Only Human

A group, or rather two groups of men and women meet in a darkened room their gazes firmly fixed upon each other and showing very little good intent. The groups themselves cannot have looked any more different, one was almost entirely male and decked out in a brownish grey camo. The leader of this group was a balding Caucasian man with a pencil thin mustache his facial features more reminiscent of a vulture than a man, his dirty blonde hair hinting at having once been pale but now his skin was tanned and leathered like a handbag. So did his blue eye, as his other was covered with an eyepatch as if to make him look more sinister. The other group was more mixed though their uniforms, best described as techno-gothic morph-suits made race and gender hard to tell. The only exception was their leader, she wore the same suit but her head remained uncover revealing luscious blonde locks. "We thank you General Leuchter, with these minerals the Red Ghost Corps will soon be close to achieving their objectives." She held out a briefcase clearly expecting him to take it.

The man laughed, a sinister glint as two men came rushing up, both hoisting up a golden idol. "Of course Miss," His voice was raspy and with an almost Dutch accent, "I just hope your Devil's kingdom has enough room for the little old White state of Borodia.". The woman smirked and nodded as she handed him the briefcase, the military leader greedily snatching it like the bird of prey he resembled. In an instant he opened up the briefcase clearly expecting something, only for his face to drop as he realized it's empty. "What's the meaning of thi-" Before the generic fascist officer can finish his sentence a massive puff of smoke fills the room.

In the center of the room stands a thin silhouette, an almost simian laughter is heard. The smoke clears, the man is wearing a garish red jacket and bright yellow tie, his face is just as simian as his laugh. He's now holding the idol in one hand. The woman and the generic evil army man turn to him flabbergasted, "LUPIN!", both of them hammily shout in unison as the screen cuts to the three of them.
"Sorry your plans went up in smoke Leuchter.." He smirks at his own joke, "But I'm afraid I'll be taking this." The armed guards on both sides advance upon him, of course he stands there cocky as ever.

"You should be dead!" Cried the woman her voice now beyond angry as what little decorum left kept her from throttling him on the spot.
"I should be a lot of things." The group of armed guards begins to advance on him triggers ready. Then with the sound of a Japanese wind instrument and a loud slicing sound effect the roof is now cut off leaving the goons stunned. With a wrist mounted grappling belt our protagonist begins his assent though the henchmen regaining their composure attempt to grab onto his leg. "Sorry fellas.." He quipped shaking his right leg oddly, "But right now the shoes on the other FOOT!" A blast of smoke and fire comes from his shoe which flies of like a missile, hitting several goons in the face as he makes his quick ascent through a hail of gunfire. But just when he's about to reach the helicopter he.. KNOCK KNOCK. and then again KNOCK KNOCK.

12 year old Hope and 9 year old Tammy are momentarily distracted from their weekly peak into the life of a heroic gentleman thief by a stranger at the door. After the third Knock Hope gets up relatively sure that it's not a solicitor or the cops. Her dad was there and he was a strong pony who knew his way around firearms, so unless a Skinwalker was at the door she had nothing to be afraid of. Really the worst-case scenario would be that it was her other dad, who unlike Braeburn was not ok with the fact that she was letting Tammy watch her 5'o clock anime. Still being her age and use to a fair bit of harassment she wasn't exactly in a rush, as evidenced by another set up of knocks. "Ah'm coming!" She hollered, her voice an odd combination of Daddy's genteel Appleloosa drawl and Dad's Louisiana growling.
Hope was not sure who she'd see on the other side but what she saw certainly wasn't them. The woman in front of her was blonde though the dirt in her hair gave it a brownish tint that most likely wasn't natural. Her attire and appearance were just a bit too put together to say homeless or convict but that probably wouldn't be the case in a few days. Her manic eyes and sweat covered forehead certainly didn't help her case. Whatever was going on with her she was definitely on the run from something, or at least thought she was. The woman speaks her eyes are looking at something but it sure as hell isn't Hope, "Does Braeburn live here!?". It's hard to pinpoint whether it was a demand or a desperate plea. Still being too young to deal with it herself she decided to call on the figure her interlocutor was asking for.

"Daddy!" She shouted into the house.

"What is it sapling?" Responded her father exiting his room still looking rather tired despite the fact it was the late afternoon. Oddly enough for someone clearly about to hit the hay he didn't seem irritated and there was a sense of good humor in his voice.

Hope turned again shouting even louder, "Some crazy homeless lady wants to see you!". Braeburn's face deflated it wasn't a big deflation, more like the kind you get when you realize you stepped in dog crap. With a sigh the Stallion trotted up to the door, his daughter clearly glad to escape from the vagabond's line of sight.

Braeburn cleared his throat, clearly this was a thought out routine, as a government servant working in the welfare sector, crazies seemed drawn to him. Mark used to joke about him being like catnip for the insane. "Listen... Ma'am." He said politely "I understand yer not doin so hot but right now ah'm off work, if ya need assistance I suggest ya call the people still workin."

The woman looked heartbroken, "Braeburn........ it's me." Her voice seemed familiar but the sheer stress and cigarrete induced rasp made it hard to place. "Don't ya remember?" Braeburn shook his head, clearly he was about to say that it's impossible for him to remember everypon-everybody he's worked with especially when half of them were online. "It's Applejack."

Braeburn's expression went blank, a cold chill went over his body as the realization hit him though the Stetson should've been a major hint. He turned to his kids, "Hope! Tammy!" The girls responded with a chorus of mhmms, both picking up on his obvious emotional distress. "I'm gonna be out for a while, don't open the door till I'm back in." Both girls gave another sign of obedience as he walked out and then kicked the door shut with all his strength.

The only thing keeping his sheer rage in check being his kids and the fact that he and Mark could barely afford another door. He walked towards the fence right next to the small apple grove planted more for nostalgia than economic utility. Right now he wanted her as far away from his house and in a place where could still legally kick her out violently if things somehow managed to get worse. Applejack walked up to him, his head turned away from her, "Braeburn." Her voice was sad but right now he wasn't feeling all too sympathetic.
Like a Rattlesnake on hot pavement he turn around and struck "JUST WHAT IN THE SAMHILL ARE YA DOING HERE?" His voice just as venomous as the snake he unconsciously emulated.

"Braeburn." She held her arm in her other hand looking away like a dejected schoolgirl. "Ah know ya don't want me here."

"Ya think?" He growled his voice quieter than his last explosion but still just as angry, the excess anger flowing into his legs forcing him to pace.
"And ah understand why." She her head sunk more, at this rate if she bowed her head lower it'd probably roll off her neck and right over the fence, "Ah really do..." She swallowed clearly as uncomfortable as he was mad, "But ah need yer help."

Once again Braeburn exploded her meek body posture negating the fact that as a biped she had a good two feet on him. "And just why the buck should ah help you?!" His voice a quiet scream as he continued to corner the mare he once called cousin. "Why you out of all the people n' ponies on G-d's green earth would I help you."

Applejack looked mortified and a bit sad, how much of that sadness was self-pity and how much was legitimate remorse over a lost connection was up for debate. "Because.. because we're family."
"Family my flank!" He reared up kicking up a veritable dust devil in the process, "Ah might be able to forgive you calling me a fudge packer, an a spineless sissy colt, hell ah might even forgive you for saying I'm a species traitor and be better off dead!" He turned away from her, teeth gritted so hard they almost drew blood.
"Ah-ah didn't mean that. I was just doing what Celestia told me to" She whimpered, her honesty even made her suck at rationalizations when she stopped believing them.

"But that ain't all, ah can forgive ya for all that shit... but this ain't about me righ now. It's about every single pony whose life you cashed like a fresh check!" He swerved back adding just another element of choreography to their masochistic tango. "How many of em' had families, how many of em just said the wrong thing once and didn't even mean nothin by it?How many foals lost their parents? How many spouses lost their partners? Because of what ya did? How many of them were neighbors or friends, or KIN!?"

Applejack continued to back up from the furious Equine almost on the verge of the first tears she had in a long time, "Ah don't know."

"Now tell me.. cousin.. why ah should let a mare who almost drove a race to extinction knowing full well what I meant, and would sell her own granny for a couple bits anywhere near my family!? Shoot I should call the cops right now and watch em haul yer ass to jail!" He stopped with a heavy breath, gathering oxygen for his next tirade.

"But ya won't will ya?" Applejack raised her head the tears going from a flood to a trickle as she looked the pony in the eyes.
Braeburn clenched, gave a frustrated groan and lost all tension in his body the energy draining though the resentment stayed behind. "Yer right ah won't."

Applejack looked ecstatic "Thank you thank you so much Brae I just-"

"Can it, and don't think ah mean anythin by it, and when this is over ah want ya to hightail it out of here asap." Applejack swallowed what little pride she had left and followed the Stallion to his home. All while the Stallion mumbled and cursed his big heart and helpful nature.