Chapter 4: Empathize A Monster

"Matt wait up!" Pinkie said following the unknown species with a bouncing playful motion. She then bounced pass him blocking his pathway leaving Matt very flustered at her childish behavior.

"Pinkie will you please move out of the way?" He asked in a rough but calm tone.

"Nnnnnno." She squeed with her tongue playfully sticking out at the man.

"Why?"

"Because you don't know where Ponyville is silly billy." She pronounced stopping the man in his tracks, feeling embarrassed he gave a heavy sigh and buried the anger and annoyance he gave towards the pony.

"Y-Your right.....sorry." He said, looking away in embarrassment.

"It's okay silly, I forgive you."

"Thank you, now can we just hurry up and go through the town. I'm just really in the need for this booze Applejack is talking about." Matt said, craving the poison as if it were a drug.

"Goodness, it's as if alcohol is your blood supply darling." Rarity assumed as Matt gave a slight chuckle.

"Nah it isn't that Rarity, it's just that......I haven't had alcohol in about a year. And my place was completely on a new prohibition of alcohol." He said as he found the town a glance away, he gave a heavy sigh as he started to walk towards the town, only to be paused by a tap on his shoulder. He saw Rainbow with a concerned look.

"Hey man, you sure you wanna do this? The whole town's gonna think you're a monster."

"It's fine, it's not the first time I've been called a monster." He said, ignoring Rainbow's caution as he proceeded to venture towards the town. As he got closer, he could see blurry ponies in the distance, making gestures of horror and panic as he saw most of the figured blurs flee in panic and fear. Although Matt didn't care, he just wanted a drink. He could hear the panic from a distance, such as:

"RUN"

"It's a monster!"

"He's gonna eat us!"

"HEAD FOR THE HILLS!!!"

Entering the town he continued walking, ignoring the stares, jitters, and fear that the ponies spat at him. He kept walking as the group of ponies still stayed a distal point from him. He continued walking as more doors and windows slammed near him as he stopped and stared at Applejack. "So...where is this farm that you speak of Applejack?"

"I-Its just up the road, straight ahead. L-Lemme lead." He nodded gesturing his hand in a gentleman's fashion as Applejack took the lead. Eventually what felt like hours took minutes of just walking in an awkward silence, they reached Applejack's farm as there were many, MANY apple trees everywhere. "Welcome to Sweet apple acres Matt, I hope you like apples."

"I love apples, but god it's like Johnny Appleseed reincarnated into this world and started something here." Matt said admiring the apples flanking his sights from every angle.

"Uh Applejack?"

"Yes pardner?"

"I got two questions." He said as he slightly swallowed drool in his mouth.

"Shoot."

"First do you mind if I call you AJ?"

"Well mah friends call me that, but I don't know if I can call you mah friend just yet."

"Well then I guess time's just gonna have to take place there then. Second, do you mind if I can take an apple? Ts'been a while since I've had real fruit."

"Sure, we've got plenty to go around." She gladly accepted as Matt gave a nod to the apple farmer. He climbed over the fence separating the path from the apples as he looked up, his red delight was pretty high. He gave a few weak jumps to reach for it but no luck came to him. Rainbow Dash flew over to the man as she flew above him to reach for the apple.

"Stop, I wan't to grab that myself." Matt declared as he reached for his sidearm, although the ponies near him didn't know what it was.

"Hey man I can help, I mean it's right here!" She deadpanned as Matt continued to argue.

"Look Rainbow I got this, all I need is my finger." He said as he pulled out his magnum and aimed straight at the ruby fruit. But before he shot he aimed down for safety and looked at all the ponies. "So before I do this I would HIGHLY recommend covering your ears because this is going to be loud as sonic." He cautioned as all the ponies sat down and dammed their ears with their hooves from any source of sound, all except Rainbow Dash as stayed in the air stubborn with her hooves crossed.

"I doubt that thing is loud, you're probably just trying to freak me out."

"Alright your choice, but I still recommend moving away from the apple." He said pointing his firearm as the apple. Rainbow at least had some courtesy and moved aside as he lightly squeezed the small trigger on his gun. A loud boom emitted throughout the whole farm as something as fast as lightning rammed through the apple as the red fruit fell to the floor, with a hole through it's core. As it dropped to the floor, he walked over picked it up and took a massive bite through it, chewing as slightly drinking during mid-chew. He savored his first fruit after a whole year of loneliness, depression, industrial food, and endless death. The nice sweet and juicy fruit was completely enlightening his taste buds with the natural sugars . After the gulp, he was completely satisfied. But his euphoric feeling was interrupted as he saw Rainbow Dash on the ground holding her ears in pain.

"I warned you didn't I?" Matt said to her as he stood there watching her childish protest swiftly tide away from the gunshot. He shortly walked over to the pegasus and offered a hand to her. Rainbow grabbed his hand with her hoof as Matt pulled her up, making her stand on her three hooves. "You okay?"

"Ears are still ringing you bucker." She spat at him as Matt's eyebrows slightly ticked down.

"Well excuuuuuse me princess, but I told you to cover your ears. Your ignorance and childish protest was just in the way of my warning."

"Whatever, now I'm in the mood for some whiskey after what your thing did. What the hay is that thing anyway?"

"I will tell you, after some booze." He said as he looked at Applejack. Who nodded at the two and lead the group of ponies to the farmhouse a few hundred yards away. Applejack lead the group of ponies and man to the farmhouse as the farmhouse door burst open as a red stallion galloped through the door and ran straight towards Matt with a bull force. Matt looked at the galloping red stallion as a quick flashback image came to his head, an image of blood, a walking bull, and a women screaming. But the image distracted him as once he regained his consciousness he look back and at that very moment he face met with two hind leg hooves. And soon his vision turned to darkness.

"BIG MAC!" Applejack screamed at the top of her shocked lungs as she quickly rushed to the bleeding Matt. "Why'd you do that!?"

"Because he was gonna hurt you AJ! He had a weapon on him." Big Mac said pointing at the machete on Matt's side. "Ah couldn't just stand around seeing a weapon on the farm, and I know a blade when Ah see one." Big Mac said as Applejack got up a slogged him in the arm, hard.

"The poor thing just wanted some whiskey so he'll answer our questions for us Big Mac. Now help me bring him inside and grab some paper towels so we can stop this bleeding." Applejack said, biting the bag on his back and pulled him towards the farmhouse as Twilight offered help by lifting his legs with her magic. They brought him in as Applejack set his superior angle of Matt on the couch as Twilight followed suit as she placed Matt's bottom half on the couch. Big Mac brought a few paper towels that Applejack asked for as well as some band-aids. Applejack whipped off the blood from his bleeding face and applied a couple of bandage to some hoof cuts and plugged his bleeding nose with a rolled up paper towel. "Okay, just leave him here until he wakes up then we can ask him some questions. But first-" Applejack paused as she walked over to the cabinet full of bottles of various dark colors and liquids as she pulled out a square like bottle labeled 'Applejack Daniels' and placed it on the table. She also pulled out a shot glass and placed it on the coffee table. "Nobody touch that, its a pretty calm shot for us to gather some info on who or what Matt is."

The ponies nodded as Applejack gave a ursa major's glare at Big Macintosh who had his pupils cowardly shrink. "Big Mac, we're gonna need a talk." She said with death in her voice as she grabbed his collar and dragged him to the next room. His hoof screeching on the wood floor indicated that he pleaded for help, but the rest of the ponies all shrugged, much to ignore Applejack's wrath.

Author's Note

Another chapter. I know it's small but I'm having real life troubles right now, so it might be a while but please be patient. I promise I'll post the next chapter.

Also have a nice day.