You know what's worse than being sealed away for over 1000 years in stone, unable to communicate with anybody- sorry, anypony- and letting them know that you aren't really the criminal you're made out to be with only the company of your own mind to let you know that you're slowly losing it if you haven't lost it already? Not a whole hell of a lot, actually. Going to be honest, I'm not even sure if I am sane anymore. I suppose I should be thankful that I at least remember all that I do of medicine, at least it gave me something to focus on.
Actually, now that I think about it, how much has changed in regards to medicine over the past millennium? How many advances have been made? I wonder if the suggestions and theories I'd written have been implemented, or at least explored. Thinking about it, it's been such a long time. How many other large threats have threatened Equestria? I wonder if the Princesses are naïve as I remember? Questions that I suppose won't be answered for awhile for me, if ever. Not many ponies stay to talk to the statues.
Have to admit, I rather do enjoy the pose I was sealed in, makes me look pretty cool. Lunging forward, fist reared back and ready to punch with all my strength. A look of grim determination on my face while my clothes flutter in the breeze behind me. Times like this make me wonder if I should congratulate the Princesses on their timing when using the Elements, because this is a rather nice pose.
And that reminds me, why did I get sealed as well? Okay, sure, I was in the middle of fighting Tirek when I got petrified, and we were pretty close to each other when the rainbow washed over us. And I'll be fair here, yelling at me to 'dodge' would have probably messed me up, to say nothing of serving as a warning to my opponent that something was coming our way. So in that regard, I could understand it. However, Celestia and Luna were never really my biggest fans. I'm a pretty peaceful man and only fight when I feel that there's no choice, but I've got no qualms about killing. Celestia and Luna are more hesitant than I am about combat, and even then they preferred to seal a threat away until such a time that they felt that said threat could be 'redeemed'. But still, they do control the sun and moon's rotation here and the ponies do seem happy about living under their rule. At the same time, the Sisters do recognize- begrudgingly, I must admit- that I myself am pretty popular amongst their citizenry. A doctor who's cheap but knowledgeable and is willing to put payment aside for those who are down on their luck and willing to take a chance with a procedure that most pony doctors wouldn't even consider, let alone attempt? If I'm allowed a moment of gloating, I was someone that the Sisters couldn't make a move against without raising a lot of protest, and I was rather useful in keeping a vast majority of the populace alive.
Not everybody grew up in riches and privilege, after all.
So while I could see my sealing being an accident or a necessary sacrifice, I could not completely discount that this was merely a golden opportunity for them to seal away what they considered a significant threat. When you're able to wound Discord, even a bit, without the use of some obscure and powerful magical artifact that required the magic of two alicorns, you tend to earn that title. Granted, I paid rather dearly for that fight. Trickster he may be, but when Discord gets even the slightest bit serious he freaking hurts. Makes my ribs throb just remembering. Or is that a phantom pain? Wait, I'm a statue, how can I feel pain of any kind? Oh dear Hells, I really am losing my mind!
“This way, my little ponies! This next one is one that I want you all to see!”
Oh thank goodness, a distraction! Wait, what did she say? 'Next one'? Next one what? Is she talking about Discord? Can't be, he's behind me. Or is that to my right? Does that make my 'front' my 'left'? But it sounded like the voice was coming from my right- No, wait, that's my front, my right is over behind me, but it can't be because I'm facing this way, to the front, which is on my left, but my left is-!
Gods dammit, it's times like this I wish I could punch myself for getting so damn distracted by inconsequential things. As an aside, I think that lends more credence to the thought that I am insane, if not on the edge of the line. Can insanity be cured? Not sure. Will have to experiment later. Oh wait, I'm sealed. Dammit!
Thankfully, the owner of the voice stood within my sight along with a fair number of foals. Locals? Perhaps a field trip? No, can't be, Canterlot's schools wouldn't let what they consider to be 'riff-raff' enroll, and several of these foals would certainly be considered that. At least in my time they would be. Things change over time, maybe Canterlot has gotten a bit more friendly?
“Eww!” Blanched one of the foals, a small soft-pink earth pony with a tiara on her head. “What is this disgusting looking thing?!”
Or maybe they've gotten worse, that's also a possibility. Seriously, rude. Also, 'thing'? Have the education standards also dropped? You'd think there'd be at least one book that says who and what I am, I made sure the Princesses at least knew. I'm pretty sure they'd at least make those details known.
Thirdly, screw you little girl, I'm not the best looking guy around but I am far from disgusting looking.
Thankfully I was saved from my displeasure by the teacher speaking up once more. “This 'thing', as you called it Diamond, is a statue of one of Equestria's more potent threats,” the teacher, a pinkish-red Earth pony corrected. “A human named Jude Mathis, who got into many disagreements with our Princesses and instigated combat many times through our history.”
And once more I wish I was unsealed so I could at least sigh in exasperation. The disagreements thing, yes, that happened. But instigated combat? Really? It was only two or three times that I got into fights that I started. Well, actually, I didn't really 'start' them so much as attempt to finish them. Discord and Tirek struck the first blows, after all, injuring and sometimes even killing ponies. I just went to finish the fights. A doctor I might be, but I will never condone injuries sustained from creatures who feel that it's their right to rule over what they consider 'lesser beings'. Shaking off those thoughts, I refocused on the teacher who was now calling on a pony who was waving his hoof around, a short and pudgy unicorn foal with what looked scissors on his flank.
“Um, Ms. Cheerilee,” he spoke up, his voice sounding a bit raspy. “What do you mean 'disagreements'?” Oh I dunno kid, mayhaps something to do with the whole pacifistic policy that the Princesses held towards most situations and foes? Meanwhile, Cheerilee nodded her head, a small and sad smile on her face.
“Very good question, Snips.” she answered. (Snips? That's his name? Well, I...guess I've heard weirder.) “As you know, the Princesses wish to never use violence to solve their problems, and wish for all ponykind to live by the philosophy of Harmony.” I mentally groaned, seeing where this was going. “Jude, however, resorted to violence in order to solve what he saw as irredeemable threats, and insisted that his way of dealing with those threats was right. This came to a head a thousand years ago when the Princesses were forced to deal with him once and for all themselves. They sealed him in stone and have placed him here, so that he may forever watch ponykind and see how we've flourished since he's departed.”
'Departed, she says.' I think to myself bitterly. 'Doesn't seem to realize that saying it like that makes it sound like I'm dead, despite the fact that their precious Princesses would never deign to such barbarous methods.' Harsh, I know, but I can hardly bring myself to care. I may not know for sure why I got sealed, but it seems that the populous has a rather negative view on myself and my methods.
“Golly!” A young voice snaps my attention back to the group, specifically a young yellow Earth pony with a red mane and tail with a pink bow in said mane. “Livin' yer entire life as a bad guy and wantin' to just fight all the time sounds really lonely!”
Gods be damned, I'm never going to shake off the stigma of being a warmonger, am I? Starting to wonder if I should just give up on being understood. Cheerilee gives off a nervous chuckle, shifting from hoof to hoof. “Actually, he hated fighting.”
THAT sent confused whispers and looks flowing through the group, as well as a silent 'thank you' from me to Cheerilee. A young voice speaks up from the back, sadly out of my line of sight. “But, wait. Didn't you say he fought with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?” Smart kid, whoever it is. Cheerilee nods before looking back up at me.
“Oh yes, my little ponies,” she confirms. “Jude was, first and foremost, a doctor who worked around the world, healing and treating all wounded no matter who or what they were. He finally built a house at the edge of the Everfree forest and made it into a hospital to help him treat more patients than he could by simply going from house to house. In fact, you could say that his house became Equestria's first general hospital who would treat any creature, from pony to zebra without any malice or care of race. In fact, his house still stands at the edge of the forest, though it's become a kind of unspoken law that none enter it out of respect for Jude and the deeds he performed. And just because he ran that hospital out of his own house did not stop him from responding to others' calls for his medical skills, often running out after midnight for emergencies which required his skills.”
And now I want to smile. Sure, she had been painting me as a sort of villain, but it appears that she, at least, has respect for me or at least the good I did. And judging from that 'law' she mentioned she's not the only one. I'm actually pretty happy with that. Sure, I'm pretty much stuck in stone forever but at least I'm appreciated, you know? It's the little things in life, especially when you're sealed for eternity.
...And now I'm kind of depressed. I've really got to stop doing that to myself, it's a bad habit. Meanwhile, a small silver Earth pony with glasses and a braided mane spoke up.
“But, wait.” started, a confused look on her face. “If he was, like, such a great hoo-man, why'd he get sealed?” Question of the millennium, kiddo, and you're the second one to ask that question. A little late to the party there. Also, it's-
“'Human', Silver Spoon. It's pronounced 'human'.” Cheerilee corrected. Yeah, what your teacher said. And Silver Spoon's your name? Who are your parents, and why'd they name you that? “And nopony but the Princesses themselves can answer that. The reasons have been lost to time, save for what I told you earlier. Though if I had to hazard a guess...” she trailed off, turning to face me fully and staring into my eyes. Really starting to like this mare, I must admit. She's got a look on her face that I would call 'understanding'. She stayed that way for a few seconds before speaking again, her voice soft and yet somehow sounding loud enough to carry over everypony there.
“If I had to guess, I'd say he was tired. He was tired of having to bandage up children who got hurt for little to no reason at all. Tired of having to amputate limbs that couldn't be healed. Tired of having to treat anypony, or rather anything for wounds from animal attacks. And tired of having villains attacking our kind and the Princesses wanting to try and talk down a conflict. Jude didn't follow Harmony, and while he loved peace, probably felt that we were too weak because ponykind did everything in its power to avoid conflict. The Princesses believe in giving all life a second chance, but Jude was tired of having to treat injuries from enemies that could have been dealt with once and for all...but never were.” She turned to face the rest of her class, a solemn, tight smile on her face. “Jude, like us, was mortal. He wouldn't live forever, and knew this. He knew he couldn't defend Equestria forever just by healing. He had the power to save lives, and just as much to end it. We've lasted a thousand years in relative peace, so his bad feelings about the future were probably nothing. But he would always ask one question that would make even the Princesses take pause.”
A young, orange pegasus jumped up and down, her wings buzzing heavily each time. “What question's that, Ms. Cheerilee?” I give a cold, mental chuckle before repeating my words from the past, in time with their teacher's answer.
“Are you willing to risk the lives of your ponies, your people, just to give your enemies a chance to strike again more severely?”
~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~
It's later now, about twenty minutes or so. The class had left, a quiet and, dare I say it, thoughtful air hanging around them. It's probably too much to hope, but I think they just learned a bit about their world. There's good actions and bad actions, but either one can have good or bad reasons behind each. I did bad things, sure, in resorting to violence. But in doing so, I was protecting lives form further harm. The Princesses, Celestia and Luna, they wanted to aid their enemy, give him a chance to live in peace. But in exchange, ponies were injured and, sometimes...even killed. Were my actions, then, truly evil? I don't know. Do I regret it? Not....really, I suppose.
No, I do know. I don't regret it. If given the chance, I would make those decisions over again. Pointless, I suppose, in coming to that conclusion again. I've asked myself it before, and I come to the same answer time and again. I've had over a thousand years to think on it, and my answer is always the same. Should events have progressed as they had before, my actions would have stayed the same. Probably would have asked for help, probably the ponies or the gryphons. Probably not, though, since I was doing those things to protect, but then sometimes you can protect better when they're near by.
But again, pointless in coming to that conclusion once more. I'm sealed, and so will remain forever. The fact that I've remained (mostly) sane this long is a miracle in and of itself, but that'll change. The world will continue to turn, the inhabitants of the world will continue to evolve and progress, and I shall remain a villain in the eyes of the vast majority of the populace. Meanwhile, I'll be here for eternity, slowly losing my sanity in silence without even the ability to scream in despair. Suffering in silence for all time without even having the pleasure of a single, last conver-
*Crack*
My thoughts jerk to a stop. I...could have sworn I just heard something. I'm not sure, but I think it came from me. But that's impossible. I'm a stone statue, now. Or at least, I'm inside one. I can't make noise. But if that's the case, then what-?
*Crack cr-crack*
...Holy hells, I DID make that noise! Am I breaking free? Is the seal lifting? Or, wait, did the magic run out? In the time it takes for these questions and more to run through my mind, my stone prison breaks apart even more until, eventually, I'm free.
Free. I'm...free. I'm free. FREE!
“Whoo-whoa, whoa whoa whoa-!” Thump! “Ow!” Yeah, free. And forgetting that I had been sealed in a position in which I had been running. Seems you don't keep inertia or balance when you're released from imprisonment. Good to know. Mental note to self, remember such a detail in the future should I find myself in a similar situation in the future. Follow-up note: AVOID such a situation in the future if possible. The experience was not fun at all.
I drag myself to my hands and knees, shaking my head and trying to clear the dust from my head. The fragments of my former prison lay scattered around me, and I think there's a few pieces on my back. Now, at this point, most people I'm sure would immediately get up and start running around. Good for them. Not sure if this is overtly cautious of me or not, but as a doctor I'm 98% sure that you can't get sealed and then unsealed suddenly and expect to be in the same shape you were in before getting stoned.
Heh, stoned. Ahh, moment of immaturity fulfilled, let's check up on my limbs.
Left hand, left arm? Little sore, but fine. Same for the right hand and arm. Legs? Knees are banged up from landing on the pedestal I was on, but otherwise okay. Can move my toes, head too. Can I bend my back okay? Good, that checks out too. How about standing, can I do that? Slowly, I ease myself up, taking great care not to go too fast and get light-headed. Once I'm fully vertical, I take another moment to adjust to being among the walking and living again.
It's rather odd, I must say. You expect to never walk amongst those that you used to and then suddenly you can once more. I'm not sure if the ponies near my house will take me showing up out of nowhere well, but I do want to check up on my old living space. Will they believe me should I tell them who I am? Probably not, but there's always the minuscule chance that they might. The world, even more than my original one, works in mysterious ways. Ah well, only one way to find out for sure. Nothing is certain until it has been proven, as my father used to say.
Is he still alive? Hm, don't know.
By the hells, my head is still heavy and clouded. I mean, sure, I didn't expect it to clear up fast, but this is taking a long time. Should I sit down and let it clear up over time? I'm not particularly keen on doing that after being released from a thousand years of standing still, but sometimes-
Wait. Released after a thousand years from being sealed. Why does that suddenly seem significant, and why do I have a bad feeling about my situation? Gods, if only I could shake this blasted headache, I could probably remember, but for the life of me I can't. Maybe if I was still sealed-
Sealed.
I was sealed for one thousand years. There were ponies visiting the gardens this day. I was released from my seal today, the same day that Cheerilee brought a bunch of kids on a field trip. Who else was released on this day? I recall now, everything that happens today. Who else is free soon, if not already.
Discord.
Son of a whore.
Strangely enough, it's that thought that brings my headache to an end and allows me to start focusing on the current situation. I bring my right hand up to my head, placing my pointer finger on my temple while my left hand comes up to hold my elbow. I close my eyes as I start compiling all the information that I have.
First, I'm still way too sore to get into any fights right now. I could probably try, but standing still for a millennium is a pain for anybody, especially a warrior. You can't just expect to be able to move or fight like you were before your sealing, no matter what anybody says. Or at least, I don't trust myself to be able to do so to the same extent as before.
Speaking of, I should check my skills and artes while I can, take stock of what I've got. Thankfully I still have my weapons, the Garm Fangs, on my hands, so there's that. And no, I'm not poking myself with their spikes...talons? Prongs? Regardless, I'm not hurting myself on them. Beautiful buggers, these gauntlets. Right, that's enough procrastinating on my part. Removing my hands from where they are, I reach inside my shirt to pull out my Lilium Orb.
It's about the size and shape of an egg, perhaps a bit smaller, and translucent. Normally not something one would pay much attention to, but it's what's inside that's truly important. A flower blooms on the inside, with butterflies fluttering about the flower. As the flower blooms more, and as more butterflies appear, the more skills and artes one has available to themselves. Add in basic stat parameters, and it's something that's essential to battle. The best part is that, no matter what, it's always on my person. You can't steal it, nor can you leave it behind by accident. I think it worked differently in the game, but I'm glad for this little perk of it. But there's currently a problem with my Lilium Orb.
It's pretty much dead.
Well, perhaps that's a bit too melodramatic. The flower is still there, fully bloomed and everything, but it's a stale gray. I can't see the butterflies, I think there were four of them, but I feel that they are there. Just, you know, invisible. So, what does this mean? I guess this has something to do with me feeling weaker than normal. Perhaps my skills, artes and such are dormant? So even those are sealed off to me. I guess it's possible I can get them back, but the question is how long that will take. Do I have to re-learn them? Or will these return in time?
Focus, Jude! Focus! We're still in the Canterlot Gardens, and Discord is nearby, possibly free if not soon! I could only just wound him before, and now I'm weaker than back then. Far weaker. I'm ashamed to say, but at this point I'm too under-powered to provide even a minor distraction, especially since he won't hold back this time against me. For this time, at least, I should retreat somewhere. My house at the Everfree? Not a bad choice, it's still got all of my belongings and facilities, and for some reason it's immune to Discord's magic. Granted, I am too but that does nothing for you when a god punches you.
The flying wasn't bad, it was the very sudden and painful landing that was. Oh, and the cracked ribs, those hurt as well.
Right, I have my destination. If I recall my geography correctly, the Everfree is almost directly south of Canterlot. Yes, that's right, I remember watching the ground as Celestia had Discord and I moved to Canterlot after that event with her sister. Okay, looks like I'm going south. I jump down from the pedestal and make my way out of the gardens, doing my absolute best to stay out of sight of the guards. Until I know Celestia and Luna's reasons for sealing me for sure, I'm not going to risk getting caught. I'll try and sneak out, head to my house.
Is there a train? If there is, I suppose I can try and sneak onboard, snag a trip. If not, no worries. A jog could do wonders for stretching out my muscles, so long as I'm careful. Actually, that might be better. Gives me more time to think things over, try and recall as much as I can about what's happening, what's happened, and what is to come. There's also what's changed, but even that is as much a mystery to me as it is the rest of the world.
Well, what will be, will be and what won't be, won't. Having a plan is good, but so is being able to go with the flow. As I make it to one of the walls, one I can climb over easily (Fingers and hands, the ultimate tools of overcoming!), I let out a rueful chuckle. A future that's known to me, but with enough differences to keep me on my toes.
Who could ask for more?
Author's Note
Well, here it is. My first story in quite a long time. Hopefully this is the start of something you all will enjoy and I'll be able to give you a something you'll want to follow up until the end. Either way, the ride has started and I'm not stopping until I've gone as far as I can. And with that, ladies and gentlemen, in the words of one of my friends: Let's kick this pig.
