The End of an Era

Sighing contentedly, Jack squeezes his arms a bit tighter around the pillow he has in his arms. It feels warm and comforting against his chest and stomach. Breathing in the comforting and familiar smell of the library, he grinds his hips up against the pillow a bit, his morning erection stirring on his more base urges. His grinding stopped as he felt his manhood press against something that had much more heat to it than what he expected a pillow to have. Opening his eyes slowly, he was greeted with locks of purple hair with a pink strip running through it. His hands, moving on their own, explored his "pillow" for more confirmation of what exactly he had been holding onto in the night. They ran up and met at the shoulder joint of Twilight's forelegs and chest, then slid down them to her hooves. He held his breath as he very slowly put all of the pieces together from last night.

Oh shit... Jack thought to himself as he cast his gaze down to his hips under the covers. He slowly withdrew his hands and tenderly lifted the covers. He spied the length of his erection had run down one of the legs of his briefs and hiked it up so that he was completely exposed during the night. His hips were pressed firmly against the purple curves of Twilight's rear while his member had slipped between her thighs. He let out a quiet sigh of relief as he confirmed that he hadn't actually buried himself inside of her in the night.

Looks like you missed again...

Thank the gods...

You know there's still time to "accidentally" slip it in, right?

Wow... That's fucked up. I'm getting up now.

Looks like you're already "up"... heh heh heh...

Frowning to himself he very gently unwrapped himself from Twilight as quickly as he was able. He slid out of bed with much effort, doing his best not to disturb her rest, as the light in the room signaled it was just after sunrise. After several minutes of just easing himself out of bed without significantly disturbing the mattress, he placed his bare feet down on the cool wooden floor. Standing up, he turned around and gazed down at the mare that had shared his bed last night. She had curled her hooves up against the covers with a contented smile on her face. Jack reached a hand out, but quickly pulled it back, lest he wake her while he was looming over her, still painfully aroused.

Yeah, grab her horn and fuck her face, good idea!

He took a deep breath and turned back around. He moved his way across the room silently and picked up a complete change of clothes and his boots. He wouldn't be coming back to this room while she was still there. Chewing on his tongue with his back teeth, Jack stepped carefully to the door and exited the room, heading for the shower down the hall.

Jack closed the bathroom door behind him and locked it in one swift motion. He placed his clothing on the counter and placed his boots far enough away from the tub so they wouldn't get wet. He then removed the only piece of clothing he had covering himself and turned on the pony shower. He allowed the water to warm as he turned to the sink to brush his teeth.

Ever the "white knight" aren't you?

So not raping someone in their sleep is being a "white knight" now is it?

What about last night then?

Jack spit the excess foam from his mouth and set his toothbrush down in the purple plastic cup resting on the counter. He climbed into the warm shower and began to wash silently, the thoughts of Twilight against his body continuing to surface in his mind.

You know, you could pick up Fluttershy, I bet you could pick up Twilight too. I bet a bookworm like her likes to be dominated.

After washing himself quickly in the warm water, Jack flipped the temperature to as cold as he could get it. The effect was immediate and he inhaled a sharp breath as the warm water was replaced by what felt like ice cubes shooting out of the shower head. He breathed out slowly as he felt the heat from his body get pulled away by the frigid water. He always knew that a cold shower helped aleviate certain desires, but he also found that it quieted his mind. Standing in the water and listening to it beat against his body and drain from the tub he knelt in, he reveled in the silence.

After his cold shower, Jack dressed in the clothing that Rarity had first made him. They weren't as baggy as yesterday, however Jack didn't stop to question it. He shivered as he dressed himself quickly, the baser urges in his mind subdued for the time being. He left the bathroom wearing a black button up shirt and a set of dark blue trousers, carrying his socks, boots, wet towel and last nights briefs with him. He tossed the towel and his briefs onto the floor outside of his door and shoved them up against the wall and out of the walkway with his foot. He continued his journey downstairs after glancing at the door handle to his room.

Once Jack reached the bottom of the stairs, he felt a little more at ease. He was finally free of his urges, at least for the moment. He set his boots and socks down as he took this time to do some morning stretches. His stomach soon reminded him that he needed to eat since he only had a little bit of food yesterday.

Feeling remarkably lazy and perhaps a touch generous, he decided he could go buy breakfast for his two house mates sleeping upstairs. Jack patted himself down and found that his coin pouch, thankfully, in the pants he had taken.

"Wearing the same pants two days in a row? Oh how dreadful!"

Jack chuckled lightly to himself and shook his head, a smile appearing on his face.

You aren't always---

He stopped himself and wiped the smile from his face before he could finish his thought, but it was already too late for him. Nothing was said, because nothing needed to be said. He strode from the foot of the stairs to the door and stepped outside.

Stepping out into the late morning air, Jack scanned the town in front of him. There were a few ponies walking to and from destinations unknown, but they all had gentle smiles that seemed a bit contagious. Shaking his head he started down the street towards the shop he hoped was open on a Sunday, Sugar Cube Corner.

After walking for a few minutes, Jack had made it to the gingerbread themed bakery in relative silence. The sign that hung in the window of the front door read open, and he mentally thanked the stars for his luck. He opened the door and the tiny bell above it rang, signaling the entrance of another patron.

Behind the counter, a rather heavy set blue earth pony with a pink mane was busy serving another pony, this one seemed slightly familiar. The pegasus had a golden mane and grey coat with a picture of bubbles on her thigh. Recognizing the pony in question, Jack approached behind his first partner and stood quietly, waiting for the inevitable.

"Thanks Mrs. Cake!" Ditzy said, swinging her head around and walking face first into Jack's stomach.

Jack, having prepared for this event in advance, had braced himself, however he was unaware to the power that was the Derp. He was quickly knocked on his ass and stared disbelievingly at the pony that knocked him down.

"Oh no! Jack! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!" Ditzy exclaimed as she scrambled over to his arm and tried to help him up, putting her forehead underneath his arm.

Jack chuckled to himself lightly as he patted Ditzy's head. "It's cool Ditzy, it was my fault for standing so close to a power-house."

He picked himself up off the ground with the help of the friendly grey pegasus and brushed his pants off. He then spied the rather large muffin held by some strange force in Ditzy's grip. It looked as if it had just been stuck there with glue.

Ditzy then took a bite out of the muffin, getting crumbs all over her face and the floor, her golden eyes closing in momentary bliss. She moaned quietly at the taste of her favorite baked good and chewed happily. Jack shook his head and smiled, then turned to the large blue earth mare behind the counter.

Mrs. Cake looked a tad bit nervous, having never seen Jack before. He towered over her yet spoke softly.

"Hey there Mrs. Cake. Can I get a dozen cinnamon rolls?" He asked politely.

The blue earth mare began to shake slightly and nodded. She then turned and ran into the kitchen faster than he thought a mare of her size could. He shrugged and crossed his arms, tapping his foot and waiting impatiently as he stared at a stack of cinnamon rolls in the display next to the register.

"HIYA JACKIE!" A bubbly voice practically yelled into his ear.

Having enough surprises for one day, Jack whirled around and raised his fists, sinking into a defensive stance only to find that he was staring daggers at the store full of quietly eating ponies. He looked around quickly for any sign of whichever pony had startled him, only to come up empty.

"BOO!" The voice shouted again, however he was prepared now. He quickly reached over his shoulder and grabbed a fist full of mane, and spun around to find the culprit. None other then the pink partier herself, Pinkie Pie. She giggled uncontrollably as she flailed around being held up by her mane.

"Hehe! You caught me Jackie!" She said. Jack quickly raised his other hand up under her chest to hold her up before he released her mane. Gently setting her down on the shop floor, he frowned slightly.

"Sorry if I hurt you Pinkie, you just scared me."

She shook her head and smiled. "I'm alright Jackie, I know you wouldn't hurt me!"

"Alright, but in the future, just don't surprise me. I'm not good with surprises..." He rubbed the back of his neck lightly and looked to the still vacant counter.

"Pinkie, do you think you can help me out? I need to get a dozen cinnamon rolls for Twilight, Spike and myself for breakfast. Preferably to go." Jack asked as he looked down her.

"Okie Dokie Loki!" She said, bouncing once, twice, and then the third time up into the air and landing behind the cash register. "Mrs. Cake said there was somepony scary out here, but I don't see anypony scary."

"She must have meant me, I'm sure she hasn't seen me around anywhere before today. I think I only ever dealt with you while delivering packages." He then turned and looked at Ditzy.

She pushed the wrapper of the muffin against her mouth and hoof, her eyes crossed as she furrowed her brows, thinking. "Yep, only Pinkie." She affirmed.

Jack nodded then turned to Pinkie. "So how much do I owe ya?"

"Fifteen bits!" She said happily, slamming a hoof down on a button on the register, causing it to pop open.

Jack pulled out his coinpouch and dug out fifteen of the little coins. He then put them on the counter and Pinkie swept them up. She tossed them into the register, pushed it closed and then pulled out a box from under the counter. She handed it over to Jack and he took it.

"What's this?" He asked.

"A dozen cinnamon rolls silly!" Pinkie stated matter of factly.

"Uh.... but..." Jack opened the box to find that it was, in fact, a dozen cinnamon rolls. These were also fresh as he felt the bottom of the box and saw the icing dripping from them. "Thanks...?"

"You're welcome! Come back again! Oh and I'll tell Mrs. Cake that you're a nice pony Jackie, don't worry!" With that, she bounced off into the kitchen, leaving Jack and Ditzy standing in front of the register.

"Well... Ditzy.... I gotta get back home before the others wake up. It was nice seeing you. Say 'Hi' to the family for me, yeah?"

The grey pegasus nodded her head and waved as Jack walked away from her. "Alright. See ya tomorrow at work Jack!"

Jack waved back and walked out of the store, running over in his mind, trying to figure out when Pinkie got the box, or how she snuck up on him. Deciding it was better left for a later inquiry, he shook his head of the thoughts and focused on getting back home while the rolls were still warm.

On the way back to the Library, Jack wondered if he had to wake up the other two sleeping occupants with breakfast, and who to rouse first. Probably Twilight, since waking Spike first would make for a strange explanation on why the purple unicorn wasn't in her bed. He nodded and agreed with himself that it was probably wiser to wake up Twilight first as he opened the door to the library.

Before stepping inside he kicked the dust off of his boots. After he was done kicking off his boots, he heard a crash coming from upstairs.

Looks like she's up.

"SPIKE! SPIIIIIIIIIKE!!!!!!!!" Twilight screamed from upstairs. Jack looked up the stairs and could hear the scuffling of hooves clamoring around upstairs.

Shaking his head, he walked to the kitchen to set the table for breakfast.

"Spike this is serious! We need to find Jack right now!" He heard from upstairs. Jack didn't have to think too hard about how Spike would act. He saw first hand how even if Twilight was frantic and panicking, Spike was always trying to be the voice of reason. The sound of hoof beats was heard clamoring down the stairs and around in the main room of the Library. Jack pondered to himself if she would come into the kitchen first, or just leave.

"Do we at least have time for breakfast Twilight?" Spike asked?

Yes you have time for breakfast.

"No! We don't have time for breakfast! Jack could be in trouble!"

....... Jack looked at the open doorway to the main room with a blank expression. I don't know why I expected...

"Twilight calm down, Jack's easily twice the size of any pony in Ponyville. I'm sure the only pony that could give him trouble would be Big Mac'." Spike said, attempting to calm her down.

Jack sat in the chair he always sat at, but turned it around so that he was facing the door way. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for sense to come to the purple mare.

"Here, send these letters to the Princess, we'll need her help if we can't find him within the hour!"

Jack slowly face palmed as he heard the familiar sound of Spike sending a letter off with his dragon's breath. Finally having enough of this bullshit, he stood up and strode across the kitchen and out into the main room. Twilight had her back to him and already had her saddlebags packed. She hadn't even combed her mane in her rush.

"Twilight, you need to calm down and eat breakfast." Jack said.

"I can't calm down! Jack's out there and--" As she spoke she stared at Spike who hadn't moved or spoken. She then slowly turned around to face Jack.

He raised an eyebrow to her and crossed his arms again, tapping his foot. "Breakfast is getting cold. I hope you like cinnamon rolls because that's what I got."

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but then quickly shut it. Her horn lit up and the saddlebags on her hips floated up off of her and down onto the table in the center of the room. Jack stepped to the side and allowed the purple duo to enter the kitchen. As they entered the kitchen, he knelt down and looked at Spike.

"Sorry Spike, didn't think she'd flip out like that." He said to him, just above a whisper.

"It's alright, I'm used to it by now. She's been like that ever since I can remember." He said, shaking his head gently.

"Well I'll see if I can get somethin' to make it up to ya later. I promise." Jack said, patting the baby dragon on the back softly before standing up and following him into the kitchen.

Twilight stood at the stove and floated around a tea kettle and a few cups.

"You know, I don't really think tea goes well with cinnamon rolls Twilight." Jack said, spinning his chair back around so that he could sit at the table properly.

Twilight didn't say anything, she just continued on with her task diligently.

"You want some milk with these Spike?" Jack asked as he walked over to the magical refrigerator. He had discovered that the ponies didn't have electricity, they had some sort of magically charged crystals that they used as batteries.

"Yes please." Spike said as Jack grabbed the bottle of milk out of the refrigerator. It had a silhouette of a pony raised up on her hind legs and kicking taped to the front of the bottle, but it tasted just fine to Jack. He never was much of a milk drinker, never really eating the foods that would require milk to be present.

"Excuse me." Jack said as he shuffled slightly behind Twilight to reach the cabinet with the glasses. She didn't move so Jack had to brush his hips against hers as he slid between her and the chair Spike was sitting in. The mug in her magical grip shattered as his hips connected with her rear and she whipped her head around, glaring daggers at the man.

He looked into her eyes, scooted over a bit and then grabbed a new mug from the cupboard, placed it down on the counter next to her kettle, then grabbed two glasses for himself and Spike. He walked the long way around the table this time, and placed a glass in front of Spike, who already had half of the rolls on his plate. Jack smirked and filled the glass in front of the dragon with milk, then did the same for his glass.

"Do you want milk with your tea? Or should I put it back?" He asked the silent unicorn. If he had been paying a little more attention, he would have seen the smoke rising from her body but alas, he was once again oblivious.

"Ooookay..." Jack said after a few moments of silence.

He placed the bottle of milk on the table, next to Twilight's plate and then opened the box of breakfast in the center of the table. He took out two rolls and put them on his plate, then put the remaining four on Twilight's plate. Sitting in his chair he started to eat, his eyes locked with Spikes. The two of them had a silent conversation with only slight head shakes and head nudges.

Twilight finished brewing her tea and sat at the head of the table. She stared at her plate of cinnamon rolls, then to Jack, and finally Spike. She looked back down at the plate again and picked one up with her magic.

Jack looked over as Twilight was about to take a bite out of her roll, and she stopped. Jack swallowed thickly as the room seemed to be a little warmer than he had first thought it was.

"Why?" She asked quietly, her lavender eyes locked with his light blue ones.

"Why what?" Jack asked back.

Twilight slammed her hooves on the table and the roll in her magic crumpled into a ball.

"YOU KNOW WHY WHAT!" She screamed. Jack slid back in his chair and raised his open hands up defensively.

"Calm down Twilight..." He said quietly.

"I AM CALM!" Twilight's mane exploded into flames as she kicked her cushion out from under her and stood up, leaning forward so that she was in his face.

"Twilight I'm sorry." Jack said as he put his hands on each side of her neck, rubbing gently.

She breathed in and out heavily, the flames in her mane slowly fading and returning to her natural purple and pink colors.

Jack quickly wrapped his arms around her and hugged her gently. "There we go... It's alright..."

After a few moments she pulled away. "Why did you leave without telling me where you were going?"

"Because you were asleep. If I had known you'd be all worried, I'd have left a note or something. But I didn't, so I'm sorry." Jack said, still having his hands against her neck. He rubbed his fingers in small circles, enjoying the feeling of her fur under is touch.

After a few moments of silence, Jack pulled his hands away from Twilight and pulled his chair back up to the table and started eating quietly.

"I just thought..." Twilight finally said, frowning and looking at the man eating breakfast. He shook his head and placed a single finger against his own lips, signalling her to shush.

The breakfast finished in relative silence, save for the sounds of eating and drinking. Jack would occasionally look up from his plate to see Spike still scarfing down the rolls with a huge smile on his face, or to see Twilight nibbling on one that was floating in front of her.

Jack finished his breakfast first, followed soon after by Spike. He had to admit, for a little dragon, Spike could pack away food. He got up and put the unused milk away first, before he went to grab the plates. Spike however, grabbed the plates before Jack could, and put them in the sink, starting to wash them. Jack then remembered that Twilight had probably sent a worried letter to the Princess about his disappearance.

"Hey, Twilight. You might want to write a letter to Celes--... The Princess, telling her that you found me and not to burn down the country looking for me." Jack said, sitting back at the table and leaning back in his chair slightly.

The purple unicorn stopped mid bite in her last roll, looked at Jack, and then took off into the front of the library in a flash. Jack chuckled to himself and set his chair back down before he stood up and followed her. She quickly teleported out a scroll and quill and began to hastily write a letter.

"Alright well you take care of that, I'm going out for a walk around. I'll see you later today Twilight." Jack said as he walked from behind her and over towards the front door.

"Jack! Wait-- " The door closing behind him cut off whatever she was going to say. He walked away from the library, his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the sky, noting the few clouds in the area.

After aimlessly wandering around the closed market area, Jack decided to go visit Fluttershy. He remembered her promise of fish, the first bits of meat he'd had in about a month. He smiled to himself slightly and started off towards the edge of town.

Jack had made his way out of the town after a few hours of walking, following the rather vague directions to a certain yellow pegasus' cottage. He stopped a random pony at the edge of town when he finally figured out he had no idea where he was going. It turns out he was on the completely wrong side of town when he stopped the mare, so he had to trek through the whole town again.

"She's on the edge of town next to the Everfree Forest, you can't miss it." He mocked in his best impression of a girl's voice. It seems the one detail they forgot about, was that the Everfree Forest bordered the entire eastern side of the town, and continued on for miles.

Sighing quietly to himself he decided to start at the south eastern end of town and follow the treeline up, keeping his eyes peeled for signs of an animal nursery or the like. Jack knew Fluttershy had some kind of thing with animals, however he had never delivered anything to the mare during his rounds with the delivery company.

Coming upon a trail that lead into the woods, Jack decided to take a break. He looked around for a suitable location to sit down, but came up with nothing. He decided to just sit on the side of the path, his back pressed against a tree as he scanned the open field around the "entrance" to the forest.

For the first time since he had been here, he was finally able to appreciate at least a piece of the beauty that was Equestria. The field before him stretched out as far as the eye could see. The tall grass was speckled with flowers and swayed gently with the wind. The warmth of the sun caressed his exposed skin and fed it's light to the world around him.

Suddenly, a scream shattered his train of thought and brought him back from his imagination. He stood up slowly, listening, trying to not make a sound. He was unsure if he had heard anything at first, but he heard another scream and he nodded to himself.

Turning in the direction of the scream, he hoped he could get to whoever was in trouble before anything happened to them. Jack took off into a sprint from a dead stop, his boots cracking branches and crushing whatever foliage was on the ground underneath him. Taking a mental note of the direction he ran, he did his best to leave some sort of trail to mark his way back out by breaking branches and such. After a few moments Jack heard another scream and altered his course. He was getting closer. Pushing passed the growing pain in his thighs and the heavy breathing in his chest he continued to run to the aid of whoever, or whatever called for it.

After running for what he felt was minutes he could finally see something through the trees as he ran. There, about twenty yards in front of him, were three fillies huddled together against what looked like a fallen tree. Jack reached out a hand, grabbing an already broken branch that was barely hanging onto a tree and took it with him as he closed the distance.

Just as he made it to the edge of the clearing where the fillies were at, he saw what they were running from. Three large wolves, easily twice to three times the size of the fillies were standing in a semi circle, preventing any escape. The wolves were bigger than even the full grown ponies that Jack had seen throughout the town, possibly even as big as he was if they stood on their hind legs. Their glowing green eyes seemed focused on the easy meal they had found wandering through the woods.

As the larger of the three wolves jumped from the center of the group, time seemed to slow down for Jack. He gripped the branch he had in his hand, grunted, and threw it with all his might.  The fillies screamed as they saw the wolf lunging at them, while Jack prayed that for once in his life, that his arm would be good enough to do something right. The branch flew through the air, tumbling end over end until the broadest part of it connected with the neck of the jumping wolf. Time returned to normal as the wolf was quickly knocked off course, the momentum of the branch causing it to miss the fillies and even the log they were huddled together in front of completely. A dry crack was heard from the wolf as it collided with the ground, or perhaps another tree.

Continuing to run even as the branch flew through the air, Jack closed the distance between the wolves and the girls, skidding to a halt between the two opposing sides. He sank into a defensive posture and kept his hands open, eying the would be predators. He breathed heavily, already seemingly out of air, but the adrenalin in his veins was pumping him full of strength and stamina, at least for the moment.

The two remaining timber wolves looked at each other, then back at Jack, slowly closing the distance. The wolf on the left leapt at him, claws bared and snarling at him. Jack reacted by sinking a bit further, and then exploding upwards with a heavy rising kick to the chin of the wolf. The wolf's head exploded into a rain of dried twigs and sap, as the body fell to the ground in a pile of branches. Jack landed on his back, not having the balance or time to correct himself from the kick he delivered.

The third wolf, sensing weakness, jumped and landed on top of Jack's chest, snapping its jaws at his face. Jack barely had enough strength to keep the timber wolf at arms length and dodge his head out of the way of getting mauled. The claws of the wolf found their mark by cutting into his chest and arms. His strength failing slightly with the introduction of pain, the wolf took its chance and bit down into it's new prey's left shoulder.

"You mother FUCKER!" Jack cried out as he gripped the side of the wolf's face and raised his feet up under it. He pulled and then kicked with all of his might, causing the wooden teeth still lodged in his shoulder to snap off from the wolf's mouth. Sending the wolf off into the tree line, Jack quickly got to his feet.

The girls behind him screamed again, so he turned to look at what caused them to cry out. Above them on the log, looking at Jack was the alpha he had hit with the branch. The wolf leaped with his claws and fangs bared, closing in for the kill.

"FUCK YOU!" Jack roared out as he clenched his fist and sent it on a collision course with the attacking wolf.

The fillies watched as Jack's eyes flashed green for the briefest of moments, then as his fist and arm turned to stone before he buried it into the timber wolf's muzzle. Jack continued to roar as he cut the timber wolf in half from the combined force of his punch and the wolf's attack.

Breathing heavily, his fists clenched and his arms shaking with rage, he turned to the last remaining wolf. Jack took one step forward and leaned down, standing over the corpse of the alpha he had slain and roared. The power of his voice was enough to send the remains of the wolves at his feet skipping off into the tree line as the last living wolf turned and ran.

Jack watched the wolf run off and his breathing slowed, his hands uncurling and then hanging at his side loosely. He fell to his knees and closed his eyes as the adrenalin quickly bled from his body, both literally and figuratively. He turned his head to inspect what damage he could find with his shoulder, only to see several wooden teeth sticking out from a damp patch of blackened cloth on his shoulder.

After a few moments of trying to calm his breathing, he turned and looked at the three fillies, still shaking and huddled together.

"Hey there... I'm Jack." He said softly, reaching his right hand out to them. He pulled it back as he saw that it was made of stone and watched as it slowly returned to flesh.

"Okay... that's super weird..." Jack said as he opened and closed his hand, watching as it responded as it should. He then remembered where he was and looked back at the fillies before him.

"Look, we need to get you girls out of here and somewhere safe, and I need to get to a hospital. I'll take you to Twilight, she'll know how to contact your families."

At the mention of Twilight's name, the fillies stopped shaking. "Ya'll know Twilight Sparkle?" The yellow earth filly with a red mane and pink bow asked.

"Yep, sure do. Purple unicorn with a baby dragon. Loves books and Princess Celestia. I'm staying at the library with her." Jack said, scooting on his knees towards the girls a little bit.

The three fillies looked at each other and then back at him and nodded. The orange pegasus filly with a mussed purple mane then spoke. "Well that was pretty awesome how you saved us from those timberwolves. Not as awesome as Rainbow Dash, but still pretty cool."

"I'm Applebloom." The red-maned yellow filly said. She then pointed to the other two fillies, the first was the orange pegasus with a purple mane. Jack noticed that her wings seemed strangely small, but he was unsure if that was normal or not.

"I'm Scootaloo, and this is Sweetie Belle!" The orange filly then threw a leg around the white unicorn with purple and white curls. The unicorn's green eyes looked up to him and he nodded gently in response.

Jack looked up from them and then around to the surrounding woods. He noticed that it was quiet, more quiet then it should be.

"Alright, well let's get out of here, I don't want to stay around here like this any longer then we have to." He then stood up, slowly his right hand going to his wounded shoulder and applying a bit of pressure. He looked around and spotted the path he took to get to the girls. Following his own innate sense of direction he figured that the fastest way out of the forest, was to head straight for the edge, instead of following his path. He had taken an angled path into the forest, and if he took the short leg, he would exit the woods sooner than how he got in.

"Walk in front of me and what ever you do, keep moving. Don't stop."

The fillies nodded to him and then trotted in front of him as he directed them towards the route he had set for them. The four of them walked in silence, the only sounds were the odd branches that they had stepped on, or the crinkling of the leaves. There were no birds or other animal sounds, so that set Jack on as high of alert as he could. His head continually scanned in front and side to side for any sign of danger.

After a minute of walking, he heard a branch behind them snap. Turning his head quickly, his eyes met with another predator's. The beast was huge. It had the body of a lion with a bright red mane. It also had a pair of leathery wings and a black scorpion stinger as a tail.

"Girls... RUN!" Jack shouted as the beast behind them roared.

"MANTICORE!!!" Scootaloo screamed as the beast behind them roared.

The fillies started to run, unfortunately, Jack and the beast were faster. Jack leaned down and scooped the three fillies up with his less injured right arm and clasped them closely to his chest. The fillies squirmed in his arm as he mentally apologized for getting his blood all over them. He ran as hard and fast as he could, his left hand looped its fingers into the belt loops in the front of his pants as he continued to sprint forward.

Suddenly he heard one of the fillies scream and he felt something slip against his back, the force of whatever it was and the air pushing him slightly forward.  After a few steps he felt the skin on his back searing with pain, but he pushed through it. He could see the sunlight coming from the edge of the woods.

Only a few hundred more feet!

His heart pounded in his chest as his shoulder, back, and thighs burned with exhaustion and pain. Growling in his throat as he exhaled, he closed in to the edge of the forest. He hoped to anyone that the beast wouldn't follow him into the open, but he was ready to do what he had to in order to let the fillies get away, even if it meant he had to throw them away and do what he could to distract this monster. He felt another swipe at his back, this one in line with his spine, but thankfully off to the side. The pain in his back quickly faded with every step after that last swipe, however Jack's legs began to get heavier and heavier as well.

Clenching his teeth and squinting his eyes in sheer desperation, Jack finally broke through the forest's edge with the three fillies in his arms. He continued to run as he heard the beast roar again behind him. Not taking the time to turn around he continued to make his way across the field. After he was halfway through the field, Jack turned his head to look over his shoulder once again, spotting that the manticore had stayed in the forest behind him.

Jack finally slowed his pace down to a walk, and then after a few steps, stopping completely. He knelt down and let the fillies fall from his arms onto the ground. Looking them over, the only signs of damage were the twigs, leaves and spots of his own blood that were stuck in their manes and smeared on their fur. Smiling to himself, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey Mister Jack, are you alright?" the Scootaloo spoke up, watching Jack wobble a bit.

That was the last thing he heard, for in the very next moment he collapsed next to them, managing to avoid crushing them under his weight. Closing his eyes, the pain in his back slowly faded away with his consciousness.

Dreamworld Castle

Jack slowly opened his eyes, the searing pain in his back was missing and he stood in an eerily familiar location.

All around him the cobblestone floor extended off into darkness. Just above his head a light shone down onto him but no where else, effectively leaving the rest of the room in utter darkness. Jack looked around slowly and then crossed his arms.

"This again?" He called out to the darkness around him.

Silence reigned around him as he continued to scan around the empty room. Having finally had enough of this bullshit, he turned to walk away.

"You have been chosen to defend the realm of Equus." The familiar dark voice called out to him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Why me?" Jack asked, his head turning around and looking behind him.

"You'll fight. Bravely enough but foolishly, carelessly. And you will be beaten."

"Then there's someone better qualified than I am." He stated, then turned and resumed walking away into the darkness.

"If you are afraid to trust, you will lose."

The world around Jack seemed to disappear in one jarring instant, as though someone had flicked a switch off in his mind. He then felt the pain of the injuries he had sustained in the waking world earlier that day.

Ponyville

Jack's eyes open quickly and focused on the white ceiling of a familiar location. His body was unresponsive since his mind had suddenly been awakened from his dream. He closed his eyes and breathed slowly, trying to process all of the information, or lack there of, that he was given. Turning his head to the side, he decided he should try to figure out where he was and what happened to the fillies after he presumably passed out. Opening his eyes, Jack was unprepared for the sight that was just inches away from him.

Standing at the edge of the bed, facing away from him and out the window, was a yellow coated mare with a long pink tail. Her tail had drifted off to the side to reveal her slightly darker marehood. Gawking at this display his face began to flush. His eyes roamed over every curve and inch of the yellow mare's rear, drinking in the show she was unintentionally giving him. Even the pain in his back did little to slow his arousal as it grew, tenting the blanket covering him for all to see who would look.

Wonder what she tastes like...

What is wrong with me? Jack thought to himself just as Fluttershy turned around.