Justice

A/N 12 reviews on Fanfiction and 12 comments on Fimfiction! I’m glad you guys are loving it so far. To answer questions from Fanfiction; @Reader Review: I will keep that in mind, it is a good point. Although I did mention the Element was trying to copy Ty’s speaking styles to communicate easier. @zachsparrow: Celestia is under Discord’s influence, just like everypony else. @Vip: Ty has a large martial arts background. He practices many different styles. Most of the moves he has used so far are reminiscent of  Ba Gua Zhang. That style emphasizes skill over brute force, hence his deflecting and dodging maneuvers. And I don’t know either Afro Samurai or Samurai Jack, so I couldn’t say. @Flyingspud: I wish I could bold the text, but every time I try and do something like that, it affects the rest of the chapter. I’m not exactly a computer whiz, so I have no idea how to fix it. For Fimfiction people, I’ll just answer questions in the comments. This A/N is long enough as is. And now for me to grovel and beg forgiveness for the extreme lateness of this chapter. I really am sorry, but this chapter has been a bear to write. Now, finally, on to chapter 15!

This funeral is a mockery.

Arranged and executed so quickly that almost none of my family is here.

I’m sitting next to my friend Nathan and his parents in the front row of the pews. The pastor is preaching in front of me about death’s inevitability, but I’m not paying attention. I look around and count how many people I know.

Ten.

There are several others that were my parent’s friends, but it is still a pathetic turnout. My gaze returns to the two coffins lying in front of me with bouquets of flowers covering them. The coffins are closed of course, no one wants to see a burned skeleton. My gaze travels upwards past the preacher and on to the far wall of the church. As my eyes rest on the large cross, I can’t help but wonder if I am being punished. I have taken pride throughout my life on how I have lived morally, following all of God’s commandments. But maybe that pride is the reason itself. Pride comes before the fall; is this it?

No.

I refuse to believe this is my fault. I glance back over at my grieving relatives. I see sorrow on some of their faces, anger on others. I realize it is only natural to feel sorry or angry when someone dies, especially if they are close to you. I look back at the cross. No, it really isn’t my fault. Things happen for a reason, whether I know what that reason is now or later doesn’t matter. But even with that realization, I feel something burning inside me.

Hatred.

Hatred for the person whose fault this really is. Try as I might to resist, the hatred slowly fills me, all the while seemingly burning away the tidbits of wisdom I came across earlier.

Mercy, love, forgiveness? Gone.

All replaced by a burning anger that threatens to consume me.

I realize this didn’t just come on.

It has been building ever since I got that call.

Hearing the sound of my own name snaps me out of my wrathful reverie, and I realize the preacher has asked me if I want to say anything. I nod and stand up. I walk over to the pulpit, passing the two coffins along the way. I stand behind it and look out over the meager amount of people gathered. A wonderful speech pops into my head, full of how my parents led respectable lives and were great mentors to me.

But it’s a lie.

Instead, all I say is this: “My parents were not the best parents in the world. Not by a long shot. But I loved them anyway, if not for the sole fact of them being my parents. All I truly know at this point is that they were murdered.”

A gasp runs through the small crowd. The police had only told me that fact, and hadn’t released it to the public yet. Oh well.

“And now there is only one thing I feel I can do.”

My gaze sweeps over the shocked faces.

“I will find the person responsible for this.”

I pause.

“And I will kill him.”

A stunned silence follows my words.

Ignoring the stares, I walk down the aisles of the church and out the door.

I wake up sore, the thin sheets between me and the hardwood floor only compound the aching feeling I have from yesterday’s ordeal. I open my eyes and sit up, while foggily trying to remember where I am. With a sudden rush it all comes back to me.

The Hydra.

Fluttershy’s regression into darkness.

Then finally Twilight’s conversion to light.

I feel shell-shocked as the reality of my world turning upside down hits me. I start as I hear hooves clopping down the stairs, and I quickly draw my sword which I had laid down beside me. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see it is only Twilight.

Twilight, naturally, is shocked at seeing me holding out my sword towards her in a threatening manner, and asks with a worried undertone, “Are you alright?”

I reply while sheathing my sword, “Yeah, you just scared me.”

I look at her closer.

“Nice bedhead by the way.”

She raises an eyebrow, then uses magic to summon a mirror in front of her. She chuckles at her own reflection.

“You have some pretty crazy bedhead yourself.”

She turns the mirror towards me and I can’t help but laugh as well. Once the laughter dies away and she sets the mirror aside, we just stand there staring at each other.

An extremely awkward silence follows.

I can’t help but think to myself, “I know almost nothing about this mare. One day she tries to kill me, the next she is my only ally. I’m not quite sure how to deal with her…”

Thankfully, Twilight breaks the silence.

“I noticed your clothing was a bit torn up, I was thinking I could stop by Rarity’s and pick up some fabric to make some clothes for you. I’m not as good as Rarity when it comes to making clothes, but I know how to do it.”

I stand up and nod. “Alright, while you are out try and find Spike. Who knows where he has gone. Also, try and listen in on other ponies, I want to know what they think of the explosion yesterday.”

She frowns and says, “Who died and made you leader?”

I frown and say, “I am the Element of Justice, I think that kind of entitles me to be the leader.”

I see a vein bulge in her forehead, and she raises her voice, “Well I am the Element of Magic in case you’ve forgotten!”

I smirk and reply, “Which is useless because Discord is immune to it.”

She bursts into flames.

“HOLY SH-”

As quickly as it came she settles down and returns to her normal self.

She growls in frustration and says, “I never thought you’d be so annoying! I’m leaving, I’ll be back soon!” She stomps out the front door and slams it shut with magic.

As soon as the door closes I realize how big of an ass I was.

I facepalm and sarcastically mutter, “Nice going Ty, way to be diplomatic with your only ally.”

I raise my head and look towards the door.

“I’ll have to apologize when she gets back. But I wonder why she acted so aggressive when I told her what she should do?”

A thought comes to me.

“She is the leader of her friends, and the leader of the Elements of Harmony before I came along. She is not used to being ordered around. She overreacted, but I shouldn’t have been so bossy.”

I sigh and wonder what I’m going to do until she gets back. My rumbling stomach answers that question for me.

“ I better find the kitchen and make myself something… hope she wont mind.”

I wander around the first floor until I find the kitchen, and I quickly scramble myself some eggs. With the plate in my left hand I walk around a bit looking at the books. All the titles seem alien to me, but considering I am in a land where ponies have replaced people, I suppose that is fitting. I finish the plate of eggs and I set it down by a horse-head statue in the middle of the room. I walk over to the bookshelf and grab a random book.

“Dragons: A Biology”

“Hmm, sounds interesting enough.”

I look around for a chair, and when I find one I plop down and begin reading.

Twilight’s POV

“What a jerk… how did Fluttershy ever get along with him?”

I roll my eyes at my self-imposed question.

“Fluttershy got along with him because she’s a doormat, that’s why. Because Fluttershy is so meek, he probably made all the decisions while they worked together, and was the leader… No wonder he acted kinda bossy. He’s used to leading, just like I am.”

I lower my head a bit in shame as I trot down Mane Street.

“I overreacted… I’ll need to apologize when I get back. Maybe I’ll-”

My thoughts are interrupted as I hear Lyra and Bonbon fighting just a few feet away from me. They were arguing whether to buy celery or carrots.

I sigh.

“I can’t believe how everypony has changed… those two used to get along so well…”

I smirk, “Some said a little too well, but that’s beside the point.”

My expression changes to anger.

“I hate what Discord has done. Last time he just changed my friends and I, but this time he chose everypony. And the killings… why would he do that?”

I notice Applejack selling some apples on the side of the street ahead, and I force my expression back to normal. When I trot by, I catch her eye and smile. She glares at me and goes back to arranging the apples on her stand.

I sigh again and keep trotting.

Ty’s POV

I set down the book as I finish reading the last page. I look up at the clock and notice it is already noon. I get up, stretch, and start wandering around. I go back to the kitchen, fix myself another plate of eggs, and I start heading up the stairs that Twilight came down from this morning. Once at the top, I see a short hallway with a door on either side of it, and a window at the very end. I saunter over to the window, and look out. I can see all of Ponyville stretched out before me. I recognize a few buildings from when I first saw this place.

“There’s the large tower in the center, still not sure what that is. There’s the place that looks to be made out of baked goods, wonder who lives there? This library I’m in must be the treehouse I first saw when I came here.”

I look out a bit past Ponyville and I see the field by the Everfree forest that I dropped into on my first day here. I chuckle when thinking about it.

“What I would give to see my own face when I saw all those ponies for the first time.” I say to myself.

My demeanor quickly darkens as I remember what happened next.

The manticore, the injuries, the mob.

And losing my sword.

After all this time that is still what I remember the most.

And then I remember Fluttershy.

I remember seeing her trying to talk to the manticore. I remember her trying to back up when it started acting aggressive. And I remember jumping in front of the manticore to save her. Tears began streaming down my face as I remember all the adventures we went on together in those few weeks. The palace, the armory, the fight with Twilight and her friends, the ruins with the Element, and finally the Hydra. It is then looking out over that field I realize something.

I miss her.

It’s only been one day since she left, but I miss her. I begin thinking about how she left.

How she thinks I hate her…….

It’s all too much and I turn away from the window. But when I turn away, a thought strikes me.

Just one.

“I have to find her.”

Twilight’s POV

Using my magic, I open the door to Rarity’s boutique. As soon as I open the door the stench of decay hits my nostrils full-force. There aren’t any lights on and all the shutters are closed, so I light up my horn. I gasp in shock as my horn illuminates the dark interior. Dirt and dust is everywhere, mannequins are on the ground, and fabric litters the floor. It looks like a dirty tornado blew right through the shop. I carefully trot inside and I begin calling out, “Rarity! Rarity are you here?”

I hear nothing so I begin trotting towards a hatch that leads to the basement of the shop.

“Rarity stores extra fabric down there, so maybe that’s where she is.” I think.

I trot over to the hatch and lift it with magic. Keeping my horn lit, I trot down the stairs. At the bottom I sweep my light back and forth to get a good idea of what is all down here. There are many stacks of fabric, some reaching many feet high, lining the walls. In the far corner of the room is where I see her.

Curled up next to a diamond timber wolf, is Rarity.

I quickly trot over and ask in concern, “Rarity, are you okay? How long have you been down here?!?”

Her body is thin, the skin stretched tight over her frame. She appears to be starving. Despite her frailty, she jumps up at the sound of my voice and rounds on me.

“Stay away! He’s mine!” She shouts in a deranged tone.

I reply, “Rarity, I’m not here for the diamond! I was going to get some fabric, but you need help! You look like you’re dying!”

She responds, “I’m fine!”

She snuggles up to the diamond. “As long as I have him, I’ll be perfectly fine.”

“What is wrong with her?” I think to myself. “I’m not sure how it could have gotten this bad, but I have to help her.”

“Rarity, since I need some fabric, how about I bring you some food and water in exchange for it?”

She glares at me while she mulls it over.

She finally says, “Fine, but I’m staying right here!”

I sigh as I reply, “Okay, I’ll be back soon alright?”

She just huffs and turns her back to me. I trot back up the stairs, my eyes welling up at the thought of my friend so far gone. Once I am out of the basement, I begin trotting back to the door when I hear something. “It sounds like sniffling.” I think to myself.

I follow the sound to an overturned basket, and I flip it over.

Laying underneath, is Spike.

He is crying, and when he sees me his eyes go wide. He glances at my horn and my coat, and then at my eyes in confusion.

“T… Twilight?” He barely manages to stutter.

“M… Mommy…?”

I bend down and hug him. He starts bawling and I hold him tight. A full minute passes. Tears are freely flowing out of my eyes as he tries to form coherent sentences.

“Wha- How… What happened? How are you healed?!?”

I quietly respond, “Ty healed me.”

I let go of him and he takes a step back.

“Ty healed you? How?”

I reply, “Apparently its something he can do now that he is the Element of Justice. But, Why are you here?” Spike lowers his head and says, “I was so scared when you came by the day before yesterday… seeing you like that. When I broke the window of the room you locked me in, I didn’t know where else to go… But Rarity is almost worse than you were and I don’t know what to do…”

I bend down and look him in the eyes. “You don’t have to worry anymore, I’ll get somepony to take care of Rarity. Right now I just need to get some food down to her so I can get some fabric.”

He looks at me in confusion and asks, “Why?” I reply, “Because I need to make some new clothes for Ty. He is back at the library.”

He nods his head in understanding.

“Alright, lets go get some food for Rarity.”

“Right.”

Ty’s POV

As I begin walking back towards the stairs, I can’t help but be curious about the doors on either side of the hall. I go to the one on my right, and open it. It’s a small room with a small bed and a basket of gems beside it. The only window in the room is broken.

“Must be Spike’s room.” I think.

I close the door and turn around to face the other one.

“Then this has to be Twilight’s room.”

I don’t like snooping into other peoples’ rooms, but maybe I’ll learn  bit more about her. I open the door and walk inside. The first thing I notice are the mass of books everywhere. On the floor, on the bed, stacked up on shelves, everywhere.

“Fluttershy wasn’t kidding when she said Twilight loves to read…” I mutter to myself.

I look to the left of the room and I notice a balcony going outside. Perched on the railing, is an owl.

The owl stares at me for a moment, then turns around and flies off.

“Okaaaaay….. that’s weird.” I say aloud.

I continue looking around the room. A telescope is propped up beside one window. Above it, plastered to the wall, are countless astronomy charts showing different constellations. I keep looking around, but nothing else really catches my eye. I walk out the door, and close it shut behind me.

Twilight’s POV

With Rarity fed, a pony paid to look after her, and a roll of fabric on my back, Spike and I make our way back towards the library. As I trot down Mane Street again, I can’t help but notice what I ignored earlier. Royal Guards are everywhere.

“They must have come down to observe Ponyville due to the explosion yesterday.” I think to myself.

I look around and see two ponies in quick, hushed, conversation. I casually trot over and eavesdrop.

“I know there is a lot of gas in that swamp, but if nothing has set it off in all of Ponyville’s history, what makes you think it was just an accident?” A cyan Pegasus hisses.

A pink unicorn replies, “Well… it could have been accidental, I just don’t think everypony should jump to the conclusion that… He… did it. I mean, when he created his grayscale guardians, he had to become spirit form. Everypony knows he can’t do anything directly like that.”

The cyan Pegasus rolls his eyes. “Of course I know that, what you aren’t getting is that I’m not talking about… Him… at all! What if that human did it?”

The pink unicorn looks around warily. I pretend to look at the merchandise in a cart beside me, and her eyes go right over me.

“You know the guards don’t like anypony talking about the human.” She says in a whisper.

I have to strain my ears to catch the next part.

“While it may have been the human, what could we possibly gain from talking about it?” The cyan Pegasus snorts in derision. “The guards don’t like us talking about the human because he is their biggest failure. They capture him, he escapes. The hunt for him, he eludes them. Back when they had him captured, he even insulted our tyrant ruler before escaping, and I commend him on it. Celestia keeps putting out wanted posters stating how dangerous he is, but for what? He is a threat to her authority, that is the only reason. Yeah he killed three ponies, but those three were wanted criminals themselves. There are even rumors that he killed the second grayscale guardian, hence the explosion in the swamp yesterday. If anything, we should be helping it, not hunting it.” The pink unicorn fearfully looks around again and then turns back to the Pegasus.

“You really shouldn’t be saying things like that! You don’t know what they could do to you!”

“So what? You agree with me don’t you?”

“Well yeah but-”

I had heard enough. I trot back in the direction of the library, and I mull over this interesting new information.

Ty’s POV

I set my foot down on the very bottom step just as the front door opens. I quickly try and not act guilty as Twilight trots through the door.

It doesn’t work.

As soon as she sets the bundle of fabric down with magic, she turns to me and asks, “Ty, what have you been doing?”

I look away and reply a little too quickly, “Nothing”.

Apparently having dealt with Applejack lying frequently, she sees right through my lie. She gives me a stern look and asks, “Why did you go into my room without my permission?”

I look at her in mild shock at how she knew exactly what I did.

“How did you know? Wait, did the owl tell you?”

“No, you told me, just now.”

I cringe slightly and think, “Crap, I forgot she’s supposed to be the smart one of the group.”

I put on an apologetic face and say, “Sorry… and not just for going into your room, but I also acted like a jerk earlier today. I‘d also like to apologize for that.”

She just smiles and says, “Its alright. I overreacted and was a bit of a jerk too.”

I look up hopefully and smile.

“But it was still mostly your fault.”

I frown again, but then my smile returns as I hear the playful tone in her voice. She giggles to herself and goes on, “Anyway, now that I have the fabric for your… what do you call it?”

I look down at my chest with the sad excuse for a shirt covering it. After all the abuse it had put up with, manticore claws, explosions, trekking through dense forests, it was in shreds.

I look back up and reply, “It’s called a shirt.”

She nods and continues. “Okay, now that I have the material for your new shirt, I’ll have to take some measurements and then I can begin sewing it together. Although I’m not sure how good it will turn out, I’ve never made anything like this before.”

“Oh it’s alright,” I reply nonchalantly, “I’m good at sewing so I can help you.”

I immediately blush when I finish saying that and mentally face-palm.

Twilight catches this and asks, “Why are you embarrassed?”

I reply with head down, “Where I’m from it isn’t considered ‘manly’ to admit you’re good at sewing…”

She raises an eyebrow and says, “That’s weird.”

I nod, “Yeah, my world is a lot different from this one.”

She replies, “I bet, you’ll have to tell me all about it while we work.”

A gleam comes to her eye.

“I love learning about new things, and nopony in this entire world has heard about where you’re from!” “Except Fluttershy…” I whisper.

Twilight seems taken aback. “Oh… right… Will you tell me about what happened between you two? I know the basics of what you did, but nothing in-between.”

I nod. “Yeah, I said I would so I will.”

Twilight nods her head as well and says, “Alright, you stay here while I get my sewing supplies and notebooks alright?”

“Okay.”

Twilight trots over to a nearby closet and starts rummaging through it. I look in the opposite direction and see Spike glaring at me from the corner of the room.

Seeing his expression, I hesitantly ask, “Hey Spike, long time no see. How have you been?”

He says nothing and walks up the stairs out of sight. My brow furrows at his weird actions.

“What did I do to make him pissed at me?” I wonder.

I look back towards Twilight as she trots towards me with a bundle of sewing supplies and notebooks levitating beside her.

I ask, “Do you know why Spike didn’t answer me when I talked to him?”

She thinks for a minute then says, “He thinks it is your fault that Rarity is doing so poorly right now.”

Her voice gains a steely edge.

“She has secluded herself to her basement and all she does is polish the diamond statue you gave her.”

She looks me in the eye. “In fact, it is your fault that all my friends are doing so bad right now. After that battle they all went deeper into Discord’s influence. All because of you.”

I frown as I think over what she had just said. I’d never thought of it like that before.

“Twilight, you and your friends tried to kill Fluttershy and I. I even fought with a staff instead of my kilij so I wouldn’t kill any of you. What else could I have done?”

Twilight lowers her head and then says, “You’re right, I’m sorry. You did all you could do. It just hurts to see my friends like this...” She to sob. I crouch down and put a hand on her shoulder.

“I am really sorry about your friends Twili-”

She quickly moves forward and hugs me.

Due to my shock at the unexpected move, and a sudden flashback  remembering Fluttershy in a similar situation, I don’t return it.

Twilight quickly pulls away and stutters in complete embarrassment, “I-I’m sorry… I don’t know what I was thinking.”

I snap out of my shock and quickly say, “No! It’s not your fault! I was-”

She interrupts me saying, “Yeah it kind of was. I’m sorry I’m just a little confused right now.”

She turns around and quickly trots up the stairs, leaving me by myself on the ground floor.

With a dejected sigh I sit down and lean against the wall.

I bury my face in my hands and mutter, “Why does everything have to be so freaking complicated…”

A/N  Urg… well that’s it. I’m kinda iffy on this chapter, it took me so long to write and I feel that everything came out kind of awkward. You got to understand though that Twilight is very confused right now. Ty fought against her, hurt her friends, and made them all delve deeper into darkness. On the other hand, (hoof), He spared her life, healed her, and brought her out of madness. You can understand why she would have mixed feelings about him. Anyway, again I am sorry for the horrendously long wait. The next chapter will be interesting to say the least. Please review/comment if you have any questions, concerns, or comments, and thanks for reading.