The Unraveled World

New Canterlot was miles behind Spike and his crew. Spring Step was wearing her Wonderbolts uniform and had Sure Shot’s rifle slung across her back. She wore a bandolier around her gut that swung heavy with weaponry. Ekon wore his backpack. As they walked past the lake bed where the yacht was embedded, they witnessed a slow swirl of vultures drifting around the boat. A cluster of them hopped and swarmed around the ship’s deck.

Spike said, “Kind of a bummer you guys lost that rest stop.”

Moondancer asked, “Are those birds eating a dog? Or one of their own?”

Ekon replied, “I hate to say this, but they’re digging into one of the people that were hunting me. One of the other bounty killers blew him up when they tried to kill Pinksworth.”

The unicorn trembled at that mental image. “What kind of nut does that?”

Spring Step nudged Ekon and cocked her head at the others. Ekon nodded and admitted, “I guess my brother paid them enough to not care who dies as long as I got killed.”

Spike stopped and stared at Ekon. “Now wait a minute. I thought you said your family was dead.”

“I didn’t want anyone to know how messed up my life really was. I didn’t tell Pinksworth or Spring Step the truth when they were taking me to New Canterlot. I was afraid they might think I was too much trouble to rescue.”

Pinksworth whistled with surprise. “Wow. I thought Springy was a cynic. We’re all a little messed, up, silly. Spring Step chose to have four metal legs instead of three. I chose to ride around in a giant metal pony head. But so what? At least we rescue people, not hunt them.”

Spike raised his brows. “Are you telling us everything we need to know now? How much of a fighter is your brother?”

“He’s five years younger than me and a bit skinnier. He’s never been in a fight, so that might explain why he didn’t personally hunt me down.” He rubbed his chin and pondered this. “Once he finds out what happened to his bounty killers, he’ll stand down to us.”

Moondancer said, “Since he’s been living in Starswirl’s temple all this time, maybe he’ll be able to provide more clues as to what’s in there. I’d like to know what Starlight Glimmer meant when she told Twilight Sparkle ‘Welcome to the past’.”

Pinksworth said, “Hmm, maybe she means that the world used to look like this? The problem with that is everypony knows that Celestia and Luna were always here.”

“Here we go again,” muttered Spring Step. “Really, Pinks? If they were as old as the world, where did they come from?”

She shrugged her three arms, “Hey, it doesn’t really matter, right? Where you came from isn’t as important as where you’re going, I always say. Besides, if Moondancer can pull off the plug that’s holding back the magic and the princesses come back, you can ask them that question yourself! Isn’t that exciting?”

“Yeah.” She had to smile at her friend’s enthusiasm. “It is.”

Moondancer crinkled her thick eyebrows and said, “I’m not completely sure I can do much, guys. Spike thinks I can finally put all of the clues and hints Starswirl left behind and can somehow pull off this job.”

Spike gave the unicorn a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Don’t stress, Moondancer. Before the Unraveling, you graduated at the top of your class. If you’re anything like the book horse I once knew, you’ll be okay.”

“It feels really weird whenever you talk about a Me that I never was. I’ve never been a misanthropic recluse like the other me. It’s like you’re talking about a twin that I never knew existed.”

Spike chuckled. “It feels strange talking about ponies that don’t exist in this reality. I’ve lived in this alternate world for five years and I sometimes still feel like an intruder.”

“We’ve lost friends and family, including you. But you also lost an entire reality. I have no idea what that feels like.”

“I try to not brood over it,” he replied with a shrug. “All I can do is make do with what I have and be grateful I have it. Just like everypony else.”

* * *

An hour later, they were walking down a cracked and weed-pocked road. Up ahead of the group another tornado of vultures picked and dug into a body on the side of the road.

Spring Step squinted at the shape. “Hey, wait a minute,” she said as she started to trot faster.

The corpse’s fur was grey. The body armor was better than average. Just like . . .

“Sure Shot!” cried Spring Step as she ran into the frantic mass of scavengers, making them scatter away.

The remaining vultures flew off, squawking angrily at the intrusion as her companions ran over to the chewed remains of the pony.

Spike pointed at the body. “Is this the guy you fought a while ago?”

She could only stare in stunned disbelief. A moment later she replied, “Yeah. I beat him and told him to never hunt people anymore. I never thought I’d see him dead.”

Ekon asked, “Was he shot?”

Pinksworth floated around him, her camera eyes zoomed to full magnification. A few moments later, she leaned down and pointed her claw between Sure Shot’s shoulder blades. “Nope. This hole’s a lot bigger than any bullet wound I’ve seen. It’s about the size and depth of a tent stake.”

Spring Step sat up, eyes wide. “Or a manticore stinger.”

“Wait a second,” said Pinksworth. “Both those bounty killers took off on that manticore. Why did only one pony get stung to death? If that beast didn’t like the ponies riding him, why aren’t we seeing both bodies?”

“Because Spring Step wasn’t killed by the manticore. His partner must have stabbed him in the back with the stinger and dumped him here.”

Moondancer shook her head, bewildered. “So some pony kills not only the guy on the boat, but also his partner? He’s got to be madder than a bastard on Father’s Day.”

Spring Step brushed away dirt from his clouded eyes. She said, in a distant voice, “I let him live. Gave him a chance to change. Now look what happened.”

Pinksworth rubbed her friend’s back with the boxing glove. “There’s no way you could have known this would ever happen to him. Don’t blame yourself.”

“I’m not, Pinks. I’m blaming his partner.” She scowled and grit her teeth. “ If we run into that bastard out here, I’ll make him wish his daddy pulled out early.”

Spring Step hooked her right front hoof around Sure Shot’s neck and dragged him into the grass. “Pinks? Get over here and help me bury him.”

Ekon scratched his head. “I thought you guys never bothered to bury the dead.”

The pegasus looked at him through slitted eyes. In a deep, leaden tone, she replied, “I’m making an exception. Is that all right with you?”

Wincing at her derision, he trotted over and helped the ponies dig the grave.

As Ekon scooped out dirt from the grave, he thought, I’m helping to bury the same pony that nearly killed me a few days ago. Why?

It was then that he recalled what Spring Step said in their remote apartment, “Life only has value if you use it to help others. Bandits don’t value anypony’s life.” She also said, “If you don’t have a damn good reason for ending someone’s life, you are part of the problem.”

In the past five years, Ekon had not seen much consistency, or application, of ethics and rules. After seeing the world through her eyes, however briefly, he finally understood. He wasn’t simply helping her lay to rest a bounty killer, he was burying a pony that she’d had shown mercy to. Path Finder had stolen away Sure Shot’s chance for a better life that Spring Step had given him. This made Path Finder part of the problem.

None of them said anything during the digging. It was only after the grave’s dirt mound had been tamped down with Pinksworth’s glove did Spring Step say, “You deserved more than this. I’m sorry.”

As they walked away from the grave, Spike smiled and said, “You always did have a big heart. “

“Only for certain people, Spike. I’ve met a lot of ponies who are led to do terrible things out here. Sure Shot seemed to be one of those ponies that wasn’t happy doing his work. I have a soft spot for people who’ve lost their way in life, I guess.”

Ekon asked, “Is that what you saw me as?”

“I sensed that something was eating at you that you didn’t want to talk about. Since nagging you would only make you clam up more, I figured I’d just let you decide when it was time to spill the beans.”

Ignoring the rising burning in his gut, Ekon hung his head and said, “For the past five years, I’ve been living in self-loathing. Deep down inside, I figured having armed ponies chase me was part of my penance.”

Pinksworth tilted her eye-cameras in confusion. “Huh? Penance? Is that like repenting?”

Moondancer smiled politely. “No, dear. Repenting means having regrets over past misdeeds. Penance is voluntary self-punishment.”

“Oh! Well, I’m still confused. So you thought living in constant fear of getting murdered by your brother’s hired killers was what you deserved?”

Ekon sighed, his ears hanging low. “Yeah. Last night I almost went back to the wastelands alone because I was still too scared to face my brother again, that I had to keep punishing myself.” He cocked his head at Spring Step. “But Springy convinced me that my old life was the pits.”

“I think you knew that when we found you,” said Spring Step. “You were ready to climb down from the whipping post, Ekon. I just had to give you a few nudges to fully realize that.”

“I’m glad you did. The least I can do in return is to tell Azi that if he wants me dead, he’ll have to kill me himself.”

Spike winced. “Uh . . . Let’s not give him ideas, okay?”

“Just stay close to me, Ekon,” suggested Pinksworth. “I’ll web him up like a fly if he gets trigger happy.”

* * *

It took three days of travel to reach the mountains that Ekon left behind. Pinksworth studied the jagged mountain plains with her eyes at full magnification. “I can see the dig site, Ekon. It looks like the entrance is cleared of rubble. There are a few solar panels nearby, so I guess the cave’ll have some lights on.”

Spring Step looked over the area with her sniper rifle’s scope. “I don’t see any bandits, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any in the cave.” She turned to the rest of the group who hide in the shadow of a nearby boulder. “Let’s keep together. If anypony sees anything, let me know.”

While everyone else was scanning the surrounding hills and rocks, Ekon could only stare at the large cave entrance. Every moment of his running away came flooding back with terrible vividness.

Soon you will suffer as our parents suffered.

Ekon flicked his head, shaking away the voice of his nightmares. “No,” he whispered. “I won’t.”

“Won’t what, Ekon?” asked Pinksworth.

Catching himself, he said, “Nothing. Just thinking out loud.”

Spring Step held up a hoof to her lips. “Shh! You guys keep quiet. Pinks? We’ll stay outside the entrance while you check out the cave.”

Pinksworth nodded. “Okay. Back in a bit.”

Holding her cannon out, she floated quietly into the shadowy maw of the cave.

A moment later, her distant voice called out, “Hello? Is anypony home? Listen, if a zebra named Azi is in here, I just want to say that his brother wants to talk.”

After a minute of silence, Ekon found that he was rapidly tapping his right front hoof on a rock. “Come on, Pinks. Get out of there.”

Several moments went by. Finally Pinksworth drifted out of the cave, much to Spring Step’s relief.

“I couldn’t find any bandits, but I think somepony’s in the temple. I heard hoofsteps.”

Spring Step raised a brow. “That’s it? Just one person in there?”

“As far as I know,” she replied.

Spring Step nodded and pointed a hoof at the cave. “Good enough. Okay, everypony, let’s get in there. Ekon, stay close to me.”

The closer Ekon walked towards the cave, the more vividly his worst memories returned to him. He could recall the curves and cracks of the cave entrance as if he had designed the place. It must have taken ages for someone to remove all the fallen boulders that separated Ekon from his angry brother.

You had better keep running, Ekon. I’ll find you and bring you back here. You’re going to get what you deserve.

Before he walked into the entrance, he looked to the left and saw two stones with words chiseled into them. One read “Alafin”, the other “Tarana”.

He broke from the group and stood in front of the gravestones. Spring Step took a step towards him, but then saw the names. She backed away and gave Ekon room to grieve.

When you live in the squalor of the wasteland, you hold onto the memories of better times. Those soothing recollections of his family often shielded Ekon from a world of collapsing buildings and slope-browed bandits.

Alafin’s limitless perseverance spurred him on his entire life, which he then taught to Azi. Tarana’s wisdom, which seeped into his dreams not long ago, enriched him.

But now they were gone.

Because of me, he thought bitterly. He shook that thought away as it were a bothersome fly. None of this was his fault. It was Starlight Glimmer that caused the cave in. At least she got what she deserved; a fatal plunge into a chasm she helped create.

As he got up and walked into the cave with the others, he hoped he would be braver than her.