Alone

Author's Note: Warning. Mild gore ahead.

Alone
Part 2: A Harsh Reality

“Okay, I got a game,” I said, trying to make my wicked smile seem more innocent.

Springsong shared my good mood, “Okay, shoot.”

I motioned my hoof in the direction of the overfull street in front of us just outside of the hotel we “rented.” I made no attempt at concealing my smile this time, “Let’s see how many tourists we can mess with.”

“Miiic,” She shook her head and looked out at the crowd and smiled, “Well…”

“C’mon, Spring,” I nudged her and pulled her closer to me, “Imagine the headlines: ‘Galloping Gorge Sneezes All At Once!’”

Springsong put her hoof to her forehead and chuckled, “That is a terrible headline!”

“I’m not a wordsmith,” I shrugged and stepped back, stretching for the run.

“If you promise not to come up with more headlines, I’ll go,” She said.

I pushed out my bottom lip in a fake pout, “Aww… Okay!”

She shook out her hooves and lifted her back end, ready to charge like a bull, but she stood back up straight, “Are you sure? I kinda feel bad messing with them. It’s bad enough we steal their food.”

“How about this,” I sat down and thought a moment, “If you don’t think it’s fun, I’ll… hmm…”

“Put on a dress and act like a filly for a full day for me,” Springsong smiled evilly.

I pretended to think about it. Then I really thought about it. She’d be the only one to see me that way, but it was still a horrifyingly embarrassing thought. Perhaps she had fillyfooler thoughts or perhaps a cross-dressing fetish, though. The reward would be worth it in the end even if I lost, so I agreed, much to her surprise. I held out my hoof for the deal, and she shook her head before shaking my hoof.

We both reared up facing the most populated area—the bridge—and I counted down, “Three…. Two…. One…. CHARGE!”

We took off running together. I took off running in random directions, jumping into as many ponies as I possibly could knowing they couldn’t avoid me in such large packs. I was laughing my ass off looking back and watching the dozens of ponies sneezing or shivering whenever I ran through them. I found Springsong running straight through, not doing as many twists and turns as I was, but she seemed to be enjoying herself—at least that’s what her smile told me.

We met up at the end of the bridge and caught our breath. I looked over to Springsong smiling, and she tried to cover her own to pretend she wasn’t enjoying our impish activity, “Not as bad as you thought, eh?”

She looked over the confusion and chaos we caused and laughed a couple times between breaths, “I suppose not, but I’ll get you in a dress sooner or later.”

When we caught our breath for the most part I challenged her to a race. She laughed once, “And you, the colt who’s been in three sports clubs in school, think I, the filly who’s only exercise was marching band and P.E., can beat you in a race?”

“I’ll give you a ten second head start,” I said and sat down to prove it. When she didn’t seem to like the idea I added, “And I’ll run half speed.”

She seemed to consider the idea and stood up, “How about we both take a side of the bridge and see who runs through the most ponies?”

I smiled, “You got yourself a deal, you devilish little…”

I trotted over to the right side of the bridge and clapped my hoof three times to signal for her to start. One. Two. Three. She took off running, her hair flowing out behind her. Four. Five. Six. She was a good distance ahead already, but I could easily catch up. Seven. Eight. Nine. I tried to keep my eyes off of her now with what the only part of her facing me was. Ten. I took off at a little more than half my running speed and was already catching up with her. She looked back at me, panicked, and immediately sped up. I laughed and slowed down a bit.

I remembered when we had first turned we still walked around ponies and avoided them as much as possible as if we still had physical bodies. After a week or so, we fought that urge in order to move through towns faster until, soon, we didn’t really care. It became like a second nature to not give a flying fuck about the physical world ponies. Of course when we ran through them, they were the only ones affected—we just fazed through them. Funny how, in less than eighteen days, we had turned messing with the physical world ponies into a sport.

I made sure that Springsong made it a full three hooves before I did and allowed her to gloat. She looked extremely out of breath and even wheezed a bit.

“You okay, Spring,” I asked her, concerned.

“Just… a bit… of asthma,” She said between breaths, “I’ll… be fine… in a minute…”

Concern rushed through me, so I forced her to sit down on a wood box and ran off to grab her a bottle of water. I sprinted back after nabbing a freezing cold bottle of water and by the time I returned, her wheezing had stopped, but she still breathed pretty heavily. I pushed the bottle at her and forced her to drink.

She sipped at the water at first, but guzzled it down after three or four sips. I had to pry the water from her to keep her from drowning herself.

“I’m sorry,” Springsong said, her breathing more regulated but still a little gasp-y. She stared out at the bridge we were running through and watched the ponies flock away from it, “How did you know that would work?”

“Lazu has pretty bad asthma,” I said, realizing for the first time that I was pretty out of breath myself, “I fool him into thinking cold water works… and it does… He always described his asthma attacks… as if—“

“As if his lungs were on fire,” Springsong nodded, “The placebo effect…”

I nodded as well and felt my legs wobble, so I sat down and took a few breaths myself. My heart was pounding in my chest, but I felt a… weird sensation of relief. I looked back over the last couple minutes as Springsong pressed the cold bottle to my forehead to cool me down. Even though the asthma wasn’t as severe as most of Lazu’s incidents, I was terrified.

“You scared me,” I said out loud, finally having caught my breath.

“I’m sorry,” She lifted her hoof to my chin and pressed her lips on mine. After a few seconds she pulled back, “Does that make up for it?”

I laughed a couple times and added a devious sound to my voice, “I don’t know…”

“Don’t push your luck,” She smiled and kissed me on the forehead, “Here, let me go grab us a snack.”

She trotted off to one of the abandoned shops on the bridge and dug through some food that was not in the open and not sneezed all over. I watched her with a smile I didn’t notice I had for a few moments. I wondered why I got so scared over such a minor asthmatic incident. Why was I so afraid knowing Lazu lived through worse with no hospitalization? Was it because of yesterday? Maybe this was the feeling you get—the feeling to want to protect your mate from anything, but of course I always assumed that was a load of shit that television programs tried to pull.

Or was it that I was afraid of being left alone?

“Okay, strawberries, alfalfa, and some soy-tofu shaped like animals,” Springsong set down the basket of goods down in front of me with a smile.

This brought a smile to my own face, “Perfect.”

*

Springsong jumped excitedly around the museum like a foal in a sweets shop. I had little interest in everything in the museum, but I still enjoyed watching Springsong’s excitement. Even as she tried to explain some of the exhibits to me, I pretended to be interested, but all I really could do was try to hold in my laughter at her unusual hyperactivity. She took my smiles as if I was interested in her history lessons. But I was okay with that. I guess it’s that male protective thing going again.

“Do you think we have time to go to the other one tomorrow before we leave town,” She asked me as we headed toward the exit.

“The fish one,” I asked, “Well I don’t see why not.”

She squealed at my confirmation and snuggled up against me, “Oooooh, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

We stopped at the front of the museum to grab a snack at the souvenir shop—a container of soy-cheese nachos—and debated our favorite types of cheese as we reset our course back towards the exit.

“I personally like almond cheese best for nachos,” I said, “It’s not as thick as soy is.”

“Well I like almond cheese on occasion,” She retorted, “But sometimes it doesn’t like to—“

She suddenly dropped her nachos and fell backwards. I looked up from my snack to see what had happened. Another pony sat at the door rubbing his chest as other ponies walked around him. I looked to Springsong to see that her mouth and nose were bleeding. I immediately dropped my snack and nabbed the napkin from underneath the container to wipe away the blood.

“Dear Celestia, are you okay Spring,” I asked, my voice a little more panicked than I intended.

She pressed the napkin to her mouth, turning the white paper red in seconds. I pulled a towel we had taken from the hotel out of my duffel and gave it to her. Again, she pressed the towel to her mouth, but she stared forward at the pony she ran into. He was a reddish pony with a dark brown mane and a pocket watch for a cutie mark.

Then it hit me—that pony ran into her!

“Oh, uh… Miss,” The unicorn took a step forward, “I am not really used to... touching… ponies… Are you alright?”

Springsong mumbled something from behind her towel, so I asked the question on both our minds, “You’re a spectre?”

“I… suppose that’s what they call us,” He had a strange accent not found often in Equestria, “I’m sorry I… I’m not sure how to react… I haven’t spoken to anypony in years.”

“But you look so young,” Springsong pulled the bloody towel away to find a clean spot.

He kicked the ground with his forehoof, “Yeah, spectres don’t age, missy.”

I finally recovered from seeing this… new pony—after finally convincing myself that Springsong would be the only pony I would ever talk to again. I sat back down next to Springsong and took the towel from her and cleaned her face off. Her nose had stopped bleeding, but her teeth were still red. I checked to make sure, but all her teeth were still intact and unharmed beyond bleeding gums.

“Who are you,” I asked him, still pretty unsure of him standing there.

“Uhm,” He looked confused for a moment, deep in thought, “Clocks… Clock… Clockwise… Clockwiz… Clockwork! That’s it! My name is Clockwork!”

Springsong’s nose began to bleed again, so I stood her up and grabbed my bag, “Let’s talk about this at the hotel. I’m sure we both have interesting stories to tell, but she needs a more sterile environment than a dirty museum.”

The red unicorn, Clockwork I suppose, backed up and stalked us back to our Royal Suite at the hotel, jabbering shrewdly the whole way.

*

“Are you sure you ain’t a doctor, mate,” Clockwork asked, “I ain’t seen anyone that skilled with medical supplies since I was… alive.”

I ignored the Aussie and shined a light into Spring’s mouth to make sure none of her teeth were chipped. It was unlikely, but I have gotten to be extremely paranoid since our transformation. I instructed her to close her mouth, seeing no damage, and pulled her into a hug.

After about twelve seconds, Clockwork interrupted us, “Hey, mates, I’m startin’ ta feel like a third wheel here.”

Springsong sighed and gave me a gentle push to instruct me to let go. I felt annoyed, but I didn’t push. I dragged a wastebasket over to the bed and slid the pile of bloody tissues into it.

“So I suppose you two are fillyfriend and coltfriend?”

“We don’t go by those titles,” Springsong replied, “But in a sense… yes.”

“I though’ so,” Clockwork inspected his hoof, “He’s coddlin’ you more’n a mother to her newborn.”

“Yeah, shut it,” I said.

“Although I have to say,” Clockwork’s behavior was getting on my nerves, but I kept my anger down as much as I could for Springsong’s sake, “Of all the fillies you could be stuck for eternity with, this one’s pretty hot.”

Springsong turned red, “I’m still here, you know!”

“Well take it as a compliment, sweetheart.”

“Keep your eyes up or I’ll cut ‘em out,” I said, seeing his eyes travel down her body. I sat on the bed next to her with him on the other bed a few hooves away.

“Hey, no worries, mate,” Clockwork put his hooves up, “Say, where you two blokes from?”

“Ponyville,” Springsong said, transparently glad to change the topic.

“Ah, the tiny town in the distance of Canterlot,” Clockwork smiled, “I’m from Tazmaneia across the sea to Austallion.”

Springsong smiled, “Really? I’ve always wanted to visit Austallion!”

Clockwork winked, “Oh it’s a beautiful place, mate. You’d fit right in.”

“Okay, enough of the flirting,” I glared at him.

“Hey, I’ve been alone for fifty years. I’m tired of fuckin’ stiffs. It’s nice to talk to a lovely filly for once.”

“Stiffs,” Springsong tilted her head in confusion and obviously trying to keep the topic off her.

Clockwork smiled again, “Really now? How long have you two been spectres?”

“A few weeks, why?”

Clockwork laughed, “Oh that is just great, how did you change?”

“Why does it matter,” I interrupted.

“A curse on the home of Twilight Sparkle,” Springsong said, nudging me.

“Ah that one,” He looked over to me, “What, did you trick this poor filly into followin’ ye in there, mate?”

Springsong again kept me from speaking, “How’d you change?”

“I hit on the Princess of Love,” He said, “So Princess Luna turned me. She was disgusted. How was I supposed to know she was a grieving widow?”

“Looks like you still haven’t learned your lesson,” I said.

“I can tell you hate me,” Clockwork chuckled again, “But perhaps we can be mutually beneficial to each other. I provide you two with information about spectre life, and you two provide me with company. And trust me, you will love this information.”

Springsong took a tissue and gently blew blood into it and tossed the tissue in the waste basket. She looked over at me, looking tired, but eager to learn…as usual. I sighed but nodded to her. She smiled, but I talked before her, “Tomorrow we’ll talk. You can stay here tonight. In that bed. Facing away from us. Got that?”

“You’re going to bed already,” He seemed incredulous, “It’s only 6pm!”

“Well my accident prone mate has needed quite a bit of medical attention today and needs a night’s rest to recover,” I ignored Springsong’s saddened expression.

Clockwork nodded and offered to get us some food before bed to help her recover. Though I suspected he’d drug it, I allowed him. After our suspicious dinner, we all readied for sleep. I made sure Clockwork kept his back to us for a full twenty minutes before I cuddled up with Springsong—holding her especially tight. This guy thought about nothing but sex, it seemed. Even through dinner, he tried getting info out of Spring and I. I wasn’t going to risk anything with this guy, and once we got the information, we’d ditch the guy in his sleep.

That was my plan at least. Although, from recent experience, I’m not good at ditching people.

*

I pretended not to be interested while Clockwork explained more about spectres, but, to be honest, I was probably more interested than Springsong. Clockwork woke up early in the morning to bring us food—sucking up to us, most likely.

“Oy bet that you’re woonderin’ how you goys affect the objects you steal from the pony realm,” Clockwork said, his accent much thicker than yesterday.

It took us a few seconds of whispered discussion, but we finally understood what he said and nodded. He looked at us confused and said in a less thick accent, “Sorry, happens on occasions. Mostly when I dream of home.”

To keep us on topic, I said, “So how do we affect the physical world?”

“Ah,” He leaned closer, “Have you ever noticed when you take something or use something, nopony seems to care that it’s gone? They act like it never existed, raght?”

We nodded, “And why is that?”

“You see, when we take it from their world, it ceases to exist to them. In fact, it never existed. Take a few apples from a cart,” he pulled a fruit from the basket, “The farmer believes they got less from the harvest. Only exception is living sentient beings. Notice we pass through every dog, turtle, or rabbit, even though they seem to ‘see’ us.”

I thought back to a time a dog barked at us. Springsong had nearly broke into tears when she realized that we were still non-existent. She seemed to slump slightly remembering, so I rubbed her back a bit in sentiment.

“Now, if spectres leave these objects alone for a few hours, they go back to the physical realm. That’s why there are so many unsolved robberies,” He bit the apple he pulled from the basket and continued with a full mouth, “Dey dohng nodish oondil—“ he swallowed “—They don’t notice until it reappears in their realm. Food is the only exception.”

“Why so many exceptions?”

“We gotta eat,” Clockwork inspected his bite, “And they don’t want us to be stealing pets. Our punishment would be more bearable.”

Springsong shook her head, “Who’s ‘they’?”

“The demons of Tartarus, Sweetheart,” He ditched the apple, “While Celestia and Luna and other powerful alicorns and unicorns can send us here—like a cop—the demons make sure we serve our punishment fairly—like a prison guard.”

“And since when have Celestia and Luna been doing this,” I asked.

“Since Equestria got rid of the death sentence,” Clockwork chuckled, “This is so much worse. Hell, what’s worse than being forced to move from town to town for an eternity alone with the fear of a horrifyingly malicious death if you stop?”

Springsong and I shared a glance. Springsong did the honors of asking the question on both of our minds, “Horribly malicious death?”

“Dear Creators,” He shook his head, looking at the verge of a breakdown all of a sudden, “I have a habit of understating things, don’t I.”

I repeated Springsong, “Horribly malicious death?”

Clockwork looked around nervously and clopped his hooves together and let out a shaky sigh, “You see, I met this one guy about ten years ago. We were together for only two or three days, but that was enough… I still remember his name, his face… He was a pegasus named Crow Winger.”

“I know about him,” Springsong said, “He was convicted to life for treason.”

“Convicted my ass. He was sent here,” Clockwork refused to make eye contact. He looked a lot less like the lewd douchebag and more like a scared child, “He was very feminine. Gay, in fact. Very stereotypically gay, but he was a nice guy. Of course, I’m not gay, but he was able to satisfy a few needs. When you go as long as I did, you have to understand that your standards become lower. You understand, don’t you Mic?

“I grew to really like him. Time we didn’t spend on top of each other, we spent laughing and running about Detrot. That’s the place he was convicted. That’s what got him. If I had known he’d been there for five days before I found him, I would have brought him with me,” Clockwork let out another shaky sigh, “After another bump session in the middle of the street, he stood up to grab a pastry and… the floor opened up next to him. These… monsters… horrifying beyond description… They picked him up into the air. I watched… I was so horrified.”

By now Springsong was clinging to me. Clockwork had a single tear traveling down his face. After a minute, he continued, “First, they pulled his eyes out and tossed them away, one of them even rolled towards me… He screamed and screamed and screamed. They… they pulled him in half. His skin just… stretched and ripped like… like nothing I’ve seen before. They pulled his lower half in half again. He must have felt that too because he screamed harder during each rip… He was tipped upside down and his blood just… poured out like… a… like a fountain… They dug into his body and just pulled things out, laughing and enjoying every agonized scream and cry for mercy.”

He sobbed, but his descriptions just got more graphic, some of it I just blanked out because of it, “He screamed even after they pulled his lungs out and ripped them to pieces and ripped his jaw off. Even when they pulled his head from what was left of his body… By the time they were done, the mess covered… at least twenty hooves of space… That mess included everything I ate that day and about four retches of stomach acid…”

Springsong looked like she herself was about to give up her meal to the wastebasket from how descriptive he was, but she must have a stronger stomach than I assumed. Clockwork’s voice was still shaky, but his face was sterner, his lips pressed firmly together to keep from crying more. He took in another breath, “They all but one jumped back in the hole. One of them walked toward me. I’ll be honest, I cried like a little bitch and screamed for mercy… he just held me with his bloody mits and told me ‘Don’t stop moving.’”

He shook his head and laughed once, “And so I did. I didn’t sleep for three days until I made it to Springfoald. It took me two weeks to wash all that blood out of my coat… but then again, I could never tell anyway… I still see his face in my dreams…”

After about five minutes of silence, I spoke up, “How many spectres are out there?”

“Out of the five billion population of the equine world,” Clockwork said, still refusing to make eye contact, “I’d say a couple dozen. Maybe two hundred at most. But the new spectres probably meet that fate unless they actually paid attention during their trial in prison.”

“Maybe if we keep tabs on trials across Equestria,” I said looking at Springsong, “We can try to save some of them. How long until we are forced to travel to another town?”

“Seven or eight days,” He said, “I leave in five just in case…”

“Well wha—“

“If it’s all the same to you, mate,” Clockwork said, “I’d like a bit of time alone to grieve…”

I closed my mouth. I hated the guy, but a part of me felt sorry for him. I nudged Springsong and we stepped down from our bed. Right before we made it out the door, Springsong sprinted towards the bathroom. At the sounds of retching, Clockwork laughed a couple times, “I understand, sweetheart… I understand all too well…”

Just then I realized that all the books Springsong had read through her years must have given her a very vivid imagination. It was a story to me, but it must have been a movie to her.

*

“You know, you don’t have to take that,” Clockwork said. He caught Springsong sliding a box sneakily into her bag.

Springsong turned bright red, “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Oy saw you put that pregnancy test in your bag,” Clockwork pulled a few random boxes off the shelf himself without looking at Springsong, “Oy bet you two been rompin’ all the time since you turned.”

I growled. He had far from tested my patience, and no amount of sob story was going to make him more tolerable, “You keep your mouth shut and our business to us alone.”

“Well, just thought I’d let you know it’s impossible to get pregnant here,” He swiped his leg along the shelf, dumping several boxes into the floor and shattering a few jars, “No need for protection or anything. Just good ol’ fashion fun.”

Springsong slowly reached into her bag and pulled the box out. As Clockwork said, it was a home pregnancy test. She looked up, “Why not?”

He looked at her as if he was talking to an idiot, “This is a world for the guilty, not the innocent. Hope you weren’t wanting children, lassy, ‘cause you ain’t gettin’ any. Besides, you don’t age a day. You don’t even get that Hell Time, if you know what Ah’m sayin’. Just basic physical reactions like pulse, breathing, and the like.”

Springsong set the box back on the shelf she took it from and stared at the floor as she walked away from us—shrugging off any of my non-verbal offers of consolation. When she was out of my sight-line, I turned to Clockwork and shoved him hard against a shelving unit. He looked astonished at first and tried to push back, but I shoved him again, pinning him to the shelf.

“She has had a rough time getting used to this on top of having a rough life before this,” I was only centimeters from his face as I growled at him, “I don’t care how long you’ve been away from society, it doesn’t excuse being a prick!”

He let out a few shaky breaths and laughed a couple times, “H-hey, you remind me of them boot-camp movies I seen.”

I felt my disgust rising, so I tossed him to the ground before I felt like killing him, “You keep your eyes off her, you keep your assumptions to yourself, and you treat her with respect.”

He stood and brushed himself off and saluted, “Aye, aye, kap-ee-tan!”

I stalked off after Springsong and he called after me, “I’ll see you back at the lodge, mate!”

*

Springsong still refused to talk back at the hotel room. It was our third night here, so we wordlessly planned where we’d move to next. We used a map to scope out possible cave entrances—which was our normal home if it wasn’t under a tree. Springsong circled a couple more hilly areas, and I put my hoof over hers.

“Spring, I know he’s a dick, but please don’t do this to me,” She looked at me with her sad eyes, “And definitely don’t do this to yourself.”

She turned back to the map and let out a deep sigh, “I’ve kinda always wanted foals of my own. I wanted to be a better parent than my parents ever were for me.”

She wasn’t crying, so I took that as a good sign, “I suppose it wouldn’t be fair to bring a foal up in a world where they have to keep moving and couldn’t have friends.”

“Sounds like both our problems combined,” She laughed once and regressed to a sad smile, “I saw how strong you can be. Back at school. Taking the news of turning so easily… Helping us survive when we don’t have a hotel room… You’re a strong stallion… You’d make a great dad.”

I felt my heart skip a couple beats as she said that. She leaned against me, her head nuzzled into my neck. I put my hooves around her and hugged her tightly, my cheek resting on the top of her head, “Thanks, Spring…”

We sat like that for several minutes before Clockwork burst the door open, “Aww, idn’t that adorable. I was pretty sure I’d catch you two fuckin’ like rabbits, but I suppose not.”

Springsong turned red and faced away from Clockwork. I glared at him and he put a hoof up in surrender. He walked over and set a (fairly expensive) chocolate bar next to Springsong and went back to his basket of goods, “There. How about that as an apology for crushin’ your dreams of little demons suckin’ on ye for three months.”

Springsong picked up the chocolate and examined it while Clockwork ran his mouth more, “Took a good hour of diggin’ to find that beauty, and hey—can’t get fat if you’re constantly movin’, so don’t tell me you’re on a diet!”

She smiled at the bar and set it down on the night stand, “Thank you…”

“Eh, don’t mention it, lassy,” He looked up to me, “And for you, I got a special trick I gotta show you when the buildin’s asleep. I wouldn’t show anybody else, but I think you’ll like it. Springy there’s gonna have to stay up here, though.”

Springsong tensed up, but relaxed immediately as if trying to keep me from noticing, “Okay, just make it quick, okay?”

When Clockwork went into the bathroom, she slipped me my dad’s lucky knife to hide in my saddlebag and said, “Be careful.”

*

“What exactly is this special trick?”

We wandered around the dark hallways searching for an unlocked room, “Oh just something to do if you get bored.”

“Why couldn’t Springsong come,” I asked, “She’s terrified of being alone.”

“Just a stallion’s hang time, that’s all,” He said, “I still don’t see why you had to bring that gaudy bag with you.”

“Never know when you might need something,” I lied.

Two more doors down, we found a room that was unlocked. We quickly slipped into the room and shut the door, probably in case Springsong followed us. Inside we found a blue-green pegasus filly drifting in and out of sleep.

“Ah, she’s prob’ly here for military recruitment,” Clockwork said, “Nice and young. We gotta wait for her to fall completely asleep.”

“There’s a processing station a couple miles from here,” I said looking at her ID card lying out on the table—as requested by the Royal Army, “She’s got to have guts to join at this age.”

A few moments later, the pegasus was fast asleep. Clockwork smiled and pulled the covers off the filly, “You ever had that feeling that you were falling in the middle of the night and you wake up with a shock?”

I nodded and watched him, “Yeah, not recently, though.”

“That’s because you’re here now,” He put his hooves on the filly, “And we can interact now.”

It took me a second. I realized after a few seconds that her skin was reacting to his touch, pushing inward at his touch, “H-how are you doing that?”

“No idea,” He pressed every area of her as if to make sure she was 100% solid, “Some problem with the realm. The Alicorns can’t seem to fix it. Sleeping ponies become solid to spectres.”

With that, he pulled on the leg of the filly and it moved, but it left behind a light. He pulled her out into his arms and set her lightly on the empty bed next to hers. On the bed she had been lying on was a full version of herself, but she was transparent and nothing but a faintly glowing light. I moved my hooves through it. Clockwork stepped back with a grin and let me touch the sleeping pony.

“That feeling of falling,” Clockwork said, watching the filly, “Is this part of your body suddenly being shoved back into the rest of you.”

I stared in amazement and even smiled.

Until Clockwork started messing with her.

He stretched out the filly’s back legs and rubbed between them, “When I said I was tired of stiffs, I didn’t expect to run into a young one.”

“What do you think you’re doing,” I raised my voice, feeling appalled at his actions.

He smiled and looked at me like I was stupid, “What does it look like? I’m gonna have a bit of fun. Haven’t had any for a few days now.”

“But that’s ra—“

“It’s not rape because they don’ feel anythin’,” He said, “And it’s as if it never happened in the mornin’. A bad dream if anythin’.”

“That’s… That’s…”

“Genius,” He said, “You can get the back if you want. I ain’t afraid of sharin’.”

I shoved him aside and pushed the poor filly further on the bed, away from him, “You’re sick.”

Then he got angry, “I don’t tell you how to live your life, boy! Now either you shut up or leave. I figured you’d like a change of pace if Springy ever got boring, but I suppose I can’t tell you anything.”

He pushed past me and put the pony back into the position he had her. I felt blood rush to my brain and my eyes felt like they were going to burst. I ran quickly out of the room, knowing what would happen next.

I heard a few thuds from where I was in the hall, so I ran back up the stairs to our suite. With a bit of coaxing, Springsong got the details out of me, and I felt dirty just being in the same room as him while he prepared for his disgusting act.

Talking to Springsong calmed me down enough that I could finally think straight again. She rubbed my back and hugged me—saying she was proud of me.

“I’ll tell you one thing, Spring,” I said, hearing the stairwell door open down the hall, “I may have been a big pervert before, but I am definitely no rapist…”

Springsong hugged me tighter and whispered, “I love you, Mic.”

My heart skipped a beat again. I stared down at her, holding her tight, hoping that I didn’t hear her wrong. That was what kept me from realizing Clockwork had come back and slipped into bed.

*

“Blimey it’s been three days,” Clockwork complained again, “How much further ‘til we get to Hoofington?”

“Well it would take less time if you quit your bitching and if we didn’t have to change our plans at last minute because you CAME from the place we were heading next,” I let my voice rise with each word until I was practically yelling.

Springsong nudged me to calm me down and looked at her map, “We should be there by tomorrow at noon. As long as we don’t stop for another ‘rest stop’.”

Clockwork, luckily, didn’t catch what she was hinting at. The night before we had stopped at a rest-stop because he pretended to be overly tired, but we knew his real intentions. He kicked the ground agitated, “Eh, can we at least start a conversation? You two always this silent?”

“Yes, in fact,” I said for Springsong, “We just enjoy the company of each other. Kinda hard to do that with a pest infestation.”

“Oh, ha-ha,” Clockwork adjusted his bag and spoke again seconds later, “So you newbs have any questions? Maybe there’s something I haven’t covered?”

Springsong seemed agitated this time, “Unless you can tell me how to change back into a normal pony, I don’t give a flying fuck.”

“Oooh, sassy,” He stepped closer, “That’s the first time you got angry. Normally it’s him.”

“If you don’t have an answer, then shut up,” Springsong flicked her hair as if closing the argument. I put my forehoof around her shoulders and jostled her a bit, showing my pride in her.

“I do, actually.”

We stopped in our tracks and Clockwork almost ran into Springsong, “How?”

A smile crept over the stallion’s face, “Maybe I can tell you for a little price?”

I made a mental note to make Clockwork walk in front of us from now on as Spring answered, “Sure, we won’t ditch you in the next town like I was planning on.”

Clockwork seemed to think over the trade, “I was hoping for a little more, but I guess that’ll do. I’ll have my chance when you turn back. If you turn back.”

“By the way, you’re not walking in back anymore,” I felt I needed to make that clear before he continued his perverse fantasies in his head.

“Fine, fine,” He sat down and rubbed his hooves, “You two were turned by a curse. I was turned by a sentencing. Celestia and her bitchy little sister have the power to see and hear you as well as transform you back. You two were put under without a capital crime, so they may think about reversing your sentencing and sending you back home. Especially if you have a good family.”

“And by good family, you mean…?”

“Oh, mayor, military, teachers, that whole goodie-goodie lot,” Clockwork went to massaging his hips and thighs, “Of course I’m guessing you two come from useless families, but you still have a chance. You’d have to get used to not walking through ponies again.”

I felt my blood boil. He insulted my father. Springsong came to the rescue, however, in my stead. It was like she could read my mind, “His father won a medal for valor in the war against the griffons. He lost a leg saving five stallions under his command, including my best friend’s father. Not only is he a personal friend of Celestia, he is also one of the best recruiters in the history of Equestria. He even nabbed my self-righteous brother and two cousins and turned them into fine stallions even before boot camp.”

Clockwork sat quietly, seeming out of witty and lewd things to say, so Spring let him have more, “He’s the reason I found Mic. Keep your fucking mouth closed and don’t say another word. Now get moving.”

He sat and stared at her for a couple seconds, seemingly annoyed, and started off along the dirt road. I turned to Springsong when he was far enough away, “Damn, you really grew a pair there.”

She blushed, “I guess you’re rubbing off on me.”

I smiled and kissed her on the forehead, “Thanks for that, though.”

“I know you were mad at your father,” She said, starting to walk, “But you still have a lot of respect for him. I can see it. I mean, you took that knife with you.”

I imagined the knife I packed and smiled, “Yeah… I almost miss the old codger.”

“And I meant what I said,” She said, “I did a report in middle ed. on your father. When I heard he moved into town, I kinda watched you. You were tough, just like him. It’s amazing being this close to the son of one of your heroes.”

I smiled again, wider, “It’s funny you consider a Royal Army veteran as one of your heroes.”

“He taught me to be brave,” She said, looking at the ground as we walked, “I ran away from home taking his advice.”

“His advice?”

“‘Don’t let fear keep you from doing what is right. For yourself or for others. Bravery could mean the difference between life and death. Love and sorrow. Happiness and pity.’”

“Wow that’s corny,” I laughed.

“It is,” She smiled too, “But it was moving enough. Too bad it didn’t have advice on how to ask you out.”

“I do wonder one thing, though.”

“What’s that?”

“If Celestia can see us, and my dad is one of her good friends,” I stared at the ground thinking, “Given the evidence that Twilight and Scootaloo are dead… Why hasn’t she come looking for us?”

*

We settled into a cave four hours from the next town. Clockwork had since cooled down and started up his usual, constant, and lewd dialogue. Spring and I tried our best to ignore him, but he persisted. I took a roll of duct tape and rolled it across the floor toward him, and he finally got the hint to keep his sick jokes and discussions to himself.

Springsong set up my pile of tinder for the fire, but before she started the fire, she realized most of our wood was missing.

“Oh, that,” Clockwork smiled sheepishly, “I thought it was weighing us down, so I dumped it to move a bit faster.”

“You fuckin’ idiot,” I shook my head in disgust, but I calmed down almost immediately when Springsong put her hoof on my shoulder.

“Just go out and grab some more. I’ll set up your spot for you,” Springsong kissed my temple and pushed me out of the cave to find firewood in the surrounding forest. I kissed her on the chin and walked out, making sure to subtly leave her my knife.

I climbed branches for a good ten minutes and gathered dead sticks and fallen limbs. I put as many as I could in my bag and hurried back to the cave. I got about twenty hooves away when I noticed the shadows flickering—to which I assumed was only Spring starting the fire. But at ten hooves, I heard movement and struggling.

I quickened my pace in time to hear the yell, “MIC! MIC! HEL—mmph! MMPH!”

I ran into the cave and dropped my bag to the floor to stop it from restricting my movement. Inside, Springsong was pinned to the ground with a small rag balled up in her mouth and my knife knocked away just out of reach. Above her, Clockwork was poised, ready to…

I ran up to them, turned around, and buck kicked Clockwork a good five hooves away. I picked up my knife and jammed it up against his throat, “Give me one reason not to kill you. One fucking reason!”

“She came onto me,” Clockwork laughed nervously, “I can’t pass that up! She just likes it kinky that—“

“Wrong answer, scum.”

My muscles relaxed almost immediately when Springsong spoke, “Mic, don’t.”

I turned my head to see Springsong standing shakily with tears running down her face, “It won’t solve anything…”

I looked back down to Clockwork, who lay smiling below me. I pushed off of him and walked over to comfort Springsong. She sat down heavily and allowed me to pull her into a tight, guarding embrace. She shook in my hooves and I stared at Clockwork with all the malice I had in me.

I never left her. She stayed in my hooves even when she fell asleep. I pulled a blanket over us and lay down, still keeping my eyes on the red stallion. I kept her close and replayed the moment for the hundredth time in my head. I kept seeing how close I had come. If I had showed up even two seconds later, he would have taken her. He would have hurt her even worse than she already was.

I hugged her tighter as I watched him cover himself up and turn away from us, pretending the whole incident didn’t happen. She still shook and tears fell from her closed eyes. I felt my throat become invaded by my heart, and I tried to swallow it back down, but it stayed. I wasn’t there to protect her… so I have to make better precautions.

I slowly released Springsong, bit by bit, and eventually got loose in a good fifteen minutes. I stood slowly and stepped cautiously over Springsong. Grabbing the bag I had restocked back at the Galloping Gorge Medical Center, I found a tiny vial of chloroform. When Clockwork joined our group, I knew I would need it. I dabbed a bit onto the cloth he had stuffed in Spring’s mouth and pressed it against his.

And then I dragged him outside.

I tied him, face forward, to a tree and stood behind him. To wake him up, I slid the knife across his foreleg.

“AH,” He screamed loudly, but I knocked him on the head to stop him. We were far from the cave, but I didn’t want to risk him waking her.

“Rise and shine, scum,” I said.

He tried to turn his head, but didn’t quite turn it far enough to see me, “What are you doing?”

“Maybe you can tell me,” I said, walking around him so that I could watch his terror-filled eyes, “I have never met a stallion stupid enough to do what you just did. And I know some really stupid stallions.”

He laughed nervously, “I just couldn’t help myself. I was tired of the stiffs, even with the young ones. I wanted a moving body.”

“Well perhaps I can help with those urges,” I said, shining the knife in the moonlight, “Cut those fuckers off, eh? No more need to rape sleeping girls or my mate. Hell, I’ll take the whole set while I’m at it.”

“N-no, no, please,” He kept up his nervous laughter, “I won’t do it again, I promise.”

“Now how can I be sure of that? You’ve been raping fillies for years, as it would seem,” I said, my emotions dead. I started feeling like one of those psychopaths from the movies. The one with the creepily calm voice and the twisted ideas.

And I liked it.

“I can stop! I swear,” He forced a smile and I could see the sweat dripping down his face, “A hoof is okay too, you know.”

I pretended to contemplate it. I shrugged, “Perhaps you’re right. I don’t think I’d wanna touch those nasty things anyway.”

I sheathed my knife and started walking towards the cave. I stopped only when he yelled to me, “H-hey! Where are you going?!”

I turned around, “I’m gonna leave you there. I don’t wanna dull my knife doing the job the demons of Tartarus can do with their bare hands.”

I turned again, but stopped when he said, “You really fell for that garbage, didn’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“That sap story,” He laughed, “Do you really think I cared about that little faggot?”

“You seemed to, seeing as how you’ll fuck everything that moves.”

“Oh, that one was a job. I got rewarded handsomely for it.”

I walked closer to him, “Rewarded?”

“Yeah, they caught me one day too long back in Phillydelphia. Right before they could ripped me to shreds, they offered me a job. They told me if I could distract more spectres so that they could have some fun, they’d keep me from my own death.”

I stopped a few hooves from him, “And you just… led him to his slaughter?”

“Oh, of course. It was kinda fun to watch,” He laughed again, “And the other three as well. They all fell for the same story you did. Sad story and pretending not to know how to socialize. Chicks dig a sappy story. They fall for me, and within a year I get them shredded.”

I felt my stomach twist in disgust. He continued to tell me the details of each individual he led to the slaughterhouse. My hooves shook listening to the stories. By the end, I couldn’t rid the images in my head and my hooves shook like I was having a seizure.

I cut the tape binding his hooves. He laughed and looked up at me, “You’re a smart guy after all.”

The heart of rage filled my lungs, it grasped my heart in its iron fist and squeezed it, pumping it faster—it clouded my mind and flushed through my muscle system.

I pushed him to the ground on his back and pushed the blade into the soft flesh of his belly. Shock covered Clockwork’s face and blood dripped from his mouth. I pulled the knife back and shoved it down again. And again. And again.

Yet he still lived somehow.

He tried to twist to the side, but I rolled him over, the adrenaline filled veins more powerful than his leaking ones. I shoved the knife hard down into his chest and twisted the knife, sliding it to the right, making sure that I didn’t slice the heart to the left. His eyes looked weak and his body stopped fighting me. I pulled the knife out and jammed it into his throat and pushed it further and further to finish the job. Blood choked from his mouth with each push, the knife finally reaching the ground behind him after the fourth push.

I stared into his lifeless eyes, my breaths coming in large heaves.

I pulled the knife from his broken body and dragged him to a stream fifty hooves away. I pushed him into the stream and waded him out past the jagged rocks. Looking at myself in the reflection in the water, I figured I should probably wash myself off before returning to Springsong. Using the moonlight as my guide, I soaked in the water and scrubbed his filthy blood from my body and my knife.

I shook myself dry and made sure I was completely clean and dry before climbing back into bed next to Springsong. She woke a little and mumbled, “Where’d you go, Mic?”

“Ssh, go back to sleep,” I whispered, kissing her on the cheek, “I just had to use the bathroom.”

She nodded and cuddled up into me and fell back asleep. My body ached, but I felt alive. I closed my eyes, and just lost myself in thought. Whatever I did to him… it wasn’t enough.

And I slept like a baby.

*

We made it to Canterlot a good ten days after the ridding of our red menace. I had been to Canterlot on several occasions, so I knew just the right hotel to take. However, on the way into the city we heard two guards talking and mostly ignored them, but part of their conversation caught my attention.

“…lestia is on her way back,” The Alicornian guard said, staring forward instead of towards is conversational partner.

“Yeah, heard it was just a false alarm, though,” The brown furred pegasus replied, “Princess Luna mistook a traitor for the colt.”

“How long have they been on the case for, now?”

“Good month… month and a half maybe.”

“Do you hear that, Mic,” Springsong said in a joyous tone, “They’re looking for us!”

“I feel sorry for ol’ Luna,” The Alicorn said, “Searching every night for those foals. If only they were allowed to stay put.”

“Luna? I feel sorry for them foals. Living the lives of traitors, killers, and rapists.”

“Speakin’ o’ rapists,” The Alicorn lowered his voice, “Y’hear they found the body of one of our favorites?”

“Which one’s that one?”

“The one that tried to rape Cadence, of course.”

“Really? How’d he die?”

“They found him at Galloping Gorge,” The Alicorn explained, “He was so mangled they couldn’t figure out which stab wound killed him, but it sure wasn’t a hellion. Probably one of his victims. Remind me to collect my eighty bits from old Smokey. Stubborn ass will try to get out of it.”

I felt the color drain from my face. I looked over at Springsong and her expression was the same, “You didn’t…”

“I-I told you,” I countered, “He was gone when I woke up… I… I didn’t… I couldn’t!”

She breathed out a shallow sigh, “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt… even so, if you did…”

I nodded, feeling the knot in my stomach slowly releasing, “I wish I did…”

She leaned against me the rest of the walk toward the hotel. I thought back, making sure I covered all my bases. My knife was cleaned. My fur had no traces of blood. I covered the bloody ground with leaves. I buried the tape…

We entered the six star hotel and took the elevator to the royal suite. I remember always loving this place on our trips to Canterlot because it was a six star hotel on a five star rating system. The elevator dinged and even greeted us into the room with a recorded female voice. The room was a small area with two large beds, a television, three night stands, and a couple dressers. Near the door was a closet and a small bathroom.

I dropped my bag on the first bed and Springsong did the same, “For a royal suite, this is pretty small.”

I smiled and put my foreleg around her shoulders, “That is why only the Princess’ special guests rent this room, like my dad on his seasonal trips here.”

“So you guys liked the simple lifestyle?”

“Au contraire, madam,” I slipped away from her and approached the television, “Allow me to woo you with… DE MAGICZ!”

I pressed my hoof against the screen of the television and suddenly the wall opened up behind it. The television lowered itself into the floor and the closet turned into a hot tub. Behind the opening walls were a giant theatre-sized screen, a pool table, a mini-bar, and even a large one-sided view glass that overlooked Canterlot.

I turned with a smile to see Springsong’s jaw practically on the floor. I laughed and taunted, “Spring, you’re drooling.”

She turned to face me and then back to the magnificent area before us, “Maybe… we can start with… a shower?”

I laughed and led the way to a large, mini-pool sized bath tub. We soaked for a few minutes before I decided to break the silence, “Y’see, only the Princess’ friends know about this area. I don’t know how many—“

“I know you did it,” Springsong said out of the blue.

“Did what?”

She looked at me with a serious look, “I can always tell when you’re lying, Mic. That’s how I knew you were trying to set me up back at Twilight’s place.”

I looked down at the water and splashed it around slightly, “I am still… very regretful tha—“

“That’s not what I mean,” She interrupted again, “And even then, I’m kinda glad I got to spend this much time with you.”

“Then… what do you mean?”

“I know you killed Clockwork,” She said with no emotion. I felt my stomach clench up and my heart jump into my throat. I couldn’t speak. So she did, “That wasn’t the first time he tried, that night. The first time he did I was able to hold onto the knife… the second time he got me from behind…”

I kept silent and let her speak, “I could feel his disgusting body getting closer and closer, then I heard you running… I thought you would get there too late, but you came right as it brushed against my leg…”

She looked up at me, “I know you killed him.”

I stayed silent for a few minutes. I wasn’t sure how she expected me to answer, so I just shook my head and said, “I’m sorry…”

She waded closer to me and kissed me on the cheek, “Thank you.”

She waded away and climbed out of the tub, “How about that hot tub? Maybe I can find you a thank you present.”

I looked down at my reflection before pulling the water plug. That was more unexpected than an M. Night ShamanLawn movie ending.

*

A day around the town. While we wanted to enjoy ourselves, we got antsy about being able to turn back, so we stalked guards around Canterlot trying to get an answer about when Celestia or Luna would be back. I thought about leaving a random note on the Commander’s desk, but I knew the note would not appear for a couple days.

“We can finally go back to Ponyville,” I said as we rested near the gates next to the same guards as the night before, “Back home.”

“Yeah,” Springsong said in a more detached tone.

“Is something wrong,” I asked, concerned.

“I don’t have a home to go back to, remember,” She heaved a sigh, “Although the library lounge couch does sound great compared to caves and forest dirt.”

I sighed through my nose and stared at the floor. The two guards hadn’t spoken for the whole thirty minutes we sat there, and it made me nervous. So I spoke without thinking, “Maybe I can talk my parents into giving you the guest room.”

She looked at me with a doubtful look, “Do you mean it?”

“I’ve been stuck out here with you for over a month without more than five minutes away from you,” I said with a smile, “I don’t think I can imagine a day with you away. I’d probably turn to my side and get confused when there’s nothing but air.”

She smiled and leaned up against me, “I’d really like that…”

I pet her lightly on the head, “Might have to buy a big pillow to get used to sleeping alone in my bed again.”

Spring laughed and nuzzled against my shoulder, “You are such a suck up.”

I chuckled, “You really opened my mind. I owe you.”

“Now you’re being corny.”

I rolled my eyes and heard a crackling. Springsong sat up and looked over at the guard. He leaned his ear in towards his transceiver, “Clean up that signal, Smoke, what is it?”

“We got Delta package coming in screened,” The transceiver replied, “We want to keep this as a low profile or the vultures will be all over it.”

“Copy that, Smoke,” The pegasus turned to his partner, “Delta package is on the way for retrieval.”

“I heard,” The Alicorn turned and lifted his transceiver from his armor, “This is Feral to base. There is too much noise in the city, Delta package is on its way under screens awaiting sunlight for cleanup.”

“What the hell are they talking about,” Springsong asked.

“The Royal Army and the Royal Guard have had issues with the press and media hacking their communications,” I said, “They have to talk in code. ‘Vultures’ means press, ‘Delta package’ means friend or close associate with the royal family, ‘sunlight’ means Princess Celestia, and Delta package being ‘under screens’ means it’s a secret visit. Normally they disguise the carriage and have a few carriages come in to disguise which one carries the guest. Don’t know what ‘too much noise’ means.”

She looked at me amazed, so I added, “We were under screens whenever I was with my dad. He wanted me out of the spotlight.”

“How many times have you been here?”

“Uh…” I thought for a second, “Three or four times.”

Two carriages approached the gate and the guards let them through, but the windows held no answers for us. A few minutes later, another carriage came through looking more beat down than the first two. Inside the window, I saw a familiar face.

“What’s my dad doing here,” I said, surprised by how long it took me to place a name to a face.

With that, we ran in the gate and followed the carriage. It stopped at a sign and we hopped onto the back of the carriage and enjoyed the ride—which stopped at the Royal Guard barracks. We stopped and my dad was helped out of the carriage, his prosthetic seeming to bother him. As he walked past guards, they stood at attention and saluted. Springsong and I followed close behind.

He stopped at attention in front of another pony and saluted, “Colonel!”

The colonel saluted as well, “Captain.”

As if the air just snapped, they smiled and started laughing, “Jeez, Cap, you can’t help yourself, can you?”

My dad shook his head, “You know I can’t, Pin.”

The two joked for a few minutes, some of their jokes even making the stone-faced guards smile. The colonel, Pinfrost, pat my father on the shoulder, “So, you know why Celestia called you here, my friend?”

Again, the air changed and my dad got entirely serious, “I heard it was because you have news of my son and that filly.”

“Yes,” The colonel offered a chair and a glass of whiskey, “How about we talk over a drink?”

“You know I can’t pass up a drink,” My dad smiled and took his glass and swirled the brown liquid around the ice, “Now what is this about Mic?”

“Celestia has tracked down the executioner demons of Tartarus in charge of the spectre banishment,” the colonel took a deep drink from his glass, “They told her that your son and his fillyfriend have made it to the city and have been here since last night. They are somewhere in the city and Celestia and Luna are on their way to track them down. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were in this room right now.”

“He’s good. No wonder he’s a colonel,” I said, making Springsong chuckle.

My dad finally took a drink, “You have no idea how big of a relief that is to me and my wife. Those two deserve a medal for surviving that kind of ordeal…”

“How is the wife, by the way?”

“She has been better, but you should have seen her eyes light up when I said you guys had news on Mic.”

“At least he wasn’t alone,” Pinfrost set down his glass, “And with that temper of his, that girl deserves another medal.”

“Those whiskey glasses are making me thirsty,” I said, shaking my head but not necessarily offended.

Springsong followed me out the door and towards a grocery store a few blocks away, smiling and teasing me about the conversation. We stepped in the store and came back out with bottles of water. We sat on the road, no longer antsy about the transformation knowing the Princesses were on their way to fix everything. Everything was going to be okay. Everything would go back to normal. Whatever that was.

A shadow blotted out the sun, I looked up, expecting a cloud, but was met with a giant flock of birds. I shook Springsong, who was falling asleep on my shoulder, and pointed, “Spring, look! Looks like a migration. A big one.”

Springsong looked up at the birds, shielding her eyes and squinting, “What is that they’re carrying?”

I looked up at the birds again, “Wait… those are griffons.”

“Looks like they’re carrying…”

I jumped up and immediately pushed Springsong forward to get her to run, “Shit, shit! Those are bombs!”

“Quick, follow me,” I instructed, “The barracks have a bomb shelter under them!”

We made it half a block before the ground shook and a deafening blast sounded behind us. Springsong lost her footing and nearly tripped, but I grabbed her and pulled her up just as another explosion broke the noise barrier. I looked behind us in time to see the explosion shatter several buildings.

I pushed Spring forward, but she stood her ground when she saw a bomb slam into the Canterlot Castle in the distance in front of us. A whole side of the castle crumbled and slid off the cliff and into the sea. I looked up just in time to see a griffon coming closer to us.

I panicked. I pushed Springsong, no longer caring if I hurt her in the process. I shoved her into a mattress shop, “Get down!”

She curled up into a ball on the floor near the edge of the building, so I lay on top of her and pulled a mattress over myself. Ten seconds later, an explosion ravaged just outside the building, muffled by the bedding covering us, but the debris and building parts falling on it made me even more nervous. My adrenaline pumped quickly through my veins and Springsong whimpered under me.

“Sh, sh, sh. It’s okay, Spring. We’re gonna be okay,” I tried to comfort her, but the adrenaline and rattling ground caused my voice to shake.

I heard machine-magic fire in the distance. They must be using the turrets powered by the unicorn infantry division. Pegasi would have definitely been scrambled to stop the fleeing griffons that dropped the bombs. Loud squawks, thuds, and splashes gave me hope that the battle would end soon.

And it did. As quickly as it started, the noise came to an end. For three minutes all I could hear was Springsong’s and my breathing. I pushed the mattress away. Debris and ceiling tiles fell from it. I stood shakily and walked to the door. Looking out, I saw the city in total wreckage and many ponies wandered out dazed and confused. I looked back to Springsong, still whimpering and shaking where we lay through the assault. I walked to her and helped her stand and walked with her, both our legs made of jelly, out to the street.

A rescue crew made up of guards and Royal Army soldiers were in action immediately. They pulled the living and the dead from rubble here and there, putting limbs and other blown off parts aside and out of sight for the most part.

“Dear Celestia,” Springsong breathed, “What just happened…?”

“The griffons broke the treaty,” I replied, my voice angered, “These fuckers want to continue this war, then let—“

“Mic watch out!”

I felt a pressure on my flank and I launched forward, losing my balance and falling on my face. As soon as my face made contact with the floor, I heard a crash. I stood up immediately and turned around. Almost wishing I hadn’t.

“Oh dear Luna, no,” I panicked. Half of Springsong was under a small but heavy pillar. Her upper half was still moving, but her lower half was crushed.

“It’s okay, Mic,” She looked up at me, blood dripping from her lip, “I’m okay… it doesn’t hurt.”

I pressed my body against the pillar, but it didn’t budge, even with the gallons of adrenaline pumping through my veins.

“No, no, no,” I slammed against it again, “You can’t do this to me! She did nothing wrong!”

“Mic…” She lay on the ground, weak and quiet, “Come here… please…”

I rushed to her side, “Please, Spring, don’t talk. Keep your strength; we just need to wait for the princess.”

“It’s okay, Mic,” Her eyes barely focused on me, “I feel fine…”

I looked at where the pillar and her met. The pillar was almost flat on the ground. My throat clogged up and I clenched my teeth. I pressed my face into her neck and my body jolted several times.

“Don’t cry, Mic,” Springsong’s voice got softer and softer, “I’ll be okay.”

My eyes were blurry when I pulled away from her, so I wiped them away and was met with her smiling face, “Don’t worry… I’ll be safe in the World After…”

“Please don’t leave me,” Water dripped from my eyes, tears.

“I have to, Mic,” She reached her hoof shakily toward me and wiped away a tear, “I’ll see you again…”

“I can’t, Spring, I can’t be alone,” My body jolted more and more.

“You won’t be… you’ll be alive again…”

She let her hoof fall. I took in a shaky breath, “I love you, Spring… I really do…”

She smiled again, “I love you, too… it’s so good to hear that, Mic…”

Her eyes. I watched them lose their life. She was gone. And she took me with her.

*

I wandered the streets. Debris and ash filled the air and streets. Ponies cried in agony, crying for help. I heard them, but I couldn’t hear them. Sirens and shouts from paramedics and rescue teams filled my ears, but they, too, meant nothing.

I was vaguely aware that I was waiting for a princess to find me. To change me back. I could go back to living how I did before I took off with Springsong.

But I would still be alone.

Something in me. It begged me to return to her. She was part of me. We hadn’t left each other’s side for so very long…

And something hit me.

Was it that I loved her that I was sad to see her go? Was it because of some sick, selfish desire that I was sad to see her go? Was I more sad for myself, or for her?

Did I really love her?

Was our whole relationship just a need for each other’s company? A survival technique?

“Mic, is that you,” I heard a demanding voice call to me. I lifted my heavy head to see Luna on top of a collapsed building, pulling rubble out, “Wait for me! We will find you when we pull these foals out!”

I turned right. An entire section of the city had fallen into the waters below it. While there were buildings, I saw no bodies. Even with the jagged rocks hundreds of hooves below.

“Mic!”

I turned to the voice. Luna landed beside me, “Hello, your majesty…”

“Mic, we’ve been searching all throughout Equestria for you and the filly,” Luna said, her voice unnaturally harsh as usual, “Is she here with you?”

I turned and pointed to the fallen pillar and the purple body half underneath it, “She saved my life… Stupid smart girl…”

Luna seemed to catch onto my mood and her demeanor and voice changed, “Mic… We are very sorry…”

“It’s not your fault,” I kicked a chunk of rock off into the sea below.

Luna turned behind her and surveyed the rescue crews before turning back to me, “Can you answer a question for us?”

“I guess…”

“A group of foals found a dead spectre near where you and your friend traveled,” Luna stepped closer, her voice growing kinder, “And the Hunters say that he traveled with you… Did kill him?”

I felt another tear stream down my cheek, “He raped Springsong…and so many others… He had to pay…”

Luna sighed, “We are very sorry, Mic… but we may not be able to change you back due to your actions. It will take a few years or more before you can return.”

“Okay,” I felt nothing. My body still shook from the adrenaline crash.

“From what you’ve told us, perhaps we can convince Sister to look kindly on you,” Luna put her hoof on my shoulder, “So you can stay with us in Canterlot until your punishment wears off. You can even finish your schooling.”

“He deserved it…”

“That is true, Mic,” Luna’s words went back to her normal tone, “However, the amount of damage done looks much more malicious than protective. We can turn you back in a few years.”

“Your Highness,” A soldier called, “We’ve got another survivor! We need a pair of strong wings!”

“We will return soon, Mic,” Luna backed away, “And we will discuss this more.”

She flew off towards the wreckage. I couldn’t return home. I was a murderer. Spring could have returned. Would she have? Or would she stay with me? I looked down at the rocks and the broken buildings below.

I thought of the few weeks I’d spent with Springsong. Of what I had gotten her into. In the end, it was my fault she was turned, my fault she was attacked, and my fault she was dead. All for a laugh with some friends.

What kind of monster am I?

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to the wind, hoping she would hear me—hoping… praying she would forgive me.

I let my legs give way, and I fell forward.

And the rocks moved closer and closer…