Bloodlines: Dragon of the Eclipse

Chapter II“The honest truth”

POV - Fluttershy“I don’t even know your name...”        “Applejack!” As much as I hated to do it, I pointed my stare at her. She didn’t even flinch. “You... you... bitch!” I blinked and jolted back. Did I just say that?        Applejack blinked as well, but stood her ground. “Sugarcube... don’t make me into the bad guy here. His kind is nuthin’ but trouble and you—”        “HIS kind?! He’s a pony! No different from you or me or any—”        “Yer bein’ naive again, Shy...” Applejack put a hoof on my shoulder, but I jerked away. My stare never lost its power. “Not everythin’ is sunshine and rainbows, ‘specially with his kind ‘round. Ah did you a favor.”        I shoved her away. “A favor?!”  I snapped. “You ripped his heart out!”        Applejack could only groan and roll her eyes. How dare she treat this like I was scolding her? “Yer gettin’ awful emotional about a... freak ya’ll jus’ known for, what, a few hours? It’s gonna bite ya in the flank, sugarcube...”        She trotted off, leaving me to stare at nothing. I don’t know what happened, but that wasn’t Applejack I saw walking away.

POV - ApplejackI knew Fluttershy meant well, but sometimes that girl could be so stubborn. I knew I didn’t have room to talk about being bullheaded, but at least I didn’t let my heart cloud my judgement. I knew trouble when I saw it.        I was so lost in my anger I walked right into the front door of the farmhouse. I rubbed my head, which now hurt like the rest of my body, and walked inside. Applebloom ran up and gave a good buck to my behind, sending me falling to the floor. Despite all her growin’ and practice, it didn’t hurt. Well, didn’t hurt physically.        “Applebloom! What in tarnation has gotten into you?!”        “JERK!” she yelled at me. I was confused, because I always taught her to be honest. Now she was treating me like a stranger.Before I could pick myself up, she took off to her room. “Applebloom! You git down here right now or yer gonna get a helluva whoopin’!” I coiled myself, ready to take off after her. I knew I could catch her, but I didn’t have the motivation to do it. She’d get a switch to her flank later.        I sank into the sofa, feeling my muscles relax and sleep try to overcome me. Bloom’ll be back. She’s still afraid of the dark. I’d have been worried for her knowing that freak was out there, but I was sure I scared him off good. He got the message that I’m going to protect this family if he ever got the stones to come round these parts again.        I barely remembered conking out on the sofa, but I woke up in a puddle of drool with my flank stuck in the air. As I blinked the sleep from my eyes, I remember it was the sound of somepony clearing their throat that woke me up. I could feel eyes boring into me as I sat up and came face to face with Big Macintosh.        “Oh... howdy...” I fumbled as I reached for my hat and put it back on. “All the sheep are safe, ah reckon?”        Big Mac was silent. The tension felt thicker than applesauce all the sudden. Sure he was quiet, but never this quiet.        “Mac, whatever this is about, we—” I glanced up and accidently met his stare. I don’t know how he did it, but I froze. His was worse than Fluttershy’s. For a crazy moment, I thought he was going to hit me. I swallowed hard and tried to continue. “Look... ah...”        It dawned on me what it was all about. Fluttershy and Applebloom weren’t the only ones pissed at me right now. If I wasn’t so adamant to stick to my guns, I would’ve felt like a mule.        “Look, Ah’m not sorry, and if you think you’re gonna- um...”        I stumbled over every word I said, and Big Mac just kept on staring me down, until he finally talked. “Apologize,” he said.        I would have been much less terrified if he had yelled instead. For the rest of that night, I sat in the dark wide awake.

POV - ???So... what did I do? Did I run off and leave it all behind? Find Judas and continue my petty life of crime? Slinking through the shadows, out of sight out of mind...        No. I let her down again.        I found a cave next to another apple tree, flew in there, slumped down, and cried. I didn’t even care that the damp moisture from the stone floor was ruining the robes Rarity worked so tirelessly on.        Four hours...        Four long hours, I cried. I had been beaten and stabbed so many times. Left for dead even more. But that didn’t break my spirit. I cry, who doesn’t? But I always had Judas to pick me up and tell me things would be better in the end.        Now... I didn’t even have that. Nothing physical could ever make me sink so low. The worst part about this whole thing? Everything Applejack said was true. I didn’t care now if I lived or died, crying myself into dehydration so that she could see my corpse and relish in what she done.        All because I had to be a damn half-breed.What would the others think? What would have Twilight, or Pinkie Pie, or Rainbow Dash... any of them thought of me if they got past my appearance? My life? My disorders and anxiety? My beastly instincts? My old comrades? ...Or that one thing I kept from everyone...“Um... hi?”That was unexpected. Despite my blurry vision from all the crying, I could see a faint yellow figure in the moonlight outside the cave. There was no mistaking that voice. My throat tightened as I choked out a weak response. I didn’t want her to see me like this. I buried my face in my forelegs, hoping that if I couldn’t see her she would disappear. Out of sight and out of mind. I was acting like a child.I felt her tail brush my forelegs as she walked by. The hairs on my neck stood on end as I fought my body’s urge to launch up and counter her. Then I felt hooves lightly stroking my neck, trying to comfort me.“I’m sorry...”“For what?” I muttered, lost in Fluttershy’s sympathetic massage.“Sometimes... Applejack is just a little too honest for her own good. I never thought she could be so... mean.”I felt her shudder against me.“So, I’ve torn a rift between you two.”        I felt an overwhelming amount of guilt as Fluttershy stumbled over her words, trying to deny that I had done anything wrong.        “It’s not your- I mean, well, I- I just- how do I- um...”        “You’re not very good at these motivational speeches.”        Ironically, I had heard quite a few motivational speeches in my life. What I said there brought back more painful memories of Judas and her never say die attitude.        My thoughts crept from the mind and out of my mouth. “Every time I got a scar, Judas could heal it. Not with medicine, her voice. She made me feel like I was more than a freak. More than a pony. I felt I could something like a... a... I don’t know. Something better than this. A beat up half breed crying about what a stupid hick said-”        “Hey!” I regretted saying that as Fluttershy rose her voice to defend Applejack. “Don’t be a hypocrite!”        “Sorry...”        Her anger disappeared as fast as it arrived. The kindness she had shown me before returned to her eyes. “No, I’m sorry. I should have been there for you but I was scared.” She looked at the stone floor in embarrassment. “Like always.”        All this heart to heart was making me dizzy. Then again, I hadn’t slept in... I didn’t know how long. I laid my head against the softest stone nearby. “Better you than Judas. She would have probably beaten Applejack into a pulp. Then who would be the sorry one?”        “Judas?”        “No... me,” I rolled my eyes. I tossed and turned in a hopeless attempt to get comfortable. Nothing could ease me from the cold feeling in my chest. “I’m a walking alienation. I steal and hide, I have no social skills, and the only ponies I could friends were the rejects of society. My only claim in life is being known as the homewrecking freak who ponies can’t decide if they should kill or exile.”        I rolled over again and faced Fluttershy. Her eyes were shimmering with fresh tears. “All I am is heartbreak and loneliness, and I carry that with me wherever I go.”        With that, I had Fluttershy at a loss for words. She kept opening and closing her mouth, but nothing would help me out of this tragic revelation. She knew it.        “But...” I continued, “one night, Judas had the craziest, stupidest idea. Something she would never have thought of until then, because she was so driven by all the hell we had been put through. It seemed so drastic, so insane, and yet... so perfect. I had never pictured anything so beautiful. We thought we could get away with it, but then... well...”        I sat up to avoid the dripping water of a stalactite, facing Fluttershy head on.“That- that perfect idea is exactly what got her and everyone else killed, and put me into a coma. Judas is dead because of me!”        Agony squeezed tighter on my insides, until I felt Fluttershy’s hoof again, moving my unkempt hair out of my face. “That’s... how I met you,” she said        She had me there. I hadn’t met anypony like her, or Twilight, or Rainbow Dash, or Rarity. Especially Pinkie Pie.“I’m sure that no matter what happened to Judas, she loved you like family. Isn’t that enough to know she cared?”        “Well...” I chuckled through a sob, “she always did call me ‘bro.’”        “Only a true friend could say that.”        “But... she wasn’t like you guys. She saw me as something greater than a pony, and everyone else saw me as something less. In Ponyville, for the first time in my life, I feel like I can just be… me.”        I felt like such a fool. I was so preoccupied with what just one pony said to remember what the rest of that day was like. It was the best day of my life.Come on, bro! Are you gonna let that farm girl getcha down?        No, Judas. You wouldn’t let that happen.Then get up, stand tall and trot down the path that you choose!And what if-Don’t ask what if. Just jump in and do it! Don’t worry about ‘what if’s’ or ‘how will’s’ and ‘could have been’s’.I thought you expected more of me.Well, I’m kinda dead. What am I gonna do about it?        That’s not funny, Judas.You thought it up yourself, bro. You oughta keep do that more often. It’s time you stopped caring what everyone else thinks and do your own thing.        That was enough. I put Judas out of my mind, knowing I didn’t need her anymore.“I want to go home.”In just one day, Ponyville had become more of a home than I had ever known, and the little time I had spent there gave me the unforgettable feeling of happiness. Like the feeling of Fluttershy embracing me as my mother used to. We hugged as equals. It was just... wonderful.“Ugh, enough of the sappy stuff already!”A young filly’s voice echoed through the cave, prompting Fluttershy to let go of me. Then came another. This one had an accent just like Applejack’s.“Dangit, Scootaloo! Ya don’t have ta ruin the moment!”“Doesn’t seminentality mean anything to you?”“Sweetie Belle, It’s pronounced sentimental!”“You’re acting like a dictionary again, Applebloom!”I couldn’t help but chuckle at this comedic trio. “Did they help you find me?”Fluttershy nodded. “They’re always up for any challenge, aren’t you girls?”The three of them came into view. An orange Pegasus, white Unicorn and yellow Earthwalker, respectfully. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders can take on anything!” they shouted in unison while striking a dramatic pose.Even in the most biased towns, I always had a way with children. Perhaps it was that they had yet to fall under social norms. Or, their minds were more interested in the unknown than staying safe with the familiar.The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were a fascinating group of misfits. During the long moonlit trip through the woods, they told me about their many misadventures in a long running quest to find their, well, Cutie Marks, obviously. Each story was more entertaining than the last. What I admired most about these children is that even though they endured constant failure to find their Cutie Marks, they never showed any sign of discouragement.Then came the story where one of them succeeded...“Last month, Rarity dragged me along to what I thought was gonna be this boring orchestra,” said Sweetie Belle, “but I got so excited when I found out DJ Pon3 was doing backup! Have you ever heard of her?”“Um, no.”“Well, when she and the band did an epic duet, I lost control of myself. Before I knew it, I was on stage with a microphone, making up the lyrics as I went along, and everypony loved it! Rarity was so proud of me, she cried for three hours straight, and when she finally stopped, she pointed out my Cutie Mark!”Sweetie Belle’s flank was adorned by a microphone intertwined with a musical note. Scootaloo gave her a noogie and patted her own blank flank. “So that’s one out of three, and the journey continues!”After a three-way high five, the girls looked at me with curiosity. “Say, where’s your Cutie Mark?“I... can’t have one.”That was another burden I carried as a half breed.“I’ll never have the pleasure of knowing what I’m meant to do with my life.”“Isn’t that kinda a blessin’ in disguise?” asked Applebloom. “You’re like a... blank state!”“Slate,” Sweetie Belle corrected.“Whatever. What Ah mean is, you can do whatever you want.”“I... never thought of it that way before,” I said.        I had been so preoccupied with their storytelling, I had hardly noticed we had arrived at a small cottage. It looked like quite the cozy place. It was surrounded by colorful flowers and a clean stream. Even the roof was covered in vegetation.        “This is your home?” I asked Fluttershy.        She nodded. “It’s yours too. For as long as you like.”        The three fillies all huddled together. “Aaaaaaawww!” they said in unison.        I failed to understand what that was all about.        Applebloom broke off from the group and trotted back down the trail. “It was nice to meet ya. Ah better get home before my big sis throws a hissy fit.”        Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle quickly followed suit. “See you later!” they shouted.        The interior of the house was just as gorgeous as the outside, with nature themed decorations lining the walls. A curved flight of stairs lead to a second floor.        “You can have my bed,” said Fluttershy. “It’s just up...”        I held up my hoof to stop her. I felt more comfortable approaching the loveseat beside the window. I undid the latch and let the cool evening breeze flow through my mane. Looking to the skies above the open fields, I could see the moon. It was beginning to wane.        “Mother...” I whispered.        Fluttershy, understanding my desire to be alone for the time, took naturally quiet steps up the stairs to her room. “Good night,” she whispered.        I turned to her, and decided that if I was going to spend more time with her, I had to let more of my close secrets go. “Cerberus.”        “Huh?”        “Judas called me Cerberus. I want you to call me that too.”        Fluttershy smiled, and just seeing her so happy made me warmer than any blanket could have. “Then, good night, Cerberus,” she said. “I’m glad you’re here.”So I slept under the pale moonlight, and at the time, it was the best I ever slept in my entire life.

This chapter was partially co-written with Ponyman.

Read hisnew story, Daring Do and the Power of the Goddess!