a new hero

Chapter 1: Harsh Introductions

The sun had risen, but this was next to indistinguishable through the clouds the Pegasus had been collecting for an afternoon storm. Most of ponyville knew this would be quite the fiasco, so most ponies either stayed home or were hurriedly rushed around the town trying to complete their morning tasks before the storm would shut them down. Just inside the everfree forest jack began to stir. The previous day’s events had wracked his mind with all sorts of possible horrors that might await him with these creatures that dominated the world he was now stuck in. sleep had come quickly for him the former night, but it came at a cost he would wake up often as different nightmares consumed his consciousness. Now awake, his basic needs kicked in. he hadn’t eaten in about two full days, his mind quickly found a memory of an apple orchard on the edge of the town. He picked himself up from his makeshift bed and headed to the stream that was on the border of the wood, for a morning drink, jack found his bearings and headed for the apple trees.

             Twilight was in a sort of helping mood as she awoke, she knew that yesterday would have kicked off the apple buck season. And she knew moreover that the apple family could always use a couple of extra hooves, or a good dose of magic. After eating a small breakfast twilight headed towards the farm. It was still fairly early, and the few holes in the storm clouds above were being quickly patched by a few flying Pegasus, however rainbow dash was not with them. ‘Probably still asleep’ twilight thought to herself. Sweet apple acres was now in sight. A peak of nervous energy ran through twilight’s veins. She knew today would be a large amount of work, but that is kinda what she wanted. She even let spike sleep in this morning, the last time she had helped applejack all spike did was lie on her back complain, and even begin to throw some of the apples on the ground. Approaching the farmhouse, something seemed wrong. The apple family was nowhere to be seen. Twilight walked up to the front door and knocked, announcing who she was deemed no response from anypony inside. Twilight couldn’t even hear movement inside. In a nervous panic she threw open the door. Searching frantically she could find nopony. Thinking maybe they were still asleep, twilight ran upstairs. Part of her mind snapped when she saw the blood strewn about the hallway. She ran to the first door, granny smith’s bedroom, and vomited at the sight of the old mare lying in her bed with her throat cut open. Wrenching away from the terrible sight, twilight nearly fell down the stairs behind her. She thought about running away, but the thought of applejack being in danger made her run to the next door. Big Macintosh was sitting against a wall, it the blood in the hallway lead straight to his body. Twilight began to panic now, granny smith killed in her sleep, big Mac, killed in trying to save his family. Twilight began to think of the horrors that she would find in the final two rooms. She wanting to wake up from this nightmare, but she had to continue in her dismal task. She felt some relief in finding applejack’s room empty, everything seemed half destroyed but there was nopony there. The final room, applebloom’s, was in similar disarray, but once again vacant. However twilight noticed the window was open, and a small amount of yellow hair was caught on a nail. Normally twilight would be terrified at the knowledge of the filly being injured, but this gave her a sense of hope, that maybe her friends had escaped the fate of their family. As she peered out the window, this sense of hope was quickly dashed, as she saw applejack lying not twenty feet from the side of the house. Twilight used her magic to teleport down to her departed friend’s body. The young mare lie in a puddle of her own blood, her body was already cold. Twilight looked around for the still missing applebloom. She found a trail of hoof prints leading into the orchard; she picked up her crying form and ran into the trees.

             Jack had already picked up a few apples and was eating them, he was very hungry and such a treat was just what he needed. His blissful eating was interrupted by the sound of a small child crying. He flew to his feet discerned the distressed direction and ran off in an instinctual need to help those he could. He sprinted for a good five minutes before coming to the injured form of applebloom. Jack froze as he saw the human noises coming from the young horse at his feet, his eyes widened as he remembered being in a similar situation, years ago. He shook himself out of this daze and quickly started the triage he was taught. It looked like the small creature had been mauled by some sort of animal, a dog perhaps. He knew there wasn’t much he could do for the dying animal. His instincts got the better of him, as he began to try to stem the blood flowing from multiple deep gashes.

             “what’s your name?” he asked frantically.

             “appl..apple…bloom,” she could barely speak trough the pain and fear.

             “applebloom? Ok. Don’t you worry I’m gonna help you. You are going to be safe!” still frantic in his near futile task to save the young filly, he began to cry. Applebloom just lay silent as the mysterious stranger above her promised her safety and life. Twilight’s running hooves could now be heard in the distance, as she closed the gap. Jack kept doing everything he could to save applebloom but her wounds were just too much for a child to handle. Her breathing slowed and slowed until she was gone. It may have been nice to see on last act of kindness as she departed but that didn’t matter now. Twilight finally emerged from behind a tree to find a strange creature kneeling over a mutilated filly. The creature stood, turned with tears filling his eyes and rolling down his face. Twilight’s horn glowed like it never had before. She had found her perpetrator standing with a smoking gun, so to speak. She was ready to kill it right where it stood, but she couldn’t. maybe it was the tears careening down his face or the fact he was covered in applebloom’s blood, probably both. When jack finally saw through his sadness and guilt at letting the child die in his arms, he saw a purple unicorn, it’s horn glowing magnificent colors. With a look of pure anger across its face, a look that quickly changed to shock. They both wanted to speak, jack about what had happened, how he had tried to save the young life. Twilight, wanted to ask him a series of questions like ‘how could you?’ or ‘why?’ or just simply ask the thing what it was. They stood there in deep silence, twilight’s horn slowing returned to its normal state, as the rage left her body and the reality of her friend’s death sunk in. jack knew he couldn’t stand there forever, as he turned to leave the unicorn screamed,

             “JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING HUH?” her rage had quickly returned. Jack just turned to her closed his eyes and began to run away. “COME BACK HERE!” twilight shouted giving chase. As they began to enter the everfree forest nothing would stop the furious unicorn, her normal thoughts and apprehensions of the everfree forest were destroyed by the rage that made her want to rip this thing into shreads. They ran for what felt like forever, hoping over stumps, and dodging low lying tree limbs. If she had any sense left in her at all twilight would have known that they were fast approaching the old castle that had once held the elements of harmony, they both sprinted across the ancient bridge, jack managed to cross just in time but the old ropes just couldn’t take it just as twilight was about to step to safety. The bridge gave way. Twilight’s anger was overcome by fear, as she plummeted to her almost certain doom. Her eyes slammed shut in fear. But soon she couldn’t help but realize her descent had been stopped. She looked for some sort of explanation as to why she was ok, but her heart sank as she saw the creature had grabbed her with a still bloody hand. Jack couldn’t just let the pony die, even knowing that it might try to hurt him if he pulled it up, yet he did anyway. Once twilight was on level ground, she wrenched herself away from jack, backing up to the wall of the distraught castle wall. She watched as the thing that had saved her sat against one of the bridges stone supports. The act of kindness that she had been shown, didn’t make sense to her. How could something kill, no butcher four ponies then save her in a split second. They both sat silently and motionlessly across from each other. The silence was finally broken as the rain began to fall, the wind blew thunder cracked, yet the two creatures sat silently there.

             “I know we are not on the best of terms right now, but this storm is pretty bad,” jack had broken the silence, but he still did not look up, “I think we need to work together to get through this.”

             “how can I understand you?” twilight was mystified by the fact that something she had never even heard of before could speak.

             “can’t say as I know, don’t even know how I got here,” he looked up now. The blood had began to wash off of his arms.

             “how can I trust you?” thunder had finished twilight’s statement.

             Jack stood, “honestly?” he began to walk towards twilight, “neither of us has any reason to trust the other, but that doesn’t matter now. We need to do something, or we will both die.”

             Twilight was frozen by his statement. It was cold but still held feeling. She sighed, rose, and nodded her head. They both ran into the castle and did their best to impose some sort of covering to keep them dry. Once they were done, jack began to start a fire as twilight laid down.

             “I just have one question, did you kill them?” her eyes teared and could barely finish her solemn question.

             Jack dropped the pieces of wood and  looked the mare dead in the eye, “no I did not,” he looked down, “I don’t expect you to believe me, but I didn’t kill her.”

             “what about the others?”

             “what do you mean others?” tears began to roll down his face once more.

             “applebloom’s family…”

             His speech was nearly inaudible, “she had a family…” jack bowed his head and began to pray quietly.

             They sat in silence again almost sharing each others grief, twilight began to openly weep. She found some sort of comfort in this strangers arms. The feeling of her friend’s death was unimaginable sorrow, in the flickering of the fire twilight fell asleep in jack’s arms.

             Spike was terrified the news of the apple family’s murder was all over ponyville, and even worse twilight was nowhere to be found. Now spike was a dragon but he was still little more than a baby. Even though owlicious was there to comfort him it brought him little reprieve. He had run off to find somepony to shelter him and keep him in a feeling of security, he chose to go to fluttershy’s cottage. Even though the Pegasus was crying over the loss of her friends, it was still a step up from being alone. The storm raged as the town grieved the loss of two of its local heroes. Nopony left their homes. A feeling of sorrow covered the town throughout the night.

             Twilight woke up to the sight of some food just in front of her, he savior of the previous day was eating in the corner by himself, the sun was shining but water could be heard dripping from the trees. A sight she would have wholeheartedly enjoyed if it weren’t for what had been burned into her memory.

             “I see you found breakfast,” twilight spoke as she looked over the small bits jack had produced.

             “I have to apologize though, I don’t rightly know what you eat.”

             “well you are close enough,” twilight began to eat the small bits of grass and flowers in front of her, speaking in between bites, “my name is twilight sparkle, what is yours?”

             “jack, my name is jack. You people sure do have some odd names around here. But I guess we come from different cultural backgrounds.”

             Twilight was shocked at this philosophical statement, considering that she thought at first sight that jack was just some sort of weird animal. “I just have to ask, what are you? Speaking as to species.”

             “I am a human. Interesting how your kind exists where I come from but that is not vice versa.”

             “you mean ponies exist outside of equestria?” twilight was truly astounded she was always told that all the ponies stayed in equestria. Considering other areas like dragon country were off limits.

             “let me tell you this, I know nothing of equestria, or for that matter this planet. I come from somewhere far away.”

             “how far away?”

             “right now I have no idea, I know how I got here, I think, but I don’t know where I am compared to where I am from. I also have no idea how I am going to get home. I am sorry when I get tired I tend to ramble a bit.” He ended with a bit if a forced laugh.

             “so how did you get here?”

             “well I was travelling through an interplanetary portal when a nuclear reactor sent out a neutron pulse, which must have scrambled the teleporter signal. Sending me here.”

             Twilight stood aghast, she had never heard of teleporters or reactors, or even other planets. She didn’t know how to respond.

             “by the look on your face a gather that you understood none of that. I also think it is worth pointing out that where I come from, horses are not intelligent life forms like they are here.”

             “wait you said you were tired, didn’t you get any sleep last night?”

             “not a wink.”

             “why?”

             “memories, dreams, nightmares,” jack looked at the ground and just froze

             Sweetie bell had a dire task ahead of her. She had to think of a way of a way to tell her best friend that applebloom was dead. Scootaloo had tagged along with zecora to canterlot to obtain certain herbs and spices that could not be found anywhere else, at least not practically anyway. She tried going all around ponyville asking others for advice, but at the mere mention of the victim’s names most ponies would run away crying. Not too many ponies knew the apple family personally but in a land with few deaths other than natural causes, a murder was quiet disheartening. Scootaloo was galloping into town, lighthearted for returning to her friends and continuing their quest to find their cutie marks. Something felt off as she entered the city, it was as if the entire town had been consumed by dread. A worried expression enveloped her face as her pace slowed, something definitely was wrong. Ponies were downtrodden, heads lying low to the ground, some sobbing, and some still hidden in their homes. The only logical explanation would be at the carousel boutique, home of sweetie bell. Entering the front door, there was nopony in sight. But the clear sound of crying was heard upstairs. The source was rarity, holding her silent sister.

             “can one of you explain what’s going on around here?” this question made rarity cry even harder.

             “they are gone,” sweetie bell began to cry silently.

             “who? What do you mean?” scootaloo’s face took on a clear sight of worry and confusion.

             “applebloom,” sweetie could barely talk now, continuing her story was hard through her sorrow, “applejack, big mac, granny smith, and twilight too. Something killed them all.” Scootaloo’s normal attitude of arrogant superiority vanished as she stood in pure shock. She didn’t know what to think. Maybe this was just a prank, perpetrated by her friends. But then why would the whole town seem to be feeding in on this horrible joke. Her head began to feel lighter and lighter as the room began to spin, and then turn to black.

             “we have to get back to ponyville, now!” twilight just wanted to be back in the essence of her friends.

             “do you really think that is a good idea?” jack seemed worried.

             “what do you mean?”

             “well, some of your people are dead. I am the obvious outsider. Right now I would be the easiest thing to blame.”

             “what? Where did that thought even come from?” twilight seemed confused at this very notion.

             “personal experience.”

             “well the good ponies of ponyville trust me, and if I tell them you are a friend, they will believe me,” twilight’s confidence was brimming, yet she still was slightly unhinged at what she had witnessed. The two headed out, back towards ponyville walking in silence until.

             “I have to say, considering what you saw you seem to holding up pretty well,” this comment seemed almost joyful if not for the grim matter in which it was spoken.

             “I can’t explain it,” twilight stopped, and closed her eyes, trying to search her feelings, “I know I should be sadder but I am not. Yet I could say to you the same thing.”

             “I am a warrior,” jack chuckled, “death seems to follow me where ever I go.”

             “you said that you had nightmares, can I ask of what?”

             Jack sighed as the two began walking again, “what happened with applebloom,” he swallowed hard, “happened to me once before. Every time I closed my eyes that was all I saw. That is all I want to say.”

             Twilight didn’t know what to say, ‘should I comfort him, tell him everything will be fine?’ she decided to say nothing at all. And the silence stayed with them all the way to twilight’s home. As they walked through the city ponies everywhere just stopped and stared, somepony they were told was dead, was now walking right in front of them! None cared to approach her as the large thing with her still had some visible blood on its body.

             “twilight!” spike began to cry as he saw his best friend and maternal figure emerge back from the dead. The joy he felt was indescribable.

             “spike, I would like you to do me a favor if you could.”

             “anything twilight,” spike’s eyes glowed and he seemed to brighten the room with joy.

             “I need you to go find our friends, and bring them here. Can you do that for me?”

             This notion brought spike back down, partially because of applejack, but mostly because that meant he would have to leave twilight, “but…but applejack…”

             “I know what happened to applejack,” she cut him off, “now go.” With this he left. “so, jack in all my years of studying I have never heard of a human before.”

             “I don’t suppose you have. Yet I see different things that remind me of earth.”

             “really?” twilight almost shouted as this phrase stole her attention.

             “yeah. In some respects the only difference I see is that you ponies have replaced humans.”

             Spike had moved quickly, rounding up all the mane four he was sent out to retrieve and in a breath was back in the tree house. Between their seeing their dead friend in front of their eyes and the human she was sheltering they were all speechless. Just standing in awe, twilight without saying a word just walked up to her friends and gave them all a hug.

             “I hate to interrupt your little moment,” jack broke the silence, “but we need to find out exactly what is going on here. Why your people are being…for lack of a better word hunted.”

             “WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!” rainbow dash was flying not two inches from jack’s face, “ARE YOU A SPY?!”

             “told you twilight,” jack leaned around his accuser without giving her any acknowledgment, “told you the outsider would be easier to blame.”

             “but what do you mean by ‘hunted’?” twilight was disturbed by this phrase but she also completely ignored rainbow dash’s accusations. Dash looked at her tail, half expecting applejack to be there holding her back, just as she did when dash accused twilight. A sad expression crept over her, but no tears fell.

             “well honestly the young applebloom, she appeared as if mauled by some sort of animal.” Rarity began to cry loudly, finding some comfort with an embrace from fluttershy. “I would like some time to, study, learn about what has gone down here.”

             “you want to see the…bodies?” all the ponies cringed.

             “yeah, will give me a good place to start.”

             “why are you helping us anyway?” rainbow dash was back on the attack.

             “long ago,” he turned to face dash still hovering, “I took an oath. An oath to help and protect those who need me. Even at the cost of my own life.”

Author’s notes: if you are reading this than that means you might be following my story, i thank you for that. anywho in case you didn’t notice i try to incorporate small elements of humor in my writing, sometimes a little misplaced...but i digress, things get a little better from here as the action picks up stay tuned for more.