The Broken One

The breath left me in a rush as Pinkie Pie slammed into me and we went flying backwards over the bridge. I instinctively curled myself around the pink she devil and groaned out loud as my back connected with solid ground. Somehow we missed the entire river!

“Get off of me”, I growled, pushing the cackling pink nutjob to the ground.

I groaned and stood up, stretching my shoulders as I glared at her. I left her chortling in the mud and trudged up the hill, trying to wipe myself clean. As I stepped back onto the road I was greeted by a squeaky clean Pinkie Pie.

“Dafuq”, I muttered, looking down the hill to an empty mud puddle. “Pinkie, how did you do that?!”

“I dunno”, she giggled before hopping in circles around me.

I studied her for a moment, trying to figure it out before I realized that Pinkie’s gonna Pinkie and that’s all there was to it. As I started walking she began bouncing along beside me jabbering on and on about everything she did that day, even the details of how she cooked the perfect omelet. I was finally saved when a particular buttery winged pony bumped into me in the market. She apologized profusely as I helped her up and she shook her mane out of her eyes.

“Oh, Jackson”, Fluttershy blushed. “I didn’t see you there. I’m sorry about the other day.”

“It’s okay Fluttershy”, I smiled.

“Oh hey look”, Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs, “I found Jackson!”

Her loud mouth drew the stares of every pony in the square, and then those stares were turned on me. I glanced down to Fluttershy for help but she was curled up on the ground shivering with her eyes squinted tight. I looked back up in time to see a purple unicorn galloping toward me. She slid to a panting stop, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Where have you been”, she demanded. “I have been looking for you for the past two days.”

“Well, there was a situation and m- Princess Celestia took me to the castle for a few days”, I explained.

“No matter”, she sighed, “you’re here now so everything is okay.”

“She’s a lot calmer than I thought she would be”, Pinkie whispered in my ear.

“What do you mean”, I whispered back.

“I thought she was gonna ask a million bajillion questions”, she replied.

“Don’t jinx it”, I said, groaning as Twilight’s eyes lit up.

“Now that you’re here”, she said as she summoned a quill and parchment, “we have exactly ten hours and thirty six minutes until Princess Celestia raises the sun. Oh, I have so many questions!”

“Dammit Pinkie”, I muttered.

I had no desire to be bombarded by questions I didn’t have the answer to, seeing as there was a Summer Sun festival in full swing. I had noticed the ponies decorating the town, but I never put two and two together. I figured I could answer questions for a little while then enjoy the festivities.

“Would you mind coming to the library with me”, Twilight asked me with pleading eyes.

“Sure”, I replied, ruffling her hair. “But only because you guys are all cute as hell.”

The two of us said our goodbyes to Pinkie and Fluttershy and started walking through town, enjoying the evening air. We made simple small talk as she trotted along beside me, both of us ducking as a cross-eyed gray Pegasus with blonde mane and tail came careening by.

“Watch it, Derpy”, Twilight shouted.

“It was an accident”, I said. “There’s no need to call her names.”

“But that is her name”, Twilight replied. “That’s Derpy Hooves, an airborne menace.”

I started to argue with her about that before the one known as Derpy slammed into the side of a covered wagon, knocking it on its side. I simply closed my mouth and started walking again. Before long we made it to a large tree with rooms built into the trunk and branches and a sign out front designating it as the library.

“You live in a tree”, I chuckled.

“Har har”, she replied flatly. “I live in a library which happens to be a tree, yes.”

I shrugged and motioned for her to lead the way, my eyes drawn to her Cutie Mark, a six pointed star. I was in the middle of memorizing the sparkling pattern when she turned her head back to say something.

“HEY”, she shouted, whirling around to face me.

“What?”

“You were staring at my butt”, she growled.

“No, I was looking at your Cutie Mark”, I replied. “I’ve never seen one like that.”

“Yeah, right”, she spat.

“Look, if I wanted to stare at your ass I wouldn’t let myself get caught”, I spat back. “Besides, you’re not my type.”

“Excuse me”, she asked in disbelief as we entered the library.

“You’re excused”, I grinned.

At that moment something purple and scaly slammed into my chest, knocking me flat. As I hit the ground I felt tiny fists slamming into my face and chest. I shoved my attacker off of me and scrambled to my feet.

“I won’t let you insult my mother”, the purple and green creature hissed.

“You’re a dragon”, I said in awe as my new memories stirred.

“Yeah, what of it”, he growled.

“That is so fucking cool”, I exclaimed, causing the little dragon to cock his head to the side.

“Spike, calm down”, Twilight grunted as she pushed her way between us. “And Jackson, don’t- OH MY CELESTIA YOU”RE… bleeding, I think?”

I wiped my hand across my mouth and saw golden liquid on my hand. I shrugged and licked the “blood” from my lip, surprised that magic had a slightly sweet taste to it. I waved off her worries and settled myself down at one of the chairs around a small table amidst the bookshelves.

“Why is your blood gold”, she asked as she got right in my face to study the minor wound.

“Long story”, I replied as I gently pushed her away by her shoulders. “I’d like to answer your questions so that I can enjoy the festival.”

“Of course”, she nodded and retrieved her paper and quill. “Now, what is your full name?”

“Jackson.”

“Seriously”, she asked, groaning and scribbling as I nodded. “Where are you from?”

“Fluttershy found me in the Everfree Forest”, I said quietly.

“Th-the Everfree Forest”, she gasped. “Wait, what do you mean ‘found’ you?”

“Again, long story”, I smiled. “Too long of a story for tonight.”

“Another time then”, she shrugged. “That still doesn’t answer where you came from.”

“I can’t remember”, I sighed.

“How do you not remember?”

“Well, when I woke up in the Everfree every bone in my body was broken”, I said flatly.

“Wow”, she whispered, her eyes drifting to my hands. “What kind of hooves are those?”

“They’re not hooves”, I laughed. “They’re called hands.”

“What are those appendages”, she asked.

“Those are my fingers”, I said with a grin as she got a closer look at them. “These things are great for things requiring… delicacy.”

She let out of short whinny when I pinched her nostril and tried to nip my fingers. I jerked my hand back and laughed as I flicked her between the eyes. I laughed harder when her eyes crossed for a second before focusing back on me in annoyance. I tried to calm myself so that the interview could continue.

“Are you familiar with the history of Equestria”, she suddenly asked with a nervous twinge in her eye.

“Lemme guess”, I sighed. “Nightmare moon is coming back soon?”

“Not soon”, she urged, “Nightmare Moon will return tonight!”

“Seriously”, I asked, my humor tainted by something else.

She ran upstairs to her room and after a few minutes of audible clattering she returned carrying a thick leather bound book in her magic. I took it in hand and opened it to the page held by a piece of parchment. I smiled at the doodle of what appeared to be Twilight and my mom soaring through the clouds. I turned my attention to the pages and was astounded at what I read.

Mare in the Moon- Myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it on the longest day on the 1000th year, the stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about nighttime eternal.

“Okay”, I said slowly. “What about it?”

“This is the thousandth Summer Sun Celebration”, she shouted as anxiety crept into her face.

“So you think that evil bitch is coming back”, I asked flatly.

“Absolutely”, she replied.

“I won’t let that fucking whore anywhere near my mother”, I growled, standing and cracking my knuckles.

“Mother”, Twilight asked, her face morphing from confusion to understanding then nothing.

“Twilight”, I asked, waving my hand in front of her face.

“I had those kinds of thoughts about a Prince”, she whispered in horror.

“Shit”, I muttered as I shook her shoulder. “Hey Twilight, you okay?”

She stared straight ahead and muttered over and over again about dungeons and oubliettes. She got tears in her eyes and I could’ve sworn I heard her mention a guillotine. Realizing she was in a kind of shock I did the only thing I could think of that would provide enough of a jolt. I grabbed her cheeks and gently kissed her.

“Wha-“, she muttered, shaking her head.

When her vision focused on my eyes a blush streaked across her cheeks and she gasped in utter shock. She pulled free from my grip and fell over backwards, staring off into space for a few seconds before shaking her head clear. She eyed me strangely as she got back to her hooves.

“Why did you do that”, she blushed.

“Kiss you”, I asked with a grin. “I guess it seemed like the best way to get your attention.”

“Are you sure there wasn’t more to it”, she grinned back.

“Do you want there to be more to it”, I asked quietly as I leaned back towards her.

“Would that be so bad”, she almost moaned as she closed the distance between us.

“No”, I quipped, leaning back in my chair, “but right now you’re conducting research, remember?”

“Wh-what”, she muttered while shaking her head. “I’m sorry!”

I laughed her reaction off and we got back to answering questions, but there was a definite twinkle in her eyes that wasn’t there before. The conversation eventually returned to the prophecy about Nightmare Moon, and we reached the conclusion after cross referencing many ancient texts that the prophecy would indeed be fulfilled at dawn.

“What are we going to do”, Twilight asked in near panic.

“Calm down”, I said, gripping her shoulders. “You remember you asked if I knew magic, right?”
“Yeah”, she replied.

“I think I know enough about magic that I can buy mom some time”, I hesitated, “but I don’t know how much.”

“Jackson, she’ll kill you”, she gasped.

“If I don’t do something, everyone suffers”, I said quietly.

“But why do you have to do it”, she asked with tears in her eyes. “Why do you have to go alone?!”

“I think it’s my destiny or something”, I laughed ruefully as I glanced at the clock, “and it looks like time’s almost up.”

Twilight’s eyes whipped to the clock and she gasped. As we had been talking we had missed the festivities entirely. We had just under fifteen minutes until sunrise. She turned back to me and with tears trickling down her cheek she wrapped her forelegs around my shoulders and kissed me, the slightest hint of parchment filling my nostrils. She hugged me tighter and then broke the kiss, turning and fleeing the library.

“Well, fuck.”