The End of an Era

by Ajemuha

Rating: mature
Tags: Slice of Life, Human, Sad, Dark, Alternate Universe, Romance
Length: 68263

HiE. A man, broken and defeated, decides enough is enough. The universe, it seems, has a different opinion. He is brought to a land through mysterious means and given new purpose.

A man, broken and defeated, decides enough is enough. The universe, it seems, has a different opinion. He is brought to a land through mysterious means and given new purpose.

However, darkness dwells in the hearts of men, and our hero is no exception. To accomplish the task set before him, he must also overcome that which lies inside himself.

What will happen when the end comes? Only time will tell.

This story isn't mainly a clop-fic. Sex will be used for story progression. There will also be some fairly dark content in this story in the future. You will be notified ahead of time if you wish to skip said activities. This is my first story and any constructive criticism is welcomed. Post a comment and I'll be sure to get back to you.

Currently undergoing editing and re-writing.

Chapter 2 edited recently.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-07-21 17:20:12 UTC

Prologue

A light snow falls outside of an apartment complex. Each building has eight rooms, four on the bottom and four on the top. It's midnight and there is only one light on out of the twelve or so buildings. On the ground floor of the most distant complex, the light filters out through the closed blinds in the silence of the night.

The sound of bottles clinking come from the front room as a man sits in front of his computer screen with his headphones on and his head on his arms.  Around him are numerous bottles of beer and vodka, all but one beer left empty. The man has shaggy brown hair that is heavy with grease from not having bathed for a few days. He's clothed in a short sleeve red shirt that is loose on his chest but tight on his large stomach. He's wrapped up in a dark grey comforter listening to music and staring at his half finished bottle of beer.

So I guess this is it then... He thinks to himself.

He sighs quietly and sits back in the large wooden chair with plaid red and green cushions. Downing the last of his beer he drops his arm and another clink is heard as the bottle slips from his hand and lands on the rest of the trash around him. His blue eyes glazed over slightly as he stares at his desktop background. It's solid black with a calligraphic circle in the middle of it signifying the rising sun.

I better get cleaned up if its time then...

Pushing back the chair his arms press down on the long hardwood desk in order to support his weight after all of this drinking. As he stands the world starts to spin. He begins to shuffle his feet across the beige carpet and through the empty bottles. As he reaches the wall, he slams his right shoulder up against it and continues on his path to the back room.

This shell of a man stands about 5 foot 9, yet his body has been wracked by malnourishment and atrophy from his inactivity. His stomach is bulging out from the bottom of his shirt but his forearms are almost skin and bone. His face is pale and his cheeks are fattened from not exercising, in almost every sense of the word this man is a slob. He is not morbidly obese as he weighs about 250 pounds, but his body has seen better days. He wears black elastic gym shorts for the only purpose he has had for the last year or so, comfort.

As he reaches the back room, he drops the comforter he's wrapped up in onto his bed along with his wireless headphones. The sudden silence is deafening. He stands in the darkened bedroom and stares at the soft blue light that is coming from the headphones. He takes a slow and shaky breath as he turns to a closed door in his bedroom. Opening it, he reaches inside and flicks on the light inside the bathroom. For the first time in a long while, he musters the courage to look at himself in the mirror. The same feeling washes over him, just as with every time before. Disgust.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

His blue eyes refocus and start running over his form. He pulls his shirt off with a bit of effort and his eyes run over the numerous stretch marks that scar his once fit body.

Look at you, you're pathetic. You're weak. You're lazy and fat and better off dead...

He doesn't look away as he's berating himself as a single tear falls from his eyes and onto the cold tile floor.

Look at you now, crying, some man you turned out to be, no wonder women don't talk to you, you're a pussy yourself!

He pulls his shorts off and makes his way over to the shower. As he turns on the water, he closes his eyes and presses his forehead against the wall. The cold water hits his body, which causes him to tense momentarily. After standing motionless for a few minutes he finally begins to clean himself.

After showering he starts to lose his balance as the rest of the alcohol begins coursing through his body. He is still slightly damp from the shower as he leans against the wall and starts to dry himself.  After drying, he puts on his black underwear and slides on blue jeans that are faded, wrinkled and slightly frayed at the bottom. His jeans are a size too big but he just grabs a black short sleeved t shirt and tucks it in before putting on his belt. He had planned this night out for a while and everything was laid out on his dresser. As he started to bend over slightly with his back against the wall to put his socks on he slid left and landed onto the floor with a loud thud. With the alcohol numbing the pain he just laid on the ground while he continued to put on his black socks that go up to his mid shins. After that he stayed on the ground and looked at his brown steel towed boots just out of reach.

Just lay there like the good bitch you are and go to sleep. That way when you wake up tomorrow you can have not done what you planned to do again. Just like every other day of your miserable existence!

Reaching out and falling short of his boots he slowly drags himself over to them and sits up. With his gut in the way it makes breathing slightly difficult to put on his boots and lace them up correctly, but as long as they're on and not going anywhere, he didn't care. He grabs the side of his bed and pulls himself up to standing again, sweating slightly from having to use both his arms and legs more and more as his motor skills start slipping away from him. Finally standing he looks over to his dresser to the note on it and grabs it, along with all of the rest of his cash he pulled from his bank account and a check for what he couldn't get out of the ATM. With a heavy sigh he walks over to the front room again slowly and placed it down in the middle of the desk with his computer and faces the front door. Shuffling his feet through all of the empty bottles on the ground he makes it to the front door and unlocks the deadbolt.

Well now they wont have to spend long knocking and can just get to it.

He turns around and walks back into his room slowly and picks up whats left on his dresser, His wallet with his drivers license and a black flip knife. He clips his knife into his right pocket and pushes his wallet into his front left and shuffles back out and towards the back door.

With a glance back into the house and a heavy sigh, he unlocks the back door and puts on a black light jacket and zips it up. Opening the door and walking out to the back "yard" of the apartment complex, he closes the door and shuffles off into the forest behind the complex. It's only been snowing for a few hours so what is stuck on the ground slightly crunches under his feet as his breath comes out slowly. Every few steps he stumbles slightly and holds onto a tree to regain his balance.

It wont be long now...

He looks up to the night sky. The only thing he can see is the cloud cover and the slight light pollution from around the rest of the town. It feels as if its the darkest night he's ever been in but his eyes slowly adjust as he continues walking. Up ahead he finds a ladder tied to a tree and smirks as he shuffles over to it. He wraps his fingers around the side of the freezing metal and slowly starts to climb up the ladder into the tree. Half way up his foot slips back and he slams his forehead into one of the steps and stops his assent as he regains his footing. "Fuck that shit hurt..." he whispers as he rubs his now red forehead.

As he gets to the top of the ladder he holds steps out onto a thick branch and holds onto the trunk of the tree for balance. He looks around the tree slowly so as not to fall off of the branch and there he spots it, the noose he had made the day before and hung up on the next branch up.  It was slightly covered in snow and freezing cold but he didn't care. Slipping it onto his neck and tightening it as best he could around himself he grit his teeth as the snow slipped down his neck and under his shirt and jacket. This was it, no going back now.

No job, no money, no friends... The least I can do is stop being a burden on my family...

Stepping out farther onto the limb and pulling slightly on the slack of the rope he guides himself out to the middle of the limb, far enough away from the ladder so his body doesn't attempt to rescue himself. His breathing becomes ragged and shaky as the fear starts to get to him with every step he takes. He gulps and then chuckles to himself.

"I haven't been this afraid since I had to do the repel tower in boot camp... Well it's time..." He breathes in heavily and closes his eyes as he holds his balance on the rope around his neck and on the tree limb above. He'll fall a few feet, just far enough to snap his neck and suffocate without feeling it.

His mind blank and his breathing slow and calm he lets go of the rope standing perfectly still on the branch despite his intoxication. No looking back and no regrets. "I'm sorry..." With that a tear rolls down his cheek and he steps forward off of the branch.  He feels like he's falling in slow motion as his brain starts firing faster then it has been ever before, flashing his life before his closed eyes and then the last thing he'll hear echoes in around him in the silence of the snowy night.

*CRACK*

1. Wake up call.

Celestia, the Princess of the Sun, sleeps soundly in her chambers with her precious phoenix, Philomena, in the cage next to her bed. Philomena's door is open as she sleeps perched on her post inside of the cage. Her red and gold plumage smouldering slightly. Suddenly she awakes and screeches loudly, jumping out of the door to her cage and gliding off towards the balcony.

Celestia awakes with a jump, landing next to her bed and pointing her horn at her door slightly before she notices the trail of embers floating out of her balcony door.

"Philomena! What is wrong?!"

Celestia runs over and out onto the balcony watching as Philomena flies off towards the Everfree Forest. Seconds later the front door of her room flies open as a few Royal Guard ponies flood into the room

"Princess!" one of them shouts.

Celestia turns to them and smiles softly. "I am fine guards, Philomena however is acting strangely and I must see what has her troubled."

The guards then bow and then stand. The unicorn guard in the front then looks up to her and speaks softly. "Princess please, you must rest."

Celestia nods slightly. "Very well, however, I will take this up with my sister before returning to bed."

She then walks out of her bed chambers and into her anteroom to get dressed. She levitates her shoes over and slips them on before placing her necklace on. She does not bother with her crown as she is not taking the throne in the middle of the night. The guards file out silently and back into the hall, leaving her front golden ornate doors open for her. Quickly she walks out of her anteroom and into the hall heading straight for the throne room, doors closing right behind her.

Whatever could Philomena be doing flying off like that into the Everfree? And in the middle of the night no less? She wonders quietly to her self; keeping a calm smile on her face as she passes the guards in front of the throne room doors.

The throne doors swing open and at the other end of the hall sitting upon a golden throne with red cushions is a blue Alicorn levitating several scrolls and a book as she stares blankly at them. Several scrolls float around as she groans and references them with the book, a quill scribbling furiously in between the books and the scrolls. Her midnight blue hair speckled with the stars of the night sky flowing softly beside and behind her. She does not notice Celestia and continues to grumble quietly as hears the door open. The moon light filters through the windows as she closes her eyes and recites her greetings. "Thou art welcome to the Night Court subject. What is thy grievance?"

Celestia chuckles softly and looks up to her sister shielded in her scrolls and books "Is that how you greet your dearest sister Luna?"

The book in front of Luna's face snaps shut and the scrolls roll up quickly before falling to the floor as Luna jumps off the throne and runs to her sister.

"Tia mine dearest sister!" She says quickly and wraps her forelegs around her sisters neck. "'Tis good to see thou in the night court, but what doth trouble thou?" Luna pulls back from the hug and stands in front of her sister looking slightly concerned.

"Lulu it is good to see you too." Celestia smiles  and nuzzles her sister softly. "It is Philomena, she is acting quite strangely. She woke me up not but a few moments ago and flew off into the Everfree faster than I had ever seen her fly before."

Luna frowns slightly and rubs her chin with one of her front hooves. "Thou sayeth the Everfree? We have heard of a magical disturbance in the Everfree just earlier this eve. Perhaps that is what she is after. We would be happy to look into this for thou, shouldst thou wish to return to bed."

"Very well sister, let us hope that Philomena is alright. However tomorrow I will follow after her if she does not return. Please pass words to the guards to have a patrol ready to accompany me." Celestia nods and then hugs her sister again. "It is good to see you again sister, we spend so little time together as it is."

Luna returns the hug and smiles "Thou speeks the truth dearest sister. We wish you a good eve and entrust in us that we shall do as thou requests." With that the sisters separate and walk in opposite directions, Celestia back to her room, and Luna to the throne. "Guard!" Luna commands as a night guard approaches her. His black armor and blackened bat wings held tightly to his sides as he bows. "Yes Princess."

"Report to the barracks and pass word that our Sister may require a squad of guards tomorrow. Also, bring us our own best pegasi, We leave immediately for the forest!" She commands as she stares down at her guard.

"Yes your highness!" the night guard quickly leaves the room as Luna returns to the throne and opens up one of the scrolls next to her on the floor.

Everfree Forest

The man falls from the sky and lands with a loud cracking sound. His body collapses to the ground from his legs breaking on impact.

"Son of a --!" Was all he could get out before the large tree limb collided with his head, knocking him unconscious. As he remained motionless on the forest floor, snow began to fall.

High above the forest canopy, Philomena blazes across the sky towards a crackling purple and black cloud. The phoenix reaches the spot just as the mysterious cloud dissipated. She circles the area a couple of times, searching for anything out of place on the forest floor.

Finding a broken branch, she descends and lands atop it. The branch shifts and Philomena gently pecks at the snow under it. She soon finds something soft under the snow and spots the faint glimmer of blood shining in the moonlight. She reared her head up and after a few more quick glances around the took to the skies again.

Fluttershy's Cottage

Fluttershy snoozes quietly in her bed, her pink mane covering half of her face as she's bundled up in her light green blankets. Her soft yellow fur shining slightly in the moonlight from her window with a bunny at the foot of the bed. She awakes with a squeak due to her window being pecked at relentlessly. She looks around and then realizes the sound is coming from the window. Slowly she makes her way over to the window to see Philomena pecking at the glass.

"Oh my... Philomena what are you doing here at this hour?" the golden pegasus asks as she opened the window. The phoenix flies in and lands on her outstretched foreleg.

"What are you doing away from the castle?" Fluttershy asks quietly so as not to wake up her pet bunny. Philomena screeches a bit and coos softly as she starts flapping her wings and landing back on the window seal.

"Oh my an animal is hurt in the forest?" She asks quickly flapping her wings and flying over to the cabinet to get a first aid kit. Philomena screeches again and flaps her wings, not leaving the window seal.

"Hurry, right, I'll be out front in a moment Philomena, then we can go save this creature."

With that Philomena flaps her wings and then flies out of the window and circling the house. The yellow pegasus pushes her bunny gently.

"Wake up Angel this is an emergency.. that is... if you don't mind." The bunny slaps her hoof and then looks up at her rubbing his eyes.

"Angel I need you to get a place ready down stairs for a wounded animal, I have to hurry and get it before it gets hurt any more in the forest." Fluttershy asks sweetly.

The bunny hops up and nods her before running out the door and down the stairs, followed quickly by his owner. Once the pegasus is outside the front door Philomena screeches and flies in front of her and then taking off back into the forest. The pink and gold caretaker holds the first aid kit in her mouth and flies quickly to catch up and follow the fiery messenger.

As she reaches the forest's entrance she is stopped by the sight of the blue alicorn princess, Princess Luna, and her contingent of gaurds. Philomena is flapping her wings and cooing softly on the back of the midnight princess as the yellow pegasus arrives. "Philomena, Princess Luna!" The pegasus squeaks and lands next to them.

"Ah Fluttershy! Thine hath returned our Sister's pet. Pray what art thou doing with thine equipment?" Luna asks as she points a hoof to the first aid kit in the yellow pegasus' mouth.

"There's a creature that is hurt and Philomena here was going to take me to it... That is.. If you don't mind..." Fluttershy hides slightly behind her mane as she turns her head away from the princess.

"Very well then, our guards shall assist thee in thine journey. Guards!" Luna speaks softly while she snaps at the end of her sentence getting Fluttershy to quiver a bit as the guards snap to attention. "Lead on Philomena, take us to this creature."

The phoenix coos and then lifts off into the air and flies into the forest leaving a trail of flame and embers behind her. Fluttershy quickly follows, the first off the ground after the phoenix and into the forest, followed by Luna and her guards. The snow is starting to fall a little faster as Philomena starts to circle around the forest before she lands next to a branch with a rope around it. The phoenix starts pecking the branch and screeching, waiting on Fluttershy to arrive.

"Oh my what's this?" Fluttershy asks as she puts the first aid kit down in the snow and trots over to the branch. She looks the branch over and sees the rope and pushes the branch off to the side, following the rope down into the mound of snow.

"Oh no..." she whispers as she starts digging into the snow. "Somepony help me get this snow off!" She shouts at the guards coming out of the woods behind her. The guards rush over and start digging until they see blood and bones sticking out of the snow.

"Miss, come quick!" one of them says as the rest start to dig out the strange creature from the snow. It's breathing is ragged and shallow but it does not seem to be conscious.

Fluttershy quickly comes over to the gaurd and looks down. "Get me splints quickly! And bring me tape and rags!" She shouts commands at the guards as she continues to dig out around the legs of this creature.

Luna steps up next to her and helps dig out this creature, she unties the rope from around the branch and then around its neck. It's neck has rope burn marks and bruises all around it so she carefully digs out its torso and arms.

"WHERE ARE MY BUCKING SPLINTS!?" Fluttershy screams as she holds some rags in her hooves as the guards rush out of the forest with sticks strong enough to be makeshift splints. Luna looks over surprised to see the usually quiet and timid mare shouting such profanities to her guards, but she remains silent.

"Hold it down I need to reset the bones before I wrap it up." She says looking over at a guard still digging out this creature. The guard nods and then pushes down on its back and leans his weight on it. Fluttershy then places her hooves on both sides of one of his legs and then pulls, sliding the bone back into the skin and resetting it. The creatures groans and starts shaking, becoming unconscious for a second and then blacking back out from the pain.

A Hospital Room

beep... beep...beep...

The man groans as he hears the beeps coming from his right. He tries to open his eyes but he can't see anything and quickly passes out again.

beep... beep...beep...

"What is it?" a feminine voice asks as the man groans again gaining consciousness once more. His mouth is dry and he can't force anything else out but a soft groan.

"I think he's waking up. Shh now, quiet now, you're hurt pretty bad. You're in a hospital, you're safe." A different voice says. It's soft and sweet, just barely above a whisper as something presses on his shoulder. "It's going to be alright now, just rest." With that, he loses consciousness again.

beep... beep... beep... beep... beep...

The man wakes up again and breathes slowly, his neck hurts but he cant move it. He opens his eyes again only to find that he can't see much besides the slight grey of light filtering through gauze bandages. He tries to move his arms a bit but he finds their tied down, the same for his legs.

Great, I'm in some kind of suicide ward 'cause I fucked up and didn't kill myself right... I can't do anything right.

The man struggles again and hears jingling coming from the straps and then footsteps approaching him so he stops struggling and stays quiet.

"Are you awake now? Please relax we can't have you hurting yourself anymore then you are. Can you speak?" A feminine voice asks. The man stays silent but manages to whisper something under his breath. "What was that dear?" the voice asks again seeming to move a little closer.

The man sighs and tries to whisper again "W..w..water... p..please.."

"Alright but take it slow, you can't move much so be careful" the voice says and soon enough something cold his pressed against the man's dried and chapped lips. Water slowly starts to drip into his mouth and he swallows. The water is cool and refreshing but once it gets passed his tongue and into his throat it starts to burn from not having anything to drink for a while. The man grunts and the water stops coming.

"Th..thanks..." the man says quietly and the glass is set back on the table next to him. He hears footsteps leave his bed and then a door opens and closes leaving him alone again so the man falls asleep again.

Beep... beep... beep...

The man wakes up a little quicker the next time to two voices talking next to him.

"What do you mean you don't think he's dangerous?" One of the feminine voices' asks.

"Well he doesn't have any sharp claws and he is really hurt..." Another soft one says..

Hey I think I remember that one...

"Well what about the fact he's twice our size? And the fact we've never seen anything like him before!" the first voice asks.

What do you mean never seen anything like me before... I know I let myself go but I didn't... oh no... maybe I'm deformed from the suicide! the man thinks to himself and starts to struggle a bit in his slight panic, pulling on the restraints.

The two female voices' gasp as the heart rate monitor begins beeping faster. "I'll get the nurse!" one of them says as she runs out of the room, the other presses down on his shoulder.

"Shh now relax it's alright we're here for you." The soft voice coos. The man stops moving and stays still his heart rate picking up more and more.

"I can't move my head... is there something stopping me moving my head?" The man asks the voice, wherever she is.

"Yes there's a brace there, but your neck is hurt but nothing is broken, do you want me to remove it?" She asks softly.

The man can swear he hears something flapping but he just passes it off as wind flowing through the curtains. "Yes please, and can you get this thing off of my face?"

Suddenly the door opens up and what sounds like lots of footsteps enter into his room. A male voice speaks up next and close to him. "Hello, so you're awake are you?"

"Yea.. can you get this thing off my neck and off of my face?" The man asks again, getting a little irritated.

"We can take the brace off of your neck but be still, we don't want to hurt you accidentally." The male voice says as pressure is applied to the man's neck. After a bit of fumbling the brace comes off and the man feels a cool breeze bat slowly against his neck like there is a rotating fan blowing on him.

"Thanks Doc..." The man says slowly as his neck feels a little better. He slowly turns his head on the pillow and tests out his range of motion. "How long was I out for...?"

"We found you about two days ago, you were banged up pretty bad, I'm surprised your still alive to be honest." The doctor says, a hint of sadness in his voice. "Who would do that to you?"

The man remained silent but kept turning his head left and right, trying to get all of the kinks out. There didn't seem to be any pain which was strange, he figured he'd have some kind of problems turning his head considering what happened. "Can you take this thing off of my face please?"

The doctor sighed and then spoke softly "Alright but I need to warn you, we haven't seen anything like you and this may be extremely strange for you. The nurse will have a sedative ready if you start getting out of control. It's as much for your safety as it is ours."

The man swallowed quickly and tried to prepare himself.

What does he mean never seen anything like me? I'm a fucking human! What kinda bullshit ass psycho ward am I in?

"I'm sure I can handle it doc..." The man says as he closes his eyes.

"Alright well we'll take the bandages off slowly just keep your eyes closed so you can adjust to the light. Nurse if you would please?" The doctor says as the man's head is lifted up on what seems like a pillow. His face is covered in a tingly sensation that he passes off for just moving his neck. Slowly the bandages start to unwrap around his head as the light starts to seep in more and more into his eyes.

"Oh my..." the soft angelic voice from earlier says as the light gets brighter and bringer.

"Alright son the bandages are off just give your eyes a minute and then you can look around." The doctor says as everyone seems to take a couple steps back. The man's head rests on the pillow once again and he slowly opens his eyes, quickly blinded by the bright white hospital lights.

"Shit it's bright." The man says quietly as he squints his eyes, opening them slowly to see that he is indeed in a bright white hospital. He looks to his right and sees a heart monitor beeping slowly and then down to see his right arm with an IV inserted into it and then down to the straps holding his wrist. He looks at his chest and sees that he doesn't have  a shirt but is covered by blankets that go down to his knees where his legs are in casts and strapped to the table.

Well that explains why I can't move my toes...

The man then closes his eyes and lays his head back.

Well for the moment of truth I guess...

He opens his eyes and looks to the left to see who all was taking care of him. Looking back at him are a group of ... fucking horses...

"What the fuck..? WHAT THE FUCK! OH FUCK!" the man starts screaming and tugging at his restraints as his heart rate spikes up. The two horses in front of him quickly approach him. One of them is just your every day brown horse with a black mane, but he's wearing a white lab coat with a green vest under it and a stethoscope. The other is a white horse with a horn on its head? It's a unicorn? What!? It has red hair and pink eyes with an off white nurse's cap on top of it's head. The two rush forward and push down on his chest and shoulders as the unicorn's horn starts glowing, levitating a syringe over to him.

"FUCK YOU! GET THE FUCK BACK! NO! FUCK LET ME GO! I WON'T BE A FUCKING SCIENCE EXPERIMENT! GET THE FUCK AWAY!" The man screams and struggles underneath the two horses as he see's two others, a purple unicorn with a purple mane and tail with a pink highlight running down through it, standing next to a yellow pegasus with a long pink mane and tail. The yellow one was crying softly as the purple one moved in front of it.

"Nurse the sedative!" The brown one yells as the syringe quickly buries itself into the neck of the screaming and struggling man. The plunger depresses as the liquid is pressed into him with the white unicorn holding his shoulders down.

"RAAH NO! FUCK YOU!.....get... away...." the man finally passed out and was surrounded by darkness once again.

After the creature calms down the doctor and the nurse back off and turn around and look at the two others in the room with them. Fluttershy was crying softly with her face buried into the purple unicorn's neck. "It's alright Fluttershy. He's just asleep don't cry. I have to send a letter to the Princess in order to let her know what happened here. You can stay here and look after him if you want." The purple unicorn says.

Fluttershy sniffles a bit. "Alright Twilight." With that Fluttershy walks over and sits on a cushion next to the bed watching the creature sleep. The nurse and the doctor both leave with Twilight the purple unicorn and head back into the hall and shut the door.

beep... beep...beep...

"Oh my head..." The man groans silently as he opens his eyes to look up at the ceiling. "What a fucked up dream..." He says as he blinks his eyes before he slowly realizes where he is and his heart rate picks up again, echoed by the beeping from his right. He starts breathing quickly as he tugs his hands a bit and then relaxes, not wanting to alert anyone. He quickly looks over to his left and looks around the darkened room. He can barely make out the shape of something next to his bed so he bites his bottom lip.

What kind of fucked up drug world am I in?

The man starts moving his left hand around slowly, trying to slip out of the strap. It's coming undone slowly but it's also jingling more and more. The shape next to him starts to stir a bit so he stops moving and closes his eyes a bit, pretending to be asleep.

If I can get out of this one brace I can get out of here and get away... Remember the code of conduct they taught you about... Name, rank, age, date of birth and service number, nothing else.

After waiting a few minutes longer he looked out to his right and saw a small window with the moon just above the horizon.

Well that mean's it is either just before dawn or just after sunset. I have to get out of here quickly under the cover of darkness... now for these fucking straps.

The man quietly went back to rotating his left arm around a bit, getting the strap to loosen slowly. "That's it come to papa..." He whispered. Finally after what seemed like hours his hand slipped free from the strap and went over to undo his right hand. It took a bit because he wasn't familiar with them but he got his hands undone and suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline, spiking his heart rate a bit.

Mother fuckin' heart monitor... shut the fuck up shit!

He grit his teeth and tried to calm down while sitting up slowly and trying to get to the straps on his feet.

Maybe if you did some fuckin' sit ups once in a while you wouldn't be such a fat shit and could reach these straps!

He leaned back a bit, took a deep breath and then stretched forward and started to undo one of the straps. His legs burned from being straight out and not being that flexible, but if he could get free, it wouldn't matter. He fiddled with the straps a bit and got one free.

*Squeak!* The man froze and started to sweat a little more, his heart rate spiked as he slowly turned his head left and saw the figure there standing up next to him shaking.

Oh shit....

"Hey... Uh.. you're having a nightmare.. go back to sleep..." He whispered quickly and pleadingly. The moonlight shone through the window and lit up her big teal eyes and bright pink mane and yellow fur.

The yellow pegasus then moved closer to the bed slowly.

If it can get your other strap off you have a hostage...

"Uh.. Hey.. can you get this other strap off?" The man whispered.

"Are you trying to get free?" The pegasus asked, almost sounding like a squeak. It was then he realized who it was. It was the same voice that comforted him when he first woke up and the same one that calmed him down when he realized he was trapped. He could use this to his advantage.

"Yeah.. I... have to go to the bathroom. And I don't want to do it in this bedpan..."  He stated. He looked down to see that his bedpan was empty, but he was naked. He could probably use the bedpan to knock her out, but he didn't want to be violent to the one who helped calm him down. The yellow pegasus slowly went to his other strapped leg and undid the buckle quickly.

"There," she said quietly, at least it sounded like a she. "I'll take you to the bathroom then."

He smiled softly and nodded and slid over to the side of the bed, trying to put his feet down on the floor. He grabbed one of the blankets and wrapped it around himself in a sort of make shift toga since he couldn't find a hospital gown anywhere. It was then he noticed this bed is way too close to the ground and the room was extremely small. He looked over at the heart monitor and turned it off before pulling the wire off of him in order to not alert anyone from him suddenly flat lining.

"I'm gonna need a hand getting out of bed, do you think you could come here for a moment?" He asked as she looked over to him, quivering slightly. Slowly the yellow pegasus walked over to him and stood next to his hand. The man put his hand on the middle of her back and felt her extremely soft fur and feathers from her wings. Putting his weight on her back he slowly tried to stand and found that his legs didn't hurt, but they were immobilized from the casts.

Man either I'm dead, dreaming, or these drugs are so good I don't feel shit and I'm hallucinating a bunch of talking horses.

He hobbled his way over to the bathroom with the yellow pegasus and over to the toilet. He then sat down on the toilet and looked over at her. She seemed to blush when he turned and looked at her and she kept staring.

"Uhm.. could you.. I don't know, give me some privacy please?" he huffed at her and she shook her head quickly and then ran out of the bathroom shutting the door, squeaking her apologies.

The man looked around the bathroom now that he was alone and found the toilet paper roll next to him.

"At least they don't use the three sea shells..." he chuckled to himself as he took care of business. When he was finished he put his hand on the counter and pushed himself up to standing as he looked himself over. He was much taller then most of the things in the room and his head almost reached the ceiling.

"Good thing I'm short as shit huh.." he whispered to himself and then looked over at the mirror. He gasped and then hobbled back against the wall and almost screamed as he put his hand to his mouth to quiet himself.  As he looked into the mirror everything that was usually there was there, his blue eyes, brown short hair, a couple weeks worth of brown unkempt beard. What shocked him was his neck, it was black and blue with a red scar all the way around his neck from where the rope cut into him.

Oh fuck me...

He then started to look down at his legs and hobbled over to the door. He opened it and the yellow pegasus mare fell over into the bathroom. She had been leaning against the door with her ear against it.

"Oh my! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to eaves drop on you honest!" she squeaked and hid behind her mane as she shook on the ground, frightened by what she thought he would do to her.

"Look it's ok if you can get these casts off and not tell anyone else about me, I need to get out of here before anyone...." Just as he was speaking the door opened and the white unicorn nurse walked in with a clipboard hovering in front of her. The nurse looked over to the bed and saw it was empty and the clipboard dropped to the ground with a loud clap, then she looked over to the man and yellow pegasus shaking in fear.

"Oh shit..." he said quickly.

"Get back you monster!" The nurse shouted as she hit the emergency button on the wall with one of her hooves causing an alarm to go off in the hallway. As he heard the alarm he bent over and grabbed the yellow pegasus by the neck and lifted her up with her back against his chest. "Let her go!" The nurse screamed as many regular horses quickly filled the room.

"Shut the fuck up and back off or I'll snap her fucking neck!" He yelled holding the yellow pegasus up. His arms were straining and he couldn't hold her for much longer, let alone probably break her neck, but they didn't seem to know that. The yellow pegasus started whimpering silently as tears rolled out of her big teal eyes and down her cheeks. The other ponies gasped and took a step back with one running out of the room.

"Good now back up some more, I'm getting the hell out of here, and if any of you try to follow me she dies!" The man growled and bluffed. Even in the movies this never worked but he was slowly hobbling his way over to the door with his back against the wall. His arms were burning holding this tiny horse thing up in his arms but his adrenalin was pumping into his veins allowing him the extra strength in order to get to the door.

The horses rotated around to the middle of the room as the man made it to the door and he backed up out of it slowly until he ran into something firm, but not a wall. He slowly turned his head to see a much larger blue horned pegasus that was glaring daggers down at him with cobalt blue eyes. The man then released the yellow pegasus that slumped out of his arms and onto the ground, running towards the other ponies inside of the hospital room.

"Son of a b---"

The blue unicorn pegasus thing brought her hoof up as soon as he let go of the yellow one and hit him across the face before he could finish his sentence. The force caused him to topple over in the hallway and land on his side.

"THOU WOULDST DARE HARM AN ELEMENT BEARER?!" the blue one yelled down at him. Just then a series of colorful other horses galloped up and held the man down as he tried to roll over onto his back and slide backwards and away.

"THINE PUNISHMENT SHALL BE SWIFT AND WITHOUT MERCY KNAVE!" The blue horned pegasus leaned her head forward and pointed her horn at the man on the ground, a blue ball glowing out of the top of it as she took a more aggressive stance with her legs. The man closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

"Princess wait!" The yellow pegasus quickly jumped in between the man and his executioner. "Princess stop he was scared! Don't hurt him please!"

"Princess?" What the hell?

He opened his eyes to see the yellow pegasus standing on her back legs with her forelegs spread open, trying to shield him from the blue one's horn."What the ---"

*CRACK*

A blue pegasus kicked the creature in the back of the head knocking him out cold. "Fluttershy are you crazy!?" The light blue pegasus screamed at the yellow one blocking Princess Luna. "This thing was gonna kill you!"

Fluttershy slumped back down onto her four hooves and cowered a bit once Luna disengaged her spell. "He was just scared... I don't think he wanted to hurt anypony, otherwise he would have when I let him go!" With that everyone gasped and took a step back. All except Luna who was still staring down at this creature.

"We shall bring him to Canterlot for judgement for attempting to harm an Element bearer. Our sister will see to his punishment then. Guards! Take this.... thing to the dungeons!" Luna commanded. The guards quickly arrived and put shackles on the creature and lifted him up and took him down the hall and out of sight.

The Nurse in the room quickly came out of the room and bowed. "Princess Luna, if I may speak?"

Luna then turned to the nurse and nodded. "Yes subject?"

"I came in tonight in order to remove his casts, would we be allowed to remove his casts while he is detained?" The nurse asked without looking up to her princess.

"Very well, but thou are to be under watch from the guards and in the morn it is to be brought to trial." Luna commanded and then turned to the group of multicolored ponies. "You six shall be there come the morn to witness judgment. Do not be late."

The six ponies all bowed and spoke in unison, "Yes Princess." With that Luna turned and walked down the hall further into the palace.

After a few minutes of walking she arrived at a set of large golden doors decorated with symbols of the sun and two guards standing watch. The guards snapped to attention as Luna approached and flung the doors open with her magic. She entered the anteroom and the doors shut behind her. Luna walked up to her sister's bedroom door and knocked firmly.

"Sister arise, something of the greatest urgency has happened!" Luna continued to knock firmly as she heard shuffling on the other side and stopped as soon as her sister opened the door.

"Lulu what is the matter, what has happened?" Celestia said rubbing the sleep from her eyes and looking at her extremely furious little sister.

"The creature we recovered has attacked an element bearer!" Luna fumed, causing Celestia to take a step back in shock as she looked at her sister. "Which one? Is she alright? What of this creature?" Her eyes quickly narrowed as she could feel her blood boil, doing her best to control herself.

"The Element of Kindness, dearest sister. Fluttershy." Luna said, almost shouting. "We would have executed it immediately if not for her involvement in asking for mercy. Thus we decided you shall be the one to pass judgement on this creature come the morn."

Celestia's mane was whipping back and forth as her sister gave her the details of what transpired, her eyes growing more and more focused. How could the creature attack an element bearer? Let alone the most gentle of all, Fluttershy? Whatever it was, It's judgement would be swift and without mercy.

"Very well Luna, we shall see you in a few hours to raise the sun. This should not take long, and I request you be there as well." Celestia spoke coldly and quickly, turning and heading back into her chambers.

Luna smirked and nodded. "Yes our sister, we shall see thee in the morn." With that she shut the door and headed back to the throne room to prepare it for trial. It would be a good night, long has she awaited the chance to help protect her subjects more directly.

2. The Fires of Judgement.

As the sun rises, the rays peek over the ledge and down onto a man sleeping on the stone floor of a cell in the middle of the palace dungeon.

"Oh.. my head..." he whispers as he brings a hand up to touch his head but it is stopped short by the chains of the irons he's in. The man looks up and around to see that he's in a cell with a very tiny window in order to let light and air in.

"What... where am I?" he questions silently, then the memories of last night flood back to him. How he tried to escape, how he was helped by the gentle pegasus who comforted him when he was panicking. Then how he tried to hold her hostage in order to get away, only to be stopped as soon as he got into the hall by.. a princess? That's not good. Now he not only assaulted the only one who was nice to him, but he also pissed off royalty.

Son of a bitch...

Suddenly the cell door slammed open and two unicorns and two regular ponies walked in, clad in golden armor entered his cell. One of the unicorns was larger then the other three and he spoke up.

"Prisoner you are to be brought to the princess to await judgement. You will come peacefully or you will be knocked out and dragged there. Do you understand?" The unicorn commanded.

The man in chains nodded slowly and took a deep breath to stand up. He finally realized he was able to stand by himself and his casts were gone, but that didn't stop the splitting headache he had. At least he was still in the bed sheet toga he made last night. Not exactly a suit for a trial but what can you do?

Two of the guards filed out of the room and allowed the man to walk out with the other two right behind him. He couldn't move quickly because his legs were chained together and his arms were chained together. There would be no escape this time, only the release of his execution. One of the guards shoved the man when he started to slow down.

"Keep moving, we have a schedule to keep prisoner." The man huffed and picked up his pace, turning his head to look at the one who pushed him. Somehow they all looked the same, the only difference was the ones with the horn.

"Well if you take the chains off my feet we could get there faster. I can't walk quickly with this shit on. And I'm obviously not going anywhere with you guys glued to my ass."

The large unicorn in front turned around and punched the man in the stomach causing him to buckle over. His horn flared and unclipped the chains around his feet and levitated them over to a guard not following.

"Take these back to the dungeon. You, creature, watch your mouth and stand up. You will speak when spoken to or we will have to do this the hard way."

The man coughed and stood up glaring at the large unicorn and nodded. The five continued their way out of the dungeon and into the palace proper. There were guards every few feet holding spears, swords, and all manner of things in their mouths or levitating somehow beside them. The man kept his head forward and continued walking.

The palace was huge, even for his standards. The ceiling was easily a hundred feet up and it seemed as all the pillars, floor and even the walls were made of marble. There were tapestries hanging above the doors and in between the columns where there weren't doors, there were windows. The sun shone brightly through the open windows and flooded the palace corridor with radiant natural light. All of the guards around were covered in bright golden armor and their coats where white as the freshest winter snow. Their eyes were a cold blue and they followed the man from the time he came into view until he left. Every guard looked exactly the same, save for the presence of horns, or wings. None of the guards had both, so he figured that only the Princess had both. All of the guards stood about mid stomach level with him when they were on all fours but he was sure if they stood on their hind legs they'd be the same size if not taller.

The guards escorting him then turned a corner and walked onto a carpeted area. The carpet was soft and smooth to the touch. It was red with gold trim on the side and went as far as the corridor could see, then turned and continued on. After a few more minutes the guards turned another corner and there at the end of the hall he saw two extremely large golden doors. The doors were studded and ordained with symbols of the sun and the moon, along with six different colored gems on each door.

The large guard then stopped and turned to the man and said. "Once again you are not to speak unless spoken to, you are to kneel and remain on your knees for the entirety of the trial. Once you are judged you will be taken to where you will be executed." Once the guard was finished, he turned around and the doors opened.

Judged and then executed? What there's no chance for redemption here? The man thought to himself.

He looked into the room and there at the other end was a extremely large white horned pegasus. Even at this distance it was much larger then the blue one he saw the previous night. He could compare because she was standing next to the other one. The white, horned pegasus, had a golden crown on her head along with golden shoes and a large golden amulet studded with a large ruby around her neck. Her ethereal pink, green, and blue mane flowed as if propelled by wind from one side. The smaller blue one's mane flowed the same, save for the midnight coloration and what seemed like stars speckled into it. He admitted to himself that these were a couple of pretty fancy looking horses, even if they were going to kill him.

He and the guards approached the throne which was at the end of the room elevated on a platform with stairs leading up the middle. Once they reached the base of the stairs the guards behind him kicked him in the back of the knees sending him to the ground in front of them. At least he was on the carpet that was in the middle of the room so his knees didn't hurt that much. He remained upright and straightened his back out in order to remain as defiant as possible. He was, after all, a human surrounded by horses. He was the top of the food chain, he would not bow to these horses, even if they were royalty. The guards then broke away and stood behind the man as he looked off to the side where six multicolored horses looking at him.

On the far right, closest to the two princesses, was a purple unicorn. She had purple hair with a pink highlights and large lavender eyes. Her eyes were narrowed as she looked at him. He remembered her from the first time he freaked out and had to be sedated in the hospital.

Next to her was a light blue pegasus with a rainbow mane. Her eyes were a dull pink color and her head was leaned down in an aggressive posture. She looked as if at any moment she would fly over and jump down his throat. The man remained calm as saw her. If she was as light as the yellow one from last night he could probably at least keep her away.

After her was an orange regular pony with a blonde mane and tail tied into what looked like a ponytail. On top of her head was a brown stetson hat. Underneath her hat were her narrowed emerald eyes with a few white freckles underneath them. She looked just as angry as the blue one who stood next to her and then the man doubted he could take both at once. He remained steadfast as he continued glancing down the line to see who was next.

A white unicorn was next with a deep purple mane and tail that were styled in large curls. The man wondered how much time it took to get them that way as he looked into her piercing blue eyes. He then realized that all of these horses were so pissed at him that this trial was obviously a farce so he could just forget about freedom. His only option would be to plea for a swift execution as he coninued down the line.

A dark pink regular pony was next with dark pink extremely straight hair with a smirk on her face under her light blue eyes. If the rest of the others looked pissed this one looked like it was about to murder him in the most painful way possible. He could almost feel the rage coming from her eyes which shook him to his core. He swallowed gently, trying to keep his appearance on defiant and stoic, but he could feel it cracking under her stare.

The next one almost broke his heart, it was the yellow pegasus with the pink mane he had threatened to kill so he could get away. Her large teal eyes looked slightly reddened from crying as she looked at him, trying to hid behind her large pink mane. The man exhaled slowly and then turned his head back to the two large horned unicorns standing atop the throne platform glaring daggers down at him.

The blue horned unicorn took a step forward and then spoke, her voice loud enough to shake even the strongest of souls to the core. "Monster thou art charged with assaulting a bearer of the Element of Harmony. Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness!"

That was enough for him to bend just a bit. The element of kindness? Whatever it meant other then the fact she was probably the most kind out of the group sent a shivver down his spine. His heart ached and a tear came to his eye, but he straightened back up and looked the blue princess in the eyes.

"How doth thou plead?"

"Guilty." The man said firmly, his voice shaking a bit but he continued to look in the princess' cobalt eyes. No one moved, and no one said a word. He must have caught them off guard, expecting him to plead his innocence so that he could try and fight his way out.

The blue princess then nodded. "Very well then, Thine punishment shall be execution. Guards!" The man then inhaled sharply as the guards moved forward.

"Wait princess!" Fluttershy called out, causing every head in the room to turn to her. She noticed and then backed off a bit, quivering. She then took a deep breath and then looked up again. "Can we at least hear his side of the story?"

This caused every other pony in the room to gasp besides the two royal princess' at the top of the throne. The white one then looked down at the man who hadn't moved his eyes from the two princesses. He let out a long and ragged breath, his execution stayed for a few moments more.

"Very well Fluttershy, we shall hear his side." The white princess looked down at him as the blue princess took a step back. "Prisoner explain yourself. Why did you attack Fluttershy?"

He looked over to Fluttershy and then back to the princess. "I did not intend to hurt her your majesty, I only wished to escape to some where safer. I meant to escape without her knowing, but when she woke up, I had to change my plans."

He could tell everyone wasn't buying it but no one stopped him so he continued. "What would you do if you woke up with no means of defense around a bunch of things that looked like me?"

This question was obviously new to everyone because they suddenly looked a lot less pissed.

The man continued, "I know what would happen if one of your kind were to wake up in a hospital populated by my people, and I did not want that to happen to me, so I wished to escape and find somewhere safer to hide."

"And what would happen if one of my ponies were to wake up in one of your hospitals?" The white princess asked, still glaring down at the man.

He took a deep breath and looked down, knowing full well the shame of his people's methods would not sit well with her. He then looked up at her and frowned.

"Your majesty, it would not be pleasant. Your ponies would wake up and be strapped to the table as I was, but when they awoke they wouldn't be asked questions. They would be tested for tolerances of pain, then after they were medically examined, they would be dissected, possibly alive, to see how their bodies worked until they died. It would not be a quick process. I hardly expect them to be treated as I was. I did not want that to happen to me, so I had to get away. I appreciate the gesture of helping me recover now, and I apologize for what happened. I did not mean to hurt her, I just wanted to escape. I'm not begging for your forgiveness, I only ask for a quick death."

You could hear a pin drop from the silence in the room. The man looked down at the ground in front of him waiting for judgement. He didn't see the white princess descend the stairs and go over to the six other ponies. He could hear whispering, perhaps they were deciding on the correct method of execution. His tears streamed out of his eyes and down his face, landing on the carpet in front of him. The seconds passed by feeling like hours. He reviewed his actions that he had taken. Not only had he been a fuck up in his world, now he had betrayed the one who showed him the most kindness.

The man could hear footsteps coming towards him and he tried to suck his tears back up without moving. He tensed up as he could hear footsteps coming up behind him, and then he felt it. One of the ponies and placed their forelegs around him and rested their head on his back. His opened his eyes to see yellow forelegs around his chest and his breath hitched. It was her, the one he threatened. The one he held hostage. Fluttershy had come up and hugged him tightly. "I forgive you..." she whispered.

That was all he could take, he slumped forward and started to sob, he tried to choke his voice back but the tears kept coming. His breath was ragged as he tightly shut his eyes. He couldn't take it, she was too kind. It tore him up inside and he was shaking violently. He wanted it to end, death would be better then the pain in his heart.

"Prisoner," the white princess commanded "You have been found guilty of assaulting Fluttershy, the element of kindness." The man breathed slowly, trying to get himself back under control. Fluttershy's legs tightened around him. "You are hereby sentenced to community service, until such time as we decide. You will be residing with my student, Twilight Sparkle, in Ponyville for the duration of your sentence."

"WHAT?!" Everyone in the room shouted, including the man in the center, looking up with his tear stained face to the white princess. She had a soft smile on her face and her eyes now radiated a soothing calm that eased him.

"Sister thou canst be serious?!" The blue princess shouted. "He attacked our subjects and attempted escape!"

"Because he was afraid Luna, you heard what he said. Would any of use do differently had our rolls been reversed?" The white princess said, still looking deep into the man's eyes. It was unreal, the feeling he got as he gazed into her soft pink eyes. It was like watching the sunrise come over the calm ocean. The feeling of peace through his body calmed him. He couldn't control himself as he slowly raised to his feet, his chained arms slowly outstretched. Fluttershy had released him upon hearing his punishment. As he stood the guards started to charge forward. He couldn't hear them, nor could he hear Celestia when she told them to stand down. He reached his arms out to her and took another step, he was close now, so close to the white princess.

Everyone held their breath as he took another step and placed his hands and his head against her neck and sighed. He couldn't fully hug her because his arms were chained, but he did his best. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as she smiled. "Remove his chains." She quietly commanded the guards. They did as she asked and the man quickly wrapped his arms completely around her neck and held her close. Her white fur gentle and warm against his cold hands and face. All he could do was sigh and whisper his thanks into her neck. He stood there for what felt like hours, but in actuality it was only a few seconds before he regained his control and backed up quickly.

The man quickly took a step back and looked at her with shock, looking at his hands and then taking another step back putting more distance between them. "I'm sorry I couldn't control myself..." There was then a light blue blur streaked across the room and slammed into his chest, tackling him. Everyone gasped as the other ponies ran across the room getting in between the princess and the downed man.

"See Princess he can't control himself! He shouldn't be allowed to be free!" The blue pegasus on his chest shouted, holding the man's shoulders down. He was wrong, this one was much stronger then Fluttershy, and if she was the lightest this wasn't going to be pleasant. The pegasus then picked up one of her forehooves in an attempt to punch the man's lights out.

"Rainbow Dash!" the purple one yelled, freezing the blue pegasus in her tracks. "The Princess Celestia said he would be re-evaluated at a later time and I hardly think that time is now! Let him go!"

"But Twilight!" Rainbow complained, only to be interrupted by Princess Celestia herself. "Rainbow Dash I appreciate your loyalty, but I believe that he will be of no more trouble unless provoked. He shall stay with Twilight and she will report back to me every day with his progress." Rainbow nodded and then got up and off of the man and walked over to the side, glaring daggers at him.

"Please forgive her, she can be a little bit of a hot head sometimes." Twilight the purple unicorn said, looking down at the man. "We haven't been introduced and since you will be staying with me I should at least let you know our names. My name is Twilight Sparkle." She pointed a hoof to her chest, then over to the blue pegasus standing next to me. "That is Rainbow Dash," she then moved to the white unicorn with purple curls.

"That is Rarity."The unicorn nodded but didn't say anything.

Twilight then pointed to the orange pony, "That is Applejack." The orange pony nodded and remained silent but still looked extremely upset.

He had a feeling that both Rainbow Dash and Applejack would be the most aggressive of the bunch. Twilight then pointed her hoof at the pink pony, only some how her hair was no longer straight and she seemed a lot brighter. Her hair was pink and poofy like a bunch of cotton candy and just been glued to her. Her eyes also softened and she no longer had that murderous intent painted on her face. Instead she had a huge toothy smile ."That's Pinkie Pie."

The pink one then ran over and got into his face, talking much more quickly than he thought possible.

"Hi I'm Pinkie Pie! Who are you? Where are you from? Oh you're going to stay with Twilight! That means you get a Pinkie Party! Do you like parties? What am I saying everyone likes parties! I'm gonna throw you a welcome to Ponyville, congratulations on not being executed party!" Then man slowly started to crawl backwards until his back was up against a column while the pink pony kept up with him.

She then took a deep breath and got much closer to his face and whispered quietly and coldly, her eyes returning to her cold steel blue from before. "And if you even think about hurting one of my friends again it'll be the last thing you do." She then bounced back to the group humming a happy tune as if nothing had even happened.

"Okay..." Twilight said before pointing to the yellow pegasus standing next to her. "And you already know Fluttershy. Just be good and we won't have any problems. If you need something you can ask me." The man nodded silently and looked up to Princess Celestia.

"I am Princess Celestia, and that is my sister, Princess Luna. We rule this land that you are now a part of. We will be watching you very closely." She said as Princess Luna descended the platform stairs and walked over to her sister. "Thou wouldst do well to not endanger our subjects. Next time we shall not be as lenient with thou."

Twilight then looked over to the man now starting to stand up, his hands on his bed sheet toga from the previous night. "We've introduced ourselves, now it's your turn. What's your name?"

The man was about to speak but then his free hand ran up to his neck and rubbed the scar from the rope gently and nodded. "My name is.. Jack." The man continued to rub his neck gently looking at all of the ponies in front of him before he remembered something. "Uhm.. Can I get my clothes back? As comfortable as this bed sheet is, I'd like to at least get my clothes back on."

Everyone looked a bit curious but Rarity put her hoof to her forehead and sighed. "Oh thank Celestia, darling. I was hoping you would have something other then that horrid bed sheet."

Celestia chuckled a bit and brought her hoof up to her mouth to hide her smile before setting it back down. "Of course, Guards if you would please escort Jack to a guest room to get changed and have somepony bring his clothes to him. After he is dressed escort him to the train station where he will accompany these six to Twilight's home." The guards saluted and then turned to Jack, motioning towards the door.

"Thank you Princess, and thank you for your benevolence." Jack said as he bowed his head, then turned to follow the guards to the guest room.

After Jack had left the room and the doors had shut the six mares turned to Celestia and bowed. "Forgive me Princess," Twilight said,"but I do not think he's entirely safe." Celestia smiled and nodded her head.

"That's why he will stay with you, my best student, instead of one of the other girls whom he could cause more problems with. I have every confidence that you will be able to handle him. He does not seem to be a danger unless provoked. Who else would be more qualified to study and report back to me on what he knows and believes?"

Twilight lit up at hearing her newest assignment from the princess. "Of course, right away Princess! Come on girls let's get to the train!" And with that, they all bowed again and exited the room quickly without another word.

Luna approached her sister quietly. Celestia turned to her and then began. "Sister I would like you to keep an eye on his dreams if at all possible, I want to know what he dreams of. If there is anything that could be dangerous to my little ponies I wish to know about it Immediately."

Luna nodded quickly. "Thou can trust us sister, it shall be done."

Celestia smiles and then hugs her sister gently. "Get some sleep sister, You have been up for much longer then usual."

As Jack walks into the open guest room he looks around. It's a nice wide open space, even bigger than his apartment back home. The bed is easily a king and fitted with dark blue sheets and fluffy looking white pillows. There is a large armoire against the far wall next to a door he thinks could be a private bathroom. There is a writing desk next to the front door and a large window behind the bed overlooking the rest of the city. Jack lets off a soft whistle and a smirk.

"Pretty nice room for a guest... Guess it pays to be rich.."

The door slams right behind him and he turns around quickly to see the large unicorn guard from before. He takes his helmet off and places it on the desk beside him with Jack's clothes beside that. He then closes the distance and gets right up to Jack's face.

The helmet off Jack can see that he's a solid white unicorn with a blue mane with a lighter blue highlight running through it. His steel blue eyes narrowed in determination and Jack could see what looked like a purple shield on the side of his back leg with a purple star in the middle. "Listen up because I'm only going to say this once. If you even so much as touch a hair on Twilight's head you wont even see the Princess' next time. You hear me?"

Jack looked at him up and down, knowing full well that right now the guard could rough him up a bit but couldn't kill him. But he'd be damned if he was going to be pushed around by a guard of all things. The princess' maybe, but not some two bit, limp dick, glorified ass kisser.

"I won't touch her lover boy, you got nothin' to worry your pretty little head about. But if you think you can threaten me you have another thing comin'."

As he finished, the unicorn punched him in the stomach and then in the side of the head where Luna had previously hit him, giving him a black eye. "Glad we can come to an agreement."

With that the unicorn turned around and walked out of the room closing the door behind him. Jack picked himself up and rubbed the side of his face and winced a bit. That was going to bruise quickly so he put his clothes back on quickly. His pants, shirt and jacket looked like they had seen better days with cuts and scrapes all over them and his pants were stained with dried blood that had been washed out. He laced up his socks and boots and then tightened his belt a little bit as his stomach started to growl. "Holy shit I'm hungry..."

Jack walked to the door and opened it to see two identical guards, but not the large unicorn anywhere. "I'm ready to go to the train station, but can we get something to eat on the way there? I don't think I've eaten in a few days."

The guard on the right nodded and then Jack and the two guards started to walk down the hall way towards the kitchen. Jack started to run through his head what he wanted to eat. Seeing how these were ponies he doubted they ate meat so he had to think up another meal. He didn't even know what time it was, hopefully it was still around breakfast. As the guards and Jack rounded another corner they walked into a fairly large dining room with no one in it. One of the chef ponies turned the corner.

"Yes breakfast is almost over what can I....." He stopped as he looked up at Jack, never having seen anything like that before and one of the guards coughed to get the chef pony's attention. "Oh.. OH! Yes.. well what can I get you?"

Jack smiled and nodded. "It's alright I'm not here to hurt ya. Can I get an egg and cheese omelet on wheat toast with a glass of orange juice please? Something to go preferably."

The chef pony then nodded and ran back into the kitchen leaving the two guard ponies and Jack alone. The right guard pony turned around and looked up at Jack.

"Good you got it to go, we're running behind with that little talk you and the captain had." He smirked as if he knew exactly what had went down. Jack just nodded and waited patiently for the chef pony to run back out with a brown bag and a cup with a lid on it levitating in front of him. Jack reached out and took the bag in one hand and the cup in another.

"Thank you sir, I'm sure it'll be excellent. We'll be going now." The chef pony nodded and then walked off while Jack and the two guards continued out into the hall and headed for the front gate.

"Once we're outside keep your eyes forward and don't say a thing. You're going to the train station and you aren't going to cause a scene in the middle of our city." The right guard spoke. Jack nodded as they got to the door. He could hear a bunch of commotion out in the street, probably a bunch of ponies going around doing whatever it is they do. As soon as the door opened and he and the guards walked out he could see ponies all in the streets going in and out of buildings and walking along the streets. There were several ponies in outside cafe's having tea and gossiping and he could hear some parts of the conversations. However as soon as he got out in the street with the guards everyone stopped whatever they were doing and stared. It went from a dull roar to total silence in the blink of an eye as everyone just stood and stared at the new creature that was following two guards. Before he knew it there were four more guards that flanked him and two more behind him.

Well I guess its better then being attacked in broad daylight by some kinda weird monster hunter pony...

As they turned the corner, Jack thought he saw a pony in an ally way with a black cloak, large brimmed hat and black mask over his muzzle watching him pass with the guards.  And as quick as he saw him the pony faded back into the shadows and Jack shook his head.

What the fuck...

After about a half hour or so of total silence and walking with the guards he made it to the train station where the six mares were waiting patiently. Twilight was reading a scroll, Rarity was looking into a mirror brushing her mane. Pinkie was hopping around the girls in a circle while Fluttershy was sitting on a bench quietly. Applejack and Rainbow dash were looking around for Jack and when they saw him their eyes narrowed and got into a defensive stance.

"Well at least those two are happy to see me." Jack whispered to himself as the guards walked him onto the train. Once Jack got on he realized there was no one in the car besides him and the guards, who quickly left. Jack sat down in one of the seats and moved over to the window and opened his bag. The first two girls that were on were Applejack and Rainbow Dash and they sat right in front of him glaring daggers at him. Applejack had refused to say a word to Jack since they had first seen each other, but Jack was just fine with that.

Don't start nothin', won't be nothin'. He thought to himself as he pulled his omelet sandwich out and started to eat quietly. The rest of the girls sat around the car either a row in front of him or a row behind him, but no one sat next to him.

Jack looked around the cart at the girls as the train started to move.

Even in this world you can't get girls to talk to you. You're pathetic.

Yea well that's what happens when you have a misunderstanding and threaten one of them. I'm sure they'll lighten up eventually...

Yea lighten up enough to call you a freak and beat the shit out of you. You can't even defend yourself against a girl pony, you're worthless.

Well we're stuck together so you might as well give me a break for the time being.

Jack sat quietly watching the train roll down the tracks as he sipped his orange juice from the castle's dining hall. As he watched the scenery roll by he sighed quietly and smiled. He had never been on a train in his time so it was quite relaxing watching the scenery flick by.

"And what are ya'll smilin' about over there?" A pony said from in front of him. It startled him a bit as he looked over to see both Applejack and Rainbow Dash glaring at him. He concluded quickly that it was Applejack that was talking to him and he smirked, another southern hick trying to yell at him. He grew up in the south but was the only one who never picked up the heavy twang so everyone had ridiculed him for it calling him a yankee or some other such trivial bullshit.

"Well darlin' ah'm smilin at that there scenery. Ah ain't never been on no train befo'." Jack quipped in his best red-neck impression. This had the affect he intended and had Applejack stand up and get right in his face fuming mad.

"Who ya'll callin darlin!? And are ya'll makin fun of the way ah talk?!" Applejack screamed getting Rainbow to stand up and close in on him too.

Jack smirked and leaned back a bit in his seat chuckling a bit. "Sorry, just a joke heh.. You know you're cute when you're angry."

*SMACK*

Applejack quickly smacked Jack in the face and then sat back down across from him crossing her forelegs and glaring daggers at him. Rainbow laughed. Meanwhile Jack's face was against the glass and he was pretty sure he'll have two black eyes before he got off of this train. He brought his hand up and rubbed his face but stayed silent. "Buckin jerk." Applejack huffed as Twilight walked up and stared at Applejack, only having seen Applejack slap Jack in the face.

"AJ, what was that about?" Twilight asked looking at Jack holding his cheek with his head against the cool glass.

"He was makin' fun of mah accent and being a jerk so ah set him straight." Applejack said with confidence.

Twilight turned and look to Jack and asked "Is this true?"

"Yea but I said I was sorry and I even gave her a compliment. Guess ponies don't like to be called cute." Jack said still looking out the window. At least if Applejack hit him again his head might go through the window. Twilight gasped and looked over at Applejack who was still seething looking like she was going to jump up and swing again.

"Ya'll watch yer mouth now ya here!" AJ shouts and shakes a hoof at him.

"AJ can I talk to you and Rainbow over here for a minute?" Twilight motions them to the other side of the train and they leave.

Told you so...

"Shut the fuck up..." he whispered out loud to himself and kept looking out the window. He closed his eyes and Fluttershy sat down infront of him where AJ was. Jack had heard the footsteps and just kept his eyes shut.

"You gonna hit me again? Well go ahead this time just try to knock me out so I don't feel it."

"Oh no, I'm not going to hit you, don't worry." Fluttershy whispered softly and Jack opened his eyes a bit to see her. He sat back quickly and opened his eyes a bit trying to back off as far as he could.

"Sorry I... Sorry.." he turned his head towards the aisle of the train and closed his eye, the left side of his face now had a rather large bruise in the shape of a hoof print from where the captain of the guard had hit him earlier today.

Fluttershy gasped and moved closer to him. "Oh my, what happened to you? Are you alright?"

"Yea I'm fine I just... slept on it wrong or somethin..." He said quietly. He then opened his eyes and saw that she was sitting right next to him with her face right in front of his looking him over. He quickly backed up again and looked into her eyes. "Look I'm fine I just... Just stay back." Fluttershy frowned a bit and then walked back over to the seat across and to the right of him so that she could sit with him but give him his space.

After an hour of a train ride the sun was starting to near its opposite horizon when the train pulled into the station at Ponyville. Twilight showed back up next to Jack looking him over to make sure he was awake.

"Jack we're here time to go." Jack sighed and got up, carrying the now empty cup and paper bag with him.

"Alright let's go." He said as he followed Twilight and the rest of the mares off of the train and to the platform.

As Jack looked around the platform he could tell he 'wasn't in Kansas anymore.' The platform was completely wooden and there was a wooden ticket booth right in the middle with schedule and times on it. He could only make out the numbers but he couldn't read the letters. Great now he couldn't read because somehow everything was in a different language that he somehow knew how to speak. Well that's fine I guess. Learning to read again would give him something to do when no one needed help with anything. Jack and the girls started walking off the platform and into town. No one said a word the few minutes it took to get to the edge of the town until Twilight spoke up.

"This is Ponyville. Don't worry about the local's they're pretty nice." As she said that someone screamed "monster" and everyone started to panic, running into whatever building was closest and slamming the doors and shutting the blinds to the windows. "Heh heh... Well.. they'll warm up to you once they meet you I'm sure..."

Rainbow Dash grumbled something about being too trusting but Jack didn't catch most of it so he just put that in the back of his mind.

As the group approached the center of the town Jack saw a very large tree. It seemed out of place but there was door and a balcony. There's no way someone hollowed out a tree and was living inside of it was there? This thing was huge!

"And this is where you and I shall be staying." Twilight said matter of factly. "This is my home and also the town library." She then turned and opened the door.

"Spike? Spiiiike? I'm back from Canterlot!" As soon as she finished calling a rather large purple and green lizard came running down the steps to the front door. It stood about chest height with Twilight and about knee high with Jack. It was a light purple with a green under belly and green ridges on the top of its head. It also had green reptilian eyes and was walking on two legs. Jack wondered what the hell kind of thing this was but rather then say anything rude and get his shit slapped by another pony he just bit his tongue.

"Heya Twilight. How was the Princess?.... And what is that?!" Spike said as he looked and pointed at Jack. "Spike, this is Jack, the Princess wanted me to keep watch over him for a while so he'll be staying here in the guest room up stairs." Spike rubbed his chin while looking at Jack thinking of what to make about him. "Alright Twilight..."

Jack then knelt down so he could get a little closer to the purple reptile. "Hey there, nice to meet you, I'm Jack." He said while reaching his hand out.

Spike took a step back while looking at him. "Wow he talks?!"

Twilight shook her head and then looked back at Spike. "Yes now be nice."

Spike reached out his claw and shook Jacks hand. "Nice to meet you too."

Jack wondered why he was being nice to him, then he thought he was just out of the loop of what happened with Fluttershy. He decided to just leave it for the time being, hopefully he can at least build some kind of good relations with someone without having that thrown in his face every few minutes.

"See girls he can be nice if he wants to!" Twilight said looking back at the group.

"Yea well I'm not buying it, you heard what he said." Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Oh Shit...

Jack let go of Spikes hand and then stood up, stretched and fake yawned. "Oh boy I'm beat, Twilight can I get to my room so I can go to sleep?" He hoped he could get away from this before Spike too got on his case. The last thing he needed was some more hateful people against him.

"What did he say?" Spike asked and Jack quickly started to inch his way towards the stairs. Hopefully these stairs led to his room because that was the closest place he could get to.

"He threatened to hurt sweet little Fluttershy here!" Rainbow Dash said, pulling Fluttershy close into a one armed hug.

As soon as she finished that, Jack knocked over a stack of books while walking towards the stairs causing everyone to look over at him.

"WHAT?!" Spike shouted starting to huff smoke.

"Uh.. I.." Was all Jack could say before he decided to enter the door below the stairs. He grabbed the doorknob to the door and quickly opened it and ran inside, locking himself in. Luckily this was a way down to the basement. Unfortunately this was the only way out so he just held onto the door.

Spike was clawing at the door and he could hear Twilight and Fluttershy try to calm him down. He didn't hear the other girls so he figured they were either laughing at him or had left to go do other things. Jack held onto the door for dear life until the banging and the clawing stopped.  A few minutes later there was a soft knock on the door.

"Jack, you can come out now." Twilight called through the door.

"You sure? You don't have any other crazy ponies out there trying to punch my lights out or blast me into oblivion do you? Cause I'm pretty sure I could use another few hundred of those." Jack droned, rolling his eyes.

"Of course not now come out here so we can eat some diner. I sent Spike off to spend the night at Rarity's, and everypony else left. It's just us two. Now come out." Twilight knocked on the door again and then took a step back from the door.

Jack cracked the door open and peered out to see a set of big lavender eyes looking back at him.

"I can't open the door the whole way with you standing right in front of it you know." Jack said. Twilight blinked and then stepped back .

"Heheh.. sorry. Well I'll go get diner ready, is there anything you want to eat?" Jack opened the door fully and scratched his unkempt beard.

"Well I can just eat a bunch of steamed vegetables, ya know carrots, broccoli, corn, stuff like that." Twilight nodded and then started for the kitchen.

"Hey Twilight, I don't want to seem rude or anything but is there a shower or something I can take? It's been a few days and I'm pretty sure I smell horrid with all this going on." Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh right, glad you asked, up the stairs and its the last door on the left. Just clean up when you're done and come down, I should have diner ready by then."

"Alright thanks." Jack said as Twilight headed into the kitchen.

Jack headed up the stairs and off into the bathroom. As he entered he looked around at the facilities, he wondered how horses could keep everything so organized and clean. He looked over at the large white porcelain tub with purple curtains hanging down from a railing near the shower head, however, do his dismay, the curtains and the shower head were about shoulder level. The shower head was connected to a much longer hose than was needed so he figured it could be moved freely of the stand it was at. He shrugged and started to check the cabinets for towels and soon enough he found some. He stripped out of his clothes and sighed, putting them aside.

I really have to get some more clothes, maybe there's a tailor shop or something around here. Jack thought to himself.

After getting undressed he turned the shower water on and waited for it to warm up. Even here they had two knobs so it didn't take a genius to figure out which was hot and which was cold.

After finishing up in the shower, taking care not to use too much of Twilight's soap products, he dried off and put his old clothes back on. He felt kind of dirty with this stuff back on but it was better then going around town naked. That thought got him wondering. He saw almost all of the ponies in Canterlot wearing clothing, however most in Ponyville didn't.

"I guess they don't really need clothes other then to use as status symbols since they have fur and all." He mused to himself as he descended the stairway.

"Oh good you're done, well diner is in the kitchen so come and eat. Also I have some questions about you and where you come from." Twilight said, watching Jack cross the room.

"Alright then, I'm starving lets eat!"

As Jack entered the kitchen he was almost stunned at the sight. For not seeing any real technology previously they still have refrigerators and ovens? He decided he'd ask that at a later date after he found out more about their level of technology, something told him he didn't want to know. Jack sat down at the table and a plate levitated over and landed on the table in front of him. As he saw it he stepped back and looked at Twilight.

"How the fuck is that thing flying around?!"

"Oh, you don't have magic where you come from?" Twilight asked, levitating a scroll and quill up to her face and started taking notes.

"Uh, not real magic, just a bunch of illusionist stuff, slight of hand tricks mainly." It was then that Jack started to notice a soft purple glow around the quill, parchment and Twilight's horn. He took a seat at the table and then looked over. She had made a salad of mixed greens and what looked like some flower petals in it, along with the steamed vegetables and there were two large pitchers of water in the center of the table. "Looks good Twilight. You didn't secretly poison this to get back at me did you?"

Twilight almost dropped her quill and parchment and looked at him with shock in her eyes. "No! Of course not! Why would you think that?!" Twilight put her front hooves on the table and looked across at him wide eyed.

"Well you're friends don't seem to care much about my health so I figured I'd just ask." Jack said picking up a fork and started eating the salad. He avoided the petals but other then that he didn't mind anything else. It was either pretty good, or he was just really starving after a few days without food. To him, it didn't matter. Twilight shook her head after a few seconds and then sat down across from him and levitated a fork as well and started eating, every once in a while glancing up at him.

"So what kind of creature are you? I've never seen or read about anything like you before." Twilight asked after taking a sip of water.

"I'm a what my people call 'Human'. Where I come from our ponies and horses don't talk and they're much bigger. In fact we're the dominant life form on the planet, but that causes its own set of issues."

"And you said you don't have any magic. Things must be a lot more difficult where you come from without it."

"Actually we have things pretty easy. Yea there's a lot of manual labor still but I suspect in the next couple of decades we will be doing less and less. We have technology and tools in order for us to do plenty of things quickly and easily."

"Mhmm.." Twilight scribbled as she listened. "Well besides vegetables what do you eat?"

Jack sat back a bit and wondered how he was going to phrase this. After a moment of silence he started. "Well Humans are basically omnivores, which means we eat both meat and vegetables. Our bodies are more suited to get nutrients from grains and starches like potatoes, rice and wheat. However we also can eat meat if needed. Where I come from people mainly eat meat with sides of vegtables."

Twilight was jotting notes untill he said that he mainly ate meat. "Don't worry I'm not going to be eating any ponies. Most of us have an aversion to eating anything we deem having a higher thought process other than eating and sleeping." Jack reassured her but it did little to assuage her fears.

"We don't have any meat here in most of Equestria, we're herbivores." She then looked at the salad and saw some lettuce and all of the left over flower pedals. "You don't eat flowers?"

"No, there are some plants that we use as medicines that are flowers, but we don't eat them for sustenance. In fact, a lot of flowering plants make humans sick. A lot of us stick to fruits, berries, and some earth vegtables like potatoes and carrots."

Twilight went back to furiously taking notes, trying to catch up on everything he said.

"I have a question for you now." Jack said hesitantly. Twilight looked up and nodded to him. "Is there anywhere I can get some new clothes? I only have these and they're pretty torn up."

"Why do you wear clothes? Why don't you just go without them?" Twilight asked innocently.

Jack sighed and shook his head.

Figures they wouldn't wear clothes.

"Well it's as much a survival thing as well as a social thing. Humans don't have fur covering our bodies so we use clothing to keep warm. We also use it to cover our more... private areas. Being naked in public in my world was seen as a taboo. Also, there were some people who you didn't want to see naked even if it was taboo."

Like me...

"Hmm, well the only clothing shop in town is owned by Rarity so I'll take you over tomorrow to get some made."

Oh shit... well... she didn't attack me so that's good. Maybe she's one of the nice ones. "Alright I'd like that. Thanks for the dinner."

Twilight nodded and whisked the plates away with her magic and into the sink. "Come on I'll show you to your room, you look tired."

Jack nodded and stood up, it had been a long while since he had walked this far, and with no signs of any transportation other than his feet in sight, he was sure it wasn't going to get any easier. As Twilight ascended the staircase with Jack behind her, his eyes wandered to her back legs, there was a large six pointed purple star overlapping a light blue one. It looked oddly similar to that asshole guard that was kicking him around all day.

"Hey Twilight?" Jack asked as they got to the guest bedroom door.

"Yes?" She turned to face him.

"Don't take this the wrong way but, what is that on your back legs right there?" Jack pointed.

"Oh that's my cutie mark! Everypony gets one at some time. It shows their special talent and what they'll be good at in the rest of their life. Don't humans have cutie marks?"

"Uh.. no. We can get tattoos but we usually choose what they are and what they mean. They sometimes have something to do with what we do, but most of the time it is just art." Jack said as he rubbed his chest. It had been a while since he had gotten that tattoo removed but at times he would get a phantom pain of it.

"Well thanks for dinner Twilight. I'll get out of your hair now." Jack said somberly as he walked into the guest bedroom and closed the door. He quickly took off his clothes, save for his boxers, and climbed into bed. Hopefully tomorrow he wouldn't get the shit kicked out of him again.

Back in Canterlot, Princess Celestia was pacing back and forth in her anteroom waiting for Twilight's first report. She worried that she let that creature off too easily but he seemed genuine enough in his apology. If anything did happen she was sure Twilight could handle herself, but she couldn't help but worry. Then with a flash, a scroll appeared before her. Celestia grabbed it with her magic and unfurled it and sat down to read it.

"Dear Princess Celesta. I have spent most of the evening with Jack the human. He seems calm enough and was actually kind to Spike when they first met. However, he ran into the basement as soon as Spike found out what happened to Fluttershy. No harm came to either of them and I sent Spike to spend the night with a friend while I calmed Jack down. We spoke for a while at dinner but he seemed extremely distant and sad. I think he felt bad about what happened to Fluttershy, but I'm sure there was something more. Tomorrow I am going with him to Rarity's in order to get more clothes made for him. He says his people wear clothing in order to stay warm. I think it would also be a good idea to get the girls to come around and accept him. I don't trust him very much but he hasn't shown any aggression to me yet. I will report again to you tomorrow with any more news. Your faithful student, Twilight."

Celestia rolled up the scroll and sat it down on an empty bookshelf. "I hope you're right Twilight." She whispered to herself before heading into her chambers to finally go to sleep.

3. Readjustment and Reparations

Jack's Dreamworld

Jack finds himself walking down a rather dark stone hallway. It isn't the same architecture he saw at the castle in Canterlot, this seems much closer to the castle's he imagined back during the middle ages on Earth. The floor and walls were made of grey stone and felt constricting. There were no decorations or windows, just the few torches hung on the walls as he continued in silence. He couldn't hear anything, including his footsteps as he approached a set of closed wooden double doors. Jack reached out his hand and started to push against them but they didn't budge. He then looked down to see the metal hoops and pulled the doors as he stepped back. Behind the doors there were no lights and the room seemed to open up. He steeled himself and continued forward, the doors closing silently behind him. He walked for what seemed like hours until he saw a light shining down on an empty stone pedestal. He approached it silently and then ran his hand over the flat, empty surface.

"Your will is impressive, but your body is weak. If you survive your trial you shall be trained."

"Who's there?!" Jack called out and turned, looking and seeing only darkness around him.

"If you survive you will be trained."

Jack felt the hairs on his neck stand up and he turned around quickly just in time to see a solid green blast of energy hit him in the face.

Jack's room in the library.

Jack flipped out of the bed and landed on his chest with a loud thud. He quickly opened his eyes, his body covered in a cold sweat as he scanned the dark room. He looked out the window and sighed, seeing as the sun was slowly rising. "Guess I had better get up then... Man I'm going to need another shower after this..." Wiping his forehead he got up and grabbed the same clothes he had on yesterday. At least they were cleaned in the castle while he was in the infirmary there so they were only about a day old. Walking down the hall Jack recalled the dream and couldn't help shake the voice from his mind. It sounded so familiar and dark but he couldn't place it. He was sure he'd heard it somewhere before. Pushing the door to the bathroom open he rubbed his eyes of the sleep that was slowly taking him back over. He felt it was a little warmer in here but shrugged it off as he placed his clothes on the counter. Yawning and stretching he reached out and pulled back the shower curtain to reveal a certain purple pony in the middle of a shower. Water dripping down her mane and body as she turned and looked at him.

Seconds ticked by and then she screamed picking Jack up with her magic and throwing him out of the bathroom and down the hall. "GET OUT YOU PERVERT!" Jack slammed into the wall as the door slammed shut with a few books falling on his head from the vibrations. Jack groaned and slowly stood up and rubbed his back. Great, well this day is starting off with a bang... Jack walked over to the door to the bathroom and called in "Sorry Twilight I didn't mean to barge in, I wasn't paying attention. I'll be in my room till you're done." There was no response so he sighed and wandered off back to his room.

Twilight stood in the shower blushing furiously, if he had walked in just a few minutes sooner he would have caught her in the middle of her most private of acts. Her heat cycle had become unbearable the passed few days and had only a day left before it passed. She couldn't stop her curious thoughts from drifting back to him. If he had been strong enough to pick Fluttershy up, what could he do to her? She shivered a bit and shook her head. No those thoughts were wrong and she had to control herself. She turned off the shower and quickly dried off. She opened the door slowly and peered out into the hall, then slowly walked out and over to Jack's room. She knocked on the door. "I'm out now. Sorry for throwing you."

Jack opened the door sweating a little harder and breathing heavily. "Alright thanks, I'll get a shower then we can get breakfast right?"

"What were you doing in there? Do I even want to know?" Twilight asked, narrowing her eyes. He had better not be doing what I think he was doing.

"I was doing some push ups and sit ups. I figured if I was going to be here the least I could do was get back in shape in order to help out. I'm sure most of my work would be manual labor and I can't do much if I'm weak as shit..." He cast his eyes down. He had let himself go in the passed few years and it was painfully obvious to him how weak he had become. "I'm going to get a shower now." Moving passed her still looking down, Jack shut the bathroom door behind him.

Twilight frowned and watched him enter the bathroom. He seemed even more troubled then he had been last night. She walked downstairs and went to prepare breakfast. She forgot to ask him about breakfast foods so she just decided to get what she always did. A few pancakes and some orange juice. Jack finished washing up and getting dressed, heading back to his room to put his boots on.

You used to do more before breakfast then most people did in a day... Oh how the mighty have fallen.. heh heh heh...

I'll get there again soon, then I'll be rid of you once and for all...

Rid of me? Oh ho ho I don't think so. I'll actually be there to help you then, wouldn't you like that?

If your track record is anything to go off of then no I wont.

"Jack, hurry up, breakfast is getting cold." Twilight called up to him from the kitchen. As soon as he heard that he finished tying up is other boot and walked down the stairs and into the kitchen breathing deeply.

"Oh man I didn't know you knew about pancakes. Hopefully these don't have hay or something in them." Jack said hungrily.

"What's wrong with hay? Oh right, you can't eat it. Well not a problem, there's no hay in these." Twilight sat at the table and started eating. After a few moments of eating quietly Jack spoke up.

"So do you think Spike is still mad at me?"

"Probably but I'm sure he won't attack you since he's cooled down. Just be nice like you were when you first met him and I'm sure everything will work out fine."

After a few more minutes they finished eating. "I'll get the plates this time, it's the least I can do." Jack said, standing up and grabbing the plates. He carried them over to the sink and started washing them as Twilight watched him curiously. This human standing before her didn't seem like he could possibly have been the same one to attack her friend Fluttershy, but she had saw him in the act. It made her wonder how he could seem to be two completely different people at times.

"See something you like?" Jack smirked as he looked over his shoulder to catch Twilight watching him. She blushed and snapped her head away. "N-no just making sure you don't break anything!" She said quickly.

"Mhmm well let's get over to Rarity's. I'm sure you don't want me stinking up your tree by wearing the same clothes day in and day out."

Twilight agreed with a nod and they quickly exited the kitchen and the library. They walked quietly through town as Jack started taking in the sights.

The town was mostly made of wooden cottages with thatched roofs. All of the buildings seemed to be close side by side but they left wide roads between the faces to set up market stalls and allow ponies to travel freely. It didn't seem like a very large town by his scale, however without having a car, traveling from one side of town to the other he presumed it would take at least a decent walk. As Twilight and Jack rounded a corner he saw a very large purple and white building that stood out like a sore thumb. "Holy shit what kind of whackjob designed that?!" Jack said pointing.

"Uhm that would be Rarity's boutique and where she lives." Twilight said trying to hide a snicker. Jack immediately regretted speaking and just face palmed slowly.

Well here's hoping Twilight won't say shit to Rarity or all of my pants would be too small in the crotch...

They soon found themselves at the front door and Twilight let herself in, jingling the bell at the top of the door. "Hello, Rarity?" Twilight called out.

"Yes darling, welcome to Carousel Boutique! Oh, Twilight how good it is to... see... you." Rarity trailed off as she saw Jack enter in behind Twilight.

"Hello Miss Rarity nice to see you too." Jack said, catching the hint she wasn't exactly happy to see him but he decided to play nice since he required her services after all.

"Yes. Quite. Twilight can I speak to you for a moment in private heh heh.." Rarity said dragging Twilight off to the kitchen and out of ear shot.

As the girls left to go do whatever it was they were going to do Jack looked around the floor of the shop. There were plenty of pony sized mannequins.. equiquins... ponyquins..? Whatever they were, there were dozens of them. They all had radically different styles and colors but he could tell that they weren't just thrown together like a bag of trash he figured he would see from a fashion show in his world. These dresses and few suits looked very well made and professional. They didn't seem to oversexualize ponies like some fashion did on Earth to women so he smiled and shrugged.

Well that's two ways this place has better morals then I do.

"Mister Jack," Rarity called out getting his attention.

"Just Jack is fine Miss Rarity. And before you say anything I'd like to let you know these dresses and suits look amazing and very well done. Much better then the garbage back where I'm from."

Rarity just blinked and started at him, her mouth slightly agape. She couldn't believe that this was the same person who had threatened her best friend Fluttershy and he knew about fashion? Maybe she had misjudged him. She shook her head quickly and told herself no, flattery wouldn't get him anywhere. "Yes well.. Jack.. Twilight told me you required some new clothing. Is there anything you would like?"

Jack scratched his beard gently and then nodded. "Well I just want some casual clothing like what I'm wearing now. I'd also like some more socks and underwear. I don't have money to pay you but I'm sure we can work something out by having me do chores and such around here."

"Twilight has already informed me she shall be paying for your clothing. How many sets would you like?"

"Hmm.. well as long as it's not too much, I'd like 6 more sets of each so I have one for every day and I don't have to do laundry as often. Also if you could make the pants either blue or black please."

"Very well then come with me so I can get your measurements. I haven't made anything in your shape before and I want to make sure everything fits correctly."

Jack nodded and followed Rarity behind a blinder screen. "Twilight has informed me of your aversion to being unclothed but I simply must get your correct sizes so please remove all of your attire so we can get started."

Hopefully she doesn't gag when you whip out your little pecker.

Jack started to get undressed, his face turning more and more red with his clothes coming off. He hadn't been naked infront of a female before, pony or not, so he was a little apprehensive. Rarity stood there tapping one of her hooves while he took his time getting undressed and then started taking measurements. She looked down between his legs and smirked as she continued measuring him.

Well she's just laughing at you, at least she didn't throw up on you.

Why don't you just shut up and go to hell. We share the same body you know!

Nope, you're the one with the body, not me, noodle dick!

"Very well you can get dressed, I'll have one set prepared for you at the end of the day so you can try it on to ensure the measurements are fine. If they are you can take it home with you." Rarity said turning around and leaving him alone to get dressed. Jack quickly gets redressed and steps out from behind the blinding screen and notices Twilight talking quietly to Spike off to the side. Jack turns his eyes to see Rarity trot off with her notes and measuring tapes heading into a back room, presumably her workroom. As Jack is preoccupied with walking around and looking around the room, Spike and Twilight come up behind him watching him.

"You're lucky Rarity is so generous you know." Spike says, crossing his arms as he looks up to Jack causing him to turn around.

"Well I suppose it's good that my luck finally turned around then I suppose... Twilight I have a few other things I would like to pick up in order to keep myself presentable. I didn't exactly bring anything with me from my world." Jack says gazing down at Spike and then back to Twilight.

"Of course, all of the market stalls should be open now and we can go get you the last few things you'll be needing. Afterwards we can see about finding you some ponies to help." Twilight said, turning to leave the boutique. "Rarity, we're going now. We'll be back later tonight with Jack so he can try on his new clothes. Thanks again!"

"Ta ta darling!" Rarity calls from her back room as Twilight and Jack leave.

"Spike not coming?" Jack asks.

"No he's going to be helping Rarity the rest of the day again as well. He's still a little upset from last night so we'll just leave him be." Twilight said as she levitated a scroll out from a bag she had on her hips. "Let's see now. You're going to need your own tooth brush and soaps for hygiene, as well as some more laundry detergent since you have clothing that needs to be washed. We'll stop by the laundromat in order to show you where it is after we get the rest of the things on my checklist."

Well she's pretty organized. I didn't even tell her about any of that. When did she have time to come up with a checklist? Jack mused to himself. "Sounds like a plan."

The next few hours were spent by Jack following Twilight around the marketplace. Twilight introduced Jack to a few of the vendors that needed help pulling carts to make deliveries around town. Twilight thought it would be a good idea for Jack to both hold up his end of community service as well as meet other ponies in town, so Jack agreed. It would after all, help him get back into shape and allow him to get some fresh air out from under Twilight's gaze. After all of the details were ironed out and business concluded Twilight and Jack went back to the library to drop off their newly acquired items.

"Hey Twilight, do you think you could get the other girls to come over tonight?" Jack asked, carrying Twilight's saddle bags draped over his shoulders.

"Why do you want to see them?" She said looking up at him out of the corner of her eyes. "You plan on scaring them some more?"

"I already gave my reasons for acting like I did. I regret it and I wanted to apologize, but if you want to keep holding that against me then maybe I should just go back to the dungeons."

Twilight sighed and then nodded. "Alright I can go get everyone after dropping off these things." She pushed the door to the library open as Jack walked in and placed the saddle bags down in the center of the library next to a giant horse head wood carving.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to take a nap while you're out. I'm beat. I haven't done this much activity in a long time and I'll need my energy for tomorrow. I can also put these things away and get cleaned up so I look my best."

Twilight looked Jack up and down and then nodded. "Alright, also while I'm out you can put the rest of the books on the table away for me. I'll make sure to bring dinner back for the eight of us. Spike will be back tonight." Jack nodded as turned around and squatted down to start pulling things out of the saddle bags. "I'll be back in a few hours. If everything is done when I get back then you have the rest of the night off." Twilight said as she turned and walked out of the library, closing the door behind her magically.

As the door closed, Jack slumped back onto his rear and put his hands over his face. At least she's trusting you, better not fuck it up.

You're the one who's going to fuck it up so just stay quiet until I get all of this stupid shit done.

Oh and here I thought we were friends Jack... heh heh heh...

It only took Jack about half an hour to put the books away downstairs. He couldn't read the scribbles of pony text so he just shrugged and put them wherever they fit. After putting those away he picked up the saddle bags and carried them upstairs, his legs sore and feet heavy from walking everywhere this afternoon. Pulling the straight razor and some shaving creme mix from the bags he headed to the bathroom for a nice shave and a shower. While in the bathroom alone Jack sighed again as he ran his fingertips over the now white scar around his neck, a grim reminder of how far he had fallen and what had brought him here. He shook his head and then began to shave. His mind went blank as he ran through the motions and showered.

After Jack got out of the shower he looked around and shrugged. Why get dressed in the same dirty clothes again if you're going to take a nap? With that he dried off quickly and walked to his room with a towel wrapped around him and carried his clothes to his room. At least he'd get dressed after Twilight woke him up. He laid his head down and sighed, wrapping up in the covers and closing his eyes, drifting off to sleep fairly quickly.

Jack's Dreamworld

Luna appeared in the middle of the Canterlot throne room after she had noticed a different shape of a dream cloud. Sitting upon the golden throne of Canterlot was Jack. He was slouched to the right side with his right elbow on the rest and right hand in a fist under his chin. His left arm on the other arm rest and his fingers drumming slowly on the edge. He seemed to be either lost in thought or waiting for something. Either way, Luna was not enjoying the sight of such a beast on the throne. She huffed and started walking down the carpet looking up at him.

"Thou whilst remove thyself from the throne, cretin!" Luna commanded.

Jack's eyes snapped to her and he smirked. "Ah the beautiful Princess of Night has come to visit little old Jack."

As Jack chuckled, Luna froze. This wasn't the same voice that she had heard from Jack at the trial, nor in the hospital before. She looked him over again as she was closer and she started noticing the differences. Jack's brown hair was much longer now, reaching down to the middle of his back and laid flat. His body had also altered, he was no longer as scrawny as he had appeared prior, his upper body had much more muscle mass and his waist was much thinner. As Jack stood Luna took a step forward. "Who art thou?" Luna asked.

"Oh is it that obvious?" Jack's smirk became a smile as he started descending the staircase. "Why Luna you're as perceptible as you are attractive."

Luna tried to take a step back but found her body had been frozen. Her eyes started to widen as she found her power slipping away here. She was the one who could control dreams, why couldn't she move? As Jack approached her slowly, he reached his hand out and trailed his fingertips under her jaw. His touch set her nerves alight with pleasure. "Luna, or do you prefer Lulu hmm? I'll tell you this once. This is Jack's mind and I am the one in charge here. He'd like to think otherwise, but I'm the only one who actually looks out for him." As Jack spoke he walked around the left side of her body, trailing his fingers from her jaw, down her neck and to her shoulders. As he dragged his fingers along Luna's body, her breathing became more labored and erratic.

"W-w-what art thou doing t-t-to us?" Luna stammered as her body started to shudder.

"How long has it been since someone touched you like this hmm? You know Jack and I share similar tastes, I'm sure he wouldn't mind doing this to you too." Jack chuckled darkly, dragging his fingers further down her side to her flank. Luna's wings unfurled with her growing arousal, despite her mind trying to fight back. Jack dropped his hand just before he got to her cutie mark and walked around behind her to her other side. "My what pretty midnight feathers you have, I'm sure the stallions are all over you." Jack faded away and then appeared next to her right ear, breathing gently against her and whispering to her. "I'll let you off with this. Stay out. If you have something to ask Jack, ask him in person. Don't come back. If you do, then you will regret it. I'm the one in control here, not you."

A tear fell from Luna's eyes, she couldn't stop her body. She was completely at this new persona's mercy. "W-w-we understand." With that Jack ran his fingers up the right side of her neck and under her chin again.

"Good, looks like Jack has to wake up for a meeting. I'm glad we had this little heart to heart. Also you are very soft." Jack said chuckling and he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I hope I see you again, I'm sure we could have some fun next time."

As Jack finished his sentence, he and the throne room vanished, leaving just a void of darkness for Luna to stand in. Her mind raced as she turned her head to look around, finding she could move again. Luna took a deep breath and disappeared from the dream cloud. She had to tell Celestia about this, but how much should she report?

Jack's room in the Library

Twilight nudged Jack's shoulder more forcefully. "Jack wake up. WAKE UP!" Twilight then shoved him off the side of the bed, Jack landing with a thud and pulling the blanket with him.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Jack said groggily, opening his eyes slowly to find that he was lying under Twilight with her face leaning down close to his. "Let me get dressed and I'll be down in a few minutes. You know you smell very sweet." He then reached up and patted Twilight on the side of the neck.

Twilight blushed a bit and then stepped back. "T-thanks... Well the girls are downstairs. Hurry up." With that she turned and walked out of the room quickly, pulling the door shut behind her with her magic. Jack sat up and shook the sleep from his mind and quickly got dressed. Hopefully Rarity brought the first set of clothing with her tonight. As he dressed he ran through what he was going to say and how he was going to say it. Soon enough he found himself descending the staircase, hearing loud whispers between the girls, but not loud enough to make anything concrete out.

"Hi Jack." Fluttershy squeaked up as Jack strode across the center of the room to the other girls.

"Good, he's here. Let's get this show on the road already!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, sitting on her haunches with her forelegs crossed impatiently.

"Hi Fluttershy... Rainbow Dash..." Jack said rubbing the back of his neck. After a few moments of silence he took a deep breath. "Well first I want to apologize to Fluttershy for attacking her. I already gave my reasons before, but the fact still remains that it was wrong, even if I was afraid. So, Fluttershy, I'm sorry." He said kneeling down infront of her, looking deep into her teal eyes. Fluttershy looked away a bit, trying to hide into her mane.

"It's alright Jack, I already forgave you. But thank you." She said, looking back to him and then reaching forward wrapping her forelegs around him. Jack smiled and wrapped his arms around her and ran his fingers through the back of her mane and down the back of her neck. After a few moments Jack pulls away and then stands back up looking at the rest of the girls.

"I know you probably don't buy it, but just give me a chance. I want to make things right, but I can't do it with you girls holding grudges. I just ask that you forgive me for this and I understand if it will take time."

The other girls sat around infront of him silently, looking at each other for a few moments. Twilight then spoke up. "Well I forgive you too."

"I do as well Jack." Rarity said, looking from Twilight to him. "I thought you were just a brute until this morning when you left my store. Speaking of, I have your first set of clothing. Do be a dear and try them on. I'd love to see how it looks on you." Rarity then opened up a pink set of saddlebags with a diamond clasp and floated a small stack of clothing over to Jack. He reached his hands out and caught it, looking them over, a smile crossing his face.

"You know, I think this is the first time I've been happy to get clothing as a gift, heh." He quickly turned to leave to get dressed, leaving the girls to discuss what just happened. Rarity had made him a large blue button up short sleeve shirt with a collar. It was a bit formal, but Jack couldn't complain. His pants were black with buttons for the fly instead of a zipper and they were made of cotton instead of denim, but they fit perfectly. He had also gotten blue boxers and a pair of black dress socks that went up to his shins. He decided to leave his shoes off and walked back downstairs to the girls chattering a little louder, and noticeably more chipper.

"Darling that looks marvelous! Come now, tell me how it fits. Did I get everything right?" Rarity said, looking up to Jack as he came down the stairs.

"It's great Rarity. The only complaint I have is that these are more like formal pants then work pants. I'm going to need something a lot more heavy duty for work, but my others will suffice if you can't get the materials immediately."

"Oh Jack, those clothes do look nice on you." Fluttershy spoke softly as she ran her eyes up and down his frame, causing Jack to blush a bit from all of the attention.

"Well since Jackie here appologized, its time for a PARTY!" Pinkie shouted popping up behind Jack's shoulder and throwing confetti on his head.

How the fuck did she get back there?! Jack thought, turning quickly to see that Pinkie was now gone and couldn't have possibly been standing on anything behind him. Jack turned around quickly again after hearing what sounded like a cannon going off to find the bottom floor of the library was covered in streamers, a pink banner and all of the girls wearing different colored party hats.

I'm just as lost as you are Jack...

"Come on Jackie lets party!" Pinkie said bouncing up to him and shoving a glass of punch in his hands. "This is your welcome to Ponyville, congratulations on not being executed, thank you for apologizing to Fluttershy party!"

Jack stood in shock looking around the room as Pinkie put the needle on the phonograph in the corner starting the music. As the music started the girls started dancing. Applejack was doing some form of pony line dance while Rarity was swinging her hair back and forth with Fluttershy. Twilight was flailing about uncontrollably with Rainbow Dash trying to mosh with her. Jack finally regained his senses as he lifted the cup of punch to his lips and took a sip. Then recoiled quickly as he looked into the cup. The punch was spiked with what tasted like cherry vodka that mixed quite well with the rest of the punch. It was just strong enough to burn but it faded quickly with the rest of the punch.

At least Pinkie knows how to party! Let's get wasted! Muhaha!

Yea not happening, but I will get a little buzzed. With all that's happened I'd say I deserve a break at least.

Walking over to the punch bowl and pouring himself a drink he scanned around to find Pinkie at the front door letting other ponies wander in. How did she know that Jack was going to apologize to Fluttershy? More and more questions arose as Jack was quickly surrounded by the multicolored ponies that were curious about their new neighbor. After a half hour of mingling, and a few more cups of punch, Jack decided it was time to go dance. He quickly noticed the phonograph had been replaced by a DJ booth with a strange blue haired white unicorn mare with purple tinted glasses manning the helm... mare-ing the helm? Whatever, he was buzzed and the music was bumping so he didn't pay any more mind to it as he lost himself in the music.

After a few songs, Jack bumped into Twilight flailing about, knocking her over. "Oh shit, sorry Twilight, let me help you up heh.." His face was red from dancing and the alcohol as he leaned over and reached around her, his face much closer to her than it needed to be. As he pulled her up, Twilight's eyes locked with his, her face flushing from the closeness and the feeling of his arms around her. "There we go, good as new right? How ya feelin'?" Jack smiled as he pulled one hand away, the other running his fingers through her mane and down her neck to her shoulders. Twilight shuddered slightly and smiled, nodding her answer. "Good, good. Well, let's keep this party rockin', the night is still young!"

Twilight stood watching Jack dance off back into the crowd, her mind lost to the moment until Applejack nudged her. "Hey there sugarcube, you alright?"

"Mmhmm..." Twilight said nodding slightly.

As the night marched on, ponies started filtering out. The DJ pony, perhaps sensing the party was drawing to a close, or just seeing that it was just Jack and the other six girls, she started breaking down her equipment, transferring the rest of the music back over to the phonograph. Somehow the only thing that was lost in the transfer was the amount of bass and the volume. Jack made his way over to the working mare and patted her gently on the back. "Hey thanks for the tunes. That was the most fun I've had in a while."

The DJ pony looked up and smirked. "No problem bro. I'm Vinyl, nice to meet you." She held up a hoof to Jack, which he took up and shook lightly.

"Jack, the pleasure's all mine."

"Well that's all for me tonight. Oh and before I go, I guess I can play a song for you and your friends before I go. I know a spell that allows the other ponies to hear a song from somepony's memories. Do you have a request?" Vinyl said, motioning her hoof to the phonograph.

Jack rubbed his now freshly shaven chin and then smiled brightly. "Oh yea, oh yea hell yea! I got it right now. What do I have to do!?"

Vinyl smiled. "Alright dude calm down. Just think about the song title and the artist and I'll take it from there."

Jack closed his eyes and concentrated, his face scrunching up a bit from being inebriated with the tasty, tasty spiked punch. The other six girls wandered over to see what was going on, all slightly buzzed and flushed faced. Vinyl chuckled slightly at Jack's face as her horn lit up with a faint red glow, along with the phonograph and Jack's head. As the first few beats of the song started playing, Jack opened his eyes and wrapped his arms around Vinyl. "Thank you so much Vinyl."

Jack stood up and watched as the girls' faces lit up. "Let me sing you girls a little song to show my appreciation. I hope you like it." As the beat picked up he started to snap his fingers in tune with it.

"If the fish swam out of the ocean, and grew legs and they started walking..." Jack ran his fingers down Twilight's neck as he walked passed her. "And the apes climbed down from the trees and grew tall and they started talking..." He pressed his shoulder up against Applejack's, running his fingers across the top of her hat and ears. "And the stars fell out of the sky, and my tears rolled into the oceans..." Jack spun quickly over to Rainbow as he rubbed down her back between her wings from the base of her mane to the base of her tail causing her wings to swiftly pop open. "And now I'm looking for a reason why, you even set my world into motion..." He approached a heavily breathing Rarity and gently ran his index finger around the base of her horn, up one side and then back down another.

In tune with the beat swiftly leaned up against a bouncing Pinkie Pie and wrapped his arm around her, bobbing up and down to keep pace "'Cause if you're not really here, then the stars don't even matter..." He then slid over and down onto his knees infront of Fluttershy, lifting her chin up gently with his hand to stare into her eyes. "And I'm filled to the top with fear, that it's all just a bunch of matter."

Fluttershy blushed furiously as he moved away slipping over to the door to his two new guests. "'Cause if you're not really here, then I don't want to be either. I want to be next to you, Black and gold, black and gold, black and gold..." He circled Celestia and Luna as he sang the chorus to them. Jack then placed one hand under Luna's chin and the other around the back of her neck as he whispered into her ear. "I look up into the night sky, and I see a thousand eyes staring back. All around these golden beacons, I see nothing but black." He released his hold on Luna, spinning around to Celestia and running his fingers down one of her wings. "I feel the weight of something beyond them, I don't see what I can feel. If vision is the only validation then most of my life isn't real." Both Celestia and Luna's wings popped open at his touch.

Jack then slipped forward and picked Twilight up off of her front hooves, holding them in his hands as he pressed his chest against hers. "'Cause if you're not really here, then I don't want to be either. I'm filled to the top with fear, that it's all just a bunch of matter." As he sang he swayed her side to side gently, staring into her eyes, the rest of the ponies just watching with blushes on their cheeks and their jaws slightly ajar. Jack set Twilight down and turned to face Fluttershy once again, but as soon as he faced her, he fell forward and passed out, leaving the girls to stare at him and then each other.

"Boy he really knows how to party!" Pinkie giggled as she pulled out a sharpie and started drawing on Jack's face.

4. The Gift.

Pinkie giggled as she stepped back and placed the cap back on the marker, admiring her work on the passed out party goer. Jack had a completed tic tac toe board, (x's won of course), a monocle and a unibrow. Pinkie also took the liberty of writing "Pinkie rules" on his forehead. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked at each other, then over to the two princesses, noting their extended wings, and grinned sheepishly as they walked backwards to hide behind Twilight and Rarity. Rarity was waving a hoof infront of her reddened face, trying to cool herself and regain her composure as Twilight kept staring her sleeping room mate. Luna was staring at the man as well while Celestia looked over to her sister, and then to her extended wings and smiled softly. She then looked back around at the remains of the party and the mostly gone bowl of punch in the corner. Piecing the night's events together she nodded and then spoke. "Twilight Sparkle..."

This caused the purple unicorn to snap out of her daze and rocket her eyes up to the Princesses. She quickly bowed and tried to stammer out a response. "P-p-princesses! I-I-I can explain!"

"There is no need for that my faithful student. We had simply come to see why we hadn't received a report from you yet and we were concerned for your safety." Celestia interrupted her, placing a hoof gently to Twilight's mouth. "I see another one of Pinkie's famous parties were had, and it looks like the guest of honor seemed to mend ties with you six." Celestia chuckled softly.

"Yes Princess... I can give you the report now if you wish." Twilight said as Celestia removed her hoof.

"The abridged version please, it is rather late and I must speak with my sister privately upon returning to Canterlot."

Twilight nodded. "Today after breakfast, Jack and I went over to Rarity's in order to get him new clothes, a set of which he is currently wearing." She said pointing a hoof to the sleeping man. "Then afterwards we went to the market to get his community service settled with the other ponies. He will be pulling delivery carts in town." Celestia nodded and remained silent, allowing Twilight to continue. "Upon returning home Jack said he was tired so I let him take a nap as I rounded up the girls per his request so that he could apologize to Fluttershy. Then Pinkie had a party and now the two of you are here."

Celestia smiled softly and nodded. "Very well, thank you Twilight. Have a good night girls. Come Luna we shall be leaving now." Luna hadn't taken her eyes off of Jack since he had whispered into her ear. Her face remained flat, however Celesita could see the emotions just behind her sister's eyes. The six girls bowed as Celestia and Luna then turned and walked out of the library. As the two princesses took to the sky, the door shut quietly.

"Should we leave him on the floor like that?" Applejack asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh heavens no, we must get him to bed lest he ruin his clothing!" Rarity quickly replied, covering Jack's body in a light blue glow, lifting him off of the ground.

"Heh heh, Rarity's trying to get your pet into bed Twilight." Rainbow chuckled, nudging her elbow into the purple unicorn pony. This caused Rarity to drop him on the stairs as she was carrying him up.

"I am not Rainbow! I am a Lady. And a lady does not take advantage of a sleeping stallion!" Rarity exclaimed causing Rainbow to fall over laughing. Rarity huffed and levitated Jack up again and went upstairs, Twilight following behind to open Jack's bedroom door.

"Just put him on the bed Rarity, I can take care of things from here." Twilight said softly to her ivory friend.

"Of course Twilight, I'll get the girls to help clean up and then we shall be off. It's late and I have work to do tomorrow. Do call for us if you need anything else dear." Rarity said, placing Jack on the bed and hugging Twilight. After receiving a hug in return, Rarity headed back downstairs to help the rest of the girls clean.

Twilight bit her lip as she looked over at the sleeping man. "He'll get quite hot in those clothes, I'm sure he wont mind." She whispered to herself as she approached the side of the bed. She used her magic to slide his socks off and unbutton his shirt, revealing his gently rising and falling chest. As she used her magic to slide his shirt off, the back of Jack's left hand brushed against Twilight's neck causing her to gasp and jump back slightly. Jack rolled over away from Twilight and she then quickly removed the rest of his shirt, folding it and placing it next to the bed. She decided not to remove his pants as she was already struggling to control her body from the last day of her cycle and the few spiked drinks she had during the party. Twilight turned and hurried out of the room, closing the door magically behind her, returning to help the girls finish cleaning.

The Royal Palace in Canterlot

Luna and Celestia landed with a soft clap on Luna's balcony outside of her bed chambers. "Good night Lulu." Celestia smiled and nuzzled the side of Luna's neck. Luna did not speak as she opened her balcony doors and walked into her room. Celestia frowned and followed her sister into her room and shut the doors behind her. "Sister tell me what is wrong. You haven't said a word since we left Twilight's home."

Luna sighed and flopped down on her bed, wrapping her forehooves around one of her larger body pillows. Celestia smiled and sat down next to her sister, running a hoof through her sisters mane. "This is about Jack isn't it."

Luna sighed and punched the pillow she was clinging to lightly. "We are conflicted Tia. On the one hoof, our body wishes for him to hold us. But on the other, we are frightened of what lurks inside him." She said closing her eyes tightly as she remembered the event that happened during her encounter with Jack in the dream realm.

"What are you talking about sister? What do you mean you are frightened of Jack? What happened?" Celestia did the best she could to console her sister. Luna took a deep breath and then recounted the events of what happened when she tried to enter Jack's dream while he was napping earlier in the afternoon.

"During our rest in the afternoon, we saw a new dream cloud appear that did not seem to be from one of our subjects. I entered it to find Jack... No it wasn't Jack, it was something else. Something dark." Luna looked up to her sister as she released the pillow and moved to wrap her hooves around her. "We found that we had no power in his dream as it... It touched me Tia." The sudden drop of her sister's royal speech caused Celestia to gasp and move closer to her. "I couldn't move as it touched me. My body was burning with desire as my mind fought to be free. It told me to stay out or else worse things were to come. I was so scared Tia. I had never felt anything like that before, nor do I wish to again."

Celestia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her sister was powerless in her own realm to this... thing... inside of Jack. She held her sister and rocked her gently as Luna continued. "Then, while we were at Twilight's library, when Jack touched me and whispered to me, my body betrayed me again. I have never been so confused Celestia." Celestia could feel her sister trembling against her, resting her chin against the top of her head.

"Luna, I must ask you to send me into this dream of Jack's. This event can not go unexplained, let alone unpunished. I do not ask you to come with me, only to watch over me. Should anything happen I want you to pull me out." Celestia pulled back just far enough to look into her sisters eyes. "Dearest Sister, do not fret. We will figure this out together."

Luna nodded and shuffled away from her sister, releasing her hold on her. "Very well sister, get comfortable. I shall watch over you while you do this. Do not attempt to anger him, for I do not know what he would do."

Celestia nodded and climbed onto the bed and laid down next to her sister, sliding the covers over them. "I am ready Luna..."

Twilight's Library

Twilight sighed as she slumped down against the wall in the main room of the library, the remnants of the party finally picked up. She couldn't remember the last time she had stayed up this late for anything other then studying.

"Alright Twilight, we'll be goin' now. Yer sure you don't need help watching over Jack?" Applejack said as she sat down next to Twilight.

"Mmhmm. I'm just going to be going to bed after you girls leave, I'm sure he'll be out for a while with all the dancing he did during the party." Twilight said waving a hoof dismissively.

"Alright, G'night sugar cube. We'll see ya tomorrow." Applejack said standing up and walking out of the library with the rest of the girls, the door shutting quietly behind them.

Twilight sighed and stood up, rubbing the side of her head with a hoof as she ascended the staircase slowly. She pushed the door open and stepped quietly over to the bed and started to climb into it until she felt something in her bed. Twilight gasped as she saw Jack sleeping in the bed and she took a few steps back, looking around the room. In her daze she had walked into his room and almost climbed into bed with him. Her body shook slightly as she smelled his sweat hanging in the room, lighting her loins ablaze with desire. She quickly looked around the room again and picked up his dress shirt he got from Rarity earlier and ran out of the room to hers.

(Sex related content is coming. Ctrl+F "Sex over" to skip)

Twilight shut the door to her room quickly as she held Jack's shirt to her muzzle with her magic, her eyes sliding closed. Twilight climbed into her bed and placed Jack's shirt on top of her pillow. Twilight's body shuddered as she forced her face into her pillow, breathing in Jack's scent. She spread her legs apart as she lifted her rump as high as she could into the air, flipping her tail onto her back. She slid a hoof from her chest down her stomach and in between her teats as she moaned gently, losing herself to her fantasies.

Jack opened the door quietly hearing some commotion coming from Twilight's room. He stood in the doorway as he watched his room mate and care taker pleasuring herself with her face covered by his shirt. He approached slowly as he watched Twilight's hoof rub against her clit, her juices pouring from her inflamed and winking marehood. "Jack... oh Jack.." she moaned gently, her face wiggling around in his shirt, her hoof straining to ease her burning desire.

Jack moved behind her and placed his hands on her flanks, gripping tightly and leaning his face down to her aching pussy. "You called?" He said with a smirk, causing Twilight's head to shoot up and look over her shoulder at him.

"J-j-jack! What are yoooooou...." Was all she could muster as he kneaded her flanks, slipping his tongue from her mouth and trailing the tip around her lips. Twilight moaned again and tried to push her hips back onto his face but he pulled back so he was just out of reach. Jack slapped her flank gently and ran his fingers around her cutie mark.

"Ah ah ah, I'm the one in charge now." Jack said, reaching one of his hands around her and groping a teat and squeezing it gently as he wrapped his lips around her clit, sucking gently. Twilight writhed under his touch as she pushed her face back down into her shirt covered pillow, trying to stifle her moans. Jack gently pinched and twisted Twilight's hardening nipples as he slipped his tongue into her moist love tunnel, slurping down her juices loudly.

Twilight's legs started to shake as she neared her climax from the feel of Jack's tongue and fingers working at her teats. She involuntarily started grinding her hips harder and harder against his face, wishing his tongue to plunge deeper into her. Jack brought his hand that was on her flank up to her tail and tugged firmly, pushing her over the edge, causing her to scream into the pillow as her juices flooded into Jack's mouth.

"Mmm... You taste just as sweet as you smell. "Jack said, as Twilight's knees gave out, her flank landing down on the bed with her legs spread open. The after shocks of her climax slowly subsiding as she pulled the pillow covered with Jack's shirt closer.

Twilight sighed as she brought her soaked hoof from between her legs, whimpering slightly. She rolled over to find a dry spot on her bed and curled up with her face still buried in Jack's shirt. Hopefully these thoughts would pass with the end of her heat cycle.

(Sex over)

Jack's Throne in Canterlot

Celestia appeared in a darkened version of the Canterlot throne room. It's usual marble floor and columns having been replaced with what seemed to be made of basalt. The main carpet was still red as it ascended the stairs to the throne with Jack sitting in it, holding a rather large plush version of a certain blue alicorn. The plush alicorn was about half the size of Jack as he held it in his lap, petting its cloth mane. Celestia slowly followed the carpet up to the bottom of the stairs and looked up to Jack. "It's a very comfortable seat isn't it?"

Jack smiled, his eyes moving down to Celestia. His hand rubbing the head of the plushie Luna. "It sure is. And It's nice to finally meet the beloved Princess of the Dawn."

"You seem to have a thing for my little sister Jack." Celestia said smiling at the Luna doll.

"Isn't she just the cutest thing ever?" He said holding the plushie up facing Celestia. "What art thou doing here sister?" He said making the plushy lean from side to side with his words, trying to mimic Luna's voice, causing Celestia to chuckle lightly.

"Yes, she is very dear. However I came here to ask a few questions. Luna told me what happened earlier when she came by." Celestia's smile faded as she looked up to Jack. He sighed and placed the plushie on the armrest of the throne as he faded, appearing on Celestia's shoulders and leaning his chest against the back of her neck.

"Well did she say she was sorry for staining my carpet at least?" He chuckled, running a hand through Celestia's ephemeral mane. She turned her head and her horn lit up, causing Jack to float up and off of her back, landing in front of her. "What? She did, it's still there don't you see? It's so hard to get stains out of this thing." Jack pointed to a rather large dark spot in between Celestia and himself.

Celestia stomped a hoof as she glared at Jack. "That's enough Jack! I am here for answers as to why you tormented Luna!"

Jack smirked as he took a step forward, his eyes locking with hers. "Why, Tia, I don't think I tormented her. I simply teased her a bit and told her to not come back."

(Grey times ahead. "Grey times over" to skip)

As Celestia looked into Jack's eyes, she didn't see the same gentle determination she had during the trial. She didn't see fear, kindness or love. What she saw was much more intimidating. She saw the look of someone who's killed, and enjoyed doing it. She could feel the heat of his anger radiating from his body with every step he took closer to her. "Celestia, I know what you see, it's written all over your face." She tried to take a step back but her leg wouldn't move.

"What have you done?" She said, her body writhing a bit trying to force her legs to move. "Luna get me out of here!" She called out.

Jack laughed and snapped his fingers, causing Celestia's eyes to snap to his hand. She had only seen one other being snap it's fingers. Then she heard a loud whine coming from the throne. There she saw Luna chained down on her haunches with a black collar around her neck. "I don't think Luna will be doing much of anything. Now I'm going to make this either extremely easy, or extremely difficult for you Celestia." Jack turned and walked up the stairs to the throne and stood next to Luna, running his fingers slowly down from the tip of her horn, causing her wings to slowly open, tears forming at the sides of her eyes.

"Get your hands off of her Jack!" Celestia commanded, watching her little sister writhe under his touch. Jack leaned down and whispered into Luna's ear, causing her eyes to snap open, tears quickly falling down her cheeks as she shook her head.

"No? Oh dear sweet Luna why not? You're so beautiful though..." Jack smiled darkly as he turned his head over to Celestia. "I thought you were the smart one Celestia. Surely you don't think I'm anything like that worthless sack of flesh. Your sister knows better, don't you Luna?" He said, running his fingers down from her horn to wipe her tears away. Luna nodded slowly as her eyes never left Celestia's.

"Celestia I'm surprised at you, you know. Who knew the Princess of the Sun had such a dark sense of humor." Jack said, trailing his fingers down Luna's neck, around, and then back up through her mane. "You probably don't know this, but what you did to Jack made me laugh so hard I cried." Celestia watched him, her eyes narrowing.

"What are you talking about?"

"How do you think Jack got that scar on his neck Celestia?" Jack pulled the collar of his shirt down and pointed at the large white scar around his throat. "In our world, there was an ancient philosopher who attempted to describe the punishments for certain undesirable actions in society. One such description was what happened to those who committed suicide."

Celestia's eyes went wide as she realized what he was talking about. "No..."

"Yes, and in this description, the souls of those who committed suicide were trapped inside of trees, their souls doomed for eternity to feel only thirst and pain. Instead of being made of wood and bark, the trees would be made of the bones and tendons they had in life, so with every gust of wind, their bodies would be wracked with pain. In this Wood of Suicide, the trees would grow so close together that their roots competed for what little dry soil was under them, splintering and fracturing the roots. And any who would attempt to trek through, would break the weak and thin branches of the trees. So in a way, you condemned him to his own personalized hell."

Celestia shook her head quickly. Was that how Jack thought of her? She couldn't have known this. Surely he didn't think that's what she meant when she sent him to live with Twilight, but the horror still plagued her mind.

"Now, unless I'm mistaken, Luna here is the only one who can enter dreams on command, and you needed her help to get in here. So I'll give you a break since you're so brave." Jack grabbed the side of Luna's collar and shook it gently as he spoke to Celestia. "You can get a glimpse into Jack's dreams, or you can leave. Just know that the knowledge comes at a cost."

Celestia paused as she looked from Luna to Jack. "What cost?"

"If you want a peek, I want your sister's maidenhood." He said, running his fingers through Luna's mane. "I'm sure Jack would be quite upset to find that his favorite Princess was deflowered, but I take my charge very, very, seriously..."

Celestia recoiled slightly as tears streamed down Luna's cheeks, her head shaking slowly. "Very well, we shall leave and never return. Just let my sister go. Please." Celestia whispered, tears forming at the side of her eyes.

Jack smacked his lips and frowned, leaning down to Luna and kissing her cheek lightly. "Aw your sister is such a stick in the mud. Just think about all the fun we could have had Luna."

(Grey times over)

Jack snapped his fingers, the collar around Luna clicking open as Luna vanished from the throne room. "Well I can't say I'm not disappointed Tia. I was looking forward to a sweet treat tonight. But since you said please, I should play nice. You also played along in the beginning with me, so I'll give you this before you go." Jack faded and then appeared next to Celestia, wrapping an arm around her neck, holding his other hand up in front of both of them, a screen appearing before them. "Here's the last images of Jack's dream before he wakes up. Speaking of which, I think it's time for you to raise the sun is it not?"

On the screen in front of Celestia, she see's the Jack she saw at the party held in the air by a dark blue three clawed hand, his body consumed in green flames. He was screaming and writhing in agony as if his very soul was being burnt out from within him. She could smell his flesh and hair burning, but she saw no signs of damage. With that she faded out of the dream, waking up quickly to a crying Luna holding her close.

Jack's Dreamworld

Jack opened his eyes and found himself in the large room with the lit empty pedestal. His eyes scanned the darkness beyond the pedestal and behind him. As he turned his head back to the pedestal, he saw them. The smoldering green orbs floating just beyond the reach of the light. "Your darkness will consume you and those around you," The deep voice said. As the voice spoke he could see the eyes flashing with its words.

Jack stood silently, trying to get a read on whatever it was he was seeing. If the orbs were indeed eyes, then this creature was at least eight feet tall. "What do you want with me?" Jack asked. The being stepped forward, the pedestal dropping into the floor as it stepped into the light. Jack was right, they were eyes, but this creature was slouching over slightly. It's dark blue skin covered its body, with a large purple cloth that reached from just under its eyes to just above the floor. Behind it's head it had what looked like black dreadlocks bound together with a golden ring. It had  golden pauldrons on that were set with deep green smoothed emeralds. Further down its arm was a large golden bracer with emeralds studded down its side. A purple cloak surrounded the rest of its body, but he could see that it had only three fingers ending in long black claws.

"You will not survive your test without this gift. This will allow you to use your mind, body, and spirit to overcome any obstacles that should arise during your trial. You will need this if you wish to defeat the darkness within you."

Jack stood silently, looking up into this being's eyes. He took a deep breath and then nodded. "Alright. I'll take it."

The being suddenly grabbed Jack by the throat and squeezed, lifting him up off of the ground. Jack struggled against it's grip as his body started to feel warmer and warmer. It felt like his blood was boiling as he gasped. His eyes started to burn so he closed is eyelids tightly trying to rid himself of the pain. Jack's eyelids suddenly opened as his eyes glowed with the same green flames as the creature before him while the rest of his body erupted in dark green flames. He writhed and struggled against the vice like grip that held him aloft, it felt like an eternity every moment as he was immolated.

Jack's room

Jack sat up quickly, screaming at the top of his lungs, his fists clenched and his muscles flexing.Twilight quickly leaped back away from him in terror as she watched steam rise off of his body as he shook. As he regained his senses he placed his hands over his face and started taking deep breaths. "Jack... Are you alright?" Twilight asked quietly.

"Y-yeah.. Just one hell of a bad dream..." Jack said slowly, trying to get his breathing under control. It all felt so real, the heat of the flames against his skin, the burning inside of his body and his mind. He ran his hand across his chest and then he realized where he was. "Uhm.. Twilight... how did I get in my room and what did I do with my shirt?"

Twilight blushed and looked away. "Well after your performance last night, you passed out downstairs. So we brought you up here so you can sleep in your bed." She then remembered that his shirt was still in her room draped across her pillow. Scrambling for an answer in her mind she blurted out "And your shirt was dirty so I took it to get it cleaned!"

Jack then turned to look at her and smiled. "Thanks Twilight, and sorry if I did anything too crazy last night. I think there was some alcohol in that punch... I haven't drank that much in years."

Twilight let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and looked back up to him, smiling. "Well, today is your first day of work, so I'll head down and make some breakfast while you get cleaned up. Don't want to be late for your first day." Twilight then giggled, looking at the doodles on his face. "You might also want to wash your face really well. Pinkie went a bit overboard last night."

Jack thought back and his eyes widened. He passed out in the middle of a party, there was no telling what was all over his face so he quickly got up and ran to the bathroom. He smirked as he looked into the mirror and chuckled. "Well g'day to you my good sir." Jack said to himself, tipping an imaginary top hat before he started to wash his face. After a few minutes of scrubbing he left the bathroom to collect a change of clothing and a towel. "I'm getting a shower now Twilight, I'll be down in a few!" He called down to her. He didn't get a response so he shrugged and walked back into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

As Jack adjusts the knobs to the shower he starts humming a song to himself. He then thought back to the previous night, trying to string the memories together. There was the punch, then dancing, then something about a spell from Vinyl. Why didn't he have a hang over? Was that dream actually real? Jack ran his fingers through his hair as he knelt under the shower head that was too short to be effective while standing. Jack reached over and picked up a purple bottle of shampoo and squeezed some into his hands. As soon as the smell hit him he awoke from his daze and realized he had grabbed the wrong bottle, but by then it was too late, he was already scrubbing the top of his head with it.

Oh you smell wonderful now.

Can it, it was a mistake.

Mmhmm, and I'm sure that rubbing all over the ponies last night was a "mistake" as well. Or maybe it was just because you were drunk?

...

Hah, thought so...

...

Oh, the silent treatment huh? Well I can take a hint, I'll be around. You know, someone has to keep this dirty mind of yours clean.

Jack sighed and continued washing himself silently. Meanwhile, downstairs as Twilight is preparing breakfast some strange sounds are heard coming from the main area of the library. "Twilight what is that?" Spike asks, leaning out and looking around the room. Twilight turns her head and then walks out of the kitchen. The phonograph from last night was still enchanted and the sounds coming from it was the song that Jack was humming to himself in the shower. Her curious nature got the better of her as she stood right infront of it, getting a sudden blast of sound right into her face. Twilight took a step back and used her magic to tone down the volume a bit on the enchanted phonograph as she listened intently to the song that was playing. She sat stunned as she could feel the music reverberating in her chest.This song was so different to the one she had heard last night at the end of the party. Is this how Jack felt deep down? How could he keep this all inside of him? Why did he feel this way?"I'm scared to get close, and I hate being alone, I long for that feeling to not feel at all. The higher I get, the lower I sink, I can't drown my demons, they know how to swim."

Twilight suddenly remembered that she had left breakfast cooking on the stove as the song came to a conclusion, so she ran into the kitchen to make sure nothing had burned. She quickly turned off the oven, the shredded potatoes she made were browned a little too dark for her liking, but hopefully Jack wouldn't notice. As she levitated plates out to the table Jack rounded the corner.

"Mmm.. Smell's good Twilight." Jack said, taking his place at the table across from Spike. "Mornin' Spike."

Spike nodded to him and yawned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Twilight hovered the pans of breakfast over the table and started scooping portions onto the three plates. She had made a rather quick and simple breakfast of hashbrown style shredded potatoes with scrambled eggs along with a pair of slices of wheat toast for each. "Dig in everypony." She said proudly as she floated the pans to the sink.

Jack rubbed his palms together and then picked up his fork, digging in quickly and closing his eyes as he tasted the food. "Oh man, this is probably the first home cooked breakfast I've had in years."

Twilight smiled softly to him as she ate silently, remembering the song she had heard earlier. What sort of life had Jack lived prior to being found by Fluttershy? Twilight's smile faded, questions bombarding her mind as she watched him happily eat. How could he smile if he felt that way?

"You going to be alright without me today Twilight?" Jack smirked as he finished his food and leaned back in the chair.

"Of course she is! She's the most talented pony in Ponyville, and she's got me to be her number one assistant!" Spike said, puffing his chest out proudly. Twilight realized that she was staring at Jack and then shook her head quickly as she resumed eating.

"Good, wouldn't want anything to happen to the warden while I'm away." Jack chuckled and stood up from the table. "Well I'm going to get going, don't want to be late for work and I'm sure you two have stuff to do besides baby sit me." He carried his plate over to the sink and rinsed it off before setting it down and walking out to the front of the library.

"Should you be letting him go alone like that? What if he gets into trouble?" Spike asked, looking over to Twilight watch Jack leave the kitchen.

"I'm taking a chance and hoping that I'm right about him. He shouldn't be a problem unless provoked, and we can't hover around him all day or we wouldn't know if he learned his lesson."

"Yeah well, I still don't like it." Spike said, crossing his arms.

"Well that's why the Princess left me in charge." Twilight chuckled and rubbed a hoof on top of Spikes head.

Jack pulled the door closed behind him and headed for the market place. After a few minutes of walking he found a large open garage type workshop. Inside he saw a much larger then average dark grey earth pony with a white mane looking at some scrolls on a desk. He had light brown eyes and a pair of broad rimmed glasses perched upon his muzzle. Twilight had introduced them yesterday, this stallion was one by the name of "Mr. Move-it Quick." The mark on his flank was a wooden wagon wheel behind a large scroll, perhaps signifying a shipping master or some such job title. Mr. Move-it, as he wanted to be called, ran a large delivery dispatch in Ponyville that assisted the post office in delivering packages.

"Mr. Move-it, it's Jack. I'm here for work." Jack said as he approached the stallion. Move-it looked up and nodded. "Git ova dere and git hooked up to yer cart. You're late!" Move-it shouted. Jack wasn't actually late but he didn't argue. He was the only one left in the garage and there was only one cart left. He had to have special straps made for it so it fit around him. Jack looked in the back of the cart where several pony sized packages waited in the back of it. Shaking his head he strapped up and picked up the delivery list. "Derpy get your flank out here!" Move it yelled into the back room, causing a light grey pegasus with a blonde mane and golden eyes to rocket out and stand next to him saluting.

"Derpy you're going to show this... Jack... where to make deliveries to. He can't read because he's too stupid so you're going to read for him. Don't buck anything up!" Move-it sternly said, motioning over to Jack who was watching the event play out. As Derpy dropped her salute she trotted over to Jack and the two of them made their way out of the garage and onto the main street of Ponyville.

"Sorry about Mr. Move-it," Derpy said as soon as they were out of ear shot of the garage, "he's just putting up a show to make sure you know he's in charge. He's not usually like that."

Jack smiled and nodded, grunting a bit from the weight of the overloaded cart. "It's alright... he called you Derpy? Is that your name?"

"It's actually Ditzy, but everyone calls me Derpy because of my eyes." She said somberly. "It's also because I'm a bit of a klutz and I'm always messing things up."

"Hey Ditzy, it's alright, I mess things up all the time. Don't let it get you down. At least you can read!" Jack chuckled softly, doing his best to cheer her up. "Besides, you're the first pony to not attack me outright, so you're okay in my book."

Ditzy smiled up at Jack and then nuzzled against his leg. Jack placed his hand on top of her head and scratched behind her ears. "Oh that's nice..." She said softly as they walked along. Reluctantly she withdrew herself from his reach and looked down at the paper. "Let's see... First place is... Just down the road here. Carrousel Boutique."

"Huh, Rarity's place. I know the way." Jack shifted the straps that were starting to dig into his body as he pulled the cart along down the road. Thankfully due to either the crafts-pony-ship or the constant travel from ponies, the roads were smooth enough for the cart to coast along quickly and without much effort.

As Ditzy and Jack arrived to the Boutique, he could see Rarity wandering around on the shop floor, even though the sign out front said she wasn't open for business. Jack pulled the cart up as close as he could to the porch and then unhooked. He then went over to the door and knocked firmly, causing the white unicorn pony inside to jump. "I'm sorry but we aren't open yet dear!"

"Special Monster Delivery service for one Ms. Rarity." Jack called through the door.

Rarity looked up and turned and looked at the door, seeing Jack standing on the other side. "Jack, darling, why didn't you say so in the first place?" She quickly approached the door and opened it, looking over to see Ditzy standing next to the overloaded cart. "Oh dear, is this what you'll be doing for work?"

"Yeah, it's not as heavy as it looks, but I don't really have time to chat. If you could just sign this I'll get your package." Jack nodded and held out a clipboard and quill. Rarity looked at the paper and then scribbled her signature after taking the quill in her magic. Jack took the clipboard and quill back and set it in the cart. "Alright Ditzy, show me which ones are Rarity's and then we'll be off."

Rarity paused as Ditzy started flying around over the back of the cart and pointed out several of the larger packages. Jack sighed as he climbed into the cart and slid some packages around, freeing up the first of the pony sized packages. He grunted as he hefted the package up and carried it into the shop. "Where do you want this?"

Rarity waved a hoof off to the side of a counter with a very old looking cash register. "Just place it down there darling. And forgive me if this is rude, but why did you need Ditzy to point out which packages were mine?"

Jack placed the large parcel down at the instructed spot and let out a relieved sigh. "Well I can't read pony language, so Ditzy there is helping me on my deliveries until I can learn how to read. I think Twilight was going to start teaching me tonight, unless something else comes up."

Rarity gasped as she stared at the man walking back to the cart. "You can't read? That's simply dreadful, dear I'm so sorry!"

"Hold up now, I said I couldn't read pony language, not I couldn't read at all. I'm actually quite well read for where I come from." Jack said hefting another package up and slowly making his way into the shop again.

"Oh right, of course, silly me." Rarity chuckled and then went back to work, prepping her store for opening. "Oh, whilst I have you here, Jack I want to let you know that I'll be dropping some more clothing off for you this afternoon on my lunch break."

Jack sat down the third and final large package with the other two and wiped the sweat off of his forhead, already starting to become short of breath. "Great, I have a feeling I'll be needing them much sooner then I thought if I'm already sweating like this. Well I'll let you get back to work, I'm sure you don't want me messing up the place. Have a good day Rarity."

"Of course, you too darling." Rarity said as she waved to Jack walking out of the shop.

"Well Ditzy, that went better than expected." Jack said as he strapped himself back to the front of the cart.

"Yep, Ms. Rarity is such a nice pony, even if she does seem a bit dramatic."

"Heh, Yeah. Well she didn't stab me or anything, so that's a plus. Anyway what's next?"

After a few hours of work with a quick break for lunch, the last of the packages had been unloaded from the cart, but exhaustion was beating Jack down with every passing minute. He was covered in sweat and breathing heavily, fidgeting with the straps in order to relieve some pressure, but only succeeding in tiring himself out more.

"Holy shit, this is some tiring work." Jack said, wiping his forehead with his already sweat soaked sleeve.

"You did pretty well today Jack! We got through all the orders before quitting time, that means you get to go home early!" Ditzy said happily, flapping her wings and floating next to him.

"Thank the gods, I'm going to need a nap after this if I'm going to make it the rest of the day."

"I'm sure Mr. Move-it will be happy, most ponies don't finish early on their first day!"

"Well I couldn't do it without you Ditzy, both literally and figuratively. You were a great help."

Ditzy smiled and then landed next to him as they approached the delivery garage. "No problem, I hope I get to help you again tomorrow. You're really nice and I didn't mess anything up today."

Jack laughed and patted her head gently. "Don't jinx yourself, we're on the home stretch now."

As Jack and Ditzy entered the garage, they approached Mr. Move-it as he was shuffling papers on his desk. "Hey boss, we're done with the orders."

Move-it looked up to see Jack and Ditzy standing in front of his desk. He looked over at the clock and then back to the duo, noticing how wet Jack was. "Well this is a first. Derpy, did he just throw the packages off the bridge and follow them into the river?"

"No Mr. Move-it. He delivered every one of them. I offered to help but he did all of the work. I just showed him where to go like you told me to." She said just loud enough for him to hear it, her eyes looking down to the front side of the desk. Jack looked down and over to her, and rubbed her back gently, trying to give her some comfort.

"Hmm... Well I'll hear about it if you are lying to me. Since you finished early and we don't have any other orders ready, you can put your cart back and get out. I'll see both of you tomorrow morning."

Ditzy quickly picked her head up and smiled. "Oh thank you Mr. Move-it. I promise you won't have any complaints come in about us!"

Jack remained silent and nodded, looking down into Move-it's eyes.

"Come on Jack let's go before he changes his mind."

"Alright Ditzy." Jack looked down at his companion and patted the top of her head. He then turned and set the cart back where he found it, making sure that it was ready to be loaded tomorrow morning. Jack and Ditzy then left the garage just as quickly as they entered to see a few ponies pulling empty carts towards them just down the road.

"I'll see you tomorrow Jack, I have to pick up my daughter from school soon."

"Alright, tell her I said hello, and have a good rest of the day if I don't see you again." Jack waved as Ditzy flew off into town. Jack sighed, exhausted from his first day of work and headed towards the tree library for some much needed rest. Finding himself alone again he started humming another song quietly to himself as he undid the top two buttons to his shirt, trying to get let out as much heat as possible to cool down.

As Jack reached the library, he leaned over slowly and untied his dust covered boots. Pulling his boots off and setting them outside next to the door, his feet throbbed with dull pain at their new found freedom. He stood back up, placing his hands on his lower back, trying to stretch out the soreness from his first full day of work. He pushed the door open and tenderly stepped into the cool library. His presence didn't go unnoticed as he entered however.

"Jack we need to talk." Twilight said as she lifted her head from the book she was reading to look at him.

Uh oh.. what did I do this time..? Jack started to run through everything he did this morning before leaving the library. His face remained blank as he awaited to see if she would tell him what was wrong.

"Jack it's about the spell that Vinyl put on you last night. The spell was still working all day and playing music from your mind."

Jack let out a sigh and chuckled a bit. "Oh man you had me worried for a minute there Twi'."

"Jack, this is serious, those songs I heard. They were... so full of sadness and pain. I'm worried about you Jack." Twilight stood up and walked over to him, looking up into his eyes, concern showing on her face. Jack sighed and then patted her head gently, scratching just behind her ears. Twilight smiled and closed her eyes.

"Don't worry Twilight, I'm fine. It's just music to help the day pass. I'm sure there were some other nice songs that popped up right?"

Twilight reluctantly lifted her hoof up and pushed Jack's hand away from her head, frowning again. "There was maybe one Jack."

"There, see, one happy song. Now if you don't mind I'm all sweaty, dirty, tired and I need a shower." Jack smiled down at her and then turned and headed up the stairs to shower.

Twilight sighed and sat back down on the cushion next to her book, levitating out a scroll and quill, she began her letter to the Princess.

Dear Princess Celestia, Today Jack woke up from a rather powerful night terror. He seemed to be fine after calming down but once he left to do his duty for Ponyville, the phonograph that was enchanted last night for the party, started playing extremely powerful and sad music. When I questioned him he avoided answering me. I am worried about him and you told me to report any unusual behavior. He seems to usually be kind and friendly, but what I heard today, it seems he is very deeply troubled. I will be doing my best to help my new friend in whatever troubles him. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

"Spike, I need you to send a letter to the Princess please."

Spike walked out of the kitchen, munching on a rather large yellow gemstone. "Sure thing Twilight." Spike took the scroll and opened the window, slowly igniting the scroll as it flew off into the distance. On his way back to the kitchen, Spike burped and a scroll popped out of his mouth. "Wow, I think that's a new record Twilight!"

Twilight quickly pulled the scroll from the dragon's claws and read it quickly. "My Faithful Student, I ask that you use your best judgement when it comes to this situation. Please be cautious when interacting with Jack as we cannot be sure that he is entirely safe. I have faith that he will open up to you in his own time, so I ask that you be there for him when he decides to. My sister and I have matters that require our immediate attention so we shall be in touch soon. Please keep us updated with anything out of the ordinary. Princess Celestia." Twilight rolled the scroll up and placed it on the shelf next to her.

After a few minutes, Jack descended the stairs quietly, rubbing the towel through his wet hair. He looked over to Twilight completely engrossed in a very old looking tome. A very sly smile crossed his face as he lightly continued down the stairs, his steps slowly growing closer to the preoccupied purple pony, not making a sound. He was close now, just another step, and then... He quickly and firmly wrapped his arms around her neck and pinned her down. "Gotcha!"

Twilight squealed as she kicked the book away in fright and started to struggle against him. Jack rubbed her neck gently as he chuckled. "Easy Twilight I got ya, you're alright."

"Jack! That wasn't funny! You scared the tartarus out of me!" Twilight squeaked, quickly calming under his touch.

Jack laughed a little harder as he brought a hand up and lightly scratched behind Twilight's ears causing her eyes to close immediately and lean into his hand. "Ohhh someone like's 'skritches' hmm? Well how about 'chin skritches'?" Jack moved his other hand and lightly scratched under her chin. Twilight went limp as she leaned against him, smiling broadly.

"Oh my... this feels so good..." Twilight cooed softly. Just as soon as it began, it ended, Jack pulling his hands away and sitting next to her. Twilight's eyes opened quickly as she snapped her head to look at him. "Hey! I didn't say stop!"

Jack laughed again and shook his head. "Sorry, but if you want more then you're gonna have to teach me how to read your scribbles."

Twilight's eyes lit up like she had just recieved what she always wanted for Hearth's Warming and dashed off upstairs to get some things. While she was up stairs doing whatever she was doing, Jack looked over to the book he had seen Twilight reading. It was a very old and heavy book with sturdy thin wooden flaps, covered in leather and embossed with some pony text. He opened it gently, feeling as if it was going to crumble into dust if he breathed wrong. The pages were made of a much thicker parchment than he had seen Twilight write on, and the writing seemed slightly faded. As he turned the pages slowly he could make out a few pictures of different unicorns and some shapes that looked like constellations of stars. Jack quickly closed the book as he heard Twilight coming down the stairs, she had her saddle bags draped over her hips and was levitating a few bottles of ink.

"I picked up some books from Cheerilee, the teacher at the school, so we should have everything we need for a while." Twilight said as she placed the inkwells and a bundle of quills infront of him. She then opened one of the flaps to her bag and pulled out a group of thin wooden plates bound together with twine. "First thing's first, you have to learn the letters."

Jack scooted back as the large wooden "book" landed in front of him with a loud clack.

"Now, we'll get as far as we can tonight so that I can gauge how quickly you learn and build a better schedule around that." Twilight said, floating some parchment over to Jack as she sat down next to him.

"Alright, well, daylight is burning so let's get this show on the road shall we?" Jack reached out and open the wooden tome to find a rather large scribble carved into the first "page". He looked it over and scratched his head, taking a quill and a piece of parchment as he attempted to transcribe what he saw, albeit on a smaller scale. He quickly found that writing with a quill and ink, as opposed to a normal human pen, was akin to attempting to draw a line in the sand with a broom. Dipping the end of the quill into the ink, he picked it up to write, causing drops of the excess ink to splatter over the rest of the page. "Oh shit... Well that's what I get for being to hasty heh heh..."

Twilight smiled at his enthusiasm and quickly cast a spell to levitate the spilled ink from the floor back into the inkwell. "Take it slowly, let the extra ink drain from the quill before attempting to write. Now try again."

Jack nodded and dipped his quill in the ink, lifting it slightly and tapping it gently against the rim before he started writing. As he scribbled on the parchment, Twilight spoke up. "This is the first letter of our alphabet, the letter A. We have twenty six letters, six vowels, and twenty consonents." As Jack finished copying down the large letter in the book the quill snapped as he listened to her.

"Hold the fuck up. You mean to tell me that you use the same alphabet that I do? Just with these weird fucking symbols?!"

Twilight looked up at him startled from both his raised voice and the profanity he used. "Well... I don't know what alphabet you use, but this is the one that is the basis of our language."

Jack dropped his quill and grabbed the sides of Twilight's face, pulling it close to his. "This is going to make things so much easier! I thought I had to learn a whole new language! I just have to learn the alphabet and I'll be able to decypher your blasted pony writing!" He shook her head very lightly, causing her eyes to roll around in her head comically. Jack released his hold from Twilight as he quickly dove back into the book, flipping a page and scribbling down what he saw, writing his alphabet next to it.

Twilight rubbed her face with a hoof gently as she watched Jack fervently flip through the pages. She had never seen another pony so eager to learn something she tried to teach them. Her face flushed as she watched the man accidentally break a few quills in his haste to copy down what he learned from the book. As he closed the book he took a blank piece of parchment and started scribbling something down onto it, glancing back and forth from his notes to the paper.

"Tell me what this says Twilight, I want to see if I'm right." Jack said, holding up the new piece of paper to her face, the ink slightly running from the sudden movement.

Twilight giggled as she picked it up with her magical grasp and ran her eyes over it. "HELLO TWILIGHT SPARKLE. MY NAME IS JACK AND THIS IS MY FIRST LETTER. I HOPE THIS IS CORRECT." As she recited to him, Jack wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly. "Can't... Breathe... too.... tight!" Twilight gasped out, causing Jack to release his hold on her.

"Heh, sorry. You don't know how much not being able to read was bothering me." Jack rubbed the top of Twilight's head gently. "Twilight, you have just given me one of the greatest, but most underrated gifts ever. The gift of literacy. Thank you." He reached out and hugged her again, much more gently this time. Twilight reached her hooves around his chest and returned the hug, smiling brightly.

Twilight pulled out another, much smaller book and set it in front of Jack. The rest of the night, she instructed Jack on the proper way to hold a quill and in how to write the lowercase letters. Jack had several pages filled with letters as he attempted to commit them to muscle memory, however for only one day of studying, he knew this would not be enough. The subtle nuances of the letters eluded him at this time, but he continued with a determination the likes of which Twilight had never seen. Only a quick break for dinner could distract him for any long amount of time before he resumed his studies. Twilight had wondered if this was how she looked when she was engrossed in a particular mystery that required a large amount of research.

The night drew to a close after Twilight had to magically lift Jack from the ground and throw him into the empty bathtub upstairs. "Get cleaned up and get to sleep. Make sure you wash your hands extra well to get the ink off of them. I don't want to replace my sheets because they have ink all over them."

"Yes mistress..." Jack said, rolling his eyes. Twilight glared at him sternly before chuckling. She turned and left to clean up downstairs as Jack got ready for bed. As soon as his hands were clean, Jack yawned rather loudly, the exhaustion from the work he did earlier that day, as well as the fact he skipped the nap he thought he would take, hit him as soon as his mind slowed down. He had just enough energy to make his way into his room before he collapsed on the bed, groaning silently into the pillow and feeling his body go slack. He pulled his shirt off and crawled under the covers, passing out quickly.

Twilight made her way up the stairs and saw that Jack's door was open and the light was on, so she went in to see him laying down face first into the mattress. She smiled as her horn lit up, glowing a soft purple as she pulled the she flicked the lights off and shut the door to Jack's room.

5. A Trip to the Spa

The next few weeks quickly slipped by without much of note and Jack quickly found the comfort of a daily routine again. Each day would start off with Jack waking up just before sunrise and spending time reflecting on the events of the previous day. His thoughts would conclude with the sunrise and with the growing of the light of day, one thought grew along with it. He was probably never going to go back to his old life. He had attempted to end it, but no one here knew about that. After he would climb out of bed, he would take a shower after Twilight was done since she would wake up and get moving prior to him actually doing anything productive with his day. Breakfast was quick to follow and contained all of the pleasantries of vegetarian cooking. Some days they would have pancakes made by Spike, he was infinitely better at making pancakes that Twilight, but Jack would never admit to it.

"Work", as Jack had come to call it, was actually more pleasant than he was expecting after the first few days. Then, just as things were going as well as Jack could hope, Ditzy had been told she was going back to her regular mail route and she was going to be replaced by somepony else. Jack tried to get Mr. Move-it to reconsider, but it was out of his hooves, or so he said. Finally relenting, Jack told Mr. Move-it that he could read well enough to deliver the packages and he knew the town well enough to get things done on time. The first day without Ditzy was sad and lonely, having lost his first friend to the ravages of the bureaucracy, but he soldiered on regardless. Without Ditzy there, the ponies became much more skittish as he approached and the commonplace smalltalk was virtually nonexistent without the friendly grey pegasus. He was, however, surprised when he actually crossed paths with his former guide, the first time she actually crashed into him as they were reading their respective delivery instructions. When the end of the second full week came to a close, Mr. Move-it, had told Jack that he was going to be getting paid. Jack had wondered if this was ever going to happen so he happily accepted it. He wasn't sure how much he was supposed to be given, but something was better than nothing.

The end of the days on his first week came swiftly, staying awake only long enough to eat a hastily made sandwich while studying some letters, take a shower, then pass out on his mattress. As his body adjusted, he found himself with more energy, making the evenings a bit more eventful. Twilight had started to worry about him when didn't seem to want to talk at all, but after he stayed up for longer, her fears quickly vanished. Jack informed Twilight that Mr. Move-it had rescheduled him to have Saturdays and Sundays off so that he could have more rest and some free time to himself. Towards the middle of his third week during his shower at night, he had noticed that it was easier for him to stretch and move around. The weeks of physical labor, coupled with his new diet, had actually shed plenty of the pockets of fat around his body off. He still had slightly sagging skin from where he was once huskier, but when he pressed into it, he could feel the firmness of muscle underneath. He also noticed his face was much thinner and his hair became much thicker on the top of his head. Truly in just a few weeks he had moved away from being a pasty, overweight recluse, to a much healthier and active person.

His dreams were no longer plagued by the mysterious castle, or the figure which inhabited it. Unlike most dreams, whose memories faded with the progression of the day, these events would play in his mind when he found a moments rest. For the next three weeks his dreams turned to his thoughts of his old home, his life of comfort and self inflicted seclusion. He also dreamed of his more active times, going to dance clubs with friends and ensuring their safe return after a night of drinking, dancing, and laughter. When he would rise in the morning, it was more gentle then he had ever been pulled from the embrace of sleep in his own land.

He was quickly awakened by a shout from downstairs. He jumped to his feet in front of his bed with his fists raised before his face. It took a few moments before his mind focused enough to hear the muffled sounds from laughter coming through the door. Relaxing, he walked over and opened it slowly to ensure that everything was fine. As he listened, he could only hear the gentle laughter from his warden and two other female guests, so he shut his door and sighed. The adrenaline rush he just received ensured that he was not going to be returning to sleep as the sun was now pouring light into the room. He dressed quietly, and left his socks off, deciding that if he was going to be doing anything today, it could wait for him.

After getting dressed, he pushed the door open and headed to the bathroom to relieve himself and clean the sleep from his face before greeting guests. As he went through his morning motions he stopped before the mirror behind the sink. Most of the amenities in the house were so low to the ground he had to bend over constantly, the only exception was the mirror. It was one of the few things that Twilight replaced in her home to make it more comfortable for Jack to live. He had complained enough throughout his short time here that everything was so low to the ground that it was causing him back pain, so she had purchased the large mirror in order to ease some tension in his back. He was grateful for it, but that was not what he was thinking of now. He slowly wiped water from his face with the small wash cloth that hung next to the sink as he stared into his own reflection. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he smiled at himself. He was slowly turning from his previous slovenly self and reclaiming some of his former life before depression had gripped him.

A loud round of laughter was heard before a door slammed closed. Deciding that he had endured enough narcissism for one day, he exited the bathroom and made his way down the stairs. As he reached the ground floor to the library, he found three mares sitting in a triangle facing each other. Fluttershy and Rarity were facing away from the stairs and giggling softly. Twilight sat before them, facing the stairwell but she was too focused on her friends. Twilight's face was filled with a deep blush and a soft smile as she conversed with her friends. Jack had wondered how he could see blushes through fur as he closed the gap between himself and his warden. As he approached Twilight caught sight of him and smiled a little wider, causing Rarity to chuckle and turn her head to see the approaching man.

"Speak of the stallion himself..." She said smiling brightly. "Jack, darling, we were just talking about you."

"Nothing good I hope." He joked as he approached behind Fluttershy, causing her to turn and squeak as he approached her. "So what brings you two in today?"

Fluttershy quickly slid herself and her cushion over to make room for the newest addition to the group, leaving a spot between herself and Twilight. Jack smiled and sat down, crossing his legs and tucking his feet underneath them.

"I'm glad you're finally up Jack. I didn't know you could be so lazy in the mornings." Twilight said as she almost imperceptibly scooted closer to him. Almost. Jack didn't pay it any more then a half second longer gaze than he needed.

"Well it's my first day off in three weeks, I think I could use a break." He said quietly.

"See dear? I told you!" Rarity exclaimed as she nudged Twilight with an outstreched hoof. "I told you he wouldn't mind!"

"Wouldn't mind what exactly...?" Jack said with a bit of trepidation. "Do I even want to know what you three were talking about while I was upstairs?"

"Jack, dear. Would you like to come with us three to the spa today? Today is the day that Twilight usually accompanies myself and Fluttershy here to the spa. We go every week, but Twilight only joins us once a month. I posed that we should bring you along, and since today is your day off, I won't take no for an answer!"

"Nope." Jack said quickly crossing his arms against his chest.

Rarity's eyes opened a little wider from his sudden retort but then softened. "Dear I said I wasn't taking no for an answer. Besides, how else would we get to spend time with you outside of this stuffy library?"

"You said you wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, but I said 'nope' so I win. Besides, I don't think that me taking my shirt off in front of other people is a good idea." Jack said. He was grasping at straws but he could see the effect he was having on the ivory unicorn. Her left eye started to twitch slightly until Fluttershy spoke up, saving her from whatever she was about to say.

"Please Jack? I mean, that is, if you want to. We'd like it if you came with us, if that's okay with you." Fluttershy said just barely above a whisper. She looked up to him with her bright teal eyes, half hidden behind her long pink mane. Jack looked over to Twilight who was nodding gently.

"Alright..." Jack sighed as his shoulders sagged. Suddenly Rarity hopped off of her cushion and threw her forelegs around him in a tight embrace.

"Fabulous darling, now let us be off! The sisters are expecting us!" She said, releasing Jack from the tender shackles of a hug.

"Well let me at least get some shoes and breakfast first. If I'm going to a spa, I had might as well be comfortable before I go..." Jack said trying to shield himself from the enthusiastic cries from the pearlescent pony.

"It's already lunch time Jack! If we delay any longer, we may not have time to get the full treatment!" Rarity stomped her hoof gently against the ground. Her eyes fixed on the stubborn man. As if on cue, the sounds of many stomachs grumbled loudly, causing Fluttershy to squeak and Twilight to gasp. Apparently they hadn't had lunch yet either. Smiling, Jack wiggled his eyebrows a bit as he raised to his feet.

"See, I'm not the only one hungry, and certainly you wouldn't deny your dearest friends their nutrition would you?" With his back turned he could still hear the sigh of defeat that escaped Rarity. He chuckled to himself as he pulled his socks on and then tied up his boots. He had then secretly wished he had some more casual shoes, but boots would do just as well. He would only be in them long enough to get to the spa.

Returning to the mares downstairs, he found Spike among them, swooning over Rarity no less. The sight, while apparently common enough to the others, gripped at Jacks throat. He was reminded of how he fawned over the one person he could say he truly had loved only to find out she was just using him for his money. His calm smile faded as he did all he could to control his face, trying to bury the recently awakened emotions. "Well ladies, we're burning daylight." Jack said quickly, opening the front door and waving an arm in front of himself, signaling that they should go first.

"Right, Spike, watch over the library while we're gone. We're going to be going to the spa and we'll return later this evening." Twilight said to the little purple and green assistant.

"You got it Twilight." The dragon responded, giving her his best salute before wandering off to where ever Spike goes during the day. Jack hadn't asked and he really didn't care.

"Oh such a gentle-stallion..." Rarity cooed softly as she walked out of the door first. Jack could swear that she purposely rubbed her tail against his hand that held the door open, but he brushed it aside, as Fluttershy quietly followed her friend out. Twilight was the last and smiled softly, whispering her thanks as she exited.

The newly formed quartet of friends made their way through town to find something to eat. They stopped at an outside cafe with several tables placed in front of a small shop that looked as if it only contained a kitchen and a place to store food. The three mares guided Jack over to a fairly large and empty table with several piles of hay around it. They each took a seat, leaving an open spot between Rarity and Fluttershy this time, so Jack took his predetermined spot. The table was much lower than any he was used to so he stretched his legs out under it in order to get comfortable. As he slid his feet across the grass under the table, he gently pressed against Twilight, causing her to jump.

"Oh shit, Sorry Twi." He said quickly as he pulled his leg back. "Didn't mean to kick you, just don't have much leg room I guess... All this pony furniture is so hard to get comfortable around."

"I-it's okay..." She said gently, blushing once again. What had he touched with his foot? Whatever it was, it was soft. Twilight then floated the menus from a clip on the side of the table out and set them in front of herself and the three other friends she accompanied. Skimming through it she was the first done, so she closed it. Afterwards Fluttershy, then Rarity closed theirs leaving Jack to stare into the menu, his brow furrowed. "You having trouble reading the menu Jack?" Twilight asked. It had only been about three weeks since she had taught him to read, so she wasn't sure if he was having trouble with fine print.

"No... I'll just get another stupid fucking salad..." He said, closing the menu quickly and letting it fall on the table with a loud smack. The three girls looked over at him as he put crossed his arms on the table and put his head down ontop of them.

"Jack... are you alright?" Fluttershy asked, placing a hoof gently on his shoulder.

"Just fine, I love eating leaves and berries." Jack said sarcastically, his voice harsh and quiet.

"Darling, tell us what's wrong. We're your friends." Rarity said, gently nudging his other shoulder. Jack shrugged her off and then sat up. He sighed and looked over to Fluttershy.

"Don't freak out alright?" He said quietly, patting the hoof she had on his arm. She nodded timidly, while Rarity looked between them. Twilight knew what was coming and she slowly moved over closer to Fluttershy to be able to grab onto her if she was to make a break for it. "I'm hungry, and I haven't had meat since I got here. I don't know if it's withdrawal or what, but I'm so tired of leaves and apples I can't stand it. I just get so angry when I sit down to eat and there's no chicken or beef or anything!"

Fluttershy fidgeted a bit, but calmed down quickly. "Would you... would you eat fish instead? I know some creatures eat meat, but they usually eat fish instead."

Jack nodded slowly, he wasn't the greatest fan of aquatic dining, but he knew this was a battle he'd lose unless he could go hunt for himself in the forest without Fluttershy knowing about it. "As long as it's cleaned and cooked well I think I could make do. And if it stops the cravings I have then even better..."

"Well.. I don't really do anything besides give the fish whole to the animals.." Fluttershy looked away, slightly saddened that she couldn't be of more help.

"I think there's a book on that in the library. We'll see when we get back Jack. If it's alright, could you just hold out for a little while longer?" Twilight spoke up, coming to her friend's rescue. "Besides, from what you told me about the diet of humans, fish is supposed to be healthier right?"

"Twilight, if I eat any healthier, I'm going to stop thinking I'm an ugly piece of shit." Jack quipped, causing the three mares to gasp.

"Darling, such language! And you most certainly are not.... that." Rarity scolded.

Sighing and leaning away from the table a bit, Jack responded. "Sorry, force of habit..."

"Well, we'll help you break that habit then Jack." Fluttershy whispered as she hugged him lightly.

As he hugs her back, the other two girls leave their seats and join in on a group hug. Their warm and soft fur pressed against him from all sides spreads a warmth he hadn't felt in ages. He closes his eyes and squeezes tighter around the yellow angel that had saved his life on multiple occasions. The group hug lasted for only moments until an off-white stallion approached the table. He had a blue slicked back mane and what seemed to be a pencil thin mustache. He was wearing what Jack thought was an insert for the top of a tuxedo, giving the appearance he was wearing a white dress shirt underneath, but without the jacket, he could tell it was little more than a fancy bib.

"Have you made your decision?" He asks, his voice carried a heavy french accent which caused Jack to wonder what the hell this guy was doing in a town like Ponyville, but he brushed those thoughts aside as the girls separated and went back to their seats.

"Why can't I have all three?" Jack said chuckling, causing the three mares to blush while the waiter cocked an eyebrow. "Heh.. nevermind.. go ahead and order girls."

After they ordered, the waiter took his leave. Minutes later he returned and placed several plates on the table, the food going to each respective customer. Twilight had ordered a daffodil and daisy sandwich, Fluttershy and Rarity each ordered the house salad with extra flowers. Jack decided that would be good, but he had his without flowers. As they ate, Jack listened to some of their conversations, although he quickly found that they were about only daily occurrences, such as ponies coming to check out books or have dresses made. Jack had finished eating and was looking over the menu for next time he came to this cafe, perhaps during lunch at work. He raised his head as he heard several coins clink down on the table, a small pile infront of each of the three ponies, with Twilight's being slightly larger. The gears started turning inside his head and he glared at Twilight as he came to the only reasonable conclusion, she was paying for him again.

"Twilight put those away, I got it this time." Jack said, pulling his coin pouch out from his right pocket. He fished out enough bits to cover his and Twilight's meal, plus a tip for the french stallion.

"Jack, it's fine, really I can pay for you." Twilight said as she watched him count out the bits.

"Twilight if you don't take your money off the table I'll cram it down your throat."

Twilight smirked and stood up as Jack dropped his coins on the table. "You wouldn't dare." As soon as she finished her sentence, Jack was already up and had swept her pile of the coins off the table, holding them in his left hand. He took a step towards her and she jumped back, levitating her pouch up. "Alright alright! Calm down!"

Jack smiled and poured Twilight's bits back into her pouch and pat her gently on her head. "Good pony." He said as Fluttershy giggled and Rarity's expression turned quickly from mortification to a soft smile.

The group then departed the outside cafe's gate and headed down the road towards their ultimate goal, the spa. Jack's stomach, now sated from the salad, began to sink as he followed the girls to what he felt would be his sure demise. He hadn't been to a spa, but his imagination was very active and he had always heard that it was no place for a man.

As he was running through various horror scenarios, Rarity spoke up, breaking him from his trance. "We're here darling!"

"Oh... heh heh... yay..." Jack said, a thin layer of sweat starting to form on his forehead. The four friends ascended the stairs outside of a large creme colored building. It had a row of flowers and bushes on each side of the steps and a sign hanging above the door, "Ponyville spa." As they entered, Jack could see the walls were painted sky blue, and the woodwork such as the desk and cabinets were white. The floor was also made of a white tile pattern with a rug in front of the desk.

Behind the desk sat a blue pony with a swept back pink mane. On her forehead and neck she had a white headband and collar. She had dark blue eyes that were fixed on the white unicorn leading the group. Her cutie mark was that of a white flower with no stem, blooming as if it were floating on the surface of a lake. "Ah, Miss Rarity and Miss Fluttershy! I was expecting you earlier today. I hope everything is alright."

"Lotus, darling, thank you for your concern. Yes we were supposed to be here but we delayed for a quick lunch prior to arriving." Rarity said as she embraced the newly named blue spa pony. Jack shifted uncomfortably behind the girls, but put on a smile none the less.

Jack looked quietly at the Lotus, she was had a light blue coat with a pink swept back mane. She wore a white headband and a white neckband. Jack couldn't figure out what she was wearing those for, but then again, he hadn't seen much functional clothing in ponyville outside the times he's been to Rarity's shop. He shrugged slightly and turned his head where he saw another pony behind the desk. She was an inverted mirror to what he could only guess would be her sister, from what Rarity said earlier. The one behind the desk at a white headband and also a white neckband, along with a bright pink coat and blue swept back hair. Both of the spa ponies had an open lotus flower on their flanks. Jack rubbed his chin as his eyes went from one's mark to the other, wondering how often twins had the same cutie marks. Were they mirrored souls? Or was it just fate? Maybe accident.

Twilight took notice to where Jack had fixed his gaze for much longer then she felt comfortable so she nudged him in the side a little harder then required, her jealousy flaring up slightly. Jack snapped his head down to her and rubbed his side, batting her hoof away, "Hey what was that for!?"

Twilight huffed and turned her head away from him as Fluttershy giggled. Rarity turned her head over her shoulder and looked back at them. "Alright girls, and Jack. Follow us, we seem to have the place to ourselves. Aloe will lead Jack to his own changing room while we go to ours."

"Your changing room? What do you need to wear? You're already naked." Jack questioned as Aloe, the pink spa pony, waved down the hall to him. He started moving toward her, not expecting Rarity to answer him.

"Well we're giving you your privacy, besides, a lady must always be modest. It wouldn't do to share a room with a stallion." Rarity quipped as she fluffed her indigo mane with a hoof, following Lotus down the opposite hallway.

As Jack and Aloe reach the room Jack looks down at her and then back at the room. "Uhm.. do you have like... robes or something in there?"

"Why of course we do! What kind of spa doesn't have robes?" Aloe asked, her accent seemed to have an Eastern European accent, probably Swedish if he had to take a guess.

"Well," Jack started, his hand reaching up and rubbing the back of his head slightly, "Well, I haven't been to a spa before so I'm not sure what to expect."

Aloe gasped and then giggled, opening the door for him. "Well we'll have to do our best to make it special for you then wont we?" Her eyes fluttered a bit as her voice became a bit more sensual then he'd expected.

Jack fidgeted a bit, he didn't like the flags that were going off in his mind but he had another question before he got started. "Well, Just one more question. I was wondering if you had something to help with... well... excess skin from rapid weight loss?"

Aloe looked him up and down and raised an eyebrow. Jack's clothes did look a little baggy on him now that she had inspected him further, but from what she could see, there wasn't much of a problem. "I think we may have something. We'll get to that when you get a massage. Now get out of those clothes, I'm sure you're friends are already in the sauna."

Jack nodded and then entered the room, the door swinging closed behind him as he looked around the changing room. It was a large open room with multiple wooden cabinets, some just large enough for a coin pouch and a few other small items, and a few he found large enough to hold all of his clothes. He scanned around a bit more and found a large metal rack with different sizes of white towel like robes. Some were rather small, others had slits in the back for wings, and some much larger than the rest. He grabbed one of the large ones and held it to his chest, checking the length and sighed as he found it only went to his mid thighs, much higher than he was comfortable with. He found a couple of large towels and grabbed those up before he quickly stripped out of his clothing and shoes. A few minutes later he returned out of the hall wearing the robe and a towel around his waist below it, covering up more of his legs.

"My my, I didn't think you'd be that shy. We'll have to put in an order for larger robes then." Aloe giggled as she looked at the towel below Jack's robe, causing him to shift uncomfortably and blush. "This way my dear."

Jack soon found himself standing in front of a large glass door with a wooden frame and handle around it. The glass was fogged up, but he could only slightly make out a few shapes through the steam. Jack knew what a sauna was because he'd been in a few when he and his... co-workers... would go to the gym and then into the sauna to relax after a work out. He nodded and opened the door just wide enough for him to slip in, knowing to not let out all of the steam and heat. As he entered he heard the quiet chatter from the occupants stop. He strode over to an empty bench against the wall, away from the others inside of the steam and removed his robe, staying in his towel. Jack slouched forward, putting his elbows on his thighs and hanging his head, breathing in deeply.

A hoof rested on his shoulder as he opened his eyes and looked up to see Rarity standing in front of him. "Are you alright darling?" Her eyes were full of concern. "We were wondering if you had tried to get away while you were alone."

Jack sat up straight, causing Rarity's hoof to slip off his shoulder. "I'm almost offended Rarity. I said I'd be here, so here I am. I thought you'd know I was a man of my word by now." He smirked and gently patted her cheek, causing her to blush and look away.

The two other mares giggled and then got up from their benches and trotted over to Jack and Rarity, and took up spots beside both of them, resuming their lounging poses. "Since I know you won't move, we'll move for you." Twilight said as she took a hoof and poked Jack's side.

"Finally someone gets it." Jack said as he squirmed a bit from her hoof, hoping that he didn't give away that particular sensitive spot as ticklish. Rarity, however, was looking for any way to get him back for what he'd been doing all day, so when he squirmed she lit up.

"Oh, is somepony ticklish?" She said as her eyes narrowed and her mouth twisted into a malevolent smirk.

Jack's face dropped with his hand as he started to scoot away from her, only to be blocked by Fluttershy, her forearms opening and wrapping around him. His head turned quickly to look into his new captor's eyes, her cheeks burning with a growing blush. "Oh no..."

Rarity and Twilight exchanged quick glances, Twilight's face mirroring Rarity's almost exactly as they approached their prey. Jack squirmed against her forearms, finding their vice like grip to be immovable. He wondered only for a moment how she could be so strong, but that thought was quickly replaced by the feeling of purple and white hooves on his side, poking and tickling him. "Fluttershy noooo!" Jack said, laughing as his sides were tortured.

"Let me.. Ahhahahhaha... go!... ahhaha Please! hahaha!" Jack struggled and squirmed, his legs kicking violently, only to be held in place by the yellow chains of his once savior, and the soft purple and blue glows of his assailant. "Pl.. hahaha... please... hahaha!" Between the tickling, the heat of the sauna, and the combined grasps, Jack quickly ran out of breath and was having trouble finding it. He laughter was quickly replaced by coughing and tears running down his cheeks. The sudden change caused all three mares to stop what they were doing and back of a bit.

"Jack, are you alright?" Twilight asked as her smile slowly faded. Jack slumped to the floor on his hands and knees, coughing and holding a hand to his chest. "Jack...?" Twilight removed herself from the bench and placed a hoof on his shoulder gently.

Jack jerked his shoulder violently and then crossed to the other side of the room. "Don't touch me!" Jack coughed a bit more and then sat on the bench rubbing his face with his hands. "Sorry, just... Not used to being touched..."

"Jack, we're sorry, we didn't know. We just wanted to have you cheer up, you have been sulking around ever since you got here." Fluttershy said as Twilight approached the other two, giving Jack his space. "We didn't mean to upset you."

Straightening up and leaning his back against the wall, his eyes falling on the dark black rocks ontop of the heating system at the front of the room. "It's alright, I know it's some kind of irrational thing. People just didn't do much physical contact where I came from so, I guess I never built a tolerance to anything besides pain." Jack quickly realized that this was rolling downhill fast and tried to think of a way to change the subject.

"Rarity, I'm going to need some new clothing soon." Jack said quickly, looking over at the solemn fashionista. She lifted her head up slowly and looked over to him with her big deep blue eyes.

"Whatever for Jack?"

"Well, I'm losing a lot of weight recently, and these are getting pretty baggy. If I keep shaping up I'm going to need new clothes made."

It took the girls a moment to register what he said, their eyes scanning over his body. His skin around his neck belly, waist and thighs had sagged a bit, however, his chest, shoulders, and arms had bulked up quickly, as well has his calves. Their eyes lit up a bit as they realized that he wasn't as 'hefty' as he had been before. "So Human's don't usually carry a lot of fat on them?" Twilight said quickly, her curiosity cutting through any sense of tact.

Jack laughed and played with his flabby stomach a bit. "Well thanks for being nice about it. But no, scientifically speaking, human's aren't supposed to be fat. It's a combination of the food and lifestyle we have in the culture I'm from, that most of the people there are... well fat. Horribly so. It causes all sorts of health concerns like heart attacks, strokes, and all sorts of degenerative diseases." Jack sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose firmly, wondering why he let himself get that way.

"So that's why you have more energy recently is it? Because you've been losing weight?" Twilight asked, getting quizzical looks from the two other mares in the room, silently listening.

"That, and I'm actually doing things now besides sitting around all day... It's funny, I used to have a saying. 'We do more before lunch then most people do in a week.'"

"We?" Fluttershy asked before Twilight could.

"Yea... Well I was what you ponies would call a soldier where I came from, but different." Jack said as he rubbed a scar across the left side of his chest.

"A soldier? You?" Rarity questioned and pointed, obviously unconvinced.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack said as he crossed his arms and glared at her.

Just as she was about to answer, there was a loud knock at the sauna door, signaling that it was time to move on to the next activity, whatever that may be. Rarity quickly closed her mouth and stood up and moved to the door, opening it widely and letting out a large amount of steam. The other two mares and Jack followed suit, Jack quickly picking up and holding the removed robe in his arms. The sudden drop in temperature on his sweat soaked skin causing him to shudder a bit.

"This way to the bath please." Lotus said, motioning off down the hallway a bit to what seemed like a very large wooden bucket. Jack assumed that it was just decorations to try and keep things cozy, considering most of the town was made of wood and the sauna he was just in was as well. The three mares in front of him quickly dropped their robes on a bench next to the large tub, Jack's eyes being glued to the sweat making their coats shine in the light. He felt his face grow a little warmer as the mares disrobed, and he placed his next to theirs.

Rarity, of course, was the first into the tub, sliding in gently, barely making a ripple in the water as she sighed contentedly. Twilight was next, causing a bit more of a disturbance in the water, but nothing too obscene or rude. Fluttershy after her tested the water with a hoof tenderly, and then slipped in with as much grace as Rarity had. Jack looked into the tub, and found it indeed was porcelain on the inside, and just decorated with wood. It had slight outcroppings in the walls to allow ponies to sit on them while submerged in the tub. He placed his hand gently into the water and pulled it back quickly. "Shit that's hot!"

Lotus giggled and then, with the same accent of her pink sister, stated. "Of course it's hot. It is to relax your muscles before the massage."

"Relax my muscles or melt them off the bone?!" Jack said as he clenched the towel around his waist, trying to get into the tub without giving any of the girls a free peep show.

Rarity scoffed and then watched as Jack tried to climb into the tub with his towel still on. "Jack, you don't need a towel to get into the bath."

"Well I know that, but you said make myself comfortable here, so I'm doing just that. The towel stays or I go with it." Jack said as he stood, now knee deep in the water before sitting down with his towel submerged in the water. He hissed slightly as the more than warm water threatened to burn him, but after the slight discomfort he found himself adjusting to it. He sat between Fluttershy and Twilight with Rarity across from him.

"So where were we?" Twilight asked as she ran through the list of questions her mind had formed in the short walk from the sauna to the tub. "Oh that's right, you said you were a soldier Jack?"

"Right well, sort of. See I didn't really have a country I fought for per se. The group I was attached to fought for whoever paid the most." Jack said as he sank down farther and sat with down on the floor of the tub, leaving his head just above the surface of the water, now sitting in the middle of the three girls.

"A mercenary?" Twilight asked, a notepad and quill appearing from somewhere as she scribbled notes just above the water.

Jack started to question what he saw but then decided against it. "Yes, basically. I did some things I'm not proud of, but I needed food and money. I also saw it as a way to fight the good fight without the constrains of pointless politicking. I quickly made a name for myself and rose up the ranks until I had command of a few people. By the time I had figured out what was going on I got out. The rest as they say, is history."

"Who shall be first for the massage?" Lotus said as she approached the tub. Rarity quickly raised her hoof from the tub and removed herself from the pool. The water quickly cascading down her body, leaving her mane and tail to hang slightly from the extra weight, her fur flat against her body. Jack's eyes were glued to the spectacle in front of him, unawares of his wandering eyes and the others focused on him.

"Do go on darling, I'll just be over there. I'm quite interested." Rarity said as dried herself off, facing away from him. Jack quickly turned his head as she lifted her tail and started drying it with her towel, his face flushing as he looked over at Fluttershy.

"Well, how did you get that scar then Jack?" Twilight asked, her eyes never having left her notes. Fluttershy gasped and Jack turned his head to look at her. Rarity meanwhile had just started getting her massage off next to the pool.

"Did you get it on some heroic and dangerous mission?" Rarity asked.

"No and that's not a question I want answer." Jack said firmly, his eyes narrowing at the purple inquisitor. "This is neither the time nor the place for that."

Sensing she hit a nerve she made a mental note to ask about it privately, possibly away from the girls. If it was that sensitive she knew it wasn't something that other ponies needed to know. "Alright Jack..."

Aloe approached the side of the tub and then smiled at the three friends still in the tub. "Mr. Jack, I am ready to give you your massage, and I have something that might help with your skin."

Jack nodded and stood up, the towel clinging to his thighs and the outline of his manhood causing both Twilight and Fluttershy to blush furiously, turning their heads away and letting the previous line of questioning fade away into the water as it slid down his body. Jack watched their faces and smiled, noting that they were just as bashful as he was. "Thank you.. Aloe was it? I'm going to need another towel or two to dry off. These pony towels aren't all that big."

Aloe ran her eyes up and down his body and smiled. "Yes you certainly are a big one aren't you." She said softly as she turned and walked over to a stack of folded clean towels. Jack followed her gaze as it lingered in places he was a little more then uncomfortable about. "Here you are."

Jack picked up a towel and started drying himself off quickly, keeping one hand on the wet towel so that it stayed in place. He then put down the second towel and picked up another one, holding it so it blocked his more private areas from prying eyes and dropped the wet towel on the floor, replacing it with a dry one. He then used a third to dry the rest of himself off and cleaned up the soaked towel. Rarity giggled at the display as Twilight took her place on the table, Lotus starting on her second massage.

Jack shrugged and walked over to a second long table next to Twilight where Aloe stood. On the table was a pillow and a lone green bottle. "I suppose that's for me then is it? Thank you very much." Aloe smiled and nodded, motioning to the table. Jack then laid down on his stomach and crossed his arms under the pillow and placed his forehead down on them.

A soft moan escaped Twilight as Lotus started rubbing her hooves into her back a little more forcefully. "Be careful, ohh... Aloe... Jack isn't used to being touched.. mmm."

Hearing Twilight make such noises caused Jack's mind to wander to places he wished it didn't. However, three weeks without a break and being too tired to take care of some urges, does tend to send the body mixed signals. His face flushed as he closed his eyes, hoping that they wouldn't notice.

"Oh, it's his first time? I promise I'll be gentle..." Aloe said, whispering gently into Jack's ear, causing his body to tense up even more. Seeing this she giggled and started to rub her hooves gently into his back.

Jack wondered what hooves would feel like giving a massage. He expected them to be like horse's hooves and be rough, rigid and unforgiving. These hooves however felt soft yet firm. Like smoothed wood wrapped in a thin layer of foam and a soft suede covering. The ministrations of this firm yet gentle touch made him relax slightly. Aloe on the other hoof, was frowning and looking down at him.

"Jack, you are so tense! By Celestia it's amazing you can even move at all!" Jack just grunted gently as Aloe pushed harder into his shoulders and back. Her hooves searching out previously unknown knots in muscles and working them into submission. Her masterful hooves continued working down his back until she was finished and then started massaging his butt.

"Whoa now!" Jack said sitting up a bit and looking over his shoulder, causing Aloe to back off and raise her hooves.

"You don't want me to do your flank?" This caused the other girls in the room to giggle a bit louder than he'd like but Jack shook his head quickly.

"Well... you know what you're doing I guess..." Jack sighed and laid back down on his stomach. He prayed he wouldn't have to roll over any time soon, hopefully he could calm down before he had to, but somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that wasn't going to be the case.

Aloe resumed her massage, kneading Jack's gluets, causing him to blush a little harder. As she moved down to his thighs he tensed up, feeling her hooves slip to his inner thighs. He closed his eyes tightly as he tried to force his mind away from the sensations. "Mr. Jack I think I have just the thing for your particular concern. However I must caution you, this particular potion was made for ponies, I don't know what it would do to you. You should go visit Miss Zecora before taking it."

"What concern?" Rarity approached the table that Jack was laying down on with Aloe removing her hooves from his thighs. Jack let out a slow and shakey breath as her touch left and just laid face down.

"I have a lot of extra skin from this weight loss, although I'm not sure how much." Jack said, remaining motionless.

"It's quite a bit Mr. Jack, your muscles are firm but the skin around is very loose. You were right to want to tighten up. I couldn't imagine the discomfort from having so much excess." Aloe stated, her forehooves clopping back down onto the ground as she took a step back and over to his face.

"Yea it's a bit of a bother but no pain no gain right?" He smirked. Turning his head he spied the green bottle sitting on the corner of the massage table. "This is it right?"

Aloe nodded, and before she could speak, Jack had swept it up in a hand. He turned over and sat up. He quickly realized that the massage and weight loss had a greater affect than he had considered, as his erection was tenting his towel in his lap, pulsing with his steady heartbeat. Aloe started to protest about Jack grabbing the bottle but was silenced by his "approval" of her massage. Rarity on the other hoof looked into his lap at the towel, her mouth slightly agape and her face turning as pink as a certain rambunctious party mare.

Looks like you're putting on quite a show for the mares here ol' Jackie boy.

"Shit!" Jack shouted as he pushed a palm down on his erection, angling it down in line with his legs attempting to at least make it less obvious, however the towel still shook with his quickening heartbeat. "Alright! That's enough of that!"

Rarity shook her head violently as Aloe put a hoof to her mouth, giggling softly. "Seems like you enjoyed your massage Mr. Jack"

Jack quickly swung his legs off the edge of the table and stood up, keeping his hand over his towel and manhood. He quickly made his way passed a squeaking Fluttershy and a semi catatonic Twilight, heading for the dressing room. He kicked the door open and then pressed his back against it, slamming it shut.

Quite a show there. Could probably give the Ringling brothers a run for their money. Hah!

You're NOT helping right now!

I thought you said you didn't want my help?

"Fuck you!" Jack shouted, squeezing the bottle in his hands tightly. He huffed and then walked over to where his clothing was and threw it open, getting dressed quickly. "Fucking ponies and their fucking spa's!"

After he was dressed he looked down at the green bottle in his hands and shrugged. If it's poison at least I'll be rid of you and this stupid spa. With that he tore the cork out of the top and quickly chugged the contents. At first it tasted a bit like cucumbers, kale and a bit of sugar, then the taste turned so sour he gagged. Jack dropped the empty bottle on the ground and started coughing, a few drops of the potion still in his mouth splattering on the floor. Turning to the door, trying to make his way to help, he slipped and fell to his knees, continuing to hack and heave. His body started to become warmer and warmer, starting first at his stomach, then spreading down his legs and up to his chest. His skin suddenly felt like it was on fire, however he had no air to scream. He clenched one hand to his throat and the other tried to reach the handle of the door just before him. His fingers were only inches from the handle when the heat from inside moved up his neck and filled his face. Jack squeezed his eyes shut, shuffling forward a bit more and grasping the handle. Just... got... to...

Then, just as his sight was fading, his body went numb and the tension in his throat released. He collapsed forwards on to the ground and sucked in a deep breath of cool refreshing air. His eyes closed as feeling slowly returned to his fingertips and toes, then the rest of his body. The familiar pinpricks of discomfort from a limb waking up after it had been asleep were absent as he regained control of himself. He blinked his eyes a few times and then sat up quickly, his eyes going to his hands to make sure nothing was amiss. Seeing his hands were fine he quickly patted his chest, stomach, legs and back, making sure that he was still in one piece. He raised a hand to his face and his fingers touched the cool sweat that was running down his cheek, however what he felt wasn't the same. His eyes darted around the room as he searched for a mirror, his heartbeat picking up as panic slowly returned to his mind. He spotted a mirror over a sink on the far wall and he scrambled over to it, still on his hands and knees. As he reached it he placed his hands on the counter tops and lifted himself up, coming face to face with his reflection.

He peered into the eyes of his reflection, the slight panic on his face faded into wonder. He raised his hands up to his face again, tracing a finger along his now much thinner cheeks and his more defined jawline. His eyes had brightened from a dark cobalt to just a few shades shy of neon blue. His hair remained brown but his hands traced down to his neck, still adorned with a large scar from the rope, but his shirt hung loosely from his shoulders. His hands started to shake as he removed his shirt quickly and then returned his gaze to the mirror. His eyes widened as he gasped, taking in the sight of his now tightened and toned shoulders and chest. His eyes ran further down until he saw that his stomach was no longer a flab of flesh, and his waist had shrunken considerably. His skin clung to his abs tightly, showing off his abdominal and oblique muscles for the first time. He'd never been this toned in his life, even when he considered himself in shape.

A loud series of knocks came from the door behind him, drawing him from his disbelief. He quickly replaced his shirt and scrambled to the door, throwing it open to reveal his three companions looking up at him. They took a step back as they gasped, looking into the eyes of this almost completely different man. Fluttershy quivered slightly next to Twilight as Jack's eyes locked with hers. Her wings popping open as she breathed heavily. "J... Jack?" She asked.

"Yea..." Was all it took for Rarity to faint and Twilight's mouth to drop open. His voice was a bit deeper than before and he straightened up a bit, his face contorting in slight confusion. "Yea.. it's.. me?"

"What happened to you!?" Twilight nearly shouted, coming to her senses.

"I guess that potion had some different affects than just tightening skin?" Jack questioned, his right hand releasing the door and moving up to his chin. Then he looked down to the unconscious Rarity. "She gonna be alright?"

Fluttershy finally pulled her eyes away and looked down at her friend and started gently flapping one of her stiffened wings infront of Rarity's face. "S-she d-does t-this a lot..." Fluttershy stammered, her eyes peeking over every now and again to Jack and then back to her new found patient.

"Oh... oh my... Fluttershy dear... what happened?" Rarity slowly roused from her spell. Jack quickly dismissed the suspicion that she was just faking, but apparently her flair for drama can cause her to faint on demand.

"You passed out after seeing me." Jack said, leaning against the door and patting his pockets making sure he had everything. "I have everything and I take it you all are done, so let's get to the cell and we can figure this thing out."

"Jack the library isn't a prison!" Twilight shouted, stamping a hoof down onto the ground.

Jack chuckled and shook his head, walking down the hall to the reception desk and approaching Aloe. "Thanks again Aloe, this stuff worked. Give my best to Zecora if you see her again."

Aloe dropped the clipboard she was holding in her hooves as Jack spoke, her eyes glued to his. Jack reached in his pocket and placed a small handful of bits on the counter. "A tip for you for a job well done." And as he finished he turned and walked out of the spa leaving the mares inside frozen in place.

6. Moment of Truth

As the door to the spa clicked shut behind him, Jack stared out at the town. Somehow everything seemed different, but he couldn't quite place what it was. Taking a few steps forward and feeling the sun on his face and skin, he felt something rising up inside his stomach. Something he hadn't felt in years. His pace quickened as he started to smile, the feeling rising from the pit of his stomach and up into his chest. As he made it to the market, having trouble keeping his feet under his body he broke out into a run causing the ponies conducting their business to stop and clear the way.

The library appeared as Jack turned the last corner, leaning into it causing dust to be kicked up from under his feet from skidding across the ground. He never had this much energy before and his mind was lost to the mixture of emotion and endorphins that flooded his body. Slowing only enough so that he didn't burst down the door with his body he flung it open and dove inside, rolling to a stop in the middle of the main room. He stood up, breathing heavily, and looked around the room to find it was just as it had been from earlier in the day. There were still cushions lying around on the floor and a few cups of tea on the table.

Jack took a few steps farther into the library, his breathing returning to normal slowly. He approached the doorway to the kitchen and peeked inside. He wasn't sure why he was trying to act stealthily, seeing how he practically blew the door off the hinges. However, to his surprise the kitchen was empty and looked like a tornado had blown through it. Plates remained on the tables and in the sink and the trashcan looked as though it would spill over at any moment.

"The hell was Spike doing while we were gone?!" Jack asked no one in particular as he returned to the main room. "If Twilight see's this place she'll flip her shit."

He scratched his chest lightly and sighed to himself. "Better get this over with then..."

Jack walked over to the closet that was under the stairs and pulled pulled out a broom, dustpan, a feather duster and a few rags. He then paused and looked over to the phonograph. If he was going to clean, he was going to clean with some good tunes. Leaning the broom and dustpan on the wall next to the desk, he picked up the needle of the phonograph and thought of a few songs, then placed the needle on the record. Music started floating through the room and he steeled himself for the task that he set before himself. He removed his shirt and placed it next to the phonograph and headed off to the kitchen area to begin his work.

After an hour he had finished cleaning up the kitchen. It had taken him an hour because after he started cleaning, he took it upon himself to reorganize the refrigerator, the cabinets and cooking utensils. He basically pulled everything out and cleaned, and replaced it in a more logical order. Jack made his way out into the main room and started picking up the cushions that littered the floor and placed them off in a corner, stacking one on top of the other. He started to dust the bookshelves, working his way from top to bottom, cleaning has he had been taught all those years ago. Another cleaning song began to play and he smiled to himself at the irony, but began to bob his head in tune with the music. Just as the music had switched over the front door opened quietly.

"I'm not a playa I just fuck a lot.." He said to himself along with the music. Jack began to sway with the music as he moved from dusting to sweeping, grabbing up the broom and beginning with his back to the door.

In the doorway stood a puzzled looking Twilight and a slightly smirking Rarity. The two mares stood outside and watched Jack as he swayed and sang along with the lyrics. As Twilight watched, she had a bit of a hard time figuring out the meanings of some of the words, but she clearly understood others. Her face flushed brightly as she watched Jack dance around the room and make very suggestive motions with his hips.

"You're gonna holla 'oh my', I'm big, I'll rub my prick through ya hootas, I'm sick and you couldn't measure my dick with six rulers. Hold up, true lie, I'm all about gettin loot, but I'll knock that boot if you out to get hoof."

As the chorus started up again, Jack turned to the side and grabbed the broom, holding it up straight and thrusting his hips into it. "Hump town baby, hump town."

Just then, Rarity couldn't take any more of the show, and she erupted in laughter, causing Jack to freeze, drop the broom and slowly turn his head to the front door. His face and chest were glowing red with embarrassment as he locked eyes with a flustered Twilight and a hysteric Rarity. The music continued to play in the background while Jack remained frozen in place. After a few moments he regained control of his body and quickly moved over to the phonograph, picking the needle up and silencing the music.

"I love from butter pecan to blackberry molass, I don't discriminate I regulate every shade of that ass. Long as you pass my test, fat ass and breasts, and highly intelligent bachelorettes. That's the best I won't settle for less ----"

"Uh... heh heh... hey... ladies..." He chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head with a hand.

Twilight remained frozen, her eyes never moving as it seemed she had just had some sort of mental overload, whereas Rarity had finally calmed down a bit.

"My word Jack, that was quite a show." Rarity giggled a bit more and stepped into the library, pulling the semi-catatonic Twilight with her. "I think Twilight enjoyed it as well."

The front door lit up with a soft blue aura and then closed behind the two entering mares. Jack reached out for his shirt but it floated away in it's own blue aura over to the ivory pony.

"Hmm.. it seems that you may require a new wardrobe sooner than expected. Let us be off and we can get started right away."

Jack looked at Rarity, then to Twilight. "Is she going to be alright? I don't think we should just leave her here."

Rarity turned her head to look at her friend and then nodded. "Well, we can just take her to the boutique then. You'll have to carry her of course."

Jack scratched his head and then nodded. He moved a bit closer to Twilight and then took a moment to figure out the best way to pick her up. He decided to just carry her with her bridal style. He picked her up and her legs folded themselves against her chest and stomach, her head leaning back against his arm and her eyes staring up at the ceiling. Rarity cooed softly as she watched Jack.

"Oh my, how romantic."

"I don't wanna hear it. Let's get to the boutique."

"Very well... player." Rarity giggled and exited the tree-brary. Jack grumbled softly to himself and held Twilight a bit tighter to his chest. He didn't want to drop her, and her fur felt soft and rather nice against his bare chest.

After walking through town and getting semi-quizzical stares from the passing ponies, Jack felt his passenger squirm a bit in his arms. Twilight had finally come to and she blinked a few times, getting the stinging in her eyes to go away. She then realized that she could smell something enticing. Something that smelled both slightly repulsive, and amazing at the same time. Twilight moved her muzzle around a bit to get a better sense on where it came from, and it rested gently against a warm and firm surface. She opened her eyes slowly as she continued to breathe in. Twilight had buried her muzzle into Jack's neck.

Twilight yelped and started squirming and kicking violently. Her hooves made contact with Jack's chest several times before she finally teleported out of Jack's arms, landing in front of him and blushing furiously.

"Well hello to you too..." Jack said, rubbing his bare and now red chest.

Rarity turned around to see what all the commotion was about and smiled. "Ah, Twilight dear, so glad you're all right. We're on our way to the boutique in order to get Jack some new clothing made for tomorrow. He didn't want to leave you at the library so he carried you over here."

Jack wondered why she just repeated everything with no questions, however he figured she knew Twilight for much longer and just assumed she knew what she was doing. He then turned to the red and purple unicorn and gave a slight smile to her. After a few minutes more of silent walking the three of them made it to the front door of Rarity's home-slash-business. The sign on the door read "Closed for Spa". Jack began to get a bit more frustrated at how silly this world seemed to run. Resigning himself to figure it out later, he followed the fashionista into the building, his warden just behind him.

Rarity's horn then lit up and several measuring tapes, a clip board, a quill and a bottle of ink floated over to her. "Now then Jack, please follow me. I'll need to take more updated measurements."

He nodded to himself and followed Rarity behind one of the tall courtesy blinders that were towards the back of the room. He untied his boots and slipped his feet out of them, before undoing his now fully tightened belt. His pants immediately fell from his shrunken waist, however a gasp was heard from the tailor standing in front of him. He looked up and her coat turned quickly from white to pink to deep red as her eyes focused on Jack. He followed her gaze and found that he had a rather large bulge in his underwear and quickly placed both hands in front of it to try and cover it up. He was semi successful, but he found himself more surprised then embarrassed. He found that before he could cover 'himself' with a hand, now he could barely get both around it. Jack quickly forgot about Rarity and then reached his hands for the strained elastic waistband on his underwear and pulled the front out a bit to inspect himself. Finding everything in basically the same condition, only much much larger than previous, he moved his eyes up to find Rarity looking down as well.

Jack cleared his throat uncomfortably, which caused Rarity to back up a step and then giggle nervously. "Oh.. oh my Jack, I'm sorry it's just..."

Jack placed a finger on her lips, silencing her, and he shook his head slowly. "Just get the necessary measurements and we'll pretend this never happened."

Rarity nodded slowly as Jack removed his finger. She quickly focused herself and floated the measuring tape around his body. Every now and then, Jack would catch her taking sideways glances at his package, but remained still and said nothing. He figured he could cut her some slack because after all, she was a female who was measuring a male. He thought he'd do the same thing if the rolls were reversed. After a few moments, Rarity hurried off, leaving Jack alone to get dressed in the clothing he had.  After getting redressed in his pants, Jack stepped out from behind the screen and looked around the shop for Twilight. She was off in a corner looking at a magazine and every page she would lift her head and glance around quickly before returning to the page.  Jack walked across the room towards her and on the next page turn she spotted him, hurriedly closing the book and putting it face down on a pile that was next to her.

"H-hey Jack..." Twilight said as she looked everywhere but his face.

"Hey Twi." He replied, mentally noting how she was acting. "You alright? After your little... reaction.. I mean."

Twilight nodded slowly while Jack sat down next to her, on the other side from where the magazines were. He reached his hand up slowly and then set it back down in his lap, unsure of what to do at this moment so he just sat quietly and looked at the staircase that was on the other side of the store. Twilight fidgeted nervously and cast a sideways glance at his face, to which he caught and smiled softly at her. After a few more moments of nervous silence, Jack decided to break the ice.

"So Twi... What were you looking at?"

"N-n-nothing!" Twilight stuttered, visibly tensing up. Jack smirked and placed his hand on the back of her neck and ran his fingers through her mane.

"Mmhmm.. Didn't look like nothing."

When Twilight didn't say anything else, Jack sighed and continued to rub the back of her neck gently and down to her shoulders, trying to relax her a bit. "Alright then, it was nothing. You know if you ever want to talk about something other than me you can talk to me right?"

Twilight turned her head and looked into Jack's eyes and opened her mouth to say something, but fate it seemed, had other plans. Just as Twilight was going to speak, Rarity called out.

"Oh Jack, your clothing is ready. Do be a dear and try it on and tell me how it fits."

Jack nodded in her direction and then stood up, removing his hand from Twilight's shoulder. He walked over to the floating stack of folded clothing and took it out of the air, returning to the spot behind the changing screen. He untied his boots and then looked over the new set of clothing. Rarity had made him a pair of black jeans, the fabric felt sturdy and slightly warm, as if they had just been removed from a dryer. He removed his larger pants and then replaced them with the new trousers. He squatted down a bit to test out the range of motion and found them a bit tight in the crotch. Unsure of how to phrase that to Rarity he decided to try the shirt. He picked up the red button up and slipped it on. It was slightly tight across his chest and arms, but it didn't limit any range of motion and didn't seem to be under any danger of tearing. He was getting the assumption Rarity had made these clothes in order to show off his new physique.

Jack looked in the mirror that had been placed behind him and reviewed his "new look" once again. He had to admit to himself, he looked pretty good. A new haircut was all he needed and he'd look better than he ever had in his entire life. Smirking slightly to himself he decided to toy with Rarity a bit since she had caught him in an embarrassing situation. Jack cleared his throat quietly and then yelled out.

"RARITY! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"

Jack heard a crash as if a ponyquin had been knocked over. "J-Jack... darling..? Is... something wrong?"

"You're goddamn right there is something wrong!" He shouted through the screen at the Ivory seamstress. "These fucking clothes! They're... They're... Grrr!"

Jack could hear the whimpers coming from the other side of the screen and he decided enough was enough. He stepped out from behind the screen with a scowl on his face and he knelt down in front of the quivering Rarity. Twilight had gotten up and stood next to her friend who was on the verge of tears. He looked her right in the eyes and said quietly.

"They're great. These clothes make me look too good. You're ruining my self image." He then wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly to his chest. Twilight let out a sigh of relief as she watched Jack hug Rarity and smiled softly. Rarity however, was frozen in place with her face pressed against Jack's chest. He patted her back gently and then pulled away from the hug and looked back into her eyes.

"You know it's rude to not hug someone back, right?" He said with a sly smile across his face. It was then, Rarity snapped, slapping him firmly across the face. Jack laughed loudly and placed his hand across the red mark that was on his cheek. Rarity started to shake in anger and then took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

"Holy shit.. haha.. that was good." Jack said as he rubbed his cheek and opened and closed his jaw, trying to work the pain out of it. "At first I thought you were nice and cuddly, but you hit harder then Applejack!"

"Jack! That was not funny!" Rarity exclaimed, and then glared at him, having calmed down just enough to not slap him again.

"Alright alright, I'm sorry. But really, thank you. Rarity these clothes are great. The only complaint I have is that the pants are a little tight in the crotchal region." Jack said waving his hand over the front of his pants in a circular motion. "These are fine for now, just make the rest a little bit more... roomy please?"

Rarity nodded and took a step back, reviewing her work. Twilight as well was looking over Jack's form, the attention making him a bit more uncomfortable than usual, but he decided to just let the girls have their time. As they circled him, he crossed his arms in front of his chest and stood up. He looked out of the window in the front of the store and saw that the sun had almost completely set. The last rays of light causing the sky to glow with shades of red and pink, eventually giving way to the comfortable darkness of night. He smiled to himself as he watched the light outside fade slowly. After a few more moments he looked down to the two ponies who had been trying to get his attention.

"Jack!" Twilight said, waving a hoof in the air in front of his face. He reached out and grabbed it in his hand and ran his thumb over the top of it.

"Yes?"

"Finally. It's time to go home. Rarity said she has plenty of work tomorrow, and so do you." Twilight said, her hoof still in his hand.

Jack turned his head and looked at Rarity, then nodded gently. "Very well. M'lady, thank you for the clothing. The warden says it is time to depart, so until the next time we meet, I bid you adieu." He then bowed, releasing his grip on the purple hoof.

Rarity smiled gently and bowed her head gently. "Why thank you, fine gentlecolt." Twilight however glared at Jack, placing her hoof back down on the ground. Jack then stood up and returned his gaze to Twilight.

"Alright boss, let's get back home." Jack said, then froze internally, realizing what he had just said. Twilight however, didn't seem to notice. She smiled and turned to her friend.

The two unicorns said their good-byes and Twilight walked out the front door with Jack only steps behind her. His mind was racing, while he wore his best poker face on the outside. He called the library, his prison, 'home'. The walk home was mostly silent on the outside. The only sounds that were heard were soft footsteps and hoof falls. The streets had cleared and all of the market stalls had closed up, or had the goods removed. The lamp lights cast warm glows on the ground, lighting up the dirt road, but not giving off enough light pollution to block out the view of the stars.

Upon returning home to the tree, Twilight opened the door and Jack followed her inside. He rubbed his stomach gently as he looked down to his house-mate.

"Twilight, I'm going to make a sandwich, do you want one?"

She smiled and nodded to him. Jack left for the kitchen as Twilight levitated two cushions to the table in the center of the room. She suspected that Spike was already asleep, so she just let him be. Her mind then drifted back to the events of the day. There was so much to report to the Princess. Twilight's horn glowed as a roll of parchment floated over, followed by an inkwell and a quill. She sat down on the cushion and began to write out her report for the Princess.

Jack made his way from the kitchen with two plates, a sandwich in each. One was a daffodil and daisy sandwich, the other was just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for himself. He spied Twilight busy with her writing and he sat himself across from her, placing her sandwich next to the parchment. She looked up at him and nodded, her smile never leaving her face. Returning to her work, she levitated her dinner from the plate and took a bite. Jack quietly ate as well, watching her and wondering how she could multitask so well. He figured levitation was the same for her as it was for him to do things with his hands, only she could probably do more due to his limitations of only having two hands.

Twilight finished her letter and placed the quill back down on the table. She wrapped it up and floated it across the room to her main work lectern. Her gaze then returned to Jack. He chewed slowly on his yummy, yummy sandwich, a bit of smile on his face for feeling like a kid again. His eyes raised up to meet hers, and he sighed slightly. She looked worried, but he could tell she had on a false smile.

"Yes Twilight?"

"I... have some questions." She said after a few moments of silence.

"More questions the Princesses want to know?"

"Not exactly..." She said as she glanced down to the table and then back up to him. "I want to know... for me..."

He raised his right eyebrow slightly and then nodded. "Alright then, ask away."

"If there was a way you could... go back to your world, would you?"

He chewed and swallowed another bite of his sandwich slowly, then placed it back down on the plate. He wished he had a drink to stall for more time, but alas, once again he forgot drinks. Jack ran his fingertips slowly across the scar on his neck as he stared into her violet eyes, searching for the right words.

"Twilight... I don't know. Probably not. I don't really have anything to go back to."

Twilight tilted her head slightly in confusion. "What do you mean you don't have anything to go back to?"

Jack placed his hands on his face and rubbed slightly. "Twilight... I ..." He paused for a moment and dropped his hands away from his face and stared into them.  "I tried to kill myself. The last thing I remember is the branch on the tree snapping. The next, I woke up in the hospital surrounded by you ponies."

She sat there stunned, her eyes drifted from his to his neck. "But... Is that... you..." Her mind was suddenly flooded with the answers to most of her questions she had about him, along with more questions about what had lead him to his decision. Her mind suddenly ground to a halt as one question slammed itself into the front of her mind. Would he try again? Her vision clouded slowly as she thought about losing someone she called a friend in such a manner.

Jack sighed and placed his hand gently against Twilight's cheek as her tears started to fall. Her body started to shake as her eyes focused once again on his. Jack moved his way closer to her and wrapped his free arm around her neck and placed his hand on the back of her head, guiding her into a gentle hug. As her muzzle made contact with his chest she started to sob. She quickly threw her fore hooves around his body and held tightly. The only question, "Why?", was all she could choke out between her sobs.

Moving the hand from her cheek to her back, he pulled her body in a little closer and rocked the distraught mare gently from side to side. He placed his chin on the top of her head and shushed her gently, trying his best to comfort her. After she had calmed down a bit he answered her.

"I was alone. I had no reason to keep going, and no one to come home to."

After a few moments, Twilight shifted into a much more comfortable, and closer position to Jack. She sat in his lap, straddling him, and burying her face into his neck. She continued to sob quietly and whimper, her grip tight around him. She felt as though he would just simply stop existing if she let him go. They sat together like that for the better part of an hour until Twilight had stopped crying.

Jack opened his eyes and leaned his head back slightly and saw that she had fallen asleep in his arms, perhaps crying herself to sleep. He felt a twinge of guilt in hurting her, but he knew that she deserved to know the truth. He secured her against his body with an arm and used the other to push himself up off of the floor. He readjusted his grip on her, causing her to stir gently, but remain asleep.

Jack made his way slowly and quietly up the stairs to Twilight's bedroom and pushed the door open. He could hear the light snores of Spike sleeping in his basket at the foot of a bed that rested up another flight of stairs and in an alcove above yet another book case. Shaking his head and smirking, Jack made his way over to Twilight's bed and pulled the covers down just enough to fit the purple unicorn into her proper place. He pulled the covers up over her and gently brushed her mane out of her sleeping eyes.

His smirk faded slowly into a frown as he turned and walked out of her room quietly, his boots hardly making a sound as he crossed the hardwood floors. As he exited the room, he looked back at the mare sleeping soundly now in her bed, illuminated by the moonlight filtering in from the window behind her. He closed the door and headed down the hall to his room.

After getting quickly undressed, Jack climbed into his bed, dreading the coming thoughts that always plagued his mind just before he slept. Getting himself situated under the covers didn't take long. He closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep before his mind caught up to him.

After a few minutes, Jack opened his eyes stared out of the window in his room towards the moon, reviewing the passed events of the day. He closed his eyes as the last events of the night played out before him. Then he felt the cool air of the night along with the slight weight of the blanket he was under. He heard the faint sound of his own heartbeat and breathing in the silence of the room. Just as he was drifting off to sleep he thought to himself once again. "I'm still alone."

Jack's eyes opened as he heard the door to his room open slowly. He could barely hear the sounds of hoof falls coming from the door, and then the door clicking shut again behind the intruder. He mentally followed the hoof falls from the door to his bedside, seriously considering if he should fight for his protection, or just let his would be murderer kill him. Just as he had decided to accept his fate, he felt the mattress depress under the weight of the pony's front hooves behind him. He resumed his slow steady breathing, trying to seem asleep, even as his mind raced. He then felt the weight on the mattress shift again as the pony pulled itself up onto his bed and press it's back against his. Then he smelt it. The faint smell of lilacs mixed with the gentle smell of parchment. Her scent.

Jack turned his head, ever so slightly to see Twilight curled up into a ball behind him, with her back pressed against his gently. She was lying on top of the covers, and tonight was unseasonably cold. Jack smiled slightly, but quickly replaced it with a neutral expression. He slowly rolled over and pulled the covers out from underneath her. Twilight's head lifted up from all of the movement and Jack pulled the blankets up covering both of their bodies. As she turned her head, Jack's eyes met her's.

"Jack..." Twilight whispered, but was quickly silenced.

"Shh..." Jack shushed, his hand rubbing gently on her side under the covers. He laid his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes.

Twilight then scooted back into his arms, making him spoon her. Jack briefly opened his eyes as he felt her soft and warm coat press against his chest. Wrapping his arms around her chest and in between her front hooves, Jack placed his face into her mane and closed his eyes.

"Thank you." He whispered gently to her, possibly only loud enough for himself to hear it.

7. The Man Who Roared Wolf.

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.

8. My Sweet Shadow

"Wonder what she tastes like?"

What is wrong with me...?

Fluttershy turned around and landed back on her front hooves. "Oh good Jack you're awake!"

Yea...

"Feels like I got hit by a fucking tank..."

Fluttershy looked up at him with her head cocked slightly in confusion. Jack however, stared at her in half disguised surprise.

I didn't mean to say that...

I did...

"Are you feeling alright Jack?" Fluttershy asked as she slowly approached the side of the bed.

Oh no...

Oh yes... Jack thought to himself as he smiled at the approaching pegasus.

"Of course, Shy... Especially now that you're here..." As she reached his bedside, Jack raised his right hand up and placed it gently on her cheek, rubbing his thumb gently against her fur. Fluttershy blushed lightly and smiled, nuzzling into his hand slightly.

"I-I'm just glad you're alright..."

Jack pulled his hand away and patted his chest gently. "Come on up."

The yellow and pink mare bit her lip gently and looked at the man resting in the hospital bed. The thin blankets that had been placed over his body did little more than shield his body and bandages from the light in the room. Fluttershy could see the top of his chest wrapped up in bandages and his left shoulder, with little flecks of blood staining slightly through the otherwise fresh bandage.

"Are you sure it's alright? I don't want to hurt you more..."

Jack patted the space on the bed next to his right side and then chuckled slightly. "Yes now get up here."

Fluttershy nodded then spread her wings, taking flight just above his bed. She then gingerly placed her hind legs on the spot where Jack just patted next to his side while his arm raised up in order to make room for her. After her rear legs were firmly planted on the bed she gently lowered her front half down and against his chest, folding her front legs under her so that she could lay against him. Jack flinched slightly at the pain caused by the added weight of the mare laying on top of him. Once settled, she tucked her wings back against her sides and smiled up at him as Jack rested his hand down on the back of her neck.

"Are you alright?" Fluttershy asked as she glanced at Jack's slightly grimacing face. "Oh I know I shouldn't have come up here."

"Shh.. I'm fine now..." Jack said as he moved his left hand from his side to her cheek. "Besides, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here."

Fluttershy smiled softly and then nodded, looking away slightly.

"Also, we have to stop meeting like this... If I have to come to the hospital every time I want to see you then we're going to have some problems."  This caused both of them to laugh softly.

"You know Shy, you're a very beautiful mare..." Jack said as he slowly ran his fingers down the back of her neck and through her mane. Fluttershy blushed and tried to hide her face slightly from him, her big teal eyes focusing on his light blue ones. Jack then moved his hand down her neck slowly until his finger tips touched he leading edge of her wing. She gasped slightly and her wings began to open involuntarily. Jack never took his eyes away from hers as he continued to run his fingertips along her extending wing. Upon reaching the tip he retraced his path back down to the shoulder joint and squeezed softly with his fingertips, sending a wave of pleasure racing through the yellow pegasus. Jack smirked at the gasp and continued his path down the side of her body, his fingers working in circles against her fur.

"I don't think I ever thanked you for saving my life... now for the third time." He whispered as his left hand guided her face closer to his. Fluttershy closed her eyes slowly as her blush deepened.

Jack continued his caressing down her side and stopped at her cutie mark, taking a handful of her fur and squeezing firmly, causing her pink tail to lift up slightly.

That's enough!

Shut up! Just sit back and watch, maybe you'll learn something, and you'll definitely thank me later.

Just as Jack was closing the last remaining inches between his face and Fluttershy's the hospital room door swung open, revealing a slightly panicked and out of breath purple visitor.

"Fluttershy! I came as soon as... I..." Twilight's voice trailed off as she took in the sight of her normally timid friend on top of the injured man. The two caught in the act looked over at their mutual friend. Fluttershy was the first to respond, quickly jumping up and off of the bed, facing Twilight, her wings still extended and her tail raised, giving Jack the perfect view of what he had just missed out on.

"Oh! Um, Twilight... Thank goodness you're here, I was just leaving. Bye!" And with that, Fluttershy quickly trotted past her, through the door and down the hallway.

Twilight's head followed her friend from the bed to the floor and then ultimately out into the hall and around the corner. She stood in silence for a few moments, then glanced back at a smirking Jack with his arms crossed, sitting up in his hospital bed.

3... 2... 1...

"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?!"

What she said!

Jack laughed and placed a hand over the wound on his shoulder. "Nice to see you too Sparky."

"What did you call me?!" Twilight shouted, approaching the side of the bed. She kicked the door shut as she entered the room and with each step she took she became more and more infuriated with the situation.

"Would you prefer Sparkle Butt?" Jack said, never losing his smug grin, even with his impending doom looming ever closer.

"Why you!" The furious purple unicorn shouted as she ignited her horn.

"Whoa now babe, I'm injured you know!" He said as he held up his hands in mock protest. "What would your princess say if she knew you blasted me while I was laid up in the hospital?"

Twilight growled and held her spell for a few moments, then released it with a sigh of defeat. As soon as the spell faded a brilliant white light engulfed the room and a thunderous cracking was heard. Jack raised a hand to shield his eyes as he turned his head just as the light snapped into existence, and then just as soon as it appeared it was gone. As his vision returned, he lowered his hand, revealing none other than Celestia standing at the foot of his bed. She had the same soft smile resting on her lips as always, yet her eyes seemed filled with concern.

"Speak of the devil herself..." Jack said as he crossed his arms again.

Twilight bowed her head and spoke softly. " Princess Celestia. It's good to see you again." Jack waved his right hand in the direction of the alicorn princess half in acknowledgment and half in dismissal.

"It is good to see you as well my faithful student." Celesita said, returning with a slight nod of her head to Twilight. "It is good to see that you're already awake as well Jack." Celestia said, lowering her head slightly to inspect him closer.

Better not screw this up, who know's what she'll do if she finds out you're in control.

Would you relax, jeez you're such a worrisome little bitch you know?

Jack reached his right hand out and rubbed the top of Celestia's head as she moved closer to him. His touch caused her to rocket back and away from him, her eyes locked with his.

"You know your mane is super soft and tingly." Jack said, smirking.

"JACK! Are you crazy!?" Twilight shouted, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"Maybe a little, I am in a world of talking ponies after all."

Celestia chuckled and then smiled at her student. "It's alright Twilight, I was just slightly startled."

"Oh ho! I startled a golden god! Let's see if you like chin scritches and belly rubs too!" Jack said, extending his hand out to her and closing and opening his fingers in a grabbing motion.

"Jack no!" Twilight said, illuminating her horn and causing a purple aura to surround his extending hand, holding it in place.

"Aww, well sorry Tia, looks like Sparky's jealous so no chin scritches for the princess." Jack said smugly, looking at the purple unicorn.

"Sparky? You have a pet names for each other?" Celestia teased.

Twilight blushed and stamped one of her hooves defensively. "No! Of course not!"

"Oh don't mind her Princess, she's not ready for our relationship to be public yet. Just give her some time, she'll open up to you." Jack said laughing. Twilight reddened and then her aura around his hand closed tighter, causing Jack's laugher to stop and him to clench his teeth.

"Alright alright, shit, let go Twilight."

As she released his right hand, he pulled it back to his chest and began to rub it and his fingers with his left hand. Celestia, meanwhile, chuckled softly at the spectacle before her. After a few moments she looked at the hospitalized man and her eyes became filled with concern once again.

"So Jack, what happened to cause you to be hospitalized yet again?" The alabaster princess asked.

"Oh you know, I was out walking around and I tripped. Nothing too exciting." Jack said with a slight shrug, which caused a spike of pain to surge through his injured shoulder. "Son of a bitch..." Celestia raised an eyebrow at both his answer and his pained outburst.

"You just tripped? You expect us to believe that?!" Twilight asked, raising up and putting her front hooves on the side of the bed, her face moving closer to Jack's.

He turned to look her in the eyes and smiled. "Yep, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it Sparky."

Twilight rolled her eyes and then looked back at her mentor. Jack however took this opportunity to speak first.

"So do either of you know any healing spells or do I have to take somepony hostage again to get out of here?"

Twilight looked back at the man and then frowned, shaking her head. "No, those are highly advanced spells and I'm afraid I don't know any, let alone what they would do to you."

Jack looked up at Celestia with his eyebrow raised. "What about you?"

Celestia shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry Jack, but I cannot heal you. If word got out that I healed you, then everypony would want to be healed, and I simply do not have the time or the energy to do so."

"Mmmhmm.. well alright then." Jack said, grabbing the top of the sheets with his right hand and throwing them down to his waist. Twilight backed up from the side of the bed and set her front hooves back down on the floor as she watched him. She noticed how there was slight flecks of blood showing through the bandage on his left shoulder. With another fling of the covers, Jack revealed his unclothed lower body to the two mares in the room. Celestia looked down at the man's bandaged chest and then down to his waist with her stoic smile unwavering on her face, while Twilight's eyes quickly focused on the man's hips and his semi erect member. Jack however grabbed his legs and pushed them off the side of the bed, and pulled himself up so that he was in a sitting position facing Twilight.

Celestia moved to the other side of the bed behind Jack to inspect his bandages a little more closely, and found that they were soaked with fresh blood. The bed where he was laying also had been stained slightly with streaks of blood from his wounds. Jack looked around the room and, finding nothing he shook his head and looked at Twilight. He took notice of her staring and smirked.

"Hey, my eyes are up here sweet cheeks." Jack said, snapping his fingers, getting both Twilight and Celestia's attention. "Come here."

"Jack you need to be resting! You're hurt!" Twilight said, closing the distance and gently pressing the side of her head against his chest.

Jack however planted his feet and then pulled himself up into a standing position next to Twilight. "I'm getting out of this hospital one way or another, best to just let me walk out the front door."

Celestia stood there silently as she watched the man struggle to remain standing as he crossed the room to the door. Twilight looked to her teacher and then back to the man, quickly taking her place by his right side and pressing her body up against his for support.

"Good that you finally see reason. Now let's blow this joint and get you into a hot nurse's outfit so you can take care of me." Jack smacked Twilight's rear lightly and then placed his hand on her back for support. Twilight glared up at him and then continued to guide him out into the hallway.

As the two made their way out into the hall, Celestia remained standing behind the bed watching them leave the room. As soon as the door shut behind them, Celestia dropped her smile. She stared at the drying blood on the mattress and tried to piece together the answers she had in her mind. Even as soon as she entered the room she could tell something was off, but she couldn't place the cause. Why was Jack acting so strangely? Was it the blood loss or was this how he really acted? This man seemed so different from the one she had seen previously, however she couldn't be sure. And what about her student? Surely Twilight would have put up more of a fight to keep him in the hospital. Why did she aid him in this foolish venture?

As she thought, the sound of a metal tray falling and a mare screaming could be heard down the hallway. Celestia remained unfazed as she heard Jack shouting back at the mare. She would have to make it a point to visit Jack again and soon.

9. Quality Time With the Demon Inside

The door to the library swung open and Twilight slowly guided a sweating and heavily panting Jack inside from the night air.

“Fuckin... ponies... act like... they've never seen blood...” He gasped out as Twilight guided him over toward the couch in the middle of the room. After the altercation in the hallway of the hospital with a nurse, Jack took his shredded clothes with him and with the help of Twilight, managed to get his pants on.

Twilight remained silent as she continued to support Jack's extra weight on her back and steady his balance with her magic. She nudged him over to the edge of the couch and helped him down onto the cushions.

“Man Sparky, you're a life saver.”

“I still think you should be in the hospital.”

“What, and miss out on you in a skimpy nurse outfit? Never!”

Twilight glared at him and then released her magical grip on him, causing him to collapse into the couch. He clenched his teeth as pain rocketed through his body.

“Shit woman...” He snapped, sucking air in through his teeth, causing a hissing sound.

Twilight turned away and called out. “Spike! Spiiiike!”

The purple draconic assistant came running down the stairs with an eager smile on his face.

“Twilight! You're home! How's Jack? Is he okay?”

She approached the dragon and sighed heavily. “Jack's alright. I need you to go get him and I some water and then I need your help in the lab.”

Spike nodded quickly and then trotted off to the kitchen to complete the first part of his task.

Jack adjusted himself on the couch, slowly moving into a position lying on his left side tenderly with his head propped up on the arm of the couch. Twilight moved over to her small writing desk and started to gather up scrolls and quills in her magic.

As Twilight crossed the room, Jack reclined himself into the couch. His eyes fell on the back of Twilight's mane, however when she ducked her head under the desk, his eyes wandered down to her rear. While she rummaged around for her supplies, she unconsciously swayed her hips and her tail back and forth, causing Jack to lick his lips and keep his eyes glued to the show he was receiving from her.

Oh yea bitch, shake that ass for me, come on girl, shake that ass for me, shake that ass for me

Wow, really?

You already slept with her, and if she's putting on a show, why not watch?

A loud belch came from the kitchen, along with a green flash, signaling a new letter from the Princess. Spoke soon made his way out of the kitchen with a tray containing two glasses of water and the scroll clutched in his tail. He approached Jack first and stopped beside him, holding up the tray.

“Here you go Jack” He said with a smile.

“Thanks little dude.” Jack replied, still not taking his eyes off of Twilight. He picked up the water with his right hand and placed it on the couch cushion in front of his chest, but keeping his hand on it to keep it steady.

Good to see you can be somewhat civil.

Shut the fuck up, I'm trying to enjoy the show.

Spike smiled and turned away from Jack, heading over towards Twilight.

“Twilight, here's the water and a letter from the Princess.” Spike stated as he approached her.

“Ah hah!” Twilight shouted, raising her head, the floating bottle of ink and her tail in victory.

Praise the sun... or would it be the moon?

Twilight then turned her head and recalled what Spike had told her. “Good, thank you Spike, now let's go to the lab.”

The lavender unicorn then turned away from the baby dragon and trotted off towards the basement door that was located in the wall under the stairs. Spike sighed and continued to follow her across the room and then into the doorway.

Jack's eyes followed the mare's flank from one side of the room to the other, and then as far as he could before she disappeared down the stairs to the basement. He took his first sip of water as the door closed and he continued to stare at it. After a few moments he realized that once again he was alone and he clenched his teeth.

Goddamn it, stupid bitch left me alone again, now what the fuck am I going to do?

Twilight's Lab

“Twilight, there's a letter from the princess for you” Spike stated as the two of them reached a desk covered in loose papers.

“Why didn't you say so Spike?!” Twilight shouted as she turned around to look at her loyal assistant. She then dropped the papers, quill and ink well onto the desk and snatched the scroll from the grip of Spike's tail. She then unfurled it and read it aloud, sitting down on her haunches.

“My faithful student Twilight,

It was good to see you again, if only briefly and under such circumstances. I must however, ask why you allowed Jack to leave the hospital. It is my belief that he could be better served by the ponies who's calling is to help, however I do trust in your judgment. I am also writing to ask if you have noticed any changes in Jack's behavior, or if this is normal for him. From your letters, he did not seem to be well. Please let me know if you find anything or if you require assistance.

Princess Celestia”

Twilight lowered the scroll from her face and looked at Spike, who was standing there still clutching the metal tray with a confused look on his face.

“So, Jack's sick?” he asked innocently.

Twilight sighed again and rolled the scroll back up.

“I don't know Spike, but he has been acting rather strangely. He also wont tell me why he ended up in the hospital. I'll need to look through my notes to see if I can come up with anything. That's why I need your help down here.”

Upstairs

Jack laid on the couch, still staring at the door that Spike and Twilight had disappeared into earlier, however his eyes were unfocused as he zoned out, staring at the door.

Tick... tock... tick... tock...

So, did you learn anything?

Tick... tock... tick... tock...

Fine, not like you had anything important to say anyway...

Tick... tock... tick... KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The sudden knocking at the front door caused Jack to refocus and turn his head into the direction of the obtrusive sound.

“IT'S OPEN!” He shouted at the mysterious visitor. After a few moments the door opened revealing a slightly perturbed Rarity. She entered into the main room and shut the door behind her.

Oh no...

“Rarity! I was just thinking about you!” Jack said, raising his right arm up and motioning for her to come over. “Forgive me for not standing, but I'm a tad out of sorts at the moment.”

Rarity looked around the main room once over, searching for any sign of Twilight. When she found none, she started her way towards the laying man.

“Darling, you are too kind. I was looking for you as well. Why are you not at the hospital?” Rarity asked, smiling sweetly as she approached the side of the couch.

“Because it's a hospital filled with ponies.” Jack stated flatly. “Anyway, you're here now and that's all that matters.” He replaced his right hand on top of his chest and looked the mare over.

“Quite right.” She flicked her head, causing her purple curled mane to bounce in acknowledgment. “After what you did for my little sister, Sweetie Belle, and her little friends, I wanted to thank you personally.”

Jack raised his eyebrow slightly and suppressed a smirk.

I know how you can thank me...

“So, after you get well, I wanted you to come by my shop and I'll make you an entire new wardrobe free of charge!” She stated happily, raising her head up and preparing herself for the inevitable praise.

“How about no.” Jack replied flatly, giving the alabaster unicorn a deadpan stare.

Rarity opened her eyes and stared off into space, blinking a few times as her mind processed his answer. She then turned her head down and looked at him. “No? Surely there must be something I can do?”

“Yea, there is...” He replied quietly, his light blue eyes focusing on her deep blues. He rolled over onto his back slowly and then patted his chest with his right hand. “Come up here and keep me company for a little while.”

She stopped for a moment and looked the situation over. After only the slightest of pauses she gingerly crept up onto the couch and started to align her body with his. Jack slowly moved his left arm out of the way of her so that she could lay down chest to chest with him.

“Just be careful of the shoulder.” He warned as Rarity laid down and pressed her weight into him, her legs on either side of his chest and hips. As she settled in, she unconsciously wiggled her hips into his. After she was finished moving Jack raised his arms and places his hands on her back and started gently stroking her fur.

“Mm... you smell wonderful, Rarity.” He whispered to her causing her to blush.

“Why, thank you dear, a lady must put her best hoof forward after all.”

“Of course, and I appreciate it. Sorry if I don't smell too great, I'm not even sure if I got cleaned up when they brought me to the hospital.”

“Well, I think I can bear the smell for a while, you did save my sister after all.” she said, looking down into his eyes.

Jack started to alternate running his hands up and down her spine slowly, stopping just before he got to her hips. “So how is your sister?”

Rarity sighed both from the comforting feeling of the back rub, and remembering the exhausting time she spent cleaning her sister. “Well, I'm still not sure. Physically she's fine, save for the dreadful orange stains she has in her coat from... well from your blood darling. When I saw that she was covered in filth and blood I couldn't tell you how scared I was for her.” Rarity rested her head next to his on the arm of the couch and nestled into his chest a little closer, enjoying the warmth from his body.

“After spending hours cleaning her up and trying to calm her down enough so that I could get the story from her, I knew I had to check on you.”

Jack smiled at her and ran his right hand down her back and along the side of her thigh, his fingertips tracing out her cutie marks. “Well thank you for your concern, but you know, it wasn't that big of a deal. Just went out for a walk and then ended up in the hospital.”

Rarity tittered softly and inched her face closer to his, staring at him with half lidded eyes. “That's not the way she told it. She said you appeared just in time to face a whole pack of dreadful timber-wolves in order to save her.”

She sighed and looked away, off towards the back of the room. “Oh I can just see it now, a strong and mysterious knight in shining armor coming to the rescue of defenseless mares and fillies everywhere.”

What a crock of shit.. you almost got your ass eaten by that huge fuck monster...

Almost is the key word there.

“Yea I'm pretty great huh?” He teased as he traced his fingers back up the side of her body to her shoulders. Rarity closed her eyes and smiled in acknowledgment, allowing her legs to fully relax so that the full weight of her hips was pressed into his. Upon feeling the extra weight, he smiled and ran both of his hands down her back towards her hips and rounded her flanks, his fingertips gripping the back of her thighs lightly. Rarity then inhaled sharply and quickly as she felt his hands grip her.

“So how are you doing?” Jack asked innocently as he kneaded her thighs and flanks gently, causing the ivory seamstress to moan softly.

“Oh.. my.. Well.. I must admit that this feels much better than the massages at the spa.” Rarity replied quietly.

“The magic of fingers, you want to know what else I can do with these?” He asked, moving his lips to her ear and whispering quietly, causing her ear to flick from the heat of his breath.

Rarity shuddered as thoughts raced through her mind, causing her tail to lift slowly. Jack took notice of this and moved his right hand up and gripped the base of her tail lightly and tugged on it, causing a jolt of pleasure to rocket up the mare's spine. She raised her head up slightly and bit her lower lip as she closed her eyes, trying her best to hide her excitement from him. Jack grinned even wider as his eyes were glued to her face, while his left hand slowly moved from gripping her thigh, to underneath her tail and tracing the outline of her marehood.

“Jack...” Was all Rarity managed to get out before he ran his fingertips across her clit, causing her body to go rigid with pleasure.

“Mhm?” He asked, his right hand tugging again on the base of her indigo curled tail, his left hand continuing to prod and tease at her nether lips. Just as Rarity opened her mouth to reply, he pressed his left middle finger inside of her all the way to the knuckle. She gasped quickly and used her forelegs to clench onto the sides of his chest. The added pressure of this grip caused Jack to grit his teeth as pain raced up his back again.

Rarity finally opened her eyes and looked down at the man, panting slightly and moving her lips just above his. Jack started to move his finger in and out of her slowly, but rubbing and curling inside of her, giving her sensations she's never felt before.

As the two of them were becoming lost in each other, the basement door swung open loudly and clacked against the wall it was attached to. This sudden noise caused Jack to freeze, where as Rarity jumped up and off of the couch, removing herself from his grip. Both of them watched as a notebook filled with loose papers floated out of the doorway surrounded by a glowing purple aura, followed closely by the grand inquisitor herself, Twilight Sparkle.

“Alright Jack, I have some questions for you.” Twilight said, her nose buried in the open floating notebook and not paying attention to anyone in the room.

“No problem Sparky...” He said, barely disguising his frustration about being interrupted.

“Sparky?!” Rarity asked, her face beginning to move from surprise to shock and disbelief.

At the addition of another voice in the room, Twilight lowered her notebook and found Rarity standing there staring at Jack. “Rarity? When did you get here?”

“Not too long ago.” Jack answered for her.

“Quite, and I was actually just leaving. Sorry I can't stay darling, but you know how it is.” Rarity replied, trying to compose herself from the recent events.

Twilight looked between Jack, who was looking at her, and Rarity, who was staring at Jack. Once again she had found one of her friends alone with him and they both looked as if something was wrong when she got there. Twilight scribbled a note down in her book and then looked over to Rarity.

“Alright Rarity, I'll walk you out.”

Twilight moved over to her friend and the two mares continued on to the front door. Jack smirked and raised his left hand up to his lips and licked his middle finger clean as he watched their hips sway as they walked away. Twilight opened the door and guided her friend out into the night. Once both of them were outside, she shut the door and then faced Rarity.

“Rarity, I have to tell you something.” Twilight said quietly, just loud enough for the other mare to hear her.

Rarity looked back at her and bit her lower lip in nervousness.

“Jack is acting very strangely, and I'm sure you've noticed it too. I'd like you to tell the other girls to give him some space, at least until I figure out what's wrong with him.”

She nodded and then looked off towards the town. After pausing a moment she turned back to Twilight and asked the question that had just entered her mind.

“He called you 'Sparky'. Darling, are you two an item?” Rarity asked hesitantly.

“No, of course not!” Twilight stammered out, allowing the darkness of the night to hide her blush.

“No I mean, he just started calling me that recently today after I met him in the hospital.”

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief and then nodded. “Alright dear, I'll be sure to let the other girls know. Have a good night Twilight.”

“Good night Rarity.”

The two unicorns hugged each other gently and then Rarity turned and walked away. As Rarity left, Twilight sat down on her haunches and looked up at the moon in the night sky, wondering what had happened to her newest friend that would not only put him in the hospital, but also change him so. After thinking for a few moments, Twilight got back on her hooves and went inside the library.

Upon returning inside she found Jack with his left hand up to his nose and his right hand resting behind the back of his head, propping it up as he stared at the ceiling. She shut the door and crossed the room, the notebook floating along side of her.

“Alright Jack, I think it's time we talk.”

“Your wish is my command Sparky.” He answered, dropping his left hand back down onto his chest gently and smirking over at her. “Did you find what you were looking for in your lab? You're not going to do a bunch of weird experiments on me are you?”

“If you don't tell me what I want to know, I might!” She said, sitting down in front of the couch and facing him.

He sighed and then closed his eyes. “Alright ask away.”

Twilight opened the notebook to a blank page and laid it down in front of her, picking up a quill and preparing to take notes.

“So what happened today that put you in the hospital?”

“I was out walking, then I heard a yell and ran to see what was up. There I found some wooden wolves attacking some little ponies so I killed the wolves. That's how I got this.” He said flatly, pointing at the bandage on his left shoulder that was still showing some flecks of blood from the bite marks.

Twilight started writing until he said he killed the timber wolves and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

“After that, there was this big fucking monster with a lion head and scorpion tail that was chasing after us so I grabbed the little ones and ran out of the forest. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough, got clipped,” he pointed his thumb over his other shoulder to signal the damage to his back, “then ended up in the hospital, probably thanks to Fluttershy, again.”

Gods I have to make sure I get that little yellow ass to squeal to say thanks.

Jesus Christ....

Twilight sat stunned with her mouth open for a few moments until she found the words. “Jack... wow... you saved those little fillies! That's amazing! Why didn't you say so in the first place?”

“I didn't feel like it.”

She stared in disbelief at him and then looked over his body slowly. She could see the blood creeping up the sides of his bandages and down into the couch.

“We need to get you cleaned up, and off the couch.”

“Alright, sexy nurse sponge bath time!”

Twilight shook her head and face-hoofed in exasperation. She rose to her hooves and then took a deep breath before igniting her horn and surrounding him in a light purple glow. She raised him from the couch and levitated him in front of her.

“Hey, put me down, I can walk you know.” He stated as he floated in the air and looked down at her.

“This is faster and safer for going up the stairs.” Twilight answered. She turned and carried him up the stairs slowly. Once they got upstairs, she was beginning to sweat and breath heavily. Jack clenched his jaw and remained silent as he watched her. Twilight then guided them down the hall to the closed bathroom door. “Can you get that?”

Jack said nothing as he reached out and opened the door, barely able to hide his growing anger at the situation. Once inside she set him down in a sitting position in the tub and released her magic with a heavy sigh of relief.

“I could have walked you know.” He quipped as he rested his elbows against the sides of the tub.

Twilight glared at him and then shook her head. “Alright, let's get you out of your clothes so I can clean you up.”

“I was just kidding, I don't need you to clean me up.” Jack said as he unbuttoned the front of his pants.

Twilight looked at him with a confused look but then shook her head as she started to remove his soiled bandages. After a few moments of silence and shuffling around in the tub she had his bandages off and he had his pants only about halfway down his hips.

Jack grit his teeth as he tried to push his pants down his body with just his right hand, since moving his left caused him constant bursts of pain, and his back was now on fire due to coming in contact with air.

Twilight watched as the man struggled, and she frowned slightly. She lit up her horn and surrounded his pants in her lavender aura. As soon as he saw the aura start to surround his pants he snapped at her.

“Hey, I fucking got this, back off!”

Twilight stopped immediately and looked at him. Once she dropped the aura he resumed his struggle with his pants. After a few more moments he took a deep breath and used his left hand as well as started to bend his back so that he could get his pants off.

“Jack, I can...” Twilight started but was quickly interrupted.

“Shut up! Shut the FUCK up! Just give me the sponge and get the FUCK out!” He growled at her as he sucked in air sharply due to the pain rocking his body.

Twilight bit her lower lip and fought back her growing concern. She levitated the large sponge over and placed it gently into the tub beside him. Jack finally kicked his pants off and then threw them out of the tub and onto the floor. He gripped the sides of the tub and slid himself forward so he could reach the knobs. Twilight moved over and pushed the plunger in the tub down so that the water would pool in it instead of draining out.

“Hey, Don't you fucking listen you stupid horse? I said get the FUCK OUT!” He turned to her and glared.

Twilight recoiled and started to back away from him, fighting the tears back. After a few steps she turned and ran out of the bathroom and slammed the door closed behind her.

“Good...” Jack said as he watched her run out and he turned back to the knobs on the tub. He turned the water on and it started spraying out of the shower head instead of the faucet and the sudden contact with water hit his back, causing a fresh wave of pain to wash over him. “FUCK!!”

You didn't have to be such an asshole

“Shut up you stupid bitch!” He said to himself as he flipped the switch so that the water came out of the faucet instead of the shower.

She was just trying to help.

“I didn't need her help!”

Well it wouldn't have hurt.

“Shut the fuck up...”

You're the reason that Marie never gave us a chance.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP! DON'T YOU FUCKING EVER SAY THAT NAME TO ME AGAIN!” He snapped and slammed his fist against the wall, causing it to splinter and cut into his right hand.

Twilight's Room

Twilight slammed the door to her room and teleported up to the loft where her bed was and threw herself onto the mattress, clutching her pillow to her chest with her hooves as she finally broke down and started crying into it.

The door to her room opened slowly and Spike slowly poked his head into the room to see what was wrong.

“Twilight...? Are you alright?” He asked quietly as he entered the room and shut the door behind him.

Upon hearing his voice she clenched the pillow tighter and rolled so she was facing away from him.

“Yes... Spike... I'm fine... I'm just tired.” She replied, unable to steady her voice.

Spike climbed the staircase to the loft and slowly made his way to his basket at the foot of her bed. “You don't sound fine Twilight, what happened?”

“It's Jack... He's not well and I don't know what's wrong with him.” She said after a few moments pause.

“Maybe, we should ask the Princess for help. She told us she'd help if we needed it.” Spike offered as he sat inside his basket.

Twilight dried her eyes with a hoof and then looked out the window towards the moon. She then nodded and climbed out of bed, and down the stairs to her desk where she began her next letter.

Bathroom

Jack pulled up the stopper out of the reddened water and squeezed out the sponge with his left hand, a scowl on his face as he stared at the drain, watching the bloodied water vacate the tub. The bathroom was silent save for the sound of the water draining. After the tub had emptied he kicked the switch back to “shower” mode and turned the cold water on in order to rinse the rest of the blood-water mixture off of himself. After a few more minutes of cleaning he turned the water off and squeezed the sponge out again.

The next task before him was climbing out of the tub, which would prove a challenge with a broken hand, shredded back and injured shoulder. It took a considerable amount of pain and determination, but after a few minutes of a struggle he was standing outside of the tub and breathing heavily. He searched around for a towel, and grumbled to himself.

“Fucking 'purple smart' forgot the goddamn towel.”

He shuffled across the floor, doing his best to keep steady with his left hand and his back straight. He opened the door to the bathroom and slowly made his way to where she kept the towels, dripping water on the floor along the way. He opened the door to the linen closet and pulled out a few towels, then slammed it shut.

He turned and shuffled down the hallway again to his room and pushed his way inside. As he dried himself he continued to look around the room. He brought nothing other than himself, his boots and his clothes to this world. He shook his head and made his way to the bed. Once he got to it, he threw the blankets open and collapsed onto his chest in order to not put any pressure on his back. He shuddered slightly from the cold, but found a way to work his legs underneath the covers.

From the struggle of the passed day, he suddenly found himself overcome by fatigue and he closed his eyes.

Well, here's hoping I don't wake up tomorrow...

And with that last thought he sighed and slipped into another night of sleep.

10. Another Day in Quicksand

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Jack sat at the bar dressed in a black short sleeve collared shirt and black dress slacks, staring into a tall Long Island iced tea. As he continued to look into his mixed drink, the ice cubes shifted from melting and clinked together with the side of the glass. He sat alone, however there were several other people around him, all focused on each other or the bartender. The room was dark and the only illumination came from the red light shining down from above the bar on the patrons. Jack took a sip of his drink, then set it back down on the coaster before pulling out his wallet and placing a few bills down on the bar top.

Seems like it's going to be just another day after all...

After sighing to himself, he turned his attention to the crowd of people dancing behind him. The dance floor of the club was only illuminated by a spinning strobe light that synced up with the music. The spinning light revealed some of the faces and bodies of provocatively dressed women dancing up against slick dressed men, both of whom were getting progressively more and more drunk as the night wore on. The night eventually culminated in the pairs going home and doing what nature intended. Jack however, just as every night before, sat alone. Wondering why he even listened to the people who told him it would be a good time to visit this place, he turned back to the bar and peered back into his drink.

As he was sitting in silence, he suddenly felt a tapping on his left shoulder. He tensed at the feeling of someone touching him, but slowly turned his head left to see who it was. Finding no one, save for the crowds of intoxicated dancers, Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek in slight annoyance. Once more, turning back to the bar, it was then he noticed a hand resting on top of his right hand that was clutching his drink. It was a woman's hand; small, soft and well groomed. His eyes followed the path up her pale arm to the dark blue sleeve of a deep cut V-neck t-shirt that clung tightly to her full breasts. His eyes passed over her chest quickly and up her slender neck, silhouetted by her waist length straight brown hair. He felt his breath catch in his throat as he realized who it was that was standing next to him. His gaze rose steadily over her full pink lips that were curled in a smile and her small buttoned nose. He finally found his target in her deep brown eyes focusing intently on his.

“Hey Jack!” The woman said cheerfully over the music. “Happy birthday!”

He sat in silence and slight disbelief as she quickly wrapped her arms around him and hugged gently. She rubbed his back up and down softly, though everything in her body language told the world “we're just friends”. Jack's mind however, was quickly overtaken by the alcohol mixing with the scent of her perfume.

As she pulled away, the woman looked around quickly, wondering where his other friends were.

“Am I too late? Did everyone leave already?”

Jack smiled and shook his head. “No, you're the only one to show up. It's alright though, the most important person is here now.”

“Aw you're sweet. Well I'm sorry your other friends didn't show up. I almost didn't make it either, but my friend gave me a ride.”

“Well, let me make sure to get her a drink to say thanks.” Jack said, turning back to the bar and flagging down the bartender.

“It's actually a he.” The woman corrected. She then turned to the dance floor and placed both hands on the side of her mouth in order to project her voice a little louder. “Steevee!”

As soon as she said that her friend was a man, Jack clenched his teeth. His mind started to bring up imaginary accusations. He quickly tried to push it out of his head after he ordered another drink for himself.

It's fine, he's just a friend, probably nothing to worry about Jack.

Jack turned to greet the woman's friend, only to be staring at a man's broad chest. While the woman was a few inches shorter than Jack, this man stood at least half a foot or more over both of them. Jack looked up and smiled, signing internally at his reaffirmed stereotype of short women liking giants.

“Jack, this is Steven, Steven, Jack.” The woman introduced.

Jack took another sip from his drink and extended his hand to greet the other man. Steven had dark green eyes and blond closely cropped hair. He was also incredibly toned, easily putting Jack's slightly thinker body to shame. Steven took Jack's hand and shook it firmly, applying more pressure than necessary. Jack clenched his jaw to hide the discomfort at the handshake.

“Good to meet you Jack.” Steven said quickly.

Jack nodded and after being released from the handshake, swapped his drink into his other hand. “You too. Thanks for bringing Marie out tonight.”

The rest of the night melted away, leaving only brief flashes of Jack and Marie dancing amidst the masses of other faceless people. While Marie was conservatively dressed compared to the other women present, she radiated with an otherworldly glow that blinded Jack.

Soon the crowds disappeared and Jack found himself sitting in the driver seat of his car. He listened to the quiet and gentle tunes coming from the radio as the car drove down the unlit and unoccupied highway. Glancing to his right, he smiled as he spied the woman asleep in the passenger seat. She looked so peaceful with a soft smile upon her lips and the steady rise and fall of her chest. Jack wondered to himself how anyone could quiet his mind with just their presence. Even asleep, she seemed to bring tranquility to anything and everything in her presence.

Once again, Jack's surroundings shifted as he sat in the car. Looking around he spotted the large brick building painted white in the distance with a few lights on in some of the rooms. Turning to his passenger he pondered the most appropriate way to rouse her from her slumber. He watched her for a few moments before he raised his hand slowly and brushed a few strands of her hair out of her face.

“Marie, we're here. Come on and wake up for a bit so we can go inside.” He whispered softly as he rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand tenderly.

She stirred and yawned gently as she woke from her short nap.

“Oh shoot, Jack i'm sorry I fell asleep.” She said with a smile as Jack returned to his proper place in the driver seat, giving her an appropriate ammount of space.

“It's alright. Let's get inside so we can get to bed, I know it's late.” Jack then opened his door and exited the vehicle while Marie unbuckled her seatbelt and followed him with her eyes. She then opened the door and exited the car slowly, the scenery shifting once again.

Jack refocused and found himself sitting upright in a large king-sized bed with several pillows. He was topless and only wearing boxers, but he had the white bedsheets and large beige comforter over his lap to cover himself properly. At the foot of the bed there was a walkway between the bed and the large wooden dresser up against the wall. Along the wall was a closed door with light coming from the crack in the bottom. This light added to the soft amber light that illuminated the room just enough for him to see and set a relaxing mood.

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The door handle on the closed door turned slowly, but drawing Jack's attention towards it. As the door opened, the light from inside flooded out into the room. There Marie stood, silhouetted by the bright light behind her. Jack's eyes quickly drank in the intoxicating sight of this angel on earth. His eyes started at her feet and moved slowly up her thick yet toned legs. Once he made it to the base of her extremely tight and short black shorts, his eyes rose to her wide hips with her fit waist that supported a very ample bosom, only covered by a tight black t-shirt that revealed that she was not wearing a bra. Jack mused that her figure would make even an hourglass jealous, if it were possible that inanimate objects could express feelings.

Once again, while her body was tempting beyond all belief, the main focus of Jack's admiration was her deep brown eyes. Unknowingly holding his breath as he watched her flick the bathroom light off and make her way around the bed to the empty side. As she moved, Jack's eyes never left her's.  Once she reached her side of the bed, she bent forward slightly, allowing Jack to see down the front of her shirt at anything that he could possibly desire.

“Now remember, we're just sleeping, no funny business mister.” She said playfully as she pulled open the sheets and climbed in. Despite her playful nature, Jack knew that she was serious.

“I give you my word.” He replied, placing his hand over his heart.

“Good.”

She smiled softly and laid herself down in the bed facing him. Jack watched as she made herself comfortable. Once she settled in, he turned and switched off the light, blanketing the room in darkness. For a few moments they sat together in the silent darkness, listening to each other breath. Once Jack's eyes adjusted, he slid himself under the covers and laid, facing her as well. Jack bit his tongue as he searched for the words to say to her, or even if it was the right time to tell her how he felt. To tell her that everything that could bother him, faded away once they were alone together. He shook his head lightly and closed his eyes, convincing himself there would be a more appropriate time in the future to tell her how he felt.

Jack smiled into her eyes as they laid together in the darkness of the room. He could feel the warmth of her body close to his, smell the faint traces of her shampoo, hear her breathing softly.

“You'll be here when I wake up, right?” He asked her quietly, just above a whisper.

She nodded gently and took his hand in hers. “Of course I will.” With that she closed her eyes and yawned deeply. Jack watched as she fell asleep, his eyes never leaving her face and his hand never leaving hers. He continued to watch her sleep, however after a time, he too started to drift off. After a few moments he closed his eyes, only for what felt like a second.

Upon opening his eyes, Jack stared at the empty pillow beside him, bathed in the sun's light that was filtering through the window in his room above the library. Slowly, he raised his hand and checked it, only to prove once again that it was just a dream.

“Even in this place, she still haunts my dreams.”

He laid in bed for another few minutes, his eyes open and his breathing steady. Jack drummed his fingers gently against the empty pillow for a time before he finally decided to get up and get dressed.

He laid in bed for another few minutes, his eyes open and his breathing steady. Jack drummed his fingers gently against the empty pillow for a time before he finally decided to get up and face the day. Once Jack convinced himself to get up, he placed both his hands on either side of the bed and pushed himself up. He crawled off of the bed from a push-up position and lazily stared down at the bed, tempted to climb right back into it. He then stretched his arms and raised himself up on his toes, stretching out his legs as well, trying to break the sleep from his body. The first clear thought ran through his head as he continued to look at his pillow.

I've got to apologize to Twilight today, the sooner the better...

He rubbed his stomach with his right hand gently, his fingers running through the black hairs that stood out against his pale skin. After a few moments of silence he realized that he hadn't dressed himself last night after the shower and he was standing naked over his bed. He scrambled for clothing quickly as he heard someone in the hallway walking out of the bathroom and down the hallway.

Grabbing the first pieces of clothing he found, a sky blue pair of boxers and a purple button up shirt, he dressed himself quickly. His clothes were still a little bit baggy on him due to the sudden change in his physique at the spa, but they still fit well enough. With his modesty restored, he turned to the door and approached it. As he placed his hand on the handle, he paused and wondered what he was going to say to Twilight, and if she would even accept his apology.

Steeling himself, he pulled the door open and began his trek down to the kitchen for breakfast. As he passed by Twilight's closed door, he caught a whiff of something that seemed so familiar. The smell however, was gone just as quickly as it came, leaving Jack questioning if he actually smelled anything at all. Descending the stairs, Jack finally noticed the distinct lack of pain from his back, shoulder and even his right hand. He reached his hand around and under the back of his shirt and placed his fingertips on his back very gently. Once his fingertips made contact and he felt no pain, he began searching around for any signs of damage. He did find that there were indentations in the skin, probably where the wounds had scarred over in the night.

Upon reaching the kitchen, Jack had furrowed his brows in concentration. Spike, who was perched at the table partaking in a particularly pleasing peridot pancake, observed the man entering and mistook his mood for one of a more negative nature. The purple dragon watched the man cross the kitchen, seemingly oblivious to anyone around him and reach up into the cupboard to get a bowl. Jack then looked on top of the enchanted refrigerator and smiled to himself.

“Luna Charms, now with star and moon marshmallows...” He said to himself, grabbing the box of sugary breakfast cereals that was no doubt a marketing decision in order to subconsciously garner acceptance for the princess of the night.  He poured himself a bowl and then added some milk from inside the fridge. As he finished he finally took notice of Spike and his glare. Jack's smile faded as he moved across the room and sat at the table opposite of the dragon. Although not directly intimidating, this look reminded Jack that he was still technically a prisoner, and that his little episode last night might have more serious repercussions other than just hurting a pony's feelings.

Jack looked down into his cereal and began to eat quietly and quickly. A few spoon fulls in, he began to remember his dream again. He pictured Marie's face and smile in his mind, the dream more exactly a memory of a time long since passed. His train of thought was suddenly interrupted as he smelled that all too familiar scent. This time, the smell was more pronounced and Jack suddenly realized what it was. It was the scent that Marie always seemed to have. Whether it was her natural smell or if it was a brand of perfume, Jack never discovered, but she always smelled exactly the same.

Twilight Sparkle soon entered into the kitchen, her hooves clopping against the floor softly, giving her entrance away. Jack, who had his back to the kitchen's entrance, visibly tensed as he heard her enter along with the realization of who was giving off that smell. The spoon in his hand trembled slightly as Jack wrestled with himself to stay focused. Twilight passed by him without even a sideways glance. He took a deep breath, which turned out to be a mistake as he inhaled her scent, sending more memories flooding to the front of his mind. Jack shook his head slightly, doing his best to focus on Twilight and not the memories she unintentionally raised.

“Twilight,” Jack said, his voice catching a bit in his throat. Twilight ignored him, or perhaps just didn't hear his voice and continued to levitate a bowl out from the cupboard and a bag of oatmeal from ontop of the refrigerator. He cleared his throat and repeated himself, this time a bit louder.

“Twilight.”

The mare placed the bowl down on the counter top and remained still for a moment, signaling that she was listening.

“I know it's probably too little too late, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry about how I acted yesterday.”

She resumed fixing herself oatmeal and once again refused to even look at him. Jack nodded to himself in acknowledgement of her non response, then stood up and carried his now empty bowl to the sink. As he approached the sink, he also approached Twilight, and the scent that he hoped he'd both never smell again, and never stop smelling. His legs tightened up as he crossed the few feet from the end of the table where he sat and the sink, causing him to stumble a bit.

The bowl fell from his hands and crashed loudly into the sink, however it didn't break. The sudden noise caused Spike to jump up on top of the table and Twilight to jump back and away from the man, both glaring at him as he supported himself against the counter.

“Sorry...” Jack managed to get out as he gripped the edge of the counter. After recovering he washed his bowl quickly and removed himself from the kitchen. He quickly went up the stairs and into his room, shutting the door behind him and taking a deep breath of “fresh” air. He looked around and grabbed a pair of black pants and cinched up the belt so that they wouldn't fall down while he was walking around. Jack checked his pockets quickly for his bit-pouch while he stared at the pouch on the night stand next to his bed. He reached his hand out and picked it up, then placed it into his pocket and turned to face the door. After ensuring his pants were buttoned up correctly with his fingers, he left his room and headed down the stairs towards his boots which were resting at the front door. He bent over and quickly tied up his boots. Twilight soon approached the doorway between the main room of the library and the kitchen, and watched the man. He stood up and opened the door, his back still facing the kitchen as he called out to the house.

“I'm leaving for work...” His voice dropped as he finished his sentence so that it was just barely audible. “I'll... see you when I get back.”

Jack stepped out of the door and just before it shut, he heard Twilight call out to him. “See you later Jack.”

Jack stood outside the door for a few moments and slowly reassured himself that he didn't hear Marie's voice behind him. He began his walk to work after he took a deep breath to calm himself. The farther he got away from the library, the better he felt. Or rather, the less he felt. Upon reaching the delivery warehouse Jack had himself under control.

He ducked under one of the halfway open garage doors and proceeded to the back of the warehouse where Mr. Move-it was  undoubtedly giving out the morning delivery assignments. Jack pushed open the door and entered the break room turned briefing room and every pony turned their head to look at him. Jack looked at them quizzically, then turned to look at a scowling Mr. Move it before taking his seat at the edge of the closest table.

“As I was saying... Today is going to be a short one because we have to prepare for the upcoming storm the Weather Team has been putting off. It'll hit and hard this afternoon, so get your deliveries done ASAP so we can secure the garage.”

There was a quiet groan that rippled through the delivery ponies, however Jack remained quiet.

“Alright, now you all have your assignments, so get to it. MOVE IT!” Move it stamped on the ground causing all the ponies to jump up and file out of the room quickly. Jack raised to his feet and approached the dispatcher as everyone filed out of the room.

“Hey Mr Move it, sorry I'm late.” Jack said, putting his hands behind his back.

“What happened to you? And why are you late?!” Move-it snapped as he turned around and followed the other ponies out to the main floor of the garage. Jack followed suit in order to continue the conversation.

“Well I drank some potion like a dumb ass, then almost got eaten by a fucking monster, fingered a pony, and now I'm here.”

“The weekend... And I don't have a good reason for being late. It won't happen again.” Jack replied after a few moments.

“Huh... Well here's your order list.” Move-It bit a piece of paper and passed it to Jack. Once the paper was out of his mouth he motioned with his head over to a heavily loaded cart. “Get to it. If you get back before the storm, I might overlook your tardiness.”

Jack nodded and quickly approached his cart. As he started strapping himself into his harness in order to more easily pull the cart, he reviewed the names on the list. The way they were listed he would have to cross town back and forth all day so he shook his head and patted himself down trying to find a pencil or something in order to mark the names off. He growled to himself as he began to unstrap in order to get a quill and clipboard. As he crossed the room he noticed that all of the other ponies had already left and he was the only one still in the garage, besides his boss.

Well looks like it's going to be one of those days...

You could always just stab him in the neck if he says something to you.

“JACK! Why are you still here?!” Mr. Move-It called from the dispatcher's office. Jack shook his head as he grabbed up a clipboard and quill and returned to his cart.

“I'm leaving now.” He called back.

Before strapping back into his cart he double checked that he had everything, already being late and having probably more packages than the other ponies. After a few moments he pulled the cart out of the garage and headed towards the west side of town to the market district.

Walking along the path, Jack looked up to the sky and watched as many multicolored pegasi pushed darkened clouds together, covering the skies of Ponyville and some of the surrounding areas.

At least it's going to be a nice day outside.

He passed a group of ponies pulling down weak or loose branches from the trees around town as he made his deliveries. With his “new body”, Jack found that he was able to both cross town more quickly, but also handle the packages better. He was still a touch bitter about Move-It loading up his cart every day with the biggest boxes he could find, however he couldn't deny that the work was doing good for his body.

The next few hours passed quickly as Jack worked, and soon the skies were completely blanketed in storm clouds. As he delivered the last package to a strange shop that sold both quills and sofas, it began to rain. Hoping to avoid the worst of it, Jack said farewell to the shop keep and began to jog back across town with his empty cart. As he passed the town square, a large flash of lightning crossed the sky. The sudden crack of thunder heralded the start of the downpour. Immediately Jack became soaked, like walking through a waterfall. He continued to jog, splashing up mud and rainwater onto his boots and pants. A smile crept across his face as he pressed on.

“If it ain't rainin we ain't trainin.”

Oorah

Soon, Jack found himself at the end of the road with the garage in sight. In the doorway was a particular grey-blonde pegasus that Jack hadn't seen earlier today. Ditzy was looking back and forth up and down the road for something. Once she saw Jack, she stuck her hoof out of the doorway and waved to him. As he drew closer, the large bay door to the garage rolled up, allowing him to bring his cart in from the rain.

Jack quickly slipped into the garage, tracking mud and dripping water all over the floor of the warehouse. As he came to a stop, Ditzy quickly flew over and tackled him.

“Jack! You're alright!” The mail mare cheerfuly shouted.

Confused, Jack answered her. “Yea Ditzy, it's only rain.”

The mare blinked a few times and then looked down at him. “What? I mean you're not in the hospital. I heard you were in the hospital!” Ditzy then squeezed him tightly in her forehooves.

As his chest was compressed by the power that is Ditzy Doo, he coughed and gently patted one of her legs. “Can't... breathe...”

She quickly released the coughing man and smiled. “Oops, sorry...”

“JACK! Quit laying around on the job!” Mr. Move-It called out from the back office. The ponies watching Ditzy and Jack suddenly turned around and began re-securing the building.

Jack picked himself up off the floor and unhooked himself from the cart. After putting it back in it's place, he hung the wet harness up on one of the hand rails sticking out of the front. Mr. Move-it finally came out from the back office and scowled at Jack.

“Clean up the mess you made and then get out of here. I'll see you back here tomorrow, and you had better be on time!”

Jack looked at the large puddle of water and the tracks of mud leading from the now closed garage door to where his cart was resting. He also noticed several other mud tracks from the other ponies hooves and cart wheels criss crossing around the floor of the garage. He sighed to himself and put both of his hands to his face.

It's not too late to break his legs and use him as a mop.

Clenching his teeth, Jack walked over towards the cleaning closet to get a mop, tracking mud and water all the way there. Ditzy flew up beside him and peered over his shoulder.

“Can I help?” She asked quietly.

“Nah Ditzy, I got this, you go on home and make sure you kid's alright in this storm.” Jack replied as he pulled out a mop. Once he grabbed the mop bucket, a tower of cleaning supplies, dirty rags and spray bottles fell on top of him. The commotion drew the attention of his still irate boss.

“JACK!” Move-It shouted once again.

“WHAT?!” Jack snapped, standing up from the new mess he made. “FUCKING WHAT?!”

Move-It crossed the room and eyed the seething man. “What is wrong with you? Can't you clean up one thing without bucking something else up?”

Don't push me you fucking little horse.

Finally!

Jack looked at Ditzy, who was standing off to the side watching the exchange and biting her lower lip. She looked conflicted and Jack decided that it was best not to completely fly off the handle and fight in front of a friend.

“I'm working on it...” Jack said through clenched teeth as he tried to swallow his rage. He knew he couldn't afford to snap at Twilight, and then another pony the very next day.

“Well work faster!”

“.... Yes sir....”

Jack turned around and began to pick up the spilled cleaning bottles and rags. He stacked them back on the shelf in a more organized manner so that the next person, probably himself, wouldn't have an avalanche of shit fall on them. Mr. Move-It remained standing behind him, causing Jack to tighten his grip on the mop handle as he filled the bucket with water.

“You know you have an attitude problem.” Move-It said smuggly as he walked away, heading back to his office.

Jack seethed to himself quietly and began to mop up the spilled cleaning supplies first.

“Jack...” Ditzy said quietly after he began to work. Jack ignored her and continued to clean up his mess.

“I'm sorry about Mr. Move-It... I don't know what's wrong with him and why he doesn't seem to like you.”

“It's alright Ditzy, I can handle it. Just go home and be with your family.”

After a few minutes he finished that and turned towards the grey mare still standing next to him. He sighed in defeat and began to clean his boots so that he wouldn't track mud as he was trying to clean. The next hour was spent under Ditzy and Mr. Move-it's watch, the former much more pleasant to work for than the latter.

Jack shut the door to the cleaning closet and breathed out heavily through his nose. Ditzy, who had been silent for the last hour, flew over to Mr. Move-It's office. After a few moments she returned and landed next to Jack, who was leaning up against the wall with his forearms and his head reasting on them.

“Jack, we can go now. Come on, let's get out of here.” She whispered, gently nudging his leg with her head.

“Alright... let's go then.” Jack consented.

The two of them quickly and quietly headed to the front door, the rain still pouring down and echoing off of the walls and roof of the warehouse. As they opened the door, Jack shook his head at the rain again.

“Hey, Ditzy... Thanks for the company.” Jack said before they both exited the building.

The grey mare smiled and then trotted out into the rain, immediately getting drenched. “Hurry up Jack! It's wet outside!”

He chuckled to himself at her wonderful simplicity and followed her into the rain. “Yep, sure is!”

The two friends trotted and jogged into town, trying to duck under awnings and trees as they found them. The wind began to pick up and blow around violently. Ditzy began to sway a bit from running against the wind and tripped, falling into a mud puddle. Jack quickly helped her up and brushed the mud off of her face.

“Come on girl, let's get you home.”

And into bed

She's got a kid!

Which means she knows what she's doing!

Ditzy smiled back at him and nodded, then pointed her hoof towards a cluster of houses. “Alright, I live over that way, lets get going. And thanks for helping me up.”

The duo carefully headed off towards the indicated direction, Jack letting Ditzy lean up against his leg as they crossed town. After a few more minutes of walking Ditzy left Jack behind and ran towards a building. Once she reached the door, she knocked on it with a hoof quickly.

“Dinky! Momma's home!” She called out to the door. After a few moments, Jack could barely make out some scrambling coming from the other side of the door. The handle turned and swing open, revealing a much smaller grey unicorn filly.

“Momma!” She cried out as she jumped up and wrapped her front hooves around Ditzy's neck. Ditzy quickly went inside and placed a leg around her daughter and hugged her back as she stood out of the rain.

“Hi there my little pony.”

Jack quickly followed them inside, but stood in the doorway so as not to make too much of a mess. He smiled down at the two ponies exchanging greetings. He cleared his throat softly and then patted Ditzy on her back.

“Alright well I best be off. Take care and see you tomorrow Ditzy.”

Ditzy gasped and turned around, holding up her daughter in her hooves and pointing her at Jack. “Wait, say hello to Dinky, my little filly!”

Jack smiled but sighed inwardly. “Hey little Dinky. I'm Jack. A friend of your mother's from work.”

The tiny unicorn smiled and somehow launched herself from the grip of her mother and clung to Jack's face, wrapping all four of her legs around his head and hugging tightly.

FACE HUGGER GET IT OFF!!!

Jack patted her back gently and then attempted to peel her off of him. As she pulled away, Jack noticed a wet imprint of his face on her belly from where her fur had dried his face.

“Nice to meet you too...” Jack said.

Dinky giggled as Jack handed her back to her mother. “I like him Mommy.”

Ditzy grabbed her daughter and set her back on the ground and patted her on her head with her hoof. “That's good, Mr. Jack is a good pony.”

Wrong on both counts you milfy little mare you...

Shut it, I'm trying.

“Why don't you stay for a few moments and warm up before you head back out?” Ditzy asked.

Jack closed his eyes and smiled. How about no “Alright. But I don't want to get all your stuff wet.”

“OH don't worry about that Mister Jack, Momma knows how to clean anything!” the tiny unicorn filly said from under her mother's hoof.

Ditzy quickly grabbed Jack's right hand with her mouth and dragged him into the living room of her home. Jack spied a light red, almost pink couch in the center of the room with a coffee table covered in a white decorative sheet right in front of it. Around the rest of the room were several similiarly colored chairs and loveseats, all facing a rather large window that had the curtains pulled closed. Ditzy released the man's hand and then gently shoved him on the couch.

“I'll be right back,” She said, smiling. She then turned to her daughter. “Dinky, keep Mr. Jack company while I go get some towels and muffins!” Ditzy almost shouted the word “muffins” as she said it. Once her daughter nodded to her, Ditzy bolted out of the room.

Jack stared blankly down at the unicorn filly who was smiling up at him.

I wonder how far she would fly if you kicked her as hard as possible

Dude, go fuck yourself

“Mr. Jack! What kind of pony are you? You don't look like a normal pony.” Dinky asked as she jumped up onto the couch next to him.

Jack rubbed the back of his head lightly as he turned to look at her. “Well.. I'm not a pony, I'm a human.”

“Ooooh! Well that explains why you don't look like a pony.” Dinky said, laying down but turning her hooves around and resting her chin on them as she looked up at him. “Do you like my momma?”

“Yea I guess, I mean she's one of the only ponies that have been nice to me since I got here, so she's got that goin for her.”

“Noooo I mean do you 'like her like her'?” Dinky asked, dropping her front hooves down onto the couch.

Upstairs, a loud thud could be heard, causing Jack to look up at the ceiling, then back down to Dinky who hadn't taken her eyes off him.

“Uhm, well not really. I mean she's a great mare, but I don't think of her like that.”

The tiny unicorn filly frowned a bit. “Oh, when Momma told me she met a nice stallion at work, I thought she meant you.”

Jack raised an eyebrow at the filly's pout. He then reached his hand out and gently pet her mane, offering her what comfort he could.

“It's going to be alright Dinky...” Jack said softly. Just then another thud was heard from the other side of the wall just behind the couch.

“I'm okay!” Ditzy called out from what Jack assumed was the kitchen.

“Ditzy, do you need help in there?” Jack asked as he stared at the wall.

The grey mail mare then poked her head around the corner with a tray of muffins balanced on her head. “Nope!” She then trotted into the living room with a stack of towels on her back in between her wings.

“Well alright then.” Jack said, pulling his hand back away from Dinky. The sudden loss of contact caused her to look up and then latch herself around his wrist and get pulled across the couch with it.

Jack looked down at her and shook his hand a bit, causing her to shake and giggle. “Hey, gerrof!” Jack said teasingly.

Ditzy smiled and trotted over to the two playing on the couch and then turned to face the coffee table. As she lowered her head and the tray slid off, Jack looked over at how close Ditzy was to them, or more specifically, how close her flank was to his face. For the first time Jack got a good look at her blonde tail and the bubble cutie mark on her flank, as well as what hid beneath her wet tail.

Goddamn that's an ass, eh?

Jack stared at her flank up until Dinky jumped onto the side of his head and wrapped her hooves around him again, sending him down into the couch as she giggled.

“Hah, got you Mr. Jack!” Dinky said, causing Ditzy to turn around and smile.

Ditzy reached back with her mouth and grabbed a towel, then threw it on top of the two horse players. “Here ya go Jack, here's a towel to dry off a bit with.”

Jack reached his hands up and instead of grabbing Dinky or the towel, he began to tickle the sides of the little unicorn filly, causing her to squeal and detach herself from his face.

“Now I got you, you little menace! Muahaha!”

Ditzy looked over the man and then jumped on top of his chest. “Hey I wanna play too!”

The sudden weight of the juggernaut otherwise known as Ditzy, caused Dinky to launch up into the air and Jack to blow all the air out of his lungs with a loud “oof”. Ditzy watched as her daughter flew up into the air, giggling the whole way up and then landing on top of her mother's head.

“Again! Again!” The filly cried as Jack attempted to refill his lungs.

Ditzy however obliged her daughter and shifted her weight so her hips were on top of Jack's and then bounced up and down ontop of him, sending dinky flying up and then landing back down on her mother's head. Jack, still filling his lungs, suddenly gripped Ditzy's thighs and looked down at the oblivious grey mare riding ontop of him. His body reacted the only way it knew to the combined heat and pressure from her.

After a few bounces, Ditzy noticed the bulge pressing up underneath her and she stopped moving, her daughter landing down once again on her head. She blushed lightly as she looked down at Jack.

“That was fun mommy!” Dinky said as she hugged her mother's head. After she released her hug, she climbed down Ditzy's back, causing her hips to grind down into Jack's. Ditzy's wings opened slightly and turned her head to face her daughter.

“Be careful Dinky.” Ditzy said. Just as she said that, her daughter slipped off her back and tugged on her mothers tail, causing her wings to pop open.

“Oops!” Dinky said sheepishly.

Jack, remaining silent throughout all of this, shook his head slowly and grabbed the towel that was now resting on his chest and began to slowly dry himself, trying to ignore what had just happened.

Ditzy remained on top of his lap as she grabbed another towel and began drying herself off. Dinky watched and then climbed down off of the couch and over towards the coffee table and picked up one of the muffins with her hooves.

Jack brought the towel down from his face and then lifted his shirt and began drying his chest, watching Dinky smash her face into a muffin and eat it, just like her mother.

“Well, I see she gets her muffin eating skills from you.” Jack commented, smirking at the spectacle.

Ditzy smiled and nodded, rubbing her towel against her chest and stomach. “Yep! Oh! You should have a muffin too!” She then leaned down onto his chest, sandwiching the towel between his shirt and her chest as she reached over to the coffee table for a muffin.

Once again, she grabbed a muffin with her hoof and dragged it over to Jack's face. Jack looked at the muffin, then her fingerless hoof, then back to the muffin.

“How the --”

Ditzy then shoved the top of the muffin against his mouth, getting more muffin on him than in him. Deciding quickly that it was better to eat the muffin then be strangled by it, Jack began to chew and swallow the muffin.

“Hey, blueberry, my favorite!” Jack said as he swallowed the last of what was in his mouth, causing the grey pegasus to smile brightly.

Jack then heard another crack of thunder outside and the rain hitting harder against the window. Remembering that he'd still need to get to the library in this, and that it would probably get worse before the night was over, he'd have to leave sooner than later.

“Well Ditzy, Dinky, it's been fun, but I do have to get back to the library before Twilight sends the gaurds after me.” Jack said, patting the side of Ditzy's neck.

The grey mare frowned and nodded, then brightened back up quickly as she hopped off his lap. “Alright, I'll see you at work tomorrow Jack. I'll stop by in order to get you so you're not late tomorrow!”

“Alright, that sounds great Ditzy. See you then. And thank's for the muffin.” Jack said as he sat back up on the couch and set the towel down on the table.

Dinky quickly wrapped herself around his leg and hugged him tightly. “Bye bye Mr. Jack! Make sure you come back and play with me and momma more!”

Jack reached down and pat her head gently, causing her to let go. “Will do, maybe this weekend when I get another break. Hopefully I can stay out of trouble this next weekend.”

Jack then stood up from the couch and walked over to the front door, with Ditzy in tow behind him. He opened the door and sighed as he watched the sheets of water belt the dirt streets infront of the house.

“Hey Jack! Also, if you're out delivering stuff, remember if you get a package for me, you can just stick it in my slot!” Ditzy said.

Jack gripped the handle at the door at her obvious sexual innuendo, but looked as Ditzy pointed to a square slot that was in the door.

“Yea... Yea Ditzy I'll do that for ya. Alright... Well I'll see ya later then. Thanks again.” Jack said, turning back to the rain.

Jack stepped out onto the porch and turned back to see Dinky waving from the hallway. He returned the wave and then nodded at Ditzy before heading back out into the monsoon that awaited him.