The Broken One

I stared in horror at my mother lying on the floor with tears in her eyes. I backed away toward the windows jerking my away from Shadow reached out a hoof toward me. I glanced at all of their shocked faces and bolted from the room, diving over the balcony. I watched the ground rushing toward me and closed my eyes, waiting for the impact that would crush my worthless body into oblivion.

At the last second a voice shrieked in my mind and my wings unfurled of their own accord. The wind whipping past my ears slacked off as my wings took my weight and I rocketed through the sky. I noticed the lack of ruffling feathers and glanced over my shoulder. I nearly plummeted from the sky due to the shock I received.

Sprouting from my back were two black leathery wings beating the air as the muscles beneath the skin bulged. I marveled at my wings as I flew and turned back toward Canterlot. I skirted around the castle and dropped from the sky into the royal gardens landing in front of Discord’s statue. The grinning face infuriated me for some reason.

“Why”, I growled at the chunk of stone. “Why did you make me this way?”

I received no answer and stormed around the small clearing muttering darkly to myself. I strode back over to the statue and stared into the mismatched creature’s eyes as I punched the statue in the jaw, immediately shaking my throbbing hand and cursing my stupidity. I heard the quietest of chuckles that seemed to come from the statue and was instantly furious.

“Why did you make me like this”, I shouted as I grabbed the statue’s throat. “Why did you fucking make me at all?!”

The sound of a door opening drew my attention to the nearby patio. As I turned to the top of the stairs I locked eyes with a crying Shadow. She galloped down the steps and crashed into me hugging me tightly. I stood there and let her hug me for a few seconds before I backed away. As the distance between us increased her front hooves fell to the ground.

“Jackson”, she whispered, “are you okay?”

“I don’t know”, I quietly replied.

“I’m sorry”, she sniffed. “I don’t know what came over me.”

“What did you do to me”, I asked as I turned away from her and stared at my father.

“I made you immortal”, she said quietly as her ears drooped.

“I already was”, I replied, my new fangs causing a slight lisp.

“What”, she asked in shock.

“Shadow, my body is sustained by magic”, I explained. “There isn’t a drop of blood left in my veins.”

She jolted in surprise as tears welled up in her eyes. She broke down sobbing and dropped to her knees.

Great, I thought. Now I have to deal with a distraught vampony
.
I knelt down beside the morose mare and lay my hand on the back of her head. She sniffled as she looked up at me. I wiped her tears away and pulled her into a hug. I just couldn’t stand to see a pretty mare cry. Her sniffles eventually stopped as she held tightly to my naked torso.

“I should’ve put a shirt on”, I muttered as a chill raced down my spine.

“I’m glad you didn’t”, she whispers as she snuggled against me.

I squeezed her against me and sighed as the anger began to flow out of me. I sat in silence and stroked her mane for a while before I felt her lips press against my throat. I sighed with a contentment I didn’t know was possible at the moment before I felt a twinge in my mind.

“We’re being watched”, I whispered silently. “When I say ‘now’ roll to your right.”

She nodded almost imperceptibly against my neck and I felt her muscles tense. I gave the word and like a well-oiled machine she rolled to the side as I spun and flung my hand out in front of me. I never expected what happened next.
Flames burst from my fingers and wrapped around the figure approaching us, engulfing them completely. A single antler was visible as a guttural shriek of pain howled from the middle of the inferno. I let the magic stop flowing from my hand and watched as a misshapen creature was immolated before our very eyes.

“Discord”, I asked in shock when the screams stopped and he fell face first on the ground.

The flames died as they burnt up the last bit of flesh on the draconequus’ body. Foul smoke invaded our noses making both of us cough. I eased forward and nudged the corpse’s head with my foot and jumped back when the body crumbled to ashes.

“My my”, Discord laughed from atop a hedge. “That certainly was a warm welcome.”

“Discord”, I shouted in anger. “I got a bone to pick with you.”

“Well then, here”, he chuckled as he reached into his own body and pulled a single rib free and tossed it at us.

“Get down here”, I shouted.

“As you wish”, he sighed in a bored tone before he disappeared with a pop.

“Where is he”, I shouted as I looked around.

“Hanging from your ear”, Shadow answered flatly.

I pulled the tiny form from my ear and squeezed him tightly in my hand. His face began to turn blue before I relaxed the pressure. My creator smirked up at me before he vanished only to reappear in his full size in front of me.

“Love the new wings, son”, he grinned.

“Whatever”, I growled.

“Now what is this bone you speak of”, he asked as he materialized a cup and pulled the horn from his head to pour coffee from it.

“Why did you create me”, I hissed as magic flowed around my balled up fists.

“I was bored”, he replied as he popped his horn back into place. “Also, I plan to retire in about a century or so.”

“What’s that got to do with me”, I asked in dread.

“Why, you’re my replacement, of course.”

Shadow and I stood in shock and stared at the guffawing goofball. He laughed about the look on our faces and wished us a happy Nightmare Night before he vanished into thin air. I heard sobbing behind us and turned with magic flowing around my hands. I didn’t notice at first but the sun had set long ago.

“Mom”, I asked in confusion as I stared at the pitiful prone pony.

Her head jerked up as I spoke and her teary bloodshot eyes met mine. She cried my name and leapt to her feet to gallop toward us. She slid to a stop just a few feet from us and inhaled shaky breaths as she stared at me.

“Is it really you”, she asked as she reached a hoof toward me, “or is this just another hallucination?”

“Mom, it’s really me”, I said in confusion as I brushed her cheek making her flinch.

“Oh, my son”, she sobbed and flung her hooves around me. “I can’t believe you’re finally back!”

“Back”, I asked in dread.

“You’ve been gone for nearly two months”, she said quietly. “I thought you were dead.”

“What”, I asked in confused shock.

“I had followed Shadow so that I could apologize to you”, she explained, “but when I got here I watched as the two of you were engulfed in flames and vanished!”

I shook my head in stunned silence and turned my gaze to an equally flabbergasted but slightly trembling vampony. My companion stifled a gasp as my mother lunged forward and pulled the two of us into a hug.

“I’m so sorry for everything”, she sobbed pitifully. “Please forgive me!”

I returned my mother’s hug and lay my forehead against hers as I whispered that everything would be okay. Shadow nervously tried to ease away from my mother but squeaked in surprise when the massive alicorn pulled her back into a hug.

“Mom, there’s nothing to forgive”, I said quietly as I hugged her again.

“Of course there is”, she replied as she jerked her head back. “I was prepared to cause you heartache just to uphold a silly image.”

Tears began falling as she turned her eyes to Shadow.

“You are the one I must beg for forgiveness”, she whispered and lowered her eyes. “I tried to kill you just because you’re different instead of finding common ground in my son. I was narrow-minded and cruel. Can you ever forgive me?”

“Your Highness”, Shadow smiled with teary eyes, “I already have. I understand your fears. The unknown is terrifying and I believe I would do the same if I were in your place. But our differences are what make each of us so unique.”

“Thank you”, mom smiled. “Your words show more wisdom than your age shows. I couldn’t be more proud of my future daughter-in-law.”

“Thank you, your Highness”, Shadow bowed.

“Please, call me... ‘mom’”, she smiled. “It will be official before long anyways, so why not get a head start?”

The three of us laughed for a minute and shared one more group hug before we went inside. As we reached the doors to the banquet hall I found myself pinned to the floor by a dark blue sobbing blur. I spit a dark flowing mane out of my mouth and lay my hand on my aunt’s back.

“Jackson”, my aunt gasped. “We are pleased that you have returned. Where have you been?”

“I have no idea where we were”, I smiled as my aunt nuzzled against my cheek. “I see you still use the royal ‘we’ when you’re speaking."

“Old habits die hard”, she grinned through her tears.

“Speaking of habits, where is Cindra”, I asked but dread filled me as I saw their downtrodden expressions.

“She is... in the dungeons”, my mother said quietly. “For her own protection, of course.”

“Hit the rewind button”, I said in shock. “Why is she in the dungeons?!”

“After two weeks without a sign of either of you she became unstable”, my mother sighed and turned her head to the side.

I muttered in shock as I saw the recently healed wounds to the side of my mother’s neck. I reached out and touched the undamaged skin around the bite marks and grimaced sympathetically.

“She bit you”, I asked with wide eyes.

“Not just me”, mom sighed as Aunt Luna lifted her wing to show similar damage to her ribs.

“What’s going to happen to her”, I asked nervously.

“That’s for you to decide”, she replied before leading the way into the castle.

Instead of heading toward the sleeping chambers we turned and went past the throne room toward the dungeons. I glanced in the throne room and stopped in my tracks. A small group of ponies was gathered around a statue of me in a fighting stance and as I watched they lit candles and placed them at the base of the statue.

“Mommy, it’s Prince Jackson”, a cute little filly with mint green mane and tail squeaked.

“Yes, sweetie, this is a statue of the Prince of Everfree Forest”, her mom said in confusion before she followed her daughter’s line of sight and gasped. “He lives!”

The crowd of ponies stood where they were as I approached the statue with the three mares following me. I stood before the statue and ignored the murmurs as I eyed my sword nestled in the statue’s hand. I reached out to take the sword but froze.

“Go ahead”, my mom smiled as Shadow nodded.

I lifted the sword free and hefted the familiar weight in my hands. I focused on the sheath for my ceremonial blade and willed it to come to me. It appeared in my hand and I sheathed the blade before fastening it to my waist. As I turned around I noticed the young filly staring at me.

“Mommy, why does Prince Jackson have nipples if he’s a stallion”, she squeaked.

I laughed and ruffled her mane on the way by as I made my way back to the hallway. I heard whispers about my wings and eyes thanks to my new hearing and shook my wings nervously. Before I reached the doors they burst open and Shining Armor burst into the room followed by about ten unicorns.

“Stay right there, changeling”, Shining shouted before five different colored bolts of magic slammed into me at once.
I barely heard Shadow screaming at Shining as I fell over backwards, my muscled locked by a paralysis spell. Despite being unable to move I still felt and heard it when my head connected with the floor. I felt wetness pooling under my head as Shadow crouched over me protectively.

Well, fuck.