting everyone. “Listen I don’t care about that diss he gave a week ago cause that don’t matter. I don’t care who he called gay, whose mom he insulted, or who he called a four legged pussy lipped son of a bastard. Nobody deserves to die like that!” Sullen paced the stage. “I thought that we were over that bullshit. I thought we were caring towards one another and I know why he did what he did. I know why he said what he said and everybody else know why too. When are we gunna stop being so self conscience and learn to just get along?” Sullen pointed to the crowd. “Now I want everyone in here wearing a hat to take it off and we’re having a moment of silence for Eight. Everyone shut the fuck up.” For a good minute the concert was quiet. It brought a tear to my eye. “8-Set rest in peace.” The video ended there.

That video made me feel good. Cause when my other friends died nobody gave a fuck but this time at least someone gives a fuck. I wonder what will happen when I die. Will somebody care? Will they leave my body to just rot cause I don’t matter?

About two more days passed and I did nothing but take long showers and pace the room. Tomorrow they will kick me out. So then it’s again back to the streets where I will be homeless yet again. And shoot I was beginning to like it here. In the meantime I decided to watch TV. That was a huge mistake because when I turned to a news channel I was met again with that faggot rapper Piercing Note. What’s he gotta say? Darius is dead he basically won.

“So you’re sorry for 8-Set’s demise?” The interviewer said.

“Oh yeah well it’s really too bad that he had to die so tragically.” Piercing said lying back in his seat. “I had some really neat rhymes I wanted to try.”

“That’s the second time you mentioned a plan you had for him. Care to explain?

“Well.” Piercing grinned. I swear if this motherfucker says anything disrespectful. “I had planned to make a public rap battle against him just to knock him down a notch. But that could never happen now.”

“Would you say you’re a better rapper than he was?” The interviewer asked.

“Oh definetly.” Piercing nodded. “I mean if you look at our lyrical content and our flows, you would clearly see” And I never got to find out how he ended that sentence because I had picked up the TV and thrown it to the ground. The chord got unplugged and the screen messed itself up. I screamed.

“Fuck this! Fuck all of it. What time is it?” I looked to the clock. “Nine? I have fucking all night to spend!” I retreated to the closet and came out wearing my black jumpsuit. “Fucking anarchist for life!” I shouted before storming out the door.

***

“I didn’t say to fucking kill him!” Curizno roared into his phone.

“I know that!” The manager of 8-Set roared back. “And I don’t know what the fuck happened because even if I wanted to kill him I wouldn’t have been able to find people with guns.”

Curizno quickly calmed himself realizing he had made a mistake. It wasn’t smart to blow steam at clients, makes them want to find other opportunities. The problem was he was kind of distraught with another shooting in Equestria. If it had been anything else he wouldn’t bother but a shooting in a place without guns right after a major assassination was very troubling. Since he was the owner of the only arsenal stationed in Equestria, it would only be a matter of time until people point in Copperhead’s direction. Bluestar was smart to place their arsenal in Europe thus they avoided a firestorm in Equestria.

“Alright.” He finally spoke. “I’m just pissed that I won’t be making more money on my investment. It really sucks that he was starting to really blow up and then he was shot down.”

“You’re telling me.” The manager replied. “I never saw a sales increase like this in one of my contracts before.”

“I sense a changing tide.” Curizno said with a smile. “With the hype of this death there will be opinions that will come to light and old friends that will have some words to say. If you find anymore of his kind of music producers, give them a call.”

“Already got some lined up.” The manager announced.

“Cool see ya later.” Curizno hung up the phone and leaned back.

Truthfully it was stressful maintaining an empire. Sure he doesn’t do it on his own but it’s hard making calls all day. Really have to rely on carefully chosen words and bargaining skills. But it was one of the reasons why he was so successful because he actually tried to get things done and would personally conduct business often to ensure things went right. Other reasons for his success were better left unexplained since it would hurt some people’s feelings.

The only real complaint he had was how lonely his job was. Sure he talked to people a lot but it was all business and no real conversation. He had tried hookers but they became boring and predictable after a while. What he wanted was some bitch that he could call up and would do whatever he wanted. Lucky for him there were rumors for him to go off of.

All of this thinking and wanting suddenly reminded him of something. He picked up his phone and dialed in the number. Not many people know Twilight Sparkle’s personal phone number.

“Hello?” Twilight’s voice came in softly.

“Hey it’s me.” Curizno spun around in his chair.

“Oh hello Curizno.” There was a pause. “So is there something you need to tell me or…?”

“No, no. Let’s just talk for a moment.” There was another pause.

“I’m sorry but I’ve got a busy schedule to maintain.” Twilight said. Curizno reached across his desk and looked at Twilight’s schedule he had his secretary print out.

“Really?” He smirked. “Because at nine thirty at night you’re supposed to be sleeping for your trip to Spain tomorrow.”

“H-how do you know that?” Twilight asked suddenly startled.

“Oh I know I lot of things.” Curizno said. “Spain’s a nice place, Twilight.” He put his feet up. “You’ll like it. I own a book store franchise there. I’ll tell them to give you something for the ride home.”

“Books?” This had grabbed Twilight’s attention like Curizno planned. “I thought everything was digital now.”

“Well the Spanish like to keep it classical.” Curizno grinned. “But I also noticed that you’re free after you get back the next day. We should meet somewhere.”

“Oh.” Again there was a pause. “I guess that’s alright. Um you mind if I bring a friend along.” Curizno bit his lip. That might complicate his plan with her. Of course it is easily fixed.

“Sure and I’ll bring a friend of mine along.” He already had a bro in mind. “I’ll have your people talk to mine and they’ll set it all up.”

“Sounds great.” Twilight said softly.

“So it’s a date.” Curizno laughed. “See ya later Twilight Sparkle.”

“Yeah I’ll see you later too.” She said back. Curizno hung up the phone and celebrated. He thought three words; legs, book, open.

Twilight also hung up the phone except she wasn’t so celebratory. She still remembered Curizno’s hostile attitude and the looks he had given her when they were alone. He hadn’t apologized for any of that and she knows what he wants. Quickly she climbed into her bed and hid under the sheets as if they were going to protect her from what would come.

***

The first thing I noticed about the outside air was it was kind of chilly. No more summer in autumn I guess. Well that doesn’t really cool me down. I feel so hot, so conflicted, like there’s something in me that needs to release.

It’s like that empty feeling I was feeling but instead this is different. Think it’s having the same effect though. When I feel empty I feel like I need to sate the feeling like some kind of hunger. But right now I feel like I need to get rid of a feeling like a bad itch. It’s eating me up and I feel anxious.

No wait I know of this feeling. Whenever I’m alone and I’m looking at a pony I start to burn up. This is just my hatred for them I guess. But damn is it strong tonight. And I mean very strong. I feel ready to explode and beat someone to death.

I rounded a corner and found a pony just standing. I quickly noticed he was smoking. The burning intensified and with this my foot patted the ground repeatedly. I looked at the pony until he noticed me.

“Can I help you buddy?” He asked but I didn’t respond. I just stared at him trying to figure out what to do. “What are you trying to sell something?” he spoke annoyed. Wait that gives me an idea.

“Um yes I am selling something. If you know what I’m talking about.” I grinned devilishly. The pony lit up.

“Oh I know what you’re talking about. Hard to find a dealer these days. With all the murder and shit.” He spat the cigarette on the ground. “Come over into this alleyway.” He waved his hoof.

I followed while I formed in my head my next actions. The place he led me to was perfect. An open lot with debris surrounded by person high concrete walls. It was like the area near my garage home.

He turned around to me. “Alright now what are you trying to push?”

“Um what?” I glared at him.

“Come on man don’t play me. What do you got to sell?” He sounded anxious, demanding even. “I’ve been dying to get a hit of something. You know how many of my buddies got their shit taken when Flutters was killed. They lost everything?”

“Lost everything?” I said. “Were they arrested?”

“What no.” The pony junkie itched his forearm. “They’re ponies. You know how we’re treated right. No jail time for us.” I picked up a red brick and juggled it around in my hand. It was a nice weight, good for swinging.

“Oh I know how they treat you.” I said before swinging the brick with all my might at the junkie’s face.

I made direct contact and immediately he fell to the ground. Dazed and stunned he moved his head up and I just smacked him again. He tried to run so I got on top of him. He tried to scream for help but I held his mouth shut.

I hit him over and over again with the brick. Each swing sounded painful with a loud thump. Soon however this thump turned into a crack and then into a crunch. Still I swung and still there was that crunch. It was just the same motion over and over again.

When finally I was tired I summed up my last strength and brought the brick down on his eye. The last crunch echoed and I got off the junkie. He was dead I think. His face was definitely mashed in and there was blood starting to pool from his head. Had some blood on my hands too. This would be the second time that there was blood on my hands. The difference is this blood is my enemy’s.

I didn’t dare look away at the spectacle I had created. It was just so beautiful I wanted to cheer.

“Yyyyyyes!” I exclaimed. “That’s it.” I pointed at the corpse. “That is what I’ve been waiting for! It’s why I’ve been feeling so angsty. I needed to kill one. Literally kill one. That’s why I’ve been so down and empty. Because I felt weak for not being able to do anything myself. I can’t let people do stuff for me. I need to do it myself. But what a release!” I held my hands up high. “I feel great! No more feeling down for me. All I have to do is kill and I’ll be fine. Remember how you felt when you ripped your friend’s ugly ass face off? Remember the feeling it felt while you had your hand inside his eye socket. Obviously you need to do this more often. Look at this motherfucker.” I picked up the corpse. “He’s in his natural state; dead. They should all be dead. You know why?” I dropped the corpse. “Because I’m fucking right about everything that has ever been brony or pony. I’m a hero in someway. Twilight killed my friends so I can do what I want to her friends. Thus is the never ending circle of life! And besides I’m an anarchist. This is in my blood to do things like this. Also I’m the Anti-Brony the one and only since they never existed, until now. From now on no more bullshit. I’m gunna kill these freaks until they surround me and shoot me dead. Here that you stupid mother fucker!” I stomped on the pony’s head. “I’m the fucking shit! Fuck you and all your kind! One day you’ll be slaughter like the animals you are! Fuck you, fuck you, fuck!”

“Hey I hear someone over here.” A voice that wasn’t mine shouted. I stiffly turned towards the street.

“I think it came from over here.” A female voice called.

Panic set in immediately. I’m gunna go to jail was my immediate thought. They’re gunna find me over this guy and they’re gunna thrown me into a convoy right back to Earth. I can’t go to jail though. I want to kill more or at least live freely. If I go to jail then this all ends.

The sound of hooves met my ears and I sprung into action. Around me were concrete walls that boxed me in. Luckily there was a dumpster I could climb on. I jumped onto it and vaulted myself onto the top of the wall. I lost my balance and fell onto the other side flat on my ass.

That’s when I heard a scream. They’ve found him and I might be next. Hopping to my feet I dashed down a hill and into the opposite direction of the murder scene.

Author's Note

Well he seems to have officially lost it. Also when did he turn into a philosopher?
Oh and Curizno is a creep. He's gunna be pretty important later on.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter because the story is picking up.
Thank you all for the likes and favorites!

Chapter 20: A Turning Point

Thank God I was always more of a distance runner than a speed runner because I need distance from all of this. Good Stamina is a great quality to have when it comes to just trucking it in full sprint. But still it wouldn’t hurt if I could run any faster. It feels like I’m moving so slow. I think I’ve had nightmares like this. Yeah definitely, they were always me running away from something but it was like I was running in syrup so I could barely move. Then the thing caught me and it was all over.

Back in reality it was kind of like my nightmares but instead there was no one chasing after me. Still I wasn’t going to stop running. I ran through alleyways and across streets. Everything was a blur as the air pushed against me. Don’t know where I am or where I’m going but I don’t care. I just need to put distance between me and that gruesome scene.

So I continued to charge through the city like there was no tomorrow. I must have been at the outskirts because I began to see off ramps to highways heading out. I stopped just at a small fence that separated me from the countryside realizing that there was a choice now. To leave Manehattan or just stumble around the Equestria countryside. Well truthfully the city is a safe haven since there is civilization at least. If I go out there then I’ll be dead in a field or something and nobody will care.

I turned back to the city. The lights shined up to the night sky. And I know that somewhere in there are police and ambulance lights looking for three killers, me being one of them and the other being Darius’. But it’s a big city and it would be hard to find just one man I theorized. And out there, in the country, is nothing but roads and endless open area.

Reluctantly I ran back towards the city. My plan now is to lay low for a while and then just venture around just scavenging to survive. I don’t know maybe I’ll try something again because killing that pony felt so satisfying. In the meantime I need a place to hide. Back alley? No too obvious. In a dumpster? No obvious and gross.

Then I saw it. The way I was heading there was an onramp to the high way. Underneath it was a narrow enough space that was very concealed. I bet my skinny body could fit in there. It would definitely be a good hiding spot. Nobody would see me in the darkness while I wore my black outfit.

I set out for the spot. Had to cross two lanes of traffic to get there but I made it fine. Sure some car almost hit me and I had to dive out of the way but I’m still in one piece. But what is important is I’m alive and not in jail.

Quickly I ran to my hiding spot and got flat on my belly and began to crawl under. I continued until I could feel the concrete pressing down on me. Then I went sideways and continued until my lungs were struggling to expand under the pressure. I could barely breathe but I was fine. All that matter is I’m hidden. Nobody will ever find me here and if they do then they’ll have to drag me out kicking and screaming like some kind of feral animal.

All night I watched in front of me, waiting for the cops to come and get me. Maybe a bloodhound or a German shepherd police dog will find me and chomp down on my arm while a cop yells “good boy” to it. Or maybe they’ll just shoot at me and they’ll drag my dead body out.

As the possibilities of my demise swirled in my head, I began to get very anxious. It was hard to not get up and run again. So I put my head down and that is all I remember of that night.

The next morning I woke up with a pain all over my back. It was like I had been sleeping under a rock. Well technically I was but still it kills real bad. Crawling out from under the on ramp, I took note on how dirty I was. Seemed like I was homeless with all this dirt and dust on outfit. Before I was clean even when I was living in my car or living in that garage. Now I looked the part of a man down on his luck.

I stood up in the bright of day and instantly regretted it. Falling back down and crawling under the on ramp again, I remembered that I was still being looked for. Last night would probably be another news flash. Three murders in Equestria and I was there for all of them! Well the anarchists count because they died too so that totals the count to six but as far as I know that was not televised at all so I guess they don't count.The news usually never reports on things like this anyways. It’s usually all about the ponies and what’s going on to “help humanity through the magic of friendship”.

It’s kind of awesome. Finally they have to be put to the test to see if they can handle just a bit of a challenge. I’m serious it’s like these ponies, and some bronies too, get to skate though life like it’s an all day unlimited token Chuck E. Cheese adventure just because of their species or where they live. It ain’t fair to normal people, especially me as an American who believes in equality, to have to go through it all until we reach the promised peace of old age.

What makes it worse is bronies and ponies are shielded from all the things that make up humanity and there is a focus on pony culture. That’s bullshit because the human spirit should never be kept down. Human beings are better than ponies for a lot of reasons. We are pretty much superior in every way. Things that really hurt a pony don’t even faze a human.

It really seems to me that whenever something bad happens to a pony, or a bronies since they are kind of the same thing in essence, they take it really badly. I’ve heard stories of people who become depressed immediately after something bad happens and they never recover even a tiny bit. Mostly it ends tragically.

The flaw of ponies is they can’t handle it when terrible things happen. Everything in the show is nothing compared to what us humans have gone through; heck what I’ve been through. They haven’t had to deal with loss like us. They’ve never really dealt which struggles that humans have dealt with in our history. Given I don’t really know anything about pony history but I bet it’s all songs and sugary rainbows. But it’s not their lack of struggle that pisses me off. It’s how they deal with loss.

Humans are tough, we are tough; we can endure whatever we want. But the ponies can’t and they passed it to us. Ponies are weak. Not their fault for living in a world that bred them to be pussies but that’s evolution for you. However like a parasite the ponies passed on to us their weakness. They made us not able to take pain like them.

I remember hearing stories about surveys that showed that suicide rates in kids had doubled after the whole pony culture invasion. Turns out the youth are devolving and are either killing themselves or just totally becoming shut ins after a traumatic event; this time though it’s becoming a national problem in lots of countries. In fact there was a radio station I was listening to that was talking about a local kid that had hung himself after getting into a fight with his parents or something. Truly tragic but what got to me was the reason he did it was his parents were upset with him for taking an obsession with pony culture and what not. The kid got so mad he decided that if the world, or his parents, wouldn’t accept him for who he was, then he wouldn’t accept the world.

There was another incident like this involving a pony. She had jumped off a bridge after claiming that she was being harassed for being a pony. I commend the harassers that did that but I know that it’s not true. The media hyped it for the story so people would feel sorry and again so humanity would be put to shame.

I don’t mean to sound old but back in my day we didn’t give a fuck about what happened to other people and we could take what happened to us no matter who we were up against. It was great and we were finally starting to figure things out and really start to coexist as a species. That was because we were tough and could take the challenge that was life. Now I don’t even know what life is. Ponies perverted it with their lessons and worthless morals.

The day dragged on until it was starting to get into the late afternoon. The sky turned orange and the air cooled considerably. It would be night soon and from the way the sky was darkening it was obvious there would be a storm. Stupid fucking Pegasus! They’re probably doing this to try and drive me out.

Well it’s gunna work because I can’t stay under here for another night. I’m dirty and hungry and I want to go home. Or at least go someplace where I can rest. I don’t know maybe I’ll sleep in a trash can. Where do homeless people usually sleep?

As I began to walk back towards the city I got an idea. If I could scavenge some cardboard and make a house then I would be set. Then I would find someplace dry away from the rain. Then I don’t know what the fuck I’ll do.

***

After scavenging for about two hours, I found enough cardboard to make a little house out of. I really thought there would be more of the stuff but there really wasn’t so it took a while to find. I also found a place to camp out; all alone in front of a building that could protect me from the rain. It’s not the most inconspicuous place but it’s the only one I could find. I would kill for another overhang though since I left the old one and can’t really find my way back.

As time went by it only got darker and darker as storm clouds continued to gather. It’s kind of creepy and concerning to know that they are really being moved by tiny flying horses that are watching the city from an elevated view. But my real concern is making this house. I have nothing to hold it together with so basically I’m trying to stack it together. Problem is it keeps getting knocked down when I try and enter it. Worse the wind is blowing. But I think I finally got it. Just got to place the roof.

As I gently placed the sheet of cardboard on the top, a gust of wind knocked it over. Rage inside me that had built up as a result of frustration was suddenly released.

“God fucking damn it!” I yelled throwing the cardboard I was holding to the side. Angrily I stomped on the cardboard on the ground with my heel. “Stupid fucking packing material!” Then I looked up to the sky. “Stupid fucking flying horses!” I fell to my knees and started bashing my head against the cardboard. It was ruined from my stomps so I was angry at myself now which is why I’m kind of punishing myself. Actually I’m starting to get dizzy with each thump.

When I was on my twentieth head thump I heard a voice behind me. “Alright that’s hilarious.” I turned to face the voice with a strange feeling of déjà vu.

Behind me was a girl probably my age; early twenties. She had long blondish hair that was tied back in a ponytail. Her getup was kind of off. I mean mostly people wore apparel that had to do in some way with ponies or Friendship is Magic. She wore more of what people wore back in my day which is to say a pretty basic attire; nothing flashy like people today. Also she was very pretty. I’d definitely fuck her. Too bad I’m too busy doing shit like making this fucking house!

“What’s so funny?” I snarled going back to try to remake my house all though it was a lost cause now.

“Oh nothing.” She said leaning back onto a column. “What the fuck are you wearing?” She asked.

I stiffly sat up. “I’m a fucking janitor alright!” I shouted.

“Hey no need to shout.” The girl said. “So what’s the A stand for?”

Immediately scenes of the last time a stranger noticed my A flashed into my head and I got mad almost immediately.

“It doesn’t mean Andy.” I grunted. “It’s never meant Andy, it isn’t supposed to mean Andy, and it was never my name!” I threw more cardboard around in an attempt to calm down. Don’t know why I’m so pissed off but I am.

About a minute passed before she spoke again. “Say, are you homeless?” What kind of question is that?

“No!” I growled with my back to her. I continued to stack the cardboard again.

“Alright.” She said in a snarky manner. “You’re dirty, foul mouthed, have anger issues, and you’re making a cardboard house. Face it you’re homeless.” I could feel a growl in my throat like I was some sort of animal. Suddenly the thought of attack was winning a war in my mind against just ignoring her.

After fighting with myself for a couple seconds I was able to calm myself. “Whatever. Bitch” I said finally with the last part quiet enough so she wouldn’t hear.

She remained quiet for a few more seconds. I could sense here watching me making my house. The house wasn’t really working and I felt like an idiot making it. But I didn’t really want to worry too much since I figure she’ll probably just leave after a while.

“Hey let me bring you to a homeless shelter.” She said suddenly. I could hear her walking towards me.

“What?” I exclaimed turning to her. “No I’m fine!”

“Oh sure you are.” She said smugly. “Did you know it’s about to rain? So your house isn’t going to last long and worse if they see you next morning camping out; the owners of this place will call the cops. You’re right in front of the town hall.” She pointed to a sign that indicated that this was indeed town hall.

“So?” I said reluctantly.

“So? So if you stay around you’re fucking yourself over.” The girl actually sounded concerned. It’s kind of weird. She stomped over to me and kicked my half finished cardboard house down.

I jumped up startled and angry. “Yo what the fuck!” My anger kicked in and I swung to hit her. But I never hit my target and she ducked and instead buried her own fist into my gut. She hit pretty hard or I’m just a pussy because I buckled over in pain.

That’s was also when a wave of nostalgia crashed over me. She hit just like Myriad. I remember because this was one of the games we would play. I would either hit on her or say something smart and she would clobber me. Good times.

As I fell to the concrete I was immediately jerked back up. Rather quickly I noticed that I was being carried off. My arm was resting on the girl’s neck and my feet were dragging.

“Come on.” She grunted. “We’re going to the shelter.”

“Fine.” I muttered. Might as well avoid the rain.

“By the way, my name’s Jessica. But just call me Jess.”

“Oh. My name’s Jim. I guess.”

“You guess?” Jess looked at me oddly. “What you forgot?”

“No.” I pouted.

“Well.” Jess let me go. “You can walk on your own I think.”

Since she said that I had to fall over. She stood over me.

“Oh come on. Get up.”

“No.” I said stubbornly. She frowned at me angrily.

“Get the fuck up you idiot!” She snarled as she began to stomp on me. Damn she has a good kick too. I squirmed a bit until I finally got up. I think I like this girl. She got spunk. I’ll follow her I guess.

“So uh, where we going?” I asked.

“Just around the block.” She replied. “So what’s your story?”

“What story?”

“I mean the reason you’re homeless.” She explained.

“Oh um. It’s complicated.”

“Lemme guess.” She thought for a second. “Parent’s kicked you out?”

“Not exactly.” I replied.

“You ran away then?”

“Kind of.” That’s when she really went out.

“You’re a drug addict. An alcoholic? Gay? Dishonorable? A failure? Retarded?”

“No none of those things!” I exclaimed. Retarded really?

“Alright then you’re a college drop out.” She continued on. “High school? No wait, home schooled.”

“No. I graduated from my high school.” Don’t have my diploma but I took the finals.

“Alright then. Military veteran?” She guessed. “No you don’t look it. Washout maybe?”

“Keep guessing.” I encourage sarcastically. So she did.

“Lost your job? Money ran out from parents? Parents won’t let you live with them? Just lost your possessions due to not paying your loans? Come on give me something.”

I smiled. “Alright it doesn’t have to do with something I did, but with something about me.”

“Oh alright.” This opened a new wave of guesses. “You’re schizophrenic? Depressed? Deranged? Anger issues? Oh come on it’s got to be that.” I shook my head. “Prone to violence? Huuuh!” She gasped and before I knew it I was on the ground with her foot on my head. “You’re a sex offender!” She accused.

“No!” I spat. “No, no, no, no!”

“Oh.” She helped me up. “Maybe you’re just a bum then.”

“Gee thanks.” I groaned rubbing the back of my head. Jess looked up and grinned.

“Hey we’re here.” She pointed to the building we were at. It was a square brick building. What the fuck is it with these bricks? Seems everywhere I go there are these bricks buildings. It can’t be for style something must be up. Just another thing that has to be added to my list of things I don’t know.

“After you.” She said opening the door for me.

“Ever hear of ladies first?” I asked stepping through the door.

“You got beat up and I’m the lady?” Jess laughed as she walked in behind me. Wait if she beat me up then that means this is the third time a girl has beaten me up.

“Fuck!” I said rather loudly.

“What’s the matter?” Jess asked.

“Third time.” I held up three fingers.

“Third time what? Third time being called a lady or third time getting beat up?”

“The second one.” I answered stupidly since this prompted a snicker from her.

“Well maybe you are retarded.” She patted my back. Gee thanks bitch. “Come on let’s get you something to eat. Then you can go make some friends.” She began walking towards what I assume what a food line and I followed.

The whole set up of the room was a big cafeteria, I guess. There was, who I assume, homeless people seated everywhere. Odd thing is these people don’t look like they’re really homeless. They all have clean clothes and look relatively fine compared to me. They don’t look like bronies but they don’t look like people I would think would live here. I should ask Jess.

When I finally got my food I realized it was like the lunch I would have gotten in school. Just a plain ordinary lunch except this is dinner. Guess this is what they serve the homeless. Pretty nice actually considering what I’ve been accustomed to traveling the roads.

I ate alone since I really don’t like the looks of the people here. They aren’t bronies but they remind me of the people I used to meet when I traveled around hoods in the Mid West. They were scary looking like they would kill someone if given the chance to.

I quickly finished my meal and made my way over to Jess who was behind the little counter that the food was being served at, sitting on a box. She seemed to be watching over the cafeteria like some sort of supervisor.

“Hey Jess.” I said approaching her.

“Oh hey uh.” She snapped her fingers in thought.

“Jim.” I reminded her halfheartedly.

“Oh right.” Jess smiled then went annoyed rather quickly. “What do you want?”

“Uh I don’t know?” I shrugged. “Just what is this place? Who owns it?”

“I own it.” She replied.

“You own it?” I asked in disbelief. I know better than any that real estate in Equestria sucks. Agents mainly sell to ponies and the humans live in rentals most of the time. It’s the reason I was living in an abandoned garage since all the apartments were taken in Las Pegasus and nothing cheap was available.

“Yeah I own it. Ever little crummy brick.” She replied. “Why? Didn’t expect a little human girl like me to own and run an establishment like this in this great country?”

“Uh no I didn’t.” I said. Did she read my mind or something? “But what are you doing here? Why are you helping these people.”

“You telling me you haven’t been to a homeless shelter?” Jess suddenly stood up. “You telling me you you’ve never gone out of your way to help someone who has nothing? You’ve never felt any drive to at least give that old man or young woman down on their luck a helping hand, because that is ultimately the right thing to do, and to show some kindness to those less fortunate not for peace of mind but for the greater good?”

By the end of her little speech she was uncomfortable close to my face. She has leaned in with each word probably to drive a point across. It was a lot to take in. I don’t know if it was a guilt trip but if it was then it was pointless. I just murdered a pony with my bare hands so there is no way I’m letting guilt get to me.

“Who do you think I am?” I growled in response.

Jess snickered a bit. “A bum. So I guess I shouldn’t expect you to be able to show some compassion. But that’s why I opened up this shelter. To help people like you who won’t help others. The point is at least I’m helping people.”

That again struck a chord in me. If only she knew of my contribution to humanity, to people. By killing ponies, especially those in power, I’m making it a safer world for humans to exist in. But it seems that I haven’t done anything compared to this. Everywhere I look there seem to be people just getting along. It’s frustrating actually because it makes me feel helpless. I don’t feel guilty that I could be doing something but helpless because I don’t know what to do. Well I guess I’ll ask her.

“What am I supposed to do about it?” It came out as another growl.

“Well.” Jess began pushing me towards the tables. “You can start by making a few friends. You know talk to some people and get to know people around here.”

That is the dumbest idea I have ever heard. I say that because it’s something a pony would say. God I hate ponies for being the symbol for friendship nowadays. Their friendship is stupid anyway. Generosity, kindness, loyalty, honesty, and laughter; magic doesn’t count. I’ve never had friends that were any of those things. Heck not even Darius, my best friend, was even close to what friendship was to ponies, yet he was the best friend anyone could ever want.

“I don’t need to make friends.” I snarled at her.

“And why’s that?” She asked.

“Because I don’t need friends.”

“Whoa now.” She stood in front of me. “You definitely need friends.”

“No.” I retorted. Part of me wanted to tell her that the last friends I had betrayed me and the other died. But something told me that it wasn’t important at this moment.

“Oh please. Everyone needs someone. Come on aren’t we friends?”

“I just met you.” I frowned at her.

“And this is crazy.” She replied with a grin. “But seriously if you won’t make friends then that’s fine for now. It’s your first day so I’ll let you walk this one. But I’m telling ya.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “We need to stick together. Us humans are really struggling nowadays. You think you’re the only guy I’ve picked up?”

Us humans? I looked around and realized something. There were no ponies. Humans of all shapes and sizes but no ponies. I know I shouldn’t expect there to be a homeless pony but I at least expect them to be helping out. A species that is known for helping out humanity should be helping out us now. But I don’t see one. Hallelujah!

“Well um, thanks, I guess.” I stammered.

“Thank you for what?” She prodded.

“Thank you for helping me out in this shit?” I guessed that what she wanted to hear.

“Well that’s a start.” She lightly smiled. “Just a tip, try to refrain from swearing. You’ll make yourself look like some kind of thug. Especially with that getup.”

My getup? Please I’m a white boy with a jumpsuit. I’m not menacing at all. Maybe a bit shady but that’s because I look like a bum. Seriously if it wasn’t that I’m so desperate I would never be caught dead in this thing. But it kind of grew on me and I see it kind of as a symbol. This is the outfit that sheltered me from looking suspicious when I escaped Bronycon. So I have some stories embroidered in this article of clothing.

I eventually retired to a separate table to contemplate things. Truthfully I’m very shy. It was a problem when I was a kid because I wouldn’t really interact with people unless I absolutely had too. A better word for this is antisocial. Yeah it was terrible; I would barricade myself in my room and just avoid all human contact including my family. So basically I did the thing to do for kids of my time. But that changed after a while because I had friends that dragged me out into the sun to play with them and that’s how they got me to trust them. After their betrayal I tried to return to that life of being alone but I couldn’t stay home with my parent’s scornful gaze. It was around that time that I hung with Darius a lot and we would get into trouble. Thus that ended me being afraid of talking to people because I learned of scarier things than social conversation.

My antisocial behavior still comes back from time to time. It was the reason I stayed alone with the anarchists for a year and it’s the reason I am sitting alone by myself in this shelter. Apparently the rules for this place are that I use this as a place to sleep but it is not a hang out. I can also get three meals a day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner times. Jess apparently doesn’t want this to be a gang stronghold so it’s pretty strict.

This place is just a stop though. I don’t know how long I will be here but I will leave eventually. I still can’t get my murder out of my head. Everything about it had been absorbed into my mind. The sound, the feel, and most importantly the sight were all perfectly memorized. I will never forget the feeling because it completely destroyed all my doubts about what I’ve been doing with my life. I have seen that the only way I will be able to continue with my life is to bring ruin to all ponykind. Before I thought it was because I had nothing better to do, but now I know that it’s my destiny. If I was a pony I would have gotten my cutie mark for that murder. Wonder what it would be?

It was dark out when people started clearing out of the cafeteria and going to their rooms. I didn’t follow since I’m not exactly sure where to go or where to sleep. Besides I’ve been having fun watching the news. Surprisingly they haven’t reported my murder which is too bad because I’m proud of that and would like credit.

I guess with a string of murders of important people, it’s hard to notice the small people. Right now they were still covering 8-Set’s murder which is good because he deserves all the recognition he can get. So far they’ve still haven’t found the murderers which is fine with me. His killers aren’t people but an ideology that has infected the human race. The disease of course stemmed from ponies and carried by bronies so they must be eradicated since I see no way to cure them of their own faults.

That hot female reporter with the nice rack was talking about some of Darius’s achievements as a rapper when Jess stepped in front of me. She had a kind of scowl on her face.

“Time to go to bed, um, Jim.” She said. Geez can’t she remember my name, like really. She turned around to the TV to shut it off; quickly listening to the last few words. “Huh that’s sad.” She said as she turned it off. “8-Set’s dead. Too bad a lot of people here liked his music.”

“I was there when they shot him.” I murmured.

“Oh were you now?” Jess laughed.

“Yeah I was.” I insisted. “I was his fucking best friend.”

“Right?” Jess rolled her eyes in disbelief.

“I know some things that no one else knows about him.” I said to prove my point. “Like how he would sometimes talk like there were a lot of people around him even if no one was there. That was because when we were kids he was threatened by a rival rapper which put him into really bad paranoia. So for the next two weeks, Darius, I mean Set, would always yell out as if there was someone with us. Well that’s how we caught the rival because one day when Set did that the rival got spooked and tried to make a run for it. Well Set just went crazy and we kicked the shit out of the guy. Then when we were done, to prove a point, Set tied him to the bumper of his car and we drove the rival down several streets until letting him go. He was so fucking messed up he never rapped again in fear of people seeing his scars.”

I laughed at the good memory. Darius sure could do some crazy stuff if he wanted to. Like hanging me over that balcony. He’s the only person I knew who would do that and then joke about it like it wasn’t anything real bad.

Jess silently looked at me before finally breathing what sounded like an annoyed sigh. “So what you’re his gay lover or something?”

“No.” I said. “I was his friend till the end. I saw it all. He was killed by bronies.”

“Bronies?”

“Yeah bronies.” I went on. “They killed him for exposing them as the little shits they are. Ponies had something to do with it too.”

“Uh huh?” She put her hands on her hips. “Alright I think I understand you now. You’re angry at the world for something and you’ve ended up here because you can’t get over it.”

“No.” I said in defiance.

“Oh please honey.” Jess snickered. “I’ve heard it all before. You homeless are all the same. Broke and washed-up and very prone to anger.”

“Fuck you lady!” I yelled. Somehow she seemed to be getting to me. I guess she reminded me of someone I didn’t like. Or maybe it’s because she seems to not really believe me which is something I hate.

“See you’re yelling at me.” She pointed. “You homeless are so opt for violence. Which is why I’m keeping you here. I mean just yesterday I had a guy trying to sell weapons to some of the people here. I had to chase him off of course.”

Wait. Frank was here?

“You did what?” I exclaimed getting up. “Why would you do that?”

“Are you kidding me?” She growled. “Do you know about the repercussions of giving these people the means to hurt? I don’t think you do.”

“What do you mean these people?”

“Oh my gosh.” Jess face-palmed. “You have no idea about things around here.”

“I only just got here.” I told her. “I came from Las Pegasus.”

“That place is even worse!” Jess exclaimed. “Wasn’t there some cult that tried to get Discord to side with them?”

“I, I couldn’t tell you.” I stammered. How the fuck does she know about that? Must have been televised and I didn’t know. Yeah they follow Discord around like he’s got a gravitational pull. Everyone hopes to see him do something but he never does anymore.

“Whatever, the point is people here seem to be very prone to trying to hurt others.”

“Are you kidding me lady?” I snarled. “People these days are complete pussies. They just want to sit and get some mare to suck them off.”

“Where the fuck have you been?” Jess asked. “People don’t act like that. Lot of people here hate ponies. You must be middle class because we poor folk see a different world.”

“Poor? I though ponies were trying to help humans.”

“Uuuh, you’re stupid.” Jess groaned. “You think giving a person a job really helps them? Well it doesn’t; not in this economy. And besides, ponies are taking the job market away from humans so some help they’re being.” Jess looked to a clock. It read nine. “Shit you need to go to bed.”

“What but it’s only nine. I want to know more.” I complained. “Hold on you’re not my mom. I don’t have to go to bed yet.”

Before I could complain any further, Jess had me in a headlock. Damn was she strong. I tried to struggle but she forced me to the ground. After that she let me go so I got back on my feet. As soon as I was up I received a swift kick to my lower back which knocked me forward.

“Let’s go.” Jess ordered kicking me again to further coax me to move. After a couple more kicks and some more grumbling on my part, she led me to where she wanted me to be. It was this long hallway with three doors in it.

“You’re the door to the left. It’s where the men sleep.” Jess pointed. “The first door on the right is my room and the second one is where the girls sleep. You are for no reason to enter the doors to the right. Last thing anybody wants are anymore crying babies in this shelter. Already made the mistake once so I’m not making it again. And if you ever.” This time she slammed me against the wall and held me there. “If you EVER! Try to abuse any of the girls here or make them feel uncomfortable. I won’t throw you out but I will make sure you never do it again. Are we clear?”

I’m actually pretty fucking scared. “Jesus lady I won’t.” I gulped. “I haven’t had a girl in six years.”

“Even more reason to suspect you of something.” She hissed. “But anyways go to bed. Tomorrow you’re gunna socialize and maybe find a job. Got me? You may be worthless now but you can at least dig yourself out. Lot of people aren’t as well off as you are right now.” With that she turned around and went through the door that was her room.

Wow. What a woman. She’s so fucking intimidating. No not that, she’s passionate. I can tell she cares about these people. Now that is how ponies should go about this whole situation. She’s not sheltering them she’s helping them and not even for her own benefit.

But what is this about people hating ponies? I don’t know what to think about that because it sounds like my fantasy. Seriously just one other human that fells like I do would make me cry tears of joy. I guess this gives me reason to socialize then. Haven’t really seen homeless people in Equestria so getting to know their story would be nice. May remind me why I hate ponies, which is always a good thing.

I walked through the door to the men’s bedroom. It reminded me of military sleeping quarters that I remember looking at on the internet when Darius and I were going to join the marines. There were rows of bunk beds that were all the same, that lined the walls leaving a pathway for walking in the center. Lots of homeless men were up but some were in bed. Seeing that I had nowhere better to be I walked for a bed somewhere away from everyone.

I eventually found one and decided to take top bunk. But before I could get on it, a voice stopped me.

“Whoa there.” A German accent stopped me. That’s weird I’ve never heard a European in Equestria. Almost forgot that the portals were all over the world not just America. I turned to the man that was in the bed adjacent to me.

“I wouldn’t go there. Some people here are very territorial about where they sleep. Try the bed next to it. Bottom bunk.”

“Alright thanks.” I murmured with a wave. That was weird kindness. I went to the bed the German told me and I lied down. No sheet but at least this place is warm. I did my best to ignore the chatter and eventually it died down as the night went on.

As I started to fall asleep, a thought came to my mind. This place can be my home. A permanent home perhaps. I don’t need to abandon it like all the other places. If I can meet the people, maybe they can be my family. This place is perfect. From here I think that I can really do some damage to the brony community. Yeah I commit a murder here and there and then escape here and blend in with the crowd.

I’m just gunna make a prediction. Tomorrow I bet my life is going to change or at least start changing. I curled up into a ball since there were no sheets and it was the best night of sleep I have ever had in ages.

Author's Note

This chapter took me longer than I wanted but it's here after about a month. But more importantly this is a milestone; chapter twenty. Don't know how long this story is gunna be but there is still a lot more so stay along for the ride.

Chapter 21: Twilight's Date

Curizno blissfully enjoyed the good weather. A great thing about Equestria, one of the greatest, is that the weather can be set to be whatever people wanted. So basically everyday is like a constant paradise. The sun shined and it was not too hot and not too cold.

In the capital city of New Canterlot everyday was a bright shiny day all year round. After all why would anyone want anything different? Why would Curizno want anything different? He had bought the weather departments in the major counties ages ago. Sure they were nationalized but that was after he had purchased them from the Pegasus so in the end he still controlled them. And sure there were regulations to follow to maintain the soil but they were easily bypassed. After all, concrete didn’t need to be watered.

Today was the day of Twilight and his little date. Maybe date wasn’t really the word that described it because of their positions of power and the fact that really all they were doing was meeting for a drink. Nothing romantic per say but that was what Curizno wanted.

He knew about Twilight just from personal experience and rumors. She was very skittish when it came to relationships; very cautious going into them and very slow moving while in them. It was her bookworm personality and antisocial behavior that was seen in the first episode that dictated this behavior. The fact of the matter is she was shy about getting intimate. With humans that is.

When it came to ponies, Twilight Sparkle jumped right in. Although unknown to the general public because of it being a guarded secret, it was no secret to those close to her of how wild she could get when met with a good stallion. That nerdy side of her that was so filled with fantasies of unbelievable ecstasy could be awoken with simple sweet words and lusty behavior. As with nerds there is a lonely side that longs for this type of relationship with another. And Twilight is the queen of the nerds.

Sure she probably can’t keep up a long stable relationship due to her anxiety and now her job. But she definitely can do relationships in quick moments. That is the reason Curizno was so fascinated with her. She was the one he had been searching for.

An interesting thing about the richest man alive is he hates relationships. Last wife he had took some of his wealth in a nasty divorce. With that experience under his belt he found it hard to really get close to someone. So he looked for an alternative. Eventually after a lot of experimentation and therapy to help him get over himself, Curizno came to a conclusion. He needed someone who he could just fuck and get over with; someone that he could relieve his sexual frustration with and get on with his life. So when he heard of these exploits by the princess he gained motivation.

Another motivating factor other than Twilight’s sex drive was her skill. Rumor has it she’s as skilled in the bed as she is in magic. If she hadn’t gotten her cutie mark in magic it might have been in this hobby. Practice makes perfect and after talking to the lucky stallions and few men Curizno was convinced she was the one.

That’s why he was desperately trying to win her over today. Today would either be the day he hooks her or drives her away. Good thing he has confidence with this and more importantly a plan upon plan to make her swoon for him. After this her legs would open up like opening a book.

There was one problem though going into this little get together. The agreement was she could bring a friend along. A clever ploy but Curizno was smarter than that, which is why he brought his own friend. His friend, Ryan, was a colleague of his that goes way back. They were business partners that had simply clicked and gone far. They seemed opposites with Ryan being a lanky fellow and Curizno being well built but Ryan was a pretty competent man if not a bit goofy which is exactly why Curizno had brought him. If everything went according to plan then this would work out nicely.

“Hey C.” Ryan said to the man sitting across from the table. Curizno was lost in thought about what would be happening but he noticed his friend signaling him.

“What?”

“You nervous or something?” Ryan asked. Curizno shook his head to clear his mind.

“I’m going to be honest with you Ryan.” He stated. “I’m not nervous but anxious. You know I’m enthusiastic about this but I feel I should use a bit of caution.”

“Dude it's fine to be a little nervous.” Ryan replied. “You’re going on a date with the fucking princess Twilight Sparkle. Which reminds me. Why her?”

Curizno grinned. “Oh you know me and you’ve heard the stories about her.” Ryan returned the grin but then dropped it quickly.

“Hey C, another question.” Ryan prompted. “Hope this doesn’t offend you but why want a pony when you can get some twenty year old model real easily?”

Curizno only kept his grin. “Why not choose a pony? Let me explain the benefits of ponies over humans to you.” He turned to his friend. “First off they are horny as fuck. Well most of them are some are conservative. Basically they’re up for sex whenever. Second most of the dangers of sex are eliminated with them. Our sperm is incompatible with them which means no danger of pregnancy like women. To top it off there is no disease you can get from them. Look at that no need for a condom. And thirdly they make the cutest fucking noises when they’re getting fucked. Honestly they are just so much more enjoyable than a woman. Can’t really go wrong with them.”

“Hmm alright you make a good point.” Ryan said. “I personally find it kind of taboo but whatever. Who am I to judge anyway? I did once get a handy from one of the flying ones. The feathers tickled.”

Curizno laughed. “Oh don’t worry I was skeptical too until I just gave it a try. It’s basically the same as with a woman but mares are more enjoyable. You have to experience it to know what I’m talking about.” He looked down at his expensive watch. It read one twenty. She would arrive around one thirty.

“All right Ryan.” Curizno got into business. “This is where I’m gunna need you to do your thing.”

“Yeah I got your back man.” Ryan said straightening up.

“So the agreement was for this to go down Twilight could bring one of her friends. So it’s like I told you last night. Just distract the friend so Twilight and I can talk.”

“That doesn’t sound too hard.” Ryan complied. “Basic wingman shit. But who do you think the friend is?”

“Most likely it’ll be one of the mane six. Well minus Fluttershy.” Curizno replied. “I don’t know which one since they are pretty busy.”

“Well I kind of don’t like my options.” Ryan said. “If it’s Pinkie Pie I think I’m gunna be shooting heroin or snorting coke today. Applejack is always fucking busy running her business now. I’m not gunna fuck with Rainbow Dash because she’ll probably kill me. Fluttershy is dead so that goes down to that fat bitch. Fuck! You owe me.”

“No, no, no.” Curizno smiled. “You owe me. You owe me about a quarter of a million.”

“Whatever. But how about this. Take off ten thousand of it for this.”

“Alright. Deal.” Curizno shook his partner’s hand. “Ha ha, when we’re done here I’m gunna open those legs like a book.”

“What the fuck?” Ryan giggled.

“Alright picture legs and picture opening a book.” Curizno instructed. “Get it?” Ryan held his hands in front of him and made the motion to open a book. His eyes widened.

“Oh you sick fuck.” He exclaimed.

In a couple minutes it was time for the little date. Curizno got ready as if he were meeting a client thinking this should be the same. Truthfully he hasn’t been on a date recently. He’s been with women but not really talked to them that much. But Twilight hasn’t really been with a lot of stallions so it was fairly balanced.

The two businessmen walked to where they would be meeting the two ponies. It was on a street corner in front of a little café. The whole area for about a square mile had been cleared of most pedestrians. It was a security measure that was implemented everywhere a pony of importance went. Police had suddenly appeared an hour ago to clear the way for Twilight. The date was low key so not a lot of citizens or politicians knew but it was a peculiar site to see detour routes suddenly appear at certain parts of the city.

A big black limo pulled up to the corner and out stepped Twilight and Rarity. They were very casually dressed which is to say they weren’t dressed at all. This was good because Curizno wanted Twilight to be comfortable so he could gain her trust. Twilight looked beautiful all natural anyways. Rarity on the other hand was still fat. But it was understandable why due to the amount of stress she now felt. Curizno could hear Ryan quietly groan and he couldn’t help but feel some sort of inner laughter at this.

“Think you can handle Two Ton Tillie over here?” Curizno whispered to his friend.

“You know I just got a plan to figure something out.” Ryan whispered back.

When they walked up to the ponies, Curizno noticed that Twilight had to perk herself up. This was an indication of regret for being here but Curizno expected the antisocial bookworm to be that way.

“Hello Twilight.” Curizno greeted the princess. “This is my friend Ryan. He’s one of my business partners.”

“Hi Ryan.” Twilight gave a polite wave. “Nice to meet you. And you both probably know of my friend Rarity.”

“It is lovely to make your acquaintances.” Rarity stepped forward. Ryan too stepped forward and grabbed her hoof.

“Oh the pleasure is all mine.” Ryan replied gently kissing the mare’s hoof. A little giggle escaped Rarity’s lips as Twilight and Curizno had to resist showing any sign of how sickening it was.

“Hey we’re gunna leave these two alone for a while.” Ryan said to Rarity. “Let’s go somewhere.”

“Oh well if that’s okay with you Twilight.” Rarity said. “I suppose you might want some time alone for a while.”

“Oh it’s fine Rarity. Go have fun.” Twilight replied. But it really wasn’t fine. She really wanted her friend close to her. But it was too late to take back her word. And as she watched the two walk away she was filled with a feeling of hopelessness.

Curizno led her to the café where they sat down under the shade of an umbrella. Curizno was fully conscience of Twilight’s desire to not be here but to him it was due to Twilight just being difficult. He had no idea of the real reasons that had nothing to do with him as a person.

“So Twilight.” Curizno started. “How was your flight?”

“It was good.” Twilight replied.

“Did you enjoy the book that was given to you?” Curizno tried hitting a popular subject with her.

“Yep.” She said. Curizno instantly knew at that moment that this would be difficult. She was being too distant. He wouldn’t be able to get through to her unless he perked her interest. Luckily he had just the thing.

“Alright see that man over there.” Curizno pointed. “The big black one.” Twilight looked over and saw the person Curizno was pointing to. He sat at a separate table, wore a suit and tie, and was carrying a briefcase with him.

“That’s our bodyguard for today.” Curizno explained. “You know the deal with your protection. Now excuse me for one sec.” Curizno stood up and walked over to the bodyguard and retrieve the briefcase. Then he made his way over to Twilight and sat back down.

“Alright listen Twilight.” Curizno stated. “I know you don’t want to be here with me. I know you feel forced here but let me prove to you this isn’t a waste of time.”

Twilight’s ears perked up in attention. “I’m listening.”

“Well this is about Fluttershy. I know you want closure on this subject. I can’t give you that. But I can make it feel better.” Curizno then put the suitcase up on the table and opened it up.

“Inside this case.” He explained. “Is evidence of people that are responsible for our little assassination.” He spread out a couple folders on the desk, all neatly labeled with the topic on each. Twilight instantly picked one up and levitated several papers from it, reading as much material as possible.

“Now not the exact person is here.” Curizno informed her. “But lots of evidence pointing to the gun and probably the people that made it possible are here.”

“Hmmm.” Twilight Sparkle murmured to herself as she was in deep thought. She put a folder down and looked at another. “Blue Star Security?”

“Ah yes.” Curizno was hoping she would get to that. “You see the gun that was used, diagrams in there somewhere, is the gun that their personnel would normally use. I believe it was a Remington 700? I have no clue but it is a hunting rifle that Blue Star uses for over watch positions. Meaning they keep survey on large areas with these guns. You may remember Blue Star from the Fall Parade last year. They kept you safe that day.”

“Why do these guys look like they’re a military force?” Twilight asked showing Curizno a picture of a uniform of a Blue Star employee.

“That’s simple Twilight.” Curizno replied. “Because they can be. Look wanna know an interesting fact?” Twilight nodded. “Blue Star is outfitted with the same tech that the militaries such as your Equestria Guard have. The reason why is because when Equestria made the treaty to limit armies on Earth you opened up a new tense reality. You made it so these security companies need to exist so people can feel safe. Without them then what’s stopping people like that sniper from just killing people and getting away with it?”

“Stop.” Twilight prompted as she finished reading a document. “There is a Blue Star facility in Equestria?”

“Now Twilight where do you think they base their operations from?”Curizno gleamed. “That facility is where they train and house some of their equipment. However, their armory is in Europe. Their personnel of course are armed.”

“Which means that one of them could have easily taken their gun and gone on a rampage whenever they wanted.” Twilight concluded.

“Well that’s definitely a theory. But it’s kind of farfetched.” Curizno refuted.

“Ha.” Twilight laughed. “It makes sense really. Since they’re trained one of them could have easily picked out a spot that perfectly has an advantage point over the whole con. Then with their training they could easily have done the shot.”

“You forget though. The man used a kid to do it.” Curizno reminded her.

“Yeah because he’s a coward… and it made it impossible to find him because of that. There I got it!” She concluded.

“Well Twilight that’s definitely sounds like a good conclusion.” Curizno leaned back. “But what are you gunna do with Blue Star if that’s the case?”

“Throw the book at em!” Twilight exclaimed. “Whatever I can charge them with I’m gunna charge them. Even if they’ve been covering it up. I will find whatever they’re guilty for and I will make them pay. They will never hurt another one of my friends. Ever!” She had gotten really worked up like Curizno expected. Time to work it to his advantage.

“Come on Twilight.” Curizno said. “Don’t be so vengeful, give them a little slack. It was probably a rogue agent. Nonetheless you shouldn’t blame an entire business for one individual.”

“C.” Twilight tilted her head. “Can I call you that? C.”

“I'd prefer if you call me Tommaso. That’s my first name.”

“Alright so C.” Twilight said in spite. “You told me once that corporations are people. In fact doesn’t the fourteenth amendment of the American Constitution legally make corporations a human entity?”

“I don’t know. I’m not American.” Curizno stated.

“Whatever, the point is.” Twilight continued. “This could have been a plan to derail our government. Think about it. He had a perfect opportunity to kill all of us yet he only chooses one.”

“Maybe he made a mistake?”

“No!” Twilight stamped her hoof. “It was for reasons unknown. I don’t know maybe to fuck with me or something. All I know is Blue Star will never work in Equestria again.”

“Twilight I didn’t know you were so paranoid.” Curizno grinned.

“Well you taught me that.” Twilight replied. “Not you specifically but humans in general. Your politics are very rough.”

“That’s why we need strong leaders like you to keep them from being bad.” Curizno said. “But Twilight if you do plan on destroying Blue Star then you must find some other company to replace them. After all they do guard things that are very important to your nation. Such as the Crystal Empire. If they have to go then your sister will be defenseless. The Equestrian Guard can only be stretched so thin until it basically becomes worthless. That’s a flaw in the treaty by the way. There seem to not be enough troops to maintain the entire country. Which is why these security companies exist.”

“Alright I see what you’re saying.” Twilight thought. “Gunna need to find another company then.”

“Well I might have one in mind.” Curizno said. “Now what’s the name, um, oh that’s right. Copperhead Security.”

“I don’t know if I want another company.” Twilight stated. “What if they go rogue?”

“I don’t think you have a choice.” Curizno replied. “Again the Equestrian Guard will be useless if an attack comes and they’re stretched thin. And don’t even try and tell me that an attack won’t happen. They’re always bound to happen.”

“I guess that’s true.” Twilight agreed. “There are still a few loose ends here and there. I think the biggest will be whenever King Sombra makes his move. I know he’s there in the dark waiting to strike.”

“Even more of a reason to better your defenses!” Curizno concluded. “Remember this Twilight. One of the worst things you can do is live in fear all your life.”

“I know that but. Alright it’s like this. What is stopping these Copperheads from being like Blue Star? To me they sound the same.”

“And you are right.” Curizno grinned. “They are the same but actually they’re kind of different. I know because I have a small investment in their business.” A complete lie. “In fact I believe they don’t carry weapons unless they need to. Actually hold on.” Curizno turned around.

“Hey Bruce!” He called to the bodyguard. “Come over here for a sec.” Lumbering over, Bruce the bodyguard loomed over the table like an impending storm.

“Yes sir?” Bruce said at attention.

“Bruce, answer me honestly.” Curizno smirked. “Are you packing?”

“Pfft, me. No sir.” Bruce grinned. “No way anybody’s letting me carry heat while in Equestria.”

“What about your colleagues?” Curizno asked.

“None of my friends really carry firearms.” Bruce stated. “My superiors do. Lucky bastards carry Glocks and M9s.”

“That’s good Bruce. Thank you.” Curizno said with a wave of his hand which prompted Bruce to leave. As soon as he left, Curizno looked back to Twilight.

“So I assume you’re going to take up the offer?” He asked.

“Definitely.” Twilight said. “Scaling down in guns is always a good thing. I can’t believe we are letting men with assault weapons and sniper rifles walk around my country. I need to seriously rework ‘no guns in Equestria’ to include things like this.”

Suddenly a shout was heard from behind her. She turned to see Rarity was stomping off with her head up in the air. Behind her following quickly was Ryan.

“I would never!” Rarity howled.

“Oh come on. Sweetie.” Ryan said exasperated. “It’s only for your health. We can get something to eat after. I know you’ll like that!”

Ryan’s words only made Rarity angrier as she stormed off even more flustered than before. Curizno and Twilight were very curious to know what happened. Twilight was fearful something like this would happen and so was Curizno but each had different reasons. Twilight was fearful that Rarity would make a fool out of herself somehow and Curizno was afraid Ryan’s idiocy would hurt his chances with Twilight.

“Ryan, what happened?” Curizno called to his friend.

“Nothing.” Ryan called back. “I just tried to take her to the gym. I thought it would be good for her.”

“You’re a fucking idiot.” Curizno yelled this time. “You don’t tell her to hit the gym.”

“Well Celestia knows she needs to.” Twilight commented. Curizno looked at her with disbelief for saying that about her friend and then burst into laughter.

After the date the mares and men said goodbye. It was around four when Twilight and Rarity returned to their limousine. Both of them had obligations to fulfill in their busy schedules. Today was a lull in the storm of deadlines but that just meant that there is more to come later.

Now was the quick ride back to a state building or whatever place the drive brought them. It would take around thirty minutes. In which time the mares sat close to each other. But despite the closeness there was a strange air of awkwardness around them. The reasons for it were know in both mares but neither really wanted to share them.

“So Twilight dear.” Rarity broke the ice. “How have you been?”

“Good.” Twilight replied shortly. Her attention quickly turned to the window. It was tinted so pedestrians couldn’t see who were inside. The windows were also bulletproof. They weren’t always that way but with recent events certain measures had to be put in place. Twilight used to be able to look out and wave at people on the outside; but no more.

“Twilight.” Rarity continued. “It’s been so long since we’ve been together. It seems like we never see each other except in those meetings with the state.”

“Yes Rarity I’m very busy.” Twilight said not facing her.

“Alright Twilight.” Rarity stated. “I’m going to ask you a question. If you don’t answer me that’s okay because I’ll know the answer… Are we still friends?” This took Twilight by surprise and she instantly gave Rarity her full attention.

“Of course we’re still friends.” Twilight exclaimed.

“I know that. How silly of me.” Rarity shook her head. “It just we never see each other because of our duties and what kind of friends are those.”

“I’ll admit something to you Rarity.” Twilight sighed. “I thought way back when I became a princess that my duties would interfere with our relationship. But I was wrong. Then when humanity came I thought being dethroned and becoming a senator would relief me of some of my duties. And I was wrong again.”

“No Twilight, we were wrong.” Rarity placed a hoof on Twilight’s hoof. “It was fun when it was just the few. They taught us their lessons and we taught them ours. Now our lives are just confusing. Because of them I don’t know anything anymore. All I know if humans have changed us for better or for worst.” Rarity upon noticing the dismay in Twilight’s face chose to start up a new conversation. “So how was your date?”

“Oh it was fine.” Twilight said kind of shyly. “And it wasn’t a date. It was a simple meeting. He had things to say and so did I.” She didn’t have the heart to tell her friend her true feelings. Rarity interpreted this as something different.

“Twilight I’m surprised about you doing that. You usually hate these types of things. Do you even like humans?”

“Well I haven’t really been with one.” Twilight admitted. “But I will admit I have let some inside my.”

“We’re getting off topic here.” Rarity quickly swerved the conversation. That part of Twilight’s love life was something that shouldn’t be talked about in decent conversation. “Just tell me how it went.”

“It was nice I suppose.” Twilight said. “We talked about stuff and he treated me well.”

“That’s great to know!” Rarity exclaimed. Then her expression dropped. “Mine was surprisingly rude despite his social stature. I almost forgot how not everyone in high class society is as polite as they could be. That dick head wanted to stuff me like a pig! I’m on a diet!”

“Rarity calm down.” Twilight ordered. “You’re getting worked up.”

“Sorry Twilight.” Rarity huffed. “I’m just stressed for reasons you know of.” Rarity pushed her gut in. “It’s just something I’ve been working with my shrink about.”

“Rarity.”

“Yes Twilight.”

The alicorn took a deep breath. “I know who killed Fluttershy.” Rarity drooped her head as memories of her past friend came back. Never again could she go to the spa with her. A tradition destroyed by an enigma hiding behind a child.

“Twilight darl”

“It was Blue Star Security Company!” Twilight blurted out. “They help us guard Equestria but they killed our friend.”

“Do you know why?” Rarity asked.

“I, no.” Twilight shrunk back. “I’ll ask them when I meet with a representative but it could be anything. A rogue agent, a secret operation, or just some nutjob that wanted to hurt us.”

“Twilight.” Rarity put her hoof on her wing. “It’s okay to cry. Only I will see it.”

“I’m not gunna cry, Rarity.” Twilight spat flicking Rarity’s hand off. “I’ve cried enough. I want action; I want something done about this. I’m calling for a hearing as soon as possible.”

“Well I’ll stand by you for whatever reason like I always have.” Rarity nodded. “Nobody takes my friend, hides behind a child, and gets away with it.”

“Humans.” Twilight hissed. “Sometimes I love em and sometimes I hate them.”

“Eh.” Rarity nervously coughed. “I’m assuming your date told you this?”

“Yep, gave me written documents and everything.” Twilight stated. “So I guess I didn’t waste my time with this. Should’ve known me to do business when I’m on leisure.”

“Baby steps Twilight.” Rarity smiled. “You’ll have a real relationship someday. Hopefully it will be with someone you like that’s just as into his work as you are. Well not too into it. He still has to have time to spend with you.”

“I’m looking Rarity; I’m looking.” Twilight replied. “It’s just work all day and sleep all two hours.”

“We’ll both be fine.” Rarity said. “At least we’re helping people. No pony is getting hurt.”

“You’re right no pony is.” Twilight said. That sentence. No pony getting hurt. It sent up alarms inside her head. A brief flashback came back of a tragic event.

Rarity exited the car shortly and they said their goodbyes. As soon as Rarity left the car and the driver took off, Twilight collapsed onto the bench seating. She buried her head in her hooves and mumbled to herself.

“I didn’t know; I didn’t know. I’m sorry; I’m sorry.” She whispered and repented for her sin.

Author's Note

Well this took a while. The reason being I got confused over how everything would progress. Basically this part had to become its own chapter because it was so lengthy. On the bright side I have the next chapter half way done.

Oh and sorry to anyone that wanted more of Jim. I promise this subplot has a point but I only hope it is at least a bit entertaining. Anyways Jim is back next chapter. More killing yay!

Chapter 22: American Psycho

My first morning in the homeless shelter and I was off to a great start. I woke up pretty early and got straight to business. I ate some breakfast which was more than what I expected to be served. If I knew that there were homeless shelters I would never have been an anarchist. Heck, I probably wouldn’t have traveled the American Midwest if I knew I could live in a place like this. This is truly the way I should have been living my life.

It makes me wonder about things; if all those years of travel were for nothing. Five years ago, when I ran away, I always thought it was just me from then on out. I had to do everything myself. The little money I made from pawning stuff and working quick odd jobs barely got me what I needed to survive on. I’ve shoveled shit and cleaned bathrooms in places that seemed like the rest of civilization had forgotten. And now I’m learning that all I had to do to move away from that was ask and there were people to help me.

Wait, now I remember why I’ve never expected help. Help was being offered by ponies back where I came from. I can recall all those programs that people like me could enter to get a better life. I know better and it’s obvious they are pony brainwashing facilities. The whole ‘find your cutie mark’ thing I’ve heard about once or twice seems to be some kind of way to put us through their indoctrination. Again those ponies ruined me by trying to deceive me. I hate them so much.

Well that life is behind me for the most part. I will still have the scars but I can start anew. Although technically not anew since I’m going down a dark path that started with the death of Fluttershy but at least I’m doing better than ever. And on the brighter side I’m making new acquaintances to make it easier to live here. New friends mean new opportunities. And sure Twilight is probably gunna kill them like she did Darius and the anarchists, but they’ll keep me company for now. Don’t wanna talk to myself all day, that shit is just creepy.

“So it’s not a good idea to be a crack dealer?” I asked again for clarification.

“Correct.” My new friend, Rodney said. He’s a drug dealer and he’s my newest friend. “If you do it would be bad for everyone.”

“I still don’t see why.”

“Alright how about I explain because Rod is being a pussy.” Said Rodney’s friend, Derek. I’m not really friends with him since even with my brief talk he’s kind of an asshat. But Rod is okay.

“Alright I’m listening.” I said.

“If you try and deal anything illegal in this town.” Derek explained. “We’re gunna kill you; you stupid honky.”

“Yeah what he said, honky.” Rodney said with a nod.

“Rod. You too?” I said shying back.

“Yeah man.” Rod nodded. “It’s just not a smart business move. We own these corners right now and we’re trying to expand. It’s just business you know?”

“JIM!” I heard Jess suddenly yell from across the café. “What are you doing?”

“I’m making friends!” I yelled back.

“Don’t make friends with them!” Jess shouted. “They’re idiots!”

“I don’t know! They’re pretty cool to me!” Jess just waved her hand.

“Hey.” Derek reached across the table and grabbed me. “Jess is kind of hot right? I mean just look at her ass. Look quickly, she’s turning around.” Derek turned my head and I got a pretty nice view of ass. “Yeah take a good look.” Derek hissed. “Because you’re never gunna get it.” He threw me back and I sat back in my seat across from him. “You think because she’s talking to you that she’s interested? No way man! As soon as some other bum walks in here, bam, you’re replace.”

“Uh, Jesus Christ, you’re going on about this again.” Rodney shook his head. “Look new guy. Jim is it? Don’t go falling in love with her. Sure she’s acting nice but she does that with everyone. Derek here made that mistake and while it was hilarious, I guess it pissed him off.” Derek scrounged his face and pouted.

“Gee, well look guys. I have no intention of getting into a relationship.” I explained. “There’s no way some girl will wanna date me. Come on I’m a bum off the street with no cash. What am I gunna do; take her to a movie?”

Rodney laid back. “You got a point there. You’re alright I suppose. Got your head in the right spot. Unlike some people I know.” Rodney gave Derek a little slap on the back of the head.

“Whatever white boy.” Derek responded. “Just don’t push drugs around our street and we won’t have to stomp ya.”

“Actually don’t push drugs at all.” Rodney said. “Just a word of advice. Buddy of ours got hauled off. Took em all the way to a North Carolina prison.”

“That’s right I forgot they bring humans to prisons on Earth.” I said. “They sure as hell don’t want us here. Funny how at first they were all welcoming. I still remember the tourist commercials.” My comment seemed to hit something in Derek because he lightened up.

“I know right.” He replied enthusiastically. “Fucking brats. If we humans all dropped dead one day, them ponies would not bat one eye.”

“Oh I know.” I shook my head. “Ponies are man’s number one enemy.”

“Do both of you really believe that?” Rodney asked. “Look I know it seems that they aren’t helping us but they’re not hurting us. At least not intentionally.”

“Huh yeah right!” I stood up. “Do you know what they’ve done already? Ask them about what happened to 8-Set. I was fucking there. I was driving the car he got shot in. I was” But before I could finish my sentence I was cut off when my hand twisted in a way it wasn’t supposed to. I squawked in pain before something pushed my head into the table.

“Hey Jim. Can I talk with you for a second?” Jess sounded pissed. I nodded in pain and she took me away. When we were behind place they served food at, away from everyone else, she let me go.

“So uh, that sure is a grip you got there.” I commented rubbing my sore wrist. Why does everyone seem to like twisting this thing?

“Thank you.” Jess smiled. “You learn to keep a tight grip on people here.” Her smile faded. “Which is what I wanted to talk to you about; the people here. Listen punk. Don’t go around spreading your hateful messages. These people don’t need it. Lot of them are misguided enough. Some are drunkies and some are just wack jobs. Bottom line is nobody needs to be inspired to do something dumb.”

“You know I’m confused Jess.” I said while still rubbing my wrist. “I’ve been spending time talking to people here. Got to know few names. There this German guy named Erik that I talked to and this marine veteran named Jones.”

“Yeah I know them.” Jess said. “Your point?”

“Well from talking with them I learned some things. I learned that all of them aren’t very fond of ponies.”

“Well congrats Jim.” Jess hissed. “You’re now caught up with everyone else. You learn that life in Equestria doesn’t really shimmer?”

“Well actually I knew that.” I informed her. “I just didn’t think that anyone else knew. I’ve always been surrounded by bronies. You know, people that fantasize about the taste of Twilight Sparkle’s asshole.”

“Yeah no one does that here I hope.” Jess sounded a bit disgusted. “Point is you’re wrong about our relations with the horses. They aren’t fond of us as well. But they kind of got an excuse with some wacko sniping them.”

“If they didn’t want us then why let us into their country?”

“I don’t know Jim!” Jess raised her voice. “Listen, things are confusing these days. But all I know is that I’m helping people and that’s all that matters. Now you know that this place closes in a few minutes.” Jess picked up a purse next to her and retrieved some car keys from it. “Hope you have something to do. Don’t hang out in front of the shelter either. If I find out you did that then you can sleep in the alleyway for a night. This isn’t your hideout. There’s a no loitering sign you know!”

“Alright I won’t.” I complied.

Actually I have no idea what to do today. Only thing that was really on my agenda was to meet people, and the only reason I did that was because Jess told me to. Now I really have nothing to do. I could get a job but that seems stupid since some of the people I’ve talked to haven’t had a job in months. They just live here basically. Which is what I plan to do but I can’t tell that to her.

“Actually I think I’m gunna just walk around town.” I told Jess.

“Good Jim.” Jess said. “Find a job somewhere. Lots of businesses accept walk-ins these days.” Alright bullshit. If they did then I would have been employed in my stay here. I’ve checked most of them want you to register. It ain’t like Earth where you could walk in and get paid under the table. Prissy ass ponies need their documentation. Bunch of bureaucratic cunts in ya ask me.

I left the shelter at around ten. I was probably one of the first out. Out on the streets again I got a bit nervous. Police are technically still looking for a murder and I have no idea what they know. The only thing that really makes me less tense is I’m not wearing that jumpsuit of mine. Gave it to Jess for laundry so I’m just wearing the clothes that Darius gave me. Sneakers, sweatpants, and a t-shirt shouldn’t be too suspicious.

Making my way downtown, walking quickly down the sidewalk I was on the lookout for something to do. The sky was clear and the sun was shining so it was a beautiful day even if it isn’t supposed to be this way. Middle of autumn and it felt like a mild July. Lots of people were traversing and they seemed to have a place to go. I felt strange being in a new place but it was a normal feeling I felt every time I go somewhere new.

Manehattan reminds me a lot of when I lived in Las Pegasus. Like Las Pegasus there were cops regularly scene at most street corners which unnerved me. Seems that martial law is also in Manhattan. At least this is for an understandable reason since there were two murders here. Still I’m scared of all of them just patrolling around. It’s a mystery how Darius’s killers and I could get away with our deeds without getting immediately chased. Guess it shows how effective these cops are.

Eventually I must have hit the market district because it looked like it was the nice part of town. I’ve been here with Darius but I don’t really know the area. So I went exploring. Not really sure why I’m here but I guess it probably has something to do with Jess telling me to get a job. Don’t think I’m getting one but this may be a fun place to hang.

Or maybe it won’t since I’m flat broke. I believe I left all my money with Darius and it’s not like I can go back and get it. All I know is, I have no money but that’s okay since I’ve gone without it fine in the past. I guess it just means I can look but not touch. Still this does limit my options of what to do. It’s not like I can walk around all day. I can walk to clear my head but my head is pretty clear right now.

Oddly, in a weird twist of fate, I found myself walking in the direction of the hotel that Darius and I stayed at. It was like there was a gravitational pull on it and I found myself going through the doors to the front lobby. It was just chance that I found it but a supernatural force that brought me inside.

I was reminded of how classy this hotel was as my shoes clacked against the marble floors. There were pillars that showed class and everything just glowed with glamour. Around me people and ponies were dressed sharply which made me feel out of place in my sweatpants and everything. I just look like some dirty guy off the street. Surprised they haven’t called the cops on me.

Darius was really living the high life before he got shot. It’s really inspiring that someone that grew up with nothing can get to a place like this through hard work and luck. I’m so glad that he made it without me. I felt so guilty leaving him all those years after I made a promise. But I guess I made the right choice. And now, I must avenge him.

I decided suddenly that I wanted to explore this place. Since I’ve never been in a real expensive hotel before, it might be a cool place to see. So I enter an elevator with this other business man looking guy. I briefly stared at the man and he gave me a brief nod. I grinned with glee. Not because I liked the guy but because he acknowledged me. When we got off he jumped out and made his way rather quickly down the hall. I watched him and I noticed that he met up with a bunch of other men in suits. Then they all entered a single room.

I passed by the room and realized that it was the room that Darius and I were in. Those men must have been police men. Scared out of my mind I bounded as far away from that place as possible. I know the saying goes that criminals always return to the scene of the crime but that doesn’t mean I’m gunna get caught.

I went to another floor I was so scared. As I got off on the tenth floor I passed by a pony. We were all alone and this made me go into a flashback. It was of the junkie I killed. Like this situation we were all alone and I felt like a predator. Could I do it? It seems easy enough. Just grab its mouth so it can’t scream and suffocate it with a garbage bag from a trash can down the hall. It’s that simple.

But I let the pony walk since it was obvious that if I attacked it then I would be screwed. So I watched it walk away kicking myself for being a coward. If I want to avenge Darius or whatever it is I want, then I need to start but getting active.

That’s when I got the idea to kill again. It was a liberating idea and I loved it. Only problem is how I will do it. Unlike last time I have no weapon and then there’s how I will escape. Can’t escape into the night this time. Logic tells me that this is stupid.

Actually fuck logic right now. Logic is for pussies and it’s only held me back.

I walked down the hall and as luck would have it I found an open door. Nobody was in the room as far as I could tell. A devious idea hopped into my head. What if I just waited for whoever was in there to come home and then I killed them? The idea was so scary it gave me goose bumps.

Looking both ways down the hall I saw no one looking so I tip toed into the room. I walked past the bathroom and noted that a human housekeeper was cleaning. She was bent over the toilet so she couldn’t see me yet. That would change if I stayed out in the open so I quickly looked for cover.

I found it in the form of the closet that all these rooms seem to have. The closets are pretty deep and I could fit in there easily. So I snuck in and to my relief the door slid open and closed without a squeak.

Now the waiting game occurs. Now the only thing I can count on is luck. I’m gunna be lucking if that housekeeper doesn’t check this closet and even more lucky if I can pull this off. My plan is to just clonk the pony to death like last time. Maybe nobody will listen to the screams and sounds of struggle. I just hope a pony is occupying this room.

Eventually the housekeeper left but by that time a bad thought had entered my mind. What if this person was human? I don’t want to kill a human. Not only will that be tough for me but it is also something I am unwilling to do. So I pray that whoever is in this room is a four legged equine.

A buzz was running up my neck that I couldn’t really explain. I reached back to my neck and decided that I should sit so I wouldn’t be tired when the moment comes. As I sat back something hard hit my back. But by the feel of it I knew it wasn’t the wall. It must have been some article of clothing but I soon discovered it wasn’t; it moved.

Instantaneous shock went up my body and before I knew it I had two long arms around me. A hand covered my face and legs wrapped around my own legs stopping me from moving. A tight grip and I was pretty immobilized with fear was sinking in. The only thing keeping me from freaking out was at least this person was human. But other than that I realized that I was not alone. Seems that I’m not the only one with a psychotic killer mind.

I felt their head shift to my ear. “Be very quiet.” A man’s voice whispered. “I’m not going to hurt you so I need your cooperation.” He put his wrist in front of my face. An LED light shone the time. “It’s eleven. At any moment the owner will show up. Don’t make a noise. Barely breathe.”

We sat together in silence. My mind raced with fear and the want to just run away. But whoever has me has a tight grip. Even if I tried to escape I’m too afraid of what will happen. There’s no doubt that he might have some kind of weapon on him. And if he’s telling me the truth, then I may not want to move less I startle the owner.

The identity of this man is unknown. He’s wearing regular clothes and he’s tall; that’s all I can gather. What else is he is gripping me pretty tightly. This is just fantastic. I’m being held hostage by another killer. I was supposed to be doing this to the victim.

After a few minutes he talked again. “Alright I’m gunna let you go. Don’t move. For the love of God don’t move.” He slowly let me go and I did as he told me.

This guy must have been a professional or something because he moved so smoothly and quietly. It reminded me of water almost how his body contorted to squeeze past me. Then there was how his feet hit the floor without a sound. Looking at him I wonder how successful I would have been if I had tried it.

After about another minute I was going to shift to a crouching position when there was a creaking noise. I looked through the closet door and saw a figure walking by with bags. To my relief it was a pony, a stallion to be exact, that came. This was good since it meant I didn’t come here for nothing.

But now I wonder what will happen next. Who is this guy and what is he doing here? Obviously it’s the same purpose as what I was planning to do but what is he gunna do about me? If he turns on me then I’ll be screwed. No way I’m gunna be able to out run a guy this tall. He’ll be on top of me before I can exist the door.

My question was answered soon. When the pony’s back was turned, the man slowly slid open the closet door. As soon as there was enough room he leapt out and what happened next blew my mind.

Immediately, I saw through the blinds, the man grabbed the pony’s head and back legs. He then picked it up and held it sideways and forcefully brought its back onto his leg. I believe that’s a wrestling move called the backbreaker.

I felt a rush of excitement; the same rush I felt when I was doing that murder. I too exited the closet to get closer look.

The man had the pony dazed and with a burst of strength he slammed it on the bed and climbed on top of it. Still having his hand over its mouth, he had it at his mercy.

I was in shock and awe. Here I was witnessing a murder attempt and I loved it. It felt so right to see this creature be brought down and to have it experience fear. What made it better was it was a human doing it. I want to be like this guy.

Suddenly the man began beckoning me. “Watch how this is done.” He kind of ordered.

I watched as he pulled out a knife from his back pocket. It looked small but I’m guessing it’ll get the job done. He placed the knife on the tip of the pony’s nose.

“What are you gunna do?” I asked.

The man turned to me. His expression said it all. There was this look of sadistic joy as he smiled and brought the knife to the pony’s throat.

“This.” He grinned before carefully laying the knife on the pony’s throat and slicing it open. There was this frightening gurgle and a spurt of blood and then the carnage began. He began stabbing and slicing at the body. The chest, the neck, and he even went through one of the eyes. It was so gruesome and yet I couldn’t take my eyes away.

He seemed to love it as the pony looked more mangled with each stab. This is something out of a horror film. This guy is like Michael Myers or something. He’s so deranged yet so careful in what he’s doing. I can see there is a pattern he’s performing. It goes stab, then slice, then stab, then slice.

The pony’s eyes were rolled back in its skull. It looks dead and I’ve seen my share of the dead. Its limbs were curled up and its mouth hung open.

The man on top of the pony stood up and got off. He hobbled over to the opposite bed and sat down on it. There was a tremendous amount of sweat on his face as he seemed to take a moment for himself. This man looked late twenties at most. What shocked me was how lanky and tall he was. Should’ve been a basketball player instead of a murderer.

“Aaaaaaaaah.” He moaned deeply with a hint of passion. “That was different.” He looked at me. “Name’s Drake, sweetie.”

“Alright, my name’s Jim.” I replied holding out my hand. He didn’t take it.

“Sorry but I’m kind of drenched don’t ya think?” He said slyly. I quickly took back my hand. He was covered in blood I noticed. It speckled his face and soaked his shirt. It smeared his hands and had dripped on his pants. Drake stood up. “I’m just gunna take a quick shower.”

“Alright.” I nodded. “But what about the blood on your clothes?” Drake frowned and leaned into the closet we were hiding in. He brought out a plastic bag.

“Brought a change of clothes just in case I got too crazy.” He stepped into the bathroom but poked his head out the door. “Feel free to check what this pony has. His shit is ours.” He disappeared and I heard the shower turn on. He poked his head out again. “Oh and no peeking. I know you want to.”

“I won’t.” I said just sitting there. The fuck does he mean by that?

While I was waiting I decided to do what he said. I first checked out the bags that the pony had brought in. There were mostly clothes which were completely useless to me. I can’t wear pony clothes so the bags were a waste. The rest of the room didn’t have much either save for the pony’s wallet. Seeing nothing else I decided to just watch so TV. I turned it on and flipped through the channels.

Maybe there are some cartoons on or something. Instead I found what seemed to be a public address from the senate. Again it was Twilight Sparkle that was on the podium.

“Citizens of Equestria.” She began. “For the past couple of years, Equestria has been under the dark veil of a corrupt and violent conspiracy.” She continued on but I wasn’t listening. It was all just jibber jabber to me and I could care less what that purple bitch had to say. I flicked the TV off unsatisfied.

Drake walked out from the bathroom with a smirk on his face. He sat down next to me and was silent for a second. It was almost awkward.

“So is this your first time or?” he asked.

“My first like this.” I said. “I killed a pony about two days ago, maybe? That was my first time.”

“Ah, I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve done this.” Drake replied.

“So you’re a serial killer right?” I asked.

“I really don’t like to call it that.” Drake seemed a bit nervous. “But yes I am.”

“Thought so.” I said standing up and walking around a bit. “You seem like a professional. How you move and everything.”

“Yeah just some skills I learned doing this for a while.” Drake shrugged. “This was gunna be different though. My plan was to kill the house cleaner and then dump both bodies in the bin the cleaners push around. But then you just had to come and mess everything up.”

That plan sounds solid. I wouldn’t know but this guy seems to know what he’s saying. “Sorry that I messed up your plan then.”

“Oh it doesn’t really matter. At least you’re cute.” He grinned. I got uncomfortable.

“Uh anyways.” I looked the other way. “So what are you gunna do now? No one’s gunna find out. I don’t wanna go to jail.”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down there Jimmy.” Drake moved to me. “We’re gunna be fine. Trust me.” He began to gently rub my arm. I yanked it away and took a step back.

“Uh I think we should be going.”

“Oh we should. Not safe to stay in one place for long. Especially with those guys checking out that rapper’s room.” Drake ran over to the pony. It was now starting to look dead and the color was draining from it. Blood just coated the top bed sheet. It was confined to the bed but there was a lot of it. I wonder how Drake was gunna cover this up.

He approached the bed from one side and flipped the top sheet over the pony. After wrapping the body up like a mummy he continued to pick it up and walk towards the closet.

“Good thing these comforters absorb blood so well. We’d be fucked if the blood got anywhere else.” Drake said walking over to the closet. He opened the closet door. “This is a common way you can hide a body. Just throw it in the closet like a dead hooker.” Drake smiled sadistically as he closed the closet door.

“Is that it?” I asked.

“Yep pretty much all we can do. I mean we just walk out from here on out.”

“No that can’t be it.” I said. “We need to cover our faces, wipe this place down, and properly dispose of the body. What’s gunna happen when they come looking for this guy? There’s gunna find us. I’m not going to prison. We need to use logic. We need to disappear.”

“You know you really need to relax.” Drake said soothingly. “Listen you’re new to this so I can understand the stress. I was just like you. But now that I know what I’m doing this is like second nature to me. We’ll be fine if you do as I say. Got that?”

“Yeah alright.” I exhaled. “Let’s get out of here.”

Drake and I proceeded to leave the hotel. Against my reasoning we went out the front door past the entire lobby. That was the moment I thought we would be caught but to my surprise we were fine. We even rode the elevator with those men that I saw go into Darius’ room. In the end we got out and were walking down the street like nothing had ever happened.

This Drake character has some balls. I mean I haven’t met anyone who could just kill something with the knowledge that they could get in trouble and just walk away. It was inspiring to see him just walk right out of the hotel with not as much as a sweat. He’s brave but there’s something off about him. It’s not that he’s a serial killer it’s the way he does things. He seems kind of fruity to me. I mean he was calling me shit like sweetheart and saying I was cute. It’s probably nothing but he’s been trying to get awfully close to me.

“Sooooo Jimmy.” Drake said playfully.

“Uh, just Jim.” I corrected him.

“Ah that’s no fun. We’re partners now buddy.” I don’t like the way he called us partners.

“Alright.” I said sweating. “Um where are we going?”

“Well it is noon.” Drake answered. “Let’s eat!”

“You got money?” I asked. Drake reached into his pockets and took out a wallet. It was the same wallet the pony had. He took out the money and threw the wallet down a storm drain.

“Looting is the best idea ever thought of.” He grinned. “See this.” He held a note of currency in front of me. It looked like a Euro but with a picture of Celestia’s face on it. God I hate that bitch. “That pony was loaded which is partly why I killed him.” Drake waved the dollar in front of me. “Heh, remember when they used to have gold coins as currency? Then they changed it to this flimsy dollar.”

I’ve never ever seen Equestrian currency before. Yeah I’ve been using my American dollar so far since it works here like most currency from the world. From what I remember Equestrian was an economic disaster due to it being hard to adjust to the vast sums of the Earth’s per capita. The bit had to go, that was unanimous, but what would replace it was the troubling part. I guess a bill makes sense.

“Yeah I’ve never seen a bit before in my life.” I said as Drake put the Equestrian dollar away.

“I bet those bits are being hoarded somewhere I bet.” Drake said. “Hey let’s go there!” He pointed to a fast food restaurant. He leaned in next to me. “Us serial killers need to blend in. Trust me when I say no one looks for killers at Wendy’s.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know?” Drake responded. “Probably because they wouldn’t expect us in places that are so regularly commuted.”

We sat down and got to eating. We talked and did the normal stuff that people do. I guess he’s technically my friend now. You kill together I guess you’re friends. We shared out lives. Well he did mostly I only gave a few things and the rest was made up.

I told him how I’m from the states and how I ran away from home at eighteen. Didn’t say why or that I had mutilated a kid but I left it as I was unhappy. Told him about how I traveled around and eventually came to Equestria seeking a way to make up for lost time. I left out the part about the anarchists, Discord, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Danny, and Darius. So basically all the interesting parts of my life. I did tell him about my little murder of the pony junkie; he thought that was cool. He told me about his life too.

Actually Drake has a really interesting life. Turns out he came to Equestria to escape a spree of killings he had done back home. He’s twenty seven but apparently he had started at twenty and couldn’t stop. He killed humans and some ponies before coming here. He got in legally, unlike me, and eventually even became an Equestrian citizen. From then on it’s been blood and guts. He’s learned to stalk and prey on ponies that he finds vulnerable. With his experience he hasn’t been caught. He’s been focusing mostly on ponies now since he’s grown a soft spot for humans here.

I asked him how come he hasn’t been capture. He replied with a smirk and told me apparently that crime solving is a broken practice here. There aren’t too many skilled and ambitious detectives that are looking around. Nobody really pays attention to crime in Equestria. Then I was introduced to a grim reality. Why doesn’t anyone care about these heinous acts? It’s a simple answer. People don’t wanna hear it. In a country so filled with “love” and “friendship” people will turn a blind eye to the bad. I guess it’s a bread and circuses kind of thing like the Romans did. I don’t believe people are that ignorant though; ponies maybe but not us humans. It’s probably that the ponies are hiding things from us.

With that interesting conversation fresh in my mind we set off to walk some more. I think I’ll stick with him for a while; got nothing better to do. But I’m beginning to see things differently. I used to think that bronies and their new ideology turned the world evil but maybe it’s always been this way. It’s like Zayn used to tell me; I just hate society. Too bad I know Zayn is wrong about everything. I know better than to be a pessimist. I just have to stick with my simple goal of killing ponies. At least I can ruin some pony’s family with a depressing death.

We were walking again when we noticed something.

“Hey what time is it?” I asked.

“Oh it’s,” Drake reached into his pocket and retrieved a watch that he probably took from one of his victims. I say that because it was speckled with blood. “It’s four.”

“Oh cool.” That means I can go back to the shelter. The hours there are ten to four so I’m definitely welcomed back there.

“Hey, good news is I haven’t seen any cops for a while so I think we’re in the clear for now.” Drake said. “Congratulations you’re the only witness to another murder in Equestria.” He held out his hand and I shook it.

“That’s cool.” He leaned in close to me.

“If you ever tell anyone I’ll bite out your tongue.” He smiled strangely.

“You’re not that tough.” I grinned back.

“I just killed a pony!”

“So did I and I didn’t have to use a knife.” I smirked. “Anyways I’m gunna spilt.”

“Where you going?” He asked me.

“Well you know I’m homeless.” I had told him earlier. “So I’m going to a shelter.”

“Wow man so am I!” Drake lit up.

“No way. You know Jess?”

“Man she’s my home girl.” Drake jumped up.

“Well then what are we waiting for? Man, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Both of us ran to the shelter. It was has just recently opened so there weren’t anybody in there. We busted through the front door. When we got there Jess was setting here things down.

“Hey Jess.” Drake ran over to her.

“Oh Drake how great to see you.” Jess hugged him. “How are you? I didn’t see you come in last night.”

“Yeah I was just doing some stuff.” He said.

“You didn’t sleep on the street did you? You know you have a bed here.”

“I know and I was fine. I even met a new friend.” He pointed to me.

“Oh hey Jim.” Jess said noticing me. “You have any luck finding a job?”

“Um no.” I said kind of embarrassed. “I kind of got distracted. Then I hung around with Drake.”

“Oh really, and what were you guys doing?” Jess crossed her arms.

“Oh just the usually.” Drake grinned.

“And what would that be?” Jess questioned. There was a distinct suspicious tone in her voice. Almost immediately I get nervous and I saw Drake shift around a little bit.

“Just what I normally do, except this time Jim tagged along.” Drake explained.

“I know what you normally do.” Jess had her hands on her hips.

“Well then you know I don’t do anything.” Drake was rubbing his hands together.

“Liar.” Jess looked at me. “What exactly were you guys doing?”

“Uuuuuh.” I just stared at her. Drake turned to look at me with this expression that told me to just make something up. He had this freaking out desperate face on. “We, we.” I struggled to come up with something. “We were getting some flowers.” Jess raised an eyebrow while Drake nodded his head; he seemed to want me to continue. “Yeah we were getting flowers for you.” I smiled. “Just wanted to show our appreciation for everything you’ve done.”

Jess laughed. It sounded really sarcastic. “That’s horseshit. One, nobody here appreciates what I do and two; there is no way I’m going to believe that, Drake. I know how fucking messed up you are. How you go on these hunts. I’m just disappointed that you’ve decided to drag someone else into your mess.”

“Actually he found me.” Drake held his hands up. “He stumbled onto the same target and watched. He’s just as responsible as me.”

“Oh really?” Jess eyed me. “Jim I’m ashamed of you. I thought you’d be better than that.”

“Oh he’s no saint.” Drake grinned. “He killed a pony the night before he came to the shelter. At least that’s what he told me.”

“Drake God damn it!” I growled. “That was supposed to be a secret.”

“Woops.” Drake smirked.

“Alright both of you sit down.” Jess ordered. She sounded angry and by the way Drake hurried to seat himself I figured it would be a good idea to not object. “Now Jim.” She spoke to me first. “I’ve had to deal with this guy for a couple months now. I know all about his little escapades. I’ve had to hide him from time to time so he doesn’t get taken away.”

“Really? Why?” I asked. “Do you support what he does?”

“Of course not!” Jess stated. “But he’s a good guy. Just a bit disturbed. Besides he hasn’t really hurt anyone important. Actually the real reason is I know I couldn’t stop him if I wanted to. The point is he’s one of mine. As for you.” She pointed at me. “Drake went down a dark path. He’s addicted to killing just look at him.” I looked at Drake who instantly put on a dopey expression. “He doesn’t want a job, doesn’t want a partner, and doesn’t want anything but to kill. Is that the type of life you want?”

I looked away. Even if she couldn’t tell she was asking something I was too afraid to answer. I thought about answering yes but it seems like I’ve already gone down this path that she described. It would be so hard to do anything else other than exact my revenge on pony kind if I just stopped now. My whole vengeance scheme is my life. It’s the reason I left my family and any chance of a successful life. And now I’m gaining the chance to try and make up for lost time. But if I continue on the path I’m heading then I’m throwing away this opportunity to no longer be this skill less loser I’ve become. It’s all too much at this moment. I just can’t make a decision.

“Hey Jim.” Drake waved his hand in front of my face. “You okay? You seem a bit out of it.”

“Sorry I was just thinking.” I replied snapping out of my trance.

“Listen Jim I know we talked about all about you and I being partners. But now that I think about it, don’t follow in my footsteps. You could be so much more.”

“I’ll consider that Drake.” I said.

“Consider this.” Jess said still watching us. “Unless you want to be a gay homeless serial killer then I would start being more productive with your time.”

“I will.” I assured her. Then it hit me. “Wait you’re gay?” I looked at Drake.

“Yeah why?”

“I didn’t know that!” I exclaimed.

“Oh for Pete’s sake Jim.” Jess groaned. “He’s wearing a gay pride shirt." Drake pointed to his shirt to show the picture of a rainbow flag. I was shocked.

“Well this explains a lot.”

“We were cuddling in the dark.” Drake giggled to Jess.

“Jim you said you weren’t gay.” Jess laughed .

“I ain’t.” I retorted.

“Really? Because you didn’t really struggle when I was holding you tight in that closet.” Drake purred.

“I was afraid you were gunna slit my throat.” I tried to explain.

“Sure you were. Buddy.” Drake put his arm around me. I took it off and scooted over a bit.

By around six the shelter was pretty full. Most of the homeless had gathered back after doing whatever they had obligations to. I was still seated with Drake but this time I had more company. My two drug dealing friends, Rodney and Derek, had joined us. There was also my buddy Jones, the marine, and Erik the German. I had talked to those two briefly in the morning before talking to Rod and Derek. Apparently everyone loosely knew each other.

“So if you joined us then we could have another street corner covered and we’ll just split the profits evenly.” Rodney said to Drake.

“Well I appreciate the offer.” Drake replied. “But I’m not being a drug dealer. It just seems too boring. Maybe if there was more excitement. Because come on, I’m not gunna get shot at by some rival drug dealer now am I? Now that would be fun!”

“It’s not about fun. It’s about the cash.” Derek explained. “Think about it. All the shit you could buy with a steady salary.”

“I get by with what I acquire.” Drake said. “You’d be surprised what actively killing can get you.”

“Can I just say that it’s fucked up that you would let him become a drug dealer and not me?” I stepped into the conversation.

“Well that’s because you don’t look the part.” Derek sneered.

“Yeah nobody would take you serious like they would him.” Rodney pointed to Drake. “He’s tall and mean. You’re kind of short and clean.”

“Hell even Jones here would be a better dealer than you.”Derek said. “Too bad he’s too big of a wimp to do it.”

“I just don’t wanna end up in jail like you two idiots because that’s what’s gunna happen eventually.” Jones responded.

“Hey Erik you wanna be a dealer?” Derek asked. “Nobody will ever expect a tiny European like yourself to be dope dealing.”

“Fuck you.” Erik sneered.

“I don’t know. I think Jim would be a good dealer.” Drake spoke up.

“No no.” Rodney shook his head. “See you really need to be vicious in this industry. Man you can’t be a pushover. Jim here looks like a bitch. No offense.”

“Jim’s killed before.” Drake said laid back.

“What are you talking about man?” I asked.

“I’m talking about how you hit a pony to death with only a brick.” Drake stated with a grin. I leaned over to whisper something to him.

“Hey how about you not tell people about that.” I whispered. Drake scowled at me before standing up.

“Hey this guy’s a murderer!” He yelled so the whole café could hear. “He killed some pony!” He sat back down and smirked. “See no one cares.” I groaned.

Suddenly, without any warning, something crashed through a window at the front of the café. Everyone stood up wondering what was going on. Outside there was what sounded like a bunch of people. It was an angry sound like an ocean hitting cliffs. Everyone rushed to the windows to see what was happening. I stay backed with Drake and Jones. They were the only ones to not go. Alright I was startled.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“Well it seems like they’re back.” Drake sighed. “Just like they said they would.”

“I’ll get Jess.” Jones said standing up and walking off.

I walked to one of the less crowded windows and struggled to get a glimpse of what was happening. After pushing myself I looked out. What I saw was something out of a movie. There must be a thousand or so people out there. They were chanting and protesting. Some of them had signs that they waved back and forth. All of them were shouting and looked furious.

What struck me was there were mostly ponies in the crowd. There were humans mixed in but seventy percent or so were ponies. This was unbelievable I never thought I’d see a crowd of ponies act like this. Usually they were portrayed as being a peaceful species. But here they were screaming and holding up signs that could only be described as hate messages. What could cause a stir like this?

I back away, partly in shock, and made my way to a wall to lean against. It was so chaotic out there and I was scared. Right now I honestly think that maybe there’s gunna kill us. Unlikely I know but from the energy in that crowd, anything is possible. I wouldn’t be surprised if they stormed in here and hung us all. They’re acting like a damn lynch mob.

I saw Jess come out from the hallway with all the bed rooms. She looked pissed. Jones walked up to her probably to inform her of what’s going on.

“I know, I know, I can hear them.” She said quickly walking towards the door. I walked to her.

“Jess, what’s happening?” I asked.

“Not now Jim.” She said taking out a key from her pocket. “Right now I need to make sure everyone is safe. I can’t believe they threw brick through the window.” She stood against the door and looked to the people in the shelter. “Everyone just sit down and stay calm. We’ve all been through this before.” She began to slowly open the door. I peered out the forming opening to get another look. “Jim get out of here.” Jess ordered.

My instinct to disobey kicked in. I’m curious; I want to know what I going on. “No.” I said defiantly. “I wanna see what’s happening.” Jess groaned as I tried to exit the door. She stopped me.

“Drake!” She called to the lanky man. He bounded over. “Drake grab Jim, make sure he doesn’t leave.”

“Why should I?” Drake put on this mischievous grin. “Let the newbie see how our kind are treated here.”

“Drake this is no time to argue with me?” Jess growled.

“Please!” I pleaded. “I’ll be fine. I can handle myself. I’ve killed a pony before you know.”

“Damn it fine!” Jess began opening the door. “But be careful.” She said before I could exit. “I ain’t gunna protect you and these ponies, Jim. These ponies will kill you. Do not mention you’re homeless and don’t mention you came from here. I’m gunna go talk to the person who is coordinating this and see if I can get him to lay off. If not I’m calling the cops. Drake.” She turned to him. “Can you keep everyone under control like last time?”

“Yeah everything should be fine.” Drake replied. “Go get em girl. And Jim, beat another one over the head for me.” I smiled. Jess didn’t.

“Don’t do as he says.” She pushed me out the door. I turned to face the crowd that was amassed just about twenty yards away from the front staircase. Jess turned around and locked the front door. We were on our own from here on out.

Author's Note

Just for clarification. I have never seen American Psycho. All I know is Batman is a serial killer.

Chapter 24: A drug deal gone wrong

“Jim! Hey Jim!” From across the room, Casey called out.

“What?” I yelled back at him.

“Get over here.” He waved his arm. I looked at Drake who just nodded for me to go.

It’s pretty late. We’re supposed to go to bed at eleven and it’s ten thirty right now. So whatever they want they better hurry. It’s been a long day for me and personally I would like to get some sleep. My body is sore and my lip just stopped bleeding so I’m about ready to hit the hay.

“Well what do you want?” I greeted them. I noticed that Derek was facing the other way with his arms crossed and Rodney didn’t exactly look please to see me. Casey looked like he just had a rough time. And if I think about it, they were getting riled up after they separated from the group. Wonder what that was all about. All of them had really caused a scene.

“Hey Jim.” Casey started. “Would you be interested in a business opportunity?”

“Um that is a big word. Business opportunity.” I replied.

“It’s two words.” Casey shook his head. “Listen do you”

But before he could finish, Derek decided to speak up. “Jim you wanna deal drugs with us?”

I didn’t really understand what he said so I just replied with a grunt. “Huh?”

“It’s what Derek here just bluntly said.” Casey explained. “We’re asking if you want a share in our business. I understand you had tried to convince them to let you join them. Well here’s your chance.”

“But why? I thought you didn’t want me.”

“We didn’t but we changed our minds.” Derek said taking a quick peak over his shoulder. “Now make a decision before we change our minds again.”

I smiled like some sort of clown. I’m so happy not because this means I will probably get some cash but because it means they have accepted me. No one ever accepts me. “Yes!” I almost shouted. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, thank you!” I hugged Derek which immediately got him angry.

“Get off me cracker!” He roared pushing me off.

“What’s going on here?” Jess stepped out of nowhere to confront us. I haven’t seen her since I came back into the shelter. She kind of wandered off after I received that applause for my courageous action against the PAHI. Don’t know where she went but it must have been important. Probably went to look for some more homeless.

“Oh hi Jess.” I greeted her in a friendly manner since I am very happy right now. “I’m gunna be a drug dealer.”

“You’re what?!” She shrieked. I heard the sound of three hands hitting three faces and instantly I knew I screwed up. Jess looked at Casey, Rodney, and Derek. “Absolutely not!” She grabbed me by the collar and forced me to her level. “You’re staying right here.”

“No I’m not.” I said while I struggled free from her grip. “I’m going with them. Right?” The three were all looking very miserable.

“God damn it Jim.” I heard Rodney mutter.

“Jim you’ve had a long day.” Jess continued on. “You’ve hung out with Drake and gotten your ass kicked. Don’t you think that is enough for one day?”

“Yeah but.” I struggled to come up with a reason to defend my point. “I’m gunna get paid.”

Jess’ glare hardened and she gritted her teeth. “You get paid at a job too which you were supposed to try and apply for if what you told me this morning is true.”

“It was true but I got distracted.” I explained. “Besides there’s no point in getting employed. Ponies would never hire some human like me. Humanity and pony kind will never get along.”

Jess was silent for a few seconds. She looked extremely furious but that was short lived. Her next expression was that of remorse. “You know I thought you would be different.” She murmured. “I thought you’d not be like the others. So resistant to things that are different to you and so cruel to each other.” Then the look of anger returned. “But I know better now. You’re just like everybody else but you’re worse.” That last word stung. “You’re worse Jim. So go out there. See what will happen to you.” With that she turned around and walked off towards her room.

What a bitch! I thought I liked her at first but it’s obvious she’s holding me back. She just doesn’t understand what it’s like for humans here. She just doesn’t get that ponies are not our friends. But why doesn’t she see that? It’s clear that she sees how humans are treated in Equestria and how ponies don’t help. In fact, today was proof that ponies are against us. But why doesn’t she see that? She’s either stupid or just clearly mistaken.

I felt the unmistakable force of an open palm on the back of my head. “Ow!” I winced rubbing the place I got hit. “Hey who did that?” I said spinning around. In front of me stood Rodney and to his side was Derek.

“Hey Jim.” Rodney said in a low tone. He put his hand on my shoulder and backed me up until my back was against the wall. “You may want to treat Jess a little nicer in the future.”

“What, why?” I asked having no clue what he’s talking about.

“She’s a good girl, Jim.” Casey stepped forward. “She tries so hard to make everyone live a better life even if they’re not happy with her.”

“Everything she does is from the kindness of her heart.” Rodney continued still holding me in place. “And it would be a shame if her kindness was wasted on someone that might turn into a scumbag.”

“A-are you talking about me?” I asked gulping.

“Nah you’re cool Jim.” Rodney finally released me. “You just need to simmer down a bit. Actually I should be a little more lenient. Derek had the same problem you’re having.” Derek only grunted which prompted a chuckle from Rodney. “Anyways let’s get going.” Rodney said. “We need to be on time for the midnight rush.”

“Midnight rush? What’s that?” I asked as we began to walk out the door.

“Oh it’s that time in Equestria when ponies come out for their nightly toke.” Casey grinned as we stepped out the door. “You’re gunna be selling to the ponies and make bank.” Casey looked at Derek who nodded back. “Cool I said it right.”

“Alright sounds simple but what exactly am I doing?” I asked as we arrived in the parking lot of the shelter.

“Oh it’ll be easy.” Casey explained. “They’ll tell you what to do.”

“Sweet!” I exclaimed. “So are you coming with us?”

“Oh hell no.” Casey laughed. “I’m much too reputable to be caught doing a scandalous activity like that.”

“Yeah but running the thing is fine.” Rodney added.

“Damn right it is.” Casey pointed. “Now you hurry on now. Jim you’ll get paid tomorrow morning.”

Oh shit, I forgot to ask what I’m getting for this. “Before you leave. How much am I making?”

“That depends on how much you make.” Casey shrugged. “But we all get paid in percents. You get ten percent and Rod, Derek, and I all get thirty percent each.”

“What!” I exclaimed. “That ain’t fair.”

“Haha, new guy needs to prove himself first.” Derek commented.

“Aw hell no guys.” I stomped my foot. “I want at least an even pay.”

“Too bad.” Derek and the gang began walking away and I didn’t follow. I’m not agreeing to anything till I get a fair deal.

“You guys make it fair or I’m not going!” I crossed my arms in defiance.

“Alright see ya.” Casey waved back.

They can’t be serious. “Alright guys twenty three percent.” They kept walking away. “Twenty, eighteen, fifteen and that’s my final offer.” But they kept going and it was only until they rounded the corner that I knew I wasn’t getting a deal. “Hey wait up!” I yelled and ran after them.

Casey split a little after we started walking to our spot. Apparently he has to wake up early in the morning. I don’t really believe him since he kind of comes off as a swindler to me, but a classy swindler at least. Bottom line is it’s just these two black dudes and I about to deal some coke or whatever we’re dealing.

They explained to me the deal and my role. Apparently they’ve wanted to expand for some time now because a lot of rival drug dealers were taken out not long ago by a police crackdown. But two dudes can’t expand without the inclusion of more help. The problem was that nobody wanted to help them. Well except for me but I wasn’t wanted. Then Casey changed their mind since they had no options. Now they can get a bigger territory because of my help. I feel so special.

As for my role in all this, I feel kind of tricked. All I’m gunna be doing is standing on the corner and when a customer comes by I’ll direct them in the right direction. Apparently this is the safest method to do this because if a cop tries and arrest me they won’t find anything and Rodney and Derek can run away. Basically it’s a game of profit at some else’s expense. I don’t really mind though because I don’t think I’ll be caught. I’m really smooth at hiding things.

However, my only worry is my citizenship. As an illegal alien it’ll be awkward if I’m brought in and they can’t find my name in their database. Then it’ll all go south. But I know that if I want to make it by in life I’m gunna need cash. So what is a little risk when compared to the reward?

We got to Derek and Rodney’s place where they usually make deals at. It was hard to get a good view of it which is why they probably chose this place. But from what I can tell it is just a street corner that is the street on one side and a flimsy chain link fence on the other. There were no nights shining down so it was pretty much total darkness.

“Jim.” I heard Rodney say.

“Huh?” I turned around to where they were. But they weren’t there! I looked around frantically for them. “Where’d you guys go?” I asked out into the darkness.

“What are you talking about?” I heard Derek ask. “We’re right here.” But I still couldn’t see them.

“Where?”

“Motherfucker!” A hand grabbed me by the collar and pulled me forward. I was soon face to face with Rodney. “Do you need glasses or something?” he asked sounding angry.

“No.” I replied. In truth I don’t exactly have twenty-twenty vision but it’s not bad. I’m just a little near sighted. It’s only almost killed me three times while I was driving. Wish I didn’t break my glasses all those years ago when I first ran away.

“Well then what’s your problem?” Rodney asked letting me go.

“I don’t know.” I retorted straightening myself. “You guys just blend in with the darkness I guess.” I quickly realized what I just said and I looked at my two business partners. They looked pissed. I for some reason couldn’t help but giggle a bit since, I don’t know, I can’t help myself when it comes to jokes like this. I blame Darius for this. We used to joke around like this all the time.

“Aw hell no.” Derek growled. Shit, I guess they don’t think it’s funny. “Can you believe this cracker, Rod?”

“Let’s just get this over with.” Rodney sighed.

“Yeah, go stand over there Jim.” Derek pointed to what I assume was the fence. I went over and stood in front of it.

“Like this I asked?” Standing still like a soldier.

“Yeah that’s good.” Rodney said.

“No it ain’t!” Derek interjected. He walked over to me. “You look like a security guard; you need to look like a thug.”

“White people can’t be thugs.” I groaned.

“No they can’t.” Derek agreed. “But you can try. Now stand a bit more… slanted.” I leaned a bit to the side a bit and then leaned to the other side. I thought I was being funny but Derek was getting impatient.

“Fucking shit, Jim.” He groaned. He walked over to me and personally dictated my actions by pushing and shoving my body till he got what he wanted. “There.” He smiled finally satisfied. “That looks better.”

So it turns out what he wanted was for me to slouch against the fence with my hands in my pockets and be looking down at the ground. He could have just told me that! Also I can’t say how ridiculous I look. It’s like my spine is rubber. If my mom was here she would tell me I could really mess my back up like this.

Oh yeah, that’s right. I miss my mom.

“Jim!” Derek snapped at me. “Come on you’re not paying attention!” I shook my head to try and forget what I was thinking about. It isn’t good to think back to home. I learned that the first year I was alone.

“Hey Jim we’ll be just around the corner in this alleyway.” Rodney said pointing to the alleyway they will be at. It was a short distance to my right.

“Alright I’ll point them to you.” I said.

“Alright good.” Rodney nodded and they both started to walk away. They must have made it about five steps before they disappeared again. I need to milk this joke.

“Aw fuck you guys are masters of disguise.” I called out. I heard their footsteps stop.

“Fuck you!” Derek yelled at me. “Geez I tell ya Rod, you can’t judge a book by no cover. It ain’t the rich southern who the racist but the fucking white trash hood that could identify with us the most.”

“It’s probably why he’s racist.” Rodney chuckled.

“Fucking cracker.” Was the last thing I heard from them.

All alone in the dark I was reminded of a childhood fear. It’s not easy to admit but I was terrified of the dark when I was younger. I think it was because of an overactive imagination that would instantly think of terrible things that could be in the places I could not see. This fear would really disable me and I hated being alone. However, this fear was conquered when my father forced me to get over it.

One night he had brought me out into the woods near my house and forced me to endure the darkness. He knew I would not leave his side because it would make the experience worse and that I would have a panic attack. The climax of this was when he had disappeared from my side and I was alone in the woods surrounded by the unknown. I yelled and I cried until I got afraid of attracting the attention of things that might be lurking in the shadows. So I stayed silent until something in me snapped. I realized there was really nothing to be afraid of and there was nothing out there. By the time my dad came back I was leaning against a tree bored out of my mind. The monsters that lurked in the darkness were gone forever and I embraced the silence of the night. Later when I had my first sleep after running away I really relied on that moment to get me through the night. All I remember is crying myself to sleep.

The skill I learned that day was the skill of experience. I learned that after I try something once and I gain that experience, I can do it again because I know it was not that bad. This skill was used when I first had to steal to pay for gas and most recently when I killed that pony. The reason I went into that hotel room was because I knew it wouldn’t be that bad to take another victim. All because of that night with my dad am I able to handle the unknown. Dad sure was a good father if not a little harsh at times.

Come to think about it, tonight is just like that night in the forest. I mean it’s really boring. I must have been here for around thirty or forty five minutes and not even a car have driven by. If it’s gunna be like this all night then I am clearly wasting my time. Worse I have no idea when this will be over. For all I know I could be out here till the sun comes up. I hope Celestia raises the sun early or Rodney and Derek end this within the hour because I’m tired and I want to go to bed.

I was about to just sleep standing up like a horse when I heard the sound of people approaching to my left. I looked to the left and saw three figures. Instantly I noticed they were ponies. Well this is gunna suck. I know I’m gunna have to sell to ponies because we can’t turn down a customer but I’m not gunna enjoy this. They approached me and soon I was surrounded by the three. Kind of odd how they’re positioned around me; it’s almost like they are intentionally prohibiting me from leaving.

“Human.” One of them grunted. It was a dark red unicorn. His buddies were a yellow Earth pony and a green Pegasus.

“Pony.” I grunted back. Not dealing with their shit.

“Kind of late to be hanging around.” The Pegasus sneered.

“Don’t forget, they’re nocturnal.” The Earth pony chuckled.

“Yeah so, can I help you guys?” I tried not to sound too angry.

“How about you tell us why you’re out here.” The unicorn said.

“If you don’t know then it’s none of your business.” I stated. Don’t think I’m doing this drug dealer thing right. I don’t believe drug dealers sound professional.

“Well what if it is?” The Earth pony stepped towards me. “Are you selling drugs or something?” Oh so he does know.

Time to have fun with this. “What are you talking about?” I grinned. “Drug deals don’t happen in Equestria.” The Earth pony didn’t appreciate my sarcastic humor. The Pegasus did.

“Yeah you idiot.” He cackled. “Drugs deals don’t happen in Equestria.”

“And they don’t happen for a reason, am I right?” The unicorn chimed in. He looked at me. “You ain’t selling are ya?”

I glared at the three. “Get the fuck out of here.”

“Fuck you.” The unicorn growled back.

I wasn’t expecting the charge. Probably because I’m still in the mindset that ponies are usually peaceful creatures that are too pussy to fight despite what happened only hours ago. But because I wasn’t expecting it I didn’t try to dodge or block it. The unicorn lowered his head and proceeded to gouge me in the stomach with his horn.

I felt it poke into my gut. The feeling was something I never felt before. It was like the pain was not on the surface of my skin but behind it. Then the foreign presence left me as the unicorn retracted his horn. Immediately I held both hands over the wound as my legs gave way and I fell on my ass.

“God damn it!” I moaned and withered on the ground. From above me the ponies were gathered like vultures. They all seemed to snicker and smile like a bunch of sadistic clowns. I hate them so much.

“He fucked you up human!” The Pegasus squawked above me.

“You humans should leave your drug habits to yourself.” The unicorn stated. “You have the nerve to bring that shit here after what happened to Pinkie Pie? You don’t deserve to live. All humans deserve to die” the unicorn stated in the coldest manner, before walking off.

The Earth pony gave me a quick buck to my chest which sent my upper body down to the ground. I was still holding my stab wound while they hung over me. Then there was yelling and the sound of feet running. The ponies turned tail and ran and I watched them. My eyelids started to close and although I fought the feeling; I slowly found myself plunged into darkness.

In that darkness I had a vision. Don’t know what it means but I could easily make out what it was. It was ponies and they were dying and I was the one killing them. Sometimes it would be with a gun and sometimes it would be with my bare hands. There was blood everywhere and I stood victorious over the body of that unicorn.

It’s so beautiful.

***

It was late at night and Curizno was not at all happy. He was supposed to be asleep an hour ago but then somebody just had to call him. Now he was sitting in his pajamas at his desk while on the phone with a contact he never talks to. Worse he being a busy man had plans that he wouldn’t be ready for due to this interruption in his sleep pattern.

Apparently this call was so urgent that his secretary had forwarded the call to his private phone. Just when he thought he was safe inside his mansion that he built in the Equestria countryside by bypassing several laws that condemned the action, he gets a call from some bozo talking so fast he couldn’t understand.

In the end, Curizno was happy he had gotten this phone call. It indeed did turn out to be important because it was a matter of credibility. The man, named Clover to hide his identity, was going over what had been discussed previously. He was named Clover in case of the phone being recorded the name sounded like a pony when it was really a human talking.

“So I’m just gunna run by the possibilities to you again.” Clover said.

“Clover I’ve understood what’s been going on for the night now.” Curizno said impatiently his speech slurred from the stress of waking up late at night.

“Alright but I’ll run it by you again.” Clover insisted. “The yellow jacket that was found in the room of Darius Reed, stage name 8-Set, matches the description given by Daniel Francisco of the suspected sniper in the Fluttershy case.”

“You know.” Curizno chuckled. “For a guy that is so secretive that he uses a fake name, you’re awfully specific. If someone was tracing this call they would know exactly what we are talking about.”

Curizno knew he had stumped this Clover guy. Too bad the idiot didn’t know that they was no way the call could be traced. Curizno owned the company that ran the phones in Equestria. They know to pay to mind to his calls unless they want to be ruined.

“Anyways.” Clover continued. “The police investigating the room will most likely come to these conclusions based on evidence collected. The jacket belongs to 8-Set and he was the sniper, the jacket belongs to a friend of his that was the sniper, or the jacket is just a coincidence. Either option this new piece of evidence almost completely rules out the involvement of Blue Star Security.”

“I understand that.” Curizno put a hand on his forehead. “I understood that the minute you said the jacket was found in the room.”

“Well that’s good you understand the predicament.” Clover said. “Because I need to know what you want to do with this evidence.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Curizno growled. “If this gets out it can have major repercussions everywhere. Twilight Sparkle has already denounced Blue Star and if people find out they had nothing to do with it then it hurts her credibility. Then when she hurts all of Equestria hurts and I lose a bit of my hold on things here. So get rid of that damn jacket. Pay off those cops, do whatever you can, and destroy the jacket. Burn it for all I care. The only thing that matters is Blue Star is destroyed.”

“Yes sir.” Clover responded. “I’ll get on that right away.”

“Good you do that.” Curizno went back to his bed.

“Alright have a good night sir.” Clover said.

“Wait.” Curizno stopped the call from ending. “Just a quick question. Where the fuck did you come up with the name Clover?”

“Uh, ha.” Clover laughed. “In the show there was an episode on the history of Equestria and one of the important figures was a unicorn named Clover the Clever. Just thought I would adopt that as a cover up.”

“I’ll be honest with you Clover.” Curizno chuckled. “I never watched that stupid girls show in my career.”

“Yeah looking back it was just a stupid girls show, but hey now we live in that stupid girls show.”

“I guess you’re right. Well goodnight Clover.” Curizno then hung up the phone.

For the rest of the night Curizno found that he could not sleep. The call he received had interrupted his normal sleep cycle and thrown his internal clock out of whack. So he stared at the ceiling and imagined the future.

Already he now owned seventy percent of the Equestria market which already gave him boundless power but it was not enough. He viewed his investments and ownerships as an empire and if anything was to be learned about empires it’s that they must always be expanding. If they didn’t they would collapse on themselves. So Curizno needed his empire to go farther if it were to survive.

The next steps would be to own the smaller establishments. Although some bigger goals eluded his grasp such as the monopoly on the Equestrian gem trade, starting off small from now on would yield bigger rewards in the long term. The only problem is operations like this took time and sometimes came at risk. What would come in handy is a trump card or something to mix the order of this tedious task. A little chaos to stir things up and make people panic, and when they panic they’ll look to a leader to guide them. Curizno wasn’t that leader but there are people he could achieve his goals through.

Curizno personally hoped that Princess Twilight would be the pony that could change things for him. Again Curizno thought to that alicorn of friendship. At times he viewed her not only as an object of lust but an object of achievement. If he netted her into his empire then with her power they could conquer Equestria in just a few weeks. It really is an admirable goal. All of Equestria united under one rule. All of their decision made by one man. Total control.

***

Rodney and Derek both began banging on Jess’ door to her room. Normally this is a no-no but this was an emergency. Normally the shelter is locked after eleven but Jess, though she does not support Rodney and Derek’s escapades, keeps one door unlocked so they can let their selves in. If it wasn’t for this kindness I will admit that I probably would’ve died outside.

“Jess, Jess get out here!” Rodney yelled banging on the door. He continued banging until a reluctant Jess came and opened the door.

“What the hell do you guys want?” She asked rubbing her eyes. “It’s like one in the morning.”

“Jim’s hurt.” Rodney dragged me forward. “Bad.” I looked up at Jess still clutching my wound. She looked at me and when she saw the blood her eyes widened in shock.

“Holy shit!” She exclaimed.

“What’s going on out here?” Someone from the guys’ bedroom asked. It was Jones. He was standing in the doorway.

“Nothing go back to sleep.” Jess pushed past us and went into the hallway. “Get him to the cafeteria and lay him out on a table. Go quick!” Rodney and Derek began walking me down to the cafeteria. They did as Jess told them and I was on my back on top of a table. Jess ran in soon after.

“Alright so. Lift up his shirt I guess.” Jess said frantically. They lifted my blood stained white t-shirt and I saw the circular hole the unicorn gave me. It was still bleeding.

Jess was biting her nails seemingly in a panic. That was the part when I really panicked. I was panicking already but this was bad now. She’s supposed to know what she’s doing.

“I thought you’d know what to do.” I said loud due to fear.

“Well I don’t.” Jess cried.

“I do.” Jones stepped into the cafeteria.

“You do?” Jess and I said together.

“Come on I was a marine.” Jones grinned. “I can get you patched up. Jess go get the first aid kit.”

“Oh I forgot I had that.” Jess jumped off and ran to her room. Are you kidding me? That wasn’t her first reaction? At least she came back quickly.

“So uh, is this gunna hurt?” I asked nervously.

“I don’t know.” Jones said as he took out a cotton ball from the kit. “Does it hurt now?”

“Well yes but I kind of got use to it.” I admitted. Jones poured some hydrogen peroxide onto the cotton. I don’t like where this is going.

“Well it’s gunna hurt some more.” Jones said before pressing the cotton ball to the stab wound. I’m fairly familiar with the feeling of hydrogen peroxide. I used to get really ruffed up because I would be forced into fights at school and outside of school with Darius. I would get my ass kicked and my mom would always fix me up and I would do it all over again the next day. Even after all those fighting experiences I still can’t fight for shit. But I’m not afraid to get into a fight with someone at least.

As for the pain it was really bad. It was the familiar bubbly, burning sensation but this time it was deep. I tried to lurch forward but Rodney and Derek held me down. I moaned a bit and Jess covered her mouth and looked away. Jones had this kind of goofy grin on his face.

Eventually Drake came out to join us. He apparently couldn’t sleep because being a serial killer he had subconscious guilt or something that made it hard to sleep. He was really vague on explaining it. Also he was curious as to what all the banging was about. When he saw what had happened he flipped. He was probably the worse out of everyone.

“Jim!” He wailed running over to the side of the table. “What happened?”

“Quiet you’ll wake up the rest.” Jess quieted him.

“It’s nothing Drake.” I said through the pain of the hydrogen peroxide. Jones had just finished and was rummaging through the kit. “I just got into a tussle with some ponies.”

“Ponies did this?” He exclaimed.

“Drake shush.” Jess commanded.

“Yeah it was three of them.” I explained. “A unicorn stabbed me.”

“Give me their colors Jim.” Drake took on a darker tone. “Just need their colors and I’ll kill every pony a shade or two away.”

“It’s fine man.” I said. “Really it’s not worth it. Just a punk ass unicorn that charged me like a bull or something.”

“Ah that explains some things.” Jones said. He was tearing open some package. “A local trend among the more rebellious unicorns has been to sharpen their horns. Most of the unicorns that do it tend to be more violent so if you see one look out.”

“That should be illegal.” Jess remarked.

“Oh it should be.” Jones said placing some kind of adhesive bandage over my wound. “It is very capable of doing harm yet most ponies believe it to be harmless.” He pressed the bandage down. “There ya go should be fine now.”

“That’s it?” I said. “That wasn’t bad.”

“Of course you’re wound wasn’t bad either.” Jones explained. “It was barely deep and didn’t hit anything important. Those horns aren’t killing weapons they’re more of intimidation which is why they’re getting away with it. Just make sure you don’t tear it open by moving the wrong way.”

“How do you know all this?” Drake asked.

“I was a marine.” Jones smiled.

“Were you a medic?” I asked.

“No, no.” Jones shook his head. “There were medics but I wasn’t one of them. I did receive medical training thought. It was because me and some buddies were hiking and one of my friends fell down and hit his head really hard. None of us knew what to do so we just left him there while we called for help. My squad leader was so depressed about how hopeless we were that he decided we all had to have medical training so we could help each other out if something were to happen again.”

“Sounds like a smart guy.” I commented.

“He was.” Jones nodded. “One of the reasons we were so great was because we cared about each other. Later we would be told we didn’t care about anything but killing people.” He’s probably talking about the bad rap troops got after they were told to go home. Most of the media painted them as sadistic killers.

“That’s what I care about.” Drake smirked.

“Well that’s because you’re a psycho.” Jones remarked.

“Well I think I’m fine.” I sat up and hung my legs down. I still hurt a bit but I think I’m fine. This will probably be a distant scar later on but it will not be a distant memory. I will remember this day for the rest of my life like all the other times someone hurt me. I will remember Rainbow Dash and PAHI forever.

I turned my head to Rodney and Derek. “Hey guys. How are you holding up?”

“Good.” Derek waved a hand.

“I’m not.” Rodney said. He was covering his face. “I just fucking got you stabbed.”

“What are you talking about?” I slid down onto the seat part of the table. “It’s not your fault.”

“Yes it is.” Rodney insisted. “I knew that it would be risky to go out tonight after that riot. And I was too selfish to play it safe.”

“Stop being a fucking idiot!” Derek suddenly spoke up. He started pacing. “It’s obviously my fault. Remember it was me that said we should use Jim as bait. Alright! So blame me.”

I’ve never seen Derek like this before. I mean I only known him for a short while but he doesn’t seem like the type of person to worry about someone else. Guess he really does care.

“Alright listen everyone.” I announced. “This one goes on me. I don’t wanna hear any shit about it. But do you wanna know why this is my fault?” I pointed directly at Jess. “Because I didn’t listen to her.” Everyone looked at me confused. “Yeah I said it. I didn’t listen to Jess when I should have. She knew what would happen and she knew that I would get this but I didn’t listen. Worse she fucking told me this would happen, directly to my face, and I didn’t listen.” Here comes the mushy part. “So I’m sorry Jess.” She looked surprised. “I’m sorry that I didn’t listen and am a burden on you. You were right I am the worse.” I sat back down. “I cause trouble wherever I go and I had the potential to get back on track. But I wasted it. I’m so sorry for that.”

There was a silence that filled the room. I don’t know why but everyone was looking at me all proud. I really didn’t do anything. Just said I was sorry.

“Gee.” Jess rubbed the back of her head. “Nobody has ever apologized for what they’ve done. I don’t know what to say.”

“Hey I’ve apologized countless times.” Drake spat.

“No you haven’t.” Jess retorted.

“Oh yeah I haven’t.” Drake giggled.

“Alright well since I have that off my chest. I’m going to bed.” I began walking to the male bedroom.

“Yeah you do that.” Jess said. “I hope from now on you’ll think twice before doing something so foolish.”

“I will.” I replied.

“Oh and give me your shirt.” Jess held out her hand. “I’ll give you a new one tomorrow.” I handed her the blood soaked white t-shirt. That shirt probably costs more than I could make in a month. It was a designer that I got from Darius. If Rarity was here I imagine she would have been mortified to see it got to waster.

Heh, Jess told me to think twice.

Oh and I’m thinking twice alright. I’m thinking twice on a revenge scheme. There is no way I’m letting ponies get away with this. I’ve been humiliated and tortured for the last time. This time it is personal. I hereby dedicate my life to not just the destructions of the mane six; they’ll get theirs. But I dedicate my life to destruction of pony kind and all those that sympathize with it. Every pony must bleed and then I won’t be satisfied. All bronies must also perish with their pony masters.

I jumped into my bed and laid staring at the bottom of the top bunk. I put a hand on the bandage. It’s will start tomorrow. Tomorrow I will start the process of enacting my revenge. It may take its time but it will happen. I’ll start small and then I’ll get huge. I know it. It is my destiny.

I’m the Anti-Brony.

Chapter 25: Arms race

The next morning I slept in later than usually. I must have woken up at nine which is two hours later than usual. But even though I woke up I stayed in bed. For a good hour I laid on my back and stared up at the bottom of the top bunk. My hand found itself touching the bandage. It felt so weird. I pressed my hand against it and felt a flare of pain which indicated where the wound was. I wonder how long I will need it on. Hope it doesn’t get infected or anything. I mean it’s a sizeable hole and it would probably be best to get professional medical attention. But I have no way to pay for that so I think I’ll just lie here instead.

I was thinking about things. These things I think of are really horrible. They are familiar and common thoughts but they’re horrible. These thoughts were what I used to imagine doing to the mane six when I had time alone. I would spend hours thinking of revenge schemes when I was an anarchist. But this time I imagined more than the mane six. I imagined it would be a room full of ponies. They would be blue, yellow, green, pink, purple, and completely covered in blood. It would be better than the mane six because there would be more. Besides I probably will never get a chance to kill another mane six ever again.

Eventually I got out of bed. It felt a bit awkward without a shirt and I was beginning to get cold. Almost forgot how close it is getting to winter time. Usually they keep it warm but due to the holiday season they crank the temperature down. What pisses me off is they seem to do this so suddenly that people can’t adapt fast enough. One day it’s all warm and sunny then suddenly it’s ball numbing cold and there’s white stuff everywhere. Fucking ponies. What are they trying to kill us?

There was basically no one in the cafeteria so it must be late in the morning. I’m not too bothered right now except I kind of want a shirt. Other one is covered and blood and torn and I don’t really think it’s a good idea to be seen out in public without something covering this bandage. It really draws attention and I don’t want people or ponies asking me if I needed help. Because I do need help but not the kind they would think I need. I need help eradicating ponies.

“Hey Jim catch.” I heard Jess’ voice from behind me. Before I had time to react my head was draped with something. “I said catch!” Jess repeated. I took off the t-shirt that landed on my head. It was a dark blue Nike shirt. Nice I like this color! Or at least what looked like a Nike shirt. The symbol was different. It looked like a ‘U’ instead of a check.

“Thanks Jess.” I said putting the shirt on. It was pretty big on me but I’m used to it. I usually wear things bigger since it covers up my skinny body. At least I did when I had the choice to. Now I wear things big because hand me downs and donations are all I can get.

“So Jim, what’re you doing today?” Jess asked. She was getting ready to leave. I guess she was waiting for me to wake up since she’s usually out the door by now.

“Um probably something that won’t piss you off.” I replied.

“Good that’s a start.” Jess smiled. She began to walk away but stop and turned to me. “Jim.”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you.” She said. “Thank you for that apology. Not many people here have that kind of decency. They really don’t.”

“It’s no problem.” I grinned. “Just something that people are supposed to do. I was raised to respect what others do for me.”

“I’m sure the others were too.” Jess said. “They just forgot. But thank you anyways. It means a lot to me.”

“Alright you’re welcome.” I said as she walked off. Then I quickly remembered something and ran to catch up with her. “Hey Jess, wait.” I yelled as I caught her. “Do you know what happened to that black jumpsuit of mine?” I had given it to her to be washed and I was anxious to get it back. It was one of my only possessions I have and I have memories embroidered in it. I’m not gunna wear it but I want it back.

“Pfft, oh that old thing?” Jess giggled. “I threw it out.”

“Oh okay.” I twitched my head. “It’s okay. It was old and dirty anyway. Not to mention kind of weird. I mean a guy wearing a jumpsuit with an anarchy symbol on the back. Heh. Fashion disaster!” Wait a minute, what the fuck am I saying? “I mean, you fucking threw it out!” I exclaimed capturing how I actually felt. Damn that was weird.

“Are you serious?” Jess questioned. “You literally just stated reasons why. Which is kind of odd, never do it again.”

I grabbed Jess by her shoulders. “When is trash day?” I asked frantically.

“Let go of me pervert!” Jess suddenly screamed. With cat like reflexes she gave me an uppercut to the jaw. I let go of her in exchange for now holding my mouth. Seriously, again with the mouth? “Oh, um, uh, sorry.” Jess awkwardly tried to apologize. “Yeah I should have told you I have a problem with people touching me. See it has to do with… actually let the boys explain. I really have to go.” With that she left me holding my probably bruised jaw. Well whatever because I have a jumpsuit to get.

I hopped outside and sprinted around the corner of the shelter. Alongside the wall of the shelter was a big purple dumpster. The reason it is purple is because it reflects Equestria or something like that. A tourist told me that once. I think the color is stupid and looks totally out of place. Anyways my heart was pounding as I hoped I would find what I was looking for. I opened up the top and held my breath. Then I dove in like it was a swimming pool.

I’ll admit I’ve done this before although I’m not proud of it. It’s amazing what some people will throw away. There is just so much loot to be gained from dumpster diving. Still this is not my favorite thing to do. The smell is terrible and you can get really dirty. But luckily for me the jumpsuit was on the top layer of trash so I was fine. I hopped out and although I probably smell of garbage I have what I want.

I dusted it off and was about to head inside when I noticed something out of place. Parked alongside the shelter was an orange pickup truck. It is an odd color for a car which is why I noticed it so quickly. I cautiously walked towards it. When I was in front of it I noticed that sleeping alongside it was an old friend.

“Holy shit it’s Frank!” I exclaimed. He was sleeping with his head down and his back against the back tire of the truck. Damn was it a nice truck. “Hey Frank wake up!” I began kicking him. After a good couple of kicks he made grunting noises and began to open his eyes.

“What? Hmm, no. Leave me alone.” He said as he closed his eyes again. Time to step it up a notch. I knelt down and began shaking him.

“Wake up ya old man!” I said shaking his shoulders. This got him awake and his first reaction was to attack. His eyes widened and he pushed me away. It was pretty hard and I felt back to the ground. For whatever reason I found this funny so I was laughing the whole time.

Frank rushed to his feet and was grabbing his truck. I was busy laughing on my back. Still don’t know what is so funny. “Holy shit.” I heard Frank murmur. I stopped laughing and looked at him. We stared at each other for a minute. He was still trying to piece together what is happening. “I had a feeling I would be seeing you again.” He finally murmured.

“Well I never thought I’d see you again.” I said dusting myself off and then picking up my jumpsuit. “Thought for sure you’d be hiding somewhere after that little incident.”

“Oh believe me I still am.” Frank remarked. “Had a feeling something was gunna happen so I high tailed it out of there. How’d you get away with it anyways? I mean other than that other thing you did.” Oh fuck, I forgot he knows. How could I forget that? So that means he’s the only other one with knowledge on that convention. That makes him potentially dangerous. What if he has told someone about the gun he sold me?

“It was mostly luck.” I explained. “I planned to just walk away from it all but a friend helped me out. Then he was shot.” A thought hit me. “You didn’t have anything to do with that did you?” Yeah he totally could have been the person to sell the gun to Darius’ killer. I mean who else could have done it? I stepped towards him which must’ve freaked him out. Guess I have that crazy look in my eye that frightens people.

“Whoa man.” Frank held his hands up. “I’ve sold to a lot of people. Sorry that someone you know was killed but I don’t decided what people do once they get a gun. Actually after your stunt I got a lot of new customers so it’s not like I keep track.”

“Hey about my stunt.” I took another step towards him. “You may want to keep your mouth shut about that. Just a suggestion.”

“Don’t worry kid.” Frank grinned. “I’m an arms dealer; I don’t need any attention. By the way I never learned your name.”

“It’s Jim.” I stated. “Look just never speak about what you think I did to anyone. Got that?”

“Yeah, yeah Jim I understand.” Frank said.

I won’t lie; I don’t really trust him. All it would take is him just happening to mention me and then it spreads. Then in no time all of Equestria will know of my identity. This is not paranoia but just general thought bringing up possibilities how this could go wrong. It could all end with this man. It would be better if he just disappeared. I couldn’t do it but I bet Drake would do it for me. Yeah he would totally do it for me. All I would have to do is make up lie that involves Frank and then Drake would cut him apart and throw him in the garbage. That would be awesome.

But I don’t think I could do it to the old guy. I mean he was the reason I’m still here and not in jail. Without his sale to me I wouldn’t have come out from the assassination. He’s the reason I was able to get away with the assassination of Fluttershy. If not for him I would have never left that con and never would have met Darius again. Frank is a good guy that is my conclusion. I should be thanking him not planning his death. Geez for a minute there I was really scaring myself, thinking I’m some sort of psychopath that kills without remorse. Ha-ha.

“Jim you still with me?” Frank asked snapping me out of my state of thought. Must’ve been really deep into how I was gunna deal with him that I forgot he was still there.

“Yeah I’m still here. Sorry I was just planning how I was gunna kill you.” I decided to be honest with him. “But then I decided that you’ve done so much for me that you’re cool.” Frank’s eyes bugged out and he put his hand on his heart.

“Part of me wants to know because of curiosity and the other part knows I don’t want to know the answer.” Frank commented. That’s a good way to look at it, if I do say so myself.

“That’s a nice truck you got there by the way.” I pointed to it. It wasn’t anything special. There was nothing cool about it except for the paintjob. It was a basic pick-up truck. But I can bet what it holds in its bed. “That where you keep your guns and shit?”

“Shhhhh, shhhhh!” Frank shushed me. “Quiet about that.” He looked both ways down the side of the shelter. “You don’t know whose listening.” He’s right I don’t know. There could be ponies in the clouds listening with their big pony ears to our conversation. Then when we least expect it they’ll swoop down and take us away. This isn’t paranoia talking; this could actually happen. I need to watch my back.

“Hey quick question.” I whispered. Frank eyed me suspiciously. “It ain’t about the guns. Besides I have no money left.”

“Alright then ask away.” Frank said in talking volume.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked putting my hands on my hips.

“I told you already. I high tailed it after you did you know what.” Frank answered.

“No I mean for specifically why are you here? In this city, in this place.” I held my hands out to emphasize my point.

“Oh well that’s a long story.” Frank exhaled.

“I have time.” I crossed my arms and sat on the ground with a grin. Frank raised a cautionary eyebrow. “What I was tired of standing.” I answered.

“Then let’s sit in my car. There’s no need to sit on the ground like a kid.” He unlocked the truck doors and we climbed in. “Alright where to begin?” He said closing the door once he was in the driver’s seat and I was in the passenger.

“Start from when I left to do you know what.” I suggested.

“Alright.” Frank said with a yawn. “Sorry I haven’t been getting sleep lately. Need an actual bed. Anyways, after you left I decided I should leave too. So I hopped in my truck and got out of there fast. From then on I’ve been traveling. I can’t stay at hotels or anything because they’re looking for me. I know I told you my sales have increased but so has the danger. They’ve been looking for me. Had a couple close calls but they’re mostly off my track.”

“Who are they?” I asked intrigued.

“Ponies in suits and men in suits.” Frank explained. “Probably government people looking for me but occasionally I had heroes come after me.”

“Heroes?” I said with a grin. That’s funny there are no heroes in Equestria. Everyone that calls them a citizen of this place is evil in their own way.

“Oh yeah. Usually humans that knew who I was and wanted me gone. I believe one of them tried to shoot me with a gun I sold him.” Frank shook his head. Damn that must have been ironic.

“How ungrateful.” I commented.

“That’s what I thought.” Frank smiled. “So after a while they died off and I found myself here. And since I can’t stay anywhere I’ve been sleeping in my car. It’s been uncomfortable.” Tell me about it. It took me a good three years to get used to sleeping in my Jeep. And even then I still prefer a bed to sleep in. “A while ago I was approached by this nice girl that asked me if I wanted to stay at this shelter. So I did but it went wrong.”

“I heard about that.” I said remembering the brief comment Jess made the day I arrived here. Something about chasing a guy off. “Yeah you were trying to sell weapons and Jess kicked you out.”

“I’m sorry but how do you know that?” Frank asked.

“I live here now.” I responded. “That nice girl found me and took me in. I believe it was a day after she kicked you out.”

“Oh that’s great.” Frank laid his hands on the steering wheel. I can tell he regrets what he did. I know it’s not my place to decide but I think he deserves a second chance. Heck they even gave Tirek a second chance. Too bad he had to be put back in his place. Actually not too bad he’s like all the other ponies. Anyways I have an idea. This is the least I can do for him.

“Hey Frank.” I started. “Since you helped me do you know what. I want to help you. Well actually now that I think about it, I want to help you but you have to also help me.”

“Oh so you want to make a deal?” Frank smirked. I could tell he was getting into business mode.

“Yeah and it’s really easy for you.” I explained. “In fact you’re getting the better part of the deal. See I can get you into that shelter. You may have to apologize to Jess but I can get you back in. And all you have to do is let me borrow some of your weapons.”

“Borrow?” Frank questioned.

“Yeah borrow.” I repeated. “I would like to use some of those guns but not right now. I may ask for them in a week and I may ask for them in a month. Whenever I want them though you have to supply. Got that?”

“Is that all?” He asked. “Just guns to borrow for a while and the ammunition too I assume.”

“Yep.” I nodded. “You just give them to me when I want them and then I’ll give them back.” Don’t know how trust that last part is. I could misplace them or not be able to give them back.

Frank took a second. He looked out the window. I know he wants this. This is the deal of a lifetime. Sure it could backfire because if I do go through with what I’m planning to do then he might have to pack up and leave again.

“Alright.” He finally said. “It’s a deal.” We shook hands to cement it. “But I highly doubt that you can do it.”

“Oh me too.” I agreed. “But I used to highly doubt that human in Equestria fics would one day be canon.”

“What?” Frank cringed his face. “Human in Equestria fics?”

“My little pony fanfiction.” I stated to help jog his memory. “It was a part of the brony movement on the internet before all of this. Faggots wrote wish fulfillment stories about going to Equestria and fucking the main charters. Fimfiction, Past Sins, Fallout: Equestria, My Little Dashie, tentacle porn that came after the season four opener. Come on man!”

Frank gave me the strangest look he’s ever given me yet. “Boy I don’t know what you’ve seen in the past but keep it the hell away from me.”

“Ah whatever!” I exclaimed hopping out of the car. “Bronies ruined everything.” I ranted. “Ponies are to blame. Twilight Sparkle is a cunt. I killed Fluttershy.” I covered my mouth after saying that last thing. I looked to see if anyone was around to hear that but only Frank could have heard. But then I remembered. I looked up and searched for the pegasi in the clouds. But I couldn’t see them. Must be wearing cloud camouflage or maybe they were the clouds! “Frank watch the clouds make sure they don’t move!” I ran inside the shelter and slammed the door shut behind me.

I scanned the room looking for Jess. But I soon remembered that she would be gone now. At least the shelter was still open which is odd. I looked behind me to the door and found a note on it. It read that due to the changing weather conditions the shelter would be open during the day. I smiled. There’s Jess again looking out for us. How incredibly nice and convenient of her.

I went back outside and beckoned Frank to come in. He was a bit nervous but he tip toed inside. I sat him down and got him a lunch. Nobody was serving it so I went behind the counter and got it myself. Usually Jess gets one of the girls here to help her but this place doesn’t serve lunch so no one was servicing. But I still brought Frank’s food to him and he scarfed it down. Like all homeless people he was hungry all the time.

From there on we continued with conversation. Mainly about how each other’s life was going and how we ended up here. Basically just small talk to pass the time since we have nothing else but each other’s company. Eventually Derek, Rodney, and Jones joined us and the conversation took a turn for a more engaging conversation. Somehow we ended up talking about Nightmare Night or Halloween as it should be called.

“I can’t believe I missed Halloween!” I stamped my fist on the table.

“Again why do you care?” Derek said with a flick of his hand.

“And it’s called Nightmare Night for the record.” Jones added.

“Fuck you!” I pointed a finger at him. “It’s called Halloween. And I care because I was gunna dress up again.”

“Pfft really?” Rodney snickered. Hey grown ass men can dress up for Halloween! It just scares a lot of moms.

“Yeah really.” I retorted. “It was fun. I ran through the streets dressed up as a dead confederate soldier.”

“Are you serious?” Jones held his head. Guess he understood that one.

“Really a confederate soldier? The hell’s wrong with you?” Rodney snarled.

“No it’s worst that what you’re thinking.” Jones remarked. “He was a Klansmen.”

“A Klansmen?” Derek snorted. “Like a Ku Klu Klansmen? You motherfucker!”

“It was funny!” I giggled. “This year I was gunna be Hitler but I forgot!”

“Alright, Jim shut the fuck up!” Rodney growled. “This topic is over.”

“Yeah whatever.” I said with a wave of my hand. These guys don’t understand my humor. Darius did but he’s gone.

We used to have a blast fucking with people. I still remember the year he convinced me to do black face and then go to a party with mainly African Americans. I went in there ready to get my ass handed to me but Darius had a plan. He began defending me and saying I was his brother from Africa or something. He kept this up until everyone there was convinced that I was black either out of actually acceptance or because they didn’t know what to think. Then he encouraged me to start acting the part so I starting trying to pull off a racist black caricature. Oh gosh how racist I acted! Looking back I don’t know how I didn’t get shot that night despite the fact I was acting so racist I would have been knighted by the KKK on the spot. But I guess the reason is because in that moment race wasn’t an issue. Darius always had this kind of ironic racial humor that just made race so hilarious. He was abused because he wasn’t black enough so to him if a black man wasn’t black then he could be whatever he wanted to be. Race was never a real thing to him since we are all just human. Wish he was here so he could make people understand that. I at least want to hear if that is a good way to think about things. I don’t really know if Darius was right in the head all the time.

A moment of silence came and in it I remembered a question I had earlier. “Hey can someone tell me why Jess doesn’t like to be touched?” I asked.

“Oh God what did you do?” Jones groaned.

“Nothing?” I said defensively. “I just grabbed her shoulders and she called me a pervert.”

“That sounds like her.” Jones nodded his head. “Well Jim notice how Jess usually treats the girls a bit nicer than us guys?” I do notice that. She never gets one of the men to serve the food. “The reason for that is Jess doesn’t really trust guys to get along with the women that much. See how this place is divided by sex?” I looked around and noticed for the first time that the cafeteria was divided by gender. Girls were on the left and guys were on the right. “The reason for that is Jess encourages it. She’s very protective over her girls.” Jones beckoned me closer. “You wanna know why?” he said a bit above a whisper.

“Sure.” I whispered back.

“Rape.” Jones said so quiet I almost didn’t hear him.

“Rape?” I repeated in a normal speaking force.

“Shut the fuck up!” Jones waved his hands. “Be quiet!” After a quick look around the cafeteria he then returned to a calmer state. “But it’s that reason that Jess doesn’t trust us. Sure she may treat us nice but that little thing will always be over our heads.”

“I don’t understand.” I shook my head. “She can’t think all of us would do that. I mean I understand it a bit because some of the guys here… but not all of us! Why does she even think that?”

“You should probably ask her.” Jones suggested. “Don’t expect an answer though.”

Then as if knowing someone was talking about her, Jess strolled through the door. Frank glanced her way and I stood up. Guess it’s time to work my magic. Human magic, not unicorn magic. I walked up to her.

“Hey Jess. How was your day?” I greeted her.

“Fine, fine.” She said putting down her purse. “Didn’t find any more homeless so I guess that may be it for a while. I just” She stopped when she finally spotted Frank who quickly looked the other way. “Is that who I think it is?” She asked.

“Yeah it is but” My words did nothing to stop her from walking briskly over to the table. “Wait I can explain!” I lunged in front of her.

She stopped and crossed her arms. “I’m listening.” She stated coldly.

“Well you see, I uh.” Damn I had this whole speech of logically things to say but I forgot about it as soon as I talked about my Halloween plans. Damn you Hitler, even in death you make people suffer. Guess there is only one option left. “Please!” I wailed. “Please, please, please!” I fell to my knees and hugged my arms around her waist. “He had nowhere to go and it’s getting so cold out. And he has no food and no job. Okay well he has a job but… please?” Just then Drake too walked through the door. He witnessed the scene I was making and grinned.

“Ah Jim.” He cooed. “I wonder what I could do to get you on your knees.”

“Drake shut up! That’s gay!” I shouted.

“Get the hell of me!” Jess pushed me off her. I returned back to my feet.

“Come on Jess you have to.” I pleaded. “He’s my friend and there is plenty of room left.”

“I don’t care, Jim.” Jess said. “He had his chance and he blew it.”

“But.”

“No buts Jim.” Jess glared.

“… but. But he’s won’t sell guns anymore. Come on.” I continued despite her firm stance.

“I thought you looked familiar.” Jones said to Frank. “I remember you were asking around if someone was interested in what you are selling. You’re a very engaging business man.”

“Thank you.” Frank said very quietly.

“Oh so you were the one selling guns.” Rodney said. He reached into his pocket. “I got the cash.” He slammed a stack of bills on the table. “Lemme see what ya got?”

“Erm well.” Frank stammered. Guess he could feel Jess’ red hot glare on him. Must be burning him up.

“Derek.” Rodney beckoned.

“Yo.” Derek slammed another stack on the table. “We got the paper show us the gats.”

“Why the fuck are you guys homeless?” Drake asked eyeing the money.

“We enjoy the lifestyle.” Rodney smirked. “Now where the guns at?”

All eyes were on Frank. I really feel sorry for the old guy. Not only that I feel guilty. I brought him into this and I told him it would be alright. Now he’s gunna have to run out of here. The only comfort I take is I gave him a meal before this is over.

“I’m sorry.” He started. “But I’ve learned my lesson the last time. I can’t sell my wares to you people. I appreciate the offer but I don’t think this is a place I want to arm. So I have to decline. Thanks anyways.”

“Smart man.” Jess stepped forward confronting Frank. No I can’t allow her to push him away.

“Jess you would let this man starve and freeze to death on the street?” I growled. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

“Shut the fuck up Jim!” Jess hissed my way. I could feel the force of her frustration. It immediately stopped any future attempts at speaking up. She looked at Frank. “Where are the guns?”

“Locked away in my truck which is parked on the side of the building.” Frank answered. He was nervously rubbing his fingers. I wonder if he has arthritis. My mom always warned me that cracking my knuckles would give me that. I bet Frank could really crack his knuckles hard.

Jess held out her hand. She still had this hard look on her face. “Give me your keys. I’ll keep them safe and make sure you don’t try anything.” Frank without question tossed them over. “Ask me for them back if you want to drive. If I’m not here then ask one of the girls.” With that Jess left us. Everyone was kind of confused as to what happened.

“So uh what now?” Drake asked looking around to each of us.

“Am I in?” Frank asked looked directly at me as if he suspected I knew.

“I assume so but I’ll ask her anyways.” I ran off to her. Personally I want to know why she let Frank stay. I doubt it was because of my speech although I delivered excellent Pathos. “Hey Jess.” I greeted her over behind the food counter.

“Jim close your eyes.” Jess sternly commanded. I put a hand over my eyes for good measure. All I heard was a cabinet open and close. When I thought the coast was clear I looked back to see Jess standing there with her arms crossed. “Alright whadda ya want?”

“Nothing.” I said holding my hands up. “I just wanted to thank you for letting Frank stay. It really means a lot to me.” She has no idea how much it means. “I just came to ask why because you looked ready to tear his head off at first.”

“What did you think I was just gunna let him starve and freeze to death?” Jess asked. I would be lying if I said no.

“Yes actually.” I nodded my head. “You looked ready to tear his head off. Really thought you didn’t care.” Something I said must haven’t gone well with her. She kind of put this depressed face on.

“I care a lot you know.” Then she went back to normal. “I just wanted to see if he had learned his lesson. Which he did? I’m just wondering why you want him back.” She put on this sneaky smile. Really sly how she turned this conversation against me. Think of an excuse stupid!

“Oh you know.” I still couldn’t think of anything. “I just felt sorry for him.”

“Can I guess the real reason?” Jess grinned. I shrugged. “You’re gay lovers.” She stated rather happy with herself. The thought of that made me sick and awkward feeling.

“Ew no!” I gagged. “He’s like fifty something, I don’t know. That’s weird! Why would you think that?”

“Geez Jim no need to get all flustered up.” Jess laughed. “I don’t really need to know the answer.”

“Well good.” I said. Really glad she isn’t pushing it. The more she doesn’t know the better. I should probably mention to him that our deal will remain silent but I bet he can infer that. “Well I guess I’ll see ya later Jess.” I waved goodbye.

“See ya Jim. Good job staying out of trouble this time.” She called. I gave her a thumbs up. Yeah I’ve been a good boy today. Been on my best behavior and brought someone in to the shelter. That definitely deserves a pat on the back.

While I was busy actually patting myself on the back, Erik and Casey walked through the door. They saw me and gave me these looks. I stopped and stared back at them.

“What’s up boys?” I said nonchalantly.

“Are you on drugs?” Casey asked with general concern.

“Of course not.” I said rather proudly. Haven’t done hard drugs in my life.

“He’s crazy Case.” Erik said. “Like Drake but a bit more obvious.” Damn how do they know already?

“So you guys have a good day?” I asked politely.

“Yep.” Erik nodded. “Case here got me a job. Lent me a suit. Thanks again for that.”

“It’s no problem.” Casey shrugged it off.

“Wow a job that’s great!” I exclaimed. Seems at least one person is doing what Jess has always told us to do. “Where you work?”

“At a hardware store.” Erik stated proudly. “It’s right down the street from,” He paused. “Casey you tell him.”

“Right down the street from a strip club.” Casey smirked.

“Oo a strip club?” My mind boggled.

“Yeah a pony strip club.” Erik rolled his eyes. “Not exactly my thing.”

“Oh.” I died a bit inside. “Me neither.”

“Thought so.” Erik said. We sat down.

It was late afternoon and things were quieting down. People were eating and settling down for the night. As for me I’m never settled. I have these thoughts swirling around in my head. Ideas that would come into existence and then be forgotten. It wasn’t overwhelming but I was quiet as I thought about them. Usually these thoughts I can control. When I would get down time I would think about things like this but now I can’t stop. My prognosis is I’m just really excited. And I guess I should be. I may be getting the opportunity to do what I love to do. Make ponies suffer.

Before we went to bed I turned over to Erik’s bunk that was across from me. He was just starting to go to sleep so I would have to act fast.

“Hey Erik.” I kept my voice low so I wouldn’t disturb the people that were asleep around me.

“What is it, Jim?” He asked kind of tired sounding.

“Would you mind if I tagged along with you to your job?” He gave me this weary look.

“Mind if I ask why?”

“No reason.” I responded.

“Right.” He put his head down on his pillow. “Sure you can come. Don’t hang out with me though. I kind of want to make a good impression.”

“Okie dokie artichokie.” I made an ok symbol with my hand before turning my back to Erik.

“I thought you didn’t like ponies.” I heard Erik say.

“Huh?” I turned back to him.

“You just said what Pinkie Pie always says.” Erik said sleepily.

“No.” I frowned. “She says okie dokie lokie. Totally different.” I gave a short laugh. “And what’s now different from the show is Pinkie is no longer so okie dokie. Am I right?”

“Sorry I don’t really remember the show that much.” Erik turned over finishing our conversation.

“Okay neither do I.” I lied as I turned over myself. The truth is I remember almost every goddamn scene from that show. It is plastered into my mind and worst every minute I’ve lived in Equestria I’ve been reminded of it. I think of it as a curse that I’ve gotten used to but every now and then it catches me off guard.

Author's Note

Just a quick filler chapter so the chapter lengths don't get too long. It's getting harder to write chapters that focus on one subject since everything is so complicated and I'm trying to fit it all in a certain word limit. Aw well hope you enjoy.

Chapter 26: Peter, weed, and the Magic Mist

The next morning I traveled with Erik to his new job. We left roughly around eight thirty so we could get there for nine when it started. It wasn’t that much of a hike, I’d say about a mile or so. Personally I thought it was terrible boring and dull to have to walk to work every morning. Then Erik made this joke about the differences in walking distances in America and Europe. America; where three miles is not walking distance. He seemed to get a kick out of that. I almost made a Nazi joke to him knowing he was German but stopped myself deciding it would be better if more people were around. That way if he got too angry someone would hold him back and more importantly there would be an audience to appreciate my humor.

When we finally go to the hardware store that was when we parted ways. He told me he would be out by five and we could go back to the shelter then but I told him not to look for me. I can find my way back to the shelter.

He was confident walking into that place. This apparently is his first job in Equestria so I wonder if that is just false confidence he’s putting on to impress his Equestrian employers. It’s probably just me being paranoid; he’s probably excited. Before we came here we talked and he told me that this job could get him out of the shelter. So in a month I may not be seeing him anymore. That really depressed me actually. For the most part I enjoyed his company and seeing him go would be like losing a friend. I feel like I should try and convince him to stay but that would come off as weird and I don’t want to hold him back. I just wanna keep what I gained closed to me. I already lost all my friends once and I won’t let the ponies take them again.

In the meantime I focused on the reason I was here. I travelled down the road and sure enough there in neon lights was the “Magic Mist” gentleman’s club. It had all the advertising I expected a strip club to have. There were the signs that said things like Live Nudes, XXX, Girls Girls Girls. But what tipped me off that this was a pony strip club was a sign that read “Horny fillies and topless women”. Half of that is disgusting and it ain’t the women part.

This was familiar to me since it looked almost exactly the same as the last club I went to. It sat in the middle of a parking lot and was hidden by taller buildings around it. I guess the only difference was this was a grey color instead of the bricks. Odd there are usually a lot of brick buildings around. Fuck ponies! They’ll go all out to make a strip club but hold back on their housing for us lower class. I always knew they were sluts.

I know inside there will be a horde of oogly eyed brony freaks worshipping the backside of a horse. It bothers me even as I think about it. But I think what bothers me the most is the fact that this building reminds me of my friend, Lewis. That backstabber had the nerve to treat me as his lab rat and then condescendingly torture me. I hope I never see him again. Actually I hope I do so I can kill him
.

Anyways this is just what I wanted to advance my plan. I’ve found my target. My plan is simple really; rid the world of Equestrians, especially the ones that are in that club. I guess this plan isn’t really new since I’ve planned to do a mass killing since day one when I bought that Uzi. But this is the first time I’m confident I can do it and even get away with it. Because I’ve had time to think and last night it had dawned on me. Is the Equestrian press really gunna report that in the pure and safe land of Equestria a strip club was shot up and there are lots of people dead from a guy armed with firearms? No I doubt they would. So it looks like I’ll be doing a favor for myself, humanity, and Equestria by wiping out this vile place of sin.

I gave it another look before I knew I would have to get back to the shelter. Something tells me I will have to do some preparing to get myself ready for what I will do. It’s gunna be hard but I can do it. Equestria will finally again be reminded that humanity is not their slave. They won’t forget this like they won’t forget Fluttershy.

At least two months have passed since I first visited the Magic Mist. In those months things stayed mostly the same. Shelter ran as normal which is to say we got a few more recipients and a few recovered and are doing more important things. My stab wound has fully healed and left an ugly scar that makes me a little subconscious when I have my shirt off. The holiday season had come and gone which I hardly noticed since nothing changed. Equestria doesn’t exactly celebrate Christmas so I could care less. All I know is it got cold and snowed a bit and then warmed back up. Also I visited the strip club often every day. Never went inside though that would be weird.

Oh and a miracle happened. Erik is staying with us. I was overjoyed to hear that since that meant I can keep a friend. However the circumstances as to why he’s staying concern me. Get this, there are certain parts of the city that humans aren’t allowed to live in. Erik calls them red line districts because it is a similar tactic that was used in the United States to segregate blacks and whites. This time it’s humans and ponies. Very sketchy stuff that I don’t understand but it infuriated me. It comes down to Erik has to stay in the shelter because he can’t get a house that isn’t so rundown he could fall through the floor. At least he had money now.

My relationship with Derek and Rodney has improved also. I don’t go with them to deal drugs but they have warmed up to me. Still call me cracker and honky though. The important thing is we’ve started a new deal. All the thinking about my plan got me really worried and I would start acting kind of strange. They felt bad for me especially since I got stabbed on my first drug deal so they decided to calm me with marijuana. They get it cheap since it is surprisingly easy to get in Equestria, at least that’s what they tell me, and they let me smoke it if I’m feeling down. It works as a distraction to get my mind off the dangers of my plan. Still wonder where they get it cheap. Equestria is supposed to be drug free.

I’ve never been a big smoker at all. In fact I only smoked weed with Darius because he was the only one that would share with me. He being so hood and all had to be involved in the dope game. We used to smoke and all but it wasn’t anything hard. Darius never really got into it considering it to be overrated and a waste of money. It was twenty five for a gram and to us twenty five dollars got us much more than a huffy of the puffy. Now I’m just smoking for the sake of calming myself. Or maybe it’s just to past the time. I don’t really like it but what choice do I have? This shit is weak too so it’s not like I’m getting all that high. Actually kind of boring. I want action not to be sedated like some grandma in a nursing home.

It was late at night on a street corner and I was standing right under a street light. I found myself close to the strip club where I was smoking a joint. Notably I was smoking openly. Guess I’m not really worried about a cop stopping me. Sure all drugs are banned in Equestria but if Rodney and Derek are proof of the flourishing drug trade than I’m not that afraid. Way I see it everyone here is probably on drugs so I shouldn’t have to hide anything.

Usually on these nights I will stare at the club just thinking about what I wanted to do to the people inside there. I think I will get the chance but I need to plan it out first. I haven’t been inside that would be gross but I have gone around the outside. It’s a simple enough layout and I’ve been thinking of ways to go in there and do some damage. I just wish I wouldn’t have to go in there alone. I’m pretty sure it’s gunna work out that Frank gives me the guns and then I’m on my own. It would be nice to have someone to help me.

I was just finishing my joint. The effects don’t really get to me like they do some people. Some people just about pass out from this shit but not me. It’s kind of the reason I never really smoked. But the effects are just enough to get my mind off things.

Anyways it was the time that I finished my joint that I began to hear what sounded like a skuttle. From where I was, the best I could interpret was someone was being beaten and begging for mercy. Kind of exciting so I threw the remainder of the joint down and ran after the sound. It wasn’t far away turns out it was just a block from me. But what I saw gave me immediate anger.

There were these two ponies. Not just ponies though but police ponies. They were wearing the blue officer uniforms with the hats and everything. And what really gave me the shakes was they were stomping someone. This someone was human.

Now me being a human, I am used to police brutality. Living in poverty really showed me some more savage acts that people in power can do. It didn’t really bother me; in fact I almost encouraged it. Guess if I’m gunna be honest with myself I would probably abuse power too if I was in a place of authority. But that’s just me. I’m a bit of a scumbag.

However it’s okay for a human officer to abuse power because it’s a human and we’ve done that for thousands of years. A pony officer is a whole other story especially if they’re using their power against a human. We humans are bigger, smarter, and stronger than these ponies. There is no excuse for us being treated as inferior.

So here I am sitting here wondering how I’m going to conduct this. These two ponies are really giving it to this poor looking guy. He was probably just minding his own business and these two are trying to kill him for being human. I won’t stand for this. But I’m gunna do this smart.

By smart I mean I’m gunna kill these two!

I charged the two ponies, screaming and hollering as I did so. They didn’t turn fast enough for the attack. I focused on one of them and basically jumped on it; feet first. The pony crumbled under my weight. I bent over it and let loose a hurricane of fists. The feeling of bashing its face was great. Such a release and such an empowering sense over this lesser being, this is how it should be all the time.

But in my happiness I forgot about the other officer. His back legs made contact with my left shoulder and although it didn’t send me on my side, it did hurt. I quickly hopped off the pony even though I was winning. I stood in between them and the human. Damn he looked pitiful. Holy shit I’m having empathy! I looked back to the ponies. The one I beat the shit out of was getting up with the help of his buddy. They looked at me with this hatred that I matched.

“How dare you assault an officer. Human.” He said it as if it were a curse word. Also it was pretty obvious he was drunk off his ass.

“How dare you assault this kid.” I shot back. “Fuck you!”

“You got a lot of nerve.” The pony snarled. “You are under arrest.”

“I’m right fucking here!” I held my arms open. “You little bitch! I’ll beat the fuck out of you!” They didn’t advance towards me. I may be under average in human standards but in pony standards I’m a giant. And after the beating I gave that one, I doubt they’ll try anything. Better yet these ponies aren’t even carrying guns! What’s the use of a police officer without a gun? I know the answer; a sucker in a uniform waiting to get shot.

“Hey we’ll be back you little punk ass!” One of them finally shouted. “I know your face!”

“You probably think all us humans look alike pal!” I retorted.

The hurt one held his eye and limped away and the other followed close behind. I stared them down until they finally left my site and then I continued to stare into the darkness. It took me a while to regain my perspective of where I was and when I did I was in immediate joy. I just beat the shit out of a pig in a uniform and will probably get away with it. This is a great victory over ponies. It’s especially satisfying because this is like revenge for not breaking up that lynch group at the shelter like the cops should have done. Better yet I’m now somebody’s hero. Wait I forgot about that.

I looked back to the human. He looked young I guess. Kind of pudgy but normal looking. Not a brony as far as I could tell. He was covering his face for some reason. I knelt down beside him.

“Hey kid we gotta get out of here. I bet those two are calling for back up.” He lowered his hands and I was shocked to discover I recognized him. I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up. I proceeded to kind of drag him away. We crossed the street and traveled a block or two before I led him to an alleyway. Then I slammed him against the wall.

“Alright buddy.” I stated. “You recognize me?”

“N-no.” The kid gulped.

“Well I do.” I released him. “You’re name’s Peter, you’re eighteen, and you drive a Rav4.” I smiled as his mouth hung open. “Can you guess my name now?”

“Y-you’re Andy.” He said in disbelief.

“Ah, no actually.” I pointed at him. “Andy is a name you gave me. See Peter you’re an idiot.” I paced back and forth. I have something I need to tell this kid. Personally I was hoping this would happen one day. Finally get to take my vengeance on a brony now. “You’re an idiot that ran into a world that knew you weren’t ready for it. So you thought you’d change it to suit you. But, plot twist, that’s not the way the world, works.”

“A-Andy I,” He tried to interrupt me.

“Hey!” I shouted. “My name is Jim. And if you interrupt me or call me Andy again I’ll knock your fucking teeth in!” That shut him up. “Anyways Pete. Hey I’m gunna call you Pete from now on. Pete you really got to learn that ponies aren’t our friends. Bronies are fucking traitors to all of humanity!” I looked at him again. When I first met him he was an image of everything I hated and I would love to see what he has to say now that his beloved ponies have turned against him. “Got something to say?” I sneered. “Please tell me how good ponies are. If that is what you believe?”

Peter gulped and cleared his throat. “Honestly?” He mumbled. “I’ve known about this mistreatment of humans for a long time.” A grimace came across my face. What the hell does he know about this? “Actually it was after you stole my car.” Peter continued. “I ran through the streets yelling for help. But no pony, I mean nobody, tried to help. They just gave me mean stares especially the ponies. Then someone threw something at me and that’s when I realized I was alone.”

“Yeah but.” I growled. “Those mane six bitches helped you.”

“They did.” Peter nodded. “But it wasn’t because they wanted to. It was all staged. They brought in a camera crew and made me pretend to act like it had happened moments ago or else I wouldn’t get my car back.”

“But you got it back.” I added.

“Sure but then things went bad.” Peter rubbed his fingers together. “I was overjoyed and a little bit eccentric. I wanted to meet the mane six so badly at that moment; I really did. But they shoved me aside. Well not them their bodyguards and they pushed me into my car and told me to leave. They said if I ever tried to get close to them again I would regret it.”

“Pfft.” I snorted. “That’s what you get for being gay for ponies. But it was probably just the bodyguards being douches. They get paid to do that you know.”

“I thought the same thing.” Peter squeaked. “But I saw the mane six. They didn’t care despite the fact they were right there. In fact they seemed thankful that I was being abused. I-I just felt so betrayed.”

“Really that happened?” I asked. That sounds like something I would expect them to do but not actually do it. “Because if I’ve learned anything. It’s once a brony always a brony.” I’m thinking back to Lewis right now. “Hey now that I think about it.” I poked Peter’s sides. “Have you lost weight? And where are your brony clothes. I’m not complaining I’m just curious.”

“Aw well I haven’t eaten well in days.” Peter sighed. “I’m kind of starving. And I threw that shit out once I realized how dumb it looks.”

“Good!” I laughed. “You looked like a fag.”

“Yeah, heh.” Peter rubbed the back of his head.

He’s changed. I can tell by this new persona he’s painted himself with. Not once has he done one of those stupid pony expressions that he did when we first met. I think I like him now. He’s a completely different animal now and not only that but I learned something right now. Just because someone is a brony doesn’t mean that they can’t be saved. Pete is proof of this. I bet I could totally change people back from bronies to normal people.

No wait I can’t. Peter turned back because of ponies. So I don’t have the power to do it… directly. Actually I think there is a simple way to return the bronies to my side and make ponies openly hate us. It can all be achieved with my plan. Sure it will probably be a side effect but it will work. Basically it works as a cycle of hate. Humans hate ponies and ponies hate us back. This hate won’t hurt us because we can take it but the ponies will be hurt by it. They’re soft from living lives of comfort for generations.

“Hey Jim I guess.” Peter spoke up. I again had to be snapped out of my own thoughts.

“What is it? I was thinking about stuff.” I grumpily replied.

“I’m gunna go now.” He said.

“Go where?” I asked. Seriously there is nowhere to go here.

“I don’t know anymore. All I know is I lost my car and I’m out of cash.” Ha that sounds familiar.

“You lost your car?” I said. That’s a shock. “I thought you got it back after Rainbow Dash gave it back.”

“She did and I had it for a while after that.” Peter answered. “But then I was in a car accident and, well, my insurance doesn’t cover the expenses.” That sucks.

“Well that sucks kid.” I shook my head. “But what are you doing in Equestria still? Aren’t you going to college?” Hey that’s right! “Yeah you’re going to college. The fuck are doing? You have your entire life ahead of you.”

“About that college thing.” Peter said quietly. “I kind of dropped out before I met you. I’m not smart enough. So I came to Equestria to seek opportunity. So far I haven’t found any.” Wow. I’ve heard this story about twenty million times from homeless in the shelter but to this day I still find it hilarious.

“Haha.” I giggled. “Hahahahaha.” Now I was laughing. “Pfffffft. Pete you’re killing me here.” Eventually I was bent over in a laughing fit. Peter took a few steps back.

“What is it that’s so funny?” He asked.

“It’s just I’ve heard that story so many times that I can now see the humor in it.” I explained. “I mean look. We come to Equestria because we know that ponies are these creatures that exist to help and form friendships. But now we’re learning that is not true.” I continued to laugh for a bit after that. Must really be freaking Pete out right about now.

“I thought you got a job though.” Peter said halting my laughter.

“I lied you idiot.” I replied wiping my eyes dry. “That was just a cover to get your car. Come on I thought you would have picked up on that?”

“I did.” Peter crossed his arms. Fucking liar. “But I just wanted to check. Anyways it was nice meeting you again. I’ll see you around town I guess.” He began to walk away. I quickly caught up to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulders.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked. I didn’t wait for an answer. “Come on I like you. We’re cool. Let’s go to the homeless shelter.”

“There’s a homeless shelter?” Peter asked wide eyed. “And we’re cool?”

“Yep and yep. How long have you been here for?”

“A couple weeks. But I’ve been living in a hotel until I was out of money. Guess I’ve been broke for a day now.”

“That explains it.” I nodded. “Usually there’s this girl that goes around looking for homeless to bring to the shelter. Guess she missed you.”

“A girl? Is she hot?” Peter grinned. I ought a smack this kid right now.

“She’s out of your league buddy.” I released him from my hold. We were out of the alleyway and walking on the sidewalk now.

“Ah that’s probably not true.” He said with a wave of his hand. “I used to get blowjobs in my car all the time.” What this guy? No way.

“Bullshit.” I scowled at him.

“Hey it’s true.” He replied happily. He lied about going to college so I doubt this is true. He seems the type to date rape a college girl.

When we arrived at the shelter the lights were off. That is a very bad sign since I don’t really want to just bring this kid in without telling Jess first. I couldn’t wake her because I’m guessing she’d be pissed for waking her up so late at night. But to my luck, when we went through the door, Jess was still mopping up. She always cleans late at night. I forgot about that.

“Hey Jess.” I called out. “You missed one.”

“Jim people are trying to sleep!” Jess said in a louder voice than I had done.

“Sorry.” I whispered. “But I found a homeless kid. Do I get bonus points or something?”

“Oh.” Jess noticed Peter standing there with his hands in his pockets. “Hi I didn’t see you there.” She walked up to him. “What’s your name?”

“His name’s Pete.” I answered for him then leaned against his flabby body. “He’s an eighteen year old college dropout.”

“My name’s actually Peter.” He murmured shaking Jess’ hand.

“Oh good we don’t get too many younger guys like yourself.” She smiled. Hey I’m young still! “What were you going to college for?”

“Criminal justice.” Peter answered. “Thought I would be a cop.”

“Oh really.” Jess beamed. “That’s great, my dad was a cop. Why’d you dropout?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” Peter sighed. “Um Jim can you get off me?” I grumbled a bit and stopped leaning on him. Just trying to be comfortable.

“Jim could you show Peter the men’s quarters?” Jess asked.

“Yeah it’s down that hallway and the first door on the left. You can tell because there’ll be beds with a bunch of dudes bunked in it.” I pointed the way.

“Alright thank you so much. Both of you. Really this is great I promise to not be a burden.” He waved and walked off to the hallway. I smiled and gave myself another pat on the back.

“Are you fucking stupid?” Jess smacked me hard on the back of my head.

“Ow!” I yelped grabbed the place she hit me.

“When I said show him the men’s quarters I meant walk him there.” Jess scowled. “You should go to bed too by the way.” She picked up her mop and continued cleaning. “You’ve been up awfully late these past days. You need your sleep.” Well she is right and I would be heeding her words but something is distracting me. Usually she’s done cleaning the floors by now but she must be running late. Also she looks exhausted. Her hair isn’t neat like it usually is with a few strands out of place. She’s still hot thought even in the middle of work.

Being a janitor is hard work; I know this better than most. I should help her. I do have plenty experience cleaning so I could probably do this no problem. I wonder if she’ll let me. It would help me concentrate on important things like that strip club.

“Hey Jess, lemme clean for tonight.” I said.

“Jim go to bed.” She ordered sleepily. But I persisted.

“Come on I can do it besides, I’m not tired and you are.”

“Am not.” Jess said before yawning. I gave her a look. “Alright maybe a little.”

“Don’t worry so much.” I took the broom away from her. “I was usually a janitor when I still worked for a living.” I tossed the broom around a bit. “I have experience.”

Jess thought it over briefly but I could tell she wants to just fall asleep already. “Alright if you think you can handle it then go for it.” She began to walk away. “Guess I know why you like that old jumpsuit so much now.”

“Yep sweet memories.” I grinned. “Have a good night Jess.” I waved to her as she walked away.

The first thing to do would be to finish what Jess started and continue cleaning the floors. I dipped the mop into the yellow bucket and wringer set and began mopping away. Familiarity set in and I was lost in nostalgia. All those good memories of working at a local job with friends came back to me. When I was a janitor I would have to mentally work myself up to deal with stress of the day since it would break a normal man. Every day it seemed that I had to clean up someone’s shit but I loved it. I felt like a superhero coming to the rescue. People needed my help and I answered the call. It was especially excited to hear that “clean up in aisle three” which was pretty much my bat signal. Good times.

Except there is something missing from this. Every superhero needs a costume I guess and this job wouldn’t be complete unless I was in uniform. Now where did I put that jumpsuit? I quickly recalled and found it behind the food counter. I forget the circumstances of why it’s behind there but it doesn’t matter. I slipped it on and stood tall. Now I’m a janitor again.

Most people, actually everyone, would not take pride in being a janitor. When most people thinks of a janitor they think of a smelly old man that’s grumpy and was probably in a war. I won’t lie that is the majority of the people I’ve worked with as a janitor. They had wisdom to share although most of it was drunken gibberish. But the reason I take pride in being a janitor is because I’m like a silent hero. As a janitor I’m always there to clean up someone’s mess which some may call demeaning but I think it’s a job of valor. All I do is wash their troubles away and they can go on with their lives. Also it takes guts to clean the bathrooms especially after some guy that was high on LSD took a shit there. Always get the new guy to handle it because it builds character for them. That’s a skill I learned first day.

Anyways I was mostly done with the floor. Some of these tables had complete slobs sitting at them. I mean there is no reason to leave those disposable milk cartons out and form a pyramid with them. Although I appreciate the artistic impression it’s like dealing with five year olds, which I’ve cleaned up after. Point is when I finally finished the floor it shined. Probably the best I’ve seen this place in a while. This is how it should be all the time but I know Jess is only one human being so I can’t expect a perfect job every time. She can’t possible maintain this whole place alone. Sure she gets help from the girls but she needs employees, something I doubt she could afford but she needs them.

Oh look the tables could use a bit of cleaning themselves. Common law of Janitors, clean everything no matter how clean it may look already. I used the rag that came with bucket and wiped down the tables. Sure this will take awhile and I’m gunna be exhausted but what else am I gunna do? Besides this is a good way to thank Jess for a she has done for me.

I mean she’s just so great. Everything she had done for me, for everyone, has been to improve the well being of others. That’s something I have never seen before ever. I’ve heard about it but never witnessed it.

Then of course there’s the fact she’s so friggin hot. Seriously that ass is to fucking die for. I can understand why she’s suspicious of us guys because she makes heads turn.

Alright I should stop myself before I get too out of control. It’s just so easy to admire here. Actually there is a lot more cleaning I could do before I go to sleep. I don’t want to make this a sloppy job or anything. Everything here should be cleaned. Like how Earth should be cleaned of ponies.

I must have worked straight into the early morning because the more I worked the more tired I got. But I finished it in the end. Only thing is I didn’t get to really appreciate my work. After I was satisfied I sat down at a table and automatically my head fell into my arms. That is all I really remember from the night.

Heh, actually there is something that really bugs me. I don’t dream much anymore. I mean actually fall asleep and dream, not get lost in a thought. Before I ran away from home I would dream frequently. Often they were random and I forgot them by breakfast but I knew they happened. Now it’s just black nothingness. Kind of unsettling but I’m used to it and in fact I’m a bit glad. Everybody knows that Princess Luna can enter dreams. So when ponies were real I thought “oh shit she’s gunna get inside my head”. But very quickly it was discovered that only works on ponies. I don’t know I guess we’re wired differently. All that matters is it came as a relief to me. That bitch has no right going in my head and fucking with me. I don’t get into her business so she can stay the fuck out of mine.

Even when I was on the road I didn’t dream. I thought I would after seeing all the things I saw out there. Out there traveling I saw a bunch of weird things that to this day disturb me and I can’t explain. There were people on the side of the road dead when I was driving through a bad neighborhood. I saw drunks staggering through the street late at night practically asking to get hit. I witnessed many kidnapping and many acts of police brutality. What gets me is the noise of someone screaming. I always listen for that tone when it becomes obvious that the person is going hysterical. So I would say I got a lot of good reasons to have nightmares.

But even though I saw plenty of nightmare fuel I saw plenty of other things to that would have made me cry if I were a sensitive person. Sitting all alone in an alleyway nobody noticed the homeless man watching them. I saw families reuniting at train station and people proposing to one and another. Real beautiful stuff. That is the type of stuff I want to protect from ponies. They already took so much beauty away from humanity so we must fight for what we still have.

Actually I miss traveling now for some reason. Sure this place is a godsend but there’s just a charm about going places you’ve never seen before. I think I get it from my dad actually. He traveled the entire U.S. from coast to coast. Started from West then to the East. I remember thinking about doing that too. I think I thought that maybe a little exploring would clear my head and help me find my place in the world. But when I discovered that highly populated areas are pony-human hot spots I gave up my dream of exploring farther. What’s the point of exploring if you won’t find what you want? Besides I know my place in this new world is to harm ponies, big or small. So I’ll have to stay in one place if I want that to happen.

I awoke to being violently shaken back and forth. I didn’t respond all that much and the shaking stopped. But then whoever it was picked my head up and slammed it down on the tabletop. That hurt! It shocked me awake and I held my aching forehead. Whoever did that I’m gunna punch in the mouth!

“Rise and shine sunshine.” I heard the unmistakable flamboyant voice of Drake. Alright maybe I won’t smack anyone in the mouth because I know Drake could wipe the floor with me.

“Drake, uh, what time is it?” I asked still rubbing my forehead. Gunna have to get him back for this.

“It’s six thirty. Why?” Drake asked.

“Ah you motherfucker!” I growled turning to him. “I could still be asleep.”

“Ah come on there is so much to do in the morning.” Drake grinned. “Like learn people’s morning routines so you can better understand how you can kill them.” So that’s why I sometimes find him watching me while I sleep.

“Almost forgot you’re a serial killer.” I grumbled stretching. I’m a little angry that my rest was disturbed so early in the morning. I’m still very tired and Drake’s voice is kind of annoying so early in the morning. Honestly if he was wimpy and not a serial killer, he would totally fit in with the gay stereotype.

“Hey did you see the new kid?” Drake asked. I yawned.

“Yeah I saw him.” I replied. “I was the one that brought him here.”

“You what?” Drake exclaimed.

“Yeah you won’t believe how I found him.” I perked up a bit to retell my story. “He was getting beat up by these pony cops. Like literally getting beat up. Like on the ground and taking hits. So I rescued him and brought him here.”

“That sure isn’t what I would have done.” Drake pursed his lips. “I would have let them cops beat his ass and then slit his throat and wipe the blood on some windows.” That’s Drake. He lacked empathy, I swear. Who does that to a stranger? Just kill them and think nothing of it.

“Well it’s a good thing I’m not you.” I laid my head back down.

“Yeah man I need to kill.” Drake said. “Haven’t gotten a victim yet and it’s giving me a nasty shake. I’m heading out now. See you later.” I didn’t bother say goodbye because I was getting comfortable again with my head down. By the time I heard the door close I was starting to doze off again. I think I was in a state of semi sleep when I again was disturbed. This time it was involuntarily. Turns out it was just Jess. I guess she was probably admiring my work. By now I wasn’t in the mood to fall asleep again and instead just sat up.

“Oh Jim you’re awake.” Jess noticed me sitting up. Won’t lie it’s kind of difficult to get my balance. Also my neck hurts a little from sleeping in that awkward position. “Hey you did really do all this?” she asked.

“Huh?” I grunted. Of course I did all this, she asked me to.

“Jim this is amazing I’ve never seen this place so clean!” Jess exclaimed admiring the floor. Geez it’s just the floor.

“Yeah I kind of got out of control.” I admitted.

“I’ll say. This place looks like how a killer would try and get rid of evidence. Drake showed me that by the way. Everything is totally spotless.” What the fuck? Again I forgot how Jess condones Drake’s activities. So uncharacteristic of a person that loves people so much.

“Well I’m glad you like it.” I huffed still tired. “I’ll do it again if you want.”

“Will you really?” Jess asked. “Because that would really be a big help for me.”

“Oh sure.” I yawned. “It was fun.”

“Fun?” Jess laughed. “Please, nobody has fun doing a job.”

“Well I don’t know, I just did because I could, I guess.”

“What?” Jess smirked. Yeah what the fuck did I just say? Fucking gibberish.

“Um I don’t know.” I grinned.

“Jesus. How long did you stay up?” Jess took on a concerned tone.

“Oh um, uh, I don’t know.” I think it was three or four but that’s not that bad. I used to stay up that late all the time. But I never only had three hours of sleep before. It’s kind of dizzying. Wish I could dream then maybe it would seem like I had more sleep.

“Well do you want to sleep or something?” Jess asked.

“No I’m fine just need to sit for a sec.” I lounged a bit on my seat. It felt so good to rest my legs. Being a janitor is hard but I guess it’s worth it because I made someone happy. And sure I didn’t get paid but helping to clean is the least I can do for the hospitality Jess has shown me.

“Well that’s good.” Jess paused and sniffed the air. “Ah Jim you still have a little weed smell on you.”

“I do?” I sniffed a bit too. “I smell nothing.”

“Ah it’s all over you. Hold on.” Jess went behind the food counter and got out her pocket book. I began to doze off and found it hard to stay awake. I forgot that Jess knew about my newest pastime. Yeah she found out pretty quickly what I was doing and to my surprise she was fine it. She thinks it’s stupid but she’s fine with it. As I began to close my eyes again, I began getting spraying with something. Immediately I reacted.

“Jess, ack! Stop that!” I flailed around a bit but it did nothing to stop her.

“Sorry Jim, just trying to get rid of that stench.” She said capping the lid of her pink perfume.

“But now I smell like a girl.” I growled wiping my arms a bit where I was sprayed. “Thanks a lot.”

“You’re so welcome!” Jess beamed. “You know maybe if you carried some of this stuff around then you could do it yourself. Nobody would suspect a thing.”

“I was being sarcastic.” I groaned.

“Oh well.” Jess said. “Just a tip. Don’t know why you smoke anyways.”

“Don’t know why you allow me?” I retorted.

“I ain’t your mom.” She retorted back. True but she can act like it sometimes. Just yesterday she made me made me clip my toenails because I apparently needed to. Who does that? “You can smoke all you want even if it’s a waste of time. I know it’s to clear your head and I would rather have you all idle and calm than bouncing off the walls.” Heh, good points.

“Actually Jess I think I’m gunna stop smoking.” I announced. “It’s just not working. In fact I feel tenser than ever.”

“Is there something wrong that you want to tell me?” Jess asked. Geez, I feel like I should. This whole idea of a mass shooting is really tearing at me. There’s no doubt in my mind that I’m gunna do it but just when and how. I want to survive, that is my goal; I want to see the fruits of my labor. But I fear that this is a one way trip. I feel that by doing this I’m just going to fail like I always do. The reason I’ve been smoking is to really just take my mind away from it all. I just want to find a cozy place and forget about the world of ponies. But I know that I will always return eventually to this world.

“Clearly there is.” I suddenly heard Drake’s voice from behind me. I turned to see him leaning against the wall. “So what is it?” He walked to me.

“Drake, he’ll tell us when he’s ready.” Jess urged.

“Bullshit.” Drake growled. “I can tell something’s up. He’s been acting strange all month. Don’t you wonder why he’s been smoking? He’s hiding something. I can tell. It’s like he’s killed somebody. What is it, Jim?”

“Geez Drake way to put me under the spotlight.” I growled at him. He frowned in return.

“Fine I’ll just get some peer pressure. Stay right here.” He said and then he dashed off down the hallway to the bedrooms. A couple seconds later there was what sounded like a stampede down the halls. Drake jumped into the room followed by Jones, Derek, Rodney, and Erik. They all were looking around for something except for Drake who was looking right at me.

“Hey there ain’t no fire in here, you motherfucker!” Derek exclaimed angrily at Drake.

“Yeah, what the fuck you doing, rushing in screaming there’s a fire?” Rodney asked.

“Guys please this is important.” Drake insisted. “Jim here is hiding something from us. And we’re gunna find out.” What the hell does he want all of a sudden?

“For the love of fuck! You woke me up so the white boy can spill his guts to us?” Derek snarled.

“Fuck it I’m interested.” Jones stepped forward amazing everyone. Doesn’t anyone have anything better to do?

“Yeah me too.” Rodney joined in. “Jim’s been shady as shit and I want to know what’s on his mind.” They all sat down with me at the table. Even Jess joined in. Drake was sitting right next to me with this devious glare plastered on his face.

“Well Jim let’s hear it.” Drake hissed. “Or am I gunna have to start guessing?”

“Um…” I’m still really tired and I really don’t feel like talking. “Start guessing?”

“You came out of the closet.” Drake concluded. Alright I’m very curious as to why he would think that. “So tell me. How did you embrace it? Did you find yourself crying in a dark corner after you were beaten by those that don’t understand? Or were you trying to find a way to cope with it and only ended up hurting those you cared about?” An awkward silence came. “So does this mean you’re into anal now?”

“Drake, shut the fuck up.” Jess slapped the back of his head.

“Actually I have an idea of what it could be.” Erik spoke up. He looked at me. “I don’t know if you notice it Jim but I can see you out the window of my job every day. Every day Jim here spends his time looking at a pony strip club about a few blocks from my job. I don’t know what he sees but that’s what I see.”

Aw fuck. Well now they know. Personally I would have liked to keep this a secret. I mean it’s pretty easy to get the wrong idea out of context.

“Oo so Jim is horny for pony.” Derek sneered. That’s exactly what I mean.

“Ew gross no!” I shrieked.

“Jim you know it’s perfectible acceptable to be attracted to ponies now.” Jess grinned. “It’s fine really.”

“What? No it’s not! They’re animals.” I said. “But…” I groaned. This will be hard to explain. “It does have to do with that place.”

“Well now we’re getting somewhere.” Jones said. “Go on Jim, tell us.”

“Yes tell us what you’re hiding in your heart.” Drake smiled venomously.

“Well I.” I might as well tell them the truth. Actually I’ve always wanted to tell them about my plan. It would have been a form of goodbye. On the day that I would go out to the club I would tell them my plan and say goodbye. Now I guess I’ll just be saying goodbye. “Alright, I’ve been thinking about that place and, now just give me your honest opinions, would it be a good idea to go in there and using the guns Frank has, to kill every pony and human in there?”

Everyone stared at me and didn’t say a word.

Author's Note

I'm a little skeptical about this chapter. I think that I might have made some contradictions in the characters. But who knows?

Chapter 27: Setting the scene

Everyone stared at me and didn’t say a word.

The air was filled with silence. I guess I rushed this a bit. It’s not my fault, I was being peer pressured. But everyone was looking at me strangely now. They have the right to regard me oddly but I wish they didn’t. The reason I wanted to tell them my plan at the moment I was leaving was so it wouldn’t be awkward. Thanks a lot Drake.

“Pfft fucking do it man.” Drake snickered and laughed a bit.

“Huh?” I grunted not expecting that response.

“Sounds like a great plan.” He said still cackling. “Those fags in that club need to be reminded of what species they belong to. Besides if gays are still persecuted today then so should the horse fuckers. It’s only fair.”

“Are you crazy?” Jess jumped on the table and grabbed me by the throat. “No this time I mean really crazy. Insane even.” I struggled in her grip but like usual I couldn’t escape. “Get those thoughts out of your head you big fucking idiot!” She then proceeded to slam my head against the table repeatedly. Everyone watched in idle amusement before Jones and Erik restrained her. “You let me go!” She shrieked while she flailed her arms around. “I’m gunna smack that man until he gets it through his head! STOP TRYING TO KILL PONIES! YOU’RE JUST DOOMING YOURSELF! YOU CAN STILL HAVE A FUTURE! DON’T BE A FUCKING IDIOT!”

Erik and Jones carried her over to another table and sat her down there. They seemed to be trying to calm her down. As for me I’m totally fucked. This whole thing just got awkward for everyone. Now my friends know that I’m harboring a psychopath inside me. I don’t know if they think I’m serious about this but they treat me awfully seriously which means they won’t think this is a joke. Yeah they probably think that I’m a big psycho right about now. I can’t wait for them to stuff me in a straight jacket and put me in a crowded room.

Jones looked to be saying something to Jess and eventually she did calm down although she still looked pissed. When she did assumingly promise to not kill me, Jones came back to our table while Erik stuck around with Jess. Jones sat down across from me, next to Rodney and Derek.

“So Jim, you wanna run that by me again?” He said. My neck hair stood on edge as I sat there starting to sweat a bit.

“Um I… well you see I was just”

“Spit it out Jim.” Jones ordered.

I gulped. “Alright I know it’s silly but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for a long time now. Ever since I’ve laid eyes on that place, that pony strip club, I’ve wanted it to just go away or at least the people in it. Look you’re well aware of my feelings towards ponies.” Jones nodded. “What if I told you it’s bad? I mean really bad. And it’s not just ponies. It’s any human that sympathizes with them. I call them bronies because that used to be a thing. You know about bronies right?”

“Of course I served with a couple of them. But continue.” Jones said. He had his arms crossed and was giving me this look. It wasn’t a mean look but I could tell he was holding back something to say. It’s kind of unnerving.

“As I was saying,” I continued. “This hatred I feel is bad. It’s reactionary. Every time I see a pony or anytime I see a human just cooperating with one, I just get the feeling to do something. And these feelings are to do something bad to them. Worse is it doesn’t go away. This is an everyday thing. It’s been this way ever since ponies became real. I still wonder how I’ve been able to contain myself from doing anything drastic until now.” Of course I’m gunna leave out my assassination attempt on Fluttershy. I’m taking that secret to my grave.

“What I want to know is how you plan to do what you want to do.” Derek spoke up.

“Yeah he’s right. Frank won’t sell us guns, remember? So how do you plan to shoot this place up?” Rodney added.

“Oh don’t worry I’ve got that covered.” I grinned. I’m still very tired. “Why do you think I convinced Jess to let Frank stay? He and I made an agreement. I can borrow his guns for a short while in exchange for getting him in here. So basically once I had the guns I just needed to find a target. And that target turned out to be the Magic Mist gentleman’s club.”

“Ooooo!” Derek covered his mouth. “The white boy is sneaky!”

“You hear that Jess?” Rodney turned to Jess. God damn it just shut up Rod! Jess had a nasty look on her face and stood up. She tried to walk away but Erik stopped her. He said a few things that I couldn’t hear and pointed to us once and that got Jess to settle down. Well not really settle down but not take immediate action.

“So I see you have your target and the means to achieve your goal.” Jones said. “Personally I wasn’t surprised to hear you say that. Everyone knows you’re not okay in the head. It’s in the way you talk, the way you look at things, heck even the way you walk tells me that you’re looking for trouble. You’re like an angsty teen.” Hey I’m an adult! “What I was surprised about was that you’ve put actual thought into this so it doesn’t seem like a pipe dream. I mean you have your target and the means to reach havoc so all you require is action. Now you asked for my opinion but before I give it I want to know if you’re serious. Please tell me if this is just you blowing off steam? Please it’s important.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Gee Jones I didn’t expect that to come out of you. Usually you just listen and grunt when you want to speak.”

“Me not talking is just me waiting for the perfect moment to say the perfect thing.” Jones explained. “Don’t mistake my lack of speech for lack of understanding. But please my answer.”

“Alright so,” I exhaled and inhaled to calm myself. “That’s complicated because I’m gunna tell you that I am serious. I really want to go in there and kill everyone. I need to. It’s an addiction I have. I always need to see a pony being harmed or at least hear about it. It’s why when you and I first met you heard from Drake that I was a killer. And before that I was the one that… actually never mind it’s not important.” Almost told them about Danny and Fluttershy. Almost. “Look the point is I’m gunna tell you I am serious about performing a mass shooting inside that strip club. However, if I were to analyze my actions throughout the last two months then it looks like I’m just beating around the bush. Yeah I’ve thought about this for two months and I’m still planning it. And it shouldn’t be that hard to plan. It’s not like I’m not ready and how hard is it to think up a good strategy? I’m probably not even gunna come back alive and if I do it’ll be in custody. I guess the conclusion is I’m just too afraid to act. But I am serious about this, if that answers your question.”

“Oh Jim.” Drake cooed. He’s been silent for a while. “And here I thought you were gunna come out of the closet for us. But instead it’s just you starting to discover your more vicious self. You’ll get over yourself. Trust me. I know I did.”

“Yo Jim.” Rodney spoke up. “You look stressed man. Want something to take the edge away?”

“Yeah we got this last night. Here just for you.” Derek reached into his pocket for what I knew would be my daily dose.

“Nah, no stop man.” I held out my hand to prompt him to stop. “It’s not working, man. The weed it’s just no good. So you can stop giving it to me.”

“Good on ya Jim.” Drake playfully punched me on the shoulder. “Just say no.” He had this sarcastic smile, I just know it. And did he really just quote Nancy Reagan’s drug campaign?

“Jim.” Jones said to get my attention. “Listen you sound serious which is a good thing. And I understand trying to overcome the fear of it all. So when you gain the courage come talk to me. Just listen here though.” He shifted in his chair. “I fully support any action you take that harms ponies or pony sympathizes. I like what you called them by the way, bronies.”

“Excuse me, what?” I said looking at him. “You support me?”

“Yeah why not?” Jones said. “You’re American right? Didn’t we fight for our independence from people trying to tell us what to do? Don’t see how ponies are treating us as any different. We live in poverty and we’re subject to the abuse of power. What with those human conformity offices and pony police in the states. Seriously if they wanted to they could arrest every one of us and nobody would care. So what do you do if nobody cares? You do whatever you want really. See it’s like this Jim. In the marines, for me, it was less about doing my job and more about doing what I had to do to survive.”

“Oh boy a war story!” Drake chirped.

“Yeah I know how you love those.” Jones rolled his eyes. “Let me give you some background though, Jim. I served three tours of duty all over the Middle East. Well more like two and a half but I’ll get to that later. I was primarily a combat unit so I got to see a lot of violence. Actually my first tour was comparatively peaceful. Sure I was shot at but nothing that bad. It was about halfway through my second tour when things picked up. That was when the ponies started becoming very profound throughout the world. This was true in the Middle East but it was not like it was throughout the rest of the world. I assume you know about the current condition over there?”

“Not really.” I said shaking my head. “All I know is nobody really talks about the Muslim countries anymore, which is weird because that was a huge deal growing up. I hear they aren’t that welcoming to ponies though so that’s a good thing. No wait, that’s a great thing!”

“If you look at it like that then it is good.” Jones said. “But it wasn’t so good for us back then. With the introduction of ponies the Middle East really kicked up in violent activity. Don’t ask me why but the towel heads really started to get bolder. They attacked us more often and more devastating. The whole place went from a tense occupation to an ongoing warzone and I was in the middle of it. Truth is it was the best time of my life. Trust me it’s gets boring when every day the only thing you have to look forward to is walking around a desert carrying ninety pounds of equipment. But then all of a sudden it’s a new situation everyday and now you go from living until your tour is over to living day to day.”

“You liked that kind of life?” I asked. I personally know what it’s like to live day to day since I was a drifter and my nourishment was usually me biggest priority. It was harsh but I could take it. Wouldn’t want to return to that life though. “Because I thought that soldiers coming back from war are damaged and regret what they’ve done.”

“Oh no that’s completely true.” Jones remarked. “I know plenty of buddies with PTSD and struggle to cope with what they’ve seen and done. But there are always those guys that can deal with it. Those that relish in the extravagance of it all. And I am privileged to be one of them. It was enjoyable to finally be seeing some action. It is the reason I joined the marines, to shoot at people and roll into cover when there was an explosion. I did so many heroic duties that I got a silver star for my actions. Killed so many people and saved so many people, they pinned it to my chest as a thank you. I wore it proudly for the rest of my service. Had a great time there, and I wish I could go back. Coming home was hard.” He ended that in a depressed tone.

“Why? Weren’t you treated as a hero for what you’ve done?” I asked to continue the story.

“Please that would be expected.” Jones laughed but it wasn’t a funny laugh, more of a painful laugh. “Actually I’m surprised you don’t know how soldiers, around the world, were treated after they were relieved of duty.”

Instantly I was reminded of that talk Darius and I had about the marines. If I remember correctly in 2019 the world demilitarized meaning that there were a bunch of soldiers coming home. “All I know is they came home after their duty.” I replied.

“Came home. Yeah we came home. But to what?” Jones asked. “I’ll tell you what. We came home to a place that was worse than a hot zone. I thought that the Arabs hated us but they loved us compared to how we were treated back home. Let me tell you a story, Jim.” Jones pointed at me. “I risked my sorry ass for my country and the people back home. I don’t care the reason America was in the Middle East, all I know is I was risking my ass everyday serving my country. And then I finally come back, and I see all those people at the airport; spitting at me. Calling me shit like baby killer and an American Invader. Well who are they to protest me?!” Jones shouted standing up. “Unless they’ve been me and been there so they know what they’re yelling about! I used to have a wife!” Jones said sitting back down. “I used to have a beautiful baby girl too. When I came back I learned that they’ve been telling us about what we soldiers did. The ponies have been convincing humans that we’re heartless murders.”

“Is that true?” I asked. I personally wanted to know. As an American I feel that I have the right to know really what my military was doing. And besides, lately some secrets have been coming out ever since the war ended and they are quite interesting.

“Let me tell you this.” Jones exhaled. “Everyone makes mistakes. And sometimes you end up hurting those you didn’t mean to. All that matters after that is you apologize and make up for the mistake. That’s all you can really do. Now as for us being murders then what people have to understand is it’s war. People are gunna die whether they are innocent or not. And people change when they’re getting shot at. They’re not the same when they’re calm and in control. Besides it’s not fair to paint the towel heads as innocents like they are now. They’ve killed their fair share of unarmed personnel. Look the point is we did what we had to do to win, but some people wouldn’t let us win.” Jones paused. “Ah shit, I feel like I digressed there.”

“Something about you having a daughter.” I said to remind him.

“Oh yeah that.” Jones said rubbing the back of my head. “That was what officially torn it for me. Hey Jim, you ever lose someone to someone else or to something and that loss made you finally realize what the world is really like?”

I instantly thought back to Darius. I lost him to the bronies and that was when I realized how dangerous they could be and that I must truly pursue my dream of pony genocide for the greater good so something like that could never happen again. “Yes.” I nodded, full of understanding.

“Good.” Jones nodded. “Well my moment came when I returned home. I got off the airplane and was greeted by protesters. You know the ones that hold signs and throw trash at you. Kind of like the ones that you met that one day. Other than that, and the fact that some of my crazier buddies actually got into a brawl with the mob, I returned home safely. I already told you home was hotter than the warzone I just left and here’s why. Nobody wanted to deal with a soldier coming home. Because of what ponies did, a soldier can’t get any compensation for what he’s sacrifices. Worse we can’t get a job and there have been times I’ve been kicked out of stores and restaurants for mentioning I served. But back in Iraq and all those places I could carry a gun, I was in charge of the lives of human beings, and in the real world I can’t get a job pumping gas!” Jones stood up again. “So I come back home to my wife and kid because I just wanna see them again. I want to hold my daughter and kiss my wife and sleep in my own bed. And I come home and she, she won’t even let me in the house.” Jones broke down. “She won’t let me near my own daughter because she claims I’m a psychopath that murders kids in Afghanistan so I’ll do it at home. Then through the door I hear her call nine one one and two ponies in uniforms come. And they have the nerve to tazer me in my own front yard? So then I’m carried off and allowed to go with a warning. Then I’m left without a job or anything to survive in a world that hates me. So basically I’m back in the war except I don’t have a gun.” Jones walked over to me and grabbed my shoulder. “Jim you go into that club and kill every pony you see. And when you’re done with that kill the humans in there too. Damn sympathizers.”

“Bronies.” I correct him. “They’re bronies.”

“Hmmph.” Jones let go of me. “They mind as well be ponies. I mean if they want to have sex with an animal then doesn’t that make them one?”

“It might as well.” I laughed. “So you really think I should do this?”

“Are you deaf?” Jones grinned. “You ever get the chance to make those ponies feel just a prick of pain that us humans have felt because of them, never hesitate to act.”

I looked at Rodney and Derek. They had been quiet the whole time. “What about you guys?” I asked. “Think it’s a good idea?”

“You can do whatever you want to.” Rodney replied.

“Yeah you want to go crazy. I’m not stopping you.” Derek said.

I turned to Drake. He too had remained quiet the whole time. “What about you?”

“Hmmm.” He looked away and then looked back. “I’ve just been thinking. I want in.”

“What?” I said shocked.

“Why not? I’m always up for some killing.” Drake shrugged. “Besides lately I haven’t been doing so well. So hard to find a suitable target. This might be fun though. Instead of one kill I will do many more.”

“I’m not so sure.” I said. I mean is that really okay? I really shouldn’t rope anyone else in this but he volunteered.

“Ah come on.” Drake put an arm around me. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

Oh let me count the ways. “Well we could get killed.” I started off but it didn’t seem to faze him. “We could be arrested.” Still nothing. “We could be trialed and probably spend the rest of our lives in prison. And in prison we’ll have to deal with dudes that are ten times our size. And most likely will be prison raped. You know, big black or Hispanic cock penetrating our rears. Our struggling will only excited them and make it worse. Does that sound like something you want to happen to you?”

Drake just continued smiling and pulled me a bit closer. “You really think I will do badly in prison?” He whispered. I thought about it and I really didn’t like the answer. Also it was kind of uncomfortable the way he was holding me.

“Never mind man.” I growled pushing him off me. “Look if you want to tag along I guess you can. It’s not like I’ll be that successful on my own.”

“Awesome.” Drake cheered. “We’ll have so much fun.”

“You didn’t tell me you wanted help!” Jones exclaimed. “Hot damn, count me in!”

“You too Jones?” I asked.

“Of course!” He said. “You really think I do anything around here? I need some action in my life. It’ll be like the war which is my glory days.”

“Wow.” I looked to Rodney and Derek. They seemed to be talking to each other.

“I’ll do it if you go.” Derek said to Rodney.

“Fuck I was about to say that.” Rodney grinned. They each gave each other a smirk and then looked at me. “You count us in.” Rodney said.

“I’m all for going crazy man.” Derek said. “And besides just think of all the loot we can get.”

“Damn right.” Rodney agreed. “Strippers get paid way too much for what they do. They must have mad stacks in that place.”

“You guys are really up for it?” I asked as I got more and more excited with every second.

“Hold on you guys.” Erik suddenly spoke up. He hasn’t spoken for a while. The whole time he’s been sitting with Jess. Now he walked over to us and sat down. “Do you guys really think it’ll be that simple? There needs to be a plan if you plan to walk away from all of this. We need a planned out procedure of how we’re gunna do this. And backup plans if everything fails.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. “Erik are you in too?”

He blinked. “Well yeah, I mean I’m not gunna let you guys have all the fun. Besides I really want to put my training to work. I didn’t go to college for nothing. Well I did, but that was before ponies ruined me.”

This is great, no this is wonderful. I never thought it would be so but there are people like me that want to take action. I never thought that I would know people that would even be brave enough to take a stand. Or I should say crazy enough to take a stand. I mean it takes guts to do something like this. I would know because I once took a stand. Well that kid took the stand for me and he also took the fall but that’s beside the point. The point is I’m brave now and I’ve learned from my mistakes. I can do this with the help of my friends.

But there is still one friend that I worry about. I quickly glanced at Jess. She was sitting with her head in her hands. She looked like she was listening to our conversation but barely. After her outburst she had remained silent the entire time. That is so uncharacteristic of her. She’s probably planning my death because what we are going to do goes against everything she stands for. She just wants us to be safe, I know that. What she doesn’t understand is there is no way she can keep us locked up in this shelter without a way to entertain ourselves. Maybe if she put on a show for us, she and the other girls turn this place into a strip club then maybe we wouldn’t be going out shooting another one up.

However I think we’ll come through to her. We will follow our instincts and she can’t hold us back. Actually if anything I want her to join us. She’s tougher than me and most people I’ve known. Actually she really reminds me of Myriad in that they both conduct themselves as tough individuals but on the inside they’re really nice people. The difference between the two is Jess is an individual while Myriad had to be a follower. Still in this situation it seems that being an individual has put us at odds. Well maybe I can convince her to at least accept what we’re gunna do.

Eventually after a while our conversation was going into the phase where it was getting serious. Erik was talking about how we would need more information on the club before we attack. That was also when Jess stood up and walked over to the table. She looked exhausted which confused me. I would expect her to be ready to pound someone.

“Listen if you’re gunna talk about this then you’re gunna do it away from other people. Come on I’ll show you.” She said calmly which was odd. We followed her but I was suspicious. All I know is she changed as soon as Jones had said something to her that I couldn’t hear. I guess I’ll ask him what that was all about.

“Hey Jones.” I said trying to be quiet so Jess wouldn’t hear. “What did you say to Jess that made her let us talk about killing ponies?”

“Yeah what did you say to her?” Derek piped in. Damn, I guess I wasn’t quiet enough.

“Oh that.” Jones rubbed his chin. “I just told her to remember her dad.”

“Oh.” I nodded. What the fuck does that mean? “What happened to her dad?” As soon as I said that Jess turned around and glared at me.

“It’s none of your business, jackass!” She snarled. I instantly felt fear and wanted to hide. But instead I stood there avoiding eye contact and sweating tremendously. “Anyways.” She huffed and turned around. “If you guys ever want to talk about being violent pricks then do it in here.” Jess opened a door that was located in the hallway that led to the bedrooms. The door she opened led to a small dark room that was filling with cleaning equipment.

“A broom closet?” Erik snorted. “Really?”

“Yes.” Jess nodded. “And if you want I will get you a foldable table for you all to sit around.”

“Do you really think that six grown ass men are gunna fit in a broom closet?” Jones said. “I mean Drake and Jim are skinny but the rest of us need more than a foot of space to be comfortable.”

“Hey!” Drake put his hands on his hips. “I’ll have you know being skinny is a quality that all gay men share. Unless they’re bears.”

“I think Drake being gay makes me never want to go in there now.” Rodney said.

I hate it when people are negative. They should really learn to try new things. Actually that’s what bronies once said about my little pony. They always wanted people to try it first. Well fuck it; people should stick to what they know.

“No guys this is great!” I said taking my first steps into the closet. “I’ve had some great memories in closets.” I picked up a broom and began spinning it around. “Like at my first job. I was a janitor for a butcher shop. Well every once in a while some of the employees would get together to play poker. We did this in the broom closet so the boss wouldn’t know. Well eventually he did find out but that’s okay because he actually joined us but that’s not important. What is important is that at these poker games the guys would have these lucky charms that would enhance their chances of winning. I didn’t really have one so I looked for one. I eventually found it in my dog and one day I brought him in to a game. That night I won the poker game and I took to calling my dog the ‘luck dragon’. Well that pissed our meat cutter off because he told me that if he ever sees that dog again he’ll turn him into sausages.” I put the broom down. “Ah good times.”

Derek spoke first. “Jim shut the hell up!”

“Sorry.” I grinned and walked out of the closet. “But yeah I think that closet will be a bit cramped.”

“Fuck it we’ll make it work.” Erik said surprising everyone. “And that table will really help, thank you.”

“Alright I’ll go get it.” Jess said walking away.

Feeling the sudden need to accompany her I followed. “Hey I’ll help you.” I said catching up with Jess.

“No only one person needs to carry it.” Jess said. “So you can.”

“Whatever.” I said following her.

We walked back down the hallway. It was a short walk but I was confused about our destination. We were standing at Jess’ bedroom door; the same door that I was told to never go through ever. I believe Jess even threatened me about it. Yeah she said under no circumstances am I to go in there.

Jess opened her door and walked in. She got about three steps in and turned around. “Well.” She said. “The table is over there.” She pointed to behind her bed. “Go get it.”

“Ummmm.” I kicked the ground a bit.

“What the hell are you doing?” She asked impatiently. “Get in here.”

“Oh I get it now.” My mood brightened up. “This is a test. Yeah you’re testing me. Trying to see if I’ll break one of your rules. Well you’re gunna need to be a lot smarter than that to trick old Jim. Because Jim knows that Jim is not allowed to go in your room or the girls’ room. Jim’s really smart, Jim.”

Jess looked at me dumbfounded for a moment. “If Jim doesn’t shut the fuck up and stop talking in the third person then Jim’s gunna get a fist in his face.”

She’s right. I shouldn’t talk in the third person because it reminds me of a certain annoying MLP antagonist. I’m still not going into that room though. “You’re still not gunna trick me.” I smirked.

Jess groaned. Then she grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the room with her. I struggled the whole time but she still got me in. And once I was in her room it felt weird. I mean I’ve been in a girl’s bedroom before but it was weird because I’ve never been with a girl that could kill me if she wanted to. Also there was a lack of girly in the place. I expected more pink and instead I got nothing but what the rest of the place is made of. Nothing but drab concrete and tiles.

“Alright Jim one more time.” Jess said. “Get the table and pick it up.”

“I know, I know.” I said walking over to the folded table. “I was just distracted.”

“I could tell.” She rolled her eyes.

Actually I’m still distracted. I have questions. They all have to do with Jess. This sudden turnaround has to be something complex. I just have to know. I mean I’m most likely gunna die so I might as well die with nothing bugging my mind.

“Hey Jess.” I said still not picking up the table. “Do you really approve of us?”

She looked at me as if I was crazy. “Jim. Why the fuck would I approve of any of what you guys were saying? Why would anybody?”

“That’s what I was asking you.” I retorted.

“Ah, just listen to me.” Jess looked at me. “What you’re doing is absolutely insane and I hope you forget this nonsense. So I’ll indulge you for now. And if you do go through with it all, at least I won’t have you guys giving ideas to the others anymore when you don’t make it back.”

“Really so you just want us gone?” I don’t believe that. She loves us.

“Yes you’ve caused enough trouble for me. Now get that table.”

“Okay you’re lying.” I said crossing my arms. “Come on, what happened to your dad? You can tell me. I won’t tell anyone.”

“Jim that’s not it.” Jess scowled me. “You just don’t need to know alright.”

“Alright.” I replied. “I’ll tell you about someone I lost to ponies and you can tell me about your dad.” I sat down on her bed. “Sound good.”

“Don’t sit on my bed.” She grumbled. I stood back up.

“Anyways it all started in an abandoned building.” I started the story. “Me and a group of people had decided to care for each other and maintain a home in an abandoned garage.”

“Really?” Jess interrupted. “You always seemed to be more of a loner type to me.”

“I was.” I explained. “But I was forced out of that lifestyle due to complications. I lost my wheels. That was really weird. Usually I would drift from town to town but then I had to adjust to staying in one place. I wouldn’t have made it without my newest companions. I would later call them friends. We helped each other. We fought a lot about stupid things but we all tried to make sure each other was comfortable. It was nice. And that is why I was so heartbroken when they all died.”

“Well loss is something we must all deal with in our lives.” Jess shrugged. “Whether it be our friends or a pet we all have to deal with it. It isn’t something we can help.”

“Oh no, no, no, no.” I waved my hands. “You misunderstand. I could have dealt with it if they died of cancer or a heart failure. But what I can’t deal with is…” I thought for a second. “Have you ever lost someone or something to another living creature? I’m just asking because it’s different from experiencing loss from something that is inevitable or not under your control.”

“Jim that’s…” Jess stopped herself. She looked away then looked back. “Never mind go on.” Wonder what she was recalling?

“Um well, how do I put this? Something bad happened.” I continued on. “I’m just gunna come clean and tell you that what my friends and I were up to was nothing but trouble. It was actually gunna be something like what we’re gunna do now. Wanna know where I got that jumpsuit? They gave it to me. It wasn’t from a job I had or anything like that. We called ourselves anarchists.”

“Anarchists?” Jess said and crossed her arms. “So you were in a gang?”

“Uh, not like you think.” I defended myself. “We didn’t do anything. There were only five of us. But I was trained in the ways of enacting anarchism upon a land. It was all theories and ideologies but it was actually pretty thorough. There was this really asshole named Zayn who was a dick. But he did teach me a lot of things that would pay off later. But our goal was to overthrow the Equestria government so that when the people of Earth saw it fall then the governments of Earth would follow suit. Kind of like a domino effect.”

“Jim stop.” Jess held up her hand. “I don’t like where this is going.”

“But its got a happy ending.” I insisted. “To achieve our goal we needed help. However that dick I was telling you about, Zayn chose a bad ally. He chose Discord and we paid for it.”

“Wait.” Jess interrupted. “How long ago was all this?”

“Ah geez.” I had to think for a moment. “Some time last year.” Oh fuck it seems like such a long time ago. “It was before Fluttershy got assassinated I know that.”

“That’s pretty fucking recent, Jim.” Jess said. “I think that’s about four or five months.”

“Ah shit.” I exhaled. “It’s felt like an eternity.”

“That’s how it feels when you live day to day.” Jess told me. “You begin to be more active and make more memories. Life seems to slow down as everyday is a new experience and a challenge to survive. At least that’s what I’ve been told by some of the other homeless. But anyways please continue.”

“Right.” I stretched a bit. “So Zayn brought us Discord so he could use his chaotic powers to help us destroy the Equestrian government.”

“Wait stop.” Jess interrupted yet again. “Why would Discord betray his friends? Didn’t he learn his lesson with Tirek?”

I just shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I have no idea why he would want to help us. We were nobodies. The very bottom of the social class. We didn’t even play a role in any of Equestrian society.”

“Well there you go.” Jess said. I looked at her for an answer. “You didn’t matter so therefore he could use you guys because you were so unassuming. It’s like playing hide and seek but hiding as close as possible to the seeker. They wouldn’t expect where you’re hiding because it wouldn’t be their first thought.”

“Wow.” I said amazed. “Did you come up with that all by yourself?”

“Yeah it was easy.” Jess smiled. “Now seeing that the government is still fully operational, what happened next?”

“Ah well this is the heavy part.” I said nervously. Hope I don’t cry. “So my three friends the other anarchists, not including Zayn because he’s an asshole, they were all happy that for once they were gunna accomplish something in their lives. They were all like me, no job and no plan for the future. Achieving this dream of anarchy would be their life’s work. Well the day we were gunna enact the first step of our plan, we were visited by the mane six themselves. Yeah they had tracked Discord down and were there to stop him and us. So Twilight Sparkle, in an effort to make a grand entrance, blew a hole right in the side of the room we were in. I remember an explosion of dust and the sound of large heavy concrete bricks being thrown at a great speed. And unfortunately for my three friends” I waved my hand “They were right in the path.” Jess tilted her head a bit as I continued on. “And I crawled over to them and saw that they had been thrown back by the explosion and crushed by the rubble. They had nothing to their name and nobody to mourn them. So I did. Zayn was taken away by the ponies and that was the end of the anarchists.” I exhaled. So glad I didn’t cry. Jess is the only one I’ve told this so far. Not even Darius knew about my three friends. I do feel better getting this secret off my chest so I think telling her is a good thing.

“Jim.” Jess put her hand on my arm. “Were you the only one to see this?”

“Well yeah.” I explained. “I mean none of the mane six seemed to acknowledge their deaths and neither did Zayn. In fact Twilight Sparkle herself walked up to me while I was standing barely ten feet away from their corpses and she didn’t even see them.”

“Ten feet? Oh Jim.” Jess sighed. “Listen to me. I wanna tell you a story. A while ago before you came along I had this homeless man come into my shelter. He told me he was looking for a place to stay after his friend had been murdered in the apartment they were renting together. He claimed to have witness the assailant in the act and was too scared to fight back so he ran away without calling for help. I called the police to have an investigation after he gave me his address. Well about a week after that a couple of officers arrived at this shelter. Nice guys but they had told me that I harboring a suspect. Turns out that that homeless man was the murderer. He was so fucked in the head that he had convinced himself that his friend was killed by someone else. It was kind of like an out of body experience.”

“I see.” I crossed my arms. Who the fuck does she think I am? “I know what you’re implying here but come on! That’s way too damn complex for me. To think that I would imagine up a scenario that would let me cope with the murder of three of my friends, just so I could feed my desire for revenge against pony kind. That’s crazy.”

“Is it?” Jess spat. “Because I’ve seen a lot of crazy in my life and I know when someone is trying to cover something up.”

“Please what could I possibly trying to cover up?” I sneered.

Jess grinned. “Well I do know you try to cover up when you’ve been staring at my ass.”

That honestly caught me off guard. “What how do you notice? I’m very careful and- I mean no I don’t. Why would you even think that?”

“Oh please you don’t even try.” Jess giggled at me. “See when I walk by try not to move your entire head in my direction. Your eyes will do just fine.”

“Hey I don’t need advice on how to perv on a girl.” I snarled.

“Um yes you do.” Jess smirked. “Now get that table already.”

“Fine.” I growled. Figures she catches me just trying to have fun. I picked up the table which wasn’t that heavy. It was more of awkward to hold. I wish I had longer arms so I could get a better hold on it. When I turned to the door I was greeted with every one of my current friends looked at me giggling. “How long were you guys there?” I asked shaking a bit.

“Long enough to hear a story.” Drake said smirking.

I dropped the table in shock. Unfortunately it landed on my foot. “Fuck!” I yelled and moved onto my other foot so there would be no pressure on the other. Rodney and Derek burst into laughter as I stumbled around and Jess covered her mouth and snickered along. I eventually reached a wall to lean against. I think my toes are broken. Nope, never mind I can still wiggle them. “Why the hell didn’t you guys tell me you were watching me?” I asked once I regained my composure.

“We didn’t want to interrupt.” Erik said.

“Well why did you guys come find me anyways?” I asked.

“I personally thought you two were having sex.” Drake said. “You know Jess was all mad at him and they would engage in angry sex. Very kinky.” Now everybody was looking at Drake instead of me. “What? I’ve seen it happen before.” Drake defended himself.

“Nice to know you’re still a person underneath that act you put on.” Jones motioned at me. “It’s good to have a story to explain why you’re the way you are. It’s also useful to use as a defense case when you’re in a courtroom.”

“Alright everyone out of my room!” Jess shouted. “Jim, pick up that damn table and get on with your death plans.”

And so we did. Despite the broom closet being so small we fit everyone in. Had to move a lot of supplies though but we fit in the end. Then we started to plan. I told them everything I knew. My two months of observations on the place gave me extensive knowledge on the layout. The club was a basic rectangle shape that was placed in the middle of a parking lot. From my scouting there were two entrances into the place. There was the main door that was protected by a bouncer. He was a big dopey looking guy but still a problem which put the main door as a bad route to take. The other door was located in the back of the building but from what I can tell it is locked at all times. I think it might be a fire escape but I don’t know. All I know is it’s metal so we couldn’t just knock it down. So basically our only option is the front door.

The surrounding area is kind of a problem too. The club is in a parking lot which isn’t that big and is crowded most of the time. There are usually a lot of cars there so getting in and out will be a problem. It was already decided that we would be taking some kind of vehicle to get there. Although at the moment nobody has the transportation, but it is already decided that traveling on foot with our weapons won’t be that good of an idea. Point is when we’re trying to escape it’ll be hard to get out by car while everyone else is running to their own cars to get the hell out. And if the cops are blockading the roads then we’re screwed. The other option would be to escape into the city on foot under the cover of night. The parking lot is small and not closed in by a fence or anything so running away on foot is an option. However the downsides of running on foot would be trying to get incognito and the fact that there are likely cops patrolling and they will find us and call for backup, and it will be unfortunate to possibly be trapped on a block surrounded by well armed police officers. So we’ll concentrate on our escape and how we’ll get there once we deal with the cop problem.

Speaking of the cop problem, that is our biggest issue. Obviously this whole plan will cause a lot of attention and it is inevitable that the local authorities will be notified and they will respond immediately. They will most likely be too late to catch us in the act or save any of the club patrons but they will be on time to cover our escape. It all depends on their response time and how many units are in the area. Rodney and Derek did tell us they know some of the patrol patterns of the cops just from observations when they are drug dealing. It seems that if we are forced to run on foot we should probably head for the poorer part of town because there are less patrols and more cover in that neck of the woods.

As for the time of this attack it will most likely be late night. We need to use the dark of the night for cover while we make our escape and the club is operating at full capacity at that time of night so it is opportune time to strike then if we want to heighten our kill count. Since it’ll be dark we’re gunna be wearing dark clothing since apparently we’ll be more incognito and we’ll be able to escape easier since it’ll be harder to see us. Erik suggested that. I figure I’ll be wearing my jumpsuit then. Yeah that’ll be perfect. Equestria can finally see the anarchists doing something.

Our second biggest problem will be evidence. Assuming we actually make it out alive there is the issue involving what we’ll leave behind. Drake was actually the one to lead the plan into solving this issue. He claims his experience hiding murders will help us and I believe him. So it’ll be useless to try and hide what guns we are using since there will most likely be casings everywhere and it’s not like we can pick them all up. The authorities will be able to determine the type of guns we used but we can hide other things like our finger prints and our faces. Lucky for us we found those yellow dish gloves in the closet so we’ll be using those. As for our faces we’ll need to find that out along with other holes that are currently in our plan.

I cannot express how thankful I am that I’m gunna have my friends accompany me. There is no way I was gunna make it out alive or even accomplish my goal with my original plan. My original plan if I were to go alone was to kill the bouncer and then catch everyone off guard as they were beginning to panic. It would have been a suicide run but worth it. Still I don’t know why I thought that I would survive to talk about it on my own. There are tons of problems that I never considered before. If it went alone then what’s stopping someone from rushing me while I reload or how would I carry all that I needed all the way down to the club? It’s so nice to have friends.

“Alright everyone, let’s recap.” Erik said. Throughout the conversation he was the one that had taken the lead. With all his military training in his college he seemed to know what needed to be done and how it should be executed. Also he had written everything down on some paper he had procured. He has excellent handwriting. “According to Jim here, this club is a rectangle that is located in a fairly small but crowded parking lot.” He was pointing to the diagram that he drew when I was describing the club’s features. “It has two doors, one guarded by a bouncer and one that is made of metal and constantly locked. The club is near maximum occupancy in the late night so that is the opportune plan to carry out our attack if we want the maximum death toll. Now as for the plan it is rough and a work in progress. The goal is to successfully murder all of the pony strippers in the Magic Mist and any and all attendees. The procedure will most likely be to kill the bouncer at the door and attack from there. Once inside we’ll need to cover all exits and fire into the crowd.”

“May I add something?” Jones asked. During the planning process he had mostly gave tips that he learned from his tours of duty. It was mostly how to approach this more tactically. I could tell he was approaching this like it was a military operation. “It is always common place to have a man or two watching our rear so we can have eyes everywhere. I think it would be beneficial to have two guys outside watching for any trouble and maybe to pick off a few stragglers.”

“We’ll volunteer.” Rodney raised his hand.

“Not you guys.” Jones stated.

“Why not?” Derek spat.

“It’ll be better if we have some guys that know how to handle a firearm more accurately outside. It’s different fighting point blank than fighting medium to long range. And depending on the guns we’re using we want the more experienced players watching over the others. So seeing that I’m the only one here will combat experience. I’ll watch our backs.”

“Then I’ll go with you.” I boldly stated.

“Not you either.” Jones frowned. “I doubt you have any more experience then those two.”

I crossed my arms. “I used to shoot cans with a BB gun in my backyard.”

“Exactly my point.” Jones rolled his eyes.

“Please Jim you want to be where the action is.” Drake told me. “It’ll be no fun just waiting out there.”

“That leaves me then.” Erik sighed. “My training did cover rifles and I did train with them at least once a week.”

“It’ll have to do kid.” Jones said to Erik.

“Yes now then.” He cleared his throat. “As I said the plan is rough and open to changes which I believe will happen. Now for the issue with police, Rodney and Derek did say there is less activity downtown so our escape route will most likely be through that area. And depending on the response time is when we’ll be leaving. It could be two minutes or it could be fifteen. Either way it’s a small window of opportunity so make your shots count. Make sure you put as many ponies and bronies down as possible in the time we have. Aim for the torso.”

“Don’t think it’ll matter.” Drake yawned. “It’ll be chaos. Those clubs get really packed in there so even if you’re not aiming you’ll probably hit someone.”

“Still there’s no need to try and be sporty.” Erik said. “Also since it’ll be so close and there are so many people, try not to hit each other. It’ll already be dangerous because we don’t know how the security is and how many cops there will be shooting at us. We don’t need someone going down because someone else wasn’t paying attention to where their gun was pointing.”

“And if someone does go down we go back for them.” Jones added. “We’re not leaving each other behind.”

I nodded in approval. “Marine code?”

“Marine code.” Jones nodded back. “Also we don’t want anyone squealing if they catch one of us.”

“Yes everyone is in this together.” Erik said. “Because as soon as we start this we all have to finish it because we’re guilty as soon as we lay hands on those guns. Speaking of guilty we need to make sure no one can trace this back to the shelter or us. Drake gave us good ideas of what to do to hide our identities. Fingerprints and faces are a must. We have the gloves but we need face disguises. As for our clothes we should wear something dark. Dark green, Navy blue, purple, black. Try to have more cool colors than warm. Also please do not yell our names in the middle of it all. Last thing we want is for the surveillance cameras to hear us yell our own names.”

“Ah fuck I forgot about those.” I said. Seriously I did. Haven’t really thought about cameras since I didn’t have to deal with them at all with Fluttershy. And besides it’s so obvious I’ve seemed to skip over it. Silly me. “Maybe there is a way we can disable them or something.”

“Do you know how?” Jones asked.

I grinned nervously. “No but it can’t be that hard.”

“Yeah it is that hard.” Erik scowled me. “We have no idea how to disable a security system. Unless you know a lot about computer systems.”

“Oh please, how hard could it be?”

“You already said that.” Jones stated deadpan.

“Um.” I started to sweat. “You know control alt delete.” Rodney burst out laughing.

“I knew he was gunna say that!” He wailed.

“Alright fine we’ll just shoot them!” I exclaimed.

“Not worth it.” Drake shook his head. “That will stop the cam feed but they’ll still have what was already recorded. Besides there are probably too many cameras to spend our time destroying.”

“What if we reboot the system and start it up later? Will that cause an error or something?” I looked at everyone. They weren’t amused.

“Alright well besides Jim’s limited knowledge with computers there is something else we need to confront.” Erik said putting his hands together. “We need to know the interior of the Magic Mist. There is no way this is gunna be successful unless we know this place inside and out. Which means we’re gunna have to scout the inside.”

Alarm signals immediately rang in my head. I don’t want to be anywhere near those ponies when they’re dancing. It brings up to many suppressed and bad memories. “No we don’t.” I prompted. “Let’s just go in there and kill ‘em.”

“No, we need to know the layout.” Erik stated. “It could be very simple or it could be very complex. Also we need to know the security detail there and check where the cameras are located. It would be catastrophic to go in there blind.”

“He’s right.” Jones said. “Going in blind is the biggest mistake we could make here. Trust me I know from experience.”

“But, but.” I stammered. “I don’t want to go in there! It’s so dark and the place reeks of unwashed ballsack.”

“Oo sounds like my type of place.” Drake grinned. I gave his a menacing glare. “That is if I wanted to bang a horse.” He added.

“Why are you bitching anyways?” Derek sneered. “We’re gunna go in there eventually.”

“Because I rather have my only memories of that place be of dead ponies.” I explained.

“You don’t have to scout the place.” Erik said. “I’ll go after work and report back after I’ve got a good picture of what the place looks like.”

“I’ll come with you.” Jones added. “I’ll point out places that will yield the most efficient positions to do the most damage.”

“Alright sounds good.” Erik nodded. “Now as it stands we are nowhere close to initiating the attack. We need more information and more supplies. So let me make a list.” Erik wrote down, in bullet form, what we needed. “First off is we need to know more about the actual place, so we need to scout.” Erik wrote down ‘Scout Magic Mist’. “Next is we need disguises. Anything that covers the face will do, but we probably want to go full face coverage so we can hide even more of our facial features such as hair color and things like that.” Erik wrote ‘full face coverage’. “And lastly we want some means of transportation that can fit all six of us. No idea how we’re gunna get that, but we have to try.” Erik wrote down ‘transport’ and then folded the paper and put it in his pocket. “So if everyone clear?” He asked us. We all nodded. “Now there’s no bailing out from here. We’re all on board this ship whether it floats or sinks. Got that?” He looked at me. “Got that Jim?”

I growled at him. “I was the one to suggest this plan. Don’t think I’m gunna be the one to back out.”

“Alright then.” Erik grinned. “This place is getting musty now so everyone out.” With that we all left the cramped little broom closet. As soon as I got out of there I felt a sense of relief. I don’t know if it was the chemicals, the cramped space, or the stress of having to discuss murder but I was beginning to lose it in there. At least I’m out now and I’m still very excited to be having some buddies around with me.

“Yo Jim.” I heard Rodney behind me and he put his hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah?” I looked behind my back to him. Derek was right beside him and they looked worried.

“You looked tense in there, man.” Rodney said. “You want something for it?”

“God I thought we went over this.” I turned to him. “It isn’t working. It worked a bit at first but not anymore so I don’t want any. I understand you guys feel guilt for letting me get hurt but I don’t need your pity. So unless you get some stronger bud, I don’t want your charity.”

“Oh thank the lord!” Derek exclaimed. “See Rod, we don’t need to give him free dank after all.”

“Whatever.” Rodney shrugged. “It was a nice gesture anyways.” He looked at me. “I would give you some other stuff but that shit’s too expensive to give for free.”

“Other stuff?” I put on a devious grin. I’m open to what else they have to offer. I might die soon so might as well try something new.

“Yeah other stuff but you too poor to afford any of that.” Derek said. They began to walk away.

“Wait, stop.” I said before running in front of them. “How about a trade?”

Author's Note

I don't know if my chapters getting longer is a sign of improved writing or just adjusting to how the story must flow.
Ah well longest chapter yet anyways.

Chapter 28: Drugs are cool that's why I buy them

Right now I’m looking at the next step that must be taken to advance the plan, and yet if I do this wrong then everything that has been accomplished so far will be for nothing. I’m looking at a package of identical black bandannas. They were just like the one I used when I covered my face for the Fluttershy assassination. More importantly I now need them for the Magic Mist shooting. They’re perfect for covering our faces and I think when they’re tied into a mask they look pretty intimidating.

After our little planning session last night we pretty much retired to our beds for the night. I slept like a baby, meaning I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back asleep so everyone else had to suffer. Point is I’m a little bit sleepy and I’m not thinking straight which is why I’m thinking about stealing. It should be noted that I suck at stealing things. I learned that way back in a little town outside Atlanta, Georgia. It was the first time in my life that I was scared for my safety. But that is another story.

Right now I’m deep in the market district of Manehattan. But it’s not the rich market district that all the tourists go to which is advertised everywhere, but it’s the poor market district. This apparently is where humans that aren’t tourists shop because the prices aren’t outrageous like in the real market district. The place is a bit run down but like most Equestrian cities it’s nothing compared to the poverty of Earth. It’s set up like a big flea market with black tents covering tables that are full of whatever the stand is selling. There’s all sort of junk, most of which is food or clothing, which is why I ended up looking here. Actually this is apparently where Jess shops for the shelter which is another reason why I came here.

However, what really ticks me off is what I’ve noticed about the stands. Every single one of them is operated by a pony. I must have walked this whole market at least twice and I’ve only seen pony vendors. What the hell? It’s humans doing the shopping so humans should be doing the selling. And I bet these ponies are charging us way more than what this shit is actually worth. But there is one upside to the pony vendors. I’m not gunna feel guilty when I steal from them.

Way back when I was drifting it would come down to where I would have to steal to survive. I’ve done gas pump drive offs and stolen food on multiple occasions. The first time I did steal I was so scared I drove all the way to the next town over. Sure I felt a bit guilty because I knew I would be an inconvenience to someone but I did what I had to do to survive. It’s a hard life when you have no home so the conscience must be sacrifice so the body can survive. However I soon discovered that the guilt did not extend to ponies.

There was this one time where I was in a restaurant and I had just paid and was getting ready to leave. The whole time I was eating I had been watching this couple in disgust. It was a pony and this woman and they were really hitting it off. I remember being really angry and wishing I could do something but I restrained myself because it wasn’t worth it. Well they left before me and I had noticed that the stallion had left his wallet. Don’t know why a pony would be carrying a wallet since they have no pockets but I was quick to act. My first reaction when I see an opportunity to get free cash is to take it. It’s a bad habit I admit but it’s totally justifiable. So I walked over and took all the cash out of that wallet and sat back at my own table.

Now usually I would first look for anybody watching before and after the crime, but that day I was arrogant and just wanted it done fast. To my surprise nobody had noticed me, which was a first, and I was thankful for the lucky break, also made a pretty good catch on the wallet so I was happy. I even watched the stallion come back and take his wallet and he had no clue what was gone. I then had laughed to myself and hopped back into my car then drove off laughing until I was on the highway. That was how I learned that I can steal from a pony all I want and not feel a twinge of guilt. Guess it was a prelude to how I learned I can kill a pony and feel satisfaction.

Back to the subject at hand, I’ve been eyeing this whole scene for a while and I have a feeling that it’ll be a bit tough. I mean the pony vendor that owns this stand is way too close to his product for me to just take it and walk off. What worries me more is that someone will try and be a hero and stop me. Yeah that’s been a real problem in the past. I’ll just be trying to take what I need to survive and some “hero” would try and stop me when I’m just trying to not starve to death. There are some very heartless people I learned; people that would rather see someone starve to death just so they can uphold the law. Now where’s the humanity in that?

The only way I’m gunna get what I want is through chance. I’m gunna have to risk it because unless a conveniently timed meteor strikes and makes everything look in the opposite direction, I’m just gunna wing it. As soon as the pony’s back is turned, I’ll grab the package of bandannas and walk off. It’s harder than it sounds. I have failed multiple times but luckily I was faster than all my pursuers.

As luck would have it, another customer approached the pony and blocked his view of me. Obviously this was the chance I needed so I grabbed the package and briskly turned around so my back was facing the pony vendor. Then I began to walk away, slowly at first and quickly advancing my pace. I tucked the package into the jacket that Jess had loaned me and made my way out of the market. I must have walked past a hundred people but none of them stopped me. I guess maybe they’re stealing too. That’s happened before. Got into a fight with someone that was trying to take the same thing I was taking. Let’s just say we made a great distraction for a third guy to swoop in.

When I was sure that I was in the clear I took a moment on a public bench. I had somehow found myself in front of city hall. This was the place that I had first met Jess; that’s weird. Even weirder is I’ve successfully stolen from a crowded marketplace in broad daylight. Score one for humanity, I guess.

I stretched for a seconds and pulled the bandannas out. I looked over the package, slowly turning it over and reading what the labels said. There are apparently ten black bandannas here which are more than enough for our little operation. I grinned and opened them up. I took the first one out and laid it in my hand. I then proceeded to fold it in half and wrap it around my face and tie it around the back of my head. It formed a mask and I was swept by a wave of nostalgia. This felt like how it was when I was holding that sniper rifle. It was a protective feeling like being inside a snow jacket in the harsh winter. The wind may be pelting but the jacket is protecting so there is nothing to worry about. Now it was the bandana was protecting my identity from the outside world. Kind of felt like I was a different person.

After the effect wore off I took the mask off and laid it on my lap. For the next minutes I looked around at what I could see. Guess I’m getting a little sentimental. After all I’m not gunna see any of this ever again so I might as well take it all in.

I wonder how I’ll die. Will it be by some cop that gets a lucky shot or by my own gun? I wonder what death will be like. Will it be painful or quick? I hope the Grim Reaper isn’t gunna be a dick when I meet him. I wonder if there is a Grim Reaper. Hey I better be going to Heaven because I’ve suffered for a lot of my life and I deserve some kind of apology or reward for going through it all. Nah I’ll probably burn in hell for the shit I’m gunna do.

I continued to look at the bandanas. Because of them, people will never know who will be the ones that will change Equestria forever; well at least initially. Actually fuck it, the ponies and bronies need to have something to blame; really put fear into them. I’ve learned that remaining anonymous gets you nowhere. I can just ask Danny and Fluttershy. Both of them have no idea that I’m the true murderer but that’s good because I’m still here because of that. What’s not good is that was ineffective at causing any change. All everyone knows is the true culprit behind Fluttershy’s death is a human that is referred to as the “sniper” or the “yellow jacket”. Because of the ominous circumstances the ponies haven’t fell the full force of it all. My hidden input made it so the assassination could never have that Lee Harvey Oswald, Osama Bin Laden, or John Wilkes Booth figure that encompasses the crime that people could rally against. There was no effect that the assassination was something committed by a mortal human, so people couldn’t find a meaning and so they didn’t care.

What this new stunt needs is a symbol that encompasses the violence and hatred of what I’ll do. People need to be able to point and say “there he is; there is what we can blame”. After all, once they can blame something then they will feel the weight and then the world will change. And for better or for worse depends on who’s looking at it. I know that when that strip club dies there will be a little bit of evil taken out of the world.

A smile crept on my face as I proceeded to take all of the bandanas out of the package. I then stuffed them into my pocket and threw the empty package onto the street where it blew away. I began walking back towards the market. There was one more thing I needed to do.

By the time I made it back to the shelter it was already past dinner time. I know that Jess will be a little angry with me but whatever. When I got into the cafeteria I found Jones, Erik, Rodney, and Derek were together and looking at some paper Erik had. I walked over to them.

“Ah Jim, good of you to join us.” Erik greeted me. “How was your day?”

“Good.” I nodded and my eyes found their way to the paper Erik had. “What’s that about?” I pointed to it.

“Just notes that I took while Jones and I were at the club.” Erik slid the paper over to me. “Damn you were right about the smell.” He remarked. “I’ve never been to a more unclean and rank place in my life. Oh wait! I did go to Galacon once.” He laughed a bit at that one.

I sat down and looked at the notes Erik had taken. He had added considerately more to his previous notes. Now there was a rough sketch of the inside of the club. It was pretty straightforward. The club’s entrance will give way to a hallway that leads to two rooms. The first room is the main room where the strippers will be performing. According to Erik’s notes it’s a huge room with a stage, bar, and an upper area for VIPs. There is only one exit from the main room and that is also the entrance. This means that if we block the entrance they will have nowhere to go since the entrance is also the exit. How stupid of the architects to do such as thing. They must have been ponies.

The other door Erik marked as security. That is probably where the cameras are being operated. It makes me wonder what security will be like. I expect some big dudes with muscles to be guarding the place but I wonder if they’re armed. Erik made no notes on it.

“Hey Jim.” Jones said. “You never told us that people use that metal door.”

“Huh?” I looked up at him.

“Oh yeah that reminds me.” Erik piped up. “I continued the notes on the other side. Did you know that the staff there uses that door when the place starts up?”

I turned the paper over and began reviewing the flip side. “No I didn’t. But that makes sense that they’d use that entrance. Where do you think it leads to?”

“Either the security room or VIP area. I say the VIP area because we didn’t get a good look up there so we don’t know everything about it.” Erik explained. “But anyways, Jones and I were discussing it and we think that we might be able to use that door after all.”

“Yeah it’s just a matter of speed.” Jones added. “If someone were to overpower someone that was unlocking the door then we could sneak in the back without needing to fight past the front. I recommend Drake. He could incapacitate someone quickly like that. I know he has the experience.”

Just then Jess yelled for me. “Jim you want some food?”

I turned to look at where she was yelling from. “No I’m good.” I yelled back.

“Are you sure?” she yelled.

“Yes!” I shouted. Damn, what is she my mom? I looked back at my buddies to find them smiling like a bunch of damn clowns. Made me uncomfortable. “What?” I spat.

“So,” Erik had a smile like a snake. “When you two gunna fuck?”

That caught me off guard. “What the fuck!”

Then Derek got interested in the conversation. “Yeah when are you gunna slide into her DM’s?” Thank God I know what that slang means. I guess Darius was good for something.

“Why the hell would I do that?” I asked.

“Are you kidding?” Derek said irritated. “She talks to you the most and lets you in her room. And you’ve only been here for like three months. I’ve been here almost two years and I couldn’t get so much as a wink out of her. But you get her to pay attention to your ass. How come? My cock is longer than yours.”

I developed a competitive grin. “I don’t know, man. I do have a long dick.”

“Alright first off, you white.” Derek sneered. “And I’m black. Case closed.”

“But you know what they say about guys with small hands, right?” I leaned across the table to him.

“What? My hands are bigger than yours.” Derek held his open palm out. I grinned wickedly and held my hand to his. A look of horror spread of Derek’s face well my fingers extended about an inch more than his.

“Well, well, well.” I snickered and withdrew my hand. “Guess this breaks racial stereotypes. Hey you know what we should call you now? Lil D.” Rodney immediately burst into laughter while everyone else snickered a bit.

“You motherfucker.” Derek seethed.

“And what’s better is it fits you.” I laughed along. “I mean you’re name begins with D and you’re short. It’s perfect for you.” At that moment Derek lunged across the table towards me. I flinched as it is my usual reaction but he never reached me. Rodney had grabbed him and pulled him backwards.

“What the hell is going on here?” Jess stormed over. She must have observed the scene which I imagine must have looked pretty threatening from her perspective. I mean there was yelling and some guy tried vaulting himself over a table. Jess is used to breaking up fights and she’s very quick to resolve them. Strangely enough most fighting comes from the female residents and rarely do the guys start anything. Guess we’re just more chillaxed.

“Derek and Jim here were comparing their dick sizes.” Rodney informed her through a couple chuckles.

Jess stood there for a second. I stopped breathing as I waited for whatever wrath she would bestow on us. But to my surprise she just giggled. “Seriously you guys?” She waved her hand. “That’s sounds like something a bunch of gay little middle schoolers would do.”

“That’s what they are.” Jones said. “And they’re gunna be handling guns so let’s hope they mature.”

I feel a bit awkward. Something about Jones saying we need to act more mature makes sense. We are gunna be handling guns and we’re gunna be deciding the lives of a lot of club patrons. This is life and death and all I’m doing is trying to compare my dick size. Maybe I do need to act more mature. Nah, actually I’m fine.

“So, uh,” I looked at everybody. “What’s next?”

“Well,” Erik said. “I want to take another look at the club just to double check a couple things. Jones would you like to come with me?”

“Why not.” Jones shrugged.

“So I’m guessing that means we’ve made no progress yet.” I mumbled a bit disappointed.

“No not entirely.” Rodney spoke up. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a floppy black hat. “Look what Jess gave us.” He said twirling the hat on his finger. “We can use these to cover our heads.”

“You’re giving those to us?” I said shocked. Shocked because that means she’s helping us. Why would she do that?

“Yeah.” Jess nodded. “After last winter I saw how cold some of you were getting. The heat doesn’t really work that well in this building.” She’s right last winter had some very chilly moments. Why it had to get to almost below zero is beyond me. I guess the rest of this city doesn’t know there are some places in the city that don’t have heating like the upper class parts. “So I went shopping and was able to make a deal that gave me a crate full of them. I’ll give them out next winter.” Jess said.

“Wow, so basically you’re cool with us killing all those ponies?” I asked.

“I thought I already told you no?” Jess scowled.

“But you’re helping us!” I pleaded. “So you can’t really be against us.”

“Well I am, Jim.” Jess crossed his arms. “Accept it and move on.” She’s totally denying it; I know that for a fact. I just want to know why.

“Anyways!” Erik spoke up. “The hats are just part one of the disguise. We need something to cover our faces.”

“Oh wait a minute!” I exclaimed and reaching into my pockets. How did I forget this? I pulled out the bandanas and tossed them all onto the table in front of me. “Look what I got!” I said full of pride.

“Jim those are perfect.” Jones smiled.

“Where the hell did you get those?” Jess asked sternly. “Because you don’t have money so that narrows it down to one thing.”

“What, do you think I stole them?” I asked. The raised eyebrow Jess gave me said ‘yes’. “Ah come on.” I moaned. “I stole it from a pony. He was rich anyways. Well most likely rich. Their mint used to be gold for god’s sake.”

“Jim, you could have been arrested.” Jess frowned.

“But I didn’t.” I insisted.

“Yeah this time.” She said with her hand on her hips.

“Still that was a great find, Jim.” Erik said. “With those I believe we’re now only two steps away now.” He produced a pencil and crossed out the bullet that read “full face coverage”.

After that I handed the bandanas out to everyone. They all tried them on and started admiring themselves. Rodney and Derek seemed to enjoy them the most as they started pretending they were in a gang of some kind. When we put them on we looked so weird. We looked intimidating. I don’t know if it’s just the notorious look of wearing a bandana mask but we looked official. We looked like terrorists. No, anarchists. Yep, this is how Zayn probably pictured we would look like. This is how I pictured we would look like. This is our true identities.

Since it was getting close to bed time some of us decided to head in a bit early. So they left and I found myself alone with Rodney and Derek. They had insisted they have a chat with me and knowing what they wanted I stuck around. Yesterday I had made a deal with them and they are most likely anxious to complete it. So now they eyed my like wolves that hadn’t eaten in days and had just came across a lone elk.

“So Jim.” Derek whistled. “That deal we made.”

“I know, I know.” I shook my head. “And don’t worry because I do have it. Just stay here for a sec.” I walked out of the shelter and went to the side alley of the building. I went to the place that Frank parked his truck which was right next to that purple dumpster. I don’t know why he doesn’t park it in the parking lot since it must smell being right next to a dumpster. But Frank says that his car is too suspicious so he can’t park it in plain sight. I think he’s just being paranoid but I guess I would too if I was hauling guns around with me.

Anyways I headed straight to the purple dumpster and opened up one of the sides. I held my breath and reached into it. I fumbled around till my hand found what it was looking for and I pulled it up. I then cradled the little package and headed inside.

I put in a lot of work to get this thing. All I can say is I hope that Rodney and Derek appreciate it. I nearly busted my balls getting what they wanted and if I knew it would be so hard to get I wouldn’t have even bothered. But I have it now and that’s all that matters. I walked right back into the shelter and walked right back up to Rodney and Derek. They were anxiously awaiting my arrival.

“So,” Derek rubbed his hands together. “Got ‘em?”

“You’re god damn right I got ‘em.” I frowned as I sat down across from them. “They were a pain in the ass to get.”

“Well let’s see them then.” Rodney crossed his arms. “I hope you got the right ones.”

I laid the package on the table and pushed them across. “Yeah I got the right ones.” I spat. “You got the oxy?”

“Hold on whitey.” Derek scowled. “We need to make sure first.” He tore into the paper wrapping and opened up the package. As soon as they did their faces changed from hard and unreadable to almost crying.

“They’re beautiful.” Rodney mumbled. He held it in his hand. The emblem of Michael Jordan seemed to gleam in the limelight.

I rolled my eyes. “I should have known you guys would be sneaker heads.”

“We’re black, Jim.” Derek said in a hushed tone as he too admired his new sneakers.

“Yeah whatever.” I snorted. Figures they would be obsessed with shoes. They must be part girl or something. Actually I remember way back when Darius had gone through a sneaker head phase. That was when he was still trying to fit into his new neighborhood. He had wanted me to join him but I couldn’t afford the sneakers he was telling me to buy. Eventually he gave up the fad, claiming it was for rich privileged kids or broke kids that forget they’re poor. Rodney and Derek must be the latter.

By now they had them on and were looking at them and posing like models. At least they are appreciative. “You guys don’t have any idea how frustrating it was to get those?” I grinned. “So I was at the market and I spotted them right where you said they’d be. It was obvious it wouldn’t be easy but I wanted that Oxycontin so I was willing to take the chance. My chance did come when suddenly this kid walked up to the pony vendor I was gunna get the shoes from. He must have been helping the vendor out but the vendor was treating him like shit. Then the pony began yelling at the kid for no reason and it was making quite a scene. He even had the nerve to put his hooves on the kid. Well the kid pushed him off and began walking away which is where things heated up. The pony started barking that the kid hit him or something stupid like that. That’s when two police officers came and immediately tackled the kid to the ground. The officers were ponies, a Pegasus and a unicorn. They were able to overpower the kid because the Pegasus came from the air and choked the kid while the unicorn did some magical bullshit and slammed the kid onto the concrete. This whole time the kid was screaming that he can’t breathe, but the Pegasus just laughs and says if he can scream then he can breathe. The worst part was despite the chokehold the ponies still wanted to act tuff, so the unicorn pulled out a gun and yelled ‘move and die’ over and over to the poor kid. I didn’t even know ponies carried guns but apparently they do. I don’t know but from what I can infer, if it is possible for the pony to accurately use a gun then they can use it. This must extend to unicorns that can use telekinesis, maybe even pegasi because I know their wings can act like hands. Anyways the kid was hauled off and in the chaos I got the shoes. But, damn, seeing that makes me uneasy. If it’s that easy for a human to get arrested around here then what does this mean? It means Equestria is trying to erase human society. They’ll start small in their own country and then expand to Earth. Clever little bastards.” I looked over to Rodney and Derek who were now sniffing their shoes and making faces of pure ecstasy.

“Are you guys even listening to me?” I growled.

“Huh?” Derek grunted. “Oh yeah, Jim, sure. Something about police and can’t breathe.” I groaned. Figures they wouldn’t listen to me. They got their heads so far up their own ass that they forget to thank the one that got them those damn kicks.

Well I guess I might as well get what is owed to me. “Can I have my oxy now?” I asked.

“Sure heads up.” Rodney said and threw a pill bottle at me. I wasn’t even expecting it and it slammed into my face and then conveniently landed in my hand. Neat.

I left the table and started to examine the case. Inside were these little yellow circular tablets. They looked innocent enough. I wonder what’ll happen. I forget what these do to you. But the point is to feel good and that what drugs do right? Yeah they make people feel good and I could use a little feeling good right about now.

But if I am gunna do this I would like some water to help swallow these. Guess I’ll go ask Jess. I found her washing dishes and although it’s a bad time to approach her when she’s working, I decided to anyways.

“Hi Jess.” I greeted her.

“Oh hi Jim.” Jess said facing away from me while she cleaned. “Come to help?” She began to turn around and at the moment I realized I was holding the pill bottle in my hand. Quick as a fucking rabbit I hid the bottle behind me back. Jess looked at me. “What do you have behind your back?” She asked.

“Nothing!” I spat.

“Clearly there is something. Come on let me see it.” She moved to my right and I responded by spinning left. She continued right and I continued twirling left. Eventually she just pushed me against the counter.

“Hey Jess. Let me help you with the dishes.” I whimpered nervously.

“Oh alright.” She said giving up. “Glad to see that someone is willing to help me.”

When she wasn’t looking I stuffed the bottle into my jacket pocket. Lucky for Jess I don’t mind cleaning stuff. I’m very happy when it comes to cleaning. It must be my inner bitch but I feel that things must be clean to be appreciated.

It didn’t take too long since she did most of the work. When I was done my hands were clammy but on the bright side Jess was happy. Now to get what I wanted.

“Um Jess.” I said. “Could I get some water?”

“Oh sure Jim no problem.” Jess replied gladly. I grabbed one of the cups I had cleaned and went to get water from the faucet but Jess stopped me. “Don’t do that.” He said taking the cup out of my hand. “That comes from the city supply and wherever they get it is toxic to humans.”

“What!” I exclaimed. “They’re trying to poison us!”

“Not intentionally.” Jess said. She frowned at me. “Don’t give me that look.” I don’t know what she’s talking about. “You’re thinking that ponies are trying to kill us through unassuming methods. Well lemme tell you you’re wrong. They’re little things called pathogens, microscopic organisms, and they’re in the water supply. They aren’t harmful to the natives but they can be to visitors. Every region of the world has them both on Earth and in Equestria. If Europeans go to America they are advised to drink bottled water and that is true vice versa. In Equestria it’s the same as any other place. So that means if you want water it’ll have to be bottled. Hold on I’ll get it for you.”

Well that really answers a few questions of mine. Truthfully despite being at the shelter for a while I haven’t really questioned much and therefore haven’t learned much. Actually I’ve been in idyllic calmness the whole time as I imagined how I would destroy that strip club. So I never asked why I was always given bottled water even when I was an anarchist. All I knew was Zayn provided me with shelter as long as I was loyal to him. But I guess he was also looking out for me in some way.

Jess unlocked the refrigerator that held the waters. Alright I haven’t been questioning things so I might as well start now. “Jess why do you lock up the food and water?” I asked.

“Same reason people lock anything else up.” Jess replied reaching for a bottle. “To protect it from being stolen.”

“Stolen by who though?” I continued. “I understand some people here are shady but I’m sure most of us wouldn’t cross you. Wait are you keeping it safe from ponies?”

Jess just shook her head. “No because I doubt I’ll see a pony in here.” Huh, that sentence strikes me as odd. Why wouldn’t a pony be here? I mean I’ve never seen a homeless pony but I see no reason a homeless shelter in Equestria wouldn’t have any Equestrians in it.

“Why?” I muttered. “Why wouldn’t a pony be here?”

“Ah it’s complicated Jim.” Jess said. “Don’t worry about it though.” She may tell me that but I still wonder. My view of Jess is she’s willing to help everyone. But I wonder exactly who that extends to. Apparently she’ll tolerate men which she thinks are evil but not ponies. That’s good in a way. She turned around and gave me the bottle of water.

“Thanks.” I said and walked away. Immediately I headed to the men’s bathroom. There was another homeless guy in with me. I flashed him a smile and took the bottle of pills out of my jacket. He just looked at it and nodded before leaving. I unscrewed the pill bottle and shook out four pills. This should be enough I assume. I uncapped the water and in one big gulp I swallowed all four of them.

After that nothing happened. I shook my head and put the pill bottle back in my pocket. I looked at myself in the mirror. The person staring back looked tired and weak. It was sad to think that was my reflection. In my prime years I’m just some sad and weak man that is at the bottom of life. This reminds me why I took these drugs. I won’t change how I look but I’ll be happy. And that’s what drugs are for, being happy.

I walked out of the bathroom and into the men’s quarters. I slumped down into my bunk. Still don’t feel anything but I bet it’ll kick in anytime soon. Guess all I have to do is wait.

I sat up in my bed and looked around. I found Erik was lounging in the bunk in front of me. “Hey Erik.” I prodded him.

“Yeah Jim?” He asked turning around to face me.

“Erik, I just swallowed four oxies.” I grinned giddily.

“Oh that cool, Jim.” He said laying back down with his hands under his head.

“You ever done oxy before.” I asked. “How long does it take?”

“Hold up.” He growled. “I’ve never done drugs in my life. To tell the truth I’ve always been happy so I see no reason to take them.”

“Really?” I eyeballed him. “I figured that after your career was destroyed you’d be depressed and maybe get hook of something.”

“Hah!” Erik laughed. “Is that what it’s like in America? No we just move back in with our parents. However I decided to move here to escape the shame. That’s all it is really.”

“Oh okay. Hey hold that thought Erik.” My stomach was beginning to feel funny.

Erik turned to look at me. “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t know. My guts just feel weird.”

“Oh that must mean it’s working.” Erik grinned. “Describe it for me.”

I held onto my stomach. “Well.” I started. “It feels kind of uncomfortable. Like a butterflies in your stomach kind of feeling. Actually my head also feels like it’s swimming. Oh wait hold on.” I belched but it didn’t relieve anything. “Excuse me but yeah.” I waited a couple seconds. “Oh wait the feeling is going away.”

“Really?” Drake asked.

“Yeah it.” I stopped.

“What is it?”

My stomach had just gone from butterflies to hornets and they were making their way up. “I need to get to the bathroom real quick.” I said standing up and briskly walking for the door. As the feeling intensified I started to run. Just as I made it into the bathroom stall I felt it coming in my throat. Soon I was puking my guts out.

If I looked weak before then now I really feel like it. I don’t know what’s happening but I can’t stop. It’s terrible with each time I get to take a breath another convulsion occurs. By the time Jess walked in I was praying hard to the porcelain god.

“Jim, Erik told me you weren’t feeling good. Are you okay?”

“No girls in the men’s bathroom.” I managed to choke out before going through another convulsion.

“Really Jim? I own this place.” Jess retorted. “Hold on I’m gunna get you some water.” She began to walk away but then stopped. “Wait a minute. Water. Oh shit!” She walked back to me. “Jim I think this is because of the water. Damn it all must be infected or something.”

“Yeah that’s it.” I nodded still on my knees. Jess briskly turned and walked towards the door.

Well it looks like I just dodged a bullet there. I don’t need to guess what would’ve happened if she found out I took drugs. So glad Erik didn’t tell her because I’ll bet she would’ve killed me by now. Guess good things do happen to the worst of people.

Only thing is now my conscience is messing with me. So it thinks that I should come clean to her. Its reasoning is that if I don’t do something then Jess will throw away all the water thinking it’s contaminated. Then the homeless here won’t have anything to drink all because I wanted to feel good. Also it thinks that I’m stupid and should confess because it’s the right thing to do. Well I say fuck the homeless; they can die of thirst for all I care. But I do think Jess should know about what I’ve done.

“Jess.” I moaned. “Jess come back here.” I heard her quickly run over.

“Yes? What is it?”

“So you think that maybe the water poisoned me?” I grinned.

“Yeah it must have been those pathogens.”

“Yeah.” I reached into my jacket pocket. “It could have been that. Or…” I took out the bottle of pills. “It could have been these.”

“What? What are these?” She asked snatching the bottle. “Oxycontin? Jim, are these yours?”

“Uh huh.” I nodded sullenly. “I got them after I made a deal with Rod and Derek. Please don’t punish them for this.”

“I knew it.” Jess hissed. “I knew it couldn’t have been the water. I’ve been getting shipments from them for months and haven’t had a problem.” She unscrewed the bottle. “I should have figured something like this would happen. You know I’ve told them to never sell to anyone here. I guess they thought they’d make an exception.” She grabbed my head and pushed it to the side. Then I watched as every yellow pill dropped into the water and then was flushed away. She let go and I returned back to the bowl to have another session with it.

I felt terrible and it wasn’t just from vomiting. I feel guilty I guess. Guilty that I’ve basically made someone worry for me. I mean I’m not alone anymore. I’m under the care of someone and to harm myself must tear her up inside. Heh, funny how I can feel bad for this but I can feel good for killing a pony. I just might be crazy.

“Jess.” I said weakly. “You never told me what happened to your father.”

“And I never will.” She shot back.

“No you have to.” I coughed. “I told you about my friends and the agreement was you have to tell me about your dad if I told you about them.”

I heard her sigh. “Alright, fine, you’re right. Just give me a minute.” She left the stall we were in and I heard the sound of water running. She returned soon after and leaned against the wall. “So you want to know about my daddy?” She asked.

“Yeah.” I murmured.

“Well it’s not the brightest story but alright.” She started. “I grew up outside the bad part of a city. Basically it was the suburbs and then the ghetto.”

“Wow we have something in common then.” I grinned. “I also lived in suburbs that were not too far away from a hood.”

“Well look at that, Jim. We have something in common.” Jess smiled. “Anyways, every once in a while the city boys would hang out in the suburbs and soon the place was getting to be bad like the city. I lived with my dad and just my dad. My mom was a felon and was in jail for life. She apparently had me only a couple weeks before she was put into the big house. So my dad raised me by himself and he was damn good at it. Problem was he was a police officer so he was usually never home. I was alone most of the time. I had to deal with all the hoods roaming around my neighborhood.”

“I know what that’s like.” I growled. “I used to hang around the bad neighborhood and the hoods would try and harass me. But I had a big black friend to protect me.”

“Yeah and the hoods used to harass me.” Jess added. “It was scary when they were around and my dad was gone. But it was okay because he taught me how to survive on my own. Everything I know is because of him. He taught me how to fight and how to take care of myself if he wasn’t home. Because of him I became known as a tough girl around town which landed me respect.”

“So your dad was the one that taught you how to fight?” I asked remembering all the times Jess had immobilized me or knocked me down.

“Yep.” Jess replied. “He enrolled me in several self defense classes and taught me whatever he learned as a cop. Eventually people looked up to me to protect them and I graciously accepted. I loved that and that’s where I learned how to care for people. See I had trouble with the city boys harassing girls so I had to step up and show them they can’t mess with us. That’s when my dad had a talk with me and said how proud he was of me. But he told me to be sure to never use my strength and power to abuse others even if they abuse you. He said people that have power or are in power should use their power to help others because if we didn’t then we’re using our power wrong.”

“Sounds like you dad was a pretty stand up guy.” I said.

“Oh he was.” Jess continued. “He was a cop sure but not one of those mean ones that abuse their power or are just rude. He did care about his community and wanted to heal it not imprison it. I remember how he used to get in trouble with his department because he was too lenient. He was always letting people go that he shouldn’t have. Not like murderers and such but just kids that had made a mistake. He told me that there were two criminals he met. Actual criminals and kids. The criminals he would arrest with extreme prejudice because they would never change. But the kids could change so when he came across one of them he would just stop them. Instead of threatening them with jail time he would take action. Once he took away some drug dealer’s gun and threw it down the sewer. He then asked if the drug dealer though blasting some kid that got on his nerve was really worth life imprisonment. The thing was my dad didn’t mind the city kids; he just didn’t want them to be hurt others or themselves. Because of what he did he was hated by other cops but loved by his community.”

“I would have liked to see that.” I mused. “I grew up avoiding cops. Still do.”

“And you should.” Jess said. “I grew up around cops. Sure there are a lot of good but there are a lot of bad. A good cop just does his job while a bad cop just tells you he’s doing his job. The difference is one doesn’t understand what it takes to keep the peace. But my dad did. He tried to maintain order and make sure that is was safe to go outside. Sure he made misjudgments but it wasn’t like he did them on purpose. He just tried to make everyone happy.”

“Hmph.” I was listening but at the same time I was in a staring contest with the toilet water. I think I still have one more in me. “So how did he go?”

“I don’t know Jim.” Jess muttered sadly. “Well I do know but I was never given a straight answer. I started this shelter two years back. This was when land was selling quickly in Equestria. Back then border control wasn’t what it is now and buying property wasn’t so strict so I got this place for a steal.”

“Where’d you get the money?” I asked.

“Loans, Jim.” Jess rolled her eyes. “I’m up to my tits in debt. However, because Equestria is so new to this economic system, I’m skating by while slowly trying to pay everything off and support everybody here.”

“So at any moment they could shut this place down?” I asked looking up at her horrified.

She nodded sadly. “I’m afraid so.” Then she grinned. “But it’s been two years and nobody has come to foreclose, so I think I have someone looking out for me.”

I chuckled a bit. “So how does your dad fit into all of this?”

“Oh right.” Jess nodded. “So about a year into the shelter I was doing pretty well. I was nervous that the debt collectors would come but I was confident that I could have just enough time to help a couple people even for just a couple months. It was early in the morning when a pony walked through the doors. I was surprised since he didn’t look homeless and I wasn’t expected there to be a pony that needed my help. When he approached me he was very shady like. I know a pony acting shady sounds odd but if one of them was acting shady then it must be important. He told me that they had been trying to contact me for the past week but since I didn’t have a phone at the time it was impossible. Somehow they did track me down which I felt was kind of weird. But slowly the pony explained to me that there had been an accident. He didn’t specify what, but he did say that my dad had died. Apparently he had been in Equestria and was the victim of bad architecture although they expect foul play.”

“Foul play?” I asked intrigued.

“I don’t know the exact place but the building he was in was really weak.” Jess explained. “They found him crushed but they determined that it couldn’t have fallen randomly. It had to be someone. Since they found nothing they suspect it was magic. And, well, we know who had magic.”

“Damn.” I murmured. “So ponies murdered your father?”

“Y-yeah.” Jess muffled a cry.

“That’s really sad Jess.” I said. “I know what it’s like to lose people to ponies. Heck I’ve lost four. Tell me, is your dad the reason you’re letting us shoot up that club?”

“I don’t know Jim.” Jess admitted. “I feel that my dad wasn’t given a proper farewell. No he wasn’t given any justice. That is fucked up for a man that had given his life for the law. He deserved better. Not to be killed in a foreign land by some pony.”

“What was he doing in Equestria?” I asked.

“I will never know that answer.” Jess shook her head. “If I had to guess he was either looking for me or maybe he was here after the cop transfers.”

“Cop transfers?” I cocked me head to look at her.

“Yeah, remember they sent thousands of police to Equestria a while back.” Jess said. “Most of them were volunteers but some veterans were sent to provide an example to the fresh blood. They were supposed to keep order as Equestria learned how to cope.”

“Woah.” I gasped grabbing my side.

“What?” Jess perked up.

“You do realize if what you say is true, they basically sent your father to his death.”

“That’s not…” Jess paused. “Actually maybe you’re right.”

“Hehehe.” I chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” She asked.

“I think it’s funny that out of all of us you have the most reason to hate ponies.” I laughed. “Your own dad gets taken away from you, ponies protest this shelter’s existence, and you live in fear of them taking all this away. Rodney and Derek only hate them because they have more than them. Heck those two hate anyone with more than them. Jones hates them because they took away his war and his family. However I doubt that a man that loves the battlefield and killing so much is that in touch with reality. Drake doesn’t hate anybody; he just likes to kill. I’m not too sure about Erik since his only quarrel is they ruined his career but maybe he’s crazy. As for me, ponies ruined my life. But I can’t really blame them completely since, let’s face it; I’m so fucked in the head that I just do stupid things. But you, you have credibility. You’re helping people and you own property. Nobody else here has that so nobody else has much to lose.”

Jess blinked. “Did you just analyze everyone’s motives?” She asked.

“Oh it’s just something I think about.” I huffed. “You see Jess I’ve been left alone to think for a really long time. And when the human mind thinks it drifts off into places that may be a bit ugly. If left to think for too long, we humans can become quite nasty. It’s why solitary confinement prisoners are so crazy. We think about things and forget about reality. Everything is better in our minds so it is hard to come back to the real world. And when we do come back to the real world we bring our new mindset with us and we find that it may or may not work so well. So we get frustrated, and when we get frustrated we get angry, and when we get angry we hate, and when we hate we get violent, and when we get violent we lose control, and when we lose control then others lose control, and when others lose control then the world loses control, and when the world loses control , we die.”

Jess looked at me mysteriously. “O-okay.”

“That’s why it’s better to just act and not think.” I finished. “If we act more and think less we’ll probably not be in this situation with ponies. Or is it feel more and think less? I actually feel like throwing up right now.” This time the convulsion wasn’t that bad.

“Uh Jim what am I gunna do with you?” Jess shook her head.

“No let’s think about it,” I said continuing on with my thoughts. “What if when the portals first open, instead of the soldiers welcoming the ponies, they instead shot them by accident? What do you think would’ve happen then?”

“I don’t know?” Jess sighed. “Probably would hurt our relationship with the ponies. I don’t know, maybe war?”

“Exactly!” I exclaimed. “And how would ponies fare in a war with us?”

“Well considering they were initially armed with magic, which had little effective offensive capabilities, and spears, and we are armed with rifles, tanks, and planes. Also considering that the population of Earth dwarfs the population of Equestria. They probably would have been wiped off the map.”

“Yes.” I grinned. “There would have been a war and none of this would have happened. Think about it. If there was a war then the bronies wouldn’t have gotten the power they have now. Earth wouldn’t be tied to whatever Equestria does. And on an individual scale, all of us here would be happy. You, Jess, would still have a father and probably wouldn’t owe money to these ponies. Rodney and Derek wouldn’t be stuck here hating everyone and instead would probably just be hometown thugs, not really harmless to anyone but their own community. Jones would have his war and be a happy little soldier. Drake I’m guessing would have been caught and brought to jail, just another killer off the street. Erik would’ve become an officer like he wanted. And Darius and I would’ve been United States Marines. Then I could have gotten my legs blown off in Iraq instead of being stuck here.”

“None of that really sounds better.” Jess muttered. “And who’s Darius?”

“8-set,” I stated. “He was my childhood friend. Remember he was killed by bronies pretty much the day after I got here. And I know it may not sound much better to you but to me it is. This shelter is a testament to how bad everything has become since ponies. Heck being human is the worst thing that you can be right now.”

“I would have to disagree, Jim,” Jess spoke. “We’re still kicking. It’s just, in Equestria at least, we have limitations now. And all we have to do is work with these limitations. We’ll be stronger in the end.”

“No you’re wrong.” I growled. “These limitations are choking us, making it so our species will soon die a slow and painful death. And it’s not just here in Equestria. I’ve been across the U.S. and I’ve seen acts of ponies controlling us. You haven’t been homeless before and seen the acts of kindness that have been bestowed to a pony because of their limitations. They aren’t as strong as us and because they are on four legs they can’t work as efficient as we can. So we help them build cities and manage their shit. All of this happens as there are crippled men sitting in the hot sun who have nothing, yet they aren’t given a lick of help. Everyone is too distracted by the ponies to care. In fact, shouldn’t the fact that they’re segregated us to this poor part of the city be proof enough? We’re like goddamn work animals that are only useful until we can’t work anymore and then they kill us, or they send us here to wait our lives out.”

Jess didn’t respond. I guess she didn’t know how. I wouldn’t either if I was in her situation. Her problem is she’s looking for a nonviolent answer to this torture. But I learned that they only answer is violence. I spent years driving around in my Jeep trying to avoid the problem and it only made the problem worse. This time we take action.

But I can understand the hesitation. After all I took my time to try and retaliate against the ponies, and I did at Bronycon. I can guarantee that after Jess witnesses the aftermath of our mission she’ll change her mind. Again, violence is the only answer. It creates reactions that will lead humanity to a better future. I know it will.

I was back in a staring contest with the toilet when I heard the sound of a door open. I looked up but didn’t bother stand up. I’m still nauseous and I don’t want Jess to clean up my mess if I happen to puke on the floor. Jess stood up to see who it was.

“Oh, um, hi Jess,” I heard a nervous voice speak.

“Hey Peter.” Jess greeted him.

“Uh, this is the men’s bathroom.” He said cautiously. I know I can’t see him but he sounds like he’s edgy as fuck.

“I fucking own this place. I can go where I want.” Jess snapped. She must be mad that we guys assume that she’s not allowed inside a place she owns.

“Alright sorry I said that.” He stammered. Oh God I forgot he used to be an awkward brony caricature.

“Well if you want to know why I’m here, it’s because Jim had a bad reaction to some Oxycontin that he bought from Rodney and Derek.” Jess explained. “I don’t know if you’re acquainted with them but just know that drugs are strictly prohibited here. Do you understand?”

“Y-yes ma’am.” Peter squeaked.

I grinned. I haven’t really spoken to Pete since I saved him from the street. I think it’s time to catch up.

“Jess.” I called out. It came out as a croak because I’m still sick.

“What?” Jess asked poking her head into the stall.

“Bring Pete in. I want to talk with him.” I moaned.

“Uh, alright if you insist.” Jess turned around. “Peter, Jim wants to see you.”

“I heard.” Peter said. I heard him walk into the stall with me. I turned my head to see him.

“Hiya Pete.” I smiled.

“Jim.” He nodded. “Man you look… bad.” I frowned at him. “Oh not like that I mean you look like hell. You’re eyes are all bloodshot and there are dark circles around them. Not to mention you’re really pale. I wouldn’t have pointed it out, but man you look like you’re dying.”

Something about what he said scared the living hell out of me. Dying? I can’t be dying! I still need to get transport for our plan. There are still things that I need to do. I stood up and hurriedly walked out of the stall. Sure I’m still nauseous but I need to see what Pete’s talking about.

I stumbled to the sinks where the mirrors are and slowly gazed upon my reflection. To my horror, Pete was right. Most of the white of my eyes were covered by red veins until they was a light pink look to them. To top it off there were dark circles around my eyes like I hadn’t had enough sleep. Then of course was my pale skin. It was almost grey which is scary. I spent a lot of time outside in the sun over the years while I was homeless so I’ve developed a darker complexion. My skin tone is usually nowhere close to be considered pale. However right now I looked like, as Pete put it, I’m dying.

I grabbed my head in panic. “Is this what happens when you do drugs?!” I exclaimed.

“Oh course not, Jim.” Jess stated. “You’re probably just tired and dehydrated. Let me get you another water.” She walked out leaving me alone with Peter.

“Hey Pete,” I smirked wrapping my arm around my buddy. “You know what I’m gunna do?”

“Uh no Jim. I don’t,” Peter replied.

“Heh, well have you ever heard of the Magic Mist?” I asked.

“No.”

“Have you been to a pony strip club before? Be truthful now,” Pete’s face scrounged up.

“I thought about it once,” He admitted. “But I’ve never gone.”

“Well the Magic Mist is a pony strip club about a mile or so from this place.” I explained. “And I and a couple of buddies want to go. Wanna come with us?” Pete stared slack jawed at me.

“You want to go to a pony strip club?” He asked.

“Of course.” I boasted. “We’re gunna go in there and have a good time. It’ll be a blast especially when we shoot every last slut in there with twelve gauge shotguns. Blow a few whore brains out of whore heads. Show ponies that we don’t want their bodies. The only thing we want with their bodies is to put them in graves.”

“Wait a minute,” Pete struggled out of my hold. “You’re saying that you and some friends are gunna get some guns and go kill hookers. Are you mad? Where are you gunna get firepower around here?”

“You know that man?” I poked a finger into Pete’s chest. “That man named Frank. He sells guns. You couldn’t buy from him since he’s not allowed to sell to people in the shelter, but I cut him a deal. Now he’s giving me and a couple others the means to wage war on ponies perverting themselves. We’re gunna shoot them into ribbons. Their club will flow red with a river of blood and guts from goddamn fucking whore… slut… bitch… I’m gunna be sick.” Once again I found myself racing to the stall. This time the convulsion was rather enormous. I grabbed the toilet lid and waited for it to be over. When it was over I suddenly felt much better. Guess my reaction is over. I stood up just as Jess walked into the stall.

“You feeling better, Jim?” she asked handing me a bottle of water.

“Yep,” I nodded taking the bottle and chugging it. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was until now. I basically downed the whole thing in one shot. “I was just telling Pete here about me and the boys’ plan.” I motioned to our audience of the former brony.

Immediately Jess frowned and crossed her arms. “Oh really?” She hissed. “What does he think?” We both turned to the flabby eighteen years old. He was practically squirming under our gaze.

“Well, his plan’s crazy!” He said.

“Yeah,” I retorted. “But he likes it and he’s joining us. Right buddy boy?”

“Um, well, I, uh,” Peter stammered. A wide grin appeared on my face. I knew he would consider my offer. After all who wouldn’t want a little revenge after what he’s been through?

“See!” I exclaimed. “He’s totally in.”

“No he’s not,” Jess said.

“Oh come on,” I shook my head. “He’s got a score to settle. Right Pete?”

“Well I, let me think about it?” Pete squeaked out.

“See he doesn’t want to go.” Jess said.

“Aw come on man,” I walked over to Pete. “Are you seriously forgetting?” I looked at Jess and pointed at Pete. “This kid has personally met Twilight Sparkle and her lackeys. So he’s been closer to the source of the problem than any of us.” I’m gunna leave out my own meeting with Twilight just to be safe. “He knows what I’m talking about. Come on.” I walked over to Pete and grabbed his arm. “Remember how Twilight Sparkle treated you? She treated you like an inferior. That’s how all ponies treat us. So that’s what I’m gunna do. That’s why I’m gunna go in there and put holes in everything. Join me, Pete. You can be part of the greatest thing to happen in Equestria since Fluttershy got popped.”

“Stop it, Jim!” Jess suddenly spoke up. Before I knew it she had grabbed my free arm and was twisting it. I winced and let go of Pete’s arm and grabbed for my own. Jess let me go after a few painful grunts on my part.

“That hurt.” I grumbled massaging my sore wrist.

“Quiet you.” Jess hissed. She looked at Pete. “Listen Peter, don’t listen to this madman. What he tells you isn’t because he’s looking out for you, it’s because he wants revenge for whatever so badly that he’ll pull anyone down with him. His plan is literally a suicide. Tell me Jim, do you think you’re coming back here alive?” I didn’t answer and Jess smirked. “See,” she pointed at me. “he wants to throw away his life and apparently he doesn’t care whose life he throws after with. Listen, you’re eighteen. You have a lot of your life ahead of you. You haven’t gone off the dead end. Heck neither has Jim really but he on the edge. You’re young and you have more potential than most people here. I know you aren’t crazy. Don’t be like him; he’s just a mean man.”

I know I should be used to Jess’ harsh truths about me but she’s just too honest about me. Was it really that easy to figure that I plan on not surviving? If that’s true then I wonder why the others are tagging along with me. I mean we have to know that it’s hopeless to try and run. I think I’ll ask them later.

“I think the kid’s got the message.” I growled. But she continued.

“Wanna know something about Jim?” Jess asked. “He used to be an anarchist. Yeah he wanted to tear down society, and he could have done it too. Did you know he had Discord ready to help him? Think about it. He had the power to completely usurp control over Equestria, but he was stopped. He even lost three friends. So you know what I think? I think Jim’s after revenge, and he doesn’t care who gets hurt even if they’re on his side. Does that really sound like a man that is trying to help you? Face it, he’s so fixated on revenge he’s lost touch with reality.”

Peter stared at us for a moment. Odd thing was he didn’t look shocked or disgruntled like before. Now he looked confident and almost smug. He clenched his hands.

“You know revenge sounds pretty good actually,” He said surprising both me and Jess. “Don’t get me wrong I see the risk, but that doesn’t bother me. Before I’ve been really gullible, I handed my car over to someone that was shady as all hell. I looked over it because back then I truly believed in the philosophy that the ponies spread. They believe that everything is okay even if it’s not. I thought this was just optimism but it’s not. It’s weakness. Ponies know that humans are better and stronger than them so that’s why they keep us down. They want to see us suffer because they know that if we really tried we’d be the ones on top. I failed college because I didn’t try. Heck I’ve failed life because I didn’t try and only placed my faith into a culture that’s not my own. Well I think it’s time to be human again. Equestria thinks it can hypnotize us with its culture and apparently its sex appeal. It needs to be reminded that humans have never wanted to be controlled. Our history is us resisting something controlling us, just asked any country that has had a revolution. Besides, I’ve been told that the most regretful things in life are not what you do but what you don’t do. If I pass up this opportunity I’ll never know what could have been.”

Both me and Jess stared agape at Pete. I can’t speak for her but I’m just amazed at the transformation. To think that he went from love to hate after one bad encounter is incredible. And he couldn’t have put it better with what he just said. I think that deserves a round of applause.

I started a slow clap and walked towards him. “That a boy,” I said. I put my arm around him. “Trust me, you won’t regret this.”

Jess spoke out. “So you’re really gunna throw your life away?” Pete looked down at the ground. I’m guessing he was still on the ropes about that. Well I’m not letting Jess diminish his confidence. I locked eyes with her.

“I’ll admit that I do have doubts about returning,” I started. “However, we are preparing a lot for this, and with each step we take it looks less like a suicide and more like a walk in the park. We most likely won’t meet too much resistance from any of the club patrons. So that leaves the cops but remember that there are few Equestrian cops that carry guns. The ones that do are mostly rookies and you told me yourself, Jess, that most cops here are rookies.” Jess’ eyes darted away for a quick second, an indication that I had punctured her little bubble of reason. “Point is we probably are gunna be the ones with the most firepower so we basically have the advantage. And I’ve been thinking.” I released my arm from around Pete. “Do you really think that it will be posted on the Equestrian news that in Equestria, a place of moral goodness and purity, a strip club was shot up and pony prostitutes are now dead? As if!”

“Oh my god. You’re right!” Pete exclaimed.

“Of course I’m right!” I smirked pleased with myself. “I am a genius.”

“You sure are.” Jess hissed at us. She looked ready to kill someone. “I guess those drugs must have worked because you’re even more mentally brain damaged than before.”

I grimaced. “You want to know something, Jess?” I muttered suddenly feeling very lost. “I took those drugs to feel good but instead I felt bad. I don’t feel stupid for taking them. I feel scared. Remember how I told you that when people think they lose touch with reality? Well I know I’m crazy but that’s because I’ve been thinking for too long. I’m stuck in this fake reality and I want to escape to the real world, but I can’t. So I’ve been trying to escape to other worlds. Those drugs were supposed to bring me out of my world and drop me somewhere else. Instead I was punished. Guess I’m stuck here.”

I looked at the ground and I noticed something. My feet were firmly placed on floor. It was funny because despite this being true in reality, I know it’s not true at all. I should be floating. I’m so far gone from this Earth that when I come back down my body won’t survive.

“Jim.” Jess suddenly had her hand on my shoulder. “Listen I’ve given you the chance to improve, that was a mistake. But I see now that maybe you need guidance instead of relying on you to change.”

I frowned. “You know you sound like my psychiatrist. I hated that old bitch!” Jess returned my frown.

“Well you need help.” She tightened her grip on my shoulder. “What you need is to spend more time with friends. The experience will get you right in line with reality.”

That made me flick her hand off me. “You sound like some kind of pony conformity program. Did I ever tell you about that time?”

Jess’ hand reached her mouth. “Oh my god. That explains everything. You went to one of those.”

“No.” I shot at her. “I’ve just visited one of them once. But I think it’s a story for another time.” It’s probably best to leave out my Rainbow Dash experience though I bet Pete will want to hear that one. But what pisses me off is that to survive in this world I have to be someone I’m not. I want to be myself, I want to be human. However to be human means I have to lose. I’m not gunna say that’s not fair because when the odds are stacked against you like this then saying it’s not fair is an understatement.

“Well I imagine you probably have something that drove you over.” Jess said her hands now on her hips. “You ever to listen to Drake when he’s talking about his life? Scary shit.” I would love to hear what made him lose touch with reality. He’s a category on his own. “Anyways, back to you. Listen I’m not saying you have to change your lifestyle, behavior, or personality. I’m just saying you have to stop doing this crazy shit, because one day you will hurt yourself and there won’t be anyone that can help you then. Spend some time with people instead of running off to be alone like you have for two months.”

“I’ve survived on my own for years, lady.” I retorted. “But I guess I can tone down a bit.”

“That’s the spirit, Jim.” Jess said. “Do something that’s not stupid. I don’t care what it is. Get a hobby, make art, find God, do something.” She looked at Pete. “You have any suggestions?”

“Well if you wanted to find God.” Peter squirmed around a bit. “You could always go to that church that’s down the road.” I glared at him.

“There’s a church down the road?” I exclaimed. “There’s a church in Equestria?!” I grabbed Pete’s arms. “Answer me damn it!”

“Ah!” He wailed. “It’s about three blocks down the road. Take a left out of here and start walking. It’ll be a place called Equestrian worship of God. I’ve never been there before I just know about it because they were handing out free crackers once.”

“Is it Christian?” I asked. “I’d prefer to visit a Christian establishment, although Muslims are fine too. It better not be Jewish. I hate Jews.”

“Huh?” Pete grunted. He must have caught the last thing I said. “You’re anti-Semitic?”

“What? No.” I brushed it off. “I just grew up with a lot of people that didn’t like Jews. And when I say they didn’t like Jews I mean they made so many negative Jew jokes that I couldn’t go into a Jewish temple with a straight face.”

“Let’s add that to the list.” Jess said. “You’re racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-pony.”

“I think that last one is actually anti-Brony.” I corrected her. I began walking past Pete when I was suddenly yanked back.

“So where are you going?” Jess said with a tight grip on my shoulder.

“To church.” I said nonchalantly.

“Church? Have you ever been to church before? They only open on Sundays.” Jess informed me.

“I think I’ll show up anyways.” I said ripping myself free.

“Um Jim.” Jess stepped in front of me. “What did I just tell you about leaving to be by yourself?”

“Yeah I remember. And I will spend time with people. Tomorrow. Right now I’m going to church.” I tried to walk past her but she blocked my path.

“Do you even know what time it is?” She asked.

“Fuck!” I looked at Pete. “What time is it?”

“Oh uh.” Pete took out a phone. “It’s about ten.”

I scratched my head. “When you’d get a phone?”

“Like forever.” Pete replied. “Which reminds me that I need to get a job soon to pay for it.”

“Good.” Jess pointed at him. “Get a job so you can get on with your life.” She looked at me. “Don’t be like Jim here. He’s been here for about three months and he hasn’t even tried to find a job.”

“Hey don’t bother with a job.” I said to Pete. “There really aren’t that much and the ones that are open only want pony employees. My advice is to be a drug dealer like my two black friends.” I felt an acute pain to my side as Jess jabbed me with her nails.

“Don’t tell him that!” Jess growled through gritted teeth.

“Why the hell not?” I grunted. “The boy deserves to know.”

“Oh please Jim. You’re just feeding him your own prejudices.” Jess shot

“What? No I’m giving him a heads up.” I shot back.

“I think I’m gunna leave before things get too heated.” Pete squeaked and sneaked past us. I didn’t see where he went after that because I was in a staring contest with Jess.

“You’re such a bastard, you know that?” Jess said. “You don’t have a job, you convince others to support your ideals, and you don’t listen to me.”

“I don’t do any of that,” I defended myself. “I mean I totally listen to you. But I don’t do any of that others stuff.”

“Really, because your actions say otherwise,” Jess remarked. “You’re making people that have never done anything violent in their life commit a horrendous crime.”

“Are you crazy?” I growled. “There is no crime in what we’re doing. The real crime is how the ponies put us here. They forced us to live with scraps while they live in luxury hotels not even a mile away. And let’s not forget that they aren’t afraid to use violence themselves when they want. So I see no crime in doing it back to them if they’ve done it first.”

“You realize by that logic that anyone could get away with anything ever.” Jess crossed her arms.

“Aaaah!” I groaned. “It ain’t about getting away. It’s about making an example. So that when those damn pony senators look to why their human population is so angry all the time, they’ll have an example of what happens if you push our species around. Everything feels pain, and everything reacts to pain. This is our reaction.”

“Pain!” Jess growled. “What pain?”

“Pain.” I repeated. “Without love. Pain. I can’t get enough. Pain. I like it rough.”

“What are you talking about?” Jess took a step back.

“Cause I rather feel pain than nothing at all.” I noticed that Jess had conveniently moved away from the exit. “See ya.” I said before vaulting past here and sprinting down the hallway. I was in full sprint, not looking where I was going, when suddenly I slammed right into someone. I know it was a person because I heard them grunt. I fell right back on my ass which hurt really bad.

“Someone’s in a hurry.” I heard Drake laugh. He bent over and picked me up by the collar. It was very uncomfortable.

“I am.” I replied. “Sorry for running into you.”

“Oh I barely felt a thing, Jim.” Drake giggled. “We’re too weak to hurt me. Actually you need to eat more.” He grabbed my wrist. “You’re so skinny.”

I ripped my wrist from out of his grip. “Look who’s talking.” I retorted.

“Oh please I’m thin but I’m all muscle.” Drake bragged. “You on the other hand need to work out more.” He smirked. “Then maybe Jess will stop kicking your ass so much.”

“I let her.” I said. “But it’s not my fault that she has training. I learned how to fight on the street.”

“Probably had your face down the whole the time.” Drake joked.

“Let’s see you fight three guys bigger and stronger than you and come out on top! I dare ya!” I exploded.

“Alright fair enough.” He nodded.

“By the way, where were you all day?” I asked.

“Oh just sightseeing. And by that I mean stalking people.” Drake smirked.

“Thinking of murdering someone?” I asked.

“Oh I’m always thinking about that.” Drake giggled. “But lately I’ve been looking for a place to hide.”

“Hide?” That caught me off guard. “Hide from what?”

“Come on Jim.” Drake crossed his arms. “You think that we’re gunna be safe after what’s gunna go down? Equestria will crackdown hard on us humans after this. They did it in New Canterlot after Fluttershy got shot, so they’ll do it here. I’m just looking for a place to lay low.”

“Then why not here?” I asked. “This place is plenty safe.”

“Sure it is.” Drake agreed. “But when the crackdown comes they’ll look for places where humans are gathered the most. They’ll looked for humans with records and let’s just say there are a lot of people here with records. Jess included.”

“Oh right.” I nodded. “She told me about her debt. I see. So after this the ponies are gunna come for revenge.” I shrugged. “Guess that leaves us with one solution.”

“I know what you’re thinking, Jim.” Drake said. “I for one am hiding after this blows over. I’ve survived this long as a serial killer by lying low and not being too cocky. If you were smart you would too.”

“Eh.” I grumbled. “I’ve lived my life hiding for too long. I rather die than go back to that. So thanks for the heads-up but I’ve made my decision.”

I began to walk past him but he grabbed my arm. “One more thing.” Drake looked down the hallway and then back at me. “It’s been on my mind for a while but, when are you and Jess gunna fuck?”

I was taken aback by the comment. Not because it was wrong but because I was thinking the same thing. “What?” I croaked out.

Drake let go of my arm and put his hands in his pockets. “I was just wondering. You guys hang out a lot and she comes to your rescue a lot, like today. Everyone’s wondering it. I just have the balls to say it to your face.”

I frowned. “Well thanks for having the courage to speak to me, but tell everyone else that if they want to talk behind me back then I’ll talk behind them.” I hate it when people talk behind my back. It reminds me of high school. “Also I’m not really planning on getting it on with her.”

“Why not?” Drake cocked his head.

“Just not on my list.” I shrugged. “I’m too preoccupied with this whole pony ordeal that I don’t want to think about getting it on. Besides I don’t have a chance with her.”

“Bro, you got a better chance than anyone else here.” Drake said. I know he’s trying to be helpful but he’s pissing me off. There is no way I’m gunna even try. A bitch ain’t worth it now.

“Why do you care?” I glared at him. “You’re a little faggot.”

“So?” Drake shrugged. “I’m just looking out for you, little man. I know that you think we won’t make it back after the shootout, but I still have hope. And besides it would be a shame if you wasted all this time without at least getting to second base with her.”

“Alright you know what?” I snapped. “I’ll discuss this with you later. In the meantime I’m going somewhere.”

“Alright Jim.” Drake said. “But seriously consider what I said. You’re probably mad because you have some tension you need to relieve. Well, if you know what I mean.”

“Whatever you say, Drake.” I turned around and began walking away. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“Where you going?” He called after me.

I opened the door. “To become a saint.” I yelled before leaving.

Author's Note

I want to apologize for taking so long. There have been a lot of distractions this month. Not to mention I now have a deleted scenes document now which is one of the reasons I took so long. Anyways I wrote a very long edition for you guys and I apologize once more for taking so long.

Chapter 29: Help from above

Author's Note

Now I understand that some of the content in this chapter might be controversial. Or maybe it won't. In any case I want to remind everyone that this is the first person limited perspective and nothing here stands as fact. It's purely for fun and the logic here is made for a fictional world, not the real one.

Chapter 29: Help from above

Now I’ve never been the slightest bit religious in my life. Never have I attended Sunday church or read scripture. Heck my parents didn’t even baptize me so I was pretty much doomed from the start. The closest thing I’ve had to a religious experience was when I attended a relative’s funeral. This guy I’ve never met before was apparently my mom’s last surviving uncle that apparently served with the U.S. Marines in Vietnam. My mom told me she had previously lived in the same apartment with him, and that he was a crazy religious man. Point is his funeral was also very religious, and I remember the church where the funeral was held and how ornate it was. There were paintings on the ceiling, candles everywhere, and multiple gold painted decorations. I forget the exact denomination but the funeral was very ceremonial. I found it very impressive and it left a lasting impression on me.

My impression after that place was maybe religion isn’t that bad. I say it isn’t bad because growing up I was bombarded with anti-Christian propaganda from places like the internet and a couple of my old friends. It seemed that religion, at least where I was growing up, was dying off slowly. It was being killed by disinterest and hate from people like me, the white middle class. I remember back in the day people were very proud to call themselves atheists, and to denounce the church for being unrealistic or something like that. I stayed neutral since I was worried about all the hate that these atheists spewed forth. It wasn’t hate like me but mindless hate. I felt like these kids went on the internet read an article and instantly became philosophers with the life duty of destroying organized religion. Actually I felt bad for any religious folk, not that I’ve ever met any in real life.

Obviously if two people were to debate science versus religion then science would have more credibility just based on facts alone. But I always found this to be cruel. To me it seems that if you have knowledge you shouldn’t use it to discredit someone just because you know they’re wrong. Instead you should use your knowledge to help everyone even if they don’t understand and let them come to their own conclusions. I guess that means I just don’t like smart people.

Still I didn’t join the religious side because they too were not perfect. In fact each side had scumbags that fueled the flame war. The debate was mostly between these fanatics and it made everyone else look bad. Again I felt bad because I knew that one side would totally get destroyed in the end and the odds weren’t looking good for the church. So for some reason I naturally sided with the losing team. I can’t help it. I see someone or a group of people getting destroyed and I have to have sympathy for them no matter what they did before. I’ll admit that I do have soft spots for groups and people that probably don’t deserve my pity. I’m still trying to figure out if that makes me a better person or worse.

Anyways, my soft spot for religion most likely stemmed from what happened to most organized religions around the world. When the first bronies went to Equestria they were to represent all of Earth’s cultures and values. This of course would be impossible unless everyone from all walks of life were sent to greet the ponies. That was the exact opposite of what happened. Instead we sent in the bronies, most of which were middle class college students coming from mainly white suburban households. That’s truthfully what most of them were, and mainly they came from America and Western Europe. They told the ponies the values they grew up with and what to avoid in human society. All of them told the ponies that we needed help to eradicate certain things from human society. They brought their Atheistic, liberal, and general snooty ideals.

Alright that’s a bit subjective, since ponies also influenced us, but the point is we made a mistake. We let a minority speak for the majority which has never been good. So when the ponies came to Earth they followed the guidelines set by the bronies. With those guidelines Equestria sought to help improve Earth’s condition that the bronies claimed we suffered from. Equestria did end up helping us in things like crime and poverty, at least in the U.S; however this also had a negative impact on certain communities.

During the shock and awe of Equestria’s arrival many things changed on Earth even before ponies began setting hoof in Earth’s society. There was panic and many people began questioning everything that was known about life. Religion was hit hard by this. On one side it seemed like a joke because of what was going on. And on the other side it seemed to strengthen the beliefs taught. Eventually the general conclusion was that on either side, religion or anti-religion, their faith was tested and became stronger. But then everything changed when the pony nation attacked.

Now they didn’t attack with guns and firepower, although they would do that in other communities. They more of attack with ideals and forcing their beliefs onto us which I found to be very ironic considering that was a complaint against bronies. The guidelines they learned from bronies convinced them that the belief of any sort of higher power was ridiculous. Celestia, whom had previously been compared to a god, even denounced the thought of a being or force of greater power influencing the world. This caused a massive backlash in religious support. I guess people figured that if the pony god didn’t believe in the human God then there was no point of religion anymore. Combine Celestia’s input with Equestria’s indifference towards religion and humanity soon followed like we do with everything these days. Churches and temples of all kinds were abandoned throughout the world and I even heard some were burned to the ground. It’s also rumored that the Pope fell dead at the sudden changes. The new Pope I believe is not even forty years old.

Despite all these things that happened which anger me a lot; they are not the reason for my interest in religion. The truth is religion, to me at least, is the ultimate human culture. It’s arguable the biggest difference in human to pony culture other than technology and biological difference. Ponies didn’t evolve with religion like us humans. Our history was heavily influence by worship. This differs greatly from ponykind that always had an immortal leader to guide them through hard time. We humans never had that privilege. We were always alone so when we looked for answers we had to find them ourselves. Humans let their imaginations look for answers while ponies were handed the answers to them. So I can conclude that humans are much more resourceful and creative than ponies ever will be because we had to go through our existence without direct guidance from a god. And in a way we did create the world of Equestria through the creative minds of a few. It was our imagination that created ponies and now it will be us that will destroy them.

Also I’m open to the idea of someone in the sky looking after me. In times like these I could use another friend even if he’s probably not real.

Pete didn’t lie. I found the church right where he said it would be. It’s kind of a disappointment to see that it isn’t as grand as the one at the funeral but I should have expected that from a place like Equestria. This church was simply a building that was in the middle of two other buildings. A big sign read Equestrian Worship of God like Pete told me. The whole thing looked oddly plain but that’s what I should expect since religion is so rare now. A once grand culture now beaten into the ground and never to spring back up, sad really.

The night air gave me a chill and I headed into the establishment. When I entered my excitement was returned upon seeing the setup. It wasn’t ornate like the church that was at the funeral but whoever arranged it tried their best. There was a long red carpet in the middle of the room which led to an altar. Alongside the carpet were wooden pews all arranged to face toward the altar. The altar itself was a marble countertop with two candles burning on it. There was also a gilded cross between the candles.

The church was pretty dark inside. The candles that were lit mainly focused on the altar. In fact the altar was the brightest thing in the room. It shined like a star in the night sky except it was the only star out. I found I was being drawn to it like I was some kind of moth. It looked so pure and hopeful. I think the word I’m looking for is holy.

I placed my hands on the edge of the altar. I looked first at the candles and watched them burn for a second. Then I looked at the cross. It gleamed like a relic. It probably is a relic. I doubt crosses or any type of religious symbols are allowed in Equestria. Ponies are so against things like that.

I swear I heard the cross began calling me and I raised my hand to touch it.

“Could you not sir.” I heard a voice from my right. I cringed and retracted my hand. Footsteps were approaching to my right. Another human walked into the light which was calming to know that it was human. He was an old looking guy. About as old looking as Frank but he had grayish hair while Frank’s is still dark. The guy worth this dress looking cloak that had two crosses embroidered on it.

“Sorry.” I said turning to him. “Are you the priest here?” I asked.

He looked a bit annoyed. “I’m a little more important than a priest. I’m the pastor. Pastor Rick, if you please.”

“And I’m Jim.” I replied. “Jim, if you please.”

“Hrmph.” Rick grunted. “What are you doing here so late at night? Actually what are you doing here at all?”

“Oh right, um, I was here to pray?” I answered.

“To pray?” Rick eyeballed me. “Why don’t you pray at your home?” I didn’t have an answer to that. I’ve never prayed in my life and I always assumed you prayed in someplace holy. Rick took a step towards me. “What it looked like, two seconds ago, was you were trying to steal my cross.”

“Oh, of course not.” I said taking a step away from the altar. “Stealing is a sin.”

“It sure is.” Rick chuckled. “Did you know that this isn’t even gold?” He grabbed the cross. “The real one was taken from here a long time ago.” He banged the cross on the altar. “This one is wood.”

“Oh, I’m sorry for your loss.” I said.

“Don’t be.” Rick said. “Just get out of here.”

“I can’t leave now.” I said. “I need to talk to God. I need to pray.”

“What?” Rick snorted. “Have you ever been to church before?”

“No.” I admitted. “But I’m here now. Look I just need to tell him something and then I’ll be out of here.”

“Him?” Rick shook his head. “Fuck, you know nothing about scripture, do you?”

“I don’t think God wants you to swear.” I squeaked.

“Yeah well God also doesn’t want churches to burn but look what happened in 2018.” Rick replied. “Listen guy do whatever you want but make it quick. I’m closing up soon.” Rick walked away and left me alone with the candle light.

Well here goes nothing. I got onto my knees and held my hands together. Taking a deep breath I began to speak out loud. “Dear heavenly father, one whom watches us and protects us from harm. One who’s good is above all mortal right. One that sent his son to die for our human sins. I come to you with dire news.”

“Gosh I’ve never heard anyone butcher prayer like that.” I heard Rick call from the darkness. “Also you don’t need to say all that out loud. He’ll hear you just fine if you’re silent.”

“Yeah but what if he doesn’t?” I called back. “What if our heavenly father can’t hear us because you don’t talk?”

“You do realize that you’re supposed to be praying to the Holy Spirit for emergencies.” Rick yelled. “Actually, fuck it, do whatever you want.”

I shrugged it off and continued. “I’ll be straight with you my lord, I’m gunna do something you might not like. I’ve tried to be good but I find myself being pulled down. Being good means to be idle and I just can’t anymore. I know I must persevere because it will pay off in the end, but my lord I fear that it won’t end well for me. I feel that if I am to wait then I’ll be a victim of Equestria’s tyranny. I’m not asking for answers. I’m not asking for anything. I figure you must hear a lot of what people want from you and I know how that can be. I too had a lot of pressure put on me once. I understand how it makes you not want to be around anyone. I just wanted to tell you something, that’s all, no wants or desires. I will sin and I will sin hard. My hands will become soiled with the blood of the innocent. Well if they can be considered innocent. If it were up to me I would say nobody in Equestria is innocent but that’s not up to me. Point is I just wanted to give you the heads up although you probably already knew with your ominous powers and stuff. You’re welcome to try and stop me and I know you could succeed if you wanted to. But please don’t. Shoot, I already told you I wasn’t gunna ask you for something. Anyways just wanted to chat for a second because I suspect I will be visiting you soon. You’re mortal servant, Jim, or if I’m going to be truthful Scott Douglas. Amen.”

I stood back up and turned around. Immediately I was face to face with Pastor Rick. He didn’t look amused. “You done?” He asked.

“I guess.” I answered. “I feel kind of relieved, so I think he heard me.”

“That’s great, now get out of here.” Rick grunted.

“Oh but don’t you want help blowing all these candles out?” I asked.

“No.” Rick replied. “Just leave.”

“But Jesus said you should always help others.”

“Have you ever read that book?” Rick asked. “A lot of people told us to help others. Now shoo. I want to go to bed.” I began walking away when Rick suddenly called me.

“Hey Jim.” He said. I turned around. Rick took on a softer tone. “Listen if you’re serious about all this then feel free to come back. This place doesn’t get a lot of visitors so I’ll admit I’m a little desperate for attention.”

I grinned. “Sure I’ll come back real soon.”

“That’s great.” Rick grinned back. “Listen this place is open from nine to ten every day. Sorry for being so mean. I’m just tired and frustrated is all.”

“Ain’t we all?” I laughed and headed out the door. As I walked away I skipped a bit. It was nice to know I've got someone looking out for me all the time. And maybe Rick can do something for me later. I think I want to say goodbye and I need someone to pass the message.

The next morning was special. Erik got to thinking and decided that we should see the type of weapons we are gunna be using. He and Jones had gotten into a conversation about the guns they trained with and they slowly began to wonder about the guns we’ll be using. They must have overlooked that detail because they were really anxious to see them. So I talked with Frank and had to coax him into letting us look at the guns. He agreed after I told him he had Jess’ permission. That was a lie.

“Well here they are.” Frank said while lifting the lid of his weapon case.

Everyone was in awe as they looked at the assorted collection of firearms. His collection looked about the same as it was back in New Canterlot. There were rifles, pistols, and shotguns. He still had machetes too. Normally I don’t think this would be that impressive but considering any type of firearm is banned in Equestria it must be amazing to see so many here.

“Those are some pretty nice looking guns.” Jones said reaching into the case. Frank slapped his hand causing it to recoil back.

“Hey, no touching the merchandise.” Frank hissed.

“Well we got to get a look at it don’t we?” I said.

“Not really.” Frank crossed his arms.

“Excuse me Frank.” Erik walked next to Frank probably in an attempt to be friendly. “We just want to see just what they’re like. Both Jones and I have handled guns before so we do know what we’re talking about.”

Frank gave Erik a look and leaned against his truck. “I don’t even know why you guys are so interested. I can’t sell to you so there’s no way you’re getting your hands on them.”

“No but we’re gunna be using them so we would like to know first.” Erik explained.

That made Frank visibly twitch. He looked at Erik like he was crazy. “What makes you think you’re gunna lay a finger on my guns, junior?”

“Well Jim must have told you about what we’re gunna do. That is unless…” Erik trailed off. He slowly turned his head and look at me. A cold menacing stare was all that was left of his face.

“You didn’t tell him shit, didn’t you?” Jones angrily spoke for Erik who probably was too angry himself to speak.

“Ah relax guys.” I said confidently. “I mentioned it to him like a couple,” I stopped realizing that I never had the chat with him. My confidence quickly drained away. “Aw fuck!”

“You boys better start explaining real quick.” Frank pointed at us. “I made a deal with you,” He pointed at me. “But it was just with you and not with them. That means they have nothing to do with anything.”

Everyone was staring at me and I didn’t like it. It’s not my fault that I forgot to mention this to him. Well actually it is, but it’s not my fault that he’s reacting this way. Damn does everything fall apart when I put faith into other people?

“Well I guess that’s it then.” Jones clapped his hands together. “No guns means nothing’s gunna happen.” He began to walk away.

“No wait, stop.” I beckoned.

“What a waste of time.” Erik grunted following Jones. They walked back into the shelter and with a loud slam they shut the door.

My mind wasn’t processing everytign as fast as it could. I should be feeling desperate and lost but all I feel is anger. I turned to Frank. This is all his fault. He just couldn’t play ball with the rest of us. Well this old fucker is gunna pay!

“Well you heard it.” Frank said. “Don’t worry I’ll keep up our deal. That’s part of being a good businessman.”

“Good businessman?” I murmured and turned around to face him. “Are you kidding me?”

“Listen Jim. We made an agreement between the two of us.” Frank said. “It never included others. If you wanted to include others then you should have made that the deal. You have to understand that you can’t just alter a deal like this. Now come over here and I can give you what you want.” I clenched my fists and stiffly approached the crate. “You know my inventory so feel free to take what you want. I’ll provide the ammunition after you choose what you want. Oh and don’t bother bring some over to those friends of yours. I know how much a man can carry by himself. In fact I want to see you holster each one you choose. Surprise me.”

I stared at the guns. “Hey Frank. Can you tell me about those heroes?”

“Huh?” He grunted.

“Last time you told me that you’ve been pursued by people you call heroes.” I explained. “They tried to kill you with weapons you sold to them.”

“Oh those guys.” Frank laughed. “Yeah they were just kids that thought they were clever. One of them actually thought the guns I sold were already loaded and pulled the trigger right in my face. I still don’t know what makes them do something like that. Wait, you ain’t getting any ideas?”

“Who me? Nope.” I smirked.

“Well I’ll have you know,” Frank wagged a finger at me. “That I found a way to work around that little problem. See what I did was I would sell the gun personally and then leave the ammo at a disclosed location for the customer to pick up. This made it so I was never in any real danger. You know, I think I’ll do that with you too. How’s that sound?”

“Fantastic.” I growled through clenched teeth.

“Great.” Frank grinned slyly. “So just make your choice and we’ll leave it at that.”

I shook my head. “I have made my choice. And you know what? I think you need to learn the difference between a hero and a villain.”

“Excuse me?” Frank said.

“Let’s start with a hero, the embodiment of good.” I began to pace back and forth past the crate. “A hero does many things. Protects the innocent, fights for justice, always tells the truth, and other bullshit. Anyways those are some things a hero does or what they should do. Hero’s got codes, moral guidelines. They need to follow them or they cease to be a hero. And most importantly a hero must do heroic things. A no brainer right?”

“I guess?” Frank said.

“It makes sense why heroes look to kill you.” I said still pacing. “Equestria has had one of its leaders assassinated by a gun and another individual gunned down in this very city. Earth has had a long history of killing with guns so it makes sense to try and protect Equestria from that fate. So these human heroes try and kill you so no one else can die from the gun. That’s protecting the innocent. And trying to kill the man that sold the gun that killed Fluttershy, now that’s fighting for justice. As for telling the truth I really got nothing. Truthfully there’s nothing really heroic about getting personal revenge.”

“Is this going somewhere?” Frank asked. “Because I’ve talked to Jess before and she told me you have a habit of going off on tirades.”

“Shush I’m talking.” I growled.

“Oh boy.” Frank sighed and took a seat on the crate after closing it.

“Now on to villains.” I grinned. “I hate them, but everyone else seems to love them. I grew up in a culture that adored villains. Oh we’d try and glorify them by giving them deep voices and evil laughs with the occasional song thrown in that was better than the hero’s theme. They would stop the protagonist and do something diabolical like blow up a bus full of mentally disabled children. Then they would laugh and people would cheer. That’s all true in comics, movies, and incest fanfics but in real life it’s a different story. So if a man blows people up in a populated city, he is hated. Yet when a supervillian in a movie does it people think he’s awesome. Makes me think.”

“Think what, Jim?” Frank asked sounding bored.

“Do we support villainy or just the idea of it?” I said. “Like how do I know if someone is serious about something serious or not? If someone said, I want to kill somebody, would they do it or do they just like the idea of it. I often find myself wondering who is honest and who isn’t. I’ve found a lot of people lie when they claim they’re going to do something. It’s like back at school when my friend claimed he would keep my secret that I did find certain aspects of the brony fandom enjoyable. Then he went and told everybody, making me look like a big asshole. That was when I learned how much I hate people that lie. Honesty is the best policy and when people cheat me I can get really angry.”

“Again, where is this going, Jim?” Frank asked this time very annoyed.

“Where’s it going?” I said. “Actually I think I know. It’s gunna go that,” I stood in front of him.

“It’s gunna go what?”

“It’s gunna go,” I smirked but it didn’t last long. My lips turned up into a snarl and my hands found their way around Frank’s neck. I pushed him onto the ground where he hit the concrete hard. His back was against the ground and I leaned against him to pin him down. He struggled but I had his arms locked up. “See Frank I’m not a hero.” I hissed. “I pretty sure I’m a villain. And I don’t need a gun to kill you. But I’m not all bad. I’ll give you a chance to change your mind. Whadda ya say?”

“Erk, eh, fuck you!” Frank coughed. I frowned and squeezed his neck harder.

“Some people just can’t see reason.” I sighed. I let go of his neck with my right hand. Frank gasped as pressure was relieved from his windpipes. “Maybe some broken teeth will change your mind?” I said raising my fist in the air. But before I could swing down I was interrupted. Behind me, the door to the shelter swung open.

“Yo Jim!” Rodney yelled. “What the fuck is this about no guns?”

I turned my head to look at him. “I’m a little fucking busy at the moment!”

“Oh.” Rodney must have taken notice to my predicament. “Hey Derek get over here!” He called.

Derek ran out to join Rodney. “What?” He said and then noticed what I was doing. “Oh word?”

“Yo check it out.” Rodney said. “My guess is; Jim is gunna beat the shit out of Frank here because he couldn’t get the guns.”

“Oh, should we help him?” Derek asked.

“Yeah I’m down for that.” Rodney nodded and cracked his knuckles. They walked over to us. Frank had gotten a hand free and now we were in a dead lock as we tried to overpower each other. Rodney and Derek walked past us and opened up the crate.

“Damn look at these.” Derek said in awe.

“Fucking gats everywhere.” Rodney added. “Yo Jim,” Rodney reached into the crate and took out a revolver, trying to hand it to me. “Blast this fool’s head off, come on.”

I scowled at him. “He doesn’t load those things.” I shoved the revolver away quickly with a recently freed hand. “Just help me-oof!” A force hit my stomach and made me weak enough for Frank to throw me off him. I was on the ground but I didn’t stay down there for long. I quickly scurried to my feet. The whole time my eyes were off Frank but when they returned I was in for a shock.

“Get back you motherfuckers!” Frank yelled pointing a pistol at us. He had a bewildered expression on his face as he switched pointing the gun between all of us. Rodney and Derek backed off.

“Relax guys.” I smirked wiping the dust off me. “Guns aren’t loaded, remember?”

Frank pointed the pistol in the air and pulled the trigger. The resulting shot echoed off the walls of the alleyway, making it sound like it came from all around us. I jumped out of my skin and also jumped away from Frank. Oddly I found myself in between Rodney and Derek as they clung to me like scared children. A sense of importance took over me as I realized that they were just as scared as me but we were in this together. It took me a few seconds to realize they were actually using me as a human shield. Damn punks.

“Now here’s how it’s gunna work.” Frank said exasperated. “I’m gunna put the guns into my truck and then I’m leaving this city. Don’t try and find me.”

“But you can’t go.” I said taking a step towards him and away from my friends. “We still have a deal.”

“Boy!” Frank barked. “You broke that deal the minute you laid your hands on me. And it’s too bad because I was fine with letting you borrow.”

“Well the deal had to be altered.” I continued taking yet another step closer. “You’re lucky I didn’t alter it further.”

“You need to learn how business works. And don’t you dare take another step or I’ll blow your brains out!” Frank pointed the gun right at my head.

I sighed and took in a deep breath. “Alright I’m sorry.” I said surprising everyone around me. “I was acting crazy and I apologize. But I’m okay now so how about we put that behind us and you give those guns to my buddies?”

Frank frowned. “Not a chance.” I returned the frown.

“Then I give up.” I stated. “You win. Just kill me before you go.”

“What?” Frank spat.

“You think I’m gunna live this down?” I asked. “No, I’m never gunna forgive myself for wasting an opportunity that I could have had. So shoot me, please.”

“You’re out of your mind.” Frank growled. I began walking towards him. “Hey, I said stay the fuck back!” But I ignored him so he started to walk backwards. Eventually his back was pressed against his truck and the pistol shook in his hands. I grabbed his hands and pulled, thus I brought the gun to my head.

“Come on.” I growled. “Pull the fucking trigger!” Frank struggled to free himself but I held on tight. “Just do it. I don’t even want an open casket. I want to kill people. But if I can’t do it then fuck it all then.”

“Fuck you!” Frank shouted and he let go of the gun. I was left holding it to my head until I too dropped it. I stared at it on the ground before kicking it towards Frank. He quickly snatched it up.

“Thanks.” He muttered.

“No problem.” I said. A feeling of tiredness swept over me. My mind slowly started to roam inside its own world as I planned what I would be doing next. Most likely I will be leaving the shelter tonight. There’s nothing for me here. Like back at home with mom and dad, there was nothing there and the same goes for here. I need to be where there is action and opportunity. I almost had it but I let it slip away. This whole situation reminds me of the anarchists. Seems I’ve been betrayed yet again. First Zayn and now Frank.

“Rodney, Derek!” I heard a distinct southern accent from behind us. I turned to see Casey Waterman walking out of the shelter. A wave of remembrance came over me. He was the southern lawyer that got me to go on that drug deal with Rod and Derek. Damn, I haven’t seen him in months. Wonder how he’s been.

“What’s up Case?” Rodney greeted him.

“Oh nothing much.” He said then looked at me. “Jim! How it’s going?” He walked over to me and shook my hand. “Haven’t seen you in a while. You having fun being a drug dealer?”

“Gah, aaaah!” Derek stammered and stamped his foot. “Case, you don’t just go around and announce stuff like that!”

“Why? Who’s gunna hear us?” Casey laughed and then noticed Frank standing there by his truck. “Oh shit, sorry I didn’t see you there.” Casey said and approached him. “My name’s Casey Waterman.”

“Frank.” Frank shook Casey’s hand slowly.

“Frank?” Casey repeated. “Where have I heard that name before?” Casey paused for a second. “Ah forget it. That’s not important. But anyways, Jim, how has drug dealing been? Quite profitable I should think.”

“Casey I haven’t made any money.” I told him.

“What?” He exclaimed. “But you went with them. I saw you.”

“Yeah I did go. Bu then I got shanked.” I lifted up my shirt to show off the scar that was left. “I quit after that.”

“Ah you can’t just quit after something like that.” Casey whined. “You gotta get back on the horse that threw you.” Then he paused and looked at Rodney and Derek. “Why didn’t you guys tell me he quit?”

“Ah shit I forgot.” Rodney admitted.

“Didn’t forget, just never bother tell you.” Derek shook his head. I shot him a dirty glare as Rodney just rolled his eyes.

“Well anyhow, there’s something I need to tell you before I forget.” Casey said. “I don’t know if you heard it but a moment ago I definitely heard a gunshot go off.” I glanced at Frank who immediately tensed up. “It sounded close too,” Casey continued. “Don’t suppose you know anything about that?”

I grinned. “Well Case,” I sneered. “If you want to find your shot heard around the world then look no farther to…” But before I could finish, Frank had something to say.

“None of you move!” Frank yelled again, pointing his weapon at us. I backed away immediately but to my surprise Casey grew a huge smile on his face.

“Wow!” He exclaimed and looked right down the barrel of Frank’s pistol. “An M9, American, I appreciate that.”

Frank twitched. “Actually it’s Italian. It was adopted by the U.S.” Frank shook his head. “You’re distracting me!” He spat. “Now I’m gunna walk to my truck and leave, like I said I would.” He began walking backwards, always with his pistol pointed at us. “I’ll need help loading the crate back in the bed so maybe you could do it for me. And don’t think about touching…” He never completed his sentence because he took a wrong step and fell to the ground. I watched it all happen. His clumsy ass just caused him to stumble over his own feet. I hope I never get that old that I can’t walk right. As he fell he tried to recover but this only made things worse. And when he did hit the ground he hit it hard.

“Hah!” I laughed. Casey shot me an angry glance. “What?” I said. Casey just grumbled.

“Ah! God damn it! My fucking back!” Frank cried grabbing behind him. “Fuck!” He tried getting up but he just seized and fell back down. Casey walked over to him.

“Come on. Take it slow now.” He said gentling help Frank up on his feet. “An old fella like you needs to take it slower.”

“I’m fifty nine, turning sixty in a couple months.” Frank said as Casey eased him into a sitting position on the crate. “I shouldn’t be getting hurt like this.”

“Some people age differently than others.” Casey shrugged. “I’m forty three and I have minor gout.”

There was a silence after that. Everyone seemed to be confused as what should happen next. To my surprise Rodney and Derek had left the scene. Probably left because it was getting scary at parts, or they lost interest. Either way the most important thing to do is to find out what I’m gunna do now. Until recently the only solution was to just leave and pursue something else. But now I see another path. Maybe I can get those guns after all. It will be simple. Frank can’t really object now so all I have to do is overpower him and then that’s it. But why does that make me feel bad?

“Casey.” I said getting his attention. “You’re a lawyer, so you know plenty about the law, right?”

“Sure.” Casey smiled. “I know the law, for the most part.”

“I got a hypothetical.” I started. “If I were to make a deal with someone,” I saw Frank raised his head to me. “And let’s say the deal changed. Would each party have to uphold the deal even if it wasn’t what they originally agreed upon?”

“Well of course.” Casey replied. “If each party agreed to an alteration then they have to go through with it. The old deal would have been nullified after a new deal was signed.”

“Hah!” I pointed at Frank. “You heard him! Where’s my guns?”

“Huh?” Casey looked at both of us. “What’s going on here?”

“Let me explain before this dumbass says anything more.” Frank growled looking at Casey. “I got into that shelter because of Jim. And because of that he thinks I owe him a favor.”

“Ya kind of do.” Casey said.

“And I was fully willing to do him a favor. So we made a deal.” Frank grimaced. “I would give him some of my guns in exchange for him getting me a place to sleep. However Jim changed the deal without my consent and I objected. Then he attacked me after giving a boring lecture about some bullshit.”

“Aaah.” Casey nodded. “So you are the arms dealer that Jess told me about. I thought the name Frank sounded familiar.”

“What!” I exclaimed. “When did she tell you that? It was supposed to be a secret.”

“She told me a while ago. She just mentioned it because she was frustrated that he was trying to sell guns to the homeless.” Casey explained.

“Oh so it was before I got him in.” I breathed out. “Well that’s good but now I have business to attend to.” I began walking towards Frank. He tensed up and leaned back, but before I could get to him Casey stopped me.

“Now hold up.” He said with a hand on my chest. “I’m sure you have problems and such. And I know you ain’t exactly the brightest person.” He took his hand off me. “But I believe there is a resolution to this. Let’s see here. Jim, first you got to apologize.”

“For what?” I snarled.

“Um you attacked him apparently.” Jones explained. “Also you clearly have no idea how business dealings work. That deserves an apology to his entrepreneurship.”

“Uuuuuuuuuuh!” I groaned. “I already apologized though.”

“Immaturity isn’t a good trait an entrepreneur should have.” Casey scowled.

“Fine.” I cleared my throat. “Frank I’m sorry for attacking you and making an unfair deal.”

“Good, now Frank.” Casey turned to him. “Give him what he wants.”

“Excuse me?” Frank said.

“Ah yeah, bitching!” I shot my fist in the air. “Get off that crate, old man.”

“Stop!” Casey raised his hand, halting me. “First Frank has to agree.”

“I ain’t agreeing to nothing.” He muttered.

“Come on now.” Casey took a seat next to him. “It ain’t that difficult and besides, it’s for a good cause.”

I shuddered. “What you know about cause, Casey?”

He looked up at me and I saw an earnest look. “Rodney and Derek filled me in a while ago. They were vague but I support you.”

“T-thank you.” I stammered full of gratitude. I’m so happy to have another person in this with me. Brings a tear to my eye.

“Now Frank.” Casey said putting his hand on the old man’s shoulder. “I know that Equestria is a difficult environment for humans like us to have a career. I’ll admit that if I were to go back home to the states I would find plenty of opportunity as a lawyer.”

“You’re a lawyer?” Frank said. “Ah shit. The last thing I need is a lawyer sticking his nose around.”

“I think a lawyer is the first thing you need.” Casey replied. “What you’re doing is a crime, according to Equestrian law, but like all crimes there is a way out. That’s where I come in. If you let Jim and his friends take their guns then I’ll offer my service to you, free of charge.”

“Now why would I need a lawyer?” Frank asked angrily.

“In case you get into a little trouble.” Casey replied. “I’m in the system, a little. I can certainly help you. And besides I’m good with managing things like this. I could cover transactions and tell you the most efficient locations in the city. I do that with the two gentlemen you saw earlier. And they make a killing out there. ”

“I’ve survived long enough on my own.” Frank huffed.

“And look where you are because of it.” Casey said. “You’re homeless and on the run. And most recently you got hurt. Next time it could be worse. Do you really want to take that chance?”

Frank grunted. “I’ll stick to how it has always been. Worked for me long enough.”

I began walking forward to confront Frank. I’m gunna rip his head off. There really is no other way to tackle this. As I was about to get closer, Casey rose his hand to me.

“What?” I snarled.

“Could you calm yourself for a goddamn minute so I can negotiate?” He asked sternly.

I stopped. “You’ve talked enough, fat ass! Now I’m gunna strangle that Jew, so move out of the way!”

Casey stood up abruptly. “You really gunna try something, little man?” He stood right in front of me. His massive figure dwarfed my slender form. I gulped.

“I have God on my side.” I murmured remembering last night.

“Ha!” Casey laughed. “The last people I met that said that aren’t around anymore.” He put his arm around me. “Let’s take a seat. Scoot over Frank.” Casey sat me down on the crate next to Frank. He then sat down on the other side of Frank.

Frank was giving me a dirty look. “Jew.” I said.

“Psycho.” He said back.

“Both of you,” Casey growled. “Shut up. Now Frank.” Frank looked at him. “Since you’re not gunna cooperate I see no reason to try and protect you. So I’m gunna do the opposite.”

“What do you mean?” Frank hissed.

“I don’t think anyone really heard that gunshot.” Casey explained. “Some may have but many others probably thought it was a car backfiring or some other loud noise. Still I think you’re safe. The only way you’d be in trouble would be if someone contacted the authorities. Wait a minute,” Casey reached into his pocket and produced a smart phone. “I can.”

“What!” Both me and Frank exclaimed and I jumped out of my seat.

“It’s simple.” Casey said. “I call the cops and they come and see the guns. Then they’ll arrest Frank here and I will gain credibility for bringing in an arms dealer.”

“What do you gain exactly?” Frank asked.

“Other than the respect of the authorities?” Casey laughed. “Well it ain’t the job of a lawyer to catch the criminal. But if I do and testify against you then I’ll get prominence within all of Equestria, thus heightening my career to a new level.”

“But, but,” I stammered. “Then how will I get my guns?”

“Oh I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to grab as many guns as you can before the cops arrive.” Casey said. That made me perk up a bit. I looked at Frank who was surprisingly stoic about all this. He looked straight ahead with this frown on his face. The features on his face seemed to be more pronounced. Every wrinkle and every dent had been given more depth which made him seem about a hundred years older.

“So.” He grumbled. “Both of you extort me in the same day at the same time. I feel like I should be surprised, but I’m not.” He looked at Casey. “You were offering to help me a few seconds ago. Does that offer still stand?”

“It absolutely does.” Casey replied. “You give Jim and his friends their guns and I will give you my protection under the law.”

“How much will that cost?” Frank asked.

“Absolutely free of charge.” Casey said.

Frank took a minute before responding. “Guess I don’t really have a choice.” He held out his hand to Casey but did not look at him. “You have a deal.”

Casey shook it. I could kind of see a spark of gratitude in his eyes. “Oh and I forgot to mention.” He grinned. “I don’t think this place is gunna be safe for you anymore. Jess can’t treat you if you get hurt and it’s not good to stay in such a populated area with what you’re doing. So I think you’ll be moving in with me. My house is too big anyways.”

“Really?” Frank looked at Casey. “Huh, you didn’t mention that before.”

“You didn’t ask.” Casey replied. “But I figure it’s the least I can do for one of my clients.” Casey looked at me. “Jim.”

“Yes, sir?” I responded.

“Get your buddies out here.” He grinned. “We’re having a gun auction.”

***

“Thank you so much for all you’ve done, C,” Twilight said into her phone.

“It was no problem.” Curizno said from the other line. “I’m always happy to help protect Equestria’s integrity.”

“A patriot, I like that.” Twilight beamed.

“Actually I’m not an Equestrian citizen.” Curizno admitted.

“Then you’re a foreign influence looking out for a developing country.” Twilight said. “It was noble of you to bring Blue Star to my attention. And now that it’s over, Equestria is once again a safer place.”

“I hope they didn’t give you any trouble.” Curizno said.

“Oh, taking them apart was easy.” Twilight replied. “One of the executives tried to convince me that what I was doing wasn’t justified.” She laughed. “He told me I can’t simply destroy his corporation that he built. Then he told me the normal bullshit about taking jobs away from workers and how I’m hurting the economy.”

“Mhmm.” Curizno muttered. “But we’ll bounce back.”

“Exactly!” Twilight exclaimed. “Like, every pony knows those corporations are mostly bad. But if kept in line they are fine.”

“Yep.” Curizno replied. Twilight couldn’t see it but he was smiling uncontrollably.

It of course had been him that manipulated her to enforce the sudden cease and desist of Blue Star Security. Playing off her emotions was easy but he had also played off of her prejudices. She studied human economics in her pursuit to understand humanity. But just because she studied it doesn’t mean she understood it. Simply put, Curizno knew that everything she just said was wrong but he convinced her it was right. It the end he now controlled Blue Star’s assets and had gained the respect of the princess. What a victory.

“Again thank you so much.” Twilight repeated. “I know it didn’t give us who killed Flutters, but I feel better knowing that the people partly responsible have paid for it all. I very much look forward to working together in the future, Mr. C.”

“As do I.” Curizno replied. “You have a good weekend.”

“You too.” And with that Twilight hung up the phone.

She stretched a bit, sprawling herself out on her bed. She was in one of her personal rooms in a government building in New Canterlot. It was her day off from her busy schedule and there was nothing more she wanted to do than do nothing. Sure she could go out but there was always that issue with people watching her when she was out. Too many eyes judging every step she took. It was better to just be alone from time to time. It made her feel good. She felt good now.

Now the real question was what to do. Studying was always an option. There was still so much to know about humanity. Their history was so diverse and their ideologies so complex. However she was exhausted from them for now so that was out of the question.

It was sad to say but work was her main focus in her life now. Work consumed all her free time. Every day she was on her feet traveling to a meeting or to appear in public for some announcement. Very boring stuff yet she took pride in knowing it made a difference.

Sighing to herself, she levitated a magazine from under her bed. Lying on her back, she opened it up.

“You are one hunk a stallion.” She purred admiring the image. But before she could fully appreciate her magazine, the only window in her room opened up. With a squeak she quickly hid the magazine back under the bed.

“Heeeeeey, Twilight!” came the energetic voice of Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie?” Twilight peered at her friend as she came through the window. “What are you doing here? How did you get up here? This room is on the eighth floor.”

“Question, questions, questions, Twily.” Pinkie bobbed her head from side to side as she walked. “Why can’t you be like the humans? It’s Pinkie, don’t question it they say.”

“Arrgh.” Twilight groaned. “This is my day off. Is something the matter?” She hopped off her bed. “Do I need to be somewhere?”

“No silly.” Pinkie laughed. “I’m here because it’s your day off. Let’s do something.”

Twilight shook her head. “I’m not going out, Pinkie. I hate all the stares I get from those humans. They’re goddamn annoying. Can’t go anywhere now without one of them trying to approach me. Did I even mention how annoying the body guards can get?”

“Oh I know what you mean, sister.” Pinkie replied. “Sometimes I just wanna go out and, and…” Pinkie trailed off for a bit. Her head nodded down but then came back up. “And go crazy!”

Twilight looked at her friend a bit concerned. “Pinkie, are you high right now?”

Pinkie smirked. “Well we are eight stories above the ground so…”

“Aaah, I knew something was up.” Twilight shook her head. “I remember now, you’re supposed to be under the care of your sister, Maud. Where is she?”

“Pffft.” Pinkie giggled. “Maud, Shmaud. Big sister is getting a little too overprotective, if you know what I mean.”

“That’s because she’s looking out for you.” Twilight explained. “You’re relapsing Pinkie. The doctors said this would happen. I’m calling for help.”

“No Twilight!” Pinkie sprung at her and covered her mouth. “We need to have fun. It’s your day off and you are not wasting it masturbating to cute stallions in those dirty magazines you keep under your bed.”

Twilight gasped as she moved Pinkie’s hooves away from her mouth. “How do you know about those?”

“Where do you think I keep mine?” Pinkie retorted.

“Moving on.” Twilight said. “I am not going anywhere with you. I hate the public eye and I hate humans looking at my flank.”

“Why? You have a nice flank.” Pinkie said.

“Thanks.” Twilight growled and moved her tail to cover herself. “But the point is I’m content to stay here and, uh, read. Thank you very much.”

“Twilight, wait.” Pinkie ran in front of Twilight to get her attention. “There’s this place that you’ll really like called the Magic Mist. It’s in Manehattan. We can go there. It’s just a quick flight over. We can take a helicopter. It’ll be totally private. Just me and you.”

“Pinkie.” Twilight stated. “What the hell is the Magic Mist?”

Pinkie grinned. “A strip club.”

Twilight face hoofed. “You have got to be kidding me?”

“Come on, I know you’ll love it.” Pinkie pleaded.

“Why would I like a place like that?” Twilight asked.

“Because you’re a sex addict and are always horny.” Pinkie replied.

Twilight’s left eye twitched. “Why do you know that?”

“I’m your friend.” Pinkie said. “And besides it’s not like you keep it a secret.”

“Are, are you calling me a whore?” Twilight snarled. It was something she was very sensitive about. People were always talking about that touchy subject and it made herself conscious. But it was her way of relieving stress so she needs it.

“Well I wouldn’t use that word to your face but…” Pinkie paused “you kind of are.”

Twilight dead panned. She wasn’t angry but she wanted to hit Pinkie’s pink nose until it turned red. They stared at each other for a moment. There was tension in the air that was just begging to be released. Neither of them knew what to do.

“I’ve know what to do.” Pinkie suddenly said.

“I don’t want to hear it.” Twilight growled.

“You don’t have to.” Pinkie reassured her. “Just pucker up.”

“Pucker up, what are you talking about?” But before Twilight could further object, Pinkie had grabbed her head. Pinkie then proceeded to lock lips with her princess friend in a passionate kiss. They broke away soon after with Twilight in confusion and shock.

“So,” Pinkie panted. “You horny now?”

Twilight looked at her friend. Something like that had never happened before but it had definitely relieved the tension.

“You know what, Pinkie?” Twilight smiled challengingly. “I am.”

“Awesome! So we’re going?” Pinkie asked.

“Definitely.” Twilight replied. “And I think I want a mare this time around.”

“Ah yeah!” Pinkie exclaimed. “This is gunna be great. Let’s go now.” With that, Pinkie galloped to the open window and launched herself out.

“Pinkie! You can’t fly,” Twilight screamed as she dove after her friend.

Chapter 30: Gearing up and saying goodbye

Back inside the shelter there was a storm a brewing. Words were thrown and even a punch was thrown. But that was in the past. Now Derek, with a black eye, and Rodney were trying to make sense of it all. And I’m just sitting here laughing.

“I can’t believe this shit!” Derek grumbled loudly.

“Well you should.” Jess remarked.

“You, you flushed our drugs.” Rodney said in disbelief. “Why?”

“You damn know why.” Jess stated coldly. “I told you when you first came here. Don’t sell drugs to people here. Ponies and tourists are fine. Do you remember that rule?”

“N-no!” Derek blurted out. “That was like two years ago.”

“And it was the only rule so you should have remembered it.” Jess hissed.

“But we figured that since Jim is your sugar daddy you’d make an exception.” Rodney explained. Jess looked in my direction and then quickly looked away. I on the other hand started to feel hot around the ears.

“Hahaha, alrighty then guys.” I stood up laughing nervously. “There’s no point in dwindling in the past so let’s put this all behind us.”

“But she,” Derek stammered.

“But she what?” I put my arms around both Rod and Derek. “Cut off your only flow of income?” They gave me an angry look. “Alright now I understand why you’re so angry. But I can fix it.”

“How?” Rodney asked.

“I’m glad you asked.” I grinned. “I figure the Magic Mist must have lots of wealthy individuals in there. And money must flow through there like water. So what do we do? We interrupt that cash flow and take the money for ourselves. Imagine it. Rolex watches, gold chains, diamond rings, and we can take the hundred dollar bills out of the stripper’s thongs after we kill them.”

“That’s only a temporary fix.” Rodney stated. “The money won’t last.”

“Well it’s all I got.” I released them from my hold. “You’re clearly not selling drugs anymore. Not with your entire stock gone and the b-i-t-c-h watching over you.” I looked at Jess quickly to see if she was going to hit me. She looked pissed but not ready to strike.

“I guess that’s all we have left to do.” Derek said rubbing his wounded eye. Jess had really got him good. He looks silly now. “I really want to kill some rich folk anyways,” he sneered.

“That’s the spirit!” I exclaimed. “Now I need to get the rest of the gang. Hold on for a moment.”

I quickly bounded over to where Jones and Erik were. They were brooding in the cafeteria. I’m betting they’re still pissed about my failure. But now it’s time to show them how much I’ve improved and made up for it.

“Hey guys.” I said warmly, approaching them.

“Fuck off Jim.” Erik said tiredly. He was slumped over the table. It was almost like he was defeated.

“Guys,” I said sadly as my tone changed. “Please give me a chance.”

“You fucked up Jim.” Jones pointed at me angrily. “You had your chance and you blew it.”

“No!” I yelled, pointing back at him. There is no reason I should be blamed for this. “I didn’t fuck up! I went back and I forced that old fuck to give me what I wanted. We’re still in this. I tried my hardest and in the end I won.” I grabbed him by his collar. “So don’t tell me I fucked up! I didn’t!”

“Get the hell off me!” Jones pushed me back with his powerful arms and I fell to the ground. Jones stood up and walked towards me with his fists clenched. When he was right above me he pulled his fist back. I flinched and shut my eyes in panic.

“Wait!” Erik called. I open my eyes to see Jones was no longer about to hit me, and I saw that Erik was standing up. “So you didn’t fuck up? Does that mean you fixed everything?” he asked.

“Y-yes, of course.” I muttered still on the floor. “Casey came and everything worked out. I got the guns, man.”

“I see.” Erik nodded to Jones. “Pick the man up and let’s see for ourselves.” Jones held his hand out to me and I cautiously grabbed it. He yanked me to my feet hard. I swear my arm is going to come out of its socket if he does something like that again.

“Thanks.” I murmured to him.

“I really hope you actually settled this.” Jones snarled at me. “Because if you didn’t then you’re going back on the ground except you won’t be conscious.”

“Oh I did. You can ask Casey when you see him.” I said dusting myself off. “Just give me a moment. I need to get Drake. Where’s Drake?”

“He’s probably still sleeping.” Erik informed me. I headed off to the men’s quarters in search of Drake. I found him lying face down in his bed with his arm hanging over the side. He’s always like this at this time of the mornings. He’s kind of a night person due to his hobby. I walked over to him and gently shook him.

“Drake.” I said calmly. “Wake up, we need you for something.”

He moved just a bit. “Go away.” He murmured groggily.

“Come on.” I pleaded, shaking him a bit harder. “We’re looking at guns.” He continued to just lie there. “How long were you out last night?” I asked. He didn’t respond and just continued to be lazy. I grabbed his arm that was hanging over the bed this time and yanked it. He promptly fell out of bed. “Come on get up.” I prodded him with my foot. “Do what Jesus Christ would do. He’d get up to look at guns.”

Drake slowly opened his eyes and moaned. “Jesus hates me.” He said and began leaning forward to stand up.

“No, no.” I said quickly and rubbed my hands together. “Jesus loves everyone. Well he does hate…” I looked at Drake. “Sorry forgot about that. You’re right. Jesus hates no one more than the gays.”

“Uh huh.” Drake groaned and stood up. He stretched for a bit.

“You still looking for a home?” I asked him.

“Yep.” Drake yawned. “Looking for something in my price range though.”

“Which is?”

“Free.” Drake grinned. “Or as close as it comes to that.”

“Not in Equestria, my friend.” I grinned back. “Not for us humans, ever.”

“I don’t know.” Drake said. We were now walking down the hallway to the cafeteria. “Equestria likes its gays.”

I stopped in my tracks. A thought had just penetrated my focus. “Fuck Rainbow Dash.” I blurted out randomly.

“Heh, what?” Drake stopped and looked at me. I looked at him. There was a fire in my eyes. I still remember what she did to me so long ago.

“Bitch ain’t even a dyke yet she’s the symbol of homosexuality.” I elaborated. “I don’t get that.”

“It’s complicated.” Drake said. “I can explain it to you later. I know all about it.”

“Sounds good.” I said as my mind wandered to something else. Pete was approaching us, walking down the same hall we were in. As he passed by us he gave me a quick nod.

“Hey Jim.” He said softly like he always does.

He continued walking away from us. I frowned and, using my arm, latched myself around his neck and pulled him in the other direction. “Where do you think you’re going?” I growled playfully.

“I, um, uh.” He stuttered.

“Come on. We’re looking at guns. Remember what you agreed to?” I walked him down the hall with Drake and me. “Drake this is Pete.” I introduced the two. “He’s with us.”

“Awesome.” Drake shrugged. “We can always use another pair of hands for what we’re going to do.”

“Exactly.” I nodded glad he didn’t object to Pete’s inclusion. I’m willing to bet the others aren’t going to be happy about Peter’s sudden inclusion into the group. After all he only joined when I was overdosing in the bathroom. I haven’t told anyone about him yet.

We walked into the cafeteria, the three of us. I introduced Pete to the gang and they generally accepted him. They were cool with it, indifferent even. It was confusing to me but I accepted it. Pete was nervous but I could care less. The only one that was a bit skeptical was Jones.

“What kind of experience do you have around guns, Pete?” He asked the kid.

“Um, does Call of Duty count?” He laughed nervously, however no one laughed with him.

“Absolutely.” I answered, happily.

“Not.” Jones added onto my statement. “Don’t get me wrong, most of you guys have never picked a gun up in your life.” He eyed the whole group. “I’m just nervous you’ll shoot the wrong person, that being me.”

“Ah that’ll never happen.” I boasted.

“Accidents happen, Jim.” Jones said sternly. “And friendly fire happens more often than you’d think.”

“Then everyone ought to stay out of my way.” I laughed but nobody laughed with me. Now I feel like Pete two seconds ago.

“So Pete,” Erik said breaking the awkward tension that I created. “You know anything about computers?”

“Uh, sure. Why do you ask?” Pete said.

“Well I got a list.” Erik took out his list. “And one of the obstacles in our way is the security cameras. We do plan on leaving alive but there is that possibility they might be able to track us because they’ll know what we look like. We’re covering our faces but we want to have just a bit more obscurity.”

“Well, I mean,” Pete got this harden look on his face. I could tell he was concentrating. “A lot of times with these places they’ll have what is called a closed circuit system. That means the system is linked to the building itself. If you’re worried about an outside source seeing it then all you’d have to do is delete the footage. There should be a mainframe somewhere.”

I slapped Pete on the back. “I told you guys he was great.”

“Guess we can check that off the list then.” Erik said and then put the list away. “Well let’s see the guns.” We all stood up and walked out the door. When we got out I saw that Casey was standing while Frank was still sitting. Everyone greeted Case and Pete introduced himself.

“Good to have you on board.” Casey smiled. “You’ll have a great time. Trust me.” Pete nodded. Then Casey looked at me. “What’s up Jess?”

Jess?

“Hey Case.” I heard Jess’ voice behind me. I spun around, astonished.

“When the fuck did you get here?” I exclaimed.

“I’ve been here the whole time.” Jess retorted. “Maybe if you paid a little more attention you would’ve noticed.”

“The only thing I notice is how nice you look today.” I sneered. As soon as I said it I covered my mouth. Everyone else remained silent although some of them were trying not to visibly laugh. I didn’t bother look at Jess’ expression. She’s probably about to hit me.

“Alright! Can we get this over with?” Frank yelled getting all of our attention. “You’re not the ones giving away merchandise so you people can play commando. So let’s get this over with already.”

“He’s right, everyone over here.” Casey said. He directed us to the crate. “The deal is you can arm yourselves as much as you can. But have a conscience please.” He glanced at Frank. “You are basically stealing.”

We all approached the crate and after everyone had a brief look at it Jones decided he was going to organize this.

“Alright Erik and I will pick the guns you can use.” Jones said.

“I agree. Because we’re the only ones with experience, so we’ll decide based on what we think is best.” Erik and Jones took their places alongside the crate.

“Now hold up.” Rodney held up his hand. “I don’t need you know it alls telling me what I can and can’t do.”

“Yeah.” Derek chimed in. “I’m not letting the white man tell me what to do.”

“Okay.” Jones crossed his arms. “You don’t want to cooperate? That’s fine.” He walked towards them until he was basically in their faces. I haven’t noticed until now, but Jones is huge. I mean Rodney is taller but not as bulky. Jones is a tank practically. That’s how I should be. Instead I’m stuck in this puny shape. God, I can just imagine what I could do if I was just a few inches taller and about thirty pounds heavier. Maybe nobody would’ve fucked with me.

“Just listen for a moment, though.” Jones continued. “You go and fuck this up. Be it you run away or forsake us to the fuzz. I’m not letting you get away with your life. Think about it. I’m a good shot and it’ll only take one shot to your legs to send you down. So you can choose,” Jones got really close to the both of them. “It’s me or the cops.”

“Hooray, hear that guys?” Casey came from behind Rodney and Derek and embraced them. “If you don’t listen then you’re pretty much fucking everyone over. And if you can go to jail for your own stupidity, I’m not defending your cases. You can find yourselves another lawyer.”

After a couple seconds, the two must have gotten the hint. They shrugged Casey off their shoulders and that’s when I noticed something. Both of them looked kind of down. They were still angry but depressed at the same time. It’s like they want to say do something but they know they can’t. I can remember feeling like that. Hell, I feel like that right now.

“Hey guys.” I whisper to them. “Remember, you’re doing this for the loot. I help you grab some. Promise.” I smiled at them but they gave me disheartening looks. Finally both of them turned away.

“Alright people.” Jones said. “We’re only taking one gun each. It’s only fair.” He briefly looked at Frank who gave him a nod. “Everyone line up.” So we did. I got in the back. Erik and Jones both chose their guns first. They got out two bolt action rifles. The rifles were like the sniper I had used except without the scope, and these had a lighter wood color. Wonder why they chose those. I would think they would want something with a bit more rate of fire. Whatever, they’re the experts.

Next up was Drake. He walked over with a bit of a sway and looked into the crate. Erik reached in and handed Drake a handgun. Drake just stared at it plainly and fumbled it around a little. When Jones motioned for him to move on, Drake just shrugged. Then he reached back into the crate and pulled out a machete. Erik’s eyes widened and Drake grinned at him.

“Put that back.” Jones said sternly and reached for the weapon.

“No can do boss.” Drake flicked the blade at Jones’ fingers, causing him to pull back. “I always wanted one of these.”

“You really think you’re gunna get close enough to use that?” Erik asked.

“Oh yeah.” Drake nodded. “It’ll be easy.” With that he walked away.

Next up was Rodney and Derek. Jones reached into the crate and, to my surprise, handed both of them shotguns. That really brightened their attitudes. Derek grabbed his gun and cocked it back. Jones just about had a heart attack.

“Could you not do that?” He growled. “Makes me uncomfortable.”

“Calm down, bitch.” Derek sneered. “My second cousin died from one of these. I know plenty about the danger.” With that the two marched off to examine their guns further.

Next person was Pete. Damn, did he look nervous. When he walked it was with a shake and he really didn’t like looking at Jones and Erik. Why are we bringing him along? Oh yeah, he’s disabling the cameras. They handed Pete a handgun and he held it tightly.

“Is this-is this it?” He said looking at the gun. “Can’t I have something a little, you know, bigger.”

Jones frowned at Pete. “For the love of God! Will you stop pointing that fucking thing at me?” Pete winced as he realized he indeed was pointing the gun carelessly at people. He lowered it.

“S-sorry.” He stammered. “I should have known better.”

“Yeah you should have.” Erik sneered. “Maybe when you can be a little bit more careful we’ll let you handle something bigger.”

“I figure I might survive a nine millimeter. Right Erik.” Jones said.

“Oh sure.” Erik nodded.

“But I don’t know about a shotgun shell to the chest.” He smirked. “Besides I’d rather have the least experienced with the least damaging weapons.”

Pete walked away and then it was just me. I walked up to the crate like it was a shrine. Jones looked at Erik. Their eyes met and they exchanged expressions. Jones then exhaled and reached into the crate, taking out a handgun. He held it out to me.

“Really?” I said expressionless. “A measly pistol?”

“Yes.” Jones said. “You’re wild and out of control. I’m not risking my life over the fact that you might be trigger happy too.”

“That’s bullshit.” I complained. “I came up with this idea so I should get to choose my own gun.”

“Listen.” Jones put the pistol back and closed the crate. “You may have come up with the idea but it was our planning,” he motioned to him and Erik “that made it a reality.”

“No.” I growled. “I got the guns. I got the masks. I’ve contributed more than others have.”

“Very true.” Erik said walking in front of the crate. “But, Jim, you have to understand that for this to happen correctly, there must be order. We need a plan and people need to be able to take orders. Don’t think we’re doing this to insult you. We’re doing this to make your idea become a reality. We’re just planning this like a military operation. It’s all Jones and I know.”

I looked away. Everyone was eying their guns. Well except for Jess who was watching me, and Casey and Frank. My eyes eventually found themselves on Rod and Derek’s shotguns. They were so pristine and big. I can guarantee that those shotguns will be doing most of the killing. Rodney and Derek are going to be at the forefront of it all and I want to be there with them. Except nobody will let me.

A thought popped in my head. I don’t want a shotgun. No, there’s a specific one that I need.

“Jones,” I looked at him. “Give me the pistol.”

“Right on.” He said and opened up the crate. As soon as he did I dived into it, putting half my body into it.

“What are you doing?” Erik asked, surprise and angry. “Get out of there.”

“Where is it? Where is it?” I muttered ignoring my friend. My hands were pushing guns out of the way in search of what I was looking for. Sure there really wasn’t much that needed to be moved but I figured that maybe it was hiding behind one of the bigger ones. Eventually Jones pulled me out.

“Alright.” He frowned. “What was that about?”

“I was looking for something.” I explained. “It’s,” I winced realizing that to tell him what I was looking for would be to tell him about my first meeting with Frank. That would be bad.

“It’s what?” Jones asked.

“Nothing, never mind.” I said trying to play it off.

“Take this damn pistol!” Jones growled shoving the barrel of it in my stomach. But I refused to take it.

“Jim!” I suddenly heard Frank call. He was beckoning me over. Jones gave me a confused look and I shrugged in response. I walked over to Frank. He was still sitting and I could tell he was still in pain. Pain that probably wasn’t just from the fall he took but that fact he was giving his products away for free. I wouldn’t want to be him right now.

“Is there something you want?” I asked him.

“No,” He replied. “There’s something you want.” He reached behind his back. I figured it was because it was hurting him again but I was wrong. Instead he pulled out a shiny metal object.

I gasped. “My uzi!” I exclaimed. I reached for it but refrained myself at the last second. I remember now that it’s not my uzi any more.

“I figured you’d be looking for this.” Frank said, lying it down on his lap. “You’d be surprised how hard it is to find a buyer for this thing.”

“Yeah it’s your only automatic weapon.” I said. “I expected that to be gone the day you got it.”

“Yeah well here’s the thing.” Frank smiled. “I’m not willing to give this thing up unless I get the proper price. So there’s that. And then somebody once told me it would be too hard to conceal. That guy ended up buying a shotgun so I wonder why he was giving me shit about concealment.”

“Yeah,” I nodded my head. “That thing is plenty fine at hiding. You just gotta,” I paused and remember how Bill had caught me with that thing “never mind it’s hard to conceal.”

Frank looked at me and picked up the uzi. “So,” he said. “You want it?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed surprising the old man.

“Alright calm down for a sec.” Frank shifted around a bit until he was comfortable. “Let’s make a deal.”

I gave him a questioning expression. “A deal? What kind of deal?”

“A simple one for your dumbass.” Frank grunted and pointed at me. “The deal is you have to stop annoying me from now on. That means after this is all over, you leave me alone for good.”

A pang of sadness hit me. It made me feel cold and small. “Don’t worry.” I said in a low voice. “I don’t think you’ll be hearing from me after this is over anyway.”

“I don’t know.” Frank said. “Casey seems to think you’ll be fine.”

“Casey ain’t risking his neck.” I replied.

“True.” Frank held the gun up to me. “Take it,” he said. “Hope it helps you get what you want.”

“I hope so too.” I said grabbing the uzi. It felt heavier than usual for some reason. I swung it up so the barrel was pointing upward.

“Hmmph,” Frank grunted.

“What?” I asked.

“I was just thinking how much better it will be to have a private bedroom instead of what I have here.” He said.

“Oh, right.” I replied.

“Well I can’t say it was good talking to ya again, Jim.” Frank said as he leaned back. “But I’m glad to finally get you out of my hair.”

“Yeah, yeah it was a blast.” I said nervously.

“See ya around kid.” Frank grinned. “Oh wait, no I won’t.”

“Yeah, bye.” I stiffly turned around and walked away.

Now I was holding the uzi close to my chest. For some reason it is so dear to me. I’ve never used it once but I feel like it is a part of me. Thoughts raced through my head about what would happen if something ever happened to it. Sure my friends can die but at least this thing can’t die. I’ll keep it safe. And I’ll name it George.

Not looking where I was going, I bumped into Rodney. “Sup Jim,” he said. “Are you- oooo wait a minute.” He looked at George. “What do you got there?” he pointed.

“Oh you like it?” I held the uzi up.

“I want one of those instead.” Derek said also admiring my weapon.

“This was the only one. Sorry.” I replied. Just then, Erik and Jones approached us.

“Jim are you done goofing off? Whoa.” Jones noticed my uzi too.

“Is that was I think it is?” Erik leaned it.

“Yup.” I grinned proudly. “A genuine mini uzi.”

“Could I just see it for a sec?” Erik asked with an outstretched hand.

I held George close to my chest again. “I, uh.”

“Just give it to me.” Erik snatched George out of my hands. A whine escaped my lips which sent strange looks in my direction. So I just remained silent as Erik defiled my buddy.

“Interesting.” He said. “Pretty clean and relatively new I might add.”

“Huh?” I grunted, paying more attention to how his hands were gliding over it.

“What I mean is.” Erik held the gun up for me. “This type of Uzi is a newer model than what you probably are accustomed to. The mini Uzi was developed in 1982 but this model is significantly different than the 80’s model. For instance the foldable stock is much slimmer and there is much more weight at the front.” Erik swung it a bit. “This makes it easier to maintain balance while firing. That function wasn’t added until later. I believe some kid shot himself on accident because it was so light.”

“That’s great, Erik.” I said quickly. “But I would really like”

“And the sights are different too.” Erik interrupted me. “They’re much easier to see because of the white parts. Also this one goes fully auto. That shouldn’t be available to civilians.”

“Okay I get it!” I exclaimed. “You know a lot about guns. Now give me back George!”

“George?” Erik questioned right before I ripped it out of his hands. I cradled George and looked angrily at everyone.

“Alrighty then.” Jones stepped forward. “What I want to know is how you got that?”

I looked at George. “Oh uh, Frank gave it to me.”

“I knew it!” Rodney yelled suddenly. “That old fuck is holding out of us!”

“Yeah.” Derek snarled. “Let’s shake him down.”

“Guys, stop.” Jones stepped in front of him. “What did I say before? We need to hear him out first. Then we’re imprinting the pavement with his face.”

The three grinned and stomped over to Frank. I was busy admiring my gun but my conscience hit me. I looked up to see the three looming over Frank, and Frank didn’t look happy to see them. I walked over just to make sure everything was going to be okay.

“For the last time, I don’t have what you’re looking for.” Frank stated irritated.

“Then where’d Jim get that?” Rodney asked motioned at me with his head.

“The uzi?” Frank peered at me. “He gave that to me a while ago. I just returned it.” My blood froze and my hands got clammy. Frank looked like he just swallowed a bug on accident or something.

“He gave it to you?” Jones asked. “Meaning it was his before.” Jones looked at me.

Frank shook his head. “I’m sorry kid. I didn’t mean to do that.” He looked at me with sad eyes and I looked back.

“If it wasn’t you then it would’ve been me to say it.” I said quietly.

Now I have a mission. Don’t tell them about Fluttershy. Don’t tell them about Fluttershy. I can’t escape the uzi story but if it leads to Bronycon then I’m done.

“How the fuck?” Derek started. “Did you get a fully automatic gun past EQ borders?”

I balanced myself on my toes a bit before answering. “I didn’t.” I hugged George. “I used to have a car. A jeep to be exact. And I used it to get here illegally. Drove it into the back of a fruit truck and I made it through.” Everyone was surprised by that. Not one of them withheld shock.

“Whoa.” Rodney took a step back. “You telling me you’re an alien?” He shook his head. “I should’ve figured.”

“That’s impressive, Jim.” Jones admitted. “You got lucky. Orientation into this place was humiliating.”

“What’s it like?” I asked randomly. “I hear it’s bad.”

“It’s just some bullshit about how we need to keep our human instincts under control.” Jones explained. “Apparently we might be apt to violence if someone fucks with us. Go figure?” He looked at George. “I just wanna know how you got that. You must have heard about the world wide gun laws.”

“Yeah I did.” I said painfully.

With the introduction of pony ideals, one of the main topics was how to stop violence. That was very broad challenge but that was the point. They wanted to stop any type of violence, be it as small as a play ground fight to as big as war, they wanted it to stop. So the solution they came up with, ponies and bronies, was to prohibit the ease of acquiring weapons to fund this violence. After some advertisement campaigns its seemed to go into effect and the relinquishment of modern firearms was started.

Of course there was resistance. Ignoring the fact that what the ponies were doing was basically stealing; most people didn’t want to give up their guns. The good US of A was the most notorious example. To do what the Equestrians wanted meant changing the Constitution, and the founding fathers would have rose from the dead if we did that. However, in the end we Americans didn’t have to change anything. Eventually the argument for the pro-gun party became that guns were to protect the citizens from a corrupt government and Equestria respected that, although I have no idea why. It didn’t stop them from applying harsh laws that cripple our rights but it stopped them from crossing out the second amendment entirely.

I really don’t know what happened in the rest of the world. Although I imagine that those damn socialists in Europe went right along with it all. My problem is that by giving up our weapons, we are left defenseless to those with more power. So then we must rely on them to make the right decisions. Well I don’t trust any Equestrian so I’m never going to submit to their rules.

“Jim!” Frank yelled, snapping me out of my euphoric trance. “Jones asked you where you got the uzi.”

“Oh, um, sorry.” I winced. “Actually it’s really interesting. I bought it somewhere down south in America. It might have been Florida or whatever is above it.”

“That would be Georgia.” Jones said.

“Yeah whatever.” I continued. “Point is I was in a ghetto and I was surrounded by spooky black people. Like Rod and Derek except I wanted to shit myself because I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

“Watch yourself, Jim.” Rodney smirked. “I might snap at any minute.”

“Yeah,” I smiled back. “Point was I was looking for a gun to, um,” now is the time to lie. I don’t want to tell them I planned to kill innocents. Seems kind of counterproductive now but that’s beside the point. “I wanted to protect myself. I never planned on using it. It was just to scare people off. And if someone tried to cut me off while I was driving then I’d flash it at em.”

“That’s what I’d do.” Derek agreed. “Nobody would fuck with me if I had one of those.”

“Well other than the police.” I told him. “I bought it off some hood rat. He sold it to me for a steep price too. I emptied my pockets that day and slept with an empty stomach that night.”

“Was it worth it?” Jones asked.

“Don’t know?” I answered honestly. “I never used this thing. Too busy hiding it so I don’t get fucked by authorities.”

“Mhm, so when does he come into this?” Jones asked, pointing to Frank.

“Right,” I said rubbing my face. “Well I was in Equestria and I found myself in New Canterlot. This was before the assassination by the way. And I ran into Frank and he thought I was a different customer.” Frank grinned half heartedly. “We talked and I sold him the uzi.”

“You sold it?” Jones said. “Why?” Frank and I both exchanged glanced but I was out of ideas. We all stood there silently until Frank broke the silence.

“He needed the money.” He said. “So I bought it from him and that’s the end of the story.”

Before anyone could say anything else, Erik stepped from out of nowhere. He looked really excited. It was like it was his birthday or something.

“Guess what guys,” he said mysteriously. “We are one step away from finalizing preparations. All we need is a vehicle. And guess what?” He took a step to the side. “Jess decided to donate her car.”

“You guys are sooo welcome.” Jess bragged walking towards us.

The shock hit all of us together. This news came out of nowhere. But the thing is, this isn’t bad news. In fact it’s the opposite. So the shock faded and it was replaced with gratitude. At least for me it was.

“That’s awfully generous of you.” Jones said, smiling.

“Eh, it’s getting old and it’s not even registered. It’s over there by the way.” Jess pointed to an old white van. Sure enough it was missing a license plate and there was rust on the bumper and the paint. Also it was plain white with a small back window. A chuckle escaped my throat.

“So, um,” I stifled my laughter. “We gunna be rolling up in the pedo van?”

“Yo,” Derek giggled with me. “I was thinking the same thing.” We both snickered as everyone else looked at the van and came to the same conclusion.

“It is not a pedo van.” Jess said stiffly. “My father bought that van.”

“Did he give candy out of the back of it too?” I said with barely contained laughter.

“Do you want the van or not?” Jess growled. “Because I have no problem with it sitting there for another year.”

“Yes we want it, of course.” Erik said. “It’s perfect, Jess. Unlicensed so untraceable.”

I made my way next to Jess and stared at her. “So,” I said quietly so only she could hear. “you finally support us?”

“I don’t support anything you guys do.” She whispered back to me. “I’ve told you this.”

“Yeah but the hats and now this.” I said back to her. “I mean thank you. With your help we’ll kill them all and be back for dinner.”

Jess’s eyes widened and she looked at me quickly. Then she stomped on my toes. I yelped in pain. “Just be happy I’m not trying to stop you.” With that she stomped off.

I saw Casey come from around the corner of the shelter. I was surprised because I didn’t even see him leave. He looked a bit worried though. He walked over to Frank and they talked for about a sec.

“Alright, Jones,” Casey called. “Can you and Rodney lift the crate back into Frank’s truck? We’re leaving soon.”

I see why he asked Rodney and Jones. They’re the biggest dudes out of all of us. It makes me wonder how Frank ever got that crate out by himself. When they successfully lifted the crate into the truck, I realized that this was the end of Frank. He was off after this.

“Hey Frank,” I called to him. “Just a quick question. How’d you ever lift that crate on your own?” The question was really nagging me.

“I didn’t,” Frank replied. “I had to get the customers to help me.” Well that explains it. Maybe I can get him to stay longer though.

“Alright, one more thing,” Casey turned to Frank. “We need to give them ammo.”

“Aaaah,” Frank groaned. “You guys are killing me. In Jim’s case quite literally.” I kind of looked away in shame when he said that. “Anyways, go check the floor of the truck. The ammo is under there.”

Frank unlocked his truck with his keys and Casey opened the back door. I peered in to see Casey remove a panel in the truck’s floor. Underneath it was a conglomeration of assorted ammunition. I personally had no idea what I was looking at. It all looked like a bunch of gold and occasionally red mess of brass metal to me.

“Jones, you’re the expert,” Casey said to him. “How much do you need?”

“Lemme see,” Jones looked into the truck. “Erik,” he called. “Get over here.” Erik went over to inspect the ammo. Eventually he began counting on his fingers.

“Shit,” Erik mumbled. “How are we supposed to carry all this?”

“Oh right,” Jones said. “It’s not like we got some molle vests lying around.”

“Is there a problem here?” Casey asked them.

“Yeah we need a way to carry all the ammo we need.” Jones explained. “The problem is we have nothing at all other than our pockets.”

“That is a problem,” Casey said rubbing his chin. He looked at me. “What about you Jim? Got any suggestions?”

I blinked. I hadn’t been a part of their conversation, just a spectator. But I had an idea. “Um, maybe bags?” I suggested. “Like bags that could clip to our waists.”

“Jim that is the dumbest idea I have ever heard.” Jones scowled me. I won’t lie, it kind of hurts that he said that. I’m just trying to help. “But,” Jones continued to my surprise. “It’s all we got.” He nodded to me. “Know where Jess keeps the freezer bags?”

I did. She keeps them next to the fridge. So I went and got the box they were in. They were Ziplocs gallon bags. Pretty reliable brand is you ask me. I walked back over to the truck.

“Got em,” I said. I began taking some out of the box they were in. I got a good handful of them when I heard laughing. It was hysterical sounding and I didn’t exactly recognize it at first. I found out that it was Frank who was laughing. He was just sitting and laughing his head off. At what I don’t know.

“This guy’s losing it,” Casey said pointing at Frank.

“I was just,” Frank stammered trying to stop giggling. “I was just thinking how ridiculous you guys are.”

“You got to get by with what you got.”Jones said to him.

“It’s not that,” he waved his hand, smiling. “Living on ramen noodles, that’s getting by with what you got. You guys on the other hand are just rag tag. All of you are crazy in your own rights. Come on Casey.” Frank held his arm out. “Help me to my truck. I want to leave as soon as possible.”

Casey grabbed Frank by the arm and helped him up. They walked over to the driver’s side and Frank hopped in. I handed the freezer bags to Erik and Jones and they started filling them up. After that I didn’t really pay much attention and instead focused on other things. For the most part I noticed how calm everything was, especially the weather. Still don’t like how it’s sunny every day. It’s unnatural. Right now it should be cloudy because a thunderstorm is coming.

Before I knew it, Casey and Frank had driven off. I didn’t even get a chance to say a final goodbye which tore me up a bit. On the other hand I was glad that Frank was safe now because he deserves the rest after everything he has sacrificed.

We all tossed our weapons and ammo into the purple dumpster for safekeeping until we would have to use them. It was my suggestion to do so. It’s a good hiding place if you think about it. Nobody really wants to check a dumpster.

I looked around. Everyone was done with their guns and didn’t know what to do now. Heck, I don’t know what to do now. Well I’ll just go down the checklist of things that need to be prepared. We have the disguises, we have the guns, we have a solution to the cameras, we know the layout, and we finally have a vehicle. Is that really everything? Can’t be.

“Good news everyone.” Erik suddenly announced. We all looked at him. “We’re all set.”

“You mean we’re done preparing?” Jones asked.

“Yep,” Erik replied.

“Finished?” Drake asked. He was leaning against the building.

“Uh huh.” Erik nodded.

“Complete?” I also asked.

“Yes,” Erik rolled his eyes. “Concluded, ended, fulfilled, wrapped up. Point is we can now go now.” Erik looked around. “So how about tonight?”

“Tonight?” I exclaimed.

“That sounds good with me.” Jones said.

“Me too.” Drake added.

“We’re cool.” Rodney also said to represent Derek and his decision.

“Tonight!” I repeated with the same amount of worry.

“I’m sorry. Is there a problem, Jim?” Erik growled at me.

“Well, uh,” there is a massive problem. I’m just not ready for tonight. It seems so soon. I still might wanna do things. With someone maybe. I need more time to just do my thing. I want something a bit more before I go to die.

“Actually tonight is kind of bad.” Peter said. He hasn’t spoken much. “Don’t you think we’re all rushing into this?”

“Don’t be a pussy,” was Derek’s immediate response.

“Look new guy.” Jones stood in front of Pete. He leaned against him a bit. “You’re young and new so you probably want to experience life some more. Well guess what? Everyone here wants to do that too.” He put his hand on Pete’s shoulder. “You’re with us now. You signed your life away like I signed my life to the Marine corp. Understand?”

Pete gulped. “Yes sir.” He said sheepishly.

“And do you understand, Jim?” Jones turned to me. I gulped. “You want this more than us so you better say ‘hell yeah’ when we say it’s tonight. Got it?”

He’s right. I clenched my fists. “Well then what are we waiting for?”

“That’s the spirit.” Erik said happily. “Now remember it’s the weekend so it should be especially packed. Everyone best be on their game today.”

“Also,” Jones cleared his throat. “We did this in the corp. If you have anything you want to do before this, then get it done before it’s too late.” He walked off after that.

“Yeah maybe try and contact your families. Write a letter.” Erik suggested.

“Is that what you’re going to do?” I asked Erik.

“Of course not.” He answered. “Might blow our cover. Besides I ain’t got nothing to say.”

“What about you, Drake?” I looked at my friend. He grinned wickedly.

“My step daddy fucked me in the ass and my mom was addicted to heroin.” Drake said venomously.

“So is that a yes?” I grinned nervously.

He put his hand on his chin. “Maybe.” He shrugged and walked off too.

“What about you two?” I asked Rodney and Derek.

“Ain’t got nothing to go back to.” Rodney said. “So why bother?”

“Yeah, nothing but up from here.” Derek added before both of them went back inside the shelter.

I looked at Pete, the last one out here. “And you?”

“Eh,” he shrugged. “I’ll just write a letter and hand it to Jess. Maybe she’ll get it through.”

“That’s not a bad idea.” I said as I thought up a letter. “I’m so glad I thought of it. You’re welcome Pete.”

“Alright, Jim. Whatever you say.” Pete waddled off and I bounded into the shelter.

I found Jess washing dishes. I was about to ask her when I suddenly paused. Inadvertently I found myself admiring her, erhm, special assets. I’ll admit I’m gunna miss them when I’m dead. I’m gunna miss everything about her when I’m gone. That is why I’m gunna leave her with a note, which is why I need to get paper from her. But first I’ll take another sec to admire, or maybe a minute.

“Can’t I help you, Jim?” Jess suddenly turned around, clearly annoyed.

Shit! “I wasn’t looking at your ass or anything.” I said cleverly hiding what I was doing.

“Uh huh, that’s very likely,” she said. Nice, she believed me. “So what do you need?” she asked.

“Just a pen and paper,” I said.

“Oh okay.” She reached into a cabinet next to here. “What exactly do you need this for? If you don’t mind me asking.” She handed me a pen and a notepad.

“We’re leaving tonight, Jess.” I told her somberly.

“Tonight?” She leaned against the sink. “Why tonight? You have all the time in the world.”

“I don’t know.” I admitted. “They want to go, so who am I to say no?”

“It was your idea in the first place.” Jess reminded me.

“My idea, their reality.” I stated. “Jones told us to make peace before we go.”

“I thought you guys were confident you’ll make it back?” Jess asked.

“Oh we are,” I lied. “It’s just a precaution I guess. I’m writing a letter.”

“Family?” she asked. A chord was struck. I can’t write to my family. I don’t know where they are. We haven’t talked in six years. I’ve been gone for so long.

“Uh, no,” my voice quivered. “No one else is writing to their families so I won’t either.”

“Hey I understand if you don’t want to bring up your family,” Jess said softly. “Not many people around here like to talk about theirs’.”

“I could tell,” I turned around. “Thanks for the paper, Jess. Pete’s also writing a letter. Don’t know who to.”

“See ya around, Jim.” Jess said to me. “And don’t worry. I think you’ll be fine.”

Before I left I changed into my jumpsuit. I wanted to be ready as soon as I got back. I walked out the shelter door. There is a new friend I need to visit. Well technically two new friends.

***

I swung the doors to the church open. I took a quick look around. It really looks different in the daytime. So much brighter and easier to see everything. I don’t know if I like it.

I looked around for Rick but couldn’t find him. He must be gone or something. That’s fine because I need time alone right now. I need to write this letter. It’s special. So I got down to writing it. I knelt down at the shrine and used the marble surface as a platform.

Each word I wrote seemed to come out of nowhere. It was like I was possessed. The words were writing themselves. Sentences lead to more sentences and eventually it formed a paragraph. Then I started another. There was no thought involved in this letter and I found it was done in no time.

I quickly read through the letter. I turned my head to the shrine. Four candles were burning next to the cross. I cast the edge of my letter into the flame and set it ablaze. I watched the fire start from the corner and then spread. As it caught and turned my words to ash I cursed myself. This letter was terrible. I don’t know what I was thinking writing it. It’s so cheesy.

Behind me the door opened. It closed soon after and that’s when I heard footsteps running towards me. The burning paper was quickly snatched out of my hand.

“What are you doing?” Pastor Rick wailed as he frantically waved the paper in an attempt to put it out. It did go out eventually but only after it came dangerously close to his fingers. He looked at me. “The fuck was that? Were you trying to burn this place down?”

“Uuuuuh,” I only made a noise because my brain wasn’t working for some reason.

“Jesus Christ, you were weren’t you?” He snarled and grabbed me. “This is my church, ya hear? It’s the only church in Equestria. You will not destroy it! No while I’m around.” He threw me on the ground.

“Whoa, hey man.” I held up my hand, regaining my senses. “I wasn’t trying to burn this place down. I’m not a godless pony. I’m a human. I have respect for this place. All humans should.”

Rick took a step towards me. He seemed angry. Then suddenly the anger ended. “Eh, I just wish people visited me more often.” He helped me up.

“Sorry about the fire.” I apologized. “I wasn’t really thinking.”

“Well I guess it’s my fault for leaving lit candles while I was away.” Rick craned his neck and looked at my notepad. “So what were you doing with that paper anyway?” he asked walking over to the shrine.

“I was writing a letter.” I answered him.

“Tsk,” he snickered. “Really? Who writes letters? It’s all digital now.” He extinguished one of the candles, with just his fingers.

“Yeah well I was just,” he extinguished another candle and now I was fully distracted. “Hey could I try that?” I asked.

“What?” Rick put out another one. “This?”

“Yeah,” I nodded my head.

Rick licked his index finger and thumb and proceeded to extinguish the last candle. “Sorry, I didn’t want you to burn yourself.” He handed me back the notepad and pen. “But anyways, tell me about this letter.”

“Oh well it’s complicated,” I was having a hard time trying to word this. I don’t want to tell him I’m gunna shoot up a strip club. But on the other hand I do. I feel like he’s the type of guy that I could tell anything and he wouldn’t flip his shit. I mean I know he doesn’t like ponies so it must be okay.

“Take your time, Jim.” Rick said reassuringly. “I have time.”

“Alright,” I looked at the notepad. “Could you just give me a few minutes? I need to rewrite the letter and then I’ll tell you everything.”

“Alright then I’ll let you have some space,” He began walking away. “If you need me I’ll be in this office back here.” He pointed to a closed door. “I’ll probably be watching porn or some shit. If I am then don’t disturb me.” Rick retreated into his office, leaving me alone.

I began rewriting the letter and it was harder this time. I don’t want to make it sound dumb so I’m focusing on the wording. But this focus just made the job so much harder to do. It’s like every word is wrong and I have to rethink it before writing it again. What’s worse is I keep crossing out mistakes so there’s chicken scratch all over my paper.

But through determination I did finish the letter. I reread it and I could safely say it wasn’t as bad as the last. I mean sure I kind of poured my heart out here but it’s not as bad as it could be. It’s pretty much gets the point across. I then took the time to transfer it onto another sheet of paper so there wouldn’t be any crossed out words. The process took no time at all and I crumbled up the rough draft.

I looked for a trash bin but couldn’t find one. Aggravated I just stuffed the rough draft into my pocket. I then neatly folded the final draft and put it in my other pocket. Looking around the church, I found the room where Rick had gone into. I opened it up and found Rick sitting behind a desk, looking at his laptop. When he saw me he must have jumped about ten feet in the air.

“Jim, ARGH!” he screamed and slammed the laptop shut. “Damn it, man,” he was holding his chest. “Ever hear of knocking first? I was just. The girl was just. She was.” He looked at me menacingly. “You better have something good to say.”

I just twiddled my thumbs. “So uh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen two people doing it. Actually the last time I did was I was in a parking lot and saw this couple doing it in their car. I remember the girl was fat and the guy was like super skinny. Anyways, I got interested so I tapped on their window and asked if I could join in. The funny thing about it all is I can still remember their faces. At least the girl seemed interested. Anyways I’ve had to go without for a long time. Hey, is it true that the church teaches masturbation?”

Rick took a while to respond. He blinked and cleared his throat. “I’m really not gunna justify what you just said with a response.” He stood up. “Hey, could I ask you something?”

“Sure?” I have no idea what he wants.

“Have you or did you ever have trouble with girls?” He tried to sound innocent, I could tell.

Oddly I felt nothing really offensive about this, though I feel I should be offended by such a question. So I’m gunna tell the truth. “No, well actually.” Technically I didn’t get much tail after the whole ripping someone’s face off incident, but I’m not telling Rick that.

“You’re not gunna tell me another fucked up tale, are you?” Rick asked cautiously.

“No,” I replied, though I’m not too sure of myself. “I just wanna make a… confession.”

“Hold it.” Rick exclaimed. He walked over to me. “If you’re gunna confess.” He put his arm around me. “Come on I have something I always wanted to do.” He lead me out of his room and back to the pews.

“What are we looking at?” I asked.

“There,” he pointed to giant box looking thing. It was big enough to have two doors and was made of a dark colored wood. And again, like a lot of things in this place, it was ornate with carvings of crosses all over it.

“What is that?” I asked a bit bewildered.

“A confession booth.” Rick answered proudly. “I never got to use this, so whadda you say?” He let go of me.

“Actually I think that’s perfect right now,” I admitted. It was really convenient right now. At least I won’t have to deal with a face to face confrontation now.

Rick grinned and bounded through one of the doors. I entered the opposite one. Inside the booth was dark. The only light that came in was through the door I had just entered in. At least the place seemed clean. I’m just wondering about anyone else that could’ve been in here before. I can tell this booth isn’t new. I imagine it was in another church before it came here. This place must have heard some terrible things that must’ve only been shared by two other people. It seems holy like the shrine. Still I can’t help shake how dark it is.

I sat down on a bench inside here with me. Then a little slot to the left of my head opened up. Two eyes peered out of it. “So,” Rick said. “What’s on your mind?”

“Geez, where do I start?” I lounged back in my seat. “Uh, forgive me father for I have sinned.”

“Ah let’s skip that bullshit.” Rick groaned.

“Okay,” I coughed nervously. “Actually to clarify, it’s not that I’ve sinned but it’s that I plan to.”

“Right, I remember that part.” Rick said. “I overheard your prayer. You pray like you’re talking to a friend.”

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked worriedly.

“Depends on the sect.” Rick answered. “But please go on.”

“Well this is where it gets hard to explain.” I said. “Alright, do you think it’s easy to live in Equestria?”

“What do you mean by that?” Rick asked.

“I mean for us humans.” I said to give more detail. “Has Equestria made it easy for humanity to survive in this environment?”

“Ah, geez,” Rick exhaled. “No they really haven’t. I mean there’s a reason I try to help people because I can see suffering. But I figure that it’s a problem everywhere.”

“Yeah because ponies made it a problem everywhere.” I responded, getting a bit angry. “Trust me when I say that. You go anywhere now and you’re fucked. Every country now is intertwined to those bastards. They want to kill us all but they know they can’t do it all at once. So they’re gunna bleed us to death until humans are an endangered species. There was this one time where I was on the outskirts of a farm and I came across a herd of cows. I was thirsty so I”

“I’m gunna stop you right there.” Rick interrupted me. “I think I’ve heard enough stories from you today. Just tell me how you’re gunna sin.”

“Alright,” I said trying to get my brain back on track. “Where was I? I’m sinning, I’m sinning. Oh right.” I sat up straight. “Did I ever tell you I live in a homeless shelter?”

“No,” Rick replied.

“Well I do,” I shifted around in my seat. “Actually I heard about this place from someone there. You were giving out crackers one day?”

“Oh yeah. I had some extra food so I was giving it away.” Rick said.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I could. Also I felt I should,” Rick said.

“Oh,” that’s nice of him. “Anyway a while back some buddies and I were having a discussion. Basically we’re sick of being homeless and sick of these ponies. Just today we got our hands on some guns and we’re planning on using them,” I got closer to the slot. “Watch the news tonight. We’re hitting a place called the Magic Mist.” I saw a worried looked in the eyes that peered through. “It’s a strip club. You know full of hookers.”

“Jesus forgave whores,” Rick muttered.

“It’s a pony strip club,” I growled to clarify the situation.

“Oh, well that’s different then,” Rick replied. “But I’m still confused. What’s the point of this? What are you getting out of this?”

“Heh, here’s the fun part,” I laughed. “The point is to fight back against this hold Equestria has on humanity. The men that are joining me all come from the same background. We don’t have anything and the ponies are making sure of that. So we are trying to get ponies to understand that if they want to oppress us, we are going to fight back.”

“Fight back against who?” Rick asked. “I don’t think that anybody around here is trying to oppress us. In fact the only group I can think of is PAHI.”

“I know about them,” I growled. A flood of painful memories returned as I remember my encounter with the group. “They visited the shelter one day and threw a brick through the window. Then they tried to lynch me. They had me on the ground and if it weren’t for their leader calling it off, I would not be talking to you right now.”

“Really?” Rick said, surprised. “I mean when they were here they tried to storm the building and I had to call the cops. But I never though they actually wanted to kill someone.”

“Better believe it,” I retorted. “Now I got scars and I’m just itching to give some of them the satisfaction of revenge.”

“Alright, I understand a little bit better now,” Rick said. “I still don’t know why bother waste your time. Aren’t you afraid of the dangers?”

“Ha!” I spat. “Let me tell you something.” I pointed at the little slot. “When you have nothing to you but your name and the clothes on your back, you really don’t care what happens to you. Down at the shelter, we don’t have anything to be afraid of losing. And that’s something that Equestria will have to deal with. Humans growing up like this, not just in a shelter but also those projects, don’t have much to be thankful for. And because of that we’re gunna strike back because we have nothing to lose. And that’s the reality of the situation. That’s the reality that Equestria, rich ponies in the suburbs, will have to deal with. Maybe if ponies actually tried to help people out like they said they’d would we could all be happy. But because of things like PAHI and red lining we just aren’t going to see eye to eye.”

There was a silence between us. It didn’t feel awkward but more thoughtful. It was like I was relaying a message and this message was very important to the other person. Actually this is kind of like a message. My original plan was to have Rick take this letter I have in my pocket and pass it to where it needs to go. But maybe he can also pass a message. It’s like that note I had when I was planning to shoot up that mall and Bill found it. Rick too can be a conduit that can spread my message even if I’m not here. The message he will spread is the message of hatred. Hate for ponies and their ways. He can do it. I trust him.

“Well,” Rick finally spoke. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Do you not agree with me?” I asked.

“Um, well yes,” Rick said. “Yes I don’t agree with you. I think this is totally irrational and crude. You say you have nothing but I know that’s not true. You have to have something that is keeping you going.”

“Actually,” I reached into my pocket. “I do.” I slid the folded letter through the slot and Rick took it.

“What’s this?” He asked, opening up the letter.

“Another confession,” I explained. “You remember when you asked me about girls? Well here is one I have in mind?” ‘

“Hmph,” Rick grunted. I assumed he was reading my letter.

“Her name’s Jess,” I continued. “She runs the homeless shelter I stay at.”

“On her own?” Rick asked.

“No she usually gets the other girls at the shelter to help her out,” I explained. “I’ve help her clean though.”

“Right, right, listen Jim,” Rick said. “If you like this girl then why don’t you just talk to her before you go?”

I thought about it for a second. “Nah,” I answered. “Don’t have the balls. And besides this is my way to get my last words to her without saying anything.”

“Whatever seems cowardly to me though,” Rick snorted.

I frowned. “Listen, I just need you to deliver this letter to her after I’m gone. Tomorrow would be the best.”

“Can’t you give it to her tomorrow?” Rick asked.

“Do you really think I’m gunna come back?” I sneered.

“Do you?” Rick answered me with a question. “Because you seem a bit unsure in this letter.”

“Um, well, I,” I swallowed before going on. “It’s complicated. Everyone thinks they have a chance at leaving alive. But I’ve seen shit like this before. We’re gunna get cornered by cops or something. I know I’m not going to Jail, so if everything become lost, I’m taking my life.”

“Pfft,” Rick snorted. “Can’t get into heaven that way?”

That’s the funniest thing Rick has every told me. “Do you really think I’m gunna get into heaven after what I’ll do?”

“Bible doesn’t mention talking ponies,” Rick said calmly. “Well there is a talking donkey.”

“Yeah well, wait a minute,” a thought just popped into my head. There is nothing about ponies in that book. So that means they aren’t creations of the lord. Which means God must hate them. I’m pretty sure that justifies killing them. Yeah it does. They aren’t heavenly father’s creation. That must really piss him off. Hell it pisses me off.

“You still alive in there?” Rick tapped on the wood, which broke me out of thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m fine now,” I smiled and stood up. “I was just coming to understand a little bit more about God and shit.”

“That’s great to hear Jim. I’m really happy for you. Now about this letter,”

“I told you to keep it,” I instructed. “Tomorrow give it to Jess at the shelter. Unless I survive then don’t give it to her.” I took on a softer tone. “Please just do this for me. This is all I might have left.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do this,” Rick assured me. “It’s just I wasn’t expecting all of this.”

“Do you need directions to the shelter?” I asked, ignoring the concern in his voice.

“No I know where it is,” Rick answered. “I’m still just a little surprised about all this.”

“What’s there to be surprised about?” I kind of laughed at this. It’s such a stupid statement. “We’re fighting back. Nothing wrong about that at all. If someone does you wrong then that gives you full permission to get them back, but worse. It should be common sense.”

That was pretty much where our conversation ended. Both of us had nothing to say so we just exited the booths. Plus I had been there in there for a while and should probably return to the shelter in case they need me. We said goodbye and he promised to visit the shelter tomorrow to see if I was there or not, and to deliver my message if I wasn’t. Even after the conversation was over, everything still stayed prominent in my head. For some reason I kept thinking back to one of the most important lessons Darius taught me. I should never let someone get away with hurting me. There must always be payback.

I’m pretty sure Darius taught me that. He was always telling me shit to help me out in high school. Not with my grades but with surviving the kids. They always used to pick on me and for a while I thought the only way out was to just ignore them and they’ll go away. I was wrong so Darius gave me the answer. It was better to fight back than deal with their torment.

Sure I just ended up escalating the conflict but that wasn’t the point. The point was I felt better. It felt good to just let go of that feeling to feel sorry for myself and replace it with this sadistic joy. I remember feeling so happy to fight back. Most of the time I got my ass kicked but the point is I tried again. What made it better is that even if I didn’t win a fight, I would later win because my opponent would lose in the future. Sometimes they would get in trouble with the teachers and other times I took them out in another way after the fight. Another lesson of Darius is that if the fight was never fair to start with, then there is no reason to play fair.

I don’t think I will be able to comprehend the effect of my actions. When I die it will start a chain reaction. Humans will rise up after seeing that we can and will fight for our freedom. It will be like how I got the confidence to fight back after Darius gave me advice. Once I started I couldn’t stop because it was impossible. I’ll be the one to push humanity into revolution, but I will not be the one to keep it in motion.

***

When I got back to the shelter everyone was quiet. Nobody asked where I was except for Jess. She wanted to know what I had done with the pen and paper because Pete had wanted to write a letter to his family. Unfortunately for Pete I had left the notepad at the church. Jess was irritated with me but let it go.

After that I just sat alone for a while. I thought about the strip club briefly. Jones actually visited me for a sec to tell me to not think too much about the club. He says it will distract me and I will lose focus when I really need it. I decided to take his advice but only because I don’t want to set expectations for the shooting and thus ruin the experience.

So I sat and moped a bit. I was bored and there was absolutely nothing to do. Worse was I wasn’t thinking about anything at all. Jones kind of in avertedly put my mind on lockdown. It was okay but time was just never ending. I started playing the clock game I was that bored. I would see how long I made it before I looked at the clock again. My best time was about five minutes.

I was pretty sure I was about to get a new record but I was interrupted by someone shaking me. I turned to see it was Jones. He looks solemn for some reason.

“Jim, it’s time man,” he said.

“What?” I looked quickly at the clock on the wall. “No there’s still like five hours left.”

Jones too glanced at the clock. “Jim it’s ten thirty. We’re getting to the club at eleven. Remember? That’s when it’s most occupied.”

I looked at the clock again and sure enough Jones was telling the truth. “Oh my fault. I thought it was much earlier. Guess I can’t read analogue. Would you look at that?” I had a quick chuckle but Jones didn’t look too happy.

“Great, I’m probably gunna regret this then.” He grumbled. He put his hand on my shoulder. “Jim, you’re driving.” A shot of energy shot up my spine immediately after I heard what he said.

“Really?” I asked, trying to contain my excitement.

“Really,” Jones stated. “Erik and I figured you’d be the best one for the job since you always talk about how you drove around the country.”

“I told you guys about that?” I asked. I must talk in my sleep or something because I don’t really remember telling them anything.

“Jim, we’ve been cooped up in this place for God knows when.” Jones put his hands on his hips. “I think I know you pretty well after that. Besides I figured because this was originally your plan, you should have a more prominent role in it.” Jones reached into his pocket and tossed me some car keys.

I grabbed them and held them in my hands, and then I stood up and gave Jones a big hug. “Thank you!” I exclaimed, almost tearing up. “Thank you so much.”

“Alright that’s great, Jim.” Jones said and patted my head. I continued to embrace him and held it for a while. “Alright,” he said. “That’s enough.”

“I’ll never let go, Jack,” I mumbled.

“Oh yes you are,” Jones growled and pried my arms off him. I felt so happy. I guess it’s because I’m finally accomplishing my dream from the start. What makes it better is I’m not doing it alone. That is probably the best part.

We went outside and found everyone else that was going was gathered there. We kind of gathered in a circle. Everyone was equipped with their gun and they tossed me my Uzi after I arrived. We had to wait for me to get ready so everyone just stood there while I clipped my freezer bag onto my waist with a clothespin. All three of my magazines were inside.

It looked really shady right now. Just a bunch of dudes standing in the dark, armed with loaded guns, and wearing dark clothing. I’ll admit it would scare me. But the funny thing is it doesn’t. These guys are my friends and nothing can touch me when they’re around.

“Hey Pete,” I said to get his attention. He turned around to face me.

“Yeah Jim?” He asked.

“Sorry I forgot to bring back that paper. I know you were planning on writing a letter to your family.”

“Oh that?” Pete snorted. “Don’t worry about that. I’m not writing a letter.”

“Why not?” I asked a bit concerned.

“Well Jones and Erik told me that if I sent a letter it might blow our cover,” Pete explained. “The authorities can track us if anything is written down. Besides we’re coming back so why bother?”

I stood up. I was done getting ready. But that wasn’t what I was on my mind. Everyone seems to have this disillusionment that we’re coming back. We’re not. And Erik should have let Pete contact his folks. He originally said he could.

“Pete,” I looked at him. “Do you really think we’re gunna make it out alive?”

“Of course we are,” Peter smiled but he looked confused. “Why wouldn’t we? Everyone else thinks we are.”

“Yeah but, it’s dangerous,” I said. “We’ll die in that club. The cops will corner us like rats. Do you even see how many there are? And these guns are meant for hunting, not massacres. What if we run out of ammo or have a hard time reloading? None of us even know how to use guns.”

“Enough!” Jones suddenly intervened between the two of us. I looked up to see that everyone else except Pete, Jones, and I had headed into the van. “Pete, saddle up,” Jones ordered and the tubby kid ran over to join the others in Jess’ van. Jones looked at me. “Still can’t shake your pessimistic feelings I see?”

“Can you blame me?” I asked.

“I can,” Jones pointed at me. “You’re over analyzing this. You need to stay focused when we’re in there. No time to think, just follow my lead.”

“I thought I was the leader here,” I grumbled.

“Sorry, Jim, but you need a bit more experience before that happens,” Jones put his hand on his gun. “Just forget about your troubles for a while. Focus on your targets and be conscious of your environment. Remember, these ponies deserve it.”

I nodded, he was right after all. These ponies deserved it. And I just thought of something great. If I survive that will be the biggest insult I can give to Equestria. I got away with the rightful murder of ponies, and I will be back for more. It’ll be that symbol of hate I was looking for.

With that sudden realization, I decided to get this show on the road. I might have been the last one in the van but I was the most important. The inside of the van was musty and with seven guys in the car it didn’t make anything better. The inside also was just one big open area so everyone sat on the floor. There was pretty much no room for stretching so everyone had their legs crunched up. Lucky for me I was driving because that meant I had a comfortable seat to relax in.

I gripped the steering wheel and got that familiar feeling on what it’s like to be behind the wheel. I inserted the key into the ignition and gave it a turn. The engine came to life with a soft whine and then a sneer. I took the time to check everything to make sure we wouldn’t break down halfway there. Everything checked out and we were at a little over a quarter of a tank of gas. We are ready to go.

But as I was putting the gear into reverse, I saw someone coming towards me in my side mirror. It didn’t take me long to see that it was Jess. But why she was coming was alarming to me. My mind went through the possibilities and none of them were any good. Still I let here come to the driver side window and tap the glass to signal she wanted to talk. Everyone was watching as I rolled down the window to speak to her.

“Whadda ya want?” I ask sounding irritated.

“Get out of the car,” she said. “I’m driving.” Instant shock set into my mind and I struggled to think of what to say.

“What?” I spat.

“I thought it over and I want to come with you guys,” she explained. “But I’m driving.”

“What?” I repeated.

“It’s my car,” she started. “I doubt you’re gunna be a careful driver so you might attract attention. You’re gunna look suspicious just from the way you look.” She was talking about the jumpsuit. “And come to think of it, I doubt you still have your license.”

“What?”

“Yeah, I bet you would’ve told everyone that you have you license still,” Jess continued. “But you don’t so I’m driving. Out of the car.”

Still the only thing I could say was, “What?”

“Stop saying, what,” Jess growled. After a while I actually thought up a response but it came out wrong.

“What?”

Author's Note

Sorry about the late update everyone.

Chapter 31: Best sleep I ever had

I sat in the passenger side seat with my arms crossed, leaning against the window. Jess drives cautiously, which is code name for slow. If it were me we would be at the strip club by now. But she actually obeys the traffic signals and gives people the right of way. It’s so submissive.

“Take a right at the light,” I mumbled.

“What?” Jess asked me.

“I said take a right!” I said louder because obviously she didn’t hear me the first time.

“Alright, jeez!” Jess came to an abrupt stop at the intersection, causing everyone to lurch forward for a second. I felt bad for snapping at her. But I also feel bad for roping her into this whole situation. This is clearly my fault. I should have known she would want to come along. I know she cares for us and wants to see us safe. But I didn’t consider that.

“Jess,” I murmured.

“Yeah Jim,” Jess said as she closely watched the traffic light.

“I’m sorry for all of this,” I said. “I know how much of a burden I’ve been on you and everyone at the shelter.”

“Are you kidding me?” Jess laughed never taking her eyes off the road. “You’ve had your slip ups but you make up for it. Because of you I’ve had more time on my hands than ever before. You actually treat the shelter like it’s your home, cleaning up after yourself and others. Not a lot of the others do that.”

“Yeah but I’m doing this,” I debated, suggesting the deed we were doing. “This is big.”

“Sure but,” Jess paused for a second. “You’re not really hurting anyone. I mean not anyone important at least.”

“Yeah kind of, I guess,” I grinned. “Besides I figure there must be some pretty nasty people that hang around a place like that.”

“Exactly,” Jess glanced at me quickly and then back to the road.

We were on the street that would inevitably lead past Erik’s place of work and to the entrance of the strip club. It was close, very close. We remained silent for the rest of the ride, until we were about a few hundred feet to the entrance.

“Alright,” Jess held out her hand to me. “Give me a gun.”

“Huh,” I grunted, staring at her hand blankly.

“You heard me,” Jess flicked her wrist. “Give me a gun,” she repeated.

I didn’t know how to respond. “Um ,uh,” I garbled. “Why?”

“Because I want something to defend myself with in there,” she explained. “I have the experience if you’re wondering. I used to go to the gun range with my dad all the time.”

“I don’t have a gun to give,” I told her. I gently hid my uzi behind me leg. I had placed it down there for the trip.

“Take mine!” Drake came out of nowhere and held his glock to Jess. “I’ll just use my machete.”

“Thank you, Drake,” Jess smiled at him and took the glock. She spun it around on her finger a few times before placing it down. I on the other hand was still trying to figure out what was going on so I could understand the gravity of the situation.

“Drake, why’d you do that?” I asked him.

“Jones told me to,” Drake smiled happily. I shrugged in response. I decided that Jess could do what she wanted and Jones could do what he wanted.

I decided to try that spinning thing Jess did with my uzi, but I stopped. I looked out the window for a second. “Jess,” I said slowly. “You just drove by the place.”

“I did?” Jess said bewildered. “Shit I have to turn around. Nice going.” She hit my arm.

“What did I do?” I whined, rubbing my arm.

“You’re supposed to be giving me directions,” she said. We pulled into a parking lot and turned around.

“I thought the big neon sign would be a dead give away,” I retorted, a bit annoyed.

“Communication, Jim,” Jess said. “We need to communicate so things like this don’t happen.”

“Exactly,” Jones pointed at her from the back of the van. “Communication is key to this operation.”

“Oh god, now you got him started,” Derek murmured. He was pressed against Rodney and Pete, looking like he was having the best time ever.

“Hey,” Jones snapped at Derek. “It’s true. There is a lot of room for error. Our ability to hear each other is going to be hindered by the shooting, music, and screaming. If someone could turn off the music before things get out of hand, that would help a lot.”

“I’ll do it,” I volunteered. “Just got to smash the sound equipment, right?”

“Or just unplug it,” Jones suggested. I nodded, happy I have another job to do.

There was a violent turn to the right and we began heading up a hill. I knew exactly where we were and Jess pulled into the parking lot of the Magic Mist. Immediately I grabbed my gun that was sitting underneath me. I noticed everyone else grabbed theirs too.

“Jess, pull around to the back,” Erik whispered. Jess did and we found ourselves near that metal door. It was so lonely there in the darkness. I mean the door not me.

“Well, what now?” I asked after there was a prolonged silence.

“Equipment check!” Erik suddenly announced.

“Good thinking,” Jones grinned. He put on these yellow dishwashing gloves. “Everyone got your gloves?” he asked. Everyone put theirs on but me. I completely forgot about them.

“Actually guys I,” A pair of gloves hit my face. “Thanks Jones,” I muttered.

“What about you Jess?” Erik asked.

“Brought my own,” Jess wiggled her fingers, showing off her black wool gloves.

“Good,” Jones put on his wool hat. “Masks on,” he ordered. I of course forgot that too.

“Guys I,” I didn’t have time to finish because Jones had once again thrown my stuff in my face. “Thanks,” I grimaced. I followed suit and put the hat and mask on along with everyone else. They even had an extra pair for Jess. What did they plan this?

I examined the van again. Everyone had their disguises on and we looked ridiculous. We looked like masked janitors, me more than them because of the jumpsuit. Actually it’s kind of a look I like. Nobody is going to expect a cleaning crew to pull out guns.

“Alright, let’s go over the plan again,” Jones turned to the group. “Drake here is going to get us in there when the door opens. After that… well.”

“I still got this,” Drake waved the machete. “I’ll be careful and stay out of the way.”

“Cool, and once we’re in,” Jones continued. “Rod and Derek are gunna go to the main room. You’ll recognize it by the size. Also there will be a bar and a stage. You can’t miss it.”

“Cool beans,” Rodney replied.

“Black people don’t say that,” Derek sneered hitting Rodney.

“Then,” Jones continued but glared at Derek. “Pete will go to the security room and disable the cameras.” He looked at Pete. “Understand?” he asked.

“Y-yes, of course,” Pete replied.

“Alright, and Erik and I will be outside to keep you guys covered.” He looked around. “Any questions?” I put everything together in my head and realized that I do have a question. I raised my hand.

“What do I do?” I asked. Jones looked at me and shrugged.

“Whatever you want,” he said.

“Huh?” I looked at him.

“It’s you call,” Jones said. “We have everything covered and so it’s more of a matter of where you think you’ll be best fitted. Word of advice though,” he pointed at my uzi. “Leave it on semi.”

“But I want to go full auto!” I whined like a child.

“No!” Jones snapped at me. “You need to be precise so you can conserve your ammo. That goes for everyone. Each shot should hit someone. If we play this right we’re really gunna do some damage.” He glanced at Jess. “Are you coming?”

“Well duh,” Jess flicked her head. “Why else would I wear this ridiculous disguise?” She motioned to the mask.

“Cool then,” Jones shrugged again. “Do what you want too.”

“I will,” Jess nodded. She took a clip out of the bag of ammo Drake had left her. She loaded the gun and upon seeing that everyone followed suit. There was all this clicking and snapping going on, it sounded like a factory. I saw that Erik took Pete’s pistol and pulled it back after loading it. I did the same with my uzi. Something seemed to move inside it. It was weird.

“Alright, everyone fingers off your triggers,” Jones ordered. I guiltily moved my index away from where it originally was. “When we go in be sure to make sure who you’re shooting at. If you see those yellow rubber gloves, it’s a friendly. And don’t even think about”

“Shhhh, shhhh!” Erik shushed Jones. He had opened the van’s back door a bit and was looking through the small opening. Apparently he must have spotted something because he was motioning for Drake.

Drake moved like a snake over to back door, stepping over everyone and not making a single noise as he did so. He peaked out the door and then nodded to Erik. Slowly he opened the back door and slipped out.

I instantly wanted to see what he was going to do. So I climbed out of my seat and got onto my stomach. Then I began crawling on my stomach to the back of the van.

“Jim, what the fuck are you” Derek sneered but he couldn’t finish his sentence. Jones had placed his hand onto Derek’s mouth like there was a vacuum that dragged his hand there.

I continued to crawl until I was in front of the back door. I was right under Erik and he moved a bit to give me a better look outside. He’s nice like that. So I was given a good view of what was happening.

It took me a while to spot Drake. I was able to find him after I began looking for the yellow gloves. He was crouching behind this dumpster and had his machete draw to his side. I began following where his head was pointing and I saw what he saw. There was this man, human, walking towards the metal door. He was a shorter guy with balding white hair but a fine white beard. He was moving to open the door.

It was like watching a predator attack their prey on an animal show. Drake moved like a spider, or a snake, and lunged at the man right as he had opened the door. The machete hit him in the shoulder and, from what I could tell; it created a huge ugly gash. The man tried to scream but Drake punched him to make him stop.

I noticed the door was swinging shut but at the last moment Drake propped his foot in front of it. The door didn’t close because Drake’s foot was wedged in but it looked like it hurt. What happened next was Drake pushed the man into the door and the man grabbed him. They both ended up falling to the ground and then the door closed so I couldn’t see them anymore.

Everyone got really nervous after that. Well, everyone that could see which was me, Erik, and Jones. Everyone else got worried at our expressions. That was when Erik started to slowly leave the van.

“Stay here,” he ordered in a quiet yet stern tone of voice. He motioned for Jones to follow and they both stepped out of the van.

It was scary because I had no idea what was going to happen. Jones and Erik were aiming their guns everywhere and were slowly moving towards the metal door. They were slowly approaching the door with their rifles pointing at it, when it suddenly opened. They both jumped back and froze but calmed down when they saw who it was, and I did too.

Drake had splatters of blood on him but it wasn’t that bad. More importantly he stood over the man he had tackled through the door. The poor guy looked like a mangled mess. I watched the three kind of joke around and then they hoisted the body into the dumpster that Drake had previously hid behind.

Poor guy but I guess he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Erik motioned for us to leave the car. I was the first to slither out of the van, followed by Rodney and Derek, then Pete, and finally Jess. We moved over to the door.

“Did he have anything good on him?” Rodney asked.

“Didn’t check,” Drake replied and shrugged.

“Alright you two,” Jones grabbed Rodney and Derek. “You are our killing force. Head in there and be ready for anything. Is that clear?”

“Sure whatever,” Derek mumbled and walked in. He was followed by Rodney and a reluctant Pete. I decided I should head in too and I was followed by Drake and Jess.

It was like going inside a beast. There was this red light which was how we could see where we were going. This was the back entrance and it was eerie. Up ahead was a short stair case which led to another door. Rodney and Derek were already about to head into it when I showed up.

“You take the left, I’ll take the right,” Rodney muttered. Before I could ask them what they meant, it was too late to ask.

Rodney forced the door open and dived into the room, followed by Derek. I followed them in but found myself in a state of shock. Before I could do anything, even think, there were two loud booms in close proximity with each other. I raised my gun to be prepared but I soon found there was nothing I could do.

When my eyes adjusted I found a dead human and a dead pony. They both had wounds like something tore through them. I quickly noticed the shotgun shells on the ground and I put together what happened. Then I noticed that Derek was rifling through the dead human’s pockets.

“Nothing!” he snapped. “Five fucking dollars.” He angrily threw a wallet on the floor with an aggravated look on his face.

“Hey!” Rodney knelt down and picked up the wallet. “That’s five dollars we don’t have.” He picked up the wallet and took the money out. Then he too threw the wallet to the floor. So I picked it up and opened it up.

His name was James W. West. He was thirty two and his birthday was only a month away. He came from Washington D.C. and was five feet nine inches. There wasn’t anything wrong with him as far as I could tell. He didn’t even look like a brony. I guess he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, like the other guy.

The dead pony on the other hand can go to hell. It was dead and seated in its swivel chair, with a shotgun wound in its ribcage. It kind of made me angry.

“Um guys?” I heard Pete squeak. “Shouldn’t we, you know, respect the bodies?” He was met with a short silence.

“No,” Derek finally answered.

“Why bother?” Rodney said. “They’re dead. There’s nothing much we can do to them now.”

“That’s the point,” Pete said. “Shouldn’t we be showing respect? What about you, Jim?”

“Uuuh,” I groaned as I pushed the pony’s body off the chair. It hit the floor with a lame thump. Truthfully I really haven’t thought about what Pete is babbling about. It seems dumb to me.

“Don’t worry, Pete,” Drake said coming from nowhere and placing a hand on Pete’s shoulder. I haven’t noticed him until now. It freaked me out.

“You’re getting blood on me,” Pete murmured, pushing Drake’s hand on his shoulder.

“The point I’m trying to make,” Drake spun his machete around. It dripped blood everywhere. “Is we can’t think about this. Just go through it. No bullshit. I want this to be enjoyable. I’ve had too many experiences where something went wrong.”

“Yeah,” I nodded my head in agreement. “We just need to aim straight and shit. Speaking of,” I looked at Rodney and Derek. “How’d you two manage to do land two perfect shots without training?”

Derek answered first. “Because I fuck like a champion,” he snickered a bit.

“Well that,” Rodney smirked at Derek’s comment. “And Jones and Erik showed us some shit. You know the basics, how to reload our guns and how to hold them. But damn do these things hurt your shoulders.”

“What?” I asked in disbelief. “I missed that? That would have been useful.”

“Well you shouldn’t have left to go do whatever you do,” Derek scowled. “Now we have to pull the weight for you.”

“But, but,” I stammered.

“No buts,” Drake snapped, slapping me on my butt. “You need to get your head in the game.”

“Yeah let’s get this over with,” Derek snarled. “I want my paper.” He opened a closed door. “Come on Rod,” he trotted out the door. Rodney followed after him. Drake gave me a tap on the shoulder and smiled before followed them, he swung his machete like it was a picnic basket the whole time.

But before he left, Drake turned to Pete and I. “Be sure to get rid of those cameras.”

“Right,” Pete said and sat in the chair where the pony had previously been. He pulled it up to a monitor sitting in front of a bunch of TVs.

I watched the TV setup. The whole thing is kind of what I’d expect a stereotypical security room to look like. There were a bunch of monitors showing what was happening around the club. They showed everything that was currently happening. I looked closely at the main room’s camera screen.

The camera showed the scene from a bird’s eye view. Strippers were dancing on poles and everyone was watching the show. So when Rodney and Derek burst through the double doors, not everyone knew they were there.

The crowd looked ignorant. I mean they were mostly ponies that were mesmerized by the show going on. The humans really stood out because of the height difference. They were like shepherds in the middle of legions of sheep. Easy targets if you look at it in a different way.

Before the crowd could really react, the carnage began. I think it was Rodney who shot first. I can’t tell from the angle and the fact that they’re wearing masks. But I could tell that what they were doing was working.

If I could describe the scene I would say it looked like a bunch of trees being chopped down simultaneously. Or maybe it’s watching fire burn something. After every shot from the shotguns, the crowd receded a bit. And each time it receded, Rod and Derek were there to move closer. It was actually a pretty slow process but that wasn’t the point. I was seeing progress in the form of bodies. Both pony and human forms were lying on the ground.

I saw Drake jump behind the bar that was located to the side of the room. I’m guessing he did that to get out of the way. After that I didn’t see him on the monitors. I hope he’s okay.

“God damn it!” Pete exclaimed and slammed his fists down. He was angrily looking at the computer monitor he was in front of.

“Don’t use the lord’s name in vain,” I growled at him. I took a moment to look at the monitor with him. “What’s the problem?” I asked. From what I can tell the computer works.

“The fucking thing is admin locked,” Pete put his head down.

“What does that mean?” I said. The computer was telling him to input a password.

“It means that I can’t do anything if I don’t have the password,” Pete explained and turned to me. “I’m stuck. There’s nothing I can do,” He put his head down in shame. “I feel worthless.”

A short and normally unnoticeable pang of understanding hit my heart. I think it was empathy. “Me too, buddy,” I patted his head.

The actual computer was a tower computer. I haven’t seen one of these in a while. People mostly just used laptops. But I guess this had to do the job. Actually it looks fairly modern. Damn ponies get all the cool stuff nowadays. I would love to have this to play games on it like I did way back when. Still I think the problem must have a simple fix.

“Hey Pete,” I knelt next to the tower computer. “How does the security system work again? You called it something.”

“What?” Pete looked at me. “The closed circuit system? It’s just a surveillance system that projects what the cameras see to a fixed place.” He slumped down a bit. “It’s simple really. Cameras see something and it goes to a place. In this case it’s the monitors here,” he motioned at the TVs.

“Yeah and it also goes to the computer that controls the whole thing,” I pointed out. “So if we get rid of the computer then we get rid of the cameras and their feed, right?”

“It’s not that simple,” Pete paused and then threw his face into his hands. “Oh my God, it is! Why didn’t I think of that sooner?”

“You did,” I removed the side panel of the computer, revealing it’s inside components. “You had this whole thing under control.”

“No I didn’t,” Pete stood up. “I just assumed everything would be easy. I thought I would fit in.”

“So did I,” I nodded my head. “But I guess we’re all good for at least one thing.” I took a step back. “Bring your gun over here,” I told Pete. He walked over. “Think you can hit the hard drive?” I pointed to the hard drive inside. It was easy to spot because of its size in comparison to the other parts.

“I guess,” Pete pointed his pistol into the machine. It took a while for him to squeeze the trigger. When he did we both jumped at the sudden sound. And when we looked inside, the hard drive was no longer in working condition to say the least.

“Good job,” I patted Pete’s shoulder. “You just protected our identities.”

“Yeah but you showed me how,” Pete objected.

“Doesn’t matter,” I shook my head. “You did it all basically.” I opened the door that led out of the security room and to the main room. “We should get going,” I said.

“Yeah,” Pete huffed out a lungful of air. “Can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“It’s for a good cause,” I reminded him.

Pete looked at me and nodded. I couldn’t tell if he agreed with me because his face is covered. But I think he and I have some sort of understanding. So he walked out of the security room and down the hall until he arrived at the double doors that led to the main room. With confidence, I should note, he opened the doors and readied his pistol.

I didn’t follow him out the security room. I just stayed there and put my own gun down on the table. Then I took off my mask and looked around.

There was nothing fun to do now. With the computer destroyed the monitors were off. All that was left were the bodies of the pony and the man. I take comfort in knowing they’re here but I don’t know why.

I picked up my uzi and pointed it at my head. I squeezed the trigger but quickly discovered the safety was still on. I turned it off.

Someone was coming towards me from the outside entrance. I turned around to see who it was and to get ready to fight. But I quickly saw that the individual was human and masked so it was one of my friends. Upon closer examination I saw that it was Jess.

“Hey Jim, whoa!” she ran over to me. The first thing she did was pull the uzi away from my head and eventually out of my hand. “Are you crazy?” she spat. “What was that about?”

“I had an itch,” I lied on habit.

“Mhm, sure.” Jess crossed her arms.

“Where were you, by the way?” I asked. I noticed she was gone when Rod and Derek killed in the security room.

“Oh, Jones and Erik wanted me to drive the van somewhere else,” Jess kind of laughed. “They’re lying under it with their guns sticking out. Said something about giving them a well hidden spot, I think they look ridiculous.”

“That does sound funny,” I agreed halfheartedly.

“Why don’t you have your mask on?” Jess suddenly said. She picked it up from where I had placed it and went about putting it back over my face. “Did Pete disable the cameras yet?” she finished my disguise for me.

“Yep,” I replied. “The cameras are dead. See?” I motioned to the black TVs that once showed the camera feeds.

“Hey,” Jess put her arm around me. “Let’s talk.” She began walking me over to the chair where the pony once was. “How about you tell me why you aren’t down there with the rest of the gang?” She sat me down. “Take your time. From the sound, I think they’ll be plenty of fun left.” Jess walked over to the dead human that was still sitting in his chair.

“His name was James.” I said.

“What?” Jess looked at me.

“That dead guy,” I pointed. “His name was James West.”

“Oh,” Jess put her hand on James’ shoulder. “Excuse me Mr. West.” With that she pushed the body off the chair and sat down. “Now,” she crossed her legs. “What’s up?”

I thought for a moment before answering. “I’m just pissed.” I said.

“About what?” Jess asked. “Is it about how ponies are oppressing the human race?”

“No,” I grunted, although that would make sense. “This isn’t how it was supposed to be. I’m supposed to do this alone.”

“I thought you were happy to have help,” Jess stated. “You were so happy to know that we were with you. What changed?”

I breathed in. “I think it was when Jones only offered me a pistol. That was insulting. He insults me all the time and I hate that.”

“I agree,” Jess nodded. “Everyone does pick on you but I have to admit, I admire how you take it. I don’t think I could handle the torment you take from the group. I’ll tell them to lighten up, how does that sound?”

“It ain’t the bullying,” I grumbled. Damn I haven’t used that b-word in a while. “I feel that I’m seen as only a burden. That they would be fine without me, but I want to contribute.”

“So why are you here?” Jess asked the obvious question. I was about to answer but she held up her hand and beat me to it. “Don’t tell me you’re feeling guilty?”

“Hell no,” I grimaced.

“Nervous, scared, don’t tell me you’re backing out?”

“Of course not,” I replied. “I’ll go in there but I wanted it to be different.”

“How?” Jess asked.

“I don’t want to walk out of there,” I explained. “I wanted this to be my last moment.”

“You’re still on about that?” Jess groaned. “We’re all getting out of this alive.” She stood up. “Come on,” she stood me up too. “We’re going.”

“Huh?” I grunted as she pushed me to the door.

“Pick up your gun,” Jess ordered. I did so but I’m still confused as to what she wants. “Start moving,” she jabbed me in the ribs with her fingers.

“Ow!” I grabbed my side but she continued on. I moved away from her but she followed. And she continued poking me until we were at the doors to the main room.

Jess put her hand on the door. “You ready?” she asked. Seeing that I had no choice I nodded, and she began opening the door, but then she stopped. There was this look in her eyes I didn’t like.

I twitched my head a bit. “What?”

I didn’t have any more time to ponder it because she pushed me against the wall with one arm and drew her gun with the other. “Look out!” she yelled and fired a few shots right in front of my face.

The fucking flashes. I wasn’t prepared for that or the noise. It was so close that the shells hit me when they ejected. But at least it was quick. Still it fucked with me because my heart started beating and my ears started ringing. My vision was also spotty.

“Holy shit,” I collapsed to my knees and rubbed my eyes. “What was that for?” I looked down the hall and discovered I didn’t need an answer. I think Jess just killed the bouncer but I’m not sure. A big dude was on the ground though and I’m certain he’s not getting up.

“Get up,” Jess grabbed my arm and helped me back onto my feet.

I stared at her but I couldn’t get a read on what she was feeling like because of the mask. Her reaction was so quick I doubt she is thinking much. I want to be like that.

“That was a close one,” I said now with a slower heartbeat.

“Yeah,” Jess paused. She put her hand on the door to the main room. “Let’s go.” With that she pushed the door open and we stepped in.

The scene I saw could probably have been out of hell. It was dark, which was the first think I noticed. Sure I could see things. I could see how the lights were all different shades of colors that I expected to strobe in a club. They still worked, so occasionally I could get a better look at the carnage.

The sound was incredible. The music was still playing and it was damn loud. Some really bass heavy song was playing. I could feel it in my chest, it was so loud. And there was the gun fire going off. Oddly that wasn’t the most distracting element of the sound. Sure Rodney and Derek were just letting the shots fire, and occasionally Pete would fire a bit. But the other sounds were much more terrifying. The screams could be heard more than anything. I won’t bother explain how loud and numerous they were. It’s too difficult to describe all the different tones and pitches. But the screaming was what was most seared into my head.

I cautiously made my way forward, pressing into the dark violent area. Common sense told me to not get too close to Rodney and Derek. They were paving the way and at the same time getting all the action. Common sense still told me to stay away but logic was telling me if I didn’t get close I would miss all the fun.

Bravery isn’t what I would call it but it felt like it. Under all the pressure I got as close to the action as I could without being in Rodney and Derek’s way. I was up top at the V.I.P area, I think. It was a slightly raised area that looked like it would be for higher paying customers. There were a couple of bodies up here with me. One of them was still alive but was shot, he was a pony. I watched him for a second before it became obvious that he would die soon, so I left him alone.

I looked out over the scene from this heightened perspective. From here I could see the crowd that was cowering in the farthest corner of the room. Jones and Erik were right about there being nowhere to run. Those ponies and humans are trapped.

I aimed my gun at the crowd with the safety off so all I had to do was pull the trigger. The crowd looked like a single mass. With every shot that was fired, it seemed to chip away and become smaller. Why don’t they fight back? It’s weird. If it were me I would take my chances and fight back somehow, or die trying.

I shook my head and in doing so I saw something interesting. To my left was the stage. More importantly there was another crowd there. A crowd of whores. The strippers here must think they are safe in the other corner of the room. But they are wrong. I pointed my sights on them.

With one eye closed focused on the group, I took arim. There must be around eight to ten of them, all ponies but there was a human with them. They all huddled up close to one another. This will make them easier to kill. I pulled the trigger with no thought other than to focus on my target.

Nothing could prepare me for the kick back. It wasn’t bad, I guess, but I’ve never fired a gun before. The gun pointed to the ceiling before I brought it back to the crowd. A smile grew on my face behind the mask.

One of the whores was down and the others were crowding around her. I was quick to take advantage of their bunching up. I fired a couple more shots at them. This time I got to see the effect of the bullets. Three more of the pony whores were down and writhing about on the ground. Their four legs just wiggling around. But there was a problem now. Now they were dispersed.

I groaned and aimed at the human girl. Something in the back of my mind wondered for a bit. Can I really kill another human? I mean she’s hardly innocent because she’s protecting ponies so there is no denying her allegiance. But can I, myself, do it. A pony is different I think.

I fired a shot in the direct of the human whore. It missed and she got startled. I fired a few more and she felt down. With that my question was answer. I can kill humans. I wonder why.

Actually if I think about it, I’ve thought about killing all my life. I continued to fire at the strippers while I thought. It started in high school I believe, my want to kill. This whole place reminds me of the first and only dance I attended at my high school. The lights and loud music matched the memory perfectly.

My bullets continued to hit the strippers but I haven’t got them all. Some of them are running and I can’t let that happen. So I kind of herded them back into that corner and let them have it. Well until I ran out of my first clip of ammo.

Anyways this dance was before the whole face incident so I kind of went there with my friends. I made the mistake of going stag which meant I didn’t get to dance with anyone. So I was mostly alone and had to lie against the wall the whole time. I watched everyone, including my friends, dancing. It was too bad too because it looked like fun. The dances were unregulated so it was nasty. Club dancing, grinding. No class.

When I finally got the second clip in the gun, I had five of the strippers on the ground. But I think only two were actually dead. One was trying to run away from the corner I put her in. I aimed for her and shot the pony right in the flank. She fell and I finished her off with a couple more shots. Where did she think she would run too? Rodney and Derek are blocking the only exit. It’s hopeless to resist. They should just accept their fate and take it like men. But being ponies that would be impossible.

The high school dance really depressed me, which is why I never went back. To think that people were so happy with other people. Before that I thought that I could go through school, even life, without someone else. I learned that night that I need people in my life. I just need them.

Any of the remaining strippers fell to the ground when I shot them. But I knew they were still alive. Maybe they’ll die later but I want them dead now. So I emptied the rest of the magazine into the ponies on the ground. Some of them were alive and some weren’t. The ones that were alive, jerked around the most. The ones that were already dead just twitched a bit. With that all the strippers were dead.

I think after the dance I started to hang out with Darius more. I wanted something, to be closer with people I think. I believe Darius did too. So I hung around with him a lot more, and if not him then I was with my school friends. Everything actually looked good for a while. Then ponies came and ruined it.

I ejected the spent magazine and put it back into the baggie on my hip. Then I loaded the last one. With twenty more bullets to go it was clear I should make them count. So I took aim at the crowd. It was dwindling by the second and I made sure my sights never went astray.

Being forced to change from two extremes is hard. One day I was looking for friendship wherever it may hide and the next I’m an outcast. At one point I was going towards a promising military career and next I’m homeless. My best friend was sitting next to me and now he’s gone. Yeah, change is tough. At least the ones responsible are finally paying for their actions.

Before I took the first shot of the new clip, I paused. I looked at the auto function. Jones told me not to go full auto but something feels right about it. If I die tonight I want to at least experience what it’s like. It’s not being selfish, it’s just curiosity.

So I flipped the auto mode on and held on tight. Aiming right at the crowd, more specifically at this short little blue pony, I opened fire. The gun shook in my hands and tugged upward like a dog tugging on a leash; a big dog. And the sound was like nothing I ever heard before. I can’t even describe it other than it sounds awesome.

But as awesome as it was, it only lasted a couple seconds. In a couple seconds I had emptied the twenty rounds into the crowd. Sure the effect was a considerable new number of bodies on the ground, but I felt the pressure of no more ammo. It felt underwhelming.

I saw Derek looked towards me. “Woooooooh!” he screamed. He ran up to the V.I.P area and joined me up here. “That was crazy man!” he slapped me on the back before he aimed again at the crowd. I saw Rodney was still where he always had been, knelt down over a dead pony next to the bar, also firing but more calm and orderly. Pete was in the corner of the room and occasionally fired. However I have no idea where Jess and Drake are. They seemed to have disappeared.

My mind began racing. What do I do now? Should I leave? No. Should I stay? Probably. Can I talk to anyone? Maybe Pete to get him to do more but I don’t think he could hear me well. Should I find Jess and Drake? Seems like it would be hard. Is there something we’re missing?

Then it dawned on me. Rodney and Derek wanted to loot the place. But how can they if they’re busy shooting? Since I have nothing to do, I guess the job falls onto me.

Immediately I fell to my knees. A sense of duty, I would call it, overwhelmed me. Rod and Derek are counting on me to get their loot now. I will not fail them. Quickly, I lunged towards the closest body I could find. This is the V.I.P area so there has to be something good.

My first body was that of a human. A wealthy looking man by the way he was dressed. On his neck was a chain which I snatched and on his wrist was a watch which I took also. I stored them in the baggie on my hip that contained the spent magazines. I searched the man again to find a wedding ring and about fifty dollars of cash. I think this was a good one.

The next bodies I searched in the area were also good. There were a couple ponies that had few valuables but lots of currency. There was also a stripper that had three hundreds in her thong. Other than that the loot was mostly jewelry. And I must say that looting has to be the most fun ever. It’s like going to a store but everything is free to take. Best feeling in the world.

Now on my stomach, I crawled out of the V.I.P area. I don’t want to get shot so I kept my head low. I found myself going from body to body now, checking for that precious cargo. Most of the bodies were ponies and didn’t have much on them. Even the humans had little I wanted. Still it added up fast. The baggie looked like it could belong in a pirate’s treasure chest.

I found myself inching towards the bar, body by body, wallet by wallet. Eventually I was under a bar stool. I got to my knees and slowly peered over the bar, daring to see what could be over there. When I finally got my eyes to see over the side and into the open area, I was horrified.

I counted seven bodies. Seven disfigured bodies most were without limbs and two were without heads. They were humans too, which is why it is so horrifying. Mostly women too. I looked around for the culprit although I knew who it was already.

Suddenly there was this kind of squishy sound that ended with a thud. It was like someone cut through a watermelon but at the end hit something they couldn’t cut through. That’s when I saw Drake with some girl’s severed head in his clutches. That makes eight dead.

“What’s up?” Drake said when he noticed me looking at him. His sleeves were covered in blood and his knees were soaking in a puddle of it. I gagged a bit.

“Hey, you having fun?” I feel like it was a rhetorical question to ask.

“What?” he put his hand to his ear. He must not be able to hear me over the music. I just waved my hand and looked away.

I went back to looting. It was easier. I don’t think I like the sight of the decapitation. It’s easier to see bullet holes and blood. I don’t know why though.

I was in the middle of going through this lady’s belongings. She wore this red dress and had carried a huge purse. I found a lot makeup in there, along with cash and condoms. I actual took the condoms. I’ll use them for a joke later. It’ll be hilarious.

As soon as I was done with the lady I heard yelling coming from the entrance. I turned to see that Jones and Erik were standing in the door way. What are they doing here? They should be watching our backs.

I stood up and walked over to them.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“We need to leave right fucking now.” Jones said.

“We just got here though,” I replied.

Erik grabbed me. “We’re fucking going,” he sneered at me. I got the point after that.

Drake slithered his way out of the bar and joined us. Jones looked him up and down for about five seconds.

“What the fuck!” he exclaimed.

“What?” Drake held up his arms, showing off the blood.

“You are not tracking that into the shelter,” Jess said again materializing out of nowhere.

“Fuck!” I jumped when she came into my view. “Stop doing that.”

“Where’s the rest?” Erik asked looking around. I looked around too, wondering where Rodney, Derek, and Pete are.

We found Rodney and Derek still shooting it out. The thing is the crowd dispersed out a lot now so their shots weren’t having the same effect. Also some of the ponies were crouching on the ground so there were harder to spot. Cowards all of them.

However, Pete was nowhere to be found. Jones and Erik went to get Rodney and Derek while I took it upon myself to find Pete. It turned out to not be so hard because all I had to do was check in the farthest corner from the carnage. Pete was sitting against the wall with the pistol in his hand. He looked up at me.

“Is it over?” he asked.

“No,” I grinned sadly. “No, but we are leaving.” I looked at his pistol. “You been shooting that thing?”

“Yes!” he answered in a funny way. Pretty much blurted it out. “But something went wrong?”

“What?” I asked kneeling down and taking it out of his hands.

“It stopped firing,” he said with a hint of shame in his voice. “I think I broke it.”

“How come?” I continued questioning him as I looked over his gun.

“I banged it pretty hard against the bar by accident,” he explained. “I think the internals are broke or something.”

“Or,” I ejected the magazine. “You ran out of ammo.” I showed him how it was empty. The look in his eyes was priceless.

“Shit,” he said softly. “Shit, shit, shit.” He kept repeating himself. I see where this will eventually go.

“Hey man, calm down,” I placed my hand on his shoulder. “You did good bud. You did exactly what we asked of you.”

Before Pete could reply there were a series of loud cracks behind us. I turned briskly to see what was going on. I watched as Jones and Erik fired at the last club patrons. Jones and Erik seemed to have an order that I hadn’t seen from Rodney and Derek. These two took targets on opposite sides of the room and accurately hit their target instead of aiming roughly where they were. Those two sure are marksmen.

When the last pony fell over everyone turned away. I took a quick peek at the carnage but it wasn’t enough to get a good picture. Jones looked at me and motioned for us to go. I handed Pete back his gun and grabbed his arm. I dragged him out, never letting go.

We out the main room and then back to the security room. Then we all exploded outside into the darkness. For a second I forgot where to go but I followed the group. We all piled inside the van. I took shotgun for a reason I don’t know while everyone else just piled on top of one another in the back.

Jess started the van up and Jones moved so he could see out of front window. He started giving directions to Jess.

“Alright go out the way we came,” he started and the van moved into motion. We headed down a hill towards an intersection. “Now take a left at this intersection,” Jones said.

“Why? The shelter is the other direction,” Jess argued.

“Just do it!” Jones growled in an urgent tone. “I’ll explain in a moment.” Jess rolled her eyes but turned on her left blinker. When the light turned green we rolled through the intersection. “Thanks,” Jones said. “Sorry for the change of plans. But Erik and I decided we shouldn’t head straight back to the shelter. We want to see if anyone follows us.”

“Good thinking,” Jess said. “Just tell me where to go.”

“Head through the residential,” Jones pointed to a road veering off to the right. “We should avoid anywhere that gets a lot of traffic.”

“Right,” Jess nodded and followed the road.

Jones gave directions for a while until we arrived in a part of town I’ve never seen before. The place was almost industrial looking. Weird because I’ve never known Equestria to be industrious. Mainly they rely on other nations to produce their goods. God damn consumers, so reliant on others.

The ride was silent other than for occasionally grunts and people snapping at each other. Most chatter was silenced with a hush and bark from either Jess or Jones. I was one of the better ones that kept his mouth shut. But that just hid how nervous I was. The others were too but some were just more vocal. We’re not in the clear yet and we all know it.

Eventually we parked next to a building and turned off the car. The lights went out and we sat in silence and darkness. And we did this for a while. It was so quiet I could hear my heartbeat and of those around me. Also there was little eye contact. I had looked at Jess for a sec before looking elsewhere. Nobody dared make a sound.

It seemed it was going to go on forever until Erik suddenly removed his mask. When nobody objected everyone else followed. And when the mask was removed it felt like I had removed a boulder from my chest. A great weight just left my body and I felt so alive at that moment.

Jess turned the car back on and we headed back home.

When we arrived at the shelter and stepped through the door, sleepiness hit me hard. There was no talking, or none that I could remember, when I fell into bed. Hell I don’t remember half of what happened after the club. All I remember is we hit those ponies good.

And I also know that I had the best sleep of my life.

Author's Note

This isn't the end. More to come.

Chapter 32: Twilight's fall

High in the sky of Equestria flew a lone helicopter. It swerved a bit and tilted from side to side in a swanky fashion. Blue and red lights coated it to make it easy to depict in the darkness. It was rather boxy looking, not at all like modern day helicopters that frequented the skies. Most of the new ones are sleek looking while this one was just too clunky and awkward.

Also it was irritating how loud it was, especially to the passengers inside. Princess Twilight Sparkle has always hated human aircraft. It didn’t matter if it was a plane, helicopter, or anything in between, she disliked it. Maybe if humans had developed wings they wouldn’t need aerial transport. Then they wouldn’t have to pollute the sky with them. But what she hated about aircraft was their purpose. So far the only use she saw for them was to create noise. They were big ungraceful husks that created loud noises; the total opposite of a pair of wings which are graceful and quiet.

At least some of the noise was blocked out by the headphones she was wearing which were given to her so she could speak to the other passengers. But other than that there was nothing that could stop the rhythmic chop of the helicopter blades from entering her ears. So she had to endure it and it was unbearable.

In the cockpit of the helicopter was Pinkie and the pilot. The pilot was a younger human that was probably only a recent recipient of his pilot’s licenses. The way the helicopter moved gave it away. But Pinkie seemed to like him and Twilight had been forced into this adventure so she was forced into his company. Everything was actually still pretty confusing for the alicorn princess.

Before she had left in the helicopter, Pinkie had led her to a helicopter pad and told her to wait. So she waited and eventually Pinkie came over with a human. Then they hopped into the chopper and were on their way to Manehattan. Of course it was taking longer than Twilight would have liked it. She had hoped she would be back to New Canterlot before sunrise. But it was midnight and she had to face facts. The damn club was probably closed by now.

“So,” a crackly voice came over the headphone. Because of the sound, the three needed to speak through a headset to broadcast their voice to one another. It was something Twilight found irritating so late at night.

“So,” the pilot said again after there was no response. “You ladies are out pretty late tonight.”

“I guess we are,” Twilight replied lamely.

“Kind of weird,” The pilot added. “I never see you without escorts. What’s up?”

“Mr. pilot man,” Pinkie said joyfully, leaning onto the pilot’s leg. “Remember when I said questions should be avoided? I thought we went over this. When I ask you for a favor you do it and do it happily.”

“Yeah but,” The pilot stammered. “First I have a name and second I’m just curious. I mean Pinkie wakes me up in the middle of the night to fly her somewhere. I just want to know. This isn’t part of my paycheck you know.”

“It’s better that you know less,” Twilight said, still keeping a neutral tone. “None of this concerns you.”

“Alright,” the pilot said, backing off. “Was just curious is all.”

Twilight looked out the window. Another thing she hated about human aircraft is how nauseating they are. Flying naturally was calm and relaxing. Human flying made everything dizzying and sickening. The ground moved so fast it no longer looked like the ground. Twilight found it insulting.

“We’re done here,” she said suddenly.

“What?” Pinkie Pie asked and turned to her friend.

“I said we’re done,” Twilight repeated. “We’re turning back, now.”

“Like hell we are!” Pinkie exclaimed loudly. Because of her loud outburst, everyone suffered due to the volume of their headphones. “We’re so close and you want to turn back? Are you stupid or lazy?”

“Pinkie I made a mistake,” Twilight admitted. “What if someone see us going to a strip club? Preposterous.”

“Oh that’s where you guys are going,” the pilot smirked. “Should’ve figured Pinkie for this shit.”

“Pilot,” Twilight spoke, cold as ice. “Tell me. This isn’t the first time you’ve taken Pinkie for a flight, now is it?”

There was a silence. The pilot just focused in front of him. “I just do what I’m told, your majesty.”

“I knew it,” Twilight groaned. “Pinkie I expected your rehabilitation would have completed by now. You went to rehab six months ago.”

“That place is prison,” Pinkie whined. “I wouldn’t expect you to understand but I do expect you to listen to your friend.”

“I have been listening to you,” Twilight retorted. “That was a mistake. We’re going back.”

“Damn you Twilight,” Pinkie slouched in her seat and sighed. “I didn’t want to do this.” She looked at the pilot. “Do the scary thing.” Pinkie covered her eyes.

“What’s the scary thing?” Twilight’s interest was alerted.

“Roger that,” the pilot muttered and flipped a few switches above his head.

Twilight wondered what he what he had done for about two seconds. But after the two seconds were up she was screaming at the top of her lungs. The helicopter was plummeting towards the ground as fast as it could. Twilight found herself beginning to lift upwards and began to feel weightless. And as soon as it felt like her heart was going to come out her throat, the helicopter slowed downed until it was no longer falling. It left a scared and disgruntled Twilight Sparkle fuming.

“What the fuck!” she screamed trying to not vomit.

“I swear,” Pinkie giggled. Her mane was a bit messed up from the fall but she was alright. It was actually enjoyable for her. “That was better than any rollercoaster.”

“Are you crazy?” Twilight asked but she already knew the answer so she asked something different. “Are you stupid? We could have died!”

“Give me some credit,” the pilot laughed. “I may not be a seasoned vet but I know what I’m doing.”

“Pinkie!” Twilight yelled. “I’m through screwing around. Where’d you find this guy anyway? Are you fucking him or something?” Pinkie Pie didn’t responds and instead chose to look away cautiously.

“Oh my,” Twilight gasped. “Pinkie, that was a joke. And why a human?” Pinkie looked at Twilight suspiciously. “They don’t even measure up to stallions.”

“Hey!” the pilot protested.

“Some do,” Pinkie Pie muttered. “And besides, stallions can’t do half the positions humans can do.” She winked at Twilight.

“I’ll give you that,” Twilight put on her intellectual debate face, showing that it was game time. “But the sheer girth and volume makes up for all the setbacks. And humans always want us to spread ourselves for them. What’s so bad about getting pushed against the wall and”

“I’d love to hear the rest of this,” the pilot interrupted though it was clear he didn’t. “But we’re getting awfully close to the city now.”

Twilight peered past the cockpit and through the front window. Manehattan shined bright colors of yellow, white, blue, and red. Most of the lights were due to human intervention but even so it was a familiar sight for Twilight. Manehattan was always a city of lights even before the humans. The lights reminded her of the club she was supposed to be going to. But it also recalled older memories of when she had visited it with her friends. It seemed like that was lifetimes ago.

“So I should probably tell you girls that I don’t have clearance to land anywhere,” the pilot informed the two ponies. “I’ll try and set her down but we’ll have to be careful. I don’t think the authorities will appreciate an unknown chopper flying around.”

“That’s okay,” Pinkie Pie said. “I already have a plan to get around that. Thanks for being so helpful Mr. pilot man.”

“Anytime,” the pilot said. “But seriously, where do you want me to land?”

“Oh I’ll be fine. I have this all sorted out.” Pinkie took off her headset.

“Pinkie what are you” Twilight was about to ask but soon realized, by remembering Pinkie’s previous actions, what was about to happen. Pinkie Pie quickly opened the helicopter door and jumped out. She plummeted down with a smile on her face. But just as she was beginning to hit terminal velocity, she was saved by Twilight Sparkle.

“I can’t believe you did that again,” Twilight scolded as she held onto her friend closely.

“Yeah, well I knew I would have a great friend to come and catch me,” Pinkie replied.

A feeling of pride started welling up in Twilight’s chest. She laughed as she remembered just how Pinkie could be. Before they became senators and had responsibilities. Back when they could go on an adventure without having to leave something behind. The days when life was simple and her only title was the ‘Princess of Friendship’. When Twilight had friends and her friends had her. It was so simple it worked perfectly.

Twilight eventually landed on the roof of a skyscraper. She took the time to rest since Pinkie wasn’t exactly a light load to carry. The only thought that comforted Twilight, and made her snicker, was at least Pinkie isn’t fat like Rarity is now. Pinkie on the other hand was more preoccupied with finding her destination. She went over to the edge of the skyscraper and began leaning over the side. She peered over the city looking for the neon sign she had learned to recognize.

“What are you looking for?” Twilight asked, approaching the ledge with Pinkie.

“It’s somewhere,” Pinkie murmured. She pressed her hooves against her face to simulate holding binoculars. “There should be a pink neon sign right about… there!” she pointed into the distance. Twilight squinted her eyes to try and see what Pinkie was seeing, but it was impossible.

As Twilight was about to tell Pinkie how she couldn’t see, Pinkie took it upon herself to try and do the same thing she’s been doing all night. Twilight quickly grabbed her before she could get her whole body over the ledge.

“Let’s not,” Twilight stated lamely. She peered back at the city and this time she did find that pink neon sign Pinkie had mentioned. “Already let’s do this the easy way,” Twilight said as her horn began to glow. Pinkie grinned happily and in a flash they were at the strip club they had been traveling to.

They appeared in the parking lot of the establishment. Twilight’s teleportation spell had landed them right to their destination. She took pride in knowing that she was still the best at magic in the whole kingdom. Her job doesn’t let her exercise her powers as much so it was always exciting getting to do something powerful.

But there was something off about the place she had brought Pinkie and her to. Immediately Twilight could sense something was wrong. Her skin crawled. And her suspicions were correct as soon as she spotted red and blue strobe lights. Everywhere she looked there were cops cars and cops everywhere. They were parked up the street and blocked the entrances to the parking lot and their lights were the brightest thing in the night. Cops, either pony or human, ran around, paying no attention to the two ponies that had appeared out of thin air. There was no doubting that something was seriously wrong.

At first Twilight thought that someone had noticed she was missing. Because she was such a high ranking official it was necessary to always have some sort of escort at all times. So it would make sense that there would be a huge police presence when she was around. The problem was there was no way anyone except Pinkie Pie could know she was coming. And cops shouldn’t even be at a strip club. In fact strip clubs aren’t supposed to exist in Equestria. It was against the law.

Twilight starting looking for someone in charge. A police chief or at least someone that could tell her what was going on. But before she could contact someone, Pinkie began tugging at her tail.

“Um Twilight,” Pinkie’s left leg was shaking violently. “I’m gunna head off for a sec.” Pinkie began to trot off at a brisk pace.

“What?” Twilight exclaimed. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Just to get something to calm myself.” Pinkie looked back but kept walking. “Don’t worry I’ll be back, whenever.”

Twilight observed Pinkie’s walk. She noticed the shaky leg and went through her mental list of Pinkie sense triggers. A shaky leg wasn’t in there. However it was clear to Twilight that Pinkie was relapsing. She knew that the minute Pinkie woke her up. And it was pretty obvious what Pinkie was planning on doing to calm herself.

“Someone!” Twilight shouted, gaining the attention of the nearby police officers. “Stop her!” Twilight pointed to Pinkie who looked back for a second before galloping away. The police officers that weren’t perplexed by the sudden arrival of Princess Twilight Sparkle gave chase to the fleeing mare.

Three pony officers were hot on Pinkie Pie’s trail but she was too fast for them. Pinkie was nearing the outskirts of the police lines. The chase was finally ended when a human officer dove for her. Pinkie tried to dodge him but his long arms were enough to grip the mare and hold on tight. With his training the officer was able to restrain the mare and apply handcuffs. Although the mare proved quite a challenge to restrain and the human officer had to lie on top of her to get Pinkie to stop moving.

The three pony officers who had given chase watched the human officer. “Wait a minute, is that Pinkie Pie?” one of them said.

“Holy shit that is,” the second one pointed out. “Should you really be handcuffing her?”

“Let her go, we’re not supposed to do this I think,” the third officer spoke. The human officer glared at the ponies, annoyed that they were trying to tell him what to do.

“Fuck that,” Twilight said suddenly, appearing from behind the three pony officers. “She’s not supposed to even be here. Handcuff her again. She can be very hard to detain.” When none of the officers would do as she asked, Twilight simply took their handcuffs with her magic and applied them herself. In the end she completely immobilized her friend. To her it was a necessary precaution; to the officers it seemed a bit cruel.

“Anything else, ma’am?” the human officer asked. Twilight was pleased by the formality.

“Just make sure that Maud Pie is notified,” Twilight ordered. “In the mean time lock her in your car. She can’t escape. She’s supposed to be in rehab.”

“Yes ma’am,” the human officer nodded, keeping his formality. He hauled Pinkie away, leaving Twilight with only the three pony officers.

“So it’s true,” one of the officers whispered but Twilight could hear it. “Pinkie Pie really is still in rehab. She’s still hooked as always.” The other officers nodded in agreement.

Twilight’s face contorted into a look of hatred. Pinkie’s condition was supposed to be secret and if word got out that she was still addicted then things would look bad. The lie that was sold was Pinkie had gotten addicted while at a party. Her defense had desperately tried to convince everyone that it wasn’t by her free will. In the end it work but there were a lot of skeptics. If this public stunt went noticed then it would hurt not just Pinkie Pie’s reputation but the entire Equestrian government’s. What would ponies say if an element of harmony had fallen from grace like this? What would they say if it had always been this way and they never knew about it?

Twilight knew the truth and she knew that the truth would only hurt more if it was revealed.

Twilight briskly approached the three pony officers. She got their attention but they didn’t stand at attention like she was used to from her bodyguards. It annoyed her.

“You three stallions better keep your mouths shut,” she said sternly. “Equestria has enough problems and it doesn’t need more. If you’re smart, because you sure as hell ain’t competent, you’ll do as you’re told. Three stallions should have been able to catch a mare any day. What the fuck is wrong with you?” Twilight really put shame onto the officers. “You let a human outshine you. If that ain’t sad I don’t know what is.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Now if you’re good for anything you’ll tell me who’s in charge.”

All three stallions tried to answer at once so nothing was comprehendible. Finally one answered. “The police chief is over there,” he pointed to a human in a dark blue police uniform. “He knows the most. He’s been one of the ones inside.”

“What happened inside?” Twilight asked as the tone of the officer’s voice peaked her interest. He had sounded scared.

“I don’t know,” the pony officer admitted. “We just arrived. But talk to the chief, I hear it’s bad.”

Twilight, worry now filling her heart, went into a fast trot over to the police chief. He was resting against the strip club but when Twilight walked over he immediately snapped to attention.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle?” he peered at the alicorn. “What are you, why are you, what’s going on?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Twilight replied, trying to sound official yet not feeling it.

“It’s a bit complicated, ma’am,” the police chief said. “Actually we should get you someplace safer. I had no idea you were in town. I’m gunna call you a police escort back to the station.”

Twilight was getting more suspicious by every word. “No!” she yelled startling the police chief. “I can handle myself just fine without a company of soldiers babying me.”

The police chief became nervous. Something was telling him that the princess wasn’t here on official business. He looked around for a bodyguard of some sort that might be escorting the princess but found none. He considered this confirming his suspicions that the princess wasn’t here on official government business. That made the police chief even more nervous.

“That’s fine then. But I have to warn you that this is not a safe place right now,” the police chief grabbed his belt, making sure his gun was in place.

“I know,” Twilight said quickly eyeing an armored car that pulled up. “I want to know what’s going on and I want to know now.” A team of heavily armored humans moved into the car and drove off. Twilight assumed their mission was done here.

“Well I guess I can’t say no because you’re a princess and everything,” the police chief’s brow was saturated with sweat. Twilight grinned in triumph. “But I have to warn you that what you’ll see might be a bit much to handle.”

“Now I have to see,” Twilight stated.

The police chief led her to the front door. They entered and immediately Twilight hated the place. It was dark, dirty, and offensive. Several posters were on the walls, advertising the entertainment. Twilight knew this wasn’t just a place of crime, but of human crime; there is a difference. Its existence offended her. The worst part for her was how the place advertised ponies as sexually standing by at all times. She detested that humans would sink so low as to make ponies their objects of desire.

“You know this place shouldn’t even exist,” she said randomly but it was clear it was directed to the police chief. “Last time I checked strip clubs aren’t exactly legal.”

“I apologize for that,” the police chief said. “The station knew about this place for a while. We understood it was doing things against the law. But understand that it isn’t my fault it hasn’t been removed yet.” Twilight looked at the chief suspiciously. It was hard to believe that the inaction of the Manehattan police department was not the chief’s fault.

“How so?” Twilight asked, trying to hide the venom in her voice. “A raid on this place could have cleared it out in an afternoon.”

The chief laughed, which confused Twilight. “If it were only that easy,” he said and recomposed himself. “No, we cannot make mass arrests like that.”

“Why not?” Twilight asked. “It was done in America. Crime was reduced by twenty five percent due to the actions of Equestria.”

“Mhm,” the police chief just grunted. “Yeah well I sent the form to have this place evicted a couple months ago. Maybe you politicians could get it sorted out.”

“Not my department,” Twilight replied.

They walked down the hall. Twilight walked at a brisk pace eager to see what warranted a police presence. So far she was told nothing and that bothered her. She wasn’t too angry because information was going to be presented eventually. Twilight Sparkle hates it when there is something she doesn’t know and she is withheld from that information.

They arrived at a set of double doors and the police chief took out a set of keys to unlock them. “I warn you that what you’ll see will be horrifying,” the police chief looked at Twilight. “Are you sure you want to see?”

Twilight snorted. “Open this damn door.”

The police chief exhaled and opened the double doors. Twilight stepped through as soon as she could and instantly knew she made a mistake. The scene that greeted her could have been out of a horror movie. Everywhere she looked there was carnage. At the bar ponies were dead and limply hanging over the seats. The V.I.P area had bodies all around it. But the worst was the floor in front of the stage.

The bodies of the dead just piled on top of one another. Each one of them told a story. Some were shot while standing against the wall while others were shot right in the open. Others tried to escape and laid sprawled out over the ground, their front hooves outstretched like they were reaching for something.

Blood covered everywhere possibly. It seeped into the carpeting and dripped down the walls. The bodies especially were covered in it. And strangely enough Twilight found foot prints of blood everywhere. It seemed that whoever did this had no concern with who or what they stepped it. These foot prints went every which way.

Twilight levitated in the air with her wings so she didn’t step in the blood and followed a particular path. This path led to the bar at the other side of the room. Twilight was careful to hover around the corpse and tried not to look at them, a task easier said than done. She got to the edge of the bar and peered over it. Slowly but surely she was able to see over the bar. And the first thing she saw was the severed head of a human girl.

It was too much for Princess Twilight to handle. She turned and flew of the room as fast as she could. The police chief shut the door behind here. Twilight landed and looked at the ground for a long time. No words were exchanged as silence took hold. But eventually Twilight did look up and she did speak.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” she muttered. The fact was she wasn’t feeling good. Her stomach felt weak.

“It’s pretty bad in there,” the police chief remarked. “So far there are fifty seven dead and forty eight wounded.”

Twilight gagged but regained her composure. “There are survivors?”

“Yeah but some are in bad condition.” The police chief grimly stated. “We already evacuated the survivors. We’re getting bodies bags for the dead and a forensic team to investigate. Nobody is allowed in until forensics arrives. Well except for you.”

“How long have you been here?” Twilight asked, slowly regaining her balance and control over herself.

“Barely over half an hour,” the police chief said. “We responded to a call made inside the building and multiple others on the outside. Apparently there were gunmen on the outside as well as the outside.” The police chief took a minute to himself. “They killed two police officers responding to the calls.”

Twilight looked at the police chief. “Do we have witnesses? You mentioned gunmen. Is that just an assumption?” A glimmer of hope and hate shined in her heart.

“Yes but nothing in concrete yet,” the police chief answered. “From what I’ve gathered so far there were multiple shooters. The exact number varies. However we did learn a few things. They wore dark clothing, they were masked, and they wore yellow rubber gloves. Oh and they were all human.”

That last detail rang like a chime in Twilight’s mind. Human. The glimmer of hope and hate shined brighter. Somehow Twilight knew, from the moment she stepped into the club, that humans were behind this. No pony could do this. They aren’t suited to use firearms as effective as humans. But the most obvious reason is no pony would ever do this. They are above this. At least Twilight thinks so.

“Anything else?” she asked, trying to hide a sneaky smile. She didn’t want the police chief to know how glad she was that humans did this. It was the only detail that kept her from breaking down and weeping.

“Well not exactly. There were security cameras running the whole time.” The chief’s words gave Twilight an idea. Back in New Canterlot was her security monitoring room that gave her access to the cameras feeds of anywhere in Equestria. It would be a simple viewing to catch the culprits.

“However,” the police chief continued. “The gunmen thought ahead because they disabled the cameras and deleted the feed.”

“Huh?” Twilight grunted, being torn away from her planning.

“The security system,” the police chief explained. “It’s a closed system, meaning the feeds all went to a computer in the security room. But the gunmen put a bullet through the hard drive so all the feeds are gone forever.”

With that all of Twilight’s hope for her camera idea was dashed away. “Oh,” she put her hoof to her chin. “So we have nothing.”

“Nothing yet,” the police chief said. “Until we get the witnesses to speak and thoroughly inspect the crime scene, you’re right we have nothing.”

“Alright,” Twilight exhaled. She felt the need to act yet she knew there was nothing she could do. The obvious thing to do would be to wait for things to become clearer. People would be notified and this shooting will be all over the news. Action will occur but Twilight knew that the action must go in her favor. Lots of bad could happen but a lot of good could come out of this too. It was a battle between a full blown panic or a hopeful view into the future.

“Princess?” the police chief said. “Would you like me to give you a police escort?”

“Mmmh,” Twilight though for a second. There was one human she knew of that could help her right now. And he was in this city. “Sure,” Twilight agreed. “I need to be somewhere anyways.”

“Shouldn’t you rest,” the police chief asked. He was met with a stony glare. “Alright just saying. But between you and me,” he knelt down next to Twilight and lowered his voice. “How big is this going to be? I’m just saying because last time things changed drastically. I was up for three nights doing paperwork.”

“Last time?” Twilight thought for a second. The Fluttershy assassination. “This might be bigger than last time.”

“I see,” the police chief lowered his head. “Lot of fear went around the station. I guess more will come.” He stood up. “I’ll get you your escort right away.”

Twilight exited the club. It felt nice to leave the place. The air was dirty and pungent inside but outside it was clear and fresh. Twilight’s escort arrived which was a squad car and a human driver. She got in and directed the driver to go to the financial district, in the middle of the city. They set off with little conversation after the directions. The human driver tried to create small talk but Twilight didn’t allow it. She had some things on her mind and she wasn’t going to allow them to be interrupted.

In the back of her mind, Twilight was reminded of human history. Their history was filled with these types of scenes, scenes of extraordinary violence. In fact Twilight had studied human history just for the pleasure of studying another culture. She found things that had brought a smile of intrigue to her face. But she also found things that made her think harder than she ever thought possible. Logic seemed to be void in a lot of human history and Twilight didn’t understand. It was even more frustrating when she tried comparing Equestrian history with human history. All she did was reinforce her belief that Equestria truly was a nation that was a shining beacon of light that needed to help the humans stray away from the path of evil.

She found out that human history is divided by the wars they fight. It was so different from Equestria that she needed an explanation as soon as possible. However she never really got it. All she received were promises that the past will not decide the future. These promises came from human leaders that she had met throughout the years. They all said the same thing, that Equestria will always be the admiration of the human world. Twilight now understood that those promises are broken.

She looked out the window into the human built city and wondered how many more of her kind must die by the hand of the humans. The answer should be none and Twilight made a decision. She would be done with the pleasantries. Equestria must never again suffer at the hands of the human, that is the promise she made to herself.

***

When she arrived at her destination she quickly left the squad car, which on her orders sped away. The building she entered was a tall glass skyscraper. It was one of the taller ones and more elaborate than one of the square ones. Skyscrapers had always existed in Manehattan and when the humans arrived they were improved upon greatly. Now the new architecture is easily more impressive than the old. It was easy to spot an old skyscraper from a new skyscraper. But it wasn’t just the appearance that told the difference but what lied inside. New skyscrapers were mostly owned by humans while the old were owned by ponies. It was almost like a way of telling the two groups apart.

When Twilight entered she immediately headed to the front desk. This wasn’t her first visit. She approached an elderly looking secretary that didn’t hide how she didn’t want to be working at such a late hour.

“I need to speak to Curizno,” Twilight demanded, stamping her hoof on the desk. “Is he here?”

The elderly secretary peered at Twilight. “Do you have an appointment?”

Twilight tried not to lose her composure, but an eye twitch gave it away. “Do you not recognize me? I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle. That alone should get your attention.” But the secretary showed little signs of care. “I’m also in frequent communication with the man.” Twilight continued. “Doesn’t that mean anything?”

The secretary blinked, lamely. “I can’t allow anyone to see Mr. Curizno without an appointment. Besides he doesn’t take visitors at this hour.”

“Uuuuh!” Twilight groaned. “What is this, a doctor’s office?” She turned away and headed for the nearest elevator. “Forget it; I know where he is anyway,” she yelled.

Twilight took the elevator to the thirty sixth floor and went straight down the hallway she arrived in. Taking a left she arrived right in front of a dark wooden door. A golden plaque read ‘The office of Tommaso Curizno’. Twilight banged on the door with his hoof, creating a loud fuss.

“Curizno!” she yelled. “Open this goddamn door!” After a few more hit the door creaked open. An eyeball looked through before the door opened more.

“Twilight?” a voice came from behind the door. The door opened more until Curizno was in plain view. His normally well kept attire was a bit rustled from a day of work. And it was obvious he was exhausted.

“Heya C!” Twilight exclaimed and pushed her way past him, letting herself into his office. “Nice to meet ya again.” All formality had left her voice now.

“Twilight,” Curizno said in disbelief.” Do you have any idea how late it is?”

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” Twilight countered back.

Curizno didn’t have an answer to that. He’s been in his office all day. Lucky for him he didn’t need to answer. His phone on his desk began to ring. “Excuse me I need to answer this,” he told Twilight. Curizno put the receiver to his ear. “Hello,” he said.

“Hey it’s Berry,” a raspy voice came over the line. “Something happened. We need to talk.”

Curizno quickly glanced at Twilight. “Can’t it wait?”

“No it can’t.” Berry growled.

“Well it will have to,” Curizno stated before hanging up. He turned back to Twilight. “Please have a seat.” He nodded to a chair in front of his desk. Twilight sat and reclined back. Curizno also sat down in his chair on the other side of the desk. “So, back to our conversation, you were saying?”

“Do you have something to drink?” Twilight asked suddenly. “I could use some alcohol.”

Curizno raised an eyebrow in confusion before reaching underneath his desk. He did in fact keep some form of alcohol in his office; it helped with negotiations sometimes. He pulled out a semi-expensive bottle of white wine from a cooler under his desk and set it on the table.

“Sorry I don’t have glasses,” Curizno apologized. “Or a bottle opener.”

Twilight glared at him and levitated the bottle to her. With a pop the cork was forced out with Twilight’s magic and she chugged the bottle for a second. She then looked lamely at Curizno for a second before setting the bottle down.

“So,” she looked around at the office. “You seriously have no idea what’s going on?”

“Not a clue,” Curizno shook his head. “I’ve been here all day.”

“You live in this fucking city,” Twilight slammed her hooves on Curizno desk. “Don’t you know what happens here? I thought you owned things.” Her face was only a couple inches away from Curizno’s. He had to recline back to avoid being pressed against her.

“I,” Curizno tried to say through the pressure suddenly placed on him.

“Today,” Twilight said retreating back in her chair. She decided to be a bit softer with this. It was late and she would do this like a princess should. “Today Equestria had another Fluttershy-like incident.”

“Oh,” Curizno was greatly surprised by the news. It was unexpected. “Did somepony else die?”

“Heh,” Twilight giggled. “In a way.”

“Was it another element or an important official?” Curizno asked.

“Pfft, nope,” Twilight answered taking another swig of wine. “I wouldn’t have come to you for that.” She exhaled. “No it’s worst, I think.”

“Worse?” Curizno went over the options in his head for what could count as worse.

“Yeah,” Twilight continued. “This time an attack was carried out on the ponies of Equestrian, in this city, almost less than an hour ago.”

Curizno leaned back in his chair, stunned by the new information. “Impossible,” he murmured. “Where?”

“At a strip club called the Magic Mist,” Twilight told him.

Suddenly Curizno was able to put two and two together. The phone call he had received earlier must’ve been about this. He took pride in knowing that he was the first to find out about this. Because this will change everything in Equestria, it’ll be like what happened to Fluttershy. Immediately Curizno’s mind raced with possibilities. He saw more changes resulting in his favor. More power over Equestria than was thought possible.

“That’s interesting,” Curizno replied.

“Interesting?” Twilight snarled. “Fifty seven dead and forty eight are wounded. And it was at a strip club that shouldn’t even exist.” She looked bitterly at Curizno. “Did you know anything about this?”

“No nothing,” Curizno lied through his teeth. “I never knew there was a strip club in this city.”

“It’s your city,” Twilight shook her head. “This is your headquarters. I expected a man with your influence would know about it.”

“Must have slipped under the radar,” Curizno shrugged.

Twilight regarded Curizno strangely before taking another chug of wine. “I just can’t get the images out of my mind.” Twilight admitted. “I went in to see what was happening. It’s brutal. I though seeing Fluttershy’s lifeless body could prepare me, but it didn’t at all. There was so many bodies all trying to do something. It was beyond bad.” She looked at Curizno. “Thanks for the wine. It’s helping.”

Curizno rubbed his hands together. “Sounds like this was an attack of some sorts. Are the police there? What evidence is there?”

“Nothing so far,” Twilight grunted. “All I could gather was it was done with an excessive amount of guns. Huh guns,” Twilight chuckled. “There are no guns in Equestria. We’re going to have to stop saying that pretty soon.” She took another drink. “Also the shooters were,” Twilight got serious. “Human.”

“Of course they were,” Curizno said. “Ponies aren’t as suited to use firearms as well.”

“That’s exactly what I thought,” Twilight grinned. She swung her head around a bit. “So what now?”

“It’s really too early to say anything,” Curizno said. “We should wait before we discuss action.”

“Action?” Twilight caught that word. Curizno lurched back, fearing he had spoken too soon. “What do you mean by action?”

“Well I mean something will have to be done,” Curizno explained. “I figure this will be like Fluttershy so we’ll have to retaliate.” He looked at Twilight. “And do you really want to go through the Equestrian government to get shit done?”

Twilight thought for a second. Already she could see debates, meetings, speeches, and enough paperwork to last a lifetime. Unfortunately for her she would be one of the head ponies in charge of all of it. So after brief though she decided that Curizno was her only chance to actually make a difference. Maybe they’ll even get revenge on those responsible. Maybe they could actually have their gunmen this time.

“Alright,” Twilight held out her hoof. “It’s a deal.” They shook on it.

“We can get started right away,” Curizno said. “I’m open whenever you need me.”

“I’ll be here tomorrow than,” Twilight said. “I’m actually supposed to be in New Canterlot so I’ll have to go back for tonight.”

“Need a ride?” Curizno offered. “I can get my helicopter pilot to fly you over.”

Twilight shuddered. “No thanks. I’ve had enough of helicopters for a while.” She got off the chair she was on. “But thank you for everything. You humans may be the cause of all of this, but at least you’re doing something about it.”

“Thanks Twilight,” Curizno said but was unsure if he should be thankful. “I’ll see you later, goodnight.”

“Good morning,” Twilight corrected him as she walked out the door, a bit tipsy from the wine.

As soon as she left, Curizno redialed the number that had previously called him. It took a while but someone did answer.

“About fucking time you called me,” the same raspy voice growled. “Had me waiting all fucking night. I’m dying of anticipation right now.”

“It was barely fifteen minutes ago,” Curizno stated calmly. “Just tell me what is troubling Berry right now.”

“Well I don’t know if you’re aware but the Magic Mist was just shot up not too long ago,” Berry said. “Remember the place? It’s where the girls serve you the drinks with little candies on the side.”

“I’m aware,” Curizno had adopted a very formal business-like way of speaking. It was how he behaved when dealing with the type of customer he was dealing with currently. “Actually I was told about it when I had to hang you up. Seems like you were slow today.”

“Yeah well everything went to shit,” Berry complained. “Everypony down here is flipping shit and I’m two seconds from strangling somepony.”

“I’d imagine,” Curizno replied.

“Shit, Lowride was on my case for half an hour. His best girls all died. He was making a killing there.”

“I believe you were too,” Curizno said. “That place was easy money.”

“That place was a shithole,” Berry spat. “Not enough tourists around to keep it going. After a while you just get freeloaders. But I am pissed that some humans would have the audacity to do this. I own these streets.”

“How do you know it was humans?” Curizno asked.

“Are you bullshitting me, C?” Berry laughed. “Like ponies could or would do this. Besides one of my guys recovered enough to tell me what he saw. He said there were four gunmen. One of them actually started going through his pockets. Took everything of value. Damn dirty fucking humans. And they call us animals? They all belong in cages so we can ride them around.”

“Ehem,” Curizno coughed nervously.

“What? Oh, sorry,” Berry apologized. “I’m a little bit unhinged is all. I don’t mean humans like you or anything.” Berry’s tone became very anxious. “I’m talking about the humans living in the poor parts of town, the ones in that homeless shelter or that church. I just don’t like them intruding into our business. It’s fine if they stay on their side but when they cross it’s just”

“Keep your prejudices to yourself!” Curizno snarled, silencing Berry. “I just hope you’ve been able to keep pony and humans from killing each other. Because it sounds like you’ve failed miserably. When I make a deal I expect the other party to be able to uphold their end. Or else.” Curizno’s grip on his phone tightened.

“Of else what?” Berry gulped nervously.

“Or else,” Curizno gritted his teeth and paused. He then exhaled and loosened his grip. “Or else I’ll simply offer my support to someone else. I am a human after all and I may feel a twinge of guilt over our agreement. But I’ll learn to deal with it. Now if you can’t keep the humans in Manehattan under control then I’ll cut our deal off. Would you want that?”

“N-no sir,” Berry stammered.

“Good,” Curizno leaned back. “Now I assume that you’ve been dealing with the problem immediately as it was presented. Remember efficiency is the key to success.”

“I know that,” Berry replied. “Actually I was dealing with it before I called you.”

“Good,” Curizno grinned. “Then I won’t keep you from it any longer. Don’t fuck up.” Curizno slammed the phone down, hanging up.

He sighed. “A human mafia probably should’ve been my first choice. Ponies aren’t as cunning.” He grinned. “Ruthless but not too bright when it comes down to it. Can’t tell when someone is lurking behind their back.”

***

With Curizno’s eerie hang up, Berry was left with an enormous weigh on his shoulders. Everything that he had set up was on the verge of collapse. The club shooting could be the event that sends his efforts into the pit of wasted effort. He had thought Fluttershy’s death was bad. But the club was too close to home. By morning it would be possible that Manehattan would become rooted into a battle. Specie warfare, Berry liked to call it and he wondered how his side would fare.

However, Berry took pride in knowing that he could do something to fight back against the coming storm. Across the room a human was tied up and was the plaything of a couple of Berry’s henchponies. They kicked him and made bad jokes but it wasn’t enough to kill or seriously hurt. A few words needed to be said.

“You damn humans,” Berry growled, putting the phone he had been using back onto the wall. “You just can’t leave us alone can you?” He slowly trotted over to the captive human.

“We were just trying to help,” the human whimpered. “It’s what PAHI has always been about.”

“Oh really?” Berry laughed. He picked a button off the human’s jacket. “Hmph,” he snorted. “Equestria for Equestrians, how truthfully.” He threw the button over his shoulder. “Listen, you’re the PAHI leader. How long once you’re gone will the organization fall apart?”

“Uh,” the PAHI leader grunted. “Not long probably.”

“Good,” Berry nodded. “It must’ve occurred to you a while ago that you wouldn’t be getting out of this place alive. No, you’re too troublesome to keep alive.” Berry began to pace. “I mean the protesting was fine at times. Sometimes it got out of hand, like at that church. The cops were completely justified, you know that? You looked like you were going to kill that human. And I even forgave you for the homeless shelter. But I’ve realized I’ve been too kind.”

“We were just trying to protect you,” the PAHI leader said solemnly.

“Protect us!” Berry screamed at the top of his lungs. “We never asked for protection! We never needed your protection! Ponies can handle your human diseased culture just fine!” Berry took a minute to compose himself. “You know what? I’m not going to get mad. I’ll be quick about this. You don’t know what you’ve done.” He took a few steps back.

“All I’ve done was try and keep Equestria as it was before my people came,” the leader said frantically. “What is wrong about that?”

“It’s simple,” Berry said. “Well not really. But I can explain it.” He lowered his head to the man on the floor. “What you did was kick the bee’s nest. See the club shooting, that I know you are aware about, is the result of your actions. Nopony wants to be hounded down like what your people die. Humans too don’t want to be targeted. So you’re idea was to discriminate against a group and think they wouldn’t fight back?” Berry chuckled. “Stupid, just stupid. You used hatred to fight and unfortunately some humans fought back. Now lots of ponies are dead.”

“We weren’t discriminating,” the leader protested and squirmed. “Our cause was noble. I just wanted to stop you from being corrupted. My kind brought a plague to you but it can be reversed.”

“A plague? Reversed?” Berry raised an eyebrow. “Who was it that brought you here? It wasn’t a human that tied you up. It was that Pegasus above you.” Berry tipped his head to his Pegasus henchpony that smiled back. “Truth is you humans give us ponies too much credit. We aren’t all elements of harmony you know? Some of us could be real assholes. Or just normal ponies that can be tempted by evil or get a bit sad.” Berry shrugged. “Point is it’s almost insulting to think that I’m a gushing heart pacifist just because I’m a pony. It makes my kind look like a bunch of pussies. Understand now?”

“Uh,” the PAHI leader grunted.

Berry leaned in until his nose just brushed against his captive’s ear. “I wouldn’t even consider my kind’s leaders to be noble ponies, and you humans see them everyday making promises to help wherever they can. Think of Celestia. She locked her own sister up for one thousand years and never said a word about it until she came back. Instead she kept her sister’s memory alive by turning her into a pony eating folktale. She turned her sister into a monster. One thousand years of fear, that’s what I call it. Should I go on and tell you how I feel about Princess Twilight and the rest, or should I stop?”

Berry waited. He looked the human dead in the eye and waited. The staring continued until Berry saw what he was waiting for. Usually it was either a twitch or a spark, this time it was just a twitch. In his craft, Berry had learned how to tell if someone understood. One of the rather obvious signs was to watch for a physical sign. The eyes can tell a lot about what someone is thinking. And because of that they are very exploitable.

“I think I understand now,” the PAHI leader finally said.

“Fantastic,” Berry grinned. The Pegasus above the leader aimed a pistol at the human’s head. “I think we’re done here now.”

“Wait,” the leader spoke. “I understand now. Don’t kill me!”

“You clearly don’t,” Berry growled, irritated. “I already told you that you wouldn’t be leaving alive and I thought you understood that.” He turned around and began walking away. “You humans are so stupid. Probably why our species will never get along.” He stop in the doorway and looked at the Pegasus holding the gun to the PAHI leader’s head. “Don’t make a mess,” he instructed. The Pegasus just nodded.

Berry left the room and shut the door behind him. The leader looked at the Pegasus before the end. It was a shame the Pegasus didn’t follow Berry’s orders. Brain matter got everywhere.

Author's Note

A new foe just showed his face. The difference is this one is closer to Jim than ever before.

Chapter 33: Liars

I opened my eyes with a sudden jolt of my muscles. I didn’t remember falling asleep but I remembered going into bed. After that it’s hard to think about but for some reason I feel more energized than ever before. Because of this I leapt up from bed. I actually feel so good I bet I could just run for miles.

When I got up something fell from my person. I looked down to see it was just my bag of loot. I snatched it off the ground and looked at it again. It was still as mesmerizing as the night before. All that jewelry with various dollar bills, sprinkled with some coins, were contained inside the plastic baggie. My uzi magazines were also in there too which I removed.

Speaking of my uzi, I can’t find it. I looked around my bed but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I was starting to panic until I checked under the bed. I found it under there and a feeling of relief swept over me. I held the uzi in my hands and that’s when I realized I was alone. Usually there are a few more homeless guys hanging around in the men’s sleeping area but right now there was no one. This means it must be well off from morning. I must’ve overslept.

It came to my attention that I was still wearing the black jumpsuit with the red A on the back. Chuckling, I took it off. In a way I guess I’ve in part got revenge for my friends by wearing the uniform. The anarchists can rest in peace a little better now. It’s not over yet, it doesn’t feel it, but at least something was done.

I put on the dark blue hoodie Jessie gave me. I clutched the uzi and the three magazines in my arms, as well as my bag of loot. Then I walked out of the bedroom. I’m trying to recall what happened last night. A quick recap won’t hurt.

So everything was pretty much a success. By the end of the shooting every one of those ponies was on the ground so I think we accomplished our goal of killing everyone. Then of course we disabled the cameras and masked our faces, which means our identities should be protected. And on the side I got all this expensive stuff so I think I can call this a success.

But I wonder where my friends went. From what I can remember from last night is I went into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. I think some of them came in with me but I have no idea. The only way to find out will be to ask them. They’re probably in the café area.

When I walked out into the café I did in fact find my friends. They were gathered around a table and were watching the TV very closely. I walked over and they immediately looked my way.

“Well look who the hell it is!” Jones beamed.

“Oh Jim!” Erik stood up and approached me. “I knew we were missing a gun.” Erik snatched the uzi and its magazines out of my hands. “I’ll put this back with the rest of the guns,” Erik said while walking away.

“Jim,” Jones called me over. I walked over to the table with my friends. “Take a seat my man.” He had a huge smile on his face and he patted my back when I sat down.

“We did it!” Drake embraced me and snuggled his head against me. “We’re mass murderers.”

“Is that better than a serial killer?” I asked. Drake pulled away from me and grinned.

“Of course!” he exclaimed.

“Yo Jim,” Derek grabbed my arm. “Hey you did a good job.” He smiled. “That was fucking fun.”

“Thanks,” I tugged my arm free. I looked around. “Is Pete here?”

“Here,” Pete said. I found he was standing instead of sitting with the rest of us.

“What’s up dude, take a seat,” I motioned to an open seat.

“Oh uh,” Pete stammered like he always did. “All the seats were taken so I had to stand.”

“That’s not true,” I said. “There was an empty seat for me.”

“Yeah but that was being saved,” Pete softly spoke.

Being saved? My mind thought back to earlier memories. I was back in the cafeteria in high school. There would be moments when there simply wouldn’t be enough room at the table, so sometimes one or two people stood around in order to be part of the group. It happened to me a few times and it sucks. I felt so disconnected from the conversation and it tore me up.

Pete shouldn’t have to feel like that. We’re grownups now. “Pete, take a seat,” I said. “There’s an open seat.”

“No it’s fine,” Pete insisted. “He’ll be back any minute and want his seat back.”

“Well he shouldn’t have left it if he still wanted it,” I argued. “Besides if he wants it back that’s too bad.”

“What are you gunna do about it?” Pete crossed his arms.

“I’ll kill him,” I laughed. “And I’ll kill you too if you don’t do as I say.” After that Pete reluctantly sat down. I guess I must’ve convinced him or he’s too scared to argue back. I like both options equally. “Remember, Pete, we’re killers now,” I told him.

“Hey, shut up,” Rodney suddenly hit my arm. He looked annoyed and I could see he was stilled tired by his slight red eyes.

“What!” I spat defensively. “It’s true. We all killed someone yesterday. Even Pete, I watched him.”

“No I mean the news is about to come back on,” Rodney pointed to the TV that was always running in the café. “They’ve been rolling the same story all morning with new updates every minute or so. I want to see what’s next.”

“Oh,” I shut up to see what would come on next.

After a brief intro sequence the daily news did resume. A newspony came on air. He was blue with a moustache. I could tell it was fake.

“And we’re back with updates on the current tragedy that unfolded only late last night,” the newspony said solemnly. “To just do a quick recap. Last night a nightclub in the south end of Manehattan was violently attacked by gunmen who are still at large this morning.”

“Nightclub?” I voiced my confusion. “That place was a fucking strip club.”

Rodney looked at me with a smirk on his face. “Did you really think Equestria would say a stripclub was shot up in one of its major cities?”

I thought on it for a second. Rod’s right. They wouldn’t dare. Even when the news showed an outside shot of the club they smartly left out the sign. I should’ve figured Equestria would want to preserve its innocence. This will only hurt themselves in the long run, I’m sure of it.

The newspony carried on. “So far the identity of the gunmen and their motives are unknown.” At that news my buddies and I let out a quick cheer. “The gunmen however appear to be human and their numbers range from eight to twelve,” the reporter pony continued.

“Eight to twelve?” I again voiced my confusion. “Did we gain four new guys?”

“Dude they have no idea,” Rodney again smirked. “About an hour ago they thought we were Muslims because of our masks.”

I could see why but it seems silly to jump to such a conclusion.

What came next was the real showstopper for me. “And,” the newspony paused. “We know the gunmen used a variety of heavily automatic assault weapons.”

I lost it. “Ahahahahhaahhaha! Assault weapons! Automatic? What the hell are they talking about?”

“I’ve been telling you,” Rodney laughed with me. “They have no idea.”

We continued chuckling for a while until a noise stopped me. Footsteps could be heard behind me. I turned to see Jess walking over to us. It was great to see her. She looks great right now.

“Oh good the news is back on. Anything new?” she asked, hurrying over to our table.

“Nope just bullshit,” Rodney replied. “I think we’re in the clear.”

“Well keep watching,” Jess said. “Things could change at any moment.” She began walking away.

“She has great tits,” Rodney remarked. Jess turned to him.

“Excuse me?” she snarled. In that moment I saw the devil in Jess. It was full of anger and I feared for Rod’s life.

“I meant the TV,” Rodney calmly stated but I watched a bead of sweat drip down the side of his face. Jess looked up and immediately cooled down.

“Oh alright, carry on,” she grabbed the side of her head and hustled away.

“I love that shade of red! It’s fabulous, you go girl!” Drake cheered at the TV, putting a lighter tone on the tense situation that just occurred. The other men sitting with him just shook their heads.

I looked up to the TV to find out what Rodney and Drake were talking about. I immediately realized what their admiration was directed to. I recognized the human girl that was reporting. She was the same reporter that reported Fluttershy’s and Darius’ death. I like her; her tits are great. I rate eight out of eight.

“At the moment authorities are trying to work out the details by using witness reports,” the female reporter said. “There were a reported forty eight survivors when police arrived on the scene. Several are reported dead this morning, dying from their injuries shortly after arriving at the hospital. With that the death toll is at seventy nine dead and twenty six survivors.”

“Fuck ya!” Derek shouted but then he paused. “Wait, survivors?”

“Didn’t think we’d actually kill them all,” Rodney shrugged. “Whatever, that’s why we wore the masks.”

“We’d also like to mention the two Manehattan officers that died last night trying to get into the club to stop the shooting,” the female reporter continued.

That last part confused me. Two officers died trying to get in, did I hear that right? The others around me seemed just as confused as me.

“I did that,” Jones spoke suddenly. “A cruiser pulled up and Erik and I had to act before they could call for reinforcements.”

“So who killed the officers then?” Rodney asked Jones.

Jones giggled a bit. “Me of course,” he bragged. “Erik can’t aim.”

A rapid sound of footsteps came from behind us. “I heard that!” Erik suddenly stormed over. “I shot one of those fuckers right in the lungs.”

“Yeah,” Jones grinned competitively. “But he was still kicking. I dealt the finishing shot.” He paused. “And then I shot the other in the head.”

“Humans?” I asked.

“One,” Jones answered back. “The other was a pony.” I nodded because I was glad that at least they weren’t two humans that had to die.

Looking behind me I spotted Jess in the corner of the room. I knew what that meant. She gets like this when there’s something troubling her. She distances herself and tries to think things out. It happened a lot before the club shooting. Now I guess something else is bothering her.

I cracked my knuckles and stood up. Last times I’ve tried this it’s always backfired. Every time I get close to her she just hurts me. Most of the time she just twists my wrist and it really hurts. But what the hell! I have nothing better to do with my life.

I approached her while she was doing this loopy walking in circles thing. “Uh Jess,” she turned around to face me.

“Yeah Jim, something on your mind?” she asked trying to act naturally but I know she’s cracking.

I rubbed my hands and found it hard to look her in the eye. “I’m sorry but can I give you a hug?” Jess moved backwards a bit. “Just a small one?”

I could tell Jess wasn’t really in the mood but maybe there was hope. Maybe there was hope that underneath that tough exterior personality there is a softer side. Besides I need a hug too. So I went for it and it backfired immediately.

“Fuck! Stop twisting my arm Jess!” I screamed. She forced me to a knee and I gritted my teeth to try and make the pain less. Through the tears that were welling up in my eyes I could see my table of friends was eyeing me. Jones was shaking his head.

Eventually Jess let go and I scrambled away, muttering to myself. “I hope you get hit by a big fucking truck or something.” Jess gave me a lasting look before distancing herself away from me.

“Hey Jim,” Jones approached me. I looked at him, now annoyed by the recent event. “Listen we need to talk,” he said.

“What?” I growled. “Because right now I’m getting awfully angry.”

“Did you get a good sleep?” Jones asked.

“Best night of my life,” I answered truthfully. “But now I’m wide awake and it’s weird.” I feel like something is going to happen but I won’t be ready for it.

“Alright listen there is something you need to know,” Jones looked at Jess, who was close enough to hear our conversation. “I’m gunna tell him.”

I looked at Jess too. “No, we’re all going to tell him,” she said.

I began looking at both of them. “What are you talking about?”

“Yo!” Jones yelled at the table. “We’re telling Jim about our little secret.”

At the news Derek burst out laughing, Rodney shrugged, Drake gasped in joy, and Pete just rubbed his head in confusion. I personally was feeling just like Pete. The word secret is a very specific word to use and it got my interest. I hate secrets especially those among friends. Reminds me back in high school, there were so many things I didn’t know and still don’t know about my old friends back in the day. The whole thing puts me in a sour mood. In fact I feel pretty sour right now.

My lips began moving down and my eyebrows creased. I didn’t hesitate to show my teeth in this scowl I had. Truth is I’ve been thinking about my high school a lot since last night. It’s bringing back painful memories that just make me really hate life and everything in it. So I’m not ready to be reminded what it’s like to be in high school again.

“Let’s discuss this in a place that is a little more private,” Jess told Jones.

“How about the closet?” Jones suggested. Jess nodded. They must be talking about the closet where we did our planning for the shooting. It’s cramped in there, I hate it. “Pete you can stay out of this,” Jones commanded. “It’s none of your business.”

What? I froze in place. I like Pete; he’s different than the others. I don’t have to prove myself to him and he doesn’t try prove himself around me. He’s polite and respects me. I like him around. Furthermore he isn’t part of the rest. He’s new so he doesn’t know the group dynamics. I need him to be there with me if this turns out to be a bad secret. All secrets are bad in some way.

“If he doesn’t come then I’m not going,” I looked Jones right in the eye and gave him a death glare. It must’ve worked because he crinkled up his face.

“Fuck it, fine,” he muttered. I grinned in victory and waved my arm for Pete to come with me. I began walking off to closet with the intention to find out what was going on. I looked to see if anyone was following and found I was alone. Drake, Rodney, and Derek haven’t left the table and were still fixated on the television. Erik, Jones, Jess, Pete, and I were ready to go,

“At this moment we would like to share a new aspect to the case,” the female reporter said.

“You three let’s go!” Jones ordered in his commanding tone of voice.

They ignored him though. “New evidence points to revealing the race of several of the gunmen,” the female reporter continued.

“Say what?” Derek gasped.

“Some of the victims were conscious throughout the whole ordeal,” the reporter’s tone took on this hopeful glee. “A lot of them have confirmed several details about the gunmen. It is now known that the gunmen masked their faces and wore dark clothing to protect their identities. However some of the survivors did report traits that are giving authorities some clues as to who these gunmen are.”

“Oh shit!” Derek voiced all our fears.

“It is reported that one of the gunmen wore a black jumpsuit with a red letter A on the back. It is unknown what it means but this might point to an affiliation with a specific group.”

Everyone’s eyes darted at me and I could feel their animosity toward me, it burned me up. “What? It’s my thing,” I nervously chirped.

“You’re throwing it out,” Jones stated viscously. I only thought of what I would say back but didn’t act on it.”

“Additionally,” the reporter continued. “A female was reported to be amongst the group.”

Now everyone looked at Jess who promptly crossed her arms over her chest. “Should’ve dressed more like a guy, I guess,” Jess said.

“One of gunmen was rather overweight.” We all looked at Pete and most of us snickered while he tried to tuck his gut in. “It is under speculation that one of them spoke with a distinct German accent.” Erik covered his mouth. “A specific gunman didn’t carry a gun at all and instead yielded a machete. In addition there was a gay pride symbol posted on his chest.”

We all stared angrily at Drake. “Rainbow power!” Drake shot his fist in the air and chanted.

“Lastly two of the gunmen are thought to be black due to several witnesses reporting they screamed the N word throughout the shooting.”

I racked my brain. Did they really? I remember they were having a good time but it was so loud in there. The screams, gunshots, and music overpowered any conversation. It was too jumbled to focus on one thing for too long. Anyways I find it hard to believe anyone heard anything, unless there were more people alive than I thought.

“Oh fuck,” Derek said and moved his hand to his mouth.

“Racists,” Rodney spat. “How’d they know we black? Someone else could’ve been yelling. Plenty of spiteful whites.” They both looked at me. I quickly got what they were implying.

I rolled my eyes. “You idiots should’ve been more careful,” I grinned wickedly as a thought crossed my mind. “Besides you guys should watch your backs,” I gestured at the entire café with my arm. “Look around. There aren’t a lot of blacks here. If they find this place then it’ll only be a process of elimination before they find you two.” I leaned back in triumph with this smug grin on my face.

The look on Derek’s face was priceless. I swear he was going to sweat his own face off. “Oh shit,” he murmured. “You’re right.”

Rodney sprung up. “Fuck this I’m out of here!” Before he could run, Jones grabbed him.

“Hey!” he snarled. “If you’re going anywhere then go to the closet.” Jones let go. “Besides there’s nowhere to run so you might as well hide.”

Rodney nodded. “Sounds good. Fuck it all.” He stiffly walked away with Derek closely behind him.

The rest of us stood up and went to the closet. My mind was being plagued by all this new information. The ponies know who we are or at least will figure it out. I can’t help but think that we weren’t careful enough. I mean I know we weren’t careful enough now but I still feel there is something that will come back to screw us over. And of course there is this new secret I’m being let on to. This whole thing makes me feel helpless. I hate it.

I want to break something. I want to burn Equestria down. Take a train to Canterlot or even Ponyville and destroy them. Maybe I could find Twilight Sparkle and just bash her head in with a brick just like what I did to that pony before I came to the shelter. And those survivors from the shooting I want to unplug their life supports and watch them die. All this is what could keep me safe and happy. Yet none of it is possible.

I balled my fist up as we entered the closet. It was just as cramped and dark as ever. I looked in the corner to find that the guns had been piled up in the corner. Erik must’ve put them there. Rodney and Derek were playing around with a jug of bleach.

“You think if we bleach ourselves we’ll turn another race?” Rodney asked as he swung the bleach jug around. Actually it was a good question.

“Nah, at best we’ll just turn a lighter shade,” Derek answered as he continued to inspect the chemicals around him. Actually he gave a good answer.

“Both of you,” Jones yelled at the two. “Have a seat. We need to talk about a few things.”

Jones took a seat and everyone else did too. At least the table in this closet has a place for everyone to sit. We had made sure of it when we set it up. I had made sure of it.

“I know, I know,” Rodney said and sat down with us at the table. “We’re letting Jim on the ups.”

“We’ll get to that,” Jones said. “But for now”

“Why didn’t we tell him it before?” Derek interrupted. “I mean Jim’s one of us and he’s stuck around for a while so that makes him part of the group.”

A swelling feeling took over my chest. I felt about ready to cry but I easily held it in. I muttered a soft “Thanks,” before I began losing myself in memories.

Back in middle school I didn’t have any friends, just bullies. Every day they would chase me down and do something mean to hurt me. As time went by it did get better but I don’t think about it a lot since I chose to disassociate myself with my past. But there was one day where I…

“Jim here was always one of us,” Erik put his hand on my shoulder. Instantly I was snapped out of my euphoric state and forced to listen to the conversation. “I knew that the moment he went out to face PAHI.” Erik looked me in the eye before again addressing the group. “But I understand that the situation was highly personal and nobody wanted to bring it up. So I kept my mouth shut.” Erik looked at me. “Jim, please forgive me.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Alright first things first,” Jones slammed his fist on the table. “I want to address what we have seen on the TV this morning.” He looked around at each of us. “It may be aware to most of you that our identities are at risk of being compromised.”

“Please,” Drake chuckled. “We’re done. It’s over. Lay loose man.”

“Are you fucking stupid?” Jones snarled like a beast. “I thought someone with a hobby like yours would know that things always can be traced back.”

“I’m well aware of that,” Drake retorted, sounding annoyed. “But I know that there won’t be enough evidence to trace it back to us. All they did was use some speculation to calm the public down. In reality they have no idea where to go with this.”

“So sure of yourself,” Jones stated coldly. He had crossed his arms and began a staring contest with Drake. The rest of us stayed back and I briefly entertained the idea of leaving the room. I would hate to see these two go at it. Not like in a sexy way but fighting, that’s what I mean.

“I am sure of myself,” Drake replied, putting his hand on his chest. “See, I learned a while ago that Equestria’s law enforcement isn’t really like Earth’s. They’re incredible incompetent. The way I see it, if some guy can kill an element of harmony in front of the world, and the only evidence they can get is he wore a yellow jacket. Then I believe anything is possible.”

I couldn’t hold it in. “Ahahhahha!” I burst out laughing. I don’t know if it was a nervous laugh or just an enjoyable laugh but it came out.

“Something funny, Jim?” Jones asked me, still keeping that cold edge.

“Hrm,” I cleared my throat and straightened myself out. “No I was just thinking of this joke about abortions.” Great cover.

“Oo, can we hear it?” Drake asked, suddenly very interested.

“Enough!” The sudden impact of Jess’ fist on the table startled all of us. I looked to see her hunched over the table, glaring at me with these angry eyes. It made me nervous and I was quick to regret being so close to her. “You!” she looked at Jones. “I would just trust Drake on this. He’s the expert. And besides,” she straightened herself out. “They don’t have anything on you. So why are you so worried?”

Jones just leaned back. “Yeah, I’m actually a little upset about that,” he grinned because it was a stroke of luck. I think it was worth being happy about.

Speaking of happiness, I can tell that Jess isn’t so happy right now. I mean I usually only see her unhappy but I only take it serious if it’s directed at me. This kind of unhappy worries me even if it’s not directed at me. It’s like how she acted the whole time we were preparing. It was unhappiness combined with sadness and misery. But I admire Jess for her attitude to endure the unhappiness and overcome it. That’s must be why I’m here.

“So,” Jess said and sat down with us. “Where does this all start?”

“I’ll begin,” Rodney said, leaning against the table. He looked at me as he started. “So Jim, I’ll just say that I was the first guy to find this place.” I could tell he took some pride in that. “I came here after me and Derek’s landlord kicked us out. I was busy searching for another place to kick it because we had the money, when Jess showed up.” Rodney briefly smiled at Jess. “She took us in, unaware that we weren’t homeless but I accepted because she offered free shit.”

“Room and board,” Derek commented. “It’s the best thing I’ve gotten since I came to this country.”

“I don’t see how any of this is important,” I said. “So you two got brought here, so what? I did too, remember?”

“That’s because you didn’t let me finish,” Rodney spat. He then paused and scrunched up his face. “Fuck I forgot where I was going with this.”

“I’ll help ya,” Erik said. “Basically we all arrived here after coming from wherever we originally came from. Jess picked us all up after finding us on the streets. I arrived after Rodney and Derek did. Jones was next and then Drake.” Erik looked up at the ceiling and then back down. “Yeah that was the order. Anyways it was after we were all collected that our little incident occurred.”

“Incident?” I raised an eyebrow. “That’s an interesting word.”

“I agree,” Erik said. “And it started at the Magic Mist.” Erik must’ve noticed the expression on my face. “Yes Jim, that Magic Mist. See this whole thing didn’t start with you.” Erik darted his eyes to his right. “It’s started with Derek here.”

With that Derek giggled. “Yeah back then I frequented the Magic Mist.” His face took on a sour turn, probably because he saw my own face. “Not like that! I looked at the human strippers. Mondays and Thursdays, ten o’clock p.m.” He face resumed a normal expression. “Anyways, one day I noticed there was a new stripper on the pole. And it took me a while but I recognized who it was.” Derek smirked like he had just told me something important. I was at a totally blank.

“Who was it?” I asked.

“Dude,” Derek flicked his head, arching it in one direction to his side.

“What? I don’t get it,” I began to get desperate to know the answer as Derek continued to be difficult. “Was it someone we know?”

“Yeah!” Derek nodded and flicked his head again.

“Oh my god. Jonesy!” I exclaimed. Jones buried his head in his hands.

“No!” Derek yelled. “Fucking. Pfft,” he twitched his face this time.

“Me?” I said now almost certain I had a secret past as a stripper that had been wiped from my memory. I blame television.

“Oh for the love of god!” I felt a hand grab me. I looked right into Jess’ eyes. “It was me!”

“Y-you?” I stammered. “Really?”

“Really Jim,” Jess put her hands onto her breasts and proceeded to run them down her body. “Do you think a body like this comes naturally?” I quivered a bit as I thought about it. “Stop staring,” Jess ordered and I quickly turned my head.

“So how long ago was this?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Derek shrugged. “Maybe a year before you got here, maybe less.” I put my hands over my face. “Yeah I watched her for a while. Never really approached her or anything, didn’t want her to recognize me.”

“Was she good at it?” I asked, removing my hands from my face.

“Jim!” Jones snarled at me. I shudder away in response while giving him the ‘what bro?’ face.

“She was amaaaazing!” Derek shrieked.

Jess blushed and turned her face away from us. “I had a good teacher.”

“Oo she did that routine too!” Derek added excitedly.

“We’re getting off topic,” Erik sighed. “Derek, how about you tell us what happened after Jess found you there.”

“No, wait,” I sat up straight and looked at Jess. “Why strip? Low on cash?”

“Yeah Jim,” Jess stated. There was this tone of disappointment in her voice. “I needed the money to pay for the shelter and its occupants.” She took a deep breath. “I was approached by a pony that called himself a businessman. He was a pimp.”

“A pimp?” I said and thought for a second. A pony pimp doesn’t sound very threatening. And I thought pimps are supposed to be tough. Guess not.

“Yeah, a pimp,” Jess replied. “He told me he could give me work at nights and I was only too eager to accept.”

“You mean you wanted to strip?” I asked, suddenly finding Jess a lot sexier than normal.

“No you idiot,” she growled. “I was told I would work the bar. I had to wear this little outfit but it was doable. My shifts were at night so”

“Wait,” I stopped her. “Tell me about this outfit.”

“Oh well, it wasn’t much. Because I didn’t strip they made me wear something different. It was this tight pink bra and these shorts that really hugged my curves. I had this constantly embarrassing cam” Jess stopped and started at me. I grinned back until Jones slapped me on the back of my head.

“Anyways,” Jess continued now majorly annoyed. “After a couple of bad nights the management,” she said the last part sarcastically. “decided there needed to be more strippers. And guess who they chose?” Jess’ expression dropped. “I was trained and then set up on stage.”

“And she killed it,” Derek said,gleefully.

“Yes,” Jess agreed. “I killed it. My pimp got a lot of money and in turn I earned a lot.”

“Was it enough?” I asked her. “To pay for the shelter.”

It took a while for Jess to answer. “No,” she finally said. “I was still behind on payments and more homeless were coming in each day. So I had to look for other options.”

“You found another job that pays better?” I suggested.

“No I worked harder,” Jess answered. “They are no jobs out there that fit in my schedule. So yeah I stripped more and earned more. And it was starting to be enough.”

I sensed a change in the story. “What happened next?”

“I happened,” Derek stated proudly. He was smiling to himself. “After seeing her I decided that the people have a right to know what they’re savior does at night. Shelter owner during the day, stripper by night.”

“Hold it,” Rodney put his hands on the table and stared at Derek. “You skipped an important part.” Rodney’s lips curled in a devious grin as Derek’s entire face contorted. Before Derek could do anything else, Rodney wrapped his arms around his friend’s head and put him in a head lock.

“What Derek didn’t tell you,” Rodney said as Derek struggled in his arms. “Was that before he told us about her, he decided to try and do some blackmailing. You know, get here to give him a couple of private shows.”

“Oh,” I said acting like I was a bit surprised. I can’t say it doesn’t sound like a good idea. I mean free lap dances sound alright. I know it’s borderline evil and totally perverted but it’s not like I was in the position.

“Continuing on from that,” Jones said. “When we learned,” Jones looked at Rodney. “Rod let Derek go,” Rodney did so and Jones continued. “When we learned that Jess was stripping, we became concerned.”

“Who’s we?” I asked.

“Me, Erik, Drake, Derek, and Rod,” Jones answered.

“Oh, you were friends before I came along?”

“Yeah?” Jones responded, clearly confused. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“No reason,” I lied. For some reason I had assumed that they started hanging out because of me. What a silly thought.

“Moving on,” Jones shook his head. “We eventually confronted Jess on the subject. None of us thought she should have to do something like that on out behaves. So we came up with a solution. All of us would get jobs and help her pay for the shelter.”

“How well did that turn out?” I asked but I already knew what the answer would be.

“Well, surprise, surprise, there were no jobs available to us,” Jones said sourly. “Everywhere we went wasn’t hiring our kind.”

“You mean ponies were refusing to hire humans?” I asked with this sly grin.

“Yeah pretty much,” Jones answered. “All the jobs weren’t looking for our person.”

I looked at Erik. “But you got a job. Well eventually you did.” A thought hit my mind. “So do you give the money to Jess and is that the reason you can’t get an actually home?”

“Yeah that’s what I do,” Erik admitted. I frowned.

“So you lied to me when you said that you couldn’t find a home?”

Erik didn’t even hesitate. “Yep I lied. But I doubt that they sell to humans?”

I balled my fist up. Damn liar! “What about you two?” I turned to Derek and Rodney. “You were drug dealers. Did you give your money to Jess?”

“A percent of it,” Rodney answered. “We agreed to share the wealth on the condition that we don’t sell to people here. We were doing well until” Rodney stared at Jess. “She decided to dump our only cache.”

“You broke my one rule,” Jess wagged her finger at Rodney. “Jim almost died. And the last thing I want is a bunch of homeless junkies around here. I mean if I didn’t stop you then the police would. My dad was a cop I know how they operate. They’ll come in here and search the place. And nobody would want that.”

“Whatever,” Derek snorted. “We weren’t going to get caught.” Jess stared at Derek, probably about to give him a lecture.

“Moving on again,” Jones said before things could get ugly. “Yes all of us failed to do what we needed so Jess had to continue her dreadful occupation. But we knew something had to be done.”

“That’s when this story takes an exciting twist,” Drake chimed in, wiggling around like a toddler in his seat.

“Drake you can tell this part,” Jones told him. “I know this is your favorite.”

“Yes!” Drake pumped his fist. “So Jim,” Drake put his arm around me. “After our shared failure it was time to confront the problem directly. The problem was Jess’ job, and who better to talk to about her job than Jess’ boss.”

“The pimp?” I asked.

“Correct,” Drake tugged on my nose, affectionately. “It was going to be so easy. I mean five humans trying to convince a pony to give our friend better pay, no problem right?”

“Right?” I replied, unsure of what he was trying to say.

“Right!” Drake nodded hyper like. “Only it wasn’t right. Everything was supposed to go smoothly. We’d walk in and surround the pony. Maybe ruff him up a bit and then everything would’ve been fine. Jess would’ve gone back behind the counter serving drinks and everyone would be happy.” Drake sighed. “Except when we got there we were the ones that got roughed up.”

“Shit,” I shrugged. “I’d figure that a pony wouldn’t fuck you guys up.”

“It was a bunch of ponies,” Drake said. “All carrying knives and clubs. And there was this one big human bouncer guy, bigger than Jones.”

“I killed him,” Jess suddenly blurted out. We all looked at her. “Jim saw. When we were out in the hallway. He was running towards us so I shot him.” She paused. “He deserved it. Always used to grab my ass when I walked by.” I grinned. Good to see Jess had no remorse.

“Fuck yeah,” Drake held his fist to Jess who returned the gesture. “That idiot was the one that clobber my face. Glad he’s out of the way.” Drake still had his arm around me which I didn’t mind, I even welcomed it. But now he stopped talking and he just clung to me.

“Um Drake?” I said. “The story?”

“I’m getting there,” Drake tightened his hold on me. “You know you really have no idea what you did? Whatever you’ll learn. So the ponies did in fact rough us up. Threatened us, told us they’ll hurt our families, bragged about their power, the works. Well we left the place in a hurry and had to recuperate for a moment. We stayed outside for a while and thought about what to do next. Oh yeah, Jess didn’t know we were visiting.”

“Is that important?” I asked.

“Of course it’s fucking important!” Drake snapped. “I wouldn’t be telling it if it wasn’t important. Anyways Jess didn’t know we were trying to fight for her freedom. So she saw what happen. Jess?” Drake motioned with his head.

“Yeah,” Jess murmured and cleared her throat. “I was there after the little conversation the boys had with my pimp and his ponies. They were angry,” Jess paused. “So angry. They wanted to kill you all.” Jess looked at everyone. “But my pimp talked them down. All except for one of the ponies. His name was Fast Lane.”

I rolled my eyes at the name. Stupid Equestrian names. “Classic,” I muttered.

“He wasn’t,” Jess said. “He was a young newcomer wanting to prove himself. I remember him getting drunk often and always running around the place looking for a fight. My pimp actually took him under his wing. Ironic that my pimp was a Pegasus. Point is my pimp ran the Magic Mist and Fast Lane wanted to prove himself to him.”

“So he goes after you guys,” I put the puzzle together.

“Yep,” Drake squeeze me tighter. “He came over to us trying to act all tough.” Drake looked at Jones with this accusatory glare. “He started it.”

“All I did was shut him up,” Jones crossed his arms. “Erik was the one that made it worse by kicking him while he was down.”

“Excuse me but I was angry,” Erik pouted. “Besides I only did it because Rodney was holding him down.”

“Yeah well, so what?” Rodney growled. “I never intended to break his windpipes. Drake!”

“It was an accident!” Drake moaned. “I didn’t think I would suffocate him. Besides at least I didn’t piss on him.”

We all looked at Derek who leaned back. “I’ll admit, I had a few in me,” he stated coolly. “But I didn’t mean for it to go on his face. It was just the only place you guys weren’t blocking.”

“You didn’t have to take such a long time,” Rodney growled at his friend.

“I just said I had a few in me!” Derek protested.

“Wait! Hold on a second!” I freed myself from Drake’s hold and stood up so I could see everyone. “You guys killed a pony?”

“Well Drake is the one responsible for the damage to the trachea,” Erik said, shrugging.

“But it was Jones that started it,” Drake whined.

“You guys are missing the point,” Jones stated. “Yes I tackled the bitch but I never intended to fuck him up the way we did.”

“You beat him to death with a pipe you found in the trash!” Rodney pointed at Jones. “The very least you can do is take responsibility.”

“Hey Erik handed me the murder weapon,” Jones said. “Besides I figured if it all went down then we would all take credit. We were all there when it happened so that makes us all guilty.”

“In my defense,” Erik prompted. “I just thought we should put the fool out of his misery. I didn’t expect Jones to practice his forehand on the bastard.”

“I think you guys are leaving out my contribution,” Derek said proudly. “My DNA is all over that four legged mess. So if anyone was going to get arrested it would’ve been me.”

“By the way,” Drake said with a flirty tone, looking at Derek. “You have a big dick for someone your size.”

“It’s because I’m black,” Derek smiled to himself as his ego was boosted. But then he winced. “What do you mean by my size?” he viciously growled at Drake.

“That’s enough!” Jess yelled, startling all of us. “You guys killed somepony, get used to it!”

“Damn,” I muttered and sat down. I can’t believe how shaky these guys are. “I thought me crushing somepony’s head in with a brick was harsh.”

“Wait, when did you,” Jess shook her head. “Listen Jim the story is almost over. Want to hear how it ends?”

“Yeah,” I grunted, trying to not let my enthusiasm show.

“Alright well my pimp and his goons discovered pretty quick what happened to Fast Lane,” Jess explained. “These idiots decided to dump his body in a trash can about a block away.” She looked at each one of them. “Why not just put him in the river?” Everyone shrugged. “Anyways my pimp found him and it was only a matter of time before they traced the killer back.”

“How?” I asked. “How’d they know?”

“They didn’t,” Jess answered. “They just figured it was them. But here’s the catch, the ponies were scared.”

“Scared?” I smiled, impressed. “They should be.”

“They were,” Jess agreed. “He was pretty messed up when they found him.” Jess looked at Jones. “You really need to control yourself.”

Jones shrugged. “I was just having fun,” he said. “It felt like the old days.”

“You’re not in the Middle East anymore, honey,” Jess shook her head again. “But anyways the ponies at the Magic Mist were so startled that they called for backup.” Jess put her finger under her chin. “I don’t know who they were but they must’ve been ponies from upper Manehattan. They all were too well groomed to be from around here. But they trotted around like they owned the place. It figures they knew where I lived. They got contacts everywhere from what I’ve heard.”

“What!” I exclaimed. “Ponies came here! To the shelter?”

“Walked right through the front door,” Jess waved her hand. “Came looking for me.”

“Did you fight them off?” I asked excitedly. This was turning out to be a great story.

“Not exactly,” Jess said. “It was more businesslike. They came in with this cold decisiveness. They knew who I was and they claimed they knew the people responsible for Fast Lane’s murder.” Jess paused. “I was given a deal.”

“A deal?” I thought for a second. “Sounds like what a business would do.”

“Yeah and that’s how they treated it,” Jess said. “They told me I would no longer have to work at the Mist. They didn’t want any more trouble that I brought. However I would have to agree to a payment plan. They would pay for all of the expenses of the shelter in exchange for a smaller payment every month.”

“Sounds like a good deal,” I said.

“It’s not that simple,” Jess said sadly. “Sure my expenses were paid and I didn’t have to work at that horrid place again. But the catch was the ponies didn’t want any more homeless humans roaming the streets. Odd? Good because I don’t understand either. They didn’t want humans roaming the streets anymore and they didn’t give me a reason. They just told me to bring them here.”

I felt my left facial muscles twitch. More than that there was this weird feeling of lightness in my head. I can’t explain it.

“What, you seriously don’t?” I asked in disbelief. “It’s so obvious, the reason.”

“Please, Jim, enlighten me,” Jess said with a sudden bored expression.

“Well,” I thought about it in my head. If they don’t want us on the streets it’s because we’re spread out. It makes sense to pen us up. If my enemy was all around me I would want to put them in a place I can control. Control, that’s it! They’re trying to control us! It’s what they always do.

“Jim we’re waiting,” Jess said.

All eyes were on me. “Alright,” I began. “It’s simple. They force us to live here and they have a better grip on the human populace. They know where we are and they can make sure we live under their rules.” I received blank stares. “They’re concentrating us in one place.” I pointed at Erik. “You’re people would know a lot about that.”

It took a while for it to take effect, but when it did Erik just went along with it. “Oooh,” Erik chuckled. “You fucking bastard, I understand you though.” He quickly calmed himself. “But the flaw in your idea is ponies aren’t trying to commit genocide.”

“No,” I agreed. “But they are herding us. That is the first step. Next they’ll be telling us we’re no longer welcome in Equestria. Just wait, they’ve encircled us and will come in for the kill.”

“Enough with the conspiracies, Jim,” Erik groaned. “We’ve heard them enough.”

“Oo tell us about that one,” Rodney laughed. “The one where the ponies locked up innocents in the Mid-West.”

“Or the one where the government is under mind control of the ponies,” Derek chimed in.

“Those are all true!” I snarled. “And we’re living it! Here’s proof.”

“Jim, I’ve given this some thought,” Jess told me. “I don’t know why they wanted me to round up the homeless. But I’ll do it because now I have the ability to and because I want to. These humans that everyone has forgotten need help and I can do it. It doesn’t matter why, what matters is that I do it.”

I scoffed. “Keep telling yourself that,” I sneered at Jess. “But when those ponies say, I have altered the deal, pray I don’t alter it further, you’ll know.” I waited for someone to catch on.

“Darth Vader?” Erik said. I smirked that someone got the reference.

“Whatever,” Jess growled at me. “You know our secret now, so what are you going to do with it?”

I looked around at all of them until my focus came to Pete. It would have been hard to remember he was here. He didn’t contribute once to the conversation and instead just listened. I wonder what he’s thinking being the only other person to hear this secret.

“I don’t know,” I answered Jess’ question. Then I looked at Pete. “Pete, what do you think of all of this?”

He stiffened up, probably not expecting to contribute to this conversation. “Well,” he started shyly, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s all a lot to take in.”

“Don’t be bashful,” I said to him. “Just tell me what you think about it. Start with what we learned.”

“We learned that we were lied to,” Pete stated sourly. “They didn’t tell us that what we did was a revenge plot. Last night wasn’t to kill ponies; it was to get personal revenge. They lied to us.”

I smiled, glad to see someone was at least as smart as me. I looked at everyone that had lied. Erik, Jones, Jess, Rodney, Derek, and Drake. They’re just the same as my friends from high school. They lied.

“That’s exactly what the fuck I was thinking!” I slapped my fist on the table, finally letting some anger out. “You fucking assholes, leading me to think you were helping me out! Lied, all of you.”

“We didn’t lie to you,” Jones protested. “We just didn’t tell you what was really going on. Now if we made up a story then we lied to you.”

“I just want to know why you didn’t tell me sooner,” I spat. “It would’ve cleared things up.”

There was a short silence. In the short passage the tension in the room suddenly became unbearable. Nobody really had an answer but eventually Derek said something. “Because it’s none of your damn business.”

“Hey, exactly,” Jones grinned. “It isn’t your business. So shut up, Jim.”

I crossed my arms in anger. The need to explode in a fit of rage seems like such a good option right now. But throwing a temper tantrum isn’t something adults do. So I’ll restrain myself but I can’t deny the feeling of hate towards these people. To think they would include me in their scheme. I’m my own boss.

“Jim,” I looked up to see Pete nudging me. “Do you realize that the people here are refugees?”

The thought then started in my mind. Yes of course. The homeless here are those that have lost everything and now they have to be sent here. That makes sense.

“Not you too kid,” Jones shook his head. “No one here is a refugee. We’ve just fallen on hard times.”

“I’m not on hard times,” Pete said. “I could’ve gone home any time. I’m just staying because I have to now.”

“You don’t have to stay,” Erik told Pete. “You should’ve left the minute you could. Now you’re tainted.”

“I didn’t think I could leave,” Pete explained. “Everything was happening so fast it was hard to understand at first.”

“Pete,” Jess put her hand of the boy’s arm. “You can still leave. Go back to your family.”

Pete shrugged her off. “I don’t want to leave,” he said. “I wanted to be a part of Jim’s plan. It’s what I asked for. After the pony cops beat me I’ve started having feelings of”

“Stop!” Jones interrupted, holding his arms out as if he were about to fall. “You got molested by pony cops?”

“Yeah?” Pete answered, obviously not understanding the tone Jones was using.

“Oh yeah Jim told me about that,” Drake spoke up. “Yeah Jim found him getting his ass kicked. And he didn’t get molested, Jones. Molested is what happened to me, remember?”

“Pete, why didn’t you mention it?” Jess asked but then turned her attention to me. “And why didn’t you tell us?”

“It wasn’t that important,” Pete answered.

“What he said,” I nervously added.

“What is important is I finally understand why it happened.” There was a glint of triumph in Pete’s eye, I can see it. I listened closely to what he had to say. “I was only planning to stay one night on the street and then try and find a way home. But then those two came up to me.”

“Did they have a reason?” Jess asked. “I mean cops don’t do something like that for no reason.”

“Um,” Pete put his hand on his chin. “They mostly just yelled at me. At first they were asking questions like who I was and why I was there. I didn’t answer the right way, I guess, and they got angry. Then they started to threaten me and before I knew it they were clubbing me.”

“But why?” I had to ask.

Rodney answered for Pete. “Because the police are assholes! Trust me on this.”

“Me and Rod used to get tailed all the time,” Derek added. “Five O hates everything.”

“Well you guys are drug dealers,” I said. Both of them glared at me.

“Listen Pete. Can you tell us what the cops said to you?” Jones asked.

“Not really,” Pete shyly stated. “They said they would fuck me up and while they did so they keep calming me stuff like homeless trash or garbage sifter.” Pete looked at me. “Then Jim saved me so it all worked out in the end.”

“I would have let the cops have their way and then dragged you off to finish you myself,” Drake said in a bragging tone. It earned him a swift punch from Jess.

“Again, Drake, it’s a good thing I’m not you,” I smirked at him. “Anyways, Pete. Don’t you see something off about all this?”

“Um,” Pete concentrated for a moment. “No?”

“Well,” I placed a hand on my chest. “To me it sounds like they beat you up over being homeless.”

“I wouldn’t put it past them,” Rodney muttered.

“Sure but think about it,” I elaborated. “It sounds like they targeted him just for trying to get a night’s rest. It wasn’t like they were accusing him of drugs or just doing it for the hell of it. That night it seemed like they had sought him out.”

“Well they were drunk so maybe that has something to do with it,” Pete said.

“No,” I shook my head. What he said disproves what I was trying to say. “I think the truth is homeless aren’t welcome around here.” I looked around. “Let’s face it. There are no government programs to help us. Jess here takes money from some shady group. And cops hunt for homeless to crush. Don’t you guys think this all starting to sound bad?”

“It does sound bad,” Erik said venomously. “You’re doing it again.”

“I’m being serious,” I growled at him. “The proof is sitting right there.” I pointed at Pete. “We’re being rounded up. The ponies are after us and this shelter is the only thing standing in the way from our annihilation. If it wasn’t for Jess we would all end up like Pete. It’s a good thing she runs the only homeless shelter in the city and comes looking for us. If not we would be dead. Plain and simple.”

I stopped myself and looked at everyone. None of them looked impressed with me. I don’t blame them since I have told them things like this before. But I demand recognition. Everything is coming together now. Jess provoked the actions of the guys and things got out of hand. So to stop it from getting even more out of hand the ponies made a deal. Jess would have to keep the humans in control by sheltering us. And if she missed any than the ponies would deal with it. It’s genius but evil.

I looked at Jess. She had that look on her face. This look occurs when she’s worried about something and thinking hard on it. She always looked to her left side when she’s doing it. The last time I saw it was when we were discussing the shooting.

“You!” I pointed at her. I caught her off guard because she flinched when I spoke. “You knew about this all along. You knew cops were going after the homeless.”

“I, um, well that,” Jess stammered around.

“I mean, why else would you come looking for us?” I continued. “You do it every night, I see you. Wouldn’t it be easier to just let us come to you?”

“Jim. Watch yourself,” Jones warned.

“How did you get here?” I pointed to Jones. “And you guys,” I pointed to Drake and Erik next.

“You should really stop while you’re ahead,” Erik snarled at me.

“No!” I shouted and sprung up. “We were brought here for a reason and you all know it!”

“So what if we were?” Jones spat at me. “It’s not like we can leave now. We’ve just initiated war against them. No going back now.”

“War!” I exclaimed. “God damn it, we really are refugees.” Jones shuddered and diverted his eyes, I knew I got him.

I angrily looked at each one of them. They all stared at me. I could tell they each thought not so kindly of me. I can guess what each of them is probably thinking. Jones and Erik think the same so they probably are plotting ways to kill me. Rodney and Derek also think the same and they’re idiots so they’re thinking of ways to poke fun at me later. Drake only cares about killing. Jess knows she’s caught. As for Pete.

He stood up. “I think Jim is right.”

“You what?” I shot him a look.

“Kid, don’t be stupid,” Jones shook his head. “You need to keep a clear head.”

“It’s not about that!” Pete shot back surprising everyone. “Were you the one getting clubbed on the cold street? Were you the one getting harassed because of your specie? No you weren’t.”

“That stuff doesn’t matter,” Erik said, most likely coming to Jones’ rescue. “We all had to suffer. Get used to it.”

“Yeah but,” Pete pointed to me. “He was the one that helped me out. Jim is the reason I’m here today. And I for one am very thankful that I’m here. I know you guys have nowhere to go and had to do what we did because it was the only route left. But I’m the only one that chose to do this. And I am glad I made the right decision. Jim’s right, ponies are evil.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, even me. Sure I should be happy for the support but this is coming from Pete. Out of all of us he’s the baby of the group. More than that he never really was into it like I am. He didn’t even fire all his bullets last night that’s how out of it he is.

“Pete,” Jess spoke quietly. “How about you get on a bus and get to the closest portal. I can pay for it.”

“No point,” Jones stated with little emotion in his voice. “He’s staying now. It’s his choice. Look at him,” Jones looked at Jess and pointed at Pete. “You really think he’s the same, that any of us are the same now? He’s gone, nothing left to recover. He’s like them.” I took note how Jones motioned to me. It angers me because I don’t know what he’s implying.

“Hey you pointed at me too,” Drake protested. “What’s wrong with me?”

“You kill people for enjoyment,” Jones rolled his eyes. “That’s fucked up.”

Drake giggled. I wasn’t feeling the same way he was.

“Fuck you guys,” I growled and turned around. I walked for the door.

“Where are you going?” Jess asked me, rising from her seat.

I turned around to look at her. “Anywhere that isn’t with you traitors. Come on Pete.” I walked out the door only to return later to drag Pete out with me. We were walking down the hallway to the exit.

I was pulling him by his arm when he asked me. “Where are we going?”

“Don’t know,” I answered. “Don’t care either. We’re gunna get away from those assholes for a while.”

“Are they really assholes?” Pete asked.

“Uh yeah,” I raised an eyebrow. “They lied to us so they’re assholes. Simple logic.”

“But what if they had a reason,” Pete persisted. “What if they were trying to protect us? Maybe so we wouldn’t be involved with them?”

“Bullshit,” I held my hand to open the door to the outside. “They are greedy and vengeful. All they wanted us for is to serve their revenge. They don’t care about us.” I pushed against the exit door and walked Pete outside.

I wasn’t looking where I was going because I was busy explaining to Pete, so I evidently walked into something. I fell to the ground and took Pete down with me. When I finally got to look up, a tall figure looked down at me.

“Woah there, Jim, you need to watch where you going,” a deep southern voice spoke to me. Casey stood over me before giving me a hand up. I in turn helped Pete up.

“Thanks,” I murmured after I was on my feet.

“Good to see you boys are alright,” Casey said. “Also congratulations on last night. You guys did a good job.”

“Casey?” A though popped in my head as I brushed myself off from the dust on the ground. “Did you know Jess was a stripper and made a deal with the ponies at that strip club?”

“Yes sir,” Casey almost seemed proud of his knowledge. “I was there when the deal was made. Was just doing my rounds with Rod and Derek when it went down. I made sure that a fair deal was made.”

“Oh,” I nodded my head. Fucking knew it. I looked at Pete. “Take a good look, Pete. Liars are everywhere.” I lamely looked back at Casey.

“You boys should head inside,” Casey stated. I could tell he felt uneasy by my stare. “It’s not exactly safe for you right now. People are scared. Police might be looking for suspects.”

“Whatever, you’re right. Let’s go Pete,” I turned around and walked back for the door.

“Do you by any chance know where you’re keeping the guns?” Casey asked.

“Those?” I thought back, as I opened the entrance door. “They’re in the closet.”

“Oh,” Casey paused. “Where is everyone else?”

“They’re in the closet too,” I answered. We all stepped inside.

“So,” Casey put on a sly, smug expression. “I take it you boys are out of the closet now?”

I stopped walking and glared at Casey. “You motherfucker,” I laughed because it felt good.

All of us helped Casey pack the guns up. We loaded them into Frank’s orange pickup truck that Casey drove here with. It was kind of sad to see the guns go but it had to be done. I gave a quick kiss to the uzi before seeing it go away.

Everybody said goodbye to Casey as he stepped into the truck. I was still a bit wary of them but honestly I’ll live. Still don’t view them as I did but I’m not abandoning my new home. I have to get them back for this.

“Say Jim,” Casey called to me just as I was about to go back inside. Everyone else was already inside.

“Yeah?” I turned to face him.

“Get over here,” he waved for me.

I approached him sitting in the driver’s seat. He reached into his pocket and handed me a small business card. It read out an address. 159 Willowbrook road.

“Come visit me and Frank some time,” Casey said. “Wouldn’t mind getting to know you better.”

I smiled a bit. “Thanks but I kind of made a promise to Frank to never see him again.”

“Yeah he told me,” Casey said uncaringly while rubbing his neck. “Fuck it; think of an excuse to come over. Tell him anything. Just that you needed to see him for some important reason. He'll buy it.”

“Really?” My heart fluttered a bit.

“Sure,” Casey nodded and started the truck up. It roared to life. “Frank isn’t that angry. Trust me.”

“Wow,” I crammed the card into my pocket. “Thanks I’ll try.”

“Take care, Jim,” Casey said goodbye one more time and drove off.

I was left behind the shelter all alone. But I was happy. I may be alone now but I’m happy. I thought this was impossible. My friends are liars and deceitful but it doesn’t matter. This shelter is my home now and I’m going to have to get used to it. Besides I still have one true friend.

With a quick turn of my heels I marched back to my shelter. I smiled at how the sun was shining and it was nice and warm out. It’s February, why the hell am I not cold? Equestrian needs to learn how to regulate season soon or I’m gunna start enjoying it here.

Before I could set foot into the shelter again, Jones blocked my path through the doorway. “Hey, weren’t you supposed to turn off the music last night?”

A lump formed in my throat and I coughed to relieve it. “Um, yeah,” I grinned nervously, expecting a verbal reprimand.

“Well I’m glad you didn’t. That song was killer!” he exclaimed.

Chapter 1: The world as it is today

You know what really sucks? Being the only sane person in a world of crazy, or two worlds of crazy as is my case. I feel like this is somehow my fault like it was me who dreamed up the worst possible scenario and from that dream it came true. But I should probably start from the beginning so you can know how life became so crazy.

I remember it was a normal sunny day when they came. It was just like in the disaster movies that were about the end of the world. These giant blue portals, about the size of skyscrapers, opened all over the world. They just appeared out of nowhere and nobody had an explanation where they came from. Scared the living hell out of anyone near them and people entered this state of panic and confusion. It was kind of fun living around that time of panic. I remember I got out of school for about a week or so. But anyways, the panic didn't too long. It stopped when they came out of them. Little ponies. They came out and greeted us with outstretched hooves. Now humankind can be cruel to the unexplained and taboo but this wasn’t the case. There were no governments abducting them and paranoid soldiers blasting at the slightest movements. It was just… peaceful. But no a good kind of peaceful, it was a bad kind of peaceful. The kind that will later come to bite all of humanity when we least expect it.

Here’s where I thought that something different could have happened. If only fate had not been so devious and God not so unkind. But who came flapping in but the bronies. Back before the portals anyone who spent a good amount of time on the internet discovered them and the show that the ponies came from. The internet phenomenon that started in 2010 had been what tilted the world into insanity. You see it is the bronies that made the world how it is now. The accursed bronies that spearheaded relations into Equestria and made our fates intertwined by connecting our cultures.

Now where was I when this all happened? Well I was sixteen and had nothing to do with bronies at all. I knew about them of course anyone who spent a good amount of time on the internet did. Hated them of course, anyone who didn’t buy into the hype did. From their stupid conventions to their analysis videos I hated it all. But I never thought of it as mindless hate. I had general criticism about Brony ideology as a whole that I personally felt was credible and deeply thought out. Like the fact that there was controversy of what actually made a brony. I’ve heard several accounts that you had to watch the show to become one. Others told me that you had to interact in the community. And others told me that it was just a silly title that you choose to call yourself. My hatred was at the time just frustration about the whole thing. Of course I never let any of my anger and hate out because I knew nobody would listen and just dismiss me as a troll.

When I first found out that it was ponies on the other side of those portals I literally underwent a psychotic episode. It was my friends who first told me so at first I thought it was a lie. They tortured me with it all day at school until finally I went home and looked it up. Seeing it put me into a raging state. I threw a tantrum and wrecked my bedroom. Things spiraled down from there. You could say something snapped inside me and it was like I became a different person. I stopped caring about things and one day it took a turn for the worst.

I attacked one of my friends when he finally pushed me too far. He was doing something that made me mad. I forget what he was doing but the anger inside me took hold and I ended up badly mutilating his face and blinding him when I dug my fingers into his eyes and even bit him. I have never been a violent person just a little loud speaking and confrontational but not violent. Everything changed for me after that. I was admitted to therapy which was a waste of time. I actually faked being cured and did my best to patch relationships with everyone I had affected. Still that was pretty much the end of my social life in high school. I became a loner after that and I was fairly miserable.

But what about the ponies? Well as I said the bronies spearheaded the relations. From what I heard the governments of the world let a certain number of bronies and the creators of the show be the first to make legitimate contact with them. It must have gone well because from then on we have been on good terms with our new Equestrian neighbors. Earth as a whole welcomed Equestria into our lives as new friends. Now if you think humanity is evil and cruel you would be shocked to know that the governments of Earth actually made a treaty to leave all of Equestria to the ponies. This means that Equestria was actually a recognized nation meaning they were given a seat in the international political realm. I knew that this would be bad.

That is where I really started to lose my cool. All the celebrity bronies and anyone who was related with the show in any way were now actual celebrities. All the brony internet superstars were now treated like gods. The cast members were more famous than ever and every pony in Ponyville was now a deity. Just for being related to a fad they had become legends. It was too much for me and I learned to hinder animosity for anything related to bronies and ponies alike. In fact I made it my duty to hate anything remotely related to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Harsh but I find it extremely necessary.

As for the show it had skyrocketed in popularity even after it was cancelled during season eight due to the appearance of the portals. I always found it odd that the show could exist and Equestria could exist in the same dimension without creating a paradox. Seems impossible for a fictional world to be real but being fiction is why it is somewhat explainable. The theory is that universes that were created in the human imagination could potentially exist and it was a miracle the My Little Pony universe connected with ours. Something about a one in ten zillionth of a chance. The theory to me is a load of horse shit and doesn't make any sense. But I didn’t care about making sense anymore after all that was going on. The fact that the world had become a big Bronycon and ponies were real made me into someone I thought I'd never become. What I became of course was a hopeless mess.

A long time ago I had a dream that I would become something amazing and make it good and get a comfortable life. Well with the introduction of ponies and the bronies’ rising fame I went into a state of insanity. I felt no more reason to be anything. If ponies were real and the hacks that were devoted to a kid’s show could become famous for being idiotic, then I saw no reason to continue to try.

As pony and human relations blossomed into some kind of humanitarian movement, I started to grow into a more despicable person. My grades plummeted and by the time I graduated I had no friends and more importantly no future. My parents were devastated and some of my friends were too. But of course their pity and want to help only angered me. But they shouldn’t have pissed off someone who has their own car. I ran away from home. Why? My brony hate was well known with my friends. When the ponies came they thought it would be funny to pick on me. Ripping off my friend’s face had awoken them and they had laid off. We drifted apart after that which just furthered my hatred. I was abandoned for being the victim. At therapy I had admitted to being a hater of bronies and told them the story of my friends constantly poking at me with the subject just to get a response. The response from my therapist was exactly what I expected but it still made me angry. She basically told me to get over myself but I couldn’t. So seeing that there was nothing for me at home I left.

From then on I became a drifter going from place to place. One of my friends who was never a brony and was actually one of my last contacts had tried to convince me to join the marines. But I had given up on humanity and let him go in alone. I managed to follow the ponies and bronies and to my horror things were getting better. By the time I was twenty it was possible to travel to Equestria and back and many humans and ponies did this. Soon I saw ponies on the streets experiencing this new land. It infuriated me but I took no action. I followed the now celebrities of the new world. On the television I saw the mane six and the cast members had become friends with each other. Brony celebrities were acting like they’ve always been some sort of special and getting attention that they shouldn’t have. All of it made me sick.

At age twenty two I bought a mini Uzi with the small amount of money I had earned. Then I bought a ticket to Equestria. I arrived in one on the big cities that had arisen due to human architecture in Equestria. With the Uzi tucked inside my draws I had the intention to open fire in one of the big malls in the city. My reasoning would be to send a message to ponies that they are scum. I knew full well that going in there I would either be shot by the cops or by myself. My only fear would be that people would just think of me as some kind of whack job and deem me insane. So I had written a note and kept it on my person so people would know my true extent.

However upon trying to get entrance into the mall I was stopped by a police officer in the parking lot. Somehow he could see that I was carrying a weapon. Why he was looking down at my crotch I don’t know? So after confiscating my gun he told me to empty my pockets which I did on command since I wasn’t looking to get my face slammed into the asphalt. That was how the cop had discovered my note. At first I was embarrassed and demanded that he not read it. But he did and after a while he just looked at me. Finally after what seemed like forever he told me to come with him. I asked if I was under arrest but he didn’t answer. So after being escorted into his cruiser we took off. By then I was starting to feel out of it. My mission had failed and I was about to get hauled off to jail.

But as I started to notice we were heading out of the city and into a greener environment. I asked the officer where we were going and if I was going to prison. He only looked in the rearview mirror and smiled. I remained silent the whole time until we arrived at our destination. He opened the door and told me to step out. When I did he greeted me with a smile and patted me on the back. I had been very surprised by what was going on but I was also cautious. From my position and what had been going on that day I swore he was about to come onto me. But this never happened and he directed me in the direction of an old shack in the woods.

From the front door a man greeted me and the cop. They revealed that they knew each other and were looking for my help. From that day on I have been one of them. An anarchist devoted to the crumbling of society, pony or human.

Author's Note

This is my first story but feel free to judge it based on its quality.

Chapter 5: Me, Twilight, and logic

For a minute I thought that they weren’t dead. Just in a coma or something. There’s no way ponies would kill; they’re too peace oriented as we've always been told to believe. As far as I know the mane six aren’t murderers. But as I reached over and prodded Bill’s chest I could feel the lifelessness inside of it. No reaction from his eyes and it was like his muscles were constantly flexing. Kyle laid with his mouth still open like before he died his thoughts came to a shocking conclusion. Myriad looked like an angel in that it looked peaceful the way she died. She didn't look dead but I know better. The major players in my life are gone; killed by the major enemies in my life.

I’m not going to cry that isn’t going happen. My tear ducts have been out of work for so long they don’t even work anymore. Still the shock of it all got to me. It was like getting an injury and then seeing the cut later and how bad it is. After you see blood you start to freak out. That’s how I felt. Like someone took a stab at me and I just haven’t acknowledged it yet. Truthfully I knew they were dead as I watched the rubble crush them but I never felt the gravity of it till now.

Behind me the conversation with Zayn must have reached the end. I heard hoof steps starting to go away from me. They still hadn’t spotted me but even if they did it wouldn’t matter to me. What would they say if they saw the bodies and I told them who did it? All they would say is they’re so sorry and tell me to come with them. They probably wouldn't even take the blame for it. That's how heartless they are.

My mind raced with the possibilities of what would come next. Where would I go now? What should I do now? Should I leave the bodies here? Am I alone again? Without this fake organization it seems like my life isn’t going to have direction again. I'll have to leave town and drift from place to place as I find ways to feed myself and live day to day. As I was mourning, I was interrupted.

“Wait who are you?” The voice of Twilight Sparkle spoke from behind me. Her voice still hasn't changed from the show. She still sounds like she did throughout the span of Friendship is Mafic. The only difference now is she tries to speak more regal sounding so she can sound authoritative. I know this because I've listened to her on the radio and TV and every once in a while she'll slip and go back to that younger and softer voice.

I turned around to the sound and we met eye to eye. Her pupils, like all ponies, were endless holes something I found kind of creepy but everyone else thought were adorable. Seriously how can people think that pupils that big can look cute? Maybe in the show but the real thing made them look like some kind of alien and not the cute kind.

She was alone now; her friends must have left already. I didn’t respond for I could not find the words to make a remark. I was speechless with a blank mind that won't work when the enemy was right in front of me. I felt vulnerable. This didn’t stop her from speaking.

“Sorry about the startling explosion.” She said. “I didn’t know there were people on the other side of that wall. At least no pony got hurt.” I looked back at my friends all lying side by side. Yeah at least no pony got hurt.

“What are you looking at?” she asked taking steps forward. My fists clenched as she got closer and that anger of mine set in. Bolting to my feet I walked away from the rubble and up to Twilight. I wouldn’t let her see the murders. I would let her and her friends stay ignorant. Why? So when I kill them I can justify myself by saying they purposely caused damage to an unsound building and then didn’t even check if any one was hurt. People will be so shocked that their heroes could be so reckless they’ll throw them away from their list of role models. But first I would introduce myself.

I pulled my fist back and struck Twilight right in-between her eyes. Except that didn’t really happen in real life. I imagined it happening but instead my arms stood still at my sides. If I hit her then she would blast me with magic and send me off to jail. It seems like my logic was again getting in the way. If I acted now then I would never have the chance to act again and then my quest would be over. Could I even kill her? With what my bare hand? How strong is she? Does she even lift?

“Uh are you okay?” Twilight said looking at me oddly. I must have looked weird just standing there. Probably should respond. Conversation might clear my head.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I responded smugly. Bitch doesn’t deserve an explanation.

“Alright then, how about names?” She smiled almost nervously. Was I really acting that awkward? “You probably know my name already so how about yours?” I scratched my nose and walked away from the rubble hoping to divert her attention. It worked.

“You know I really could if I really wanted to.” I said putting my hands together behind my back since it was easier to control them back there. Didn’t want to do something I would regret.

“Um come again.” Twilight said confused.

“I was this close Twilight.” I made a pinching motion with my fingers before putting them back behind my back. “This close.”

“Close to what?” Twilight asked slightly annoyed. That wasn’t a good thing. As a princess and one of the leaders of Equestria, she could do anything to me be that crush me like an ant or worst send me to prison. I had to end this quick. I decided I wouldn’t try anything. Too many ways it could go wrong and besides it wasn’t worth it. All that would happen would either I hurt her or she hurts me. Not worth it in the long run if I’ll just be confined to a prison for the rest of my life for assaulting a princess.

“To just being there.” I stammered. “But I don’t think any of that matters now.”

“Wait are you a friend of Zayn?” Twilight suddenly asked. I turned to her.

“Zayn ain’t my friend.” I growled. What made her get that idea?

“Discord mentioned that Zayn had other friends. Are you” she began to look behind her towards the rubble pile. My spine tingled and I raced to block her view.

“Is Discord the most trustworthy individual to trust?” It was obvious that Twilight still didn’t trust Discord even after all these years. What was it seven years? I had noticed it when listening to a human radio station once and after hearing it I started to notice it in their body language. They would always avoid each other and never engage in conversation if the other was at the same place. If I think about it, that radio station was taken down after that comment and more analysis into the interactions of the ponies.

After a quick shift of her eyes Twilight came to a conclusion. “He can lie a bit.” she admitted. I smirked.

“Yup lied to me. Help us my ass.” I paced a circle around Twilight. She was starting to get uneasy. Usually she met humans in public places but I guess being alone and up close could have been unsettling. She shouldn’t worry too much because I don’t plan on sticking around for much longer. I need to get out of this place. Just need to leave and go somewhere other than here.

“You know he really wanted to help.” Twilight said. “That’s why we had to stop him and you guys too.”

“Stop us!” I growled. “There’s only” I stopped myself realizing I was about to tell her about the others.

“I know there are only two of you but there’s one of him. And you humans don’t know of the power he wields.” I stopped for a moment. She didn’t know at all that there were more of us. Did she even now we are anarchists?

“Whatever.” I finally sneered.

“Hey how about you come with us.” Twilight suggest. There was a fat chance for that.

“No.” I growled. Twilight tilted her head in confusion. I’m probably one of the few to say no to here.

Finally she said “Why not?” Almost sounded like she thought my decision was dumb. At this point I had to come up with some kind of lie to get out of this. I saw this coming. It would be easy though; ponies are gullible.

“Because.” I started. “Because… I have to get back to my mom’s soon.” I looked down at my feet so I could hide my facial expression. Didn’t want her to see I was lying and also made me look kind of ashamed.

“Oh. How nice.” Twilight said backing away. I must have spooked her with that last comment. I wonder why? Probably has something to do with bronies. She must have talked to a couple creepy ones before. So maybe my lie had caused some kind of unconscious flight response. I mean there’s no way it must have been easy for the bronies to explain the weird shit in their fandom. An example could be the “I watch it for the plot” joke. I mean that one must have raised a few ponies’ eyebrows.

From outside one of her friends, probably Rainbow Dash, called for her.

“Twilight are you still in there?”

“Yeah just a minute.” She turned her head to answer the call. This was my chance to escape. Behind me I could disappear around the corner. I quickly tip toed around the corner as quietly as possible. Darting around the corner I waited a while until I heard the sound of hoof steps. One thing about ponies is they’re extremely noisy if they’re just walking normally. I peeked around the corner and watched her leave through the huge hole in the wall.

I walked back to the rubble and corpses. My eyes moved over the lifeless bodies. That was a bad idea since it put me in a depressed mood. Actually it was more of a hopeless feeling that came over me. There was nothing more I could do here. If anything this building was just an abandoned building now. No longer my home.

I decided to follow one of Zayn’s advice. Zayn out of all people. I’m going for a walk.

Chapter 23: Let's start a riot

Even the air felt wrong. It was as if the world was holding its breath and slowly suffocating. I’m suffocating too. It was a mistake to come out here because it is apparent that these people want blood. All these people are much scarier up close.

Wait, no they aren’t people. They’re ponies. Hold on, I’m not scared on ponies. I can take them. I can take them!

Jess and I walked down the front steps. She isn’t fazed by this at all. She’s so brave with her soldier face on. Me, I’m kind of shaking and personally wouldn’t mind if she told me to go back inside. There is really danger here.But she and I just kept marching into the crowd.

We reached the outskirts and she turned to me. She had this look of boredom which I didn’t expect. Shouldn’t she be a little bit pumped? We’re in the middle of a riot and she just doesn’t care. That’s when it hit me. She’s crazy. Absolutely insane! Holy shit I’m a pussy compared to her!

“Jim.” She said loudly so I could hear over the shouts of the crowd. “Go have some fun before I end this thing. I’ll be right back. Be careful. Don’t talk to anyone.” With that she disappeared into the crowd. Odd how she did it though. It was like she melded with the ponies. One second she was there and the next she was gone.

I’m on my own now. Just me and a sea of ponies. At least there are some humans but what are they doing here? They’re so out of place when compared to the ponies. It was like they were mountains in the middle of a flat even plain. Some chanted with the ponies and some held signs in the air.

I need to know why they would be here.

So I approached one. He was this big dude holding a sign. When I say big I mean chubby but he was tall. He also looked kind of young. Probably not even out of college. The sign he was holding read “Equestria for Equestrians”. What the fuck those that mean?

Now that I looked at other signs they say things that I don’t understand. “Don’t feed the parasprites or these losers”, “Confound these humans, they’re driven us to stagnation”, “Welcome to the herd, now leave”. What is this? I can tell that they’re altered brony memes, which it in itself makes me sick, but what I don’t know is what they mean. My best guess is these ponies are protesting against the shelter. But what has the shelter ever done to them?

My only option is to ask this fat guy. I hope I won’t regret this.

“Um excuse me.” I said approaching him. “Can you tell me what’s going on here?”

He rotated his massive self to look at me. Jesus Christ does this guy need to shave! It’s not in fully and is not really gunna go far. It’s especially bad around the neck. At least I tried to keep my facial hair in check. This guy probably has his own razor unlike I who had to use the same one I ran away from home with. Seriously I used the same razor for five years before joining the anarchists.

“This is a protest!” He shouted even though there was no need to shout. “We are sick and tired of these humans coming into our country and just squatting around and getting free everything. I work hard for a living and the fact that these guys get by as well as me is not fair. These humans need to leave!”

I don’t really know what to say. He just blasted me with knowledge. This kid sounds so passionate for something so stupid. I bet he doesn’t even know what he’s saying. How could he? He clearly eats well unlike some of us.

“You realize you’re human too right?” I asked hoping he wouldn’t say something to make me question his state of mind.

“Yeah but I’m not like them.” He said reaching into his pocket. “I came here legally and I’m contributing to this developing nation.” From out of his pocket he showed me what appeared to be a citizenship card. Guess this guy is legit. Kind of makes me feel out of place since I am an alien in this country. “The people in there are a bunch of parasites.” He continued. “Just feeding off of our nation. They need to be thrown out! These ponies gave us so much and these fucking humans are so ungrateful.”

By the time he was done, the guy was flustered. I could tell he was mad and I was too. All this anger and hate yet it is being directed by lies and misconceptions. That isn’t how it should be. People should hate based on the truth. This guy needs to be enlightened. He doesn’t know what it’s like to be a human in Equestria because clearly he isn’t human.

“Hey buddy.” I stated. “Obviously you have no idea what’s going on. I mean you’re pretty young so it’s likely you’re caught up in all this and just doing this to stay with the trend. But how do I put this? You’re fucking stupid!”

“Stupid!” He spat. “It’s not stupid to want to end the mistreatment of the ponies’ hospitality. Do you even know what you’re talking about?”

“Do you even know what you’re fucking talking about?” I shouted at him poking a finger into his flabby man-breast. “That building is privately owned. It was bought from the city by someone. That means money was given to Equestria by a human. But it doesn’t stop there. Nothing is provided by the precious Equestria government. Everything has to be bought privately. There are no donations. Ponies give shit to people in need. This is the only shelter in Equestria I know of! Everyone in there came here legally. And we would get a job but look around. There are no jobs! Fact is ponies are taking them. After all, why hire a human with our reputation? When there is a ‘pure’ and ‘do nothing wrong’ pony? The ponies are the bad ones not those humans. You’re a fucking idiot is you believe otherwise!”

There was this familiar feeling that I must have felt a million times before. It was the same one I felt ripping my high school buddy’s face off; it was the same feeling I felt looking through the scope of that rife; it was the same feeling I felt bashing that pony with a brick. It is the feeling of hatred. Although I’m not sure if it’s good or bad I know I can use it. If I feel like this then I can do anything. No matter what may be logical, with hatred I can do anything.

And I can sense it in this crowd. They hate me and I hate them back. The only difference is my hate is justified while theirs is false. My hate comes from years of experience; years of getting looks of disappointment, shame, and regret from my parents, classmates, teachers, people just on the street, and especially ponies. All those times I would be sitting next to my car because it was too hot to sit inside and someone would give me this look of apathy as they pass by me. All those time I can remember and fuel this hatred towards my cause. But these ponies don’t have those experiences meaning they don’t get the privilege to hate.

The man looked at me. His face seemed to harden as he took a few steps closer to me.

“You don’t look familiar.” He said in a low tone. “How do you know about this? I haven’t seen you at the meetings.”

Meetings!” I shrieked now very angry. “I don’t go to meetings. I fucking live in there!” I pointed at the shelter. “That’s my home you’re protesting!”

“I knew it!” The man exclaimed triumphantly. “I knew you didn’t look familiar.” I watched him then start to point and scream at me. “Hey every pony!” He yelled as loud as he could. “This human here is one of them!”

He continued to yell like an idiot. I crossed my arms and just glared at him. This guy can’t be serious. If he keeps doing what he’s doing then people are gunna know how stupid he is. But the guy just kept continuing. I really don’t know what he thinks this will accomplish. All he is doing is making an ass of himself, standing there screaming like some deranged animal.

I’m about to just give up and walk away when an acute pain hits my lower back. It knocks me over but I caught myself so my face didn’t hit the concrete. With my hands on the street I looked around to find that the crowd was circling around me. Standing directly over me is the screaming man with a sneer on his face. That’s when I realize his intentions. He had put me under the spotlight with all that yelling. These ponies are gunna tear me to shreds. I imagine this is how a lynch mob would act.

I look behind me to see that it was a pony that had knocked me down. Yeah, a pony of all things. That really angers me because I’ve been beaten by a pony once but I’ll be damned if it happens again. But before I can retaliate, a foot slammed me in my chest and I flip onto my back. The hit knocked the wind of out me so I wasn’t ready for the pony that then jumped on top of me.

“Big mean human.” It snarled. Then it punched me. “Think you can push around the little guy.” Then it punched me again.

I don’t know if it’s the punches or my own imagination but for some reason the pony on top of me looks exactly like Rainbow Dash. Wait it is Rainbow Dash! No it’s a colt with a deeper shade of blue. Still this is like Rainbow Dash. It seems so long ago when I had stolen that car and was then beaten mercilessly by that bitch. I guess history repeats itself.

But there is no reason that I should let myself lie here and take this. All my logic in my head tells me that I should do something. Something feels right about bashing this little fuckers head in. It might be frowned upon because I’m about to get very violent but I don’t really care.

The pony pulled back for another punch and I saw my chance. With my right I grabbed his face and pushed him back. It was easy to push him off of me. As soon as he got off I scooped him up with both hands. In a feat of stupendous awe to everyone around me as well as myself, I held the pony over my head. Then I slammed it down to the ground like it was a rag doll.

The blue pony hit the ground and seemed to just lie there. I took this as a chance to really do some damage. But before I could I was taken down by another blow to my back. I watched the blue pony get up as I fell down. That’s when a darkening presence surrounded me. I was totally at the mercy of the crowd now. There was nothing I could do since there were so many of them.

A hail of fists and feet descended on top of me. It was like a shower of rocks was pelting me. Worse was the noise. I had turtled up so they were mostly hitting my back but the noise was the most frightening. They were chanting ‘die human’ over and over again. And the volume of it was so loud that I was beginning to lose my hearing. It getting harder to take it and I knew that at any moment I would be done for. They are going to kill me.

But as the intensity picked it suddenly died out. The pain stopped and I dared to look up at what had ended the rain.

“Hey what’s going on here?” A human male walked over to the crowd that was gathered around me. He briefly looked at me. He wore a blue outfit that was decorated with pins that had sayings that were the same found on some of the signs.

“That human attacked me.” The blue pony said pointing at me. I looked at him and then at the human. He was obviously the leader. I could tell because everyone was looking at him waiting for his judgment.

“Let him go. He’s not important enough.” With that the man walked away. The blue pony gave me another look and walked off with the rest of the crowd. In a few seconds the rioting crowd had calmed and disappeared entirely. I was alone in the parking lot still down on the ground.

I heard footsteps and looked to see Jess kind of running towards me.

“There you are Jim.” She said kneeling next to me. “Oh my goodness. Did they hurt you?” She helped me off the ground and began to try and dust me off. I was in pain but I figure it’ll go away. Nothing feels broken I’m just a bit sore. Thank God those ponies can’t punch.

“What? No, I’m fine.” I said in an effort to make her not worry. It didn’t work.

“Jim you don’t have to act tough with me.” Jess stated. “I was really worried something bad was gunna happen and… oh my God you’re bleeding.”

“Huh?”

“Hold still.” She grabbed my chin and began jerking my head around. I squirmed my head away. She was right I was bleeding. Blood was dripping from my upper lip. Guess I’m just a delicate flower. “I can’t believe it.” She murmured. “They hit you.”

“It’s not that big of a deal you know.” I said to try and cheer her up. “I’m barely bleeding.”

“Jim when I found you; you were on the ground covering in dust.” Jess said. “If I hadn’t talked to their leader I don’t know what they might have done to you.”

“I guess. Thank you by the way.” I put a finger to my bleeding lip and then took it away. There was a good amount of blood on it. “Do you think they’ll come back?” I asked.

“They always do Jim.” Jess sighed.

Good, let them come. I want a piece of them again. This time I know what to expect so next time I’ll be prepared. Just imagining the revenge I’ll reap on them makes the pain easier to take.

We were about to head in when the sound of running footsteps echoed across the pavement. We turned around to see a man dressed in a gray suit running towards us. He was a chubby fucker with combed back blonde hair. He carried a brown suitcase with him. When he got to us it took him a while to regain his composure. He was sweating from the jog.

“Hi there Casey.” Jess greeted him in a friendly manner.

“Hi Jess.” He breathed heavily still but managed a smile. “Was I too late?”

Jesus Christ, this guy’s got a southern accent! I am very familiar with this accent. Couldn’t escape it in the mid west. Everybody down there would look at me strangely for not talking like them. It kind of made me uneasy at the time.

“Too late for what?” Jess asked.

“Too late to salvage what I can.” Casey said. “Is there any evidence left?”

“Evidence of what?” Jess asked further. Casey looked around.

“You know, of what went down here. It’s really hard to find concrete evidence of things like these.”

“How could there be? There are plenty of witnesses.” Jess nodded to the shelter.

“Sure but they have no credibility.” Casey shrugged. “Not their fault but I can’t bring the homeless to a professional court. It’s just unprofessional.” His head turned to me and suddenly his face brightened. He pointed at me but words didn’t follow. “Hey you.” He finally ran up to me. “How’d you bust your lip?” I didn’t respond. “Come on tell me this is important.” He took a step towards me and suddenly I got scared. I really don’t want anyone touching me after that little incident.

“Ay, fuck off me!” I yelled.

“No I’m trying to help.” He insisted.

“Get the fuck back or I’ll put you on the ground.” I taunted. He back off after that.

“God damn it Jim.” Jess smacked the back of my head. “Believe it or not he’s actually trying to help.” I rubbed my head. Now I feel kind of bad. I have no idea where that outburst came from. Guess I’m under stress.

“Name’s Casey Waterman.” He stated. “I’m a lawyer.”

“Whatever.” I growled. Jess didn’t seem to like that so she elbowed my side.

“Be nice Jim.” She said as I held the place she hit. “He’s just trying to help.”

“Okay then.” I muttered.

“And what do you say to him?” Jess asked. I looked at Mr. Waterman.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine son.” Casey said. “I know it’s hard to think when dealing with addiction.”

“I’m not dealing with addiction.” I grunted. Casey looked very surprised and glanced at Jess who was shaking her head.

“Anyways mind if I take a picture of your bloody lip?” Casey took out his phone.

“I guess.” I said as he snapped a picture. “But why?”

“Hey you never told me your name.” Casey said putting away his phone.

“It’s Jim.” I answered.

“Well Jim.” Casey continued. “Do you know when you’re being taken advantage of?”

“Um.” My mind raced with multiple memories. Zayn, Lewis my ‘best friend’, and Frank that arms dealer. Yeah they took advantage of me. “How could I?”

“Jim what if I told you that we humans are being taken advantage of everyday?” Casey asked. “Every day we humans are being taken advantage of by the laws that have been implemented by the Equestrian government. I am trying to correct that as a lawyer is meant to.”

My eyes lit up as I grinned. “So you’re saying that ponies are taking advantage of us?”

“What?” Casey stopped. “N-no that’s not what I’m saying.”

“You’re saying the Equestrian government, which are ponies.”

“No the Equestrian government is not just ponies. You do realize we set them up with their new system? And about half the senate is humans.” Casey shook his head. “I forgot you’re a nutcase.”

“Let’s go inside.” Jess interjected.

“That reminds me.” Casey brightened up. “Are Rodney and Derek around?”

“You mean you’re drug dealers?” Jess said accusatorily.

“I prefer business associates.” Casey smiled. “They should have told you the protesters were coming.”

“Excuse me!” Jess exclaimed. “They didn’t tell me shit. I’m gunna kill them!”

“I told them earlier today they were coming.” Casey sighed.

“I don’t mean to interrupt by who were they?” I asked. Casey took out his phone again.

“They’re the PAHI. Ponies against human influence.” Casey showed me the screen of his phone. “They want humans out of Equestria. Especially if they aren’t doing anything. That’s why they are targeting the shelter.” Casey put his phone away. “It is their belief that humans are essentially evil and need the guidance of ponies to become better people.”

“Is that why they were trying to kill me?” I asked. As soon as I did I immediately wanted to take it back. Jess snapped her head to me and grabbed my shirt to pull me close.

“You told me you didn’t get hurt!” She shouted. “I though that maybe they hit you once but… take off your shirt.”

I looked at her strangely. “Huh?” I grunted dumfounded at the sudden command.

“You heard me.” She hissed and then began tearing at the bottom of my shirt. We struggled around for a bit. Me being difficult made the simple action of removing a t-shirt very frustrating. As soon as she got it off my head she spun me around. That was when I heard her gasp. Casey also took a look at my back and I heard him snap another photo. Now I was very curious.

“Jess?” I said kind of worried. “What’s wrong?” She didn’t respond and only held a hand over her mouth. After a while she look away.

“You may want to see for yourself son.” Casey brought the phone in front of my face. The image I saw shocked me. Didn’t scare me but I was surprised. My entire back was covered in bruises. Starting from below my neck, there were big misshapen blue, black, and a couple brown marks all down my back. It looked absolutely disgusting. I didn’t know they hit me that hard because I honestly didn’t care too much about the pain. But this opens my eyes to the extent of their damage. I thought it was just my pride that was hurt but now I know it was so much more.

Casey took my shirt back from Jess and handed it to me. “I think it’s time to go inside.” He said as I put my shirt on. I agreed with him. “Jess?” Casey turned to Jess but she was still in shock I guess. Poor girl must feel bad that she let someone under her protection get a little hurt. Well she shouldn’t because she saved my life. I’ll let her know that when I get the time.

We silently headed inside which is great because I don’t feel safe out here. The blows I received still hurt a bit and my lip was still bleeding. All I want to do is forget this whole thing. It has been embarrassing to say the least. At least with Rainbow Dash I was beaten in private. This one was like how it was school where I was humiliated publically in front of everyone. Back in those days everyone wanted a piece of the kid straight out of therapy. Now ponies want a piece of the man straight out of the shelter. I didn’t stand a chance against either of them.

I walked into the shelter behind Casey and Jess and as soon as I entered there was a loud cheer. I almost had a heart attack because the noise reminded me of the crowd I was just in. But instead this was a friendly noise. Every single person in the building had their fists in the air and was clapping for me. I made my way through it all while receiving pats on my back the whole way. What had I done to earn this appraisal? Last time I checked I’m just nobody that does nothing for anyone.

Eventually I had made my way to where my group of pals was. They were still all sitting there at our table.

“There he is!” Jones grinned smacking my back hard. It hurt because he hit me right on one of my bruises but that’s okay. I can take it.

“You did good bud.” Rodney smiled.

“That shit was wild!” Derek grabbed my hand and shook it furiously.

“I am so proud of you!” Drake said finally as he gave me a crushing hug. When he had let go and I regained some of my breath back from that hug, I asked them.

“What did I do?”

“Are you kidding me?” Erik stepped forward. “You’re the bravest human ever! Nobody is brave enough to fight back against a pony.”

“Huh?” I gasped.

“Oh you’re so brave.” Drake ran his finger on my arm. “People that usually harm ponies like that are trialed and sent away. But you just did it in front of everyone.”

“What!” I exclaimed.

“That slam though.” Derek laughed. “You knocked the fuck out of him.”

“No I got my ass kicked.” I corrected.

“Well duh.” Jones said. “You were up against a hundred guys. There was no way you were going to win.”

“Yeah and look at ya.” Rodney dusted my shoulder off. “The only thing you got is a bloody lip. That ain’t that bad.”

“I guess.” Then I remembered. “But what about getting trial and going to jail?”

“Oh you know the drill.” Drake was still playing around with my arm. “Human even considers doing something wrong and they send him as far away from Equestria as possible. But you, you just broke that rule and there is nothing they can do about it.”

“How?” I looked at each of them.

“Oh come on Jim.” Erik put his hand on my shoulder. “You really think that people will side with ponies here? Naw you would be the hero for what you did.”

“I would be the hero?” I murmured very quietly.

Me a hero? No that will never happen. For starters I have murderous thoughts and plan to do very devious things. I’ve killed and I haven’t felt a bit of remorse for the victims. A hero has to do things that benefit people like save them from a fire or stop them from jumping off a bridge. They aren’t supposed to act like monsters that use bricks to murder. But there is a paradox here. I may have done some bad stuff but I just benefited these people so doesn’t that make me a hero? I’ll consider this later.

“Am I interrupting something?” Casey suddenly stepped into our little conversation.

“Ay Case what’s up?” Derek shook the lawyer’s hand. “We set to go for tonight?”

“Hold on there.” Casey held up his hands. “Do we really have to get to business so soon?”

“What’s going on man?” Rodney greeted Casey.

“Hi Mr. Waterman.” Jones nodded.

“Ah the marine.” Casey nodded back. “And the serial killer.”

“Hiiiiii.” Drake wiggled his fingers at him. Geez does everyone know what Drake does in his spare time?

“Oh and Jim.” Casey acknowledged me. “You received quite a welcome coming in here.”

“Yeah let’s talk business now.” Derek kind of pushed Casey away. Rodney followed behind.

“You’re a hero.” Drake put his head on my shoulder. There’s that word again.

“Uh Drake, mind getting off of me?” He did and I leaned forward. “So did anyone else notice how there were humans in that crowd? Because that is really bugging me.”

“Well of course there are humans.” Erik answered. “Equestria has a notable human population in the cities.”

“Yeah but they were protesting against us.” I emphasized the point. “How could they betray their own kind?”

“They’re cowards.” Drake stated.

“No it’s more than that.” Erik corrected him. “It goes deep into our history with Equestria. It goes back to the bronies I guess.”

“Bronies!” I gleamed and stood up. “They’re the worst people in the world. It makes sense now. The people out there are bronies! Fucking cock sucking garbage!”

“I take it you were an Anti-Brony?” Erik inquired seemingly assumed by my outburst.

“Pfft.” I sat back down. “I haven’t heard that word in a long time. Only people that used that word were bronies themselves.”

“I was technically one of them.” Erik leaned backwards in his seat. “Europe had a notable brony following. Almost as much as you Americans. I went to Galacon back in the day. All I can say is Autism.”

“Autism?” I laughed remembering that little insult that was thrown at bronies back in the day. Of course there was also that mural of the mane six that had written over it ‘highest form of autism –anon’. Whoever did that is was a hero.

“Yeah there was a couple awkward moments that year.” Erik said rubbing the back of his head. “Point is from that moment on I began to distance myself from them. Eventually I grew just a tinge bit intolerant but nothing that bad. Hate ponies though.”

“Ha. Why?” I asked.

“They’re just an inconvenience to me.” Erik explained. “Remember actually getting some in my college class. Biggest punch of try-hards I’ve ever met.”

“You went to college!” I said astonished.

“Of course. Got a bachelor’s and everything.”

“Then why the fuck, are you homeless!”

Erik grinned at me. “It’s because I’m not wanted. My profession became very unpopular after ponies arrived.”

“What was it?” I asked.

“Eh military stuff.” Erik answered. “You know training and learning strategies. I was going to be an officer but then.”

“Then they disbanded armies.” I continued. “I know how you feel. A buddy and I were gunna be marines.”

Jones upon hearing our conversation smirked. “You’re a little scrawny to be a marine.”

I looked at him. “I could totally have done it.” He just grinned and looked away.

We continued in idle chatter for a while until it got dark out. By that time the place had quieted down. Everyone was at peace for the most part despite the fact that they were in danger only hours ago. Apparently it was a routine thing that happens every month or so. Basically every month the people here are in trouble of losing their home. I would like to change that eventually.

I’m relieved that I had made it out alive today. Today I had met a new friend and discovered new things in the life of Equestria. I’ve discovered that Equestria is a land of false opportunity and false security. It may seem like it is a place for humans to fix themselves but it’s really just a tourist trap. Humans come here just to find out it is just as bad as any other place. The only difference is ponies won’t lynch you on Earth. And it may seem like it’s safe and secure but this place runs rampant with crime and corruption. This is a place that discarded humans come to have their dreams crushed all over again. Equestria is a place of hate.

But that is okay because I can hate them right back.