The Thief, The Wizard, and The Element of Kindness

Chapters

A Curious Cabin
World of Confusion
A Tale of Two Parties
Of Contracts and Suits
Consequences of Hostility
A Letter Undelivered

A Curious Cabin

Soup. The heavenly scent of soup filled the air causing a stir from the bundle of blankets. How delicious it smelled. Someone of a superstitious mind would argue that it could awaken the dead and some might argue that it had. The smell of tomatoes mixed with a variety of ingredients. It was alchemy at its finest. Ingredients that separately are considered unremarkable are brought together into perfect balance and produce something extraordinary. It is the perfect way to awaken.

And that’s when pain happened.

“Oof!” came a surprised voice. “Oi! What do you think you’re doing?” Looking up from under the blankets the figure came face-to-face with his attacker; a rabbit furiously jumping on the figure under the blankets. Curiously it appeared to be scowling.

Any further complaints were lost when a single glance revealed his surroundings. He was lying on what appeared to be a couch in the middle of a modest-looking cabin. Most disturbingly was that he was surrounded by a variety of animals. Birds, mice, a raccoon, and he was certain he saw a bear wave at him from the corner and they all seemed to stare at him almost expectantly.

“Well this is creepy,” he deadpanned and looked around a second time to confirm that he was alone, “and now I’m talking to myself.” A kick from the rabbit reminded him of why he was facing this odd predicament to begin with.

“You!” pointing at the source of his discomfort and then losing his breath in shock as he took in the sight before him.

“WHY DO I HAVE A FUCKING HOOF?!” the, now standing, equine creature shouted from atop his couch. “WHY DO I HAVE TWO HOOVES? WHY DO I HAVE HOOVES?” He couldn’t seem to stop shouting at the piling revelations, with each limb causing increasing levels of concern.

“Um,” a concerned voice came from the general direction of the delicious smell, “are you, umm, ok? You seem, um, distressed.” An unexpected sight, consisting of a winged horse-like creature with a yellow coat and pink mane and tail, came through the door at that point causing further confusion for the creature standing on the furniture.

"YOU ARE DAMN RIGHT I AM DISTRESSED!" he exclaimed with righteous fury. A moment later he regretted his outburst and sense returned to the confused male. “I feel as though either some questionable things may have occurred or I am having the weirdest dream ever,” he replied dryly and began to settle into a laying position, to then be interrupted by a pain emanating from his abdomen. “There appears to be an injury here, so much for the dream theory, and a bandage- was this you?” his mouth operating too fast for his train of thought.

“Um,” she almost squeaked due to apparent nervousness, “yes, I hope you don’t mind. It’s just that, um, there was so much, um, blood…” she trailed off into dialogue so soft-spoken that the rabbit would have difficulty understanding her. This caused the equine on the couch to raise a hoof to settle her down.

“I am making you nervous,” stating the matter as it were. “I thank you for your care but I doubt that I can offer anything to make it up to you. So I have to ask, why save me?” The question only brought a confused look on the other’s face.

“You needed help,” that simple statement being enough to distract her from her nervous streak. “You looked like you needed an act of kindness, anypony could see that.”

“Anypony?” a confused look spread across the equine’s face followed by one of understanding. “Pony, I see. I am now a pony?” it was as much of a statement as a question. “Ok, well that explains the hooves, but what about the butterflies on your flank?”

“My cutie mark?” confusion working itself into her voice. “Why do you- Oh my goodness! Did you hurt your head too?”

“No,” he replied dryly, “I am suffering from no known head injury. Let me be frank. I was not a pony when I suffered my injuries. So, what is a cutie mark? No, wait, what is your name? We can go to cutie marks afterward.”

“I’m Fluttershy,” her voice dropping to just above a whisper, “and you weren’t a pony? What kind of critter were you?” genuine curiosity creeping its way into her voice with a hint of excitement.

“Not important,” claimed the one on the couch.

“But I love meeting new critters,” Fluttershy’s eyes were almost pleading.

“Listen,” a soft but firm tone finding its way into his voice, “I can only make assumptions right now and that first assumption is that whoever left these injuries is not going to be happy if it’s discovered that I survived. So this is as much saving your ass as it is mine. I will not tell you who or what I am, or was, or whatever. Gah! I’m confused. For now, call me John and I’ll promise to tell you more if I can guarantee everyone’s safety.” From that Fluttershy appeared to wilt slightly at the abrupt denial of information but then she nodded and wore a determined grin on her face.

“John,” she raised a hoof, “it is so nice to meet you.” Thinking he understood what was happening John raised his hoof and bumped hers. A moment passed while she was thinking. “I wasn’t sure when you would be waking up so I was preparing some soup. If you are hungry, that is, it should help with your recovery.” A low growl escaped from the vicinity of John’s stomach, to which he nodded and began the act of standing up. “Oh no, you just stay there and I’ll bring it to you.” With that, she started toward the door she came from.

“Hold on,” cried John, “it occurs to me that I do not know exactly what I look like. Do you have a mirror?” Fluttershy looked at him with concern, apparently lost in thought.

“I am so sorry,” she began, “but the only mirror I have is in the bathroom and right now you need to rest. We will see if you are good to move after you eat, so just sit tight, please.”

She said please. For whatever reason that one word had an effect on John as he found himself wanting to do exactly what she said without objection. So he agreed and a few moments later she returned with two bowls of soup balanced perfectly on her spread wings. He hadn’t given much thought to the wings before but now, as they were prominently displayed, he found himself wondering if they would work for flight. They appeared to be too small to supply lift for a creature the size of Fluttershy.

Curiously he turned his head to examine his own body. He discovered a light gray coat and a dark brown tail along with the white bandage around his midsection but no wings. He wondered what this could mean and came to the conclusion that he was a different species, or sub-species, of “pony” in this world.

However, curiosity became alarm when he noticed the mark on his flank. A small dragon carrying a coin purse was on prominent display. Panicking, he looked down at his chest and noticed the discoloration of his light gray coat, a stark white coming through forming the letter “T.” His hopes for anonymity shattered, he looked at Fluttershy and felt a pang of guilt as he noticed the expression on her face. She was concerned for him and that somehow made it worse.

“I have to leave,” John suddenly stated. “Was there any equipment nearby where I was found? A cloak, bags, and weapons amongst various other supplies.”

“Yes, but-”

“I need them. Right now! You could be in danger! I have to leave and leave no trace that I was ever here! I was hoping that I could remain anonymous but I need to know one thing. These cutie marks,” he gestured toward the mark on his flank, “are they unique to the individual?”

“Yes, but what does-”

“Then I can be identified,” he visibly deflated. “This mark is the emblem of my guild. And this scar on my chest is the mark of an identified thief. I need to leave and you need to forget that I was here.”

“No,” she seemed almost stern.

“You are not dying for-”

“You need to rest,” she gazed at him. “Please, eat your soup I will ask my friends for help. Mr. Bear will watch the door,” and surprisingly the bear nodded and stepped through the door, “but we need to make sure you are healed before you go anywhere on your own.” It all made sense, too much sense, but John couldn't argue against the logic. As he looked down at the bowl of soup before him a terrible noise brought his attention to the exterior of the cabin.

“Nightseer!” a voice bellowed loudly. “Show yourself and undo this trickery!”

The look of surprise on Fluttershy’s face was only matched by the look of terror on John’s.

“Is that who you are hiding from?” she managed to whisper.

“Worse,” John declared, “he is my friend.”

“Oh how delightful,” came a new voice. When John turned around he wasn’t prepared for what he saw. Sitting on the couch was a creature that looked like a mixture of various animals thrown together. A lion’s paw rubbed the base of his goat-like chin while a claw tapped on the armrest and a dragon’s leg lay crossed over a hoofed leg. A sly grin stole John’s attention away from his mismatched horns. “Your relationship seems wonderfully chaotic and I want to hear this story.” A snap of his claw manifested a bowl of popcorn and the strange creature settled in to get comfortable.

“And why should I tell you anything?” the chill in John's voice was almost tangible.

“Because you haven’t told us anything my little pony. The fact is that you have been omitting the truth the entire time you've been conscious and that is incredibly rude to your host,” the creature nodded as if to say that was final. “Now why don’t we start with the basics? How does an elf wind up with a name like Nightseer? And then you can tell us all about whoever it was who tried to kill you.”

“Trust the truth to a creature who doesn’t offer his name?” it was John’s turn to grin. “I would be just as foolish as that pony shouting in the woods.”

“How rude of me,” the creature offered his paw. “I am Discord, master of chaos.” He dropped his paw when it became apparent that no one was going to take it. “But I do believe you are mistaken, you see your friend is not a pony.”

World of Confusion

Confusion. The creature found himself in a forest. He last remembered lying down in his guild quarters. Moving to his feet he was surprised to find that he no longer had any instead he had hooves like those he had seen on a cow. He hastily checked and discovered that he still had hands but he also had a pair of horns sprouting from his head. It was all so confusing.

When confusing things happened there was usually one cause: the elf.

He reached back to see if he still had his battle-axe on him, guild members kept telling him to disarm before sleeping but they were just stupid, and so he took his axe in hand and let his rage fuel him.

“Nightseer!” he bellowed. “Show yourself and undo this trickery!” Satisfied with the impossible odds that his intended target heard him; he marched toward a clearing he saw in the distance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Not a pony?” a confused John responded. “I turned into a pony, why wouldn't he?”

“Perhaps the universe hates you,” Discord stated matter-of-factly, “or maybe he has proven himself worthy of a form befitting his honorable fighting style.”

“Ha!” John was actually laughing. “Honorable fighting style? You have just proven that you know next to nothing about Hammer!”

“And now I know his name,” Discord smiled that knowing smile. “But I have to ask, why call yourself John?”

“Because it is my name!” anger flashing across John’s features. “I am John and that is all you need to know.”

Discord sighed, “I can see that you’re not going to be any fun.”

“That depends on your definition of fun,” John responded.

“Cute,” Discord began, “but I’ll just ask your friend when he gets here.”

“What makes you so certain he is coming here?”

“I am so glad you ask,” Discord was beaming. “The first clearing he would find in the Everfree forest would show him this very cabin.”

The roar of a bear was heard from outside followed by the sounds of paws running through plant life. Then there was silence.

“Oh,” Fluttershy squeaked, “my…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A cabin. Surely he would have sought refuge there; it was the only visible structure apart from the town in the distance. Small, cozy, and out of the way. No one would come by accidentally and if they did he would talk his way out of it like always. The thought brought a smile to the creature’s cow-like face.

“Talk your way out of this,” he muttered while tightening his grip on his axe.

He never noticed that he was being watched. As he drew closer a bear sitting by the cabin door let out a roar before running into the forest.

He was so full of rage that the creature never noticed the bear at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John winced as he stood from the couch. He was in no condition for a fight.

“My equipment,” he turned to Fluttershy, “I’m going to need it if I have to take care of this.”

“What are you going to do?” her concern practically forming an aura around her.

“Hopefully,” John started while working his joints, “I am just going to talk to him.”

“Why…” she seemed to lose resolve immediately. “Why do you need your things?”

“In case talks break down,” John responded neutrally. That caused Fluttershy’s eyes to go wide and she visibly tensed. “Before you say a word I understand that I won’t be able to fight him, but he doesn't know that and I’m going to use that to my advantage.”

Fluttershy nodded and trotted off up the single set of stairs visible in the cabin. John continued working his joints, getting a feel for his movement and promoting blood flow, he had no idea how the following encounter would go.

“I’m thinking you might be fun after all,” Discord said while eyeing his bowl of popcorn.

“I make no claims on my entertainment value,” John made no effort to hide his growing smirk, “but I will promise my ability to survive.”

“In that case I’ll grab a front-row seat,” a snap of his claw later and he was gone.

Fluttershy returned a moment later flying while carrying black material in her forelegs and a bag by a strap in her mouth. She gently place the bag on the cabin floor and looked at John while hovering.

“Um,” she began, “here you go.” She held out the folded black material with worry in her eyes. John looked at the material and determined the reason for her worry, it was made of leather. That thought left his brain and was immediately replaced by the fact that his armor had changed as it now resembled something that would fit his current form. He reached out with a hoof and realized that he had no idea how he was going to hold objects with hooves.

“Well,” he began, “this is going to be awkward.” His gaze met Fluttershy’s with the question poised on his tongue but was distracted by the armor going over his head. She then helped him fit the material over his limbs. After a moment he was fully dressed with his bandages completely hidden. John then nodded at Fluttershy. “Thank you.”

“It’s no trouble,” Fluttershy claimed. “Everypony always has trouble at first.” She regarded John with curiosity and smiled.

The next distraction came in the form of something large pounding on the door.

“Wait here,” John said while reaching for the doorknob only to stop when he realized the futility of attempting an action that requires manual dexterity. “Um, could you open the door for me?”

Fluttershy flew over and turned the knob then gave a small push against the door. The door flew open.

“Oh not fucking fair!” John exclaimed. Standing in the doorframe was a large minotaur brandishing a heavily notched battle-axe. “Why didn't someone tell me that I could have been a minotaur?”

“Nightseer!” the creature bellowed. “Where is he?” John took a moment to lock eyes with the minotaur.

“He is dead friend,” John responded slowly. “You know me as John Gambit. You have questions but I do not have all of the answers." If anyone was surprised by a rage-fueled minotaur beating on a cabin door they would have been equally surprised by what happened next. The minotaur returned his weapon to its sheath.

“John,” the minotaur began, “what have you done?”

“Hammer,” John released a sigh, “it got complicated.”

“You handle the complicated,” Hammer stated. “Just tell me who I have to kill.” The gasp from Fluttershy reminded the duo that they had an audience. Hammer stared at the strange yellow pegasus for a long moment before he snorted and returned his attention to John.

“We can’t kill anyone yet,” John sighed. “I don’t know where we are and how to get back.” John applied a forehoof to his face and exhaled. “The point is that the complicated bits are going to take a long time and a lot of research. The least of which will be to try to find some powerful mage willing to help us,” removing his hoof he sat in silence for a moment. “We also have to face the possibility that we may never find a way home.”

That revelation did not go well with the minotaur. He stared John down and pointed a menacing finger. “Bring us home,” he spat in John’s face, “or I will kill you.”

“Kill me and you’re alone in a world of strange-colored ponies,” the frustration had broken through his calm mask. “I will do all that I can to get us home but I need help. It’s not like I can just pull an inter-realm portal out of my ass. You have to give me time and assistance.”

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the pair. A silence that was broken by a crunching noise from the corner. A quick glance revealed a bowl of popcorn sitting on a small table between two chairs with popped kernels floating to one chair while a pink hoof lifted some toward the other chair which contained a pink pony. A moment later Discord appeared in the first chair holding some popcorn in his paw.

“Don’t mind me,” he slyly stated. “I’m just enjoying the show.” With that he threw the snack into his mouth. “Although, I couldn't help but overhear that you are in need of a mage. Pinkie, do we know any powerful mages who could lend their support to these strangers?”

“Well duh!” the pink mare exclaimed. “There’s Discord but as his magic is based around chaos there’s no telling where in the universe of universes you could end up so that’s probably not the best choice. All of the princesses would work so we have Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight of course. Because most of the princesses would probably be too busy to offer much help I have to say that the best bet would be Twilight because her biggest royal project has been the rebuilding of the town library and it helps that she is the Element of Magic and magic kinda sounds like mage which is what you are looking for so I think we should all talk to Twilight.” A brief pause allowed John to realize that he hadn't caught much of what this 'Pinkie' had said and made Hammer think that he wasn't going to like this place.

“All right,” John began, “I have two questions. Who are you and who is Twilight?” A much exaggerated gasp interrupted the group’s respite.

“Oh my goodness!” Pinkie started dancing on the tips of her hooves. “I completely forgot! You are new to Ponyville which means you need a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ welcoming party!” Her eyes scanned the room. “I need to get started on planning!” and she bounced through the door.

“Where are you going?” John called after her.

“To get streamers!” she called back. John made to call again but thought against it. Dealing with the pink one made his head hurt.

It was funny how confusion worked. In some cases it would bring entire armies to a standstill but in others it would inspire the desire to learn. The former was visible on Hammer’s features as he slumped in defeat while the later began forming in John’s mind and he made no attempt to hide it.

“Fluttershy,” John turned to meet her gaze, “can you take me to Twilight?” Fluttershy considered the question for a moment before answering.

“Yes,” she responded, “but only after you finish your soup.” Finding no cause to argue John simply nodded and then trotted back to his seat on the couch. She then looked toward the minotaur standing in the door. “Oh I’m so sorry, would you like some soup as well Mister Hammer?”

Viewing the scene before him Hammer could only show his confusion. But confusion gave way to hunger and he nodded his consent. Fluttershy led him to the chair Pinkie was using and made to retrieve a bowl for her new guest.

“This world is strange,” Hammer stated to no-one in particular.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Discord replied from the other side of the table. “Since you’ll be here awhile why don’t I tell you all about the magic of friendship?”

A Tale of Two Parties

“This is the job we’ve been waiting for!” an elf excitedly whispered while being careful to keep his volume below the noise of the inn. “After this we’ll own this city!” His companion, an attractive female elf, sitting across the table appeared anxious.

“But,” she began, “he is dangerous. What if you are discovered?”

“I’ll handle it,” a wicked grin flashed across his face as he emptied his wineglass. His outward confidence did nothing to satiate his companion’s worry.

“Run the plan by me again,” she evenly stated. He sighed and called for another bottle of wine from the barmaid. He then settled in to talk over every detail of his perfectly formulated plan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Bullshit,” John had had enough. Listening to the draconequus, as Discord called himself, explain the magic of friendship had struck a nerve in the thief enough to distract him from the pain that walking was putting him through.

“Oh come now,” Discord patronized the thief, “it’s just a form of magic that you haven’t encountered yet. When you meet my friends you’ll see what I’m talking about.” A glance ahead confirmed that there would be time to talk about this as the entrance to town could not be seen yet.

“You claim to make a believer of me,” John’s smirk returned in full force, “but I claim that you will fail.”

“Well aren't we full of ourselves,” Discord returned the smirk with a grin of his own. “As it stands I have nothing to prove to you so why would you challenge me in this way? Could it be that you are afraid of what it would mean if I am right?”

“That story is ridiculous,” John now wore a neutral expression. “The elements of harmony sound like something a child made up to entertain other children and you mentioned that they are the most powerful form of magic in all of Equestria, but what do they do? You claimed to have faced them and lost, what did they do to you?”

“I became a stone statue,” Discord lamented. “Oh how the birds have missed their perch.”

“A statue,” John repeated and poked Discord with an outstretched hoof. “You don’t look very statuesque to me.”

“I got better,” Discord snarked, “but that doesn't change the fact that you are attempting to discredit my tale.”

“I make my living on discovering the truth,” all playfulness gone from John’s voice. “My experiences tell me that a single fact hidden away in even the most outlandish of legends can kill us all.”

“It is no mere legend and I believe that you will discover that for yourself,” Discord sighed. “As dreary of a conversationalist as you are at least you’re more adaptable than your companion.” He gestured to the minotaur following behind the duo. He had been silent for the entire trip to town most likely mulling over the revelations he had received at the cabin.

“He’ll liven up if we can find a problem he can solve with an axe to the face,” John shrugged.

“How brutish of him,” Discord flatly stated. “Remind me to never steal his cookies.”

“Speaking of companions,” John began, “why did Fluttershy have to go ahead?”

“She may have felt the need to help with arranging the festivities,” despite the grand flourish Discord gave he appeared bored.

“You mentioned unicorns?” John changed the subject. “Are they the only ones capable of magic?”

“Yes and no,” Discord began, “all ponies have magic in them but the unicorns are the only race capable of controlling it.” He paused and noticed the curious expression on John’s face and decided to continue. “Pegasus’ wings are much too small to maintain flight for a creature of that size so their innate magic adds to their abilities. Earth ponies tend to have an affinity to the ground beneath their hooves; I would suspect this is why Applejack always seems to know when somepony has found their way onto her family’s property.”

“Anything else you may have noticed?” John posed the question.

“Well,” Discord brought his claw to his chin in thought, “many ponies of all races have shown the ability to hold and manipulate objects with their hooves. I would assume that is some form of innate magic that would require some concentration and training though.”

“Object manipulation using magic localized to hooves?” John was lost in thought. “Now that is interesting.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I won’t worry about you getting inside,” the beautiful elf conceded, “however, you still haven’t told me how you plan on getting out if you are discovered.”

“He’ll never suspect anything is wrong until long after I've hit the border,” he explained.

“You always have a backup plan,” she reasoned. “We always have a backup plan.”

“If getting in works I’ll have access to his workshop,” the elf began calmly, “there should be enough there to cause some chaos and escape through the tunnels; then it’s just a matter of staying out of sight until I cross the border.”

“Alright,” she looked uneasy, “but what about your employer? What if he decides he no longer wants you around?”

“When we meet I’ll set up the meeting room like I always do,” he reasoned, “if he doesn't want to meet under my terms then I’ll take my business elsewhere.”

“Who is going to watch your back?” her unease was slowly escaping her features.

“I think John has earned his shot,” he answered. She gave an approving nod but appeared lost in thought.

“One last question,” she hesitated. “What does he need you for?”

“I haven’t told you yet?” the elf appeared surprised. “Our employer has a rival and I’m to ensure that he loses his portal research.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Dammit!” John exclaimed. He had discovered that lifting objects was an easy feat but his tools fell to the ground with a clatter when he attempted any sort of motion required of them.

“I did tell you it would require training,” Discord laughed over John’s shoulder.

“Not helping,” John snapped. His frustration was visible to the entire party, he even managed to get Hammer’s attention with his deft hooves, but he knew that he would have to calm down before he could make any progress.

“Regardless you may just want to gather your tools,” Discord gave a flourish, “we have arrived. Welcome to Ponyville.” Ahead loomed a town square bordered by several small shops and market stalls while ponies cantered back and forth talking amongst themselves and greeting friends and acquaintances.

“Ponyville?” Hammer asked.

“This world is inhabited by talking ponies and you question their naming habits?” John countered and went back to collecting his belongings.

“Say what you want John,” Hammer began, “but at least orcs name settlements in ways that make sense.”

“You grew up in a town called Orctown,” John deadpanned, “and orcs were a minority there. You are a half-orc so this whole orc pride stuff you throw around is a little misplaced and nonsensical.”

“Makes more sense than Ponyville,” Hammer countered while being satisfied in his logical fallacy. Discord and John merely looked at each other and continued walking while the minotaur followed behind. The trio passed by the stalls and shops, one of which seemed to only sell quills and sofas, while making their way to their destination. Before them loomed a somewhat larger shop with a design and paint scheme similar to a cake of some kind and a sign displaying the establishment’s name to passersby.

“Sugarcube Corner?” John read quizzically. “Some sort of sweet shop I suppose.” He led the way inside only to be assaulted by a blast of confetti and streamers. The source of his discomfort was apparently a pink pony operating a canon while five other ponies stood behind her.

“Welcome to Ponyville!” the six multicolored ponies shouted.

The voices brought John’s mind back into focus and Hammer replaced his axe into its holster. Their eyes scanned the room and recognized the two familiar faces, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie who was operating the canon, in company with the other four. A white unicorn with a purple mane and tail was staring at John’s armor while an orange pony with a blonde mane and tail and wearing a Stetson raised her eyebrow at the unicorn’s disapproving glare. Hovering in the air was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail. Lastly, standing front and center was a purple pony who was gifted with both a horn and wings with a darker purple mane and tail that had a single stripe of pink running through it. Behind the ponies was a fully decorated bakery complete with streamers and balloons as well as a table stocked with sweets and a punchbowl.

“Well,” John recovered, “I can honestly say that I didn't expect this. I think I'll just help myself to some punch.” He walked toward the snack table while the ponies tried to make the guests feel welcome. Hammer and Discord went to a booth to have their own discussion and Fluttershy trotted off to join them.

“Name’s Applejack,” the pony wearing the Stetson introduced herself, “an’ if’n ya find the punch to yer likin’ ya’ll should come ‘round the farm as we’re gearin’ up fer cider season an’ this year’s lookin’ tah be a record breaker.” Her accent was unusual but John found it easy to follow.

“Thanks for the offer,” John responded noncommittally, "but I'd like to sort my own problems out first." Applejack thought this over.

"Seems fair," Applejack began, "but know the offer's still on the table." She walked over to join the cyan pegasus in conversation. John continued toward his prize until he heard a sound behind him like someone clearing her throat. Turning around he came face to face with the white unicorn.

“Darling,” the white unicorn interjected, “what in Equestria is that material?”

“Leather,” John responded with a sigh.

“But why would you wear something so dull?” she responded.

“Why do you offer fashion advice before offering your name?” John countered and continued toward the snack table.

“Of course,” the unicorn was taken aback, “my name is Rarity and I own Carousel Boutique. It’s just that I could make something more, how should I say it, appropriate to wear around the cows.”

“To be honest,” John began, “I am hoping that I won’t be here long enough to worry about offending any cows. I might take you up on your offer if I have to think long-term though.”

“That sounds fair,” Rarity said. “However, I insist that you come to the boutique so I can get your measurements.”

“I hope you realize that I have no means of paying for any clothes,” John responded and attempted to grab the ladle sitting in the punchbowl.

“Of course you don’t,” Rarity began, “you only just arrived in town. You are someone who is in need of assistance and I will offer what I can. I will expect nothing from you but your gratitude.”

“Well that’s generous of you,” John said. “How about this, if you’re not sick of me by the end of the day then I’ll stop by the boutique tomorrow.” Rarity thought that over and nodded. John continued pouring his punch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What if something happens?” the beauty whispered. Her companion studied her face and thought carefully of his answer.

“The guild will cover your expenses,” he claimed. “You will never pay dues.”

“Who is to be in charge?” she breathed.

“With my last breath,” he began, “I will ensure that John escapes. He knows the entire operation. He will be the guild master. I know you trust me Vixen.”

“I trust you Nightseer,” with that her expression drifted from worry to content and the two enjoyed the rest of their evening.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“All I’m saying,” the cyan pegasus continued her one-sided conversation, “is that you look like a character out of a Daring Doo book.”

“And all I am saying,” John countered, “is that I don’t know who or what that is and unless you have the book in your possession I don’t care.”

“Twilight has the entire series in her castle,” she returned. The pegasus had previously introduced herself as Rainbow Dash but she was beginning to wear John’s patience out. Seeing an opportunity he turned to the remaining party guest.

“And you must be Twilight,” John said. “I've heard that you are good with magic.”

“That’s correct,” the purple pony affirmed.

“So do you know anything about interdimensional portals,” John asked hopefully.

“I can’t say that I do,” Twilight responded, “but there is a shipment of spellbooks that Princess Celestia wants me to go through. It’s possible that somepony started on portal research.”

“That sounds fair,” John began, “but do you think you would be capable of conducting the research yourself if you had to?”

“I don’t see any reason why not,” Twilight began. “It definitely sounds like something worth looking into. But I can’t let it distract me from my other duties so it would take time.” A purple light then fell over the punch ladle and it poured some punch into a glass. The purple light moved to the filled glass and levitated in front of Twilight.

“Not exactly the best scenario,” John claimed, “but I’ll take it. So may I call for a toast?” The seven ponies followed by the minotaur and Discord all raised their glasses.

“To new friends and new discoveries,” John proclaimed and the nine individuals drained their glasses.

“Whoa,” Twilight started, “Pinkie did you add something new to this punch? It tastes strong.”

"Nope," Pinkie responded. She then began stuffing cupcakes in her mouth to mask the taste of the punch.

“Sorry that was me,” John stated. “But now I trust that you’ll give this portal research your best effort.”

“What does that have to do with spiking the punch?” Twilight reasoned.

"I didn't spike the punch," John began, "I poisoned it." A gasp rose among the partygoers accompanied by the shattering of a single glass. "It will cause a very painful death in a rather short timeframe," John continued. The faces of those in attendance wore various emotions but most settled on shock and anger while Pinkie looked confused and Fluttershy appeared sad. Twilight let out a single breath with an outstretched hoof and steadied her gaze.

"Why would you poison the ponies who are offering to help you?" she asked.

“Because,” John let a grin overcome his face, “when you figure out the portals I’ll give you the antidote. You might want to get started.”

Of Contracts and Suits

Rarity heard a knock at the door. This perplexed her as it was far too early for the boutique to be open. The sun had only just risen after all.

“Now who could that be,” she said to herself as she approached the door. She opened the door with her magic and frowned as she recognized the leather-clad pony in her sight.

“Good morning Rarity,” John greeted her. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“John,” she began, “it is far too early to begin any sort of formal business. Celestia has only just raised the sun after all. What are you even doing awake?”

“Right,” John seemed embarrassed, “sorry I just wanted to make sure that there were no hard feelings and if I could confirm if your offer yesterday still stands. I can- um- come back later if you’d like.” The way he said it reminded Rarity of Fluttershy but it wasn’t enough to disarm the unicorn.

“After last night you are incredibly lucky that I’m even talking to you,” Rarity fumed. “I should tell you to get your drab clothing out of Ponyville for the crime against fashion!” She locked eyes with him for a moment and her scowl softened. “But I think that there is more to you than you let on. Come inside I would like to have a chat with you about last night.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I think this has gone on for long enough,” Discord called from across the room. “I wanted to see what chaos you’d cause but you’ve crossed the line John.” He raise his claw menacingly and inwardly gathered his magic.

“Do anything to me and your friends die,” John replied his gaze never leaving Twilight’s eyes.

“Says you,” Discord responded. In spite of his confidence he hesitated.

“I’m not from this world,” John began. “You’ve never seen this poison before and a single mistake could be disastrous.” He broke eye contact with Twilight. “Do you think this is a job for chaos?”

Silence fell on the bakery. All eyes were on Discord now. He lowered his claw but kept his magic ready to release it at a moment’s notice.

“Now then Twilight,” John eyed the alicorn and reached a hoof into his bag, “let’s make a deal.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I must say it was a very dramatic moment,” Rarity recounted. She was levitating measuring tape, fabric and scissors while expertly taking John’s measurements.

“Thank you,” John responded.

“Too bad you hadn’t perfected working with hooves yet,” Rarity stated matter-of-factly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A clatter sounded out as John’s hoof came into view. Embarrassment showed on his face as his bag’s contents spilled onto the floor. He then wore excitement when he realized that he was still holding the parchment he was trying to retrieve.

The parchment then fell to the floor.

“Damn,” John simply stated as he reached down to pick up his belongings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“But how did you ever come up with such a plan?” Rarity asked. The beginnings of a blue suit were taking shape on a mannequin.

“My line of work often forces me to make offers that cannot be refused,” John replied then he noticed Rarity’s confusion. “Take my deal or die. Interestingly enough no one ever chooses the latter.”

“But why don’t you just ask for assistance?” Rarity posed the question and her confusion spread to John.

“Because,” John paused in thought, “it’s rare to find anyone willing to help me. So it has become a better option for me to not ask but instead coerce others into helping me. It’s just business.” Noticing the look on her face reminded him of something. “By the way, any side effects from the antidote? I can’t honestly say I’ve used it on a pony before.”

“No,” now it was Rarity’s turn to be lost in thought, “but I daresay that I’m more concerned with the deal you made with Twilight.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The poison will kill you all within a day unless the antidote is administered,” John explain while laying the parchment on a table. “For obvious reasons we can’t wait that long so here’s a contract.”

“What are the terms?” Twilight asked with eyes locked on the parchment.

“Feel free to read it,” John began, “but I’ll summarize it for you. Party A, that’s you, agrees to work on the project agreed upon, the portals, with a priority level below required duties and emergencies but above other nontrivial duties. In return Party B, that’s me, administers the cure for your current ailment to all infected persons- er ponies.”

Twilight was reading the contract thoroughly. As she took the parchment within her aura she noticed a magic of its own emanating from the seemingly ordinary parchment. She scanned each line for errors and anything sinister. Finally she stopped.

“Well this doesn’t seem right,” she pointed a hoof at a line. “Breaking the terms of this contract will result in the demise of the party at fault. How can the contract determine if somepony breaks it?”

“I had this parchment enchanted by a wizard. When the contract is written the terms are enforced by a magical bond and if the terms are broken the magic stops the heart of the one at fault. Death by sudden magical heart attack.”

“But how is the contract going to know?” Twilight asked.

“It’ll be linked to both of us,” John responded. “I’ll be the one determining if you’re giving this the proper level of attention and I’ll be reasonable but I will be checking up on you daily.” He saw the doubt on her face. “And if you die of the poison it will send the message to my bond and kill me as well but only if you sign this contract.”

“I can’t sign this,” Twilight said.

“Why not?” John asked.

“Because it isn’t an equal deal,” Twilight responded. This caused a stir among her friends but she went on. “You get to watch over me on my research but all you get to do is undo the poisoning you did tonight? No way, I want you to do something that requires you to answer to me.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash interjected, “make him go fetch your library supplies from Canterlot; or you could make him catalogue the wildlife in the Everfree Forest.”

“I have a better idea Rainbow,” Twilight responded with a grin. “John I want you to make friends here in Ponyville.”

Twilight expected a lot of things from her statement; what she didn’t expect was silence.

“That seems,” John thought it over, “easy. What’s the catch?”

“You are talking to the Princess of Friendship,” Twilight’s grin grew wild. “The catch is that I expect a full report on your attempts at friendship whenever you drop by to check up on me.”

“A report?” John asked. “That doesn’t seem too difficult.”

“A thousand word minimum,” Twilight added. Silence fell on the room for a moment.

“Well,” John began, “maybe I’ll check in weekly.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This seems,” John paused trying to find the best word to describe his clothing, “extravagant.” Indeed the blue suit was covered in so many frills and gemstones that even a second glance wouldn’t confirm that an actual pony was wearing it.

“Well I wanted something that would turn heads from across the ballroom,” Rarity replied.

“You do realize that I make a living on being invisible, right?” John wasn’t sure he was going to like her response.

“You’ll never make friends if you’re invisible,” Rarity replied with a smile. Her pause brought her back to the details of the party. “I have to say, how is it that you were able to write a contract if you couldn’t even hold onto a piece of parchment?”

“Magic,” John said with a hoof wave. Another confused look from Rarity confirmed that he needed to elaborate. “The parchment was enchanted in such a way that its owner could think whatever he or she wanted and it would transcribe it. Then the legal enchantments would kick in if it was determined that it was writing a contract.”

“So what happens if you decided that the contract becomes detrimental?” Rarity asked.

“That’s why I added the exit clause,” John answered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The terms of this contract are null and void if both parties agree to that end,” John read aloud. “Any questions?” A pink hoof shot in the air. “Yes, Pinkie.”

“How many parties are we planning?” Pinkie asked. John just stared at her.

“Not that kind of party.”

“But you mentioned at least two parties and I-” Pinkie began.

“Twilight, any questions?” John interrupted. Twilight shook her head. “Ok then, let’s sign this.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That seemed like a lot of effort for next-to-nothing gained,” Rarity said between sips from her teacup. “Why go to all the trouble?”

“I already told you,” John replied, his teacup sitting on the table, “I don’t survive by trusting others.”

“You aren’t going to make any friends that way,” Rarity responded.

“I’m off to an excellent start,” John said with a sigh. “Fluttershy is mad at me.”

“I should expect that she’ll forgive you,” Rarity reasoned but John looked unconvinced.

“She stared at me,” John was shaken. “Her words were full of nothing but the truth but I felt like crawling into a hole just to get away. I couldn’t go back to her cottage so I wandered the town.”

“All night?” Rarity asked. John gave a single nod. “So that’s why you gave such an early house call.” She thought for a moment. “You’re going to have to talk to her. Once you do you will see that she will forgive you.”

“But,” John began, “what if I don’t deserve forgiveness?”

“You’ll never know until you try,” Rarity reasoned. “Besides the most important thing is to forgive yourself and learn from your mistakes. Things usually are not as bad as they seem.”

“Thanks Rarity,” John seemed to truly take it to heart. “I mean it. Thank you for the suit and the talk. I think I’ll go and have a talk with Fluttershy right now.”

“Don’t mention it,” Rarity thought it over. “Would you like a bag for the suit?”

“Can I leave it here until I need it?” John asked. “Honestly I think it’ll look better in the window than on me.”

“That sounds fair,” Rarity responded. She appeared to be admiring her own work.

John bid her goodbye and left the boutique. He made for the cottage outside of town. He was beginning to think that everything could work out when he found an invisible wall on the bridge leading to the cottage.

“John,” a familiar voice came from behind him, “we need to talk.” John turned around and caught Discord’s eyes.

“Indeed,” John began, “we do.”

Consequences of Hostility

“Okay, I’m sorry that I poisoned everyone,” John said. “I realized that it was unnecessary and I shouldn't have done it. Happy?” The draconequus blocking his path seemed unconvinced.

“You are lucky,” Discord said coolly. A chill ran down John’s spine. “If I hadn't promised to keep my powers benign you would not be standing in front of me.”

“What, the ponies have you on a leash?” John pressed.

“One in which I wear willingly,” Discord countered. “I can turn my back on everything here if I thought it would be worth it. The only reason I obey the ponies is because they are my friends and you almost took them from me last night.”

“Killing me would save your friends,” John responded, “but I suspect that if you wanted to you would have done so already. So, what do you want?”

“I’m keeping you on a short leash,” Discord stated and put a claw behind his back, “figuratively and,” he moved his claw back to his front, “literally.” In his claw was a black collar.

“Where did you get that?” John was panicking. “No, that thing is worse than you can imagine. Get it out of here!” Discord raised his paw to silence John.

“I found it next to your body,” Discord smirked at his latest act of torture. “So tell me what it does.”

“Never,” John prepared to run, but he doubted he would get far. Maybe I can make it to the castle?

“I do love doing this the hard way,” Discord’s smirk turned into a full-blown smile as he advanced on the pony.

Torturous images flashed through John’s mind. Men, women, and children wearing collars as black as night. The screams filled his mind. Voices begging for death.

“They’re slave collars,” John was talking before he even realized it, “they bind the wearer to an owner.” His own voice was blocking out the ones in his head; for now.

“Even better,” Discord began, “I can own you.”

“You’re not the owner of that collar,” John stated. “If you think I’m bad for these ponies then don’t put that collar on me. You do not want to meet her.” That gave Discord pause.

“How can anyone be worse than you?” Discord asked.

“I let your friends live,” John began, “she wouldn’t have wasted the poison. Now listen carefully. You put that collar on me and she will find me. She will kill anyone who gets in her way and you’ll be left cleaning up your friends with a mop.”

Discord seemed concerned. John seemed afraid.

The cottage door opened and out stepped a minotaur. He saw the two standing by the bridge and waved to them. He took a step toward them but stopped when he noticed the collar in Discord’s claw. He hurriedly re-entered the cottage.

“Just put the collar into my bag,” John demanded.

“That hardly seems like the safest option,” Discord reasoned.

“Then destroy the damn thing!” John snapped. “We’re all better off with it never being seen or handled again!” Discord regarded the sudden outburst curiously. He snapped his claw and the collar disappeared.

“I’ll look into it later. For now, tell me what you intend to do with Fluttershy,” it was Discord’s turn to be demanding. John paused as he let his mind wander.

“Well,” John began, “I’ll start of by apologizing and if she doesn’t start staring me down again-” he visibly shuddered at the thought, “-I’ll see where that takes me.”

“Very well,” Discord said as he began walking toward the forest. “You’re stuck here so if things go wrong in there, I’ll help you find a place to sleep.” He then turned to face the pony. “But, don’t confuse my actions for kindness. If you harm these ponies again; well, I don’t think I’ll mind spending another thousand years as a statue. I’ll give my best victory pose for Celestia’s garden.” Having made his point, Discord blinked out of sight and laughter echoed through the forest.

John was suddenly alone again. The collar unsettled him and he needed a distraction. With that in mind he continued on the path to the small cottage and knocked on the door upon arrival.

The door flew open and an ax-wielding minotaur screamed in his face.

“Relax Hammer,” John said.

“Where’s the fucking collar?!” Hammer shouted. “All this time you had one of those?”

“Please relax,” John began. “Discord has it and he’s looking into how to destroy it. It won’t bother us.”

“You won’t get very far by lying to me,” Hammer stated anyone else would have ended it there, but Hammer was not like anyone else. “They’ll be finding pieces of you all over this world when I’m done with you.” John decided it was best to just stare at the minotaur.

“If I wanted to kill you I wouldn't put a damned collar around your neck!” John raised his voice to emphasize the point. “They would find your body face-down in a pool of your own blood. Do you understand? I want that collar gone.” He let his gaze drop and forced himself to calm down.

“Now,” John said, “can you let me in? I want to speak with Fluttershy.” Hammer stood in the doorframe for a minute. He slowly returned his ax to its holster and stepped outside.

“No tricks,” Hammer warned before walking toward the forest.

Once again John was alone. Being alone made his thoughts wander. An elven beauty entered his mind; she loved to dance in the moonlight before-

Shaking his head John entered the cabin. Inside he only found a white rabbit.

“You,” John confronted the rabbit, “I don’t like you and you don’t like me. Just tell me where Fluttershy is and I’ll leave you alone.” The rabbit blinked. “I’m talking to a rabbit. Just do whatever it is that you do.” John left the rabbit alone and moved toward the kitchen.

Inside Fluttershy was humming a tune and making soup. She gave no sign that she noticed the pony entering which reminded John that he hadn’t announced himself at the door.

“Ahem,” John cleared his throat which caused the pegasus to go airborne.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy began. She turned toward the source of the noise and found John standing in the doorway. She stared at him for a moment. Soft blue eyes filled with something, not the overwhelming authority of the stare from the night before but something else…

The eyes of kindness…

She flew over and immediately began looking John over.

“Where were you last night?” her voice was full of concern. “You’re still recovering and shouldn’t be out all by yourself.” John put a hoof on her shoulder.

“I came here to apologize,” John said. “I shouldn’t have done what I did last night. There were better ways to deal with that. I’m sorry.” Fluttershy returned to checking his injuries.

“It was wrong,” she began, “but you already cured everyone. So, I guess it’s nothing to worry about anymore.” Despite how calm she appeared her voice had an edge to it.

“That doesn’t mean that I should have done it,” John stated. She must still be angry at me but probably feels bad about it. “About our… conversation…” Fluttershy stopped her inspection.

“I’m so sorry,” she was practically groveling, “I shouldn’t have used the stare on you but I was so upset. You poisoned us and I thought something terrible was going to happen.” This made John uncomfortable. He was expecting her to shout.

“Please stop,” John said, “I was in the wrong and I needed the sense knocked into me. I was scared after that… stare…” he visibly shuddered, “but I just used the time to think long and hard about it. I won’t do anything to harm you ponies anymore.”

“But I-” Fluttershy began before she was cut off.

“You told me the truth,” John interrupted.

“You ran away,” Fluttershy accused.

“I needed to be alone,” John reasoned. “I think we’ve begun talking in circles. Can we both agree that we were wrong?” Fluttershy was caught off guard by that but she nodded in agreement.

“I’m making soup,” Fluttershy said. “It should be just about ready.”

“That sounds lovely,” John said. “You know, I think this may make a good first report for Twilight.”

“I can get you some paper if you’d like to get started,” she didn’t even wait for a reply. A bowl of soup was placed at the table and she was off to gather writing supplies. John took a moment to enjoy his meal.

Fluttershy returned with a quill, inkwell, and several sheets of paper. She then helped herself to some soup while John finished his.

“I think I’m getting better at object manipulation,” John casually remarked. To prove his point he lifted the quill and dipped it into the ink then he brought it to a page.

Dear Princess Twilight,

I know that you just issued this assignment but I have already learned a lesson in friendship. You see I learned that it is best to be honest with others…

“H-How are you doing that?” Fluttershy asked. Fear pervaded her normally soft voice.

“Huh?” was John’s only response. His confusion became more pronounced as he realized what Fluttershy was talking about. His eyes wandered to the quill.

The quill was standing upright on the page. His hoof was nowhere near it. John’s hoof hadn’t touched the quill since he dipped it into the inkwell.

A Letter Undelivered

Rain was falling. A time of contrasts. The unbearable noise of water colliding with the street, rooftops, and what have you against the barren marketplace. Not a soul around. Utter silence if not for the rain.

Wet and dark. The middle of the night usually afforded a glow from the stars and moon but the damn rainclouds saw fit to block such a beautiful sight. As it stood the only light belonged to a soft glow from a single oil lamp at the edge of the marketplace.

But a good eye would notice something unusual on this night. A body in the alley off the market. A body adding crimson to the rainwater flowing through the gutters. But most importantly, a body clutching a letter. The quill hastily dropped to the side while the letter lay open.

Vixen,

Something has come up and I will be unable to return. Possibly ever again. Everything is up to you now, I am sorry for dumping the important bits on you again but it has to be done. They CANNOT find us. You know what you have to do and do it quickly.

By the time you read this I will already be gone. I have never believed in an afterlife, and I especially don’t when I think of what those bastards have done, but if that should be my fate then I will do all I can to watch over you.

Thanks for everything,

Nightseer

A letter written in desperation, but it would go undelivered. If the realms had a sense of irony it was likely focused on this rain-soaked alley with a corpse.

But the night always gets darkest before the dawn.

The body moved. Crawling toward the open marketplace and leaving a blood-soaked trail in its wake. Time was not an ally as with each movement more strain was viewable and the slower the muscles worked.

The body collapsed at the entrance to the alley with the letter still clutched tightly. A flash of lightning illuminated the empty street for but a moment, a figure in black lying face down in a pool of blood and the gleam of something abandoned in the alley, followed by an abrupt darkness. A sad fate left for a stranger in the night.

A stranger who would not see the dawn.