Bliss in Darkness

Chapters

Scarlet Letter
NightMare
Malefic Visions
Means to an End
Crossroads
Origins and Endings, Part 1
Origins and Endings, Part 2
To Shatter the Sky
First Impressions
Not a Moment Wasted
Humble Beginnings
The Great and Powerful Hangover
Preparing Resistance
Black Clouds with Silver Linings
Reconnaissance
Truth and Reconciliation
Let the Games Begin
Checkmate
A Friend to the Ponies
Internal Affliction
Opening Up
Vicarious
Waning Crescent
Abduction
Resistance
Approach the Podium
Sudden Realizations
Building Bridges
Bonus Chapter: PinkieJack

Scarlet Letter

Scarlet Letter

Once again, I cleared my mind and focused on my predicament. I felt better then ever physically, but mentally I was exhausted. I took a long look at the desolate surroundings. The whole area was a shade of grey that seemed to draw my view and pull me in. It was if this horrible death I had caused had become natural for me. I felt at home, even though I just committed some form of mass murder on the whole damn hill. I shuddered to think that that must have been normal. Was this a joke? Am I dreaming? I slapped myself to verify that I was indeed conscious, and that's when I saw it.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the note again. Only this time it was stained red from my blood. 'Heh, looks like it's a scarlet letter now.' I slapped myself again. Not for a reality check, but just because I made such a shitty joke. I bent down to pick it up. It felt dry, despite it's recent soaking. Being that this may be my only link to the past, I handled it carefully. I looked around for a safe place to read it when I spotted a large tree. Perfect for climbing, and also I would hopefully avoid another incident.

'Holy shit I feel great!' I thought as my hands and legs worked with perfect precision and strength to carry me up the thick sappy branches. I truly felt spectacular. Especially considering I had broken four bones and gave myself a concussion just moments before. 'Maybe I'm some sort of mutant... because I know for a fact that this can't be normal.' I reasoned with myself before arriving at the top branches. 'Better analyze this note for further information on this situation of mine.'

I opened the folds of the letter and was shocked by another flood of information to my brain. I wrote this. This was strange to me. Whenever my brain needed to know something it was just there. Not in form of a memory, but as if my brain just checked out some books and found the information I needed instantaneously. I didn't hear a voice telling me these things. The information is just there, as if it had always been a part of me. Now that I knew that I had written this message, I was eager to spill its secrets. To my dismay, it only contained a single phrase in a language I did not understand.

"Redemptio per adversitatem invenitur.

Suddenly, my mind exploded with images and thoughts from my past. The flood of new information was overwhelming to say the least. It was actually quite painful. It told a story of death, misfortune and misery but also a tale of wisdom, love, courage and strength. Suddenly I knew who I was. I saw my family. My two parents, mom with golden hair and blue eyes, and father with dark hair and piercing green eyes. Also my brother. I believe his name was Connor. We were at what looked to be a small house in the suburbs. It was blurry to say the least, but it was something. It was all I had to go on. It was nice while it lasted.

But then it was taken away. My mother and father faded away and my brother grew into an adult and laughed at me. There was pain... and death. But then as fast as it came, the memories started fading.

"Shit! Come on, just one more memory!" I yelled as my brain ceased to recall my previous life. It was frustrating. All the information was there, it was just blurry. Locked away. Possibly awaiting another event, or phrase. It seemed like certain knowledge was available only when I needed it. Hopefully the same could be said about my memories. I took one last look at my 'scarlet letter' and put it in my pocket. Oh wait, I didn't have any pants.

The first order of business, I decided, was to get clothed and fed. I knew that I was fast and agile in the forest, so I should be able to figure out a way to catch something to eat. My feet also needed to be covered if I was going to go running about. That way I could avoid having another incident that involved me rolling down a hill and almost killing myself.

After I came up with my battle plan, I slid gracefully down the tree. It really was amazing how well my coordination was. I reached the base of the tree and looked around at my surroundings. 'Trees, trees and more tre.... Woah wait a sec...' I thought as my eyes fell upon a grey wall, barely visible under the thick cover of trees. I made my way over to the wall and scaled it. My eyes nearly popped out of my head at what I saw. 'A castle?! Out here in the woods?'

The castle was circular, I'd say about half a mile in diameter, so it was fairly large as well. It was also completely run down and broken. I was surprised that the thing was still standing. The whole thing was surrounded by a wall, or at least what remained of a wall. I was standing on one of the fragments that had fallen during whatever siege befell this glorious place. The whole courtyard was covered in wild flowers and grasses. I thought I saw some small animals, but by the time my eyes focused on anything they disappeared. There were several round towers about, but they had long since toppled over. The main castle building was still intact, although it looked like it had been through hell. It was still around 5 stories tall, and looked to be at least stable. "Looks like a perfect place to stay!" I cheered giddily as I hopped down from my perch.

I walked up to the castle door and felt a freezing rush of air. It felt good physically, but it mentally exhausted me. It was if the castle was feeding off of my energy to sustain itself. Such things are impossible of course, but that's how it felt. I took a look inside and nearly fainted I felt so drained. Have you ever been in a place that just wanted you to go to sleep? Like a warm dark environment that seemed to suck the energy out of you? It was like that, but it was freezing. I was uncomfortable as hell, yet I could no longer remain standing. I took one last gasp of air and collapsed. Desperate to find out what the hell was going on in this place, I cast out my energy and sought the source of my discomfort.

On the third floor, in what looked to be a bedroom, there stood a woman. Or was it a woman? I was too weak to tell. But I was not too weak to start feeding. I drained as much as I could before I felt a snap and my mind returned to my body. Feeling somewhat better, I ran to find a staircase. 'Who the hell is that? And how did she resist my power? Why does she feed off of me like that? And how?' So many questions were racing through my mind as I climbed the spiral staircase. I darted from room to room searching for what could not be found. Finally I came to the room I sensed earlier, but it was empty. Physically empty, but I could still feel that dark presence. 'Nightmare.' My mind said to me as I fell to the ground, unable to remain in the world of the waking. I tried to resist as much as I could, but in the end, this 'Nightmare' took a hold of me.

I suddenly felt an unfamiliar presence in my mind with me. It was dark, but not evil. It seemed as if it was in as much pain as I was. As I took my final stand I shouted "Release me!"

I felt my vocal cords moving without my control and the presence said in my voice, "Well aren't you a brave one?"

Then darkness.

NightMare

NightMare

"No! Please don't do this Charlie!"

"I'm sorry Claire. It is necessary."

With that last word, Charlie brought forth his horrible energy and drained the life from her as she screamed in pain. He had a smile on his face, and licked his lips.

***

"Why doest thou you resist?" The creature said in my voice. Unable to speak conventionally, I answered in thought.

'Why do you think? You took over my body and make me weak. I don't want to die in here.'

"Ah yes, of course. You want to go back to your precious daylight and frolic, hmm?"

'Actually no, I prefer the beautiful dark night to the heat and confusion of the day.'

The second I said that, the presence released me. I had no idea what happened but at least I had full control of my body. My first instinct was to run like hell, but something forced me to stay. I was drawn to this mysterious presence and I had a deep hunger for knowledge of this being.

"Why did you release me?" I said to the strange entity.

'Because you are interesting. Never has anypony called our night "beautiful". In fact, We always thought everypony hated it.'

"Well not me. I love the night. Wait... Did you just say everypony?"

'Why yes, We did. Would thou have said something different?'

Suddenly, my mind fed me more information. 'You aren't on earth anymore.'

"Well where I come from, we say people and person. Everybody, and everyone. But here... you said... Pony?"

'That is correct. Where are you from exactly? We have never seen one of your kind in Equestria before.'

"Well. Technically I am a human being from the planet earth. But most humans are not like me.. I am... Unique"

'Very interesting. We would love to see you with our own eyes. Does thou wish to see our true form?'

"Only if you don't try to kill me."

A gust of wind seemed to come from all directions, flowing in through the window and door. It all converged in the center of the room, and light seemed to bend around this singularity. It began to take the form of a large horse, or pony. She was a brilliant black with light blue markings on her head and hooves. Her mane and tail seemed to flow like water. It looked like a portal to another dimension full of stars. She had large, glorious wings and a black horn atop her head. On her flanks there was a marking. A moon with a purple aura around it. It was truly a sight to behold, and I was not afraid in the least. In fact, I found her dark image rather appealing. I was certainly drawn to her.

"You stand in awe as if you have never seen Equestrian royalty before." She said with an indeterminable expression.

"I've never seen any royalty before, and I don't think I've ever seen a talking horse either."

Obviously she took offence at being called a horse, for she reared up on her hind legs and spread her wings wide. The creature glared at me with large and beautiful teal eyes.

"WE ARE NOT A HORSE!" She bellowed in the loudest voice I have ever heard. It was as if the whole castle had a P.A. system installed and she were screaming into a microphone.

"Ok! Ok! I'm sorry! I did not know you would take offence to that, I've never seen anything like you before!"

"Why art thou here? You come first complimenting our beautiful night and then degrading our species!"

"I woke up here one night ago. I had no clothes..."

Suddenly I backed away in fear, and curled up trying to hide my private areas. She did not have anything on, but she was a pony. Her privacy was hidden. There I was standing in front of the royalty of this land, dangling my pieces out for all the world to see.

"Why do you hide in such shame, strange one?" She said with a more sympathetic tone.

"Well... Normally where I come from people wear clothes so our private areas are not in plain sight." I said shamefully.

"Oh come now, surely you are not embarrassed?"

Is she... coming on to me? What. The. Fuck.

"Well I'm just used to being covered. Imagine if you had your coat shaven off!"

"Ah. In that case, let us find something for you to wear." She said. I can't verify this, but I think she smiled a bit and winked before we departed the deathly room. We walked the desolate halls winding and curving for what seemed like days. It was as if time had no meaning here. I felt cold, and alone, but at the same time I felt amazing. Like I belonged here. Only time would tell if I could stay.

"So... what is this place?" I asked my unusual hostess.

"This is... was... our home. Our sister, Celestia, banished us here after we became..." she trailed off as if she was in shame.

"After what?"

"After we became jealous. You see, everypony in this land loves the day. They frolic and bounce and laugh in the sun. Then at night, they ignore us. They take our night for granted and sleep right through it." She said with evident hurt and frustration.

"You know, you aren't the only one who is ashamed of your actions..."

"Please elaborate?"

"Well... I lost my mind. I was... On the ground outside my home and... I woke up here out in the forest. I remember nothing, yet I feel like I know what I did. I know that I purposefully erased my own memory, but why? I must have done something horrible. I had a note in my hand. When I read it, certain parts of my past were revealed to me, while the rest was blurry. All I know, is that my name is..."

Charles Petersen.

"Charles Petersen." I finished, after my mind filled in the blanks for me.

"Very interesting. We think we could be friends with one such as you." She said with a seemingly warm tone.

"Even though I am a monster?"

"What makes thou say that?"

"When I got here... I killed things. I don't know how, they just died. I hot hurt and then.... They all died." I said without emotion.

"We felt your presence."

"You what?"

"We felt your mind enter ours when you first came here. You started... draining us."

"Only because you were doing the same to me..." I retorted.

"You are the only being We have ever met that can resist our abilities. We are thoroughly impressed."

"Well thank you. I still feel odd about this though."

"Odd about what?"

"Nothing." I lied.

"Oh, come now."

"I feel at peace with death. When I killed those... wolf things... I loved it. Every second of it. I would like to say I feel bad about it, but I honestly do not."

"You did what you must to survive. Do not hold necessary choices against yourself. There are those who find us to be a monster as well. I tried to take over their world... and banish our sisters solar reign. I have realized that it is not our nature to be happy, and we have come to terms with it."

"Oh, come now. You can't be all that bad."

"Thank you Charles. Perhaps We do have some hope after all." She said with a genuine smile.

After our chat, we entered the main hall of the castle. Her horn glowed with a beautiful black light and I felt my heart warm. The fireplace ignited into a brilliant flame. The room warmed quickly and I found a tapestry to tie around my waist, which made the whole situation infinitely less awkward for me. We sat on pillows by the fire and I began to question her. She asked me things about myself, but I could not remember most things. I remember my world, and some of my life before the incident, but nothing more.

"I never got your name, miss..."

"Moon. Nightmare Moon."

"A lovely name." I said with a smile.

I found myself drifting off to sleep. This time, I was comfortable. I had a bed of pillows, and a fire to warm me. I even made an interesting friend. Things were looking up for me, no doubt. I did not last for long, but I was happy. I had hope. I slipped into a peaceful slumber that night. Thinking not of my past, but of my future.

***

"There's no time like the present, Connor."

"Yes, but I still can't believe they're gone."

"Neither can I dear brother... Neither can I."

"Do you think everything will be ok?"

"Perhaps. Redemptio per adversitatem invenitur."

"Through adversity, there is redemption?"

"Precisely."

Malefic Visions

Malefic Visions

I dove to the side just in time to narrowly avoid the manticores' paw. I danced around the creature with ease, taunting it with a meal it would never taste. I swiped at the large beast with a sword I had found earlier in the old castle courtyard. I continued to dodge until my eyes gazed upon an opportunity to strike. 'Left... now right... and GO!' I reeled forward with my closed left fist and struck the manticore with my bare fist.

Stunned for a moment, the manticore yelped out in pain and staggered backwards. It was all the advantage I needed. This beast was mine. I lunged forward, eager to end the battle. My steel tasted the flesh of the manticores' soft underbelly, tearing through the organs and muscle within. Unable to fend off its attacker, the manticore admitted defeat, and embraced death at my hand. It gave out one last roar as I thrusted my sword through its neck.

It has been seven days since I met Nightmare Moon. She seemed to be generally pleasing, but there was something... odd about her. It was as if she was extatic whenever I was around. Granted, I did not know what she was normally like without me, but she still seemed a bit.. odd. It was as if something was always on the tip of her tongue, like she could barely hold it in. Almost as if she had plans for us, and did not want them to be revealed. Whatever her problem was, at the time I was more concerned about staying alive. That is why I hunt in the jungle every day. Sure I could have killed that manticore with my power, but what fun is that? Plus, I needed to get out and exercise. You never know when a little physical fitness will come in handy, especially since I have taken up residency in what Nightmare calls "the most dangerous area in Equestria."

"Hmm. Manticore meat. Wonder what that's like?" I said as my stomach growled. The past week was not kind to me, as I had to learn to hunt the hard way. I had suffered many injuries, anywhere from minor cuts and bruises to full blown gashes and broken bones. Whenever a creature bested me, I used my powers to deal with it. The pain helped me learn quicker. It was the ultimate form of discipline. Break your arms enough times, and you will remember your mistakes.

Nightmare helped me learn to survive when she could, but she seemed to disappear whenever the sun was shining. Come to think of it, in the past week I had been living with her I never saw her in the day. 'Part of her personality I guess... Maybe she just sleeps somewhere I don't know about.' I thought. Trying to read her was like using a brick as a magnifying glass on a closed book. She looked at me in ways I could not understand. Like she longed to be a part of me. It severely freaked me out, and I took to sleeping outside in the courtyard most nights.

I took a hefty chunk of the manticore to roast on back the fire at the castle. It was an hour away, but my hunger persuaded me to move a little faster. This was my first successful hunt, and for the last week I had sustained myself only by draining animals. I asked Nightmare how to get food the first night we spent together and she looked at me with a mischievous smile.

"Now Charlie, thou cannot have something for nothing. We will teach you to hunt. To become strong!" I recalled her saying aloud. My Nightmare impersonation was getting good.

One night, I remember her telling me all about Equestria. Her sister, Celestia, ruled the waking world and rose the sun every day. I thought that was odd, considering thats nothing how my old world works but the physics of this planet wasn't exactly open for discussion. I asked her about recent events, but she simply denied me any answers.

"Not until the time comes, dearest friend." She would say. The way she spoke the word 'dearest' sent chills up my spine. Sure, she gave off a decent vibe most of the time, but the way I caught her looking at me sometimes chilled me down to the bone.

I was so caught up in thinking about her that I wound up back at the castle in no time at all. I entered through a hole in the ruined wall where a gate must have been. It had long rotted away. According to Nightmare, this place was over 1,000 years old, and it sure looked it. I dropped the large carving of flesh I carried and made my way over to my makeshift camp in the courtyard. I decided to live out in the open partly because I wanted to become self sufficient, but mostly because Nightmare had become increasingly odd in the past few days. One night I caught her staring at me through the window in my old bedroom. Another night I heard her dragging something through the halls. It sounded like meat on sandpaper. Something about her left a bad taste in my mouth, and I decided to try to distance myself from her as much as possible.

Hours passed after my hunting trip, and I was very satisfied with my meal. I considered entering the castle to visit Nightmare, but I decided against it. 'With my luck, I'd walk in on her planning another Equestrian apocalypse, and I don't want to have her point any fingers...er... hooves.. at me when this Celestia shows up.'

Another hour passed, and day turned to night. The sun shrank behind the trees, casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance across the ground. After a few minutes the shadows sank further and further until the sun was gone, completely enveloping the area in darkness. I had been in the forest at night, and it was dark. But this place... this shadowy oasis was beyond dark. It was subtle at first, but as time went on, it seemed like even the light of day would avoid the castle grounds. It was peaceful at first, but now I felt the presence unnerving. I tried to ignore it, but it was like ignoring my own breathing. After a while, it fades into your subconscious, but its always happening whether you think about it or not.

Just as I was settling in to fall asleep I felt an omnipresent stare boring into my soul through my closed eyelids. I opened my eyes to a surprising sight. Nothing. The black expanse of sky and stars was all that was before me. I closed my eyes again, chalking that up on the list of weird shit that has been happening around here lately. Then it happened again. I felt breathing this time. I opened my eyes and... again nothing. This was no dream. It couldn't have been. I knew I felt that breath on my cheek. I touched the area where I felt the breath and was shocked to find that it was wet. I tasted my fingers. It was the unmistakable taste of blood.

I shot out of bed and reached for my weapon. Something was there. I could feel it watching... waiting... savoring every moment of my fear. I knew I would not be able see it in the crushing darkness, so I used my power to scan the surrounding area of life. Nothing. My eyes darted left and right as my mind played tricks on me. I backed myself into a corner, fearing that if anything was going to strike it would be from behind. I followed the wall until I found the entrance of the main castle building. Figuring it would be easier to defend myself in a smaller area, I entered.

It was then that the presence stopped. The fogginess in my mind, the darkness, the visual tricks. It was all gone. I felt silly. I thought I had been afraid, but in reality it was my mind just playing tricks. Right? I sat there debating with myself.

'It felt so real...'

'But it couldn't have been. There was nothing there.'

'Not visually, no. Maybe not even physically, but there was something there. I could feel it.'

This internal conversation went on for a few minutes as my logical side battled with my gut instincts. I thought of all the things it could possibly have been. But nothing fit perfectly...

"How could you explain the blood? And then it ended and I could barely remember it. Kind of like a...." My blood ran colder than ice in my veins as my head pieced it together

"Kind of like a nightmare."

Authors notes: Sorry for the wait, this was very close to being done this morning but I had work, and then I had to move. It's been a hell of a day for me, and all I wanted to do is write for all of you! Also, I'm looking for an editor. If anybody is interested in previewing all my chapters, hit me up! Also, feel free to point out shit that doesn't make sense, or if I messed something up grammatically. My goal is to make this as fun to read as it is to write.

Means to an End

Means to an End

I rushed up the flights of stairs trying to mentally prepare myself for a confrontation with Nightmare. Even if it hadn't been her creeping on me, I still wanted some god damn answers. I wondered if I could actually take her in a fight. Sure I had my powers, but she seemed to be a very powerful being herself and I didn't want to underestimate her. I only had about a week of experience with combat, but I figured that since it had almost been constant fighting and with my power to regenerate myself I had learned a lot faster than normal.

I tore around the corner at the top of the steps and ran down the winding hallway. My makeshift cloak I had patched together was slipping down and I had to keep pulling it back on. I made a mental note to get some real clothes once this was all over. 'There had to be at least one person er... pony in this world who can make me a decent outfit.' I thought as I turned the last corner before the bedroom door. Her bedroom door.

I opened the door, and it squeaked. Of course it did, I was trying to be quiet. Luck was not my greatest ally. I was both relieved, and terrified to find that the room was empty. The sun was just peeking over the horizon at this point, casting those eerie shadows across the ground.

"Well, great. She left before I could get any damn answers" I sighed in defeat.

'Oh, but We didn't my dear friend.' Came a reply from an indiscernible location.

"Your dear friend eh? Who are you talking about? It must not be me, because real friends don't pull bull shit like that on each other..." I said, raising the tension in the room tenfold.

'Well we needed some way to get you to come up here. You see ever since those wretched ponies used the Elements of Harmony, it is impossible for us to take physical form during the daytime, so we will house ourselves inside you. That makes you our dearest of friends.'

"Woah there Miss Princess of the Night, I never granted you access to my body!"

"We do not need permission. And with power such as yours, we will never have to suffer through another sunrise!" Came her voice from my mouth.

'You dirty bitch!' I exclaimed as loud as my thoughts could possibly think.

"There's no need for such language. Besides, I think you will find our everlasting nights very wonderful. If I decide to let you live..."

'Oh you fucking...' My thoughts were cut off from her before I could finish my insult. I was hers now.

"It does not matter what you think, you are but a pawn in my game now. Serve me, or die."

***

After raising the sun like any other day, Princess Celestia stopped to admire the natural beauty of her world. Her little ponies scampering about in Canterlot, her birds and her bunnies playfully hopping and scurrying about. It was but another day of endless peace that she had managed to bring to this world. In all its perfection, something was amiss. She could not put her hoof on it. She looked off toward the Everfree Forest in wonder. 'Of all the things we have accomplished in this world, we still can't comprehend the natural forces of the Everfree' She thought as she dismissed the disturbance as a natural occurrence.

She walked the halls of her beautiful castle, giving greetings to all that made their way past her. She ate her breakfast of hay pancakes and orange juice. Still, the unnerving presence remained. 'I must be imagining things...' she thought as she walked back to her chamber. This day was perfect, save for that uneasy feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. "Interesting... I have not felt this presence since..."

Her pupils dilated as she gasped in horror.

"LUNA!" She cried with all her might, while rushing down to her sisters chambers.

She threw open the door to her sisters chambers, only to find the true Princess of the Night sleeping peacefully. 'Surely that presence was Nightmare Moon. Nopony can ever make me forget that feeling. My beautiful sister tainted by her hatred and greed...' She paced back and forth in the room, causing Luna to stir.

"Sister? Is that you?"

"Yes Luna. I felt... well... never mind. I will see you tonight." She said, again dismissing her feelings.

***

I had been hitchhiking in my own body for a few hours now. As far as I knew, Nightmare had stopped paying attention to me and my thoughts so I was alone. More alone then I had ever been. To lose control of your own body is a truly unique experience. My senses were still partially connected to me, so I could taste the blood that Nightmare was drinking from the animals in the forest. The worst part is that I enjoyed it. It felt oddly natural. Like I was always supposed to feed off the living. It was a disturbing revelation.

'Having fun being our slave young one? We have been listening.'

'Shit. Looks like nothing is private for me.'

'That's right. You are ours now. Want us to let you in on a little secret?'

'Honestly, no. But continue anyways'

'You have always been our slave. Ever since you set foot in the castle, we had control of you. What you saw was only projections. Our physical form was destroyed long ago. You really were all too easy."

'...' I did not wish to give her the satisfaction of an answer. This must be why she always referred to herself as "We" and "Us". She had bested me, and she didn't even have to lay a finger on me. I belonged to her and I was helpless. It made me wonder if anything she said were true, or just made up to fuck with my head. My anger was burning in my heart and mind.

'Our heart and mind.' She corrected,

This existence was going to be pure hell.

***

Celestia rose from her bed after pondering the origin of the strange presence. She had not felt that feeling since the Nightmare Moon incident almost two years ago. And Luna was fine, sleeping peacefully in her room. It was baffling. She paced around the room for a few minutes before the silence was broken by a team of royal guards bursting through the door. On their backs, there was another royal guard. His body was battered and bruised and he screamed incoherently for several seconds before falling unconscious.

"Princess! We found him along the border of the Everfree, northwest of Ponyville!"

"We must take him to the hospital wing! Now!" She cried fearfully as she rushed out the door. Celestia commanded the guards to leave her and search the castle and all surrounding areas for the source of this disturbance.

"I can handle myself," She said, "but there are ponies out there who need to be protected!"

As the guards fled the room the Princess of the Sun used her magic to levitate the guard to the hospital wing. She hated bringing Twilight and her friends into these messes, but they were chosen to bear the Elements of Harmony. They were Equestria's greatest defenders, and they knew the risks. Celestia did not call for them immediately, for she wanted to see if she could get anything out of the guard that was attacked.

Celestia entered the hospital wing and located a bed to lay the broken guard on. Upon further inspection not only was he battered and bruised physically, but he was pale, sickly and there was no light behind his eyes. He looked... dead.

"Don't just stand there," she cried to the hospital staff, "Do something!"

As the medical ponies rushed about she turned her focus to him. He looked as though he just woke up from a coma.

"Who did this to you?" Celestia said in a loving motherly tone.

"It was a nightmare princess... a bipedal creature... Long arms... Glowing green eyes.." He said between bloody coughs. "It was like nothing I had ever seen before. I was on patrol by the Everfree Forest and..." Suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head and he started babbling incoherently. Celestia put her horn on his head and while light engulfed the room. The guard stopped moving and looked like he was peacefully asleep.

Celestia took one last look at him before she left the room. He was awake again and very much afraid. Whatever happened was no joke, that she knew for certain. She opened the door with her magic and only got one hoof out before she heard screaming coming from behind her. She flipped around just in time to see the guard gouging his eyes out with his hooves. She ran to him and restrained him with magic as she screamed for more guards. He let out a last gasp for air as he fell unconscious once again.

"I want this city on lock down. Now. Nopony gets in, nopony gets out until we deal with this creature." Celestia said as she used her magic to retrieve a quill and paper.

"To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle...."

Crossroads

"To my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle....

The land of Equestria is again in turmoil. I am unaware of the source of this disruption, but it must be contained immediately. Gather the rest of the Elements of Harmony and prepare for my arrival.

Princess Celestia"

"This isn't like her to write so hastily and informal." sighed the purple mare. She had been up all night studying, and she was exhausted.

"Well it must be urgent Twilight, I'm sure the Princess would not over exaggerate." Replied the fashionable white unicorn.

"Yeah, Ah agree. She wouldn't ah called on us if it weren't important." The orange farm pony added. "Besides, we bucked Nightmare Moon and Discord into next Tuesday last time they came around."

"Yes, but this is different. Why do you think I was up all last night studying strange magical auras?" Replied Twilight, her sleepy head resting on the table.

"Because you wanted to throw a magical PARTY?!?" Exclaimed the spastic pink party pony.

"Ugh... no Pinkie. Because all day yesterday I felt some kind of dark magic emanating from the forest. I was scared it would turn out to be... well... something like this." Twilight sighed.

"Oh.. um.. don't worry Twilight... I'm sure Princess Celestia will know exactly what to do." Replied the meek pegasus, trying to comfort her friend.

"Yeah! And besides, we have the power of friendship! Nopony can take us down!" Exclaimed the excited element of loyalty.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light on the other end of the library. As the glow died down, there stood Princess Celestia in all her glory. Her mane flowing in a breeze that seemed to only exist for her.

"Greetings my little ponies, I would love to chat, but we have a dilemma on our hooves... A strange creature attacked one of my guards several hours ago along the northeastern border of the Everfree Forest. He is alive but he seems to have gone insane. I need to know what this creature is, where it is, and I need it stopped before it can harm anypony else!"

"We're on it Princess!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash with a salute.

"Yeah, nopony threatens Equestria on mah watch!" Said applejack enthusiastically.

"I'm glad to see your dedication, but I must warn you. Nightmare Moon and Discord never actually hurt anybody. They just wanted everlasting night, and chaos. This creature... almost killed a pony. I feel wrong sending such young mares to investigate, but I know you are the bearers of the elements. Just try to be careful, ok?" Princess Celestia said in the same loving tone she used with the injured guard.

"Yes, I'll make sure they keep their flanks out of trouble Princess." Twilight said looking at her friends with a look that said 'I'm watching you.'

"Good luck my friends! If you need me, feel free to have spike send me a message. And remember... This is an enemy we have not faced before. Expect anything."

***

"Well this is new." I said as I found myself in another impossible situation. Earlier, Nightmare Moon claimed she was sick of my 'incessant babbling and complete disregard for her feelings', so she locked me away in the dark recesses of my mind. Suddenly, the void of my mind gave itself form and structure, and gave me a metaphysical body. My mind took the form of a large three section hallway with hundreds upon hundreds of doors. Each door was labeled by what it contained, and they were organized in three sections.

'Logos, ethos, pathos.' My mind revealed. Logic, ethics, and emotion. In the logic section, there was information on how the world worked. The ethics section contained information of what defined me as a person. The emotion section contained all my feelings. It was a strange sight witnessing my mind in such a literal sense. I decided that it would be a good idea to use this to my advantage. Without knowing it, Nightmare gave me access to all the information I had somehow locked away.

Logic had thousands of doorways, for it contained all my knowledge. Everything I had ever looked at, heard, smelled, tasted, or felt was locked away within. 'That must be where all that random information comes from...' I thought as I gazed upon the arching hallway.

Ethos only had one door. Values. 'That one looks interesting...' I thought as turned to face the third and final corridor.

Pathos had eight doors. Hate, Greed, Pain and Lust lined the left side, while Love, Kindness, Happiness, and Respect adorned the right side.

'You locked this all away for a reason you know.' I conversed with myself.

'Yes, but who am I without my memories? I'm not the same person...'

'Do you really want to be?'

'After seeing those dreams, no. But I still want to find out who I was.'

'Well then open some of those doors. But don't say I didn't warn you. We should open 'Values' First, so we can find out how to deal with the emotions we will likely be uncovering in here.'

I took my own advice and approached the first door with caution. Obviously I had been a pretty horrible person, and I the last thing I wanted to do was suffer some kind of emotional trauma. I strengthened my will, bolstered my resolve, and gripped the handle of the 'Values' door.

One twist and pull later, I felt a rush of thoughts and emotions. It felt the same as when I had read the Latin phrase on the letter I had written myself. Redemptio per adversitatem invenitur. Through adversity, there is redemption. It made sense, but I did not know why. I had all the answers, and none of the questions. But at least I knew how to deal with whatever else I would find in the doors.

Next, I took a visit to the 'Pathos' section. I decided to get the worst over with and headed to the door entitled, 'Hate'. I opened the door and all the rage from my previous life funneled into me. Pure, undiluted, causeless hate. I knew the true meaning of hate, but again I only had an answer to a question I had not asked. I flung myself towards happiness, hoping to end the swirling hurricane of evil thoughts in my head. Once the door to happiness was open the hate seemed to dissipate. It was better, but it seemed that in my previous life I had far more hate than I had happiness. Which brought me to Pain.

About half an hour later, I was finally finished with all the 'Pathos' doors. I was in emotional turmoil at this point, and unless I had release soon, I was going to explode. It was then, a fourth section appeared. A stairway spiraled upwards to a golden archway labeled 'Memories'. This was it. All the right questions for all the answers I had just uncovered. I didn't even stop to think of the consequences of my actions. I was desperate for the truth. I needed closure on these feelings. I flung open the door and fell to my knees. I closed my eyes, and opened them in a verdant green field.

"Come on Charlie, you aren't even trying!" came a voice, far off in the distance.

Authors Notes: Sorry this chapter was rather short. I'm just trying to set the stage here. Next chapter will be all about Charlies past and after that you will get to see how the Nightmare Moon problem plays out. Also, I got myself an editor now so give a shout out to Swag! This image is dedicated to you, as I'm sure you run into this problem quite frequently.

Ok, well sorry about that. Had to get the silliness out of my system. Now to type the next chapter. Also, how is everybody enjoying the story? I'm doing this for the community mostly, so if you guys don't like it I might stop writing...

Origins and Endings, Part 1

Origins and Endings, Part 1

I took a quick look at my surroundings. I was... home? I found myself on top of a large hill covered in nothing but pure, green grass. The sun was shining warmly as if it welcomed my presence. I felt a cool breeze whip past me, bringing a cold sensation that dazed my senses with delight. To my right there were several homes, each identical in size and shape, but with varying colors. To my left was the beautiful rolling hills. At the top of the hill was a large oak tree.

Yes. Yes I was home. As soon as I took a look at that tree, my tree, I knew I had come home. I saw Claire off in the distance waving me to come over. I remember thinking she was beautiful. Long flowing brown hair, eyes more blue and deep than the ocean. She was only wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, but to me she looked like the bride at a wedding. Shining like a star. I took a deep breath and stifled a yawn. I started walking over to the tree.

'So this was home eh? Nice place. Not nearly as colorful as the world I've been living in, but it really seems nice.' I thought as the wind whipped my suddenly long hair past my eyes. I looked down at myself and found a startling sight. I was... younger. About fifteen or sixteen by my estimates. I thought this was odd, but then again everything that has happened to me in the past few weeks has been odd. The sight of my new body triggered a cascade of memories flowing into my mind. My entire life leading up to this day flashed before my eyes. I saw the day my parents got in their first fight and I ran away. I saw the day we took our first family picnic at the new house. I saw the love in my mother and father’s eyes when they looked upon me. I saw myself playing in the oak tree with my brother. I remembered the good, and I remembered the bad. Then, I remembered what day this was as I grimaced in horror. This was the day they had come to take me away.

I did not know whether I should fight my fate or not. I knew this was some kind of dream, but it didn't feel right to give in without a fight. This was the start of the avalanche of events that took my life away from me. I decided it would be best to just live through it as normally as I can. I wanted to experience my past, if nothing else then to learn what to expect from the future. I contemplated my choice until I reached the tree. Claire's beautiful face took all my worries away.

"Hey cutie!" I called out. Normally I was not this forward, especially when it came to girls, but it felt right this time.

"Hi Charlie! I missed you!"

"I missed you too... more than you know..." I mumbled the last part.

"What was that?"

"Oh! Nothing just mumbling to myself. Anyways, what's up?"

"Just climbing our tree! Wanna join me?"

"Of course." I said with a smile. This was going to be a great day. Until they show up, that is.

The rest of the day was spent frolicking around in the hills, climbing trees, and just enjoying each others company. I loved Claire. She was unlike anything I had ever met. She complimented me in every way. We had almost everything in common. I was planning on being with her until the day I die. We rolled down a hill together and I cried tears of joy as she kissed me. This was the perfect day. Was being the key sentence.

"Hey freak!" Called the neighbor boy, John. Tailing behind him were several boys I recognized from school. There were eight of them, including John. He was the typical neighborhood bully. He had been nothing but trouble ever since I had moved there. I hated him. Mostly because of the day in school when he "accidentally" brushed up against Claire's privates. I was furious he had to come ruin the moment. I remembered the previous day I had started a fight with him in school. It was a one on one, totally fair fight and I beat him down. Obviously, he wanted to take his revenge on me by making me look like an ass in front of my girl.

"Hows it going bro?" I said nonchalantly.

"Don't you call me bro, bro! So what's up with your freaky eyes? Did your mom fuck a cat or something?"

I then remembered that my eyes were... different. They were green like my father’s, but my pupils were sharp vertical slits. I had excellent night vision, and I personally thought it made me look cool. I was also extremely strong, and had quick reflexes that seemed to increase as the sun went down. I wondered why Nightmare Moon never brought this up with me, but then I realized she had likely never seen a human before, and assumed we were all like that.

"No, its just a genetic mutation" I explained calmly, "as I told you the first seventeen times you asked me about them. Do you have a learning disorder?"

"Hey, I think he just called you a retard." Said one of his mindless followers. You know the type. Can't think for themselves, so they need to latch on to whoever they think is strong.

"I think we need to settle this. Once and for all. Obviously, you are a freak and the fight we had earlier wasn't fair. So I brought some friends of mine to even the playing field!"

"Wow. Some man you are. Tell me, was your dad always drunk? Or did he sober up whenever he beat you?" I said, my anger winding up in a tight coil in my chest, begging for release.

"Get him!" He screamed as they all pulled out kitchen knives from their belts.

"Oh. Fuck." I whispered as I took off running. Normally, I would have tried to fight, but it was not quite dark enough for my unusual strength to take effect. I was running so fast, I almost didn't hear her screams.

"CLAIRE!!" I shouted as I took off running back for her. She was not as fast as me, so they took her captive knowing I'd come back for her. I didn't know they were that smart.

"Heh heh, looks like we got ya this time you sick fuck. Either surrender yourself to us, or we take it out on her pretty little face." He said as he rubbed a steak knife up and down her perfect fair skin.

"Ok." I simply said as I fell to my knees. I could not suffer the sight of them cutting her. I would have done anything for her, and those assholes knew it. I cried. I didn't care what they thought, and I didn't even listen to their insults as they surrounded me and held me down. I saw past one of the boys, and breathed a sigh of relief as I saw Claire running away.

"I'm going to enjoy this greatly." John said as he took the tip of his knife and sliced off my shirt. To his horror, he found my scars. When I was born, I suddenly remembered, some of my internal organs were on the outside of my body. A rare condition called omphalocele, I was told.

"What the fuck are you?" He said. Not even waiting for an answer, he sliced into my stomach. Not deep enough to cause serious problems, but deep enough to hurt like hell and draw my blood.

"This is a lot more fun than Mr. Baxter's cat, isn't it boys?" They all laughed. Obviously, I was dealing with some demented, horrible people here. I always knew they were a bunch of assholes, but I didn't think they were so sick.

I screamed in pain as they carved a large cross into my chest. They each took turns carving patterns and designs into my flesh. I wanted nothing more than to die at that point.

"Just finish me... you bastard..." I said between raspy coughs.

"Oh, no. The party has just started!" He said as he got up and pointed to a gagged Claire being carried over to me by one of his henchmen. The sight was horrible. I wanted to throw up, seeing my beloved like this. Her normally beautiful hair was sweaty and mangled, and her gorgeous eyes were soggy with tears. I took a look at the sun, just barely setting over the horizon. My heart beat faster.

"...for a wounded man shall say to his assailant, if I live, I will kill you. If I die, you are forgiven. Such is the rule of honor." I recalled my favorite quote with courage in my heart. He spat in my face and laughed. I couldn't possibly hurt him, he thought. He thought wrong.

I grabbed his arm and focused. His veins turned black, and he screamed out in pain. I felt his energy seep into me, like a warm current of water. My wounds healed up, and I stood to face my assailants. With one quick thought, I extended my mind to theirs and drained them of their energy. I walked up to the first and punched him in the gut. Then he took my knee to his face. I systematically beat the ever-loving shit out of every single one of these social rejects. I was so caught up in my work, I didn't hear John come up from behind me and stab me in the back.

I felt the knife enter, piercing my muscles, and weaving through my ribs. I turned and slapped him. I had multiple bodies to feast on, and he couldn't possibly bring me down. I decided to put a memory into his head that would hopefully prevent him from doing anything but sitting in an asylum, shitting down his pants and rocking back and forth.

"So. What should I start with? Your 'normal' eyes? I heard somewhere that human eyes are delicious." I said the final word with a raspy, otherworldly voice. I was indeed a human being, but I wanted this little prick to think he was staring into the face of the devil himself.

"No! Please!" He cried as I reached around and pulled the knife from my back. The wound closed instantly after I grabbed his ankle, my unusual strength bruising the bone and straining his sinew. I took the knife in my left hand and pierced his chest. He screamed out in pain, but I was not done. Oh, no. He wouldn't get off that easy. I then took some of his friends life energy and poured it into his wound, closing it effectively. I then repeated, all over his body. I broke his legs, then repaired them. I broke his arms, then repaired them. I stabbed him all over and repaired his every scratch. Nobody would ever believe him. After I was done, I looked him in the eyes and brought his face to mine, with only an inch to spare.

"Good night, pretty boy. I'll be watching you" I said with a smile as I threw him back down to the ground, took all the knives, and pierced them in the ground behind him. I arranged all the injured bullies in a neat little pile, and walked away with pride, knowing that he would never fuck with anybody ever again. I took a look around and noticed something. Claire was gone.

"Oh shit... She shouldn't have seen that.." I sighed as I reprimanded myself for letting my anger take a hold of me. Sure they deserved it, but now Claire thought I was a monster. Maybe... I was a monster. I had no idea what was wrong with me, and how I could do that. I beat myself up over it for what seemed like hours. I decided to finally go home, stopping by Claire's house to check on her.

I walked down the lamp lit street with a spring in my step. What I had done was so wrong, but it felt so right. It felt like I was satisfied to have had a decent meal after starving for weeks. It felt like I was quenching my thirst after weeks in the desert. I was happy. I did not know why, but I was. I had just attacked eight teenage boys. I didn't even check to see if I had accidentally killed them, like the first time I learned of my power. I was twelve years old and was being chased by a wild dog. I felt bad for the dog, but I felt better knowing I had saved my life. My trip down memory lane was interrupted by the sight of several black SUVs outside Claire's house.

Unbeknownst to me, she ran home as soon as I drained John, and used it to heal my wounds. She told her parents everything, and they called the police. The police then called some special group that deals with that sort of thing. Because that's what I was. Something to 'deal with'. Wanting to see the rest of my fate, I walked up to Claire's door and knocked. A man in a black suit greeted me, and told me to have a seat outside. I relieved my weight upon one of her patio chairs, and a large group of identical suited men surrounded me. One of the men behind me took out a syringe.

Sharp pain, then nothing as the blackness took hold of me.

Authors Notes: Sorry for the late chapter. I try to get at least one out every day. Expect brutal things in the next chapter. Who's looking forward to discovering what happened to Charlie?

Origins and Endings, Part 2

Origins and Endings, Part 2

"We told your parents and brother you are dead. There is no reason for escape. You are a monster, and we are going to help you." I heard a calm, but hard voice speak. My vision was dark and tunneled. I couldn't make out anything in the room past my own nose. I was dizzy, and felt light headed and cold. I could barely feel my entire body, and it had that faint tingling sensation that happens when you cut off blood flow for too long. My thoughts went from internal to external as I heard the voice speak again.

"We have been watching you Charles. Ever since you were born we knew you would be... Special." The way he said special sent chills down my spine. I felt hate, Anger and pure rage building up inside me. This was only a flashback, and I knew that but I couldn't help but feel like ripping this guy’s head off. This was my past that I wanted to conceal? I felt like throwing up. She betrayed me. She didn't even give me a chance to explain myself before running off. And these... these men. They think I'm a monster? They told my family I was dead. And for what? I hate them. I hate everything. I especially hate John for bringing this out of me. I should have killed him.

"What am I?" I said trying to control my dangerous emotions.

"You are the last of a plagued race thought long dead. Your families genes contained the virus, and it was passed down to you. You hunger for blood, do you not? You get stronger at night and weak during the day? Your eyes are adapted perfectly for the darkness. You are broken. And we are here to fix you."

"So because I was born different, I am suddenly broken? Who are you? What is this place?"

"All in good time my friend. My name is Salazar. And like you, I was broken. But I have been mended, as you will."

"What if I don't want to be 'mended'?

"Then we kill you."

"..."

"I highly suggest you stop fighting us. I tried to fight back too, but this is the right way to go."

I did not wish to talk to this man any more. Apparently he didn't either, because after that last answer I did not hear his voice again. I opened my eyes once more to find myself in a large white room. The ceiling was covered in a very reflective glass, making the room even more bright. The light hurt my eyes, and seemed to lash out at my very soul. It made me weak, and I hated it. I wanted nothing more than to kill this Salazar and release myself, but that was impossible. I was trapped in here, and god knows what was going to happen to me. I was laying on a curved piece of steel, barely able to move. I then felt the clamps on my arms and legs. I wasn't going anywhere.

Another man entered the room, and in place of a suit he wore a surgical outfit complete with large goggles and a breather mask. He was like something out of a nightmare and I was powerless to stop him, whatever he was planning on doing with me. Behind him, another man in the same attire wheeled in a cage full of monkeys, and a rolling stainless steel tray.

"What the hell is this?" I said, my courage starting to falter, and anger taking its place.

The man answered with silence as he pulled out a white bag and pulled out several devices. The first, a plain scalpel. The second, a meat tenderizer. One by one he pulled them out of the bag until laying them on the tray until the bag was empty. In total, there were ten devices. The scalpel and meat tenderizer, as well as a pair of scissors, a pointed wooden stake, a steel hammer, three nails, a pair of pliers, a ballpoint pen, a small sheet of glass, and a staple gun. I was horrified. I knew that something bad was going to happen, but this was beyond anything I comprehended.

"Begin." An omnipresent voice said in a cold tone.

The man with the mask took the hammer and nails, and pounded them into me. I screamed out as one went through each hand, and one in my stomach. Tears came to my eyes from the pain, but I felt nothing but rage and hate toward the men that were doing this to me. It was torture, pure agony. And that was only the first of it. The man took the pliers, and removed the nails one by one until all that was left was 3 holes in my body and a bloody mess.

"Heal yourself." the same voice bellowed through the room.

Not willing to obey the man, but even less willing to suffer through this agony, I reached for the cage and my mind pulsed forward to the monkeys. I entered their minds and started to siphon their energy as gently as I could. The sounds of their screams echoed through the room and I felt awful for it. These innocent creatures were being put through the same pain these men had inflicted on me. It wasn't fair to either of us. I felt sick to my stomach, the emotions of rage and pain fighting an endless battle within me.

"Good. Next test."

Hours turned into days. Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months, and months into years. I lost track of time after the first two weeks. I lost the will to live. They would torture me, and I would heal. Over and over. It was a more refined version of what I had done to John, only he deserved it. I had done nothing wrong. The longer the tests went on, the tougher they became to survive. Every so often the men would leave to rest, and more would take their place eager to start their work. I never tired. They forced me to feed so often that I never needed rest. Countless monkeys died at my hand, only to be replaced by a new cage every morning. Screams echoed through my mind, and my heart was in pain as I slaughtered countless animals.

After what seemed like an eternity, they upped the ante. Nails and hammers were replaced by sharp metal poles and poisoned injections. They just wanted to see what I could take. The monkeys were replaced by actual people. They begged me not to kill them, but I had no choice. When I refused, they sent currents of electricity through the table I was laying on. They wanted to see what methods were effective in subduing me. I couldn't let them continue. I just couldn't. This was an offence to nature, and I would not stand for it any longer. After I killed my first child, I hatched a plan.

Since there was no way to tell when it was night time in here, I spent a few days reading my cycle. I made mental notes of when I felt stronger and sharper. I lost track of time, but I always knew when it was dark outside my prison. I stretched my mind whenever I had time between tests to see how far my influence could reach. I didn't dare try to drain anything, but I discovered that it was indeed possible. No fancy technology and glass can withstand a force of nature such as myself.

I prepared myself for my final test. They brought in a gun this time. And an entire family of people. A woman and a man, and a boy who looked a year or so younger than me. This was when I would have to make my stand, there was no way in hell I could live with killing them. The time for escape was now.

He shot me three times. Twice in the kneecaps and once in the chest. I felt my life fading and knew I had to act now. I reached out to the cage that held the family, huddled in fear and love for each other. I reached out to them with my hand, but my mind was elsewhere. I had invaded the mind of several surgeons and one of the men watching on a screen from another room. And then, I made my attack.

I pulled all I could from the twelve men I took hold of. I used all their strength and energy to fuel my wrath. My eyes burned and my muscles pulsed with their new found power. I could not contain all of the energy. Little did they know, the constant testing they forced on me was effectively turning me into a killing machine. At first I had to physically touch the beings I wished to drain. After time went on, however, I discovered how to establish a neural link to my enemies to draw their vitality to myself. After my body could not hold any more power, I wriggled free of my restraints. I shouted at the family to close their eyes as I took the one man in the room and smashed his face against the ground, over and over, using my inconceivable amount of strength to purée him into a bloody, bony pulp. Once my rage slightly subsided, I turned to the family. I grabbed the lock and that's when I noticed something. There was something about these people. The man with his piercing green eyes... the woman's golden hair. Then I saw the boy. His eyes were blue, but he had seemed to develop slits for pupils just like I did. Then it hit me.

Over the past few years they had me contained, I gazed at the glass ceiling in the room. Watching myself change. I grew about a foot in height and my hair had become long and unruly. They never bothered to bathe me, or cut my hair. I looked like a caveman. My clothes were too small for me, my denim jeans only went halfway down my shins, and my upper body was naked and muscular. I'm not surprised my family didn't recognize me. I guess I was too caught up in my plan to recognize them either. I was certainly happy to see them alive and well.

"I need to get you out of here. Don't ask any questions, just follow my lead and you'll be ok." My voice startled me, as I have had no reason to speak for well over a year now.

I pulled on the lock, and had no problem breaking it off. I opened the cage and my family said thanks to their unknown savior. How I wanted to embrace them all and tell them, but now was not the time. I don't know what these people said to them, but if it means their safety, they can survive without me for a little while longer.

An alarm went off somewhere in the complex, but I wasn't able to pinpoint where. I asked my family if they had any idea to get out of here, and they gave me a negative response. I knew there would be more men coming, and I wouldn't be surprised if the whole army showed up to take me out before I escaped. I lead my family over to the knob-less door and pushed with all my might. My strength was being spent, and I was not going to drain off my family. It took a lot more effort, but I managed to push the door open enough for us to escape through.

We entered a hallway and much like the room that had been my world for two years, it was sterile, white, and bright. My brother and I squinted our eyes at the sight. I used my mind to reach throughout the complex to find signs of life. I drained a bit of energy from all of them and they collapsed. They obviously did not know the extent of my powers, or they would have been studying how to protect themselves from me, rather than testing what I could do. Fools.

I followed the life signs all the way through the complex where I found a large iron door, again with no handles or knobs. My strength was waning and I needed to feed if I could force this door open. I reached out with my mind, but there was nothing. Either they had found a way to block me out, or everybody had fled the facility. I sighed in defeat and started searching for another way out of the hallway. The search was cut short as the door popped open on its own. This had to be a trap, but I had no other option. I entered the room slowly and cautiously.

Unlike the other rooms which were bright, white and cramped, this room was large and circular, and almost pitch black. Black panels of glass lined the walls and ceiling making this the most beautiful room I had ever seen. My eyes adjusted quickly and welcomed in the warming sight of anything dark. It was then I noticed a large terminal in the center of a room.

I cautiously approached it, knowing that I was still in danger. I didn't care, the whole purpose of this was to figure out who and what I was. I looked around for a means to activate the terminal when I heard a humming sound. It grew louder and louder until the terminals large screen began displaying numbers and letters. When it was done scrolling, it displayed one word.

"Topic?" I said. My family was right behind me, as interested in this thing as I was.

"Charles Petersen" I spoke, much to my families surprise.

"I said, no questions. I need to find out what this says about me." I asked after they were done assaulting me with questions.

The screen hummed to life once again, this time displaying a wealth of information about me, my past, and everybody I associated with. I skipped Claire's entry with a wince. I needed to save time. I read as fast as I could. I knew everything in the terminal. It was basic stuff really. I found out that it had been just over three years since they captured me. But there was phrase in particular that caught my eye immediately.

"Status: Alive. Infected. In custody." It read.

'Infected?' I thought, 'with what?'

"What is the infection?" I spoke loudly. The computer made a few beeping sounds and displayed another page of text. I read the first word. Vampirism.

"Oh you have got to be shitting me..." Is this what I am? Am I straight out of a tale meant to frighten small children? I continued to read.

"1462 A.D. Vlad Dracula the third desired revenge on his enemies. During his bloody conquest, he hung tens of thousands of corpses on stakes in the ground. Every night, he drank their blood and prayed for their power. In the blood of the thousands, he found that power. Through careful experimentation, and countless deaths, Vlad found the secret of immortality. He drank his mixture and dubbed himself Count Dracula. In the days before science the masses believed Vlad to be cursed by the heavens for defiling the living, but in reality, he had developed a complex symbiotic virus. By drinking the blood of the infected, or simply being born with the proper genes, people associated with Vlad befell the same curse. Over the generations, all the 'vampires' were slain, but there was no way of discovering whose genes were tainted. Charles and Connor Petersen are the only known 'Vampires' in existence today, and are both in humane captivity."

"Humane captivity?!" I yelled as I smashed through the console. I ripped it from its pedestal and threw it aside. The past three years of torture and death finally got to me. I snapped. I screamed at the top of my lungs in a blood-fueled rage. Several men walked in with their guns drawn and I didn't even think twice before draining them of their energy and drowning them in a pool of their own blood and entrails. My family watched in horror as I used the first man's gun as a spear and rammed it through the eye socket of another. Armed guards continued to pour in through the doors of the room, and just as fast as they could come, I used their own strength to destroy them. They would have to use another tactic to break me, and that is exactly what they did.

Three shots. That's all it took. One entered my father’s skull. The other pierced my mother’s heart. The third hit Connor in the back. My mind went blank. I took Connor and ran, barely hearing my mother’s muffled screams as she bled to death on the cold glass floor. I killed more than thirty people on my way out of there and never looked back once. As I exited my prison for the first time in three years, I stopped to look at the surroundings before running out the gate and into the desert beyond.

Barely breathing, Connor and I were picked up by a truck who saw us from the highway. We were bloody and bruised, but we were alive. I had nothing but anger now. Nothing but my thirst for revenge. I wasn't to learn that I had been transported to the deserts of Nevada. This is where the government keeps all its dirty secrets. I wondered if that was the infamous Area 51.

We sat on a hill overlooking Las Vegas. For the first time in years, I spoke to my brother.

"There's no time like the present, Connor."

"Yes, but I still can't believe they're gone."

"Neither can I dear brother... Neither can I."

"Do you think everything will be ok?"

"Perhaps. Redemptio per adversitatem invenitur."

"Through adversity, there is redemption?"

"Precisely."

As weeks rolled by, Connor and I were on the run. We had no money, and we did not want to risk associating with our extended family. They knew everything about us. We couldn't live like this any longer. I couldn't. I needed revenge. And I decided to pay a little visit to the one who started all this.

We finally arrived in Utah approximately two months after our escape. Using a combination of hitchhiking, stowing away on trains, and good old fashioned walking we finally made it back to where our lives began. I strolled up the street hoping to have a word with my dear friend John. I knocked on the door. A small child answered. As it turned out, John had a family all his own and they now lived in that house. Good. I killed their daughter. And his wife. And looked him dead in the face as I squeezed his life out like I was wringing out a wet towel.

Then, came Claire. I had Connor ask her to go to the old oak tree at dawn. She obliged.

There she was, still looking as beautiful as ever. But she had betrayed me. I needed to do this. I walked up to her, and she was frightened by my appearance. I told her that three years of constant torture will do this to you.

"I loved you. And you ratted me out to them."

"No! Please don't do this Charlie!"

"I'm sorry Claire. It is necessary."

With that last word, Charlie brought forth his horrible energy and drained the life from her as she screamed in pain. He had a smile on his face, and licked his lips. It was then Connor could not bear to watch this destruction any longer.

"What the fuck are you, Charlie? How could you do that to her?!"

"It was necessary to bring about the destruction of our enemies." Charlie said with an emotionless tone.

"That's too far. We agreed remember? No death of the innocent! That was the deal, you murderous fuck!"

"There was never a deal. This is MY power, MY life and it was MY decision to make. Besides, she was no innocent."

"No! Damn you to hell Charlie. I'm done. I quit. We are becoming the very thing we sought to destroy! Remember our family? Remember their screams?! Do you?"

"Yes. I do. But come tomorrow, I won't remember a thing."

I had made up my mind. I was going to erase the past six years of my life, hoping to never again think of the death and pointless waste of life that I had witnessed and caused. I found an old native american healer. Perfect. We concocted the potion together, and then I ended her life. Wouldn't want any loose ends.

"Here's to the end of a shitty life." I said in a barely audible whisper to myself as I stood in the doorway of my former home. I chuckled as I drank the thick syrup.

Authors notes: Here's a nice long one for you. This was very depressing, but that's the past for ya. What remains to be seen is how all of this will effect Charlie in the long run, and what he will do when he finally returns to his body in Equestria. Nightmare moon on a pike anyone?

To Shatter the Sky

Foreword: Before you read this I need to answer a few potential questions. The events of this chapter are taking place while Charlie is trapped in his memories. To him, it seems like three years have passed, but in reality it has only been just over three hours. Enjoy!

To Shatter the Sky

"Well that's new!" Twilight exclaimed as the Mane six entered the forest. They were all decked out in their element jewelry and stood out from the forest backdrop quite well. Stealth was not their greatest ally.

"Dash, don't they look like them 'Shadow Bolts' from when we defeated Nightmare Moon? The ones that tried ta steal ya away from us?" Said Applejack warily. The strange shadow animals that Charlie had encountered at the castle had overrun the forest, giving the whole place an eerie feel. There was also a lack of real animals that seemed especially odd for the Everfree.

"Hey yeah, they kinda do! You won’t take me away from MY friends!" She exclaimed as she bucked right through one of them and fell flat on her flank. Pinkie Pie laughed and Dash got up with a giggle, and the tension of the whole area lifted slightly. Fluttershy even brought her face out from behind her mane.

Every few moments, Twilight would send out a magical pulse to detect magical presence in the surrounding area. It functioned similar to echolocation only instead of high pitched frequencies, it uses magical energy to pulse off other magical energy signatures. She learned that in the book she had stayed up all night reading, and made sure it was well known to her friends how important books were. There were hushed remarks about Twilight's 'Egghead' status, and several spells were used to zip several mouths shut.

Several giggles later, they arrived at the Everfree Castle. They found it in much better condition than Charlie had. It was still run down and broken in places, but the main castle building looked almost good as new. They could see shadowy creatures lifting the old stone and magically repairing it. It would have been a marvelous sight, if not for how horrifying it was. Twilight instantly knew who was behind it due to her prior research on the mare in the moon several years ago.

"Ooo! This place is neat! I wonder if there is anypony new living there! We can throw them a why-are-you-building-a-creepy-castle-in-the-woods-and-not-just-living-in-Ponyville party!!" Pinkie exclaimed in her usual spastic manner.

"Because that's not just anypony living there, Pinkie. When we defeated Nightmare Moon all those years ago, do you remember what happened?" Twilight said trying to explain the dire situation at hoof.

"Well.. um.. we set Princess Luna free from her grasp and then banished her..." Said Fluttershy barely working enough courage to speak.

"Yes. And this is the Everfree castle, where the Princesses lived thousands of years ago when Nightmare Moon first took hold of Luna. Nightmare Moon must have returned here to gather her strength!"

"Yeah, but Twi?" Interjected the orange farm pony, "Princess Celestia said that it wasn't Nightmare Moon when she first got here. I don't think she woulda lied to us..."

"Well that's the only thing that makes sense! All the signs point to her. We should inform Princess Celestia immediately of our-oomph!" Twilight started to say as she was grabbed by an unknown entity.

"TWILIGHT!" the five mares yelled in unison as they ran after the blurry dark force that kidnapped their friend. They weaved in between bushes and trees as fast as they could, but pony bodies were made for speed on flat ground, or in open air. They just couldn't keep up with the creature.

"That's it, I'm going around!" Roared Rainbow Dash as she cut a zigzag through the treeline until she emerged through the canopy, covered in small scratches and bruises. She looked around for the castle, and was startled to find that it had disappeared.

"What the hay? How could I miss it?" She sighed in defeat as she carefully descended below the treeline. She ran for a few minutes that seemed like hours as she searched frantically for her friends. Tired, broken, but not hopeless, she made one more ascent above the treeline to search for her missing companions. She then remembered the time Applejack tried to buck all of Sweet Apple Acres by herself, and the lesson her friend had learned. She needed help.

***

"Yes... good. We have the Purple one. Without her, the elements can not possibly gather to defeat us!" Nightmare Moon said with Charlie's possessed tongue. She locked Twilight's unconscious form in the dungeons of the castle, far out of reach of her friends. She laughed, giddy with her plan. She would gather the elements, drain their power with Charlie's body, and then use it to kill Celestia and her old host Luna. She gazed into the mirror in her room, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"At some point we should gather another body... This form is powerful, but we have no desire to remain as such a hideous creature." She sighed. It was partially true. In human standards Charlie was fairly well looking, however he hadn't had a good bath in several weeks and there were scars all over his chest and stomach in odd patterns. His shirtless body was truly a sight to behold, there was hardly an area on him unscathed. Carved into his back was a large cross.

Nightmare looked out of the window, grateful that the sun was setting. The eyes this body possessed made night even more beautiful. The colors were more vibrant and bright and the blacks were more crisp and sharp. The moon provided all the light his eyes needed to function perfectly, and it made all the difference in the world. She felt his muscles pulse with the power that the night time provided him. She had no idea what this creature was, but she would enjoy using every last drop of his power to conquer Equestria, and make the wonderful darkness last forever.

'Perhaps we will keep this body after all...' She thought with glee as she walked down into the courtyard and reveled in the glorious darkness. Her shadow creatures welcomed her arrival and bowed at her entrance. It was then she heard voices.

"Now where the hay did Rainbow Dash go?" queried a southern pony.

"I don't know, but walking around in this forest makes my hooves hurt..." claimed a very proper voice.

Finally, the other elements had shown up looking for their friend.

"Just as we planned." Charlie’s voice said with a grin.

***

All of Ponyville looked to the eastern sky to marvel at the spectacle. There was a loud 'boom' followed by a glorious flash of the rainbow. Rainbow Dash was flying as fast as her wings could take her back to Twilight's library. She landed with a thud and took a moment to catch her breath before bursting in through the door.

"Spike!!" She screamed with worry in her voice.

"Hey Dash, whats the big deal?" Spike said as he rolled out of bed, recent sleep evident in his eyes.

"We need to send Celestia a message NOW!" She quickly replied gathering a quill and paper with her mouth and spitting them into spikes lap.

***

"Dear Princess Celestia,

This is Rainbow Dash. We need help in the Everfree forest as soon as possible. We found a castle that looked like it was being reconstructed. Twilight was kidnapped while after she mentioned something about Nightmare Moon 1,000 years ago, and I lost the others. Meet me here at Twilight's library when you have time.

R.D."

Princess Celestia gasped as she read the letter. Over the past few hours there have been strange shadowy beings sighted all over Canterlot attacking ponies on sight. There were only three deaths but there were over one hundred critically injured and hospitalized. Celestia was at wits end when the letter showed up, but now she was having a mild panic attack. She had been running around Canterlot all day fending off attacks on her precious subjects and trying desperately to keep the peace while her city was besieged by an unknown foe.

"Luna!" Celestia cried as her sister crashed through the window of the throne room. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises and she was having trouble standing up. Hot on her trail were several clouds of purple shadow that took form in the throne room as a large fanged beast. It was similar to a timber wolf, but it was much larger and more frightening. Its eyes glowed bright green and it bellowed a sickening growl.

Luna was out of the fight, so it looked like it was up to Celestia to contain the beast. Celestia loved and cared about all ponies and animals, but this was not natural. It gave off an energy that seemed to feed off the light itself, and Celestia was having trouble seeing through the dark fog it was producing. She charged up her horn and fired a large bolt of energy from the tip at the creature. It dodged the blow, but the beam cut right through the fog and brought momentary comfort to Celestia.

She charged up her horn and fired again. This time the beam was wider, almost taking up the whole area of the throne room. Again, the beast narrowly dodged Celestia's assault but the beam had sliced a large hole through the dark presence it was emanating. Celestia moved closer and closer to the beast, firing smaller shots of brilliant gold magic. She was mere feet away from it when the guards flew in through the shattered window and momentarily distracted the foul creature. This gave Celestia just enough time to power up her horn one more time as she physically pierced the creature’s chest from underneath. It let out a loud yelp as the energy from inside Celestia's horn burst throughout its body. Its eyes glowed bright gold as the creature was cleansed with brilliant light. Suddenly the light stopped, the creature was gone and there were three speechless royal guards standing behind Celestia.

Mere moments passed before the awestruck guards snapped to attention and Celestia ordered them to take Luna to the hospital wing. She had important things to attend to, that hopefully included ending this unexpected attack.

***

Nightmare Moon was pleased with her work. The unusual strength that came with the night made it possible for her to carry all four ponies from the jungle. One by one their friends disappeared, as Nightmare divided and distracted them. five of the six Elements of Harmony were subdued and ready for annihilation. As soon as the Rainbow one entered her domain, her dark conquest would begin. She was caught up in her delusions of grandeur, but was quickly snapped out of it by a bright flash of light originating in the great hall of the castle.

"Thank you so much for coming Celes.... Where the hay are we?" Rainbow was confused. After she sent the letter she informed spike of all that had transpired. After she was done Celestia teleported right in front of her. She began a sentence in Ponyville, and ended it in the middle of the Everfree forest. That had to count for a record, she thought with glee, temporarily forgetting their purpose there.

"I always help those in need. Now tell me, is this the castle you saw?" Princess Celestia responded, her usual loving tone replaced by one of grave urgency.

"I... I think so. We saw it from the outside, so I don't know for sure."

The question answered itself as a strange creature suddenly appeared in front of them. It stood on two legs instead of four, and had five claw-like appendages extending from its front hooves. It was surrounded by the same dark energy as the beast Celestia just defeated. It had a long mane on top of its head, but was hairless everywhere else. It had scars covering its upper body, its lower body covered by a tapestry that depicted Nightmare Moon's defeat one thousand years ago. Its eyes glowed green, and its pupils were wide vertical slits, open wide to let in the low levels of light.

"How good to see you again Celestia." It said. When it spoke, its voice was of two creatures. Its physical voice sounded male, but the secondary voice was that of a female.

"What scheme have you this time, Nightmare Moon?" Celestia said, her heart full of anger for the first time in a millennia.

"Why don't you join us and find out?" With the final word, the strange creature lunged at Celestia, overpowering her with ease. It gripped the solar mare's neck. Celestia's veins turned black and she screamed out in horror as she felt her very life drain before her. Rainbow could only watch in wide eyed horror as her Princess was devoured in front of her. Rainbow did the only thing she could do, she ran to find the rest of the Elements before it was too late for her beloved Princess.

It was then Princess Luna flew in through a nearby open window. Her wings extended, but stationary as her intense magic levitated her to the ground. She gave off the same dark energy as the creature, but it was kind and gentle darkness as opposed to the creature’s crushing and deafening aura. Her eyes glowed a brilliant silver as she charged her horn and fired a silver lunar beam. A scream was heard as the bolt hit her target, knocking it off Celestia.

It was then apparent that Luna's display of valiant affection took its toll. She collapsed in the great hall, unable to sustain her attack on the creature any longer. The creature smiled as the two unconscious forms had served themselves to it. It licked its lips in preparation.

***

Shortly before Luna made her appearance, Rainbow Dash tore through the halls as fast as her legs could carry her. She bucked down every door on her way. She desperately wanted to find her friends, and tears streamed from her eyes as she thought of Celestia's broken form with that horrible creature on top of her. She screamed her friends names as she ran, stopping occasionally to listen for any whisper of a sound.

This wasn't working. Celestia was dying, and she needed to find her friends. With the last of her energy, she bucked one last door down. She let out a surprised and horror filled gasp as she found her friends. Pinkie Pie was in chains on the ground in the corner of the room. Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy were hanging by their hooves from the ceiling, also in chains. Twilight Sparkle's head was encased in a metal box, no doubt to prevent her from using magic to escape. The five of them were cut and bruised lightly and were breathing shallowly as if in pain. They were all gagged.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh" Rainbow couldn't keep herself from hyperventilating. After taking a split second to snap out of it and recover, she opened the vice that contained Twilight's head. She undid the tie holding the gag in her mouth as well.

"Thank Celestia its you! I thought you'd never-" Her thought interrupted by an explosion of words from Rainbow Dash.

"No time! We need to get the buck out of here and save Celestia, NOW!"

With a quick flash of magic, Twilight released all her friends from their bindings. They did not have time to celebrate, as Rainbow Dash opened a crate with their Elements inside it. She attached everypony’s necklace, and Twilight's tiara and shouted something before running out the door with renewed vigor, her friends bursting through behind her.

***

"Looks like we have you now... Princess..." The dual voices said as it neared Celestia once more. Before it could reach out to feed once more, Twilight Sparkle herself exploded through the door with all the elements behind her. The creature outstretched its front legs to drain them as well, but they had caught it off guard.

The Elements rose from the floor, Twilight's eyes glowing bright white. The whole forest pulsed with a blinding light, as everything Nightmare had changed was returned to normal. The possessed beats of the Everfree were released. The guards in Canterlot were on their last line of defense as every defeated one of their ranks turned against them. One loud crack and a bright light later, all the guards were back to normal, lying unconscious in the streets.

Back in the castle's great hall, Twilight ran to her beloved teacher. She cried tears of hopelessness as she realized that Celestia was in deep trauma. She was still alive, but only barely. It would take a miracle for her to recover. Luna, her body broken and still covered in tiny shards of glass was in much the same state. The six elements rushed about trying to find something that would help them recover, when they heard a faint voice.

***

"I can't fucking believe it! A vampire? Are you serious? This has to be a joke..." I exclaimed inside my mental prison. After taking the potion from my old memories, I woke up back in the same door filled passage. I got up and wiped away the sweat on my forehead, trying to calm my many nerves and emotions.

"No wonder I made the decision to forget... I am a fucking nightmare!" I screamed as I kicked the first door I came to. Deciding that all my memories of 'Wonderbread' did not deserve such punishment, I turned the pain inwards. I sat there in the corner, no expression on my face besides that of complete and utter despair. In my darkest moment, I had a choice to make. I took a long time to analyze myself and my feelings. Something changed inside me that day. I remembered the phrase I spoke to my brother. Redemptio per adversitatem invenitur. Through adversity, there is redemption. I discovered the true meaning of that statement as I laid on the marble floor of my mind. I had been through plenty of adversity. I made my choice.

I stood up, a new found courage in my heart. When I drank the memory elixir, I had made the choice to run from my past. No more. That day forward, I would accept what I had done and do my best to atone for my errors. For the first time in years, I felt the loving presence of my family again, smiling down upon me. I did not know if I believed in an afterlife, but I knew the loving feeling had to have come from somewhere.

Then, as though it was on queue, my mind prison started collapsing. The doors went first, shattering into oblivion. At first I was scared, not knowing what was happening but with my new found resolve I stood up, and walked to the top of the stairs leading to the memory door. I sighed with relief as I knew that whatever happened, I would do my best. And that's all I could do. I could have sworn I heard Connor’s voice call out my name as my purgatory collapsed on itself, thrusting me back into the world of the waking.

First Impressions

First Impressions

A hoof to the face is a surprising way to wake up from what was essentially a three day, bitch-induced coma. There was now blood trickling down my face as I tried to choke out my first real words in days. There I was laying on the floor of the great hall, getting the absolute shit beaten out of me. They were making it very hard to change my outlook on life.

"Tell us how to fix her! NOW!" Shouted a pony with a vibrant rainbow mane.

"What... did I... do?" I choked out between coughs. If they wanted answers, they were sure making it hard to get them.

"The Princesses! They are dying! You touched them, and then their veins went black and... I don't know just help them.." This time it was a purple pony that spoke, trying not to lose the tears that were welling in her large violet eyes. She had a horn on top her head, so I guess I should call her a unicorn. This world was becoming more strange by the second. Trying desperately to contain my anger, and choosing my words very carefully, I answered.

"I have been locked inside my own mind for three days now. The one called Nightmare Moon possessed my body. I have no idea what's been going on, so ease up on me would you?"

The purple unicorn began to cry. Obviously she had a strong attachment to these 'Princesses' and it would make a great first impression if I could help them out. It was my powers that brought this on them, so I guess it was indirectly my fault. Although, taking a mind erase potion shouldn't have brought me to this place, so I didn't quite know who to blame.

"Hold on... if you promise to stop beating me I might be able to help them." I said knowing what I'd have to do. For the first time in my life, I was going to try to use my powers to heal another using my life as the siphon. I had no idea if it worked that way, but if anything was going to make me welcome here it would be saving the lives of the royalty.

Once it was understood that the rainbow one would cease the beatings, I stood up. The six ponies all gasped as they did not expect I would stand up a full four feet taller than they were. This was likely the first time they had seen me up close, and not battling the princesses. I'd probably be a bit intimidated too, especially considering I had the power of life and death coursing through my tainted veins.

I approached the first of the unconscious unicorns... wait, they had wings too? Pegacorn? Either way, I approached the first one with caution, the recent beating fresh in my mind. If I wanted to, I could have probably taken out all six of these ponies and eaten their hearts as a testament to my evil vampirous nature, but that would not help me in my recently acquired quest to become a good guy for once.

This pony was larger than the others. It was slightly bigger then I remember Nightmare Moon being, but she was much more graceful even as she neared deaths grasp. She was a blinding white, which my strange eyes did not appreciate. Her hair, or mane, was long and seemed to flow like water. It was all the colors I'd associate with spring, pink, purple, teal and emerald. It was beautiful in a way, but if I was going to save her I would have to stop gawking at her and get to work. I stretched my mind out easily, as I had now become accustomed to it. I felt the forest and many of the creatures within. I felt the life of the creature in front of me seeping away. With my new state of mind, I found this to be something beautiful. I could feel all the good things this world had to offer in this state. Too bad it wouldn't last... I reached out to as many animals as I could to lessen their suffering, and my own. I took barely noticeable fractions of their life force and almost doubled that inside me. I laid my hands on the princesses chest and pulsed forward with all my might. It hurt like hell, but I could feel it working. My life was going away, all focused into this magnificent creature before me. Physically it hurt, but inside I was joyous for doing something genuinely good with my power for once.

After I was done, I collapsed on the floor writhing in pain and exhaustion. My job was not finished however. I turned to the second princess who was the complete opposite of the one I just healed. She was smaller, though not by much. She was blue, and her mane flowed the same way. Instead of the colors of spring and day, she was adorned with the soothing colors of darkness. She looked like a peaceful version of Nightmare Moon. She was gorgeous. As I looked at her, something inside me burst and tears came to my eyes. She reminded me of Claire. I blinked them dry, and set my hands on her chest.

This time something went wrong. I was a little too generous, and I ended up giving her almost all my life. I desperately searched the jungle for something to drain but all the animals had fled from my painful grasp. I took some from the trees, but it was not enough. I collapsed to the floor adjacent to the one I had just saved. I got a look at her beautiful teal eyes opening as I closed mine forever.

***

It seemed fate was not done with me yet however, as I slowly began to feel the spark of life within me rekindle into a small but existent flame. I did not try to move just yet, I just laid there. Why rush myself? I had just done a lot of good and I felt fantastic. But then the pain reared its ugly head. My heart was beating in irregular patterns and I struggled to keep it beating. I must have had a hideous look on my face as I fought to stay alive. I heard the voices of those I had killed in my previous life. Claire being the most prevalent. I was caught in a nightmare, one that I was fighting to wake up from with all my dying might.

Then I felt a hand on my head. I opened my blurry eyes and found that it wasn't a hand, but a hoof. It was the first princess I had saved, the second right behind her. They were smiling. Once I saw the gratitude in their eyes I knew that all the pain was worth it. Again, the phrase 'Redemptio per adversitatem invenitur' drifted into my head. It seemed that it was my theme. Would there ever be a time I could live a normal life? Probably not, but at least now I was somewhat happy with myself at least. I closed my eyes again and let sleep take me once again, fighting the constant pain of death.

A sudden jolt of pain woke me from my slumber. I looked around the room, this time my eyes were functioning perfectly due to the night. I felt my strange pupils dilate to large spheres to allow the faintest traces of light to access my retina. My heart was beating properly, but there was still a constant ache coming from my extremities. It felt like the blood was only just returning to my feet and hands. I dearly hoped there wouldn't be an amputation required. The last thing I needed was to be handicapped in a strange world that I knew nothing about.

Speaking of knowing nothing, I decided to analyze my surroundings. Growing up as a child who had been born with his intestines on the outside of his body, I spent many days and nights in the hospital while they performed tests on me. It was because of this that I immediately recognized my surroundings as the inside of a hospital room. I knew I wasn't on earth anymore, but I couldn't quite place a finger on why everything looked the same in this hospital compared to those on earth. There were all the machines and equipment necessary to keep me alive. I wondered how it was possible for the ponies who seemed to be the dominant species on this planet to use these machines without hands. My thoughts were interrupted by a 'Hmph' coming from the far side of the room. I turned my gaze towards the sound and found that form it originated from. In the beautiful light of the moon, I saw the second princess I had saved. The one I nearly died for.

"Good, you are awake!" she said enthusiastically, her teal eyes glimmering in the night.

"Yeah, I am. What do you want?" I said, still partially asleep.

"Oh.. I uh.. heard that you almost died saving my life and I wanted to say thank you!" She said with a smile.

"Oh, it was no problem miss...?" I inquired, genuinely returning her smile. There was something about her that I couldn't quite identify. It was as if she could identify with me in a way no other could. It was like we were... connected somehow.

"Princess Luna." She stated officially, her head held high. "But you can just call me Luna." She added quietly.

"Well Luna I wish we could have met under better circumstances, but thank you for your concern. It brings me joy knowing I saved such a beautiful pony so don't feel guilty either. My pain was my choice and it brings me comfort knowing I did something honorable... for once..." I muttered the last part under my breath. I didn't want to reveal too much about me. The nature of my life before this world would likely scar the poor thing for life.

"Oh.. well.. Thank you! I should be going now... please enjoy your time in the hospital!" She said quickly, a blush appearing on her face. She had not been called beautiful by anypony for a very long time and she did not quite know how to deal with it.

"Well that was odd... but hey, what hasn't been odd the past few weeks?" I whispered aloud to myself.

"I'm sorry about my sisters brash actions... she hasn't had the opportunity to meet anypony that isn't afraid of her for quite some time." A voice said as the door opened and the first princess entered my room.

"Were you eavesdropping on me?!" I said, surprised that the royalty of this land would be spying on me.

"Luna wished to have a private audience with you, and the only way I would agree to that is if I could listen in. Don't take it personally, my sister has been through quite a lot and I don't want her to be hurt anymore."

"You keep mentioning Luna is hurt, and people are afraid of her. How is that possible? When she was talking to me she seemed sweet and kind..."

"You are not the only one that has been affected by the influence of Nightmare Moon... It was Luna herself that created it." These words made my jaw drop. When I saw Luna for the first time a wave of happiness and calm splashed over me. She was beautiful, and perfect to me. To think she could have created such a monstrosity was a stunning revelation.

"Wait.. you mean... what?" I said, unable to choose my words more carefully in front of royalty.

"A thousand years ago, Luna became jealous of me. The ponies that we loved and ruled over would frolic and play in my day, but sleep through her night. Hundreds of years of repressed jealousy and guilt twisted her into Nightmare Moon. I banished her to the moon when she tried to take me over. One thousand years later, she returned. It was only through the combined efforts of six ponies, the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, that she was defeated." She recited with a sigh, as if she has told the story hundreds of times

"So, Let me recap. Nightmare Moon is the embodiment of Luna's greed and jealousy? And those six crazy ponies who beat me within an inch of my life are the wielders of the Elements of Harmony? I might need to take a while to wrap my head around this..." I said, my mind swimming with thoughts. This was like something out of a cartoon. Elements of Harmony? Could they have come up with something more cheesy...

"I do not doubt that you are confused. It is only your first day awake for two weeks, please relax and we can talk more tomorrow." She said as she left and closed the door behind her.

“Wait! What’s your name?” I shouted.

“Princess Celestia.” I heard through the door.

'Two weeks?!!?' My mind exploded as the thought sunk in. ‘That revival really did a number on me. I guess it was worth it though. The rulers of the land seem to care for me, which means I can stay here.' I thought.

I really did want to stay. The people of this land, although ponies, seemed to be very intelligent and kind. A perfect place to start a new life. One free of the evil and death I was subject to on earth. I thought I could be happy here, and maybe fit in one day. I briefly stopped to think that my past would try to catch up with me, but when the time came I thought I would be ready for it. I hoped I would be ready for it...

I closed my eyes, thinking of my new life and the ponies I had saved two weeks ago. I was happy, I was content, and most of all, I was proud of myself. From now on, that was the way I wanted my life to be.

Authors Notes: There we go! A peaceful resolution. The bad guy is dead, the good guy is happy. Will Charlie's dark past catch up with him? What would a story be without conflict! Muahaha

Not a Moment Wasted

Not a Moment Wasted

After the meeting, the eight of us left to converse over lunch. I was grateful to receive some actual food because I have not actually eaten anything for quite some time. If not for my powers sustaining me, I would be in pretty bad shape. I learned the names of the six ponies who seemed to be the protectors of this land. Applejack, the orange farm pony. Twilight Sparkle, the purple unicorn and also Celestia's prime student. Rarity, the fashion obsessed unicorn, who I would have to ask for some decent clothes. Fluttershy, the meek yellow pegasus. Pinkie Pie, the dangerously spastic earth pony. Rainbow Dash, whose name speaks for itself.

I learned that each of them possessed souls that reflected the Elements of Harmony. Applejack was honesty, Rarity was generosity which was good news for my wardrobe, Fluttershy was kindness, Pinkie Pie was laughter and Rainbow Dash was loyalty. Twilight Sparkle brought the whole group together with magic, and that's how they were able to defeat my Nightmare possessed body. They were apparently a force to be reckoned with, and I'm glad they are on my side. I prefer more direct and brutal means of ending my foes, but this world was a lot different than mine.

We finished our lunches and headed back to the throne room to decide where I would be staying and what my role would be in this crazy pony society. I secretly hoped I would get to stay in the castle not only because it was decadent and comfortable, but also because I would get to spend more time with the beautiful princess of the night. I still had no idea what I was going to do regarding Luna, but I would probably think of something. Starting completely over like this was both stressful as hell and also very relieving. I didn't want to push my luck.

"So Charles. What is it that you are good at?" Celestia said for some reason using my real name.

"To be honest, I prefer Charlie," I said correcting her, "But as for a talent, I do not know. Humans do not get 'cutie marks' or anything like them, and I never got to the point of working full time on earth."

"Exactly how old are you before you start working 'full time' as you put it?" She questioned. I figured she was interested to know when earth children came of age to function on their own, but I was an unusual case so I could only answer for myself.

"Well according to the law, at the age of eighteen human children are adults. They don't always act like it, but in the eyes of the law they are functioning members of society. It is that age when most kids leave their parent’s home. It was different for me however, and the details of my childhood are particularly painful to recall." I answered, hoping that she would not pry further into my past. For the first time since arriving in the throne room earlier, I felt the sense of dread creep upon me again. What if they found out about my past? What if she can read my mind and knows what I did? The questions poured into my mind uncontrollably as I awaited Celestia's response.

"I am excited to get to know you more Charles, and you seem like a genuinely good person. I think this meeting should end and we all get some well needed sleep!" Celestia exclaimed suddenly, obviously making an excuse to talk to me alone. Everypony in the room sighed, obviously not ready to leave the company of such a strange guest as I'm sure they all still had many questions to ask me. I also sighed. Not in disappointment, but in angst of the questions she will be asking me. My past was new to even me, and the torture was still fresh in my mind. I did not want the ruler of this land to suspect I may snap and go on a killing rampage.

As soon as everypony fled the room, I turned to Celestia. "So, what was that all about? Can you not just request to talk to me alone?"

"I don't know what you are talking about Charlie." She said with her mouth closed and her eyes wide staring at me in deep concentration.

'So you are a telepath. I trust you heard everything I have been thinking?' I thought curiously.

'Yes. To be quite honest... it worries me that you keep such things a secret. It is a sign of weakness.' She thought with a concerned expression on her face. "But I think we should talk about this normally, keeping a telepathic link is tiring, as you well know" She then said physically.

"Ok, but I'd like to do so in private..." I said eyeing the guards. They looked very confused, not hearing the internal part of our conversation.

"Very well. Follow me."

***

I followed Celestia to her chambers, eyeing the many tapestries and stained glass windows. It was a rather brisk night in the castle, and I decided the first thing I would do after this meeting is find rarity and get myself some damn clothing. I couldn't help but notice that Celestia was keeping an eye on me as we walked. Every time she turned a corner, her head would tilt just far enough to catch me in her peripherals. It was unnerving, as this is the way Nightmare Moon would watch me as she led me through her castle. I prepared myself for the worst as we approached a large golden door that appeared to be sealed by a magical force.

"Would you have any objection to Luna joining us for this conversation? She is a Princess too and I want to give her more responsibility." Celestia said in a calming tone.

"I would not mind her presence Princess." I said, swallowing a lump in my throat. Luna was vastly older than I, yet i still felt like I had to protect her from my own mind. I was scared she would think differently of me if she knew all the atrocities I had committed in my previous life.

"Then I shall request her presence immediately." Celestia said as she closed her eyes and charged up her horn. In a flash, Luna was standing in the middle of Celestia's bedroom. She was dressed in dark blue silk pajamas. I chuckled on the inside as her eyes widened the size of dinner plates as she realized where she was.

"TIA! Why would you teleport me in the midst of company without warning me!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. I could only suppress a laugh at this display of embarrassment.

"I'm sorry dear sister, but your presence was requested." She stated calmly as she raised her left hoof towards me.

"Woah you're not pinning this on me! Isn't there something else we should be talking about?" I said, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Yes. Luna, come out from behind me."

"Only of he promises not to make fun of my jammies..." Luna said so quietly I could hardly hear. Did she just refer to her clothing as 'jammies'? I was dying inside from the cuteness. She was just like Claire had been. I stifled that though immediately as the conversation intensified.

"That is not important. I believe our guest here has some... secrets he would like to reveal to us?" Celestia said as she glared into my soul.

"Well you aren't making it any easier for me Princess, but you deserve to know the truth about me." I said grimly, expecting to be killed or banished as soon as I was done explaining. I then began the long and gruesome retelling of the events of my previous life. I told them about my family and Claire, who I loved dearly. I told them about the boys who had tried to kill me, and I told them of the brutal experimentation I had been put through just because I had been born different. I then choked back tears as I recapped the deaths of my parents, and countless animals and men that worked in the facility. I told them of my trek back home and the deaths of those who caused it. I finished my story, all the way up until Nightmare Moon took hold of me, allowing me to see the events for myself all over again. I only hoped they would take pity on me.

As I finished the story, both Luna and Celestia were in tears. Luna was full on crying, but Celestia was still reserved and looked as hard as the stone that held the castle together. Not a word was spoken for minutes. I got on my knees and finished my story.

"That is not the end of it, Princesses. When I was trapped in my broken mind, I recalled all the events prior to taking that potion. At first, it broke me. I cried, and when I had no more tears left to shed, I was overtaken by rage. But something happened that I can't explain... I became calm. I believe it has something to do with the Elements of Harmony. Right before I regained control of my body, I made a choice to simply start my life over again and use my powers how I saw fit. The first thing I saw when I awoke was six ponies crying over the deaths of their princesses. I used my powers that day to save you two. I believe I have gotten over my past, and I can assure you that these scars are all that remains of my darker self. I have come to terms with my life, and I humbly ask you two... please give me a chance?" I said shaking in fear of what may happen. These alicorns have been nothing but hospitable and kind to me, if not a bit wary. I had no idea what to expect from them. Finally, Luna got up and whispered in Celestia's ear. The sun princess simply nodded and slowly backed away to the corner of the room.

Nothing could prepare me for what happened next. I had complete control over life and death, something that neither of the princesses had control of. I could kill them if worst came to worst, but I had made the decision to leave that path. I would accept any form of judgement they passed onto me, good or bad.

It was good.

Luna approached me, reared up on her hind legs and embraced me with all her might. Her beautiful dark wings extended fully and joined in as well. They were soft, and they tickled my shirtless body. I was caught off guard and was stunned momentarily as my mind tried to wrap around this change of events. Celestia hadn't even spoken yet, but by allowing her sister to comfort me I felt I had been forgiven. I returned Luna's embrace with all my might. I whispered a quiet 'thank you' into her ear. As quickly as it began, the comforting embrace ended. I stood up and turned to Celestia who was smiling.

"Redemptio per adversitatem invenitur." I said to her. This would be the last time I thought of my favorite Latin phrase, as I felt that it had fulfilled its purpose.

'Through adversity, there is redemption.' I heard the translated phrase in my mind. I would have been surprised, but right now I was too overtaken by joy. The crushing burden of my past was finally off my shoulders, and I had been accepted for who I truly was.

Now, to go find Rarity...

Humble Beginnings

Humble Beginnings

"So now that we know where your true allegiances lie, I think now would be an appropriate time to end your miserable existence."

"What the hell are you talking about? I've found peace! You were the one who told me that I had gone too far!"

"I know who you really are. My friend Salazar has been all too kind to fill in the details for me."

"What? No.. You didn't."

"Didn't what? I'm not going to put up with this any longer. You can go back to your precious ponies when your body rots in hell."

***

I awoke trembling, beads of sweat trickling down my face. It didn't contain memories of the past like my previous nightmares had. This was something entirely different. Before I had a chance to analyze the meaning of my dream, it faded from my mind as all dreams do. The details were blurry, as though it never even happened. Still, it left me in a state of terror as I got up to start my day early.

The clock had just struck four in the morning, and I decided I would go join Princess Celestia as she rose the sun. I had not talked to Celestia since our private meeting last night, and I wanted to know her true feelings about me. It couldn't be too bad, because she had given me one of the nicest rooms in the castle to sleep in until more permanent arrangements were made. High vaulted ceilings, great view of the beautiful Equestrian landscape, and all the breakfast rolls I could ever ask for. The bed was far too short, but hey how could I complain. After last night, I finally had a reason to live the rest of my life. That would be enough to keep a spring in my step for quite some time.

I had talked to Rarity right after my meeting with the Princesses, and she agreed to get to work on proper clothes in return for all my information on earth fashion. I knew next to nothing of that subject, but I'm sure I could explain to her all the intricate workings of a pair of jeans. She wouldn't have had time to make me anything last night, even with all of Canterlot's fabric at her disposal, so I donned my stylish ripped dress and set out to search for the goddess of the sun.

I arrived at her door shortly after the clock struck five, and knew she would be up preparing for sunrise in a few minutes. I knocked three times, the hard wood and metal of the door smooth on my knuckles. I was intrigued as how soft the wood was, and began to feel it with my open palm. It felt more like soft plastic than wood, but it also seemed impossibly hard to breach. Just as I was finished inspecting her entryway, Princess Celestia herself opened the door. We exchanged a brief greeting and I asked if I could have a word with her. She agreed happily and shut the door behind me with a satisfying thud.

"What is it that you would like to speak with me about?" Celestia said opening her large drapes with her magic, enabling the last of the moon's glow enter into her chamber.

"I was just curious as to your thoughts of me. In all honesty, I was expecting you to have me executed." I spoke with sudden eloquence. There was something about the royal sisters that forced me to speak with perfect grammar and precision. It was probably my subconscious telling me to continue to make a good lasting impression on them.

"Well Charlie, from the story you told me last night I think you are a very misunderstood individual. Your genetic condition labeled you as different, and your people turned on you. If I didn't know better, I would say they just wanted your power for themselves. You did not lie to us last night, and that speaks volumes of your integrity. I fully welcome you into my land... however if there comes a time when you threaten my ponies, I will have to take appropriate action." She said lovingly, and then sternly.

"Thank you, Princess. I will do all in my power to make my existence here more than tolerable." I said with a bow as I exited her chambers. I liked the princess in all honesty, but she was too bright for my taste. She was intense to be around and I felt like I could not relax and be myself. I could do so, however, with Luna.

I would have paid her a visit, but she had been up all night, as she is accustomed. I thought about her as I walked back to my chambers to fully prepare for my day. I had no idea why she had such a strong hold over me. She wasn't even a human being, yet there was an undeniable attraction. I wondered if my feelings could be mutual.

'No way... she is a pony. More like a god anyways. I never even had a chance with normal earth girls, let alone century old moon goddesses.' I thought as I strolled the halls of the great castle. The design of the castle was familiar, and I soon placed my finger on it. It was the same as the castle that Nightmare Moon lived in! Granted the rooms were more grand, the ceilings were higher and more angular, and the whole place was new and colorful but the layout remained very similar.

As my thoughts ranged from potential feelings for Luna, to the castle architecture I soon found myself face to face with the door to my room. I entered with glee, as I was ready for a nap. I crashed down on the bed and curled up into a ball to prevent my feet from dangling off. I would have to get a larger bed soon. My thoughts again drifted back to Luna once again as my mind drifted to sleep.

***

"What are you doing here? Princess Celestia requested your audience over two hours ago!" I heard a voice screaming at me from above my blanket. I peeked my head out from under the covers only to find a very angry Twilight Sparkle glaring at me.

"Bleaahhegghhhhhhhhh" I said as my minds tried to find the words 'Ten more minutes.' and rolled up like an armadillo.

"Just come on! This is important!" She said as she yanked off my covers.

"Ok fine... god damn it.." I said crankily as I rose from my slumber. The past few weeks have been hell for my sleeping schedule and I needed to catch up.

'I guess it would be a good idea to be punctual for the Princesses...' I thought as I looked at the clock. 'Holy shit! It's six o'clock?!' I was supposed to have been there at three.

"Twilight! Go stall the princesses!" I shouted to the inquisitive purple mare. She shot me a glance that seemed to say 'One does not simply stall the princesses...' but I had no time to lose. I hurried through my room trying to find my best, and only, article of clothing and was surprised to find a stack of fresh, clean and even warm clothes. I guess Rarity had time after all... Damn she was speedy. With much haste I hopped into the tiny pony shower in the tiny pony bathroom and brushed my teeth with a tiny pony toothbrush. At this rate I would have to employ the services of all the crafts ponies in the district to get myself a proper god damn living space. I searched through my new clothes to find what I had requested Rarity to make.

"How about... Something like this?" Rarity said as she held up a book full of the latest pony fashions.

"How about that... but black." I said, trying desperately to find some kind of outfit that wouldn't make me look like a walking Christmas tree.

"Oh you are so difficult!" Sighed the white unicorn.

"Well if you aren't good enough to make my outfits I'll have to go to somepony else..." I said with a mischievous wink.

"Oh no you're not! I'll make it black! I'll make it blacker than the deepest depths of..."

I ceased my flashback, snapping back to reality. Inside my clothes pile, I found five pairs of underwear, five pairs of socks, several pairs of dark jeans, three t shirts, and a long black cloak with green highlights. The green was her idea. She said it would 'bring out my eyes' or some fashion mumbo jumbo. To be honest, my eyes scared the shit out of most of the ponies I looked at so the last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to them. Rarity was difficult enough to deal with, so I didn't try to get her to change anything.

I looked at myself in the mirror for the first time in days. I looked like shit. Specifically speaking, I was unruly and unkempt and generally looked like I had been homeless for years. Technically that was true, but if I was going to make a big appearance tonight I would have to look a notch above 'Vagrant'. Luckily for me, the previous owner seemed to be a mane stylist, so I was in luck as I found several pairs of scissors and clippers in the bathroom drawers. How earth ponies and pegasi used such appliances was beyond me, but I had no time to contemplate. I combed my matted hair out and to my astonishment, it was about three feet long.

"Well shit. Looks like time really flew by when I was getting tortured." I said looking at my grossly long hair. How I hadn't noticed it before was beyond me, but I had no time to contemplate that either. I began cutting it shorter, and shorter, until it was a comfortable shoulder length. I then slicked it back and threw it in a ponytail. I laughed at my unintentional pun, and then took the pony tail out. I decided I looked well enough with it slicked back like that, so I drew my attention to my small colony of a beard.

A dozen snips later I looked less like a caveman and mirrored that of an established entrepreneur. Quite satisfied with my looks I grabbed my cloak and put it on. It fit a little more loose than I was accustomed to, but it was better than wearing a skirt made of a ripped ballroom gown. I set off to find the meeting, feeling confident in my new look.

***

"Princess Celestia! I found him in his room but he was... well... asleep..." Twilight whispered to her mentor. Celestia just laughed and told her not to worry.

"Charlie has been through a lot these past few years... He deserves a good nap."

"What do you mean by that Princess?" Twilight asked, her natural curiosity showing through brightly.

"Well... I'm not sure if it would be appropriate of me to tell you. I think it would make him... uncomfortable."

"I understand Princess. I'll just have to get the answers when I'm on my new assignment!"

The party continued, eagerly awaiting its guest of honor.

***

"I thought this would be more of a meeting than a party..." I said as the halls thickened with ponies. I had been walking for ten minutes, and the closer I get to the throne room the more condensed the sea of ponies became. Some of them looked in awe, some in terror, and all in disbelief upon seeing me, but I walked the halls with my head held high eager to figure out what the Princess will ask of me. I never got around to discussing a job with the Princess, and I was thinking I could go into the medical field. The ability to heal almost any wound would probably open up many possibilities. Then again, I would hate to be a doctor. That is far too boring.

I continued to contemplate my profession as I entered the throne room. To my surprise, it was completely deserted. I flagged down a nearby guard to ask what all the commotion was about. I figured the gossip had spread around the city that there was a strange creature lurking about the castle halls or something. As far as I knew, this would be another quiet meeting with the princesses.

I thought wrong.

I followed the guard’s aggravatingly vague instructions to the ballroom. Why the princesses would hold a meeting in a ballroom was totally beyond me, but it was their castle. I waded through a small ocean of ponies before I finally spotted a familiar deep blue alicorn.

"So uh... what’s all the fuss about?" I said loudly, trying to get her attention. She turned around, wide eyed as she looked at me. She stared at me for several seconds before I noticed and spoke again.

"What, is there something on my face?"

"No... you look great! I was just... unaccustomed to seeing you like this. Follow me!" She said, a visible blush appearing on her face. Maybe she could be more than a friend after all... Luna led me right to princess Celestia, who was standing in the middle of the room surrounded by guards and ponies.

"Greetings Princess!" I said as cheesy as possible, accompanied by light bow.

"Charlie? You cleaned up rather nicely! I thought all humans were dirty creatures..." She said, obviously trying to get on my nerves a bit.

"No no, I just noticed I looked like I had been living under a rock for the past few years. Mind telling me what half the Equestrian population is doing here?" I said trying to switch the conversation to a more serious tone.

"Well.. the party was supposed to be a surprise but you never showed up. It was all her idea." She said as she pointed to a pink blur zipping across the room at inconceivable speeds. Suddenly, the blurry mass became a pony right in front of my face.

"Hello Pinkie Pie. So you like to party huh?" I asked, knowing how painfully obvious the answer was.

"Ohmygosh YES! One time I partied for like four days straight and I thought I was going to pass out but I didn't and it was SO cool! I can't believe I actually pulled that off because I didn't eat anything but cupcakes and ice cream and frosting for three days! If you like to party, you know the pony to call!" Replied Pinkie in one never ending lung of breath.

"Oh. I see. Well I thank you for the thought, and I am indeed enjoying myself. Your element suits you very well." I said in a cheery voice. I had never attended a party before, but had participated in many drinking contests. I prepared myself for countless questions about earth as I set out into the ballroom. Maybe living here would be more enjoyable than I previously thought. One last time I cast a glance over to Luna, catching her staring at me. I gave her a quick wink and a small smile as I pushed my way to the other end of the room.

I took another look at Pinkie Pie. Not to my surprise, I found her near the sugary food. I set off to mingle, when another table caught my eye.

"Say Pinkie, that wouldn't happen to be... alcohol would it?"

"Oh yeah! That's AppleJack Daniels! Wanna try some?"

Ignoring the corny name, and the striking similarity to something I've heard of and possibly imbibed, I set off into the party dual wielding two bottles of Equestria's finest whiskey.

Authors Notes: This chapter was pretty funny, but don't worry. For those of you who are out for blood, be patient. Hell is coming to Equestria very soon....

The Great and Powerful Hangover

The Great and Powerful Hangover

"Oh my fucking god.... Where are my pants?" Was the first thought that came to my mind as I noticed the crushing headache and sickness of a hangover. A feeling I knew all too well from when I was on the run with Connor. Much to his protest, I spent a lot of time drinking trying to get over the sick and twisted things they had done to me in the lab. Little did these ponies know, I had much practice in the art of holding liquor. Barely age twenty and I could already out-drink half the population of Equestria. I would have felt more triumphant if I had managed to keep my pants on.

I looked around the room, my eyes unfocused and blurry due to the brightness of the room amplified by the already intense headache I was experiencing. I found myself in a courtyard somewhere outside the castle. I didn't know it at the time, but I had become the one night drunken resident of Canterlot Memorial Park. Around me were statues of all kinds of creatures, hero and enemy alike. A nation that never forgot its enemies was a strong one. I respected that. I looked up at the statue that I called my bed last night. It was some kind of... Dragon? It looked like a sick scientific experiment gone wrong, much like myself in fact. Only instead of studying a simple case of Vampirism, they must have been trying to create what I could only describe as a cluster-fuck. As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I thought I saw the statue wink at me. That was too much, I needed a drink. Preferable a non-alcoholic one. Perhaps some of Canterlot's finest orange juice was in order.

I attempted to rise from my resting place in true Vampire fashion, arms crossed over my chest "Bleh bleh I vant to schuck your bloodt" Style, but something was holding me in place. I looked down and to my surprise I found a small gathering of ponies laying on me. It would have been cute as hell, if not for the fact they were all passed out from alcohol consumption. Scratch that, it was more than cute. There were four ponies sleeping in a pile on top of me, three of which I recognized immediately. Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. The fourth was closest to me, straddling me a in a sleeping four legged embrace. I lifted the other ponies off of me with care, and found a sleeping Princess Luna. My heart exploded, and then skipped a few beats as I realized the potential location my pants-less privacy.

"Did I... oh shit..." I half mumbled as I contemplated the consequences of royal rape. I was terrified, but I had more pressing matters to attend to, such as finding additional clothing. I lifted Luna's sleeping body, which was far lighter and more delicate than you would think, and set her beside me. I had much to do.

***

"How many do you think I can handle? That is the true question..." I replied with a smirk.

"Ah would say a lot less than me pardner!" Applejack retorted. "Ah made this here whiskey, I should know!"

"Well lets settle this, here and now!" I said as I started pouring shots. I poured ten for me, and ten for the orange farm pony.

I started slow, but ended strong. I finished all ten of mine as Applejack fell over and vomited. Sweet, sweet victory.

Equestrian alcohol was obviously a lot weaker than I was used to on earth. If this was Equestria's strongest, its weakest was probably nothing more than stale apple juice. I beat every single element of harmony, with the exception of Fluttershy who did not indulge in such things. The only one who posed a threat was Rainbow Dash, who constantly claimed she was at least twenty percent better, or faster, or stronger than everypony around. As a result, she became at least twenty percent more wasted and therefore forty percent more fun.

I gathered all my new friends together in a group hug. There was something I had to tell them, something important. In my drunken stupor, I forgot all about it. I asked Twilight about it, but she had consumed so many shots it was useless. We shared countless laughs over the rest of the night and many stories were shared of our past. My new friends told me of their adventures when they first fought Nightmare Moon, and of a strange creature called Discord. I told them stories of Earth.

"So ... your world doesn't have any magic?" Twilight Sparkle slurred at me.

"Nope. But we do have technology!" I said, putting cheesy emphasis on the last word.

"Whatsh technologsy..." Mumbled the very shitfaced Rainbow Dash. I then explained the modern marvels of my world. I explained the television, video games, electronic music, and machine transportation. They discovered everything I knew about my world that night, and I discovered that I knew far too much about electricity. I remembered thinking how funny it was that I actually took all the time to explain this, when the ponies who listened were far too drunk to remember. It was like I just wrote a report on the entire complexity of Earth, and then doused it in liquor and set it on fire.

After sharing our different cultures, we took the party to a more private area. My room. I discovered that Luna had been with us for some time, but I had somehow not noticed her presence. Perhaps I was simply too drunk. The eight of us sat around my room, playing some form of truth or dare that involved drinking lemon juice for uncounted hours.

Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack passed out in my bed and I didn't have the heart to wake them. I simply joined the others as they walked out the door.

***

I continued to hazily remember my night as I wrapped my lower body in my cloak and stumbled around the castle grounds. Judging by the sun, it was late afternoon. I wondered briefly what would happen if Celestia had a hangover and didn't raise the sun one morning. Would Equestria freeze? The potential questions swam in my head, but I dismissed all of them. I did not have the time or desire to add to my misery with questions.

Finally, I made it back to the castle. Expecting a war zone, I instead found it completely immaculate. The servants and castle workers were very professional and it seemed even a party of that magnitude could not overcome their duties. I wish I shared that kind of dedication. It was then I noticed a familiar pair of pants on the outside of the great castle door.

"Great... I ditched my pants in the middle of the busiest street in Equestria..." I whispered to myself under my breath. What the hell had I been thinking? Upon contemplating the location of my pants, I experienced another flashback.

***

"I bet you can’t beat me in a racsh!" Rainbow Dash half yelled, half choked. She was far more drunk than I, and this was my chance to show the others that she wasn't all that cool. In my drunken thought I thought it may also be a good way to impress Luna.

"I accept your challenge. To where, and what do I get when I win?" I smirked.

"To the ssssstatue of Dishcord in Canterlot Memorial Park! If I win, you haves to kisss.... Princess Luna!" She slurred, obviously picking up on the fact that I had a thing for her. Luna blushed and turned away from the prying eyes of the four ponies she accompanied.

"And if I win, you have to call me King Charles for a week." I made my stupid drunken bet. I said something about decreasing drag resistance, and took off my pants. The liquor was really hitting me, and it made me feel smarter, while actually doing the opposite.

"Reaady... setGO!" Rainbow exclaimed as she took off towards the park. I chased after her, but she could fly. The race was over before it began and three bearers of the Elements continued ahead of me as I slumped to the ground.

"You know, we could just tell them we kissed and not actually do it..." I said to the furiously blushing princess Luna as she approached me.

"Well what fun would that be?" She said to my surprise as she pressed her drunken lips against mine. I cried out in joy through closed lips as we feel to the ground embracing each other. The moment ended as quickly as it began as Luna begun to speak.

"Is this wrong?" she said, her beautiful drunken eyes boring into my very soul.

"If it is, I don't care." I said, "but we are drunk. This isn't right. We should... catch up with the others."

I couldn't believe I had enough self control to say that, but in the long run it was good. I briefly imagined what would happen if Luna told Celestia I had raped her in a drunken fit of lust. I shuddered at the thought.

We caught up to the others, who were already asleep at the statue. I laid down at the base and Luna hugged me. I fell asleep looking at the stars and feeling the other three ponies creeping toward me, eager to share my warmth. I closed my eyes and let the liquor do its work putting me to deep sleep.

***

'My god.. did that really happen?' I thought, still proud of my decision to cut it off with Luna before I took things too far.

I opened the door to my room and to my dismay, I found several ponies in my bed. Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack were all still lumped in my bed. Cute. I sighed, half because of the cuteness and half because I was frustrated. I wanted to at least sleep in my own bed. No matter, I would simply have to share. I entered my bathroom, which was surprisingly clean. It looked as if the maids had been through.

Grateful for their service and making a mental note to thank them later, I buried my face in the sink and drank the sweet water down. That was the most refreshing drink I had ever had. Life's simple pleasures. The splash of freezing cold water on my face was more than heavenly, and I stumbled back into another flashback. This time, it was from before the party really started.

***

"Before you get too wrapped up in festivities, I must speak with you privately." Princess Celestia said, her previously happy tone disappearing.

"Can I not have one day without some kind of problem..." I mumbled under my breath.

"Speak again?"

"Nothing, lead the way Princess." I hissed. My night was about to become a little more stressful.

We escaped the revelry, many ponies gawking at us as we fled. It was no doubt a strange sight to see a creature such as me escorting the princess. My thoughts went internal, questioning Celestia's motives. I knew I would be allowed to stay in Equestria, so I wasn't too worried but still. It's that same feeling you get when the police are talking to you. You know you have done nothing wrong, but their authority still bears down on you.

She led me into her private chambers. I marveled at the door again, why it fascinated me I will never know. She sat on her bed, and I stood in the middle of the floor awkwardly. It was then I noticed that Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic was also present. Judging by their eyes, I knew that I was not in any trouble.

"The time has come for me to give you an assignment, Charles." Celestia spoke first.

"Celestia and I agree that we can not pass up an opportunity such as this." Twilight said after.

"I gather you want to study me?" I said, my nerves rising. I had grown accustomed to hating anybody who desired to study me.

"Yes and no. I want you to stay in Ponyville with Twilight Sparkle here and assist her in finding the source of a... disruption."

"What disruption?" I said now very intrigued, but also sad that I would be leaving Canterlot.

"While you were recovering from your run in with Nightmare Moon, strange creatures and other phenomenon started appearing from the Everfree forest. We believe that you were the first of these, and may need your expertise in solving the problem." Celestia explained. It made sense now. Somehow, Earth and Equestria were linked and I was the first through that link. But if there is a link than that could mean...

"Celestia, I accept your offer. I must warn you however... My world is very dangerous. The people that are after me will stop at nothing to bring about my return, or destruction. I don't know how to say it, but we need to resolve this as soon as possible. If the wrong beings find themselves here... I believe there may be a serious threat coming into your world." I said very fearfully. Imagining this world covered in special forces teams and other government operatives sent a chill through my spine. I needed to relax... I needed to get back to the party.

"Very well. We will send you all back to Ponyville tomorrow evening. Is there anything else you would like to share with us Charles?" Celestia said, the seriousness of her tone damping all the light in the room.

"Nothing other than don't trust any humans you meet besides me. I have a very bad feeling about all this, and I need to resolve it quickly."

Preparing Resistance

Preparing Resistance

"How... could that be possible?" I said aloud to myself in the bathroom mirror. "No wonder I got so hammered last night... I don't even want to think about it."

I heard rustling in the room behind me and swiveled around just in time to see Rarity with bedhead that would rival Pinkie Pie. I shuddered when I thought of how upset she would be that I saw her like this. She looked like she had just woken up from a thirty year coma, the bags under her eyes so deep they could hold water. Her coat was ruffled in some places, and matted in others.

"Hey Rarity... I'm going to go... yeah..." I whispered as I left the bathroom. I shut the door just in time to save my ear drums from a piercing shriek. Funny, considering in a few short minutes I was going to tell her about something far more sinister than a bad case of bedhead. I gazed about the room, my eyes focusing on the pile of ponies on my bed. I stopped for a moment to think.

'So. More Humans coming to Equestria... I hope this world is ready for that.'

'I don't even think I'm ready for that.' I conversed with myself.

'If the U.S. Government makes its way through that rift, what will become of this place?'

'Well if they are as ruthless here as they were in dealing with us, the place will be reduced to cinders in mere weeks.'

My internal dialogue was cut off by the bathroom door opening, and my jaw nearly dropped at what I saw. A combed, clean, beautiful and perfect Rarity walked right out and greeted me. Surprised is not even the word for the emotion I was feeling. It was pure and utter confusion. I hadn't even heard the shower running. I shook off my shock and awe, and got back to business.

"Rarity, can I ask you a favor?" I said to the immaculate white unicorn.

"Yes darling, what is it?"

"I need you to gather the other Elements and bring them here as soon as possible. I think Rainbow, Pinkie and Twilight are still in Canterlot Memorial Park."

"Oh... Alright Charlie. What should I tell them? What is going on?" She said, her proper accent not wavering for a second, even with the massive wine hangover she must be experiencing.

"Tell them we need to get to Ponyville as soon as possible. I think it would be better if I explained it to all of you." I said, not wanting to have to explain this more than once.

"Is... is everything alright?"

"I don't know, just hurry!" I said, my patience wearing thin. That unicorn sure knew how to get on my nerves. I liked her well enough but that accent of hers made her seem... snobby. Just as I was about to lose my temper, she finally left the room to gather the other three elements.

I turned to my room and started packing my things for the long trip to Ponyville. It is a strange feeling when all of your belongings can be packed into one suitcase. It was relieving and made me think back to simpler times, but I would have to get myself a house at some point. I had no desire to live off others for the rest of my days in Equestria. This particular suitcase, I had found on the top shelf of my closet. I hoped nobody would mind if I took it, but then I figured I needed it more anyways.

I packed away my clothes, that I still felt bad not paying for, and my book of the night sky that my beloved alicorn friend had given me. I stopped to think about Luna for a brief second, realized that it was a bad idea, and then continued packing. I could not spare the time to feel melancholy in such a dire time. What I did in the next few weeks would determine my fate, as well as the fate of this entire land. If the government made its way here, they would not stop at me. They would capture me, and then "study" all of Equestria.

After I packed all my worldly belongings, I turned to the peaceful duo of ponies sleeping in my bed. Applejack looked a lot cuter with no hat on. It really brought out the color of her mane. Fluttershy looked like a cat on her back, waving her hooves as if to say "scratch my belly! Scratch it now!!" I looked at the sight peacefully, knowing I would likely not see such a thing for a long time.

I opened the curtains, and was met with a blinding light coming from sun slowly but surely lowering itself into the horizon. It was a beautiful sight made unfortunate by the fact that time was running out. I was glad however, traveling at night was much easier as I had more energy and could see better by the light of the moon. Luna's moon. I pushed the thought of Luna out of my head one last time as I heard the voices of the four Elements of Harmony drawing nearer. I opened the door in anticipation and was met with the sight of three very messy, very hungover ponies. I laughed silently to myself and shut the door after they all filed in. They sat in a semicircle around the room. Fluttershy and Applejack woke up in all the commotion and fell in line with the others, not even saying a word.

"I'm sure you are all curious to know why I brought you here on such short notice..." I said to the five of them, excluding Twilight.

"Are we having another PARTY?!" Exclaimed the now bouncing pink earth pony.

"After last night I don't think I could ever have another party..." Replied a very hungover rainbow maned pegasus.

"Ahem... As I was saying... Last night Princess Celestia revealed to me a very important bit of information. As you all know, I am not from this world. I come from a very different place called Earth. What you don't know, is that there are people on Earth hunting me down." I paused for a moment to take a large breath, and noticed all six ponies were listening intently. Glad to have quelled further interruptions, I continued.

"There is a large group of people on Earth who want to use me for my unique... abilities. After I escaped them the first time, I ran far away and drank a memory erase potion to forget everything that happened. I wanted to try to live a normal life, and just forget the things they did to me."

"I-Is that where all those... those scars... on your body came from?" Interrupted a very timid Fluttershy.

"Yes it is. But enough about the past... The point is, after I took that memory potion I woke up in Equestria. I don't know how I got here, but I am thankful that I am able to stay."

"Excuse me, but Ah don't see the point'n this at all..." Interjected a rather frustrated Applejack.

"Well if you would all be quiet and let me explain!" I nearly shouted, my frustration running rather high. Everypony in the room shuddered at my sudden outburst and Fluttershy hid behind Applejack.

"I'm sorry... just listen. Whatever event caused me to appear overnight in the everfree... It's still happening. Celestia told me that items and beings from my world are appearing in the Everfree, and it's only a matter of time before the evil that I ran from catches on. None of you know what we are up against, and I do. Equestria as we know it could be on the verge of collapse, and the time we spend sitting here is time they could burst into this world and take everything from you. I'm not trying to scare you all, but this is serious and we need to take action as soon as possible."

"What he says is true," continued Twilight Sparkle, "I was there last night when Princess Celestia gave us this assignment. It was not until now that I knew how important it was. Everypony pack their things, we need to get home by the end of the night."

As everypony in the room recovered from the barrage of information, I returned to the window. The sun was only half visible beyond the horizon. I sighed as I turned to the ponies who were silently leaving to pack for the trip.

"Hey... one last thing," I started with my eyes half closed, "this isn't as hopeless as I made it out to be. I don't mean to scare you, I just wanted you all to know how serious this is. I'll do everything in my power to protect this land and its inhabitants, and together I'm sure we will prevail. No matter what happens, don't lose hope. I never did, and look at me now. I'm in the perfect world with six great friends. Nobody, man, or pony, can take this away from me without a fight. I'll meet you all at the city gates in an hour."

Authors Notes: Sorry for the late and short chapter. I've had a hell of a weekend, and my band has a show in an hour! Today has been hell and hopefully tomorrow everything will be sorted out. I want to write but I have no time! AHH!

Black Clouds with Silver Linings

Black Clouds with Silver Linings

"You thought you could leave without saying goodbye to me?"

"No... It's just. I'm sorry. It's painful... and what happened last night doesn't help."

"I already told you... The kiss was meaningless. We were both intoxicated and besides... I wish to remain just friends."

It was that statement that echoed through my mind for the whole trip back to Ponyville. The conversation played back in my head over and over like a broken record. It was then I started to lose hope. I thought this world was perfect and everything would be smooth sailing from now on. At least I still had my six friends backing me up. I hope I did anyways... I had only just met them. Is that long enough to constitute as friendship? So many questions were buzzing through my mind. I perked up my ears as I heard Applejack saying something to Rarity two seats ahead of me. I silently gave thanks that it was night, as my senses perked up enough to decipher what they were saying.

"Ah just don't understand... Why is he so worked up about this?"

"Well as he said, there are horrible things after him."

"After him yeah, but he is actin' like all of Equestria is doomed. That kinda' attitude makes me wonder if he just doesn't wanna' face his punishment for whatever it is that he did. He has us all worked up over his punishment."

I sighed very loudly at that statement, causing the pair of them to look back at me. I beckoned to Applejack and smirked at her. The tension in the train car was almost palpable. I would not stand to be made fun of. Not after what happened to me. My 'attitude' was very just in this situation. I watched her whisper something to Rarity, then she kicked herself out of her seat and meandered down the hall to my bench.

"So... I see ya musta' heard what I was sayin'..." Said a very flustered and embarrassed Applejack.

"Do you want to know what they did to me Applejack? Do you want to know the horrors they put me through? Because I will tell you."

"Ah just... uh..." I cut her off with my next statement.

"I am not human. Not technically. My eyes shouldn't be like this. My senses and muscles shouldn't get stronger at night. I sure as hell shouldn't be able to drain and give the force of life. Once these people... these monsters found out that I was different.... the tortured me. They told my family I was dead. They stabbed me, cut me, punctured me, day in and day out, over and over again for three years. The only way I was able to survive was by feeding off other living creatures. You tell me how that is 'my punishment.' Then, they killed my family." I whispered very intently. I did not wish to fight with her, but if she was going to be on my side she would have to know all that happened to me. She needed to see why this must be stopped.

"Ah'm... ah'm so sorry... ah didn't know..."

"Well now you do. And do you know what will happen if they find me here? Do you know what these people will do to your alicorn goddesses and your beautiful peaceful land? I shudder at the thought. I'm not just blowing smoke here, Applejack. I need you and your friends to stop this. Please... if not for me, do it for them." I said motioning to all of her friends who were now staring intently at me. I then noticed how loud I was speaking. I was grateful that we were the only ones aboard the train this late at night.

"You all heard me didn't you..." I said lowering my head in embarrassment.

"Yes, but it is nothing to be ashamed of. I'm still your friend." Twilight said reassuringly from a few seats away. I heard various affirmatives throughout the train, Rainbow Dash's being the loudest.

"Ah'm sorry for doubting you Charlie... Ah was just confused."

"It's alright Applejack. But now all you know the true danger we face. These people are pure evil. I'm going to need all of your help to figure this out."

"We are behind you Charlie. I promise." Twilight said, now taking a seat beside me where Applejack had been.

"Thanks Twilight. Coming to Equestria was the best thing that ever happened to me and I don't want to see it ruined like everything else in my life has been."

After our heart to heart talks, the rest of the journey was silent. My thoughts ranged from internal to external as I looked out the train window. Twilight had fallen asleep, and I didn't feel like talking anyway. There was something eating away at me. Something I couldn't quite place a finger on. I turned my gaze to the midnight sky and it came to me. Luna. I missed her. I had spent the past few weeks with her, and she was the first to forgive me after learning the full truth of my past. I felt like we shared a connection, both of us being so attuned to the night. I loved it. I loved her. And the last thing I heard as I left Canterlot castle may have crushed my hopes of being with her forever. Sure it was just a stupid kiss shared by two drunken fools, but for me it was more than that. I felt for her... and it hurt to be turned down.

I pushed the thoughts out of my head and lost myself in the blissful darkness that I was surrounded with. I wanted to sleep, but the night was so captivating. It was as if an artist had painted the night sky with feelings of great emotional distress. The whole time I was thinking about Luna, I felt like I was being watched. It was the same feeling I get when another is listening to me very intently. It was annoying, as I knew everypony on the train was asleep and there was no way any of them could be reading my thoughts. I banished the thought from my mind. I shut my eyes and listened to the rhythm of the wheels on rails as it carried the train to Ponyville, and carried me to sleep with it.

***

"What have I done..." The weeping alicorn sniffled as she painted the night sky. The colors of the night blended together in the intense self-inflicted rage of their creator. Luna shot tendrils of emotion into each and every corner of the sky until all the stars gleamed with pain.

"I noticed the night sky is looking extremely... stressful?" Sighed the larger of the two alicorn sisters. Alarmed by the sudden intrusion of her sister, Luna let out a small yelp and dried her eyes as nonchalantly as possible. It was dark, and Celestia couldn't see the look of pain on her sisters face, but instead sensed it seeping through her veil of mixed emotions. Her sister was in turmoil. About what, remained to be seen.

"You know Luna, you can tell me anything. You are my sister, and I love you." She said, trying to calm her sister in distress.

"I... I just can't Tia. Leave me alone.." She cried as she threw herself on her bed in agony. Celestia couldn't just step aside and let her sister drown in her pain. The last time this happened, she almost threw the land in everlasting darkness.

"We both know I won't just leave you here. Please tell me?" Celestia said as she lit the room dimly with her horn.

"I don't know where to start sister... I have done something awful." Luna said, deep in thought. Her tears ceased, and she spoke with the tone of a voice that had no soul left behind it.

"And what is that?"

"It's Charlie... He left Canterlot without saying goodbye. I caught him leaving and I... confronted him."

Celestia sat silently, waiting for her sister to continue.

"We... well... He kissed me last night. We were both drunk and it was stupid, but I'd be lying if I didn't want it to happen. Oh Celestia shouldn't I be beyond these things?"

"We are not perfect beings, Luna. We are immortal, and hold great power, but we are not immune to the trials of the heart. Are you saying that you love Charlie?"

"I... well... no I don't think so. But I think he does and I hurt him by turning him down... I mean... I don't have anything against him but..." Luna said with a small quiver in her voice.

"Luna... You know you can't hide your feelings from me. Tell me the truth." Celestia said, detecting the slight untruth in her sister's previous statement.

"I just... I don't know if I have feelings for him or not. He is the only one I have seriously talked to since... since I came back from banishment. He listens to me and he loves the night as much as I do. I just don't know how to feel..." Luna said from underneath a large black satin pillow.

"Luna... There is no shame in your feelings. Take some time to figure it out and go talk to him in Ponyville. I'm sure his task has him stressed, and a visit from you will help him." Celestia suggested, trying to comfort her sister.

"I don't know... after what I said I don't think he will ever want to see me again."

"Oh, you'd be surprised as how much he wants to see you right now."

"How do you know?"

"I have been in his mind the whole time."

***

I awoke when the train came to a shuddering halt. I felt sore, which was no surprise when I realized my neck craned the way it was. I was in pain, emotional and physical as I stumbled to my feet and picked up my suitcase from under the bench. Twilight had left my side in the night at some point, and was now magically lifting her bags out the door. I sighed as I took one last look at the train. I decided I was going to need a better place to sleep tonight.

My heart heavy in my chest, and my neck throbbing in pain, I proudly exited the train with my head held high. Even though I was in distress, I never felt better. Having my past out in the open to my new friends was very relieving. I thought nobody would ever accept me for who I had been, but then I came to realize something. It was just that. Who I had been. Not who I was. I had changed considerably from the vengeful boy who killed his lover out of spite and malice. I had friends now and even though it hurt, I still had Luna. Even though she would never be more than just a friend.

I was so caught up in my internal thoughts I didn't notice the barking sound coming from behind me.

"It's so cute!" Said Fluttershy, who leaned down and somehow picked the small creature up in her hooves.

I couldn't believe my eyes. It was a dog. I scanned its life and it gave off the familiar pulse of an Earth creature. I shuddered as I figured out what that meant. If this animal had made it through, how much longer did I have before somebody called the police to report a missing person? How long would it take for the police to call the special unit that had captured me? I called out to Twilight.

"That creature... That dog. It is from my world. I can feel it. We need to figure this out before somebody on Earth figures this out." I said in a grave tone of voice.

"How do you know? Oh, right. The powers. Well we should head back to the library. I'll tell the others to drop off their things and meet us there as soon as possible. I have a spare room, so you can stay there with me." Twilight said calmly. I appreciated her tone of voice. She was very serious, but still polite and pleasant. I could see myself becoming great friends with Twilight.

We set off for the library. I took the puppy in my hands and scratched him behind the ears. He seemed to like it here. Maybe he could be my new pet. He let out a high pitched yawn and fell asleep in my arms on the way to the library. It reminded me of why I had to win this coming fight. If I let my past catch up with me here, everybody's lives are over. I couldn't let that happen. All my friends have been so kind to me... and I will never give up on Luna. I have been given so much in the past few weeks, and I couldn't hold in my gratitude for any longer.

"Twilight?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance

Carrying a sleeping puppy in my arms, and absolutely exhausted from the journey, Twilight and I finally reached our destination. I knew paper was made from trees, but entire libraries too? How does the wood not rot away? There's no way that tree was alive. Oh well, I was now living in this world, and magic existed here. Who's to say trees aren't fine living.

Again, I gave thanks to Twilight as we walked through the library door. Much to my unsurprise, the entire place was lined with books. There were shelves curving and twisting around the entire circumference of the tree. It looked a lot bigger on the inside than it did the outside, but again magic. How was I supposed to doubt anything here?

As soon as I was done marveling at the unique architecture of her home, I followed Twilight through a door in the rear of the room. She opened it with her magic and I nearly collapsed through the door, the bed beckoning me to release the weight from my feet. Setting my new pet down, I jumped up and landed on the bed. I hit it with such force, the entire damn thing collapsed and fell to the ground. I was so shocked I couldn't say a word, and all I could do was lay there in defeat and embarrassment as the small dog yelped several times and coated my face with its tongue.

"Son of a..." I started.

"No worries Charlie. I'm sure that bed isn't anything valuable. I've lived here for years and it has always been here unused. Maybe you have a better excuse to get a bed made that will actually fit you comfortably?" Twilight stated with a small laugh. It was then I was caught by surprise by a male voice coming from another room above us.

"Hey Twilight, what the hay was that? Are you ok down there?" I heard the voice yell, half in surprise and half in terror. I never heard Twilight talk about romance at all, let alone the fact she had a boyfriend or husband.

"Twilight? Is that your... husband?" I asked genuinely. Her response was a bellowing fit of laughter that went on for a gut-busting thirty seconds. Tears of jubilation in her eyes she finally responded to my query.

"Oh Charlie... I'm sorry that was too much... That was just Spike. He is my personal assistant." She said in between gasps of residual laughter. "Spike! Get down here and meet our new guest!"

I heard the soft pitter-patter of footsteps leaving the room above us and then descending a flight of stairs. I scrambled to my feet and got ready to meet whoever the voice belonged to. The door opened, and to my surprise, the doorway was empty. My eyes were set at pony level, however, and I looked down and noticed a small reptile peeking his head in the door.

"This is Spike! Spike, meet Charlie. He is going to stay here with us while we figure out what's going on in the forest." Twilight said with a grin.

"Hey dude nice to meet you!...What is that thing? And what's up with his eyes? They look like mine." He whispered the last part to Twilight.

"Nice to meet you too Spike. I am a creature called a Human from a distant world called Earth. My eyes are like this because of a genetic mutation. What are you?" I recited, tired of having to explain them to every single creature I met.

"Oh, I'm a dragon. I'm still a baby by dragon standards, otherwise I'd be huge!" Said Spike enthusiastically.

A dragon? Here I was in a world inhabited by intelligent equines, and now dragons? I guess I shouldn't be surprised in this land of magic. But what was a fire breathing creature doing working in a library full of dusty flammable books? Better yet, a tree filled with flammable objects! My mind swam with questions, but I knew better than to question it. He probably gets enough of that as it is.

"Spike, I think we should let our guest get to sleep. We only just got back from Canterlot..." Twilight said.

"Alright. Nice meeting ya dude!" Spike said as he withdrew from my room.

"Goodnight you two." I said as Twilight departed leaving me and my new puppy alone with a broken bed and a dusty room.

***

Due to my soreness, I did not fall asleep easily that night. I let my new pet fall asleep at the foot of the bed, but I stayed up pacing for hours. My mind was abuzz with thoughts and questions and everything in between. My mind ranged to the strange magical anomaly to Luna, to my other six friends. Life here was more complicated than I had initially expected. That is why I was zoning out during our conversation the next day.

"...so that's what I think is going on. Any input Charlie?" Twilight finished, me not hearing the first part of her thought.

"Oh uh... sorry I didn't get much sleep last night. Could you repeat that?" I said with a cheesy apologetic smile. Twilight just sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I don't know what caused the rift, but I think that we can safely say it is dangerous to say the least. If any of us go through it, there may be a chance we couldn't get back here. That would be very bad news. To top it off, more and more things are popping up in the everfree, suggesting that it is growing. Any thoughts Charlie?"

"That makes sense. We should still go investigate." I said. There simply wasn't enough information to go on, and we needed to gather more intel.

"Ok everypony, lets move out!" Exclaimed a very trigger happy rainbow mare.

As we walked through Ponyville, I could feel equine eyes piercing me. It took great self control to not shout at them to mind their own business. Maybe someday I could walk around without making all the residents slack jaw. We continued through Ponyville and I saw some very peculiar buildings. There was a very french looking building that screamed Rarity, and a building that looked like a giant cupcake. I didn't even have to ask if that was the home of Pinkie Pie. We came to a cottage on the outskirts of town and I thought it would be the perfect place to live. I was very jealous of the Fluttershy that came bounding out to meet us.

Once we reached the Everfree forest, I stood in awe. It seemed so natural and primal compared to the rest of the world. It reminded me of... Earth. Which was a very bad thing. I began to wonder if it had always been this way.

"Hey Twilight... Has the Everfree always been this... ominous?" I queried to the purple unicorn.

"Well, it always freaked ponies out mostly because the clouds here move on their own. No matter how hard ponies try to colonize the Everfree, it seems nature always wins."

"Curious... I wonder if this place just has a natural connection to my world." I said as I mentally scanned the surrounding area. The whole place felt much more wild then it had before when I was living with Nightmare Moon. There were more active predators, who seemed agitated by something. I just had to get in there and investigate.

"Ok. Here's how this is going to work," I spoke up, deciding to take the leader role for this excursion, "I don't want anypony getting split up. We all stay in our group of seven, and if we get separated, don't move. I can feel the forest, and it is in a very agitated state right now. We wouldn't last a minute in there alone. Twilight and I will take the lead. Applejack and Rainbow Dash take the rear. Everypony else, stay in the middle and stick together. Let's move out!" I said, always wanting to say the last part. This felt more like a military mission rather than a simple investigation, but whatever would keep us all safe was the path I would take.

Once we entered the forest, it was a completely different story. It was dark. No natural, night time dark, but crushing and stifling dark. It was artificial darkness, caused by the thick weaving branches of the trees above, cutting off all sunlight. It was even more eerie than the Everfree Castle, and that place oozed creepy.

After walking in our tightly knit sphere for what seemed like hours, we came across a peculiar sight. It was a little girl. Not a filly, but a small human child. I told everybody to halt, and that I would handle it. A whole group of ponies might frighten her. I carefully and slowly approached her and got down on one knee.

"Hey there..." I said in my most soothing calm voice.

Apparently I wasn't soothing and calm enough, because she turned around and used her spinning momentum to punch me right in the face. I fell back onto my ass and she took off running. How stupid was this girl? Did she have any idea how easy it would be for her to get eaten out here?

"You guys, hurry! She is running!" I said as I took off after the girl. I was careful not to lose my friends behind me, but I kept up the pace enough to catch the girl as she tripped and twisted her ankle. She slipped on a mossy dead branch and I heard a snapping sound as she hit the ground and screamed out in pain and terror.

"Look, I know I am scary, but if you don't come with me, you will die." I said in a serious voice. I didn't want to scare her, but she needed to understand the gravity of the situation. I looked at her leg and saw the bone was sticking through the skin. Ouch. This would be painful, but it was the least I could do for a little girl. I reached out to her and carefully used my own energy to heal her wound. She winced as the bone found its way back inside her broken flesh and reattached as a whole. Her broken skin and veins stitched back together in a matter of seconds and she passed out at the sight. Unable to stay lucid for much longer, I collapsed. Shortly before I passed out from the pain, I reached out into the forest to regain my strength. I heard howling and snarling from the creatures around us as I siphoned their life to heal myself. That was close. If I passed out here, it would have been over.

"Get away from me you monster! I know who you are! I know what you've done!! You killed my daddy!" She screamed, suddenly awake, tears bellowing from her eyes.

"That's a pretty bad apology to somebody who just saved your life..." I said, disregarding her claims. Who was this girl? Obviously she lived somewhere near me if she knew who I was. Then it hit me like an avalanche rolling down a mountain. This was John's little girl. Maybe there was some shred of humanity left inside me when I hesitated to kill her. Regardless, here she was and I had to deal with it.

"Listen, we don't have time to talk here. Will you at least let me take you to safety?" I asked, great remorse growing in my heart. She was so small... she was just a child. I had almost killed her without even a thought back then. I was glad I had changed.

She responded with silence as I scooped her up in my arms. She closed her eyes, and I carried her back to the six elements.

"Change of plans. We have to get out of here. I'm not well enough prepared to have to defend the six of you plus this little girl." I said in a grave tone.

"I can defend myself thank you very much!" Came the reply from a sassy Rainbow Dash.

"This isn't the Everfree you know Rainbow. In case you hadn't noticed, this place is crawling with things that could swallow you in one bite. We travel as a group, or not at all." I responded. I didn't have time to deal with Dash properly, so I set off with the girl in my arms and six disappointed ponies following me. Well, five disappointed ponies. I know for certain that Fluttershy desperately wanted release from this augmented death-trap of a forest.

We made our way through the thick bushes and underbrush of the forest and made it back before nightfall. I had a bad feeling that place only gets worse at night. Turning my attention to the girl, I told her that she was safe now. She opened her eyes wide when she saw my pony companions.

"Rainbow Dash?" She suddenly said as she opened her eyes.

"How do you know me?!" Exclaimed the cyan pegasus mare.

This night was about to get a whole lot more interesting...

Authors Notes: Howdy ya'll. I'm just dropping by to inform you that I am working on another story. It will probably be shorter than this one. I got the idea from an experience I had a few days ago, and I'm rollin' with it. The story is called 'One Hard Trip' if you want to take a look. Now that I'm working on something else, my chapter updates may slow down a bit. Sorry about that!

Truth and Reconciliation

Truth and Reconciliation

What. The. Fuck.

After about a half hour of explanation on the girl's part, I learned that all my friends and this whole world I'm living in is from a T.V. show called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. No wonder the place reeks of a little girls cartoon. But how was this possible? I have been physically living here for quite some time and as far as I know, everything exists. I wonder what the creator of the show would think if she knew about this...

Weird shit.

***

"Rainbow Dash?" She suddenly said as she opened her eyes.

"How do you know me?!" Exclaimed the cyan pegasus mare.

"Pinkie Pie? Rarity? Twilight? Fluttershy? Applejack??" She named each one of my friends in order of which they were standing.

"Uh... could you explain to me where you know my friends from?" I asked the girl, who had now jumped out of my arms and was hugging Fluttershy.

"They are from My Little Pony! It's my favorite T.V. show!" She said with much gusto.

"Ah'm from... mah little what now?" Applejack said eyeing her curiously.

"It's a cartoon from my world!" She said, now hugging Twilight Sparkle. She obviously loved the shit out of the ponies.

"Uh... what exactly is a... cartoon..." Fluttershy piped up from behind Applejack.

"I don't know but that word sounds sooo funny! Ohmigosh I think I should throw a our-whole-world-is-the-figment-of-somebody-else's-imagination PARTY!!" Pinkie Pie managed in only one breath. That mare sometimes... I wonder if she was a professional freediver.

"Chill, Pinkie," I stepped in to enlighten them, "a cartoon is a certain form of animation from my world..."

I then took several minutes to explain the intricate workings of the television, modern programs, and animation to the ponies. Rarity looked in interest of the situation, but not my actual explanation. Fluttershy hid behind the flanks of Applejack. Applejack looked at me as if I was trying to explain the theory of relativity. Twilight was the only one who seemed to grasp what I was talking about at all. Pinkie was out jumping in the moonlight, probably planning a world ending party. After my speech was up, Twilight finally spoke up.

"That actually... Makes sense in a way. I remember studying something like this a little while ago, but I never thought it would be relevant, so I moved on. There is a unicorn that lives in Canterlot whose name eludes me at the moment, but he wrote a book on alternate universes and the 'imagionation theory'. Basically, if enough people believe something exists, it appears exactly as they imagine it." Twilight said to my amazement.

That explained everything. No wonder this world was so happy and nice and perfect. It was somewhere for the people of earth to escape to. It entertained the masses and they truly believed it making it real.

"Mah brain hurts ya'll. I think ahm gonna go home." Said Applejack with a yawn. I then turned to the girl.

"So... what have you been doing all this time?" I asked her harmlessly.

"Well after you killed..."

"THAT'S quite enough explanation, sorry girls but I am exhausted, we should meet tomorrow back at the library, how does noon sound? Great. Let's go!" I cut her off before she could say anything else, somehow managing to say all that in a Pinkie-Pie-esque breath.

Everypony let out a sigh of unidentifiable emotion and each went their separate ways. I turned to the girl again, who was standing next to Twilight.

"I never got your name. What is it?" I asked her.

"It's Eliza, but I haven't forgotten what you've done."

"Eliza, you're coming with me."

***

The walk back to the library was a very long one. Not in distance, but in frame of mind. Twilight kept eyeing me with a piercing stare as I tried to keep up awkward small talk with Eliza. Twilight knew I had cut her off intentionally. I just hoped she wouldn't make me explain it. Our topics ranged from her favorite pony on the show, Fluttershy, to my favorite pony. I told her that all six of them were my friends and I couldn't just pick a favorite. All the way back to the library, Twilight's eyes burned holes in the side of my cranium.

"It's the library!" She suddenly exclaimed upon gaining sight of the tree, "Where’s Spike?! Can I meet him?!" Her enthusiasm numbing my head with angst. The sooner I could get her in bed, the better.

"Spike should be inside." Twilight replied with awkward tension."Sorry, it's just a little odd that you already know everything about us and this is our first time meeting."

We approached the library door and entered it. Instead of Spike coming to greet us, we heard a light snoring from atop the stairs. Much to Eliza's disappointment, Twilight suggested we should get her to bed so we could...talk. The way she said talk sent a shiver down my spine. I don't know why Twilight was so intimidating at this point, it's not like I couldn't just kill her if she started some kind of fight. I then pushed that thought from my mind... what's wrong with me that I even considered that?

Me and Twilight tucked Eliza in my tiny broken bed. It would fit her much better anyways, being that she was at least three feet shorter than me. Being almost seven feet tall had its advantages, but not being able to sleep in a non-custom bed wasn't one of them. I started leaving the room when I heard barely audible whispers behind me. Too tired and ornery to care, I just left the room and awaited my meeting with Death. A.K.A Twilight Sparkle.

Several minutes passed and in trotted the purple unicorn herself. Her eyes were teeming with... was that anger? This day was getting worse and worse and I feared I would be sleeping outside tonight. She came and sat beside me on the floor and a purple aura began glowing around us. It almost... tickled but it felt very warm as well. It was like we were sitting in a satin glove made of purple mist. If that even makes any sense.

"In case you are wondering, this is a sound elimination spell SO THAT NOBODY CAN HEAR ME WHEN I KILL YOU!!!!" She screamed. "You killed her parents?! You almost killed her? What are you? No wonder those people are tracking you down. I don't know if I want you here anymore Charles!" Her words stung, but nothing stung like my old wounds being reopened. Why me? I had tried my best to forget what I had done and here this little girl came and ruined it all over again!

"Twilight... will you at least let me explain this?" I said as calm as I could, the tension in the room now had the viscosity of maple syrup.

"You better have a good bucking explanation for all of this before I call Celestia down here!" Twilight said, her anger unwavering.

"First of all, Celestia already knows. So does..." My heart skipped a beat as I recited the name, "Luna. This is why we had so many meetings. The old me died when you used the Elements of Harmony on my nightmare-possessed body. It took all the anger and hate out of me, the things that caused me to kill innocent people. I have been doing my best to atone for it, but it seems no matter where I go I will be plagued by my past."

“A past that you chose! You killed them! I don’t know what that means where you come from, but here in Equestria that is an unforgivable crime!” She yelled again.

“Twilight, I understand your anger, but please. You can stop yelling.”

"I just..." She started, her voice becoming less of a yell and more of a pout. "I don't know what to think. You should go. I need time away from all this before I'll know if I can forgive you."

I understood that. I honestly did. At least when I told the Princesses, I told them myself. In this situation it was revealed to her by a little girl. A little girl that I was rapidly coming to hate. I couldn't blame her though. I would probably be pretty pissed if some dude waltzed into my life, almost killed me, and then killed my parents. I thanked Twilight honestly for the hospitality, and hoped that we could remain friends. With that, I took my leave.

It was then, something happened. My mind was wandering through time and space to a time when everything was fine. Everybody was happy. Well, somewhat happy. There were the boys at school either laughing at me, or making lizard-eye jokes. Whenever I had a rough day at school, I walked home playing my favorite song. So that night, I sung. I sung as I walked from Twilight's back to the everfree forest.

"Something has to change.

Un-deniable dilemma.

Boredom's not a burden

Anyone should bear."

I sung the first verse as I passed Ponyville park. It was hard not to smile on such a beautiful night. A night... She created.

"Constant over stimulation numbs me

but I would not want you

Any other way."

I sung the next verse thinking about the beautiful Princess of the Night I had left behind in Canterlot. I was sad, but music always seemed to help me through the darkest of times. If only I had my CDs when the government was torturing me.

"It's not enough.

I need more.

Nothing seems to satisfy.

I don't want it.

I just need it.

To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive."

I sighed as I put meaning to the lyrics. It reminded me of the time I had slaughtered innocents. Countless guards who were just doing their jobs. They all probably had families they wanted to return to. I shed a tear as I sang the next verse.

"I can help you change

Tired moments into pleasure.

Say the word and we'll be

Well upon our way.

Blend and balance

Pain and comfort

Deep within you

Til you will not want me any other way."

I was passing Pinkie Pie's cupcake home at this point. The stars were twinkling more than usual for some reason or another, as I looked in the window and saw her shadow. It wasn't just one, it was two shadows? They were chasing each other around. I laughed silently as I thought she may have a special someone. Maybe I would throw her a "You-can’t-keep-secrets-from-me-I-know-you-have-a-stallion-friend-you-silly-mare party.

"Something kinda sad about

the way that things have come to be.

Desensitized to everything.

What became of subtlety?

How can it mean anything to me

If I really don't feel anything at all?"

I approached Fluttershy's cottage at this point. I saw lights on and singing coming from inside. Cute. I sung the last verse as the clouds in the sky started shifting around, as if they were nervous about something.

"I'll keep digging till

I feel something.

Elbow deep inside the borderline.

Show me that you love me and that we belong together.

Shoulder deep within the borderline.

Relax. Turn around and take my hand."

Just as I finished the last word, I heard a swooping sound behind me. I turned around and found myself face to face with the beautiful Mare of the Moon.

Authors Notes: I have a lot to talk about here.

First off, I would like to say yes, the title of this chapter is indeed a 'Halo: Combat Evolved' reference. My shout out to all the nerds in the audience! The cake is a lie anyone? :P

Second, if anybody knows what song Charlie is singing, ten internet points to you.

Third, how did that last part of the chapter turn out? Music has always been a great influence to me (I am a drummer, and singer) and I wanted to know if the lyrics made as much sense to you as they did to me. I have countless lyrics and songs I'd love to share in this story, but I'm afraid it will turn out cheesy or stupid. I need input here guys!

Anyways, thank you for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!

Let the Games Begin

Let the Games Begin

She was so... elegant. She gave off the impression of a true artist as she walked up to me, her eyes filled with the greatness of all the stars and the moon combined. She was dark, she was strong, she was everything that fueled my nocturnal fire. I took a step back in awe, and took two steps forward in confidence. The look on my face must have been a mix of pain, frustration, awe and bliss. The look on hers, however, was that of pure determination. I would have been terrified if she wasn't so alluring.

"I have something I must confess Charles." She spoke, her voice unshaken.

"That would be?"

"I... Although it is difficult to admit, I may have been wrong about you."

"Are you referring to the time we kissed or the time you told me you didn't want to be anything but friends?" I said, my eagerness overpowering my awe.

"I..well.. we... uh..." She said obviously taken aback by the tone of voice I used with her. I was not angry, I just wanted to win this little game of words she had gotten herself into.

"The Mare of Darkness, Princess of the Night, Priestess of the Moon choking on her own words. Tell me again, exactly why did you come?" I said, a smile creeping onto my face. She was scared of me. Me. The Princess, who had grown up more powerful than all other ponies, save one, was afraid of me. I was going to have so much fun...

"I just.. wanted to apologize. After you left I realized I may have been wrong to turn you away so quickly."

"Yes, I noticed how the canvas of the night sky was riddled with fear and regret that night." I said, partially guessing, little did I know, it was actually true.

"Quite. I talked to my sister and asked for advice, and she said you may want to see me?" She said, her shy, happy personality coming out in the last few words. It was quite funny really. Whenever Luna spoke to anypony official she put on this mask of toughness and authority. I never knew this, for every time she visited me in the hospital it was her true personality that showed. The personality I loved.

The personality I was going to have a little bit more fun with. I had her in my trap, and she was struggling to escape it. She descended upon me that night as a goddess, and I was stripping her down to an equal. I thought over my response carefully. I wanted to toy with her, but if she got hurt and flew away I wouldn't be able to physically follow. Not only that, but then I would be caught in her trap, the same way she was caught in mine. Dangerous is the game of love.

"I might have." I simply said. I could see the distress in her eyes as my insides churned with glee, barely able to contain my excitement. She obviously had feelings for me, and I was winning this game. She looked like she was about to explode inside from Luna's frustration, but on the outside she looked as calm and regal as the Princess always did. Luna and the Princess. Two sides of the same coin.

"Well do you or do you not wish to see me? I have... things I must attend to and I do not have all night." She said promptly and with a regal accent. Her voice was booming at this point, from frustration and angst. Much to her chagrin, I was determined to win this little quarrel, and I would have her on her knees begging before I would give in to my own temptation.

"Oh, I think we both know why wants to see who..." I hissed calmly as I took several steps closer to her. Still being right next to Fluttershy's cottage, I put phase two of my plan into action

"But before we settle this, let us depart. I can detect prying ears..." I said the last part loudly. Much to my unsurprise I heard a loud 'EEP!' and a slamming door coming from a very flustered Fluttershy only a few yards away.

"Fine. What do you suggest?"

"The forest."

***

"I can't believe it! Aughh.. why do I have to be the one to deal with this..." Twilight sighed in emotional distress. Ever since Charlie had left, she had been frantically reorganizing the entire library from top to bottom in hopes that it would take her mind off of him. Her plan would have worked, if not for her overactive brain finding more and more Charlie-related things to think about. It was going to be another long, sleepless night for the purple mare in distress, only instead of studying like usual, she would be thinking about the consequences of her actions.

"Maybe... maybe I was too harsh on him.." She whispered aloud to herself. "If the Princess forgave him, surely there must be somewhat of a redeeming factor that I missed." Suddenly she remembered.

"He saved their lives." She felt even worse now that she had uncovered that dusty memory from the top shelf of her grey matter. Charlie had saved the lives of both Princesses during the return of Nightmare Moon. He nearly threw himself away in that selfless act of redemption. It was not enough to atone for his past, she was sure, but it was a great start.

"Ugh... I need to get out of here. I can't sleep. Maybe Pinkie is up..." She thought, surely if somepony could make her feel better it was that quivering ball of energy and spontaneity that was her friend Pinkie Pie. Little did Twilight know, Pinkie already had company.

***

While I was certainly aware that the Earth-augmented Everfree forest was even more dangerous at night, it was all part of my plan of breaking down the Princess into Luna. The added danger of the forest would put more pressure on her, further increasing her desire for protection. Protection that now only I could provide. No wonder people thought I was a monster... I could be a devious son of a bitch if need be.

"No that I am afraid, but is it really a good idea to be trotting around in the most dangerous place in Equestria in the middle of the night?" She said, her shell of royalty already breaking down into the alicorn mare I fell in love with. It was already working.

"Princess... you seem to forget that I am infinitely stronger at night, and you are the night. I am untouchable." I said, making sure to impress the fact that I alone was untouchable, therefore she was vulnerable.

"Whatever you say Charles."

I laughed silently at the Princesses' discomfort. It's a shame I never had anybody to torment like this on Earth. I was good at it. Claire was just too easy.. I then pushed the thought of Claire out of my mind. It was a weak subject, and I wanted to give off the impression of anything but weak. I wanted to be Luna's pillar of inconceivable might, not the wet noodle of self doubt and regret.

I truly wasn't afraid of the Everfree, especially at night. This genetic disease/mutation worked in my favor perfectly, as I was able to reach out with my mind and avoid any walking terrors. Even if something crossed my path, I would have known about it and drained it before it could even snarl at me. Luna, however, had no idea of my power and to her we were as vulnerable as children who had gotten into their parent’s medicine cabinet. I glanced over my shoulder several quick times, and each time I silently laughed at myself seeing the Princess as flustered and scared as she was.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of walking we reached the Everfree Castle. The very place me and Luna first met. This place sent shivers down even my immortal spine, but I could not let Luna know that. I would have to be on my guard especially here, being that Luna was Nightmare Moon's creation. Who knew if Nightmare was still lurking about? I was playing a very dangerous game.

We approached the courtyard and that's where I made my stand. I had no desire of entering the building, deciding that I have come far enough in my conquest for Luna's heart. This is where I would lay out my pawns, rooks and bishops. The game had officially begun.

***

'Three knocks, no answer. Odd. I can hear her in there...' Sighed the depressed purple unicorn.

"Pinkie? I know you're in there..." Twilight said with a slight sigh. She got to Sugarcube Corner just as the clock struck three in the morning. She heard giggling and strange noises coming from within. If it was any other pony, Twilight would be shocked, but this was Pinkie. She wouldn't be surprised in the least if she had walked in there and found Pinkie with the entire cast of Desperate Housemares.

"Twilight? What are you doing here?" Came Pinkies voice from somewhere inside. There was something strange about it however. Her usual cheery and bubbly tone was replaced by one Twilight had never heard pinkie speak in before. Embarrassment.

"I just came by to see if you could cheer me up, but if you are busy I guess I'll come back." Twilight said, rather let down. There was something going on at Pinkie's and she wasn't invited. This only piqued her curiosity, however, and she took to watching the windows. She heard Pinkie shout and giggle, but then she heard something else entirely. She heard another voice. But it wasn't speaking... it was moaning.

Now she just had to find out what was going on. Doing her best Sherlock Hooves impersonation, she snuck around the back of the house and found a large slab of wood. She stepped on the slab, and levitated it up to Pinkie's bedroom window. The sight of it caused Twilight to pass out and fall straight to the ground below.

Pinkie pie was inside her room with Applejack. The sheer shock of this alone was odd, because Pinkie and AJ never seemed awfully close, but there was something else going on. Applejack was tied to the bed with black silk. She was blindfolded and had chocolate syrup painted on her fur in unidentifiable shapes. Pinkie was licking the syrup off her friends coat in long lavish licks and Applejack was moaning in delight.

Several hours later, Twilight regained consciousness. Thankful for her lack of injuries from her fall, she got up and started her journey back home in broken shame. How could she hide what she saw? Would she ever be able to look at Applejack and Pinkie the same way again? Is that why the orange farm pony was so quick to go 'home' earlier? The questions swam in Twilight's scarred mind. Hopefully a long bath and a good day's sleep would help her scrub her mind of such an awkwardly arousing sight. Hopefully Charlie turned out ok last night...

***

"EEP!" Fluttershy squealed as she heard Charlie's voice boom across the distance to her home. He knew she was listening to him! She was scared of him, as she was of everything, but now she actually had a reason to be frightened. His eyes... Would the stare even work on him if she needed to use it? Would Charlie be mad when he sees her next?

She didn't know. She sighed and returned to her nightly chore of tending to the animals. It had been a long frightful day, and she was under additional stress from a bout of the bunny-flu that was sweeping the border of the Everfree that year. She was stressed, and she knew exactly the mare to cheer her up. Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy got herself combed and ready to go, and then took a quick look at herself in the mirror. Fluttershy may not have been as 'fabulous' as Rarity, but she always tried to look her best. Her mane was always the perfect length, her coat always shimmering. After all, somepony might get mad at her if she looked substandard. Oh Fluttershy...

The now clean yellow mare took a peek out the window to make sure Charlie and Luna had left. To her delight, there wasn't a trace of them anywhere. She didn't know if she could handle any more drama from today, and a run in Charlie would probably cause her to pass out.

After she verified her exit, she took a cautious leap out the front door and walked up the road to Pinkie's house. She was so excited to see her spastic friend. Maybe Pinkie would have some cake she could eat. She liked cake. As long as she didn't have to ask for it that is...

Once Pinkie's house came into view something was immediately off. There was a pony-shaped lump next to a slab of wood sitting under Pinkie's bedroom window. Fluttershy walked carefully up to it and upon further inspection, it was none other than Twilight Sparkle herself in all her unconscious glory. Scared that Twilight would be angry if she woke her up, Fluttershy decided to leave her alone for the time being.

A very timid yellow mare opened the door to Pinkie's house. There was an interesting smell wafting about the room. It smelled like chocolate and... Applejack? Not that Fluttershy spent an exorbitant amount of time sniffing Applejack, but she had noticed the strong aroma of farm pony whenever the orange earth pony was near. She was slightly confused, but she just assumed Applejack had been over earlier or something.

Several timid steps later, she heard moaning. Fluttershy flinched, thinking it was a monster. She was about to turn away and run out the door when her friendship instincts kicked in.

"What if a Chocolaty Applejack scented monster is attacking Pinkie Pie?" She whispered loudly and with much concern. A very loud scream was heard and Fluttershy made up her mind. She needed to rescue Pinkie Pie! She bolted across the room in all her timid glory, raced up the stairs and burst into Pinkies room.

"Stop right...there?"

And for the second time that, Fluttershy let out an embarrassed 'EEP' and fell to the ground, too embarrassed to stay conscious.

"Hey AJ, what do you say we take her back home and tell her it was all a dream?"

"Oh... Okay... Well.... Maybe after we finish up this here whipped cream."

"Okey Dokey Lokey!"

Authors Notes:

Checkmate

Checkmate

The deep ocean teal of her stare was almost more than I could handle. It was becoming awkward. We had been locked in this state for far too long. One of us would have to speak soon. It was going to be me of course, but those eyes. They take me to a different place entirely, drowning me in the beautiful symphony that is the night.

"So you came to apologize and beg forgiveness, am I right?" I said in a dead serious, yet somehow joking manner.

"The Princess of the Night does not beg." She said simply, once again erecting her false power. I had to work faster, before she became too comfortable and balanced. I could not, however, just admit my feelings and let her win. Greater still, I could not let her lose interest and leave. I threw all my chips in on this gamble.

"Do you know why I brought you here?"

"Does it have anything to do with the fact that your heart yearns for me and you want to break me down and get me to admit it first? If so, then fine. I admit it." She said promptly and rehearsed. That sneaky mare. She beat me at my own little game I started. There was only one thing left that I could possibly do.

"You are quite cunning Luna. I am quite fond of that in a girl." I said as I walked around to her flank and gave it a little slap.

"Hey!" She yelped in surprise. I didn't reply. I knew she wanted it.

I circled around her and brought her face to mine. Those eyes. Those lips. That billowing soft mane. Everything was pulling me into her, slowly but surely like a vice made from the night sky. Our lips touched. Only this time, we were not intoxicated as we were previously. I was overjoyed and I had to work to contain a jump of excitement. Her face was so soft and beautiful. I felt her skin and... no... not skin.

It was then I realized something that put a bad taste in my mouth. She was a...pony. I had never really thought about it before then. Was this wrong? What would everypony think if they found out? Does this count as... bestiality? On Earth this would be a sick disgusting thing to do. Could I say the same for here? My mind again swam with unanswerable questions. The look of discomfort must have been evident on my face, as she broke the kiss.

"Is.. is something wrong?" She said, her beautiful yet alien eyes glistening in sadness.

"No I just... well... Where I come from romance between species is... well it's wrong. But I don't know here. On Earth, ponies are just mindless animals, incapable of speech and higher thought processes. Plus they are rather ugly. But you... I just don't know what to think." I said honestly. Was romance with a pony possible for me? Was it legal? So many questions poured into my mind like ice water on a hot day. It was a veritable brain freeze of thoughts that numbed my senses and made me weak in the knees.

Several seconds passed. I could not bring myself to look at her, for when I did it was sheer pain. Her face reflected the pain and anger my previous statement had just unleashed in her. For a brief moment, I thought she was going to turn around and buck me right in the face. I closed my eyes and prepared for the blow that never came. Instead her face turned to that of pure sadness as she choked back tears and opened her mouth to speak.

"Oh... I see. I... I should go..." She said as she took off. My heart exploded and my body flushed with adrenaline.

"No! Wait! Come back! I didn't... that wasn't!!" I shouted to no avail. I fell to my knees and cried tears of regret. My loving, caring and cautious heart shattered into tiny pieces and rearranged itself into a familiar pattern. The pattern of hate, anger, and revenge. I was powerless to stop my uncontrollable emotions, and something changed inside me that I had promised myself I would keep under control.

Using all my nocturnal might I shouted into the sky. A blood-rage boiling in my mind, shattering my resolve to stay calm. For the third time in my life, I lost control of my body. Good thing I wasn't in Ponyville. I opened my hand and struck the wall in an open-palm punch. Much to my astonishment, the wall cracked. I ran and charged a kick, striking the wall right where I had just punched. The wall gave way to my anger and blew out the other side, sending me along with it. I was not done, however.

More and more unanswerable questions filled my mind as I kicked and punched and cracked my way through the castle courtyard that had previously been my home. Why did I say that? What the hell is wrong with me? How could I hurt her like that. How could she just leave me here. I am a monster, so I guess I'll act like one.

I ran into the forest, throwing caution to the wind. My previously passive mind turned aggressive as I reached out into the heart of the forest. Manticores, cockatrices, diamond dogs, birds, trees, bushes and rodents all succumbed to my bloody anger. I ran for miles, following my instincts and my own augmented mind. I ran so fast, and with so much precision, I reached the center of the forest before sunrise. It was there in the center of the eternal forest, I balanced myself out.

Hate giving way to caution, anger giving way to passion, and sadness giving way to redemption, I returned to my normal state. I instantly felt wrong for my actions, and fell once more to the unforgiving ground. I looked at my hands bloody with the lives of innocent beings I had killed yet again. I really was a monster. I thought back to the events prior to meeting Luna at the edge of the forest. Twilight was right to expel me.

It was there I made my bed for the rest of the night, not even caring if some creature devoured me in my slumber. I was too weak with sorrow and self loathing to care. I turned onto my back and looked up at the sky, still dark with night, the beautiful moon coming closer and closer to completing its eternal arc across the sky.

'I can't stay here anymore... I have to go back to Earth. I've done far too much damage already.' I thought to myself.

'God dammit, don't be such a pussy. Your work here isn't finished, and besides things aren't as dramatic as you make them out to me.' I answered myself internally.

'I just called the one I love an animal. I'm not even sure if what I'm doing is right.'

'Who gives a flying fuck if it's right? These are our feelings Charlie. If we aren't accepted, then to hell with them. Besides, this world started as a show to teach the values of friendship. I'm pretty sure acceptance of others is one of the staples of this land.'

'But... but... you're right. I do love Luna. It might take awhile for me to feel comfortable being with a non-human lover physically...'

'Oh to hell with that, you know you have wanted a piece of that fine flank ever since you laid eyes on it.'

'Hey thats private information!'

'Look who you're talking to, dumbass!'

I snapped out of my mental conversation with myself. Feeling silly, and marginally insane, for talking to myself I decided to suck it up and take this blow like a man. There in the heart of the forest, I grew up. I stood with my head held high and started walking out of the forest. My first stop, Twilight sparkle.

***

As I made my way back through the forest, I couldn't help but notice all the dying animals and plants about the place. I felt much sorrow, and healed them all back to where they were. I spent most of their energy already, so a lot of it had to come directly from me. The pain was a fitting punishment, and served as an excellent reminder to think before I act. This whole thing could have been avoided if I had that internal conversation before speaking to Luna.

Thinking back to the fight I had with Twilight Sparkle earlier, I remembered what I did to calm down. I set my mind to an internal playlist and sung slowly and softly to myself, letting the lyrics flow through and change my emotions.

"Setting sun can't shine, now you're gone

Inside sleeping, my heart beating

You know that you tried to hide it

Couldn't you have said what you meant?"

I sung softly as I used more of my waning energy to restore the damage I had just caused. Barely able to walk, I limped and wheezed out of the courtyard once more. I felt a sense of pride and renewal since my internal conversation, and it showed as I walked with my head held high, despite the agonizing pain. I turned my gaze to the main castle building thinking back to the time of Nightmare Moon and all the pain she put me through. I was silently grateful, after all she gave me the key to my memory. I whispered a quick 'thank you' as I made my way over the castle wall, and into the forest beyond.

"Time heals, time congeals around us

Endless hours of wasted moments

Understanding, not demanding

Your eyes tell what you feel inside."

I sung as I contemplated the meaning of the words. Music has always been an inspiration to me, and I could find great inspiration in the words echoing from the minds of great lyricists such as Maynard James Keenan. I hummed the tune of the song when there was no words to sing and I felt a sense of calm wash over me as my pain subsided briefly.

"Setting sun can't shine, now you're gone

Inside sleeping, my heart weeping

You know that you tried to hide it

Shouldn't you have said what you meant?

You Lied."

'You Lied.'

'I know, its a great song huh?'

'No, I meant you lied to Luna. You don't care about her not being human. You were just scared of what others would think.'

'Well, that happens when you spend your whole life getting picked on...'

'Now is the time for the future, not the past. You said so yourself.'

'When?'

'Just now. Remember, I am you.'

I chuckled as I recited the last words and thought to myself their meaning. I sighed as I came to terms with my thoughts and returned completely to a state of balance and calm. I was at peace with myself again. Even more so than the last time this happened.

Using my mind's connection to the animals to guide me through the thick trees and bushes, I followed the forests natural aura back to where I had entered many hours before. My body ached and I looked like hell, but internally I felt better than I ever had. I looked up at the moon, which was now barely relinquishing its nightly reign to the sun.

"Hey Charlie, could you give us a hoof... er... a hand?" Came a certain bubbly pink pony’s voice from the direction of Fluttershy's cottage. I turned slightly to find a very odd situation taking place up the road from the humble abode. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were dragging Fluttershy through the street unceremoniously. I laughed, and walked over to lend a helping hoof. er.. hand.

***

"How could he say that to me! I am the Princess!..... I thought he loved me..." Luna cried as she floated into her room surrounded by a dark magical aura. Her immortal heart experiencing pain equal to a thousand years of solitude.

She got in bed and curled up into the same position she had used whenever she was cold and lonely on the moon. She cried for hours on end until her moon gave the signs that it was ready to give way to the morning sun. She ignited the magic deep within herself and brought it forth to end the night. She gave a sigh and returned to her bed. She felt like crying some more, but her eyes were already soggy from the dampness, and no tears came from her aching heart.

It was then a familiar and sinister voice whispered into her head. A chill found its way from the base of the alicorn’s flank all the way up to the mane in the back of her head.

'It has been... a long time my dear, sweet Luna... We always knew you would come back to us.'

Authors Notes: Sorry for the massive romantic letdown here. I can't just give it to Charlie without making him work for it I suppose. Muahaha. By the way, the song is 'You Lied' By Tool. Check it out, adding the tune to the lyrics really amplifies the effect I'm trying to give my story. Thank you for reading, new chapter will probably be up tomorrow. Now for another six hour work day for me...

Edit: How do y'all feel about clop scenes? There is a romance tag in this story for a reason... If you all really really want one, I guess I'll bring myself to write it. Only if you all really want it though.

A Friend to the Ponies

A Friend to the Ponies

"So she just... Passed out? Wait... What were you all doing at your house so late? I saw you in the window last night..." I said. It was a really odd situation. Nevertheless, I picked up Fluttershy and set off for her cottage.

"Well...ah... yeah. We were just...baking some late night treats," Applejack looked at Pinkie with an imperceptible smile,"She's just mighty squeamish ah s'pose.." Applejack said, surprising me with her vocabulary. Not that the farm pony wasn't smart, she just never showed much of a talent in words. I also thought it was strange that the Element of Honestly was trying to lie to me.

"Ohhhkay. Well I guess I'll just forget that lie you just told me and leave well enough alone!" I said with a smile. I didn't want to pry. Hell, they could have been having all kinds of crazy lesbian pony sex for all I knew, although that was pretty unlikely.

"What AJ means to say is we were organizing a super secret party!" Said the bouncing one.

"Whatever you say Pinkie." I said with a grin. It's moments like those that made me glad I stayed in Equestria. I set Fluttershy to rest in her bed and felt a sharp object painfully striking the back of my head. I turned around, poised to kill, and found nothing but a small bunny.

"Angel! He is a friend!" Pinkie said to the small white rabbit. She scrunched up his face and looked me dead in the eyes. Obviously, he didn't know how quickly I could end his small existence. He gave me a glance that said 'I'm watching you' and jumped onto Fluttershy's bed.

"Well. I'm off to take care of some things. Have fun you two. Try not to get too steamy." I joked, turning the mares a bright red color. Well, I could only assume Pinkie was blushing, I couldn't see it through her already pink coat.

I departed Fluttershy's humble abode and thought about what I should be doing as I headed in the general direction of Ponyville. I thought about Luna, and the biggest mistake I have made since arriving here. I then thought about Twilight and how I was going to go about earning her trust back. I thought about the girl, Eliza, and how much I wanted her the hell out of here. Then, I thought about the biggest problem of all. The rift. I decided to push all other matters aside and deal with that first. After all, if it was breached by the wrong people there wouldn't be any point in repairing my connections to Twilight and Luna.

After I quelled my running mind, I realized I was standing in the middle of Ponyville square. Everypony's eyes were on me and they were all slack jawed. I could see the fear in their eyes as I turned and gazed upon each and every one of them.

"So... Anypony know where I can get a decent flank-steak around here?" I said as casually as possible, preemptive tears of laughter welling up in my eyes. That wasn't the smartest thing to do, but it was the most fun. The cries of ponies blocked out all other sounds of the town, and I saw them all tripping themselves up trying to escape the horrible monster. I couldn't help but laugh. It was then I noticed a small pony at the base of my feet. Being a filly, she barely came up to my knees. She was orange and had a pink mane. I also noticed that she lacked a mark on her flank that all other ponies had. Cutie marks they call them? Yeah, definitely a little girls show.

"I'm not scared of you!" She yelled in a voice I wouldn't have expected from such a small source.

"Oh yes? Why exactly is that?" I replied. This was fun. Maybe I could make a new friend,and show Ponyville I wasn't dangerous after playing around a bit first.

"Just because you are big doesn't mean you scare me!" She said as she turned on her front hooves and bucked me right in the shins. I felt a stinging pain, but it was nothing too serious. I took a look around to see if the town was witnessing its only defender, proudly holding off this strange beast with her own four hooves. I saw the eyes of all the town residents upon me, still quivering in fear from inside the many shops and houses that lined the area.

"Come here you!" I shouted, pretending to be angry. "Do you not know what I'm capable of?!" I screamed as I opened my mouth and showed off my abnormally large canine teeth. I grabbed her and brought her up to my face as I prepared to take a bite out of the orange filly. She was screaming in sheer terror as she squirmed for her life. I chuckled to myself as I saw the look of pure terror on her face, her eyes pleading me not to harm her. I brought her soft belly to my face and pressed my mouth against her soft, orange stomach.

Instead of biting down, however, I puckered up my lips and blew. Her cries of terror were quickly replaced by cries of laughter as I forced air out of my lungs and through the tight seal of my lips on her small orange belly. After I was out of air, I brought the filly's face to mine and whispered.

"Gotcha."

***

'Where the buck is Charlie...' Twilight thought as she paced around her library once more. She awoke with a pounding in her head after last night's injury. Many things ran through her head at that moment, but Charlie was the most prominent. She checked on Eliza, finding her to still be asleep.

"What have I done..." The lavender unicorn sighed, and lowered her head. Why was the fate of Equestria always on her shoulders, she thought. 'I shouldn't have kicked him out like that, but he is dangerous. He is a murderer. Still, he did save many lives since he got here..'

Twilight relieved her weight on her bed once more and closed her eyes. She wished it was night time again. Some stargazing would surely do her well. In her closed eyes, she envisioned all the fates that might have befallen Charlie. Her mind also recalled the shocking sight of Applejack and Pinkie the night before. Twilight sighed and once again thought to herself.

'I need to get out of here for a few hours... I'm driving myself crazy.' She got her saddlebag and filled it with magical reading tools. She was going to gather the others, with or without Charlie, and get to the bottom of this problem. She packed some apples and carrots, as well as some hay for snacks. After she was done in the kitchen, her thoughts returned to her. 'Eliza will probably want to go home...'

She peeked in on her spare room finding the sleeping girl right where she left her. As odd as it was that the girl knew all about Equestria before even meeting her, she couldn't help but smile at the sight. She was on her back with her head tilted up. Her long curly hair tangled in knots, and her mouth slightly open in a light snore. As much as she hated having to admit it, she was going to have to send the girl home soon.

"Hey Eliza... wake up." She said quietly as she could while still waking her. No response came however. After a few more attempts at waking the small child, Twilight decided that it would probably take a few days to figure out the anomaly anyways, and departed the room without Eliza. She told Spike to fix her guest breakfast, and departed her wooden home, off to find the Elements. She decided she would avoid Sugarcube Corner until the last possible minute, just to avoid the awkwardness of the previous evening just that much longer.

"That leaves Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Now where is that house of hers..." She said as she surveyed the skies for Rainbow's fluffy floating home in the sky.

***

"... and that's how I saved the Princesses from nightmare moon!" I finished recalling the story. After I played around with the orange filly, who I discovered was named Scootaloo, the rest of Ponyville opened up to me slightly. It took some convincing after my flank-steak joke, but I somehow managed to befriend the whole town in a matter of minutes. It turns out that the whole town had hundreds of questions they were all too afraid to ask.

Twilight said you told her about something called a... tea vee? Why do you walk on two legs? Why are you growing a mane on your face? Is it true that you have the situation out in the forest under control? What are those sausages on your hooves? Why do you have dragon-eyes? How did you know I was ticklish? The list of questions went on and on. I was particularly flattered when they referred to them as dragon-eyes, and not freaky lizard eyes. Dragon eyes made me sound more bad-ass.

Over the span of an hour or so most of the ponies had said their goodbyes, leaving a few behind to bombard me with more questions. These ponies were more interested in the world I lived in before. They were shocked to learn that there was no Alicorn princess raising the sun every morning. It was difficult to explain to workings of gravity on celestial bodies, but it was more difficult still to explain the lack of such laws in Equestria. It was like explaining drowning to a fish, or death to a god.

After several more minutes of questioning all the ponies had dissipated from the square, and I was left with a small giftshop-worth of goods. I had several business cards of craftsponies who could make my furniture, and even a few offers of temporary boarding when I explained that I was technically homeless. I laughed to myself as I left the town square in search of Steel Hammer, the local blacksmith and self entitled "Best craftspony in all of Equestria." I would have to put his work to the test.

My mind raced with questions I should have been asking the crowd of ponies. Why was it so nice here? These ponies thought I was going to cook and eat them not even a day ago, and now they were offering to let me live in their homes. This place was a far cry from Earth, that's for sure. Even if it was the imagination of Earthlings that created this land. Suddenly it clicked in my head and I conversed with myself once more.

'That's it! How could I have been so stupid.'

'Easy, you spend all your time in school staring at Claire.'

'Shut up, you. This world is everything Earth is wished to be. This land was created by people on Earth who wish to escape the evils of their own world.'

'Took you that long to figure out?'

'I guess so. Who would have thought I would end up in utopia?'

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metal hitting metal. I followed the directions given to me, which was miraculous given the fact that hundreds of ponies were shouting questions at me during the time I was receiving them. I surveyed my surroundings and my eyes found a small shack on the outskirts of Ponyville. 'This is it.' I thought.

"I thought I might see ya soon! Sure as shit can't have ya sleepin' on a broken bed now can we?" Steel Hammer said as I walked in the door, narrowly avoiding hitting my head on a beam running the length of the ceiling. He was a rather large stallion, with a grey coat and darker grey mane. His eyes were piercing orange however, reflecting the forge in which he spent most of his time.

'Ponies swearing? Does the word 'shit' exist here?'

'Obviously it does. This world was imagined into existence by humans remember?'

'Ah. I like his Irish accent. I wonder who imagined that...'

"You got that right my friend." I said. I could tell this pony and I would get along quite well.

We conversed for about a half hour, our topics ranging from my potential house across the street from Fluttershy, to his life as one of the only males in Ponyville. Apparently Applejack had a big brother who was Steel Hammer's drinking partner. I could tell that me and this pony were going to get along really well. Once the clock struck 5 pm, I decided I should take my leave. I had to meet with the Elements at some point today, no matter how much I wished to avoid the awkwardness of facing Twilight again.

"Alrighty then, take care of ya'self lad. I'll see you once you take care of that... whatever it is that ya' doin' out in tha' forest!"

"Thanks Steel, same to you." I said quickly as I departed his shack. I thought about all the ponies I had met today and how friendly and happy they seemed to be once they opened up to my different appearance. I sighed as I thought again back to Luna, who I may or may not have ruined my chances with. I decided that I was going to drop in to visit with Fluttershy. My talk with Steel Hammer led to a suggestion of building a house just across the way from her peaceful surroundings, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't encroaching.

My blood ran cold as I passed the Everfree forest on the way to her cottage. It had only gotten worse since my last visit. The place reeked of the evilness of the world beyond, bringing back foul memories of my past. It was only a matter of time before something bad happened, and I struggled to keep the thought out of my mind, at least until I finished my visit with Fluttershy.

"Is anybody home?" I called out as I knocked on her door. I heard animals scurrying about inside, and thought I heard her trademark 'EEP!' when I first struck the hard wood of the door. I knew she was home, so I tried to door. It was unlocked.

"Fluttershy... what in the world are you doing?"

"Oh.. I uhh... just.. yeah... sorry. I was practicing my tree impersonation." The yellow pegasus said as she put the branches down and took the leaves out of her pink mane. Was she trying to... hide from me?

"Why were you doing that?"

"I just... well.. I like trees and... my animals like trees and...." I decided to cut her off before her story could get any more absurd.

"Fluttershy... were you hiding from me?" I said raising an eyebrow, remembering the sharp 'EEP!' that came from her during the previous evening.

"I just... I was scared you would be mad at me for listening to your private conversation with Princess Luna..." She said in an almost inaudible squeak. This mare was too cute. She was so sweet I was afraid I would develop type two adult onset diabetes by just standing in her presence.

"Oh you..." I started laughing, causing her to tense up as if I was yelling. "Really, it is fine. Don't worry about it."

"Oh... ok... so, uh, what brings you here this evening?" She said, seemingly warming up to my presence. I was pretty intimidating, with the all black attire and the beard, but I thought she knew me well enough by now to know that I wasn't dangerous.

"I was just talking with Steel Hammer about building a place of my own here in Ponyville, once we have taken care of the problem in the forest. I love this area, and I was wondering if it would be okay if I built my home across the way from you?" I asked.

"Oh! That would be lovely! I am very lonely all the way out here and I could use a neighbor... um.. if that's ok..." She said, suddenly snapping out of her timid mindset for a few seconds.

'She must really like the idea of me being her neighbor.'

'I think she might be coming on to us.'

'Fluttershy? Isn't she married to that oak tree out back?'

'Very funny. Don't say I didn't warn you...'

"Its is definitely okay Fluttershy. I am..." My statement was interrupted by a knock at the door. Fluttershy flinched and her mane instantly returned to its post, guarding her face from all things intimidating. I sighed, and walked over to the door, not wanting to wait for Fluttershy to recover from shock.

I opened to the door, and was shocked to see Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash and Rarity, and by the looks of it they were surprised to see me. Before a single word could be said, I knelt down on one knee and whispered to Twilight.

"We will settle our differences later. There's more important things to be done right now."

She replied with a sympathetic nod, and I turned to the rest of the group and smiled.

"How are you, my friends?"

"I am simply marvelous!"

"I'm feeling awesome!"

"I am just fine thank you." Came the replies from Rarity, Rainbow and Twilight. I turned to Fluttershy and beckoned her forward. She joined the group and we spoke amongst ourselves for a little while. It was always calming for me to just talk casually with my new friends. Rainbow always had some 'awesome' story to tell, and Twilight always had something interesting to say. Rarity was fun to mess with, and Fluttershy was just fun to watch. Pinkie and Applejack were... wait.

"Where's Pinkie and Applejack?" I asked the group, "they aren't..." I started.

"I don't know.. Let's go get them." Twilight said with an obvious hint of embarrassment. Maybe there was crazy lesbian pony sex after all? We set off from Fluttershy's and headed toward Ponyville. The cheery conversation drowning out and giving way to my fear of the coming events. I tried my best to be as cheery and positive as my friends as a familiar dark presence entered my mind.

***

"You have no control over me Nightmare. Twilight and the Elements have made sure of that."

Internal Affliction

Internal Affliction

"Ah, but you are wrong my dear Luna. You can never be rid of us. We are a part of you, as you are a part of us."

"What do you want Nightmare?" Luna responded, her voice devoid of all emotion. She had learned from her time on the moon that anger and hate will only fuel Nightmare. The only way to hold her off was internal harmony.

"We want you, Luna. We want you to join with us again. We can help you get revenge on the one who has hurt you." Luna heard inside her head, whispering to her in a snake like tongue.

"I've heard that before Nightmare, you only bring about the worst in me. Last time you had control, I regretted it. I will not make the same mistake twice." Luna said, her emotions running cold inside her. Nightmare was nothing without a source to feed.

"We almost gave you want you wanted! We had the world in our grasp, and you are going to sit there and give it all up? Are you not the smallest bit angry with what he has done? He called you an animal. He never loved you. Nopony ever loved you."

"That... that's not true." Luna retorted, feeling her resolve slowly fade.

"Do you not you want to see him burn? Do you not want to see them all burn? We are the only ones who truly understand you..."

"No! Charlie..."

"Thinks of you as an animal. A filthy, stinky, worthless animal."

"..."

"Come now. We can make it all better..."

***

Canterlot stood glowing in the morning light, the alabaster castle gleaming in the early light. The clouds were like cotton, the winds were a breeze. Ponies were shuffling about their business on the street, while pegasi patrolled the skies keeping the weather in check. It was the perfect day for everypony, save for one Princess Celestia.

'I can't believe this is happening again...' She thought as she paced about her room. Shortly before, she was experiencing that same magical disturbance she had encountered when Charlie first entered Equestria. 'It can't be Nightmare Moon again... not this soon.'

She spent her morning relaxing. She decided that the stress from the recent events had her magical senses thrown off a bit. She took a brush in her magic and started combing her ethereal mane. Once all the colors of the springtime bellowed forth and flowed in an eternal wind, she decided that was enough brushing for the day.

"Hmm. I wonder if Luna can feel this aura as well..." Celestia said to herself as she noticed the magical hum grow stronger. After donning her royal vestments, Celestia departed her room in search of her sister.

As she walked through the halls, she felt the presence increase. Ever since she was a filly, Celestia was able to sense the magical aura of all living things. She was especially able to sense the darker energies, since they were in such a contrast to her own. It felt like a deep vibration pulsating through her body, numbing all other senses. Whatever magic she was picking up on, it was powerful and it was close.

Almost unable to breathe, she finally reached the hallway leading to Luna's room. The dark presence had almost drowned out all of Celestia's physical senses, leaving nothing but a dull droning stupor. She staggered through the passageway, using the glowing energy of the sun to cut through the thick fog that had taken up residence in her castle. Noticing the state of their princess, multiple castle guards gathered around her as she stumbled through the darkness that was visible only to her.

'This has to be Nightmare Moon...' She finally admitted to herself. She had been hoping all morning it would not come to this, but apparently she had been hoping in vain. 'Luna must have given in when she had trouble with Charlie...'

Prepared for the worst, Celestia called out to her and knocked three times on the door. Upon hearing no reply, Celestia signaled the guards to back her while she opened it. Much to her surprise, Celestia found nothing but a letter on the black marble floor before her.

***

"I can't believe I'm listening to you again."

"Quit your bickering. We always knew you would come crawling back to us..."

Luna was having a difficult time coming to terms with herself. At first, she thought that Nightmare was evil and wanted nothing but to bring about the suffering of others. A terrible being forged from her own jealousy. One thousand years of solitude will do that to a mare.

She thought the Elements of Harmony had destroyed Nightmare Moon, not just expelled her from physical form. Ever since Charlie, however, Luna had been thinking about how she actually created Nightmare Moon. It was a long shot, but Luna had a plan. She was a cunning young princess, and thought she had control of the situation. She could only hope that she wasn't in over her head.

"So what's this plan of yours Nightmare? Eternal darkness? Death to all outsiders?"

"Do not mock us, Pitiful One! You are the one who needs our help, not the other way around."

"Oh but you do need me Nightmare. Just as I need you."

"Is that so? Enlighten us."

"I prefer not to, thank you very much."

It was then Nightmare let out a piercing scream, heard only by Luna's ears. Instinctively, Luna blocked it out as she had many times before during her exile on the moon. Luna knew all Nightmare's tricks, and she had a workaround for most of them. All she had to do was block Nightmare's access to total control of her body. Once Nightmare assumes total control, Luna could be lost forever. Luna was playing a very dangerous game.

After an hour of flight, Luna finally reached Nightmare’s destination, the Everfree Castle. It looked glorious in its semi-finished state, and the sunlight absorbed into the walls. It was as if the castle was alive, and was trying to destroy all the light around it. It certainly did not look this way the night before when she was there with Charlie. There were several cracks and holes in the walls that she had not noticed either. In fact, the whole courtyard was torn up and in general disarray.

"So what's your plan of dealing with the Elements? They already defeated you several times now..." Luna provoked Nightmare once again. It was all according to Luna's plan. The angrier Nightmare got, the more mistakes she made and the more brashly she acted. If you poke a beast with a stick long enough, it will let its defenses down and lash out, creating the perfect opportunity to strike.

"The same as before. We will kill them all." Nightmare hissed, her anger growing and seething.

"You do know that Celestia has probably already felt your presence don't you? She is probably gathering the Elements right now as we speak."

"Let them come. They are pathetic."

"They are obviously less pathetic than you, they cut right through your plans like butter every time."

"SILENCE!" Nightmare suddenly exploded in anger. She much preferred when Luna was young and afraid. She acted as Luna's pillar of strength in her time of need. Before, at least she had the element of surprise. This time Luna was onto her from the start, which was proving difficult for the mare of eternal darkness.

With that shout of pure hate, Nightmare banished Luna to the deep recesses of her own mind, much like she had done with Charlie. Luna anticipated this, and prepared for phase two of her scheme. Taking the monster down from the inside.

***

"We need to save her! Now!" Celestia was frantic as she searched Luna's room for clues of where she had gone. Luna wished she could have told Celestia of her plan, but if she had Nightmare would have surely discovered it. Celestia assumed Luna had simply fallen prey to her temptations again, and as a result, was very dangerous.

"Do you know what Nightmare is capable of when she has Luna to feed off of?" Celestia shouted.

"Please relax, Princess. I'm only trying to suggest we take this one step at a time. We should act carefully, and with precision." said Storm Blade, the captain of the royal guard.

"I'm well aware of your military 'tactics' Storm, but I know more about magic than you do. If Luna gave in willingly to Nightmare Moon..." Celestia ranted on and on about the horrible evils that could befall the world, while Storm argued the disadvantages of a rushed battle plan. Celestia was right of course, time was of the essence. If Luna had surrendered to Nightmare, she could just take Luna's powers instead of having to chip away at her resolve slowly over time.

After several more minutes of needless arguing, Celestia came to her senses and stopped the needless fight.

"I understand where you’re coming from Storm. Thank you for your help," Celestia sighed, "but if we are going to fix this, we are going to need to compromise."

"Agreed your highness. I suggest we rally the Elements. We will most likely need them."

***

Luna's mind was a peaceful place. She had been here for quite a long time, and she had created it to her liking. Her happy place took the form of a peaceful night time oasis. Cool grass beneath her hooves, and an endless expanse of sky that she could use to act out any of her creative desires. Her mind was a blank canvas, and Luna, the painter.

Only now, she was fully aware of what was going on outside in the real world. Nightmare would begin reconstructing the castle, and building up her dark forces for the coming battle between darkness and light. A battle that she would hopefully halt before it even began.

Before she got lost in her thoughts, Luna began feeling around with her mind. Stretching and reaching through her body, she found Nightmare Moon. She used her body's senses to detect her location. 'Not flying or swimming, perfect.' Luna thought. She had no desires of killing her body when there was nopony around to control it for the next short while.

With her mind, Luna severed her body's connection to Nightmare Moon and dragged her down, one fragment at a time. Once she had brought all the pieces of Nightmare to the realm, they reassembled into the terrifying form of the mare of eternal darkness. Somewhat stunned, Nightmare took a moment to gather her surroundings. The look on her face shifted from confusion to a look of pure rage as she realized what Luna had just done.

"How did you do this to me!?" She yelled in a voice that sounded more like a snake than a pony. Her eyes were slit like Charlie's and her teeth were showing in a wicked snarl.

"When you are forced to live here for one thousand years, you learn how it works." Luna answered calmly, her plan working perfectly so far.

"I will destroy you, pathetic worm!" Nightmare screamed, her voice cracking from the stress.

Luna answered with a beam of brilliant dark energy careening from her horn towards Nightmare. To Luna's dismay, the beam missed and Nightmare was standing several feet behind the blast mark. Luna took to the sky in an instant, her wings shimmering under the light of the full moon above.

Dodging energy blasts, and ignoring insults from Nightmare Moon, Luna prepared to charge. Wings tucked back and magic blazing, Luna screamed through the sky and impacted the ground where Nightmare had been moments before. Laughing at Luna's attempted attack, Nightmare fired another beam of dark energy that clipped the tip of Luna's left wing. Crying out in agony, Luna stepped to the side to avoid a third blast.

"Give it up, pathetic one!" Nightmare half hissed half screamed as she charged a swirling mass of energy and fired it directly at Luna. Unable to change directions quickly enough, Luna was caught right in the middle of the dark bolt. Had it been meant to kill her, it would have. Instead, it was a thick impenetrable spell that had trapped Luna in midair. Unable to act, or use magic, Luna was at now at Nightmare's mercy. Or so she thought...

"You thought you could defeat me? I laugh at your pitiful plan."

"..." Luna responded in silence, preparing for the final stage of her conquest.

"You are pathetic. An utterly weak and pointless creature."

"..."

"As soon as we finish you off, we will enjoy peeling Charlie's flesh like a bloody fruit. His body will work nicely for..."

Nightmare would never get to finish the sentence. Luna disappeared into a black flash of light, and reappeared inches away from Nightmare Moon, her long horn piercing the dark one's chest. Nightmare did not scream in agony, nor did she back away to relieve the pain. She simply did not have the time. Luna charged her magic the same way she had when she created Nightmare in the first place. The evil mare in front of her started fading, and Luna walked into Nightmare's essence, effectively absorbing all her old feelings of jealousy, hate, and regret back into her her own mind. Right where they belong.

Luna smiled as she realized her plan worked. Nightmare Moon was gone forever, and she was now whole again. Luna felt at peace as her old emotions took their rightful places inside her heart. Just before the last traces of Nightmare were absorbed, she heard a faint whisper. Not in her ear, but from the recesses of her soul.

"I will always be a part of you now...pitiful one..."

With that final insult from the embodiment of Luna's corruption, there was only one mare left standing in Luna's mind. Never again will Nightmare feed off the innocent and put Equestria in danger. Luna almost skipped through the hills in glee, the former blank canvas of the sky blazing with the emotions of the excited lunar mare.

"Tia will be so proud of me!" Luna said as she closed her eyes contently. Her mind surged upward and outward, like it had been under water and was surfacing for a breath of fresh air. Luna opened her physical eyes and saw that the castle was no longer foreboding and ominous, but rather kind and peaceful. Luna outstretched her wings, now repaired, and flew up to the roof of the main building. The sun was dipping down to the horizon, so Luna beckoned the moon to come forth and replace it, starting its twelve hour reign across the sky.

***

"Nightmare Moon. Come, face me, a worthy challenge!" Luna heard Celestia's voice bellow from the courtyard below. Celestia had arrived with a full company of royal pegasus guards, three chariots, and several royal unicorn guards. Luna gasped as she remembered the severity of the problem she had just solved all by herself. She smiled and flew down to Celestia casually.

"What have you done to my sister?!" Celestia half screamed, half cried in disbelief. Luna's emotions were not the only thing that had changed. Her entire body was darkened, and her wings were much larger. Her body was larger and more slender, almost standing as tall as Celestia herself. Luna noticed the change and could not help but laugh at Celestia's concern.

"Do not laugh at me you evil horrible thing! Surrender so that I may spare you your worthless life!" Celestia shouted, ending Luna's giggling fit.

"Tia... It's me. I... defeated Nightmare Moon."

"You... you what?" Replied a stunned alicorn. Did she hear Luna correctly?

"Nightmare Moon was my creation Tia," Luna started to explain, " I took all my jealousy and hate and focused it into another being, trying to spare myself from the pain. Those emotions took the form of Nightmare Moon. I let her think she had won, and then I charged the same spell and absorbed the emotions back into myself." Luna explained without skipping a beat.

"Wait... so.. Nightmare Moon is gone... forever?"

"Foreveeeerrrr..." They both heard a barely audible omnipresent voice repeat.

"Yes Tia... forever. I have all my feelings under control now."

"Well, I'm glad you have the situation under control Luna, but how am I supposed to believe that this isn't one of Nightmare Moon's tricks?"

"I... I don't know Tia. You just have to trust me I guess." Luna said, now somewhat saddened. She didn't think Celestia would just accept her explanation, but she had no idea how to prove that it was her in control now. Only time will tell if Luna was totally in control now.

Celestia sighed and wrapped a wing around her sister as she beckoned her to board the chariot.

"You have much to learn Luna, but if what you say is true, I am very proud of you. I love you very much."

"I love you too big sister."

***

As the golden chariot flew away with the two royal sisters, Equestria slipped into the blissful darkness of the night. The only sound that could be heard in the courtyard were footsteps. Bipedal footsteps.

"What the fuck was that?"

"I don't know, but I think we have done enough recon. We got a visual on Charles and that is all we need to get the green light for full scale recovery."

"Full.... Full scale, sir?"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. Who knows what sick and twisted things he is doing to these animals here?"

Opening Up

Opening Up

"Oh, my head...." Twilight complained as we walked to Ponyville. Well, Twilight and I walked. Rainbow and Fluttershy were flying above us. I remember being rather jealous. My powers got me pestered in school, and then full out tortured, and these ponies had gifts most would kill for. Their wings didn’t even look big enough to hold them. Could they have magic too? I got so caught up in my thoughts I didn't pay attention to where I was going and tripped over a rock on the trail. Such are the consequences of an overactive mind. I'm sure Twilight can relate.

Multiple laughs came from Rainbow Dash, while soft, suppressed giggles came from Fluttershy. Twilight, however, completely ignored my clumsiness. At first I wondered why she just kept walking, but I then thought back to the little fight we had only one night before. That reminded me, it had only been one night? So much had happened in the past few days, I felt guilty for ruining the sleeping habits of the ponies around me. I could just sap a few bushes when I got tired, but the ponies must have been hating it. I made a mental note to do something to make it up to them later, for it was indirectly my fault.

"Hey Twilight... Equestria to Twilight..." Rainbow Dash said as she flew upside-down and backwards in front of Twilight's face. Now I was extremely jealous of the rainbow headed pegasus, and decided I would have to get some spare time to read up on possible wing spells.

"Hush up Rainbow, I'm not in the mood." Twilight said coldly. Now, we all knew something was wrong. Rather than ignore it, I ran ahead of the group of ponies and stopped. Being her friend I was dutifully sworn to help her in any time of need... or something like that. This was a land of friendship, so I assumed that had to be the mantra.

I turned my gaze down to Twilight, who seemed slightly smaller than she normally was. She was wincing and buckling in... pain? Pissed at me or not, I wasn't going to let this continue.

"Twilight... We aren't stupid, what's wrong? Is it because I'm here..." I said the last part in a whisper so only she could hear.

"No, it's not you guys... I just... My head really hurts. My horn feels like it had an electric shock going through it constantly and I can't feel my hooves. It feels like when we faced Nightmare Moon, only worse."

As soon as she mentioned Nightmare Moon I shuddered. The last thing I wanted to do was have another run in with that bitch. Much to my dismay, thoughts of Luna poured into my mind at the mention of Nightmare Moon. My heart was heavy, but I dismissed the thoughts. I needed to be strong now, and heartache would have the opposite effect.

"I'm pretty sure Nightmare isn't coming back Twilight. I mean... you defeated her once before I got here, and then you beat the hay out of me. I'm pretty sure you can handle anything Equestria has to throw at you." I said, trying to reassure my friend. I said Equestria, and left out Earth for a reason. I was pretty sure the Elements of Harmony wouldn't do jack shit against nine or ten Special Forces units marching through Sweet Apple Acres. I shuddered at the thought.

"I guess you're right. Nightmare Moon was hardly the worst thing we have had to deal with. Still, there is that rift out in the forest we are going to have to deal with sooner or later, and I definitely don't feel like it right now." She winced at the pain in her head and started wobbling around on the path.

I don't know what came over me, maybe it was the regret from fight we had the previous evening, but right then and there I did something unusual. I stood in front of Twilight again, this time kneeling down. I opened my arms and much to her disagreement, scooped her up and began walking. I was on thin ice with the locals as it was, and if anypony saw me with Twilight kicking and screaming in my arms... It would not be pretty. I could hardly get away with blowing on Twilight's stomach and dissipating the fear of anypony. In fact, I would probably get few hooves to my face.

"Stop your squirming. I know we aren't exactly on the best of terms right now, but I'm helping you whether you like it or not!" I said, trying to contain the fidgeting ball of purple unicorn I held in my arms. On one hand, it was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Like holding a large puppy. On the other hand, she was trying to force hooves where hooves should not go. I had half a mind to just drop her on the flank, but that would not accomplish anything.

"Oh you... put me down... I swear I'll... aughhh..." She grunted. I could tell she was in pain, so I tried to be gentle in containing her.

"Look Twilight, I'm carrying you home and you are going to like it. It's the least I can do after... you know."

"Ok, but it's not me you should be apologizing to!"

"What?" Replied Rainbow and Fluttershy simultaneously.

"Nothing. Let’s just get Miss Sparkly-pants home and then we can all talk like civilized beings." I chuckled on the inside at the nickname I had just created for my captive. I would have to use that more often, judging by her rage.

"How dare you..."

"Just shut up!" I said as I put my hand over her muzzle. I'd seen her do that several times to Pinkie, so it was probably a normal occurrence around here.

"Mmmmhm MMHpp MMHPPPHH!!!!!!!"

"You're welcome, Twilight."

***

"What's going on? Twilight? Charlie what are you doing!?" Spike exclaimed as I plopped his boss on the couch right next to him. Twilight had fallen silent, but her face was twisted in an expression of pure malice.

"Just taking care of some business. Where's Eliza?"

"Oh... she is just in the spare room. I tried to talk to her, but she won't come out. She said something about you, and then slammed the door in my face. She is kind of rude, bro."

"I thought you guys were getting along fine yesterday..."

"Yeah I guess we were. I caught her talking into this black box thing though. Somepony’s voice was coming through it; it was awesome! But then I lost my temper when she wouldn’t tell me what it was...” Spike said, looking down at the ground, seemingly in embarrassment.

"Jesus Christ! What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. She had a walkie-talkie? Who was she talking to… “I'll need a few minutes to talk to her. Spike, try to keep your boss from bucking me into next week while I'm in there."

"What is Jesus Christ? And why would she do that?"

"Heh... that’s a very good question spike, I’ll tell you all about it later... anyways hold on, I need to take care of the girl."

With that awkward exchange of words, I departed the main room of the library. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash went to look for the lovebirds, leaving me alone to deal with Twilight, and the spy. Some friends...

I made my way to the rear of the library where the spare room was located. Before I entered the room, I pondered whether or not I should just kill the girl. Sure it was probably not the right thing to do, but the last thing I needed was this little girl fucking up all my plans for happiness in this place. I hated my past, and she was my past. Regardless, if anypony knew I did her in, they would probably have Celestia banish me. Or lock me up. Or lock me up in the place that she banished me to. I shuddered at the thought.

Knock, knock, knock.

Much to my relief, and dismay, there was no answer. My heart pounded as I tried to put the puzzle together. Questions and half-answers soared through my head as I contemplated the worst.

‘Is she a spy?’

‘Of course, why else would she be in contact with anyone by radio?’

‘She must have been in the care of the government after we killed her parents.’

‘Why would they have sent a little girl?’

‘Maybe they figured she would be best suited for a job in a land full of ponies? Hell, she probably offered to come if it meant

somehow catching us.’

‘Yeah, she has damn good reason to want us locked up.’

After several seconds, I burst through the door and much to my surprise, I found nothing. The broken bed, the nightstand, even the dusty old books that were laying around. All of it, gone. Did this little girl steal all of Twilight's stuff? I hated her more and more every second.

I turned on my heels, and started to walk out the door when a purple blur of destructive rage hit me in the gut and sent me flying back into the dusty old room. She cast the same sound damping spell, again enveloping me in that strange static jelly. I cast a glance at the door as Twilight magically slammed it. I saw Spike mouth the words 'I'm sorry, dude' as it shit in his face for the second time today.

"What in Celestia's name is wrong with you?!" She screamed right in my face. Such volume was obviously not necessary, but then again, Twilight was female. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" I remember my father telling me when I was old enough to understand what it meant. I guess the saying applies to women of all species.

"I just wanted to help, Twilight."

"I don't want your help! You made me look like a fool!"

"You did that to yourself Twilight, I'm sure your friends don't care if I carry you...”

"You just... I just... the... AGH!" Twilight stuttered as she lifted me with her magic. At this point I feared for my life, so I prepared to do what was necessary to survive. I reached out and prepared to start draining my magical friend if the need arose.

“Twilight this is stupid. What I did is in the past, and I can’t change it. All I can do is make a better future for myself, and Celestia already said I was allowed here.”

"This isn’t about you! Do you know how much pressure I'm under? The lives of every single Equestrian pony are in my hooves and the last thing I need if for somepony to see me being carried around like a filly!"

"So this is about your pride, Twilight? Everybody needs help sometimes. Would Equestria feel safer if their greatest defender was limping and staggering about the town? And besides, without me you will have no idea what you are going up against. You need me, like it or not, and I'm going to stay right here in Ponyville until this shit is solved."

"..." She responded with silence and glanced at the ground.

"Will you put me down please, Twilight?” I said as I saw her anger visibly dissipate.

“Only if you promise to never keep secrets from me. The Elements have sworn to protect Equestria from danger, and until I know the truth about you….”

“We need to solve this, and then I’ll tell you everything you want to know. What happened to the girl? When did she leave? She damn well could have been a spy."

"That little filly? A spy?” Twilight said, her voice quivering as if she was about to break down in tears. I wanted to comfort her as she had been through a lot today, but I needed information.

“Yes. That… girl… That’s what we are going up against. They are going to do whatever it takes to be back under control, and I'm willing to bet they will take all you ponies with them.”

“Well. After you left last night I sent her to bed and then I..” She cut off her sentence off abruptly. Was she part of the orgy last night too? I had to investigate…

“You went to Pinkies didn’t you… wow. What goes on there anyways? No wonder everypony loves Pinky parties…”

“No! I mean yes, I went to Pinkies, but I didn’t take part in that… I just wanted some comfort from my friends. I saw what was going on in there and I kinda… passed out from the shock.” Twilight said with a sigh.

“So… what was going on in there?” I said, suddenly interested in last night’s activities at Pinkies. I was joking when I said ‘crazy lesbian pony sex’ but now it was turning out to be somewhat true. All this talk of sex with all my female friends had me getting in some awkward situations. I decided I was going to try to patch things up with Luna as soon as I could, lest I give in to my temptations with one of the other girls.

“Well… I don’t know if I should tell you. It was very private.”

“Oh come on… I won’t call you Ms. Sparkly Pants anymore…” I said as coy as humanly possible.

“Oh shut it, I don’t even wear pants…”

“That’s the spirit!” I said, losing myself to my humor once again.

“I thought you wanted to be serious…” Twilight said with a somewhat angry tone. Not wanting to upset her further, I obliged.

“Ok fine, back to business. Where do you think the girl went? And what did she tell you exactly before you started yelling at me last night?”

“Well. She told me you killed her parents for no reason. She told me you smiled at her father and told him you were enjoying it.” Twilight recalled, looking like she was about to vomit. Was I really that brutal? That day was nothing more than a bloody haze.

“Its true… I did kill her father. But it wasn’t for no reason.” I lifted my shirt, “See these scars? All these ones down here… and here… and here… were from her father and all of his friends. The day those people came to take me away, he caught me out on the hill outside my house..” I recalled with much pain and malice. Twilight looked at me intently and seemed to realize how hard it was for me to recall these events. Her huge lavender eyes were glinting from tears, her coat matted from sweat. I took a seat on the bare hardwood floor, put my arm around her, and continued.

“His name was John. Jonathan Baxter. He led the group of people who teased me in school. They made fun of my eyes. Normal human eyes are like pony eyes, obviously mine are different. He was jealous of my relationship with Claire Richeson. She was… so beautiful.” I choked on the last few words. I hadn’t recalled these events in this detail to anybody since… well never. I don’t know why I felt like I could trust Twilight, but I could. She seemed sincere enough, and her eyes cut through me like butter. Like Luna's, but lighter and much more inquisitive. Luna’s eyes were deeper and more beautiful. They were a shade of azure I had never seen outside the spectrum of the night sky, just before the sun has cast its final rays. I sighed as I realized I was thinking about Luna again, and continued.

“She understood me, unlike all the other kids at my school. While others laughed at my differences, she complimented me on them. One day after school, John challenged me to fight him. I accepted, and beat him fair and square. The next night, he found me out in the hills behind my house with Claire. I got away, but they had Claire. I went back to try to save her and… they made me surrender in order for her to get away. John and his friends held me down and cut patterns into my flesh. I screamed, and they laughed. My pain was their pleasure. I guess they had nothing better to do than torture the local weirdo. Before I passed out from the pain, I looked out over the hills hiding us from the town. I saw one of the boys coming back with Claire all tied up and gagged.”

Twilight was crying full force now and it was all I could do to not join her. This world amazed me so many times that day. The whole town was terrified of me, but in a matter of hours I was the local favorite. Twilight hated my guts, and now I had her breaking down in my arms. Life is funny sometimes.

“The only way I was able to get away is by using my… abilities. I used them to take revenge on all the boys, trying to teach them all a lesson. I didn’t even kill a single one of them, although I'm sure that’s what they had in mind for me. I turned to Claire to find out that she had escaped, and was running away from me. I headed into town a few hours later and there were several vehicles outside her home. I knocked on the door, not knowing what to expect, and then several men injected me with something and I was out cold.”

Twilight was still sobbing, but no tears were coming to her eyes anymore. I asked if I should stop my recap, but she shook her head in disagreement. I had no idea why she cared so much about my life, but it honestly felt better to get it off my chest in detail. Having real friends who actually cared was the best thing that had ever happened to me, another reason I needed to make sure it remained untainted by my world beyond.

“I woke up a few weeks later in a small white room… I'm sorry Twilight, I don’t think you want to hear the rest.”

“No… I do. I told you I wanted to hear it, and I'm going to finish it.” She said with no discernible emotion.

“Ok… well. I woke up and spoke to a man named Salazar. He said he was there to help me… Then, they started… hurting me. They brought in some animals for me to feed off of, and they never stopped. Day after day, month after month, never a wink of sleep, never a bite of food. Two years went by and they kept cutting, and piercing and breaking me. After a while, they started bringing in other humans instead of animals for me to kill. Then they brought children. After a while, they brought my family. That was it, I had to escape. I broke out, killing countless people in the process. After they killed my parents, me and my brother left the place for good. We made our way back home, where I killed John. Then I took that memory erase potion, passed out and woke up out there in the Everfree. Then I was possessed by Nightmare Moon, and recovered my memory all over again.” I finished my story, leaving that one crucial detail out. She didn’t need to know about Claire. There was no way I could explain why I did it.

“So… now do you see why I did what I did? I mean I'm sorry, but there’s only so much someone can handle before they snap.” I said, eyeing Twilight closely. She hadn’t moved much in the past few minutes, and I was honestly a bit nervous.

“I… A simple I'm sorry won’t cut it…”

“It’s fine Twilight. Honestly. It’s over now, and I'm done being sad about it. I spent a good three months after my captivity killing, and punishing others for what happened to me. It’s over now, and I have a new life with new friends who actually care about me. It feels great. All I want now is to protect that new life. That’s why I can’t have you fighting me anymore. Ok?”

“Ok Charlie. Thank you.”

“Thank me? Thank you… I honestly was expecting you to kick me out again after I told you what I did…”

“Thank you for trusting me. I know how hard it must have been to say all that. I feel like Ponyville’s therapist sometimes. I help all my friends through their problems, and you are no exception. Now, we should get some rest. I feel a lot better… My head doesn’t hurt anymore at all. Whatever was causing that magical disturbance must be over now.”

“Whatever you say, Ms. Sparkly Flanks.” I said with a smile.

“Very funny Charlie. I would offer you this room but…”

“Yeah. She probably took it back to whoever she is with here.”

“We will deal with that tomorrow. Thank you for being honest Charlie, do you want to sleep on the couch tonight?”

“Nah… I need to go pay a visit to somepony. Somepony small and yellow that I think has a small crush on me…”

“Oh… be careful with Fluttershy. She may act small, but she has a big heart.”

I didn’t reply, as I was already out the door. I looked into the sky, my heart soaring free once again. It had been a good night, with a very good friend. I would have to find some way to repay her for being so great to me. I sighed as I walked down the path to my dear friend Fluttershy. I would have to let her down easily… I was still in love with Luna after all. I gulped as I thought about her again… what was I going to do with myself.

I looked up into the beautiful night sky, only to see a golden chariot fly above me, a pair of azure eyes gazing back at me as it flew.

***

“Do you want to go to him, Luna?”

“No sister… he brings me nothing but pain now.”

“Very well.”

Authors Notes: Sorry for all the delays guys, I've been traveling! Its beautiful here in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico and I wish you were all here with me. Unfortunately, the WiFi here is The. Worst. Possible. Thing! (Also, I've been drunk on the beach half the time) so, my updates will be irregular, if at all. I'll continue writing regardless, so at the end of the week you might just get a really long fucking chapter. Who knows? Have a good one!

Pic Related, Its the view from my room (You can't see it, so just imagine the beer in my hand.)

Vicarious

Vicarious

“I don’t understand Luna… Why push him away? You should never turn down romance… You are so lucky to have found somepony...er... someone that you won’t outlive.”

“Did you not hear what I said? He thinks of me as an animal.”

“Oh, come now. Surely he didn’t say that.” Celestia sighed as they departed the royal chariot. Luna was always one to make quick decisions and not ask others for advice. She could tell there was something going on between her and Charlie and she was not going to let anything get in the way of her little sister's happiness.

“No, but he pulled away from me and said that he thought it was wrong. That all ponies are animals.”

“All ponies are animals? He surely does not think that if he saved our lives…” Celestia reasoned. Charlie may not have been the best person, but risking one’s life to save another is the most selfless act one can commit, short of willingly giving your life.

“Well where he comes from they are. It seems no matter where I go somepony is afraid of me…”

“He is no pony… here Luna. I’ll take a peek into his mind again and we will see what he is thinking.” The princess of the sun reassured her sister. Telepathy was considered very rude, but she was sure that this was a just cause of using her power.

***

“Man it’s a nice night… Sure wish I had someone to share it with…” I whispered as I set my eyes to the path ahead of me. I remembered thinking it funny, I had been awake for more than twenty four hours, and here I was walking about the town in the middle of the night. The strength I naturally get at night, coupled with the energy I was absorbing from the plants and animals of the world enabled me to feel just fine after receiving no sleep.

‘I wonder how long I could keep this up without sleeping…’

‘Well assuming we have an unlimited supply of things to feed from, I’d say quite a while.’

‘But not forever?’

‘Well time is relative to the mind, but I’m sure the body will become physically tired after extended strenuous activity.’

‘English please?’

‘Do you need to ask that to your own mind? After a while, the microscopic tears in your muscles will need to heal. Sleep is necessary for all things to survive. It’s not only for energy, but also to heal. You can only get one of those from other sources. Your mind can’t work forever without rest either, or you will go completely insane.’

‘Good to know.’

My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar yet elusive presence entering my mind. I couldn’t place a finger on it quite then, but I knew I had felt it before. The once peaceful night was suddenly making me nervous, as I felt I was not only being watched but also listened to. I hurried down the path, humming as inconspicuously as possible. Once I reached the path that led to Fluttershy’s I stopped jogging. It was silly, nopony would follow me out here at night. I reached out to the world around me, and felt no presence, but it was still there. Something inside my own mind.

Under normal circumstances, I would have gone to see Twilight, or even princess Celestia, But it was late at night and I had some business to take care of. I couldn’t shake the notion that Fluttershy had grown to have feelings for me. She had been far too excited when I asked her if I could live next door. It was the most excited I have ever seen the small meek pegasus. I just had to investigate.

I arrived at Fluttershy’s right as the moon had completed half its journey across the night sky. I hesitated before knocking, but why? I knew she was awake, I could see lights on. I was scared of what I might do in there. I was afraid that I would hurt Fluttershy. She was not my type at all, but she had a certain quiet charm I had come to enjoy. Maybe if Luna wouldn’t take me back…

I made my back up plan, and thought about the night’s activities. I would have to let Fluttershy down, but also leave the door open if things didn’t work out with the dear princess. Yet again, love had become a game. I would also have to find a place to sleep, as I would not be sharing a house with the pony whose heart I was planning on breaking.

Knock…Knock…

I knocked as quietly as I could while still making it audible. I didn’t want her to relapse into tree mode.

“Hello… OH! Charlie… what um… what’s up?”

‘Did she just say what’s up? I hope my Earth-lingo isn’t wearing off around here.’

“Not much Fluttershy. I just finished talking with Twilight. Did you ever find Pinkie and AJ?” I had taken to calling all of the girls by their nicknames. All except dashie. Only Pinkie Pie was allowed to use the hallowed ‘dashie.’ Then again, I was the only one who could get away with Sparkly Flanks, so I was happy.

“Oh... um… yeah we did. They made something up and left together. We just decided to leave them be and deal with it tomorrow… if that’s ok... Oh I hope it is… I’ll go get them right now!”

“No, no, no stay here. I actually just wanted to talk to you right now, the others can wait till tomorrow.”

“Oh… just… just you and me?” She said. I could feel her perking up, and I feared all the while that my suspicions were true. She did have a thing for me… as awkward as that sounds. I could feel it.

“Yes, Fluttershy, just us. I just wanted to…” I froze. I couldn’t do it… not like that. Her eyes were opening wider and wider and I couldn’t just shut them down like that. She pulled on my heartstrings like a puppeteer, and I could do nothing but stand by and gawk at how foolish I had become in her presence.

“…I just wanted to ask you how you were feeling. All of us are under stress, and time is running out. I wanted to make sure all the elements are in tip top shape for tomorrow!”

‘Nice going, dumb ass…’

‘Shut up!’

“Oh… um… I’m doing just fine. I was just going to go to sleep… We have been doing a lot lately… where are you staying Charlie? I noticed you and Twilight weren’t exactly… getting along earlier…”

“Oh I see… I was just going to curl up somewhere out here where my future house would be…”

“Oh no, no no no! You can sleep in here!” She exclaimed much louder than I thought possible for her. She positioned herself behind me and forced me inside her house. I had been inside before, but that night was extra… peaceful. She had lit a few lanterns and cleaned up the place considerably. All her animals were sleeping peacefully, and the nocturnal ones were eyeing me cautiously. Apart from the hooting of owls, the entire place was silent. All I could sense was peace, and a pair of large eyes staring a hole in the back of my head. A beautiful teal pair of eyes…

‘The longer you delay, the harder it is going to be to give her up.’

‘At this point… I’m not sure if I care.’

‘Oh, so we care when it’s Luna, but Fluttershy isn’t an animal… you should have no issue getting intimate with her…’

‘Well I’ve had more time to take in the whole pony thing…’

‘Then break it off with Yellow girl and get with the goddess!’

‘Fuck… why does this have to be so hard?’

“Fluttershy I'm not sure if this is a good idea…”

“What? Oh I'm so sorry… I just… are you not comfortable here?”

“No it’s not that it’s just… There’s something I have to tell you.” I said. Several seconds passed before anyone, or anypony spoke.

“I…” My heart stopped and formed a large lump in the base of my chest. My throat felt like it was closing up and I could feel myself start to sweat. I was lost in her gaze, the tidal wave of emotions running through me. I couldn’t do it. No matter how hard I tried. She was too sweet and caring.

‘God damn you Charlie! Just say it!’

‘I can’t. Look at her face.’

‘Man… those eyes. That… that stare…’

“I… Thank you for being such a good friend, Fluttershy.” It was a lame thing to say, but I was choked for time. I couldn’t sit there and stare at her any longer, nor could I bring about my feelings that were rapidly changing in the presence of this mare. I wasn’t sure if I was under the influence love, or if she was capable of mind control. Probably both.

“Don’t mention it Charlie. You can have the couch.”

A small white bunny then crawled out from behind Fluttershy. It took me a moment, but then I recognized the creature as Fluttershy’s pet bunny, Angel. He was looking at me with a face of disapproval, as he always does. He was pointing a carrot at me as if to say ‘I'm watching you’.

“Is he going to ambush me in my sleep?” I asked pointing him out to his owner. Upon noticing her pet’s angry display, she replied.

“Oh no… Angel, he is a friend. Its ok, I promise. Charlie, could you come here for a second?”

Uh oh. Now I was in trouble. Fluttershy was giving me that look again. That look that beckoned me forth into her presence. Her normal passive expression turned into a mischievous smile. She had plans, and her puppet was to carry them out without question. I could only hope she would not lead me to her bedroom…

Much to my relief, and somewhat disappointment, she lead me into the kitchen instead. There, she opened the fridge and took a few carrots into her mouth. Her teeth… her tongue…

“Herr. Tek deez.” She said muffled through the carrots. I gripped them and pulled them from her tongue’s grasp. I could have sworn she winked at me, although I could not say for certain. For such a shy girl, she really knew how to appeal to me. If it weren’t for the battle taking place in my heart, I would have been begging Fluttershy to invite me to her bedroom.

“Give one to Angel now, and save the rest for later. If he does anything uncalled for, just feed one to him. He is very nice… you just have to offer him something in return for his acceptance.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. This little guy was like the King of Spain. Here he lived in his palace of carrots, with the world’s sweetest mare taking care of his every whim. If he misbehaved, carrots. If he was a good little bunny, carrots. Hell, he probably just got carrots for not shitting on the floor.

“Ok… although I must say, you are spoiling him quite a bit…” I whispered so he could not hear me say it.

She led me back into the main room, my eyes bouncing from her tail, to her cutie marks, and back. Cutie marks were interesting things, indeed. Hers were a trio of butterflies, which suited her name and profession perfectly. It made me wonder what my cutie mark would look like if humans had the capability of getting them. I then dismissed the thought, my mind now adorned with my potential ass-markings.

“Say, Fluttershy. If I had a cutie mark, what do you think it would be?” I said, trying to take the awkwardness out of the night with a little friendly conversation. I bent down and fed a carrot to the King of Fluttershy’s castle, and he promptly curled up and fell asleep. She was right. It was cute.

“Oh… I don’t know. You are pretty good at talking to others. Maybe a megaphone?” I she replied. We shared a good laugh, as I envisioned megaphone shaped tattoos on my ass.

“So humans don’t get cutie marks? How do humans know what to do after school?” She asked.

“That is a very good question Fluttershy. I never got to graduate high school, but even if I had, I don’t think I knew what I wanted to do. Earth life is… a lot more complicated than it is here.”

“Oh I see. What’s high school?”

‘It’s a bunch of bullshit is what it is…’

‘Quiet you.’

“On Earth, human children are made to go to school, as I'm sure little ponies do here. We go to preschool, then kindergarten where we learn the basics of going to school. Then we get our primary education for eight years. Once we pass our eighth grade, we go to high school.”

“That sounds complicated…”

“Well that’s not even how it is all over the world. Some kids don’t even go to school at all in other parts of my planet.”

“Oh…” She said as her mane deflated slightly. This conversation of school was boring me, and obviously bothering her, so I dropped it.

“So… Fluttershy…” I started, but didn’t finish. I had no idea what to say, and the tension in the room rose substantially. I knew she wouldn’t start any kind of conversation, so I had to do it.

Seconds turned into minutes and there wasn’t a word said between the two of us. I just stared at her face and mane, and she pretended to stare at the room around us. I say pretended because I frequently caught her eyeing my face, but when our eyes locked she looked away. She is just how I was when I was younger.

“I'm sorry I'm so weird..” We both said in unison. I don’t know if it was fate, or luck, but I thought it hilarious that we both worked up the courage to say that at the exact same time.

“Heh. Its fine. We really should be getting to sleep though…”

“Oh, that’s right. Umm.. here..” She said as she jumped to attention and walked across the

room. She ascended the stairs, giving me a few seconds to think to myself.

‘What do we do…’

‘I say we stick to the original plan. Put her on the back burner until we know what to do about the Princess.’

‘That seems so… dishonest.’

‘Since when were you the honest one?’

‘Since I made the decision to become a good person not too long ago.’

‘Well we can be nice, but lets play the cards under the table for a while, at least until we know what we really want.’

‘Ok fine. Sounds like a plan.’

After an awkward eternity alone in Fluttershy’s living room, the mare of the house finally returned to me with a large stack of blankets and pillows on her back. It seemed excessive, especially since it was the middle of a very hot Equestrian summer.

“Fluttershy, humans are a warm blooded species…”

“I know, I just… I didn’t know what you liked in a blanket and… You might be allergic to wool or.. you might like a hard pillow and all I have is soft and… here, this is my favorite one…”

“Fluttershy… its fine. Just give me this one and…. This one.” I cut her off as I picked the top pillow and blanket off the stack. I chuckled inside as I realized she must have gathered all the blankets in the whole house just to ensure my comfort. She was indeed the element of kindness.

“Oh, ok. I’ll put them back on my bed.”

“You were going to give me your sheets?!” I exclaimed in disbelief. Element of kindness my ass, she must have mistaken her identity as the element of selflessness.

“Well they are the best, and I only give my friends the best…”

“Well keep them, honestly. Unless you’d like to share them…”

‘Way to stick with the plan, asshat.’

“Oh um.. well.. I.. uh… just…. EEP!” She said as she blushed furiously and hid her face behind her mane. If it wasn’t apparent that she had feelings for me before, it sure was now. I laughed and reassured her.

“I'm kidding Fluttershy. Here, I’ll come tuck you in.”

I led Fluttershy to her own bedroom, which was odd because it was not my house and I had no idea where it was. Somehow, I guessed correctly and we spent about ten minutes re-laying her blankets correctly. I could practically feel her jealousy as I used my fingers and hands to spread the sheets and blankets evenly. I wondered how hard life would be with hooves instead of hands, and silently gave thanks that I was a human and not a pony.

Once the blankets were in order, I fluffed her pillows. A luxury I'm sure she was unaware of, given her lack of hands. Once again, jealousy became apparent on her face.

“I’ve seen you eyeing my hands Fluttershy. In case you are wondering, yes, they are very helpful.”

“Oh… Yes… I um… I'm just a bit jealous…”

I laughed at her honesty and got ready to go back downstairs to sleep.

“If you ever need them for anything, just ask. They can perform a variety of tasks including, but not limited to, pushing, grabbing, lifting and… massaging…” I said the last word playfully, obviously insinuating something to her. Her face turned red, and I laughed, again ensuring her it was just a playful joke. Whether or not it meant something else was yet to be determined.

“Goodnight, Fluttershy. And thank you again for letting me sleep here.”

“No… no problem Charlie. Make yourself comfortable downstairs. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

***

“See Tia? He is okay with Fluttershy being a pony… He lied to me.”

“I… Luna, I'm sorry…” Celestia comforted her little sister.

“It seems I will never be anypony’s friend. I tried so hard…”

“Just give it time Luna. Charlie is a sensible person, you should just talk to him. It isn’t fair to spy on him like this and not get his true side. Perhaps he was just scared to hurt Fluttershy?”

“Perhaps… yes. You are right. I will travel to Ponyville immediately!” Luna exclaimed as she took off into her night sky.

“Charlie better watch out…” Celestia smiled and said to herself. Luna certainly seemed normal, but she couldn’t let her guard down just yet. Nightmare was a part of her now, but then again, she always was. Celestia always remembered the other side of Luna’s personality from their time as fillies. Luna always had a jealous streak, and would often stop at nothing to get what she desired. Those must have been the traits she used to forge Nightmare Moon.

Celestia sighed as she retreated to her chambers. It had been a long and very stressful day. She chuckled to herself as she remembered the vigor her sister had used when she took off to go find Charlie.

“I hope Twilight doesn’t send me a very angry letter for unleashing my sister on her unsuspecting friend…”

***

After my run-in with Fluttershy, I retreated back down to the living room. The night was pulsing through my veins, and my eyes glowed in the natural darkness. I could see everything as plain as day, although it was tinted slightly blue. I marveled at my power, and again pondered its limits. Could I drain the entire population of a planet? No wonder the government wanted to keep me contained…

‘If they wanted us under lockdown, they could have always tried gentler means.’

‘Agreed. Torture is never a reliable method. It’s like parents who honestly think they can control a

teenager through force.’

‘Remember that time… under the tree that night? With Claire?’

‘Heh… I'm still surprised we never got caught…’

‘We are lucky bastards is what we are…’

I reminisced for quite some time before I managed to make myself tired. Being nocturnal has its advantages, but it was inconvenient when one wished to sleep like all the normal creatures of the world. ‘Luna must have this problem too…’ I thought as I rolled over on the tiny couch, trying to comfort myself.

‘Don’t start thinking about her…’

‘I can’t help it. I love them both for entirely different reasons.’

‘Well I doubt everypony would be ok with a polygamist relationship between Goddess of the Night, an element of harmony, and a creature from another dimension.’

‘I’ll have to choose eventually… ‘

‘We should choose Luna. She will live forever with us. What would we do when Fluttershy is no longer around?’

‘…’

I didn’t have an answer for that one. It was true, I would outlive every single living creature in this world. I felt for Celestia, she would never know love without death. Luna and I had a very unique opportunity, one that I couldn’t just pass up. I finally knew what I had to do.

I scribbled a rough note for Fluttershy, in case she awoke before I had returned. I did not know how long it would take me to run to Canterlot, but I assumed it would take longer than the rest of the moon’s journey across the sky. I folded the blankets, and fluffed Fluttershy's pillow. I cast a glance at the sleeping Angel, and placed a breakfast carrot beside him for when he woke up. He may be an asshole, but he is a cute one.

I departed Fluttershy’s with the newfound vigor that stemmed from the decision I had finally made. Luna was the mare for me, and although it felt weird to say it, I didn’t care. Mare, woman, what’s the difference? She was more than the perfect person for me, who cared what form her body took? Once again, the urge to sing took hold of me as I set down the path from Fluttershy’s into Ponyville. I succumbed to the urge and decided to let my heart pour out through song.

“Eye on the T.V.

‘Cause tragedy thrills me,

Whatever flavor

It happens to be.”

My eyes scanned the skies, reveling in the joyous night; the countless stars and galaxies twinkling and glowing brightly with all the colors of the peaceful darkness. Azure, amber, gold, deep blue, and black encompassed the sky, dancing to the symphony, directed by Luna.

“Wife, Killed by the husband.

Drowned by the ocean,

Shot by his own son

She used the poison in his tea

And kissed him goodbye.

That’s my kind of story…”

“It’s no fun till someone dies.” I sang, as I entered Ponyville. I briefly pondered if anypony was awake to hear me. I chuckled to myself as I sang the next verse, knowing how scared and confused they would be if they heard me sing it.

“Don’t look at me like

I am a monster.

Frown out your one face,

But with the other

Stare like a junkie

Into the T.V.

Stare like a zombie,”

I scanned the surrounding area around the center of Ponyville square, briefly pausing before beginning the next verse.

“While the mother holds her child,

And watches him die.

Hands to the sky, crying

Why oh why?”

I laughed as I heard a window slam somewhere in the distance.

“Cause I need to watch things die!

From a distance,

Vicariously I live while the whole world dies,

You all need it too, don’t lie.”

I continued my walk through the streets of Ponyville, humming and whistling the tune of the song. I never realized it, but this song fit my life very well. ‘I wish I had my CD here with me, I would kill to actually listen to it right now.’ I thought as I exited the outskirts of Ponyville.

“Why can’t we just admit it?

Why can’t we just admit it…?

We won’t give pause until the blood is flowing,

Neither the brave nor bold.

The writers of stories sold,

We won’t give pause until the blood is flowing.

I need to watch things die!

From a good safe distance,

Vicariously I live while the whole world dies.

We all feel the same so…”

“Why can’t we just admit it?” I yelled as I came to the border of the Everfree. I was now in hostile territory, and I had to keep my guard up, lest I be ambushed by hostile creatures or other undesirables. I scorned myself briefly, knowing I should be in there fixing the problem instead of fixing my personal relationships. The anger passed, as I prepared to sing the next verse.

“Blood like rain come down

Drawn on grave and ground.

Part vampire,

Part warrior

Carnivore, and voyeur

Stare at the transmittal,

Sing to the death rattle.”

“La la la la la la la-lie…” I half sang, half hummed as I ran down the path in perfect synchronization with the beat; my natural nocturnal energy giving me the strength to run at this pace while still having the strength to sing properly.

“Credulous at best, your desire to believe in angels in the hearts of men.

Pull your head out of your hippy haze and give a listen,

I shouldn’t have to say it all again.

The universe is hostile, so impersonal.

Devour to survive,

So it is, so it’s always been.”

I took a deep breath and paused for a moment. I thought I saw something big and dark flying in the sky above me. It was roughly the shape of a pony and… it was Luna. I knew it. I could feel her presence searching for me.

“We all feed

On tragedy.

It’s like blood to a vampire.

Vicariously I live while the whole world dies.”

“Much better you, than I.” I said to the bewildered Princess Luna as she landed right in front of me. She looked at me first in anger, and then in frustration as she tried to comprehend what I just said to her. I decided to end her contemplation early as I walked up within inches of her face.

Then I kissed her.

It was not long, it was not deep, but it did give me satisfaction. I felt no need to pull away, nor did I feel any guilt for what I had just done. Bestiality was romance between a human and an animal, and she was no animal. I smiled and she raised a hoof and stuck me across the face.

As I recovered from the blow, I saw her staring at me. She was obviously not as entranced by me as I was by her. My mind struggled to find words, but no epic speech came to mind. Not even a clever musing.

“It’s a nice night we have here..."

Authors Notes: Will Charlie ever get Luna's forgiveness? Will the humans ever attack Equestria? Will Fluttershy ever learn to fluff her own pillows?! Will Angel Bunny receive even more carrots!?! Find out next time. Also, I've gone nuts trying to post these chapters with barely any WiFi access. Pic related, it's me grabbing some nuts.

Waning Crescent

Waning Crescent

"Indeed."

I was startled at Luna's abruptness with me. Certainly she knew I still cared... somewhat. Regardless of her emotion, I would have to handle this situation and hopefully win back her heart.

"Now Luna... There's no need to be short with me. I've had my share of yelling for the night, and I don't need two mares mad at me."

"Fluttershy never yelled at you..."

'Fuck. She is on to us.'

"How did you...." I started.

'The presence! It was Celestia! I knew we have felt that before...'

"My sister and I have our... methods. So is that all I am to you? Somepony's backup plan?" Luna's voice had risen slightly, and I was afraid that she would snap at any moment. She seemed very cold and distant. I knew she was cross with me but...

"Wait wait wait.... Why are you black, Luna?" I asked, my fear replaced by intrigue. I knew it probably was not the time for questions but I could not place a finger on the mares' sudden change in fashion. Perhaps black coat was in season? Perhaps I would ask Rarity. But... had she grown in size as well? Now I had to know.

"It is a long story. But it is my time to ask questions! Tell me, Charles. What am I to you?" She said, using a terrifying voice filled with power and volume beyond measure. This must be the royal Canterlot voice Twilight explained to me during her recap of last year's Nightmare Night festival. It sounded like two ponies were yelling at me at once through a megaphone, or large public address system. It was definitely frightening and caught me slightly off guard.

"Ugh... fine. But stop with the voice, it's giving me a headache."

I paused briefly and shook my head. It felt like something had dislodged inside my ears. I would have to visit the doctor after this ordeal to make sure Luna hadn't popped my ear drums.

"Look, this whole thing is just a stupid misunderstanding. I'm sorry. It's just... well... where I come from, romance between species is strictly forbidden and wrong. It is a crime in fact." Luna looked at me as if she was going to turn around and buck me straight to the moon, and she probably would have if I hadn't continued.

"But Earth is different from Equestria. On Earth, humans are the only intelligent species. No offence, but where I come from, ponies are unintelligent animals who sit around and eat grass all day. They are incapable of reasoning, higher thought, or speaking. They do not build cities, they do not construct monarchy style governments and they certainly do not control the weather or raise the sun and the moon."

"But..." Luna looked genuinely hurt, and it was evident in her voice. "How does that work? Do humans raise the sun and moon? I thought humans did not possess magic, or wings..."

I was glad that Luna had calmed down, but I was also rather sad that she had taken this news so harshly. Then, I remembered she had not been there when Twilight explained the works of that unicorn in Canterlot. Luna had not heard of the Imagination Theory. But then again, she was an immortal goddess. Surely she would have remembered the creation of her world? So many questions, so little time. I thought briefly, and continued my explanation.

"No, Luna, we do not. We don't control the weather or the celestial bodies. Earth is a harsh land ruled by the sheer forces of nature and evolution. That's why humans have become so powerful. Over the thousands of years, we have grown and adapted to the harsh world. Tell me, how many ponies exist in Equestria?"

"Just over one million." Luna answered promptly.

"What if I told you there were a little over seven billion people living on Earth right now? It is a very different place. They are much less in tune with life than you ponies are here. And also... there's something else I should tell you, but I don't know if you will believe me..." I said, preparing to drop the news. I always wondered how the Princesses would react when I told them this, and now was the time to get my answer.

"There... can't be that many living in one area. What? What is this information?"

"Well... on Earth, there are many many people who believe in Equestria. They write novels and create art of the ponies."

"Why is that? I have never seen a human here before. Are you saying they worship us as deities?!" Luna cried, thinking highly of her sophisticated answer.

"No... its the other way around. The people of Earth... may have created Equestria."

"..."

***

“What’s wrong Applejack?” Pinkie whispered to her lover.

“Ah… Ah just don’t feel right lyin’ to all our friends…” She returned with a gloomy stare. Keeping secrets wasn’t easy or pleasurable for Applejack, but what would Ponyville think if she was a filly fooler? How would Big Mac react? Celestia forbid Granny Smith’s reaction. But she had to tell somepony... they couldn't keep it a secret forever, especially if they were going to try to make it a permanent relationship.

"Neither do I AJ, but I just don't know if the others are ready to know yet.." Pinkie said in a reassuring tone, that made Applejack question. Pinkie Pie was known for many things, but being withdrawn is not one of them. The only thing she had held in terms of secrets were her famous Pinkie Promises. But nary had a Pinkie Promise been made.

"Ah just... We gotta tell somepony. There's no way we can keep this up forever Pinkie..."

"Who said we were going to keep it up forever?"

"What... but ah.... what?"

"Well... I asked you if you wanted to try a mare... I'm a mare and we tried it. I thought that's all you wanted from me..." Suddenly Applejack's throat tensed up. A lump was steadily rising, starting from her heart. Had she just heard that correctly?

"But Ah thought... you said you loved me...."

"I did AJ, but we always say that. All best friends love... each.... other..." Pinkie said as Applejack got up and left Pinkie's room. She didn't even say goodbye to the Cakes who had just returned from their stay in Fillydelphia. Thoughts swarmed Pinkie's mind ranging from 'what have I done' all the way to 'what did I want to do.' Pinkie had thought Applejack just wanted to test it. She never thought Applejack could have actually loved her. Love was puzzling.

Puzzling indeed.

***

"Lies! All Lies! I was there when this land was created! It was eons ago! Your people could not have created us so recently!" Luna shouted as her eyes began to glow. She rose from the ground and threatened me with a pose of pure anger. This must be why the entire world feared Nightmare Moon. Luna was a monster, just like me.

"Look, I'm not saying that's how it is. But look at your designs! How the hell could a non-magical pony use a pair of scissors without fingers? Because they were designed for humans! There are cities here in Equestria that are named after Earth cities! Canterlot, Fillydelphia, Stalliongrad... all based off of Camelot Philadelphia and Stalingrad. You can't deny the evidence, our worlds are linked. How is it that we just happen to speak the same language? English. It developed in England on Earth. Pegasus and unicorn are both earth words. Manticores and Dragons appear frequently in Earth stories and artwork! EARTH PONIES for Christ's sake!"

"But that doesn't mean we were created from you!"

"I don't know what it means, but you don't have to take it personally! Come back down here and talk to me like a civilized pony!" I shouted, as Luna had been raising into the sky at a steady pace ever since the fight begun. I would have to end this quickly, and calm this mare down before the storm she was creating caught the eyes of the ponies who were waking up in Ponyville.

"I just.... Fine. Just let me lower the moon so Celestia can take over..." Luna said in a calm tone as she fell from the sky and landed gracefully on four hooves. The storming stopped and the cool morning breeze flowed peacefully once again. The moon fell, and the sun rose up just as it had every day for many generations.

"You know, it still amazes me to see you do that."

"Oh, I thought you would tell me that Earth does it better..."

'God dammit why does she have to be such a drama queen?'

'I don't know... but she is MY drama queen.'

'Not yet she isn't... get in there.'

"Lets talk about this normally, shall we? I know a place that isn't too far from here. It's not the Everfree Castle this time." I said as I started walking off into the forest, praying that she would follow me. My prayers were answered, as I soon felt hoofsteps and gentile breathing behind me.

It took a little while, but I eventually found a familiar path in the forest that led me straight to my destination. A hidden lake secluded in the mountains of the Everfree that I had found while I was Manticore hunting under the influence of Nightmare Moon. The perfect place for reconciliation between two quarreling lovers. It was free of the darkness surrounding the other portion of the forest, and hopefully there wouldn't be any predators out to interrupt us.

I led her over to a small clearing with a perfect view of the lake and all the surrounding meadow.

'Fluttershy would love this place.'

'Oh so now you want me to go back to Fluttershy?'

'Hey, I'm your conscience. I only tell you what you secretly want to hear.'

I sat on a log, and Luna laid down on her stomach facing me and folding all her legs under her. It was a very equine pose, and I was frightened my natural defense against outer species romance would kick in. It did not, as I still found her to be quite beautiful. Her hair blowing just right in the wind, her eyes staring at me with all the inquisitiveness of a mare scorned. She had grown in height. Sitting down, she almost came up to my waist. I secretly reveled in my height, it made me feel superior when I realized I towered above everypony around.

"What is it you wish to speak of."

"I no longer want to speak of Earth, that's for sure. Let's talk about us." I said confidently.

"What us? Since when was there an 'us'?"

"Oh don't be coy. We both know there was something there before."

"Was, indeed."

"Will you stop with the sarcasm?"

"It is my nature."

"Good, cause it's sexy on you."

Luna's black face somehow turned deer crimson as the complement sunk in. Oh how I found joy in embarrassing her. There was a certain thrill that came from calling someone of extreme power and importance sexy. It brought them back down to earth and stripped them of their immortal guise. Which was exactly what I was trying to do. I had started up the game again, and this time I would win.

"I.. uh... thank you Charlie. Now should we resolve this once and for all?"

"It will never truly be resolved Luna."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You are a princess, and I am a man. As long as you keep up your mask as the Princess, I will never be with you." I said plain and simple, enjoying the look on her face as she fell from hopeful to dismayed.

"What... what does that mean?" She said, the spark of humanity returning to her. Ponity? Nevermind.

"It means that I fell in love with Luna. The cute and caring pony who visited me in the hospital every day for weeks to ensure I would be alright after nearly giving my life to save her. The Luna that gave me this book." I said as I pulled the secret weapon from my cloak. I had carried it with me all this time, grabbing it right after writing Fluttershy's note.

"You... you liked the book?"

"I loved the book. I love the night sky. I love the night, and the one who creates it. I enjoy peering into the abyss, not knowing who or what is staring up at the same sky. The night protects me, gives me strength when I need it."

"That... nopony has ever said that to me before."

"No pony did say that to you. I did. A human, from Earth. And I'll say it again. I love you, Luna. I have from the day you gave me this book, and I'm fairly sure I always will. I went to Fluttershy to forget you, but I only ended up reinforcing my feelings. She is a lovely mare, but she is not Luna. Nopony but you can live up to that standard." I started my speech. I didn't know I even felt that way about her until my feeling came pouring out of my mouth. It would have been embarrassing, if not for what happened next.

Luna stood up and stepped over to me ever so slowly. I thought she was just going to keep walking, but she did not. She stopped inches from my face and took a deep breath.

"If that's how you feel then now is your chance to prove it."

And prove it, I did. For I kissed her with such force it nearly knocked her back on her flanks. I continued kissing as she gasped and opened her eyes. I stared at her for a second before pulling back and catching my breath. I smiled as I spoke.

"Where did you get that chocolate cake?"

***

"Spike...."

"......"

"Spike!"

"SPIIIIIIIIKKKKEEEEE!!!!!!!"

"Huh?! What's up Twilight? Where's Charlie?"

"Get my coffee... and hurry..."

"Ugh... fine. But you owe me some answers!"

"Fine."

Twilight rolled out of bed, her mane even worse than it normally was. She did not sleep well, her thoughts were too concentrated on Charlie and the situation out in the forest. If they didn't do something soon, bad things would happen. Twilight was not as informed as Charlie, but she could only sit and believe what he said about Earth. She had hoped that Charlie was over exaggerating, but she could not say so for certain. She only knew what he told her, and he had not told her a lot.

Several seconds passed, and then several more. Once Twilight ran out of things to occupy her mind with, she noticed that Spike had still not returned with her coffee. And she could not live without her coffee. She would just have to get it up and get it herself, and bump Spike a couple notches down on his assistant grade. That will show him.

Twilight yawned and headed to her mirror. She was startled by the monster that stared back at her. Bloodshot eyes, gnarled hair. If it did not share the same lavender stare, she would have screamed and hid under the covers. Wiping the crust from her eyes, she magically lifted a brush and started untangling the snarls.

Stroke by stroke, and very painfully, she managed to get her mane at least halfway presentable. She slipped out of her nightgown and started to head out of her bedroom. Briefly pausing to wonder why she even wore a nightgown, she headed down the stairs.

"Spike? Where are you... I'm going to knock you down a grade if you don't get.... over.... here....." She stammered as her brain struggled to comprehend what she was seeing. Spike was nowhere to be seen, and her coffee was boiling over in the kitchen. That was the least of Twilight's worries, as there standing before her were several large beasts. Their coats were rigid, and colored black. They wore hats atop their heads and had strange mechanical devices inside their ears. They wore black gloves and black shoes. They were...

"Humans?"

"Good morning, Ms. Twilight Sparkle."

Authors Notes: Many of you keep referring to shit hitting the fan, and here is is! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and all the glorious buildup and cliffhangers! Also, I am going to begin the search for OC characters. Now before you go throwing Photoshop ponies at me, I'm going to request that they be human!

That's right, you heard me. I'm going to shake it up quite a lot in the coming finale, and I need another human to throw into the mix. I was going to incorporate myself into the story personally, but that's no fun! The human can either be you, or someone you know, as long as they aren't some super powered unique crazy bad-ass human. (We will get to that part later). I want average joe's here people! Men (or Women) that want to make a difference where it counts. May the contest commence!

(Warning: If I don't get any OC submissions, I'll be very sad that nobody cares, and won't be able to finish the story properly.)

Abduction

Abduction

"What.... what are you doing here?"

"We are here to retrieve something we lost ma'am." The man in front spoke calmly and carefully.

"Who are you? How did you get here?" Twilight asked frantically. She already knew the answer, they were here to take Charlie back, but once they were here, they would not stop coming for more and more answers until there was nothing left untainted in Equestria. Or at least that's what Charlie led Twilight to believe. Regardless, she spouted out more and more pointless questions to gain as much time as she could. She was obviously trying their patience, and the last question seemed to tip the scale from annoyed to furious.

"Did you come peacefully?"

"Of course. Now, we are going to need you to come with us."

"I'm afraid that's not possible.." Twilight said as she charged her horn. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to do yet, but she was leaning towards teleportation or incineration. Before she could decide whether to fight or flee, she felt a sharp pain on the left side of her neck, inflicted by two agents she didn't even know were behind her.

She fought with all her might. She fired bolts of energy around the library at random. All for nothing, as she faded into black unconsciousness.

"I want all of this back to base immediately."

***

"How did you know I had... oh... you.." Luna said teasing me. I was finally happy. Luna filled the spot where Claire had been in my heart, and fit the position perfectly. She was so wonderful, and I let her know it. After several straight minutes of kissing, I took a breath and looked her in the eyes.

"I always knew things would work out."

"Then why did you not just come say it?"

"Because it was funny."

I laughed and rolled over onto my side. Life was finally looking up.

But there was something in the back of my mind that I knew was not perfect. I had solved my problem with Luna, but what of...

"The Humans!" I shouted as I jumped up.

"What humans?!" Luna exclaimed at my sudden outburst. I had forgotten that me and the six elements were supposed to venture into the forest again to see what we could do about the rift.

"Luna I'm sorry, I have to go. The Elements and I need to figure out whats going on in the forest."

"If its not too much to ask... I'd like to help. May I come with you?"

"Of course. In fact, I'd prefer it. We were all supposed to meet at Twilight's library at noon."

Judging by the time, it was ten in the morning. It had taken me only about a half hour to get this far out of Ponyville, so If i left then I would get back just in time to collect myself and get ready. Or so I thought.

Luna and I departed our peaceful clearing, leaving all traces of our romance behind. It was time for business of a different kind, and we both knew it. Having the princess' help would be a great benefit to me, as I could sense the disturbance growing in intensity the closer we got to Ponyville.

We walked for a few minutes before Luna surprisingly turned to me and started speaking.

"Charlie?"

"Yes?"

"Whatever happens in the forest today, promise me you will be coming back. I don't want to lose you for a third time."

"If it weren't such a cliche, I would promise. But this isn't some story. I can see myself having to make a serious choice later, and I will make the choice that is right for everypony, and everyone."

"I see..." Luna said slightly disheartened. I could tell I hurt her, but now was not the time for false hope. There was a great possibility that there will be conflict in the near future, and I scorned myself for not making this a bigger priority earlier.

***

"Dear Celestia,

This is Spike. Cant talk. Strange creatures are at Twilight's house and they are taking everypony away. Charlie is nowhere to be found, and I think these creatures are humans. Please send help."

Celestia had to read the letter several times to confirm what she had just been informed of. Strange creatures? Humans? Charlie hadn't been working on closing the rift? What was she going to do?

'I'm going to stop them.' Celestia thought as she ordered the captain of the guard to assemble the men. Equestria would soon be at war, only unlike the war between Equestria and the Griffon nations many years ago, she had no idea what tactics would be used against her. The captain, ever cautious in times of war and peace, pulled Celestia aside in hopes of changing her mind from an initial assault.

"Celestia... with all due respect... We don't know what these things are, or what they are capable. I..."

"I know they are capable of kidnapping my ponies, and this offence will not go unpunished."

"I agree you highness, but I'm not going to send my men in blind. I am sworn to protect Equestria, not obey your every whim and beckon. I will fight them, once we deem force necessary, and also once we know what we are truly up against." A vein seemed to pop in Celestia's head. Never before had she lost her temper, but she was closer now than ever before. One of her guards just spoke out in disagreement! This was unheard of. Nevertheless, her composure returned as reason won over despairity in her mind once again.

"Very well. Somepony go find Charlie at once. We need to know exactly what humans are capable of, and we may need him to predict their next move."

***

"It's... quiet."

"Too quiet?"

"No, but pretty damn quiet. Where is everypony?" My heart was racing as I walked through Ponyville. It had only been several hours since my departure, and everything was as I left it. Quiet, serene, and peaceful. But that was in the middle of the night when everypony was sleeping. It was almost noon, there should be ponies out scurrying about their business.

"There's something wrong, Charlie. I don't like this." Luna whispered to me as we patrolled the empty streets of Ponyville. She was right, I had never seen the streets so barren before. At least, not since I first came to town.

"I don't like it either. But I have a very strong suspicion that we are being watched. Stay close to me, and don't do anything without my say so." I had to be very serious with Luna. There's no way I could explain to her how devious humanity could be, so I had to suffice with the simple explanation.

Shut up, or they will kill you.

We did not aimlessly wander as Luna thought we did through the streets. I took much caution in the way I sneaked through Ponyville. I always stayed away from areas they could corner us in, conspicuous bushes they could be hiding behind, and other areas of questionable safety. I knew these assholes, and they were not going to get the jump on me.

The day took a sharp turn from bad to horrible as I turned the corner and saw Twilight's library. The door was gone off the hinges and the whole place just looked.... empty. I gulped and signaled Luna to follow me closely.

I peered into the library and was met with a strange sight. Nothing. No books, no furniture, no food on the kitchen table, no Twilight, no Spike. Not even the rug on the floor. I could hardly contain my frustration, as I now knew it was the humans behind this attack. Who else but the government would be so through? They took everything for study no doubt... I could only imagine some doctor dissecting Twilight's horn, trying to unlock its secrets for themselves. I had to stop it.

Before I got too ahead of myself, I decided to calm down and search the library for clues. Perhaps they had left a trace of something behind... Like that blinking light in the corner. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that there was a blinking red light coming from the upper left hand corner of the room. That certainly wasn't there before. I stood up and reached up to it.

Once I had the device in my hand, I could clearly see what it was. A small camera. I crushed it in my hands like a bug.

"What was that thing?"

"It was a camera."

"What use would taking pictures be? They have already been here..."

"Its not for taking pictures, its for watching us. I told you humans are advanced...." I tried to explain to Luna. She hadn't been there when I explained modern human technology, and it would take months of study before she could even begin to grasp the subject. She would just have to suffice with the simple answer of,

"Humans are good with electricity and metal."

As much as I wanted to explain wireless technology and microprocessors to Luna, we just didn't have the time. I needed to find Twilight. I needed to fine everypony, really. The clock was ticking and my friends could be dying. It was high time I asked myself why it came to this.

"I'm so stupid Luna..."

"You are not, let's get going."

"No, its true. I should have been here when they came, but I went to go find you. I put my personal goal over the lives of many, and this is what I got."

"Oh don't you talk to me about regrets. We don't have time for this, now lets go!"

"Ok, fine. But where? We have no idea where to look, and as much as I want to save them, I dont feel like charging into the Everfree completely blind."

"We will do what I do when I need help. We will go to Celestia."

***

An unknown amount of time passed before the purple mare awoke and discovered she was strapped to a large metal object. She felt a course strap holding both hooves up above her head, and one holding her midsection. Painful, but effective at holding her at a semi-verticle angle. She opened her eyes, but they relayed nothing to her brain. She decided to rely on her sense of hearing to determine her location instead.

"Hello?" She whispered.

Silence.

She replied to the silence with a soft cry. Charlie had been right, this was more important than their personal struggle. She had pushed him away and now all the ponies in Equestria would suffer for it.

"Is... is that you Twilight?" She heard the ever elegant, yet quivering voice of her fashionable fellow unicorn.

"Yes it is! Rarity, whats happening?"

"I... I don't know. I cant see anything, can you?"

"No... I can't. What did they do to our eyes?!" Twilight exclaimed as she blinked repeatedly trying to regain her sight. She feared the worst, brain experimentation, or other evils the humans may have committed against her.

"Uh Twilight... It's just dark in here."

"Oh." Twilight responded when she realized that the room was indeed pitch black. "That doesn't exactly help our situation Rarity..."

"I know Twilight. Why cant I hear anypony else?"

"I don't know... Maybe they categorized us by race?"

"..." Rarity responded not with words, but with tears. Twilight would have comforted her friend, but she could not. She could only sit there, strapped to an unidentifiable object, and hope that help would soon arrive.

Minutes passed, then hours in the dark tomb. If anybody was listening, they would hear the tears of two best friends, fighting for their lives.

***

"Celestia!" Luna exclaimed as she flew past the balcony on which her sister stood. On her back, she carried Equestria's only hope. Me. Heavy though I was, Luna was a very strong alicorn and her added size came very much in handy. Celestia did not have time to question my transportation, for Luna landed right next to her sister and I hopped off to greet her. Stoked though I was to ride on a pony, I had instead been thinking of what to say to Celestia, so when I spoke it was very quickly and to the point with no formalities whatsoever.

"I have been to Ponyville and it is completely empty. I recommend further investigation before we come up with a plan of attack. Time is very much of the essence, so we will need to have multiple teams of ponies searching the jungle for the residents." I said without stuttering.

"See this? This is a camera. It is very small, and it saw me coming. They know I'm here, and I wouldn't be surprised if they know your name, size, race, and gender. The only thing they haven't had time to study is the power of your magic. Use it if need be. The same goes for you Luna. They are dangerous, tricky, and they want to see this world "civilized." Don't let them convince you otherwise."

"But... these are your people Charlie? Shouldn't you be able to reason with them?" A pony in the royal guard spoke up. I was surprised he knew my name, but small details did not matter anymore. Equestria had been invaded and there would be more attacks very soon. I was sure of it.

"They are the very reason I left my world. They tortured and studied me like I was an expendable animal. I do not with the same upon all of you." I then hopped back up onto Luna's back and prepared to be endowed with the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"I still don't believe this will work..." I whispered to Luna who only gave me a look of reassurance and a small smile, her horn glowing.

"GUARDS OF CANTERLOT." I spoke extremely loud, my voice box trembling with the power it now possessed. I felt like there were seven voices coming from my mouth, all speaking through a megaphone.

"I realize that you all may be frightened, but do not worry. We can and will defeat this enemy. But that does not mean it will be easy. Earth did not send their army here..."

'If they did we would all be fucked already...'

"But they did send a regiment of highly trained sophisticated agents to subdue and capture me. 'Why fight for the human?' you may ask. Because once they capture me, they will not stop until they have captured, cataloged, and colonized all of Equestria. If you wish to remain free, you must fight with me."

I took a moment to observe the army I had just taken control of. Or should I say, the guard force. Equestria had no needed a military for the thousands of years of peace they had been living in. The only ponies that could fight were the Royal guard, and they were not suited for subterfuge. Had we more time to prepare, I would have suggested we find other ponies more suited for the task, but I would have to make due with what I had.

"Are you sure this is the best idea Charlie? The guards are faithful, but they are anything but subtle..." Celestia spoke to me as she saw the look of unease grow on my face. I felt Luna's power recede from my voice box and spoke normally to the princess.

"It is most definitely not the best idea, but we don't exactly have anything else now do we..." I spoke quickly and to the point.

"I suppose not."

"Don't worry Princess. I've beaten them before, I'm sure we will think of something." I said as reassuringly as possible. In truth, I had no idea how well any of this would turn out, but we at least had the advantage of magic. One we were losing as they were sifting through Twilight's books.

'Dammit...'

Authors Notes: Sorry for the delay ya'll. I've been traveling (again) but now I'm home! Also, I got an idea for another story that I just couldn't pass up. The story is here if you care to read it: Through Struggle Thanks for reading!

Resistance

Resistance

"Not enough.... not enough.... there." He said as he turned the knife over and over again on the whetstone.

"Just like papa always said... Prepare for the worst and hope for the best..." He recited his daily mantra as he sheathed the freshly sharpened blade. "Only seventeen left to go..."

Humming as he went, he prepared all his knives and swords for their monthly sharpening. Six daggers, three machetes, two broadswords, four stilettos, and his personal favorites, a twenty two inch modern combat blade and an antique katana his father gifted him when he was a young boy.

As far back as he could remember his parents were always preparing for some kind of apocalyptic scenario. Even now, he sat in a safe room designed for only one thing; survival. His multiple knives and swords adorned the walls, as well as his parents collection of rifles, pistols, and small hand cannons. The room was practically a museum of weapons. Amongst his collection of weapons, awards also hung. All of his badges, ranks, and medals from serving in the special forces glinted dimly in the pale fluorescence.

He chuckled as he thought of his parents. They may as well have been figments of his imagination, never existing outside his thirteenth birthday. Sure he remembers his father telling him to never answer the door. His mother reinforcing his childhood fears of the 'boogeymen' that haunted us all. He also remembered their faces as they were dragged off to the asylum, shouting to their son.

Stay inside! Stay safe!

He bit his lip, and broke a fingernail on one of the blades.

After he finished with the normal weapons, he prepared a special whetstone designed specially for his ancient katana. He sighed as he unsheathed the antique Japanese masterpiece. Folded curved steel blade, bamboo hilt wrapped in horsehair. This katana had been thrust into his grandfather during world war two, and he now held it in his hands. A parting gift from one dying warrior to another.

He liked to think that his grandfather used the blade to kill his adversary, but unfortunately the old man died three years before he was born. He would never get the satisfaction of knowing.

The man heard a knock on the door upstairs, which was surprising given the front door was very far from the basement. They must be knocking hard. The knock was fast, and came in triplets. It was a controlled knock, the kind you hear when someone has something very important to say.

"I shouldn't answer that..." The man stated to himself. "Who know's what they could do to me? I don't know who they are."

Never open the door to strangers! I mean it! He remembered the reprimanding.

"James?" He heard a voice call out. "James..." It repeated, as he heard the voice circle around the house, presumably to knock on the back door. The voice was of an older man... very authoritarian. The kind of voice you would expect of a president, a leader. A voice that was wise beyond years.

James made up his mind, he was going to answer the door. Even though he did not know who it was.

***

"Rarity?" Twilight coughed.

"Yes Twilight?"

"Do you hear that?" Twilight whispered, in a near inaudible tone.

"I... I don't know..." Rarity replied, her voice shaky and weak.

Suddenly, as if on cue, several bright lights exploded in luminescence, bathing the mares in unbearably bright light. The two unicorns let out a scream as their eyelids slammed shut, eyes burning from the sudden flash. Twilight was shaking, scared of what might happen next. She prepared her horn to let out a blast of magic... but it failed. Something in the air was negating her abilities, and she could not place a hoof on what it was.

Seconds turned to minutes as the lavender mare's eyes remained glued shut. She could hear metal against metal clanking somewhere outside of the room. The tension was palpable and Twilight was beginning to fear she was going to suffer a heart attack. She waited like that for as long as she could stave off her curiosity; which was not long at all.

She peeked out of her right eye, barely letting any light escape under the lid. Then she opened her left, only slightly. Satisfied that her eyes were getting used to the sudden shocking brightness, she opened them both to half capacity.

"Rarity... I'm going to open my eyes..." Twilight managed to whisper to her companion. Upon hearing no definite response, she lifted her eyelids.

***

"One, two, three, four, five..." James counted the steps. If he wasn't careful, he might have forgotten how many steps there were. In the absolute darkness of the stairwell, forgetting the amount of times you need to lift your feet would end painfully.

After James reached the thirteenth step, he sighed. Ten more to go until he could reach out and feel for a handle in the darkness. This act of walking in complete darkness was almost instinctual, as he had repeated it over one thousand times. His father would yell every time he complained.

If there's lights on, then anyone can just walk down here! We don't want just *anyone** down here!*

His hand felt the doorknob, and turned it. The sunlight burned his eyes slightly, as he exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his short, black, greasy hair. He bit his fingernails, a habit he thought he kicked long ago.

He looked around at the dilapidated structure around him that he called home. Vines grew along most of the windows and dust had settled on most of the furniture and unused walking surfaces. James never felt a need to sit anywhere besides the kitchen table, or the living room. Every other sitting surface looked like it had not been used in years. Why use what is not necessary?

There was still a bit of cake on the kitchen table from the birthday party he held for himself several days ago. It was chocolate cake, with chocolate frosting. His favorite cake in the entire world. It had twenty three candles on it, all of which had burned until there was little left but melted wax mixed with the frosting.

Sighing deeply, James shut the basement door behind him just in time to hear another rapid trio of knocks. Again, knocks that sounded important. Knocks that deeply begged for his attention. His father's voice echoed in his mind, and for a split second he imagined himself getting beaten and killed as soon as he opened that front door.

Recently, he convinced himself that he could go out in public without a hat and glasses on. It was a major milestone, and his therapist even gave him a little gift to commemorate his progress. A small, flat, round stone. Smooth, but not smooth enough to feel like it was manufactured. It still had an earthy, sandy texture, and it was jet black. Not the most luxurious of gifts, but a gift all the same.

Whenever you feel afraid to go outside, rub the stone. Your fears will fade, I promise.

He reached into his pocket, and found the stone. He gripped it and marched towards the front door to greet the intruder. The unknown intruder. That could easily penetrate the safety of his home, and possibly cause him unknown horror.

'C'mon James.... You can do this...' He thought as he gripped the handle of his front door. He took a deep breath, tightened his grip and pulled the door open.

"Hello?" He called out to his unknown visitor. There was nobody in sight. The street was deserted, much how it normally is on a Sunday afternoon.

James let out a groan as he drew the pistol he always carried. Ever since his military training, he has learned the advantages of being armed at all times. He also remembered all the times he was beaten down for forgetting it.

I don't care if this is a peaceful operation, you *always** carry your sidearm!*

Shaking off the old memory, James prowled through his front yard towards the fence on the right side of his house. Tension mounted as he prepared to fire the weapon at what he was sure to be a threat. He raised his weapon to firing position, placed his back against the wall and ran over the plan in his mind. After several seconds, he turned, sidearm at the ready.

"Marshall?"

***

"Twilight? What do you see?" Rarity half whispered, half cried out in fear. The coarse straps on her hooves and stomach were rubbing her skin raw and it was all she could do to prevent herself from wailing.

"I see... Nothing really..." Twilight whispered back.

The room was circular, about twenty feet in diameter. Twilight and Rarity were back to back on two tables, suspended at a forty five degree angle. The room was bathed in the light from several large flood lights suspended under several large plates of glass on the ceiling. The floor was made of thick glass, and was also equipped with flood lights.

The double sided metal door had no windows, and showed no apparent means of opening it. There were no windows of any sort; just the cold, metal walls of the tubular enclosure. There were several black metal tubes affixed to the wall, pointed at the ponies.

"Where are we?" The lavender mare questioned her companion.

"I... I haven't the faintest. One minute I was... I- I can't really remember."

"Wait! Something is coming..."

The metal clanking grew louder as the two mares sat in silence awaiting their fate. They both attempted to charge some kind of magic, but it was useless. All the two mares could do was speculate the horrible end they may come to in this deathly, metal cylinder.

The sound grew louder and louder, until it stopped and was replaced by footsteps. The two mares heard a beep, and the metal door slid open revealing two figures.

They were both humans, like Charlie, but they were not Charlie. One was older, and his mane and face-hair had grown grey from age. He wore a white coat, and slick black gloves. The other was far younger, and had a long black stick protruding above his back. His mane was short and black, and he had no face-hair. His pale blue eyes showed signs of interest as he examined the two mares.

The two figures entered the room slowly, talking in hushed whispers. The older human took his place beside Rarity, and the younger one stood next to Twilight.

"Fascinating." The black haired man whispered.

Twilight only shut her eyes and winced away from him.

"Don't be afraid, little one. We aren't here to hurt you." He cooed.

"Charlie told me all about you. You can't fool me!" Twilight spat, in a sudden act of defiance. The man recoiled in surprise and backed away several feet.

"They can talk?" He raised his voice to the man on the other side of the table.

"Yes, they are fully sentient." Came the response from the grey-maned human.

After an awkward period of silence, the humans met by the door and murmured to one another. Twilight couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but it was clearly some kind of argument. The grey-maned human said something to the door, and it slid open with ease. The black-maned man did not follow, however.

Instead, he elected to resume interrogating Twilight Sparkle. He strode to the center of the room quickly, taking several glances over his right shoulder. Twilight's eyes widened in fear as she realized he was deliberately approaching her. As he reached her table, he knelt down on one knee and looked into her eyes.

"What is your name?"

"..."

"Please, I'm trying to help you! What is your name?"

"Twilight Sparkle." She managed to whisper.

"My name is James. I'll be seeing you again real soon." He said as he got up and turned around on one foot. He strode to the end of the room quickly, and spoke the password. He threw a quick glance at the teary-eyed mare, and let the door close behind him.

***

"That's right. Jack Marshall at your service!"

"Oh um... I apologize, Sir!" James said as he lowered and holstered his firearm. Beads of sweat began to grow on his brow as he looked at his former officer.

"No need to call me Sir, James. Neither of us are enlisted anymore." The man chuckled.

"As you say, Sir. What is the nature of this visit?... If I may ask?" James shifted his eyes to look for any surveillance equipment.

"Of course. I have been working on a... special project and I may need your expertise. Does the name Charles Petersen ring a bell?" The man raised his eyebrow in anticipation.

"Of-Of course... Sir.." James stammered.

"I'm sorry, I know you lost a lot of men in that fight. But we need your help."

"Anything sir." James agreed, a fire burning in his eyes.

"When would you like to start?"

"Now."

Authors Notes: Hey guys, I'm back! Then again, I never really left did I? Hope you enjoyed this little teaser chapter, and "MOAR" shall be on the way!

Approach the Podium

Approach the Podium

"I can't believe I was so blind..."

"Don't blame yourself, Charlie, nopony could have known." Luna tried to comfort me. After the speech I had given to the guards, Celestia retreated to her personal chambers to speak with the Equestrian council, leaving Luna and I free to walk about the castle.

"Yes, nopony could have known. But I could have. I knew this was coming..."

"How did you know? I am fairly certain humans do not possess the ability to read the future." Luna and I came to a halt at the statue of discord, the memory of my missing friends burning in my mind. I could have sworn I saw the statue wink at me.

"I knew because... I just did. That's what humans do, they persist. If there is a way to get what they want, they do it. There are almost seven billion people there, each with their own bright mind to help work out problems. And I was the problem..."

"Why are humans so... evil?" Luna asked, a tear seeming to form in her eye.

"Well they aren't evil... Misinformed and biased maybe, but not evil. What they have been told about me may not have been true. I am very dangerous, and that's all they see. I can not condemn an entire race for wanting to protect themselves from the unknown." I chuckled lightly at this. A few months ago, I would not have said something so profound and accepting. Maybe the ponies had grown on me after all.

Instead of continuing the conversation, Luna simply nodded and knelt closer to me. I ran my fingers through her silky, ethereal mane and smiled. A brief spark of happiness graced me, but I knew it wouldn't last for long. My friends were still out there, and I was the only one with the knowledge and proficiency to save them.

There's something about a sense of impending doom that brings people together. I suppose the same can be said for ponies as well. As I stood there, Luna nuzzling my neck, I couldn't help but feel empowered. The storm was on the horizon, and I was prepared for it.

The seconds stacked to minutes as I sat there in Luna's embrace. My resolve no longer waving, I was untouchable.

"It's show time."

***

"Don't touch me! Buck off!!" A brash voice echoed throughout the room. The owner of the voice was a blue pegasus pony, thrashing in her restraints.

After several more attempts to prod at the wings of the first pegasus, the grey maned man circled around to the other side of the metal table. Over the past few hours, he noticed that it was much easier to bend the yellow one to his will. The black maned man simply watched as his partner manhandled the small, pathetic creature.

A look of unease fell over James' face as his former officer prodded and bent the yellow pegasus. She whimpered and cried with every jerk of her wings. After several seconds of this, James decided to speak up.

"Um... Sir? It looks like you are hurting her..." James looked into the large eyes of the restrained mare.

"Hurting it? I'm sorry James, I don't follow." The grey maned man picked up several large clamps from a box under the tables.

"I just don't see how this is necessary to bring justice to Charles Petersen..."

"These...things... know something about him. The orange one confirmed it. What's wrong with examining them a little while we try to extract the truth from their lies?" Marshall replied, his fingers slowly tightening the restraints around the quivering form before him.

"I suppose... but they are sentient. This all just seems... wrong." James winced as he heard the sound of his former officer stretching the creatures wings. Suddenly, the small yellow mare let out a scream of pain.

"Stop hurting her! Leave us alone you monsters!" The brash voice echoed throughout the room again, obviously fearing for her friend in distress.

"Just remember your training," Marshall grunted as he tightened the clamps, effectively stretching the yellow pegasus' wings to full capacity. "I may not still be your officer, but I still outrank you."

James silenced his thoughts, but a voice in the back of his mind screamed. This is wrong.

As Marshall spoke the password to open the door, James turned around to observe his partners work. Several bruises lined the face of the blue pegasus, her scowls apparent even from the distance. The yellow pegasus, on the other hand, looked broken and pathetic; her wings flayed out like some kind of insect in a collection.

James quickly strode back in to the room, unnoticed by his companion. The yellow pegasus winced away from his as he knelt next to her.

"What is your name, little one?"

"Um... "

"Don't you tell him a thing! He is evil!" Interjected the blue mare. James simply rose from his knee and opened the clamps, prompting a sigh of relief from the yellow mare. He then strode to the other side of the table, kneeling down to face the pegasus.

Eyes squinted, and mouth turned down into a grimace, her face was the very image of defiance. Her eyes glinted with anger and rebellion, yet James could still detect the slightest amount of fear through her facade. He looked into her eyes, respecting her courage in the face of the pain.

"I won't let him hurt you." The black maned man loosened her restraints slightly to relieve some of the pressure.

He then quickly jogged to the far side of the room and spoke the password. A brief look behind his right shoulder revealed two very inquisitive, very relieved faces. He exited the room promptly, and let the door shut behind him.

***

"Celestia, I am ready whenever you are." I spoke up from my seat in the royal dining hall, turned briefing room. After our little moment in the royal gardens, Luna and I were found and escorted back into the castle. Although nopony asked what happened between me and the princess, I could see the wary looks in the guards eyes that told me: We're watching you.

"We still don't have a plan, Charles. Would you like to lend us some of your expertise on the matter of human interaction?" Celestia said as her brow became lined with beads of sweat. It was apparent that she had never had to deal with such an unknown threat, so I took the floor and spoke up.

"Who's in charge here?" I stood from the incredibly uncomfortable equine chair and glanced around the room waiting for somepony to speak up. I barely resisted the urge to face-palm when everypony in the room raised their hoof to Celestia. Some even raised their hooves to me.

"No, I mean military-wise. Which one of you is the captain?" I asked again, rephrasing my question.

"That would be me." A calm voice spoke up from Celestia's left side. I cast my gaze toward the source and found a very firm looking unicorn stallion. His coat was pale white, his mane dark blue streaked with light blue. His eyes were the same shade of light blue that streaked his mane.

"And you are?" I asked, motioning towards him.

"Shining Armour. At your service." The stallion said proudly, his voice showing almost untraceable undertones of desperation.

"You know someone who was abducted, don't you." I asked knowingly.

"Yes sir, Twilight Sparkle. She is my... sister."

"You'll follow my lead?"

"Into Tartarus and back, sir."

"Well then, let's get started." I cracked my knuckles.

***

"Git yer filthy paws off a me!" the orange pony shouted, bucking this way and that in her restraints. James winced as he witnessed his partner practically strangle his captive. Finally getting what he was after, a vial of earth pony blood, Marshall backed off.

"Hicks. They are all the same... so stubborn..."

"Ah'll show you a hick!" The defiant mare bucked again, this time barely catching Marshall in the hip. As the man fell to the ground, screaming in pain, James couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

"What? Ya'll think that's funny? Why don'tcha come loosen this here strap'n Ah'll give ya mah whole comedy routine!" She twisted and writhed and bucked her heart out.

"James! The scalpel and tray is under the table. Prepare me a muscle sample... I'll be back after I visit the-" Marshall grunted in pain, finally being cut off by the steel door sliding shut.

The black maned man knelt down and pulled out the tray. As much as he hated to admit it, Marshall was indeed his superior. Until now, he had always thought highly of the man. Every operation he had been involved in, Marshall was right there along with him. The man had become a second father to him, and James never thought to question.

Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

A brief second of contemplation later, and James was bearing down on the orange pony, scalpel firmly in hand. He looked at her face, wracked with anger, defiance, and the slightest hint of fear and sadness. James thought long and hard about his decision. Working for the military again was his decision, one he had long contemplated. A chance to catch the infamous Charles Peterson, who killed a whole platoon of his finest men; his best friends.

The military didn't allow for decision making. You did what you were told, and there was always someone above you. James watched the orange pony close her eyes, preparing for the horrific pain that was inevitably coming her way. He was ordered to inflict this pain. And he was honor bound to do his duty to his country.

On the other hand, he was bound to his humanity. He watched the form below him, tough as nails on the outside, obviously terrified on the inside. He held the power over this mare's life, and as a holder of power one must always be responsible with it. Was it right to follow the orders of his government and friend? Or was it right to spare this innocent creature from torture.

'I should have stayed home... My blades don't question.'

His eyes shifted left and right to see if anyone was watching, anyone who would see the crime take place.

That is when he made his decision.

James closed his eyes, gripped the scalpel in his hand, and thrust down in a long, sweeping vertical motion.

***

"Twilight?" Rarity cried. The men had left, and after several seconds the marshmallow mare had gathered enough courage to speak up.

"Yes, Rarity?"

"What did he say to you?"

"He asked my name... and then he told me he would be seeing me again real soon." Twilight recalled the last few events, her voice dreamy and slightly incoherent.

"Twilight... Do you think we will get out of here?"

"I know we will."

Authors Notes: How's everyone doing today? Good, I hope. Sorry for the short chapter. It could be longer, but I decided to split it up and give you guys a taste of what's coming. I hope it's epic enough for all of you!

Sudden Realizations

Sudden Realizations

"Here's to the end of a shitty life." I said in a barely audible whisper to myself as I stood in the doorway of my former home. I stumbled into the darkness, taking deep breaths trying to focus on my decision. I would forget the events of the past six years, hopefully returning my life to some degree of normality, while still retaining the ability to function in society. "Wouldn't want to forget everything and become a 19 year old infant would we?" I chuckled as I drank the thick syrup. I felt my knees become weak, my eyes become heavy. I hardly even felt myself hit the ground. The memories rushing out of me felt like a current of water cleansing me of all sin and evil. It felt wrong to give up my identity, but it was also relieving in a way. The small patches of grass tickled my shirtless body, the wind brought a cool sensation on a warm summer night. I was so relaxed I didn't notice my right fist unclenching, revealing a small note on the underside of my palm. Sleep came quickly that night.

I opened my eyes to a scene entirely different from the one I closed them to. Where my house once stood, there was now several large oak trees. At least I think they were oak. Rinsing your memory tends to leave you with little knowledge. Instead of grass and dirt, I was now laying in a shallow pool of mud. 'Did it rain last night?' I thought as I felt the cold water on my even colder body. Taking a quick look around and rising from my resting place, I leaned up against a nearby tree to contemplate my predicament. 'Wait... whats different. Do I live here? Why am I so cold' I thought as the last bit of my memory trickled from my head into oblivion. I then realized that I couldn't feel my hands or toes. It was then, for the first time in 14 hours I actually started remembering something.

"Hmm.. hypo-something... let's see... Ah! yes! Hypothermia!" I said as I was trying to jog my crippled memory. "Hypothermia. A condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as 35.0 °C (95.0 °F)."

'What the fuck was that?' I asked myself. The thought punched me in the face like a train. This wasn't simply remembering something. As far as I could tell, it wasn't normal. But I didn't have time to stand around and analyze my mind. I had to find out why I was in the middle of a forest.

I took a look around, trying to find something to trigger another memory when suddenly a white square caught my eye sticking out of the mud. It looked like a folded up piece of paper. I reached down to pick it up and heard a faint growl behind me. I jumped slightly and turned around to find the biggest wolf I had ever seen. At least it resembled a wolf. It was more like a tree that had turned into a wolf. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was made entirely of wood, and yet it moved and acted like a living being. Throwing caution to the wind, and realizing I was naked, I gripped the little white paper, covered my shame, and took off running into the strange wilderness.

Dodging trees, branches, rocks, and bushes, I danced through the forest with ease. It seemed odd, because the forest was thick and the wolves were having trouble catching up to me. 'Wait.. Isn't this forest home to these things? They have been running around in this forest for god knows how long and here I am flying through it all with ease' I thought smugly. 'Maybe I had been a pro athlete in my previous life. Or a hermit constantly on the run. Probably the latter.' I was so caught up in my thoughts that I lost focus on running, and stepped on a small sharp object.

Screaming out in pain, I fell forward.The look on my face must have been that of pure horror. I could not have tripped at a worse time. Laid out in front of me was a steep slope dotted with trees and ending in a sharp drop to a river below. As I was careening down the hill another thought was forced into my mind. 'Newtons First law: The velocity of a body remains constant unless the body is acted upon by an external force' Again, where was this information coming from? I had no clue. All I knew is that my body was going to stay in motion until I got acted upon by an outside force. That outside force took the form of a large tree, and it acted upon me like I had been sleeping with its wife. Once again, I felt my fist unclench, releasing my hold on the note within. I did not care however, as I was slipping into the dark void of sleep once again.

***

"What the fuck are you, Charlie? How could you do that to her?!"

"It was necessary to bring about the destruction of our enemies." Charlie said with an emotionless tone.

"That's too far. We agreed remember? No death of the innocent! That was the deal, you murderous fuck!"

"There was never a deal. This is MY power, MY life and it was MY decision to make. Besides, she was no innocent."

"No! Damn you to hell Charlie. I'm done. I quit. We are becoming the very thing we sought to destroy! Remember our family? Remember their screams?! Do you?"

"Yes. I do. But come tomorrow, I won't remember a thing."

***

"Oh god my head... My fucking head... what have I done this time." I spoke in between three painful gasps. My lungs were on fire and my head pounded incessantly, as if to remind me of the prior painful events. As I sat, writhing in pain, I remembered the strange dream I had. 'Were those voices... was that me? Am I Charlie? He seemed so angry... he asked me what I was. Am I not human?'

I pushed the thoughts from my mind and focused on my shattered bones and broken flesh. Lying in a pool of my own blood, I felt my chest only to find a series of strange thoughts invade my mind yet again. 'Three fractured ribs, broken femur, left shoulder shattered, slight concussion. Lungs punctured.' It was as if certain information was just suddenly available to me whenever I called upon it. I then knew that I was not a normal human being. 'Is this the power the man in my dream spoke to me of?' My thoughts were cut off suddenly by a growling sound behind me. 'Oh fuck not again...' I thought as I spun around to see five of the strange wooden wolf creatures slowly approaching me.

"Well. Looks like this is it." I whimpered as I came to terms with my demise. I noticed they were following a crimson trail of blood, presumably mine. I did something at that moment that I hadn't done in years. I cried. Here I was, in a strange forest with no hope for survival. It just wasn't fair. What if I had a family before I lost my mind? What if somebody depends on me? I cried to the heavens for help. I strained every muscle in my body just to try to crawl away from my attackers. But I failed. They were but a few feet from me. The tension was palpable as the creatures longed to fulfill their blood lust. One foot away now. I heard the creaking and cracking of their wooden frames descending upon me. Five inches. I could feel what must have been the alpha wolf sniffing in my ear, eager to satisfy it's hunger.

But fate had answered my prayers. 'Close your eyes. Focus. See into your enemy and use its spark to feed your dying flame.' I had no idea what that meant. But somehow I just did it. With my eyes closed, I saw into the soul of the wolf. It was base, primal. And delicious. I drained the life from all 5 wolves, and all the trees around me. I killed the grass, the bushes, the small rodents scurrying about and the birds flying above. My mind was soaring about the forest. It was as if I could see forever, echoing myself throughout the countless minds and presences within. I suddenly realized what I must be doing and got a hold of myself. There was a short pause and then I opened my eyes as if nothing happened. I had killed everything in a 30 foot radius around me. Even light itself seemed to avoid my presence.

"What in the hell did I just do?" I asked myself slowly and warily. The energy that I took from the life around me coursed through my veins and fueled my mind. My broken bones shifted into place and healed, and my tongue tasted blood.

"I don't know, but I enjoyed it." I answered.

Authors notes: Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed. Its because I know how boring it is to read paragraphs and paragraphs of introduction, and for me it kills the mystery. I want my character to be mysterious, and find out about himself as time goes on, rather than just reveal everything all at once. Again, this is my first time so constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Building Bridges

Building Bridges

After my run in with Princesses Luna and Celestia, my recovery went almost uninterrupted. I almost began to think that the Princess had ordered other ponies to stay away from me. Luna seemed warm to me, but Celestia still seemed wary. Perhaps it was because I had almost killed her. Causing death seems to be one of the only things people know me for. That's something I was going to have to fix if I wished to live here in peace.

Luna visited me quite frequently. It was refreshing to talk to such a bright person, even if that person wasn't human. But then again, neither was I so I was hardly one to judge. The first few times she came to visit Celestia sent royal guards to escort her in case I tried any funny business. I understood, even if Nightmare had been expelled from my body I was still a completely unknown creature to them. I fondly remember the latest visit Luna graced me with. She brought me some books about Equestrian history. Equestria. The name of the world that I was hoping to be my new home.

I learned that the land was occupied by a race of sentient and highly intelligent ponies. They were divided into three main groups, Earth Ponies who were strong and in tune with the forces of nature, Pegasi who had wings and could manipulate the clouds and weather, and Unicorns who possessed the ability to control the arcane forces of magic. In addition to those three, there was the master race, the Alicorns. They possessed nearly god like abilities, and lived forever. There were only two in existence at that point in time. Princesses Celestia, and Luna. Celestia raised the sun every morning, and Luna raised the Moon at night. And Luna was my first friend.

"I brought you a gift!" Luna happily exclaimed as she set down a present before me. I was surprised at her enthusiasm. The previous day we ended on a rather sour note. I made the mistake of asking her about her confinement on the moon. Needless to say she left the room crying.

"Oh! Thank you!" I said with a smile. I couldn't believe her kindness. From what Celestia told me, most of Equestria was still scared of her from the whole Nightmare Moon thing. Because of this, she never got out of the palace and was very lonely. I think she was just happy to have somebody to relate to.

"No problem. I'm sorry for running away earlier... I never get asked about that and I'm not used to it..." She said shying away from me.

"Don't worry. You aren't the only one who is ashamed of their actions... But enough of the past! We have an eternity's worth of a future to spend doing the right thing!" I said, trying to pick up both of our spirits.

"Eternity? I'm an Alicorn, so I'll live forever... but you?" She said with intrigue. I forgot to tell her of my.. condition. I elected not to tell her the more gruesome parts of my past, and with good reason.

"Well. In my world, the dominant race is called Human. I'll tell you more about them later, but I recently discovered I was... More than human. To make a long story short, I can live forever."

"Oh I see. That must have been an... interesting revelation." She said with a tone of sadness in her voice. Being immortal, she knew the pain of outliving your loved ones. Being one of the only two alicorns in known existence, I suppose she shied away from others simply because she had had to live through the deaths of her close friends before. Ah the trials of immortal life, the trials I will have to face until the world ends, or somebody takes my life.

"I take it you have lost loved ones? I know the feeling..." I said trying to be sympathetic.

"Yes... after a while I just stopped making friends and finding lovers simply because when they die I lose everything. Then I was banished for a thousand years. I have nopony but my sister to keep me company..." She said, almost crying. If that was enough to tear her up, she would probably die if she heard what happened in my past.

"Well you have me now! That's something isn't it. That is, unless your sister banishes me to the moon for a thousand years!" I chuckled, but I was also rather fearful being that was a possibility. I gulped.

"So...," I started, eager to end the awkward silence, "What's in this gift?"

"Open it and find out!" She said, her sad face turning happy in an instant.

I unwrapped the midnight blue paper covering the box. It wasn't heavy, but it was rather large. I lifted the lid and inside was a large book. The cover was deep blue. It had an illustration of the night sky on it. In bold teal letters on the cover it was titled...

"Night Time Astrology?" I said questioningly.

"Yes!" Her eyes gleamed with excitement. "Look at the pictures!"

For being a thousands of years old goddess of the moon, she sure had a funny way of expressing herself. Of course, I was her only real friend she has had for generations of being alone, so I would just have to bear with it and pretend I was at least excited. It was a gift after all, and I wanted to be polite.

I opened the book, and to my surprise I actually enjoyed it. It had pictures of her night sky that she had created every night for years. A beautiful sight that everypony slept right through, completely ignoring. I could see why she was so jealous of her sister. The night is misunderstood, and so was Luna for the most part. I have always preferred the night to the day and not just because of my.. abilities. It is peaceful and calm, and the dark sky is a beautiful sight to behold. If I told her that, it would probably make her happy. So I did.

"Thank you Luna! You know, I've always preferred the night over the day." I said, knowing that she would freak.

"You do?! Oh isn't it just wonderful! I have always wanted to make the moon a bit larger and outline the..." She continued to speak as though I had any idea what she was talking about. I just looked at her. She was as beautiful as the night sky that I had come to adore my whole life. It gave me strength, among other things, but I always saw it as a time when I could reflect on myself and other things. A time where I could slow down and do things calmly at my own pace. I loved the night. And I was scared I loved Luna too. I had no idea what the consequences of this would be if anypony found out, so I just shut up and kept the feelings locked up. Still... her eyes bore into me like a drill digging to my soul.

"and that's how the stars work!" She finished, me still staring at her. "What are you staring at?"

"Oh, nothing... I was just... yeah... anyways. I should probably get to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day for me. I have to meet with Celestia and those six ponies who defeated Nightmare Moon. I'll talk to you later!" I said, trying to get her to leave. I was embarrassed and besides Claire, I had never been good at talking to girls I liked. It was always my downfall. To think... Eternal life, strength, brain power and night vision, but I just couldn't grasp the concept of my own emotions. That was also something I would have to work on.

"Oh.. ok. Well I hope you like the book! I'll see you tomorrow!" She said happily exiting the room. I did like the book. I loved it. I continued looking at it for what seemed like hours before I finally drifted to sleep.

***

The next day I was awoken rudely by a pair of armed guards bursting into the room. They said something that had to do with getting presentable for the Princesses and rolling my lazy ass out of bed. I would have protested, but I was too tired to work up the will to say anything. I got up and they presented me with a box of clothes. Pony clothes. That obviously wouldn't do.

"Do you have anything that would fit me?" I said eyeing the tiny apparel they had presented to me.

"This is all we have. Get dressed" The leader of the two said.

Lovely. For the third time I would have to present myself to the royal ponies, who at any time could banish me to the far reaches of space, nearly naked. Whatever, its not like any of them ever wore clothes anyways.

I reached for what looked to be a black cloak in the box. It was a dress, so I ripped off the top half and put it around my waist like a skirt. I then took the remaining fabric and fashioned a belt to tie it up with. I figured I could go bare chested. Personally, I thought my scars made me look like a badass. Maybe they would think that not wearing a shirt all the time was a human thing.

The guards looked at me with a completely undetectable smile, using every bit of their training not to laugh. It was their fault, they refused to bring me decent clothing.

I followed the armed pair into Princess Celestia's throne room. The light of the day burning my retinas as my pupils slammed shut. The room was massive and had many stained glass windows depicting events that took place in the land. I recognized a lot of them from the books I had read while recovering, but some of them eluded my knowledge. The one on the far right was shattered, and being repaired by a dozen pegasus ponies.

At the end of the room I saw Princesses Celestia and the beautiful Luna, along with an orange earth pony wearing a stetson hat, the rainbow maned pegasus that beat the shit out of me a week ago, the purple unicorn, a yellow pegasus with a pink mane, a white unicorn with a purple mane, and sitting at the far edge of the group was a pink earth pony who was smiling so wide I thought her mouth would tear off from her face.

I approached the throne until I was stopped by the guards. I then bowed, as was proper for officially meeting with royalty. I stood like that for what felt like an eternity as questions soared through my mind at lightning fast speed. What if she banishes me back to my world? What will happen to me if Salazar catches up with me? Will they just execute me on the spot for attacking the princesses? Why would they do that after giving me a week to recover?

"Rise, Human." I heard Celestia's voice boom through the room. Everypony went silent and I raised from my bow. The princesses and the other six looked at me as if they were staring into my soul.

"For committing crimes of assault on the royalty of this land, I hereby declare you a traitor to the throne." She said with a voice that was cold as stone.

"However, for saving the lives of me and my sister, I grant you a full pardon and offer you citizenship in this land." She said with a smile on her face that said 'HA! Got you!'

"Thank you Princess! I am overjoyed to hear that you approve of me. What kind of ponies are good medium rare? Earth ponies look like they would be good with sauteed carrots..." I said dead seriously. The princess couldn't harm me, and I had to get her back for scaring the absolute shit out of me.

"..." Before she could call for the guards to detain and execute me I spoke.

"Got you." I said with a small smile.

"I can tell we are going to get along quite nicely." She said, half grinning, half wanting to tear my head off. Nopony had the courage to stand up to her. I had heard from Luna that she was always pranking the poor unsuspecting populace under her control. Which is why I had stepped up to the plate to challenge her.

'This is going to be so much fun...' I thought mischievously.

Authors Notes: Uplifting shit going on right now. Hope you appreciate the change of pace as much as I do, writing such brutal scenes is hard work. Also, I know that Cadence is an Alicorn in the story, but I honestly know nothing about her. So for now, she doesn't exist. If for some reason you desire nothing but Cadence, I'll include her, but otherwise I'm going to leave her out.

Bonus Chapter: PinkieJack

Foreword/Warning. The following was written by request. THAT_1GUY89, if you could stand up and... Hey! Put your pants back on! Ok thanks, now get up here and take a bow! Thank you. This chapter is dedicated to you, who gave the the very bad idea of writing a chapter while I was drunk. Enjoy!

Bonus Chapter: PinkieJack

“So uh… what’s this?” Applejack whispered to Pinkie as they sat in the harbor.

“It’s called shipping! Haven’t you heard of it before?”

“No, ah can’t honestly say I have.”

“I’m sure they have heard of it!” Pinkie called out as she pointed a hoof directly at your face.Thats right, my friend. YOUR face. You stop to wonder whether or not Pinkie is talking to the reader, commonly referred to as ‘breaking the fourth wall’ and is a major no-no in most fiction writing. But this is Pinkie we are talking about here, so yes. She is talking to you.

“Nevermind. Anyways AJ, Shipping is when you put something on a ship and ‘ship’ it to another country! It’s also pony sex from another dimension!

“Po… po.. pony what now?”

“That’s the spirit! Next I’ll show you how to clop.”

“Ya mean…”

“No silly! It’s the noise we make when we walk down a hard stone road! See?! Clop clop clop!”

“Ah think Ah get it now Pinkie…”

“Ya put your left clop in, ya take your left clop out…”

“Yeah Pinkie… I think ya should stop now, yer scarin’ the readers…”

“We can also clop when I grab ya by the flanks and…”

The Reader suddenly stops. The drunken ramblings of The Writer are too much for him to bear. The Reader casually switches over to read another fic. Perhaps ‘Machinations of a Trickster’ by Karon or ‘Redemption, Damnation, and FiM’ by ShadowWalking18 are on his reading list. (And if they aren't, they should be. It's good shit.) Maybe even the famed ‘My Second Life’ by the fantastic author, Coal Buck! Nevertheless, The Reader frantically scrolls through his list of fan fiction, trying desperately to avoid the breach in the fourth wall that was just created by Pinkie Pie and AdamJensen.

But it is too late now.

You have to see how the story ends. You have to read Pinkie Pie’s description of Clopping. You have to read the Writers description of said clopping. And now, without further ado, I give you, the drunken bonus chapter. Thank Jesus that’s over. And thank the Reader for coming back to read the rest.

“And thank YOU.” Pinkie says as she sticks her head through your monitor and kisses you right on the cheek.

***

“What’s wrong Applejack?” Pinkie whispered to her lover.

“Ah… Ah just don’t feel right lyin’ to all our friends…” She returned with a gloomy stare. Keeping secrets wasn’t easy or pleasurable for Applejack, but what would Ponyville think if she was a filly fooler? How would Big Mac react? Celestia forbid Granny Smith’s reaction. Applejack herself was having trouble coming to terms with her questionable sexuality. She had never thought about being with a mare, but neither had she thought about being with a stallion. It was almost as if both felt wrong and she desired something else entirely. Pinkie Pie.

***

She was Pink; she was girly, fluffy, bouncy, cute, and spastic. All the things Applejack hated when she was a filly. All the schoolfillies played dress up, and drew fun from makeovers, but not the orange farm filly. She had always shied away from her feminine side, and was always taught to be rather reserved.

She grew an interest in stallions earlier in her life, but never got the chance to date one. Big Mac was a hit with the local fillies, but never had any stallion friends for his sister to meet. Now that she thought about it, Applejack did not personally know another stallion outside her family.To her, love was puzzling. Puzzling indeed.

It all started when she met Pinkie Pie. Normal days were full of farm work and routine, something that got boring fast. She would spend her days picking apples out in the orchards of Appleoosa. When the opportunity came to open a brand new farm in the town of Ponyville, she just couldn’t turn down the offer. She could still remember Grand Daddy Smith’s words.

“Naw Applejack, ya ain’t even got yer cutie mark yet. Rushin’ outta town don’t seem like such a bright idea ta me…”

“Oh Papa don’t ya worry none. Ah’ll be right there with her every step of the way.” Granny Smith comforted her husband. It wasn’t every day the Apple family got a new plot of land for such a good price. They had to take the opportunity, but they couldn’t afford another loss either…

“Ah understand yer concern papa, but ah’ll be fine! Ahm not a filly anymore… ah can take care of mahself!” Applejack bounced up and down pleading with her best puppy face.

“Ah how could I say no ta that sweet little face… Alright folks, yall can go. But ya better be careful now, ya hear! Granny, may I talk to ya for a moment?”

“So now you’ve taken ta callin me granny like the youngins? You got plenty more years under your belt than I do!”

“Oh, hush it girl. You’ll always be that filly that fell out of the apple tree ta me.”

“Ah, don’t go flatterin me now. What’s it that ya want?” Granny Smith replied, thinking back to her days as a young farm filly. She had climbed an apple tree, reverent in her desire to pick the apples, regardless of her lack of strength required for bucking. Once she realized she couldn’t get down, she called for rescue.

“Ah just wanted to remind ya… Ah love you. You remember what happened ta Annabelle an her husband…”

“Don’t remind me papa. Ah remember, and ah won’t let it happen again. This orchard ain’t in timberwolf territory anyways. We’ll be jus fine.” Apple Smith reminisced.

Her daughter and son-in-law had been claimed by Timberwolves last summer during the grand opening of their new farm several miles south-west of Appleoosa. Applebloom was just a small filly, and luckily couldn’t remember the screams of horror coming from the south field. Applejack, however, was only a few feet away and had to run for her life before the Timberwolves retreated. Big Mac narrowly escaped before taking a few scratches to the neck, valiantly defending his sister. The memory of their loss was carved into the family forever.

“Ah know. But ah ain’t exactly got a lot a time left… and I woulda liked to spend it with you four.”

“Ahm sorry papa… Ah can’t just let the farm go outta business… we just aren’t producing enough apples.”

That statement was true, as the Apple family orchards had been in a state of disarray ever since the attack. Timberwolves roamed free in the nearby forest and with nopony to stop them, they were scaring away all the potential workers. Only those true to the Apple family remained, but they just couldn’t support the whole farm.

“Ah know. Maybe Ah’ll come visit soon. Ya’ll better pack yer bags now.”

***

“Did ya hear that Applebloom?! We’re goin’ ta Ponyville!” Applejack yelled as she tore into her room. Her new home awaited her in Ponyville, and she just couldn’t wait to make new friends. Maybe she could even get a peek at some colts? Her face reddened and she pushed her maturing thoughts out of her head. She was far too young for such things. Or was she? She saw Big Mac’s Playcolt magazines…

“That’s right.” Big Mac’s voice boomed through the door. “And Ah’m comin with ya.”

“Only if ya carry all mah bags!”

“Ah ain’t carryin nuttin fer ya.” He said as he withdrew his head through the door. Several scars were seen on his neck, as he had not yet put his yoke on for the morning plow. Applejack shuddered as she noticed the scars, and briefly recalled the screams of her parents as they died defending their children.

She fended off the memories of her scarred past, and instead turned her thoughts and dreams to a new life outside the friendly territory of Appleoosa. A life with new ponies, new friends, and hopefully a potential stallion friend.

Days of traveling followed days of packing, and finally the four farm ponies set foot on the hard soil of the future Sweet Apple Acres. The sun was high in the sky, and the animals frolicked about through their daily business. The area was vast, and Granny Smith could not be happier. Her grandchildren and her were going to save the Apple Family business! Applejack on the other hoof, was busy thinking about all the work it was going to be.

“Ah… Big Mac? There’s no trees.”

“Yer point?”

“Apples grown on…. Trees…”

“Eeyup.”

“Well… how are we gunna pick apples if there ain’t any trees?”

“See this here bag of seeds?”

“Uh…” Applejack let out an audible gulp.

The rest of the year was spent planting and nurturing the trees. Applejack had been old enough to attend school regularly for several years, but there was no school in Appleoosa. She had learned to speak from her parents, and later her grandparents. As a result, it was hard for her to grasp the concept of proper speech. Words like “Ain’t” and “Gunna” had to be replaced with “aren’t” and “going to”, and that’s not a change she could easily make.

One day in class, the other colts and fillies in her grade began calling her names. They called her a dummy, among other names that she could no longer remember. It was a tough life, but she made due. Big Mac had a talk with the school teacher, and the kids stopped their open pestering. Still, Applejack never made many friends. She kept to herself, and never got that colt friend she desired.

After years of teasing, the phrase ‘blank flank’ was burned into her mind. She had no friends, and hated her new life in Ponyville. She took off to live with the Orange family. When that didn’t work out, she returned to Ponyville. Although she despised the local bullies, she never once complained. Not to Big Mac who worked the farm more than fifteen hours a day, and not to Granny Smith who worked on paperwork for thirteen. She was happy with her family, and that’s how she was going to live the rest of her days. Right there on the farm where she belonged. Her cutie mark even appeared to confirm it.

But fate had other plans for the small orange filly.

“Heya there! Whatcha doin? Oh do you work on the farm? I used to work on a farm, but then I realized it wasn’t much fun. Why do you work somewhere that isn’t fun? It just isn’t good for you! HEY! I know! We could have a party! That’s what made me realize that life could be fun! Actually no, it was the super awesome rainbow I saw in the sky that made me realize that! My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie. But you can call me Pinkie because Pinkamena doesn’t sound fun and I LOVE fun!!” The pink pony was jumping around Applejack, hard at work bucking trees with her new found cutie mark.

“Uh… the what now? And hey, Ah saw that rainbow too!”

“A PARTY you silly filly! And I know! It was so super-duper-awesome wasn’t it! It was all red and orange like you, and yellow and green and….” She went on and on and on. Applejack couldn’t quite place her feeling right for this pink blur of energy. They talked for hours on end. Well, Pinkie talked. Applejack mostly listened.

Pinkie explained that life in Ponyville was better than where she came from. A rock farm. Life could always be worse, and you had to live every experience to the fullest. That was the lesson Applejack learned from the crazy pink earth pony.

Time rolled on, and the duo grew to a trio with the addition of Fluttershy. Then a five pony group with the addition of Rarity and Rainbow Dash. The five ponies had many adventures together, and never separated for any reason. Everypony was perfectly content with their friends and couldn’t want for anything…. Everypony but Applejack, who still had a question she needed answering.

“Say… Pinkie… Have ya ever… well… been with a stallion?”

“Oh sure! I’ve been with tons of them!”

“Ya… ya have!?!”

“Well yeah! So have you! They walk around all the time out in Ponyville silly!”

“No, no… I mean… Have ya ever, ya know… Been with a stallion?” Applejack put special emphasis on the last word. Finally grasping the concept, Pinkie responded. “Oh… funny you should mention that. I think I’m a filly-fooler.”

“A filly-what-now?”

“You know, a mare who likes other mares.”

“That’s… that’s possible?”

“Of course it’s possible silly! I’ve never really been too fond of stallions… Most of them are jerky-werkies.”

“Ah… Ah see…” Applejack responded, unsure of the knowledge she had just been granted. Was Applejack a filly-fooler? How could she know? Even more importantly, how could she find out?

Several weeks past, bringing with them Twilight Sparkle. She fell in right with the group, and it was her that held the root of their friendships. They defeated Nightmare Moon together, and even managed to tackle Discord a year later. They were the best group of friends anypony could ask for, and their status as the Elements of Harmony confirmed it.

They shared many more adventures, and grew even closer as the knot of friendship circled around them, tightened by the forces of Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, Honesty, and Laughter, all sealed by Magic. They had everything anypony could ask for in a group of friends, yet Applejack was still in question.

“So how’s it going Applejack?”

“Its goin just fine thank ya Pinkie!”

“No I mean… what’s going on with the stallions?” Pinkie asked with a wide grin on her face.

“Well Soarin is nice, but he is kinda… well… Ah just don’t get it. Aren’t ya s’posed to really really like em? I feel like I’m just dating a friend… There just isn’t any kinda… connection ya know?”

“Well, I guess you like other fillies! Wanna give it a try?” Pinkie said as she looked directly into Applejack’s eyes. To be honest, the orange farm pony didn’t want to give it a try. She would have preferred it to just happen naturally.

For some reason, however, when she looked at Pinkie a spark set off inside her head. She felt herself naturally drawn to the crazy pink earth pony. There was something behind her eyes, not physically, but spiritually. She wanted Pinkie. Not even other stallions or mares, just Pinkie.

She wanted a slice of the Pinkie Pie.

A very large slice, preferably from the flank area…

‘Stop it Applejack… It’s getting ahold a ya…’ Applejack thought to herself as she started to sweat.

‘Maybe one taste of the Pinkie Pie wouldn’t hurt me none…’

“Sure Pinkie. When would you like to meet?”

“Well Charlie is taking us out to the forest later tomorrow, should we just meet up after then? I’m sure we could come up with a lame excuse to leave early.”

“Ah… Alright.” Replied the orange farm mare. She hadn’t even looked at Pinkie. She had been too busy imagining her bouncy pink flanks.

Applejack sighed as she left the forest with Charlie and the others. It just didn’t feel right to lie to her friends about something so silly. She ultimately decided that she would lie only if it was absolutely necessary. Not only was she the element of honesty, but she had always hated ponies that lie. It was a good thing to be honest.

For the most part.

The time finally came as the group of six ponies and two humans gathered just outside the border of the Everfree. Charlie was explaining something about ‘Tea Vee’ and Applejack was lost in thought of the Pinkie Sandwich that she was about to partake in. Was filly-fooling an acceptable pass time in Equestria? What will all mah friends think? What does Pinkie… taste like? Those were only a few of the questions that poured through Applejack lusting and confusion stricken head.

“Mah brain hurts ya’ll. I think ahm gonna go home.” Said Applejack with a very fake yawn. Apparently it was an acceptable excuse as she and Pinkie slipped out without anypony raising an eyebrow. The plan was going perfectly.

The female duo quickly made their way down the streets of Ponyville, Pinkie happily clopping next to a very confused Applejack. The thoughts that swam through the mare in question’s head ranged from ‘How do two females fool around’ to

‘What will happen if I like what happens in there’. The only reliable answer would be to just follow her pink guide and find out first hoof.

The door to Sugarcube Corners opened with a loud creak, much to the chagrin of the entering mares. Mr. and Mrs. Cake weren't in town at the moment, but a creaking door is the last thing one wants to hear when they are sneaking around. They jumped quiuckly, and returned to their senses. Pinkie shot Applejack a smile, and the two mares entered the building without any further interruptions.

Pinkie led Applejack up into her bedroom where the two had shared many friendly sleepovers. However, this sleepover was to be more than just friendly, and it felt like a completely different house for that reason alone. Applejack silently reveled in the smells and aromas of the structure, and the ones emanating off of the Pinkie Pie in front of her.

‘Ah hope this ain’t just one big mistake…’

‘Even if it is, its tha best mistake ah’ve ever made.’

Pinkie sat down on her bed, and gave Applejack her best come hither expression as she raised a hoof and beckoned her forward.

“So AJ… what is it that you were wondering about filly-foolers?”

“Oh umm… Ah just… well….” Applejack stuttered. A part of her wanted nothing more than to give in to the sweet desires and temptations of her pink mistress, but another part of her wished to just return to her farm and never speak of sex again.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a small peck on her cheek. She was satisfied for a brief second, but her freckles still hungered for Pinkie’s sweet lips. She needed more.

This time, it was Pinkie who was startled to find orange lips pressed against her. Her eyes opened wide briefly, but then closed to a half open, dreary state. She never expected Applejack to get the idea wo quickly. Their lips smashed together for only moments before Applejack pulled away, the redness of one thousand dying stars evident on her face.

“Ah kissed a mare… and Ah liked it…”

“Did ya like my cherry chapstick?!” Pinkie asked.

“Ya know Ah actually.. Oomph!” Applejack started as Pinkie pulled her in for another kiss. They rolled around on Pinkie’s bed for minutes, or was it hours? Time was irrelevant. Only love was prevalent through the thick fog in Applejacks eyes. She had finally triumphed over her own sexual confusion. She liked mares. Never before had she felt anything like this for a stallion, and never again would she try. And damn all those who didn’t approve.

“Pinkie ah… Ah want to say sumthin’”

“Don’t you tell me you love me.” In an instant, Applejack’s hopes and dreams were crushed…

“Because we aren’t even through yet!”…And were instantly restored again.

Pinkie then hopped up off the bed, much to the disagreement of her lover.

“What are ya doing Pinkie? Ya can’t just leave me here…”

“I’m getting snacks. Just you wait!” She said as she speedily left the room. This whole thing was a game, and Pinkie was winning. She always had the upper hoof with her lovin’ and Applejack was no exception. She was going to squeeze every ounce of anticipation out of her dear friend, but there was something else there that she wasn’t quite sure of. Something she hadn’t felt before. She had been fooling fillies ever since she learned of the act, but she couldn’t quite place a hoof on the feeling.

‘No matter,’ she thought, ‘it won’t work out anyways unless I know she likes whipped cream!’

The door opened, and Applejack rose from her position, as if Pinkie was the drill instructor, and she, the soldier. Applejack took a glance down at Pinkie’s basket and asked,

“What are those there things for?”

“They are for erotic consumption!”

“Eroti… HEY! Why are ya squirtin’ it all over me!?”

“Cuz….” Pinkie rubbed her tongue across Applejacks chest and belly. Applejack felt a smooth sensation run up her entire body, the mare’s contact very welcome on her flesh. Now Applejack could see what the big deal was all about.

“Pinkie… that… well that jus feels amazin’…” Applejack moaned as Pinkie continued to lap and suck and stroke the chocolate out of her coat like a mother cat cleaning her kittens. Applejack sure was purring like one. That is, until they heard a knock at the door.

“Pinkie, I know you’re in there…” Twilight said with a slight sigh.

“Quick, tell her sumthin!” Applejack whispered.

“Twilight? What are you doing here?” Yelled Pinkie in a very conspicuous voice.

“Don’t be so obvious Pinkie!” Applejack again whispered, her eyes in a dreamy haze of delight and now fear.

“I just came by to see if you could cheer me up, but if you are busy I guess I’ll come back.” Twilight said, the sadness evident in her voice. If it was during any other occasion, Pinkie would have dropped everything to help her friend. But she already was helping her friend… Technically.

Pinkie sighed as she spurted more syrup on Applejack, dipping down dangerously close to her private area.

“Hey there Pinkie… Ahm not sure we should move so…. Faaaass aahhhhhh” Applejack began moaning wildly. Pinkies tongue had just barely slipped above her opening, and all her previous thoughts were washed away in ecstasy. It was Pinkie’s turn to have a taste of the Apple pie. It was a regular PieJacking.

They were so caught up in their sexual exploits, they didn’t even notice the faint outline of purple unicorn floating, and subsequently dropping, just outside the window.

“Oh Pinkie… Ah reckon it’s mah turn…” Applejack said as she felt Pinkie starting to tire. She didn’t want the night to end, but also she wanted to finally get a taste of chocolate dipped mare.

“Okey dokey lokey! Just make sure you get me… extra clean.” Pinkie said in the most sexual tone she had in her arsenal of speech.

‘This is so wrong… but it feels soooo right…’ Applejack thought as she sprayed Pinkie down with a thin layer of chocolate, accenting certain areas with a few dabs of whipped cream. After she had finished icing her sloppy pink earth pony cake, she dove down, mouth open and ready to receive chocolate and love.

The nights events wore on and on until both mare’s received their fill of both chocolate and sex. There was only half a tube of whipped cream left and Pinkie just couldn’t bring herself to finish it. Applejack was on her third and final orgasm, but Pinkie wasn’t sure she had it in her. She would need something crazy to happen… something so unexpected and insane that would bring her right back to life and out of her sexual stupor.

“Stop right…There?” The yellow pegasus screamed as she charged in through the bedroom door. The look of utter confusion on her face was so apparent that the two lovers couldn’t help but laugh. They had been caught, the jig was up. Or so they thought…

As quickly as she appeared, Fluttershy disappeared into a lump of yellow mare right on the ground in front of them.

“Hey AJ, what do you say we take her back home and tell her it was all a dream?”

“Oh… Okay… Well… maybe after we finish up this here whipped cream…”

“Okey dokey lokey!”

Throwing caution, and modesty, to the wind, Pinkie sprayed the contents of the can all over the area in between Applejacks legs, and started to vigorously suck and nibble the sweet sugar out of her friend’s coat. Even after the cream was all consumed, Pinkie kept lapping at the area until Applejacks moans grew to a halt. The night came to an abrupt, but satisfying end.

“Pinkie… ah…. Was that weird?”

“It sure was for Fluttershy…”

“No ah mean… Is that considered normal behavior for filly-foolers?”

“When have I ever been normal, AJ?”

“Ah love you.”

“Ah love you too Applejack.” Pinkie said in her best southern pony accent. “Now let’s get this mess cleaned up, and get Fluttershy home before anypony wakes up!”

Authors Notes: Next one will be a serious one. Thank you for reading this. I am actually seriously considering turning this into a shipfic. There is a beautiul story to be told here... One that deserves a sober author. See ya'll next time!