Author's Note

I'd like to thank UNSpacy000 for beta-reading this chapter for me. Also Check the 1-13-2014 Update Blog post for future reference listings.

Chapter 8

Jack stared blankly at the ceiling of his current room. Currently though, he was in someone else’s room; the owner in question was Applejack. He was not surprised to find himself in her room when he came too, but he was more than pissed at the circumstances. She had literally drugged him with lust, and he doubted the outcome was unexpected. What really pissed him off more than anything was that he didn’t remember a damn bit of the sexual romp he had, and now it was night-time. He wasn’t hungry; the lust filled touches fed him enough emotion to forego eating for a while, and he wasn’t tired. Jack Silently growled as he untangled himself from her and pulled his softening member from her pussy. He didn’t want to know why it was still in her nor did he care. He searched the room for his clothes, found them in a pile, and got dressed. The anger from the situation kept growing, and for the life of him, he couldn’t remember if he’d ever gotten so pissed off before. He silently opened her window and both the smell of sex and shame flowed out of the room as he prepared to climb out. Jack took one look at Applejack and noted that said mare had a soft smile on her face. For a moment, she looked content and as though everything was right in the world, and it made his anger lessen just a bit.

‘We’ll talk about this Applejack, but for now, I can’t stand to be near you,’ Jack thought before he leapt/ed out of the window and took flight.

The cold night air swept across Jack’s body; he was glad that he opted to not wear his vest and go bare-chested. He found himself gliding around Ponyville as he tried to familiarize himself with the town once more. It had been months since he was “home” as it were, and he just wanted time to think before he tried to find Tempest and their lodgings. He blinked as he noticed a light coming from City Hall.

‘Odd? I thought bureaucracy stopped at nine,’ he joked to himself as he flew closer to the window. ‘Is the Mayor really at the office at this time?’

He swooped towards the office window and peered in. Sure enough, the Mayor of Ponyville, Mayor Mare he idly remembered hearing her name in passing conversation, was working at her desk. Since he was still curious, he tapped on the window. Mayor Mare jolted up in surprise before she turned around in her chair and saw Jack fluttering outsider her window.

She opened up her window, and Jack took that as an invitation to fly in. She shut the window after he came in and turned her chair around to see that Jack was sitting on her plush visitor’s couch.

“Good morning, Prince Jack, what can I do for you?” Mayor Mare asked and noted that Jack winced at his title.

“Please Mayor Mare, don’t call me by my title. I sort of hate it,” he admitted with a sigh.

“Very well then, Jack, though my question still stands,” She replied with a warm smile.

“I was flying about, trying to clear my head when I saw your light on and got curious,” he answered truthfully. “I thought you would be in bed at this time.”

“Actually Jack, I just arrived here an hour ago. It’s almost seven a.m.”

‘Seven?! How long was I going for?’ he mentally asked himself.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing up so early? You don’t strike me as an early riser.” She noted that his expression turned dark for a moment before softening. “Oh dear, something happened didn’t it?”

“I’m probably too easy to read,” Jack sighed as he rested his elbow on his knee. He leaned into his fist as he racked his brain to try and figure out how to explain the situation.

“Judging by your tired expression, I’d wager girl problems,” She noted his posture with a small frown. “Really bad girl problems.”

“Well, you’ve hit the nail hard enough on the head,” Jack announced with a frown.

“Well, I can try and help you Jack, but only if you tell me what happened,” She told him softly.

“You know, my mother used to be the one I talked to about my girl problems,” he admitted softly which caused her eyes to widen. “She’d sit me at the dinner table, make me a banana shake, and tell me to vent.”

“From what I understand, I thought you were the last of your kind.”

“Yeah, I am, but I’m not from Equestria, not originally, at least,” Jack said as he leaned back and looked at the ceiling. “I died where I came from, very painfully I might add. It was dark for a while, and then I awoke in the Everfree Forest without a stitch of clothing and no knowledge of this world or its inhabitants. If it weren’t for the kindness of an individual who taught me about what I became, where I was, and what I can do about it, I wouldn’t be here now. It wasn’t until the whole Nightmare Moon business that I found out what I really am.”

“And what might that be?” The Mayor couldn’t help but ask.

“An anomaly; I’m a being that, by all rights, shouldn’t exist. I have the genetic markers of an Alicorn and the genetic markers of a Changeling. I can shapeshift, change my gender at will, I can move clouds like Pegasi, use magic far more powerful than your average Unicorn, I have the unyielding durability of the strongest Earth Pony, and just recently I acquired the ability to change the seasons of this world instantly.”

“My word! Can you really do that?”

“I plan on giving a bit of demonstration later today at the school. It was a request from a young friend, Applebloom.”

“Ah yes, the youngest scion of the Apple Family,” She nodded before she continued. “However, I think we’ve strayed off topic, Jack. What has you so down?”

“I guess I could explain it to you, if you don’t mind keeping it between me and you. I don’t want this getting out, ever. It could be damaging to the girl, but even more to me,” Jack explained with a frown.

“You have my word, Jack,” The Mayor said with a frown.

“Alright,” Jack sighed and sat up. “As a Mutocorn, that’s what my race is called officially, I have strengths and weaknesses. I already explain my strengths. I do, however, have one almost damning weakness. I didn’t think anything of it until it was used against me by someone I cared about.”

“And, what might that weakness be?” the mayor looked concerned as she asked that.

“I’m horribly susceptible to magically enhanced emotions,” Jack announced. “More recently, I’ve found myself helpless to enhanced love and lust based magic.”

“I, I don’t follow,” The Mayor admitted confused.

“I’ll explain. Emotions are powerful, much more than the average being realizes. Changelings and, to an extent, I can feed off emotions to sustain ourselves. A small amount of positive emotions can feed me for a few days, and nothing is more powerful than the power of love. Love, in its rawest form, is a powerful emotion. A small amount of love not only energizes me for a while, but I found out that it can cause a mental blackout on my end for a few seconds while my body reacts,” Jack said with a sigh. “Anypony can use this ability. For Unicorns, it’s just as simple as focusing it through their horns. Pegasi and Earth Ponies however need to train their internal stores. You do know that Pegasi and Earth Ponies have magic too, but it flows differently right?”

“It’s not common knowledge, I’d admit,” the mayor replied with a nod. “However, I’m still not following.”

“I’m coming to that,” Jack said before he continued. “The problem is that a mare that I know, whose name I’ll keep quiet, has found out how to utilize said magic. Since she’s an Earth Pony, it caught me by surprise when she did it the first time.”

“What happened when she did?”

“I don’t remember!” Jack exclaimed. “All I remember was walking into her home, she grabbed my hand and then I blanked out! When I came too, we were making out in her room!”

“Oh my!”

“I asked her what she did, and she told me what she did but not how she did it, and before I could protest and tell her not to do it, she overdosed me. If I were to guess, I regained consciousness only forty minutes ago.”

“That’s horrible! You should do something about her! She basically drugged you and raped you!”

“I don’t think she knew the consequences of the technique she used,” Jack said angrily as tears started to pour from his eyes. “And that’s why I’m so –so – pissed off right now! She didn’t know my body would react to her like that, and she was one of my first friends, and I care about her, but she took advantage of my weakness! I don’t know what I should do! I’ve never been in a situation like this before! I’m angry, I’m pissed, and I just-”

Mayor Mare had got up out of her seat and moved over to him. She pulled him into a hug as he began to cry.

‘He might be powerful, and a Prince, but he’s still a young adult,’ Mayor Mare thought as she held him and whispered soothing words into his ears. ‘I don’t think he’ll recover from this properly. What was that mare thinking? She practically broke him.’

It would be nearly thirty minutes before she realized he stopped crying and fell asleep. She laid him down properly onto the couch before she stood up and went to her closet. She opened it and pulled out a blanket; it was something she kept around for cold all-nighters in the office. She laid the blanket onto the sleeping Jack. With a sigh, she watched him slowly relax. ‘Poor child, I think his bodyguard needs to know about this at least. I know I promised to keep it a secret, Jack, but would you really keep it a secret when it could potentially hurt you more?’ She grabbed a coat from her closet and left her office with the knowledge that Jack might be asleep for a while. She was a Mayor on a mission. It wouldn’t do that one of her charges suffered like this. Not one bit.

//---000---//

Flash Sentry stepped off the train and took a deep breath as he embraced the cool morning air. It was a refreshing start to what he hoped would be a peaceful day. Then he remembered why he was here in Ponyville and almost cried. He was here to provide extra security to the Prince. The same reckless Prince that got into more trouble than it was worth. It was thoughts like this that often made Flash question his profession. This wasn’t to say he disliked his job; after all, Flash came from a long line of Royal Guards. He just found his charge more troublesome than was healthy. He grabbed his bag and headed into town with a sigh. He really wished this day would go well. He didn’t need any more stress in his life.

As he made his way into town, he noticed a mare coming out of a large building, no doubt city hall. He quickly made his way over to her. “Hello there.”

His greeting jolted the mare out of her thoughts.

“Oh you startled me there,” The mare announced holding her heart. “You must be new in town. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mayor Mare, the, well, mayor of Ponyville.”

“Flash Sentry, ma’am, current member of the newly formed Season Guard,” Flash introduced himself. “I was wondering if you knew where I might find Prince Jack or Captain Tempest Ranger?”

“Tempest Ranger? I was on my way to find her. I wish to inform her of an incident with the young prince,” Mayor Mare admitted with a frown.

“Something happened to Prince Jack? Is he alright?” Flash asked with urgent concern.

“No, I don’t think he’ll be right for a while, but he’ll live,” The Mayor replied with a frown. “He’s currently asleep in my office. The poor dear needed it.”

She noticed Flash was beginning to move towards the door and said, “Flash, please don’t. He, he needs his rest.”

That was a concept Flash never thought of. Everyone knew that Jack was notorious for staying up for days at a time. He’d only catch catnaps when he needed them. It had gotten to the point where he had a routine. They speculated that his physiology was attuned differently than other individuals and that whenever he did sleep it was to only replenish any lost energy from periods of activity. Hearing that whatever happened to him MADE him fall asleep was greatly concerning.

“Tell me what happened,” Flash demanded with a frown.

“I’ll explain it when I find your captain,” The Mayor replied with a frown.

“Very well then. I can use a special tracking technique that will make the search faster. Believe it or not, the Prince thought it up.” as well. Flash stared at her for a moment before he nodded.

“Oh?”

“Yes,” he said as closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them again. Flash’s eyes now emitted a green glow. “He theorized that even though I was a Pegasi, I could manipulate my internal magic for something other than flying. He helped me develop something called ‘Aura Sight.’ It went along with a set of skill he called ‘The Aura.’ I thought he was yanking my chain when he pulled me aside and handed me a scroll with these abilities on it, but they worked.”

“My word.”

“Got her Magic Signature. Let’s go,” Flash said before he began to walk in the direction that he sensed Tempest with Mayor Mare right behind him. He was determined to get to the bottom of this situation and hopefully soon. Jack was more than his charge. He was a friend, and nothing was more important to Flash than his friends and family.