Chapters Ch. 1
I woke up, surrounded by trees. Trees? Was I hiking? I couldn't remember. I rubbed my head with my... hooves?
Ch. 3
"So why the Everfree?" Derpy asked. "Aside from the fact that it's really creepy." I couldn't help but agree as we trudged through the forest.
Ch. 4
I'm learning magic! Twilight's teaching me magic!
Our charging led us to another clearing, a big one this time. If it wasn't surrounded by the trees of the Everfree, I would've thought it was a plain. Seriously, this forest was gigantic.
Ch. 5
"Oh my God." I was the first to get my wits together enough to speak. That was all I could manage.
Ch. 6
"So Frank, what's your favorite color?"
Lost One- part 1
I woke up to the hiss of a stasis pod opening. My stasis pod.
The Lost One- part 2
"What do you mean we're in Equestria!?" Twilight was right on the edge of losing it, terrified she had missed some tragedy that'd hit her home.
The Lost One- part 3
"Here we are." The Doctor said as he flipped the parking brake on.
I watched the Savior and her friends walk through the gate and start toward the front door. The Doctor joined me, having stopped to check on Derpy before following.
The Lost One- part 4
I dove through the door of the Tardis, just seconds before the cloud of bullets reached me. "This is not where I wanted to go!" I screamed.
"Doctor, we need to jump ahead in time. Just for a little bit." I said as I swept into the Tardis. "But I don't know exactly how far. Can you hook me up to the controls so the Tardis will follow my memories?"
The Lost One part five
We arrived at the present/past (time travel is really confusing, especially when you're in a different universe) at night, so everyone went to sleep. By everyone I mean Twilight and Derpy, as the Doctor doesn't sleep and I am apparently an insomniac.
I didn't think I would actually have to kick any doors, but here we were.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Whatever research that'd pony had been doing must've been left behind in the Stable.
The Lost One- part six
"Wait, what?"
Her face was set, it was probably the gravest I'd ever seen her. In person or otherwise. "Show me what happened to us."
I shook my head. "Absolutely not."
"You showed Derpy." She took a step forward.
"That's different." I explained. "She needed to see what she was capable of."
Another step. "I need to see what happened so I can stop it in my time. I have to save my friends."
This time, I took the step. We were now face to face. "Damn it, Twilight! They aren't your friends! This isn't your Equestria! It won't ever be."
"Please." She pleaded. "I have to know. Wouldn't you?"
I could see she wasn't going to relent, so I reluctantly did. "Fine." I growled. "I'll play the Ghost of Christmas Future for you."
"Thank you." She said as we walked back to the main area of the Tardis.
I narrowed my eyes. "Don't thank me. And remember that you asked for this."
"Is the spat over?" The Doctor asked as we entered the room. We must have gotten a little loud.
"We could hear shouting, but not what you were shouting about."
"Just debating what direction we should go, Derpy." I told her. "Doctor, could you hook me back up? We have a few more stops to make."
He nodded and set to work. As he adjusted the helmet, I turned to Twilight. "Three things before we get started."
"What?" She asked.
"These things are not negotiable."
She sighed. "I get it. What are they?"
"One: I will not show you where you ended."
"Ended?" The Doctor muttered.
Twilight didn't catch it. "That's reasonable. What else?"
"Two: I will only show you your friends. Not Celestia, not your mom. Just your friends." I saw Twilight's eyes widen as she realized she had forgotten about them. "No." I insisted.
"Fine. What's the third?"
The Doctor finished his adjustments and nodded again. "All set."
"Thanks." I said, then turned back to Twilight. "Third: I don't know what happened to Rainbow Dash. No one does, and the only ones who could possibly know died over a century ago."
Twilight's eyes went to the floor. "Ok..."
"That said, who's first?"
She didn't look up. "I don't know. You decide, I can't."
The Tardis whooshed, then we arrived. I took the helmet off. Now that the Doctor had messed with it, slipping it on and off was much easier. I led the others outside.
We had landed in an overgrown apple orchard. A short distance away, I could see a squad of Rangers.
"Is this... Sweet Apple Acres?" Twilight asked. "Did Applejack die here?"
"Below us is a Stable." Was my answer. "Coincidentally, the same one Littlepip comes from."
"What are those ponies doing?" Derpy pointed at the armored Rangers.
"Never-mind them. Let's just get back in the Tardis before anyone notices us." We did, and I put the helmet back on. "Before the bombs fell, Applejack managed to reach the Stable. She had a kid and died, peacefully, a few decades later."
Twilight almost smiled. "I'm glad she wasn't hurt."
"This is the happiest ending your friends get." I told her. She nodded, as if she understood. I knew there was no way she could. "Who now?"
"Fluttershy." Was the eventual response.
We whooshed again. I stopped everyone before they left the Tardis.
"Twilight, before we go outside, we need a shield. As strong as you can make and move around."
She surrounded us in purple and we exited. The second we did, the vines attacked. "What are these things?" The Doctor asked, half curious and half mildly afraid.
"A mutation of Poison Joke." I replied. "The wastelanders call it Killing Joke, which I always took as a reference on the author's part. Come on." The shield parted the vines as we moved.
"This..." I said as we reached the tree. "This is Fluttershy."
Twilight laid a hoof on the bark. "The Joke turned her into a tree?"
"Yep."
She touched her forehead to Fluttershy. "Did it- did it hurt?"
"Probably extremely." I told her. "But don't worry, she didn't die."
Twilight's eyes brightened. "She's alive?"
"She is. She's spent the last 200 years watching as the Joke killed ponies in front of her."
"Wh-" Twilight choked.
"Verdant Spark!" Derpy practically shouted at me in shock.
"We have to help her." The Doctor insisted.
I shook my head. "No we don't. Soon the Wasteland Savior's friends will save her."
"How soon?" Twilight's eyes had begun to mist slightly.
"Relatively, very soon. Let's go."
Everyone followed me back to the Tardis, reluctantly. "Twilight, I don't think we should keep doing this." Derpy cautioned.
"I have to. Thanks, but I have to." She gave the pegasus a hug, then turned to me. "Rarity next."
A third whoosh. After the vines last time, no one rushed to the doors. Of course, Fluttertree wasn't much of a motivator to continue. I took the lead. "Come on. The room we're in should be safe."
We filed out, the Tardis making the office we'd landed in slightly cramped.
"Oh... no!" Derpy was the first to see the skeleton by the window.
The three of them approached it (or her, rather), as if in a funeral procession. When they got close, the Doctor and Derpy held off, letting Twilight be as alone with her friend as possible. She sat next to the former dressmaker, her gaze never leaving the remains. "Rarity?"
"Yes." Was the simple answer.
"We have to bury her."
"We can't."
She jerked around. "We have to-"
I shut her down. "We can't." She deflated a little and I continued. "You can't recognize it, but this is Canterlot. The site of the worst attack of the entire war."
"So that's what this pink stuff is." The Doctor said, examining the windows. "Residue from whatever weapon the Zebras used."
"Not residue." I corrected. "This is the weapon. The attack never stopped. For the last couple centuries, Canterlot and the surrounding area has been rotting under a cloud of revolting, cheerfully pink pure necromantic death. This room is one of the few places that aren't covered in it, either due to luck or sacrifice."
The Doctor was dumbfounded. "The attack is still going on? What kind of weapon could do this?"
"The kind the Zebras were confident could kill gods."
Derpy gasped. "Celestia, Luna..."
"Did they...?"
"Only your friends, Twilight." I reminded her. "Not Celestia, not your mom. You agreed."
She looked back at Rarity. "You said 'sacrifice'. You meant this room, her sacrifice."
"I did."
Twilight touched the skeleton, clearly wanting to cradle it, but she didn't dare move it from the hole it was plugging. The tears started flowing. "Why didn't she just run? What would make her stay? Would make her..."
"What would make you?" I asked, laying a hoof on her shoulder. "Who would make you?"
"My friends." She breathed.
"Your friends felt the same way."
She squeaked. "Me?"
I could understand what she meant, so I shook my head. "No, you were nowhere near Canterlot during the attack."
The knowledge that she wasn't the cause was almost kind of a relief. What I said next wasn't. "It was Fluttershy. Rarity died teleporting Angel and Fluttershy to safety."
"To safety?" She was almost inaudible.
Derpy tugged on Twilight. "Come on, let's get out of here. Let's leave, Twilight, and go find a way out of this horrible world."
"Yes. Leave." Twilight mumbled. "Pinkie Pie."
"Twilight, no." Derpy insisted. "Forget about it."
"Pinkie Pie."
"Please, Twilight, let's just-"
"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight roared in her face.
Derpy shrank back and Twilight stomped to the Tardis. Derpy followed, but the Doctor held me back.
"Are you enjoying this?" He hissed.
"Absolutely not."
He scoffed. "Really? 'Cause you certainly relished telling her that her friend died in vain."
"Relish? Is that what you saw? Well, let me tell you something. I teared up when all this was just a story! Before I met you, or Derpy, or Twilight, or any of the ponies of this world! So let go of me or I'll tell Twilight you're refusing to let me take her to her friend." We locked eyes. "The state she's in, what do you think she'll do to you? A sleeping spell, if you're lucky?"
He let go, and we joined the others. Out of respect for the sensibilities of my fellow travelers, I tried what I knew would fail. "Twilight... I told you that Applejack had the only happy ending. Are you sure you want to keep going?"
"Pinkie Pie." She responded, as if it was the only thing she knew how to say.
"Fine." I said softly, as we whooshed to the last stop on our tour. Twilight was the first out the door, no longer caring about danger.
Outside was a burned-out office, its windows blasted inwards. Twilight rounded the desk in the center of the room and noticed the statuette lying in a pile of bones. The statuette of her. "What is this?" She asked, pointing at it.
"That is one of forty or so statuettes of you and your friends. Rarity had them made, using pieces of her own soul, so that no matter how far apart the war took you, you would always be together."
"Oh, Rarity." Twilight mourned yet another sacrifice by her friend.
"It didn't work." I informed her. "As the head of the Ministry of Morale, it was Pinkie Pie's job to capture dissidents and saboteurs. To help her do that, she took mind-enhancing drugs that boosted her Pinkie Sense. Boosted it so much that she was somehow able to communicate with Littlepip, here in the future. But you didn't see how they helped her, you only saw the addiction they caused. She wouldn't stop taking them, so you cut her off. Completely. You avoided going to the same places as her and you refused to take her calls. To the very end, though, she kept trying. Her last act, apart from ordering an assault that was only minutes from saving this city, was to call you and beg that you come with her to a rehab appointment. You never got the message."
"Is that why the doll's here?"
I could tell she already knew what I was going to say, but I answered anyway. She wanted to hear it. "Yes. She was holding it when the blast hit her."
"Can I take it with me?" She started to reach for it.
"No." She stopped and look at me, confused. I grimaced slightly. "I'm sorry, but Littlepip needs that doll way more than you do. She'll fail without it."
Twilight looked back at the doll.
"You have to leave that thing here. I'm serious." I warned her. "Littlepip needs-"
"I don't care what Littlepip needs." She went for it again.
"I said NO!" I grabbed her foreleg and started dragging her back to the Tardis.
The doors closed behind Derpy and the Doctor, and Twilight collapsed against the console, sobbing. "Why would you show me that? Why..." She trailed off as another wave of tears came. Derpy knelt and hugged her tight.
"Because you asked me to. I'm going to take a nap now, wake me when the Tardis finds something important." I started walking away.
The Doctor didn't let me get too far. "That was cruel and you know it."
"Oh, of course. But it was necessary."
He spun me by the shoulder. "How could something like that possibly be necessary?"
I pushed his hoof off of me. "Because now, instead of wondering and worrying about what happened to this version of her friends, Twilight can focus on helping us all get home."
He stepped back and looked at me as if I'd slapped him. "I expected better from you." He chuckled and looked down at his hooves, smiling like he was the biggest joke in the world. "I don't know why, I don't even know you, but still..."
I'd had enough. "Guess what, Doctor? I don't care. I AM NOT YOUR COMPANION!" I gestured vaguely away from us. "And I'm not her subject, either."
"What are you, then?"
My voice caught as I turned to answer Derpy's gently asked question. They were both there, Twilight practically being carried by the pegasus. "We couldn't help but overhear." Derpy explained. Be 'we', however, she clearly meant just her, as Twilight was more or less catatonic. "So? What are you?"
"I..." The anger had run out of steam, so now I was just sad. "I'm lost. I want to go home." Then my voice became steel. "And I will do anything it takes to make that happen."
"You're a monster." Twilight whispered.
"You have no idea what a real monster even is." I snapped at her. "Consider yourself lucky that Equestia's never seen one."
Everyone was quiet after that, and a little while later we all went our separate ways.
There were no clues for the Tardis to pick up, so the silence lasted for a few days. Finally, I cornered Derpy and broke it. "How is she?"
"She's sad, Verdant." Derpy said. "You really hurt her with your little tour."
"But this isn't her world! For God's sake, we met this world's version of you, doesn't she get-?" I stopped, realizing I was just justifying. I sank into a slump against a wall. "I really am a monster, aren't I?"
She sat beside me. "No, Verdant, you're not a monster. You're just... You're hurting, too. Maybe not as deeply or openly as Twilight is right now, but it's still there." When I looked at her quizzically, she smiled and continued. "This world, it's terrible. It's awful. It's the worst thing I've ever seen, and I've seen more bad things than most ponies. But it's still recognizably Equestria. I know these places. They're a little different, but still." She took my hoof in hers. "And Twilight and I are still ponies. The Doctor' gotten used to his pony form and he's used to changing his body. You aren't. What's worse, you can't even remember who you are. You're missing a big chunk of yourself, and it's making you lash out. Making you a little mean. Does that make you a monster? No. It just means you're vulnerable, like everypony else."
I thought about that for a minute, then made a decision. "Derpy, can you go ask the others to meet me in the control room?"
She gave my hoof a pat and left.
When the three of them entered the main area of the Tardis, only one of them seemed happy to see me. Twilight's glare was generally venomous, whereas the the Doctor's eyes were narrow because he saw that I was holding the helmet.
"What are you doing, Verdant?" He demanded.
I nervously fiddled with the helmet. "I have one final thing to show you. Think of it as an apology. Or, at least, an explanation."
Before anything else could be said, I slipped the helmet on and we whooshed. No one moved when we landed.
"Come on." I said wearily. This wasn't going to be easy.
The area outside the Tardis was covered in smoke. Through the haze we could just barely make out the forms of Littlepip and her friends, collected around a giant pyre. None of them were in any shape to notice us.
"Where are we?" Twilight asked, covering her nose to block out the smell. She looked from the pyre to the bullet-ridden buildings, and then back to Littlepip and the fire. "What is this place?"
"This is, or was, the town of Arbu. And this is the morning after Littlepip massacred every adult who lived here."
Their response came as a shocked chorus. "What?"
"They were cannibals." I weakly explained.
The Doctor was furious. I had left this bit out when I spoke to him earlier. "This is your Savior? This is your hero?"
"This is the Wasteland." I reminded him. "There are no heroes. But she can still be a savior. Her actions, good, bad, or worse, can change this place into a country where there can be heroes. Where ponies can be good to each other."
They quieted and I dropped to my haunches, looking at the dirt. "But that's only if we don't screw everything up." I looked at Twilight. "That's why I was so adamant about that damn doll. We take one domino out and that's it, Littlepip fails. This place stays a hellhole."
"That's not everything, is it Verdant?" Derpy pushed.
"No, no it's not." I kicked at the dirt. "I'm sorry, all of you. You're only in this world because I was selfish, and scared, and desperate. I could've figured this out on my own, but I was in a rush. Please forgive me."
Twilight looked to the others, then back to me. "None of us hate you, Verdant. Not really. But it's too soon for forgiveness." She grinned a little, to soften the blow. "You'll just have to earn it by helping us all go home."
"That, Twilight, sounds like a challenge."
Author's Note
I am so sorry for how long it took for this chapter to come out, especially after the story was on hiatus.
The Lost One- part 7
The Lost One part 7
"All the technology of the universe and you couldn't put in some kind of inertia damper?!"
I was clutching the railing desperately as I shouted, with Derpy and Twilight barely holding on beside me. It would've been funny to see if whatever pony organs I had in me didn't feel like they were being squished into my back hooves.
The pony I was shouting at scowled at me. Then he looked back at the controls in confusion. "There should be one here somewhere..."
"Any time now, Doctor," Derpy urged.
"I know, I know." He scratched his mane with the hoof that wasn't securing him to the console. "I'm looking as fast as I can."
But before he could find it, the Tardis suddenly slowed and we all dropped.
"Well that was something," Twilight groused.
"Not my fault," The Doctor said defensively. "Verdant's the one who said we couldn't just materialize."
While Derpy could fly and Twilight simply teleported, I had to climb back up to the bridge. Being a magic-less unicorn was not helpful when it came to my mood. "One wrong move and we ruin everything, Doctor. You know this."
Despite my saying this, the idea to fly instead of whooshing everywhere was so much easier to justify a few minutes ago.
"Well, we should be fairly close to that energy signature. So there's that." The Doctor rechecked the scanner as Twilight and Derpy gathered by the door.
"Yeah, there's that," I said. Then I remembered something. "Twilight, put the dress on."
The Princess groaned. "Do I have to..?"
"Yes."
After Twilight reluctantly re-clad herself in her disguise we all ventured forth. The Tardis had seen fit to set down on a small outcropping overlooking some sort of tower which, judging from the advanced level of tech on display, must have been built during the war with the zebras. We could see ponies, who were clearly guarding the tower, moving around the base of it. The Doctor passed out some binoculars.
"Well, shit."
"What is it?" Derpy hadn't looked through her pair yet.
I jerked my head in the direction of the tower ponies. "Check out their cutie marks."
They all did just that, and to a pony they grimaced. Twilight lowered her binoculars. "Raiders."
"How do you even get a cutie mark like that?" The Doctor wondered.
"So that's it, then. There's no way we're getting in there."
"Not so fast, Twilight!" I flashed a grin at her. "I just had the best idea ever... I think."
"I don't know, Verdant..." Derp tugged at the collar around her neck. "Are you sure this'll work?"
"I am 100% mostly sure. But what I'm certainly sure about is the fact that I don't want to know why the Doctor has collars and leashes on the Tardis."
The Doctor smiled a bit as a memory resurfaced. "That Neighfertiti sure was a wild one."
"Don't want to know!" I quickly grabbed his leash in my mouth and gave it a jerk, yanking him back to the present.
"Alright, alright." He grumbled as he recovered. then he turned serious. "Awkwardness aside, this plan is ..."
"It's ridiculous, that's what it is!" Twilight pouted on the other side of the Tardis' control console.
"You're just sour because you don't get to come along."
"Exactly!" She nodded emphatically. "I'm the most powerful of us, magically. What if you need my help?"
I walked to her side and looked straight into her eyes. "You wouldn't be in a position to give it, because they'd kill you the second they found out you're an alicorn."
"Ugh, what is with this world and alicorns?! Celestia, Luna, and Cadence were alicorns!"
"Celestia and Luna were," I said softly. "I'm not so sure about Cadence."
"What?"
I turned and trotted back to the others, not wanting to get bogged down in a discussion about my personal theories. It didn't affect our current situation. "Anyway, time to get going. Cross your fingers!"
"I don't have any fingers," She reminded me.
I shrugged. "Then I guess you'll have to cross your legs."
Having successfully delivered my witty retort, I picked both of the leashes up with my mouth and led Derpy and the Doctor out.
"Don't forget," I whispered just before we reached the tower, "you have to act like you're scared of me."
Derpy coughed. "No offense, Verdant, but that won't be too hard."
"Good, now shush." Her honesty was somewhat painful, offense intended or no. Plus there was a guard, a unicorn, coming into view.
"Hey, who the buck are you?!"
Welp, here we go. I dropped the leashes and stomped a hoof over them. "Just a humble trafficker, buddy. Not here to cause a scene."
"What do you want?!" The stallion raised his gun a bit higher.
"Right now two things," I growled. "One, go ahead and point that gun somewhere else. Two, a place to stay for the night. It's getting late."
"This ain't a hotel."
I let out an exaggerated sigh and dismissively waved him away. "And I ain't interested in talking to the hired help, buddy. Why don't you go ahead and call your boss?"
"Get down on the ground!" The guard had heard enough and apparently decided the simplest solution was to just take all three of us prisoner.
Unfortunately for him, he made the same mistake just about every lowly guard seemed to make. He got close.
In a flash, I swept the gun's barrel away so it wasn't pointed at me and jabbed a hoof against his chin. While he was dazed I grabbed the stock of the rifle with my mouth and smashed it across his stunned face. Seeing him drop was totally worth the shock my teeth received.
"So... what's going on here?"
I stiffened as I heard the amused-sounding voice. Slowly, I turned to see a pony in power armor, flanked by a few Raiders, looking straight at me. His helmet was off and a brow was elegantly arched. I quickly tossed the confiscated gun away and returned his faint smile with one of my own, projecting an air of complete confidence. "I was just asking if I could talk to management. The Ranger armor's telling me that's you."
"It's good to know I'm wearing honest armor," He quipped.
"I hope it's treating you better than the last pony to put it on."
"I am the only pony who's worn it." His eyes narrowed and my breath caught in my throat, though I didn't let it show. I couldn't afford to let them see any fear, or else the pack of wolves around me would devour Derpy and the Doctor. And me, obviously.
But on the other hand, I couldn't be too bold. I had to tiptoe the line between a servant and a challenger. Without any magic, there was no way I could beat an earth pony in power armor. Plus there were a lot of guns pointed my way.
Luckily, the head pony's dangerous mood passed. He smiled again and brushed a bit of dust off. "Though that's an easy mistake to make. It's not often you see somepony like me... in this sort of company."
"No, it's not," I agreed cautiously.
"If I might ask, what brings you to my tower?"
"I'm plotting out a new trade route, and was wondering if I could make use of your lovely little tower as a way station of sorts. A place where I can rest and resupply." I stooped and gave the leashes a jerk.
As Derpy and the Doctor stumbled forward the armored pony gave them an appraising once-over. "Is this your primary commodity?"
"The only one I deal in," I replied. "Far easier to steal ponies than it is to steal guns or medicine."
"Pretty wise of you." Armor Pony nodded approvingly.
The Raider to his left gave an angry stomp. "Horseapples! You expect us to believe a unicorn's leading two slaves around without using his magic?"
"You're not too smart, are you?" I gave the critical pony my most condescending sneer. "Like I'm going to tire myself out and give them a chance to escape. No, my magic is best saved for... demonstrations of what happens if my prisoners try anything." I spun and threateningly advanced on Derpy. "How about you tell 'em about your sweet little filly?"
The combination of my sudden tone change and how quickly I was in her face caused Derpy to squeak and flinch back. Though it kind of hurt that I could bring a tear to her eyes just from that, I swiftly capitalized on her reaction. "See? That's what you want in a prisoner."
"They certainly are docile enough," Armor pony agreed, "but you killed a pegasus? I'd have thought you would get a decent amount for one, what with how rare they are in the Wasteland."
I scoffed. "For that filly? Nah. Bugger couldn't even fly. Wouldn't be worth the cost to feed."
"Well, I don't see any problems with this request. For a percentage, of course." Armor Pony extended a hoof.
I shook it. "No other way to do business, really."
Armor Pony directed his underlings to lead Derpy and the Doctor to a holding cell, and I gave as terrifying a warning as I could of what would happen if either of them were damaged in any way. The leader gave assurances while I silently prayed my friends would be ok.
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. The Lost One part 9
Twilight met me as I made it back to the Tardis. "Hey, took you long enough. We were starting to get worried."
"I had to go a different way than the Doctor."
"Speaking of, he's having the Tardis scan for another signal." She tilted her head towards the time machine.
I sighed. "No luck on the files we pulled?"
"Unfortunately, there was nothing that could help us." Her eyes lit up in excitement, and she started talking faster. Anything science-related was sure to intrigue her. "No theories on dimensional travel or parallel universes, but there were some ideas for some sort of superweapon that, with some modifications, could be applied in other fields of-"
She stopped suddenly and pointed at one of my forelegs. "Is that yours?"
I looked down and immediately saw what she was asking about. It would've been hard to not, as the blood almost looked purple against my green fur. Didn't exactly blend with my color scheme.
"No." I didn't bother lying. There was no way she would've believed me.
"Damn it, Verdant!" She shouted, borrowing one of my phrases so that she wouldn't have to profane her teacher. "You're supposed to be redeeming yourself! You're supposed to be proving you're not a monster!"
"That superweapon was not theoretical! He was going to use it and bring even more suffering to this fucking place!"
Her wings flared in anger. "So you destroy the weapon!"
"We did! But that wouldn't stop him, he still had an army of Raiders! It was him or the innocents!"
"So you just killed him?!" She scoffed. "It doesn't even bother you, does it?"
I opened my mouth, but no sound managed to come out. A life, even one as worthless as the Ranger's, was still a life.
Twilight saw my hesitation and her expression softened. But it was only for a moment. "I can't even talk to you right now. Just- just get inside. Wipe yourself off before Derpy sees you."
I did so and followed her through the door. We were greeted by a beeping sound and that of the Doctor cackling in excitement.
Derpy noticed our entrance and flew over. "The Doctor just picked up another energy signa-cha-whatsit!"
"Where's it coming from?" Twilight trotted over to stand by the Doctor. The fact that she was pointedly not looking at me was just fine. I didn't care at the moment. About anything.
"The Tardis has pinpointed the point of origin as... Fillydelphia."
That snatched my attention. "Fillydelphia?"
The Doctor nodded. "That's what it says."
"We should ignore it."
They all looked at me like I was crazy, and in all honesty it was insanity to pass up our (at the moment) only lead. Twilight got in my face immediately. "What's going on in Fillydelphia, Verdant? What do you not want us to know about?"
"If I didn't want you to know about something, why would I tell you about it?"
The Princess pushed pushed me up against the console and screamed, "Because if you don't, then by Celestia I'm going to hurt you!"
"I've already been hurt," I said with a smirk. "Pretty badly, in fact. So if you happen to have another stasis pod handy, or if you're willing to put the Doctor at risk again, then go ahead. Be my guest."
She let me go. "Not physically." Such a reasonable voice. "I'm going to hurt you emotionally."
"How?" I dusted myself off as I countered her threat. "I can barely remember anything about my past."
"Are you doubting my ability to figure something out?"
I shook my head. "No. I'm doubting your willingness."
"Since I met you, you've been putting me through the worst experiences of my life." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Try me."
"Twilight, I'm sure Verdant has a good reason he doesn't want us to go to Filly." To back up her supportive words, Derpy moved to stand by me.
I saw Twilight's eyes flick towards the pegasus, then back to me. She smiled.
I knew what she was thinking. Derpy was the only one who was more or less okay with me. Who tried to be understanding. Who was willing to give me the benefit of the doubt.
That would probably end if she found out what I'd done.
"Fine. You can see it for yourself."
Once again we stood overlooking the worst of ponykind. The Tardis had a knack for picking the most picturesque of views.
Derpy gasped as she saw the misery. "How could anypony do this?"
"How could they not? Give anybody absolute power and they'll almost certainly abuse it. My world's history is proof enough of that."
"It's not exactly fair," Twilight interjected, "to compare ponies to your humans."
I turned to face her. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"This place is a story in your world. One you read for fun!" She gestured in the direction of the slave pits as she spoke.
"We don't read it for the RAIDERS, Twilight! We read it for LITTLEPIP! We read it in the hope that there's something BETTER we can aspire to! That we can stumble, and make mistakes, and still be worthy of the life we've been given!"
"Enough!" The Doctor pushed us apart. "Whatever problems you two have with each other, they don't matter right now. All that matters is getting back to Equestria. The one that isn't a death trap."
Twilight looked away. "Fine."
"Fine," I echoed.
"Good." The Doctor threw a leg over my shoulders and led me a bit closer to the city. "Now, judging by your reluctance to allow us to come here, I take it this is one of the places Littlepip visits?"
"Yeah."
"What can you tell us about it?" he asked.
I shrugged. "It's what it looks like, really. They use slaves for labor and when they get bored they make them fight to the death. Place is guarded by an army of- wait."
"What is it, Verdant?" Derpy stepped up beside me and squinted at the city, trying to see what had given me pause.
"It just seems like the security isn't as tight as it was made out to be in the book. But, why would they increase security before..." I shook my head. "Never mind, it's not important. Let's go."
I led the way to the city. Once we got about halfway, I stopped and turned to the others. "Alright, from here on out keep your eyes peeled. The boss of this place has a bunch of griffin guards."
"Yes, yes he does," a voice said from above me.
"God Damn it!"
The Lost One part 10
"Get in there!"
A shove, and Twilight, Derpy, the Doctor, and I suddenly found ourselves in the presence of the red-and-black warlord of the Wasteland, who was sitting at his desk. On his left was, I assumed, his right hand griffin.
He affected a slight smile at our less than graceful entrance. "I would say 'welcome', but that seems inappropriate- seeing as you four are trespassers. Never the less, I shall introduce myself. My name is Red Eye, and this is Stern."
"Uglier than I imagined..." I muttered under my breath.
"What did you say?!" Stern demanded, rising to my bait.
"I didn't say anything."
Her eyes narrowed. "I heard you."
"Are you sure? You might be hearing things." I gestured vaguely towards the outside. "Like maybe a mouse in a field somewhere."
"Wow. Racist, much?" Stern fumed.
"I'm not racist, I just hate evil people."
"We're not evil, not really," Red Eye interjected. "If you knew what we are trying to accomplish-"
"Oh, I do know. And I still find you despicable."
"Who told you our plans?" Red Eyes demanded.
"You did."
"What?"
"What?" I parroted.
Red Eye didn't find it amusing. "That is really irritating."
"Your face is irritating," I asserted.
Red Eye groaned in exasperation. "And so mature..."
"Your face is mature," I shot back, cleverly.
"Verdant!" Derpy hissed. "What are you doing?!"
I smirked, throwing every ounce of asininity I could muster at the pony behind the desk, then nonchalantly answered her. "Jim Butcher rule number one: always snark at anybody holding you captive, as much as you can."
"That's fine in theory, but this is reality and we aren't exactly in what you'd call a favorable position," the Doctor said, pointing toward the armed guards at the door.
"I find myself agreeing with your friend... Verdant, was it? Such a stratagem would only have merit if you had some chance of escape. Which you don't."
"Oh, but we do," I countered in a voice that was meant to sound spooky, but probably just came off as aggravating. Which was the point.
"Really? Do tell."
I shook my head. "I can't tell you, it's a surprise. You're gonna be really pissed when it happens, though."
"Am I now?" He arched a brow.
"Yep. Positively livid."
Red Eye tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps I should just have you shot, then, before that happens. Save me some stress."
"Anytime now, Twilight," I urged.
"Huh? Oh!" Twilight's horn glowed and we were gone before the guards could raise their guns.
We popped back into being somewhere in the open air portion of the compound.
"You could've clued me in sooner!" Twilight sputtered.
"Oh yeah, that makes sense. 'Hey Twilight, get ready to teleport us away. Don't tell that Red Eye bastard, though. He's not supposed to know'." I snorted and turned to the Doctor. "Start scanning for the source of that energy signature. We don't have long before they trigger the alarm."
The Doctor nodded and whipped out his sonic. While he waved the buzzing screwdriver around I kept an eye out for any roving guard patrols, assuming Twilight and Derpy were doing the same. The waiting was almost unbearable, though I knew only moments were passing.
Then the sonic screwdriver chirped and we all headed in the direction it was indicating, not getting more than twenty or thirty feet before the city's sirens started blaring. We crouched low, and slowed to a more surreptitious speed, but beyond that we didn't pay them much heed.
"This is it," the Doctor said as the four of us came to a small storage shed. "Whatever it is, it's in here."
"Can you teleport us inside, Twilight?"
"Make sure you check for wards first," I cautioned, adding my two cents to Derpy's question.
Twilight frowned at me as her horn lit up, casting an all-too-bright glow. "I'm aware of the dangers of warding spells, thank you. There doesn't seem to be any, though... So, to answer your question Derpy, yes. Yes I can."
"I guess that makes sense. Red Eye always seems to be forgetting what ponies with horns can do. Just like he does latter with Littlepip."
Maybe a little less comparing fact with your fiction, eh?" The Doctor looked around nervously. "They're bound to have started a sweep for us."
"Yeah... Alright Twilight, do it."
Another flash and we were in. By now, all of our eyes were used to quickly transitioning to and from extremely bright light, but the same could not be said for the lone guard that stood in the middle of the room. He blinked and rubbed them to try to clear the spots out of his vision. Before the earth pony had a chance to, though, a swift straight right solved that problem for him. And my problem of his being conscious.
"That was kind of harsh, don't you think?"
"I'm sorry, Twilight. Next time I'll knock him out gently," I sneered. I actually could, but she didn't really need to know that.
Twilight stomped in frustration. "Why do you have to be so-"
"Um, excuse me?" the Doctor interrupted. When we turned toward him, he was holding up a softball-sized, pure black sphere of some kind. "I found the source of the signature."
"What is it?" I asked, reminded that now was not the time to get into it with the Princess.
"I'm not quite sure, really. Never seen anything like it. Oh, it's always so exciting when I get to say that!"
Derpy groaned. "Doctor, maybe we should wait until we make it back to the Tardis before we get too excited."
As if to punctuate her concerns, the door flew open and a squad of Red Eye's guards stormed in. Just as they were leveling their guns the world flashed, and I was suddenly looking at them from the other side. All four of us bolted, Derpy carrying the sphere as she flew.
"Really?!" I shouted at Twilight. "Right behind them?!"
"I panicked, alright?!"
"Fire!" I heard a gruff voice command.
A flaming streak passed me and hit a wall up ahead. Before I even had time to react, the concussive force reached us and everything went black.
I jerked back into consciousness, my mind sluggishly racing to remember who and where I was, as well as what was happening. There was something important going on, but for the life of me I couldn't put a finger on it. I lifted a hoof to try and massage the throbbing in my temple away.
Wait, hoof? Why did I have hooves?
Then it all came flooding back. A bunch of murderous pony assholes were after me, and Twilight, and Derpy, and the Doctor. I looked around and found them all sprawled out beside me. Another quick glance confirmed that a group of guards were jogging our way. The blast must've only knocked me out for a second or two.
I hauled myself to a vertical position and tried to shake my nearby pegasus friend awake. "Get up, Derpy. Come on, we gotta go. Derpy! Derpy, get up!"
She didn't so much as stir. A nasty gash was bleeding freely on the side of her head, and when I saw it I cursed. A bit of wall had to have hit her. She wasn't getting up anytime soon.
I wrapped my forelegs around on of hers and tried to load her onto my back, but my stupid, useless hooves slipped and I fell backwards. The guards were getting closer.
"Twilight, get up! Doctor!" I tried again to lift Derpy, only to fail once more. "Get up! Help me!"
It was no use. They weren't waking up. I couldn't grab anything with these hooves, and even if I could I wouldn't be able to drag all three of them. I needed a miracle.
I needed magic.
Closing my eyes, I focused everything I had on wrapping the others in my power, like Twilight had shown me with the rock. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead and I felt my horn warm slightly. I opened my eyes hopefully.
And saw nothing. Not even a hint of my pink aura.
"God Damn It!" I screamed. "I'm not going to die here because I can't do simple magic! I!" I punched the ground with a hoof. "Am!" Another strike. "A!" A third. "Unicorn!"
I heard a snap beside me.
"You're a dead unicorn, you bastard," an unfamiliar voice growled. I turned and saw the group of guards arrive. Multiple safeties clicked off. I raised a hoof lamely to protect myself from the hail of bullets about to be unleashed. No, no, no, no, no, no,! Everything went pure white, and I thought that was it.
Then I blinked.
Some of the white went away, so I blinked some more. Eventually, my vision came back and I saw the dome of bubblegum interposed between the guards and my team.
"Ha! Magic shield, you jerks!" I crowed.
Reveling in my accomplishment, I set to waking the Princess up. Luckily, Twilight was simply a deep sleeper, and not more seriously injured like Derpy. With a scowl at the angry-looking ponies outside my shield, all of whom bolted when the rags of her dress fell away and revealed that she had wings as well as a horn, the Princess teleported everypony to the Tardis.
The Doctor was equally easy to revive and, since he actually had some medical knowledge, he went right to work on Derpy. A few bandages, some smelling salts, and an examination later, he declared that she would be fine shortly.
I sighed in relief. "Oh, thank Celestia."
"What?"
I turned to the Princess, her head was tilted quizzically, and a look around showed me that the other two seemed to be similarly confused. "What's wrong, everypony?"
"Are you... are you ok, Verdant?" Derpy asked.
"This from the mare with the bandages..." I flashed a smile, but it went away when nopony returned it. My chest felt a little tight.
"You said 'thank Celestia'."
"Yeah, so? It's a pretty common saying, Derpy." I replied. Why couldn't I breathe properly, and why did it feel like I had something in my throat? My eyes blurred.
"Wait a minute, Derpy's right," the Doctor agreed. "Don't you mean 'thank God'?"
I started hyperventilating. "I just- I- I think I need to-"
"Verdant, what's the matter?" Twilight's voice was full of concern, never mind her problems with my... previous behavior.
I lurched away, rushing to the comfort of my quarters, and when I got there I collapsed onto my bed, hoof over my heart. It hurt. I winced and asked myself, "Who's God...?"
Everything went black again.
The Forgetful One- part 1
The Forgetful One part 1
I woke to the warmth of another pony's embrace.
It wasn't hard to guess who it was. "Derpy? Why...?"
"You were crying in your sleep, Verdant," she said simply.
I sat up, shedding her comfort. I didn't deserve it, not with all that I'd done. I couldn't even face her as I mumbled, "I... I did something, Derpy. Something terrible."
"I know."
I whipped my head around in surprise. She just smiled patiently at me and took hold of one of my hooves, lifting it. She gingerly rotated it and pointed out the obvious. "You missed a spot."
"The pony back at the tower," I explained, or tried to. "He was going to hurt a lot of other ponies, so I... I ki-"
"You did what you thought was the right thing," she finished for me.
I sniffled. "Twilight's right. I'm a m-monster."
"No..." Derpy pressed a hoof to my cheek. "Hey, you were just doing your best. There are no heroes in the Wasteland, remember? You said that."
I shoved her hoof away. "A monster said that! Go away! Just- just go! Leave me alone."
Derpy slunk towards the door, and I almost didn't see the hurt look on her face as she did so.
I stayed in my room for some time, but eventually a nagging sense of guilt over hurting Derpy's feelings forced me out. Trying to stay unnoticed and inconspicuous, I crept through the halls as stealthily as I could.
I only made it a few steps before I heard a throat being cleared behind me.
"You realize she's only trying to help, right?" Twilight demanded as I turned around.
"I do, Your Highness," I replied glumly. "I really do. I just..."
Twilight's eyes narrowed. "'Your-' What is wrong with you? Come on, the Doctor and I are going to get to the bottom of this."
She shouldered past me and, after a moment's hesitation, I followed.
The Doctor was in the control room, as per usual, and at the moment he had his head and most of his front half buried in an exposed access panel. Derpy sat nearby, hoofing him tools and parts when he asked for them. Our approaching hoofbeats caused him to pull himself out of the wall. "Ah, you're awake. You had us worried, running away like that."
"I'm sorry," I murmured.
"He's been acting weird since-"
"I'm a little thirsty," the Doctor interrupted. "Could you pass me that cup over there?"
I shrugged, and absentmindedly levitated the indicated cup over to him.
He didn't take it. Instead, he stared intently at the aura surrounding the cup, and at my horn. "Interesting. That's very interesting."
"Uh, what is?" I asked.
"Two days ago, you could barely even get your horn to light up." The Doctor produced his sonic screwdriver and quickly scanned me, checking the results as he continued, "Now you don't even need to think about it."
I gaped as I realized he had a point. "You- You're right... Why couldn't I use my magic?"
"Hmm... No changes to your physically makeup or brain chemistry. Tell me, what's the first thing you remember?" he prodded.
"I, um, I woke up in the forest, then I saw the Princess and her friend, and I called them over so I could ask for help. I said... human? What's a human?"
"So you remember claiming to be human, but not what that means?" Twilight took over the cross-examination as the Doctor performed a few more tests, each involving some strange item seemingly pulled out of thin air. "What about this world? How much do you remember about where we are?"
I wracked my brain for the memories, but every one felt strangely disassociated. "I went into the pod and when I woke up again... Oh Celestia, what is this world? What have we done?!"
"What about Littlepip?" Twilight pressed.
"I remember saying the name."
"It looks like he's forgotten everything prior to his arrival in Equestria. The other one, I mean," Twilight pronounced. "And I guess he can use magic as a result."
The Doctor frowned. "As useful as the extra spellslinger is, if that's really the case then we've lost our guide for getting around this Equestria."
"Um, Doctor? One of the lights on your control-thingy is blinking," Derpy alerted, warily watching said light.
He bounded over. "Ah, that. I was tired of hearing the scanner beep every time it detected something, so I muted it."
"And if Derpy hadn't been looking at the console right then?"
"Give me some credit, Twilight. I would've seen it... eventually." The Doctor flipped a few switches, pointedly ignoring Twilight's disapproving gaze. "Okay, this one's coming from a place called Maripony. Does that ring any bells, Verdant?"
"No, sorry. I feel like it should, but I just can't remember. I'm so stupid and useless, I-" I spotted a certain stain. "Oh, I've got blood on my hooves..."
"Well regardless, we don't really have much of a choice. The last stop was something of a bust," Twilight decided.
"Alright. We're on our way."
The Doctor threw the Tardis into a short flight and, after it shuddered to a stop, cantered out the door, with Twilight close behind him. When I hesitated to follow. Derpy laid a comforting hoof on my shoulder. I nodded gratefully and together we left the Tardis.
The Forgetful One- part 2
The Forgetful One part 2
I only made it a few steps before the claws came for me.
A muted growl from beneath the ground was the only warning I received, and my confused turn towards the sound was the only reason my head kept its place on my shoulders. A nail slashed along my cheek, tipping me off-balance. I toppled to the dirt.
The creature's arc brought it down to the ground again, and it disappeared in a hail of sand and loose stones. Derpy knelt by my side and cried, “Verdant, are you okay?”
“What in Celestia's name was that?” My face burned where the thing's claw had found its mark. I could feel a liquid warmth.
“What's going on?” Princess Twilight demanded as both she and the Doctor rejoined us. “What was that noise?”
“There- There's something underground! Oh, it hurts.”
“Hold on, I've got something for that.” The Doctor produced an adhesive patch and applied it.
A furry hand grabbed hold of the princess' forehooves and started to drag her back the way it had come, but a quick beam shot freed the alicorn enough for her to lift off. Circling back around, she said, “We have to get higher so whatever it is can't get us! Come on, Derpy!”
Twilight wrapped her hooves around the Doctor and picked him up, while Derpy did the same for me. We went airborne just in time to dodge another leaping attack from the beast. Finally, I could see it clearly.
The thing was a hulking lump of matted black fur and muscles. Seemingly bipedal, it sported nothing but a ragged vest. Its open muzzle revealed a set of overly-sharp teeth.
“Is... Is that a Diamond Dog?”
Derpy shot a quick look back at the monster, who was standing above ground, tracking our flight. “It can't be. Diamond Dogs may not be the cutest creatures in Equestria, but I don't think they've ever been that mean-looking.”
“Don't dismiss it so fast,” the Doctor told her as the winged ponies slowed to a stop. We were high enough that we could safely plan our next step, but more of the Dogs popped up beside the first one. “The Diamond Dogs we're familiar with would've spent the last couple centuries bathed in the fallout of those god-killing bombs. Some mutation is to be expected.”
“They're blocking our way to that Maripony place. How are we supposed to get there now?” I asked.
“Probably the same way we got away from them in the first place,” Twilight quipped.
“Oh. Oh, yeah.” I grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, Your Highness.”
“Can you... Can you stop that? It's getting a little weird.”
Even more of the Dogs arrived before I could apologize again. A loud ker-chak told us exactly what they'd brought with them. Derpy blanched. “They have guns?!”
“Shields, shields, shield!” the Doctor yelped.
A purple glow flared to life and intercepted the storm of lead, though the extra effort was wearing on Princess Twilight. Little beads of sweat trickled down from her brow, and she sank lower. I opened my mouth to ask if she needed some help.
Then a ball of flame smashed against the shield.
Concussive force shattered the princess' magic and threw the four of us down to the rocks. We landed hard. Slowly, painfully, I rose. I was the only one who did so, the others stayed sprawled out.
“Derpy! Derpy, are you alright?” I wheezed, desperately checking for any signs of injury.
There were none, thankfully. She was breathing evenly and more or less intact, as were the Doctor and Princess Twilight. “Thank Celestia,” I said under my breath. My friends were okay. We were okay.
“Poooonnnyy!”
I spun around at the screech and saw one of the dogs bounding towards us. In seconds, it closed what little distance there had been. The beast leapt, claws aimed at my throat. I quickly lit up my horn and sent an unfocused mass of magic its way. The beam caught the Dog full in the chest.
The Dog recovered almost immediately, rolling to its paws and scrabbling after me again. But this time I was ready for it. A shield of my own blazed into being. It was rougher than the princess', not as pretty or perfect, but it did its job. The Dog pounded futilely on the pink hemisphere.
I'm not sure how long I held the shield against the monster. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes or so, but adrenaline has a way of turning seconds into ages. Regardless there was enough time for more Dogs to show up before my friends began to stir.
At the same moment, some of the Dogs stopped banging on the shield and let out a fearful whine. The lot of them bolted as Derpy raised her head. “What..? Verdant, did you make this shield? Why are they running?”
I gulped and pointed the reason out to her, having just caught sight of it myself. It was a sight both familiar, and yet strange in execution. There were four of them, each a different color, and they all sported wings and horns.
“Alicorns?” Twilight gasped.
Ch. 2
Unfortunately, I had started walking in the wrong direction. Luckily, Twilight noticed and guided us back to the right track. We managed to get to Ponyville fairly quickly following her path.
"What?" The Doctor was close to panic. "Where is it?"