Author's Note
This is a sequel to: I Hope This Will Get Somewhere. Go check it out if you want
Standing In Hope
I will fight to the death before I surrender. I will fight, standing in hope.
-Charlie Gondaver
Applejack was trotting home from a meeting with her friends. It was a normal day, nothing out of the ordinary going on, well, it should have been normal, but something was creeping inside of her, fear was creeping inside of her. She was being watched, and she knew it.
I knew it was time... time to face my fears. Ever since I released my story on what happened to me, to the ponies, the armored ones increased their search parties by at least double. I was searching for sympathy with my story but all I gained was more mistrust. But I still have the Orb... I still have hope.
I had to go into town, I needed to get past my fears. If I get locked up again then so be it, but I am well prepared for a fight. My body grew stronger with me taking almost daily runs from the armored ponies, and I train my body with pushups and situps, and I even figured a way to catch some food, I built a net one day to help me catch some fish from a river not far from my cave, and low and behold it did miracles for me, I caught at least a couple a day, however I sometimes caught nothing and was forced to sit that day out. Next I made traps such as snares and deadfalls to help catch me some dinner, they never really got much... almost never actually, though when they did, believe me when I tell you that it was a lot better than fish. But I knew I couldn't live like this forever, and that's why I decided to stand and fight. I found a very sturdy piece of wood that I use as a club, and man does it hit hard, i hit large trees with all my might and it didn't break, I knew I could use it as a weapon.
I decided to head out then. Club in hand and a spring in my step. I needed a break from living in that cave, a long break, for it was starting to get me sick in there... not literally but figuratively. And so I went out and continued on my path to that small town in the distance.
When I reached the town I found it to be very quiet, it was strange for that town, never before has this happened. So I just strolled in, not having a care in the world. I did not expect the streets to be completely empty when I entered that town, I expected to hear screaming and the sound of hooves smashing the ground. But there was nothing, nothing at all. It was like the town was dead, or something came and scared them all away. I knew it couldn't be me because they knew I was free for a long time and they never ran away unless I was there in the town. It must have been something quite dangerous if the whole town hid from it. I wanted to know what it was, so I set of onward to try and solve my curiosity.
After searching the town for about ten minutes, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look at whatever it was, and what greeted me was a hooded figure of a pony, or at least I think it was a pony. It was on the top of a hill. "Follow me and you will see your destiny" The hooded figure spoke, so I followed in hopes to figure out whatever she meant. She lead me to the edge of a forest. It was the darkest and most dreary forest I have ever laid eyes on, it was then I objected.
"No, if you want to tell me something you tell me here." I stated coldly, club raised in one hand.
"Please I do insist that you follow me." It said. It made a hissing noise when it spoke, almost like a snake.
"I said it before and I will say it again, if you have something to say to me you say it here, I will not go inside that forest." I said with a little anger in my tone.
"YOU WILL FOLLOW ME, NOW!!!" The creature said in a screeching type of way.
At that moment I raised my club into the air to get ready and defend myself. The creature stared at me rage in its eyes as it pounced. I was to slow to defend myself so the creature ended up hitting me hard in the chest knocking me to the ground. It pounced again but this time on top of me, it bit a chunk of flesh of my shoulder while i tried to shake it of. When I couldn't shake it of I decided to drop us both to the ground in a wrestling sort of way. The creature was nocked of and dazed, this was my moment, I raised my club and smashed it into the beasts skull, crushing the brain on the blood soaked ground below. Hope is what kept me stable throughout that fight... its always hope. I thank God I have hope, for I would have been dead a long time ago without it.
I wasn't prepared for injuries, I never really took that under consideration if I got to badly injured then it could mean my death. Luckily for me I was able to stop the bleeding with a few rags I tore of my old shirt. However, if I wanted to be safe then I would need some alcohol or some form of cleanser for injuries. I went back into town hoping to find somepony who would help me, but the streets were still empty. Then a thought came to mind.
I approached the Golden Oaks Library and knocked on the door. "Go away we did nothing to you leave us alone!" A voice cried from inside. Being the rude person I am I decided to go inside anyways, nothing would stop me... except a locked door... nah not even that can stop me. With one hard kick I knocked the door open, I was then greeted by a shaking alicorn in the corner, why my old friend was so scared of me when she could kill me easily I did not know.
"Hello, friend." I said a little coldly.
"wh-what do you want?" she asked in a very shaky and fearful tone,
"Don't worry I am not here to hurt you, I just need some medical supplies."
"There over there, in the closet." She pointed to a closet in the corner of the room.
"Please leave." Twilight said still shivering in fear.
I opened the closet, and right in front of my face was a medical container. I brought it out and laid it across a table. When I opened it I found there to be exactly what I needed, a small container of alcohol, some bandages, pain killers, and everything a man would need.
"Thanks" I said waving goodbye to my old friend. She may not have treated me fairly back at the prison, but I forgive her now, she trusted Applejack, I would have done the same thing if I were in her position. Once outside I began treating my wound, I put some alcohol on my wound and God did it hurt, it hurt like hell. Once I was finished with applying stuff to my shoulder I decided it was time to head back to my cave. I was hoping for a longer stay out but, I was wounded and I needed rest, I lost quite a bit of blood and my eyes were heavy.
While walking back to my cave I thought about all that I had been through in this world. All the pain, all the suffering, and all the trouble. "Man I've been through hell and back haven't I" I stated quite sadly. It was then my heart took a turn for the worst, I wanted revenge, and I was going to do anything I could to get it.
It took me awhile to find the place called Sweet Apple Acres, but when I did a twisted smile grew on my lips.
Applejack continued to gallop all the way to her home. When she reached it she couldn't feel what she felt before, the fear was gone. But there was still something lurking, she just hoped it wouldn't follow her.
As soon as I started closing in on the farm the orb in my pocket started to glow, and with its glow came my emotions, I was sorry for what I was going to do, I wasn't a monster of revenge and I am not going to become one anytime soon, all of the sudden the orb stopped glowing, it made me think that maybe its linked up to my emotions in some way or another. But still I went forth to the farm, if I cant get revenge then perhaps I could clear my name. It was only hope that kept me going to the farm, hope that I would soon be free. And hope that maybe I could make a new friend.
I was lucky to see Applejack standing there on the porch of their homestead. When she noticed me, deep fear was planted on her face, such fear I don't think I will ever live to see a pony more scared then she was. "Hello again, Applejack." I said calmly.
"Wha-wah-what-what do you want?" She asked scared more than half to death.
"What I want is to clear up our misunderstanding we had last time we met."
Applejack just stood there frozen in fear.
"Applejack calm down, if I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead." I said raising my club in one hand. She looked at it in utter horror.
"Please, leave my family here alone, and take me instead"
I sighed, "Like I said before, I don't want to kill anypony, if I were to do that than I fear that I am nothing but the monster you talked about so many months ago."
"Why are ya here then?" Applejack said in a little more sober tone.
"I am here to set myself straight, and to tell you all that has happened to me." I said coldly.
And so I told her my story, all of it. And It turns out that the story I created to get sympathy never really got read by anypony it must have gotten lost. And it was just coincidence that the armored ponies doubled their patrols. Once we were done talking We parted ways. She told me that if I were to ever come by here again that I should drop in and have some more of her delicious apple pie that she baked for me to take home to my cave. And I couldn't help but agree. It was the best, EVER. I still didn't forgive her, and she knew that, but at least maybe I could make a start.
I was finally nearing my cave, it had been a long day and the sun was now setting behind the hills. Then it hit me... fear, I couldn't tell where it came from but none the less there was fear placed in my heart, I quickly finished the pie that Applejack gave me and sprinted towards my cave. I don't know what that fear was about but it was soon gone when I got to my cave. I didn't sleep well that night, I just kept watching the mouth of the cave and keeping my fire fueled.
Fear is the enemy of hope. Never lose hope or the fear might take you.
-Charlie Gondaver.
