> The Titans' Orb
>  by Mister Horncastle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Author's Note: For New Readers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Greetings, and welcome to the Titans' Orb.

This story is the first in an ongoing saga, currently spanning over three books, with more on the way.
However, if you're a new reader hoping to get into this gritty and exciting series, then you may have noticed that not all the chapters are available, and jumping to the sequel, Rising Storm, may seem awfully disjointed and confusing.

This is because the Titans' Orb was originally written ten years ago, and has since been remastered!

The previously existing chapters have since been deleted, and over the course of this month, I will be releasing the new remastered chapters on a day-by-day basis, spaced evenly until Chapter Thirty and the Epilogue release on the 30th.

Depending on when you're reading this, there may only be a handful of chapters available to you, so please check in daily to see the story continue all the way to the Epilogue, BEFORE moving on to the sequel.

Thank you for reading this, and thank you for your patience, I very much hope you stay with the story and enjoy every thrilling moment of it; welcome to the Titans' Orb family.

Kindest regards,
- Mister Horncastle 




> Prologue: Tell Me a Story
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Mumma?” the young filly asked.

Looking down at her precious daughter, the little one’s mother emitted an affectionate hum.

“What is it, my little angel?”

Tilting her head, the filly gazed up at her mother with sparkles in her eyes.

“Why does Princess Celestia do everything?”

At this, her mother chuckled and rustled her mane.

“Princess Celestia doesn’t do everything sweetie, she has many other ponies that help her out, called advisers. They all work together in a special group called the Royal Council. And once upon a time, her sister, Princess Luna, used to help a lot too. That was a long time ago, before she became Nightmare Moon. But, there used to be a time when they ruled Equestria together, but even now that she rules alone, the Princess is very strong and very wise, so she can handle all the royal duties that she has to do.”

The filly thought about this for a few seconds, and then had another question.

“Where did Princess Celestia come from? Did she have a mummy?”

Unsure whether to laugh or to frown, the filly’s mother pondered for a moment. The event surrounding the Sunlight Goddess’ birth was a very serious topic; she had studied it at the Canterlot University in her youth. Looking at the clock, she decided that it was time for her daughter to go to bed.

“It’s getting late honey. Go and brush your teeth and hop into bed, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

The filly gasped, another bedtime story! Without uttering another word, she rushed upstairs to brush her teeth. Exhaling through her nose with amusement, the mare acknowledged that if she told the story to her foal, she wouldn’t hear the end of it for months on end. However, her daughter’s persistent quest for knowledge was admirable, and with a shrug, she saw no harm in it. Besides, it was a riveting story, and not one many ponies knew these days…

Stepping into the living room, the mare found her husband explaining the ‘birds and the bees’ to their son.

“Well, that’s pretty much the basics.” he rasped, awkwardly clearing his throat, “Now, if you have any more questions, you can ask your mother.”

Another puff of air left the mare’s nose, this time more in displeasure than amusement. It was rather obvious what her other half had done; he evidently didn’t want to explain things in detail, and so he had shifted the responsibility onto her.

{Sneaky git.} she thought to herself, rolling her eyes.

Turning around, her son spotted her, and rushed over with a look of eagerness and curiosity. He opened his mouth to speak, but his mother silenced him, knowing precisely what dwelled on his mind.

“After I put your sister to bed, I’ll answer any questions you have, alright?”

Nodding sheepishly, the young colt scarpered off to his room. With husband and wife alone, the colt’s father made his approach, whispering to his partner in his deep, seductive tone.

“Well good evening, Vel…”

Stifling a shudder, she loved it when he called her that. Ignoring his flirting, she went in for a hug, instead of the kiss he was expecting. Having been married for many years, playing hard to get kept things fun, and seeing her husband grow more and more impatient filled her with excitement; it was always more satisfying to work for one’s meal. Still, she never wanted him to feel undesired, and so she planted a passionate kiss onto his neck, before pulling away to face him.

“I’ve just sent our little angel off to bed. She wants to know about the origin of Her Royal Highness.”

“Of course she does.” the stallion sighed, tutting, “I swear, that filly…”

“I know…” the mare replied, “Maybe someday she’ll want something besides knowledge.”

The stallion let out a faint chuckle, shaking his head.

“That’ll be the day… Well the history lesson is all yours, I’ve done plenty enough explaining for one night.”

“So I heard.” the mare giggled. “I’ll be as quick as I can, and then I’m off to bed.”

“Straight to sleep?” he hinted.

Leaning forward, she rested her mouth beside her husband’s ear.

“That depends…” she whispered, “The dishes still need doing, and you know just how I reward good behaviour…”

With that, she pecked the stallion on the cheek and trotted off upstairs, leaving him standing alone in the living room. And then, with a gulp, he shot off into the kitchen as fast as his hooves could carry him.


The door to the little filly’s bedroom opened, and in came her mother.

“I brushed my teeth!” she announced excitedly, bouncing up and down in her bed.

“Show me.”

Baring her teeth, her mother inspected them, and then planted a kiss on her forehead, taking note to avoid her little unicorn horn. Settling the little filly down, she tucked her in and sat down beside her, resting against the bedside table.

“Are you going to tell me a story?”

“Yes, and it’s a very special story.”

While the filly wriggled into a comfortable position, her mother pondered on how she was going to word the fable; it was rather complex, and she didn’t want to say anything that would confuse her foal too much. Eventually, she settled on how she would tell it, and took a deep breath.

“Alright my little one, this story is about how Equestria was made, and where the Princesses came from.”

“Ooh, ooh!” the young one squeaked with wide eyes, desperate to learn.

“Now-now sweetness… I won’t tell you if you don’t settle down.”

Within a heartbeat, the filly had gone limp, now silent as a dormouse. She loved learning more than anything in the whole wide world, and would do anything if it meant receiving another lesson. Smiling warmly, her mother couldn’t help but be reminded of herself when she was younger.

“Now then,” she began, “this is the story of how Equus came to be… Once upon a time, there were six magical creatures, called the Holy Titans of Harmony. The Titans were enormous, bigger than the Great Mountain itself.”

“The mountain where Canterlot is?” the little filly inquired, blinking innocently.

“That’s the one!” her mother confirmed, nodding, “Now, these Titans, in all their great power, worked together to create our world, Equus. It took them a very long time, and when it was finally done, they created tiny little things called cells, which slowly grew into all the plants and animals we see in the world today, even us.”

The filly had seen cells under a microscope, but she wasn’t told where they came from, so learning about their origin, along with the Titans, was like music to her ears. Continuing, her mother explained that the Titans then created a magical crystal sphere, known as the Titans’ Orb.

“The Titans’ Orb is very special,” she explained, “for it produces a bubble around our world, a shield that can never be destroyed. This, my little one, is so all the bad monsters can never come here.”

The filly’s mother then pretended to be a mighty beast, rearing up onto her hind legs and towering over the bed with a scowl, her hooves held high. She let out a playful hiss and stomped towards her daughter, of whom began to giggle. This giggle then became hysterical laughter as the monster was repelled by the Titans’ Orb, falling back with a loud retching noise and collapsing down to the ground. Getting back up, she calmed her daughter back down and gave her a nurturing cuddle.

“You, my darling, are safe.”

The filly held her back, squeezing her mother tightly. They then let go of each other, and the story continued.

“Along with the Orb, the Titans made something else as well. They created a sword, the Titans’ Sword, which was given to a very special pony, known as the Champion. This pony was the protector of Equus, and only they could use the sword without being hurt, nopony else could even try, not even Princess Celestia.”

The filly’s pupils expanded, captivated by every word.

“One day…” the mare continued, “The Titan of Mass, whose name was Appelox, turned evil, and he gobbled up the other Titans!”

“He gobbled them up?” the filly squeaked.

“Indeed, he did.” her mother nodded, “But it wasn’t all bad, because something really special happened just before that…”

The filly sat bolt upright in her bed, too excited to lie still.

“What? What happened?”

Laughing affectionately, the mare calmed her daughter down before continuing. She lightly placed a hoof on her child’s chest and gently laid her back down.

“The Titan of Mana, called Twilus, realised that Appelox was going to eat her, and so she reached out to her Champion, asking for help. The Champion, you see, was the first alicorn in this world, known only as the Regal Mother. Nopony knows much about her, only that she was the Champion, and that she offered herself to Twilus as a sacrifice, so that she may create two very special ponies…”

“The Princesses?”

Emitting an endearing huff through her nose, the little filly’s mother smiled.

“That’s right my little one, Twilus used the Regal Mother’s body to create Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. One pony to embody the sun, representing all the light and warmth it brings in the day, and the other to embody the moon, and the cold gentle darkness of night. It became their job to rule Equestria together, to watch over us now that the Titans are gone. After they were born, Twilus was gobbled up by Appelox.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the filly asked what happened next, and her mother dutifully pressed on.

“Appelox then tried to eat Equus as well, but he failed. Twilus had tampered with the Titans’ Orb, making it recognise Appelox for the monster he had become. He was given a great big nasty shock, and that mean old Titan ran away forever! And so it is, that even without the Titans any more, their Orb keeps us safe.”

The filly said nothing this time, and simply stared in awe at her mother, amazed that this was all true. So many questions now danced in her little head… What did the Titans look like? How big were they? Where was Appelox now? Who was the Regal Mother? Was there another Champion now? Maybe she could be the next Champion? Maybe if she tried really, really hard, the Titans’ Sword would let her use it?

“Well, that’s about it, darling.” her mother said, getting to her hooves.

“Wait!” the filly begged.

Raising an eyebrow, her mother waited, prompting her to go on.

“What happened to the sword?”

Sighing, her mother sat back down, and told her about the following Champion.

“Long before our time, before even Nightmare Moon, there was a pony who found it. No one knows his name any more, but from what’s written, he was a good friend to the royal sisters, and dutifully served as Champion for many years. He’s gone now, and there hasn’t been a Champion since.”

“Oh… Where’s the sword now?”

Hanging her head, the mare’s patience was beginning to wear thin; it seemed that she would never get away from the seething mass of questions her foal now had for her. Still, she had brought this upon herself, and proceeded to explain that the sword was now kept with the Titans’ Orb, sealed away in the lowest region of the Canterlot Caves, deep beneath the earth.

“Will it ever choose anypony again?” her child quizzed, tilting her head.

She could tell in her daughter’s voice that it was her final question, and to be honest, it was something that even the mare herself had wondered on occasion. It had been a long time since she had read up on her ancient history, but the few books on the subject did mention the ever-flowing back and forth between Champions and Calamities. Looking down upon her daughter, she recited the honest truth of what little she knew.

“Well, an old legend says that one day, a bad thing will happen… something called a Calamity.”

“A Calamimmy?”

“Close enough, darling.”

Chuckling, she explained that someday, Equus would find itself in grave danger, and when all hope seemed lost, a hero would arise. The sword would accept them, and they would be named the Champion of the Titans. With the sword at their side, the Champion would protect all the ponies across the land, and defeat the Calamity. Mesmerised, the little filly lay there for a good few seconds before speaking.

“Wow…”

The mare smiled warmly and tilted her head, her love for her daughter, almost overwhelming. The filly then rolled onto her side and looked up, blinking innocently with her perfect little eyes.

“Me be alright?”

“Yes, my sweet little angel, you'll be alright.”

Leaning forward and kissing her kin on the head, she turned away and left the room, leaving a young Twilight Sparkle to drift off, thinking of all the incredible things she had learned today.

Her story, was very much yet to begin…






Fourteen Years Later






A shadow, unnoticed and unheard, slithered between the rocks and crystals, closer and closer to its target. The numerous guards had no idea what was coming. It was then that a tiny stone was dropped behind a large cluster of crystals, which only one of the guards heard.

“Huh?” he mumbled, leaving his post in order to investigate.

{Straying from the light, how witless…} the dark form thought to itself, waiting patiently for its prey.

The guard walked around to the back of the crystals, and before he could blink, a sharp blade was placed beneath his chin and gashed his throat open. Within seconds, he was dead.

{Pitiful…} the creature thought, silently crawling up a stone pillar and onto the ceiling.

Upside down and submerged in shadow, none of the remaining guards had a clue as to what unimaginable peril lurked above them, observing them, and mapping out their patrols, planning how each of them would soon die. Within the next half hour, another six guards had been killed, and now only three remained. At long last, the Captain of the Guard realised that their numbers had significantly thinned.

“Hey, where did the others go?”

“I last saw Coinhoof over there.” one of his companions replied.

The Captain walked off in search of his fellow guards, while the other two remained in place. If only he had looked up, he might have spotted the faintly glowing eyes looking back down at him. With its mandibles clicking, it uttered quietly to him, knowing it was out of earshot.

“When you return, you’re going to find a rather curious sight.” it said, twitching with excitement, “Your brethren will be my canvas, and your terror will be my ink…”

Skittering across the ceiling, it made its way to the two guards, who were still totally unaware. This was all too easy, and the creature was somewhat disappointed by the facile pickings. It had expected finer protection for such a prize, had its time away truly been so forgotten? Withdrawing its identical twin swords, the creature detached from the cave roof, landing with enough finesse to remain perfectly balanced. Whipping around to face it, the guards opened their mouths in horror, but before either of them could properly catch a glimpse at their adversary, it had swung its blades, beheading them both in a single X-shaped swipe.

The Captain of the Guard’s right ear twitched, what was that sound? Now alone, with no idea of what was happening around him, he carried on searching for his companions. He then noticed a trail of liquid, pooling in some parts of the uneven stone floor. With the little light provided, he couldn’t distinguish what it was, and decided to follow it. His investigation then fell short, as he stumbled upon the mangled corpse of his fellow guardspony, Coinhoof.

“Uh… Ah! AHHHH!” he screamed, bolting.

The creature had to act fast, if the alarm was raised now, it could very well fail in its task. Sheathing its blades, it darted towards the Captain at an unfathomable speed, gliding across the floor like a vengeful gust of wind. It launched at him, smacking into him at full force, driving him into the ground so hard that it cracked open one of his legs at the shin.

“GAAAAHH!” he howled in pain, squeezing his eyes shut and writhing in agony.

“So, this is her finest guard?” the creature spoke, eyeing him up and down, “Pathetic…”

The Captain opened his eyes, and what he saw caused him to soil himself. He could not speak, and he could not move, for the sight reflected in his eyes was so horrifying that it left him completely and utterly petrified. By the time he was able to snap out of it, the creature was already tearing into him, parting hide from flesh, and flesh from bone. His screams echoed all throughout the Canterlot Caves, until they stopped abruptly. Dropping the scattered remains, the creature headed at last towards its prize…

The Titans’ Orb sat upon a small crystal podium, paired with the Titans’ Sword, which was embedded within the podium itself. All but a dome of magical energy stood between this creature, and the only thing that kept Equus truly safe. It placed its claws on the forcefield and made an attempt to push through, only to be met with a violent shock. He had been expecting this however, and had most certainly not come unprepared.

The world of Equus was home to many relics and artefacts of great power, and from this monster’s back, was drawn such an artefact, one that formerly belonged to the very ruler of Tartarus, the great Lich of the Underworld and Caretaker of the Dead.
Yes, indeed… the relic in question had once belonged to Hades, and took the form of a ridged bone staff, bearing the skull of an alicorn, which in turn bore the horns of a minotaur. Asymmetrical in nature, the other end of the staff housed the malformed claw of a griffon, which tightly clutched at a crystal of a most vile green hue.

With its mandibles clicking eagerly, the creature thrust the staff towards the forcefield, and a sickly green mist began to emanate from it, fusing with the magical barrier. The mist spread like a poison until the entire dome had become a deep emerald in colour. It then grew darker and darker until finally it collapsed upon itself, disintegrating into black flakes that hung in the air.

“Finally…” the monster spoke, its fangs still wet with pony blood.

After all this time, after centuries of patiently waiting, the creature would see its oath fulfilled. Its blackened heart swelled with a sense of pride for finally reaching this moment. Taking a moment to inspect the Orb, it clambered the stone monument and peered into the crystal sphere. It pulsated and swirled with enough mana to ignite a thousand suns, and it almost seemed a pity to ruin such a perfect thing. Backing away, the beast took aim with the staff, and started to chant an incantation.

“Tswesya si set, vrrtep syura. Tswesya si, ulte ska’a fì’u swok zum!”

The language was that of the First Tongue, a long-forgotten language from Ancient Equestria, which had been almost entirely lost to time. The gravelly demonic voice rippled through the air, and more sickly green magic emerged from the staff, enveloping the Titans’ Orb and causing it to rise into the air. The crystal podium it had sat on crumbled apart, and the sword embedded within floated up to join the Orb, hovering just beneath it. The Orb then began to hum loudly, and brightly glowing cracks started forming upon its surface.

And then… BOOM!



The entire cave was shaken viciously, with masses of crystal and stone being dislodged and shattered by the sheer force of the shockwave. As the smoke cleared, it was revealed that both the Orb and the sword were gone. All that remained was the scorched rock, littered with countless pieces of broken crystal, which shone faintly with the residue of the Orb’s energy, and the sickly green magic that had destroyed it. With a haunting chuckle, the creature slipped away into the shadows, its plan at last in motion.

“And so it begins…” he croaked, “The arrival of the end of all days is now in motion. Equus shall burn in the fires of war, and in the final moments of their apocalypse, all shall know the name…”



“Nah’Lek.”





> Chapter One: My Life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





My eyes flickered open, and I slowly sat up, inhaling deeply through my nose. With a yawn, I reached over to retrieve my phone and check the time; it was a little past midday. I’d slept a bit later than I had meant to, although it didn’t overly matter. Shrugging, I clambered out of bed and proceeded to get dressed, and once I was fully clothed, I stood in front of the mirror, taking a good long look at myself; I didn’t look half bad, for once… It had taken plenty of dedication, but I was finally somewhat happy with my image, and no longer repulsed by the overweight blob that I once was. That wasn’t to say that I was totally there yet, I still had quite the belly, and so I decided to take myself off to the nearby leisure centre for a swim. I would need to take the bus to get there, as driving wasn’t an option for me, for a handful of reasons. Firstly, I couldn’t afford the lessons, let alone a car. And secondly, even if I had the money, I lacked the confidence; the sheer thought of piloting a great big metal death trap, hurtling down the road alongside other great big metal death traps, utterly terrified me.
For all that said, getting from A to B required either walking, or taking public transport.

After packing my goggles, swimming trunks, and a towel into a small duffle bag, I made my way downstairs and opened the front door, not bothering to grab anything to eat.

“Where do you think you’re going?” a voice barked.

This voice belonged to that of my mother.

It was safe to assume that most people would be comforted to hear their mother’s voice; that familiar maternal tone should by all rights evoke feelings of assurance, and safety.
Well, things were rather different in this household.

“I’m just heading out to the K-Two, I’m going for a swim.” I answered, turning to face her.

Her eyes narrowed and she cast me a less-than-subtle look of contempt.

“Fine, but I’m not taking you.”

“I uh, never asked you to.” I replied awkwardly, “I’m taking the bus.”

“Well, be back before six.”

Raising my eyebrows and looking down at the floor, I obeyed the order with an exasperated mumble.

“Yes Mum…”

Oh how the woman did love to nag, especially when it came to me going out, she was always checking on what I did. She didn’t care for my safety, there was just this obsessive need to know what I was actually doing with my time. It seemed as though she was in a constant state of paranoia, as if there was some big secret to uncover. I was seventeen years old with barely a penny to my name, what did she think I got up to?

Opening the front door, I stepped out into the driveway, and being the middle of a hot June, I was relieved to be greeted by a cool breeze. Truth be told, I hated the summer; I was a winter baby, born in early January and proud of it too; I thrived in the cold. The front door was slammed shut, and with a pensive sigh I began to make the short walk to the bus stop.

Janice, my mother… where did I start? She was a narcissistic, self-centred old bat with a huge drinking problem. It was only mild at first, but she went completely off the deep end after my father disappeared. Now she was a borderline psychopath, ready to lash out at even the slightest provocation.

On the total flip side, my dad, Clifford, had been the ideal parent. He was a good man, a kind man, caring, and thoughtful. He had all the time in the world for me, and filled my childhood with good experiences and memories. But nobody in this world was perfect, and my father met his downfall at the behest of a severe gambling addiction, which only became apparent during the last few weeks of his time in my family. At first, I had seen no ill in it, for he had claimed to only ever spend his winnings; he never gambled what he couldn’t afford to lose. And then, in just a single game of high-stakes poker, the bastard shed his virtues and refused to fold, throwing away his life and all of our family savings. I never heard from him again after that. As for where he went, I would never know, and my mum certainly wasn’t up for telling me; merely uttering his name rewarded me with bruises, and being sent to bed without supper.

I also had an older brother.
Once my best friend, now my personal tormentor, Oliver could be as bad as my mum at times. When Dad left, he stepped up to become a very twisted ‘man of the house’, by way of downloading every possible example of toxic masculinity to his brain, forging one of the most repugnant personalities known to man. Beneath it all however, it was very clear that he was just angry with Clifford for abandoning us, but unfortunately, I had become the outlet for that anger.
Despite his obnoxious and thug-like persona, he was actually a fiercely intelligent person, and had learned how to avoid my mum’s cruelty by mimicking her lifestyle. He would bring her peace offerings of whiskey and scotch to remain in her good graces, and drink with her long into the night, ranting and raving over politics and such, cleverly agreeing with her opinions and appearing like-minded to her. I had to admit, for as much as I detested the person he had become, he knew how to play the game, and I respected him for that.

In truth, I had been close to following the same path. All the bitterness and anger inside was certainly potent enough to make a monster out of me, but there was one thing that had allowed me to contain it. Though rather pathetic, and totally laughable by all rights, the thing that kept me going was a children’s cartoon, by the name of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

As all bronies would attest to, My Little Pony was more than just some silly show, it was a vibrant world with layered characters, genuinely entertaining premises, and valuable life lessons. It had made me appreciate the trivial joys in life, and had helped teach me to put people’s differences aside, and learn to love people for who they were. Beyond that, the show had provided me with a community, a mass of oddballs and outcasts from all different walks of life, many of whom I would chat with on the internet. From America to Japan, I had made connections with people like me, and bonded with them over shared experiences and mutual love for the show. These friendships, though mostly superficial and short-lived, had brought me a great deal of respite from the arduous day-to-day of my rather unfortunate life.

That cartoon, along with the quirky coterie it provided, had helped me maintain the motivation to press on, and to be the best version of myself I could be, all while clinging desperately to my faint sliver of hope. Hope that one day I would make it in life, that I’d be successful, with good friends at my side, and that maybe, just maybe, I’d be happy with my place in the world; because right now, I was certainly not happy with that, or at all…

Outside the community, I was very much a closet brony, having received my fair share of persecution for it at school. I had made the fatal error of telling my peers about it, hoping to share in the loving and wholesome experience it had brought to me, only to be met with relentless mockery. The entire school knew within a fortnight, and the merciless rumours came into circulation shortly afterwards.
Callum Horncastle, the little girl trapped in a boy’s body; the freak, the degenerate, the faggot, the queer, the paedophile… For a good year, I was embellished on a near daily basis with all the slurs bronies often received, and it didn’t help that I had autism either; the word ‘retard’ was thrown around quite a lot.

Thankfully the hysteria eventually died down, and as time went on, I was able to laugh about it with my classmates, with a small handful of them even watching the show for themselves! Though their numbers were small, the newfound bronies came to me with legitimate apologies for how they’d treated me, and I of course forgave them. But still, the experience had taught me not to be so forthcoming, and so my love for the show remained for the most part obscured, and wrought with ignominy.

Overall, this life of mine wasn’t exactly a pleasant one. With a miserable home life, a hatred for myself, and a pitiful outlook for the future, I had developed depression on a clinical level. Every day was a challenge, to the point where the simple act of getting out of bed felt like running a marathon. It had been this way for a while now, and I had spent far too much time in a state of hapless limbo, growing fat and not even caring.

Still, for as pessimistic as I could be at times, it wasn’t all hopeless. For my new-year resolutions, I had decided to take up boxing, both to lose weight, and to help manage the anger. It had been working a treat thus far, with my fortitude slowly but surely on the incline. Three days a week, I was training and sparring, and I had even begun to compete professionally! People had started to call me One-Right, on account of my fighting style; for most of the match, I would wear my opponent down with a flurry of small jabs and hooks with my left hand. And then, without any warning, I would deliver a fully charged right-handed strike, fuelled by every ounce of the bitterness and ire within me. It was the punch everybody feared, because it was the punch that won me the fight, every single time, without failure.

Learning to fight and losing weight had definitely improved things, but there was no hiding the fact that at the end of the day, one cannot polish a turd. I was still unhappy, and no amount of boxing or My Little Pony was ever going to fix that. No matter how many fights I won, it never brought me joy, nor fulfilment. There were no amount of ‘good days’ that could quell the oppressing darkness that bled from the sea of shadows within my mind. There was a sickness in me, of which there was no cure. For years now, I hadn’t been living, not really, I had just been surviving. Day in, day out, all I yearned for was something that could set me free from the murky pit that was my life; a real purpose, a fresh start, something, anything!

Just not this…


Crossing the road, I walked over to the bus stop. The bus for the leisure centre always took forever to show up on a Saturday, and so I sat down on the bench and patiently waited, looking around at my surroundings with a sense of antipathy. The place I had the displeasure of calling home was a dismal suburban area by the name of Ifield. It was a lowly neighbourhood, with almost all the buildings being made up of cheap council houses, packed with slobs who thrived on benefit fraud. Half the bloody town were on jobseeker’s allowance, well aware that they weren’t seeking anything but an easy way to sponge off the taxpayer. My home was one of the few decent places for miles; a proper Victorian house from back when Ifield was an actual village, which was sadly abolished in the nineteen-thirties after being merged with the larger town of Crawley. The house had thankfully survived, and was accompanied by a generous four acre plot of land at the back, of where I would often take long, moody walks with the dogs.

Doing my best to accept the way of things, I began to daydream while I waited. Returning to the usual fantasy, I envisioned a life in Equestria, and how wonderful it would be to live amongst the ponies there. A place far from here, without hatred or war, harbouring only love and harmony, where no one judged others for who they were. Somewhere I could be happy.

My self-pity was soon forced away, as I saw the leisure centre coming towards me, I had arrived.



Thanking the driver, I got off the bus and went inside, where I paid the cashier for entry to the swimming pools and went to get changed with a weak hint of excitement. I’ve loved swimming ever since I was little, for there was nothing quite like the freeing weightlessness of being underwater, unburdened by the weight of mind and body, able to sink physically instead of mentally for a change. Whenever I was submerged, it felt like my struggles remained at the surface, as though my ailing mind couldn’t swim. Perhaps it couldn't? Maybe in a roundabout way, that was why it always felt like I was drowning…


After a good two hours of swimming lengths in the Olympic pool, my stamina waned and my muscles started to ache, and so I hopped out and went back to the changing rooms. I was just towelling myself off when I overheard a couple of teenage lads in the cubicle next to me, ranting on about a cheating ex-girlfriend or something of that ilk. There was some rather enthusiastic talk of stabbing someone, and I was left rolling my eyes, tutting loudly. Slipping into my clothes, I got out of there as quickly as I could, wishing to hear no more of it.

The bus home didn’t arrive for some time, so while I waited, I leaned up against the bus stop and stared at the clouds in search of pareidolias. It was something my dad and I used to do together back when he was still around. We would lay out for ages during the summer, just staring up at the clouds. I would always look for animals and such; cloud cats, cloud dogs, perhaps a cloud dragon or two. Clifford on the other hand, would always look for people, and faces.

My searching then came to an abrupt halt when I noticed something moving behind one of the clouds. It was light blue, almost perfectly blended with the sky that surrounded it. I wouldn’t have seen it at all, if not for the smattering of other colours at both ends. Squinting my eyes, I tried to make out what it was, but it was far too small to be properly identified. It was only there for a moment, and then in the blink of an eye, it had vanished. I tried to find it again, but to no avail it was gone. With a shrug, I guessed that it was just a trick of the light, and cast it from my mind. The bus then finally arrived, and I showed the driver my return ticket and sat down. Feeling better for the swim, I released a calm breath, and watched the world pass me by as I was taken home.


When I got back, I found myself alone. I knew that my brother was away at a friend’s house, but I didn’t know where Janice had gone. I could only presume that she’d gone off to play bingo, as she often did in the afternoons. Scoffing, it was hard not to see the irony that she had banished my father for gambling, and yet so regularly gambled herself, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Knowing that I would be alone for a few hours, I prepared something that crudely resembled a dinner for myself, consisting of a curry flavoured Pot Noodle, and the left-over sausages that I had missed out on from this morning’s breakfast. It was hardly fine dining, but it was all I could be bothered to make. I was a good cook, mind, but with how depressed I was, finding the motivation to prepare a more satisfying meal was hard to come by. After I had heated up the sausages in the microwave, I took myself into the lounge and began to eat in front of the television. The Jeremy Kyle show was on, which was unquestionably shite TV, but I couldn’t help but enjoy it; there were few ways to improve one’s self-confidence quite like watching low class hooligans squabble and scream at each other over who cheated on whom, or who the baby’s real father was. It was essentially the British version of The Jerry Springer Show, all mediated by a man by the name of Jeremy Kyle, or Jezza, as most people liked to call him.

The programme was almost over, and just as the DNA results were about to be revealed, there was suddenly a loud whooshing noise in the back garden, startling me. One of the family dogs, Chilli, started to bark like crazy, speeding out of the lounge and out through the cat-flap before I could even stand up. My other dog, Archer, raised his massive head and looked around, showing concern for no more than a few seconds, before losing interest and lowering himself back down again. Rolling my eyes at the Deerhound’s laziness, I got up and made my way to the back door. I was almost there, when I heard a loud cracking noise, followed by a yelp. My eyes flared wide open and I started to panic; that was Chilli’s yelp. Quickly opening the door, I sprinted out into the garden and started looking around for her, frantically calling out her name.

“Chilli, where are you? Here Chilli!”

There was no response. Now I was really getting worried. I loved that damn dog more than anything, if anything happened to her, it would probably be the last straw for me… Swallowing nervously, I started whistling and patting my thighs emphatically, desperately beckoning the dog to me.

“Chilli come!” I called out, before whistling as loud as I could.

At first there was still no response, but after a moment of silence, I heard a whimpering in the bushes. Charging over to them, I finally found her, eyes wide and cowering with fear. She was pressed up against the base of the hedge, but upon seeing me, she crawled over for protection. As I scooped her up and checked her over, I realised that her whiskers had been singed at the tips, as if they had been set alight by a match or something. What the hell had happened to her? Gulping, I stood up properly and looked all around, still cradling the quivering bundle in my arms. Casting my eyes over to the chickens on the land, I noticed that they seemed to be rather spooked as well. Yes, we also had chickens, with there being four acres of land, it seemed silly not to have any livestock; it was certainly nice to have an endless supply of eggs, that was for sure. We had ten hens and a cockerel named Bronson, and all eleven of them were bunched up together and clucking nervously, when they normally liked to roam around separately. They were evidently disturbed by something, and so I took it upon myself to investigate. After putting Chilli inside, I beckoned for Archer to accompany me as I went back out to have a look around. Being a sighthound, he was perfect for something like this, if there was anyone hiding out here, he’d spot them far sooner than I ever could.

Alas, no such spotting was to occur, and after a good ten-or-so minutes of searching, I found nothing to suggest that there was anyone in the garden, or anything out of the ordinary at all. The chickens had calmed down, and all seemed as it ought to be. Frowning, I folded my arms and exhaled heavily from my nose. What was going on here? What the bloody hell had singed Chilli’s whiskers? As the mystery weighed more and more on my mind, I started to develop a sense of paranoia. Was someone watching me? Turning all around, I was unable to shake the uneasy feeling that I was being observed. A shiver ran down my spine, and without the ability to figure out who, or what, or where my observer might be, I anxiously hurried back inside, being sure to lock the door behind me. Now terribly uncomfortable, especially as I was home alone, I went up to my room and played on my Xbox, trying to forget about the whole thing. With the both of us in need of some company, I let Chilli come upstairs with me, who curled up in my lap while I played.


A couple of hours later, I heard the front door slam; Jan was home. Within seconds, I could hear my mother stomping her way upstairs, and the door to my bedroom was shunted open.

“Why the fuck is the dog on the bed?” she demanded as she stepped into my room.

She grabbed Chilli by the collar and yanked her off of my bed, and then without an ounce of humanity, quite literally kicked her out of my room. With a yelp, the poor little spaniel ran downstairs, now frightened and confused. Looking up at the callous old hag, I gave my mother a solemn, defeated look.

“Why did you do that?” I begged, clenching my jaw.

“You know I don’t like her up here.” she snapped in reply.

“Okay, but you don’t have to kick her like-”

My words were cut off by her hand, as it slapped me across the face.

“Don’t answer back, cocky little boy.” she spat, turning away to leave.

She shut my door and marched off, to which I let out a heavy sigh and allowed my head to hang low. Sniffing angrily, I wrinkled my nose in response to my now-stinging cheek. I didn’t cry, for this was a common occurrence; I was wholly used to this kind of treatment. No, for me, the real pain came from how she’d kicked the dog. The old bat could do to me as she liked, but poor Chilli didn’t understand, and under no grounds did she deserve such needless abuse, and for what, lying on my bed? One would think she’d shat in my mother’s cereal for the way she was so often despised by the woman.

And then, just as I thought that was the worst of it, the wrath of my mother’s return continued, as the kitchen fridge was opened.

“Who took the sausages from this morning?”

Her sharp, booming voice rippled through the house, to the point where I could physically feel the vibration through my bed frame. Swallowing, I took a deep breath, before venturing miserably downstairs to confess.

“Sorry Mum, I thought those were for me because I missed breakfast.”

Casting me a fierce look, she raised one side of her lip, disgusted with me.

“Right, so you thought you could just sneak into the fridge while nobody’s home and eat whatever you like, hm?”

“I just… I just wanted something for dinner, and I didn’t know what else to eat.” I sighed.

Leaving the fridge wide open, she strode towards me and I haunched my shoulders, knowing what was about to happen. Grabbing my face with an open hand, she clamped my cheeks like a vice and said that I was never going to get into shape, because I was a gluttonous, greedy little runt. Saying nothing, I met her piercing glare, to which she smacked me in the face and ordered me to make myself useful by putting the chickens to bed. I didn’t argue with her, and drifted sombrely to the back door. She followed me there, looming ominously behind me, knowing full-well that I was afraid of her. As I stepped outside, she slammed the door shut and I heard the lock click, indicating that I would be stuck out here for a while. With another loud sniff, I wiped at the tears in my eyes and made my way down the garden to the chicken coop, now feeling bleak and lifeless.

As though they wished to ease my burden, most of the chickens had thankfully turned in for the night already, and after escorting the last two hens into the hutch, I closed the door. This was my duty on a daily basis, to prevent foxes from getting at them in the night, as they had done so many times before. Over the past few years, we had lost a good nine hens, along with our previous cockerel, named Bruce. Of course, I had been blamed for this, and so it was now up to me to secure them at night, with Janice promising that if any more chickens were killed, I would be made to sleep in the coop with the surviving flock, not to return indoors until I myself had laid an egg.

Having been locked out, I saw no point in heading back, and so I wandered aimlessly up the land. I had only gone a few paces, when I suddenly heard a faint voice from behind the concrete car shed further up the land, used for Dad’s old sit-on lawn mower. Immediately on high alert, I clenched my fists and crept on over. Upon reaching the shed, I crouched down low and craned my neck, listening carefully, and it quickly dawned on me that there were multiple voices speaking. More concerning than that, was that they were talking about me.

“Oh, how I feel for the poor boy.” one of them spoke, “How can she treat another of her kind like that, her own son for that matter?”

The voice was female and carried a stern elegance, and somehow, I recognised it from somewhere. Furrowing my brow, I carried on listening as another voice spoke, of which I recognised as well.

“Yeah, I feel for him too. I honestly couldn’t even watch when she went to hit him…”

And then, a third voice spoke, in the form of a gentle, concerned whisper. It was so quiet that I almost didn’t hear it at all.

“Um, Twilight, I was wondering… Was it, um… really necessary to zap poor little Chilli? I feel so bad for the poor thing!”

Twilight… Twilight… That voice, saying that particular name…
It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be. Surely not…

“Oh Fluttershy, I know, and I’m sorry. However, I’m afraid it was necessary. If it kept barking at us, the human might have found us.”

{Oh… my… god.} I thought to myself, my eyes bulging.

I realised who I was listening to, but it didn’t make any sense. How was that possible? I had to have been dreaming, surely. Shaking my head with disbelief, I continued to eavesdrop, just to confirm that I really was hearing them.

“Look, Twilight, how long are we going to be out here monitoring this dude? We’ve been here for two weeks already, I’m so bored! Can we please just get this show on the road already?”

“Keep it down, Rainbow! Look, I know you’re bored, but we can’t take any chances. Not only are we on a new planet, we’re in a whole new dimension! There’s just no telling how many dangers there are here, things could go south real fast if we aren’t careful. I want to learn as much as I can about these humans before we take the next step.”

Hearing this, my mouth went dry and I began to feel dizzy. They had been here for two whole weeks?

{What is happening?} I thought to myself, {What the hell is going on?}

There was no doubt about it now, I was listening to the Mane Six. These voices belonged to the six ponies from the show, they were here, right here in my garden, just on the other side of this shed. That’s what had spooked the chickens, Chilli had found them, and it had been Twilight Sparkle that singed her whiskers, in a bid to remain hidden. I almost dropped dead from astonishment there and then. With my mouth agape, I also realised that that was why I had felt like I was being watched earlier.

But it still didn’t make any sense, how could six cartoon ponies be behind my garden shed? It just wasn’t possible. As I tried to make heads or tails of the situation, the mixture of confusion and joy within me became twinged with a hint of nausea. Was any of this even real? Had I lost my mind? I certainly hadn’t taken any drugs, so maybe I had actually gone doolally tap? Perhaps all the abuse, and persistent longing for an escape, had at long last driven me over the edge, spurred on by my frequent daydreaming about going to Equestria. It was as though my brain was trying to take me there manually. I started to feel angry with myself; how dare I be so weak-willed and openly deluded. Refusing to be driven mad, I pinched myself over and over and gave my head a hard jolt. But try as I might, the ponies continued to speak to one another, with the sound of Applejack’s voice now taking the forefront.

“I’ve gotta say Twi, this whole shebang about dimensions and aliens is whizzing over my head. All I know is that the Princess sent us here to find that darn Orb, and that this human fella can help us. If she said Callum’s the guy for the job, then we may as well bring him into the fold already. Surely even you can agree with that logic?”

{Wait-wait-wait… Princess Celestia!?} I shrieked in thought, almost crying it aloud, {She knows me? She sent them here to find… me!?}

How could she have known me? Had she been spying on me? This was all too much to handle, it was too confusing and too impossible to remain idle. The urge to actually see them for myself was so overpowering that I was shaking. Clutching the sides of my head, I trembled as I kept on listening. Twilight was now arguing with the Applejack, clearly trying to hold on to her decision to remain hidden. Rainbow Dash then jumped back in, pointing out that they would learn more from me in a few minutes than they had in the past two weeks, and eventually, it seemed like they were winning her over.

“Come along Twilight!” Rarity’s voice piped up, “If we were to have just one little chat with him, we’d learn more in that conversation than we would in a whole month of watching him like this! It’s hardly like we have much to fear from him, considering all we’ve been through together.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash loudly agreed, “Are you forgetting who we are? We’re the frickin’ Elements of Harmony! We’ve saved Equestria like, loads of times! We’ve dealt with Nightmare Moon, Discord, the changelings… Face it, we’re badasses! Are you seriously afraid of some big furless monkey? Come on, let’s just talk to him already!”

To this, I shuddered. I may have been just one ‘big furless monkey’, but if these girls knew just how dangerous my species could be, they would be backing Twilight’s approach without question. From our numerous wars, to crime statistics, to slavery, to terrorism, oh, the list was endless. It would take a lifetime to list all the abhorrent things we humans had done, both to this world, and to each other. That said, they thankfully wouldn’t be finding such things in my garden, and after a time, Twilight seemed to think so too. With a loud sigh, she at last gave in to the pressure of her friends.

“Look, you all have some good points, I just think… I guess that… Oh, you know what? Fine! We’ll talk to him, okay? But I don’t know when exactly… If we are going to talk to him, then we still need to find a way to get him out here alone.”

I couldn’t take it any more, this was my moment. With a deep breath, I stood up and came out from around the shed to face them; to face a dream in reality.

“There’s no need, Twilight. I’m already out here.”

All six of them gasped, turning to stare in shock as I revealed myself to them. I too, inhaled deeply as I saw them at last. It was… It was like nothing I could possibly imagine. How one might go about describing this moment was beyond me, for I was looking at something truly inconceivable. Even in the low light of the setting sun, they stood out to me like six bright candles in an otherwise pitch black room, their faces dancing with fright and caution, unsure what to make of my sudden appearance.
They looked like… well, I couldn’t quite describe it, they were just so real! And yet, they were just like they were in the show; Rainbow Dash’s mane and tail were the same bright vivid pastel colours, Pinkie Pie was indeed a bright hot pink, and Rarity’s purple mane was curled in its usual fashion. Applejack was wearing her signature cowboy hat, and Fluttershy was watching me anxiously from behind the cover of her large salmon pink mane. Come to think of it, they looked quite similar to their three-dimensional counterparts in Source Filmmaker, just more real. That was the only way I could describe it, they looked real, because they were real.

No one said anything, and I noticed that they were all slowly backing away from me.

“Please don’t be afraid!” I blurted out, “I’m not going to hurt you!”

Gulping, Twilight was the first to speak.

“Callum? Uh, you… were you spying on us? How much of that did you hear?”

Her pupils and irises had shrunk in size, just as they did in the show when ponies were afraid. If I weren’t so shocked myself, I’d probably have pointed out the irony that she had been the one spying on me. Glancing past her at the others, it dawned on me that they all had the same expression. Well, all except for Rainbow Dash, who seemed quite calm after getting over the initial surprise. However, with how nervous the rest of them were, I realised that I needed to say something, and quickly. With a gulp, I forced myself past the shock and spoke as calmly as I could.

“I didn’t hear much, only that you’ve been here a couple weeks and want to learn more about me, that’s all I heard.”

Exhaling, I fought to remain composed. My heart was pounding in my chest, and the urge to run towards them in excited greeting was almost overpowering, but I had to stay put, and show them that I was harmless. And then, an idea came to me. Clearing my throat, I decided to quote the cartoon, hoping that I could spark a sense of familiarity.

“Look, I’m not sure how well you know me, but I promise, I’m no threat to you… I Pinkie promise.”

It seemed to work a treat, as the corners of Pinkie’s lips turned up into a little grin, and everyone seemed to relax a bit. Rainbow Dash even took a step towards me, now totally calm and confident.

“You see Twilight, what did I tell you? Nothing to be afraid of.”

Nervously looking her way, I dared to ask what any brony in my shoes would have asked.

“This probably sounds a bit ridiculous to you, but… are you… are you actually real?”

Smirking, the pegasus walked right up to me and held out her hoof for me to feel.

“Really real, dude.”

With a shudder, I lifted my arm and prepared to make my first physical contact. I hesitated at first, not wanting this dream to end, but I persisted and gradually reached out, finally touching it. The tip of the hoof was firm, and the surrounding fur was short and velvety. I’d have tried to feel the underside of it too, but I didn’t want to be impolite or intrusive, especially as the show had depicted Rainbow Dash as having sensitive hooves. The dream didn’t end, and as I respectfully let go and looked into Dashie’s eyes, I was struck in full force by a rushing cascade of emotions. My eyes started to water and my heart swelled with joy, more than joy; this experience was rapturous to me, as though I were a man of faith, looking upon the very face of God. My world, from this moment, was forever changed. Overjoyed, I couldn’t stop myself from breaking out into a huge grin, and the tears finally began to flow.

{This is really happening…} I thought to myself, {They’re real! This is all real!}

Aside from Twilight, who continued to keep her distance, the others relaxed and came forward to greet me, now convinced that they were safe in my company. They all stood together in front of me, with Rarity being next to speak.

“We’ve been keeping an eye on you for quite some time.” she said with a flick of her mane, “However, Twilight’s magic can only gather so much information, we’ve all been dying to meet you properly! Please, tell us more about yourself.”

To that, I didn’t know how to reply, it wasn’t every day one was questioned by Rarity for crying out loud! I had to say something though before it got awkward, and so I used Spike’s handy line from the very first episode of the show.

“Well, what do you want to know?”

As I waited for a response, I looked from pony to pony, and noticed a strange look in Rainbow Dash’s eyes. I had no idea what she was thinking, but I could tell that she was clearly thinking hard, for her whole demeanour had changed, like she was studying me for some reason. For a brief moment, it was like the world didn’t even exist to her as she searched desperately for something in me, not that I knew what that was. Just as I began to feel uncomfortable, my attention was drawn back to Rarity as she gave her answer.

“Well, thanks to Twilight’s magic we know your name is Callum, and that you share the latter name of Horncastle with your family. We’ve learned that you live with your mother and your brother, and that you spend a lot of time interacting with those curious gadgets of yours, watching moving pictures, and sometimes interacting with them. We’ve also come to gather that you’re athletic to some degree, having seen your swimming abilities, and also that fighting sport you partake in, boxing, is that right?”

I gave her a nod to confirm, only for her to confess that that was as much as they knew. Furrowing my brow, I thought about my swimming session earlier, and then my eyes shot wide open. It was Rainbow Dash I had seen in the clouds, she had followed me to the K-Two and watched me from above!

“I saw you.” I breathed, pointing to the cyan pegasus, “Today. You were up in the clouds. I saw you, but I didn’t realise it was…”

Trailing off, I let out a small huff, totally gobsmacked. Grinning proudly, she shamelessly admitted that it was indeed her, and that Twilight had been using her as a portable set of binoculars, tracking me wherever I went and observing my activities. Tutting, I shook my head, utterly baffled. I then tried to reply to Rarity, only for Pinkie Pie to launch herself forward and start bouncing in front of me.

“Ooh, what kind of food do you guys eat? Huh? Huh?”

I opened my mouth, only to be halted by a harrowing thought. If she was asking this, then the ponies weren’t yet aware that I ate meat. How would they respond to such a thing? The last thing I wanted was to horrify them with the revelation that humans were meat-eating omnivores. The thought of Fluttershy’s reaction alone was enough to make my skin prickle.

“Well, erm… I’m pretty sure we eat mostly similar foods?” I said at last, telling only half the truth, “You know, bread, grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, cheeses, that sort of thing.”

Thankfully, before I had to elaborate any further, I heard the door open back at the house, followed by my mother’s dreaded voice booming across the garden.

“Oi Callum! I told you to put the chickens away, not go fucking camping!”

Hanging my head, I looked at all the ponies, and they all looked at me; they knew that I had to go. But, I had an idea. I knew for a fact that Jan was off to pay a visit to my uncle tomorrow, and my brother wouldn’t be home for another few days yet, as he was staying at his friend’s house. Explaining this to the girls, I asked if they would like to come in tomorrow. Twilight opened her mouth, clearly about to refuse, when Pinkie Pie suddenly broke out into a hyperactive fit, utterly possessed with glee.

“Ooh yes, yes! I would love to! I can’t wait to see the inside of an alien’s house! What’s it like in there? Is it all snuggly-wuggly with big alien furniture and a massive alien kitchen full of tasty alien food and-”

“Alright-alright now, simmer down, Pinkie.” laughed Applejack, giving her frenetic friend a nudge.

She then looked at me sternly, and asked if it was well and truly safe to come in.

“It’ll be safe, I promise.” I replied, dipping my head, “You could just come in for a few hours, plenty of time to talk and get to know each other better. Oh, and I have tons of books, so even after you leave, you can take those with you if you like?”

That’s what got Twilight’s attention, there were books. Now, she couldn’t refuse.

“Ugh, alright!” she huffed, “Just be sure to call for us when you’re absolutely sure it’s safe. Oh, and before you go, can I cast a monitoring spell on you? It’s just for vitals, body temperature, heart rate, electrodermal activity, that sort of thing. Oh, and it’ll allow me to see through your eyes, so I can observe what you’re doing.”

“Oh, uh… sure I guess.” I murmured, caught off-guard.

“Thanks.” she replied, “I’ve been able to cast one on you before, but I wasn’t able to get very good results. It’s quite a delicate spell, and sadly it dissipated shortly after I cast it, after your mother, uh… hit you.”

The ponies all grimaced, and Rainbow Dash came up to me with a sorrowful expression on her face.

“How can she do that to you? How do you just… take it?”

I looked at her and gave her an assuring smile, to show her that I wasn’t in any pain.

“It’s just the way things are. It’s fine, I’m used to it.”

“That don’t make it right though!” Applejack protested.

Moving beyond the sentiment, Twilight stepped forward to proceed with casting the spell. She closed her eyes and her horn started to glow, and I began to feel a warm sensation run across my skin. Holding my hands out in front of me, I watched as my skin faintly glowed a chalky white colour, which then sank beneath the surface and filled me with tiny buzzing sensations. And then, just like that, it all faded away, leaving me feeling completely normal, save for the excitement that now rushed through me.

{Holy shit… that was magic!} I thought to myself. {Real, legitimate, unicorn magic!}

This was insane… With a gulp, I stood back and blinked rapidly, still finding this all very hard to believe.

“You’d better go now.” said Twilight.

Agreeing, I took one last look at the ponies, savouring the moment. I then inhaled deeply through my nose and dipped my head in farewell, before turning away and making my way towards the house.

“Are you positive it’s safe for us to come in tomorrow, dear?” Rarity called after me.

Whipping around, I grinned merrily and called back to her.

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

I performed the accompanying gesture and they all burst into happy smiles, with Pinkie Pie gasping loudly.

“He knows my thing!” she squealed, bouncing up and down, “Did you see that, girls? He knows my thing!”

Turning around once more, I walked away for good, with my face now sporting a grin of my own that stretched from ear to ear.


Was this… my new beginning?





> Chapter Two: Unexpected Visitors
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





{Did that all really just happen?} I thought to myself, {Or have I just had a complete psychotic breakdown?}

No, I had felt Rainbow Dash’s hoof, I had really felt it, it was much too real to be a delusion. Taking one look back, I found them to be gone, but perhaps Twilight was just using a cloaking spell of some sort? How else could they have remained hidden back there for the past two weeks?

{Guess I’ll find out tomorrow.} I thought, opening the back door and stepping inside the house.

“And where have you been?” Jan demanded as I closed the door behind me.

“Putting the chickens to bed, like you asked me to.” I replied, giving an innocent shrug.

“Yeah, and fucking them too with how long you took!” she spat, “Why didn’t you come back right away?”

“Because you locked the door.” I clapped back, “There was no point in coming back, so I went for a little evening stroll, is that alright with you?”

Storming up to me, my bold tone and rhetorical question had clearly irked her. Upon her approach, I picked up the stench of whiskey, Jack Daniel's to be specific, her favourite. She was drunk, and terribly so.

“Go to bed.” she ordered.

“Mum, it’s not even ten o’clock yet.”

Once again, I found myself being smacked across the face. It wasn’t all that hard, quite pathetic actually; it had been more of a warning than a proper attack. If I argued further with her, stronger strikes were sure to follow. It was more of a subconscious reaction for her at this point, to just impulsively lash out at anything that didn’t suit her narrative. Amusingly, she then went off to the lounge to watch TV, not even bothering if I went to bed or not. For once, I felt sadder than I usually did for the way she treated me. I thought back to just a few moments ago, when the ponies had spoken about it. ‘How can she treat another of her kind like that, her own son for that matter?’ Rarity had said.

Applejack too, had said how wrong this was, and that me getting used to it didn’t make it right. It would seem that the ponies’ good nature had given me something of a reality check, which in all retrospect, was utterly absurd; talking ponies, real life talking alien ponies, were giving me a better grasp on reality. It was enough to shake me from my sadness, and laugh to myself quietly. And then, a rather concerning thought abruptly halted my laughter.

{Oh shit, Twilight’s spell! What if that smack dispelled it?}

Gulping, I ran to the dining room, which had a large glass sliding door that faced out to the garden. Clearing my throat, I spoke quietly, hoping that Twilight could somehow hear me.

“Hey, so uh… I don’t know how this works exactly, or if you can even hear me. But Twilight, if you’re still there, I’m worried about the spell. Can you shine a light or something? Just to let me know if it’s still okay.”

After a brief moment without any response, I was relieved to see a faint magenta glow at the back of the garden. It was only there for a moment, and then it was gone.

“Well okay then.” I hummed, turning away.

Magic… The mere thought of the word made me quiver with wonder. This all had so many implications on the reality of not just my life, but the whole universe. There really was magic in the world, which meant all sorts of things were possible. There were so many cultures and legends across history that referred to magic-wielding individuals, from Medieval Europe’s Merlin and Virgil, to Ancient Greece’s many demigods, and ‘miracle working’ philosophers like Apollonius of Tyana. Even West Africa had Soumaoro Kanté, the Sorcerer King. Perhaps stories in the Bible could be attributed to magic as well? Maybe Moses really did exist in all his merits, and rather than being aided by God, he had simply parted the Red Sea himself!

Magic aside, the ponies themselves were here now, which implied that there was more than one plane of existence! How many other worlds existed out there? Were there more human-created ones? If Equestria existed, then it was perfectly reasonable to assume that there might be a Middle-Earth out there too, or a Cybertron, or an Azeroth, or even a Galaxy Far Far Away!

The list of possibilities was endless, but before I could lose myself in the theoretical hysteria, I remembered that I was now being monitored, and didn’t want to stand here awkwardly, absorbed in thought. Seeing as I had been instructed to go to bed, I thought I might as well, and took myself up to my bedroom. Far too excited to sleep, I sat at my desk and turned my laptop on.

{I’d better be careful with what I do on this…} I thought anxiously, putting my mouth to one side.

It felt awfully strange knowing that Twilight was currently seeing everything that I was seeing, especially as she had secretly used this spell on me before, she could’ve seen anything over these past two weeks. Thank goodness that I hadn’t been watching any porn recently, that would’ve been awkward; I had been feeling so depressed lately that I hadn’t been in the mood for such things.

After sinking an hour into an old video game called Spore (of which I saw no harm in playing), I got into bed. Switching off the light, I got under the covers and closed my eyes, and drifted off wondering about what tomorrow would bring, and just how potentially life-changing it could be…


I woke early the next day to a loud banging noise. It was coming from the room next to mine; my brother’s room. Groaning, I rolled out of bed and stretched, before changing into a fresh set of clothes and choosing to investigate. As I went for the door handle, I noticed that the banging had now stopped. Still curious, I opened my door and stepped out, which was when a hand came from around the corner and smacked me square in the forehead.

“Rise and shine, dick wad!”

Following the hand, came my brother’s goofy face, plastered with a cheesy grin.

“Ugh, morning Oliver.” I grumbled.

“You’re up early.” my brother said cheerily, “I thought your sad little mug didn’t surface ‘til noon?”

“It doesn’t usually.” I admitted, “I was woken by all the noise. What the hell were you doing in there?”

“Training, duh.” he replied, “You know I’ll be joining the Royal Marines next year, I was practising my moves!”

Springing up, Oliver clenched his fists and started to box the air. He then threw a punch that missed my nose by mere millimetres, with my obvious reaction being to move my head backwards to avoid it.

“Uh-uh, you flinched!”

Without a hint of warning, Oliver punched me in the gut, hard, causing me to bend over in pain, now winded. He did this a fair amount, in a brotherly activity he called ‘testing my measure’, in which he would constantly attempt to make me flinch, and punish me if I did.

“What did I ever do to you, Oliver?” I wheezed, trying to hold back tears.

“You were born.” was his reply.

He then noticed my eyes watering, and let out an irritated groan.

“Really? Man up Callum, it was just a gut-punch. I thought you were a bloody boxer! Seriously Bro, I’ve seen wet paper with more durability, I reckon you’d lose a fight against a fuckin’ summer breeze.”

Delving into a bit, Oliver pulled his phone out of his pocket and pretended to talk to someone else over a walkie-talkie. He threw on a stupid gravelly American accent, as though he were some sort of cantankerous Drill Sergeant.

“Hello, Corporal? Yeah, I’ve got Private Pussy here. I’m putting out an official advisory to keep him away from strong winds as they’ll almost certainly be the death of him. What? No I don’t think he’ll survive the warfront, I just don’t want to do the paperwork!”

Despite the bit being a direct insult, I couldn’t help but find myself amused. Straightening myself up, I looked him in the eye and sniffed, refusing to show weakness.

“I thought you were at Andrew’s?” I asked croakily.

“Yeah I am.” he confirmed, speaking normally and leaning against the door frame, “I just forgot something, so I came back to get it. Don’t worry, you’ll have the whole house to yourself to cry about how much you ‘hate your life’, or whatever it is you do when you’re alone.”

“Mainly I just wank over your bedsheets.”

To this, he raised his chin and looked away dreamily.

“Explains the smell…”

He then looked back at me cautiously, narrowing his eyes.

“Why do you ask? Planning on finally topping yourself? Well, successfully I mean.”

“Ouch.” I muttered dully with a blank expression, “I was just wondering, that’s all.”

Shrugging, he said that he’d be leaving in a few minutes after he packed a thing or two. He then went back into his room and started playing music from his phone, Black Betty by Ram Jam if I wasn’t mistaken; in spite of my ever-growing dislike for him, there was no denying that my brother had good taste in music.

I headed downstairs and greeted Chilli, of whom was very happy to see me. She stood on her hind legs and pawed at my knees until I squatted down to give her a cuddle. Archer then decided to follow suit, lumbering over to me in order to give me a friendly dog-kiss, engulfing the right side of my face with his enormous tongue.

“Thanks buddy…” I grumbled, shaking my head.

Scratching the deerhound’s neck and giving him a few pats, I got up and went to eat breakfast. Not wanting to spark another row over sausages, I poured myself some cereal and sat down in the dining room. I looked out the glass door while I munched away, and peered over to Dad’s old shed. Knowing the ponies were behind it, probably watching me, I couldn’t help but mumble quietly.

“Morning guys. Are you uh… still out there?”

In seconds, I saw a flash of hot pink as Pinkie Pie stuck her head out, only for it to be tugged away by one of the others. Needless to say, I was now absolutely beaming, so much in fact that it became difficult to finish my cereal. I had never felt this kind of joy in all my life, not even on Christmas morning. Last night had felt like a fever dream, but now I knew for certain that I was fully awake and lucid.

The Mane Six were real, and they were in my garden.


After eating, I went to the kitchen and put my bowl in the dishwasher. I then heard footsteps from above me, followed by my brother shouting from the top of the stairs.

“Tally ho!”

An earth-shattering thud rippled through the house. My brother had been jumping down the stairs since he was about seven, even though it had been strictly forbidden. Alas, Oliver being Oliver, he quite simply didn’t give a shit. In his own words, ‘If you can afford hard-wood floors, then you can afford someone damaging your hard-wood floors.’

Within moments, there was a new set of footsteps, followed by my mother’s now-livid voice.

“How many times have I told you about jumping down those fucking stairs!?”

Charging into the hallway, I confronted Oliver, knowing full-well that I would be the one receiving the blame for his sloppy acrobatics.

“Well done Oliver, now you’ve pissed her off!”

Unfazed, he puckered his lips and closed his eyes, before speaking in an archaic tone.

“Ah yes, t’is I who woke the dragon. But alas, it shalt be thou who’ll face its wrath. Later, fuckface!”

He jumped out through the doorway, took a little bow, and then slammed the door shut. I then turned around just as my mother reached the bottom of the stairs. She was utterly fuming, and judging from the state of her, she had clearly passed out drunk again last night, and was very much hungover. Wrinkling my nose in anticipation, I prepared myself for a good hiding.

“What have I said about jumping down the stairs?”

“It was Oliver.” I said calmly, “He just-”

“Don’t you dare lie to me!” she yelled, striding towards me, “Oliver’s at Andrew’s, you stupid, stupid boy!”

Grabbing me by the hair, she pulled me to one side and against the wall. I instinctively grabbed her wrist to make her let go, and she responded by smacking me thrice against the side of the head.

“GET OFF ME!” I yelled, unable to take it any more.

I tried to get away from her and she shoved me with both hands, to which I fell over and smacked the back of my head against the radiator. Crying out for a second time, I remained on my knees and covered my face to protect it from any further assault.

“Oh grow up, you’re not hurt!” she snapped, “You’re such a wimp!”

She sounded as though she couldn’t care less, but as I looked up between my fingers at her, I spotted an exceedingly rare emotion in her eyes, remorse. As rare as finding six alien ponies in the garden, this wicked old hag had actually felt guilty for what she had done. The beating stopped, and without another word, Jan stormed off upstairs. Sniffing, I picked myself up and headed into the kitchen to grab an ice pack from the freezer; my head was already throbbing from where it had hit the radiator, and I feared the girls would notice if I was in pain. Although, if Twilight could see through my eyes, then there was every chance she had just seen what had happened, to which there would be no hiding this from them.

After a few minutes upstairs, my mother came back down, now dressed in some casual clothes, as opposed to her usual wine-stained dressing gown.

“I’m going to Paul’s, I’ll be back tomorrow.” she told me, “Touch any of my drinks, and you’re out of the house for good, do you hear me?”

She wasn’t bluffing either, for she had done it before. When I was thirteen, I had poured all the wine down the sink because I couldn’t cope with the drinking anymore, and she had beaten me senseless for it until I was black and blue. After that, she kicked me out into the garden, and I was forced to sleep in the shed for five very miserable nights. Oliver, for all his misgivings, was totally against the banishment, and had consistently brought me leftovers from dinner to keep me fed at least. He even brought me my laptop, so I could at least use that to keep me occupied. It was only when dad returned home from a business trip did he realise that I had been locked outside. I was let back in immediately, and the following argument between him and Mum was insane, it was a wonder the police weren’t called. Jan had never apologised for doing it, and I knew in my heart that she never would.

Not bothering to say goodbye, my mum slammed the front door shut and marched off to the driveway. Zipping into the living room, I watched out the window as she clambered into her car, started the engine, and drove away; home alone at last…

Sighing with relief, I had a little cry to myself, and then prepared to host six very unexpected guests; this was hardly going to be a conventional Sunday morning! Running from room to room, I made the place look as neat and tidy as possible. I wanted to give them as warm a welcome as possible, especially Twilight, as she still seemed the most wary of me. As I tidied my room, I gathered a cluster of books that I thought would be useful to her, and piled them up in one corner. After that, I decided it was time. Heading back downstairs, I opened the back door and stepped into the garden.

Now ecstatic, I found myself quivering with excitement, as though Jan’s violent outburst earlier hadn’t even occurred. To think, in just a matter of seconds I was going to see the Mane Six again, and it would truly confirm for good that everything I had experienced so far was real. Standing in the middle of the garden, equally distanced between the house and the shed, I waved both my arms and called out.

“Okay girls, it’s all safe! You can come out now!”

I took a safe bet and guessed which pony would be the first to reveal herself, and I was right, as Pinkie Pie bounced out from behind the shed, squeaking with joy. The next to emerge was Rainbow Dash, followed by Applejack, and Rarity. Fluttershy and Twilight then anxiously came out together, and although I had foreseen Fluttershy’s nervousness, I was certainly taken aback by Twilight’s, she looked utterly terrified bless her. As they all made their approach, I could immediately tell that something was up with the unicorn, for her eyes were clouded with dread, of which I noticed from the second they were close enough to see clearly. She looked as though she had seen a ghost. It was a stark contrast between the others’ merry expressions, that was for sure. Something was off, and I very much wanted to know why. However, for now that could wait, as I was still yet to welcome them in.

“Please make yourselves at home.” I said with a wide smile, “Just uh, be sure to wipe your hooves on the mat before you come in.”

I had meant it in a more humorous manner, but upon saying it, I thought of how my mother might react to finding hoof prints in the house of all things. Thankfully it wouldn’t come to that, and as I opened the back door and held it open for them, they all heeded my instruction. Pinkie then whizzed past me, zooming from room to room and gasping at all a human house had to offer. Rarity then stepped through, thanking me for holding the door.

“Such a gentlecolt…” she remarked.

Dipping my head, I chuckled, but chose not to correct her. I would teach them the differences in human dialect later when we were more acquainted. Applejack and Rainbow then entered, thanking me as well, followed by Fluttershy, who looked at me cautiously as she went by. She didn’t say anything, but she did give me a thankful expression, indicating that she was simply too shy to speak. I was sure that with time, she would become more relaxed. It was then that Twilight entered, of whom had purposefully waited until the others had gone in first. Stepping halfway through the door, she paused for a moment, and then turned to look at me, eyeing me up and down.

“Everything okay?” I asked, somewhat unsettled.

After a moment of squinting at me in silence, she finally replied.

“I guess that remains to be seen.”

She then leaned towards me, and her fretful eyes began to emanate a hostile glare.

“Look…” she said quietly, “I’m going to be honest with you. I know what you’re capable of, and I know you aren’t the sort of creature to be trusted. You say you’re not a threat, but I don’t believe that for a second. I just want you to know that whatever happens, I am willing to defend myself.”

A jolt of icy dread shot up my spine, enough to litter my skin from head to toe with goosebumps. What the hell was she implying, that I would attack her!? Gulping, I was so taken aback that I couldn’t even begin to construct a reasonable defence for myself, I simply nodded and told her that I understood. Raising her chin, Twilight strode past me to join the others, leaving me to close the door behind her. Shaking my head in confusion, I tried to fathom what she was talking about. What did she mean ‘I wasn’t the sort of creature to be trusted’? Was I not the first human the ponies had interacted with? Or perhaps they had been told about us, and of the harrowing atrocities that we were indeed capable of? In just a few words from Twilight, the entire tone surrounding the ponies’ visit had been altered. Now, I wasn’t exactly the best at reading certain social queues, but if there was one thing I had gained from the years of battling my autism, it was that I had developed an astute sense of situational awareness. As such, I had learned in just this one brief interaction, that something sinister was afoot.

The ponies hadn’t come here for any good reason, they were here because something was wrong.


Pushing past the fear, I had to remain calm. There were five other ponies here who were clearly oblivious to the underlying seriousness of their visitation, and I wanted to cater to them as best as possible. Heading into the living room where they had gathered, I offered them something to eat. Most of them turned down the offer as they had recently eaten, but Pinkie Pie was all too eager to taste human food. At an ear-piercing volume, she sprang forward and asked if we had any cupcakes.

“I’m afraid not.” I laughed awkwardly, “But as it happens, I do have something of a cake. Would you like some?”

She nodded her head frantically, and I went and retrieved the cake from the fridge. It was a Colin the Caterpillar Cake, an iconic sweet treat that was a staple in this country. Consisting of a chocolate sponge roll, filled with buttercream and coated in a milk chocolate shell, the cake was made to resemble a happy little caterpillar, complete with multiple feet and a smiling face made from white chocolate. Oliver had acquired the cake just the other day, despite there being no occasion for it; his argument had been that there was no reason not to buy a cake. ‘It’s one of life’s greatest secrets’ he had told me, ‘you don’t need an occasion. When you’re an adult, you can just buy a cake, whenever you want, and no one will stop you!’

Showing the cake to Pinkie, the mare stared at it intensely, and by the time I had cut a slice for her, I had received sheepish requests from Applejack and Rarity, asking if they could have one as well. This was followed by Fluttershy, who was finally able to bring herself to speak to me.

“Um… c-can… can I have a piece?”

Beaming at her, I assured her that she most certainly could, and before long, everyone bar Twilight were tucking into a piece of Colin. They all loved it, with Pinkie demanding a second slice. After that, I showed them up to my room, where we finally got down to brass tax.

“Alright, let’s address the elephant in the room.” I said, clearing my throat, “What are you all doing here?”

With Twilight already stuck between the pages of my AQA Science textbook, it was up to one of the others to answer, and most curiously, it was Fluttershy who began.

“Well, um… something from our world, um, something important…”

She paused, took an inward breath, and then continued in a much calmer voice.

“Something belonging to our world came here, not long ago. We don’t know where it is exactly, but we’ve been sent here to find it.”

Patting the yellow pegasus on the back, Rarity silently praised her for speaking up. She then took over, hoping to clear things up a little more.

“You see darling, a rather drastic incident has befallen our home. A few weeks ago, there was a breakout from Tartarus, a prison of sorts, one for the most nefarious of evildoers I assure you. There were a few escapees from what we were told, and one of them broke into a sacred vault, deep below Canterlot, where it proceeded to banish a relic from our world. It came to this realm, your realm, and we’ve been instructed by the Princess to come and collect it.”

Taking a second to breathe, Rarity looked at her fellow ponies, of whom seemed about as confused as I was. It would seem they had been sent on a task beyond their own comprehension.

“Thankfully,” Rarity continued, “the Princess knew precisely where to look, as your world has a rather strong connection to ours. Supposedly we’ve been here before, not that we know all too much about that. But anyway, I digress, the item we’re looking for is of paramount importance, it was made by the Holy Titans themselves!”

“Hang on a second…” I interrupted, furrowing my brow, “Did you just say, you’ve been here before?”

The pearly white unicorn looked at the floor, clearly thinking hard on the matter.

“Erm, why yes, though I’m afraid it’s a little confusing. I say ‘supposedly’ because none of us can actually remember anything about it. As far as we know, we came to visit this world some time last year, but for what, or why, we simply do not know.”

Reading my expressions, Rarity knew that I was about to ask how such a thing could be possible, and so she pressed on, explaining what little she knew.

“The Princess you see, she thought it was best for us not to remember what happened, something about ‘irreversible damages’ or some such. To cut a long story short, she removed our memories. The only thing we know is that we were here on Earth for about an hour or so, and then we returned. What actually happened during that hour is quite the mystery, even to us.”

{Holy shit…} I thought to myself, almost murmuring it aloud.

It may have been a mystery to them, but to me, I had a pretty good idea of what happened. Casting my mind back to last night, I thought of how Rainbow Dash had been looking at me with such perplexity, searching for something. The pegasus then spoke, and what she said only confirmed the theory.

“It’s weird though, ever since we got here, I keep getting this feeling, like I’ve been here before. There’s something about all this human stuff that feels normal to me, you know? Honestly, sitting here with you now, this all feels familiar… like, as if I’ve lived in a human house before or something.”

There was no ‘or something’ about it, I knew exactly why she was feeling like this. A shiver rippled through my body as a most mind-bending truth dawned on me. Bearing the same intense expression from yesterday, the cyan pegasus looked at me, and I could see what she could not, lingering unknown behind those puzzled eyes. All of it, fifteen years, gone from her mind. I found myself once again clouded with emotion and my eyes grew misty, as they always did when I read the brony community’s most beloved fanfiction; a simple, humble tale, between a human father and his adopted pony daughter.

A bittersweet tale, by the title of My Little Dashie…





{This can’t be…} I thought to myself, {How the bloody hell can a fanfiction be real?}

Such a notion was utterly absurd, and yet with the given evidence, it was the most logical answer. I was beset with a wave of dizziness, totally unprepared for yet another layer to this already crazy and complex turn of events.

“You alright there, Sugarcube?” said Applejack, “You’re looking a bit pale.”

Brought back to my senses, I blinked rapidly and took in a sharp breath.

“Yeah I’m fine, sorry. I’m just struggling to wrap my head around all this. I’m processing, you know? Please Rarity, go on, you said something about Titans?”

Nodding, the unicorn continued, to which I was told even more brain-shattering information. As it happened, Equestria was merely a country, belonging to the much wider world of Equus, which in turn had been created by six gods, known as the Holy Titans of Harmony. Amidst the creation of their world, the Titans had created a relic, an orb, made from a crystalline material known as titanstone. Simply known as the Titans’ Orb, its purpose was to generate a field around the planet, which prevented all foreign entities from passing through. In other words, it was a mighty shield that protected all of Equus from the many supernatural evils that dwelled out beyond the stars.

As I took in all this new information, I quietly studied the ponies and the expressions they wore. Not one of them seemed to have any confidence, as though they weren’t sure where to begin when it came to locating this ‘Titans’ Orb’. From what I could gather, coming to me had been their first port of call, and that was the greatest mystery to me thus far; why on earth had Celestia sent them to me of all people? If only I could ask her myself.

{Blimey…} I thought, {To lay eyes on Princess Celestia, Goddess of the Sun…}

The thought had me tingling with excitement, I’d do anything to have such an honour. That was when the thought hit me; what if I could go back with them after this, to Equestria? And then as quickly as it had flashed in my mind, the idea was shot down, as I remembered what the Princess had said to Rainbow’s human father at the end of My Little Dashie…

‘He cannot join you in our world, much like how you cannot stay in his.’

If that story really did happen, then it was already established, I would never be permitted a life on Equus. Besides, it wasn’t my place to expect such a thing; the girls had come here to retrieve something important, and then return home. Still, even if I couldn’t go to Equestria, I would help them nonetheless, there was nothing left for me here. I had been miserably wasting away for years now, with nary a shred of hope for a happy future. Well, this was my chance to change that, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change my stars, and I was taking it.

“So, this Orb… I’m guessing you need my help finding it?”

“In a word, yes.” said Rarity, “Yes we do.”

Nodding my head, I asked if they had any clue where it might be. Coincidentally, Twilight at that very moment finished with my science book and chose to insert herself into the conversation, putting the tome down and taking the time to elaborate.

“It’s not so simple.” she said, “It wasn’t sent here in one piece. Before being cast from our dimension to yours, the Titans’ Orb was broken into six individual fragments. These fragments were then scattered across your planet, and not just in different places, but in different times too.”

“Times?” I echoed, “You’re saying these pieces travelled through time?”

“Sort of.” she hummed, licking her bottom lip, “Thanks to the old research of Star Swirl the Bearded, we’ve come to learn that time distorts between dimensions. Travelling between them is dangerous, and requires very powerful magic to do safely. From the little data Princess Celestia was able to gather, it seems that every fragment of the Orb was affected. All six of them came here in a different place, at a different time. That’s why the Princess sent us to you, she believes that you can help us navigate this world of yours, and keep us from danger.”

“Across the whole planet?” I gasped in disbelief.

With her desire to educate me now spent, Twilight simply nodded and went back to reading, moving on to my Autodesk Maya Basics Guide. Swallowing, I presumed that the group would want me to give my answer sooner rather than later, and so I gave it.

“Well count me in. When do we leave?”

“Whenever you’re ready I suppose.” said Applejack.

That made me think…

{I could just leave… I could get away from this place right now, and go see the whole world.}

I shivered with excitement. While I wasn’t a religious person, it was hard not to consider this as some sort of divine intervention, my true calling. But I couldn’t just leave, not without anyone knowing. No matter how horrible my family were, I didn’t want them to worry about where I had gone; I didn’t care so much about my mother, but Oliver deserved better than that. And what if my father miraculously came home after all these years? What if I never saw him again?

“What about my family?” I asked.

Rainbow Dash’s jaw nearly hit the floor, and she stared at me with disbelief.

“Seriously, with how awful they are to you? Dude, we’ve all seen how they treat you, it’s disgusting! Just this morning, that frickin’ monster attacked you! Seriously dude, you’ve gotta ditch ‘em!”

“Ah…” I sighed, “You saw that then, did you?”

Nodding, Rainbow sat upright and crossed her forelegs, similar to how a human would cross their arms in annoyance. Now that she had brought it to mind, my head started throbbing again, causing me to wince. Fluttershy noticed, and as I went to rub at the pulsating bump, she insisted that I allowed her to take a look at it.

“It’s fine, really.” I protested.

“Don’t be silly, I can see you’re in pain, now come here.” she ordered.

Her change in attitude caught me off-guard, and I found myself compelled by her sudden influx of authority. Coming to sit on the floor in front of her, I allowed the yellow pegasus to comb gently over my head with a hoof, and soon enough Fluttershy found the bump. She brushed it lightly with the rim of her hoof, causing me to flinch for a second time and emit a faint hiss through my teeth.

“Oh dear, this is definitely not fine.” she remarked, “It looks like there’s a little bird’s egg in your head!”

“Eh, I’ll be fine, honestly.” I grumbled, “Trust me, I’ve had worse.”

Hearing this, everyone’s faces sank, realising just how terrible my life must have been, living with such a heartless brute. Even Twilight, who had now made her enmity known, gave me a pensive look.

“How do you still care about them?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Applejack then spoke up, who actually defended my position.

“Rainbow, look, I ain’t saying how they treat him is fair, but they’re his family, no matter how gosh darn unkind they can be. Blood’s thicker than water and all that…”

Turning to me, she continued.

“I can understand why you wouldn’t want them worrying about you, right Sugarcube?”

Nodding, it was nice to know that at least one of them got it. I couldn’t stand my family, not one bit, but I didn’t want them endlessly questioning what became of me. My dad had already disappeared without a trace, it would be beyond cruel to make Oliver deal with that all over again.

“So what? You’re going to tell them you’re going on an adventure or something?” said Dashie.

That’s when a crazy idea popped into my head.

“Might be a bit drastic, but we could… I don’t know, fake my death?”

Everyone was caught off guard by that. They all recoiled in shock and Twilight’s book hit the floor. The ponies clearly weren’t ready for such a thing to be sprung upon them, but if they are going to travel around this planet with me, then they would have to get used to it. There was no telling where the road ahead would take us, but it would be foolish to think we would pass through it without bumping into death at some point. After a rather awkward silence, Applejack finally spoke up.

“Hun, are you sure you want to do that?”

After some hesitation, I doubled down and gave a confident nod. In response, the mare cleared her throat and blinked rapidly to disperse the glossiness in her eyes.

“But ain’t that worse? Making them think you’re dea-”

“Applejack, I honestly think it’s for the best.” I interrupted her, “I’d rather they believe I’m dead and move on, than be left forever wondering where I am, you know? Plus, if I’m to keep you all hidden, then it would hardly be ideal for me to be attached to a missing persons case, now would it? Trust me, it’s the right thing to do.”

My explanation was fully logical, and my words made sense to all. With a degree of reluctance, the girls saw no valid opposition to the plan, and so it was agreed that I would fake my death. However, we didn’t need to spring into action right away, and with there now being an awkward ripple amongst the group, I decided to change the subject.

“Look, we’re not in any rush. My mum’s not home until tomorrow, so we’ve got plenty of time to make a proper decision. Why don’t we focus on something else for now, yeah?”

Chuckling nervously, I suggested that it might be nice to get to know each other better before planning how best to kill me. A few of the girls laughed, with a dash of comedy helping to settle the uneasy atmosphere. Helping to move things along, Rarity pointed at my shoes and tilted her head.

“Well, ever since getting here, I have to ask. What is the purpose of those things attached to your paws?”

Doing my best not to laugh, I took off my shoe and presented it to her, and explained how humans didn’t have paws, they had hands and feet, both of which were much more sensitive compared to hooves. I proceeded to explain what shoes were, and why we wore them. The girls were all intrigued, and I asked if there was anything else anyone wanted to know, everyone was a bit stumped, and so I thought I’d ask one of them directly. Wanting to help her feel included, I singled out Twilight.

“Is there anything you’d like to know, Twilight?”

“No.” she said bluntly, not even bothering to look at me.

She continued to read away, and the others all stared at her, appalled by her brusqueness. After a moment of silence, she realised that everyone was staring at her, and it dawned on her how rude she’d been. With a sheepish expression, she tried rapidly to come up with a contribution.

“Say, this book, your Maya Guide, it covers something called Three-D animation. Can you humans really make these moving picture shows with nothing but digitally generated content?”

“Of course, we’ve been making Three-D films for years now!” I replied cheerily, “They’re made by people called animators. There are no cameras, no actors, and no sets, it’s all done at a desk by using something called CGI. Well, I say ‘no actors’, there are voice actors, who record their voices in a studio, which then gets added to the animation. I could put one on for you if you like?”

“Yes please.” she confirmed, her demeanour finally brightening, “It would be fascinating to see all these instructions come to fruition!”

With that, I escorted everyone down into the living room, where I gathered all the animated films and allowed them to choose one. It took them a while, but eventually Pinkie planted a hoof onto one of the options and broke into a wide smile.

“Hey, what about this one?”

“Ooh, good choice Pinkie!” I chuckled, taking out the disc.

Rolling my eyes, it dawned on me that this would now be the seventh time I had seen this. However, I was hardly complaining, for there were few better animated films than the one and only…


Kung Fu Panda.





> Chapter Three: Never Play Leapfrog
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The credits came up, concluding my seventh viewing of Kung Fu Panda, and it turned out to be the perfect choice of film for everyone. There was enough fighting and humour to entertain Rainbow and Applejack, with enough well-written dialogue and emotional scenes to stimulate Twilight and Rarity. Even Fluttershy had been fully immersed, of whom I had expected to be less involved due to the violence; it would seem that I had vastly underestimated the ponies’ maturity.

“That was so cool!” Pinkie squealed, excitedly knocking her front hooves together.

“Eh, it was kind of cool, I guess.” said Dashie, leaning back and shrugging.

It was clear that she was trying to play down how much she had enjoyed it, which Pinkie didn’t pick up on whatsoever, scowling at the pegasus.

“No, it wasn’t ‘kind’ of cool, it was really cool!” she shouted.

The two were left to playfully squabble over what they thought of the film, while I took out the disc and returned it to its box, which I then put back with all the other DVDs. It was then that Twilight approached me, ironically bearing a terribly unapproachable expression.

“Hey uh, can we talk… alone?”

“Of course!” I replied merrily, “Let’s go somewhere more private.”

Quickly informing the others that I would only be gone for a few minutes, I led the way and escorted Twilight to my bedroom, shutting the door for additional privacy. This was a fantastic opportunity to finally connect with her, and hopefully get to the bottom of why she was so distrustful of me. Sitting on the bed, I gave the unicorn a warm smile.

“So, what’s up?” I asked, and then gestured to the carpeted floor, “Please, sit.”

Sadly, and just as I had anticipated, my friendliness rolled off the mare like water off a duck’s back. Choosing to remain standing, she looked me in the eye and frowned.

“It’s pretty clear that my behaviour has taken you by surprise. What, were you expecting me to act like that ridiculous cartoon? Did you expect this whole ordeal to be some happy little childlike fantasy?”

Trying my best to level with her, I shook my head quickly and shrugged.

“I don’t know what to expect, Twilight. I didn’t even think you were real until yesterday. I have no idea who you really are, or any of you for that matter. All I have to go on is what I’ve seen in that show, and at best, I would imagine you’re all at least somewhat similar. Personally I’d call that an educated guess, but if you want to set me straight, then by all means do so.”

Sighing in response, it was clear that she was trying to empathise with me, but was unable to do so very well. Wrinkling her nose and inhaling deeply, she went on to ask if I really wanted to know why she was so on edge, to which I opened my mouth to say yes. However, before I could get a word in, she continued anyway, implying that the question was rhetorical.

“The others don’t have a clue about what’s really going on. They think this is going to be some merry trip in an exciting new alien world, they’ve treated the past two weeks like it’s a damn vacation! But the Princess told me the truth. I’m the only one who knows how dangerous this place is, and what you humans are really like. I know all about your wars, and your crimes, and that even after tens of thousands of years as the only dominant species, you continue to butcher and ravage each other. You’ve driven countless species to extinction, and with each passing day, you devastate natural habitats in order to grow more food, and construct more buildings.”

With her lips trembling, Twilight blinked the tears from her eyes and looked at me, finishing her rant with all but a whisper.

“You’re not good, and I’m scared you’re going to hurt me and my friends.”

My heart broke for her, the poor thing really was terrified. It would seem that as leader of this group, Twilight had been subjected to all the gritty details and then some. By the sound of things, the Princess had given her the full monty when it came to humanity’s less pleasant attributes. Putting myself in her position, I could perfectly understand why she would hold me in such low esteem. Inhaling through my nose, I instructed her to look at me.

“You’re right to be afraid, this world is dangerous. But me?”

I placed a hand on my chest to add further emphasis, and slowly shook my head.

“I am not a threat to you. Now, I don’t expect you to believe that, nor do I expect you to trust me. But you trust the Princess, and she sent you to me. Why do you think she would do that, if I was going to hurt you?”

Furrowing her brow, Twilight couldn’t deny the logic, but it wasn’t enough, as she explained that it wasn’t inherently me as an individual she feared, but rather, she believed that my very nature would betray me. She trusted the Princess’s judgement, but in spite of that, she simply couldn’t shake a gut feeling that I would someday harm her. The words stung like icy needles; she genuinely thought I was some kind of beast, no different from a changeling, capable of being civilised just to keep appearances, but ultimately a monster.

“How can you be so sure?” I asked, “How can you just decide how good or bad I am?”

“Because I know what happens.” she snapped back, clenching her jaw.

“What?”

“If we fail this mission.” she said, shutting her eyes, “I know what happens…”

Her eyes opened, and she stared into mine with a burning hatred.

“… and it’s your fault.”

A shudder went through me, what did she mean by that? Swallowing, it dawned on me that Celestia must have told Twilight something awful, something about me. Whatever had been said, it had utterly traumatised the poor mare.

“Okay…” I breathed slowly, “So tell me, what happens?”

Twilight opened her mouth and jutted her head forward, as though she was on the verge of telling me, but regrettably, she receded back into her shell and refused to answer. Not wanting to push it, I held back on asking further questions. Whatever was going on here, I would find out soon enough, but for now I just needed to keep Twilight as close an ally as possible. She hadn’t pulled me aside to bond with me, it was to explain why she wasn’t as chirpy as one might expect, and it was perfectly justified. This was something of a wakeup call for me, and grounded me in my role; these ponies needed my guidance, and protection where necessary, they weren’t here to make friends. Of course, two things could be true, and if I ended up befriending the others then that was a bonus, but I needed to accept here and now that Twilight and I might never grow close, and that was okay.

“Well,” I huffed, “thank you for telling me as much as you have. I really appreciate it.”

“Sure, I guess.” she mumbled, looking away.

I was about to give her a final piece of reassurance when hoofsteps sounded on the floorboard outside. The bedroom door opened, and Applejack’s head popped around the corner.

“Just checking on y’all, everything alright in here?”

After flashing me a dirty look, Twilight turned her head to give her friend a fake smile.

“Everything’s fine, we were just discussing the mission.”

Knowing how on edge Twilight had been for the past fortnight, the farm pony saw right through the façade and passed me a doubtful expression, raising an eyebrow. Not wanting to rock the boat, I gave her a smile of my own and nodded with certainty.

“We were just going over some of the finer details.” I told her, “I hope the five of you aren’t too bored down there?”

“Nah, we’re good.” she replied with a grin, “Just been talking amongst ourselves and reading some of those books you have lying around, hope you don’t mind?”

“Not at all!” I said.

That’s when a jolt of fear ran through me. I had a recipe book lying around somewhere, with a fair few of the entries being meat dishes. After all Twilight had been told about my species, if she were now to discover that we ate meat on top, I could imagine it being nothing short of a disaster.

“That said, I know books aren’t for everyone.” I announced, getting to my feet, “Come on, let’s find something more active to do!”

Hurrying out of the room and back downstairs, I was greeted by the smiles of the other ponies, and I couldn’t help but break into a great big smile of my own. Just walking into a room and seeing these characters from my favourite TV show, living and breathing, it made me feel so warm and happy inside, this truly was a dream come true.
By the looks of things, they hadn’t found the recipe book, and I sighed a breath of relief, only to inhale in a huge lungful of surprise as Pinkie Pie jumped in front of me, her nose no more than a centimetre away from mine.

“I’m bored of books now, can we do something else? Are there any games we can play? What kind of games do humans like? Do you have any fun ones? I bet you have loads of fun games. Do you have buckball? Ooh, what about hoofball? Hmm, probably not because you don’t have any hooves. Do you have non-hoof hoofball? Ooh, ooh, I know, do you have handball? It’s okay if you don’t, I just want to play something. Can we play a game? Huh? Can we? Can we?”

Practically blown apart by her rapid-fire questioning, it was hard to track with each word, but the simple gist was unmissable; find a game for this mad pony before she exploded, and then exploded again! Chuckling, I told her that she was awfully close with ‘handball’, as we had a sport called football, or ‘soccer’ as the yanks liked to call it. Alas, I had no such football in my possession, and so I had to think of something else. My mind went blank, as the only games I played these days involved holding a controller and looking at a screen, which was hardly appropriate when Pinkie was itching for a runaround. Not knowing what to suggest, I took the easy route and knocked the ball back into her court, as it were.

“Is there anything in particular you would want to play?”

Freezing on the spot, the pink pony became completely inanimate, she didn’t even seem to be breathing! Gulping, I looked to the others with an expression of absolute bewilderment, fearing that I had somehow broken the damn mare. With a laugh, Rainbow Dash explained that Pinkie did this sometimes when she was in thought. After a few more seconds, Pinkie sprung back to life, bouncing up and down in a way that was completely identical to her cartoon self. Springing a little too high however, her head hit the ceiling, to which the bouncing ceased. Clearly uninjured, she whipped around to look at me with a big grin.

“I know!” she squealed, her mane wobbling like jelly, “Let’s all play Hide and Seek!”

Raising an eyebrow and pursing my lips, I looked at Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, assuming that they might be a bit too old for such a game.

“Is that what everybody wants to play?” I asked openly.

“Everybody?” echoed Rarity, “Oh, is that the human equivalent of everypony?”

With an endearing smile, I leaned up against the wall and decided that now would be a good time to quickly nip this in the bud. Nodding, I confirmed that it was, and pointed out that the word ‘everypony’ wouldn’t make much sense on a planet with no sapient ponies. Emitting a simple ‘ah’, Rarity’s eyes darted around sheepishly, clearly feeling a bit silly for not thinking of that. Wishing not to make similar mistakes in the future, she inquired if I could teach her more humanisms before we played.

“So, we can play Hide and Seek?” asked Pinkie, her ears springing up and her eyes glimmering with hope.

Aside from a playful groan from Rainbow Dash, everyone seemed okay with the idea, with Rarity rolling her eyes and giving me a look as if to say ‘it’s not usually my cup of tea, but let’s do it for Pinkie’.

“Of course we can.” I said to her, “Come on, let’s go.”

We headed outside, and as we went, I taught the girls the various differences in vocabulary between our words, such as hooves to hands and feet, manes to hair, fillies to girls, colts to boys, stallions to men, mares to women, and so on. The ponies were amazed by the small but significant changes in dialect, despite us speaking the same language. With that in mind, it baffled me that we even spoke the same tongue, considering the fact we were from worlds apart. Still, I chose not to question it, as a genuine language barrier would have been nothing short of a nightmare.


Although we had only agreed to play Hide and Seek for Pinkie’s sake, it actually became a lot of fun for all of us once we got into it. As predicted, Twilight did not partake, deciding instead to sit alone in the shade, reading more of my books. We had played for a little under an hour, and I had come to really enjoy myself. I had forgotten how enjoyable wide games could be, and I regretted that my only source of entertainment these days had come from screens. It certainly helped that I had an advantage playing, as the girls were all so brightly coloured that spotting them was, to speak like a pony, foal’s play.

“Let’s set Callum a challenge!” Pinkie yelled, “What if he goes and hides, and all five of us are the seekers?”

“Challenge accepted!” I announced proudly, bowing towards her.

Without hesitation, the girls gathered together and shut their eyes, all counting to thirty in unison while I darted away. With five seekers on the hunt, I decided to utilise my favourite hiding spot, the ironwood tree close to the house. Running over as quickly as I could, I clambered up and ascended the mighty tree, all the way to the top. There was no way they would ever find me up here. I loved this tree, the ironwood’s branches in spite of their slenderness were practically unbreakable, and so I always had confidence in scaling to the top. It was my all-time favourite spot in the garden, as I could get a whole view of the land, not to mention the woodland beyond it.

“Seventeen!” the girls called out, “Eighteen! Nineteen!”

Looking down towards the house, I was suddenly struck by a pang of homesickness. The childlike mirth and merriment from playing began to subside, as the realisation that I would never be coming back here again crept up on me. I was leaving my entire life behind; my friends, my laptop, my games, and of course, Chilli and Archer, my beloved dogs. Additionally, for what it was worth, I was also leaving behind my family, and although I suffered at the behest of their malignancy, there was still a part of me that loved them.

That was a lie, it was Oliver I still loved; Janice could stop breathing tomorrow for all I cared. My brother however, just like me, was a product of the environment we’d been forced to grow up in, and for as much as I loathed him at times, I knew that there was good in him. I was going to miss him, and all the good times we had together when we were younger, back when Dad was still around.

“Twenty-two! Twenty-three! Twenty-four!”

My attention drifted back to the girls as they counted, and the gloomy feeling slowly began to wash away. Who was I kidding? It was the familiarity I was going to miss, nothing more. Even if Dad was still here, and Oliver was still kind, and that rancid old hag left the family, it would still never compare… Even if everything had turned out okay, nothing in life could ever be half as good as this opportunity. I was about to travel the world with the Mane Six, on a breathtaking global adventure to find the missing fragments of a sacred relic, of which had been created by literal gods!

What lay ahead of me was a life fit for storybooks…

“Twenty-five! Twenty-six! Twenty-seven!”

And to think, that didn’t just mean on Earth. If I actually succeeded in helping them recover this Orb, then there was every chance that my deeds would go down in their history. Even if I couldn’t go to their world in body, my name could. Thousands of years from now, long after I was dead and gone, the name Callum Horncastle could very well be found in the history books of the Canterlot Library, telling tale of a hero from beyond the stars. The alien boy who willingly gave up his life in order to help Twilight Sparkle and her friends save the world. I would be escaping oblivion, saving countless lives, serving a glorious purpose, and experiencing a fantastical and exhilarating life, one that was at last worth living. Who in their right mind wouldn’t seize such a possibility?

It was worth it…
Come pain, trauma, tragedy, or even death itself, it was worth it all.

“Twenty-eight! Twenty-nine! THIRTY!”

The five ponies scattered across the land, the hunt had begun! Sitting up on my tall swaying perch, I watched them with a smile on my face, feeling more and more at peace. As though the universe agreed with my decision, I was treated to a gentle summer breeze that lightly caressed my face, comforting me. Closing my eyes, I inhaled through my nose, and for the very first time, I felt truly happy. Never before had I felt such a sense of authentic warmth and calmness, it radiated from deep within me, and at last, I felt genuinely whole as a person. Hanging my head, I broke into an enormous grin and allowed the tears to flow. Somewhat overwhelmed, I cried with a profound joy that was until now foreign to me, and I shamelessly drank in every ounce of the feeling, surrendering myself to it.

By the time I stopped crying and dried my face, I had completely lost track of the girls. I was just about to move to a different branch when I suddenly felt something hard nudging my arm.

“Um, excuse me? I found you…”

With a jolt, I whipped around to find Fluttershy sitting calmly on the branch beside mine, lightly prodding me with her hoof. I jumped enough to nearly fall out of the tree, only just catching myself on the surrounding branches.

“Blimey, you really are the quiet one!” I chuckled, “How did you find me?”

“With my eyes…” she replied, sticking her tongue out.

Taken off-guard, I burst out laughing and almost fell for a second time. I had never expected in a million years for Fluttershy to give such a sharp and witty reply. Giggling, the pegasus knocked her hooves together, proud of the reaction she had elicited from me, and prouder still to have been the one to find me. It was so lovely that she had already started to warm to me; this game of Hide and Seek, along with the film earlier, had done wonders for breaking the ice.

“Well, good job finding me.” I sighed, calming down, “Come on, let’s go let the others know.”

Using her wings for additional support, Fluttershy shimmied down to a spot she felt comfortable jumping from, before gliding the rest of the way down. I clambered a good way down, before spotting Rainbow Dash below and choosing to show off. Still about eight feet up, I jumped from the tree, performing a roll upon landing so as not to injure myself. I then used the roll’s momentum to spring back up to my feet, leaving Rainbow Dash gawking at me with raised eyebrows.

“Damn.” she murmured with approval.

Fluttershy was still off looking for the others to tell them where I had been hiding, and so I took the opportunity to bond a little more with Rainbow Dash. Noting that she was looking a little glum, I asked her what was up, to which she furrowed her brow.

“Eh, it’s just Twilight.” she huffed, “I asked her to join us for a game and she told me to eff off.”

Turning to face her properly, my eyes widened and I let out a small gasp.

“She swore at you?”

“Oh, she’s been doing that since we got here.” she confessed, “She’s been so uptight for the past two weeks, I’m sick to death of it. It’s like she’s a different pony!”

{Jeez…} I thought to myself, {I mean, it tracks with how stressed she must be, but still… swearing?}

Perhaps it was my naïveté, but I hadn’t been able to even fathom the ponies using swear words. With only the cartoon as a reference point, I had no way to gauge just how mature they actually were. Sticking with what I did know, I asked Rainbow if she knew anything about what Princess Celestia had said to Twilight.

“Dude, I wish I knew.” she grumbled, throwing her head to one side, “Ever since the Princess took her away to have that private talk, she’s been like this. We’ve tried asking her about it, but all it does is make her twice as prickly. I swear, she acts so weird too. Like, sometimes she’ll just get up in the middle of the night and walk around the camp, muttering to herself, it freaks me the heck out.”

So, the plot thickens. Whatever the Princess had told her had clearly gone much too severely to her head, to the point where it was giving her sleepless nights. Thinking about it, she did look awfully tired, and now I knew why. Well, at least the girls were aware of what was going on. Thanking Rainbow for divulging what she knew, I turned to greet the others upon their approach. Observing them as they made their way towards me, I began to take interest in their height. The cartoon had depicted them all with the same proportions as it was easier to animate, but in real life, the discrepancies couldn’t be clearer. On average, they stood at around chest height for me, roughly four to four-and-a-half feet by my estimations. Rarity was definitely the tallest, while Fluttershy was the littlest, being easily a good six inches shorter.

As for other bodily proportions, there was no missing the muscles on Rainbow Dash and Applejack. The farm pony’s thighs and glutes were practically swollen from how muscly they were. Their fur length also varied, with Rarity’s being short as velvet, while Rainbow and Fluttershy both had thick fluff all over their chests; I could only imagine how soft it was.

“Where in tarnation were you?” Applejack called to me, snapping me back to reality, “We looked everywhere!”

Before I could answer, Fluttershy pranced forward and pointed to the top of the ironwood tree with a ginormous grin on her face, glowing with pride. As she ruffled her wings in shameless delight, it became glaringly evident that she rarely won these sorts of games, if at all, which being Fluttershy, hardly surprised me.

“Wow, I never would have guessed. Nice one, Sugarcube!”

Trotting over to the pegasus, Applejack put her into a gentle headlock and ruffled her mane. Everyone else showered her with praise as well, clearly encouraging her to take part in more group activities when they got home; as far as the show went, it was hardly a secret that Fluttershy was quite the recluse at times.

Sadly, the merriment came to an end as Twilight uprooted herself and came to join us. Like a dark cloud on a sunny day, she loomed over, and before she had even spoken, there was an uncomfortable atmosphere.

“Playtime’s over.” she ordered, “Can we get going now? Or do you all need a few more minutes to act like foals?”

Pursing my lips, I felt torn. A part of me agreed with her, in the sense that we needed to be out of here sooner rather than later. We had a death to fake, and a perilous journey to embark upon, and if we wanted to get started today, then we needed to get a move on. However, it was also important for the others that they felt comfortable with me as their guide, and so the game of Hide and Seek had been totally warranted. Yes, there was a sense of urgency, but to insult everyone was totally uncalled-for, and it seemed that I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

“Alright, that’s it, if nopony else is going to call you out on this, then I will!” Rainbow Dash barked, stepping forward, “I’ve had enough of this, Twilight, what the heck’s gotten into you? You’ve been rude to us for days on end, and I’m sick of it!”

Holding her ground, Twilight faced the cyan pegasus with a fearsome scowl.

“Rude? Rude!? You have no idea what’s at stake here, nor do you have a clue about the danger we’re all in! Do you understand that you might never see home again? You could die here! All it would take is one little mistake, and these things could make your next breath your last! Our lives are on the line, as is our home, and all you care about is fun and games!”

It seemed that the gloves had come off, there was no sugar-coating the situation now. Gulping, I looked at the others with caution, and as expected, they were now stricken with fear.

“Jeez, overreaction much?” Rainbow scoffed loudly, “There hasn’t been a single day where you haven’t been preaching your doom and gloom, and it’s getting real old. Look, I could deal with you just being a grouch, but now we’ve met Callum and are literally about to leave, and yet you’re still being a total bitch!”

I barely had time to clock that I had just heard one of the ponies’ first swear words, as Twilight strode forward and bared her teeth. Rainbow did the same, and it was looking as though they were about to trade more than just verbal blows. Without a moment to think, I rushed forward and stood between the two of them, using my deeper voice and larger size to establish dominance over the both of them.

“That’s enough!” I boomed, “I won’t have you fighting amongst yourselves! Come on, we haven’t even left my house for goodness’ sake! We might be travelling together for months, so how about we not fall apart on day one, yeah? Twilight’s right, you’re on a dangerous mission, and I am to be your guide. We need to sort out faking my death, and then get a move on. Now will the both of you pack it in?”

All the ponies were speechless, with my first impression as a ‘gentle giant’ now in tatters. My sudden display of dominance had shaken them all, with even Twilight left taken aback. Without uttering a word, she stormed off to the shed to sulk in the ponies’ camp. Rainbow Dash in turn backed away from me, angry that I had partially taken the unicorn’s side. I sighed with frustration; had I overdone it? Poor Fluttershy now looked utterly terrified, and I feared that it was me she was scared of. Thankfully, Rarity and Applejack came along beside me to help dispel my worries.

“Thanks for breaking that up, that could have been ugly.” muttered AJ.

“I didn’t overstep my bounds did I?” I asked nervously.

“Oh absolutely not, darling!” Rarity assured me, “They’ve been at each other’s throats for days, I thought they were actually going to hit each other! I can’t commend you enough for stepping in, well done.”

Dipping my head in acceptance, I turned around to see that Fluttershy was crying. Having just seen her at her happiest a moment ago, it felt like an icy dagger to the heart. The others tried to settle her down, and I stooped to one knee to join them, speaking to her in a calm, gentle tone.

“Hey… it’s alright, you’re okay.”

Slowly looking up at me, she blinked the tears from her eyes and continued to tremble.

“T-Twi-Twilight said… w-we’re all going to d-die!” she whimpered with a stutter.

“No…” I sighed, shaking my head.

Tilting my head and giving her a compassionate smile, I reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, boldly making contact.

“You aren’t going to die, okay? Just like you, Twilight is scared, and being scared can sometimes bring out the worst in us, because we’re panicking, and not thinking clearly, yeah?”

Continuing, I told her that Twilight was fixated on the worst possible outcome, but the reality was that for as long as I had breath in my lungs, no harm would come to her.

“That goes for all of you.” I said, looking around at their uneasy faces, “I know we’ve only just met, and that you have little reason to trust me, let alone with your lives, but I swear to you, I am going to protect you. Against all that comes our way, I promise, you will make it home, do you understand me?”

I never thought I was very good with words, but as I finished speaking, everyone seemed to relax quite substantially. Fluttershy’s crying came to a halt, and without warning, she reached forward and hugged me. Shocked by the sudden embrace, I froze for a moment, before putting my arms around her and clutching her loosely. She was holding me. Someone was… holding me. Almost brought to tears myself, I let go and beamed at her, giving her a thankful look that silently told her that she had just given me more love than I had felt in years.

“Heh, that was quick.” Rainbow teased, causing Fluttershy to look down.

Turning to look at her, I asked what she meant, to which she pointed out the obvious.

“Uh, it’s Fluttershy? She hasn’t warmed to someone this quick since that colt from Cloudsdale.”

At the mention of this ‘colt’, Fluttershy began to blush profusely, and proceeded to comb her mane over to hide her face. My eyes widened… Fluttershy, a boyfriend? Surely not. While it wasn’t impossible, I highly doubted that Fluttershy of all ponies had the confidence to engage in such a relationship, but then again, what did I actually know about these girls? In just half a day, I had learned that they had no issue with animated violence, were adequately acquainted with the concept of death, and at least two of them used swear words. Who knew, maybe Fluttershy really did have a boyfriend? Either way, I wasn’t going to pry; for now, it could remain another mystery to sit beside the Twilight Sparkle conundrum.

“Can we go back inside now?” Pinkie piped up suddenly, “The air out here smells like arguments now.”

With a laugh, I dipped my head and led the girls back to the front door. Holding it open, I instructed them to head in first, as I wanted to fetch Twilight.

“You’re kidding right?” said Rainbow, “She’s the one who stormed off, she can bring herself back!”

“That mare’s as sour as a lime right now.” added Applejack, “You really want to go kicking that beehive?”

Holding my ground, I looked at them both sternly and told them that if we were going to discuss plans for the mission, then Twilight deserved to be present. Rolling her eyes, Dashie said it was my funeral, and went indoors after Pinkie and Fluttershy.

Trudging over to the shed, I thought about what I ought to say, and how lenient I would allow myself to be in the face of Twilight’s belligerence. At the end of the day, she was the leader of this expedition and I needed her trust, however I might acquire it. Being able to work alongside her would surely help us stay out of trouble. To this end, I decided that I’d attempt to be as patient as humanly possible with her, no matter how cantankerous she was. After all, it couldn’t be worse than the way I was already treated on a daily basis.

Reaching the shed, it at first appeared as though there wasn’t a camp at all, that was until I kept walking, and passed through some kind of invisible perimeter. As I stepped through, the camp materialised out of thin air, revealing three tents, all evenly spaced around a stone fire pit, it was like something one would see in a science fiction film.

“Whoa…” I breathed.

Circling the tents, I took in their details, including the immaculate stitching that I could only presume was Rarity’s handiwork, or would ‘hoofdiwork’ be more appropriate? Lying just outside them were some odd-looking bags; these must have been their travelling packs! They looked like two individual satchels, joined at the top by a thick strap that went around a pony’s midsection, indicating that they were worn like a saddle. Strangely enough however, each satchel had some additional straps sewn into them, and upon closer inspection, I realised that the satchels could be detached from each other.

{Oh, now that’s clever…} I thought, understanding the design choice.

With a human in the mix, these saddlebags had been designed in a way that I could carry one of them if required, to lighten the load. Impressed by the ingenious innovation, I studied the bags further. Each pair was a different shade that matched the colours of their respective owner, complete with their cutie marks stitched onto them for a personal flourish. I then noticed that three of them had additional embroidery, with Fluttershy’s bearing the symbol of a red cross, Rarity’s housing the icon of a refrigerator, and Applejack’s having what looked like a cluster of vegetables. I guessed that those particular bags held a dedicated role, of which I could only presume were medical supplies, perishable goods, and dry food storage.

Although I was fascinated by the bags, along with the surrounding camp, my attention was drawn to one of the tents in particular, as I detected a faint sniffing noise. It took me a couple of seconds to realise what it was, and then I realised, it was the sound of someone crying; the sound of Twilight, crying…

Feeling a stab of empathy, I approached the tent and slowly parted the entrance. Peering inside, I found Twilight sitting with her back to me with her shoulders hunched, loudly sniffling to herself.

“Hey, are you okay?” I gently inquired.

“Go away…” she croaked, almost too quiet for me to hear, “You’re the last individual I want to speak to right now…”

Kneeling down, I tried to reason with her.

“C’mon, Twilight, I just want to help.”

“I said go away.”

Swallowing, I took a chance and remained in place.

“Twilight, you’re clearly upset, and you don’t deserve to be sat here on your own. You don’t have to trust me, but let’s at least talk, yeah?”

She stopped haunching and visibly loosened up, indicating that she had relaxed a little. Taking the opportunity, I reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, similar to how I had done with Fluttershy, hoping that it would have the same effect.

It did not.

The second I made contact, the mare whipped around and punching me square in the mouth.

“I said go away!” she yelled.

Falling back onto my bottom, I sat there in a state of utter shock, clutching my mouth. Holy shit, Twilight had just hit me! And she could actually punch pretty hard too, my lips felt like they were on fire! Licking my bottom lip, I tasted blood, and continued to stare at Twilight in something of a daze. Blinking rapidly, she realised what she had just done, and her lips started to quiver.

“I… I didn’t… I didn’t mean to… Y-You made me jump…”

Her regret was genuine, although it wasn’t visible for long. With a shake of her head, she forced away the guilt and glared at me.

“You shouldn’t have touched me, and I said for you to leave me alone.”

“I don’t think I deserved that.” I replied in a blank, lifeless tone.

Taken aback and somewhat unnerved by my calm response, Twilight fell silent, to which I continued.

“Now, I think it’s pretty clear that a lot of stress and a lot of responsibility has been bestowed upon you, an unfair amount, is that safe to say?”

Pausing, I wiped the blood from my lip, though I did not break eye contact.

“Well, whatever’s going on here that you aren’t telling me, it needs to stop, because you just attacked me, and that’s not on. Now, I came here to find you because the others want to get a move on, and I felt that if we’re going to discuss mission plans, then you deserve to be present, as group leader and all.”

With that, I backed out of the tent’s entrance and stood up.

“I’m heading back now, and if you’d like to follow me, you’re more than welcome to. Like it or not Twilight, you’re stuck with me now, so it’d be in both our interests if you at least tried to be a team player. You don’t have to like me, and you don’t have to trust me, but for the sake of finding the Titans’ Orb and getting you home safely, work with me, yeah?”

Before she could get a word in, I stood up and left the camp, without a doubt in my mind that she would follow. And then, for a reason totally unbeknownst to me, I broke into a smile; even with throbbing bloodstained lips, I was smiling, and I couldn’t fathom why.

{Perhaps I’m in shock from that punch?} I wondered, licking more blood from my lip, {Either that, or I’m just way more of a masochist than I thought I was…}

Stranger still, though likely related, was that despite the foul behaviour she had been displaying thus far, I felt oddly drawn to Twilight. There was something about her, something about all this tumult and hostility that I could relate to somehow. Was it because of my gnarly family situation? Was Twilight’s unwarranted scorn bringing me some twisted sense of familiarity amid this new and outlandish chapter of my life? Could that be what it was? It definitely made sense if so, but I wasn’t sure…

Whatever it was, I felt a connection to Twilight that I couldn’t explain, and in that one instance, I forewent her misgivings and made my solemn vow in spite of them, knowing it was the right thing to do.

“No matter what happens.” I breathed, “No matter how bad things get. Even if you do me wrong, time and time again, I will never wane in this promise to you. Though you may loathe and fear me, I shall remain your keeper all the same.”

Looking back to the shed, I found that Twilight had emerged and was now plodding towards me, just as I had predicted. Knowing she couldn’t hear me yet, I concluded my oath in the form of a whisper.


“I will protect you with all that I am, until the day I draw my final breath.”





> Chapter Four: Early Complications
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Before I went into the living room to join the girls, I made a quick trip to the kitchen and grabbed a dish cloth. Not wanting the others to freak out over my split lip, I made an effort to make the damage seem as insignificant as possible. Turning on the cold tap, I wetted the cloth and then gently pressed it against my mouth to cool it down and reduce the inflammation.

{Oh Twilight…} I thought to myself, exhaling with bitterness, {What's making you like this? What on earth were you told?}

Dabbing at my lip to clear the blood, I reflected on all the information currently available to me, desperately trying to suss out what had driven Twilight to such a drastic level of hostility and paranoia. It was all well and good that she knew about humanity’s darker merits, but this went deeper than that, I could feel it. Twilight was a pony who valued logic, and I had presented her with plenty of that, and yet she couldn’t see me as anything other than a monster, despite the fact she was the one who had attacked me!

With only the cartoon to go on, I had no idea what the real Princess Celestia was like, but I was certain that this extreme level of antagonism wasn’t her intention. Twilight had taken whatever she had said and amplified it on her own accord, that much I could guess. That was all I had, guesswork, and until Twilight gave me something more substantial than a split lip, I would be stuck with guesswork.

Grumpily casting the cloth away once the bleeding had stopped, I muttered that it would have to do and took myself to the living room. I was greeted immediately by Rainbow Dash, donning a merry smile.

“Hey dude, I was just about to come looking for you, Rarity’s come up with a plan!”

“Fantastic!” I replied cheerfully, “Let’s hear it?”

However, before Rarity could elaborate, Applejack spotted my swollen lip and narrowed her eyes.

“Uh, Sugarcube… what in tarnation happened there?”

She pointed at my face, and at that, everyone began peering at me more attentively and spotted the dark tear in my lip, along with the reddish purple mark just beneath it. With a gasp, Rarity promptly got up and zipped over to me, practically knocking Applejack out of the way in order to reach me.

“Darling, that looks painful! What ever happened to you?”

With a frown, Rainbow Dash raised her lips into a snarl and angrily wiggled her jaw.

“Oh, I know what happened alright…”

Opening her mouth to continue, I knew that she was going to accuse Twilight of attacking me, and although she would have been right, I didn’t want to bring about any further hostility, and so I chose to lie.

“It’s nothing, really! Just a result of my own idiocy.” I chuckled awkwardly, “I tripped over on the way back from seeing Twilight, that’s all.”

With her gritted teeth on partial display, Rainbow Dash looked at me bitterly and shook her head, knowing that I wasn’t telling the truth. She was just about to call me out on it when Twilight walked in, and as she did so, Rarity looked at her with wide eyes.

“Did you see what happened?” she demanded.

And then, seizing my face with both of her hooves, Rarity forcibly turned my head for Twilight to see.

“Just look at it, Twilight, look at it! The poor thing…”

“I have a name.” I said blankly with my cheeks still squished together.

The lilac unicorn did as she was bid and peered at her own handiwork. She pursed her lips, unsure of what to say. Looking around cautiously, she expected that I had told them what had occurred, and was waiting for the public outcry. But to her curiosity, no such thing came, and with a chuckle, I pushed Rarity’s doting hooves away and insisted that I was fine.

“As I said,” I spoke emphatically, locking eyes with Twilight, “I just tripped.”

Turning to face the others, I went on to say that I had become absent-minded, and had simply tripped over my own feet, with my mouth regrettably smacking into one of the flowerpots on the patio.

“Ooh, that sounds like it hurt.” Rarity winced, shaking her head.

“Eh, it’s fine.” I assured her, “I swear I’m not normally this clumsy.”

Sighing, I bolstered the lie by telling them that I was still trying to process that this was all real, and that I just got a little scatterbrained on the way back to the house, that’s all.

“Yeah, I suppose that makes sense.” Applejack hummed with understanding, “If creatures from another world showed up on my farm, telling me I was needed for some big quest of theirs, I’d be more darn befuddled than an earthworm in a bowl of noodles!”

As Applejack delivered her first countryism of the adventure, I was hard-pressed to stifle a bewildered laugh. Meanwhile, Twilight looked at me and raised an eyebrow, obviously not expecting for me to cover up her little outburst. I gave her a wink, and for the first time, she responded to me with an inkling of kindness, subtly nodding her head to me in thanks. It wasn’t much, but it was definitely a start. With time, perhaps I really could earn her trust…

“That does look… pretty painful.” the unicorn admitted.

The expression on her face was layered, and I noticed a glint in her eye that echoed a familiar scene, just earlier today; it was the exact same look I had seen on Jan’s face, after she had shoved me to the floor this morning. It was a faintly shimmering sense of regret, and in that moment I knew that Twilight regretted hitting me. But alas, just like with my mother the compassion was limited, and only lasted for a short time.

“Well, I suppose you should have watched where you were going.” she crooned, “As our new guide, I would expect you to at least have the capability to guide yourself.”

{You little shit…}

Almost saying that aloud, I only just kept my cool; the absolute bloody cheek… The others were once again shocked by the callousness, but kept their opinions to themselves, with poor Rainbow Dash looking as though she were about to explode. At first, I didn’t understand the game Twilight was trying to play, but then the unicorn’s eyes betrayed her, as they momentarily drifted to her friends.

{So that’s your play…} I thought.

She was trying to draw a reaction from me, to provoke me into displaying the same peremptory stance from earlier. She wanted her friends to be mistrustful of me, as she was. Well, it wasn’t going to work, and I responded to her with a goofy smile, agreeing with her in full.

“You’re absolutely right, shan’t happen again.”

My play won over hers. She knew that she was in the wrong, and without a shred of retaliation from me, there was no way for her to justify it. Eyeing me up and down for a moment, the unicorn showed further remorse, paired with a hint of frustration. She exhaled heavily from her nose and went to sit down beside Pinkie and Applejack, both of whom shuffled uncomfortably away from her. Not that I wanted to ‘win’ or anything, but it felt nice that her own friends weren’t exactly on her side.

Moving on, I asked what plan Rarity had come up with, to which she sat down and cleared her throat, flicking aside her perfectly curled mane, to which I couldn’t help but smirk; even on another planet in the wake of a dangerous mission, she still maintained her sense of beauty and glamour.

“Well you see, darling,” she began, “when the Titans’ Orb was removed from our world, a great deal of its essence was left behind, a magical residue if you will, one with a very unique signature.”

“Okay, I’m following so far.” I murmured.

Continuing, Rarity explained that Twilight had imbibed this essence at Princess Celestia’s instruction, thus binding its arcane signature to her body and allowing her to resonate with it. What this meant was that Twilight could sense when pieces of the Orb were close by.

“This was essentially our only method of finding the pieces.” Rarity went on, “But even then, we would need to be close to them just for it to work. Think of it as trying to find a needle in a haystack, using a very strong magnet. You would think it was an easy task, but first, we still need to find the haystack.”

“Ahh…” I hummed, “So, what’s your solution?”

“My solution,” the pearly unicorn replied, “is for Twilight to use my gem finding spell.”

“What if it locks onto other gemstones in the world?”

“Ah-bub-bub, I wasn’t finished!” she sang, tilting her head, “If Twilight were to alter the spell slightly, and pair it with the signature from the Orb’s essence, it ought to lock onto the fragments, and only the fragments.”

My eyebrows shot up, that was actually a really good idea. Everyone else seemed to think so too, with Pinkie clapping her hooves together and cheering, and Applejack and Fluttershy both praising the mare’s idea. Rarity raised her chin proudly, and even Twilight lightened up some, admitting the plan was superb.

With that, there was only one final matter to tend to.

“Firstly, that idea is absolutely sound, well done Rare. However, we need to handle this business of faking my death, and I’ll be honest, I haven’t a clue of how to go about it. Any suggestions?”

At first, I thought this part would be much harder to plan out, but Pinkie Pie had other ideas.

“Ooh, ooh! That’s easy-peasy, one-two-threesy! All you need is for Twilight to use her cloning spell, and then you can just make the clone look all dead-like!”

Blinking rapidly, I was gobsmacked.

“Uh… Pinkie, you’re a genius!” I exclaimed with wide eyes.

“No I’m not, I’m a pony!”

We all burst into laughter, with not even Twilight being able to withhold an amused splutter. Turning to the unicorn, I took the chance to open a dialogue with her while she was in a better mood.

“So you actually have a cloning spell then? You can actually… copy people?”

“Not exactly.” she replied, thankfully remaining civil, “Cloning spells vary in complexity, but none of them will ever make a fully functional duplicate. Flesh can be replicated, but your soul? No, there’s no magic strong enough to do something like that, not that I know of anyway. If I cloned you, it would be more like an echo of you, a magical construct made to resemble you. Clones also don’t last forever, if its creator doesn’t destroy it manually to regain mana, a clone will naturally break down after a week or two.”

“Huh, well either way that’s incredible!” I told her, “That would definitely do the trick!”

Amazingly, in spite of things, Twilight asked if I would like a demonstration of the spell, to which I very eagerly agreed to. Nodding, the unicorn instructed me to stand still and got to her hooves again. The girls gave us some space, and Twilight’s horn began to glow brightly. I then felt a tingling sensation throughout my body, followed by a thin stream of light emerging from my chest. It wasn’t painful in the slightest, though it did feel incredibly warm. The light coalesced in front of me, forming a shimmering sphere. At first it was no bigger than an apple, but as the light kept pouring out of me, the sphere began to grow. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen, this was some seriously potent magic, all happening right here before my eyes.

Eventually, the flow of light ceased, and the sphere began to stretch out, twisting and turning as it began to take the form of a human being. Me, it was taking the form of me! And then, in the space of a second, the glowing form’s light dissipated, leaving behind a perfectly convincing replica of myself. The others watched on, observing this magicless creature experience such a magical phenomenon.

“Whoa…” I breathed, utterly mesmerised.

“Whoa indeed.” the clone spoke.

I jumped back a few feet and nearly shat a brick, caught completely off-guard.

“It… it can talk!?” I blurted out, pointing at the clone with awe.

“I don’t know, can it?” he asked in reply, shrugging at me with a smirk.

Scoffing with amusement, I circled him, starstruck beyond description. Even as a living falsehood, it seemed that my clone could think for himself and even form his own sentences. Seeing my own self from another’s perspective was beyond surreal; and damn, was my arse really that good? I gave my doppelgänger’s firm rear a curious touch, to which he turned around and looked at me with an upturned eyebrow.

“Hey now big boy, take me on a date first, yeah?”

Every single one of us, clone included, burst into hysterics at the comment. The laughs went on for quite a while, until Twilight finally brought it to a close, rolling her eyes.

“Alright, that’s enough now, it was only a demonstration.”

Her horn once again shone brightly, and the clone in turn started to glow. Small pieces of his body then began to break away into dancing little wisps of light, which faded away into nothingness. In his very last moments of existence, he began to sing solemnly, accepting his end.

“Hello darkness, my old friend… I’ve come to talk with you again…”

His singing then came to a halt, as his entire being fell apart and vanished altogether.

“Well, that was depressing.” I murmured, huffing with amusement.

Turning to Twilight, I thanked her for the demonstration, and said that it had most certainly been the craziest experience of my life to date. Wordlessly responding with a huff through her nose, she accepted my thanks and then returned to her moody non-verbal state.

“Right, so in all seriousness, how are we going to do this?” I asked openly.

The girls looked at each other, not sure of what to say. Finally, Rainbow Dash came up with an idea.

“We could like, I don’t know, pretend there was a break in?”

“Ooh, I like that.” I said, pointing at her with a finger, “Go on?”

“Well,” she explained, “we could make it look like someone broke into your house to steal some stuff, or something. Then it would look as if you tried to fight them, and they uh, killed you, I guess.”

Clapping my hands together, I told her the idea was perfect. Twilight then tried to shoot down the idea.

“And how are you suggesting we simulate a break in, huh?”

“Simple.” I retorted with a toothy grin, “We can break in ourselves! I can kick the front door in, and we just smash a few things here and there, make it look like someone really went to town on the place.”

It made sense, but some of the girls weren’t all too convinced just yet. They looked at each other with uncertain expressions, not sure what to make of the idea.

“Sugarcube, are you sure you want to do that?” Applejack asked me, furrowing her brow, “This is your home, ain’t it? Do you really want to… smash it up?”

With a half-hearted laugh, I told AJ that this place was hardly my home, especially now. After all that Jan had put me through, I decided that it was time for some payback. Expressing just how much hurt had occurred in this house, I told them that it was about time I had some justice, and I would have it by way of trashing this place, and leaving that vile woman to deal with the aftermath. Plus, just as the Hide and Seek had helped us to bond, I suggested that we may all get a fair bit of enjoyment out of duffing up the place together.

“You’ve all spent two weeks confined to that little camp, treading on each other’s hooves and not being able to do much.” I pointed out, “Come on, don’t tell me it doesn’t sound like a good way to let off some steam, huh?”

Unsurprisingly, Rainbow Dash sided with my point immediately, asking when we could get started. That’s when a thought crossed my mind; if I was leaving this place to travel the world, then I needed supplies. Relaying this to the girls, they were in full agreement, and so the violence would have to wait. Rushing up to my room, I retrieved my dad’s big camping rucksack, which I had claimed as my own since he left. It had plenty of room, I just needed to decide what to pack it with.

Returning downstairs, I found that Chilli and Archer had come into the lounge, finally brave enough to say hello to the bizarre-looking visitors in their home. Seeing them brought another thought to my mind; what about them? I couldn’t leave them here alone, not with a battered up house and a dead clone of myself! Oliver wouldn’t be home for days yet, and with Mum coming home tomorrow, they would be left overnight in an unsafe situation. On top of that, Janice was the furthest thing from a responsible owner, even after getting home, there was no way I could trust her with them. I wanted the best for them, but how on earth could I achieve that when I was about to duff up the house and stage my own murder? With my mind racing, the stress of all these additional steps began to overwhelm me. I just wanted to get going, but it wasn’t so simple.

Then an idea hit me. I had a friend close by, my only friend within walking distance, a fellow brony by the name of Bruce Harding. He was one of my best mates, and there was no doubt in my mind that he would look after the dogs if I asked him to. A lover of animals and a deeply loyal friend, Bruce was one of the few people I might be able to trust with the knowledge of what was going on. Like me, he took oaths very seriously, and I knew that I could rely on him if he swore to secrecy. With plenty of land, he could quite easily care for the dogs, without even needing to walk them in public, meaning they wouldn’t ever be seen. After all, as soon as I was publicly dead, there would be a manhunt for my killer, with the dogs likely being mentioned if they went missing. He lived only a couple of miles away, a forty-minute walk at most.

“Hey, look…” I began, entering the living room again.

With a shaky start, I explained to the girls what I was thinking, and what I was planning to do with the dogs. The words had barely left my lips, and Twilight kicked off.

“Absolutely not.” she spat, “We’ve already wasted enough time today, I’m not jeopardising this mission any further. Not for you, and not for your mutts. You can tie them up somewhere and-”

“I’m sorry, I think I heard you wrong.” I interrupted.

I took a step towards her, doing everything in my power not to snap. With a gulp, Twilight realised that I had been angered by the comment, and that she may just get that retaliation after all.

“It almost sounded like you just called my beloved dogs, of whom I love very dearly, one of whom you attacked yesterday, mutts. Did I hear that right?”

She started to cower slightly, and I saw the same fright in her from earlier, the looming dread that I was going to hurt her. Of course, I would never, and I knew this was hardly helping her think otherwise, but if she was going to insult my dogs and disregard their safety, then she needed to know that it wouldn’t go without consequence.

“You listen.” I ordered, “I’m about to give up my entire life for you. There’s no going back for me after this, and the one thing I want to do is make sure my pets are cared for after I’m gone. Now, I know this is throwing a spanner in the works, and I’m sorry for that, but I need to do this, okay? If I’m going to help you, then I need to leave here with a clear conscience, and I can’t do that without getting my dogs somewhere safe first.”

From behind me, the other girls supported my cause, with Fluttershy outright telling Twilight that we weren’t leaving until Chilli and Archer were safe. I was taken aback by her boldness, but then again, with two animals’ welfare on the line, I should have expected it.

“Ugh, fine.” Twilight conceded, “But after this, no more distractions. Once you get back, we’re staging the break in, killing your clone, and getting out of here for good, are we clear?”

“Crystal clear.” I told her, “Thank you.”

Huffing, she went to read more of my books, while I rushed to my room to turn on my laptop. Bruce was always active on Skype, so I went to contact him as quickly as possible. Curious as to how I was going to contact another human, the other girls followed me into my room and watched as I logged into the device. Almost immediately I regretted it, as my desktop wallpaper came into view, depicting none other than Derpy Hooves, sticking her head through a generic Windows background.



“Dude…” said Rainbow Dash, “Is that Derpy!?”

Gulping, I turned around to look at her, expecting her to be utterly horrified, and yet, Rainbow’s face was plastered with an excited grin. Glancing past her at the others, I found they were smiling too, gazing at the cartoon depiction of their fellow pony.

“Erm… yeah… that’s Derpy alright!” I chuckled awkwardly, “Although I’m not going to lie, I thought you would all be a little unsettled at seeing her on here. I’m not exactly sure how much you actually know about the cartoon.”

Sensing my anxiety, Rarity was quick to clear the air on that front, clarifying what they knew.

“Oh don’t fret dear, we know just enough not to be too disturbed. During our mission briefing, the Princess told us all about how we co-exist in your world, in the form of an animated story for children. She said there are older fellows too such as yourself who watch it, called bronies, and that it broadcasts to the public via your, um, what is it called? A talvision?”

“Close, it’s television.” I corrected, “Or just TV for short.”

Rarity gave an interested ‘hmm’ in acknowledgement, and I decided to carry on with my query.

“But I don’t get it, I would have thought that you’d all be freaked out by knowing something like that. I know for a fact I would be, so what gives?”

“Oh trust me darling, we were to start with, terribly so in fact. Poor Fluttershy even had a panic attack over it, bless her! But as the Princess explained everything in thorough, we soon came to terms with the ordeal. She was even able to show us some of the cartoon directly, and though it was awfully strange at first, I must admit, it was quite entertaining to see myself as an animated character. My mannerisms and voice were imitated flawlessly! You humans are very talented with your work.”

Humming with understanding, their reactions made a lot more sense now. It also made using my laptop a lot more straightforward, as I no longer felt the need to hide all the ponified content, such as the icons on my taskbar. With that in mind, I moved my cursor to the task bar and clicked on Skype, and waited patiently for it to open.

“So, who is this friend of yours exactly, and how do you plan on reaching out to him?” asked Rarity.

“Do we get to meet him?” Pinkie followed up.

Putting my mouth to one side, I said that it was probably for the best if we didn’t complicate things further by revealing them to him. The ponies didn’t need to be included in this transaction, it would be far simpler to keep things centred around myself and the dogs. Applejack expressed her agreement verbally, with the others giving accompanying nods of understanding.

“And to answer your question, Rare, his name is Bruce. He used to live next-door, but he moved a little further out to his parents’ house after they died.”

“Oh that’s terrible…” she breathed, “How did they pass?”

“Cancer.” I replied, “Do you have that in Equestria?”

“All too sadly.” the unicorn confirmed, “It’s treatable with magic, but it still very much a killer in our world.”

“Same here.” I told her, “We don’t have magic, but we can treat it through surgery and something called chemotherapy, but you have to catch it early on, and even then, it may come back.”

Lowering her head, the ponies sympathised with my words, I supposed it was a similar story on Equus. Not wanting to dwell too much on the subject, I went on to tell them that Bruce was a devout animal lover, similar to Fluttershy. That brightened things up, with the buttery pegasus raising her head and inhaling sharply with excitement.

“Ooh, really?”

Nodding, I said that since his parents’ passing, he had dedicated his life to caring for animals. He fostered cats and dogs that had been abandoned by their former owners, and was essentially running his own animal shelter. He even had a small local charity going, a business of sorts, where people subscribed to him via monthly payments, allowing him to continue running the shelter, while he in turn would cover the cost of his donors’ vet bills. In a sense, he had started his own local pet insurance company, running symbiotically with his at-home shelter.

“That’s… amazing!” Fluttershy squealed, springing to life, “Oh goodness, I just have to see this for myself! Please let me come with you, I want to see it!”

Leaning back in my chair and inhaling deeply, I said that it was Twilight who would need persuading, not me, to which she immediately fell silent, knowing such a thing was folly. Applejack then asked how I meant to actually contact Bruce, to which I explained that I was about to call him on Skype.

“Uh Sugarcube, what in tarnation is a Skype?”

With a laugh, I told her that it was an application on my laptop that allowed me to communicate with others across the world, either by instant messages, or by video calling.

“What does ‘video’ mean?” asked Pinkie.

“Oh, it’s another term for a moving picture, just like the Kung Fu Panda film.” I clarified.

They all let off a synchronised ‘oohhh…’ to which I chuckled, and finally got to messaging Bruce to see if he was around. With Skype now open, I selected his profile and then clicked on the message bar, and then I typed a casual greeting to say hi.



Hey broski, how are ya?
I need to talk to you about something.



The ponies stared at the screen in confusion. Rainbow Dash then asked if something was supposed to happen, to which I instructed her to be patient. Eventually, after a good thirty to forty seconds, I received a reply.



Heeyy Callum! How’s it going bud? Yeah I’m good, busy as always, but good!
What's up?



Seeing the message, the other ponies were amazed.

“So, that just came from some dude in another part of the world?” Dashie asked in awe.

“Yep-yep!” I confirmed, grinning.

Typing back, I decided not to beat around the bush and told Bruce that I needed to ask him a huge favour.



Ugh, your favours are always costly. What is it now?



Explaining that it was serious, I said that I needed his help, and quite urgently too. Telling me that he was now worried, he asked what I meant, and if I was in some sort of trouble. Knowing that it would be better to speak in person, I asked if I could just call him, to which he promptly said yes. I then explained to the girls how the call would work, and that he would see everything from my webcam, and hear everything via my laptop’s microphone. With that, Applejack gave Pinkie a look.

“That means keep your cake-guzzling trap shut.” she teased.

Giggling, Pinkie nodded, and the girls all moved so that they were out of the camera’s view. They then watched keenly from the side as I clicked on the call button, and after a few seconds of ringing, Bruce appeared on the screen.

“Right, talk to me.” he ordered, folding his arms, “What the bloody hell have you done, Callum?”

Giving a heavy sigh, I didn’t really know where to begin, other than that I needed his help.

“Like I said, I need to ask you a favour, a big one, and it needs to stay between us.”

“Dude, you are really freaking me out. What is going on?”

Inhaling deeply, I explained that I would be going away, and that he needed to look after the dogs for me.

“Wait, seriously? That’s it? Jeez Callum, don’t do that shit to me! I thought something was actually wrong!”

Wincing slightly at the language, I glanced at the girls, worried they might take offence. Thankfully they seemed mostly unbothered, and I looked back at Bruce with a frown.

“No, you don’t understand.” I continued, “I’m going away, and I’m not coming back.”

His cheesy grin was gone instantly and he froze, processing my words.

“Wait, what do you mean?”

“Look, if I were to leave the dogs with you indefinitely, could you take care of them? Yes or no?”

“Well yeah, obviously, I love Chilli and Archer to bits!” he confirmed, “But what do you mean you aren’t coming back?”

Huffing anxiously, I asked if he could drive over here so I could explain in person. Regrettably, he explained that his car was currently being repaired at the local garage, so I would have to come to him. Clenching my jaw with annoyance, I was hoping that he’d be able to just swing by and pick up the pooches and be done with it, but at least it wasn’t too far of a walk.

“Right, then I’m coming over. See you in like an hour.”

Realising how serious I was, he scrambled to his feet.

“Okay, alright… I err, better get the place ready! Uhh, ah! Dog food, baskets, treats…”

He trailed off, and knowing that his mind was now on the dogs, I said goodbye and that I would be over as quickly as possible. Giving me a thumbs up, he told me that he would put the kettle on, and then promptly ended the call. Sighing with relief, I turned to face the girls with a smile; the dogs would be safe, and we could continue as planned.

“We should tell Twilight.” I suggested.

Everyone agreed, and we went down to explain to her that I would be walking the dogs to Bruce’s, leaving them at his house, and then returning here to deal with the clone. Twilight however, had other plans, or at least, she now wanted us to do things in a different order.

“I want us all out of this house as quickly as possible.” she explained, “You’re going to get on with staging the break in, then we’ll deal with your clone, and then you can take your dogs to your friend. We’ll pack up our camp while you’re gone, and then we can all leave.”

Although I didn’t agree, I chose not to contest it. At the end of the day, she had given me permission to take Chilli and Archer to Bruce, and that was a tall order considering the urgency of their mission. Nodding in accord, I picked up my rucksack again and decided to finish packing. Being downstairs, my first port of call was to raid the kitchen. Delving into the larder, I thought about the long-term, and only grabbed things that would last a long time without going bad. Fruit and such would need to be found along the journey; rotten food in my bag was the last thing I needed. Soon enough, the rucksack was appropriately loaded with cereal, pasta, rice, crisps, and with Pinkie in mind, a few bars of chocolate. Additionally, I looted every tin of beans I could find, knowing I would need them for protein; it was a no-brainer that I wouldn’t be eating meat for a while.

With meat on the mind, I thought hard on the issue. Even if I became a vegetarian from this time forward, the ponies would find out one way or another that I was an omnivore. When that happened, the loose bonds of trust that I had formed with the girls could very well go out the window, and that terrified me. But still, there was little to be done about that right now, and I fought hard to let the thoughts blow away, deciding that my only option was to cross that bridge when I came to it.

Ensuring there was still space in the bag, I rushed around the house to grab things that I required aside from food. I gathered my swimming goggles, a towel, my phone charger, my toothbrush and accompanying toothpaste, some extra socks and boxers, and a spare change of clothes. Sneaking into Oliver’s room, I also stole one of his Swiss Army knives, knowing it would surely come in handy. I also grabbed a few rolls of toilet paper from the bathroom; going vegetarian was bad enough, I wasn’t going to use leaves to wipe my arse if I could help it. After that, I returned to the girls and said that I was just about ready, which was when Rarity brought me good tidings.

“While you were packing, I had a little word with Twilight, and she’s agreed to use a Pullie-Portal on you. This way, once you’ve delivered the dogs, you can be zipped straight back here!”

“That’s fantastic news!” I exclaimed, “Quick question, what the heck’s a Pullie-Portal?”

Clearing her throat, Rarity went on to explain that a Pullie-Portal was a two-part spell that essentially worked like a boomerang. The first part of the spell would be cast onto me, making me the boomerang. Then, at a later point in time, Twilight would cast the second part, which would teleport me straight to her location. With my jaw dropping, I couldn’t believe my ears; I was going to teleport!

“Um, Twilight… is it okay if I went with him?” asked Fluttershy, “I really want to see Bruce’s animal sanctuary.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, we’re not supposed to be seen by other humans.” Twilight ordered, “He goes alone.”

“Then how’re you going to know when to pull him back?” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“Good point.” I said, putting my mouth to one side.

At that, Rarity cleared her throat for a second time and reminded us all that there were two unicorns present. She argued that with a simple cloaking spell, she could accompany me without the risk of being seen, and then magically ping Twilight when we were ready to return. Everyone praised Rarity once again for her clever thinking, and Twilight let out a disgruntled huff.

“Ugh fine, whatever gets us out of here sooner.”

“So… um… could I maybe…”

“Yes Fluttershy, you can go with them!” Twilight barked.

Springing up with delight, Fluttershy thanked the unicorn profusely. Rolling her eyes, Twilight ordered me to get on with beating up the house, which I had no objection to. Ready to rumble, I shot off upstairs with a devious chuckle. I went into my bedroom and retrieved my cricket bat from under the bed, of which I had once frequently used when I was at school. Now armed, and donning the biggest grin my mouth could manifest, I returned to the girls and presented the bat to them.

“What’s that for?” asked Pinkie.

“Do you really need to ask?” Rainbow laughed, knowing exactly what I planned to do with it.

Smirking at the pegasus, I tightened my grip on the handle and closed my eyes, inhaling deeply.

“Oh, I’ve waited a long time for this…”

Releasing the breath, I opened my eyes and bared my teeth.


“Daddy needs to express some rage…”





> Chapter Five: Dying to Live
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Crash!
“Oh yeah!”

Smash!
“Yee haw!”

Bang!
“Woo-hoo!”

Tap.
“Yay…”

Bash, crush, smack, crack and wallop, all throughout the house, a tempest of destruction waged war against the inanimate and the material, laughing and whooping all the while. Metal was bent, plastic was snapped, wood was splintered, and glass was shattered. We went to bloody town.

“Now this is what I needed!” I howled with delight as I lobbed Jan’s favourite coffee mug through the kitchen window.

Rainbow Dash galloped through the hall and skidded past me, stopping to buck the kitchen door. The bottom hinge broke and the top one bent, leaving the door hanging at a precarious angle. Applejack then came by and delivered the killing blow, kicking it in the middle and snapping the top hinge. Hurtling into the hall, the door hit the floor with a deafening smack.

“Yee haw!” she hooted, charging off to find something else to break.

Pinkie then ran into the kitchen to join us, where she suddenly froze on the spot, glaring intensely at the microwave. I was about to ask if she was alright, only for her to rear up and let off an ear-splitting war cry.

“Take this you mysterious evil voodoo box!”

She then headbutted the side of the microwave at full strength, breaking the components inside and causing it to quite literally explode, sending a flurry of sparks showering in all directions. Pinkie yelped loudly and jumped away from the appliance, scrambling on top of the kitchen countertop and arching her back like a scared cat.

“The voodoo box is spicy! The voodoo box is spicy!” she shrieked, hissing at the destroyed contraption.

The others came in to witness what had happened, while me, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash broke into full-on belly laughter, so creased up that we could barely keep ourselves standing.

“Pinkie, you absolute nutter!” I cackled, “Why did you call it a voodoo box!?”

“Because it cooks food with evil voodoo waves, duh!”

“That’s called radiation, Pinks, microwave radiation!”

“That’s what it wanted you to think, Callum!”

Laughing even harder, we pressed on with the carnage, and with Pinkie destroying one electrical appliance, I aimed to outdo her. Rushing into the lounge, I whacked the television with the cricket bat. There was a loud bang and I was rewarded with a cluster of sparks from the ruined screen. I jumped back with a shout, and Rarity sped over to see if I was alright, which I confirmed that I had never been better.

“Glad to hear it.” she breathed heavily, “Although I must admit, I do feel a little guilty for breaking so many things that don’t belong to me.”

I was about to respond, when she levitated a glass jug with her telekinesis, and then proceeded to launch it across the room and into the wall, completely and utterly obliterating it.

“Oh but by Celestia is it satisfying!”

We both burst into child-like laughter and continued to trash the house together. The adrenaline and euphoria coursing through me right now was exhilarating. It felt so good to break all this stuff, if for nothing else than the utter devastation it would bring Janice when she returned to it tomorrow. There were no real words to express how badly I needed this. All these years of torment from that woman, all the abuse, and I had bottled it, turning it inward and teaching myself that I deserved it somehow. It had twisted my mind and left me broken, instilling me with two malformed elements that were polar opposites of each other, and yet equally cataclysmal. One was the black void, the incurable depression that sucked all life and willpower from me, and swallowed the light of all things mirthful. The other element was a vengeful flame of bitterness and hatred, a wrathful, twisting pillar of fire that had been scorching and seething within me for years, and now it was time to set the house ablaze with it.

As we began to reach our fill of destruction, I decided to top it all off with the crème de la crème; the sliding door in the dining room. Being made of an enormous double-glazed pane of glass, smashing this would be a truly legendary moment… Telling the girls to stand back, I tensed every muscle in my body, and then swung my cricket bat as hard as I possibly could, spinning my whole body in the process. Letting go, the bat spun in the air, before landing exactly where I wanted it to. As the bat struck true, the entire pane screeched with dying agony as it shattered into half a million pieces. Each tiny fragment of glass twinkled faintly in the daylight and made a crystalline ‘clinking’ noise as they danced in the air during their rapid descent to the floor. It easily took a good five to ten seconds for the devastation to fall silent, at which point nopony spoke, for they were all captivated by the climactic grand finale of our staged break in. One could have heard a pin drop, until Rainbow Dash finally broke the silence.

“Dude… That was… That was awesome!”

Rearing up and flailing her front hooves in front of her, she let off a squeal. The other ponies then burst into cheering as well, with even Fluttershy letting out her famous little ‘woo-hoo’. However, for as exciting as this had all been, all good things must come to an end, and it ended by way of Twilight stepping in to cut the lights on the party.

“I thought you were staging a break in, not a hurricane.” she jeered, “But hey, I know it’s hard for your kind to show restraint when it comes to violence.”

“Oh come on, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash groaned, “This has been fun for all of us!”

“And that’s exactly what I’m worried about.” Twilight clapped back, “We’ve known this creature for a day, and he’s already influencing you all to vandalise property and destroy others’ possessions, you should all be ashamed of yourselves!”

Turning to me, she pointed to the mountains of broken glass that was now all over the floor.

“And as for this? Are you trying to get glass embedded in our hooves? Jeez, it’s not even been a full twenty-four hours yet and you’re already making attempts to hurt us. You actually can’t help yourself, can you?”

“Oh for goodness’ sake, this is getting ridiculous.” said Rarity, “Twilight, darling, just think on what you’re saying. All Callum did was blow off some steam, and we merrily joined in. Goodness knows we needed it, we’ve all been pent-up in that little camp, and you missy, have certainly not helped in that regard. As for all this glass, Callum was the one who told us all to back up, to make sure we didn’t get hurt!”

Shaking her head, Twilight would hear none of it, refusing to see my innocence.

“Really Rarity? Gosh, I thought you of all ponies would be smart enough to see through this façade.”

With a face like thunder, she went on with a hoof pointed at me.

“You have no idea what these things are like. I’m the only one who knows!”

Rarity gasped, horrified by Twilight defining me as a mere ‘thing’. However, although I was very rightfully offended, I chose not to speak for the time being, remaining in quiet observation as the situation unfolded before me. I was far less concerned with petty insults than I was with learning what Celestia had said to her pupil, and the truth was much more likely to reveal itself in the heat of an argument.

“How dare you address him in such a manner!” Rarity gasped, “We may not have known him long but-”

“But nothing!” Twilight spat back, “How can you be so blind to the truth when it’s right in front of you? Humans are monsters, ready to rip each other apart at a moment’s notice, along with everything around them! Did you know they’ve had more wars than Equestria has houses? This world is governed by evil. He is evil!”

{Some progress…} I thought with a hint of distaste.

If there was ever doubt before, there wasn’t now, it was abundantly clear that Celestia had made Twilight fully aware of our knack for war. The thing that bothered me was that she was technically right, and there was little I could do to deny that fact.

“Hey, he’s not evil!” Pinkie squeaked defiantly, “If he was, my Pinkie Sense would be going all twitchy twitcha-twitch!”

Swinging around to point a hoof into Pinkie's face, Twilight began to get herself into a state, failing more and more to remain composed.

“Oh yeah, like how your Pinkie Sense told you that Princess Cadence was fine at my brother’s wedding? You know, when she was actually that bug-eyed changeling freak in disguise? And even if your Pinkie Sense was reliable, we don’t even know if it works here! Besides, I know he’s evil because Princess Celestia told me he’s evil, and who are we to question the Princess, huh?”

Obviously, Celestia’s word was gospel to the unicorn, and it was true that the Princess had warned her of the overall danger surrounding my kind. However, these had been words of mere caution, and the others were aware of that. Twilight on the other hand, had chosen to take the warning literally, and was now fixated on it, seeing the facts in black and white, and not realising that she was now coming across as delusional and obsessed.

Choosing to finally insert myself into the situation, I calmly requested clarification, asking if Princess Celestia had actually told her that I, personally, as a singular individual, was evil. Despite my gentle approach, I received a scathing glare from the unicorn, who responded by giving me the politician’s reply, making a statement that aligned with her argument, but didn’t actually answer the question.

“The Princess told me about your conflicts and the death tolls they carry. She told me all about your weapons of mass destruction, and how all your nations were founded with genocide and slavery! Your species is evil, and even if you aren’t the worst of your kind, you’re still a human nonetheless. You can pretend to my friends as much as you like, but I know what you are!”

For once, no one rushed to my defence, but I didn’t need them to. There was a very easy way to counter the politician’s reply, all one needed to do was repeat the question.

“So that’s a no, then?” I put forward, craning my neck, “She didn’t tell you directly that I’m evil? That’s what I’m getting from this. All she’s done is warn you about my world’s past to emphasise that you’re in a dangerous place, but only a fool would judge someone for the sins of their forefathers.”

My choice of words had the others back on my side, with Rarity silently nodding in agreement with my statement. Continuing, I made sure Twilight didn’t escape this conflict without admitting that she hadn’t told the exact truth.

“I’m a seventeen-year-old kid, Twilight, I have no connection to any of humanity’s past. The worst thing I’m guilty of is being my mother’s son. But hey, if you’re so confident about who I am, then give us all a straight answer. Yes or no, did Princess Celestia tell you, word for word, that I’m evil?”

She couldn’t do it, she couldn’t say yes or no. However, she didn’t need to, because what she did do, was at last spill the beans. Lowering her head and glaring at me intensely, she practically hissed her answer.

“She didn’t have to tell me. She showed me…”

Everyone turned to look at her, and then back at me. What the hell did that mean? Had Celestia been recording me? I mean, she must have been studying me for a while at least, otherwise why would she send the girls to me in the first place? Had she captured a moment that could be taken out of context? A boxing match perhaps? Being an alicorn goddess, I presumed she could twist any sort of vision to her liking, so maybe she had depicted me in some negative light to spook Twilight. But she must have deemed me worthy for this task, so why on earth would she then provide Twilight with the means to believe I was evil?
Oh, this was so bloody confusing…

“Well, now we’re finally getting somewhere.” I grumbled, concealing my inner anxiety, “And what did the Princess show you exactly, huh?”

The unicorn’s eyes widened as it dawned on her that she had given away too much.

“That’s… That’s none of your business!”

“Actually, I think it is my business.” I snapped back, “You’re insinuating that you’ve seen something that’s brought you to the conclusion that I'm evil. That is something I am well entitled to know, so how about we stop playing this stupid game and you tell us what you've seen?”

Having raised my voice quite substantially, Twilight looked to me once again in fear. The unspoken struggle for dominance was finally beginning to shift. Before she could speak, I continued.

“Look, if we’re going to find this Orb of yours, then this nonsense needs to stop. At some point, you’re going to have to tell us what the Princess showed you, so we can discuss it and actually deliberate over what you think you’ve seen. Because as of right now, it’s abundantly clear to me that you’ve been shown something that is woefully untrue.”

Up until that last sentence, I had hit all the right beats; every single word I had said was spot on. But alas, I had made one fatal error.

“Are you calling Princess Celestia a liar?”

“I don’t know what her motivations are,” I replied honestly, “and I’m sure it’s with the best intentions, designed to protect you all, obviously. But from what you’re telling me, Twilight? Yeah, I’m saying she’s lied to you to some extent.”

Oh Callum, you fucking idiot…
Princess Celestia was Twilight’s mentor, her guiding light, and a literal goddess of whom she worshipped, and I had just blasphemed against her. Everything that came from Celestia’s mouth was undeniable truth to her, and now here I was, daring to suggest that her deity was a liar. In Twilight’s eyes, I had just committed an act of heresy, and somewhere in her mind, something very brittle snapped. Her intense glare became infinitely more vicious and she started to bare her teeth, her ears now flattened against the sides of her head; this wasn’t just excessive tiredness and stress, there was a much deeper mental issue going on here.

“I don’t think you should have said that…” Pinkie Pie whispered to me, wincing as she spoke.

With her left eye twitching, Twilight’s anger came to a threshold, and finally erupted.

“You… you… you vile, ignoble, pygmy pink-skinned flesh-golem! You deserve everything your mother does to you, you putrescent dung-eating charlatan!”

The others emitted shocked gasps, with Fluttershy covering her mouth and Pinkie’s eyes practically bulging out of their sockets. Turning tail, Twilight galloped away, back outside to her camp, with Rainbow Dash and Rarity both preparing to chase her down.

“You get back here right now! How DARE you!” Rarity shrieked, utterly livid.

“You freaking jerk!” Rainbow Dash shouted in tow, now completely red in the face.

They were just about to run after the unicorn when I put one hand out, and begged them not to. Turning to face me with their mouths agape.

“But-”

“But nothing, Rainbow Dash, please.” I interjected, my voice cracking slightly, “No more arguments…”

Seeing how watery my eyes were, they knew that enough was enough and acquiesced my plea. I wasn’t even all that upset by Twilight’s horrid remarks, it was more the confrontation itself that had got to me. I hated conflict, and the simple act of someone shouting at me was what had put tears in my eyes. But for what it was worth, this little eruption had been incredibly revealing, with Twilight accidentally alluding to the fact that her behaviour wasn’t down to something she had been told, but something she had seen.

{Now to find out what that was…} the thought echoed in my mind.

Clearing her throat, Applejack came forward and apologised that Twilight had spoken to me in such a way, and offered to go and talk to her, not to scold her or provoke her, but simply to calm her down. Although I didn’t want to risk any further conflict, I thought that perhaps it might be good to have a middle-man in the fold, or in this case, a middle-mare. I swayed my head in Twilight’s direction to confirm the offer, to which the farm pony tipped her hat to me and took her leave. Rainbow Dash watched after her and snorted with disgust, pressing a hoof into the floor and kneading it angrily. Suggesting that we went outside as well, I plodded over to the ironwood tree, where I had tethered the dogs for the time being while we smashed up the house. Sitting down, I let Chilli hop into my lap and I stroked her affectionately, knowing it would be one of the last times I ever would.

“Callum, I cannot even begin to tell you how infuriated I am at Twilight’s behaviour.” said Rarity, sitting down beside me, “I’m shocked and appalled at the way she spoke to you.”

Lowering her head, she let out a heavy sigh.

“We would all understand, and not blame you at all, if you weren’t so keen on helping us now.” she added, “Though I really do hope this doesn’t change your decision.”

Shaking my head, I lay such worries to rest.

“It doesn’t. I take my promises very seriously. There’s nothing Twilight could do, or say, that could change my mind. We’re in this together now, okay?”

A handful of the girls exhaled with relief, and I beckoned them all close so that I could reason with them further. They huddled around me, and I took in a big breath.

“I don’t know Twilight personally, but it’s pretty clear that this isn’t what she’s normally like, is it?”

Everyone nodded, to which I continued.

“Well, unlike the rest of you, she’s not coping well with the responsibility of this undertaking. But I don’t blame her, and for what it’s worth, a lot of the things she’s said are true. I’m not going to lie to you, my species has a very dark history. We’re capable of terrible things, but that’s only half the story, and for all the capacity we have for bad, we have just as much capacity for good.”

“Like Kung Fu Panda?” asked Pinkie Pie, “Because that was really good.”

“Yeah Pinkie, like Kung Fu Panda.” I chuckled, “We love telling stories and creating works of art. We love to entertain one another, and bring light into the lives of others. We’re singers, we’re dancers, poets, and musicians. We write, we play, we laugh, and we love.”

Hearing the passion in my voice, the girls looked upon me endearingly, taken by my words.

“And yet,” I murmured, “for all those wonderful things, Twilight remains absolutely right. There are bad people in this world, people who will hurt you if they get the chance, and if the Titans’ Orb is scattered across the planet, then chances are we’re going to be running into those people. This mission of yours is more dangerous than you can possibly imagine, and Twilight is terrified.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t give her a free pass to treat you like garbage!” Rainbow Dash protested.

Turning to face her, I put my head to one side and inhaled through my nose.

“No,” I agreed, “and along the way, we’ll try to sort that out. But you have to understand, those bad people out there, who will hurt you? She thinks I’m one of those people. She’s not being rude to me because she’s nasty, she’s being rude to me because she’s scared to death of me.”

Looking away, the cyan pegasus frowned, knowing with reluctance that I was right. Pressing on, I explained that we simply needed to embark on this mission together, and that hopefully, as the days went by, she would overcome her fear, and finally see me for the person that I was.

“Until then,” I said, swallowing, “we just need to accept that she isn’t going to like me, and probably isn’t going to treat me very well. But that’s okay. Trust me, it’ll pale in comparison to what my mum’s put me through.”

“No, that’s not okay.” Fluttershy piped up, “You can’t use your mother’s actions to justify Twilight’s.”

“I’m not justifying it.” I replied, “I’m saying that’s how it needs to be, and that I can handle it. Look, I know this isn’t going to sit well with any of you, but if my job, as ordained by Princess Celestia herself, is to be your guide and protector, then that’s what I’m going to do. She didn’t send you here for me to be your friend, she sent you here because for some reason, she thinks I’m the man for the job, and I intend to prove her right. I’m going to keep you all safe, and I’m going to make sure you go home with that Orb, and if Twilight chooses to hate me every step of the way, then so be it. Your safety, and success in this mission, is far more important.”

At this closing statement, Rarity leaned against my arm and sighed.

“Callum, that’s so selfless of you to say, I can see now why the Princess sent us to you. I for one, think you are very brave.”

I lowered my head and smirked at the compliment. Not that I had said any of it for praise, but I would be lying if I said I hadn’t hoped at least one of them would take my earnestness to heart. And then, in all her boyish immaturity, Rainbow Dash just had to ruin the moment.

“Ooooooooohh, someone’s got a crush.”

Scoffing loudly, Rarity was taken off-guard and practically beatboxed as she tried to gather her words, pulling away from me and scowling.

“Oh! Pff! Kch! Ts! Rainbow Dash, shame on you!”

“I’m just kidding, Rare! Jeez, chill out!”

Pinkie and Fluttershy giggled, and I begged for nopony else to get into any arguments. They dropped it in a heartbeat, followed by Applejack returning from her diplomatic mission.

“Well, I’ve calmed her down some, but I can tell you sure as eggs, she don’t like you one bit…”

“Tell us something we don’t know.” Rainbow Dash grumbled.

Ignoring Rainbow’s remark, I dipped my head in gratitude.

“Thank you Applejack, as long as she’s civil and focused on the mission, that’s all that matters.”

Giving a weak smile in reply, AJ went on to ask what we were going to do now, to which I decided that we ought to move onto the next part of the plan. With the house trashed and Bruce probably wondering where I was by now, it was high time for us to get out of here. We needed Twilight to create my clone so that I could kill it, and then for me to deliver the dogs to Bruce, then at long last, we could hit the road. Flinching, Fluttershy took a step away from me, taken aback.

“Um… k-kill the clone?”

Knowing full-well how bad it sounded, I confirmed that I did intend to kill the clone. With a nervous gulp, I explained that faking my death needed to be as realistic as possible, as human forensics were painstakingly scrupulous. After all, the whole point of trashing the house was to imply someone had broken in and killed me, it had to be convincing. Perceiving the truth in my words, Fluttershy looked down at her hooves, not knowing what to say. The others were all somewhat similar, unsure of how to conduct themselves in the face of this ugly business that needed tending to.

“Callum dear, are you absolutely sure about this?” asked Rarity, her face taut with concern.

Honestly, no, I wasn’t sure about this at all… Beginning to mentally backtrack, I thought that perhaps it was too much. Perhaps I just ought to write a suicide note and vanish without a trace? But then people would go searching for my body, it would end up as a permanently unsolved investigation as to where I’d gone.
No, killing the clone was absolutely necessary, I had to make sure there weren’t any loose ends, something even Twilight would agree to. Plus, we had already trashed the house now, there was no turning back. Besides, I wasn’t actually killing anybody, it was just a clone we were talking about. Twilight had said it herself, it was nothing more than a magical construct, resembling me. It would be no different to switching off a robot with artificial intelligence, any semblance of life was an illusion. I told the girls this, and it helped them find peace in what needed to be done.

“If it’s all the same to you though,” said Rarity, “I’d rather not watch.”

{Oh shit, did they think they had to watch me do it!?} I thought to myself.

Shaking my head, I assured her that I wasn’t at all expecting for them to watch. Following that, Rainbow Dash said something that had me genuinely infuriated.

“Well uh, I don’t mind watching. You never know, with all the potential danger ahead of us, we might need to kill someone, if they attack us first I mean, obviously. Maybe it would be good to know what we’re in for?”

Breathing in sharply, I whipped around to glare at her with a face like thunder.

“Absolutely not, and don’t you ever say something like that again. The whole reason you were sent to me was so that I can keep you away from such things!”

My sudden change in attitude certainly got the message across. How could she have said something like that? The very notion was enough to disturb me, and the fact she had even suggested it made me realise just how little I really knew about these ponies. I had been lovingly watching them and their adventures for four seasons now, and yet it seemed like I would need to unlearn so much of what I thought I knew.

“I’m sorry…” Rainbow mumbled, “I just-”

“It’s fine.” I cut in, “But I mean it, never say something like that again.”

Shame befell the pony as she understood the severity of her words. Bowing her head, she made her remorse known, and given that she had learned her lesson, I forgave her. Exhaling slowly through pursed lips, I decided that we had dilly-dallied enough.

“Applejack, it’s time. Can you go and fetch Twilight?”

She obeyed without uttering a word, and I turned to the others to find them all looking awfully glum.

“Hey, once this is over and done with, we can leave, and we never have to revisit it, okay?” I assured them.

“You’re right.” Rarity answered, lifting her chin, “It’s just that, with all this talk of death and whatnot, I can’t help but worry about what’s going on back home, I’m just feeling a bit homesick.”

The others were evidently dwelling on similar thoughts, for they all nodded in agreement.

“I’m so worried about my little Angel Bunny…” Fluttershy sighed.

The poor things, they were a very long way from home, and they were going to be for a long time, it made perfect sense for them to have home on their minds. That was when a realisation dawned upon me. When I had read the ‘My Little Dashie’ fanfiction, it had been explained that the time between our worlds was distorted; an entire year in my world was merely a day in theirs. If that story was true, of which I had no reason to believe that it wasn’t, then this meant that we had months, years even, to look for the Orb fragments. Right now in Equestria, no more than a couple of minutes had passed since the girls were transported here. As I looked to the others I started beaming, finally equipped with some good news to share.

“Well, you don’t need to be worried.” I began, “There’s something you should know, about how time works between our worlds.”

Fluttershy looked at me and tilted her head, and the others all did too.

“As it happens,” I continued, “a single day in your world is a whole year in mine. It may feel like you’ve been gone for two weeks, but back in Equestria, you’ve only been gone for a few minutes at best!”

“Goodness!” Rarity exclaimed, “Is that really true?”

“Really really.” I replied.

And then from behind me came a shrill, disgruntled voice.

“And how… did you come to learn that?”

{Oh, shit.}

I turned around to face Twilight, who quickly used her magic to open the saddlebag she was now wearing. Before I could speak, she had retrieved a piece of parchment, which she then began to read aloud for us all to hear.



“Mission Note Number Sixteen.

My dear Twilight.
I write you this guiding text, one of many, to help you in your mission.

As explained to you during the briefing, there was an incident in the past, one pertaining to the world you now find yourself on. Though I unfortunately cannot divulge to you the surrounding factors of that incident, what I can tell you is a vital piece of information, of which may ease your burden surrounding the time you will undoubtedly spend away from home.

With absolute certainty, I can attest that the flow of time differs between Earth’s dimension and that of our own. For reasons I cannot explain, one full year in their world is no less than a single day in ours, effectively slowing down Equestria’s time, from your perspective of course. In the time it has taken you to read this, I have likely blinked all but once.

Fortunately, this convoluted and seemingly fractured working of time very much plays into our advantage, as you and your company now have more time to locate the Titans’ Orb than we ever could have dared to ask for. This is not to say that you should move leisurely, as for all the additional time that you have been granted, it is still very much of the essence.

Take flight, stay safe, and know in your heart that I have every faith in you.

Good luck, my faithful student.

Yours with resplendence and grace,
Princess Celestia.”



The others looked at Twilight, then back to me, then back again to Twilight. Stuffing the note back into her bag, she took a step towards me and spoke to me through gritted teeth.

“How did you get a hold of my notes?”

Having just shot myself in the foot by telling the girls about this information, I was left with three options, and neither of them would reflect well on me. My first option was to tell them about the incident in question, to divulge to them about how Rainbow Dash had been sent here by mistake, reverting her back to a foal in the process. Telling them the truth might earn Twilight’s trust, but in doing so, I could risk causing the ‘irreversible damages’ that Rarity had mentioned. Perhaps it would cause Rainbow to recover her memories, which could ultimately break her mind from remembering two separate lives. Even if that ended up not being the case, I would be acting directly against Princess Celestia, and if she ever found out, I could very well find myself facing the sun god’s wrath.

My second option was to tell a half-truth, and simply tell them that I knew about the incident, and considering that Celestia had removed their memories, I would respect her ordainment and speak no further on the matter. This may again, gain favour from Twilight, as I was displaying loyalty to the Princess, but this posed a different issue. As I had explained to the girls already, I didn’t even think they were real until yesterday, so for me to suddenly claim knowledge over dimensional time distortion very simply didn’t add up. In other words, there was very little possibility that I could choose this option without seeming like a liar, I would have to word it very well.

As for my third option, I could very simply admit to getting into Twilight’s bag and reading her notes. I had been to their camp now when I had found Twilight crying in her tent, and her bag was just outside it. This was the safest option as far as impact went, but it would also cause further damage to my already-horrendous relationship with Twilight.

And then, I had an idea, and it was one that, although deceitful, would reflect well on me across the board. Very simply, I would stick with the second option for now, and as soon as Twilight was out of earshot, I would admit to the girls that I had perused through her notes in a desperate bid to understand why she was being so horrible to me. The girls would be sympathetic, and all would be well.

I didn’t feel good about turning the ordeal into a scheme, but with Twilight still waiting for an answer, I didn’t have time to deliberate further. Inhaling deeply, I chose the second option, and hoped for the best.

“I didn’t touch your notes.” I said calmly, “I know that fact from elsewhere.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“You said you didn’t know we existed,” she growled, “so how could you possibly know, huh?”

“Because I know what happened the last time you were here.”

I heard a few sharp breaths from behind me, and even Twilight became more curious than angry. From here, I needed to choose my words wisely, and to some degree, I believed that I did.

“I heard about it from someone, another person like me, a brony, I mean. He wrote about it in the form of a story, and it very explicitly mentions the distortion of time between our worlds. I didn’t believe it at first, it was just a fantasy. But here you all are, which means the story is true. That’s how I know, and that’s all I’m telling you.”

“I beg your pardon?” said Rarity from behind me, “You can’t just say something like this and then refuse to tell us more!”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash joined in, furrowing her brow, “What gives, dude?”

Glancing at them for a moment, I clenched my jaw and fought against the waves of panic that thrashed at the walls of my mind. Being at the centre of such a confrontation had me so far from my comfort zone that it was practically intercontinental at this point. Swallowing, I forced myself to remain calm and pressed on.

“You said it yourself Rarity, the Princess removed your memories to prevent irreversible damages. If I were to tell you, it could very well cause those damages, and that’s something I can’t allow. On top of that, telling you would be against the Princess’ wishes, and I think even you can agree with me, Twilight, that I should follow Princess Celestia’s orders above all else. To do otherwise would be a direct act of disobedience to her, wouldn’t you agree?”

The purple unicorn froze with her mouth faintly ajar. Like a deer in the headlights, she stared at me with unblinking eyes, knowing that there was nothing she could say or do to argue with this. As we had already established, Celestia’s word was gospel to Twilight, her edicts absolute and incontestable. With trembling lips, the unicorn warred with the inner turmoil as she desperately coveted what I knew, but by her own mentor’s decree, such knowledge was forbidden. Looking at her friends, Twilight’s face sank as she forced out two words that seemed about as wounding for her as they were relieving for me.

“He’s right.”

Gulping, the others knew that Twilight would never have agreed with me under normal circumstances.

“I don’t like it, but he’s right.” she went on, before looking at me in disgust, “You can keep your damn secret, and if the Princess really doesn’t want us knowing, then I expect you not to bring it up again.”

Dipping my head, I promised that I wouldn’t mention it from here on out. This had ended up playing out perfectly, and it was hard not to express my immense relief. Twilight had now ordered me not to talk about it any more, meaning the girls couldn’t direct their confusion my way. Sure, I knew something they didn’t, but it was up to both Twilight and the Princess if they wanted to find out about it. In other words, I was off the hook, and I didn’t even need to lie to the others about reading Twilight’s notes.

“Well, shall we get this clone business out of the way?” I proposed, changing the subject.

Nodding, Twilight turned around and began strutting her way indoors. I followed her with the girls at my side, who still looked at me warily, perplexed by the sudden development that I knew about their previous visit. Entering the kitchen, Rarity anxiously stepped forward and made her thoughts known.

“Um, Callum… I have to ask. How exactly do you intend to deal with this clone? I appreciate you’ve explained that you mean to kill it, but, how exactly do you mean to… uh…”

Before I could even think of an answer, Twilight levitated a grapefruit out of the nearby fruit bowl, along with a kitchen knife from the rack. Looking at Rarity blankly, she drove the knife into the fruit and twisted it, spraying citrus juice all over the countertop.

“Get the picture?”

With a gulp, Rarity nodded, and Twilight passed the knife to me, releasing it from her telekinetic hold.

“You know what to do.” she said gruffly, “Being a human, it ought to come naturally, right?”

“Let’s get this over with.” I muttered back to her.

With her horn glowing, Twilight performed the spell from earlier. I felt all the same sensations as the magic copied every physical detail of my body. The stream of light started escaping from my chest, and just like before, it came together to make a round blob, which then stretched out into the shape of a human being. And then there he was, my very own self, but there was something different about this one. Though he was clearly breathing, his eyes were glassy and unblinking, it was as though he were already dead. Taking notice of my observation, Twilight explained what was wrong with him.

“The more simple a clone is, the less mana it takes to create it.” she said, “This one is as simple as they come, it has no neural activity, or even a functioning nervous system. It’s effectively a vegetable, the lights are on but no one’s home.”

“That just sounds like me normally.” I retorted, smirking at her.

Scoffing loudly, Twilight tried to hide her amusement, though she failed to do so. Shaking her head, she led the others outside and told me to come out when the deed was done. Now isolated with the clone, I turned to face him and waved my hands in front of his eyes, to which he didn’t even blink. He truly was a vegetable, devoid of all substance resembling humanity. After poking and prodding him a few times, I felt assured by the construct’s total witlessness. Clearing my throat, I tightened my grip on the knife and prepared to strike him down, but just as I was about to do it, I froze. Those glassy forest-green eyes were my eyes, bearing that vibrant ring of hazel around the pupil. That smooth symmetrical face, devoid of blemishes or imperfections, was my face.

Even in the clone’s inanimate, unfeeling state, it was still me.
I was still stabbing me…

The weight of this task dawned on me, which then seemed to pour into the knife itself, as the little instrument almost became too heavy for me to bear. My hands started to tremble like leaves in the wind, and the blade shimmered in response, reflecting the bright summer sunlight as it poured in through the kitchen window. My mouth went dry and I became deaf to the world around me. Closing my eyes, I tried to quell the dread and remind myself that it was no different to the grapefruit Twilight had just stabbed.

{Come on Callum, it’s just a grapefruit.} I thought to myself, {A great big human shaped grapefruit…}

Inhaling deeply, I forced all thoughts from my mind and leaned forward, lunging at the clone as hard as I could, and denying myself the ability to consider what I was doing.

And the knife struck true.



There was a loud thud as the knife buried itself into my doppelgänger’s gut, and I gave it a firm twist for good measure. I tugged the blade back out and stared at what I had done, watching as the clone shirt became darker and darker as it soaked up as much blood as it could. And then, the clone’s organs started shutting down. His knees buckled and he fell backwards, smacking his head on the floor amidst all the broken glass and ceramic. Looking at the knife in my hand, I found it to be slick with blood, and a small amount of it had found its way to my fingers and my palm. For a moment I felt like I was going to be sick and rushed to the kitchen sink, dropping the knife as I did so. My mouth salivated heavily, and my mind began to spin. It took me a few minutes to get a hold of myself, and then I turned on the hot tap to wash my hands. Using a generous amount of dish soap, I scrubbed and scrubbed away, until there was no more blood to be seen, and then I got the hell out of there, not daring to look back.

Shutting the back door behind me, I found the others patiently waiting near the ironwood tree. I stumbled towards them, and all their expressions soured upon seeing the state of me.

“Is it done?” said Twilight.

Rarity and Applejack then rushed over to me, both asking if I was alright. I tried to speak, but no words came forth, with my lips quivering at the attempt. The best I could do was force a perceptible nod, to which Twilight raised her chin.

“Good, then you can get moving with your dogs, the sooner the better.”

Applejack, realising just how traumatised I was, went over to Twilight and forced her to look at me properly.

“You can see clear as apples that he’s in shock.” she hissed, “For pity’s sake, give him a moment!”

After a few seconds, Twilight dipped her head in understanding.

“We can at least move to the camp.” she ordered, “Then we can start packing.”

Obeying without question, we made our way over there. Twilight removed the cloaking spell and Applejack sat me down in the grass with the dogs, where she kept a keen eye on me while the others started dismantling the tents. Stroking Chilli’s soft fur and feeling Archer’s presence definitely helped to calm me down, but deep within my mind, a thought kept playing over and over again, taunting me relentlessly.


{I just killed myself.}





> Chapter Six: The Last Walk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





After a good twenty minutes of battling the constant ebb and flow of nausea and dizziness, the shock finally began to subside. It was of course, something I would still need time to properly process, but for now I was capable of burying the memory, and pressing on with the next task at hand. I got to my feet and picked up Chilli’s lead, which she reacted to by zipping around excitedly, her little stump tail wagging furiously as she prepared for her all-time favourite activity, a walk. Looking at her with a weak smile, it felt like a dagger to the heart to acknowledge she had no comprehension that this was the last walk I would ever go on with her. Taking a deep breath, I went over to Applejack, who had been giving Archer some loving attention.

“This here’s a fine pooch.” she said upon me reaching her, “I wish Equestria had ones like him. I could see myself having two of them after Winona goes, accompanying me with chores and such, guarding the farm, and keeping me company when Apple Bloom flies the nest, know what I mean?”

Maintaining just enough focus to reply, I tilted my head.

“You don’t think Apple Bloom will stay on the farm?”

“Pfft, not a chance!” she scoffed, letting out a one-syllable laugh, “Sure, she likes to help out now, but farm life ain’t for that filly forever. I reckon she’ll go adventuring with them Crusaders of hers, go see the wider world and make me worry about her.”

Warmed by AJ’s loving, supportive, and somewhat maternal outlook to her little sister, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Well depending on how things turn out on this adventure, perhaps we could find a way to send you home with a couple of pups?” I suggested, “You could raise them out there, and be the proud owner of Equestria’s one and only pair of Scottish Deerhounds.”

“You know, I might actually take you up on that.” she hummed.

She then got up to her hooves and allowed me to clip Archer’s lead to his collar. Tipping her hat to me, she wished me luck and went to finish up packing her things. Going over to Twilight, I thanked her for giving me the time to gather myself. Simply humming in response, she turned to Rarity and asked if she remembered how to use her pinging spell.

“Oh don’t be so ridiculous, I’d sooner forget I’m a lady!” Rarity tutted loudly, “Honestly Twilight…”

Trilling her lips, Twilight proceeded with casting the Pullie-Portal onto her fellow unicorn, followed by imbuing Fluttershy with the spell as well. She then cast it onto me, and as her horn flashed brightly, an intense vibration rippled through my body, and this time, it hurt. Like a million paper-cuts beneath my skin, I opened my mouth and tried to cry out, only for my vision to be taken up by a brilliant white, the purest white I had ever seen. All reality seemed to cease existing, and I felt more weightless than I had ever been.

{What the hell is going on? Where am I?} I tried to say aloud, but the words only echoed in my mind as thought.

I went to hold out my hands to look at them, only to find nothing there, and upon looking down, I found that I was lacking a body entirely. Had something gone wrong with the spell? Was I… dead? The irony certainly wouldn’t be lost if I was, having killed my clone just mere moments ago. Then a darker thought crossed my mind, if I was dead, had Twilight possibly done it on purpose? With how paranoid and frightened she was, it wasn’t all that unlikely that she may have given in to the fear, and taken me out before I could allegedly do the same unto her.

But if that was true, then where was I? And for that matter, how was I still consciously thinking? Twilight had mentioned my soul when she explained how cloning spells work, meaning that souls really did exist, and mine had quite possibly just left my body. With how blindingly white everything was, I half expected to see some pearly gates, but in the end, no such thing presented itself. All around me, the empty bright world began to darken, and soon enough, where white had once been, blackness now dwelled, which like water to a flame, extinguished my consciousness.


Slowly coming to, my first sensation was pain, in the form of an agonising pounding in my head. Following that, my whole body became riddled from top to bottom with paresthesia, and that didn’t just apply to my outer body; from tongue to testes, the sensation ran rampant. It was certainly a new experience, and a wholly unpleasant one at that. My ears rang and my very eyeballs prickled, it was horrible! After a few moments of trying to regain my senses, a faint voice spoke to me.

“Callum?”

I barely heard it, for it was muffled and echoey. The voice then spoke again, a little louder this time, and I felt a nudging against my arm.

“Callum, can you hear me?”

The voice was female, gentle and formal in tone, and so I could only presume that it was Rarity. I squinted my eyes tightly and then reopened them, to see a big white fuzzy blob in front of me, with a deep purple swirl on top.

{Yeah, that’s Rarity all right…} I groaned in thought.

Her hoof was resting on my bicep, gently trying to rouse me. And then without warning, a dark shape descended upon me, and my face was suddenly besieged by a massive, warm, wet tongue. Shaking my head and blinking repeatedly, I found the invasive shape to be Archer, lapping at me with concern. Emitting a husky grumble, I pushed his muzzle away with my hands.

“Oh get off me, you hairy old parsnip…”

Applejack pulled the dog away and Fluttershy helped me sit up. With my vision finally returning properly, I looked around to find myself on the ground, surrounded by the girls. Sighing with relief, Rarity put a foreleg around my neck, hugging me loosely.

“Oh thank goodness you’re alright.” she fretted, “You gave us a real fright there!”

“What uh… What happened?” I slurred.

“You collapsed after Twilight cast the Pullie-Portal on you.” she explained, “You’ve been unconscious for the past few minutes!”

Having the good grace to explain, Twilight stepped forward and cleared her throat.

“This isn’t something that’s totally unheard of. There have actually been quite a few cases of ponies blacking out when exposed to strong spells. All the studies have shown that it’s caused by an individual’s inherent resistance to magic. It’s an educated guess, but seeing as you blacked out in the exact same fashion, I would presume that you have a resistance of your own. You’re not magic-proof, but you are more, let’s say difficult, to maintain a spell on.”

“Right then.” I croaked, “Good to know.”

“Either way, the Pullie-Portal is good to go now.” she told me, “Get up and get moving.”

Still suffering from a touch of dizziness, I got to my feet with care, and then took the dogs from Fluttershy, who had kept them under control while I was out. Twilight then cast her invisibility spell onto the pegasus, and then onto Rarity.

“Damn, that’s freaky.” I murmured, gazing at them.

Both ponies were now rendered almost completely incognito, they didn’t even cast shadows. The only thing that could be seen of them was a very faint distortion of the light where they stood, not too dissimilar to how the Yautja’s active camouflage worked in the ‘Alien versus Predator’ franchise.

“These will only last for about an hour, so make it quick.” Twilight commanded.

Without another word, I led my invisible companions to the side gate on the land, which led out to a local field. I planned to lead the girls through the woods and fields as much as possible, which was the route I often took to Bruce’s house anyway. Beckoning the dogs by lightly tugging on their leads, we set off, marching at a steady, albeit hurried pace.

Passing my dogs a fond glance, I watched as Chilli and Archer both enjoyed their final walk with me, their tongues lolling out without a care in the world. They seemed absolutely fine with two invisible alien ponies trotting along beside them, and I supposed that their now-familiar scents were enough to indicate that they weren’t threatening. Conversation was lacking as we made our way along, but the atmosphere was still pleasant, we were all just enjoying the walk. Archer lazily plodded along beside me, while Chilli excitedly pranced about in front of us, occasionally darting from side to side to investigate interesting smells.

As we emerged from the trees and into the next open field, the summer sun greeted us kindly, wrapping us in its warmth, and the cooling breeze that accompanied it was the perfect balance. It didn’t take us all that long to cross the field, reaching the great oaks beyond them in just a few minutes. Up ahead was now the main road, and as we approached, Rarity commented on how wide the path was. And then, before I could say anything, the unicorn had stuck her head out from the trees and was about to step onto the asphalt, not realising until the last moment that a car was hurtling down the road. Before she knew what was up, the vehicle whizzed by at about fifty miles an hour, almost taking the poor unicorn’s head off. She emitted a loud yelp and jumped back, stumbling over and landing heavily onto her bottom, with enough force to dispel her invisibility. With an abrupt shimmer, the unicorn came back into view, looking at me with an expression of terror and confusion.

“Bloody hell!” I exclaimed, “Rarity! Are you alright?”

“Wha-What in Tartarus was that?” she panted, still getting over the scare.

Rushing over to her, I knelt down and checked her over, replying as I did so.

“That was a car, and one going well over the speed limit… This is a road, Rarity, not a walking path, they’re made specifically for cars, so they can get around with speed.”

“Goodness.” she muttered, still shaking, “If I was any further out there, it would have hit me.”

“That’s why we don’t cross roads without looking both ways first.” I told her, shaking my head, “Cars very rarely stop, especially at that speed, and most assuredly not for invisible ponies!”

“I'll certainly keep that in mind,” she sighed, calming down, “Obviously, I’ve seen a few cars since we arrived, but never up close. They’re so much faster than I thought…”

“Well, let’s just hope you never see one that close again, ey?” I suggested, “The damn thing almost splattered you!”

Gulping nervously, she nodded in agreement. This had caused one hell of a problem; with her invisibility dispelled, Rarity would have to remain here in the treeline until me and Fluttershy returned, and she was not happy about it. I assured her that we would be as quick as possible, and she sullenly plonked herself down amongst the thickest bushes, muttering bitterly to herself. Fluttershy and I then approached the road together and prepared to cross, and now that she had seen how fast they could be first-hoof, she stuck to me like glue. After checking that the coast was clear, we made our way across.

We were now on the street, and although there weren’t any people, I was a bit disconcerted by the sound of her hooves clopping on the pavement. I asked if she could step any quieter, which caused her to inhale sharply.

“Oh goodness, I hadn’t even thought of that, I’m sorry!”

The clopping sound stopped and I felt a faint gust of wind, accompanied by even smaller gusts every few seconds, indicating that she had taken flight.

“Is that any better?” she whispered.

“Much better.” I confirmed, playfully winking at her.

We continued onward to Bruce’s house, and along the way, Fluttershy tried to apologise for Twilight’s behaviour. She assured me that Twilight wasn’t this kind of pony back in Equestria, and that it was breaking her heart to see her friend become so unkind, and so unlike herself. Unable to see her still, I smiled warmly in the general direction of her whereabouts, hoping to show my gratitude.

“Thank you Fluttershy, that’s really nice of you to say, but I’m afraid it’s not your apology to make, you’ve got nothing to be sorry for. As I said earlier, I don’t need her to be my friend, I just need her to cooperate with me as much as she can, so we can get through this mission together.”

She hummed quietly, not knowing how to respond.

“Oh, but I have to ask.” I went on, “Earlier, she called me a… what was it, a pygmy pink-skinned flesh-golem? I’m guessing that it was supposed to be some sort of horrible insult, but honestly, it bewildered me more than anything. I get that the pink-skinned bit was just a jab at my furlessness, but could you elaborate to me as to what the hell a flesh-golem is?”

Bursting into a giggle, Fluttershy said that it was a dreadfully thought-up insult.

“She was basically trying to say you were a little golem, just because they walk on two legs. They’re usually made from clay or rocks, so she just blurted out that you were a flesh one, it was so silly! Oh, but I hope it didn’t hurt your feelings, did it?”

“Not really.” I chuckled, “So, golems are a real thing in Equestria then?”

“Oh yes!” she confirmed, “They’re quite peaceful most of the time, but they’re very scary when they’re in a bad mood.”

Astounded, I demanded more information about them, to which she explained that golems were naturally occurring magical constructs that dwelled in the Everfree Forest. They were great big bipedal beings that fed on metal ores and such. Though they mainly kept away from civilisation, some of the more avaricious ones would sometimes leave the forest in search of more concentrated metals to eat, posing quite a danger to ponies.

“Man, that’s wild…” I hummed, “Well, thanks for telling me about them, I’d love to know more about the creatures in your world. As you’ve probably gathered by now, our world has no magic, so there aren’t many fantastical creatures to gawk at.”

“Of course, I’d be happy to tell you about all the creatures I know!” she sang.

Grinning, I said that I would love that, and we agreed that by the time the girls went home, I would know as much about Equestria’s fauna as I did about Earth’s.


At long last, we arrived at Bruce’s, and I walked up to the door and rang the doorbell, instructing Fluttershy to remain as silent as a mouse. Hearing the lock click, I turned back to the door just as it swung open, revealing my dear friend.

“About bloody time you showed up!” he squawked, “You said you’d be here in an hour, two hours ago!”

He then came forward and wrapped his arms around me, while I apologised and explained that there had been a couple complications. He then let me go and tended to the dogs, greeting Chilli in his usual high-pitched baby voice, fussing over her until Archer grew jealous, lumbering forward to plant his massive head into Bruce’s chest.

“Yes-yes, hello big boy! Hello! Yes, I know you exist, you magnificent handsome beast!”

Fluttershy emitted a small giggle, causing Bruce to look up at me.

“Callum, has anyone ever told you that you laugh like a five-year-old girl?”

“No, but my mother says I cry like one.” I clapped back with a dull expression.

Trilling his lips, Bruce stood up and shook his head.

“Bro, don’t even mention that wrinkly old necromorph, she makes my blood sizzle.”

Huffing with amusement, I suggested that we went inside. Nodding, he took the dog leads from me and took them in. I headed after him and beckoning Fluttershy in as well, putting a finger to my lips, silently ordering her not to make another sound. She whispered an apology and remained close to me. Bruce led us into his spacious living room, which was cluttered with paraphernalia pertaining to animal care. There were leads, toys, big bags of dry food, a few bags of cat litter, and a huge sack of bird seed. In the far corner was a metal cage, where an African Grey parrot was watching us keenly.

“Rrrr?” it rasped, looking at me, “Shrek?”

“No Apollo, that’s not Shrek.” Bruce laughed, batting a hand in the bird’s direction, “This is Callum!”

The parrot made a gruff barking sound at me and turned away. Bruce then escorted the dogs to a different corner, where there were two massive dog beds, each of them with a big bone sitting in the middle. Taken with them immediately, both dogs settled down and began gnawing on their treats. Seeing them already so at home was comforting, and a fond smile slowly made its way to my face.

“Talk about hospitality!” I chuckled.

“You know it.” Bruce grinned, “I love these two about as much as I love Apollo!”

“Pistash?” the parrot chattered in reply, hearing its name.

Rolling his eyes, my friend waltzed over and fed the bird a pistachio nut, of which it very eagerly consumed. It then hopped onto his shoulder and nibbled his ear.

“Oi, no biting!” he shouted.

Apollo bobbed up and down with amusement and then returned to his cage.

“So, I see you have a parrot now?” I tutted with a smirk.

“Four actually.” Bruce replied with his back turned to me.

“Ooh, can I see them?” Fluttershy called out.

With a frown, Bruce whipped around to stare at me with narrowed eyes, pointing at me with a finger.

“Bro, was that meant to be a Fluttershy impression? Because that was terrible.”

Opening my mouth, I almost gave it away, but was able to stifle my laugh and request a cup of tea, as I really needed to explain what was going on. Snapping his fingers, he zipped into the kitchen to put the kettle on, and I turned to Fluttershy with a piercing glare.

“What the devil are you doing!?”

“I’m so sorry!” the pegasus whimpered, “I couldn’t help it!”

“Yeah well, next time you feel like giving yourself away, I implore you to help it!” I hissed.

Gulping, she apologised for a second time and promised that there wouldn’t be any more outbursts. Bruce then returned with the tea, along with a side of custard cream biscuits. Eyeing them up, I took a few and sat down in one of the living room chairs. I then looked over to Chilli and Archer, both chewing at their bones as though their lives depended on it. With a heavy sigh, I knew that I was on the cusp of never seeing them again.

“Right, spit it out already.” Bruce ordered, “What the hell have you got yourself into?”

Rubbing the back of my neck, I tried to figure out how best to articulate the situation.

“It’s not easy to explain, so please bear with me okay?”

Nodding, Bruce munched on a custard cream while I thought up how best to describe the unbelievable prospect that I had just willingly thrown my entire life away for.

“Well… I uh…”

Sighing, I didn’t really know how to say it without being blunt, and so I bit the bullet and told him.

“I’m faking my death.”

Bruce plonked his teacup back down and asked me why, raising his eyebrows as he did so. Swallowing, I fumbled over my words as I tried to explain it.

“I’ve uh, signed myself up for a certain… opportunity. Let’s call it a job offer, but it requires me to leave my life behind. I can’t have anything linking back to my old identity, no records, no family, no name. I’ll be seeing the world, and with the start I’ve had, it’s nothing short of a miracle, so I’m going for it.”

“You’re serious.” he murmured, “You’re actually being serious. Jeez Callum, what the hell are you getting into? Is this a crime thing? Are you joining a gang? Specifics man, tell me!”

Then without warning, Apollo let off a loud squawk, startling Chilli. Rushing out from her new bed, she began barking at the bird, which in a panic, flew from his cage and smacked straight into Fluttershy. Caught off-guard, the pegasus let off a shriek and sprang away, colliding with a shelving unit and dispelling her invisibility. Apollo then landed on one of the shelves and looked down at her, craning his neck with curiosity.

“Shrek?”

Gulping, I looked at Bruce and let off an awkward chuckle, knowing that I now had even more explaining to do.

“So uh… how’s that for specific?”

Needless to say, Bruce was in a state of shock. Standing bolt upright, he stared at Fluttershy with eyes like saucers, his jaws practically on the floor. His lips began to quiver, and he tried to murmur her name.

“F… F-Flu… Flutter… Oh… Okay…”

He then fainted, thankfully falling backwards and onto the sofa where he had been sitting. The pegasus hung her head in shame, and for the first time in front of the ponies, I swore.

“Oh for fuck’s sake…” I murmured.

Wincing, Fluttershy apologised profusely, and I grumbled that it was fine. Thankfully, Bruce was a brony, and we had spoken at length on ‘what if Equestria was real’ scenarios. I would be able to talk him into comprehending this, and he would still keep his mouth shut as a bonus. The only real annoyance was that I now had to tell him everything, and I didn’t want to keep Twilight waiting.


Eventually Bruce came to, and with Fluttershy now sitting beside me, I explained everything to him. I told him about the Titans’ Orb, and that I had been chosen to guide the ponies across the globe in search of it. At first, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, or seeing for that matter, but for every second that he gawked at the yellow pony in his house, he became more and more accustomed to her.

“Do you understand now why this needs to stay between us?” I said to him.

“Yeah…” he murmured, “Yeah I get it.”

We talked about things at length with him, and eventually he became more excited than freaked out. Soon enough he began asking questions about Equestria, and some of them were utterly bizarre. For instance, he had asked if ponies needed to pay taxes, either to their local governments, or directly to the crown. Following that, he asked if the world of Equus was flat. Fluttershy, bless her, answered all his queries to the best of her ability, and then I reminded him that he wasn’t ever to mention any of this to anyone.

“Of course!” he promised, “I’m sworn to secrecy, from here to the grave.”

He then saluted, and declared his allegiance to the New Lunar Republic.

“Bruce, real world.” I reminded him, snapping my fingers twice to gain his focus, “The NLR doesn’t exist. At least, I don’t think it does…”

Leaning over to face Fluttershy, I asked if there was a New Lunar Republic at all, to which she simply shrugged and said that she had never heard of such a thing. I then finished my tea and gave Bruce a long sigh, telling him that it was time for us to get a move on, as the others were patiently waiting. Though saddened by this news, he understood and showed us to the door. Now that Fluttershy’s invisibility had been dispelled, we decided that she would stay at Bruce’s, where she could chat to him for a little while longer. However, I made it perfectly clear that Twilight would teleport her via the Pullie-Portal at any given moment, so they ought to be prepared for that. They both nodded, and Bruce asked how long I was going to be gone for.

“Months, maybe even a year or two.” I huffed, “We have no idea where these shards are going to be…”

At that, Bruce gave a whistle.

“So, I’m holding onto the dogs for good then?”

“Not necessarily.” I assured him, “I know Oliver will miss them, it’s just Jan I’m worried about. Maybe return them in a couple of weeks, after the dust has settled. You can either sneak them in by the back gate, or just say you found them wandering the street, either or.”

He gave me two thumbs up in reply, and asked if he would ever hear from me again. I said that he probably wouldn’t, not for a very long time, but if I made it out of this adventure alive, I would be sure to pay him a visit and tell him how it all went. With that, he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a tight hug.

“Well, I wish you all the best. Try not to die.”

“Do my best.” I told him, hugging him back.

Huffing loudly, he let me go and led me to the front door, which was when both dogs came over to me, aware that I was leaving. Chilli started to whine and Archer nosed at me, and it took everything in me not to start crying.

“It’s alright…” I told them, giving them both their last bout of love from me.

I picked Chilli up and cradled her for a moment, and as she licked my cheek, I couldn’t hold back the tears. Crying into her fur, I told her just how much I loved her, and then I put her down and did the same to Archer. Fluttershy then helped me out the door, using one of her wings to create a barrier between me and the dogs. She was emotional too, clearly knowing just how hard it was to say goodbye to a pet forever. Forcing myself out the door, I clamped my mouth shut, trying to remain strong, but as Chilli began whining even louder, I started to sob.

“Oh Callum…” Fluttershy mewled, breaking into tears of her own.

“I’ll… I’ll see you soon…” I wept, turning away.

The front door was promptly closed to spare me the agony of hearing the dog’s confused whining, and I made myself put one foot in front of the other, whimpering to myself as I went.


The crying had stopped by the time I reached Rarity, though she could tell from my bloodshot eyes that it hadn’t been an easy farewell. She asked where Fluttershy was, and I told her what had happened. Rolling her eyes fondly, she went ahead and pinged Twilight. The spell was so weak that her horn didn’t even light up, I didn’t hear the ping either, indicating that it was purely a magical frequency, and not an audible one.

“Try not to black out this time.” she teased.

Scoffing, I said that I would endeavour not to, and as Twilight reciprocated, I felt the Pullie-Portal’s effects. The pins and needles returned, and I focused on letting the magic within me flow, willing my body to accept it. I began to feel weightless, and then I was suddenly blinded by flashes of whites, blues and reds. My vision then quickly returned, and I very rapidly found that I was somewhere else, suspended briefly in mid-air. Gravity then followed suit, and had I been a cat, I would have landed perfectly on my feet. But as it happened, I was not a cat, and found myself smacking into the grass with a hefty ‘oof’. Now winded and in pain, I lay there motionless for a moment. Hearing the thudding of hooves, I slowly rotated my head to find Pinkie Pie zipping up to me.

“Wow, you really suck at flying!”

“Hmm, I disagree.” Twilight muttered, stepping along beside her, “For a brick, you flew pretty good.”

“Mmmmmnnn…” I rumbled in reply.

Getting to my feet, I wearily told her to laugh it up, and then asked why it felt like I had just fallen from a great height. Clearing her throat, Twilight put a hoof behind her neck and itched it awkwardly.

“Well uh, Pullie-Portals have a tendency to skew a little when it comes to the actual destination. It’s not by much, but it’s enough to cause complications, such as arriving with your legs partially underground.”

“That’s happened before?”

“Yes, and trust me, it’s not pretty.” she replied, “So to compensate, I made sure that you arrived a little higher up.”

“A little?” I blurted out, “I could have broken something from that height!”

“Would you rather the ground merge with your legs?”

“Fair point!”

Scoffing, Twilight used her magic to launch my rucksack at me. I caught it with ease and put it on, and once Rarity and Fluttershy had donned their own bags, Twilight said that we were to head north-east. I asked why, and she grumbled a revelation.

“I tried the gem finding spell while you were gone. It worked, but it didn’t pick up any of the Orb shards. I want to go north-east because I’m detecting a huge surge of electrical frequencies that way, and I might be able to use them to amplify the spell.”

“Oh, that’ll be Gatwick Airport.” I hummed emphatically.

“I don’t care what it’s called.” she spat in reply.

Rolling my eyes, I let the remark slip, not bothering to respond to her negativity. I asked if everyone was ready to go, to which they all nodded, with Pinkie excitedly bouncing in her usual manner. I opened the side gate for them, and one by one they passed through. Taking one final look at my old home, I broke into a smile. Yes, saying goodbye to the dogs had been hard, but they were safe and happy now, and the path ahead filled me with enough excitement to feel at peace with my choice to let them go. Stepping out after the girls, I shut the gate behind me and took in my very first breath of freedom.


My adventure had begun, and from here onward, every step I took was a step into the unknown.
And I was ready for it.





> Chapter Seven: The Adventure Begins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The woodland was peaceful, quiet, and devoid of people. All that could be heard were the sounds of birds, the breeze, and the oppressing shrill of Pinkie Pie’s voice as she excitedly asked her silly questions.

Over and over, she asked…

“So which one do you all think sounds better, huh? Chimicherry? Or Cherrychanga? Chimicherry? Or Cherrychanga? Chimicherry? Cherrychanga? Chimicherry? Cherrychanga?”

Having walked non-stop for the past forty minutes, Pinkie’s boredom had sent her into a spree of her disorderly antics. This ranged from forcing me to give her a piggyback ride, to presenting a very detailed speculation of how a second Kung Fu Panda film would go, which ended up being scarily accurate to how the DreamWorks sequel had turned out. I wasn't even going to begin guessing how the pony’s mind worked, but it was clear that her reality-bending logic was in effect to some degree.

“Come on, surely somepony can give me an answer!” she squeaked merrily, “Is it Chimicherry? Or Cherrychanga? Chimicherry? Or Cherrychanga?”

“Will somepony please make her stop?” Rarity moaned loudly.

“I think my ears are bleeding…” Applejack sighed.

Rainbow Dash then turned her head to face me, her expression just as miserable as everyone else’s.

“Look, I know you told me not to talk about killing anyone, but I swear dude, I may actually kill her.”

“I might just let you.” I chuckled.

Huffing, I plodded along with them for quite some time, until the answer finally clicked for me. At last able to put everyone out of their misery, I snapped my fingers to get Pinkie’s attention in order to give her an answer. Despite being mid-bounce, the hyperactive filly somehow spun a perfect hundred-and-eighty degrees to look at me, landing on the ground with finesse and locking onto me with big expectant eyes.

“So, did you make up your mind?” she inquired with an innocent grin.

“I did indeed.” I replied, “The answer is Chimmicherrychanga.”

The second it left my lips, Pinkie broke into a laugh. She then emitted a squeal of delight and jumped into the air, confirming that I was correct. She continued to bounce mirthfully for a few seconds before eventually settling down. Now contented, she merrily pranced along beside me, humming quietly to herself and finally relenting in her mostly nonsensical riddles.

“Oh thank Celestia…” Rarity breathed.

“Uh, thank me, perhaps?” I pointed out.

With an awkward giggle, the white unicorn insisted that it was just an expression. She then quizzed me on how I had been able to answer Pinkie’s ridiculous puzzle.

“It was annoyingly simple.” I told her, “She was just looking for whichever sounded the funniest to her, and for one of us to say it. Chimicherry wasn’t doing it, and nor was Cherrychanga, she wanted to hear us put the words together to make Chimicherrychanga.”

Hearing me say it again, Pinkie cackled loudly. The others let out hums of understanding, with Fluttershy saying the word to herself and giggling.

“It is kind of funny if you think about it.”

Though still mostly exasperated with Pinkie, we all did eventually come to admit that it was. We then kept moving in silence, until Twilight called to me from the back of the group.

“You’re leading us north, I told you we needed to go north-east.”

She was staring at her compass, which floated a few feet in front of her, suspended by her telekinesis. With confidence, I told her not to worry, and assured her that I knew where we were going.

“If we were to go north-east as the crow flies, we’d end up in the suburbs.” I explained, “Far too many houses that way, plenty of watchful eyes. By heading north and sticking to the Ifield Brook, we’ll remain concealed in the woodland. We'll head east once we reach the River Mole.”

“Fine.” she huffed, taking my word for it, “But if we get lost, it’s your fault.”

{I’m pretty sure even if it rained, it would somehow be my fault.} I scoffed in thought.

Rolling my eyes and choosing not to respond, I walked along in silence until Fluttershy chose to speak up.

“Um, Callum… what's the River Mole?”

“Oh, it's just a really big river.” I answered, “It flows for miles, my dad used to take me and Oliver there to catch crayfish.”

“Are those like crawfish?” asked Applejack.

“Yeah.” I answered plainly.

Rainbow Dash then asked why we caught them, to which I explained that our rivers were infested with an invasive species from North America, which posed a threat to our native ones. Catching them helped preserve the ecosystem.

“And killing them, I’m sure.” Twilight sneered.

Choosing not to comment, I explained that every summer when we were little, Oliver and I would be brought to the shallow parts of the river in the summer. We would splash around for hours together, laughing and squealing as the crustaceans nipped at our toes. It was one of my fonder summer memories with him.

“Are there any moles?” asked Fluttershy.

“I don’t follow.”

“You said it’s called the River Mole.” she clarified, “So, are there any, um… moles?”

“There’s probably one or two knocking about.” I speculated, “Not that I’ve ever seen any. Why?”

“Oh, I was just hoping to see one.” she sighed.

“Well I’ll certainly keep an eye out for you.”

After that, we all returned to silence, not having much else to say for now. We continued making our way through the Ifield Brook, and were making good progress, without the need for any pit stops or toilet breaks.

{Do the ponies even need to take toilet breaks?} I wondered.

I then tutted to myself, what an utterly idiotic thing to think, of course they did! Firstly, the cartoon itself had portrayed such a thing outright, with Pinkie Pie rushing to the bathroom after a long train journey; that was in Season Two if I wasn’t mistaken. Secondly, and an infinitely more awkward matter at that, was that the girls very clearly had the capacity for it, for they were most certainly, and most incontestably, mortal beings; that was to say, their physical anatomy was very much on display. Not that I was into that at all, but out of sheer curiosity’s sake, I had admittedly found it hard not to glance every so often. Thankfully their tails kept them decent for the most part, but with the odd swish here and there, the uh… reality of the situation practically begged to be seen at times.

“So Callum, where is this place we’re headed exactly?” Applejack asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

“It’s called an airport.” I explained, “A hub of sorts for aeroplanes, think of it like a massive train station. Twilight’s likely picking up on all the electrical equipment there, and all the signals they give out.”

“An aero-what-now?” the farm pony quizzed.

Clarifying for her, I explained that aeroplanes, or ‘airplanes’ as the yanks liked to call them, were mighty flying machines that allowed people to travel great distances, by way of ascending to the skies. Though we had fighter jets and bombers for war, the majority of our aircraft was used as public transport, where hundreds of humans at a time could be carried across the globe. Upon describing them as metal birds bigger than houses, Twilight scoffed loudly, refusing to believe such a thing.

“That’s absolutely preposterous! If they were made of metal, they would be far too heavy. There’s no way such a thing would be able to fly, especially without magic!”

“What if such a thing was perfectly streamlined, and had two fixed wings that aided the lift-to-drag ratio?” I responded, turning around to face her and walking backwards.

The use of a scientific term excited the unicorn, and what had first been a mere attempt to argue with me, transitioned into more of a debate. She pointed out that even if planes had such wings, the sheer weight of the machine, along with its many passengers, would prevent it from getting off the ground.

“It would need to be consistently propelled forward to be even remotely possible!” she concluded.

After pretending to be stumped for a moment, I gave Twilight a patronising gasp and placed a hand over my mouth.

“Oh yeah that's right, I forgot to mention! Both wings of the aircraft have massive, high-propulsion jet engines attached to them, perpetually launching the aeroplane forward at extreme speeds for the entire duration of the flight.”

The others all let out an enthusiastic ‘ooooooohh’, while Twilight rolled her eyes with annoyance.

“You know, you could have just told me that to start with, instead of being such a dick about it.” she spat.

It was a fair point, but without wanting to concede, I simply shrugged at her and replied with a high-pitched ‘meh’, before turning back around to look where I was going. Walking with a proud strut, I was chuffed to have proved Twilight wrong on something of a scientific nature. Although, I did admit to myself that it was rather dickish of me not to mention the jet engines until after the fact, as it was something she couldn’t have possibly known about.

“Where did someone like you even learn about the lift-to-drag ratio anyway?” she asked me.

“Well, though it may be difficult for you to believe, you aren’t the only living thing in the universe to know about science.” I teased.

I went on to explain that the subject was mandatory in our education system, and that I was terribly fond of it. To my surprise, Twilight didn’t react with negativity, disregarding my jab entirely. Ever-so-slightly emerging from her shell, we were all delighted to see just a hint of the real Twilight Sparkle, conversing peacefully with me and quizzing me on all the different subjects that I had learned in secondary school. I answered every query she had, with my scientific aptitude being the main topic. I knew such pleasant courtesies wouldn't last forever, but I was thankful to meet the real unicorn for a little while, and to have a leisurely conversation with her for once.


After a good twenty-or-so minutes of talking and exchanging culture, the sudden sound of a car horn in the distance ruined the moment, spooking Twilight and sending her back into a frightful, defensive mindset. The tonal shift was nearly enough to knock us off our hooves and feet, but I tried to remain positive and simply enjoy what had been. Trying to do the same, Applejack gave me a melancholic expression, exhibiting her joy for my first friendly interaction with Twilight, along with her grief for the moment’s passing. We shared this feeling in full, and I could only hope that Twilight did too, though she would never admit it if she did. Yet again we found ourselves walking in silence, besides Pinkie Pie, who quietly hummed the Parasprite Polka to herself in a desperate attempt to saturate the empty air. It was Rainbow Dash who eventually filled the gap, asking me a most peculiar question indeed.

“So uh… dude, I was wondering. What's it like being a human?”

Unsure of what she was getting at, I simply replied that I didn't follow, and requested further elaboration. With this, the pegasus grew surprisingly quite shy, as though she felt stupid for asking. However, it wasn’t in Rainbow’s nature to back down, and she continued with her query.

“Oh, well like… I just mean… what's it like, you know? What’s it like always standing on two legs and needing to keep your balance? Do you ever get cold without any fur to keep you warm? Stuff like that, you know? Oh, and how in Equestria do you work those hands of yours? They look like tentacles with bones in them or something!”

That last part nearly had me bursting into laughter, though thankfully I was able to stifle it with a cough.

“I've certainly never heard anyone describe fingers quite like that! Well, as far as standing on two legs goes, it just comes naturally. We humans are structured for it, no different to how birds walk on two legs, and you don’t see them struggling to keep their balance. Tell you what, a better example would be Twilight's assistant, Spike. If the cartoon is anything to go off on, I’d say he walks on two legs just fine, and you never question that, do you?”

Upon hearing Spike’s name, Twilight frowned at me, clearly resenting the fact that I had dared to speak it. Thankfully she let it go, and Rainbow Dash gave off an understanding hum.

“As for hands and fingers,” I went on, “I can’t imagine it’s all too different to how your wings work.”

Slowing down in order to walk beside the pegasus, I decided that a physical demonstration might be the best way to explain it.

“So, if I were to raise my finger like this, that would be the same as you raising this group of feathers here…”

Boldly allowing myself to touch her, I lightly pressed against the area that I was referring to, and found myself immediately infatuated with how it felt.

{Woah… her feathers are so soft!} I exclaimed in thought, {They’re like silk!}

Rainbow went ahead and flexed that part of her wing, and just as my finger had done, that particular set of feathers raised up. Furthering the demonstration, I curled my fingers in to make a fist, clenching it tightly, and in turn, her entire wing balled up and did the same.

“Oh, I get it. That’s awesome!” she cheered.

Giggling to herself, the pegasus wiggled her different sets of feathers, occasionally opening and closing the wing with excitement. I went on to say that instead of flight and feathers, my digits were for grasping, probing, and otherwise interacting with the world around us.

“Fingertips are sensitive.” I told her, “We can identify things with incredible accuracy, to the point where we have a writing system called braille, allowing even the blind to read.”

That had Twilight back on board, and with her keenly listening, I went on to explain that due to this highly developed sense of touch, humans were at a predisposition for touching things, with it arguably being the greatest of our basic five senses. Just as dogs identified things primarily by scent, we humans loved to touch stuff, with toddlers especially sticking their wormy little digits wherever possible. Rarity hummed with interest, though with a laugh, she implored that I kept my ‘wormy little digits’ to myself if I could help it.

“Shame, I give great massages.” I teased, giving a sly look.

“Oh well, uh, I just meant that, I-I would want to be warned first!” she quickly backtracked.

Everyone laughed, and I brought the explanation to a close. Moving on to Rainbow’s question about getting cold, I gestured to the clothes that I was wearing, and said that humans relied on them to properly insulate our bodies.

“That must suck during the winter.” Dashie speculated, putting her mouth to one side.

“Eh, some and some.” I responded, “We have plenty of thick clothing for the colder months. To be honest, I actually quite prefer the winter. I’m much more of a ‘hot chocolate by the fire’ person than I am a ‘roast to death in the sun’ kind of guy.”

A few chuckles came from that, with Pinkie pointing at Twilight and grinning.

“Hey, that’s exactly what Twilight’s like! Did you know she even asked once for Rainbow Dash to make winters last longer? And she was being serious!”

“We don’t need to talk about that.” Twilight stated blankly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Smirking at her, it intrigued me how intently they had all been listening to me as I yammered on about human life. It would seem that they were about as interested in me as I was in them. As with Rainbow’s query, my brain was riddled with questions about their lives, both fundamentally and physically. How soft was their fur? Was it the same all over, or was it softer in certain areas? That puffier chest fur on some of them certainly looked softer, though I wouldn’t dare ask to feel it. And with such gigantic eyes, how on earth did their brains fit inside their heads? Surely their eyeballs had to be less spherical than mine, otherwise their ocular cavities would take up half their skulls! On top of that, thinking about their diet of humanly foods like cheeses and breads, it was quite clear to me that they didn’t share the same digestive system as earthly equines. This in turn made me wonder if their organs were more like a human’s? These girls weren’t animals so to speak, they were aliens for crying out loud, the possibilities were endless!

Eventually, I plucked up the courage, and asked a handful of the questions on my mind. They were all happy to elucidate, and I was soon the beholder of mountains of new information. As it happened, their eyes were less spherical, taking on a more oval, disc-like shape. Though they had a much broader field of view because of this, their eyes didn’t come without their flaws. Apparently, ponies had absolutely dreadful eyesight in the dark, as their pupil size was linked more to emotional factors than they were to luminance. This explained why their eyes seemed to shrink when they were scared, or expand to intense proportions when enthralled, or enticed. Essentially, if they wanted to see better in the dark, they needed to be both relaxed and captivated by something.

{That, or take a load of methamphetamines.} I joked in thought.

What interested me the most about this fact, was how it completely contradicted the eyesight of equines on Earth, of which could see tremendously well in the dark, better than humans in fact. Continuing down the path of pony biology, I learned something that absolutely blew my mind.

Apparently, ponies possessed a special gland inside their brains, nestled deep within the cingulate cortex. Known as a ‘mana well’, the gland stored pure mana, which was effectively the very lifeblood of the universe. Unicorns, as expected, had a larger mana well than earth ponies or pegasi, and it was connected to their horns via a one-way vessel known as the ‘transmutus arterium’, known in more modern terms as the unicorn’s artery. This artery transported mana to their horns and converted it into a more stable form of energy called magic, which was used in order to cast spells and incantations.

I was speechless, completely baffled and blown away by the knowledge of how magic actually worked, and that it had a scientific explanation. By the end of Twilight’s lecture, I was positively giddy from the excitement. Talking also helped pass the time, and soon enough we reached the River Mole. Wrapping up the academics for now, I approached the river’s edge and gestured to it with a swing of my arm.

“Here we are folks!” I announced.

It was a wide river, and not easily jumpable. It was awfully deep here too, and with the strength of the current, it wouldn’t have been an easy swim. Turning to the others for suggestions, Rainbow Dash scoffed and said that it would be a piece of cake.

“If Fluttershy lends me a hoof, we can just lift you guys over. One at a time, obviously.”

“Or one of you two could just teleport us across?” Applejack proposed, looking at Twilight and Rarity.

“Darling please, I can barely even teleport myself without using all my mana. Unlike some of us, I’m not an all-powerful spell chucker.”

Huffing with amusement at Rarity’s remark, I waited for Twilight’s input.

“For what it’s worth, my mana’s actually running low at the moment. Two cloaking spells and three Pullie-Portals are more demanding than you might think. I could teleport us across, but I’m saving what I have left for the airport.”

“That’s fair.” I pointed out, “How long does it take for mana to recharge?”

“I’m not sure here.” she said with a frown, “Normally it comes back quite quickly, but since coming to Earth, I’ve noticed that it’s recovering slower than usual.”

“Well that’s worrying.”

“It’s fine.” she retorted, “It just means I want to conserve mana where I can, so no, I’m not teleporting you all across. We’ll go with Rainbow’s idea.”

Nodding, the pegasus stretched her wings in preparation for flight. To warm up, she and Fluttershy took our bags across, and when they were done, they prepared to carry us.

“Me first! Me first!” Pinkie begged, bouncing up and down.

The pegasi approached and put their hooves under the pits of Pinkie’s forelegs. She was lifted across, and upon being put down, she zipped around like a dog with the zoomies.

“Ugh, this is so mortifying…” Rarity droned as she was carried over the cascading waters.

“I can drop you if you like?” Dashie offered with a grin.

“Don’t you dare…”

Laughing, Rainbow Dash denied the temptation and successfully transported the pearly unicorn. Already worn out, poor Fluttershy could help no longer; it was no secret that she was a weak flyer. Happy to press on, Rainbow flitted back over, where she took just a second to catch her breath.

“You good?” I asked her.

“Yeah, Rarity’s just a little heavy these days.”

“Oh you absolute so-and-so, I heard that!” Rarity shrieked, raising a hoof to her in anger.

Cackling with mischief, Rainbow Dash took to the air once again and collected Applejack, followed by Twilight. She then prepared to lift me, though I had a suspicion that I would be too heavy for her, and all it took was one attempt to confirm it.

“Mother of Celestia, how much do you weigh, dude?” she gasped, being able to lift me only just a few inches off the ground.

“About ninety kilograms.” I replied sheepishly.

“What's that in normal measurements?”

“A little over fourteen stone.”

“In pounds, dipshit.”

Bursting into laughter, I told her that I weighed roughly two-hundred pounds, give or take. At this, the mare loudly trilled her lips and called me a fatty. With a scoff, I assured her that it was predominantly muscle, and that I had plenty of bone density. Not convinced in the slightest, she jabbed my belly with a hoof and repeated herself.

“You’re a fatty, dude.”

Without a good comeback, I stuck my tongue out at her. I knew she was only bantering, but I had always been conscious about my weight, and admittedly it stung quite badly to be called fat by a new acquaintance. But again, she was just joking and I needed to just let it go.

“So how are you going to get across?” she asked, tilting her head.

Looking a little further upstream, I saw an oak tree that leaned towards the river. Quickly studying it, I spotted a nice selection of branches that conveniently stretched all the way across the river. They were rather high up, but I was confident that I could hack it.

“I’ll show you.” I answered, grinning.

Jogging over to the tree, the girls all watched me with great curiosity, and upon getting there, I found that the branch I had been hoping to grab was even higher up than I thought, but that wasn't a problem for me. Taking a few steps back, I readied myself, and then ran at the tree at top speed. I then took a leap at the trunk and planted my foot into it, springing myself up further with a wall jump and grabbing the branch. Hoisting myself up, I manoeuvred up until I reached the thickest of the branches, which thankfully went across to the other side. I looked at Rainbow Dash to find her staring at me with her mouth agape. Grinning, I called over to her.

“Well, you did call me a big furless monkey!”

Chuckling, I focused on my grip and began to swing, using my momentum to transition across with a simple ‘one hand in front of the other’ method. I reached the other side just as the branch began to bend under the strain of my weight, and with a final swing, I let go and allowed myself to drop. Just as I had done when I jumped from the ironwood tree, I performed a forward roll upon landing. This was partly to break my fall, though in reality, I had mostly done it because I was a self-indulgent sod who wanted to look cool. Springing up to my feet, I looked at the girls and clapped my hands together.

“Right then, where were we?”

Swooping over, Rainbow Dash practically fangirled over me, praising my ‘awesomeness’ and doing a mighty fine job at tickling my fragile ego, as did the others.

“Where did you learn to do that?” asked Rarity, astounded.

“Nowhere.” I laughed, “I’m just the weird kid who never grew out of climbing trees.”

“Those hands of yours are stronger than they look.” Applejack remarked, “I would have thought they’d break, carrying your whole body weight like that.”

“Yeah and trust me, there’s a lot of body weight to work with!”

“Thank you Rainbow Dash…” I deadpanned.

Shaking my head, I was about to explain how human hands were, when I heard a mighty rumbling coming from Pinkie’s belly. Giggling innocently, she announced that she was hungry.

“Couldn’t have guessed, Pinkie.” Rainbow chuckled.

Applejack went to retrieve some food for her, and thinking about it, I realised that I hadn’t eaten anything either since breakfast, and so I went over to my rucksack and retrieved the first of my rations. Starting light, I went with a bag of crisps, Quavers to be specific. Hearing me open the packet, Pinkie pranced over to me with curiosity.

“Ooh, wha’cha got there?”

“These are Quavers.” I told her, showing her the curly puffed crisps inside.

Her eyes widened the second she caught a whiff of the cheesy goodness, and I knew that she wanted one. Leaning forward and standing on the tips of her hooves, Pinkie slowly edged towards me until her nose was almost touching mine. She then twisted her head to such an angle that it was almost upside down, which even by Pinkie’s standards, was horrifying.

“Callum?” she whispered.

“Yes, Pinkie.” I replied blankly.

“Can I have one?”

Rolling my eyes, I took a Quaver from the packet and handed it to her. Taking it politely with a hoof, she sniffed it intensely and then engulfed the crisp, and as the flavour danced upon her tongue, the pony began to buzz, followed by letting out a long, drawn out ‘mmmmmmmnn’ of delight. After that, the others all wanted one too, and before I could say ‘Quavers’, I was dishing them out. They all loved the snack except for Twilight, who upon sniffing it, decided that she didn’t want to risk being poisoned and threw it away. Thankfully it didn’t go to waste, for Pinkie spotted it and dropped to the ground, slithering along like a serpent until she was close enough to inhale it. Greatly amused, I ate the rest of the bag before she could ask me for more. I then waited patiently for Applejack to dig up something a little more substantial for her, and after she had eaten her fill, we headed off once more.


We were walking for some time, when a faint rumbling in the sky had us all looking upward. Letting out a gasp, Applejack’s mouth fell open as she spotted what was causing it.

“What in tarnation is that?”

“That, AJ, is an aeroplane.”

The ponies all went ‘aahhh’ as they realised that this was what I had been talking about. Looking at Twilight, I noticed that she was staring at the plane with great interest, studying it as much as she could. Creeping over as quietly as possible, I was able to get right up behind her.

“Not so preposterous now is it?”

“Aah!” she yelped, whipping around to glare at me.

Scowling, she barked at me never to sneak up on her like that again. The others tried to stifle their laughs, and I gave her a half-hearted apology for scaring her. Pressing on, we reached a chain-link fence near the edge of the woodland, and beyond it were the runways, along with the traffic control tower.

“Is that it over there?” asked Rainbow.

“Yup.” I confirmed.

It was then that a plane came in above us to land, and a big one at that. Being a hefty Boeing Seven-Four-Seven, the jumbo jet’s deafening engines bellowed overhead like a dragon’s roar. Taken unaware, all six ponies dropped to the ground and cowered in fear at the metal behemoth. Over the noise I could just about hear Fluttershy screaming in terror, and I felt horrible that I hadn’t warned them how loud planes could be. That wasn’t to say I enjoyed it either; being autistic I was particularly vulnerable to overstimulation, and the noise had me plugging my ears with my fingers until it passed. Looking to the others, I found them to be frozen solid, stupefied like a small herd of fainting goats. As they recovered, I realised that Fluttershy was now having a panic attack, gasping for air and shaking.

“What the heck was that?” Rainbow Dash shouted at me, rubbing her aching ears.

“Okay everypony, calm down.” I sang to them, “That was just a plane coming in to land.”

With wide eyes, a gobsmacked Rarity blinked at me.

“That was… normal?”

Nodding, I explained that the bone-shaking racket had come from the jet engines I had mentioned earlier, with wide-body aircraft in particular having terribly big ones. I promised them that they were safe, but sadly Twilight was not convinced.

“Safe? Did you see the speed and size of that thing? We were seconds from being crushed to death! You brought us here to be killed by that thing, didn’t you?”

Doing my best not to laugh at such an absurd accusation, I swore to her that I had no such intention. Stepping in to back me up, Rarity came over and placed a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder, hoping to reason with her.

“Twilight darling, how could that possibly have been an attempt to kill us, hmm? Callum is standing right here with us, he would have been squashed as well if that… thing had crashed into us. Honestly, use some common sense, dear.”

Shaking Rarity’s hoof away, Twilight pointed her own hoof at a hyperventilating Fluttershy, using her as an example as she accused me of trying at the very least to frighten them all to death. However, as the yellow pegasus got control over her breathing, she came to my defence as well, stuttering as she did so.

“It’s n-n-not… his f-fault… I’m j-j-just a b-b-b-big s-scaredy-cat…”

“Oh Fluttershy, come here darling.” Rarity sighed, wrapping her in a big cuddle.

Putting my hands on my hips, I told Twilight to stop with the accusations. I then redirected her focus by asking if she was close enough to use the electrical signals to amplify the gem finding spell. Huffing at me angrily, she clenched her jaw and glared at me with disgust, going straight back to square one. Still, she argued no further and scanned the area with her magic.

“Yeah, this is close enough.”

“Good.” I spoke, turning to look towards the airport, “Because we’re not getting any closer without passing this fence, and I don’t feel like getting shot today.”

“Say again?” said Applejack with wide eyes.

With a nervous chuckle, I explained that airports were under constant surveillance, with security being tighter than a nun’s arse, though I didn’t use those exact words for obvious reasons. Trespassers caught crossing the fence would be treated as a threat, and would thus be dealt with severely. The girls asked why, and I explained that it was to prevent people from sneaking into other countries, or illegally boarding planes to cause acts of terror.

“You mean like Nine-Eleven?” Pinkie called from behind me.

With a sudden jolt, my blood ran cold. How the hell did she know about that? Gulping, I spared a thought for the incident, and for all those innocent lives taken. Twilight had every reason to fear us…

“Yes” I answered faithfully, “But how do you know about that?”

“I read it in Humanity's Tragedies, you know, that book in the living room? I found it while Twilight was telling you how scared of you she was.”

“Were you eavesdropping on us?” Twilight gasped.

“What? Not at all!” she insisted, “I don’t even know what an eaves is, so how in Tartarus could I drop one?”

“Then how do you know about our conversation?”

With a giggle, she explained that my bedroom was right above the living room, so she had tilted her head up in an attempt to hear everything that was being said.

“That’s what eavesdropping means!”

“Ohh…” she murmured, “You know, that makes a lot of sense, because ponies have accused me of eavesdropping before and I’ve never known what it means.”

Shaking my head, I returned the subject back to the book, asking Pinkie how much of it she had read, and thankfully, it hadn’t been much.

“Oh, only a few pages.” she professed, “I skimmed it without really reading much, it was really boring and really depressing, so I just threw it away and got another one.”

At that, I sighed a great breath of relief. That book covered the worst of humanity's crimes, from the Holocaust, to the First and Second World Wars, to the Crusades. Humanity's Tragedies had it all, but to my indescribable relief, Pinkie Pie had been saved by her own innocence.

Now flustered over our ‘private chat’ being revealed, Twilight moved things along and said that she was going to start searching for the Orb shards. We all stepped back from her and she lit up her horn, using the frequencies from the airport to boost the spell’s potency. Her blank expression slowly grew contorted with intense concentration, indicating that this altered gem finding spell was very powerful, and how could it not be? We were talking about a planet-wide sweep to locate six chunks of crystal here! A humming sound began to emit from her forehead, but just as things seemed to be going well, the mare released the spell and let off a growl.

“Ugh! The spell found traces of them, but it’s still too weak, I can’t maintain it for long enough!”

Kicking the dirt with a hoof, Twilight clenched her jaw and fretted over what to do. Inhaling sharply, an idea came to me.

“You’re looking at this all wrong.” I said, “You don’t need to find them all, not right away. Forget searching for all six and just hone in on one of them. It’s not like we can be in six places at once anyway, so let’s just tackle this like a checklist, ticking off one piece at a time!”

Squinting her eyes at me, Twilight searched for some sort of deception in my words. Finding none, she gave her head a small tilt and admitted that it wasn’t the worst idea she had ever heard. Agreeing to do it my way, she closed her eyes and tried again, this time configuring the spell to find one shard, and one shard only. This time, she was able to maintain the spell. We all gazed at her intently, and as the spell grew stronger and stronger, little sparks began to spit from her horn. Most of them were shades of white and magenta, but there were a few green ones in there too.

“Shiny lights!” Pinkie squeaked loudly.

The spell reached its peak, and thrusting her head back, Twilight fired a bolt of iridescent light into the sky, which vanished through the clouds. The purple unicorn then sat there for a moment, panting, with sweat dripping from her brow.

“Did it work?” I asked.

“Yeah, give it a second.” she huffed, “I just need to wait a few seconds for the-”

BANG!

From up above, there was a thunderclap, and an identical bolt of multicoloured energy shot from the sky and smacked into Twilight, knocking her to the ground. Everyone gasped and cried out her name, and we all rushed over to make sure she was okay. Putting a hand on her foreleg, I nudged her gently and tried to get a response from her.

“Twilight? Twilight! Are you okay?”

“Uuuuhhhggghhhh…” she groaned wearily.

She then realised that I was touching her, and quickly scrambled away.

“What did I say about touching me!?”

Losing her balance, she fell back down to her knees. Moaning in great discomfort, she gave her head a shake, and we asked her what had happened.

“I was in space.” she explained, “I was looking down at the Earth, and I saw where the Orb shard is.”

She requested a map, so I took off my rucksack and quickly retrieved the world atlas I had packed. Showing it to her, she seized it from me with her telekinesis and flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for. And then, withdrawing a quill and ink from her own bag, she inscribed a large ‘X’ over the first shard’s location.

“Huh… I wasn’t expecting that.” I murmured.

“Where is that?” Rainbow Dash queried, tilting her head.

Inhaling through my nose, I looked up from the atlas and gave her a wary expression. There wasn’t all that much I knew about this part of the world, only that it was hot, humid, and was the second leading country in illegal drug trade. On top of that, it also had the highest number of intentional homicides in the world, a fact that was hardly comforting to me.


“Brazil.” I told her, “We’re going to Brazil…”





> Chapter Eight: Summer Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Tutting, I put the atlas back into my rucksack and shook my head. How the bloody hell were we all going to get to Brazil? Taking note of my boggled state, Rainbow Dash tilted her head on one side.

“I’m taking it that’s pretty far from here?” she guessed.

“Uh, yeah it’s far!” I exclaimed, “Brazil’s like a good four-thousand miles away from here!”

“Oh, so it’s like, really far…”

Hoping to quell the growing panic over the distance, Rarity stepped forward to give her input.

“Well, before we all get our tails in a twist, I would say we have two clear options. Option one, Twilight could attempt to teleport us there when her mana has replenished.”

Twilight was about to protest, when Rarity took the liberty of explaining the complications herself.

“But, if we’re talking thousands of miles, then such a distance would almost certainly spell disaster. We could be thrown off-course, or split up, or goodness-knows what! Plus, it would undoubtedly expend all of Twilight’s mana, so we’d be left vulnerable on arrival.”

“Right, well that’s obviously the one we’ll be going with then.” I jested, “What’s option two?”

With a knowing smile, Rarity turned around and pointed to the airport, just as a plane was taking off from the runway.

“We use one of those…”

Gasping, I realised that a plane was the perfect idea.

“Rarity, you’re a genius!” I cheered.

The others began praising her as well, until Twilight let off a bellow that made us all jump.

“No she is not!”

Strutting forward to assert herself further, she looked around at her friends with a scowl.

“I’m sorry, but am I the only one here with a shred of foresight? This dimwitted ‘genius’ just suggested that we waltz into a highly secured location, heavily populated by humans, and board a huge metal tube that’s stocked with even more humans! Are none of you seeing how this ends with us being caught and captured, and then who knows what would be done to us!?”

Swallowing, Rarity’s ears drooped and she looked at her hooves, admitting that she saw Twilight’s point. Trying to cheer her back up, I assured her that it was a good first draft, which resulted in a bout of mockery from our cantankerous leader.

“Pfft, if you consider what is essentially suicide, a ‘good first draft’, then I seriously worry about our outlook for the success of this mission.”

For all the negativity, she was right, trying to get onto a plane was a huge risk. It was then that Fluttershy bravely piped up, having now properly recovered from her panic attack.

“Um, what if you used an invisibility spell on us? Like how you did earlier for me and Rarity?”

“Ooh, then we could sneak on board without a hitch!” Pinkie squeaked in agreement.

“It’s still too dangerous.” Twilight argued, holding her ground, “You said these things are packed with hundreds of humans at a time, I’m not letting myself get trapped in with them for however long it takes to reach this ‘Brazil’ place. Besides, there’s no way I could maintain seven invisibility spells for that long.”

Again, she was right; there would be well over a hundred people on an international flight like that. But then it hit me, those people couldn’t reach every area of the plane. There was one place that was unmonitored, and unreachable throughout the entire duration of the flight, and if we could get there, we would be safe and secure without question.

“How about the cargo hold?” I suggested.

“The what?” quizzed Rainbow Dash.

“The cargo hold.” I repeated, “It’s an area down in the bottom of the plane where passengers have all their luggage stored. It’s completely sealed off from the seating area above, so no one can get in there after take-off.”

“Why do they seal it off?” Rarity inquired.

Inhaling, I explained how the cargo hold was inaccessible mainly for safety concerns, but also because after take off it became an environment that was barely survivable. As the plane went higher, air pressure would drop, and the temperature with it, and although both the main cabin and the baggage hold were both pressurised, only the cabin was heated. This meant that the cargo area could potentially drop to below freezing temperatures, and in some planes, the hold wasn’t even pressurised, making the temperatures even colder, and the air too thin to feasibly breathe.

Without hesitation, Twilight had processed the information and quipped back at me with fake enthusiasm.

“Oh yes, wonderful. What a great idea! So instead of suicide via human capture, we instead kill ourselves with hypothermia, and a side of possible asphyxiation? By the Titans, you are thick…”

Before I could think of an argument, Rainbow Dash stepped in and set her straight.

“Whoa-whoa-whoa, hang on there Egghead, aren’t you a freaking unicorn? Like, the most powerful unicorn of our time? I know your mana’s low and all, but don’t you have a bunch of spells that can bypass all that stuff?”

Humming with keen agreement, I guessed that Twilight would have a plethora of spells up her sleeve that could help us out. Thinking about the My Little Dashie event, it was a hard fact that she had access to a spell capable of manipulating the very weather! Although, that had been an experiment, and I didn’t feel like being sent to another world as a newborn baby any time soon. Still, surely she had something to negate the change in temperature, and the air pressure if needed.

“Ooh, what about that warmth spell you use during the colder months?” Rarity spoke up, her confidence renewed, “What was it called again? Thermal, uh… oh, Thermic Hide! Yes, surely that one ought to do the trick, shouldn’t it?”

Hearing this, I put my head to one side, now puzzled. Had Rarity just verbally given a spell a name? So spells had names then? I thought that they were just… well… spells! Yet again I was dumbfounded by a new discovery between cartoon and reality. This also posed the question, how on earth did Twilight remember all of them? If they had individual names, then an adept mage like her would need to memorise hundreds of words! One could say what they liked about the mare’s unforgiving demeanour, there was absolutely no questioning her intelligence.

“Heat is one thing, air pressure is another.” she growled, “I may have a spell for that, but it’s not easy to uphold, and I’m not wasting all my damn mana on such a risky endeavour! We’ll find another way to Brazil, but we are not getting inside one of those metal abominations!”

“You’re not the boss of me!” Rainbow Dash challenged.

Whipping around to face her, Twilight didn’t miss a beat to spit her scathing reply.

“Excuse me? I think you’ll find that by royal decree, I am the boss of you. What I say goes, so unless you want me to tell Princess Celestia that you disobeyed her, shut your mouth and know your place.”

{Yikes…} I rumbled in thought, gulping.

With the power clearly going to Twilight’s head, I chose to knock her down a few pegs. Sure, the Princess may have put her in charge of the party, but she had neglected the fact that Celestia had also appointed me as the ponies’ guide. Pointing this out to her, I dared to suggest that it would be rebellious to ignore my decisions when it came to getting from A to B.

“You’re in charge, it’s true.” I went on, “But by that very same ‘royal decree’ as you put it, I’m the one in charge of guiding you, so I have the authority when it comes to getting around. By all means, I’ll heed your commands, tell me to jump and I’ll jump for you, tell me to dance and I’ll dance. But if I say, ‘we are getting on that plane’, then you can bet your bollocks to a barn dance that we’re getting on that plane.”

Completely and utterly stunned, Twilight stared at me with wide eyes. There was no comeback, for Princess Celestia had indeed ordered her to heed my instruction when it came to navigation. In essence, I could issue my very own ‘royal decrees’, whenever I saw fit. With her nose scrunching up, Twilight gritted her teeth and finally let out a wrathful grunt.

“Ugh, fine! But just know that if we die up there, it’s because of you.”

“Duly noted.” I replied mirthfully.

Turning to face the others, I gave them a toothy smile, to which they giggled, nodding faintly with fervour and approval. The fact that I could win an argument with Twilight in her current state seemed to impress them, and honestly, with how intelligent and stubborn she was, I was impressed too. Confrontations had never been my thing, but since stepping out from that gate and knowing that I would never see Janice again, I felt a surge of confidence that had never been there before.

Clearly eager for some action, Rainbow Dash asked when we would be getting on board, which I responded to by suggesting we set up camp and rest for the night first. Twilight needed to recover her mana, and I needed more time to formulate a proper plan. With how many planes came and went from Gatwick Airport, I would need to find one that actually went to Brazil. As much as the pegasus seemed disappointed with the decision, she accepted it with no complaint. Much like her, I was thirsty for adventure, but realistically it was getting far too late into the day now, it would be much more sensible to depart in the morning when we were all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Walking over to Rarity, I inquired as to how the group’s portable camp worked. Clearing her throat, she explained how the tents, sleeping bags, and pillows had all been enchanted. With just a touch of magic, they could be shrunk down to a mere fraction of their ordinary size. The tents were self-erecting too, meaning that all one needed to do was place them on the ground, tug a cord, and they would deploy themselves in seconds.

“Heh, erecting.” Rainbow Dash snickered.

“Inappropriate!” Rarity barked.

Rolling her eyes, the unicorn retrieved one of the tents from Rainbow’s saddlebag. They were no bigger than an average dinner plate, and much to my excitement, she gave it to me and allowed me to pull the cord. I tugged on the little string, and to my sheer amazement, the little thing unfolded and propped itself up in my hands, becoming roughly the size of a bowling ball. She then instructed me to place it onto the ground, and used her magic to activate the enchantment, causing the tent to grow bigger and bigger until it reached its full size. It may have been a simple tent, hardly any different to the pop-out tents we humans had on Earth, but the mere addition of magic completely enthralled me. Witnessing genuine unicorn magic, especially having now learned how it worked, completely and utterly blew me away; I was dead certain that I would never tire of seeing it in action.

“So, how do you shrink it again?” I asked, “Do you just reactivate the enchantment?”

“That’s the most bothersome part.” she started, rolling her eyes, “Yes, using magic will shrink it again, but as far as folding it back up? Well, somepony has to do that by hoof, and let me tell you, these pesky things most certainly do not play ball.”

With a chuckle, I explained that we had tents just like that on Earth, albeit without the magic.

“They’re a bloody nightmare!” I laughed, “You’ll be so close to having it put away and then suddenly it’ll just spring back open and hit you in the face!”

“Oh at last, someone who understands my plight!” she gasped.

We both broke into a proper fit of giggles over it, and then she went digging into Rainbow’s bag to search for the other two. It was then that I heard something in the distance, and gestured for Rarity to stop for a second, putting a finger to my lips.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Sshh!”

“That isn’t very polite, you know?”

“No, seriously, shush!”

Realising that something was genuinely wrong, Rarity kept quiet and allowed me to listen out. I turned my face to the side, and soon enough I could hear it, the rumble of a car engine. With my eyes flaring open, I realised that we needed to hide, and fast. The others came rushing over to me, with Twilight demanding to know what was going on.

“We’ve got company.” I told her.

“What!?” she gasped, “But you led us here, I thought we were safe!?”

“Yeah, well that was before you summoned a lightning bolt from the bloody heavens!”

“I had to cast that spell, or else we-”

“It doesn’t matter.” I cut her off, “We need to hide, now! Someone from the airport probably spotted the light show and called the police to check it out. Can you cast a cloaking spell on us?”

Shaking her head, she professed that she wouldn’t be able to cast one on all seven of us.

“As I mentioned earlier, I think you’re resistant to magic. It takes a lot of mana to manipulate you. That Pullie-Portal earlier cost more mana for you than it did for Rarity and Fluttershy combined!”

“Think you could have mentioned that sooner!?” I snapped, gritting my teeth.

“We don’t have time for this!” Applejack cried out.

She was right, we didn’t have the time. Looking around frantically, I ordered Twilight to cloak herself and the others at least, along with the tent. Meanwhile, I would find somewhere to hide. At the end of the day, I had committed no crime, nor was I trespassing. Even if I did get discovered by the authorities, the absolute worst-case scenario was that I would be questioned at the local police station. After that I would be let go, and I could quickly come back here to regroup with the girls, pressing on as normal.

“Are you sure?” asked Twilight.

“Yes, I’m sure. Take my bag, get by the tent, and cast the spell.”

Nodding, the girls all rushed over, all except for Rainbow Dash.

“I’ll fly to the clouds, I can keep watch from above. It’ll be less mana for Twilight to use.”

Upon receiving my nod of approval, the pegasus shot into the sky and disappeared in mere seconds. The car’s engine was much louder now, though I couldn’t see the vehicle itself just yet. Whoever was coming to investigate was clearly going off-road, so it would take them a while to reach this spot. But that was no reason to dally, after giving my bag to Pinkie Pie, I looked around in search of a hiding place. Picking one of the nearby oak trees, I decided that it would be best to hide up high. The car’s engine then came to an abrupt halt, followed by the opening and slamming of two doors. Without a second to think, I shot up the tree like a squirrel on Red Bull, clambering all the way up to the point where the trunk split off into other branches. I didn’t even think about how high up I was, I didn’t have time to, I just hugged the highest branch that could support my weight, and listened carefully. There was then the sound of footsteps among the leaves, followed by the voice of a man with a West Country accent.

“The caller said the light was coming from right around here.”

I slowly peeked out to see two police officers standing not too far away. One of them was pointing to the spot where Twilight had used her spell. He was slender in build, had blonde hair, and was of an average height. The other man was a fair bit shorter, with much darker hair, and was a lot more on the portly side.

“Well Danny, I’m not seeing any signs of scorched earth, nor any damage to the surrounding leafage.” the taller man said, whose accent was a standard London one, “Are you sure this was the place?”

“Yes, I’m sure! She said it was on the other side of the fence just at the edge of the woodland, not far from the flight tower. If there was anything noteworthy, we’d find it right here!”

The shorter man, presumably named Danny, stamped the ground with his foot to emphasise the point. The taller officer then squatted down to mockingly match his height, indicating that they were no strangers to bantering with each other.

“Well there’s very clearly nothing here, is there?” he spoke, “But if you insist that we set up a perimeter and call this in as a genuine incident, then we can.”

Shaking his head, Danny clearly didn’t like the idea of being stuck in the woods for hours.

“Maybe it was aliens?” he suggested.

At that, the tall one burst into a loud scoff.

“If you say so.”

Despite the notion being brushed off, Danny continued to theorise, clearly more imaginative than his blonde-haired colleague.

“Oh come off it Nicholas, it totally could’ve been aliens! Just think about it, a lightning bolt strikes the ground, right by the airport, on a day when it’s not raining, followed by no signs of impact. Don’t you think that sounds off? It might be like in War of the Worlds, you know, the one with Tom Cruise!”

“For as much as I love your boundless enthusiasm, I think it’s far more likely that this is a false report.” the tall one replied dryly, “But if you happen to see any massive tripods walking about, vaporising people and destroying civilisation as we know it, by all means, I’ll reconsider.”

Ignoring the blunt assessment of this Nicholas fellow, Danny practically danced around his colleague with yet another bizarre theory.

“Hey, what if it’s like a Jedi mind trick? What if we’re being duped into believing there are no aliens here, when in fact we’re surrounded by them? Or better yet, what if they’re using some kind of cloaking device?”

Sighing heavily, Nicholas shook his head with exasperation.

“Look Danny, I’ll happily enjoy a sci-fi film as much as the next man, but keep the conspiracy theories to a minimum. As I said, this is clearly a false alarm. Someone either saw a trick of the light, or they decided to spice up their day with a woefully unfunny prank on the police while waiting for their flight.”

To this, Danny grumbled and kicked at the ground.

“You’ve got no imagination whatsoever, do you know that Nick?”

“I am more than capable of having an imagination, thank you, but I’m far more inclined to properly do my job. Now, let’s call this in and head back to the station, yeah?”

Huffing, Danny gave a shrug and conceded.

“Fine, I was just hoping we’d find something interesting. This place is duller than Sandford.”

“Yeah well, Crawley needed more officers. I’m sure we’ll get to go back eventually.”

“Hope so.” Danny huffed, “Alright, call it in. Do you fancy doing something tonight after our shift?”

“What did you have in mind?” asked Nicholas.

“I don’t know… pub?”

The officers laughed, and then got back into their police car to inform their superiors that the report was nothing but a false alarm. The car then started up and the two of them drove away, allowing me to finally relax, emitting a heavy sigh of relief. Peering down at where the girls were, I noticed that they were still under the invisibility spell.

“Alright, it’s safe to come out now!” I called down to them.

“Are you sure?” came Twilight’s fretful voice.

“One-hundred percent!”

With a faint crackle, the girls all reappeared. Looking up at me, they watched as I began to climb back down, which was when the branch I was standing on began to creak loudly.

“Ah…” I muttered to myself, “That’s not ideal.”

I tried to slide myself backwards, which was when the entire branch snapped.

“Shiiiiiiiiiiiit!” I hollered as I fell to the ground below.

Thankfully there were branches on the way down to slow my fall, but they hardly welcomed me with kindness.

“OOF!” I bellowed as I hit the first branch.

“ARGH!” I shouted upon hitting the second.

“GOD!” branch number three, “SHITTING!” branch number four, “DAMMIT!” branch number five.

A particularly fat branch then shot up between my legs, striking my tackle like a hammer to an anvil. Momentarily suspended, I emitted a husky, sonorous wail. The branch then snapped like the others, and I continued my descent, smacking several more branches along the way until I finally met the ground, smacking into a mossy patch of wet earth with a hefty splat. The girls came rushing over to me in a panic, desperate to make sure I was okay. Meanwhile, I simply lay motionless, needing time to process the fact that I had just fallen from the top of a bloody tree, which needless to say, bloody hurt.

“Callum, are you alright!?” Rarity cried out to me.

With my face still planted into the ground, my response was that of a muffled wheeze.

“I don’t think I can have children any more…”

I was then suddenly grabbed by a pair of hooves and forcefully rolled over, as Pinkie Pie took it upon herself to shake me back to life, shouting at me wildly as she did so.

“Callum! Callum!? Don’t go into the light! You can’t die yet, we still have like five more books to go, maybe six, we’ll see! You’d better call me Jeor Mormont, because I forbid you to die!”

“Jeez Pinkie, I’m alive, get off!” I groaned at her angrily, “Stop it before you give me bloody whiplash!”

Realising that she was doing more harm than good, she apologised and let me go, giggling awkwardly. Slowly sitting up, I began to dust myself off and check for damage.

“Dude, are you okay?” asked Rainbow Dash, returning from the skies.

“Anything broken?” added Applejack.

Finally summoning the strength to get to my feet, I gave myself a little shake-down and wiggled all my extremities. I then lifted my shirt and found that a bruise on my hip had already started to form. However, aside from that, and the overall pain from the impact of course, it didn’t seem like anything was terribly damaged.

“I mean, that bloody hurt, but I think I’m all good.” I murmured shakily.

“Are you sure, Hun?” pressed Applejack, “That was some fall…”

“Yeah, I’m fine, really.” I chuckled, brushing off her concern, “I just need to work on my landings.”

Rarity then came forward and began to fuss all over me, refusing to hear my assurances.

“You’re not fine darling, just look at the state of you! You’re an absolute mess!”

Looking down at myself, I was indeed a mess. I was coated with leaves and bits of bark, and one whole side of me was covered in dirt; it seemed that I had hit the ground with enough force to practically merge with the very Earth. Tutting loudly, Rarity used her magic to summon a shimmering telekinetic blob. She then reshaped it to take on the form of a feather duster, using it to sweep at my body and clear away the leaf-litter.

“At least I didn’t land face first, I quite like being pretty.” I quipped, evoking a laugh from some of the group.

“Pfft, as if!” sneered Rainbow Dash.

“That’s bold talk, coming from you, have you seen a mirror lately?” I retorted with a wink.

“Uh dude, I hate to break it to you, but I’d still look better than you even on my worst day! Have you even seen yourself? You look like a monkey and a diamond dog had a baby together and then somepony shaved its fur off!”

Pinkie burst into a loud snorting cackle, while Rarity gasped with shock.

“Rainbow Dash!”

“Oh come on Rare, I’m kidding, obviously! Callum here knows how to take a joke! Right?”

Thanks to my relationship with Oliver, I was indeed no stranger to banter, and decided to clap back at her with a diss of my own.

“Of course I can take a joke. I can also take a walk in public without scaring the children.”

That got everyone, even Twilight, and with laughter now running amok, Rainbow Dash tried to one-up me.

“Oh yeah? Well… uh… you look like a pile of crap ate a second pile of crap, and then crapped out a third pile of crap.”

“Wait, which one am I?” I asked, confused.

“The third one!”

“What!?” I gasped, “That’s the worst one!”

The giggles and cackles reached a new height, when then doubled upon my following response.

“Well you, my dear Rainbow, look like you were tied to the back of the Ugly Wagon, with the Ugly Rope, and were then dragged down Ugly Street, for fifty ugly miles.”

With everyone almost belly-laughing at this point, Rarity continued to brush me down, which was when she brushed my wrist, causing me to wince with pain. Immediately serious again, she continued to fuss over me.

“See? You’re not fine, you’re clearly in pain!”

She prodded my wrist with a hoof, causing me to recoil from her.

“Ow! Yes, it tends to hurt when you poke a sore spot after a big fall!” I complained, batting away her invasive prodding, “You’re not going to make it any better by poking it, so stop that!”

“But you’re absolutely sure there are no breaks?” Applejack queried, now also worried about me.

“Yes, I’m sure.” I assured her, “Believe it or not, that’s not the first tree I’ve fallen out of. I’ve never once broken a bone and I certainly don’t plan on changing that any time soon. Now quit jabbing me, Rarity!”

The unicorn finally backed off, and I asked Pinkie Pie for my rucksack so that I could retrieve my water bottle; there was still a fair bit of dirt stuck to me, and I wanted to wash it off before settling down.

“Oh don’t waste your drinking water, I’m pretty sure there’s a small stream just over there!”

Pinkie pointed over to a more dense patch of woodland and I looked at her, puzzled.

“Really?” I asked her, “How do you know that?”

“Hmm, just a hunch.” she hummed, shrugging.

Curious as to whether Pinkie’s infamous hunches were accurate on Earth, I headed over in search of this supposed stream. Rarity and Rainbow Dash accompanied me, while the others remained to set up the other tents.

Lo and behold, there was a little stream, confirming that interstellar location had no influence on Pinkie’s abilities. I made my approach and started scooping water to wash the dirt from my face and arms. I had barely begun when Rarity emitted a small shriek, and I whipped around to see what on earth the matter was.

“You’re bleeding! Callum, your leg is bleeding!” Rarity bleated in a panic, prodding my right calf muscle.

As soon as her hoof made contact, a stinging pain shot into my leg, making me jump.

“YOW!” I yelped.

Arching my back, I twisted my head to get a look. Sure enough, there was a section on my calf where my jeans were ripped, with the surrounding area being damp with a generous helping of blood.

“Aww sweet, let’s see it!” went Rainbow Dash, clearly possessing a morbid curiosity.

I meanwhile, grumbled bitterly.

“Bugger, I liked these jeans.”

“Oh forget the clothes, I can stitch that up in a heartbeat.” Rarity assured me, “But your leg, dear! Your leg is bleeding!”

Reaching forward, she was just about to prod the injury again, and this time I stopped her physically, seizing her wrist and raising my eyebrows at her.

“If you poke me one more time, I swear to your damn Titans…”

With a bashful chuckle, she got the message and withdrew her hoof. I then rolled up my trouser leg to inspect the wound properly. Applejack and Fluttershy then arrived at the scene, alerted to Rarity’s scream.

“What in tarnation is going on?” AJ demanded.

Turning to look at her, I put my head to one side and pulled an amused expression.

“Well, if Rarity’s reaction is anything to go on, it would seem that I’ve been dismembered.”

“Oh, you cheeky little…” she hissed under her breath, “It just… It just caught me off-guard, alright?”

She then pointed at my leg, rolling her eyes.

“He’s bleeding!”

“Ooh, that looks pretty deep.” AJ hummed, grimacing.

Fluttershy came over and nudged Rarity aside, and after looking at it for a few seconds, gave a nod.

“It won’t need stitches, but yeah, it’s pretty bad. I’ll put some Oozima on it.”

{Oozima?} I echoed in thought, {What the heck is Oozima?}

Rainbow Dash then took a look, and upon seeing it she let off an impressed whistle.

“Now that’s a cut! But I’ve had way worse.”

“Oh spare me, you ain’t never had a cut that deep.” Applejack scoffed.

“Have so!” she argued, “Remember when I broke my wing that one time? I went straight into a pile of rocks and got a huge cut on my shoulder!”

At that, Applejack let off a one-syllable laugh and gave the pegasus a shove.

“You call that puny little scratch, a cut? Ha! I’ve been given worse scrapes than that from my own darn farm tools! That nick on your shoulder was nothing!”

“Was to!”

“Was not.”

I stood there and watched with amusement as the two mares squabbled over the severity of Rainbow’s past injury. I then felt a stinging sensation on my leg and tensed up, before closing my eyes with annoyance.

“Rarity, for the last time…”

Turning around, I found that it was not Rarity, but Fluttershy. With a hoof lightly keeping my trouser leg raised, the little pegasus was innocently inspecting the wound.

“I’m sorry,” she sighed, “but I just want to check if there are any bits of wood still in there.”

Nodding with understanding, I let her carry on. The others went back to the camp to give her some space, and after making sure the gash was clear of debris, Fluttershy went after them, leaving me in peace to continue washing away the remaining dirt. She had offered to stay with me, but I had insisted for her to leave me be for a moment.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like having the girls around, I was just so uncomfortable with all the attention I had been getting from them. The last time I had been genuinely injured, my family had simply told me to man up and deal with it. Now, I suddenly had a group of girls around me, doting on me, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. I was sure that I would eventually get used to it, but for now, I just wanted to treat it with a degree of nonchalance.

When I was finished cleaning up, I gave the leg wound a proper inspection. I had thought the girls had been overreacting at first, but it was actually quite deep, with blood still oozing out of it. Still, as long as I made sure to bandage it, I was sure it would heal up in a good few days, perhaps faster if Fluttershy put that stuff on it that she had mentioned. What was it called again? Oozie-something?

I looked up to the sky and noticed that it was getting darker. Dusk was here and the night would soon follow. Standing up straight, I headed back to the others, or at least, where the other should have been, for I arrived only to find they were gone.

“Uh, guys? You there?” I asked out loud.

I listened and looked around, nothing. And then at last, there was a small fizz of energy, and Applejack materialised a small distance away, as though she had come out of thin air. She smiled and beckoned for me to come over to her.

“Over here Sugarcube, we got the camp cloak working!”

She took a few steps back and quite literally faded out of existence again. Smirking, I walked over to where she had been and started to feel a warmth radiating from the area in front of me. Continuing my approach, everything shimmered for a split second and I passed through the invisible barrier. Before me now was a breathtaking sight, and I couldn’t help but mutter my amazement.

“Wow…”

“Pretty cool, huh?” Rainbow Dash called over to me.

All three tents were now deployed, and in front of them was a flickering campfire, which certainly explained the warmth. I may have already seen this camp, but to see it at night with the fire going really brought it to life. The girls were sitting around the dancing flame on six large square pillows, with a seventh on the ground just for me. Rarity pointed to it and insisted that I took a seat.

Grounding myself from the whizzing thoughts, I stepped forward and decided to kneel on it, preventing my bleeding calf from soiling the cerulean cloth. It was then that a scent wafted into my nose, it was sweet, and vaguely familiar.

“Do you have a sweet tooth at all, darling?” asked Rarity.

With my mouth salivating, I nodded enthusiastically.

“That’s good to hear, because you, my dear, are about to taste a sweet treat from another planet!”

My eyes widened, and everyone looked at me with excited expressions. Clearing her throat, Rarity tilted her head and gave me a merry, almost nurturing smile.


“Are you by chance, fond of marshmallows?”





> Chapter Nine: Sweet Stuff
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Getting comfortable between Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, I broke into an excited grin as Rarity levitated a large paper bag over to me, along with a small wooden skewer. Peering into the bag, I was met by scores of fluffy marshmallows. Half of them were as white as Rarity, while the other half were a pale pink, not too different from Fluttershy’s mane; all of them however, smelled equally delicious. The last time I had eaten a marshmallow was around six years ago, on a camping trip with my dad. That had been way back, before everything had gone to shit. Oliver was still my best friend, and although Jan was in the picture, she thankfully kept her distance. With how quickly that happier childhood had been taken from me, getting to experience it all over again with these ponies really helped me appreciate the moment.

I retrieved a white marshmallow from the bag and passed the skewer through it, and then shuffled closer to the fire to roast it. The girls watched intently at my hands as I used my fingers to consistently rotate the skewer, ensuring the heat was evenly distributed. Attempt number one was a grand success, brown and crispy all the way around.

“Still got it…”

“Nice one!” Rainbow Dash praised.

“Heh, thanks.” I replied, popping it into my mouth.

My senses were immediately flooded with the treat’s warmth and sweet crispy goodness, perfectly complemented by the foamy consistency inside. I let out a delighted hum as I was briefly whisked away to merrier memories of happier times. Then it dawned on me… Just as Rarity had said, these marshmallows were from another world, they had come from Equestria! I was eating Equestrian food, hoofmade by Equestrian cooks, most likely produced by Mister and Missus Cake from Sugarcube Corner!

“Oh muh guud, this thastes so uhmazing!” I moaned loudly with my mouth still full.

The ponies giggled, and Pinkie then took the bag from me and proceeded to jam four marshmallows into her mouth at once. Twilight decided that there was too much merriment going around, and took herself off to her tent, causing us all to roll our eyes.

“Well, I’m sure glad you like ‘em, do you even have marshmallows here?” Applejack quizzed, eating a marshmallow of her own.

Swallowing the scrumptious morsel before answering, I confirmed that we did, elaborating that I hadn’t eaten one in a good six years, so alongside such a delectable taste, I was also feeling rather nostalgic. At that, Pinkie Pie cried out in surprise, firing four half-chewed marshmallows at me like a cannon.

“Six years? You went six whole years without eating marshmallows? How are you still alive!?”

Laughing awkwardly, I brushed off the sticky saliva-lathered gloop that had now stuck to me, all the while explaining that it had been during a camping trip with my dad, back when he still lived with us. Rarity’s horn then lit up and a marshmallow floated out of the bag, and without the need for a skewer, it simply floated above the fire and slowly began to roast.

“Funny you should mention your father.” she said tentatively, “I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

I could tell what was coming, and I allowed her to continue.

“I really hope I’m not being too bold here, and please tell me if I am, but I wanted to ask. Ever since we arrived here and began to observe you, we’ve not seen or heard anything concerning a paternal figure in your life. Of course, none of us have wanted to presume anything, but I would be lying if I said we haven’t been curious. Who is your father exactly? And why did we see nothing of him?”

“Is he dead?” Rainbow blurted out with her mouth full.

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity gasped, her eyes bulging.

Assuring her that I had taken no offence, I told Rarity that it was a perfectly reasonably curiosity to have. Taking a deep breath, I thought about what to say. It wasn’t easy finding the right words to describe my father, nor the ruinous decisions he had made. Rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly, I tried to explain things as tactfully as possible, not wanting to paint Clifford in a bad light.

“Well for starters, he isn’t dead, at least I don’t think he is… Truth is, I haven’t a clue where he is now, my mother cast him out one day and I’ve never heard from him since. He was a good man though, a good dad. He loved me and Oliver more than you could possibly imagine, and had all the time in the world for us. There was a time when things were actually quite lovely. Dad held everything together, and even to this day, I know he had the best intentions.”

“What happened?” asked Fluttershy, lowering her head in fear of saying the wrong thing.

I paused for a moment, before telling them as much as I knew about the truth.

“He made a mistake… Everyone has a vice, and Dad’s was gambling. At first it was just petty bets, using only his winnings as a stake, he never took from the family. It was self-contained and controlled, until it wasn’t. I’ll never understand why, but one day he just didn’t fold. He lost again, and again, and again, and he just couldn’t stop. He threw everything at it, desperate to win, desperate for that massive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It broke our family, and we were left with barely enough to pay the bills. Jan kicked him out, and he never came back. It’s been years now, and he’s never once reached out to me. He probably decided we were all better off without him.”

With tears in my eyes, I lowered my head and let out a barely audible croak.

“If only he knew how wrong he was…”

Sniffing loudly, I told the girls that if it was all the same to them, I would rather not talk about it any more. Dipping their heads, they were fully understanding, and Rarity thanked me for elucidating them as much as I had done. I gave them a weak smile in response, and Pinkie Pie suggested we played a game to lighten the mood. We were all up for that, with Applejack saying it might be nice to do something besides trudging for miles and hiding from the authorities.

“Heh, and falling from trees.” Rainbow Dash added with a snicker.

At that, Rarity jumped up with a gasp, realising that nothing had been done about the cut on my leg yet. Using her magic, she levitated Fluttershy’s saddlebags from one of the tents and opened it up, retrieving a strange wooden bottle of sorts. It was primitive in design and looked awfully mundane at first, but as Rarity brought it closer to me, I noticed many intricate patterns faintly engraved into it, giving it something of a tribal appearance. The cap was removed, and my nose was bombarded by the hefty aroma of various chemicals and herbs. My mouth began to water, as it often did when my nose detected something with strong spices involved. Somehow the concoction smelled sour, bitter, sweet, salty, hot, and minty all at once.



Clearly not a fan of the stuff, Rainbow Dash let off a disgruntled cough and asked if Rarity really had to open it up here by the group, and not somewhere else. Rarity ignored the remark and passed the bottle to Fluttershy, to which I tilted my head. Taking note of my confusion, Rarity chuckled affectionately and explained that Fluttershy was the group’s appointed medic, not her.

“I’m a fashion designer.” she went on, “I don’t know the first thing about applying salves and ointments to wounds. Fluttershy here on the other hoof, has taken a two-year course in nursing, and used to work part-time at the Ponyville Hospital. I may be surgical with amending garments, but I’m afraid that’s as far as my medical expertise goes.”

“Blimey, that’s amazing!” I exclaimed, giving Fluttershy a wide smile, “Seriously Flutters, that’s incredible!”

Flattered by the praise, she blushed a little and approached me with the bottle. And then, with a grin on her face, Rainbow Dash decided to have a little fun with me.

“Hey Callum, I dare you to take a big sniff from the bottle.”

“Oh don’t be so silly, Dashie!” Fluttershy scolded, “Do you remember when you got Twilight to do it?”

“Yeah, it was hilarious! She didn’t speak to me for like three whole days!”

“I can’t imagine why.” I huffed with amusement, rolling my eyes, “I can smell it from here, what even is it?”

Refusing to elaborate, Rainbow simply grinned at me and insisted that I would be forever deemed a scaredy-cat if I didn’t do it, and much to Fluttershy’s dismay, I took the bait. Never before had I backed down from a dare, for I could never back away from the temptation. It was practically a compulsion, once I had been issued a dare, it was out of my hands, I was doing that dare.

For as quiet and socially awkward as I had been throughout my teenage years, accepting dares had been a medium for me to live more adventurously. With a combination of school peers, my brother, and my short time in the local Scouts group, I had performed many a dare. I had professed my love to strangers, I had eaten spiders and insects, I had even done a cartwheel off the side of the Scout Hut, yodelling as I did so; how I hadn’t broken any bones during that one was something of a miracle. My funniest dare had been allowing my friend Harry to draw on my fingers with a permanent marker, turning them into disconcertingly well-drawn penises. After that one, my name at school had been ‘Dickfingers the Magnificent’ for a good few weeks, a ridiculous title that I had fully embraced.

As for the worst dare, I had once been ordained to suck on someone’s big toe after a PE lesson. It was sweaty, clammy, doused in sock lint, and was so rancid that I now effectively had the opposite of a foot fetish. Never would I forget that accursed flavour, for it had been burned into my mind…

To make few of many words, if Rainbow Dash was a fan of dares, then this adventure was going to be a whole lot more interesting. Looking her in the eyes, I broke into a devious grin.

“Challenge accepted.”

Seizing the wooden bottle from Fluttershy, I jammed my nose into the opening and sniffed as hard as humanly possible. Instantaneously, I regretted ever being into dares; in fact, I regretted having been born at all, as I endured what would be one of the worst physical experiences throughout my whole journey. The sensation was akin to having gasoline funnelled into my nose, and then set alight with a blowtorch. Bursting into the most abhorrent of splutters and gasps, I dropped the bottle and collapsed onto my side, clawing at the ground and letting out raspy wheezing noises that could have genuinely been mistaken for a dragon’s death rattle. My throat almost completely closed up, and in seconds my eyes had become a cascading bloodshot waterfall. Over my own inhuman squealing, I could hear the roar of Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s laughter, hooting and howling over my unparalleled suffering. Through the torment, I chose to provide them with further comedy, imitating Gollum from The Lord of the Rings with uncanny accuracy.

“IT BURNS! IT BURNS US!” I screeched, hissing and spitting everywhere.

Though I was in complete and utter agony, I had asked for this, and wholeheartedly deserved it, and as Applejack and Dashie’s laughter continued to echo through the woodland air, I heard Rarity and Pinkie give in as well. Their own laughs joined the symphony, and soon enough everyone was in hysterics.

“This is better than when Twilight did it!” Rainbow yowled with tears streaming down her face, “Dude, you put your whole nose right in there!”

She fell onto her back and kicked her legs in the air with delight, with Applejack barely able to breathe herself. Rarity and Fluttershy meanwhile, slowly began to sympathise with me, realising just how much pain I was in. My tongue lolled out of my mouth like an overheating dog, dribbling everywhere and crying between wheezes. It was as though I had just chewed a fistful of Carolina Reapers, and had I been a lesser man, I likely would have gone into shock.

“Somepony get the poor boy some water!” Rarity commanded, rolling her eyes.

“Pain!” I wailed, both sobbing and laughing at the same time.

Applejack, still chortling loudly, got up and went into her tent. She then re-emerged with her own personal canteen, offering it to me as she continued to laugh. I grabbed it without saying a word and unscrewed the cap, and then latched onto it like a suckling babe, chugging the entirety of the bottle. The fumes in my airways soon dissipated after that, and flopping onto the ground, I panted and gasped with relief as the experience began to pass. Still giggling intensely, Rainbow Dash came over to me and looked down at the pathetic wretch her dare had reduced me to.

“Dude, this is the most I’ve laughed in years. You’re freakin’ awesome.”

“I hate you.” I groaned.

As I recovered further and the hilarity came to a close, Fluttershy came over to me with the foul bottle still in her grasp, asking if she could actually apply it to my leg now. Nodding, I repositioned myself so that my leg was accessible, and finally allowed her to do her duty as the group’s medic.

“This might sting a little bit.” she warned me, “But after what you just did, I don’t think it’ll be too bad.”

Simply nodding in response, I waited patiently as she tipped the bottle, allowing a small amount of the thick goo within to seep out and smear itself across the cut. She wasn’t kidding about the stinging, it felt like someone had just forced the wound back open and rubbed salt into it. Baring my gritted teeth, I let out a low growl, which was when Fluttershy giggled quietly.

“Oh shush you.” she ordered.

Needless to say, I shushed. Had she seriously just spoken to me like one of her animal patients? Not that I would be mad if she had. On the contrary, her nonchalant dismissal of my aggression, accompanied with that giggle, had been utterly adorable. My heart melted, and my pain melted with it. Fluttershy then put the cap back onto the bottle and asked Rarity to return it to her bag. I then twisted my head to get a look at the stuff. The pale green substance was faintly bubbling, and after about a minute it had solidified, becoming a rock-hard scab.

“Damn…” I murmured, astounded, “What the heck is this stuff?”

With a kind smile, Fluttershy told me that it was a healing gel that Zecora had been able to mix together for the group. She had called it Uzima Ooze, which meant something along the lines of ‘Life-Giving Ooze’ in her native language. The girls had since shortened it to ‘Oozima’ to keep it simpler. It was effectively a purée of plants and medicinal herbs from the Everfree Forest, which all together created a gel that was capable of healing wounds with immense efficiency. With a dollop of Oozima, injuries that would usually take months to heal would be repaired in a matter of days! Needless to say, I was astounded.

“That’s… That’s absolutely incredible!”

“Oh yes, it’s truly amazing.” Flutters agreed, “Zecora was commissioned by the Princesses personally to make a lot of it for us, which was no easy task, as it contains some of the rarest ingredients in the world.”

With an impressed hum, I couldn’t help but touch the stuff, feeling the hardened gel with a finger. Trilling my lips, I realised that I was currently being repaired by an interdimensional medicine, crafted by none other than the famous rhyming witchdoctor herself!

“Hey, now that Callum’s done dying, can we play a game?” Pinkie called from the other side of the campfire, her face painted with a ponderous frown.

With a chuckle, I told her that we could, and as an added bonus for her patience, she was allowed to pick the game. She perked up immediately, getting to her hooves and skittering around the tent like an utter nutcase. I couldn't help but laugh, for her personality and ability to become this hyperactive so quickly was a most entertaining sight to behold. Thinking about it, it wasn't too dissimilar to when cats and dogs were afflicted with Frenetic Random Activity Periods, something more commonly known as the ‘zoomies’. After weaving between the tents with excitement, she finally settled down. Pointing out that we still had plenty of marshmallows, she suggested that we all played a game of Stuffy Bunnies.

“Oh heck yeah, I love that game!” Rainbow Dash cried out.

I had heard of this game, or at least, under a different name. Here on Earth, we had a game called Chubby Bunny, or ‘Fluffy’ Bunny depending on one’s preference. Wanting to be sure that it was the same game, I tilted my head and furrowed my brow.

“What’s Stuffy Bunnies?”

With a disgruntled sigh, Rarity confirmed that it was very much the same game, describing it as a vulgar, uncouth activity that involved stuffing one’s face with as many marshmallows as possible. Pinkie then bounced up to me and pressed her nose into my cheek without a shred of awareness for my personal space, and gave her own view on the game.

“It’s a game where you put a marshmallow in your mouth, and then you have to say ‘stuffy bunnies’ without spitting them out! Everypony takes it in turns, and each turn, you keep putting in more and more marshmallows until you can’t say it any more. Whoever can fit the most marshmallows and still say stuffy bunnies is the winner! Oh, and you’re not allowed to chew them or swallow them, that’s cheating, and I’ll know if you’re cheating!”

I could tell why Rarity wasn’t a fan, as it certainly wasn’t a very courteous game. However, being courteous at every waking moment in life was a dull affair, and sometimes one needed to let loose. Stuffy Bunnies with the girls sounded like it would be a right old laugh, and as someone with a very sweet tooth, I would most certainly endeavour to give Pinkie Pie a run for her money.

“Well, I’m game.” I announced, looking around at the others, “Who else is playing?”

“Me!” Pinkie yelled in my face.

“And me!” Dashie shouted after her.

“Oh ponyfeathers, why not? Count me in!” Applejack cheered.

“Ugh, fine…” Rarity huffed, “But only because you’re all doing it.”

I turned to ask Fluttershy if she would be playing, only to find that the yellow pegasus had disappeared. Spotting her tail disappearing into one of the tents, I was about to call after her, when Applejack quickly came over to quietly explain why she was leaving. Supposedly, the last time they had played this game, Fluttershy had accidentally inhaled her marshmallows and nearly choked to death. Since then, she was ultimately terrified of the game, to the point where she couldn't even watch others play it, in fear of them choking too.

“Ah…” I murmured, nodding with understanding.

With everyone else on board, we sat close to each other and put the marshmallow bag in the middle. Now all together in a little circle, the game began. Pinkie leaned forward and picked up the bag, looking around at all of us with a wild grin.

“As the Ponyville Stuffy Bunnies Champion, with an unmatched record of seventeen marshmallows, I will start us off!” she declared.

She stuck her head into the bag, scooped out a marshmallow with her tongue, and stuffed it into her cheek.

“Stuffy bunnies, easy-peasy!” she squeaked.

Rarity was next, she removed a marshmallow and did the same as Pinkie.

“Stuffy bunnies.”

Next was Rainbow Dash, who copied Pinkie by stuffing her head into the bag to retrieve her one.

“Stuffy bunnies!”

I then took the bag and collected one of the white ones. At this, Rainbow Dash pointed to it and giggled.

“Don’t forget to take the pink ones too, not just the white, it’s not fair to keep eating Rarity’s kind like this!”

Applejack and Pinkie laughed heartily, while Rarity scowled at the pegasus.

“For the last time, I am not a marshmallow!”

This caused the lone marshmallow in her cheek to shoot out of her mouth, where it landed on the fire and quickly began melting into a blackened gooey sludge.

“Mini Rarity, no!” I cried out.

We all burst into hysterics at that, including Rarity, who let out a small chortle.

“Well Rare, looks like you’re out already.” Applejack pointed out.

“Uh-buh… that’s… that’s not fair!” she protested, “I was provoked into spitting it out!”

“Oh, give her another go!” I insisted, jerking my head to one side to emphasise my words.

Everyone agreed to let her try again and I handed Rarity the bag, and as expected, she took out a white one. Popping it into her mouth, she said ‘stuffy bunnies’ with ease, followed by Applejack doing the same with just as much ease as the rest of us.

“Time for round two!” Pinkie squeaked.

And so the bag went back to Pinkie, and I wondered how long this game would last…


Five minutes went by in the blink of an eye, and we had all managed to make it to round six. It looked like Rarity was going to lose first, as she was evidently struggling to keep them all in.

“Stooffy boonis!” Pinkie giggled, passing the bag to Rarity.

The unicorn let out a deep groan as she attempted to force her next marshmallow into her mouth. Though she got it in, a pitiful ‘ssuurr’ was all she could muster, before turning away to eject the squishy contents in her gob. Pinkie laughed and bonked her front hooves together, though was able to hold in all her own marshmallows with ease. It was clear that she was going to win, but I was going to make her work for it. Accepting her defeat, Rarity swallowed the one marshmallow she hadn’t spat out, and gave the bag to Rainbow Dash.

“Well, I’ve beaten my last record of only five, so it’s not a total loss.” she mused.

“I forgh this was a vulgah an uncoof game?” I teased, almost losing my mouth’s quarry in the process.

“Uh, well um… okay fine, I suppose it can be quite fun.” she huffed, rolling her eyes at me.

The next to go out was Applejack, who valiantly met her fate on the eighth round.

“Gosh darn it!” she grunted, munching on the marshmallows that she hadn’t spat all over the camp.

The remaining contestants, myself included, dared not laugh and risk joining the farm pony in defeat. Pinkie Pie retrieved a marshmallow and stuffed it in, and it looked like she was finally beginning to struggle, but even so, she still managed to shout a muffled ‘stuffy bunnies’. The bag then went to Rainbow Dash, of whom was on the verge of breaking; it literally took her whole hoof just to cram her eleventh marshmallow in.

“Stooh… Stargh… Stubb… Stubby bummies!” she exclaimed at last with great difficult.

She had passed by the skin of her teeth, but there was no way she’d get past round twelve, and we all knew it. The bag then came to me, I took out my marshmallow and found a nice pocket for it in my cheek.

“Stumffy bumnies!” I hollered merrily.

Pinkie passed round twelve with just as much ease as she had the round before, but just as I had expected, Rainbow Dash met her end. Unlike Rarity or Applejack however, she actually managed to keep all the marshmallows in her mouth, she just couldn’t get the words out.

“Sss… Suuhh.. Sbumm… Murrb!” she muffled loudly, before bowing her head and admitting an honourable defeat.

She chewed up and swallowed, and then watched as I battled it out with Pinkie. Taking my thirteenth marshmallow, I popped it into my mouth and stared at my rival, not taking my eyes off her.

“Stomffy bommies.”

Mirroring my competitive stare, Pinkie took her thirteenth as well and found a place for it.

“Stumpffy bummies.”

{Oh, it… is… on.} I thought to her, flexing an eyebrow.

I passed the next round without much trouble, and if anything, I had found it easier than Pinkie had. Though she had a bigger mouth due to her pony muzzle, it seemed the elasticity of her cheeks weren’t quite as forgiving as human ones. Though it was still uncertain, there was a chance that I might just beat her.

“This is going to be close.” Rainbow breathed, passing the bag to Pinkie on my behalf.


Four more rounds passed.

This was it, this was Pinkie’s record. If she passed this round, she would beat her previous total of seventeen marshmallows, and the pressure was on. Staring at the fluffy white cylinder with dread, she was clearly thinking the same thing I was; surely there was no way she could do this.

Both her cheeks were bulging to near-cartoonish proportions, and so were mine, and as she opened her mouth to insert it, a generous string of drool descended from her lips, missing her pillow by mere millimetres. Rarity cringed and looked away, while Rainbow Dash burst into yet another fit of laughter.

“The two of you look ridiculous!” she howled.

“Both of y’all’s cheeks look like darn apples!” Applejack hooted, shaking her head.

Curious at all the commotion, Fluttershy bravely came out of her tent to see how the game was going. She took one look at me, and her wings flared out in terror, with her great blue eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

“How is he doing that with his face!?” she shrieked, diving back into her tent and zipping it shut.

Amazingly, Twilight emerged from her own tent, finally making her presence known as she wished to witness the outcome of the game. She then spotted us, and quickly covered her mouth to obscure her irrepressible smile upon seeing the state of us. Groaning through her nose, Pinkie jammed her marshmallow against the sticky wall that had once been the opening of her mouth, and used her hoof to force it in.

“Ss, ssrr… ssurr…” she muffled.

Everyone stared at her, and we all realised; she couldn’t say it. Pinkamena Diane Pie had finally reached her limit, and if I could handle just one more marshmallow, I would win.

“Ssaargh! Ssarm! Mruarb!” she muffled again, more desperately this time.

She made an attempt to move the marshmallows with her tongue, which caused one of them to fall to the back of her throat. Gagging, the filly leaned forward and discharged all of her marshmallows at me like a goddamn claymore mine! I was peppered from top to bottom by the slimy projectiles and I clamped my eyes shut, desperate to contain myself and ascertain my victory.

“I… I couldn’t do it… I just couldn’t do it…” she sighed.

Her ears fell to the side of her head, but after taking a brief moment to accept that her record wasn’t changing today, they sprung back up again. Being the true antithesis of a sore loser, Pinkie passed the bag to me and grinned.

“Well, it’s all up to you now. Can you do it?”

I wiped the slimy buckshot off and nodded my head, determined to claim my victory. Everyone crowded around as I pinched the final marshmallow and raised it above my head for all to see.

“If you do this, you beat the Ponyville Champion.” said Rainbow Dash.

“Yeah, but at such a high score, I’d be honoured if Callum beat me!” Pinkie squeaked merrily.

That remark made me feel a little bit better about pressing on. If I were a less competitive person, I would have likely failed on purpose so that we could end on a draw, but alas, I was not a less competitive person; I wanted to become the new Champion…

With great care and difficulty, I twisted and turned the marshmallow against the slippery wall until it found its way inside. I then used a finger to force it into my already-overstuffed cheek, and with all the determination and resolve I could muster, I made my attempt.

“Sor… Ss… Stom… Hrmm… Stob… Stub-bby… BUMMIES!”

Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped, Rarity’s eyes bulged, Applejack removed her hat, Pinkie Pie fell back onto her bottom, Fluttershy unzipped her tent and peeked out through a thin gap, and even Twilight, dipped her head to me with respect.

I had done it.

“Dude, no way…” Rainbow Dash murmured.

“I can’t believe it…” said Rarity.

“Lisan al-Gaib…” breathed Pinkie Pie, her lips quivering.

And then Applejack broke the stunned silence, by way of raising her hoof into the air and crying out with glee.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, we have a new Stuffy Bunnies Champion! Yee-haw!”

They all swarmed around me, cheering. Pinkie then gave me a heavy pat on the back to congratulate me, turning me into Planet Earth’s first ever human-shotgun. The force of the pat caused me to fire my mouth’s haul in one instant, making contact with the broadside of one Miss Rarity, with full effect on target. The unicorn let out an almighty scream, and frantically attempted to brush them off herself, squealing and squawking in horror.

“NO! GET THEM OFF! EWWWWW! GET-THEM-OFF-GET-THEM-OFF-GET-THEM-OFF-GET-THEM-OFF!”

Pinkie Pie then pointed to the shrieking unicorn with an outstretched hoof.

“Hey look everypony! All the Mini Rarities have returned to their queen!”

Like never before, we all exploded into guffaws of laughter. Rainbow Dash dropped to the floor and kicked out like she did earlier, and even Fluttershy came out to join us, laughing almost as loudly as the rest of us. Even Twilight was laughing properly for once, and after all the harshness and hostility from her, it was one of the most beautiful sounds I had ever heard.


As Rarity hopped, skipped, and shook herself violently to escape the sticky terror that clung to her fur, all seven of us agreed that this had truly been a day to remember.





> Chapter Ten: Midnight Musings
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





As the revelry came to a close, we all settled down and Applejack got some food underway. I was offered some of theirs, but not wanting to be rude, I stuck with my own stock, using the campfire to heat up a tin of baked beans. Eating was almost difficult after the game of Stuffy Bunnies, for my cheeks ached and my jaw barely had the strength to chew; I couldn’t see myself wanting to play that again for quite some time.

After some delightful conversation and a bit of banter, Applejack suggested we got some shut-eye, and considering how dark it was now, it wasn’t a bad idea. Twilight had already left, though that was more likely to avoid company than to get rest. Rainbow Dash said that she wasn’t tired, and despite how full-on my first day as an adventurer had been, I too, wasn’t all that tired.

“That’s all well and good, but I’m off to bed.” Rarity declared, “Goodnight everyone!”

We bid her farewell, and she went off into the largest of the three tents to get some sleep. Pinkie Pie then went to join her, with Applejack joining Twilight in the second one. Yawning, Fluttershy eventually turned in as well, making her way into the third tent.

“And then there were two…” I said ponderously.

“Anything on your mind?” Dashie inquired, turning her head to look at me.

Come to think of it, there was an absolute mountain of things I wanted to talk about. For starters, I wanted to know more about this Orb, and the Titans who made it. I was also rather curious about the colt that had been mentioned earlier, which upon being brought up, had caused Fluttershy to become a blushing anxious mess. Starting with the Orb, I asked for more information, pointing out that I had thrown my entire life away to look for the damn thing.

“When you put it that way, it feels like we shouldn’t have asked you to do this.” she muttered, her ears drooping.

“Oh come off it.” I scoffed, “Let’s be honest, my life wasn’t exactly top-notch before you all came along.”

This caused her to crack a smile, and she admitted that I didn’t seem to have much going for me.

“So, what do you want to know?” she quizzed.

“Well, a crumb of context would be nice.” I chortled, “It’s a fancy stone made by the Titans, but I don’t even know who the Titans are! Today’s been a whirlwind, and I know Rarity said more about them, but I’ve already forgotten half of what she told me.”

Beset with empathy, Rainbow realised that I really was a fish out of water, and far more bewildered than I was letting on. Admitting that she didn’t really care for Equestria’s history, the pegasus knew little more than I did, but repeating some of what Rarity had said back at the house, I was given at least something of an explanation.

Now in a much calmer state, I properly learned how Equus had been created by six gods, known as the Holy Titans of Harmony, one of whom went mad and ate the other five. During this event, one of the Titans had created Celestia and Luna to rule and protect the planet, which was vital now that the Titans had been dethroned and destroyed by one of their own. My eyebrows practically danced as I took in the information, actually digesting it this time. It baffled me to learn of the Princesses’ true parentage; I had always enjoyed the Fausticorn theory, but here I was, being told that they had been birthed into the world by the very gods.

“What were the Titans’ names?” I asked, “Why did one of them go mad?”

Pulling a face, Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“Not a clue, dude. I’m the wrong pony to be asking about this stuff.”

“Yeah, well the right pony wants me to Kurt Cobain myself.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Ugh, don’t worry about it…” I grumbled.

It seemed that to learn the history of these Holy Titans of Harmony, I would need to talk to Twilight about it, as she would almost certainly know more about it than the other five combined. Perhaps it could serve as a trust-building opportunity, we could maybe bond over history lessons. Moving on to my other query, I lowered my voice, just in case Fluttershy was awake and listening.

“Hey, I was also wondering. Earlier today, you mentioned some colt that Fluttershy knew, and the second you brought him up, she was blushing like a beetroot. What’s that all about?”

“Ahh, him.” Rainbow snickered, “Yeah, there’s this dude she likes. She’s known him ever since she was little, we grew up with him in Cloudsdale. Dude’s practically made for her…”

“Ooh, the plot thickens.” I murmured, my interest piqued, “What’s his name?”

“It’s Midnight something.” she replied looking away thoughtfully, “Midnight Breeze maybe? No, it wasn’t that, uh… shit, I can’t remember. All I know was that it was Midnight something, Flutters always calls him ‘Middy’ so I never hear his full name.”

Begging her for more information, I twisted on my cushion to face her properly, and asked what he looked like, and what Fluttershy liked so much about him.

“Uh, he’s dark blue if I remember right, with a light blue mane.” she described, “As for why she likes him? Well I’ve only met the guy a few times, but from what I’ve seen, he’s one of those quiet types, real sensitive and soulful, you know? Oh, but the dude’s obsessed with birds, and I mean obsessed.”

Readjusting herself, Rainbow Dash told me how Midnight had his very own aviary, full of owls, eagles, hawks, finches, ravens, and more. If it was a bird, then it was more likely than not in Midnight’s collection. Scratching my chin, I was intrigued, and even more so when Dashie leaned over and whispered to me.

“Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but Fluttershy even brought pictures of him. She looks at them sometimes when she thinks no one’s watching. She keeps them in her diary.”

For as much as Rainbow was betraying Fluttershy’s trust, I couldn’t help but find myself riveted by the rumour, eager to be privy to something that was shrouded in mystery. Personally though, I found the whole ordeal to be more adorable than anything else; Fluttershy had a crush, and an intense one by the sounds of things. Knowing how shy and reticent she could be, I wondered how Rainbow Dash knew so much.

“So how do you know all this?” I spoke my mind, “Did she tell you?”

“Well duh.” Dashie laughed, “Flutters and I have known each other since we were little fillies! We played together, we went to flight school together, we practically lived together! Until she moved to Ponyville, we were basically sisters. With a bond like that, she’d trust me with her life, let alone some secret crush.”

Raising her chin, Rainbow Dash clearly took a lot of pride in this bond.

“Aww, that’s lovely.” I tutted, “I’m really glad you both have such a connection.”

“Thanks.” she hummed warmly, before breaking into a faint chuckle, “I’m sure you and her will get plenty close too. She’s already warmed up to you, and I mean like, a lot!”

“Why is that do you think?” I pondered.

“Oh that’s easy, she loves getting to know new species. With how much she loves animals, if it ain’t a pony, chances are it’ll be her friend before too long.”

Rainbow’s eyes then widened as she realised what she had just said.

“I uh, not… not that I’m saying you’re an animal or anything! That came out wrong, I just meant that-”

“I know what you meant.” I interrupted her, giving her a friendly wink.

Throwing her head back, the pegasus let out a sigh, clearly relieved to have not offended me. Ironically, I quite liked the sentiment. For all my life I had felt different to other people, and it had always been a bad thing. But now, simply because I wasn’t a pony, which by their standards meant that I wasn’t normal, I basically had a free pass to befriend a pony who was nervous around those like her. To some extent, I was an animal to them, or an alien at least. Either way, it meant that the first time in my life, being different wasn’t all that bad.


Eventually, the exhaustion from everything I had experienced today caught up to me, and I was struck by waves of tiredness. With a big stretch, I asked what the sleeping arrangements were, as I would probably turn in soon.

“Well, AJ and Twilight sleep together in that tent.” she said, pointing to the smallest one, “Me, Pinkie and Rarity are in that big one there, and you’re in that one with Fluttershy.”

Tilting my head, I theorised that Rainbow would share with Fluttershy, seeing as they were ‘basically sisters’, as she had put it. To that, she gave an amused huff and rolled her eyes.

“Pfft, oh spare me. We have a great bond and all, but I’d rather be in with that miserable egghead than spend the night with Fluttershy.”

“Elaborate?” I requested.

“Oh, camping with her is impossible.” she huffed, “Firstly, she’s a cuddler. You can’t be near her for ten seconds without her latching on to you. Secondly, she’s got the bladder of a damn parasprite! She gets up like six or seven times in the night to go pee.”

“I mean, that doesn’t sound too awful.” I hummed.

“Oh it gets worse!” she went on, “Because half the time, she’s too scared to go out by herself, so she wakes you up and drags you out to keep her company. That’s been my job since we got here, and from here on out, it’s yours.”

“Right.” I murmured, “So me sleeping in her tent was your decision then, huh?”

“Not even going to beat around the bush, yeah, it was.” she confessed, breaking into a small laugh, “Sorry dude, but I can’t handle it any more.”

Rolling my eyes, I gave her a sarcastic ‘thanks’ for assigning me to be the new babysitter. It wasn’t all bad though, as apparently there was a sleeping bag and a pillow in there for me, both of which were supposedly silkier than I could possibly imagine. As a part of the official ‘Twilight’s Company Itinerary’, each member of the party was to have the finest bedding, and much to my excitement, that included me.

“Well, seeing as I’m used to cheap bedding from Bargain Buy, I’m sure it’ll be heavenly, even with a few disturbances from Flutters.” I scoffed.

Dashie huffed with amusement, and then we both flopped onto our backs, taking a moment to look up at the night sky. It was a lovely night, without a cloud to be seen, and the two of us stopped talking for a while and just gazed at the stars, taking in its splendour.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” I asked after a few minutes of silence.

“The stars?”

“Yeah.”

“Eh, I guess.” she muttered, “They’re just glowing dots to me.”

“Oh come on, just look at them!” I implored, “Aren’t you even the least bit enthralled by them? Each one of those little buggers is a sun, saying hello from billions of miles away!”

“Now you sound like Twilight.”

“Ugh, I do?”

“She loves the stars.” Rainbow told me, “She used to talk about them for hours back home, back before she turned into such an asshole.”

“Well, now you’ve got me talking about them, and I’m certainly not one of those.”

We both chuckled a little at that, and then we decided to call it a night. Thanking her for being a part of the best day of my life so far, I dipped my head to her, and she responded with a grin.

“I mean, I’m awesome, so I guess it makes sense that meeting me would be the best day of your life.”

“Oh bugger off.” I teased, “Goodnight, Rainbow.”

“Night, dude.”

Heading to my tent, I took off my shoes and clambered into the little entryway, where I found Fluttershy’s dim form quickly scrambling to stuff something into her saddlebag.

“Oh! Um, hi Callum!” she greeted me, trying to hide how flustered she clearly was.

Sparing her the embarrassment, I went along with it and pretended to see nothing, though I could only presume that she had been coddling the supposed pictures of this ‘Middy’ I had heard so much about.

“Didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No, I was still awake.” she whispered.

Getting properly inside, I found the sleeping bag and pillow. Fluttershy had kindly prepared them for me, and so all I had to do was slip in and get comfortable. The second I felt the silk, I realised just what the ‘finest bedding’ truly meant. Stifling a gasp, I ran my hands over the bedding to find that it was like butter, smoother than butter! Sighing with euphoria, I got myself comfortable and told Fluttershy that I hoped she was okay with us sharing a tent together.

“Oh, it’s alright.” she murmured.

Hearing the lie in her voice, I decided to make her a little more at ease by telling her that she wasn’t the only one who was anxious. This was the first time in my life that I was sleeping in such close proximity to someone, and admittedly, I was genuinely nervous. Realising that we were both a bit uneasy for this first night together, Fluttershy visibly relaxed, and performed something of a complete one-eighty.

“It’s okay, I’ll keep you safe.” she giggled.

{Oh Fluttershy, you adorable little so-and-so…} I thought to her, breaking into a grin.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” I whispered to her.

Getting myself more comfortable, I emitted a heavy drawn-out sigh. This had been a long day, a very long day indeed. I had experienced teleportation, I had hidden from the police, and I had claimed Pinkie’s title as the Stuffy Bunnies Champion. I had given away my beloved Chilli and Archer, and I had vandalised my own home, of which was now no longer my home. Above all that, I had killed my own clone, sticking a knife into a replica of my own flesh; the very thought made my stomach turn.

All I wanted now was a good long rest.

Shutting my eyes, I was about to achieve such a rest, when I was suddenly being prodded by a hoof. I rolled over to see Fluttershy looking at me awkwardly, bouncing up and down lightly in child-like discomfort. She didn’t have to say anything for me to know what she needed; Rainbow Dash hadn’t been bluffing.

“Um, Callum? I hate to ask, but…”

“Come on.” I replied drearily, rolling my eyes, “But I’m not holding your hoof while you go.”





With one of my old responsibilities being to let chickens out at half-past five every morning, I had become quite the early bird, so when I woke, the sun had only recently come to greet the day. There was birdsong outside, and in one of the adjacent tents came the sound of somepony snoring loudly; if the cartoon was at all accurate, I could only presume that it was Rainbow Dash.

I rolled over to see Fluttershy, who was still fast asleep, and my naïve expectations had foreseen her as an adorable sleeper, all tucked up in a little ball of innocence. The reality however was far less eloquent, as the butter-coloured pegasus lay sprawled out on her side with her mouth wide open, drooling down one side of her muzzle. Her legs were all at different angles, and one of her wings was stretched out while the other remained closed. It was as though she had been positioned by a drunken puppeteer, with a mind to display her in the most absurd way possible. With an open-mouthed smirk, I shook my head and quietly left the tent.

“Well, it seems I’m not the only early bird for once.”

Sitting on her cushion, with a cup of tea floating beside her, was Rarity. Giving her a little wave, I put my shoes on and came to sit with her.

“Tea?” she offered, retrieving a second cup from her saddlebag.

{Trust Rarity to bring multiple teacups on an adventure to another planet.} I mused in thought.

“I’m British, of course I want tea!”

She tilted her head to one side, confused.

“Sorry dear, but what does your country of origin have to do with wanting tea?”

“Oh, it’s just a stereotype.” I told her, “We Brits are renowned for loving it.”

“I see…” she hummed, “And why is that?”

“It’s a cultural thing.” I explained, “Our relationship with tea goes back for hundreds of years, so it’s kind of entrenched in our way of life, you know?”

Taking the cup from her telekinetic hold, I explained that having a cuppa tea has been one of the few experiences through British history that had cut across all divides, whether it be ethnicity, social class, or otherwise. From the richest of snobs to the poorest of street rats, tea was accessible and comforting to all. On top of that, it was very simply a good displacement activity, being the perfect thing for so many situations. Meeting a new person and need to break the ice? Experienced trauma and need to calm the shock? Need to warm up on a rainy day? Perhaps a family member had died, and one was in need of a home comfort to ease the grieving process? All can be achieved, with a cup of tea.

“Some say it’s the very lifeblood of our nation.” I chuckled, “I don’t know how accurate that really is, but either way, it goes a lot deeper than a mere stereotype.”

Smiling warmly, Rarity poured said lifeblood into my cup.

“Well, that was lovely to hear, thank you for explaining it to me. I certainly hope our Equestrian tea can compare to what you’re used to. Would you like any milk at all?”

“I’m sure it’ll be delicious.” I replied with a grin, “Yes please, just a splash.”

“Any sugar?”

“No thank you Rarity, I’m sweet enough.”

My cheeky response drew a high-pitched giggle from the unicorn as she put the milk in. Grinning to myself, I looked down at the nutty brown beverage and took a small sip. It was delicious, and not too unlike Earl Grey tea. Rarity then presented something else to me, a cookie of some sort, not much different to an ordinary British biscuit.

“What’s this?” I asked her.

“Just try it.” she said.

Shrugging, I took it from her and had a nibble. The flavour was nice and chocolatey, not unlike the Bourbon biscuits we had here in the UK, but as I continued to slowly chew, the flavour began to change. Soon enough it was rife with the taste of cinnamon, and upon swallowing the delicious treat, I was astounded even further as I was left with a vanilla aftertaste.

“Blimey…” I mumbled, clinging on to the experience, “Rarity, this is divine! What is it exactly?”

Grinning, she explained that the absolute marvel I had just consumed was an extravagant treat known as a Threezie. Taking a bite into one of her own, she explained that Threezies were cookies infused with tiny edible crystals, which released a different flavour when they made contact with the enzymes in one’s saliva. When swallowed, the crystals would then release yet another burst of flavour when introduced to the mucus in the throat, leaving a completely different aftertaste. All in all, one would end up getting three different flavours, hence the name. Supposedly they were a very popular treat in Canterlot’s high society, as they were much more expensive than conventional snacks.

“That’s outstanding!” I exclaimed.

“What’s outstanding?” another voice asked.

Hearing the thick accent, I knew that it was Applejack, and turned my head to wish her a good morning. Rarity greeted her as well, and explained that she was introducing me to Threezies.

“Would you like one, darling?” she offered, levitating one in the air for her.

“Nah.” the farm pony replied, “I don’t need no fancy cookie for breakfast, I’m good with apples.”

Digging into one of her saddlebags, she retrieved a shiny red apple and began to munch away. Rolling my eyes and chuckling, it made sense that she would be satisfied with the humble fruit of her namesake.

“So, when are we heading off?” she asked with her mouth full.

“Once the others are up I suppose.” Rarity hummed after a sip of her tea.

She then looked at me and asked how we intended to board the cargo hold of a plane, or how we would know it was even going to Brazil in the first place.

{Crap.} I thought to myself.

“I’m uh, still working on that.” I told her, drinking some of my own tea.

How had I not thought of this yet? How on earth would we know which plane to catch? Obviously the airport would have a system with all the information we required, flights, gates, departure times, etcetera. It would all be there somewhere on a database, but getting access to that database wasn’t going to be easy, especially while remaining completely undetected. Hell, even if I somehow got to a staff computer, I likely wouldn’t have a clue how to navigate it and pull the info needed to find the right plane.

Unless…

“This is a shot in the dark, but do you or Twilight have any spells for searching large documents? Searching for specifics I mean, using keywords and such.”

“Hmm…” she hummed thoughtfully, “I don’t have any spells of that ilk, but I’m sure Twilight does. With how rapidly she can search that library of hers, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she was using a spell to aid her.”

Finishing my cup, I gave a slow nod and said that I hoped she did know such a spell, as it could potentially be very beneficial to us. Rarity asked me to elaborate, and I explained that if Twilight had a spell like that, then I could potentially get her to an airport computer, where she could then extract the necessary information by force.

“Again, it’s a shot in the dark.” I muttered, “But it would be better than Plan B.”

“What’s Plan B?” said Applejack.

“Going into the main part of the airport and looking at the information board.”

Tilting her head, AJ asked what was so bad about that, to which I pointed out that in just a few hours, Janice would come home and find my body. By tonight, my face would be all over the news, with the nation informed that a seventeen-year-old boy had been stabbed in his own home. Entering the main part of the airport meant presenting my face to people, and the many CCTV cameras dotted around. Although I’d be long gone by the time the news came out, I didn’t want there to be a shred of evidence that I was still alive. Otherwise, my little stunt with the clone would have all been for nothing.

Applejack and Rarity both hummed with understanding, realising why I hoped to avoid such a plan. With the focus returning to Plan A, we discussed things at length, and I formulated the idea that perhaps Twilight could infiltrate the Air Traffic Control Tower, as it would be significantly less populated. From there, she could find a computer and search for anything concerning flights to Brazil, and hopefully get her hooves on some useful information. Rarity then pondered allowed as to whether Twilight’s magic was even compatible with human technology.

“Oh, I’ve got a pretty good hunch that it is.” I told her.

“Do tell?”

Clearing my throat, I made my reasoning known, gesturing with my hands to emphasise my points.

“Yesterday, Twilight was able to sense the electrical frequencies from the airport, despite it being a good three kilometres away. And then, upon getting here, she used those frequencies to amplify the gem finding spell. That tells me she has the innate ability to hook onto electricity and manipulate it to some degree. Well, all our modern devices run on electricity, and communicate with frequencies and signals. From all that, I’m quite certain Twilight might be able to tap into them.”

Both ponies sounded off with an allured ‘ooooohh’, taken by the theory and eager to know if it held any weight. It was then that an idea popped into my head, which I suggested aloud.

“We could test it with my phone.” I posed, taking it out of my pocket, “I could write some random nonsense on my notepad app, and include a few keywords for Twilight to search for. If it works, then we’ll know for a fact that magic and technology can get along!”

“That’s a fantastic idea!” Rarity cheered.

With all three of us champing at the bit to test the idea, Applejack went to wake Twilight. She opened the tent and disappeared inside, with me and Rarity falling silent to listen out with anticipation.

“Hey Twilight, wake up.” we heard Applejack whisper.

No response.

“Twi, wake up.” she said, a little louder, “We’ve got a neat little science experiment for you!”

Still no response.

“Oh come on now, get up Twi! Come on girl, wake u-GYAAH!”

With a yelp and a shriek, the tent shook savagely as some sort of scrap took place within. Rarity and I sprung up and went over just as a flustered Twilight burst from the tent. Her mane was untidy and her breath was ragged, as though she had just been woken from a most horrific nightmare.

“What… is… wrong with you!?” she bellowed, glaring at the tent.

Applejack clambered out after her, now with a red mark on one side of her muzzle.

“I was just trying to wake you! Jeez Twilight!” Applejack shouted back.

“Well don’t wake me by prodding me roughly while I’m unconscious!” Twilight spat, visibly shaking, “For all I know, you could have been that damn human trying to kill me!”

“Hello…” I sang softly.

With a jump, she whipped around to face me, and I gave her a friendly little wave. Applejack then stormed up to her and clenched her jaw.

“The only one around here trying to kill anything is you, trying to kill me! And for goodness’ sake, his name is Callum and you know it, so stop calling him ‘the human’ just to spite him!”

At this, Twilight loudly scoffed, and spat her response as though the words were poison.

“That thing’s name is irrelevant to me, and it should be to you too!”

Both Applejack and Rarity let off a shocked gasp, with the former looking as if she was about to knock some sense into the unicorn.

“You vile little… ugh! What in fresh Tartarus has gotten into you!?”

Deciding that I didn’t want the day to start with more conflict, I stepped in and cleared my throat loudly.

“Uh, ladies, if I may…”

“Did I give you permission to speak?” Twilight growled.

“I have a scientific endeavour for you.”

She opened her mouth, presumably to ordain my silence, but as the prospect dawned on her, she simply glared at me. With a loud sniff, she glanced at Applejack and began to calm down, and muttered something resembling an apology for hitting her.

“Well I ain’t forgiving you!” AJ barked back, “That really hurt!”

“You freaked me out, okay?”

In all fairness, if the unicorn had been having a nightmare, then to be suddenly shaken awake would have rattled her terribly, especially considering how afraid she was. Applejack stormed off, with Rarity going over to settle her down and check on the now-darkening blemish on her face. Twilight watched them go, clearly feeling bad for lashing out. Eventually, she took it upon herself to go over and apologise properly, which was when Rainbow Dash and Pinkie came stumbling out of their tent.

“What’s going on?” Dashie slurred, having been woken by the commotion.

“I smell violence…” said Pinkie, sniffing the air, “Ooh, and Threezies!”

Rolling my eyes, I went over and explained what had happened, along with my plans concerning the airport and the control tower. Yawning, she was clearly too sleepy to process much information, and just wanted to know why there had been conflict. Leaving her and Pinks to wake up more, I went over to find Rarity in the middle of verbally throttling Twilight for her behaviour.

“… and from day one, you’ve been spouting ridiculous notions and accusations about him without so much as a hint of proof! Meanwhile, he’s gone and put in more effort than you have, towards our mission! From the moment he woke up, we’ve been brainstorming together, and he’s just theorised a way for us to get to Brazil. Yet here you are, badmouthing him like you always do! Haven’t you a shred of decency, Twilight Sparkle? Now, you are going to apologise to him, and then you are going to listen to his idea, because it’s a damn good one, and you owe that to him, do you understand me!?”

With her head hung low, Twilight gave a reluctant nod. They then all heard my approach and I gave them a weak smile. Rarity then prodded Twilight’s flank with a hoof, pressing her to apologise. She plodded towards me and gritted her teeth, and with disgust in her eyes, she looked at my feet.

“Sorry.” she grumbled quietly.

Though she so clearly wasn’t, it was better than the treatment I had received thus far, and with a merry smile, I said that it was alright.

“I’m sure you’ll go back to vituperating me before too long.” I hummed, “But hey, for the time being, would you like to do some science with me? If all goes well, you may even get an Orb shard out of it.”

Swallowing, she dipped her head in accord, and I decided that everyone ought to be present for the experiment. Clearing my throat, I raised my chin and spoke loudly.

“Rainbow Dash, would you be a lamb and wake Fluttershy for me?”

There was a rustle in the leaves above us, and everyone looked up to see the pegasus staring at me sheepishly. Without uttering a word, she zipped off to retrieve her fellow pegasus. Everyone then looked at me, with Rarity narrowing her eyes and smirking at me.

“How did you know she was up there?”

“Because the only thing bigger than Rainbow Dash’s pride is her nose, but unlike Pinkie Pie, she’s not very good at eavesdropping.”

This brought forth giggles from everyone, with even the petulant purple pessimist failing to stifle a laugh. Dashie then returned with a sleepy-eyed Fluttershy stumbling after her. Pinkie came along as well, crawling low to the ground with her limbs outstretched. I was about to ask what she was doing, when she jumped up and began to fire questions off at me like they were bullets.

“So what’s the plan, huh? Are we going to be like spies? Ooh! Ooh! I know! Is somepony going to sneak into a restricted area and extract some super vital data? Ooh, I bet it’s Twilight! I mean, it’ll have to be, because nopony else has magic that strong. Are you going to go with her? You’ll probably have to, otherwise she won’t know what to look for, and she’d probably be too scared to go by herself anyway.”

I tried to get a word in, only for her to launch herself forward, planting her hooves on my chest and pressing on without relent.

“Oh-oh, I know, are you both going to sneak into the Flight Control Tower together and download the flight plans to Twilight’s brain? That would be so cool! I mean, that’s what I would do. What happens after that? Are we going to cloak up and stealthily board the plane and fly all the way to Brazil? Huh? Come on, tell me! What’s the plan!?”

Looking at her dryly, I tutted once, and let out an exasperated sigh.

“You just… said the plan.”

Springing away from me, she began to dance around the camp, giggling loudly to herself.

“Yippee! I guessed it! I guessed it!”

“Can you explain all that in words we can all understand?” Rainbow requested, rolling her eyes.

Scoffing, I gave the ponies a much more thorough breakdown of my proposal. Once everyone was up to speed, Twilight exhaled heavily through her nose.

“Even if I agreed to sneaking into this ‘Flight Control Tower’, what makes you think I can operate your human technology?”

“That’s where our experiment comes in.” I told her, “I’ve said this to Rarity already, but I think you might be able to control our technology. Based on how you could detect the airport’s frequencies yesterday, and manipulate them, I think you might be able to link up to man-made devices, and if I’m right, then you’re about to become the most efficient tech user on this planet.”

For all her grouchiness, this prospect excited the unicorn, and with the most eager expression I had seen from her so far, she asked me what I needed from her. Showing her my phone, I asked her if she was capable of searching for keywords in books or hefty documents. Nodding, she confirmed to know such a spell, and with that, the experiment began.

Opening my Notes app, I began to write bland and generic nonsense, such as ‘the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog’, and ‘she sells seashells, by the sea shore’. And then, amongst all the meaningless jargon, I wrote up some information about a made-up flight, including a departure time, a gate number, and a destination, of which I wrote Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“How does that thing work?” Twilight inquired with a tilt of her head, “All you’re doing is tapping it with a finger, and yet it responds the way you want it to.”

“It’s a touch-screen device.” I explained, “The screen’s made to receive the electrical charge in my body, so when I tap it, it sends information based on where I’ve touched. The phone then processes this information, and responds accordingly.”

“That’s… quite remarkable.” she hummed.

“And that’s the nicest thing you’ve said so far.”

Twilight looked to the side with annoyance, while Rainbow Dash chuckled awkwardly and admitted to thinking I was controlling the phone with my brain. With enough nonsense to obscure the flight details, we were ready to conduct the experiment, but before we could, there came a tremendous gurgling noise.

“Um, Twilight?” Pinkie murmured, “I think there’s a monster in your tummy.”

Mortified beyond belief, Twilight refused to look at anyone. Then it dawned on me that I hadn’t seen Twilight eat a thing since meeting her; she had skipped dinner last night, and so the poor girl must have been starving! Daring to take authority, I said that the experiment could wait, as an empty stomach made for a sloppy scientist. She opened her mouth to protest, only for her belly to gurgle for a second time.

“Ugh, fine…” she huffed.

Pinkie Pie jumped up and down at the notion of food, and we all went to sit by the firepit for some morning grub. Amazingly, Twilight actually sat beside me while we ate; it would seem the prospect of a science experiment had put me in her good books for now. As Applejack dished out the food, I was blown away to learn just how many supplies they really had. From three bushels of apples, to a whole barrel of oatmeal, they had enough provisions to eat for months, and that was just their breakfast items!

“How the hell do you have this much stuff?” I demanded to know.

“Void magic.” Twilight bluntly replied with her mouth full of cereal.

“Say again?”

After swallowing her bite, the unicorn went on to explain that their bags had all been enhanced by Discord with void magic to make them bigger on the inside. The inside of every saddlebag was about the size of a Porta-Potty, and with all twelve satchels combined, there was plenty of room for resources and personal belongings.

“Some of our bags have specific roles too.” the mare went on, “Applejack’s bag has most of the food, with Rarity’s having a refrigerated section for the cold stuff. Rainbow Dash has all the tools and camping gear, and Fluttershy’s has all the medical supplies, like Oozima.”

{Called it.} I thought, stifling a smirk.

“That’s absolutely incredible.” I breathed, “Genuinely, I’m blown away. Also, did you mention Discord?”

Nodding, Twilight explained that just a few months ago, Princess Celestia had charged the group with reforming the Spirit of Chaos, which Fluttershy had achieved by showing him friendship and compassion, as opposed to reforming him by force. He had since agreed to live under the Princesses’ rule and use his magic for good, instead of evil.

This information was crucial to me, as it told me exactly where these ponies were in their timeline. Discord was reformed in Season Three, shortly before Twilight finished a spell by Star Swirl the Bearded. Following that, she ascended to godhood, being reborn as an alicorn and beginning her life anew as the Princess of Friendship. This explained why she was still a unicorn, she hadn’t yet been given the chance to finish the spell. With a gulp, I realised that if I failed to help her locate the Titans’ Orb and get back home, then Equestria’s fourth princess would never come to be.


After we had all eaten, we were ready at last to conduct the experiment. I sat down in front of Twilight and held up my phone, making sure she couldn’t see the screen.

“So, what am I searching for?” she asked.

“Try looking for a flight to Brazil.” I told her, “Anything pertaining to gate numbers, or times. You can also try searching for the word Rio, spelled R-I-O.”

With a nod, Twilight’s horn lit up, and the device was enveloped in a magical pink aura. Nothing happened at first, and the others looked up from the phone, perplexed. After a few more seconds, Rainbow Dash gave an impatient sigh.

“Great, it doesn’t work.”

“Patience.” I said.

Looking at Twilight and straining my brow, I told her to stop searching for words, and instead to focus on bonding with the device itself, to feel the electricity mingle with her magic and let it resonate with her.

“Communicate with it, then tell it what to do.” I whispered.

The unicorn closed her eyes, took a breath in through her nose, and she tried with this new approach.

{Come on, please work…} I thought desperately.

And then, quite literally by magic, the phone’s screen began to flicker. With a raised brow and bated breath, I watched as the Notes app opened by itself, followed by each word being rapidly highlighted one-by-one, as though I had pressed and held on them with a finger. Still flickering, the screen scrolled down, scanning all the muddled text faster than any human ever could. And then, with her eyes still closed, Twilight began to murmur.

“Gatwick… to… Rio de Janeiro… Terminal Three… Gate Seventeen… Time… Four-Fifteen in the afternoon…”

All of us stared at her, with half of us inhaling deeply with amazement. Twilight then opened her eyes and began to smile wider than I had ever seen before.

“I did it, I really did it! It worked!”

Everyone congratulated her, and for just a moment we all forgot about how horrible she had been. With a wide grin, I told her that I knew she could do it, and for the tiniest fraction of a second, she looked at me with a twinkle of affection. It was gone in an instant, but for half an eye’s blink, we were friends.

The excitement of the scientific breakthrough came to pass, and we decided to get this show on the road, or to be more specific, in the air. Twilight consented to infiltrating the Control Tower, and with her mana stores fully replenished, she agreed to go with me, so that I could guide her once we were inside. We made our way back to the chain-link fence just as another jumbo jet came in to land, causing the girls to flatten their ears in the wake of the roaring engines. Less scared than before, they gawked at the mechanical marvel as it met the runway and came to an eventual halt after taxiing over to one of the gates.

“I just can’t believe how big they are…” Rarity murmured.

“That’s what she said!” Rainbow Dash blurted out.

Applejack burst into laughter and I stared at the pegasus in disbelief. Rarity meanwhile, was furious. Visibly mortified, she made a lunge for the pegasus with her hoof.

“Oh come on!” Dashie protested, giggling as she evaded the attack, “That was perfect timing!”

“What that was, was highly inappropriate! Pinkie Pie is stood right behind you!”

“Yeah Dashie, I’m right behind you!” Pinkie shouted, “What are we talking about exactly?”

“Never you mind!” Rarity barked.

“Okie dokie lokie!”

Bouncing away, Pinkie went to stare at the planes with Twilight. Rarity then made a second lunge, this time punching Rainbow Dash square in the shoulder.

“What is the matter with you?” she hissed.

“Ow! Come on, it was just a joke!”

Marching around to stand in front of Dashie, Rarity blocked her path and glared at her.

“There’s a time and a place for those dirty little jokes of yours! You know just as well as I do that Pinkie is still innocent in that department, and you will not pervert her mind while we’re away on this trip. Are we clear?”

“Alright, alright!” Rainbow conceded, backing down, “I won’t do it again.”

Pressing her nose up against Rainbow’s muzzle, the unicorn let out a most vicious hiss.

“See to it that you don’t…”

As humorous and well-timed as Rainbow’s comment was, Rarity was right; if Pinkie was still pure in nature, then the pegasus shouldn’t have said it, or at the very least, she should have whispered it to those with the appropriate maturity to hear it. Turning to Applejack, Rarity instructed the farm pony to give the pegasus a good wallop if she did it again.

“It’d be my pleasure.” she chuckled, tipping her hat.

Moving on, Twilight looked out at the Control Tower in the distance. From our current hiding place on the woodland outskirts, it would be one hell of a dangerous trek. Putting her mouth to one side, she asked how I was planning to get us inside the Tower once we reached it.

“I’d say we’ve got two options.” I speculated, “We could either go in the main building at the bottom of the Tower, or we could sneak into the Tower itself via the back door. The main building will likely have more computers, but there’ll be more people too. The back door will be riskier, but you’ll be away from the main bulk of the people.”

“Okay…” Twilight hummed, thinking on her options, “Why is using the back door risky?”

“That’s what she sai-OW!”

Turning around, we both glowered at Rainbow Dash, who was now clutching the back of her head and wincing, while Applejack, having just given her a good smack, slowly lowered her hoof back down. Unable to stifle an amused huff, I rolled my eyes and continued.

“Because going up the Tower will put you in a more confined space. We won’t be able to move as quickly, nor as freely. I’m going to guess cloaking the both of us at the same time is going to eat that mana of yours, so we’ll need to be fast. Getting caught in that Tower would be as bad for me as it would be for you.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, and the fear began to manifest in her once again.

“What would happen to me, if I were to be caught?”

I tried to reassure her that she needn’t worry about that, but to my dismay, her confidence waned.

“I can’t do this. For all I know, this could be a trap!”

“It isn’t.” I promised her, “You just need to keep us both cloaked.”

“But what if I run out of mana?”

Raising an eyebrow, I asked her if she truly believed that was a possibility, to which she shrugged.

“I mean, I guess not… not during this step at least, but the flight afterwards? I don’t know. Seven warmth spells might be okay, but if I need to regulate air pressure on top, I’ll almost certainly be blued out by the time we reach Brazil.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

Clenching her jaw, Twilight explained that a ‘blueout’ was a symptom unicorns experienced upon using up all their mana. It was a horrific experience, in which the afflicted unicorn would become vastly dehydrated, and lose the ability to use magic for a while. A blueout could last anywhere from a day or two, to several weeks! It was essentially like having an intense hangover, bringing about dizziness and nausea for as long as the blueout lasted.

“That sounds… awful.” I said, grimacing.

“Yeah, so you can imagine why I don’t want to do this.”

Sighing, I knew that Twilight was perfectly valid in her reasoning. However, between possibly bluing out and not getting to Brazil at all, the risk of a blueout wasn’t enough to deter the plan. Getting to one knee, I told her that we needed to do this, and she knew in her heart that I was right. She looked into my eyes for a moment and took in my earnest expression, before finally dipping her head.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Gritting her teeth, she opted to take the second route via the Tower’s back door, and after taking some time to gather herself, she was ready. Taking off my rucksack, I left it with the others while Twilight used some sort of spell on the chain-link fence, temporarily transforming a small section of it into a dull mist, allowing the two of us to pass through. The mist didn’t last long, and within seconds, the fence returned to its normal condition.

“Stand still.” Twilight ordered.

I did just so, and the unicorn cast her invisibility spell onto me. For once, I didn’t feel anything upon receiving the magic’s effects, but as I looked down at myself, I found that I was wreathed in a curious shimmer, indicating that to everyone else, I was completely and utterly imperceptible.

“Good luck!” Pinkie called out to us.


Choosing not to reply, Twilight cast the spell onto herself, and with us both wholly unseeable to the naked eye, we made our way to the flight tower together.





> Chapter Eleven: The Gatwick Heist
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Truth be told, I was terrified as we ran across the runway. I knew that I was invisible, but still, to be doing something so radical and so illegal sent waves of both excitement and panic down my spine. Thankfully no planes were coming in to land at this exact moment; I could only imagine how much scarier this would have been if we had to watch out for taxiing aircraft.

“So where will we find the back door?” Twilight panted as she trotted alongside me.

“My guess is around the back of the building, close to the Control Tower itself.” I huffed back.

Acknowledging my reply but saying nothing, she continued to move in the direction of the tower with me. It concerned me that I could still see her, with her pelt simply being a bit glossier than normal.

“Hey, how come I can still see you?” I asked, not stopping, “Is that normal?”

“It’s because you’re also under the spell.” she clarified, “Anyone under the influence of Invisipone can be seen by anyone else under the effects of Invisipone.”

{Another spell name.} I thought to myself as we went, {I suppose they really do all have names…}

“How long does it last?”

“One hour.” she answered, “Well, one hour for me at least. For you, who’s to say?”

“Comforting!” I wailed sarcastically.

Once we reached the flight tower, we circled around the building until we found the back door, where we came across the first obstacle that would require magical intervention.

A key-coded door.

“Great, now what?” Twilight grumbled.

“The spell you used on my phone? Use it on that keypad.” I instructed, “Try to find the code that unlocks it.”

Dipping her head, Twilight got to work, with the keypad becoming enveloped in a magenta glow.



“Zero, one, seven, three, nine, two, eight, four, six, five, zero.”

I pressed the numbers as she spoke them, and after hitting the final zero, the lock clicked.

“We’re in.” I rumbled excitedly, turning to face her, “Well done, Twilight.”

She responded with a conceited ‘hmph’, while I grabbed the handle and opened the door. Stepping inside, we thankfully found the first room to be empty. There were doors to male and female bathrooms, there was an elevator, and there was a stairwell which led higher up. Though quite cramped, it was far less industrial than I had expected. The floor was carpeted and the walls were painted a vibrant yellow, when I had been expecting bare concrete, long trailing wires, and pipes aplenty. Looking up to one of the far corners, I took note of the CCTV camera that was mounted to the wall, and pointed it out to Twilight.

“Invisipone stays on, no matter what.” I ordered.

“Got it.” she whispered back to me, “Where to now?”

“Onwards and upwards.” I replied with a smirk, pointing to the stairwell.

Quickly and quietly, we crept over and began the ascent. We soon came to realise however, that there would be nothing but stairs for quite some time, as they took us all the way up to where the tower flared out. Soon enough though, we happened upon an access door, which led to the various pipes that ran through the building.

“No use in there.” I grumbled, “We need to find something with a screen, something that connects to the airport’s main systems.”

Saying nothing, Twilight simply nodded and followed me up the stairs. My heart was racing at this point, I was expecting a guard or something to catch me any second now. My hands were visibly shaking, well, they would have been, had they been visible. The next floor up, we came across what would hopefully be the jackpot, as we came across another door labelled ‘Server Room’. Slowly opening the door, we were lucky to find nobody in there and crept inside. However, much to our dismay, there weren’t any computers in this room either, there were just a lot of servers, which with it being the server room, made sense. Without there being any accessible screens, it dawned on me with great reluctance that we would need to head up to the top, and Twilight was not happy about it. Still, there wasn’t a choice, and so we left the server room and pressed on upwards. I then heard a loud groan of frustration from someone, and it wasn’t Twilight.

“Back against the wall, quickly!” I hissed to the mare.

In the blink of an eye, we both slinked up against the yellow wall just as a pair of feet came into sight. Down the steps came a very portly man with an awfully large nose. He had a big bald patch on the back of his head, and a noticeable red wart on his chin. With a face like thunder, he waddled down the stairs muttering angrily to himself.

“Graham do this, Graham do that… Why don’t you do it yourself, you lazy bastard?”

He continued downward until he turned the corner and was out of sight. Jerking my head to where he had come from, I instructed Twilight to follow me. We continued up the stairs and reached the final floor, the Visual Control Room. Turning to the unicorn, I told her the plan.

“Once I open this door, we get inside as quickly as possible. There will be people in there, so keep absolutely silent. I’ll guide you to a computer, where I want you to look for direct flights to Brazil, just as you did on my phone. Once you have the information, I trust you’ll remember it without flaw. Then, we get the hell out of here and back to the girls, do you understand?”

“Yes.” she breathed confidently.

“Okay then. Ready?”

With a brief nod, she confirmed that she was. I placed my hand on the door and took a deep breath, before pushing it open. Almost immediately, someone noticed, and pointed it out to his colleagues as we slipped into the Control Room. He was a tall man with blonde hair, and his fringe was swept across to one side, making it look like a sandy-coloured ocean wave.

“Did anyone else just see that?” he spoke, “The door just opened by itself.”

A rather quirky individual responded, of whom I couldn’t quite place. They had a rounded face and a bob-cut hairstyle, which was dyed green on one side and black on the other.

“It’s probably just Graham messing around.” they said, “Someone have a look.”

A third person went over to inspect the door, while Twilight and I scuttled past all the numerous people who were sitting in front of monitors and control panels, talking to pilots over their headsets. Much to our relief, we found a few monitors that were unmanned, and I pointed to one of them.

“That one there.” I breathed, “Get to work.”

It would seem that the Invisipone spell also affected the further use of magic, for not a sound came from her horn. There was however, just like with the keypad downstairs, a pink glow on the monitor, but it was thankfully too faint to be noticed by anyone. Soon enough, the screen began to flicker and distort, followed by numerous windows and applications popping up. Twilight kept at it, while I watched the Tower staff anxiously, hoping none of them would see what was going on. Thankfully they didn’t, and glancing back at the screen, I found that Twilight had been able to access a file called ‘LGW_Flight_Database.dbf’, which certainly seemed promising. It had been opened by a very complex-looking application, which displayed mountains of data, from flight numbers to company names, along with gate numbers, dates, times, and what I could only presume was a flight map.

Twilight then began to murmur quietly to herself, reciting whatever information was currently flashing inside her head.

“Brit… tish… Air… Airways.”

Shaking her head, she was clearly struggling to comprehend it. I could hear her rapidly breathing through her nose, and it became clear to me that she was panicking. She was surrounded by humans, and they were terrifying her. Edging closer to her, I whispered softly into her ear.

“It’s alright, you’re safe… I’m not going to let anything happen to you…”

Her ears slowly perked back up, and with a nervous gulp, the unicorn focused. There was no telling how this magical interaction with technology really functioned, though with how the mare was struggling, I could only presume that all those ones and zeros had to be translated into individual, comprehensible thoughts. That was my theory anyway, but however it worked, it didn’t matter; what mattered, was that it worked.

“Gatwick… LGW… to Rio de Janeiro… GIG… Gate Seventeen…”

As she kept processing the rest of the flight information, I turned back to find Graham had just returned from his trip down the Tower.

“There was nobody down there!” he declared, “Somebody needs to fix that damn keypad!”

Sitting down at his desk, he immediately began to stuff his face, tucking into a packet of Jacobs Crackers.

“You realise we’re not supposed to have food up here, right?” the blonde man pointed out.

“I just don’t know how he can eat those!” said the green-and-black-haired person, “They’re so dry!”

“I like my crackers, okay Kendall?” Graham squawked with his mouth full.

At this, Kendall rolled their eyes.

“How on earth did you get hired, man?”

Turning back to Twilight, I found that she had just finished downloading the information, and not a moment too soon.

“Hey, can someone take a look at that dash over there?” someone spoke up, “It’s been glitching out.”

We both gulped, knowing that was our queue to leave. Slinking away from the computer, we weaved our way to the door, which I quickly pulled open and scarpered through with Twilight at my heels. Just as we were descending the first flight of steps, I heard the blonde man emit a puzzled shout.

“Okay seriously, did no one else see that!?”


Leaving through the same door we had come in from, we both bent over and let out gargantuan sighs of relief, sucking in the outdoor air and staring at each other with disbelief.

“Oh… m-my… gosh…” she stammered, “That was… so scary!”

“Yeah…” I panted in agreement, before standing up straight, “So, did you get everything?”

Nodding, she confirmed that there was a British Airways flight from Gate Seventeen, going straight to Brazil in about an hour. She then informed me that it was an eleven-hour flight.

“Woof…” I mumbled, not at all looking forward to it.

“I swear, if I run out of mana and we die up there…” she tutted, “I will kill you.”

“And I’ll let you.” I assured her, giving her a wink.

She rolled her eyes, and with us still being by the Control Tower, we got a move on, running back across the runway to inform the others. Returning to the woodland, we found them still patiently waiting on the other side of the fence. Twilight used the same spell from earlier to allow us to pass through, followed by dispelling our invisibility. Having run the whole way back, Twilight dropped to her knees and began panting, trying desperately to oxygenate her body. I on the other hand, was much too full of adrenaline to collapse. Bouncing on the spot like I was Pinkie Pie, I threw punches into the air in front of me and let off a loud whooping sound.

“Woooo! That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in all my life! Holy shit, I’ve never felt so alive!”

The exhilaration coursing through me had never been so strong, nor had the sense of accomplishment ever been so intense. I had just crept inside an airport’s most important building, gathered vital intelligence, and then slipped away in broad daylight, completely and utterly undetected. I had just lived a moment from a spy film!

“What happened in there?” asked Rainbow Dash, charging up to me with her eyes wide with curiosity.

“Well, I was a ninja, and then I did some ninja stuff.” I announced with a big grin, chopping at the air.

Though she laughed, Rainbow Dash persisted, desperate to know what really happened. Too full of energy to stand still, I said that I would tell her everything on the plane, which would be leaving in about fifty minutes from now. Before she could protest, Twilight ordered the group to pack up the camp, angrily pointing out that it should have been put away while she and I were gone. We got to it, and with my help, the whole camp was packed away in record time. We ended up having a good half-hour left before the flight, and with that, Rainbow Dash made me a proposition.

“Hey dude, weird question, but do you want to have a quick race?”

Speaking her thoughts, she explained that she wanted to know how fast I could run, and if I was capable of beating her. At first I thought such a race would be folly, but then I thought about it; Dashie’s jaw-dropping speeds only pertained to flight. I was a fast runner, and permitting that she didn’t use her wings, and that it was more of a sprint than a marathon, I had something of a chance.

“Alright, why not? But no flying!”

I poked one of her feathery limbs to emphasise the point, to which she nodded enthusiastically.

“Mind if I join y’all?” Applejack requested, “I could do with stretching my legs, especially if we’re about to spend hours stuck in that there plane!”

“By all means!” I replied happily, “The more the merrier!”

Pinkie then jumped forward and quickly appointed herself as the referee. She demanded we follow her to a point of her choosing, while insisting Rarity and Twilight remain where they were to serve as a finish line, with Fluttershy as the overhead judge. Chuckling at her sudden excitement, we shrugged and followed her to a point just beyond where the camp had been, a good hundred metres from the unicorns.

After some stretches to ensure that no muscles were pulled, we waited for Pinkie to start the race. She jammed a hoof into her mane and retrieved a small air horn, to which I stared at her, totally dumbfounded. I then shook my head and tutted, forcing myself to accept that this was Pinkie Pie, anything could have been hidden away in that tangled mop of hers; one of the bloody Orb fragments could have been in there for all I knew!

“Okie dokie lokie, is everyone ready?” Pinkie asked.

I bent down like an Olympic runner, placing my fingertips against the dirt. Applejack and Rainbow Dash did something similar, and we all focused on the three ponies in the distance. Pinkie then began to count down, her excitement unparalleled.

“Three!”

Flexing my calf muscles, I wiggled my jaw with anticipation.

“Two!”

I took a deep breath in through my nose.

“One!”

Releasing the breath through my mouth, I tightened every muscle in my body.

“Go!” Pinkie screamed, sounding off the air horn.

The three of us bolted, and with my arms swinging back and forth, I sprinted as fast as I could, quickly gaining momentum and practically gliding across the ground. To my left, I caught the glimpse of a rainbow-coloured mane, paired with the rapid thudding of her hooves against the ground. To my right, I spotted the golden hair and orange fur, along with the deeper, heavier thudding of Applejack’s tremendous earth pony hooves. Rainbow may have been thinner and lighter, but AJ was easily twice as strong, with her powerful legs allowing her to keep up with ease. These two species of pony were equally matched, and with my own human traits in the mix, we all displayed three completely different forms of athleticism, with none of which being inferior to the other.

This was intense. If we all continued at this speed, the race was going to be very close indeed…

A few yards ahead lay a fallen tree at around knee height. Pinkie had intentionally brought us to where it would be in our path, hoping that it would serve as a hurdle for us. As we all leapt over it, I felt a huge gust of wind, and Rainbow Dash shot forward by a good few metres.

{Oh you little shit!} I thought to her angrily.

That little scallywag had used her wings, and now she was going to win. Still, I aimed to beat Applejack at least, and continued to sprint as fast as I could. Nearing the finish line, I gave one final push of desperation to win, zooming forward to come alongside the cheating pegasus. Noticing that we were neck and neck, Rainbow Dash burst into a final push of her own, and try as I might, she overtook me by a good metre and emerged victorious.

Hurtling past the unicorns, I skidded to a halt and began panting loudly with defeat and exhaustion. Dropping to my knees, I trembled as I gasped for air, deeply heaving as my body urgently demanded that I repaid the oxygen debt. I had my limits when it came to stamina, and this race had surpassed them. Rainbow Dash on the other hand, was prancing circles around me, puffing more with exhilaration than fatigue.

“Oh yeah! Oh yeah!” she sang flamboyantly, “Ha-ha! Stick to marshmallows, two-legs! I’m the fastest one around here and don’t you forget it!”

“Only ‘cus you cheated!” Applejack puffed from behind us.

“Did not!” Dash shouted defensively, clearly insulted.

“You used your wings… when you jumped over the log…” I wheezed, “T’was a… total dick move…”

“No I didn’t!” she protested, before looking infinitely more sheepish, “At least, I don’t remember doing that… Look, I’m a pegasus, if my wings came out, then my wings came out, but I didn’t fly, and that was the agreement! I still won, fair and square, so deal with it!”

It was then, in a state of fear-fuelled bitterness, that Twilight came over to kill the vibe, casting aside our success in the Tower and renewing her acerbic demeanour.

“What is the matter with you all?” she barked, stamping the ground with a hoof, “The fate of our world hangs in the balance, and you’re all here debating the results of a completely pointless race! It’s clear that Rainbow Dash won, and the human can’t handle losing, end of story. Now, if any of you actually want to see your homes again, get your things and get moving, that plane leaves in twenty minutes!”

Well, there went our camaraderie… But for what it was worth, in spite of her barbed words, she was right, we needed to get on that plane. We all put our bags on and the unicorn imbued us with a dose of Invisipone. She then used a far more aggressive spell to burn a hole through the chain-link fence.

{So much for saving mana…} I mused with concern.

Stepping through one after another, we marched across the runway together, with Rainbow Dash promising me that we could have another rematch at a later date.

“I’ll hold you to that.” I muttered, “And next time, I’m lashing those wings to your body with a rope.”

“Ooh, kinky.”

“Oh for goodness’ sake…” I sighed, shaking my head, “You really are a little horndog, aren’t you?”

Smirking, she said yes by way of sticking her tongue out and sending a sultry wink my way. She then trotted off ahead, leaving me to roll my eyes with flustered irritation. With Twilight leading the way, we approached the plane and stopped once we were close by. There was a baggage cart beside it, with two men that were hauling people’s luggage from the cart and onto a conveyor belt, which fed directly into our destination, the cargo hold.

“Alright everypony, ready to fly human style?” I announced merrily.

Pinkie Pie squealed her excitement, and it suddenly dawned on me that I really could just say ‘everypony’ without a hint of irony. Grinning, I took the lead and made my way to the baggage cart, with the others crowding around me.

“What’s the play?” asked Rainbow.

“Easy.” I told her, “We hop on that belt, and in we go.”

Not needing to be told twice, Dashie crept past the men and clambered up. Bobbing her head up and down, she allowed herself to be carried up to the plane’s belly. Even for her, I honestly hadn’t expected her to be so blasé about it, but then again, it was Rainbow Dash. After seeing her disappear through the open hatch, Applejack and Pinkie got on as well, followed by Rarity, and then Fluttershy.

“Is that the lot?” one of the workers shouted to the other, regarding the remaining suitcases.

“Two more!” he called back.

I clambered on, only to realise that Twilight hadn’t joined me. What the hell was she doing!? Jumping back down, I ran to her and ordered her to get on. She didn’t even look at me, she was completely motionless, petrified by the sheer size of the plane, along with the plethora of overstimulating sounds that surrounded us. Without another option, I gave Twilight a shove, startling her.

“Don’t touch m-”

I cut her off by reaching forward and grabbing her muzzle, clamping it shut.

“Get on that belt, right now, or you get left behind.” I growled.

Shaken to her core, the unicorn obeyed without question, scrambling onto the belt and speeding along to reach her friends. I hopped on as well, and upon slipping into the cargo hold, I was caught off-guard to find a third airport worker inside, organising the suitcases and neatly stacking them to allow room for more baggage. Thankfully, the other girls had the good sense to keep away from him and keep their mouths shut. Once the last suitcase was stored and stacked, the conveyor started going in reverse, to which the man hopped out and rode it down. The hatch then closed in on us, and we were sealed in.

We had done it.

Twilight deactivated the invisibility spells to reabsorb some of the remaining mana from them, and immediately stormed up to me with her lips drawn back into a snarl.

“If you… ever… lay those disgusting fleshy claws on me again…” she began, her eyes wild with hate.

“You froze, and I had to get you moving again.” I bit back, genuinely annoyed with her, “I wouldn’t have had to touch you, if you hadn’t lost your damn spine!”

Enraged, the mare stepped to me, firmly planting a hoof against my chest.

“Firstly, watch your tongue, and secondly, I’m not joking. If you ever grab my mouth like that again, you will be guiding this group with as many fingers as I have.”

“I did what was necessary.” I spat, “Now get your hoof off me.”

“Necessary?” she echoed with a voice full of venom, “Oh, I’ll show you necessary…”

She removed her hoof and turned away from me, and I expected that to be the end of it, no more than an empty threat. And then without a hint of warning, Twilight lifted her hind legs and bucked me square in the sternum, completely taking me by surprise. The wind was driven out of me and I dropped to my knees with a thick, weighty grunt. Twilight then tackled me before I could recover, pinning me onto my back, and without an ounce of sanity or mercy, she attempted to repeatedly stamp at me with her forelegs.

“How’s this for necessary, you gormless runt? Huh? You leprous vermin! Is this necessary enough for you, you pink-skinned slime? How’s this for fucking necessary!?”

The ponies all practically screamed, with Rainbow Dash and Applejack barrelling forward to stop her.

“Twilight, stop!” Rainbow Dash shrieked, “What in Tartarus is wrong with you!?”

“Twilight, simmer down!” Applejack shouted after her.

I blocked the blows by covering my head with my hands and wrists, and it took every fibre of me to not retaliate. But there was only so much I could take, and as Applejack and Rainbow fought to remove the mare from assaulting me, I lunged forward and grabbed a clump of her mane, raising her up to look into my seething eyes.

“Hit me again.” I rumbled, “Hit me again and see what happens.”

Applejack then forced her way between us, shoving the both of us apart with remarkable strength and forcing me to let go. With tears in my eyes, I scrambled away from the unicorn, with Rarity and Rainbow Dash both rushing to make sure that I was okay. Applejack meanwhile, took Twilight further away from me and hissed into her ear.

“Twi, look around you. You’re scaring your friends half to death. Fluttershy’s crying her eyes out and Pinkie Pie don’t understand what in tarnation is going on. Now I don’t know why you just attacked him like that, but it came across like you have a gosh-darn mental problem. You’re supposed to lead us on this here mission, so buck up and lead us. And the next time I tell you to simmer down, you simmer the fuck down. Okay?”

The farm pony took a step back, and despite glaring at me with all the malice in the world, it would seem that Twilight would attack me no further. Looking me up and down, she puckered her lips, and then spat onto the metal floor between us. She then turned away and went to sit in the far corner of the cargo hold with her back turned to us.

“Darling, are you alright?” Rarity asked me, doting over me like a concerned mother.

Barely able to regulate my breathing after that buck, I shakily inhaled and gave a nod. Dashie helped me up and I winced, feeling a sharp twinge in my gut. AJ then pushed the pegasus out of the way and demanded to know what had caused all this. Dipping my head, I answered faithfully, explaining how Twilight had frozen in fear by the conveyor belt, and that I had given her a shove to get her on it.

“She started shouting at me.” I went on, “I didn’t want the workers to hear her, so I grabbed her muzzle to keep her quiet.”

“That’s it?” Rainbow gasped, “Here I was hoping you’d punched her in the face.”

“Quiet!” Applejack snapped at her.

She then furrowed her brow at me and shook her head.

“Sugarcube, she hates you enough as it is. You’ve just gone and made things worse, especially with that threat of yours. I don’t know if you meant that or not, but I’m warning you now, it doesn’t matter how Twilight’s behaving at the moment, if you hurt my friend, we’re going to have some problems, you and I.”

Gulping, I nodded, confirming that I got the message. Huffing through her nose, AJ then went to console Fluttershy, of whom was completely and utterly beside herself, weeping and spluttering at the sudden violent outburst. With Pinkie also being upset, and not to mention confused, Rarity went over to explain things to her in a way that she would understand. Still shaking, I looked up at the ceiling to prevent more tears from leaving my eyes. In the space of an hour, we had gone from teamwork and success, to violence and profanity, and I was struggling to cope with the emotional whiplash of it. Seeing just how upset I was, Rainbow Dash chose to stay with me, realising that I was on the verge of falling apart. She pressed up against me and tried her best to provide comfort, using her wings to create something of a visual barrier, allowing me to gather myself in private.


After a good few minutes, our heart-rates settled, and the dust with it. Choosing to be the bigger person, I decided to apologise to Twilight for grabbing her muzzle. I made my approach, and along the way I noticed Applejack frowning with apprehension, presumably checking to see if she should intervene or not. Eventually she chose not to, trusting that I wouldn’t start anything. Twilight backed away as I grew near, staring at me with watery bloodshot eyes. With how terrified she looked, one would think I was planning to skin her alive.

{The fuck did Celestia show this poor creature?} I thought to her silently, struck with a twinge of pity.

“That’s c-close enough…” she stuttered.

Kneeling down, I looked at her and gave a weak smile.

“Listen…” I began, “I know you despise me, and I’m not all that fond of you either. But for the sake of Fluttershy and Pinkie, can we please forget about what just happened? They don’t deserve to be a part of whatever the hell this is between us. If we’re going to fight like this, it needs to happen away from them. I know you see eye-to-eye with me on that, so for their sake… I’m sorry, okay?”

Staring at me in silence, Twilight studied me for what felt like an hour. Her face was then beset with a bitter emptiness, and I knew that she was in accord.

“What I said earlier still applies.” she croaked, “If you grab me like that again…”

“I won’t.” I assured her.

Dipping her head, she looked at her own hooves, before looking back at me and sniffing.

“Okay. Consider it behind us.”

Exhaling, I backed away from her and sat back with Rainbow Dash. The plane’s engines then started up, causing the whole cargo hold to rumble. Though everyone was fearful at first, I explained that this was just the plane beginning to move. The girls calmed down again, with Rarity asking how we would know when the plane was actually taking off. And then, as if her words had triggered it, the aeroplane’s engines went full throttle. There was a sudden jolt, followed by a continuous rattling as the plane hurtled along the runway.

“Right now!” I hollered above the noise, grinning.

The plane started to tilt, and Pinkie jumped up with excitement, resulting in her being flung into all the luggage. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy used their wings to remain unaffected, while both unicorns slid along the floor until they reached one side of the hold. Applejack meanwhile, was catapulted into me and we tumbled around together until the plane finally started to level out.

“Whooee! Now that was something!” AJ cheered, too excited to notice that she was now on top of me.

“Applejack.” I mumbled with my face full of fur.

Looking down, she spotted what little remained of my head that wasn’t under her chest.

“Oh, howdy partner!” she chuckled, getting off me.

Sitting up, I looked around to find that everyone was unscathed, except for Pinkie, of whom was nowhere to be seen.

“Everypony alright?” AJ called out.

The girls gave affirming nods, and then a loud muffling came from the luggage. Looking over to it, I spotted some of the suitcases wobbling around. I hurried over there and moved them aside to find Pinkie Pie giggling out of her wits.

“Oh my gosh that was so much fun!” she squealed with delight, “Did you guys all see that? I flew! Can we do that again? Please can we do it again!?”

Breaking into a laugh, I pulled her out of the pile and checked her over just to ensure she wasn’t at all hurt. Thankfully she wasn’t, and as we all got over the rush of the takeoff, we gathered in the middle of the cargo hold, finally all back to getting along.

After a time, it soon started to get cold, and Rarity asked if Twilight could work her magic with the warmth spells. Nodding, she did just so, and from her horn came a reddish pink light. Rarity’s body then briefly rippled with a shimmer of the same colour, and she immediately relaxed, as though a heated blanket had just been draped over her. One by one, Twilight continued casting the spell until the other girls had received it too. I then received my dose, and I realised that it really was like being wrapped in a heated blanket. I closed my eyes for a moment and cosily drank in the sensation.

“I love magic…” I breathed, opening my eyes again.

Rainbow Dash overheard me and chuckled, giving me a nudge to get my attention.

“Pretty cool, huh?”

I gave my reply in the form of a nod, and then the pegasus scooted closer, pressing lightly into my side. Despite feeling awkward at first, I found myself enjoying the physical presence, and allowed myself to press back into her. She gave me a grin, and then looked around the cargo hold.

“So is there like, any way to make this thing go faster?” she pondered aloud, “Or are we really going to be stuck in here for eleven whole hours?”

“I’m afraid not.” I tutted, “In fact, if the weather’s bad, it’ll take even longer.”

“Ugh, not cool.”

Being such an impatient pony by nature, the estimated time brought a frustrated sigh to the pegasus. Meanwhile, I saw the lengthy flight as an opportunity to learn more about real Equestria, as opposed to My Little Pony’s childlike interpretation of it.

“How about we take this time to share some life stories or something?” I proposed, “A lot of what I know is still from that cartoon, I’d love to learn more about who you all really are.”

“Why, that’s a swell idea!” Applejack agreed, grinning.

Pinkie Pie then hopped up, scuttled over to me, and wrapped her forelegs around my neck.

“Ooh, I have loads of life stories!” she squeaked, “I’ll start with my first one!”

Then without warning, she got into my lap and made herself comfortable, gazing up at me with a great big innocent grin.

“I was born on a Tuesday…”

“You know she won’t stop until she gets to today, right?” Rainbow Dash droned distastefully.

“Ooh, I have an idea!” Fluttershy piped up, finally feeling back to herself.

We looked at her for elaboration, to which she knocked her front hooves together with a giggle.

“Let’s see how long Callum can put up with Pinkie’s whole life story!”

“That’s a great idea!” Pinkie squealed, “I’ll start right now!”

“Hey now,” I chuckled nervously, “let’s not be too hasty with-”

“Now as I said, I was born on a Tuesday, and from that very first day, I liked sugar! Ponies tell me that I had no way of knowing I liked sugar that young, because I didn’t actually eat any until I’d grown up some, but I know deep down in my Pinkie heart that I loved it! But I wasn’t allowed to eat any as a foal, I had to stay on my mother’s milk for many many moons, which was a real bummer, because I love sugar! Anyway…”

Passing a dull glance to Fluttershy, I raised an eyebrow at her. She grinned back at me, and for as toilsome as the next hour or so was now set to be, I was glad to see the pegasus smiling, especially after what had just happened.


That said, this was going to be a long plane ride…





> Chapter Twelve: Ponies on a Plane
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“And then, just a couple months after reforming Mister D, Princess Celestia sent us all this big crazy letter, ordering us to come to Canterlot right away as there was some big emergency! She talked to us for hours, telling us all about the Titans’ Orb and about the mean old demigod who sent it to Earth. Then she told us all about Earth! Ooh! Ooh! Do you want to hear about Earth?”

It had been a very long hour. Pinkie Pie had legitimately told me her entire life story, from birth to the reforming of Discord the Draconequus, and now, she was approaching present day. This was the part I was most interested in, as it was the moment where the events from the show came to an end, deviating instead to this anomalous earthly frontier. The others were bored out of their wits; Applejack had even drifted off to sleep.

“I um, regret suggesting this…” Fluttershy sighed.

“You made this bed, now we lie in it.” I laughed, “Yes Pinkie, I would love to hear about Earth.”

Breaking into a huge grin, she told me everything the Princess had presented them with when it came to the location of their mission. It was far less than I had expected, with the bulk of Celestia’s presentation just being about our geography, warning the girls that depending on where the Orb fragments had landed, they may find themselves travelling to icy tundras, scorching deserts, or humid rainforests.

{Well, with Brazil being the first destination, she got that last one right.} I mused to myself.

Things did get interesting though, as Pinkie talked about how they had been presented with My Little Pony, and how they’d all reacted to learning that an alien race knew of them all, by way of a loosely interpreted cartoon. As Rarity had said yesterday, the thought of being watched by millions of mysterious eyes had given Fluttershy one hell of a panic attack, but thankfully, they soon came to terms with it. Following that, I learned that the Princess had come to Earth personally to search the world for worthy candidates, humans which she deemed eligible for guiding the girls on their journey. For reasons beyond anyone’s knowledge, I had been chosen, and it sent shivers down my spine to think that I had been secretly observed by the goddess herself.

“How are you still listening to all this?” Rainbow Dash moaned sleepily.

“Because it’s interesting, and I’m learning stuff I didn’t know before.” I replied with a grin.

“Fair enough…” she yawned.

Pinkie continued, rocking from side to side as she excitedly neared the conclusion to her life story.

“After telling us how important the mission was, the Princess took Twilight away to her chambers and gave her a really big pep talk in private, they were gone for ages! Once they got back, we were given our saddlebags, and then she used a great big shiny spell, and then bam, we were here! We went behind that big shed in your garden and set up camp, with Twilight getting an invisibility field underway. Then we just kind of chilled out for two weeks, watching you and studying you. Oh, and there were a couple of times when Twilight was able to cast her monitoring spell on you, that was a lot of fun. Seeing the world through your eyes was so cool, but sadly it never lasted too long because of that mean old lady.”

Referring of course to how Janice had beat me so often, everyone looked at me solemnly. I however, was more concerned about what they had seen while looking through my eyes.

“What exactly did you see with that monitoring spell?” I asked nervously.

“Oh, nothing much.” she confessed, “Just bits of your day-to-day, you know? Waking up and getting out of bed, eating and drinking, interacting with your family, stuff like that. Most of the time we just saw you writing messages to people and playing games on your laptop thingy, that Spore game looked really funky! Hm, what else? Oh yeah! We also saw you boxing on both of the Wednesdays and Fridays, now that was cool to watch! Blam! Slam! Pap! Ding ding!”

She sprung up and started boxing the air, imitating my sparring sessions.

{Did they, uh… watch me going to the bathroom and stuff then?} I thought with a hint of dread.

As though she could read my mind, Rarity put my mind at ease by assuring me that out of respect for my privacy, all six of them had agreed not to observe me whenever I entered the bathroom.

“Wait, we actually agreed to that?” said Rainbow Dash, pulling a guilty expression.

“Uhh…” I rumbled fearfully, raising my eyebrows.

“I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” she promised, breaking into a laugh “Oh my gosh, you should see your face!”

Playfully lunging forward, I attempted to seize the pegasus, who hopped away from me and giggled maniacally. We settled back down, and I asked Pinkie to proceed with her story.

“Alright, well… your little Chilli doggy came and found us and started barking like crazy! We all got scared you’d find us, and then Twilight panicked and zapped her. It was so mean, the poor thing ran away yelping, and then you came out looking for her. I wanted to come and show you where she was, but Twilight told me not to move. Eventually you found her and went back inside, and then that very same night, you overheard us and gave us all a big scare by coming to say hello! You know the rest, so unless you want to hear about yesterday again, that’s it, the end! Sixteen years of my life, been and gone!”

Everyone let out sighs of relief, while I was stuck staring at Pinkie Pie doing a double take. Did I hear that right? Surely not… was she really only sixteen?

“Um, how many years did you say?” I asked, wanting clarification.

“Sixteeny-weeny! I’ll be seventeen in a few months!” she chirped.

“You’ll only be seventeen on this planet.” Twilight pointed out, “Time’s moving so slowly back home that it’s practically frozen, you’ll still legally be sixteen once we get back.”

“Huh, that’s crazy.” Pinkie squeaked before letting out a gasp, “Hey, does that mean when we go home, I’ll be younger again?”

“No, but I’m sure the Princess will sort all that out when we get back.” the unicorn hummed, “She’ll know what to do, she always knows what to do.”

With the subject of time distortion at hand, Twilight took the opportunity to solidify the point, and suggested that the girls all disregarded their birthdays while they were here, along with any other important dates. With how out of sync time was between our world and this one, it wasn’t worth getting their ages and such muddled up.

“Again, I’m sure the Princess will know how to sort it out once we get back.” she finalised.

Pursing my lips, I sat there in deep thought as I took a moment to process all the information I had been given. I now knew a fair amount more about the real Equestria, but crazier than that, I had learned that Pinkie was only sixteen years of age, meaning that I was older than her!

{Didn’t see that one coming…} I thought to myself.

That was when a new question was birthed into my mind; how old were the others? If they were all in their teens like Pinkie was, then the Equestria Girls film made more sense, as their humanoid counterparts were all at high school, but who could really say what was fact or fiction now? That humanesque mirror-world could very simply not exist, with Equestria Girls being nothing more than a man-made extension by Hasbro so they could sell more toys. Either way, I was very surprised to learn of Pinkie’s age, and yearned to know everypony else’s.

“Dude, are you alright?” asked Rainbow Dash, prodding me.

With a jolt, I realised that I had been staring at Pinkie for a good while without saying anything. I blinked my eyes rapidly for a second and then looked at the pegasus.

“Hmm? Ah! Oh-hoh! Forgive me, I was absorbed in thought…” I replied innocently.

“What were you thinking about?” asked Applejack, having woken up, “You were zoned out for a while there.”

“I was just processing Pinkie's life story, along with how old she is.” I answered honestly, “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting her to be this young.”

“Well, how old did you think she was?”

Shrugging, I told Applejack that I hadn’t really predicted her to be any age in particular, only that it wouldn’t be so young as sixteen. Considering she lived with Mister and Missus cake, paying rent to them by way of working at Sugarcube Corner, I had expected her to at least be eighteen. Humming with understanding, Rarity joined in on the conversation, yet again seeming to read my thoughts.

“Well, I’m guessing you would like to know how old the rest of us are, hm?”

“One should never ask a lady her age.” I replied with a smirk, “But now you mention it, I must admit I’m curious.”

At that, Rarity placed a hoof to her chest and sighed heavily.

“Oh I do appreciate a fellow who knows his manners… You most certainly know how to conduct yourself around a lady, Mister Horncastle!”

I grinned sheepishly, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack rolled their eyes and pulled faces of mockery towards the unicorn’s more elegant standards. Rarity ignored them and cleared her throat, and then tended to my curious mind.

“Well, to start with myself as the oldest member of this little company, I am twenty-five. Applejack is twenty-five as well, and the rude little pegasus who thinks I can’t see her sneering beside me, is twenty-one.”

Rainbow Dash, who was indeed sneering, ceased her tomfoolery and grinned at me. Before Rarity could continue, Fluttershy let off a small sneeze, with the feathers on her wings puffing out as she did so. She then sneezed a second time, and it was even cuter than the last. Being wholly unable to resist, I clutched at my chest, creasing up at the adorable sight.

“Hnng…” I groaned quietly as I leaned forward, crumpling into myself.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Rarity asked worriedly.

At first, there was concern over a legitimate injury, a fear that perhaps that buck from Twilight had damaged something internally. I quelled their worries with haste, as I pointed at the yellow pegasus and murmured her name.

“Fluttershy…”

“Um, what… what about me?” she squeaked anxiously.

“That sneeze…” I wheezed, “So… freaking… cute!”

I then flopped onto my side and pretended to die, and the group erupted into laughter, with Fluttershy covering her face with embarrassment. Pinkie Pie however, seemed to genuinely think I was dying from cardiac arrest. She pounced on me and started to literally punch me in the chest in a bid to revive me.

“Callum! We’ve been through this! You can’t die yet! Don’t go into the light! Don’t go into the light!” she wailed at the top of her lungs.

Being completely unprepared for the sudden assault, I was sent into a coughing fit and flailed around madly, desperately trying to get the pink pony to stop attacking me. This only made the girls laugh even harder.

“I’m okay Pinkie! I’m okay!” I squealed, batting away her forelimbs and cackling.

“I saved you!” she squealed, “Guys, did you see that? I saved him!”

“You sure did, Pinks!” Rainbow Dash cheered with a hint of sarcasm.

“And quite possibly broke my damn ribs…” I croaked, sitting up.

Pinkie wrapped her forelimbs around me and hugged me emotionally, still believing that she had actually saved my life. Rarity, still giggling, asked if I would like her to continue, to which I nodded.

“Where was I? Ah yes, Rainbow Dash is twenty-one. Well, Twilight turned twenty just a few weeks ago, and Fluttershy is seventeen, exactly a year older than Pinkie, who as you now know, is the youngest at sixteen.”

There was certainly a bigger age gap than I had imagined, but I supposed it sort of made sense, especially with Rarity and Applejack being older; their demeanours had always been more mature, even in the show. As I took in how old the girls really were, there was one thing on my mind that didn’t sit quite right with me… why had Princess Celestia sent them all here? Or at least, why had she opted to send Pinkie Pie? Who in their right mind would send a sixteen-year-old on such a dangerous mission? Especially one that took place on an alien world, and without an armed escort at that? As much as the girls were capable, it surely wouldn’t have killed Celestia to send a few royal guards to find the Orb. Perhaps the Princess had valid reasons, but until I heard them, I wasn’t wholly convinced that she had done the right thing by sending these girls.

“Are you quite alright?” Rarity asked me, having noticed my pondering, “You’re zoning out again, dear.”

I hummed, and then nodded my head.

“Sorry, I’m just trying to wrap my head around everything. You have to understand, just forty-eight hours ago, the six of you were nothing more than cartoon characters to me. I think you’re all amazing, really I do, but I think my brain’s struggling to catch up at times.”

Rarity dipped her head and said that she totally understood. Pinkie Pie then quite innocently asked if I had expected everyone to be older or something, to which I professed that I did.

“Why’s that?”

“I guess it’s because you’re all so independent.” I explained with a shrug, “Applejack runs a farm that supplies food to your whole town, and Rarity is running the Carousel Boutique, supplying garments to ponies across the whole nation! Here on Earth, living alone and running a business is considered very grown up, so I just expected you all to be in your mid-to-late twenties.”

Everyone seemed to understand, and it became clear that my surprise was more cultural than anything else. Hoping to draw a comparison, Rarity asked when humans were expected to enter the working world, which I answered to the best of my personal knowledge.

“It depends on the job.” I said, “From the age of thirteen, kids can start part-time work, but it can’t be during school hours. Even then, it’s usually only the most trivial of jobs, like delivering newspapers around the neighbourhood, you know? It doesn’t pay much at all, but it’s a good introduction to the concept of work.”

The more I spoke, the more I started emphasising my words with hand movements and body language, and I soon found myself coming to life like never before. I had always struggled to have lengthy conversations with people; my social anxiety would end up getting too much, and I would recede into my shell. With the girls however, I felt an odd sense of calmness. Talking to them like this was scratching a social itch that I didn’t even know I had, and so I eagerly continued educating them.

“Once you’re sixteen, you can work in retail and a few other jobs, but only at minimum wage. As soon as you turn eighteen, you’re legally an adult and can begin working full-time. But running a business? Or moving away from your parents to live in full independence? Or both for that matter? Nah man, that kind of thing doesn’t happen for most people until their late twenties, sometimes even their thirties!”

There came a murmur of interest, and I looked to see Twilight looking at me, keenly listening. It came as a pleasant surprise, and I hoped that the subject could continue, which thankfully, Rarity allowed it to.

“Hmm, well from everything you’ve said, I would say it’s not too dissimilar to the way things work in Equestria. Though I will say, our world gets the ball rolling a little sooner than yours.”

“Oh, go on?” I replied, gesturing for her to continue.

“Well, foals tend to learn things rather quickly, often picking up their first words within a few months, and speaking coherent sentences in about a year. They start school from the age of three, though late bloomers may start a year later. Education then ensues for eleven years, at which point they’ll graduate and either go into the working world, or go to college to study a more complex subject. Essentially, standard education stops for most ponies between the ages of fourteen and fifteen. You also mentioned humans being considered an adult at age eighteen? Well in Equestria, that’s sixteen, so though this may be difficult for you to grasp, Pinkie is in fact an adult.”

“Huh, go figure…” I murmured.

It seemed that ponies grew up faster than humans did, even if not by much. In essence, Pinkie was actually more along the lines of eighteen by human standards, which allowed things to make a whole lot more sense. Still, there was no way that I would have been ready for work at just fourteen years old, I was seventeen now and still hadn’t been able to find any work! Although with that said, I was technically employed now, serving as a field guide and bodyguard, it just so happened that my payment was in a less corporeal form of currency. Though memories held no material value, they would be all I needed, and thus, with the long road ahead, this adventure would undoubtedly see me the richest man on Earth; arguably, I already was…

I then began to wonder what age I must be in pony-years, speaking hypothetically of course. On a mental front, due to a slower development, I supposed that as a pony, I would be a little younger right now, being closer to that of a fifteen-year-old in that respect. Had I calculated that correctly? Perhaps I was older by their standards? If sixteen was the age of pony adulthood, then as a seventeen-year-old, surely they saw me as a little older than I perceived myself. Was I more of a nineteen-year-old in their eyes? I didn’t know, and honestly, the more I thought about it, the more confusing it became.

Humming to myself, I found yet again that I was zoning out, distracted by the seething mass of ponderous thoughts inside my head; it seemed that with every new fact I learned about Equestria, several new questions came with it. Hearing Pinkie’s life story had been wonderful, but my brain was clearly struggling to make heads or tails of all the new information.

Fluttershy then yawned and wiggled over to Applejack, evidently tired. She shuffled delicately from side to side as she tried to subtly drag herself over to the farm pony and rest against her. AJ took notice and rolled her eyes, reaching over to seize the pegasus and allow her to rest against her. Seeing something so wholesome was almost enough to make me emotional, and it took great restraint to stop myself from physically clutching my chest again; I probably would have, if not for the fear of Pinkie trying to revive me.

Yawning, I realised that I was rather exhausted too, which made sense. These past forty-eight hours had been insane, and thanks to Fluttershy’s atrociously small bladder, I hadn’t had the most restful sleep in the world.

{How is she going to survive the rest of this flight?} I wondered.

Rolling my eyes, I decided that I ought to have a little nap. I requested my pillow from Rainbow Dash’s bag, and upon retrieving it, I went over to the suitcases to lie on them, using some of the softer ones as something of a makeshift mattress. Getting as comfortable as possible, I tried to get some rest.


It had been half an hour, and even though I was tired, I still hadn’t been able to sleep. The innumerable thoughts that swam around my head were the main culprit, though the plane’s noise certainly hadn’t helped either. With noise in mind, I genuinely couldn’t decide what was louder, the aeroplane’s engines, or Pinkie’s non-stop talking as she yammered on to her friends. I was about to give up on sleeping and get up, when I heard Rainbow Dash being up to no good.

“Hey Rare, I’ve got an idea…”

“I bet you do.” she replied, sensing the pegasus’ mischief.

“How about you sneak over to Callum, and use that dye spell of yours to turn his hair green?”

My brow sprung up but my eyes remained closed, and I didn’t move. I wanted to hear Rarity’s reaction before I chose to react, and thankfully, it would seem that I could remain unbothered.

“Goodness no!” she gasped, “What makes you think I would do such a thing?”

“Why not? It would be funny as heck!” Dashie asked, still chuckling at the idea.

“What if you made it pink instead?” Pinkie giggled.

At that, Rarity emitted an exasperated sigh.

“The colour doesn’t matter, you buffoon! For starters, it would be cruel, and secondly, we still barely know him! Having a laugh together is one thing, but unsolicited practical jokes would be taking it much too far, especially at such an early stage in our relationship with him!”

Puckering my lips and tilting my head slightly in agreement, it was nice to hear a dash of common sense from one of the girls. Even if I had been selected by Celestia as their guide, and that I was of course, no threat to them, it still remained adamantly true that one shouldn’t play practical jokes on people they weren’t close to.

“Pfft, come on.” Rainbow said dismissively, hoping to sway her, “Okay sure, we’ve not known him for long, but he’s clearly chill enough to take a joke.”

“That doesn’t mean we should play such a joke.” Rarity insisted, “He’s a nice fellow, and I don’t wish to tarnish his view of me because you’re bored and want to make others suffer for it.”

“Ugh… you’re so lame.”

Rainbow then switched tactics, and had the gall to suggest Rarity was just afraid of me because of how I had threatened Twilight earlier.

“Oh don’t be so ridiculous!” Rarity scoffed, “And for what it’s worth, even if that threat had been real, Twilight’s been practically gagging for a good hiding with the way she’s been. But for what it’s worth, I believe he was bluffing, and I would like to think I’m a good judge of character.”

I then heard Applejack inserting herself into the conversation, clearly not too happy.

“Bluffing or not, threats of violence ain’t okay, certainly not to one of our friends. I’m sure he was bluffing, but it ain’t like he wouldn’t be capable of seeing it through. I don’t want to see anyone getting hurt.”

“Oh, but she gets a free pass to attack him?” Rainbow Dash growled.

“When did I say that, huh?” AJ retorted, “What Twilight did wasn’t okay, but Callum said he can take it, so to grab her by the mane like he did and threaten her like that? Well, let’s just say I’m a little on the fence about him.”

Wiggling my jaw with irritation, I knew she was right. For as much as Twilight had crossed a line, I had crossed one too. Gulping, I listened on as Applejack insisted that she didn’t think that I was a bad guy, but she was a little worried about what I might be capable of, just as Twilight had warned.

“Celestia sent us to him because of what he’s capable of.” Rainbow Dash argued, “Do you really think she’d send us to him if he was a threat to us?”

“That’s a good point.” Rarity hummed, “Besides, can you really blame him for having enough of Twilight’s antics? The verbal abuse was bad enough, but that attack of hers was completely inexcusable. If anything, it probably set off something of a trauma response. Think about it, his mother beat him, his brother beat him, and his only outlet was to fight other humans in that boxing business of his. I think Rainbow’s absolutely right, if Callum was going to knock some sense into Twilight, he would have done so already.”

“Ugh, guess you have a point.” AJ mumbled.

“Speaking of boxing.” Dashie chuckled, “Remember that match we got to watch last week? That uppercut was crazy! I haven’t seen a smack like that since the fight at the Wonderbolt Academy!”

It was clear that she was trying to shift the subject, though with how tense the talk had been, everyone was more than happy to let her, with Pinkie asking what had happened at the Academy. Eager to brag about her newfound place as a Wonderbolt trainee, Rainbow Dash jumped to her hooves, and soon enough, it was as though the conversation about me hadn’t even happened.

“Oh yeah, it was a full-on beat-down… So basically, this asshole of a pony tried to hit on Soarin’s sister, and when she rejected him, the guy tried to blackmail her into getting with him. When that didn’t work, he straight up threatened to hurt her if she didn’t sleep with him.”

“That’s… awful!” Fluttershy gasped.

“Oh don’t worry, he got what was coming to him.” Dashie assured her, “She went and told Soarin about what happened, and he went and beat the guy up in front of everypony in the mess hall!”

“Goodness, that sounds utterly dreadful.” Rarity tutted, “But still, I’m glad the cretin got his comeuppance! Did Soarin get into trouble?”

“Nope! Spitfire came in and demanded to know what was going on, and Soarin told her everything, with his sister there backing him up. After hearing the explanation, she kept a totally straight face, went to the other guy and helped him up. And then, without a word, she turned around and bucked him square in the jaw!”

“Damn!” said Applejack.

“Was he hurt?” Pinkie asked.

“Uh, heck yeah he was! Knocked him out cold and put him in hospital.”

“I mean, as much as he deserved it, wasn’t Spitfire out of line for doing that?” Rarity speculated, “Surely she got in some sort of trouble with her higher ups?”

“Not at all.” said Rainbow, “In fact, she was given a commendation for upholding the core principles of the Wonderbolts. You see, we’re not just an elite team of fliers, the Wonderbolts are a family, a band of brothers and sisters who protect their own! If you lay a hoof on a Wonderbolt, you’d better disappear, because before too long, we’ll all be on our way to tear your ass up so badly, you’ll shit sideways!”

At that, Rarity loudly cleared her throat.

“Well darling, that was a most gripping insight to the Wonderbolts, thank you for sharing. If only you hadn’t ruined it with foul language.”

“Foul language?” she echoed, “I only said ‘shit’, it’s not like I said fu-”

“I don’t need an example, Rainbow Dash!”

“Alright, jeez!”

Disgruntled, Rarity picked herself up and came over to the suitcases to find a more comfortable spot to rest. At this point, I had completely given up on the prospect of sleeping, and pretended to wake up.

“What’d I miss?” I mumbled.

“Oh, you’re awake.” said Rarity, dipping her head. “Sorry if I woke you, I was trying to preserve Pinkie’s ears from yet another uncouth language-based incident with Rainbow Dash.”

“Is it too early in our relationship for me to say I’m not surprised?” I teased.

She laughed at that, and then without warning, the whole aircraft started to shake, it grew more and more intense until some of the upper suitcases began to fall down, Pinkie jumped up and latched onto a metal bar at the top of the cargo hold, giggling as she shook.

“What’s happening?” Twilight barked.

“Just a bit of turbulence, this happens quite a lot on flights.” I assured her.

A hard plastic suitcase fell down and smacked right into Rainbow Dash’s face, causing her to cry out loudly and jump back into me. I was knocked off balance and tripped over a suitcase, knocking the back of my head against the wall of the cargo hold.

“Good heavens! Are you okay?” Rarity bleated, rushing over to check on me.

“Ugh, never better. That's turbulence for you…”

Grimacing, I rubbed at the blunt pain at the back of my head. I then looked over at Rainbow Dash to see the poor thing clutching at her muzzle, her hooves now lightly doused in blood. That suitcase had hit her hard. The sight of pony blood caused me to completely freeze up, for it was the first time that I truly realised that not only were these ponies real, but they were mortal; that was to say, they could be killed. Thankfully, Fluttershy rushed to the scene and seemed to know exactly what to do, instructing Rainbow to tilt her head forward and to breathe through her mouth.

“Um, Fluttershy? I swear you’re supposed to put your head back, not forward.” Applejack pointed out.

“That’s a common mistake.” the pegasus corrected, “Nosebleeds, especially ones caused by physical trauma, always start at the top of the inner nose, closer to the nostrils. If you tilt your head back, it bleeds for longer and goes down your throat, and that can cause choking.”

I stared at the yellow pony in astonishment as she raced to her bag and retrieved some gauze, and then gave it to Dashie without an ounce of anxiety. I had expected Fluttershy to be the worst among the group to handle something like this, and yet here she was, calmly and effectively sorting it out. Her course in nursing and part-time work at the Ponyville hospital had certainly paid off, for despite her extreme social anxiety, Fluttershy seemed to possess the ability to spring into action whenever a medical situation needed tending to. It was nothing short of a superpower considering how she normally was. Following her example, I pushed aside the shock of seeing the blood and came over to Rainbow Dash, asking her if she was alright, all things considered of course.

“Ugh, yeah I’ll be fine…” she grumbled, “It doesn’t hurt that bad, it just… just… ah… AH-CHOO!”

Sneezing violently, Rainbow Dash sprayed blood all over my right leg, adding more stains to my already-blemished jeans, which still bore the blood from yesterday’s leg wound.

“Charming.” I said blankly.

“Oh shit, sorry dude…” she chuckled, “Well, at least that already had your blood on it, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose.”

“Heh, now our blood can be friends!”

I scoffed loudly, taken off-guard by that. Rarity then let out a shameful groan, clearly suffering second-hand embarrassment from her friend’s morbid remark. Meanwhile, as this had been going on, Pinkie Pie had remained quietly dangling from the bar at the top of the cargo bay.

“Little help?” she giggled.

We all looked up at her and sighed with fond exasperation.

“Oh Pinkie…” Fluttershy tutted.

Applejack went to stand beneath her and reared up onto her hind legs.

“Drop.” she ordered.

Pinkie let go with a drawn-out ‘weeeeeee’, and Applejack calmly put out her forelegs to catch her. After putting her down, Pinkie whizzed around like an excited puppy and buried herself among the few suitcases that hadn’t been scattered by the turbulence. I glanced across the hold to see Twilight looking in our direction, though upon narrowing my eyes, I realised that she was looking straight through us, staring off into space. Her eyes were glassy and there was a pained look on her face. She then noticed me and furrowed her brow, blinking away the expression. I tightened my lips awkwardly and dipped my head to her in a peaceful greeting, but sadly, she did not lose her now-loathsome stare.


A while later, after Dashie’s nose had stopped bleeding, the two of us got into something of a playful argument over linguistics. I had been pondering over how amazing it must have been to have wings, and that I had found her additional limbs to be most enthralling indeed.

“What does enthralling mean?” she had asked.

“It’s basically another word for ‘interesting’.” I told her.

“Why not just say ‘interesting’ then?”

“Because ‘enthralling’ is more appropriate.” I explained, “It implies a deeper level of captivation and enchantment.”

“Egghead.”

“And?” I retorted, not bothered by having nerdy qualities.

“You’re an egghead.” she repeated.

It was clear that Rainbow was trying to get under my skin, she was bored, and as Rarity had described earlier, she endeavoured to make me suffer for it.

“I don’t see the problem.” I replied calmly.

“You’re an egghead, that’s the problem.” she tittered.

Deciding to fight fire with fire, I kissed my teeth in the mare's direction, and then unleashed my inner Catherine Tate, of whom was one of my all-time favourite performers. Known for her role as Donna Noble in the Doctor Who franchise, Catherine Tate was a fiercely funny comedian. Aside from Doctor Who, she was also known for her role as Lauren Cooper, a character made by Catherine herself for her comedy sketches. In essence, the character was an overly exaggerated caricature of a chav, designed to be loud-mouthed, repetitious, and unrelenting.

“Am I bovvered?” I said in a Cockney accent, assuming the role.

At this, Rainbow Dash was confused, tilting her head to one side.

“What?”

“Do I look bovvered though?” I went on, “Am I bovvered?”

“What are you even saying?” she chuckled awkwardly.

“I’m arksing you if I look bovvered? Because I ain’t even bovvered.” I continued, waving my hands at each exaggerated use of the word ‘bothered’.

“Is this because I called you an egghea-”

“But I ain’t even an egghead though! But I ain’t even an egghead though!” I burst out, interrupting her.

The pegasus began to laugh and stare at me in full bewilderment, with the others also taking an interest in the growing spectacle. My sudden impression had taken her completely off-guard, and she had no idea how to come back at the bizarre and irascible persona of Lauren Cooper. The trick to pulling off the impression was to never pause, one had to maintain the never-ending torrent of words, preventing anyone from getting a word in. On top of that, one needed to supply constant maniacal body language, absurd statements, and generous usage of the word ‘bothered’.

“Cut it out egghead, that’s so weir-”

“Hand! Face! Bovvered?” I interrupted her, raising my hand and then pointing at my face.

“What the heck is-”

“Are you an LGBT icon?” I asked out of the blue, pointing at her multicoloured mane.

“What!?”

“Are you championing the stunning and brave?”

“I don’t… I don’t… WHAT!?”

“You know your house?” I asked, changing the angle of attack.

“What?” Rainbow responded, shaking her head in complete disarray.

“You know your house, right? In Equestria? You know your house?”

“Yeah?”

“It’s made of fluffy white clouds, innit?”

Rainbow Dash nodded, her eyes like saucers.

“When you go to the bathroom in your house, right? When you go to the bathroom, does it become a part of the cloud?”

“Um! Uh! N-”

“Do you ever turn the cloud yellow Dashie?” I asked bluntly.

Choking on her own saliva, Rainbow Dash spluttered that that wasn’t how it worked. Ignoring her, I held firm with the Cockney accent and gave the impression the passion that it deserved.

“I bet it is though! I bet when it rains, your house gives everyone below a golden shower!”

The other girls, who were all listening in at this point, completely lost themselves at that. But I intended to raise the bar, and as Rainbow tried to get a word in, I raised an eyebrow.

“D’you get brown hailstones in the colder months?”

Louder than the plane’s very engines, the cargo hold was filled with a mighty profusion of laughter, with even Twilight finally caving in. Flustered beyond belief, Rainbow Dash desperately protested, swearing that wasn’t at all how it worked, and declared that I had gone insane.

“No I ain’t, I was just arksing if I looked bovvered to you!” I yelled back, “I was only arksing you a question, can’t I just arks you a question?”

I was aware that I had been dragging it out for some time now, but I wasn’t finished until I had played Catherine Tate’s trump card whenever she portrayed Lauren Cooper; the grand finale. Taking a breath, I prepared to talk so fast that it would give Pinkie Pie a run for her money.

“Is this really the guy Celestia sent us to?” Rainbow Dash wailed outwardly.

At that, I threw my hands up into the air and glared at her.

“Well I was only arksing if I looked bovvered to you ‘coz you were calling me egghead like I was bovvered, but I ain’t bovvered, then I arksed you if I looked bovvered but you didn’t answer me, but look at my face! Does my face look bovvered? Do I look bovvered Dashie? Hand! Face! Bovvered! Hand! Face! Plane! Ponies! Magic! Titans! Orbs! Fate of the world! Hand! Fingers! Face! I ain’t… BOVVERED!”

As I brought the act to an explosive close, the spectating ponies all howled and hooted with laughter, with Pinkie Pie collapsing to the floor in tears of hilarity, begging me to stop before she wet herself. Rainbow Dash then gave up, bowing her head and laughing along with the others. When the laughter died down some, a wheezing Applejack was finally able to sit up properly.

“What in… What in gosh-darn tarnation was that all about!?” she begged, still gasping for air.

Explaining, I told her that it was an act from a famous comedian here on Earth, and that I decided to employ it to get back at Rainbow Dash for trying to aggravate me. Still laughing, Rarity asked who they were.

“She’s called Catherine Tate.” I told her, “I’ll show you a video of her when we next get the chance.”

“If your impression is even half as good as the real thing, then I can’t wait!” Pinkie squealed, bouncing up and down and giggling profusely.

We all settled down after that, and I went into greater detail about Catherine Tate, and the character of hers who I had been impersonating.

“I feel like it would have been funnier if I knew the context before you started the act. For the longest time, it just came across like you were a little unhinged.” Rarity admitted with a giggle.

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.” I chuckled in reply, “But I had already started doing the impression at that point, so I just decided to commit to the bit, you know?”

“That makes sense, I can respect that.” Rarity hummed.

“Context or not, it was funny as heck, you had me so freaking confused…” Rainbow Dash laughed.

“You should have seen the look on your face!” Pinkie tittered, before copying some of Dashie’s various expressions throughout the whole ordeal.

“Yeah, well… I uh… ain’t… bovvered!” the cyan mare retorted, sticking her tongue out.

We all laughed at that, and Pinkie audibly wondered if there were any pony comedians back on Equus with any similar acts. This naturally brought the girls’ conversation to remembrances of Equestria, and feelings of homesickness. They started to get a little misty-eyed, and so I politely distanced myself to let them be sentimental by themselves. I meanwhile, allowed myself to zone out again; I was still pretty tired after all.

Opening my rucksack, I took out my earbuds and plugged them into my phone, choosing to listen to some music. Thankfully I didn’t need Wi-Fi for this, as I was very much a ‘download songs locally’ person, as opposed to a ‘use Spotify for everything’ guy. I had a plethora of songs, of many genres too, for I had a very wide taste in music. Shuffling was always a gamble, and upon pressing play, I was greeted by the soulful softness of the British folk musician, Newton Faulkner. Lying down and closing my eyes, I silently mouthed along to the words, losing myself to the song and the meaning it carried.


“Dream catch me, yeah… dream catch me when I fall… or else I won’t come back at all…”





> Chapter Thirteen: For Flying Out Loud
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





After a relaxing hour of music and daydreaming, I turned off my phone to preserve my battery and sat up to find Applejack and Rainbow Dash snoozing together. Twilight had also drifted off to sleep as well, her legs twitching quite substantially. Rarity was lying down with her chin resting on her forelegs, calmly zoned out and very patiently letting the time pass. Looking across from her, I spotted Pinkie in a world of her own, muttering to herself and frowning at two different fixed points, as though she was interacting with a pair of imaginary friends. I couldn’t hear her from where I was, but she seemed to be in the middle of a made-up argument. Fluttershy was the closest to me, scrawling something into a little book with a pencil delicately gripped between her teeth. I shuffled over to her, curious about what she was writing.

“What’s that you’ve got there?”

Caught off-guard, Fluttershy yelped and scrambled around to face me, dropping the book. Twilight was woken by the yelp and sprung up to her hooves, rushing towards me with her horn glowing.

“Caught you!”

Suddenly, my wrists were enveloped in hot pink magic and were forcefully pulled down to the floor. I had no choice but to drop down to my knees before my arms were practically torn from their sockets.

“Ow! Twilight, stop! Jeez!” I blurted out, gritting my teeth.

Everyone else rushed to the scene, with Rainbow Dash standing directly between me and Twilight in an attempt to break her telekinetic hold on me, not that it worked. Applejack loudly demanded to know what was going on, and Twilight shoved Dashie to one side to glare at me, her pupils like pinpricks.

“I caught him attacking Fluttershy!”

“What!?” Applejack hollered.

“Are you mad!?” I shouted defensively, desperately pulling back against my magical restraints, “I went over to have a chat with her, that’s all!”

“Liar! You came up from behind and tried to grab her, that’s why she screamed!”

All I could do was open my mouth and shake my head in sheer disbelief at such an absurd claim. I had merely been curious about Fluttershy’s notebook, and here Twilight was, accusing me of trying to harm her! Rainbow Dash refused to believe it, but Applejack, as stated a little while ago, was still on the fence. She looked back and forth between me and the unicorn, unsure of whom to trust. Who was telling the truth here, her friend, in spite of the evident paranoia? Or this alien creature, of whom she’d only just met? Thankfully, the ridiculous conspiracy was brought to an end, as Rarity loudly cleared her throat and stepped over to us.

“I’ll have you all know that I witnessed the whole thing.”

Everyone looked to face her, and I sighed a breath of relief as she calmly explained.

“What Callum says is true. He spotted Fluttershy writing in her diary and came over to have a look, there wasn’t an ounce of ill intent. He simply caught her unaware and made her jump, isn’t that right Fluttershy?”

The yellow pegasus nodded, once again upset by the ongoing hostility, more so that she had caused it. Everyone relaxed, all except for Twilight, who didn’t want to let this go. Having just been abruptly woken up, she was clearly even more paranoid than usual. Releasing me from her telekinetic hold, she whipped around to face Rarity, where she began to insult her fellow unicorn’s eyesight, implying that she was too blind to see what had actually happened. With Rarity being one of Equestria’s finest seamstresses, the insult was nothing short of comical. However, for as much as the others were amused, I was still absolutely livid that I had just been accused of attacking Fluttershy, and couldn’t help but speak my mind.

“You sound insane, do you realise that? You should be medicated.”

“Fuck you Callum!”

The cargo hold fell silent, and if not for the plane’s engines, one could have heard a pin drop. She may have sworn at me in the heat of her attack, but this? This was our first direct Twilight-to-Callum F-bomb, which marked as something of a new height for the mare’s hostility. She then realised what she had just said and blinked rapidly, anxiously breaking eye contact with me. Everypony else stared at her in shock, before passing their gazes onto me, waiting to see how I would react. Knowing that I could win Applejack over if I remained calm, I dipped my head to Twilight in feigned respect.

“Well at least you had the courtesy to say my name.”

At that, Twilight turned away, defeated. She plodded over to the far side of the cargo hold and refused to look at us. Having expected another fight, the others all let out a collective sigh of relief, Applejack included.

{I don’t think I could have played that better.} I thought to myself.

It wasn’t that I was trying to sway them into trusting me more than Twilight, but having their faith would certainly help in preventing instances like this from happening. The more they believed in my genuine intentions, the fewer opportunities Twilight would have to make further accusations. I hoped there would come a time when they wouldn’t believe a word she said about me, but we weren’t there yet, and with each accusation, I knew some of the girls still felt the faintest twinge of fear.

The ponies dispersed, with Fluttershy going to pick up her diary. Rainbow Dash decided to have a nap, taking off to find a comfy suitcase to perch on. Applejack, still being the closest to Twilight, went over in an attempt to calm her down and get her back on-side. As for Pinkie, she had already returned to her imaginary conversation, though it haunted me to overhear what she was saying.

“See guys? I told you they’d start fighting again soon! I’m telling you, one of these days it’s going to get real ugly, and all we’ll be able to do is sit back and watch!”

Gulping, I knew better than to ignore a prophecy from Pinkie. If her imaginary conversation held any weight to it, then it would seem my conflict with Twilight was only going to get worse.

“She didn’t hurt you with her magic, did she?” Rarity asked, who was still standing beside me.

“I’d be lying if I said my shoulders weren’t aching.” I answered honestly, turning to face her, “But otherwise no, I’m fine.”

Tutting, the unicorn sat down with me and shook her head bitterly.

“That mare, honestly…”

“I’ve already asked Rainbow, but…” I began, “do you seriously not have a clue what’s going on with her?”

“I’m afraid Rainbow speaks the truth, dear.” she murmured, “We haven’t the faintest idea why she’s become like this, only that it all began after her private conversation with the Princess.”

“Do you think Celestia’s behind it?”

“I…” she started, swallowing, “I couldn’t see why, if that was the case.”

Clearly not wanting to bad-mouth the Princess, Rarity shifted uncomfortably, and so I didn’t press the matter. Sensing my frustration at the whole thing, Rarity decided to change the subject.

“You know, despite Twilight’s transgressions, I really must say, you do fit in well with us.”

“Really?” I replied, taken aback.

Nodding, she reflected on my personality, in which I had qualities that allowed me to gel with everypony here with relative ease. Hardly convinced, I asked for examples, to which she pointed out many. For Fluttershy, there was the love I had for my dogs, clearly showing my capacity for tenderness. For Rainbow, there was my athleticism and competitiveness, along with my broad sense of humour, which ticked the box for Pinkie as well. As for Applejack and Rarity, who were more mature than the others, I had the ability to hold a weighty conversation, such as the one we were currently having.

“I’ve not known you long, granted, but it’s quite clear to me that you have a lot to give.”

“Pfft, Rarity…” I scoffed awkwardly, unable to take the compliment.

“I mean it!” she insisted, “Now, I can’t assure what the future holds for your relationship with Twilight, but as for the rest of us? Well, if you continue to be the person we’ve seen so far, then our time together throughout this trip is going to be most pleasant indeed.”

Unable to prevent the smile from creeping onto my face, I dipped my head and thanked the unicorn for her kind words. She didn’t have a clue how much this meant to me, not after years of believing that I wouldn’t ever fit in with a group. Though it pained me to think that however close I grew to these girls, it wouldn’t last forever.

“What are you two lovebirds talking about?” said Rainbow Dash, squeezing in between us and causing the both of us to jump.

“I beg your-”

“Oh chillax Rare, don’t get blushy, I was just joking.” Rainbow teased, cutting Rarity off.

“The word you’re looking for is ‘flustered’.” I informed the pegasus, “I thought you were taking a nap?”

“Couldn’t sleep, egghead.”

Rotating my head to look at her head-on, I raised an eyebrow.

“But am I bovvered though?”

“Don’t you dare start…” she growled at me.

“Don’t tempt me then.” I retorted, winking at her.

We all chuckled, before Rarity broke into a yawn, covering her mouth with a hoof.

“Tired?” I asked.

“A little, I must admit.”

She went on to explain that she hadn’t slept so well, especially due to the snoring of her new tent-mate, since I had moved in with Fluttershy.

“Hey, I don’t snore!” Rainbow protested.

“Oh-puh-kh-ff!” the unicorn spluttered, “Rainbow, darling, if you don’t snore, then pigs have wings!”

“Uh well, they… they did when Discord broke free and took over the place!”

“Hm, touché…” Rarity hummed, “Either way, you snore… terribly.”

“No I don’t!” Rainbow Dash whinged.

I joined in on the banter by laying on my back and imitating the pegasus, pretending to snore loud enough to startle Pinkie on the other side of the cargo hold.

“No! Not the Yakuza!” she shrieked at the top of her lungs.

She then immediately went back to what she was doing without a care in the world. Watching her for a moment, I realised that she was reading all the labels on the suitcases, merrily humming to herself. I looked back to Rainbow Dash and Rarity with a look of utmost confusion.

“Is she…?” I began slowly.

“She’s fine.” Dash confirmed, rolling her eyes.

Rarity yawned for a second time, which caused the contagious yawn effect, something I personally liked to call the Mexican Yawn, derived of course from the Mexican Wave. I opened my mouth wide and yawned in my usual fashion, which always created a high-pitched whine. Upon hearing it, Rarity looked at me with curiosity.

“What?” I asked innocently.

“Your yawn, it’s very… um… dog like.” she pointed out with a chuckle.

“Ugh, if I had a pound for every time I’ve been told that.” I grumbled playfully, “Yes, I know, I sound like a dog when I yawn. And no, I don’t put it on, it’s just how I yawn.”

“Fair enough dear, no judgement. Also, a pound?”

“England’s form of currency.” I explained, “The Pound Sterling. It’s like one of your bits, basically.”

“Ahh, I see…” she murmured with understanding.

With that, Rainbow Dash declared that she was going to try napping again, and with her tiredness known, Rarity went to join her. Thanking her again for her kind words, I left the unicorn to snooze and went to chat with Fluttershy, of whom I still needed to apologise to for making her jump. Making my way over, I found her with her diary, finishing off what she had been writing earlier. She saw me approaching and put the pencil down.

“Heya.” I said quietly.

“Hi…”

Coming to sit close to her, I lowered my head and gave her a sorrowful expression.

“Look, I just want to say I’m sorry for making you jump earlier, I really didn’t mean it.”

“Oh, um, thank you for saying that, but it wasn’t your fault.” the pegasus replied, “I’m the one who had a big silly reaction. It was because of me that Twilight got mad, so I’m the one who’s sorry.”

Scooting closer so that I was sat right beside her, I protested that she needn’t be silly. She had been deep in thought with her back turned to me, and I shouldn’t have got so close to her without making my presence known first.

“It was totally my fault, so I’m the one who’s sorry, not you, alright?”

With her eyes darting around anxiously, Fluttershy replied with a mumble.

“Well um, I’m sorry for putting you in a position where you feel the need to be sorry.”

“That is not something you have to apologise for.” I instructed, smiling warmly.

“Oh, alright… Sorry…”

“Stop.” I ordered, now grinning.

“Okay…” she whispered.

The mare paused for a handful of seconds, before sheepishly looking back up at me.

“Sorry.”

I planted my palm into my face and broke into a laugh. Fluttershy too, had a giggle of her own, sticking out just the tip of her tongue and admitting that she was being extra sorry on purpose. I then gestured to her diary and asked what sort of stuff she wrote in there. Swallowing, the mare began to fumble over her words.

“I um… um…”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” I said to her, smiling.

My gentle tone and warm smile got to her. Smiling back, she reached for the notebook to show me.

“It’s just, um, some personal stories, about things that have happened in my life, and, um… things…”

Holding the diary in her hooves, she slowly passed it to me, but just as I was about to take it from her, there was another bout of turbulence. The notebook dropped to the floor, landing on the spine and causing the pages to flip open. Squeaking with embarrassment, she dived forward to cover something I was clearly not meant to see, which accidentally sent two loose slips of paper directly into my lap. Instinctively, I picked up one of them and turned it over, which revealed a purplish blue colt with a sky-blue mane.

{So this is Midnight.} I thought to myself, studying the young stallion.

I then picked up the other picture, and upon turning it over to look, my eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Fluttershy then realised that I had it, and gasped.

“No!”

Before I had a chance to properly take in what I was seeing, the pegasus practically barrelled into me in order to seize the images. She then stuffed them back into her diary, slammed the notebook shut, and swiftly put it back into her bag. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Twilight glaring at me. In an act of sheer mockery, I blew her a kiss, effectively telling her to mind her own business. Turning back to Fluttershy, I found the pegasus’ cheeks were now red as a beetroot. Having just seen the contents of that picture, I could understand why.

“I… I… Um… I… Um-”

“Hey.” I smirked, cutting her off, “I didn’t see anything.”

I gave her a sly wink, and the pegasus gulped emphatically, before nodding and trying her best to compose herself. It would seem that Rainbow Dash hadn’t told me the full story, or perhaps, she didn’t even know it herself, but this Midnight fellow was certainly more than just a crush. Still, that was none of my business, and until Fluttershy and I were a little closer, I would let sleeping dogs lie.

It was then that my mood dropped, and quite considerably too. This happened sometimes due to my depression, though I had expected it not to any more since beginning this journey. I supposed that even the Mane Six whisking me away on a worldwide adventure wasn’t enough to subdue the abyss. Noticing the emotional shift, Fluttershy asked me if something was wrong, to which I shrugged.

“I’m not sure.” I murmured.

She asked what I meant, to which I put my mouth to one side. Though my depression often cropped up unexpectedly, there was usually something that triggered it, even if it seemed spontaneous at first. The notion that depression attacked for no reason was erroneous; though the darkness was there at all times, there was always something that allowed it to creep in. The best way I could describe it was that of a house deep below the sea. The water was the darkness, and the house was me. There was never a time when I wasn’t underwater, my form of depression existed eternally, but permitting that the doors and windows were closed, the inside of the house could remain warm and dry. That was until someone, or something, opened the windows. The water would then come rushing in, and it would consume all the warmth inside, forcing out the air and drowning all which took sanctuary within. That was how clinical depression worked, it was always there, and somehow, between seeing the photo from Fluttershy’s diary and letting her know I wouldn’t say anything about it, a window had been opened.

Thinking on it some more, I tried to analyse what I was really feeling, and why I was feeling it. Obviously, I was overjoyed that the ponies were real, and that I was travelling with them. I had a true purpose now, serving as a guide and protector, and if I succeeded, I would essentially be a hero, having contributed to the protection of an entire world. So why on earth was I now feeling this surge of darkness, endeavouring to flood my mind and bring me down?

I started thinking about the negatives, scrutinising them in the hope of locating the perpetrator.

Let’s think… I had forever sacrificed a normal life, and I had given up my beloved dogs, along with all forms of electronic leisure, which meant no internet, no TV, and no video games. As for my friends on Facebook and Skype, I would never speak to them again. Faking my death hadn’t been all that fake in one sense, because I had well and truly killed my old life. From here on out, the majority of my time would be spent on the move, transitioning from location to location in search of the pieces of the Titans’ Orb, encountering goodness knows how many dangers…

At last, though all this thinking, I found it; the culprit for bringing me down. It was the images from Fluttershy’s diary… This Midnight fellow and his relationship with Fluttershy had reminded me of something else I was giving up, something far more valuable.

“Love…” I whispered softly to myself, much too quiet for Fluttershy to hear.

I had surrendered the possibility of ever having a girlfriend; a companion to love, and to be loved by. This path I had chosen meant for certain that I would never meet someone that I could form a real intimate relationship with. For a split second, I pondered on if a relationship with one of these ponies was an option, which I immediately cast aside in vague disgust; what an absurd, degraded, desperate thought… No, what I wanted was a human woman at my side, and now, I would never have that.

I had relinquished love.

“Callum, are you okay?” Fluttershy murmured, gently poking at my wrist.

Realising that I had been quiet for some time, I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

“Sorry, I was just thinking.” I replied.

“Want to talk about it?” she offered.

“No, it’s fine.” I assured her, “I was just thinking about the stuff I’ve left behind, that’s all.”

“Oh, I’m sorry…” she said, looking down.

“Honestly, it’s fine.” I reiterated, “I know I made the right choice, but it would be folly to think I’m not going to have a few dips here and there, you know?”

Nodding, she said that she perfectly understood, and I rubbed at my wrist where she had poked me. Slowly but surely, I recovered from the low mood, shutting the window of my underwater home, as it were. With time, the darkness would be siphoned back out, and I would be okay again. How could I not be, when the living, breathing Element of Kindness was sat right here with me, real enough to physically touch me? I let out a heavy sigh, and asked if it would be alright for me to take a nap close by?

“Didn’t you already have one?” she pondered.

“I’ll be honest,” I told her, “I didn’t sleep a wink, I just lay there zoned out.”

“Oh, well in that case, of course!”

Getting my new silky pillow, I curled up and tried to drown out the noise of the aircraft, along with the remnants of the suffocating darkness that swam around inside me. It took a while, but with Fluttershy’s calming presence beside me, I was finally able to drift off for a few hours of kip.





“Hey Callum, I was wondering, um… could I ask you something?” asked Fluttershy, prodding at the floor with a hoof.

I had only been awake for a handful of minutes, and by some sheer miracle amidst the plane’s rattling, Rarity had been able to make some tea for us all, which was a lovely treat to wake up to.

“By all means!” I replied merrily, taking a sip from my cup.

“Okay um, well, I was wondering about the wildlife on Earth, and how the natural world works here. Like, um, why are all the animals here so wild? Feral, I mean… It seems like most creatures here behave like they do back in the Everfree Forest.”

Scratching at my chin, I said that it was a good question, and then explained how unlike in Equestria, nearly all creatures in this world lacked any form of proper sapience.

“Besides humans, well, and a few vague exceptions like dolphins and elephants, animals on Earth lack the capacity for selfhood or complex thought. They run predominantly on instinct, with no intention of living beyond the simple ‘wake, eat, drink, sleep, and breed’ routine.”

“Sounds like my Saturday nights back home.” Rainbow Dash chuckled.

There was a loud hoot of laughter from Applejack at that, while Rarity pointed at the pegasus sternly with a hoof.

“You really are a revolting little creature, did you know that?”

“Aww, thanks!” she replied, giggling.

Rolling my eyes, I brought the subject back on track, answering Fluttershy’s question in full.

“That’s not to say there isn’t intelligence or emotion in the animal kingdom.” I told her, “There are hundreds of species that thrive on social bonds and unique survival methods. Cats for instance, were intelligent enough to domesticate themselves, by way of altering their meows to mimic the cries of human babies! Over hundreds of years, they adapted to exploit our empathy, essentially grooming us into taking care of them. They may not be truly sapient, but that kind of intelligence speaks for itself.”

“That’s incredible!” Rarity remarked.

“You can say that again.” I agreed.

Fluttershy too, murmured in agreement, before prodding at the floor again.

“So um, there really aren’t any other creatures like humans?”

Shaking my head, I confirmed that we were very much alone on this planet when it came to a species of equal stature and soul.

“Probably because they exterminated the others.” Twilight suggested, sneering at me.

“Nope, but good on you for adding to the conversation.” I retorted cheerily without missing a beat.

Kissing her teeth in revulsion to me, Twilight went back to her silence.

“Hey, I’ve got a question for you!” Rainbow piped up.

Gesturing for her to proceed, the pegasus inquired as to whether humans had any powers or not.

“Like, we pegasi can fly and have extra stamina, unicorns have magic and all the smarts, and earth ponies are extra strong, with tougher skin and stuff. Do humans have anything like that?”

“Hah, I wish!” I laughed, “Without magic in this world, we don’t really get any bonuses like that, but to be honest, we don’t really need them. Humans, or ‘Homo sapiens’ to be specific, have enough merits as is. We naturally have good stamina, half-decent strength, and then of course, there’s our intelligence.”

Gesturing all around, I pointed out that we were flying across the sea in a gigantic metal machine, hurtling over the clouds at hundreds of miles an hour. If that wasn’t a testament to our mental capacity, then I didn’t know what was.

“Using nothing but the various metals beneath the soil,” I continued, “we can manufacture the means to reshape the very ground we walk upon, and conjure devices of near-unlimited potential. I guess, thinking about it, we do have a power of sorts, it’s just not a magical one. It’s quite simply, our ingenuity.”

“Woah, did anyone else just get goosebumps?” Rainbow Dash breathed.

“Oh I felt a shiver alright.” Applejack replied, chuckling.

Smirking to myself, I took another sip of my tea and had a little stretch. I rolled my shoulders back and received a few satisfying crunches in my upper spine, along with a nice pop in my collar bone. After a few moments of silence, Fluttershy moved on to another question, although it was more of a long-winded request.

“Um, I was wondering, you know how Pinkie told you her life story? Would you be able to tell us yours?”

“Oh, what a wonderful idea!” sang Rarity, nodding in full agreement.

“Blimey uh, where to begin…” I said nervously.

“At the start!” Pinkie squealed, giggling.

Huffing with amusement, I started to cast my mind back to my earliest days, and slowly but surely, I was able to piece together a coherent narrative, and began telling them all of my life…


I was born and raised in a town called Redhill, and my early memories were mostly pleasant. My family was loving and supportive, and I was deeply cared for. At the age of five, I was diagnosed with autism, which began to manifest more and more as I transitioned from infancy to childhood. When out of my comfort zone, I was prone to meltdowns, screaming fits, and all the other accompanying traits of an out-of-control child. Clifford, my father, was incredible at handling it, and was so unbelievably patient with me, not once did he give up in learning how to manage me, his love was unparalleled. My mother, Janice, as one might imagine, was not so forgiving, and quickly came to hold a great deal of contempt for her defective child.

When I came of age to attend primary school, things very quickly went downhill. With stunted social abilities, I was almost immediately ridiculed as a freakish outcast, and forming friendships was nigh impossible. The teachers were also for the most part, without mercy, taking the stance that I was just an ill-behaved brat, very much in need of a good hiding. I was wild and unmanageable, to the point where I had to be dragged into the school grounds by members of staff, literally kicking and screaming.

“Running away became a frequent habit for me.” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck with embarrassment, “Eventually, I ran out of chances, and against my father’s wishes, I was deemed a case too far gone, and was relocated to an institution for severely troubled children.”

“Gosh…” Fluttershy whimpered.

“What was that place like?” Dashie inquired.

“Oh it was awful.” I told them, “I’m talking padded rooms, no sharp objects, the whole ‘insane asylum’ package. I spent three years in there, missing out on my education and being surrounded by the screams of the other children.”

After taking a moment to finish my tea, I continued.

I barely had any social contact, and was left stunted in all mental growth. But at last, there was a turning point, when my father bought a dog for me, a Cocker Spaniel like Chilli, but with black fur. We were truly inseparable, and despite still being a young pup without an ounce of training, she was the truest and most dedicated support dog. She could sense when I was upset or anxious, and she would come to comfort me. She would wait by the front door for me every afternoon, to the point where she could identify the engine of the vehicle that brought me home. I would step indoors and she would jump into my arms. She was, as sad as it sounded, my first and only friend for a very long time.

“Her name was Inca…” I breathed, closing my eyes and picturing her in my mind.



Despite being just a dog, she quickly came to provide more social enrichment than I had received in years. Alongside my dad and my brother, she prevented my communication skills from stagnating, and was the key to the eventual overcoming of my social ineptitude, but this did not come without a cost…

One day, when I was nine years old, Inca changed, for the worse. For no apparent reason, she started to become confused and violent, and although she never once attacked me, she consistently went for the rest of my family. After a trip to the vet, it became apparent that Inca had developed a brain tumour, which was causing the behaviour. I arrived home one day to discover that she had been put to sleep, without me being given the opportunity to say goodbye.

Needless to say, I didn’t take this news well, and after having an almighty meltdown, I found myself plummeting into a pit of emptiness and despair. Just finding the motivation to get out of bed was nigh impossible. I wasn’t even a decade old yet, and I had legitimately lost the interest to live any more. I began to consistently have bitter and angry thoughts, and while in this horrible place, a darkness started brewing within me, a shadowy heaviness that sapped away at all my emotions.

Inca’s death had inflicted me with a sickness, one that was oh-so-ironically known, as the Black Dog.
I was clinically depressed.

“I don’t like this story any more…” Pinkie whimpered, her eyes full of tears.

“I can stop if you wa-”

“No, please! Carry on…” Twilight blurted out, before clamping her mouth shut again.

I looked at the unicorn in disbelief, as did the rest of us. Was she really this invested in my story? Forget that, had she just said please!? The others, as emotional as they now were, had also been completely taken aback by Twilight’s sudden interest. Clearing my throat, I chose to grant her request; if hearing this story had the chance to form a positive connection with the unicorn, then there was no way in hell I was going to pass up on that.

Continuing from where I left off, I explained that from this place of darkness, something else in me had awakened, and for the first time, I started to become properly self-aware. The way I talked, the way I behaved, even the way I dressed, every aspect of myself was noticeable to me, and I realised how abnormal I was. I finally understood why I had been bullied at school, and why the teachers had been so exasperated with me.
They didn’t just think of me as a freak, I was a freak!

From then on, I started analysing the people around me, from my family, to the staff at the institution, to characters in live-action films and TV shows. I began learning how they conversed with each other, and how body language and eye contact worked. Then I began mimicking this behaviour, and lo and behold, it worked! Everyone started to realise that my father had been right all along, that I wasn’t just some lost cause, and that I deserved another chance at school. I shortly thereafter began secondary education, at a boy’s only boarding school, a place for children with less intensive special needs, such as dyslexia, speech impediments, and Asperger’s Syndrome. I started to make friends with my peers, and I was able to catch up on all the education I had missed out on, and quickly. With how little I had been taught until this point, my teachers were genuinely astounded at how quickly I picked things up, calling me ‘gifted’ and the like. I soon went on to become one of the top pupils, but that was only academically speaking; I was no teacher’s pet, that was for sure.

“I cannot even begin to stress how much trouble I got into.” I chuckled, “I was always goofing around during and between classes. There were just far too many open goals for me to not assume the comedian’s role. Besides, people actually found me funny and likeable for once, and I wasn’t going to give that up.”

Sighing, I reflected on how at long last, I had transitioned into something of a functional teenager. Things were going well, and this story of mine very nearly had a happy ending. But just as Inca had come and gone, so too did my upward trajectory. Janice delved further into alcoholism, while Oliver and I grew more distant from each other. And then, as I had explained last night, Clifford put the nail in the coffin with his gambling stunt, incurring enough debt to force us into selling the house and relocating to Ifield. Jan then gave him the boot, and proceeded to lord over my brother and I with spite in one hand, and a bottle of booze in the other. Life descended to a point of absolute suffering, with the sickness in me growing stronger than ever before. It would have totally consumed me, if not for two things.

“Firstly, there was the boxing.” I said, readjusting my sitting position as my legs were beginning to go numb, “Learning to fight helped me immeasurably. It allowed me to take all that anger, pain, and bitterness, and apply it in combat, while remaining in a totally controlled environment so nobody got hurt. It absolutely stopped me from going off the deep end.”

“And the other thing?” Rarity quizzed, offering me the last of the tea from the teapot.

Gladly accepting, I elaborated that the other thing was, well… them!
My Little Pony had brought so much colour and light into my bleak and grey existence, and had given me more joy than they could ever know. The boxing meant diddly squat in comparison, it was that cartoon, based on the very ponies before me, that had allowed me to retain my true nature, along with my desire to be a good person.

“A bit ironic, isn’t it Twilight?” I said with my eyebrows raised, “You seem to think I’m some sort of monster, when you’re the reason I’m not one.”

Not giving her a chance to respond, I brought the story to a close, as I had been talking for bloody ages.

“Anyway, I was planning on running away at some point. But then you lot showed up, and well, you know the rest.”

Smiling at them weakly, I held no shame whatsoever that I had just lied to them…
There had been enough heaviness for one day, and I didn’t want to go overboard by telling them of the incident that had occurred about a year ago. In truth, I had attempted to take my own life, and despite failing, I was secretly planning to try again. There was no plan to run away, the plan had been to hang myself in Dad’s old shed. Still, this end would now never come to pass, for these girls had saved me far more literally than they realised.

“Well, that’s the story!” I announced, clapping my hands together, “Sorry it was so long-winded and depressing, I hope you didn’t find it too bori-”

I was cut off as Fluttershy lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around me, tightly hugging me and breaking into a sob. This set the others off, with Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie also bursting into tears. Rainbow Dash was clearly trying her best not to join in too, while Twilight observed me with glassy eyes, her expression deeply saturated with unknown thoughts and feelings.

“I’m… I’m so sorry…” Fluttershy whimpered, “You’ve been through so much! I’m so sorry!”

“You are… so incredibly brave.” Rarity spoke solemnly, with tears of her own slithering down her cheeks.

“Hey, come on.” I protested, “I didn’t tell you all this for a big sappy song and dance. I’m fine, really!”

“No one is just fine, not after all you’ve been through.” Fluttershy choked, shaking against my body.

Patting at the pegasus’ back to the rhythm of a heartbeat, I settled her down and repeatedly assured everyone that I was okay, and that this big emotional reaction wasn’t at all necessary.

“We just feel bad for you, dude.” Rainbow Dash joined in, “Sure, some ponies can have it pretty bad back in Equestria, but not like what you’ve just described.”

Shrugging, I admitted that it definitely hadn’t been easy, but none of that mattered any more. I had a whole new life now, and although I didn’t know for sure what lay ahead for us, it was safe to say that it wasn’t going to be quite so bleak and lifeless. Upon hearing this, Fluttershy wiped her eyes and calmed down, as did everyone else.

“Well, you know what Callum?” she said.

“What?”

“It may have taken a long time to make friends in your old life, but in this new one, you won’t need to wait so long. From here on out, you’ve got me, okay?”

“Really?” I huffed, slowly breaking into a smile.

“You’ve got all of us, darling.” added Rarity, welling up again.

Everyone bar Twilight got up and came over to me, and before I knew it, I had been sucked into a big girly group hug, and just like that, I was one of them. Overwhelmed by the emotion, all I could do was break out into a ginormous grin, followed by bursting into tears of my own. They had accepted me for who I was, and from here on out, they weren’t just a group of novelties for me to bewonder, nor just my allies to protect.


They were my friends…





> Chapter Fourteen: Welcome to the Jungle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The mirthful celebrations for my new-found friendship were abruptly brought to a close, as Pinkie Pie backed away from our merry huddle and started twitching uncontrollably. With my eyes widening, I asked her what was wrong.

“It’s her Pinkie Sense.” Applejack pointed out, “What is it, girl? What are you picking up?”

Quivering slightly, Pinkie looked at us and grinned.

“Want to hear a joke?”

“Erm, sure?” I replied with great uncertainty.

“What do you get, when you cross Steve Aoki, Laidback Luke, and Lil Jon?”

“Oh dear.” I spoke blankly, knowing exactly what she was implying.

Before the others could even begin to comprehend what Pinkie had said, the mare raised her head and opened her mouth in preparation to scream, followed by her sounding off like a goddamn air raid siren.

“WE HIT TURBULENCE!”

A heartbeat later, the plane shook more violently than ever before, and I was catapulted into Fluttershy, causing her to squeak like a dog’s chew toy. Pinkie was sent into the tower of suitcases she had been stacking, causing one of them to fall down and hit her on the head. Much to my relief, her bouncy mane seemed to take most of the impact.

“Pinks! You okay?” I hollered over to her.

She responded with a nod, and then launched herself upwards and pounced on the suitcase, akin to an arctic fox hunting in the snow. Shaking my head in amusement, I helped Fluttershy up and apologised for knocking her over; she of course, apologised for having been in my way. Rolling my eyes, I tried to make my way to a more secure location to plonk myself. Things were just settling down, when Pinkie inhaled deeply and raised her head again, sounding off for a second time.

“WE HIT TURBULENCE!”

“Oh for goodness’ saaaaaake!” Rarity wailed as she was thrown across the hold.

This had been the worst turbulence so far, with all seven of us being rattled around like loose coins in a tumble dryer. Applejack tried to reposition herself, only to lose her balance and stumble around as though she were on ice. Tripping over, she knocked into Rarity, who had only just got back up, bless her. The pearly unicorn was sent barrelling towards me and I caught her with both hands.

“Look everyone, I caught a marshmallow!” I sang cheerfully before putting her back down.

“Ugh!” she grunted, brushing herself off and rolling her eyes.

The others all laughed, and then Rainbow Dash inquired if such rough turbulence was normal.

“Yeah, this can happen.” I confirmed, “It’s not always this wobbly, it just depends on the weather.”

“Well, thankfully it’ll be over soon.” Twilight grunted, “It’s been eleven hours, so surely we’ll be landing soon.”

“Oh good, I’ve been going a little stir-crazy I must admit.” Rarity professed with an anxious grin.

“How do you think I feel?” Rainbow Dash laughed.

“Um, actually…” Fluttershy murmured, “I’ve been struggling the most.”

At that, Rainbow scoffed loudly and asked how Flutters could have possibly been suffering more than anyone else. Blushing, she looked at her own hooves and gulped.

“I uh, didn’t go to the bathroom before we boarded the plane…”

Dashie’s jaw almost hit the floor, and it dawned on everyone that ‘Little Miss Parasprite Bladder’ had gone this whole time without a loo break. Almost at once, Rainbow took a knee, bowing before her fellow pegasus and apologising, commending her bravery throughout this humble plight. We all laughed somewhat at that, but felt sorry for her all the same; in the one night I had spent with her, I knew that the poor thing would have been absolutely busting at this point.

As Twilight had predicted, and much to our shared delight, the plane soon came in for landing. We were all startled by the sound of heavy machinery being moved by hydraulics.

“What the heck is that?” Rainbow shouted over the noise.

“It’s too loud!” Pinkie cried out, covering her ears with her hooves.

“That’ll be the landing gear!” I announced.

Realising that we were soon to hit the runway, and with no way of knowing exactly when, I shouted for the girls to get to the sides of the cargo bay and hold on to something. They all did just that, clinging to each other fearfully. Pinkie however, kept wanting to play, and dived head-first into the pile of suitcases. Fearing for her safety, I tried to make my way over to her, which was when we hit the tarmac. With a horrendous jolt, I was propelled straight into Pinkie’s tower of luggage, which finally brought it tumbling down.

“Crap!” I cried out just as the mass of suitcases came toppling over me.

Aside from a heavy plastic one hitting me in the arm, I was unhurt, albeit buried alive. Once the plane stopped shaking quite so violently, the others came over to me, with Applejack and Rainbow Dash helping to dig me out.

“Dude are you alright?” asked Rainbow, offering me a hoof.

Taking it and being assisted to an upright position, I burst into a laugh and professed that I was fine. Twilight’s horn then lit up, and all our coatings of Thermic Hide wore off, leaving us feeling a tad colder. That certainly wouldn’t last for long however, for we were in Brazil now; once we stepped outside, the heat and humidity would certainly be there to greet us.

“So, we’re in Brazil now, yes?” Rarity inquired.

Nodding, I confirmed that the passengers above us would be getting up to leave shortly, and that our hiding place would soon be opened, in order to retrieve everyone’s luggage.

“So, what’s the plan?” said Rainbow.

“Uh, let’s just get our flanks off this darn plane and find somewhere to hide first, then we can make a real plan!” Applejack interjected.

“That’s what I meant, AJ… a plan to get off this thing!”

“Oh.”

Cutting in, I proposed that we left the plane in the same manner we got into it; Twilight could cast an invisibility spell, followed by us sneaking out and making a run for some cover.

“Not going to happen.” Twilight stated, shaking her head, “Even without needing to pressurise this place, my mana’s still too low for seven casts of Invisipone, I’d blue out for sure.”

“Too low?” I repeated, “Twilight, what do you mean? We need your magic!”

“Yeah, well as I explained before, it’s recharging slower than I’m used to.”

“How much slower!?”

Swallowing, Twilight shook her head and said that she had barely recovered any since taking off. Whether it was being on this planet, or something else entirely, there was something affecting her magic.

“Why the hell didn’t you warn us sooner?” I demanded to know.

“I… I thought it would go back to normal on its own.” she stuttered.

Shaking my head, I told her that her lack of communication had put us all in very real danger. Glaring at her, I bluntly asked if she could cast the cloaking spells or not.

“If I do, I will blue out.”

“But can you?”

There was a moment of silence, and with a deep breath, she nodded. At that, Rainbow Dash stepped forward and butted into the conversation, thankfully taking my side.

“Then cast it on us already! So you might lose magic for a week or two, big deal! It’s better than getting caught in this damn plane, and being hauled off to heck-knows where!”

“She’s right.” Rarity chipped in, “A blueout is manageable, getting captured is not!”

I didn’t have to convince her further, the look of fear in Twilight’s eyes told me she had made up her mind. The door to the cargo hold made a loud clunk, and the unicorn quickly lit up her horn and cast Invisipone onto the lot of us, saving me for last. Stumbling back, Twilight let out a heavy sigh, and then collapsed to the floor with a thud.

“Twilight!” Fluttershy gasped.

Rushing over in a panic, we all circled around her, with one of the girls prodding her with a hoof, which garnered no response.

“Well, she definitely blued out alright.” Rarity muttered.

“She didn’t say anything about fainting when it happens!” I exclaimed.

“That’s because it doesn’t happen normally.” she told me, “Only the worst of blueouts bring on fainting, this is a bad one…”

The cargo door clunked again, followed by it slowly opening.

“What do we do!?” Rainbow Dash cried out.

We could debate the severity of the blueout later, we needed to move.

“I’ve got her.” I rumbled, “Everyone keep quiet, and make your way out.”

Inhaling deeply, I slid my hands under the limp unicorn’s body and scooped her up, slinging her over my shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Two airport workers then reached the cargo door and clambered inside to grab suitcases.

“Vamos lá, vamos trabalhar, rápido!” one of them shouted.

Whatever that meant, told me that I needed to get moving. I didn’t know a shred of Portuguese, but I knew that ‘rápido’ meant ‘fast’. Slipping past the men, we were all able to get out and onto the conveyor belt. It was still relatively light outside, but the sun was beginning to set. Hoping to get out of here before nightfall, I slid down the belt in a hurry, carefully jumping off to join the others. Twilight then started to come to, and so I placed her down. She immediately flew into a confused panic, and I quickly explained how I had carried her off the plane, and that we still needed to get somewhere safe.

“If you need, I can still carry you.” I offered.

“I’m fine, and never put your hands on me again without permission.” she spat.

“Where to now?” Applejack piped up, ensuring we remained focused.

“Away from the airport, that’s a start.” I commanded.

We scarpered off across the runway, until we reached a small patch of foliage to catch our breath.

“How long do we have left on these invisibility spells?” Rarity asked Twilight.

“Like, thirty minutes tops.” she replied, “Maybe less for the human.”

“Alright, we need to get a bloody move on then.” I muttered, “Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah dude?”

“Can you fly up for a moment, tell us where we are?”

Without uttering another word, the pegasus shot into the sky, before returning a few seconds later.

“We’re on a freaking island!”

{Shit…} I thought to myself.

Up until now, I was completely unaware that Rio’s airport was situated on Governador Island, which was sat in the middle of the gargantuan Guanabara Bay. Now stressed and panicked, I rubbed at my temples, trying as hard as possible to formulate a plan. I had to, it was my duty now to guide these girls, and I wasn’t going to fail at the first hurdle.

“What’s the best way off it?” I asked.

“Uh, we’re close to a huge-ass bridge.” she answered, “But there are loads of cars and stuff on it, and there are no walkways underneath.”

“There was in the original.” Pinkie squeaked, “That part did not go down well with the fans…”

“Zip it!” I snapped, not having time for her nonsense, “Where does the bridge go?”

“It goes to the mainland.” Rainbow explained, “There’s a load of trees over there.”

“Yeah, that could work.” I muttered, more to myself than to her, “Erm… uhh…”

Forcing myself to calm down, I took in a deep breath and turned to Rarity, asking her if she had any sort of teleportation or portal magic.

“Darling, I’m sorry, but only Twilight’s capable of such things. The best of my abilities consist of illusion spells.”

I turned to look at Twilight and opened my mouth, only for her to snap at me.

“Don’t even think of asking me.” she growled, “Thanks to you, I’ve just had the worst blueout of my life. I probably won’t have magic for the next fortnight, at least! Now do your damn job and think of a way to get us out of here!”

With my synapses firing harder and faster than ever before, I racked my brains and came up with something.

“Rainbow, those trees beyond the bridge. Are they dense? Could we hide in them?”

“From the looks of things, yeah.”

“Right, you and Fluttershy… take all our bags and fly there.” I ordered, “Find a good place to hide, maybe somewhere to set up camp. The rest of you, with me.”

Everyone shed their gear, which both the pegasi collected. They took to the air and I followed after them on foot, pressing towards the road with the other four sticking close to me.

“What’s the play?” Twilight asked.

“We’re going to get to the road, and see if we can catch a ride.”

“We just got out of a moving vehicle, now you want to get back in one!?” AJ remarked.

Stopping for a moment, I confirmed my plan.

“Not in, Applejack. On…”


We reached the road, and there was thankfully a break in the chain-link fence to get right up to the traffic, where I patiently waited until things slowed down.

“Why are we just standing here? Clock’s ticking!” Twilight barked.

Looking at the approaching vehicles, I spotted a large truck in the distance. As it grew closer, I noticed that it had a trailer behind it, carrying planks, pipes, and other scaffolding materials.

“You all see that big one there? With the platform behind it, with all the pipes and stuff?”

“Ooh, ooh, I do!” Pinkie sang.

“When I say so, get on that platform.”

Without any other plan, this was our best option. The truck came alongside us, and by some sheer miracle, the traffic slowed to a near stopping point.

“Go! Go! Go!” I hissed.

We charged forward and onto the road, clambering onto the trailer just as the traffic began to move at regular speed again; it was as though the very universe had slowed it down for us. I let out a huge sigh of relief, and we were soon enough on the large bridge that took us away from the island.

“So, what’s the next step exactly?” Rarity asked.

Pointing out the greenery up ahead, I instructed everyone to jump off as soon as we reached it, where we would then make for the trees and properly regroup once we were away from the road.

“And… jump!”

We hurled ourselves from the trailer and into the bushes, where we all tumbled into a ditch. The force of the impact dispelled all our doses of Invisipone, but thankfully we were mostly obscured from the road.

“Aaaarrgh! My leg!” Applejack cried out suddenly, “My darn leg!”

Rushing to her side with Rarity, we realised that she had fallen into a load of discarded litter, which included a handful of broken bottles; one of them I noticed, was now slick with blood.

“Oh shit…” I murmured.

“We need to get deeper into cover, let’s go already!” Twilight commanded, not realising how bad it was.

Retrieving Applejack’s hat for her, as it had fallen off, I asked if she needed a lift, to which she shook her head.

“I’m-I’m okay.” she tried to assure me with a stutter, “Really, let’s get mov-ahh!”

“Oh for goodness’ sake, come here.” I muttered.

Despite her protests, I put my arms underneath the mare’s belly and hoisted her up. I then ran off with the others, not stopping until we were properly submerged amongst the trees. Gently setting Applejack down, I realised how bad the cut was. Just halfway up the shin of her left back leg, the broken glass had created a deep nick that was leaking enough blood to make mine run cold.

“We need Fluttershy, now!” Rarity cried out.

AJ lay on her side, gritting her teeth and trying to put on a brave face, but even she knew how bad the injury was. Her leg was slick with scarlet ink, and plenty of it had dripped onto me as I had carried her, blemishing my poor jeans with the blood of a third individual. I wasn’t squeamish by any standard, but as with Rainbow Dash’s nosebleed, seeing the ponies’ blood like this made me feel woozy.

“This is your fault, you know?” Twilight said to me quietly, stepping along beside me.

“Oh yeah, because I put those glass bottles there, didn’t I?” I retorted.

Before she could speak, we heard the beating of wings overhead, followed by Rainbow Dash swooping down and landing close by.

“There you guys are! I was wondering when you… Oh shit!”

Zipping up to Applejack and seeing the injury, Rainbow took no time at all in zooming back to where she had come from, grabbing Fluttershy and the medical bag.

{So much for not failing at the first hurdle…} I thought to myself bitterly.

We had barely been in Brazil for an hour yet, and it was already trying to kill us…

Once Fluttershy had finished stitching up AJ’s leg, she applied a dollop of Oozima and wrapped it with a bandage. We were good to go after that, and we quickly made our way to a spot the pegasi had found to set up camp. Without Twilight’s cloaking magic, we dug in deep, using the foliage as our obscuring veil. The tents were set up, and we spent the night discussing the plan for tomorrow. With Applejack having been instructed to remain seated, it was Rarity who cooked dinner. Once again, Twilight didn’t eat, but this time it was down to being blued out; she was so nauseous that the mere smell of the food was making her convulse. She went to bed early, and we all did the same shortly after.

As I got comfortable next to Fluttershy, it dawned on me that the news would have been out now, back in England. I was officially dead, and although I had originally been excited to think of Jan’s reaction, I now thought of what Oliver’s would be, along with my other friends besides Bruce, who was the only one who knew the truth. Realising that my death would hurt for some people made me feel resoundingly sad. But still, the commitment had been made, and there was no use dwelling on it. Forcing the thoughts out of my mind, I redirected my focus to the here and now, and drifted off with the thought that Fluttershy, my friend, was lying here next to me.


The sound of the busy road nearby made for a restless night, with all seven of us rife with anxiety. As morning arrived, we agreed to aim for a more dense patch of woodland, so that we could properly hunker down and get our bearings, before making the long march to the Orb fragment. Using the South American pages of my atlas, Twilight showed me more accurately where the shard had landed; it was much further north, somewhere in the upper half of the country. At a slow, stealthy pace, avoiding towns and cities, it would probably take us a fortnight to reach it, perhaps longer.

“Well, there’s no time like the present. Let’s get a move on!” I announced.

Using the Offline Maps app on my phone, which thankfully only needed GPS functionality, I was able to check for upcoming hazards, and our first one was right next to where we had spent the night. It was some sort of construction material storage area, though I hardly expected that to be heavily populated. Regardless, we stuck close to the right-hand side as we progressed, using a thin strip of foliage between the site and the bay water as our cover.

Eventually, we were back in secluded greenery, but another snag was now before us; the mouth of the Rio Pavuna River. Easily a hundred metres wide, it wasn’t exactly an easy cross, especially with Applejack’s leg needing more time to remain clean and dry while the Oozima did its work. There was a bridge further downstream, but that involved crossing into an urban area, which we all agreed would be something far too dangerous during the day.

“Suggestions?” I asked openly.

“Ooh! What if we get on a boat?” Pinkie cried out.

“Nope! No more human transport!” Twilight dismissed immediately.

Emitting an amused huff, I agreed with Twilight. Without invisibility, strong magic, or any means of self-defence, hijacking a boat would be both foolish and disastrous. The others all agreed as well, and Pinkie Pie let out a disappointed grunt.

“Fine.” she muttered, “But mark my words, one day we’re getting on a boat, and we’re going to sail it halfway across the sea! We’ll be like a merry crew of swashbuckling pirates!”

“Only halfway?” I asked her.

“Well yeah, obviously.” she scoffed, “Then we’ll jump ship and steal a different boat!”

“Sure thing Sugarcube, whatever you say.” Applejack chuckled.

“You know, speaking of stealing…” Rainbow Dash murmured, craning her neck, “What if we went back to that material site and grab some stuff from there?”

“Thievery, really Rainbow?” said Applejack, raising an eyebrow.

“What? All we’d need is a few wooden pallets or something, we could put a little raft together!”

Humming, I said that it actually wasn’t a terrible idea. The site looked mainly unoccupied, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to find some pallets and some rope to lash it together.

“Off you go then.” Twilight ordered.

“Don’t be ridiculous, we’re going with him.” Rarity tutted.

After a brief altercation, Twilight conceded and we went to the site together, leaving Pinkie and Fluttershy behind to keep an eye on Applejack, who had been ordered to rest her leg for a moment.

“Okay, you all stay by the outskirts, see if you can spot any rope.” I told them, “I’ll look for some pallets.”

They gave nods of understanding, and I left them by the edge of the material yard. I went deeper in, and it didn’t take me long to find some large rectangular pallets that would serve us perfectly. Now all we needed was rope. Heading back to where I had left the girls, I spotted a worker by his lonesome, heading into one of the little modular offices that were always present at large sites like this. It was then that I heard a shout from inside, followed by a scream; Rarity’s scream…

“No…” I breathed.

Sprinting full-pelt to the building, I found the man pointing at Twilight, Rarity and Rainbow Dash, who must have come in here looking for rope.

“Vocês demônios! Eu vou te matar!” he shrieked in Portuguese.

He clenched his fists and took a step forward, and without a second to think, I burst into action. Lunging forward, I wrapped my right arm around his neck, cutting off his air supply. I then pulled him back and away from the girls. Spluttering and flailing his arms around, the man was completely taken by surprise, struggling against me desperately. Not seeing exactly where the exit was, I fell out of the doorway, taking the man with me. Tumbling down the steps together, I twisted my body to remain on top of him, and in the struggle, I accidentally forced his head into one of the concrete blocks at the bottom. There was a loud smack, and he stopped struggling immediately. Letting him go, I scrambled to my feet and looked down at him, panting heavily. With how quickly he had stopped moving, I figured that I had knocked him out, until I saw the splatter of blood against the concrete block.

“Callum…” Rarity murmured from the open doorway.

Rainbow and Twilight emerged too, and upon seeing the body, their ears flattened to the sides of their heads, their pupils shrinking drastically.

“Did you just…” Rainbow started, before trailing off.

I looked at the girls blankly, before looking back to the man, which was when I realised what I had done.

“We need to go. Now.” Twilight ordered sharply.

Snapping back to the urgency of the situation, I gestured to where I had found the pallets, wordlessly indicating that I had found some.

“I uh, found some rope…” Rarity murmured, unable to make eye contact with me.

Twilight ordered Rainbow to go with me and get the pallets, while she and Rarity ran back into the cover of the foliage. Though hesitant at first, Rainbow Dash gave her head a good shake and then made her way down the steps to join me. The unicorns ran off, and as we made our way to the pallets, Dashie gave a loud, awkward tut.

“Are… Are you alright?” she asked.

All I could do was shake my head, causing the mare to purse her lips. Neither of us uttered a word after that, and we silently grabbed a pallet each and dragged them back to the others. Regrouping with Twilight and Rarity, we made our way back to the other three, who all greeted us with enthusiasm.

“You guys okay? Y’all look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Applejack remarked, tilting her head.

There was a moment of awkward silence, before Rarity finally spoke.

“Someone saw us…”

Fluttershy, Pinkie, and AJ all gasped. They of course, demanded to know what had happened, and with a deep breath, Rarity explained in full what had just occurred.

“Wait, you don’t mean…” Applejack began, “Are you telling me, Callum just…”

Slowly shaking my head, I finally forced out a few words, quietly professing that I was just trying to pull him away, with the sole intention of knocking him out, that I hadn’t meant for… for…

{Oh my god…} I thought to myself, my lips trembling, {I just… I just…}

“You saved us, dude.” Dashie spoke firmly.

Looking at me and puffing her chest out, Rainbow Dash suddenly came to my full defence, and emphasised how the man was about to attack her and the others, and that I had rushed in and kept them from harm.

“They both fell down the steps, and the guy just… hit his own head! It was a total accident!”

Rainbow’s words definitely helped to rationalise things, but there was still an uneasy aura amongst us now, because accident or not, there was no denying this; I had just killed someone…


With the pallets tethered together, everyone hopped on, bar Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. The plan was for them to fly just above with some rope in their mouths, tugging our makeshift raft forwards and upwards to prevent it from sinking. It worked without a hitch, and we made our way across the river with ease, with the added bonus of Applejack’s leg staying completely dry. Hopping off, we stepped into the marshy vegetation on the other side and continued making our way north, all saying very little to one another.

We had been walking for some time, when the humidity and heat started to really work away at us, with some being affected more than others. Dropping to her knees, Twilight gasped loudly, squinting her eyes shut and gritting her teeth. If a blueout really was like an intense hangover, then all this heat must have been utterly destroying her.

“You okay?” I muttered, approaching her.

“Don’t you dare come near me, murderer.”

Just hearing the word nearly made me sick. Gulping, the emotions I had been trying to force away slowly bubbled to the surface. Refusing to look at anyone, I began to sniff loudly and continue walking, occasionally wiping at my eyes as I wept to myself.

I had thought stabbing my clone would have prepared me for something like this, but I was absolutely not bloody prepared. What the fuck was happening right now? Just this morning, I was still in England, drinking tea and happily munching at my first Threezie. Now I was on the other side of the globe, and had just taken someone’s life. It felt as though there was suddenly no oxygen in the air, and I began taking deep, shaky breaths. My forehead began to sweat heavily, along with my vision going in and out of focus, and despite all the heat, my skin felt icy cold.

{I just killed another human being. I’ve just… ended… a person’s life…}

That man had been someone’s son, and he very well might have had children of his own. Had I just taken a father from someone, like mine had been so unfairly taken from me? As though I had suffered a blueout of my own, I felt a pounding in my skull and I began to feel nauseous; so unbelievably nauseous. The image of the man’s lifeless body flashed into my mind, along with the blood-splattered concrete. I was almost sent over the edge, now feeling pins and needles in my face. My mouth then began to salivate, and stumbling to one side, I gagged, though thankfully I was just able to keep it down. Twenty-or-so minutes went by in this state, staggering after the girls on the cusp of hurling. After that, the shock began to fade, and my other emotions with it. Trudging on, I dissociated like never before, becoming completely numb to both myself, and the world around me.

For quite some time, the others pressed on ahead, allowing me to keep my distance. They were completely unprepared for this in their own rights, and despite declaring me as their friend just yesterday, I could only expect such a notion was now forfeit. After about an hour, I finally calmed down and forced myself to get a grip, burying the event deep into the darkest recesses of my mind where it belonged. My duty was to protect these ponies, and that was exactly what I had done; I didn’t get to succumb to this shock.

“Look, I know things got a little dicey back there.” I started, swallowing, “Now, firstly I want to say, I didn’t mean for it to happen like that. But secondly, you all need to understand… what happened back there might not be the last time someone tries to hurt you, meaning it might not be the last time something like this happens.”

Sighing heavily, Rarity admitted that as horrible as the ordeal had been, she understood.

“I think we’re just in a bit of shock, darling. We knew there would be dangers, and that something like this might have been plausible, but none of us could have foreseen it really coming to this, especially not so soon.”

“I disagree.” Twilight stated boldly, “I knew this was going to happen from day one.”

Clearing her throat and strutting forward, the unicorn pointed out how she had tried to tell the group of my species’ lust for violence from the moment they had arrived. Sneering at me, she told them that they shouldn’t be surprised in the slightest by this development.

“Let this serve as a reminder.” she went on, “This thing is not your friend, he’s a weapon.”

“No he’s not!” Rainbow Dash shouted, angrily flaring her wings, “It was an accident, and you know it!”

“Call it what you like, but the facts are the facts.”

Turning away from the pegasus, Twilight took a hard look at me and raised her upper lip with disgust.

“Our guide is responsible for another human’s death, and even if it was to protect us, my point is no less valid that he’s a violent creature, and isn’t to be trusted.”

“Well I trust him!” Pinkie squeaked, bouncing forward and giving me a hug.

“You… You do?” I murmured, looking down at her with amazement.

“Yep-yep!”

Scoffing, Twilight asked for one valid example of how I could possibly be trustworthy, in which the pink pony gave a reply so emotionally charged, that it sold the rest of the group.

“He went his whole life struggling to make friends, and then he made some new ones, and the very next day, he made a choice! He chose to keep his new friends safe, even if it meant doing something that might make them not like him any more. If that’s not trustworthy, then my name isn’t Pinkamena Diane Pie!”

“Pinkie…” I breathed, struck by her profound, loving words.

With sparkles in her sapphire eyes, she looked up at me and grinned.

“You’re my friend, and I’m not scared of you.”

That last part had me in tears, and with a big grin, Rainbow Dash came forward and added to the sentiment, declaring that she was still my friend too. Rarity and Fluttershy followed after her, and eventually, Applejack as well. Yet again, I found myself engulfed by a group hug, and despite Twilight’s protests, I was accepted by them for a second time over. What I had done was an act of protection, and with Pinkie spearheading that point of view, we all came to see it. Rarity proposed that we put the matter behind us, under the reminder that Princess Celestia had chosen me for this very purpose, to keep them safe at all costs. Twilight of course, tried to argue with ifs and buts, though they were thankfully dismissed, with Rarity sternly ordering that this was a now closed case.

Continuing our bushland trek with a renewed sense of unity, we walked until the sun set, and after finding a relatively dry clearing, we deployed the tents and got some rest, all equally exhausted from a most trying day. If this was just day one, who knew what else Brazil had in store for us?





Over the next few days, everything for the most part went back to normal. All and any unease surrounding the ‘incident’ had faded away, and Applejack’s leg was all healed up in no time. Mine was too for that matter, without even a scar to be seen from my treetop tumble. We had made a fair bit of progress in distance, especially after cutting through some urban areas in the dark of night, giving us plenty of wilderness to freely move in, including our first real patch of dense Brazilian jungle.

The sights, sounds, and smells were like nothing I had ever experienced. Everywhere I looked was a sea of green, and the sound of birdsong and the buzzing of insects was almost deafening. The smells were so fresh and natural; it put English woodland to shame, that was for sure. Every tree was a giant, mighty and looming; they towered above us like great divine towers, with small rays of sunlight peeking through the canopy and flickering against every surface they touched. At some point, a bright blue bird had flown overhead, and as the days passed, we noticed it sometimes watching us from the trees. Though it never once came close, it was clearly following us.

“Some scenery, huh?” Applejack said to me, noticing my amazement.

“Yeah, I’ve seen nothing like it. It’s like a new world to me.” I answered, still star struck.

“How do you think we feel, Sugarcube? We’re actually on a new world!”

“That’s a fair point.” I granted, chuckling.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I looked behind me to make sure our stragglers were doing okay. Pinkie and Rarity were practically dying in the heat, and right at the back, was the worst victim… Still reeling from bluing out, poor Twilight had collapsed a handful of times, and required dozens of stops per day to drink water and gather herself. She certainly looked like she was having a hangover, that was for sure; her eyes were yellowed and there wasn’t a passing second where she didn’t look like she was about to be terribly ill.

“Do you have any idea when your magic will come back?” I asked her.

“No, it’ll just happen.” she snapped, “Now stop talking to me, the sound of your voice makes me want to thr-”

“Alright!” Rarity bleated, panting heavily, “I’m queasy enough in this accursed heat, I don’t need you talking about such things. Especially not with that unsavoury attitude of yours!”

Rolling my eyes, I moved up to the front of the group, where I strode along beside Rainbow Dash.

“The egghead still being an asshole?” she asked.

“Yup.” I replied.

We then heard a clatter from behind us, followed by said ‘egghead’ hissing a number of expletives.

“Twilight, language!” Rarity scolded.

“Bite me!”

Realising that Twilight had dropped her water canteen, I went to help her retrieve it, feeling a pang of sympathy for the poor thing. Picking it up and popping the cap off, I passed it to her and she took it without uttering a word.

“Here, I’ll put the cap back on for you.” I offered when she was finished drinking.

“I don’t need your help.” she growled.

“Alright then, have fun with that.” I replied blankly, walking away.

I hadn’t even gone three steps, when she asked me to wait. Turning around, I saw her offering me the canteen, silently begging for the help she had just refused. Taking it from her, I put the cap on and handed it back. She may not have thanked me with words, but her eyes practically screamed with unsaid gratitude. Smiling at her warmly, I made my way back to Rainbow Dash and kept walking with her.

“So, here’s a thought.” started Applejack, “If Twi don’t get her magic back soon, how are we going to pinpoint exactly where we’re going? Like, I know we’re supposed to be going north, but when do we stop going north?”

“That’s a good point.” Rarity concurred.

“What about your gem finding spell?” I theorised, “Twilight may have needed it all the way from England, but now we’re in Brazil, can’t you make use of it?”

With a shake of her head, Rarity explained that just as before, her gem finding spell wasn’t much use by itself. Firstly, it was useless without being within a few yards of a gemstone, as the spell primarily just worked by making them visible through obstructions. Secondly, it was quite a demanding spell, and without a guarantee that it would work, Rarity didn’t want to waste her mana. The last thing we needed were two blued out unicorns. Essentially, without Twilight’s modifications, the spell was a moot solution.

Unless, it wasn’t…

Scratching at my chin, I pondered on the facts, and at last, I had an idea. Using a thumb to clear the sweat from my forehead, I asked if it was possible to bind the gem finding spell to something material. That way, we could use it like a compass.

“Casting the spell outright may not work,” I went on, “but if you enchanted something with it, maybe the spell might work differently?”

It was a shot in the dark, but the response was positive.

“You know, you might be on to something there…” Rarity murmured, “Twilight, isn’t it true that spells behave differently when applied as enchantments?”

“They do.” Twilight muttered, before pointing a hoof at me, “But how do you know about enchanting? I thought humans didn’t have magic!”

Without missing a beat, I quickly explained how we humans were borderline obsessed with make-believe, especially of the medieval fantasy genre, which was brimming with wizards, witchcraft, and sorcery. Though our concept of magic was seemingly baseless, it appeared as though we had struck a lot of the right notes, such as enchantment, intelligence, and even mana!

“Wow, that’s incredible!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“And hard to believe.” Twilight snorted.

“Look, when we get out of this place, I’ll show you!” I insisted, “But for now, let’s focus, yeah?”

Everyone else was happy with my testimony, and we moved on to the subject of actually enchanting something. Twilight and Rarity explained how it worked, and it was relatively straightforward. Enchanting was a simple matter of infusing an object with a spell. It used a lot of mana, but it was for the most part, easy to perform and compatible with most inanimate objects.

“Okay, so what if we enchanted a stick with it?” I proposed, pointing to the nearest stick on the ground, “Maybe it’ll glow when it’s pointing the right way?”

“A nice first draft, but a stick?” Rarity giggled, “A bit unreliable, don’t you think? It might break, or we might lose it!”

“How about your own hooves?” Rainbow Dash laughed, “Maybe you’ll start walking in the right direction?”

“Erm, how about ‘no thank you’?” the unicorn dismissed, rolling her eyes, “I’ve been dragged halfway across the country at the behest of gems once before, and I shan’t let it happen again.”

Knowing that she was referring to when she had earned her cutie mark, I broke into a chuckle. Pinkie then decided to give an input of her own, though it was hardly a helpful one.

“Beep boop beep!” she squealed.

“Shush Pinkie dear, we’re trying to think.” Rarity hushed.

“Beep boop beep!” Pinkie squealed again, louder.

“Pinkie, Sugarcube, please contain yourself for a moment!” Applejack pressed, trying to settle her down.

“No…” she groaned, “Beep! Boop! Beep!”

“I… I don’t understand.” Rainbow Dash sighed.

Pinkie Pie then walked over to me and forcefully prodded my thigh with her muzzle. I asked her what she was doing, wholly confused by her behaviour, even by her usual standards. Without relent, she continued to prod around my thigh with her nose, far too close to my crotch to be deemed comfortable or appropriate.

“Beep boop beep! Beepity beep! Boop bubba beep!”

“Cut it out, Pinks!” I demanded awkwardly, pushing her face away.

“Vvvvrrrr! Vvvvrrrr!” she buzzed.

“Well guys, it’s official.” Dashie groaned, “This heat’s caused Pinkie to lose her last loose screw!”

I rubbed at my leg where she had been so forcefully sticking her face, which was when I ran my fingers over the shape of the phone that dwelled in my pocket.

“Vvvvrrrr! Vvvvrrrr!” Pinkie continued to buzz.

She hadn’t lost her last loose screw, she was just telling us in her own special way how to make the rest of this whole damn adventure ten times easier. Shaking my head in disbelief, I stared at the pony and let out a heavy breath.

{Pinkamena Diane Pie, you clever little so-and-so…}

Noticing my expression, Rainbow Dash inquired as to what the matter was. Without uttering a word, I reached into my pocket and took out my phone. I then navigated the settings menu and selected the vibration test, to which the device gave off a loud ‘vvvvrrrr, vvvvrrrr’.

“Get out…” Rainbow Dash murmured.

“Unbelievable…” said Rarity, putting a hoof to her mouth.

Applejack then came forward and put a foreleg around her friend, tutting loudly.

“Pinkie, I don’t know how that fuzzy little head of yours works, but I love you.”

“Aww, thanks!” she giggled, breaking into a happy little dance.

Thanks to my experiment with Twilight, along with her exploits in the Flight Control Tower, we knew for a fact that magic and technology could work in tandem. We quickly theorised that Rarity could enchant my phone with her gem finding spell, and if all went well, perhaps the device would display the Orb shard’s location. Choosing not to dilly-dally, I opened up my map application and held out the device.

“Go for it.” I instructed.

Rarity’s horn lit up and she brought it close to my phone. As soon as she made contact, the screen began to flash and flicker. It then began to vibrate intensely, with the phone’s temperature almost becoming too hot to handle. The hairs on my arm then began to stand on end as static electricity radiated from the device.

“Bloody hell…” I mumbled.

Eventually, the glow of Rarity’s horn died out, and the phone screen went black. I touched the screen a few times, but nothing happened.

“Huh, I think, uh… I think you killed it.” said Dashie.

I hit the power button, and still nothing happened.

“Perhaps it needs to cool down.” I suggested, “Phones automatically turn off when they get too hot.”

“Ah, alright.” Rarity shrugged.

With that, all we could do was play the waiting game. We then started to notice that it was getting dark, so we decided to set up camp and have some dinner. My phone wasn’t going anywhere, so whether the enchantment had worked or not, it could wait. As we pressed on for somewhere suitable to set up the tents, Fluttershy made a rather concerning request.

“Could um, could you all go on ahead for a moment? I want to talk to Callum about something in private.”

“Uh, sure, I guess.” Applejack replied, raising an eyebrow.

Shrugging, everyone took off, leaving me alone with the buttery pegasus. I asked her what was going on, to which she nervously crossed her front legs, and then spoke her mind.

“I um… I wanted to ask you something personal, just to be absolutely certain about something…”

“Erm, alright… well, I’m all ears.”

“Back at your old home,” she began, “I don’t think you were being completely honest about something. It’s been on my mind ever since, so I just wanted to be brave and ask you. If, um… if you don’t mind…”

Gulping, I tried to think back; what hadn’t I been honest about? Giving her a nod to proceed, she told me exactly what I hadn’t been honest about, and I broke into a cold sweat.

“Pinkie Pie asked you about the kind of foods you eat, and you said that you eat food similar to us ponies. But I can’t help but notice, whenever you smile… you have some sharp teeth too…”

“Oh…” I said.

{Well… fuck.} I thought to myself, swallowing slightly.

“Do you… um…” Fluttershy started and stopped, trying to find the words, “Do… um… you…”

She looked at me with a troubled expression, not exactly sure how to say it without causing offence. She then gave me a look as if to say ‘you know exactly what I’m trying to ask you’, and she was absolutely right. I knew what her question was, and it was a question that I had been dreading since I had met them. I sighed before giving my answer, preparing myself once again for the fear and mistrust of my newfound pony friends.


“Yes Fluttershy… I eat meat.”





> Chapter Fifteen: On The Shy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Okay.” Fluttershy hummed.

“I’m sorry…” I mumbled, hanging my head guiltily.

I felt terrible. The poor mare must have been absolutely horrified, and must now utterly loathe me. Out of all the ponies, why her? Why did Fluttershy have to be the first one to know?

“What for?”

Blinking rapidly and craning my neck, I was left utterly bewildered by this response.

“What do you mean? You know exactly what I’m sorry for, I eat meat…”

“So?”

“I… what?” I murmured, astonished.

Sitting down beside me, Fluttershy smiled at me and explained.

“Callum, I knew from the first day. With all the different animals I spend time with, I know a creature’s diet from the moment I see their teeth. Herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores like yourself, I’ve never been wrong. You have to remember, I care for so many little critters back home, many of which are carnivores. I have to get imported meat products all the time to feed them, and Applejack helps me catch fish to feed the ferrets, cats, and larger birds. This isn’t a big shock for me, I just wanted to better understand what kind of creature you are.”

Everything she was saying made perfect sense, and yet, I was still completely baffled by her response.

“So, you-you don’t hate me?” I stuttered nervously, “You’re not going to… y-yell at me? Not even berate me a little bit?”

Her eyes widened, as she realised how distressed I had been in answering this question, and the reaction I had been expecting.

“Oh Callum… Did you really think I was going to be that upset with you?”

Nodding my head with tears in my eyes, the pegasus wrapped both of her forelegs around me and gave me an affirming cuddle.

“I’m not even the slightest bit bothered, okay? Just so long as you don’t plan on eating me!” she giggled.

Breaking into a laugh of my own, I returned the hug and confirmed that I had no such plans. Like a cool breeze in a hot room, I felt a huge wave of relief and relaxation. Ever since that first night, I had dreaded Fluttershy’s reaction to this, and now here we were, joking about it, without her possessing a shred of contempt for me. The weight that had been lifted from my chest was indescribable, as was the euphoria that came from knowing that I didn’t need to obscure the truth from her any more.

“Hoooph…” I sighed heavily, “Not going to lie, I might have been a tad anxious about you finding out.”

“I never would have guessed.” she teased.

Huffing with amusement and further released tension, I told the pegasus that her straightforward acceptance had meant more to me than she knew. I then admitted to her that I had been worried about this from day one. Letting go of me, she told me that she was well aware of that, for she had seen the flicker of fear in my eyes, when Pinkie had first asked me what food humans ate.

“I just wanted to get to know you a little better, before asking you outright.” she explained, shrugging.

“Makes sense…” I hummed.

“So um, how about we get back to the others? I don’t want to get lost from them.”

Nodding in agreement, I got up with her, and we set off to find the rest of our company.


The others had taken no time at all in moving on, and it was quite a long trek before we caught up to them. We found them all sitting in a circle talking amongst themselves. Before we reached them, I lightly tapped Fluttershy on the shoulder.

“Hey uh, would you mind if the others didn’t know about this yet?” I asked, “I don’t think they’re going to take it as well as you have, so I’d rather they just weren’t aware yet, you know?”

She gave a little hum in response and nodded her head, indicating that she understood where I was coming from. I thanked her quietly and we reached the others, to which I boldly greeted them and merged with the circle.

“Good morrow, ladies!”

“Ah, there you are! We were worried the jungle had eaten you up!” Rarity sang to us.

“Nah, I don’t taste that good. Too fatty.” I joked, jiggling my belly.

The girls laughed and I sat down amongst them, with Fluttershy joining me at my side.

“So, what were you two chatting about?” Rarity asked.

Before either of us could answer, Rainbow Dash noticed how uncomfortable Fluttershy looked, and with a crude smirk, she decided to make things weird.

“How much do you want to bet they were making out?”

Fluttershy, bless her heart, went beetroot red and stared at the ground, utterly mortified.

“Oh for pity’s sake, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack exclaimed, shaking her head.

“What?” Dashie chortled, “We all know how much Flutters loves rare and exotic creatures. It’s not hard to imagine she was trying to, you know, get to know him a little better…”

“That’s not what happened!” Fluttershy whimpered, now hiding beneath her own tail.

“Stop tormenting the poor filly!” Applejack ordered, “You know full-well that Fluttershy ain’t that kind of pony! Shoot, I don’t even think she’s ever been in a relationship!”

With a sly grin, Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow.

“Oh really? Then what about Middy?”

As though she had been stung by a bee, Fluttershy gasped loudly and scrambled away from the circle, before getting to her hooves and running away into the brush, crying.

“Well, that was a reaction and a half…” Dashie mumbled.

Everyone, Twilight included, gave the cyan pegasus a look of absolute disdain, to which she started to recede into herself.

“I was just… joking around.”

Rarity was the first to scold the pegasus, with her shrill voice being sharp enough to pierce anyone’s guard.

“What you were ‘just’ doing, was making somepony extremely uncomfortable, and when she clearly needed you to stop, you pressed on, until she felt the need to run away in floods of tears! I genuinely cannot believe you would choose to be so unkind. Shame on you, Rainbow Dash, shame on you!”

Rainbow gulped, shuffling her hooves. Applejack was the next to scold her, calmly stating that she was incredibly disappointed in her. Even Pinkie had something to say.

“That wasn’t funny Dashie, and trust me, I know funny.”

Getting to my feet, I decided to nip this in the bud.

“You, with me, now.” I commanded, glaring at Rainbow Dash.

Still shaken by everyone’s sudden and intense disapproval, she was more than willing to obey.

“And where are you taking her exactly?” Twilight demanded to know.

“To execute her for her heinous crimes, obviously.” I deadpanned, rolling my eyes at the unicorn.

Tutting, I simply elaborated that we were going to find Flutters, and that Rainbow Dash was going to put it right. Beckoning her to follow me, we left the circle and went after Fluttershy.

“I’m sorry.” she mumbled as we walked.

“I’m not the one you need to apologise to.” I grumbled, “What the hell were you thinking? We’re all exhausted and overheating in this shitty jungle, and you’re intentionally pressing Fluttershy’s buttons. Not to mention the fact you know she’s sensitive about that Midnight fellow. Why would you expose her like that?”

“I just… I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah, too right you weren’t thinking.” I spat.

“I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t tell me that, tell her.”

I pointed ahead to where Fluttershy could just be seen, weeping to herself amongst the bushes. We went over there together, and upon spotting us, the little mare wiped at her eyes and looked at the ground. When we were almost upon her, I tapped Rainbow on the shoulder and leaned down to bring my face close to hers.

“Sort it out.” I told her in a low, rumbling tone.

Furrowing her brow, Rainbow gave me a nod, and I turned away to lean against a nearby tree, giving Rainbow Dash a moment for a proper apologetic heart-to-heart. I couldn’t hear much, but I overheard a few things, mainly about how badly Dashie regretted being so thoughtless, and that she had been really stupid. After a little while, I saw them exchange hugs, along with Fluttershy playfully cuffing her friend on the head with one of her wings, which made me smile. Knowing that they had made up, I came over and escorted them back to the main group.


We returned to find that the others had moved on a little further, and were setting up camp for the night.

“Oh, we’re setting up already?” I inquired, “We still have a fair bit of daylight left.”

“Twilight isn’t going any further today, and that’s my order.” Rarity instructed, coming over to speak to me up close, “Her blueout symptoms are getting worse. The poor thing’s just been sick.”

Raising my eyebrows, it shocked me to hear that the blueout was still this bad. Nodding in total understanding, I genuinely felt a sense of sorrow for Twilight. She may have been paranoid and unkind, but she didn’t deserve this, not at all. Shedding some good news to the group, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy trotted along beside me and declared that everything was fine between them again, which needless to say, everyone was most pleased about.

After the camp was fully established, Pinkie Pie began to lament about how bored she was, and begged for us to play a game with her. Thinking about it, we hadn’t done anything fun as a group since Stuffy Bunnies. Aside from Twilight of course, everyone was up for a game, but I enforced that we played something that didn’t involve running off into the wilderness.

“Hey, I know, let’s play I spy!” Pinkie sang out.

“Ooh, great idea!” Applejack praised.

“Dibs on first go!” Dashie cried out, “I spy, uh, something blue!”

“Is it you?” I laughed.

Shaking her head, the cyan pegasus grinned.

“The sky?” Fluttershy suggested.

Another wrong answer. Pinkie then jumped up and pointed out Rarity’s tent.

“Hey, nice one Pinks!” Rainbow congratulated her, “Your turn!”

Looking all around, Pinkie hummed to herself loudly, and licked her lips.

“Hmm… I spy, with my little eye… something… green!”

Chortling, Applejack gestured all around at the sea of green we were enveloped in.

“Uh, everything?”

We all laughed, before taking turns to point out every conceivable green thing in sight; we even went into the specifics of pointing out individual leaves. A good ten minutes went by, with Pinkie shaking her head so much that I was worried it might fall off!

“Okay, this is just ridiculous.” Rainbow grumbled.

“Alright Pinkie, you got us. We give up.”

“You sure?” she asked, sticking her tongue out.

“Yes!” we all shouted in unison.

“It’s Callum’s eyes!”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me…” I groaned loudly.

Pinkie rolled onto her back in a fit of giggles, and my personal space was suddenly disregarded by all, as they came to properly inspect my irises and confirm that they were in fact, green. Tutting with annoyance, we continued playing, now under the singular rule that Pinkie wasn’t allowed to be the Spy any more. Midway through the next game, I tapped out as I needed the bathroom, and awkwardly retrieved the toilet roll from my bag, and fled to the jungle to relieve the call of nature.

Upon my return, I found that the group had given up on playing, and Applejack was cooking some dinner for us; boiled potatoes and herbs, seasoned with salt and ground garlic, all generously lathered with butter. It was an absolutely delectable dish, and it successfully elevated our spirits. With a great deal of willpower, Twilight was able to eat some as well and keep it down, which definitely helped to perk her up.

After a good natter around the campfire, we called it a day and got to bed nice and early. Our sleeping arrangements had remained consistent since England, and I tucked myself in next to Fluttershy, who was now totally at ease with my proximity; she had even taken to pressing against me in the night for assurance and comfort, something that had genuinely made me cry the first time she did it. Such a degree of closeness to someone had brought me unfathomable levels of jubilation, with her presence allowing me to drift off easier than ever before. Due to the heat, we had taken to lying on top of the sleeping bags instead of in them, and feeling her velvety fur against my back was more comforting than anything I had ever experienced. Despite the humidity and the unfamiliar jungle sounds, I always awoke feeling well-rested, and full of elation.

“Hey Flutters, mind if I ask you something?” I inquired as she settled down beside me.

“Um, sure, what is it?” she replied.

“Earlier, when Rainbow Dash was being a bit of an idiot, you took things really personally, and I was just wondering what it was that she actually said that caused you to get so upset?”

“Oh, um, well… um, um…”

“You don’t have to tell me.” I assured her.

Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she explained why Rainbow’s teasing had startled her so badly.

“Okay, um… so, this is going to sound really silly, but I have a really vivid imagination. When somepony puts an image in my head, it’s like I can actually see it, inside my mind, and I can’t stop it from happening. So when Rainbow Dash said what she said, I started picturing things, and it made me feel bad, and dirty. We’re only just getting to know each other, and then Dashie made me imagine stuff like that, and I just started feeling so incredibly guilty!”

Rolling over to face me properly, the mare gave me a desperate expression.

“I don’t think of you like that, I promise. Please, I don’t want to make things weird!”

Smiling warmly and exhaling through my nose, I shook my head and confirmed that things were most certainly not weird. If anything, this response of hers was nothing short of adorable, and on a personal front, relatable. Breaking into a light chuckle, I divulged to her that I too, had a vastly imaginative brain, and visualised things in the exact same way she did. Throughout my whole life, I had been prone to all sorts of intrusive thoughts, and so Fluttershy’s predicament was something that was all too familiar to me.

“Trust me, I get it.” I said to her, “It’s not made anything weird, I promise.”

Sighing heavily, Fluttershy visibly relaxed and flopped into her pillow. Just as I had been dreading her reaction to my consumption of meat, it seemed that she too, was plagued by fears of how I might perceive her.

“Besides,” I continued, “it’s pretty clear that you’re spoken for.”

Blushing heavily and recalling the diary incident from the aeroplane, Fluttershy cleared her throat and flicked her tail anxiously, before coming clean about that too.

“Um, about that… Midnight and I aren’t exactly, um, a thing.”

“You’re… not?” I quizzed, tilting my head.

I was about to point out the awfully revealing image from her diary, which was when she sat up properly and looked me dead in the eyes.

“Can you… promise, never to tell the others?”

“Of course, I promise.”

“Pinkie Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Taking me at my word, Fluttershy leaned forward and told me the truth.
Midnight Plume was a pegasus she had grown up with in Cloudsdale, and much like herself, he had been more concerned with animals than other ponies, with his sole interest being in birds. They quickly bonded over their shared adoration for them, and became the closest of friends. There was undeniable chemistry between them, along with physical attraction as they grew older, but there was one slight hitch. For as much as they had feelings for one another, Midnight’s love for birds was always stronger, and he knew in his heart that he wished to settle down with a griffon. However, such idolatry wasn’t to mean their relationship fell apart, and when Fluttershy moved to Ponyville, ‘Middy’ would come to visit her every now and again, where they would spend most of their time tending to Fluttershy’s birds. Some of their time, however, took place elsewhere…

“We have a… um… an agreement of sorts.” she explained, “Until he finds a griffon to settle down with, we have a sort of, um, special friendship, in private.”

Cupping my mouth with my hands, I genuinely wouldn’t have believed her, had it not been for what I had seen fall from her diary. That first image had simply been an ordinary photo of the colt, a perfectly reasonable and conventional keepsake. The second image however, had been of them together, and by together, I meant… together.

{You, of all ponies…} I thought, slowly shaking my head.

I might have expected something like this from Rainbow Dash; in fact, that troublesome little minx had all but confirmed she partook in such shenanigans during the plane flight. Perhaps, Rarity too, I could imagine maybe having a gentleman caller on the down-low, but Fluttershy!? It would seem that the age-old cliché rang true in both our worlds; it was always the quiet ones…

“So erm, the pictures?” I pressed gently, swallowing nervously.

“Um, yeah, um… you really, um… weren’t supposed to s-see that.”

Her reply had come as a trembling whisper, and it didn’t take a genius to guess that she was panicking for letting the cat out of the bag. But I was a man of my word, and not a soul would hear of this, not from me. I reiterated this promise, and she shakily continued to explain that the photographs were something of a keepsake, which he had consensually agreed to let her take. This was so that when he eventually did meet a griffon someday, and would come to visit her no more, she could treasure some truly intimate moments, of which she feared that she would never have with anyone else.

“Why not?” I posed.

Sighing, Fluttershy dipped her head.

“Well um, I don’t… I don’t think I could ever give myself to somepony else like that. Even if Middy never comes to love me in the same way, I’ll always belong to him, just in case he ever changes his mind…”

Tears started welling up in her eyes, which almost set me off as well; that last sentence was utterly heart-breaking! Sniffing, Fluttershy broke eye contact and tried to blink away the tears, making it perfectly clear that this conversation needed to take a different turn, followed by a conclusion.

“Well you know what?” I began, “I think that’s really sweet, and I don’t judge you in the slightest.”

“You don’t?” she whimpered.

Shaking my head, I told her that her business was her own, and that she was a grown mare, perfectly capable of choosing how to live her life, and that there was only one shameful thing about the whole ordeal. Gulping, she lowered her head.

“What’s that?”

Cupping her cheek with one hand, I regained eye contact with her and smiled.

“That Midnight would rather give his heart to some grouchy old bag of feathers, than to the kindest, sweetest, most perfect little pegasus that could ever grace the lands and skies of Equestria.”

Unable to stop the tears, but now grinning like an idiot, Fluttershy buried her face into my chest, releasing the mix of emotions that had been bubbling up inside her. Lightly stroking the back of her head, I smirked with warm pride, thankful to have developed such a trusting bond with her. Once Fluttershy had calmed down, she thanked me profusely for letting her finally tell someone else about this secret.

“Someone else?” I repeated, “Who else knows?”

“Only Rarity.” she told me, “As for why her? Um… just know that I had my reasons.”

“Fair enough.” I said, not pushing it, “But nopony else knows? At all? Surely Rainbow Dash knows at least, right?”

“She doesn’t have a clue.” she said, tittering, “She thinks I’m too innocent. Rainbow just thinks he visits for the birds, and that I’m too shy for anything serious.”

“Huh, fair enough.” I hummed, “It just seemed like she was in the know, based on what she said earlier.”

“No, she just likes to play it up to make me feel awkward. If only she knew that she was actually downplaying it!”

She burst into a giggle, and I giggled with her. After that, we made a quick trip outside for a wee, and then settled down for good, nestling up to each other and drifting off to sleep.


I woke to find Fluttershy already gone, though from the sound of things, she was sitting just outside the tent. I could hear the other girls too, talking amongst themselves over breakfast. Slowly rolling over and stretching, I quietly slithered to the entrance and listened to what they were saying, hoping to catch some juicy gossip.

“I mean, they’re okay-looking and all, but I don’t think I could ever date one.” Applejack said.

“Hmm, I must admit I’m a little on the fence.” Rarity joined in, “I’m not really all that fond of interspecies relationships. Not that I judge those who are in them, but for me, I want a handsome stallion who knows how to treat a lady right.”

More relationship talk, was there something in the air? Perhaps my conversation with Fluttershy had sparked her to come out and tell them the truth about Midnight, and his desire for a griffon? No, she wouldn’t do that, not after so adamantly making me Pinkie Promise. But still, having heard the mention of an interspecies relationship, there was certainly some interesting topic going on. Craning my neck to listen more carefully, I continued to eavesdrop.

“What about you, Rainbow?” Applejack said with a chuckle, “It ain’t no secret that you’re a big fan of all sorts of fellers.”

“Pfft okay, yeah, that’s fair.” she chortled in reply, “Yeah, I would totally get it on with a human.”

Now that woke me up. My eyes shot wide open as I realised that they weren’t talking about griffons and the like. They were talking about me, or at least, my species. Placing a hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp, I listened on.

“Well then, don’t be subtle about it!” Rarity laughed.

“Why be subtle?” Dashie scoffed, “You know me, I love experimenting! By the time I’m wrinkly and gross, I want to have slept with every race on Equus, so why not add a freaking alien to the list?”

From last night’s revelation, to this… Never in a million years would I have expected them to be this openly debauched, especially in casual conversation. But, on the flip side, there were two very important things that I needed to remember. Firstly, as stated numerous times to me, the cartoon world of Equestria and its inhabitants were far from childish. Their world was as real as my own, and reality was always grittier than fantasy. Secondly, I needed to remember that these girls had been friends for years, so with me presumably out of earshot, there was probably very little they wouldn’t talk about together. I may have had limited experience with long-term friendships, but I wasn’t stupid, I knew how it worked. Trying to cast aside my male mindset, I tried to picture that girly ‘BFF’ mentality, in which ‘gal-pals’ would tell one another just about anything, with no holds barred. Shrugging, I forced myself to accept the new norm, and decided to roll with it.

“Frankly, I don’t know how any of you could even think of copulating with one of those things!” Twilight spat, gagging.

Unzipping the tent, I popped my head out and locked eyes with the unicorn, startling everyone.

“Err, because I’m sexy as hell, that’s how, you dumb prude!”

Despite the shock that I had been eavesdropping, my comment had everyone bursting into fits of laughter. Emerging from the tent, I greeted everyone and then sat down next to Rainbow Dash, where I decided to give her a good old taste of karma.

“So, Miss ‘I Love Experimenting’, are you quite finished objectifying me behind my back?”

The pegasus’ eyes nearly bulged out of their damn sockets, and her cheeks flushed red in seconds.

“Wait, y-you heard that!?”

Simply raising an eyebrow at her, Rainbow Dash desperately tried to backpedal.

“I was… I just… it-it was a ‘what if’ thing, you know? I was just joking, I would never! You’re so gross! You don’t even have fur! I wasn’t objectifying you, it was just a-”

“Rarity, might I have some tea?” I interrupted loudly.

Rainbow went silent as a mouse, and went back to her breakfast, her forehead visibly sweating. I looked over to Fluttershy and gave her a wink, to which she giggled quietly.

“What goes around, comes around, huh Rainbow?” Applejack teased.

Realising that this was her punishment for upsetting Fluttershy yesterday, Rainbow Dash sighed and shook her head, before eventually laughing along with us. She then apologised for talking so crudely about me behind my back.

“But for what it’s worth, Applejack and Rarity were objectifying you too!” she added.

“Oh I heard.” I said sternly, “But they were doing it on the grounds of dateability. You, meanwhile, only seemed to be interested in one thing, adding another species to your list.”

“Okay, can we change the subject?” Rainbow begged, still blushing intensely.

“Yes, let’s, before I’m violently ill.” Twilight interjected.

Rolling my eyes, I took the tea that Rarity had just brewed for me, along with a bowl of cereal from Applejack. Dropping the subject, I enjoyed a nice breakfast with everyone, talking about things of a far less dissolute nature. After I had eaten, we decided to check on my phone to see if it still worked, and if the enchantment had taken. I attempted to turn it on, and much to my relief, it vibrated. A few seconds later, I was met with the usual Sony Ericsson Xperia splash screen.

“Well, it’s turning on, so that’s a good sign.” I murmured.

The home screen eventually loaded, along with all my app thumbnails and such. The first abnormality I noticed was that my battery was fully charged again, which was of course, an absolute boon. Swiping upwards to bring up all my apps, I tapped on Offline Maps, which was when the screen went black.

“Crap.” I muttered.

“Is it broken?” asked Pinkie, tilting her head.

Much to our relief, it wasn’t broken, with the screen flickering back to life. The app then loaded, with the map moving by itself to display our position, deeply submersed in the green mass of the Brazilian jungle. Upon touching the screen I was met with a static shock, with the screen briefly flashing with the same hue as Rarity’s magic. Pulling my finger away, the phone seemed to take command of itself, with the map zooming out to show more of the country, followed by a strange blue dot appearing somewhere out in the State of Amazonas. It was the Orb fragment…

“It worked!” I hollered.

Everyone broke into a cheer, and I tapped on the dot to highlight the coordinates. Not knowing how permanent the enchantment was, I saved the location on the app, marking it with a pin. Now it was just a matter of getting there, which was when I realised just how far away it still was.

“Woof…” I blurted out.

“What is it?” asked Fluttershy.

Straining my lips, I told them that we likely had a few weeks of walking still ahead of us. Everyone groaned with displeasure, but Twilight quickly silenced the protests, stamping the ground with a hoof.

“Those weeks aren’t going to go by any faster with you all whinging about it. Everyone pack up your gear, and let’s get moving.”

Strutting past us to pack her own belongings, she left us to get on with it. With a shrug, I actually found myself in agreement with the unicorn, even if her approach had been so scathingly blunt. Grumbling about the distance would bring the fragment no closer to us, nor us to it. We just needed to press on, one step at a time, and if Twilight could do it despite her blueout symptoms, then none of us had any excuse to complain.

The camp was swiftly packed away, and after a quick dispersal for toilet breaks, we reassembled and resumed our journey through the jungle…


Despite the early start, there was only so far we could walk until nightfall came upon us once again. The sky was already turning a navy blue, and after finding a nice secluded clearing, we stopped to make camp.

“Hey, to speed up our morning start tomorrow, how about we just set up one tent tonight?” Rainbow Dash suggested.

“Um, I don’t think we’d all fit in one tent, Dashie.” Fluttershy pointed out.

“Not all of us, no.” she admitted, “But I’m thinking of sleeping out here tonight. It’s been a while since I’ve had a nice tree to snooze in, and that one right there is calling out my name!”

Rainbow pointed over to an abnormally girthy tree, sporting many thick branches for sleeping on.

“Well you can sleep up there if you want.” Applejack remarked, “But that certainly don’t mean the rest of us are all squeezing in one tent together, there still ain’t no way we’d fit, even without you.”

“Heh, fatty.”

“For the sake of that pretty mouth of yours, I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that…”

Hopping away from the farm pony with a nervous chuckle, Rainbow Dash asked me to back her up. Shrugging, I proposed that everyone bar Rainbow sharing one tent was out of the question, but two tents? Well, that was certainly more manageable.

“If you think I’m sharing a tent with you…” Twilight started.

“Oh relax.” I scoffed, “I wouldn’t dream of disturbing your, uh… beauty sleep.”

Everyone snickered at the jab, and then, for better or worse, I chose to show off, declaring that I would sleep in the tree with Rainbow Dash. That way, Fluttershy could take Rainbow’s spot in Rarity’s big tent, thus foregoing the need for all three of them.

“I hate to break it to you Sugarcube, but you ain’t no pegasus.” AJ chuckled.

“Nope.” I agreed, “But I’m also, as Dashie put it, a big furless monkey. You’ve already seen it for yourself, I’m damn good at climbing trees.”

“And falling out of them.” she clapped back bluntly, evoking a bout of giggles from the others.

“I’ll just lash my legs to the branch with rope.” I replied, grinning, “Come on, it’d be a right old laugh!”

In hindsight, I secretly acknowledged that it was an absolutely ridiculous idea, and needless too; it didn’t even take all that long to put away the tents! Rainbow Dash had just been looking for an excuse to sleep outside, and I had stupidly gone in on it. But now that I had made the suggestion, I wanted to commit, and so with some reluctance from the others, only two tents were erected.

We all had some supper, and then Twilight and Applejack went off to bed. Shortly after that, Pinkie went to bed as well, leaving me, Rarity, Rainbow and Fluttershy to sit around the campfire, nattering amongst ourselves.

“So, what else can that phone thingy of yours do?” Rainbow Dash inquired.

“Ooh yes, tell us!” added Fluttershy.

Rarity too, showed a keen interest, and so I retrieved the device and educated them on just what a mobile phone could do. Though I had removed my SIM card, I explained that when it housed one, it was capable of sending and receiving written messages and phone calls, as well as accessing the internet if one had a data plan. Upon learning that it could take photographs, the girls couldn’t stop themselves from demanding we took a few, resulting in a fair few shots and selfies being captured. I then showed them the phone’s functionality as a flashlight, along with its ability to run games, booting up the original Angry Birds for them to gawk at for a little while.

“You can write notes with it, you can check your bank balance with it…” I went on, closing the game, “Oh, and it can play music too!”

“Ooh, ooh! That reminds me of something I wanted to ask you!” Fluttershy chirped excitedly.

Gesturing for her to continue, Fluttershy asked me what sort of music we had here on Earth.

“Now that’s a can of worms.” I chuckled, “Humans are incredibly musical creatures, and have created every genre you could possibly think of!”

“Can we hear some?” Rainbow Dash begged, prodding at my arm.

“Sure!” I agreed merrily.

Running over to my bag, I dug around until I found my earbuds. Plugging them into my phone, I quickly picked out some individual songs from different artists, ones that I thought would pique each girl’s interest.

“Might I have the first listen?” asked Rarity.

“No! Me! Me! Pick me!” Rainbow Dash squealed, bobbing from side to side.

I looked between the two of them and smirked, letting the tension set in. And then, with a silly voice, I announced who the first listener would be.

“And this year’s prom queen is… Fluttershy!”

Turning to the yellow pegasus, I passed her the earbuds, which she accepted gleefully. Opening her mouth in disbelief, Rainbow Dash pointed out that Flutters hadn’t even asked.

“Exactly.” I replied with a wink, “She was patient.”

At that, Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs and huffed. Rarity was less bothered, knowing full-well that she ought to have waited until she was offered the buds. With a giggle, Fluttershy shuffled closer to me, clearly excited to listen to her first piece of human music. She instinctively put the earbuds in, and although they didn’t fit quite as well as they would in a human ear, they did the job just fine.

Knowing Fluttershy’s kind nature, I had picked out a song that would suit her perfectly. It was ‘People Should Smile More’ by Newton Faulkner, which as the title suggested, was about encouraging positivity and reflecting on how smiling more often would make the world a better place. Almost immediately her face lit up, with her adorable little smile continuing to grow until it was nothing short of a cheesy, ear-to-ear grin.

“Well, you seem to have met Fluttershy’s liking.” Rarity noted.

When the song ended, Fluttershy took the earbuds out and wrapped her forelegs around me.

“Oh Callum, that song was just simply wonderful…” she sighed dreamily.

“My turn!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, full of excitement as she shifted over next to me.

“Rarity! How wonderful of you to volunteer next!” I cheered.

“What? Oh come on!”

Rarity tittered loudly at Rainbow’s annoyance and used her magic to plug the earbuds in. Smiling warmly, I pressed play on her song, of which I had chosen ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz. At first, Rarity looked at me with confusion, as the song started with the sound of an aeroplane, but as the music started, she began to smile, just as Fluttershy had done. Soon after, Rarity closed her eyes and lost herself in the experience. When the song ended, her response was nearly identical to Fluttershy’s, with her leaning back and sighing.

“That was simply divine, darling…”

Grinning, I looked over to Rainbow Dash, who was impatiently prodding at the ground with her hoof.

“Would you like your turn now, Rainbow?” I asked.

Immediately brightening up, she nodded frantically and zipped over to me. Chuckling, I passed the earbuds to her and waited for her to plug them in. I then selected ‘So What’ by P!nk, and it didn’t take long for the pegasus to break into a smirk.

“Yeah heh-heh… Now this is good music!” she rasped, closing her eyes.

As the song got to the chorus, Dashie started to bob her head to the tune, which almost caused the earbuds to fall out. She caught them and stuffed them back in, and continued to nod to the beat. A couple of minutes later, the song came to an end, and taking out the earbuds, Dashie stared at me with a wild smile, clearly energised by the music.

“Dude, that was awesome.”

“Though I would often detest such bland, simple language…” Rarity chimed in, “I must admit, that experience was indeed… awesome.”

“I want to hear more!” Fluttershy begged.

“Hmm, well how about this…” I proposed, “This adventure of ours is going to take months, so how about once every few days, I’ll let you all hear a new song? That way, when things get bleak or boring, you can all have something to look forward to.”

Rarity proclaimed that it was a fantastic idea, and so we made a pact that I would occasionally share my music with them before bed. With bed in mind, I let out a yawn, which set off a chain of yawns in the others. Deciding that it was time to turn in, I bid everyone goodnight. I then went over to my rucksack and retrieved the rope from our makeshift raft the other day.

“I’m not going to bed until I know for certain you’re safe up there.” Rarity tutted.

Rolling my eyes, I tucked the bundle of rope into my waistband and began to climb. Despite lacking lower branches, the tree was adorned with a plethora of thick ivy, which thankfully went all the way up to the top.

“Goodness! Look at him go!” Rarity gasped from below.

This put me off, and as I looked down at her, I lost my grip with my left hand and almost fell. Holding on tightly with my right hand, I dangled for a moment, scrambling with my feet for a better grip.

“Oh shit, dude!” Rainbow Dash yelped, darting forward in preparation to catch me.

{Why did I ever think this was a good idea?} I lamented to myself in thought.

Regaining my grip, I continued to climb until I eventually reached the thickest of the branches, where I would be, again, for better or worse, resting for the night. Hoisting myself up and looking down, I realised how high up I was. Gulping, I flattened myself to the branch and realised how stupid this idea was. If the rope came loose while I was asleep, and I fell from up here, I would be a very dead guide. Still, I was every bit as idiotic as I was prideful, and with great care, I took the rope out from my waistband and passed it to Rainbow Dash as she flew up to join me.

“Be a lamb and loop this around the branch a few times, will you?” I instructed.

She did just that, and after a few adjustments, I was safely strapped to the branch.

{I can’t believe I’m doing this…} I thought, shaking my head.

Dashie landed on the same branch and sat down to join me. Rarity and Fluttershy, still both concerned for my safety, took themselves off to bed with a degree of reluctance. I chatted with Rainbow for a good while before she eventually curled up and fell asleep. Closing my eyes, I attempted to do the same, which was when I realised that it wasn’t just me and Rainbow up here. Perched on a much higher branch, looking down at me with curiosity, was the dark shape of a bird. Though it was too dark to properly make out, I could only presume it was the same one that had been following us.

“Can I help you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at it.

The bird craned its neck, before spreading its wings and disappearing into the night. Shrugging, I tried for a second time to sleep, only for me to jump out of my damn skin as something hard poked my arm. My eyes shot open and I looked to my side, where I was met by a floating cookie, shrouded in a light blue glow. Reaching across to take it, I peered off the side of the branch to see Rarity smiling up at me. Smiling back at her, I realised that she had presented me with a Threezie. I gave her a little wave to say thank you, and then she returned to her tent. Biting into the cookie, I was treated to a luscious vanilla flavour, and as I started to chew, it began to taste of marshmallows. Closing my eyes, I hummed with euphoria, which only doubled as I swallowed the delicious morsel, treating me to the aftertaste of rich milk chocolate.

{These have absolutely no business being this good…} I thought, unable to stifle an elated little wiggle.

Tucking into the rest of the Threezie, I savoured every bite and hummed to myself in ecstasy. With my senses beguiled by such a blissful congregation of flavours, I very quickly forgot that I was about sixty feet up in the air.


Swallowing the last bite, I lay back against the soft mossy branch, and slowly drifted off to sleep.





> Chapter Sixteen: The Pursuit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Good morning!” Rarity sang up to us from the ground below.

Slowly opening my eyes and sniffing emphatically, I looked around and remembered that I was up in the tree; blinking and giving my head a shake, I looked around and spotted Rainbow Dash close by, still fast asleep.

“Come on, sleepy heads! Time to get up!” Rarity called again.

“Okay, I’m awake! Be right there!” I called back drowsily.

“Mmn, just five more minutes, Don…” Dash moaned in her sleep.

Raising an eyebrow, I smirked to myself upon sensing an opportunity. My better half was inclined to rouse the pegasus in the kindest, gentlest, most delicate way possible. Alas, much to her misfortune, I did not listen to my better half. Scooting closer to her, I sucked in a deep breath of air, preparing to imitate a popular YouTuber by the name of Daz Black. Grinning with devious intent, I brought my face close to hers and let off a shrill, high-pitched, flamboyant screech.

“TIME FOR A TEA PARTY!”

Rainbow’s eyes shot open and she screamed in shock. Scrambling away from me and flailing around in confusion, the pegasus fell from the branch and plummeted to the ground below. She then caught herself in mid-air and flew back up to me with a face like thunder. I meanwhile, was laughing half to death, howling and hooting to myself.

“You dickhead!” she yelled, giving me a firm shove.

I was pushed right to the edge of the branch, where the rope thankfully prevented me from going over. Pulling myself back to the middle of the branch, I faced Rainbow and grinned.

“Good morning starshine!” I cackled, “The Earth says hello!”

Landing on the branch, she scowled at me, with every intent to give me another push.

“You are such a dick, dude. And you ruined a perfectly good dream!”

“Yeah, it sounded like it.” I teased, “You talk in your sleep.”

With her eyes widening, Rainbow Dash shook her head and proclaimed that she didn’t.

“Oh you don’t, do you?” I replied with a smirk.

Leaning back, I closed my eyes and pulled a face of ecstasy, and let off salacious moans, gyrating my hips as I did so.

“Ooaahh… Just five more minutes, Don!”

Blushing like a beetroot, Rainbow tried to shove me again, to which I seized her wrists and locked eyes with her, grinning wickedly at her.

“So, who’s Don?”

“Ugh, get off!”

Shaking free of my grasp, Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and grumpily muttered something about an old ex-boyfriend. She then blew a raspberry at me and leapt from the branch, soaring down to the ground for breakfast. Still snickering to myself over how flustered I had made her, I untied the rope and slithered along the branch until I reached the trunk, where I carefully lowered myself down using the ivy. Upon reaching a safe enough height, I chose to jump down, and in an attempt to look cool, I performed the infamous ‘superhero landing’, only to learn that Deadpool was very much telling the truth.

“Holy shit-snacks that is hard on the knees…” I whispered quietly to myself.

Masking the immense pain I now felt, I hopped to my feet and wished everyone a good morning.

“Sleep well?” Applejack inquired, rummaging into her saddlebag.

Looking up at the tree once more, I confirmed that I had slept like a log, or at least, on one. This brought forth a few laughs from the girls, followed by Applejack retrieving a Granny Smith apple from her store and tossing it to me. Catching it, I took a large bite and closed my eyes, revelling in my first ever apple from Equestria, from Sweet Apple Acres no less! It was so crisp, with just the right level of sourness; there was a good reason why Applejack’s farm was one of the most successful in the country, her produce was nothing short of perfection.

“Now this is damn good.” I munched.

“Why, thank you kindly!”

After consuming as much of the fruit as possible, I tossed away the core and helped the group in quickly packing away the camp; there was only so much of the day that we had. Much to our dismay, there was a big urban patch coming up, one that was far too large for us to go around, not without adding another few days to our trip. The plan was to get there by nightfall, so that we had a chance of sneaking through, and then making camp on the other side.

“Alright team, double time!” I announced merrily, “Let’s get our arses in gear, and move out!”

“You’re not in charge here, you don’t give the orders.” Twilight pointed out.

Breaking into a mischievous grin, I pointed at Twilight’s face and sounded off loudly.

“Alright team, Twilight says double time! Let’s get our arses in gear, and move out!”

“Ugh!” Twilight grunted loudly, trotting off ahead.

Now tittering amongst ourselves, the rest of us followed her, taking on the new day with an air of gusto and merriment about us.


For a good five to six hours, we made our way through the lush greenery, making light conversation along the way. Observing the ponies’ behaviour as we went, I couldn’t help but find myself amused at how all six of them occasionally used their tails to whip at insects whenever they tried to land on them. Their ears did the same, flapping violently at any bug that dared to fly too close. Quietly huffing to myself in joviality, I pressed on, totally enthralled by my companions and their fun little quirks.

After stopping momentarily for a late lunch, which consisted of cucumber sandwiches and apple juice, we made our way again. We had only been walking for about five minutes, when Twilight stopped and turned to face me.

“It’s been a while since you checked the map. Are we still going the right way, killer?”

Like an ice-cold dagger to the gut, I felt all the warmth rapidly drain from me, completely taken aback by the unexpected comment. I hadn’t thought about the incident for a while now, with my intent to bury it being completely effective, until now. My mind once again became flooded with images of the incident and I let off a shiver. Blinking rapidly, I reached for my phone and checked the map, still in shock from how out of the blue the remark had been.

“Yeah, we’re… on track…” I murmured distantly, pocketing the device.

Without uttering a word, Twilight turned around and kept moving. I knew she had done this intentionally to upset me, and I tried not to let her get under my skin. I reminded myself that the unicorn was still suffering terribly from her blueout; she was likely trying to share in her suffering, selfish as that was.

Still, try as I might, I couldn’t let it go. Her callous remark had completely thrown me, and as we resumed travelling, I found myself getting more and more caught up in the memory. Flashes kept entering my vivid mind, displaying the man’s lifeless body, the blood-splattered concrete block, and the horrifying moment when I realised that I had killed him. Over and over again I saw it, and as we walked, my breaths grew shorter and sharper, with my hands beginning to tremble. My vision began to blur, and my stomach tightened as the nausea returned to me, and this time, I didn’t think that I would be able to ward it off.

“I uh… I have to take a wizz.” I lied, “You guys keep going, I’ll catch up.”

Before I could even hear their replies, I had scarpered off into the bushes, now hyperventilating. As soon as I was out of earshot, I keeled over and parted with my lunch. I was sick twice, before staggering away from the mess and collapsing to the ground. Bursting into tears, I clamped my eyes shut, desperately begging for the images in my mind to stop.

“Go away! Go away!” I whimpered, “Please… I’m sorry!”

For a good while, I remained this way, apologising and pleading profusely, both to the man himself, and to the very world around me. Eventually, I was able to slow down my breathing and gradually piece my mind back together. Finally picking myself up off the ground, I stumbled over to a nearby tree and leaned against it for support.

“Okay…” I panted, trembling pathetically, “Okay, get a grip… Come on, pull yourself together lad, you’re better than this…”

Shaking my head, I forced myself to confront the wretched taunting thoughts that danced around within my skull. I couldn’t let this become a long-term problem; not for me, and not for the girls. I needed to deal with this here and now, and make sure that it didn’t come between me and my sworn duty. Wiping the sweat from my brow and the bile from my lips, I ran things back and then steadily walked myself through each step of what had really happened that day.

“He went for them.” I spoke aloud, “He clenched his fists, shouted something in Portuguese, and went to attack them. That man was going to hurt my friends, and I stopped him.”

Talking it out with myself like this, I pointed out how my purpose was to protect the girls now, with my own life if need be. This was what the Princess had selected me for, to keep these ponies safe. Accident or not, right or wrong, honourable, or inglorious, none of that mattered. The black and white of the situation was that I had done my duty, and if I could rewind time, knowing the outcome would be exactly the same, I would do it again without hesitation.

I was a good person, or at least, I hoped that I was, but for as long as I was the defender of these girls, being the good guy wasn’t something I would always have the luxury of. I had to be something more than that, and it slowly dawned on me that Twilight was right; I wasn’t just a friend to these girls, I was a weapon.

And then, as if a magic spell was altering my mind, I was met with a rush of new emotions. I felt a fresh wave of coolness run through my body. The feeling of horror and dread slowly dissipated, and in their place, came a calmness, a feeling of quietude and understanding. At last, the nausea and tremoring subsided, and I pushed myself away from the tree, now strong enough to carry my own self. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I tilted my head back and shut my eyes, before releasing all my perturbation and guilt in one mighty breath.

“Okay.” I said firmly, nodding.

Holding on firmly to my backpack straps, I brushed myself down and then took off in search of the girls, now feeling infinitely stronger in my resolve.


“There he is!” Rarity called out upon seeing me.

Rushing over, Fluttershy latched on to me, now relieved beyond measure.

“I thought we had lost you!” she sighed, followed by Pinkie asking where I had gone.

“Yeah, that was some wizz!” said Rainbow with a laugh.

Clearing my throat, I awkwardly professed that I had simply ended up needing more than just a wee. This brought forth a disgusted ‘eww’ from Pinkie Pie, which in turn evoked laughs from Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Hey, you asked.” I shrugged, chuckling.

From the way I had said it, Rarity didn’t seem all too convinced, and nor did Fluttershy. As the pegasus pulled away from me, she noticed how bloodshot my eyes were, and how pale my face was. Almost immediately, she caught on that I had been lying, and she squinted her eyes at me with a frown.

“What happened?” she whispered, her face clouded with worry.

“Tell you later.” I replied through gritted teeth, making sure that nopony else overheard.

Fluttershy gave me a reluctant nod and dropped it for now, allowing us to push onward. We eventually came across a much drier patch of forest, and it was less humid too; something Twilight was beyond thankful for. This meant for sure that we were getting close to the urban area I had spotted on the map, and just in time too, for the sun was already beginning to descend into the horizon. A good ten minutes later, and we soon enough found ourselves at the outskirts of a large favela, and it seemed that there weren’t any overly safe places to cross.

“What a foul place to live.” Rarity groaned.

The place was indeed, utterly revolting. Litter blew all around the street and the whole place smelled of garbage. Graffiti was sprayed all over the walls, and the only thing that looked like it was contributing to society was a shady-looking motorbike dealer on the corner of the road. Wrinkling my nose at the stench emanating towards us, I turned to the others and suggested that we let it get a little darker. After that, we could speed through the place as quickly as possible, sticking to alleyways and dimly lit streets. Without much of an alternative, everyone agreed.

Once dusk had truly set in, we returned to the roadside and began to sneak across. We had only taken a few steps when somewhere close by, a mass of loud engines could be heard.

“Get back! Get back!” I hissed to the girls.

Diving back off the road and anxiously peering around, we soon spotted the origin of the noise; three black vans, accompanied by a handful of motorcycles. They sped around the corner and stopped right beside the bike dealer. The vans were painted on the sides and on the bonnets with some sort of gang symbol. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that these people were bad news.

“What are those things?” Rainbow Dash asked, pointing to the bikes.

“Sshh!” I hushed, whipping around to face her.

The back doors to each van opened and men emerged from them, which prompted the bikers to dismount. Every one of them brandished the guns they were armed with, and a couple of them fired off rounds into the air, which brought forth screams of panic from the few people that remained on the street. Within seconds, everyone who wasn’t with the gang had run away into their homes. Doors by the dozens could be heard slamming shut, and the already-woebegone street became completely desolate. We all watched intently as the blatantly obvious leader of the gang made his presence known. He was a lanky caramel-skinned individual, wearing camo trousers, and two bandoliers which formed an X across his otherwise bare torso. His chest, riddled with scars, bore the tattoo of a great black skull. His arms too, were coated from shoulders to wrists with tattoos of a tribal design. Whoever this guy was, he meant business.

“Jeez, that guy looks tough.” Rainbow Dash murmured.

Ignoring her, I watched as the man clapped his hands together and then pointed at the bike dealer’s shop. In response, two of his men walked ahead with some bolt cutters and started breaking through the chains that secured the bikes out on display. The owner of the shop stormed out and started shouting at the culprits, and then turned to their boss and waved his arms around in protest. Without a shred of warning or hesitation, the leader pulled a pistol from the holster on his leg and shot the owner in the knee. He fell to the ground, screaming in agony, before making a futile attempt to crawl away. After letting the poor man crawl for quite some distance, the leader fired off another round, directly into the back of his head.

“Holy shi-”

I interrupted Rainbow Dash by whipping around to face her.

“Keep it down, unless you want to end up like him!”

Nodding with wide eyes, the pegasus realised just how much danger we were in. I turned back around and looked out across the street, which was when I realised that for as dire as the situation was, it also presented an opportunity.

“Everyone’s hiding in their homes.” I started, “We’re not getting a better chance to sneak through this place, I say we move.”

“Move now? Are you crazy?” Applejack gasped quietly.

Ignoring her, I asked Rarity if any of her illusion magic could be of any use to us, perhaps something that could help distract the gang.

“Oh um, well I-I can perform a few parlour tricks.” she stammered, “I can project sounds, I can produce a mirage of myself, and uh, I can conjure lights, smoke, shadows, that sort of thing.”

Taking no time at all to form a plan, I instructed Rarity to bewilder the gunmen with a series of loud crashing and banging sounds, along with enveloping them in the thickest smoke she could possibly summon. Gulping loudly, Rarity got straight to it. She took a deep breath and her horn lit up, and from beneath the vans and bikes came a dark haze. It billowed up and up, until it completely swallowed everyone. Then from within, came all sorts of sudden sounds, such as pottery and glass being shattered, and the raucous clattering of pots and pans. The magical trickery worked a treat, and the men were sent into a blind panic. They began to shout out in bewilderment, followed by opening fire. Bullets were sent out in all directions, with one or two coming our way and smacking the pavement close by.

“Well, that was effective.” I murmured.

Emerging from our hiding place, I beckoned for the girls to follow me to a nearby alleyway, and at that exact moment, one of the men emerged from Rarity’s haze and spotted us. He froze in his tracks and stared at the ponies, wide-eyed and unable to comprehend exactly what he was seeing. Noticing the gun in his hands, I clenched my fists and prepared to rush at him, but before any hostile action could be made on either of our parts, a stray bullet came whizzing from the smoke and caught him in the back of the neck. He dropped to the ground and writhed around momentarily, before ceasing to move.

“Is he, um…?” Fluttershy began to whimper.

“Oh my gosh…” Applejack breathed, quickly moving to obscure Pinkie’s vision.

Thinking impulsively, I rushed forward to the body and took his gun, along with the spare magazine in his front pocket. The weapon was a Heckler & Koch UMP, a lightweight submachine gun of military grade. This was some undeniably decent kit, and certainly not the kind of weapon one would find in the hands of some small-time gangbanger. This begged the question, who the hell were these people?

“What is wrong with you? Put that thing down!” Twilight hissed furiously at me.

“Trust me, we want this.” I replied sternly.

Before she could answer back, Rarity’s audible decoys stopped sounding off, and more of the men started to emerge from the smoke, confused out of their minds and shouting at one another. A few of them looked our way, but I was sure for the most part that we had been able to slip into the alley before they had seen us. We all made our way along the narrow passageway until we reached the other side, where we stopped for a second to catch our breath.

“Jeez, that was insane…” Rainbow Dash puffed.

“Who were those people?” asked Rarity, her eyes wide with terror, “Why did they just… roll up and attack that poor shopkeeper like that? Why would they do that?”

Shaking my head, I pointed out the symbols I had seen on their vans, along with the above-average gear. I speculated that these men belonged to something infinitely worse than a gang; they belonged to a cartel.

“What’s that?” asked Twilight.

“Organised crime.” I replied, “Large-scale groups that specialise in black-market trading, and as you’ve just seen, excessive brutality. They dominate places like this, and rule over the people that live there. Put it this way, we are in a very dangerous place right now.”

“You’re telling me?” Rainbow Dash blurted out, “They just showed up, and in just a few minutes, two people have freaking died!”

“Well, let’s get some bloody distance from them.” I grumbled.

My heart was thrashing within my chest, but with Pinkie and Fluttershy struggling to keep it together, I had to remain calm and collected. With how severe this situation had suddenly become, Twilight allowed me to step up and be in charge, much too frightened to argue the toss. Taking point, I guided the ponies through the rest of the alleyway and across the empty street beyond it. Slowly but surely, we progressed through the favela, until we at last came upon an alley with a dead end.

“Where to now?” Rarity asked.

I looked around, and spotted an ajar wooden door, which led into someone’s home.

“Through there.”

“There could be humans in there!” Twilight pointed out.

“We don’t have a bloody choice!” I snapped back, “It’s either through there and into the street beyond, or we go back on ourselves and say hi to the cartel.”

Gulping, Twilight quickly weighed our options and gave me the go-ahead, as did the others. With a tight grip on the gun, I pushed my way into the building, where I was met by a middle-aged man reading a book to his daughter, and close by was a woman, who was presumably his wife. She screamed upon seeing me and the man jumped to his feet, quickly standing between me and his child, immediately prepared to give his life for her.

“Por favor! Por favor, não nos machuque!” he cried out, putting his hands up.

To their left was a narrow staircase, and it was here that I would direct them to. That way, the ponies could run through and make it into the next street via the front door.

“Get upstairs! Now!” I bellowed, gesturing to their staircase with my gun.

Despite not knowing a word of English, my body language was as clear as anything. Without a moment’s pause, the man scooped up his child and ran to the stairs. The woman meanwhile, dropped to her knees and put her hands together, loudly sobbing to me in Portuguese.

“Up the stairs! Go up! Go!”

Thankfully, she got the message and clambered up the stairs to join her husband. I heard a door slam, telling me that they wouldn’t be coming back down. Inhaling deeply, I was now shaking like a leaf, fuelled with more adrenaline than had ever been in my system at one time.

“It’s safe, get in here now!” I called to the girls.

Rainbow Dash entered first, followed by the others. They all gathered around me, where Rarity mumbled anxiously to me.

“You sound… quite horrendous, when you shout.”

Taking a deep breath in, I sighed and shook my head.

“I’m sorry, but right now, I’m trying to get you through this place alive.” I told her, “With that cartel close by, I can’t exactly afford to be passive and gentle.”

“We get it, you’re letting your true colours show. Where to now?” Twilight spat.

Ignoring the jab, I cracked the front door open and looked out.

“Goddammit.” I muttered through my teeth.

Though it was mainly sparse, the street wasn’t completely abandoned. There were a handful of denizens roaming about the place. On the other side was another alleyway, and far beyond that, above all the buildings, was the shady outline of the jungle; we were almost there.

“How do we get across?” Rainbow Dash quizzed, rubbing at the back of her neck.

Sniffing loudly, I racked my brains. It took a few moments, but eventually an idea popped into my head.

“When I shout for you lot to go, I want you all to sprint across and into the alley as fast as you can.”

“What are you going to do?” asked Twilight.

Holding my gun closer to my face to properly inspect it, I located the fire-mode dial and switched it to fully automatic. Clenching my jaw, I looked at the lilac unicorn with a sense of absolute authority.

“Clear the street…”

Opening the door fully, I took a few paces into the road, and then I performed the most daring thing I had ever done in all my life, surpassing even the Tower heist back at Gatwick Airport…

“EVERYBODY MOVE!” I boomed, raising the UMP in the air and pulling the trigger.

All hell broke loose. People started screaming and running around frantically as the submachine gun fired off into the air. The continuous recoil almost took the weapon out of my hands. Tightening my grip, I continued firing until the magazine ran out, which by then everyone had fled, and those still in eyeshot certainly weren’t looking back.

“Go! Go! Go!” I hollered.

The girls emerged from the building and sprinted across the road, not hesitating for a second. I then speedily walked after them, while fiddling around with the gun until I found the button that ejected the magazine.

“Now that’s what I call crowd control!” I whooped loudly, finally reaching the others.

“Dude, that was… insane!” Rainbow Dash cried out.

“Hell yeah it was.” I continued to chuckle, sliding the additional mag into the gun.

After pulling the charging handle by the barrel to complete the reload, I twisted the fire-mode dial back to the two-round burst setting, as I wished to conserve my remaining bullets, just in case I needed them. And need them I would, for as quietude returned to the street I had just terrorised, there came the rumbling of engines. Curiosity got the better of me, and upon sticking my head back out from the alley, I was horrified to see the three vans from earlier, along with the bikes that accompanied them. The vehicles all came to a halt, which was when it dawned on me that the bikers were staring in my direction. Narrowing my eyes to look at them more closely, I came to the harrowing realisation that they had spotted me, and were taking aim.

“Guys…” I spoke, gulping, “Run.”

I turned away just as the gunfire began, followed by the sound of bullets smacking into the bricks behind me. My heart skipped a beat as the notion hit me that I had just been shot at. Everyone burst into a sprint, and we hurtled down the alleyway like seven frightened cats, skittering all over the place and kicking up rubbish as we went. Behind us came raucous shouts as the men gave chase, prompting us to run even faster. We took a left and entered an even thinner alley, where we were spotted by a random woman on the side of the street. She screamed with bewilderment as we all zoomed past her, though we were far too prioritised to be concerned with her. From behind us came more gunfire, which abruptly silenced the woman’s screaming.

“Oh fuck! Oh fuck!” I panted as I ran, realising that these people were well and truly after us.

Another right turn came up, and as everyone skidded around it, I stopped and spun around to take a few shots at our pursuers. I wasn’t intending to hit anyone, but if they knew that someone was returning fire, then it might slow them down enough for us to gain some distance from them.

Not that I had ever fired a real gun, but I was a damn good shot with an air rifle, for my brother and I used to shoot one together when he wasn’t antagonising me. Though this was quite the step up from that, the principle was still there, and after a few pulls of the trigger, I was rewarded with the sound of an agonised cry from one of our assailants.

“Holy shit, I think I got one!” I gasped to myself.

With the men slowed down, and one out of commission, I turned around and continued to sprint after the girls. The adrenaline coursing through my veins was more than enough to help me catch up, and I reached them just as they were skidding to a halt at a dead end, and this time, there were no ajar doors.

“No… No! NO!” Twilight shrieked loudly, “What do we do!?”

Frantically looking around, I spotted a manhole a little further back. I zipped over to it and was able to remove the cover, where I was immediately met with the nauseating smell of sewage.

“Down there, now!” I shouted.

With no time, nor options, the ponies started clambering down into the hole. As they went, I grabbed a nearby metal bin and turned it over, using it for cover. I had just propped up my gun as our chasers revealed themselves, emerging from a corner further down the way. Closing one eye and lining up my shots, I now had every intention to hit my targets. Pulling the trigger, I sent burst after burst down-range, and after a few misses, I was able to catch someone, hitting him square in the chest and bringing him to the ground.

The enemy returned fire, and bullets smacked into the bricks all around us, with one of them hitting the very bin I was resting against. Jumping out of my damn skin, I nearly broke rank, but I forced myself to stay put and continue to desperately repel our attackers. I fired another two bursts, to which I was able to land hits on another gunman. Keeling sideways, he continued to shoot his gun in the wrong direction, accidentally killing one of his own.

Looking behind me at the manhole, I saw that Twilight was the last pony to climb down, and after firing off three more bursts, I rushed to the hole and jumped in. My feet landed on the unicorn’s shoulders and we both fell down, hitting the damp stone below.

“What did you do that for!?” she barked at me.

“Much like you, I’d rather not fucking die!” I snapped back at her.

From up above, shadows danced over the manhole entrance, indicating that these bastards had no intention of giving up the chase. Gritting my teeth, I ordered everyone to keep running, and we came across a barred metal gate, with a large pipeline beyond it.

“I think we’re going into a sewer network.” I told them, kicking the gate open.

“Explains the smell.” Rainbow Dash grunted with her nose upturned.

“My point is that sewers are vast, we might be able to lose them in here!” I continued, “Keep moving, and for the love of Celestia, don’t stop!”

Slamming the gate behind us, we charged on with me at the rear, and with my gun almost empty, I feared that I wouldn’t be able to hold them off if they caught up to us. After a good minute or two, it seemed like we were getting away. That was when the deafening gunshots came echoing down the pipes, followed by a few bullets ricocheting close by.

“Oh you guys just don’t give up, do you!?” I shouted gruffly.

Sprinting at my absolute maximum, I caught up with Applejack, which was when a bullet whizzed past me and went into the mare’s tail, striking the red band that bound the end of it. The band split open and her tail billowed out, followed by the farm pony letting out a terrified wail.

{Too fucking close!} I thought with my heart pounding like never before.

More gunfire ensued, and suddenly, a searing pain went through my outer left thigh. I yelped loudly and lost my footing, tripping over and clattering loudly to the damp stone floor. I attempted to use the momentum to get back up to my feet, but to no avail, the leg gave out and I came tumbling to a standstill, gasping and growling in agony.

“Callum, no!” Applejack screamed, skidding to a halt and turning around.

“Don't you dare stop for me Applejack! Run damn it, RUN!” I bellowed at the top of my lungs.

She nodded and galloped after her friends, while I rolled over and clutched my gun to my chest. I couldn’t protect them any more, all I could do was buy them time. With a deep breath, I took aim at my attackers once more, and as the first man came into sight, I didn’t hesitate to put two rounds into him. He fell from the walkway and splashed into the muck, followed by more men entering my line of sight. I knew in my heart that I couldn’t take them all; even if I was a quick shot and a flawless marksman, I simply didn’t have the bullets. Still, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to take as many of them as I could. If I was going to die today, then I was going to give the ponies as much help as I could before I went.

I was able to bring down five, when the gun clicked loudly. That was it, I was out of ammo, and I was out of time. With no means to defend myself, I tried to crawl away, only for a bullet to fly into my left arm. Even with all the adrenaline, the pain was absolutely excruciating. Crying out loudly, I threw my rifle aside and looked up at the men as they charged towards me, but to my confusion and horror, they ignored me completely and sped past, choosing to pursue the ponies instead. I rolled over and reached out to them, groaning in agony, desperate to stop them somehow.

“No…” I wept.

I had failed. We hadn’t even found one piece of this stupid Orb, and I had already failed as their guide and protector. Why had Princess Celestia chosen me, only for this to happen? Had I really just doomed them, or would they escape? Perhaps I had bought them enough time, and they would find a way out of the sewers and into the jungle? I prayed that would be the case. Feeling as though my life was coming to a close, I held on to the hope that I had allowed them to get away, and that they would find another guide, and succeed in their mission.

And with that, I could face my death with pride.

A hand grabbed my arm, and I was forcefully rolled over. I then recognised the black skull tattoo, and realised that I was now face to face with the leader of these men. He squatted over me and stared into my eyes, analysing me. Refusing to show weakness in my final moment, I clenched my jaw and looked him in the eye.

“If you wish to hear me beg, you will be disappointed.”

Upon hearing these words, a dark, sickly smile emerged upon his face.

“You got some heart, kid.” he hummed in some sort of Hispanic accent.

Still smiling, he withdrew the pistol from his holster. Then, grabbing me by the throat, he smacked me in the side of the head with it. I let out a deep grunt as my head jolted to one side, and everything became something of a blur. Not knowing what was happening now, I was fully unprepared for the second blow, as the man whipped me with his pistol for a second time. Knocked into a state of near unconsciousness, I could no longer see, and all the surrounding sounds became muffled. The last thought that came to me, was quite simply one of remorse, and I hoped that somehow, the ponies would be able to hear it.

{I’m sorry girls, I tried…}


The gun struck my head for a third time, and I was gone.





> Chapter Seventeen: The Bogeyman
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





I awoke on my side with a pounding in my head; every beat of my heart brought forth an excruciating thud to my temples. Wincing, my eyes slowly flickered open, only to find that my vision was too blurry to see anything aside from colours and shapes. Slowly, I put a hand to my forehead and felt dry blood, which broke into flakes and fell away as soon as I touched it, implying that it had been there for quite some time.

{How long have I been here?} I thought to myself, groaning.

Attempting to sit up brought a scorching pain into both my left thigh and upper left arm. It was almost unbearable, and I flopped back down. Carefully using my right hand, I combed over the injuries to find that they were wrapped in bandages, both heavily saturated with more old blood. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself up once more and removed the dressing from my arm, beneath which I found a crudely cauterised hole. The bullet had been removed, which meant for whatever reason, my captors had chosen to keep me alive.

After spending some time to properly regain my senses, I looked around to see that I was in a small, dark, and uncomfortably damp room. My ankles were chained together, as were my wrists, and as my mind began to clear, I began to think of the girls. Did they get away? Were they now deep within the jungle, on their way to the first piece of the Orb? Would they come back for me? Had they been caught? Were they chained up in a room similar to this one? Were they dead!?

I shuddered as I pictured their lifeless bodies, huddled somewhere in this godforsaken place. Perhaps they were being cut apart and studied by curious minds, or being diced up and eaten by hungry mouths, uncaring to their otherworldly forms. Clamping my eyes shut and casting such horrible visions aside, I prayed that they had been able to escape, and were far, far away from this place. Just as I was attempting to get to my feet, the door to the room was opened, and two men looked down at me. The first man was some scrawny looking fellow, with more hair on his patchy chin than he did atop his head. The other man was nearly twice his size, and packed with more muscle than an ox.

“Walk. Now.” he ordered.

His voice was low and gravelly, and bore a thick Russian accent. I hesitated for a second too long, and he reached forward to grab a fistful of my hair. He pulled me out of the room, and after taking just two steps, the pain in my thigh was too much and I dropped to one knee. Unamused, the Russian grabbed my hair even tighter and forcefully lifted me back to my feet. Try as I might to remain strong, I let out a pathetic mewl, and was then half-walked and half-dragged to wherever they wanted me to be.

I was brought through a series of corridors and rooms, and within each, I saw a plethora of people, drinking, gambling, fighting, and packaging narcotics. All of them wore red and black clothing too, like some sort of uniform. There was a clear majority in Brazilian members, but I also noticed a great many paler men, and Middle Easterners too. This really was a cartel, and a big one too, for they clearly had members from all around the world.

The scrawny man went his own way, leaving the Russian to bring me to a large hall-like chamber, where he finally released me in the centre of the room. I crumpled to the ground and the pain in my thigh shot up through me, causing me to clamp my eyes shut and roll to one side, groaning miserably to myself.

“Go on, string him up.” a voice commanded.

I recognised the voice immediately, and opened my eyes to see the man who had knocked me out, the supposed leader of this cesspool. The black tattooed skull on his chest glared at me just as intently as he did, and he smiled cheerily as his burly henchman squatted down and tethered a rope to the chains on my wrists. I didn’t have it in me to struggle, I just watched drearily as he finished binding the rope to me, and then went over to some sort of pulley system, which he began to operate. My arms were forcefully raised above my head and I was hoisted upwards to my feet, causing me to shout out in agony.

“Please! Let me down!” I whimpered, barely able to handle the pain.

“I thought I wasn't going to hear you beg?” the leader cackled.

He started to circle me like a vulture, inspecting me as I tried to compose myself. He then came right up to me and sniffed my face, before giving my cheek a lick, tasting my sweat. His eyes were black as night, animalistic and full of madness.

“Who the hell are you?” I breathed shakily.

“That’s my question, hermano.”

Without warning, he slapped me in the face with the back of his hand, which brought me fully to my senses as adrenaline started to course through me once again. The Russian then hoisted me even higher until I could only just stand on my toes, and the man in charge began to explain exactly why I was still alive.

“So, there I was, tying up some loose ends with someone who thought he could fuck me over. When out of nowhere, me and my boys get surrounded by some crazy voodoo smoke. We start hearing shit that ain’t really there, I’m talking some real hocus-pocus stuff, you know? My guys freak out, start shooting at stuff, shit was crazy man, you should’ve been there.”

Winking at me, he was clearly implying that he knew I was there. Pressing his body up against mine, he started trailing circles on my chest with his index finger.

“When it went away, we found one of my boys dead, and someone had taken his shooter, but hold on now amigo, because this is where it gets real interesting. You see, two of my boys tell me that they spotted some white kid run away into a nearby alley. But my boy Miguel, now he says, that this kid ain’t alone, that he was in the company of some sort of… creature.”

Gulping, I began to grind my teeth as he described Twilight’s appearance to me, and I realised that they had seen us right from the start, before we had even made it across the first goddamn street.

“Now, I thought Miguel was crazy so, I shot him. But then, over the radio waves, some of my spotters tell me, ‘hey boss, we’ve just seen some white boy sneaking around, and he’s got these weird fucking horse things with him, and they can talk’. That’s when I realised poor little Miguel wasn’t crazy, and that right here in my kingdom, there’s a jumped up white boy running around, with not one, but six of these things!”

Dipping my head, I had to fight the urge to break apart. I hadn’t been able to sneak through at all, they had been onto me right from the get-go. It had only been a matter of time until they found us, and my stunt with the UMP to clear the street had brought them straight to us. This was my fault, this was all my fault…

“So then I start thinking to myself…” the leader continued, “If there are six talking horses with this boy, maybe there are more out there, you know? Maybe I’ve got some new product to sell. So I give the order, ‘let’s go get ‘em, and get the boy alive if you can’, and well… here you are.”

He slapped my cheeks a few times, before aggressively pressing his forehead up against mine, as though he were trying to physically enter my mind with his own.

“So to bring us back to my question, hermano, who the hell are you, huh? Who are the talking horse girls? What are they, and where do they come from?”

My jaw quivered with fear, and my eyes were full of tears, but just as before in the sewers, I faced him with dignity and vigilance.

“I’m not your fucking hermano.” I growled.

“That’s a subjective, philosophical, point of fucking view.” he replied, rolling his eyes, “Answer the question.”

Clenching my jaw, I accepted that my life was already forfeit, and so I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of learning anything from me.

“I’m a nameless dead man, mate.” I retorted, “About as good to you as a knitted condom. You should have left me to die in that sewer, so if it’s all the same to you, hurry up and finish the job.”

Bursting into a maddened guffaw, the man stepped back and clapped his hands, before suddenly lunging forward and punching me square in the jaw. I swung sideways and twisted around to face the other way.

And that’s when I saw them.

“No…” I gasped.

From six rusty animal cages, no taller than three feet, all six ponies were slumped in miserable heaps, helplessly staring at me with hopelessness and horror. Even from as far away as I was, I could tell they had been mistreated; Applejack had bruises on her face from an evident struggle, and I couldn’t even see the whites of Rainbow Dash’s eyes, for they were so inflamed that one could imagine they had been doused with blood. Every one of them was covered in dirt, and from the most dimly lit cage, Twilight glowered at me intensely, her eyes glinting with seething hatred. There was no doubt that she blamed me for this fate, and she had every right to do so.

Prancing up to me from behind, the leader wrapped his arms around my neck in an affectionate manner, sighing dreamily as he looked at his outlandish quarry with me. This was why he had kept me alive, he wanted to learn about them, and where he might procure more of them. Shivering, a rage unlike any other began to brew from deep within me, it was a focused rage, of nuclear proportions, and I knew precisely what I was going to do. Somehow, I was going to break free of these bonds, and I was going to kill this man.

“So, what do you think of my new pets, hm?” he murmured into my ear.

With his head being so close to mine, I showed him exactly what I thought, by thrusting my head back into his face with all my might. Spluttering, he stumbled back and emphatically wrinkled his nose. I turned away from the girls and faced him, baring my teeth and giving him the fiercest snarl I could muster. Tensing my muscles, I prepared for him to fly into a rage of his own, and retaliate without mercy, and yet, no assault came.

“Man, you really do have some heart, kid.”

Wildly chuckling to himself, he walked back up to me and put his mouth to my ear.

“Now, I’m going to lay things out for you real simple, okay?”

Snapping his fingers, the Russian let go of the pulley system, allowing me to drop to my knees, sighing heavy breaths of relief. Rummaging through his pockets and retrieving a set of keys, the man then made his way over to Rainbow Dash’s cage.

“Get up.” he ordered, unlocking the door and opening it, “Go to your friend, go show him.”

The pegasus lay motionless, as though she hadn’t even heard him. At this, the bastard withdrew his pistol and pointed it in my direction. With an ear-splitting bang, he loosed a round that almost hit me, to which I flinched and ducked down. The others all ducked as well, spooked by the gunshot.

“Next time, I won’t miss him.”

Sluggishly getting to her hooves, Rainbow Dash emerged from her cage and limped over to me, refusing to make eye contact. Not moving as fast as our captor desired, the poor mare was seized by the mane and dragged towards me. Without an ounce of fight left in her, she allowed herself to be forcibly brought over, and once she was properly in the light, I realised what was wrong with her; so terribly, terribly wrong.

From the pit of my stomach to the top of my throat, my insides seized up. What stood before me was a sight so painful that it nearly killed me. With tears streaming down her cheeks, Dashie looked at me, and showed me the full extent of what this truly abominable wretch of a man had done to her. Almost entirely losing the ability to breathe, I looked on in horror as Rainbow splayed open her wings, or at least, what was left of them, for all that remained were two unsightly, multijointed, fleshy, scythe-like limbs. They were covered in deep holes and splattered with blood. Not a single feather remained on the broken pony, for they had all been brutally ripped away. What had happened here was beyond torture, the poor girl had been physically crippled, feather by feather.

Rainbow Dash had been plucked, and was now, for all intents and purposes, a pegasus no longer…


The leader, revelling in the shock he had caused me, grinned widely and started stroking the back of Rainbow’s head, occasionally coiling strands of her mane between his fingers.

“Now this one? I really like her, she’s got a lot of heart, like you. But the thing is, alright… the thing is… she seemed to think that it would be okay to go breaking one of my boys’ arms, and then try to fly away. Well I didn’t like that, so I had her tied down, and I made sure it wouldn’t happen again.”

Planting a kiss on Rainbow’s head, he ordered her to get back into her cage and tossed the keys over to the Russian. The mare, completely destroyed, did exactly as she was told with little hesitation. With her head hung low, she willingly shambled back to her confinement and collapsed. I watched bitterly as the Russian slammed the cage shut and locked it behind her. Still on my knees, I looked up at the monster responsible, and glared at him intensely. Totally unfazed by my wrathful demeanour, he stepped towards me and squatted down to my level.

“Now, I’m going to ask you again, and if you don’t tell me everything you know about these creatures, I’m going to do the exact same thing… to the yellow one.”

I glanced past him to look at Fluttershy, where I could see the poor thing buried beneath her own mane and tail, trembling like a leaf in a hurricane.

“Or you know, I could just cut them off completely?” he suggested, licking his lips, “With how good chicken wings are, who knows how good those will taste, you feel me hermano?”

I couldn't take it any more. Taking advantage of his closeness, I lunged forward and latched onto him with all four limbs, dragging him into me as I wrestled him to the floor. He tried to roll away, but with my legs wrapped around his waist, he could go nowhere. Straddling him, I used the chains on my wrists to repeatedly bash at his face. Wholly consumed by the fury, I roared at him with every ounce of strength I had.

“YOU BASTARD! I’LL KILL YOU! I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!”

Try as I might, my efforts to destroy him were unfounded, as the Russian returned to the pulley system and yanked me back up so hard that my arms were nearly ripped from their sockets. Scrambling away from me, the man clutched at the now-marred and bloodied side of his face, hissing in a fit of excruciating animosity. After taking a moment to gather himself, he reached the end of his tether and strode up to me.

“I think, boy, it’s time you learned exactly who you’re dealing with.”

I tried to kick out at him as he approached, only for him to slink to the side and punch me directly in the bullet wound on my arm. Emitting a howl of agony, I continued in my attempts to fight back, but he was far too nimble, and continued to strike me multiple times until the wound had reopened. Blood seeped down my arm, but the man did not relent.

“Stop it! Stop it! You're hurting him!” Pinkie Pie cried out, rattling the bars of her cage.

Ignoring the pink mare’s pleas, he continued to beat me down until I lacked the strength to defend myself. The henchman then released the pulley, allowing me to drop to the ground, but it didn’t stop there. Towering above me, the man proceeded to kick and stamp at me relentlessly, and there was nothing I could do but curl up into a ball and take it. With each blow I took to the head, everything grew fuzzier and fuzzier, until I was eventually beaten senseless. With a final punt to the ribs, my rage-fuelled defiance came to an end. I went limp and broke into a sob, which was promptly silenced with a smack to the mouth.

“No, no-no-no-no-no boy, you don’t get to cry now!”

Without warning, he withdrew his pistol again, and pressed the barrel directly into my crotch.

“No, if you’re going to cry like a little bitch, then you don’t deserve these.” he spat, “Now I’m only going to tell you for a first time. Shut the fuck up, or I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life sitting down to piss. Not that it will be that long of a life, but even so… you feel me?”

Gritting my teeth and pursing my lips as tightly as possible, I ceased to weep just enough to satisfy him. He turned away, which was when he took aim at Pinkie Pie and shot at her, causing some of the girls to scream loudly. There was a harrowing silence, but thankfully it seemed that she hadn’t actually been hit, which brought forth an almighty sigh of relief from me. The man then looked back at me and craned his neck, shrugging at me.

“You see kid, I don’t need all six, because I have a feeling that you know where I can find more. So unless you want to see one of their heads mounted to a fucking wall, you’d better start talking.”

It was then that the Russian cleared his throat and lifted his chin, preparing to speak up.

“What if uh… Paulo want one?”

Looking at his enormous henchman and itching his chin, the man gave a thoughtful hum.

“You know I don’t pay you to talk. Ugh, but you’re not wrong…”

Rolling his eyes, he squatted beside me and started to gently pat at the side of my head.

“Today’s your lucky day hermano, I need to make a little phone call. But don’t think for one second that you’re out of the woods, you and I are going to have a lot of fun together, okay?”

Looking me up and down for a moment, he snapped his fingers, and the Russian strode over to untie the rope from my chains.

“Oh, and seeing as you did ask first, I guess it’s only polite.”

Helping me up to my knees, the man lowered his head and looked me dead in the eyes.

“I am Inigo Montenegro, and I am the last face you are ever going to see in this life.”

With a tilt of his head, he gave me one last smile, before lashing out with his pistol. He struck me in the head, putting an abrupt end to the tattered remains of my consciousness…





A wet flannel pressed against my face, and I was slowly roused from my comatose state. Gradually opening my eyes, I was met with the blurred form of a person, lightly dabbing at my face.

“Hey, you. You’re finally awake…” a female voice spoke softly.

Blinking a few times, I got a slightly clearer picture, revealing a woman kneeling beside me. She had long green hair and numerous ear piercings. She looked rather young, barely much older than myself by the looks of things. I tried to get up, only for all the pain in my body to immediately return, resulting in me instinctively trying to curl up. Rolling sideways, I let out a weak groan.

“Oww…”

The girl placed both of her hands on my torso and held me still, easing me back over to my original position and speaking to me softly.

“Hey, easy does it… There we go…”

Her voice sounded English, and the kindness in her tone made it rather clear that she had been taking care of me. Relaxing slightly, I allowed her to continue tending to me with the wet cloth.

“Where… Where am I?” I mumbled.

“You, my friend, are the newest member of the Stock Heap.”

“Stock?” I echoed, slurring, “What’s… What’s the Stock Heap?”

“Your new home, I’m afraid.” she told me, “It’s the name for this part of the compound, and where all the prisoners and slaves are taken, to be piled in together like the pitiful merchandise we are.”

“Oh, I get it…” I said, swallowing, “We’re the stock?”

“You catch on fast.”

With a nod, she explained to me that guns and drugs only made up a fraction of the cartel’s trade, and that they made most of their money in human trafficking. Some people were sold back to their families, if they were rich enough, others meanwhile, would be shipped off into the unknown, to be forever lost in the underworld of sex and slave markets.

Regaining more of my senses, I propped myself up as she explained how some slaves were to be kept here. They lived with the prisoners, though they also had the luxury of leaving the Stock Heap at times, permitting that it was either to prepare food, or to service the men.

“Gods above…” I muttered, “So um, are you a slave? Or just, some of Inigo’s… stock?”

“Take a guess.” she replied dryly, showing me the bruises on her wrists.

Apologising, I broke eye contact and pursed my lips. There was no telling what this poor girl had been subjected to here, but it sickened me to imagine. Wanting to know more about the person who’d been caring for me, I asked for the girl’s name, to which she helped me sit up properly and smiled.

“The name’s Nicole, Nicole Gilbert. And, you are?”

I hesitated for a moment, thinking about whether I should reveal my name or not. Then I realised how little it mattered, for I was a world away from England now. Exhaling, I told her my name.

“I’m Callum, Callum Horncastle.”

“Ooh, fancy.” she replied with her eyebrows raised, “I’m picturing a luscious, middle-class family?”

“Try a deadbeat alcoholic for a mother, and a father who’s been missing for years.”

“Huh, well that’s not ideal.” she shrugged, “Well, not like that matters now, ey?”

Huffing in agreement, I asked how long Nicole had been a slave here, to which she revealed that she had been the Stock Heap’s green-haired thrall for about seven months now. However, despite the life of a cartel slave being utterly gruelling, Nicole had coped with it rather well, relying heavily on a nonchalant and happy-go-lucky demeanour. That wasn’t to say she didn’t find it difficult, but she had come to terms with the reality of the situation, and had found her way to endure and survive.

“To put it crudely, if I’m going to be passed around from man to man, with the only alternative being a bullet to the head, I might as well try to enjoy myself, right?” she finalised with an awkward laugh.

“Jeez, fair one I guess…” I murmured, gulping.

Despite such a blunt and downplayed description for her mistreatment, her glassy eyes made it perfectly clear that she was far more damaged than she was letting on. Still, if her coping mechanism was to make light of the matter, and to simply keep calm and carry on, then more power to her. One thing was certain, Nicole Gilbert was one seriously tough young woman, of whom I immediately came to respect.

“Well uh, seeing as you’re allowed outside the Heap then, I’m guessing that you might be the best person to ask if there’s a way out of here?” I inquired.

Shaking her head and tutting, Nicole explained that Inigo liked to run a tight ship, and that guards were consistently on patrol. Escaping was out of the question, at least for the regular stock.

“So, no one’s ever escaped?” I asked, “Like… ever?”

Humming, she recalled how a pair of slave girls had escaped together once. Two sisters, by the names of Kiera and Laela, but how they had actually pulled off such an escape was beyond her.

“It was probably in the back of a supply truck or something.” she speculated, “But still, they only got out of the Heap because they were slave girls. So, unless you’re willing to offer yourself to the guards, and are really convincing in drag, I’m afraid you’re stuck here.”

Shaking my head, I told her that I couldn’t accept that. I needed to escape, or at the very least, rescue the friends of mine that were also here in Inigo’s possession.

“Pfft, good luck with that.” she snorted, “Look, forget escaping, if you want a chance of even surviving in here, then you need to stay on your deathbed for a while. If they think you’re fit enough to stand up, they’ll process you, and if you aren’t worth anything to them, you’re fucked. You ever see those videos on the internet? Where cartels cut people up and shit while they’re still alive? Well this is where most of those videos come from.”

Before I could reply, Nicole looked past me and her eyes widened. She then forced me to lie back down and placed the wet flannel over my face.

“Don’t move.” she ordered.

Knowing that she knew best, I remained perfectly still, which was when I heard heavy footsteps approaching. They stopped abruptly for a few seconds, before walking away again. Nicole then tapped me on the arm to let me know the coast was clear.

“What was that all about?” I inquired, removing the cloth.

“Vladimir.”

“Come again?”

“Vladimir Kikashkov.”

Emitting a nervous huff, she explained further.

“He’s Inigo’s right-hand man.” she told me, “People call him the ‘Red Boulder’, and he’s the meanest block of muscle you’ll ever meet. The bastard’s literally unkillable, he’s been stabbed and shot dozens of times, and nothing can bring him down. I’ve genuinely seen him take a bullet to the head once. Trust Inigo to have a living, breathing, Incredible Hulk as his own personal lackey.”

“I’m guessing he’s the big beefy Russian bloke then?” I posed, “About six foot eight? Black hair, buzzed on the sides?”

“Oh, so you’ve met?”

Confirming with a disgruntled hum, I asked Nicole to tell me everything she knew about this cartel; I wanted to know my enemy, inside and out. Knowledge was power, and if I had any chance at escaping this place, I would need to know what I was up against. Taking a deep breath, Nicole granted my request, and proceeded to tell me all that she had been able to gather during her time in this truly horrible place.

This entire facility, and the cartel who ran it, belonged to an organisation of pirates, who were in turn, part of an interconnected criminal empire. It was all headed by one man, by the name of Hoyt Volker, of whom ran the biggest slave, weapons, and drug trafficking ring in the entire South Pacific. They manufactured narcotics, raided towns, supplied terrorists, and captured a lot of people. Most of their captives were tourists, young adults on holiday, who would be ransomed back to their families for profit. Many of the Stock Heap’s prisoners were such people, desperately hoping that their loved ones could meet the cartel’s extortionate financial demands.

“Things around here are run by Inigo Montenegro.” Nicole muttered, pulling a face of disgust, “People call him the Bogeyman of Brazil, he’s that Hispanic twat with the big skull on his chest.”

“Yeah, I’ve met him too.” I growled.

“Ooh, well aren’t you popular?” she chuckled, “Well as I’m sure you saw, the man’s an animal, and a rabid one at that. He’s one of the most feared men in the country, if not the most feared.”

Slowly shaking my head, I asked why the authorities hadn’t put an end to him if he was such a notorious criminal. At that, Nicole gave a somewhat amused sigh, before explaining that for as unhinged as Inigo was, he wasn’t stupid. Inigo very publicly targeted police officers and their families, meaning that no one dared to touch him. He also had cartel members working within the public sector, secretly pulling strings throughout Brazil. He didn't just terrorise this country, he owned it!

“Jesus…” I mumbled.

“No, it’s Inigo.” she corrected, smirking, “Jesus was that other bloke.”

I looked at her blankly for a good few seconds, before we both started laughing, causing my injuries to hurt again.

“Don’t make me laugh, it hurts.” I coughed.

“Don’t find what I say funny then!” she snapped back, winking at me.

Lying back down and tutting, I thanked Nicole for divulging the cartel’s layout to me. I then rubbed delicately over the bullet wound in my thigh. Though warm to the touch, the surrounding area wasn’t too badly infected; a blessing, considering that I had been shot in a sewer. I thanked my lucky stars that I had collapsed on the cleaner walkway. Had I fallen down into the muck, then it would have been more likely than not that I would already be dead from sepsis.

“Oh yeah, those holes were pretty nasty.” Nicole said, “Your leg was alright, ish… but that one on your arm? Man, that thing was pissing blood when you were first brought in!”

“Yeah, you’ve got Inigo to thank for that.” I grumbled.

With a huff, Nicole explained that she had been ordered to clean my wounds and tend to me daily. Using vodka as an antiseptic, she had staved off further infection, and was essentially the reason I was still breathing.

“They gave you vodka?” I quizzed, raising an eyebrow.

“My reward for keeping you alive.” she replied, “I guess Inigo still wants you kicking for some reason.”

“Can’t imagine why.” I said sarcastically.

Nicole then asked how I got here, to which I professed that it was a long story. With a laugh, she pointed out that I hardly had anywhere else to be, and considering the fact she had given me so much information, and literally saved my life, I chose to indulge her.

“Well, I faked my death and ran away with six uh, friends.” I started, clearing my throat.

Choosing not to mention the ponies by name, I explained that my ‘friends’ were simply a band of childhood companions, and we had made a pact to go travelling together and see the world, to live a life of adventure. We had been in the country for a little over a week, and were on our way upward to the Amazonas, which was when we were captured by Inigo and his people.

“Damn, that’s quite the story.” Nicole murmured with a whistle, “Well, aside from you, no one’s been added to the Heap for quite some time, so if your friends are still alive, they’re not here.”

“Oh trust me, you’d know if they were here.” I told her.

Explaining that Inigo had taken an interest in them, I said that he was keeping them elsewhere, and was planning to probe me for information about them, which was why I needed to escape and set them free.

“Look buddy, I don’t know what else to tell you.” Nicole shrugged, “There’s no way you’re getting out of here, not even if you had the whole Stock Heap backing you up.”

“Ooh, now there’s an idea…” I hummed.

Realising that I was very adamantly on a warpath, Nicole tutted loudly.

“I really can’t talk you out of trying something, can I?”

“Nope.”

“Then can I at least suggest you play dead for a few more days? You need to get your strength back, especially if Inigo’s planning to interrogate you. When he tortures someone, it’s usually a one-way trip, you understand?”

Dipping my chin to signal my concession, Nicole gently patted me on the head and ordered me to get some sleep, and then got up to leave. I painfully rolled onto my side and closed my eyes, and although I was determined to escape as soon as possible, my battered and exhausted body needed rest first. In spite of the pain, and the pounding in my head, I found it relatively easy to drift off…





“Hey, get up. Breakfast.” Nicole ordered, nudging me.

I awoke, again.
It had been my fifth day now in the Stock Heap, and I had spent the majority of my time getting to know the other slaves and prisoners while I was in recovery. In a short space of time, I came to know a great many names, faces, and stories, and above them all, I had become very close to a lad by the name of William Reed. Another Brit like myself and Nicole, William was a hilarious chap, and always looked on the bright side, full of life and enthusiasm.

He was also about as mad as a box of frogs… Without a care in the world, it was almost like William didn’t even know he was being forcibly held captive. As though he was the human incarnation of Pinkie Pie, the guy would merrily prance around the Stock Heap and try to lift everyone’s spirits with his nonsensical antics. His main act, to the bewildered amusement of everyone, was to put on a nasally high-pitched voice and run from prisoner to prisoner, begging for a Magnum ice cream. The absolute nutter had even asked the Stock Heap guards for one once, which resulted in a beating that he had deemed ‘totally worth it for the shits and giggles’.

There were a handful of other captives I had befriended, but William was certainly my favourite.

“Thanks Nicole.” I muttered, retrieving my… breakfast.

I was absolutely starving, to the point where it almost made the undercooked rice and boiled chicken skin look like a bloody banquet. Without a moment’s hesitation, I dug in, using my hand to scoop rice and skin into my gob. What little food I had been provided with was gone in less than a minute.

“Hungry by any chance?” said Nicole.

“Just a tad peckish.” I grunted.

Then from behind us, came the sound of footsteps, heavy ones. Everyone in the Stock Heap fell silent as the Red Boulder had the chain-link gate unlocked, and then walked directly towards me. Taking a deep breath, I knew it was time for Inigo’s interrogation, and from here on out, I was in for a world of pain.

“Wish me luck…” I mumbled.

Nicole gave me a sullen look, and I was suddenly seized by the throat and lifted to my feet.

“S-Sup, big boy?” I choked, wheezing.

Unamused, Vladimir squeezed at my neck until my face began to turn red. Gritting my teeth, I tried to keep calm and waited until he finally released me, knowing full-well that he wasn’t to harm me, at least, not yet.

“Move.” he grunted.

Giving my newfound allies a weak smile, I allowed the Russian to escort me from the chain-link block and out of the warehouse. A few rooms and corridors later, I found myself in the same chamber as before, and at one side were the girls, still in their cages.

“Callum!” they gasped.

Sighing a breath of relief to see them again, I immediately felt a surge of emotion course through my body. Once Vladimir had released me, I gave the girls a hearty salute and grinned, letting them all know that I was strong in spirit, and wouldn’t be broken by whatever was to come next.

“What are you so smug about? Hm?” Inigo murmured from a dimly lit corner.

Emerging from the shadows, the Bogeyman of Brazil strode up to me and repeated the question, and I couldn’t help but notice the deep red marks on one side of his face, of which I had caused.

“I said what are you so smug about!? Huh?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I responded with an innocent tone, “I’ve just been having the most wonderful time in the Stock Heap! The company’s lovely, the hospitality is unmatched, oh and the cuisine! That chicken skin with the undercooked rice? I mean, what a dish… Seriously Inigo, hats off to your chef.”

Both baffled and angered by my high spirits, he lunged forward and punched me in the gut. I tensed myself just before the impact and let out a low ‘umph’ as his fist made contact.

“That was a half-decent punch…” I wheezed.

Inigo gave a small whistle, to which Vladimir attached my chains to the same pulley system as before. Smirking, I held my arms out for him to make it easier, which left Inigo even more taken aback.

“What are you playing at, hm?” he demanded, “So what, a week in captivity and you’ve got some fucking Stockholm Syndrome or something? Huh? Come on, what’s going on with you Bro?”

“Well, you’re the host, and I’m the guest. Should I not abide by your house rules?” I posed, shrugging.

Blinking rapidly, Inigo found himself unable to properly gauge me. My change in attitude had been down to three main factors. Firstly, there was Nicole; witnessing her strength and nonchalance in the face of such gruelling adversity had inspired me, and I now aimed to mimic such a degree of indifference to Inigo, knowing that it would irk him. Secondly, seeing the girls again had pushed me through an emotional barrier. The drive to rescue them had overtaken all else, and I was ready to endure anything if it would eventually lead to their freedom. Thirdly, I knew Inigo wouldn’t kill me outright, because I had what he wanted; knowledge of where the ponies came from.

“Let me remind you that you’re only alive because I am allowing it.” Inigo taunted, grabbing my cheeks with one hand, “Once I have what I want, I’m going to slice you up and feed you to these horse girls, understand?”

Giving him a perfectly blank stare, I kissed my teeth, and decided that it was all or nothing.

“Counterpoint… Am I bovvered?”

From the far corner of the room, I heard a snickering from Pinkie Pie, who knew exactly what was coming next. Tilting his head, Inigo looked at me with confusion.

“I beg your pardon hermano?”

“Am I bovvered though?”

“I don’t… I don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I’m saying I ain’t bovvered.” I drawled, “Look at my face, does my face look bovvered?”

“Okay, you're really starting to fu-”

“Bovvered?”

“Shut u-”

“But I ain’t bovvered, I really ain’t bovvered though!” I continued, “If you’re going to torture me, get on with it because this is well lame, innit! Seriously bruv, I ain’t bovv-”

Done with my antics, Inigo interrupted me by throwing a punch at my head, and despite swerving away to evade it, Inigo didn’t let up. Now enraged, he seized me by the shirt and headbutted me in the face, splitting my lip open and bringing the Lauren Cooper act to a grinding halt.

“Are you done now?” Inigo barked, clenching his fists.

Before I could rile him up further, he looked over at the girls and broke into a wicked smile.

“You know what, hermano? Let me answer that one for you.”

Walking circles around me, Inigo said that he had originally intended to give me a chance, to answer his questions and then return to the Stock Heap unharmed. But now that I had pissed him off, we were going to do something a little different.

“And I mean, you did ask me to torture you, so really this is on you.”

Clapping his hands twice, Vladimir lowered me down and untied me, while Inigo went over to the ponies.

“Listen up, horse girls! I want to play a little game. You like games?”

Squatting down in front of their cages, he explained that he was going to have some ‘fun’ with me now, and that a plus one was invited to attend the show. Then, with an almighty grin on his face, he ordered the girls to decide amongst themselves as to who that plus one would be. In simpler terms, he was forcing them to elect somepony to watch me be tortured. Completely shell-shocked, none of them spoke, but Inigo was not a man to be refused, and I watched with dread as he reached for his pistol, removing it from his leg holster and aiming it at Pinkie Pie.

“You know, this pink one here? This pink one really gets on my nerves, so you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to give you exactly thirty seconds to make a choice. And if you don’t decide, I am going to put a bullet…”

Making a whistling noise, he slowly moved his fingers to his own head, clicking his tongue loudly upon touching his temple.

“… right through her skull. So hurry up and make a choice. Clock’s ticking.”

I watched hopelessly as they all looked at one another, utterly beside themselves for having to make such a choice. Eventually, a candidate volunteered herself. Getting to her hooves and staring blankly into space, an already-broken Rainbow Dash declared that she would be the plus one. Putting his hands together, Inigo tutted loudly and hung his head with a melancholy expression.

“You know, that’s really fucking poetic. The one who already knows what it’s like, volunteering herself to spare her friends. Man, that’s some Marley and Me shit right there, nearly brought a tear to my eye! Look Vladimir, are my eyes not watering?”

Daintily flapping a hand at his face, Inigo looked over at his henchman and pointed to his eyes, which the Russian responded to by giving an awkward nod. It was then that Inigo chuckled and shook his head, pointing at Rainbow Dash.

“But the thing is, I think you’re being greedy. What, no one else gets to join in on the fun? No, I can’t pick you Blue, somebody else needs to have a turn.”

Without missing a beat, a voice rasped from the gloomiest cage, and Twilight Sparkle stepped forward.

“I’ll do it.”

Clapping enthusiastically, Inigo skipped over to the unicorn and praised her, unlocking her cage and beckoning for her to follow him. Vladimir then grabbed me by the hair and directed me to a small room adjacent to this one. The room had a great big wooden armchair in the middle, with leather straps around the wrist and ankle areas. On the walls were racks of tools, lots, and lots of tools, of which most were stained with browned old blood. There were saws, knives, hammers, pliers, there was even a drill, and on a table at the far back, beside a child’s paddling pool, was a large truck battery. Gulping and looking around some more, I noticed something far worse than the instruments of my upcoming torture, for at the back of the room, in a crude pile, was a seething mass of cyan feathers.

This was where Rainbow Dash had been plucked…

“Oh sweet Jesus…” I mumbled quietly, shivering.

Twilight was brought into the room after me, and clamped her eyes shut upon seeing the pile, gritting her teeth. Seeing her distress, Inigo forced her to sit next to it, ordering her to stay put. I was then forcibly sat into the chair and strapped in, and Vladimir went to shut the door, only for Inigo to stop him.

“No-no, keep that door open! Sure, Purple here gets to watch, but I didn’t say the others could not listen!”

Turning to face me, Inigo’s mouth slowly widened into a putrid grin, and he licked his bottom lip. He then leaned forward and whispered to me, his tone full of malice, and twisted joy.

“You are about to make a lot of noise hermano. You are going to sing for me like a little birdy, and your horse friends outside are going to hear every little song, so let’s not disappoint them, okay?”

He then glanced at Twilight, chuckled to himself, and then looked back at me.


“Now, let’s give your purple friend here a show she won’t forget…”





> Chapter Eighteen: I Predict a Riot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“So, where shall we start, hm?” Inigo cackled to himself, browsing his selection of tools.

“Well uh, they say torture isn’t actually all that good for getting information.” I chipped in, “So yeah, maybe let’s not start with those tools? I mean, the best way to interrogate someone really is by setting up a bond with the subject. We need to get along, basically.”

Choosing not to respond, he picked a long screwdriver from the rack, along with a blowtorch.

“We… We need to get along…” I reiterated with a stutter, gulping.

Smirking, Inigo began to heat up the screwdriver, until it started to turn orange. Then without hesitation, he brought it down into my left leg, piercing my thigh. Wholly unprepared for the first bout of pain, I let out a guttural howl, more shocked than anything at just how badly it hurt. Inigo held it in there for a good moment, before yanking it back out and tossing it over to Twilight, who stared at it intensely.

“Oh! Oh fuck! We are really not getting along!” I spluttered, shaking in the chair.

Laughing, Inigo returned to the tool rack and picked out a hammer, along with a box of nails.

“Tell you what, let’s play Twenty Questions!”

“I have a feeling this isn’t going to be the regular version.” I groaned, still recovering from the shock.

Ignoring me, he sat down on the wooden stool in front of me. He then removed a nail from the box, and held the tip against my forearm.

“This part’s really fun, because you get to play along.” he began, “Now I’m going to ask you twenty questions, and if you don’t answer, or you lie to me, this nail becomes a part of your arm, okay? Let’s start simple, what is your name?”

“The Muffin Man.” I said dryly.

Without missing a beat, he brought down the hammer and drove the nail into me. I emitted a loud hiss, but otherwise remained composed. Tutting, Inigo acquired the next nail, and sat it beside the first one.

“What are you doing here in Brazil, hm?”

“I came for the climate.”

Inigo licked his bottom lip, before breaking into an enormous grin.

“Oh, this is going to be fun…”


All twenty nails found themselves lodged in my arm, and despite some uncontrollable whimpering, I had otherwise held myself together, and was prepared for whatever came next. Twilight had watched me intently the whole time, unblinking, and I found it hard to place her expression. I could only guess that she had volunteered to watch me be tortured out of spite, but behind those glossy eyes of hers, were hundreds of other emotions. As the last nail went into my arm, a single tear escaped and began rolling down her cheek, and it became clear that she no longer wished to be here.

“Man, your mama and papa raised you tough, huh?” Inigo hummed, tossing away the hammer.

“Something like that.” I uttered through my gritted teeth.

“You got a good family back home then?” he asked, picking out a pair of pliers.

I shook my head, causing him to laugh as he plonked himself down on the stool, and then seized my left ring finger, still chuckling.

“Hermano, whatever family issues you think you have, it ain’t nothing.”

Before continuing, he gripped my fingernail in the pliers, and began to lift.

“Shit-shit-shit! Ah, okay! OkaaAAAAAHHHH!”

The keratin began to rip away from the soft flesh underneath, and unable to contain myself any longer, I shrieked at the top of my lungs as he tore the entire fingernail off. Undeterred by my cries of agony, Inigo proceeded to tell me about his own family, as he moved on to my pinky finger…

“I was born a long, long way away from here, kiddo. Daddy Montenegro came to the Rook Islands on some little self-discovery soirée, where he knocked up some little Rakyat girl. Poor thing was far too young to handle twins, she died pushing me out into the world, papa had to cut my brother out.”

“Sounds like a real upstanding gentlemaaaAAAH-HAAANAHH!”

My little fingernail was removed, and Inigo continued, this time choosing the middle finger.

“Daddy-o tried to raise us all alone, did just fine for a couple of years, then poof, he was never seen again. We were found by the Rakyat, and being part native, they took us in. We were raised with a big sister, Citra, and we found ourselves in a big happy jungle family!”

I screamed out like never before as the third fingernail was removed. I threw my head from side to side and desperately tried to kick out, but with my ankles tethered to the armchair, all I could do was rattle intensely. Then, without warning, Inigo lunged forward and punched me in the mouth, violently shutting me up.

“I’m trying to tell a story here, you rude fuck!” he barked loudly, “Now where was I?”

“Big happy f-family…” I blubbered, hanging my head.

Tearing off my index finger’s nail, along with my thumb’s, Inigo continued to lament about his upbringing, and how his sister began to abuse him and his brother relentlessly, both physically and mentally. Inigo quickly saw her for the monster that she was, and learned to keep his distance. His brother meanwhile, became completely dependent on her, fixated to the point of obsession.

Moving on to my right hand, he continued through my screams, telling me about how they both became addicted to drugs after acquiring narcotics from the foreign pirates on their island. They then joined these pirates, abandoning their tribe, and eventually falling in with their now-boss, Hoyt Volker.

“We all worked together for a time, things were nice and cushy you know? But you see, you can never trust anyone kid, not even your own family… I said not even your own family!”

With tremendous force, he ripped off my right ring finger’s nail, snapping it at the halfway point. He waited patiently for me to stop crying out, and then told me what happened between him and his brother.

“So there we were, getting high together. We talked about life, and death, and people, and that was when I told him the definition… of insanity. He listened to me, and then, without saying so much as a word, he took out his gun, and shot me.”

Standing up and tossing away the pliers, he pulled out his own gun and stuck the barrel into my belly. For a second, I thought he was going to shoot, and that after all this, he really was going to kill me. Holding my breath, I waited for the bang, and for the searing pain to pierce my body. And then, to my relief, he pulled it away.

“You really thought I was going to do it, huh?” he chuckled, “No man, I like you too much.”

Tossing the gun to one side, he picked the pliers back up and finished removing the last of my fingernails. I sobbed loudly as he did it, quaking in the armchair like jelly on a plate. Unable to watch any more, Twilight bowed her head in shame, silently crying along with me. Inigo noticed, and frowned at her.

“Hey, who said you could look away, huh?”

Going over to her, he grabbed Twilight by the mane and dragged her closer to me. She began to cry even louder, and upon reaching me, she was forced to look into my eyes. Grinning, Inigo decided to include her further, reaching for the box of nails again and taking one out. He then placed the sharp tip against the raw flesh where a fingernail had once been. And then, to mine and Twilight’s shared horror, he ordered her to knock it in with her hoof. With her lips trembling, she shook her head.

“I… I can’t… I can’t do that…” she wept, “Please… don’t make me…”

With blithe disregard to her mewling plea, Inigo grabbed her mane for a second time and yanked her even closer to me. He then hissed into her ear that if she didn’t do it, he would kill Pinkie Pie in her cage, and then leave her body there to rot. At that, Twilight’s eyes widened and her pupils shrank, and I knew that this was something neither of us could avoid, but I could make it easier for her at least.

“Twilight, it’s okay…” I croaked through my gritted teeth, “Do it.”

With her mouth slowly ajar, crying harder than I was, the unicorn did as she was told. Clenching her jaw, she lifted a foreleg, and then with an apologetic whimper, she pounded the top of the nail as hard as she could with her hoof. It went most of the way though and I emitted a nauseating wail. Inigo roared with laughter, while Twilight backed away and began to hyperventilate, disgraced and horrified by what she had been made to do. After that, she didn’t dare look away.

“So where was I in my story?” Inigo sighed, his laughter coming to an end, “Oh yes, my brother shot me… Well, Hoyt didn’t want his two best men killing each other, so he separated us and sent me here to run things. Since then, my dear brother refuses to even say my name, scared that he’ll summon me, that I’ll come back for revenge. Well, none of that matters now. Why would I need my brother’s love, now I’m the king of Brazil, huh?”

Spreading out his arms with arrogance, Inigo concluded his story, and then tilted his head towards me with a smile.

“Now, as per your suggestion, I would like to think you… and moi… have set up that little bond between interrogator and subject. So unless you want this to get any worse for you, how about you tell me more about these horse girls, hm?”

Shivering intensely, I met Inigo’s gaze, and then spat into his face. Enraged, the animal within him took hold, and Inigo lunged forward to strike me in the face, again, and again, and again… For nearly a solid thirty seconds, my head was assaulted by a flurry of fists. By the time he calmed down and backed away, I couldn’t see out of one eye and blood was streaming from my nose.

Inigo then backed away and went over to where Rainbow Dash’s feathers were piled up. Snapping his fingers, he instructed Vladimir to assist him. Grabbing the armchair, the Russian tilted me back while Inigo grabbed the paddling pool and slipped it under the chair’s wooden legs. Vladimir then lowered me back down, and my feet were submerged into the murky water that had been there for goodness-knows how long. That’s when Inigo retrieved the truck battery, and placed it on the table next to me.

{This can’t be happening… This isn’t real… This can’t be real…} I thought to myself, waning in strength.

“Okay kid, I’ve given you enough chances.” Inigo growled, “Tell me about the horse girls. What are they? Where do they come from? Tell me, or I’m going to fry your brain out of your head, okay?”

Terrified as I was, I refused to part with the one thing keeping me alive. Condemning myself to more torture, I shook my head from side to side, flicking saliva and blood in all directions. To this, he tutted and let out a heavy, disappointed sigh.

“You know, this might be a little cliché hermano, but you’re in for a bit of a shock.”

Vladimir hoisted a bucket of water beside me and removed a large dripping rag from it, and before I could process what was going on, he had draped it over my face. I hadn’t the energy to shake the rag off, and simply awaited my fate. Inigo said nothing, as he grabbed the crocodile clips attached to the battery, and then slammed them into either side of my head. The current struck instantly, and vehement cascades of electricity shot through me. My muscles went into uncontrollable spasming, and it was like getting extreme cramp from head to toe, but amplified by a hundred-fold. This was worse than anything I could have possibly imagined, and as I lost all control of mind and body, I let out the loudest and most agonising scream so far.

“That’s it! Sing for me, birdy! Sing for me!” Inigo squealed with excitement.

And sing for him, I did…

At last, he pulled the clips away, killing the current. The rag was pulled away from my face and I coughed and spluttered, puling pathetically and repeating the word ‘no’, over and over again. Inigo then repeated the question, glaring at me.

“The horse girls, huh? Where do they come from?”

I barely heard him, everything was going foggy and I couldn’t focus. Even the pain was beginning to die down to some extent, as my overstimulated brain tried to turn itself off. Slapping me in the face to regain my focus, Inigo repeated himself for a third time, demanding to know who the ponies were.

I couldn’t break, I just couldn’t… If I told him the truth, he would kill me, and then the girls would be trapped here, forever at his mercy. The only chance I had at staying alive was to tell him nothing, and endure the torture until he relented. And so, I held my tongue.

With tears streaming down my cheeks, I watched as Inigo performed a ridiculous slow dance with the crocodile clips, occasionally knocking them together a few times to send sparks spraying across the room. Vladimir placed the cloth over my head and Inigo descended upon me once more, jamming the clips against the sides of my head. My body went into spasm again and I felt the excruciating pain ripple through every fibre of my body. This time it was quicker, and Inigo pulled away before too long.

“Where-do-they-come-from!?” Inigo shouted at me, touching the clips together with each syllable.

As the sparks flew across the room, my psyche fell apart. Breaking into a maddened, hopeless bout of laughter, I glared at Inigo and grinned at him, with tears streaming down my face. Enraged, Inigo looked at Vladimir and nodded.

“Again.”

The cloth was slammed into my face, followed by the third bout of electricity. This time, Inigo held it down for longer, and as my muscles convulsed, I raised my head up and let out an ear-splitting scream, bellowing at the very top of my lungs. It was freakish and rippled, as though it had come from some alien beast. I jolted uncontrollably and thrashed savagely in all possible directions, with every muscle in my body spasming to the point of ripping themselves asunder.

At last, just as I was about to black out, Inigo finally pulled away. My body stopped shaking and I slumped back into the chair, going completely limp. But the pain didn’t stop, it continued to burn through every nerve I had. Wheezing and sobbing through my teeth, I sat there slumped, shakily panting with fatigue, and totally on the brink of death. Nevertheless, I had survived.

This bastard was not going to kill me. I hadn’t given up my entire life just to die like this, not at the hands of this madman. There was too much at stake to give in, the girls needed me, Equestria needed me, all of Equus needed me! This fact alone kept me clinging on desperately to the realm of the living, and as Vladimir pulled the rag away from my face, I looked at Inigo and loosed three words with my last microscopic ounce of energy.

“I… ain’t… bovvered…”

Inigo’s face dropped, his victory stolen from him. A disgruntled sneer broke out upon his face as he gestured for Vladimir to take me back to the Stock Heap, knowing that any further torture could kill me.

I had won this battle.

Shutting my eyes, my brain began to fully shut down, to the point where I didn’t even comprehend Vladimir’s presence as he unbound me from the chair, allowing me to tumble forward into the paddling pool. I was grabbed by an ankle, and then dragged out of the room. Sliding along on my back, the only thing I could vaguely perceive, was the soul crushing wails of the girls as they witnessed me at last, having been forced to listen to my torture through the open door. Rarity was the loudest, emitting a shriek of utter despair, which echoed all throughout the chamber.

It would be the last thing I heard that day…





“Well shit the bed and blame the dog, you aren’t dead.”

I recognised the voice of Nicole and slowly opened my eyes. She was sitting cross-legged by my side, and William was also sat close by, eager to greet me.

“The boy lives!” he exclaimed, clapping.

Beyond him, were dozens of other captives, staring at me with disbelief. Noting my confusion, Nicole explained that when Vladimir had returned me here, everybody had thought that I was dead, and that my body had been brought here as a message or something. Since learning that I was still alive, they had all waited to see if I pulled through or not, expecting my body to give out in my sleep.

“Mmnnn, not yet…” I rasped.

“I did my best to patch you up, but I’m afraid you’re a little bit, well… yeah.”

I tensed my muscles to find they were stiff as oak. There was no doubt that I had been unconscious for at least a day or two. With William and Nicole’s assistance, I was able to sit up, growling in pain as I did so. My whole body felt like it had been dismantled, run through a wood chipper, and then put back together again with Blu Tack.

“You’re lucky I was able to sneak in some alcohol from my last uh, client…” Nicole chuckled awkwardly, “I was able to disinfect that arm of yours. Well, after I got all the nails out.”

“Cheers.” I grumbled, “How long have I been out?”

“Four days.” she told me, “You’ve drifted in and out, but this is the first time you’ve actually been with it. Just yesterday you were mumbling something about ponies!”

“Four days?” I murmured, “No… no, that’s too long…”

“Too long? Callum, you should be thankful you’re not dead!”

Her words drifted by like a fart in the wind, fleeting and barely noticed. Four days… That was the only thing I could focus on. The girls had been left alone at Inigo’s mercy for another four days since my torture. Shaking my head, I tried to stand, only for my weak legs to give way, forcing me back down.

“Whoa, easy tiger! You need to get your strength back.” Nicole laughed.

“No, you don’t understand. I need to get out of here.”

“I’ve told you already, it’s impossible.”

“Impossible is not an option for me!” I barked, smacking the stone floor.

Pain shot into the hole in my finger, where Twilight had been forced to drive that nail into me. Clenching my jaw, all it did was fuel my anger.

“Okay-okay!” Nicole yapped back, raising her hands, “Look, even if there’s a way, you can’t do a damn thing right now. You can’t even stand for Christ’s sake!”

Gritting my teeth, I knew she was right.

“You need to rest up, and if you really want to get out of here, start thinking up a plan. Now, I’m off to get some food for you miserable lot.”

“Wait, you can just go and get food for us whenever you want to?”

Giving me a dull expression, Nicole elaborated that the guards would let her bring us anything she wanted from the kitchens, permitting she satisfied them well enough. My eyes widened and my face sank, as I realised that all the additional food that Nicole brought to the Stock Heap had been bought for us, and her body was the currency.

“I’m so sorry…” I murmured, “I didn’t think-”

“It’s fine.” she said bluntly, cutting me off, “I’ll be back later, I’m sure you’re starving.”

“Magnum?” asked William in his nasally voice.

“No Magnum.” Nicole replied.

“Magnum?”

“No.”

“Magnum!”

“William Reed, I swear…”

Looking around at me with a dejected expression, William quietly mewled ‘magnum…’ one last time, before waddling off to entertain the other captives. Nicole rolled her eyes and headed to the gate, where she flirted with the guards until they excitedly let her out, and it was during this crude exchange that I noticed something. As the guards left their post to indulge their primal urges, I couldn’t help but observe that nobody had taken their place, leaving just a small handful of armed men behind, few enough to overwhelm in, say… a riot?

“Lightbulb.” I uttered slowly, squinting my eyes and tensing my muscles.

Beckoning William and the other English-speaking captives over to me, I started to ruminate with them over a plot to escape…





A few days went by, and my scheme was ready. I had recovered a fair amount of my energy, and what strength hadn’t returned, I most certainly made up for in spirit and determination. My wounds were still in the process of closing, but I was well enough to push forward; the girls weren’t to be left a day longer in this cesspool.

“Right, you two remember the plan?” I asked, turning to the captives beside me.

The individuals in question went by the names of Conor Nelson and Lewis Carter. They were a pair of bodybuilders, of whom had unfortunately wound up in Inigo’s possession during their travelling workout tour. Conor was originally from Indonesia, but had moved to England at a young age. Lewis was another British lad, like William and myself. He had gone to school with Conor, and the two of them had grown up as one another’s motivation for staying fit, and maintaining a toned body; the ‘Bulking Bromance’ they had called it. Their relationship had gained a fair amount of popularity online, making them something of an internet sensation. But it wasn’t their reputation I required, it was their physical strength, as it would prove to be invaluable for my plot.

“Yeah, we’ve got it.” Conor said, “Go apeshit at each other, WWE style?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” I affirmed.

I signalled to William that it was time, and he spread the word from captive to captive, via a coded message, befittingly attributed to telling everybody that he didn’t want a Magnum today. Nicole got to her feet, and took a heavy sigh, preparing herself for the next step, the worst step.

“This is the last time they’ll ever use you.” I said to her, clenching my fists.

“Well yeah, but only because I’ll be dead, when this doesn’t work.” she muttered back.

“It’s going to work.” I assured her, “Trust me, too much is at stake for it not to.”

Dipping her head, Nicole inhaled deeply through her nose and went off to the gate, where with great bitterness, she sold herself to our cause, luring away three guards to do as they pleased with her. As soon as they were gone, I went over to one of the other captives I had befriended, an unpredictable yet reliable fellow named Jayce, of whom had somehow procured a blade for me.

“How did you even get this?” I inquired, taking the filleting knife from him.

“I went on a journey.” he replied, grinning.

“Right, and I presume you’re not going to elaborate further?”

Shaking his head, Jayce slithered away amongst the crowd, and I hid the knife in my waistband. After that, I slowly shuffled my way to the gate, and our plan was finally set into motion. Every captive was aware of what was about to happen, and we had agreed that when this kicked off, we were all going to do our part in getting out of here together, or die trying. Undoubtedly, a lot of us were scared, but all it took for me was one flicker of the girls in my mind to purge such fears; one flash of Rainbow’s mutilated wings, and Applejack’s bruised face, to start a fire in my belly.

No, I wasn’t afraid.
I was angry…

“You slept with my girlfriend!?” Conor boomed loudly, getting to his feet.

“What’s it to you?” Lewis barked back, also standing up, “You neglected her for months! So yeah, you’re damn right I slept with her, it was about time someone actually gave her the love she deserves!”

“You curly-headed fuck!”

The brawl that ensued was so convincing that I genuinely couldn’t tell if the Bulking Bromance had actually been shattered or not. The men slammed into each other like silverbacks, muscle met muscle and everyone crowded around them, chanting and cheering.

“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!”

The few remaining guards shouted for them to stop, but as per the plan, the fight continued, forcing our captors to intervene. One man unlocked the gate and withdrew a baton, rushing into the crowd to beat down whoever was responsible for the brawl. Almost immediately, Conor and Lewis, along with the rest of the Stock Heap, turned on the man and enveloped him, bringing him to the ground and pummelling him to death.

Another guard, armed with a submachine gun, rushed in and prepared to mow down the developing mob, which was when I sprang into action. Without so much as a second to comprehend what I was doing, I jammed the filleting knife into the side of the man’s neck and tackled him to the ground. I kept his arms restrained by wrapping my legs around his body, while I twisted at the knife viciously, until he at last stopped moving. Amidst this brutal attack, he had dropped his gun, which clattered away from the both of us. Picking it up and taking a deep breath, William looked at the other guards, of whom were rapidly approaching.

“I just… wanted… a MAGNUM!” he shrieked, opening fire.

Surprisingly being able to land a few hits, William brought down one of our captors, sending the last few scrambling into cover. I yanked my knife free from the dead man’s neck and got to my feet, where I found the rest of the Stock Heap staring at me, their eyes glistening with hope.

“Well come on then you sorry lot, claim your bloody freedom!” I roared, holding my blade in the air.

Vigorously hooting, howling, and hollering in unison, everyone rushed out of the gate while William provided covering fire, keeping the remaining guards pinned down until it was too late for them. They tried to shoot back at the last second, but were very quickly devoured by the rampant horde of their own making, ravenous for vengeance.

With the room now clear, everyone approached me and started to chant my name, and although my mind was very much focused on saving the girls, I couldn’t help but bask in the glory for a moment. William then brought me back to Earth, asking what happened now. With my brain firing on all cylinders, I instructed the most competent captives to retrieve the other guards’ firearms and take point. As for everyone else, I told them to grab whatever they could; pipes, bricks, anything in the room that could be used for combat.

Suddenly, the warehouse doors were opened, and about a dozen more cartel members emerged, drawn to the gunfire. Before they had the chance to raise their weapons, I gave the order.

“Give ‘em hell, boys.”

The building exploded into a raucous carnage, and although we lost a few of our own, we swiftly emerged victorious. Their guns were recovered and added to our arsenal, and with a pistol now in hand, I led the charge alongside William, Conor, and Lewis. We flooded into the connecting building, where the cartel appeared in full force as it rushed to contain us. An adrenaline-fuelled fray of blood and lead ensued, but for as many of them there were, there were more of us. Like a colony of frenzied ants, all unified under the single hive-minded pursuit of freedom and revenge, we fought on. Captives were killed by the dozen, but for each foe we brought down, we acquired another gun, adding tremendously to our offensive capabilities. Despite our losses, the odds soon began to even out, and Inigo’s cartel soon found itself up against a full-scale siege. I personally had been able to pick off a smattering of men, both with gun and blade. As my pistol ran out of bullets, one of the bastards tried to charge me with his machete, but I was quicker. Rushing forward and gripping his wrist, I thrust the filleting knife into his throat, gashing it open with merciless ferocity.

Was it justified? Was it immoral? I did not know.
And in this rush, this utter bedlam, I did not care.

The anarchy reached a new height, as we broke from the main building and into the rest of the compound. Fanning out like the angry swarm of insects we were, we spread out to consume the enemy, and to rescue other captives from their pens and shipping containers, gathering more fighters as we did so.

Amidst all the chaos, I was able to slip away from the massacre and reach Inigo’s headquarters. The door had been locked from within, but I was able to locate a side window and clamber inside. Choosing the stealthy approach, I crept past most of the guards, all of whom were in position near the front door. It seemed that Inigo would be holding his ground. One guard stood watch at the door that led to the girls, and I was able to get close enough to dispatch him silently. Pouncing on him, I stuck him with the knife, which snapped off inside him after a few well-placed stabs to the upper chest. Still alive, I was forced to finish the job with my bare hands, holding him down by the throat until his struggling came to a stop. I didn’t feel a shred of remorse, I was in too deep, with rescuing the girls being the only thing on my mind.

Taking his gun, I slowly opened the door, where my nose was immediately assailed by a most unpleasant scent, and I began to fear the worst. Cautiously entering the room, I spotted their cages, to which I was almost immediately brought to tears. Bedraggled and broken, huddled beside their own messes, and notably thinner even from a distance, were six ponies.

They had been trapped in those cages, the whole time…

“Oh my god…” I murmured.

Rushing forward, I made my presence known, hoping to pry their cages open and get them out of here as quickly as possible.

“Girls, girls it’s me!”

One by one, their lifeless expressions slowly rejuvenated as they recognised me. The poor things didn’t even know whether to cry or to smile, although both at the same time appeared to be working for now. Suddenly, Rarity’s eyes widened with shock.

“Callum behind y-”

BANG!

The bullet may have only skimmed me, but the sudden shock, paired with the searing pain in my hip, was enough for me to drop to the ground in an instinctive panic, dropping my gun in the process. I scrambled to retrieve it, only for Vladimir Kikashkov’s boot to fly into my gut, knocking the wind out of me and sending me cascading across the floor. The Russian then bent down and grabbed me by the hair, pulling me up to my knees. I tried to wrestle free, only for him to wrap his arm around my neck and squeeze tightly, nearly crushing my neck. Holding me steady, Vladimir forced me to look at Inigo as he approached me from the shadows, his own smoking pistol in hand. Storming up to me and placing the barrel of the gun directly against my forehead, he emitted a psychotic scream, pushing the gun harder and harder into my face.

“You… you started this, didn’t you? Didn’t you!? Oh, of course it was you… Quirked up little white boy, with a hard-on for the horse girls, ready to destroy everything I have built, just to get them back…”

Without warning, Inigo lashed out at me with his gun, splitting open the skin at the cheekbone. He then backed away and took an almighty sniff, wiping at his powdery nose. Clearly high as a kite, he sighed heavily and began to pace in circles, frantically tapping at his own head with his fingers. He meandered erratically back and forth between snarling fits of primal rage, and quiet chuckles to himself, truly lost in his own madness.

“Okay, I’m going to chill, I’m going to chill… We can fix this, yeah? Yeah, we’re going to fix this, alright?”

Turning to face me once more, he strode up to me and ordered Vladimir to loosen his grip. Placing a hand on my face, he patted my cheek and planted a kiss on my forehead.

“My product right now is jacked up on a big dose of hope, that you’re leading them to freedom. Now if I were to get Vladimir to pull off your head and show it to the crowd, they’ll scatter like roaches. But you know what? I’ve said it already, you’ve got heart, and I like it. So here’s what we’re going to do…”

Pressing his nose and forehead up against my own, he began breathing heavily, before whispering to me, clicking his tongue lightly.

“You’re going to put an end to your little revolution outside. You’re going to go out that front door, and you’re going to tell the people to stop. You’re going to help me round them up, and you’re going to shoot anyone who doesn’t put down their weapons, okay? And if you do this, if you do this, I’m going to let you live, and as a bonus, I’ll let you join me. We could be like brothers, huh? You can care for your little horse girl friends, and we can all get along like a big family.”

It was then that a phone began to ring loudly in Inigo’s back pocket. Stepping away from me, he retrieved the device and grimaced intensely upon seeing who the caller was. Vladimir tightened his grip once more, while the Bogeyman of Brazil apprehensively answered to his boss.

“Hoyt, my man! What a surprise! To what do I owe the-”

Inigo fell silent, as torrents of angry shouting came through the device. I faintly picked up a South African accent, along with a violent stream of less-than-friendly words.

“Okay, okay!” Inigo interjected, pacing around again, “I can handle this, chill out okay? They were being led by some white kid, I’ve already got him right here in front of me, I can sort this out.”

More harsh words came in through the phone, and Inigo walked away from me, clearly agitated.

“No, I don’t need the damn Privateers, okay? I just had a visit from Paulo this morning, and he’s going to post some of his militia here! Listen, just-just give me a few hours to get everything under control!”

Losing all interest in me for the time being, Inigo passed his pistol to Vladimir and slinked back into the shadows, stepping off into the torture room, pleading to his boss as he did so.

“Look, just let me sort this out okay? Stop bitching at me when you’ve got your own problems with Snow White! By the time you deal with him, this will all be under control! At least I’m the fucker who’s happy to work underneath you, huh? You know as well as I do that Vaas wants to be king of the castle!”

The door to the torture room closed, and I could hear no more of the conversation. Choosing to have a little fun, Vladimir tightened his already-vice-like grip, to the point where it felt as though my head was about to pop off like a champagne cork. Choking and gasping, I desperately tried to use my right elbow to hit the Russian in the ribs. Discarding Inigo’s pistol, he used his other arm to seize my wrist, locking me in place.

“Ssshhh… Ssssghhh…” I hissed urgently, feeling my consciousness start to wane.

Then, without warning, Vladimir emitted a loud grunt and released me. I lurched forward and twisted around, ready to defend myself. But no defence was required, as the Red Boulder stumbled down to one knee and clutched at his own neck, where his own sawtooth knife was now firmly embedded, encased in a shimmering blue aura. Looking at the cages beyond him, I met Rarity’s gaze, her face plastered with determination, and her horn glowing brightly with the same blue glow. With my focus returning to Vladimir, I could only bear witness as the blade shot forward, splicing open his neck and bringing him to the concrete floor with a hard smack. The knife then floated towards me, and I took it into my hands, still wheezing, and full of awe.

Rarity had just killed Vladimir.

I heard rapidly approaching footsteps and whipped around, but I was too late; Inigo brought down the machete he was now carrying and sliced into my chest. My left pectoral area practically burst open, and blood immediately came pissing from my body. Emitting a deep feral growl and jumping back, I regained my bearings and locked eyes with the monster before me, tutting and shaking his head.

“Excuse me, do you have any… fucking idea… how rude that was? I was on the phone!”

“Should’ve told him not to choke me so hard then.” I retorted, coughing.

Charging at me, he made a downward chop at my head, which I was easily able to avoid with a hop to the left. Briefly losing my footing, and realised that this needed to be a quick fight; if I allowed Inigo to draw this out, the blood loss would ebb at my focus, and this could end up being all for nothing.

“Funny, I was actually going to take you up on your offer!” I lied, “Shame Vladimir didn’t give me the chance to accept, now your whole world’s going to fall apart…”

“Oh, I am going to spill you, kid.” he growled, “Right in front of your little horsey friends!”

“Not from over there you’re not.”

Allured by my taunt, Inigo made a bold lunge for me, to which I steered his machete away and sliced his forearm in the process. He hissed angrily and made a horizontal swipe, to which I ducked under and slipped back.

“Why did you have to make this so hard for me? Why couldn’t you just answer my questions and let me kill you! You’ve ruined… everything! Why can’t you just die!?” he cried out, fiercely slashing at me.

“Because my life isn’t yours to take!” I spat, making a swipe of my own.

He dodged and jabbed at me, with his blade sliding along my shoulder and leaving a shallow gash. I remained focused and immediately countered, nicking him in the belly. He closed the distance and grabbed my wrist, preventing me from landing another blow. In response, I raised my leg and kicked him firmly in the chest, causing him to lurch backwards and nearly fall over.

“You know, I’m really starting not to like you any more, kid…”

“My name is not kid.” I rumbled.

“Then who the fuck are you!?”

He charged at me full pelt, wildly swinging his machete with great force and unpredictability. I dodged his first strike and ducked beneath the second, but his third I could not avoid. The machete glided downward in a diagonal motion, directly towards my neck. I clamped my eyes shut and waited for the mortal sting, and yet, no such sting came.

Opening my eyes, I found that the blade had not made contact. It had stopped, no more than an inch away from delivering the killing blow. That’s when I noticed the blade was surrounded by a colourful glow, and realised that Inigo’s machete had been seized by telekinesis, just like Vladimir’s knife had been. But it wasn’t Rarity’s blue aura this time, it was magenta…

It was Twilight.

At last, and with unfathomably good timing, she had recovered from her blueout. Refusing to give Inigo another opportunity, I thrust Vladimir’s knife deep into his belly and gave it a firm twist, evoking a deep and unnatural gasp from him, mixed with agony and confusion. Spotting the hot pink lambency around his weapon, it dawned on him what had happened. Turning his head, he saw Twilight and her glowing horn, and realised that she was the one truly responsible for his downfall. Gripping his shoulder and bringing his focus back to me, I quoted his own words, hoping to rub salt into this final, mortal wound.

“Seeing as you asked, I guess it’s only polite.”

Lowering my head, I brought my face closer towards his, and raised my lips into a snarl.

“I am Callum Tobias Horncastle, and I am the last face you are ever going to see in this life.”

Tugging Vladimir’s knife out of him and casting it aside, I gave Inigo a firm push. He staggered a few paces before falling onto his back, looking up at me with an expression of desperation and woe. He tried to mumble something to me, only for foamy blood to escape his lips. Soon thereafter, I realised that he had stopped looking at me, and was quite simply looking beyond into nihility.

For a short time, I remained emotionless, thoughtless in fact. I just stood there and stared at his lifeless body for what felt like hours. Blood continued to billow out from his belly and pool around him. The sight was overwhelming, and the thick metallic smell, intoxicating. I had done this; all this blood had been spilled because of me. Every captive and cartel member that had been killed today, had been killed because of me, because of what I had started. What was I becoming?

“Callum! Snap out of it!” Applejack cried out.

Her words fell on deaf ears, but then there was a bright flash, and Twilight appeared in front of me. Breaking free from the trance, I looked at the unicorn, where I found a face riddled with bitterness, and eyes clouded with untold horrors.

“We’re getting out of here.” she ordered.

Gulping and nodding my head, I asked her what the plan was.

“Get the others out, I’ll go get our bags, I know where they are.”

She took no time at all in trotting off to a different room, and I rushed to Inigo’s limp body in search of the keys to the ponies’ cages. As I bent down, I could have sworn that his eyes had moved to look at me, sending a shudder of fright through my body. Blocking out the ever-worsening emotional distress, I rolled him over and reached into his pocket, where I found the keys. Pulling them out, I stumbled over to the cages and opened them one by one. As the girls emerged from their confinement, they rushed towards me and hugged me tightly, completely unfazed by all the blood.

“Oh, my sweet darling…” Rarity whimpered, bursting into tears, “You’ve saved us…”

Looking down at her, I tried to reply, but no words could escape my trembling lips. Moving on to Rainbow Dash’s cage, I unlocked it and yanked the door open, and yet, she didn’t move a muscle. The mare lay there, completely motionless. She was so still that my heart skipped a beat, as I weighed the sudden possibility that she might have died. Getting onto my hands and knees, I crawled into the putrid space with her, and gently uttered her name.

“Rainbow Dash?”

At last, she moved. The poor thing, thinner than all the others, looked up at me with a hollowed out expression, and with the faintest croak, let her resignation be known.

“I’ll… never… fly… again…”

Dipping my head and sighing heavily, I did what I could to reason with the broken mare.

“Rainbow, I’m so sorry… I know there’s nothing I can say or do that’ll make things better, but we need to get out of here. There’s fighting outside, people are dying, I’m dying!”

She focused on me and saw the deep gash in my chest, still weeping blood. I put a hand on her foreleg and gripped it tightly, giving her the most heartfelt expression possible.

“Please come with us. I know you want to give up, but that’s not you. You’re going to get up, get out of this cage, and we’re going to keep moving… together, okay?”

After a slight pause, Dashie at last began to shakily get to her hooves, and we crawled out of her cage together. She waddled over to Applejack and leaned on her for balance, while I grabbed Inigo’s pistol and Vladimir’s knife for good measure. Twilight then teleported back into the room with all their saddlebags, along with my rucksack. After checking that all our possessions were still there, which thankfully included my phone, we made our way through the headquarters until we reached a back door. I kicked it open and we left the building.

With the fighting now taking place at the main entrance to the stronghold, it was easy for us to hug the back wall and remain undetected, until we found a metal gate which took us out into the jungle. I briefly thought about trying to find Nicole and the others. I wanted to bid them farewell and thank them for their aid and brief companionship, but one hard look at the girls told me that such an idea was out of the question. Every single one of us was broken beyond measure, and I was still losing blood. It was imperative that we made haste into the wilderness where we wouldn’t be followed, so that we could safely break down and begin to process what we had all been through together.

With a big breath, I instructed the girls to follow me into the brush, where we walked aimlessly for nearly an hour. The distant gunfire soon came to an end, indicating that the carnage was finally over. It was highly unlikely that the cartel had come out on top, we had them outnumbered, and by the time I had entered Inigo’s headquarters, we were outgunning them too. Either way, none of that mattered now, what mattered was that I had done it.

After countless days in a place that could only be described as true hell, I had freed the girls from Inigo Montenegro, killing the man himself for good measure, and toppling his entire cartel. As such, I had liberated Brazil from his monstrous hold, and although many people had died in the process, there was no doubt that I had saved countless lives today. However, as we walked deeper into the jungle, I couldn’t help but focus on one fact alone.


Twilight had chosen to save mine…





> Chapter Nineteen: Crikey!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





In spite of our truly horrendous state, the clean air and fresh smells of the jungle helped to spur us on, but eventually, exhaustion caught up with us, and we slowed down to a snail’s pace. The deep laceration across my chest was still oozing blood, with my tattered shirt being absolutely caked in the stuff. My face had become as pale as a sheet, and although it was hot and humid, I felt cold. Fluttershy soon came to realise just how severe the injury was, and firmly put her hoof down.

“This is far enough. I need to see to that wound.”

Nobody needed telling twice, and we all collapsed into the undergrowth. From the second we stopped, I felt the true effects of the blood loss, with dizziness taking hold. I found myself dipping in and out of consciousness, and from my perspective, Fluttershy was practically teleporting as she moved around. Taking off her saddleback and sinking her top half into it, she began retrieving a whole plethora of supplies, including a bottle of Oozima, a spray of some sort, and a suture kit.

“This is going to hurt…” she spoke softly.

“Based on the past couple of weeks, I think I can handle it.” I mumbled, sniffing.

Just thinking about my torture brought the poor girls to tears, and I immediately regretted alluding to it. Twilight then violently twitched without warning, presumably at the thought of what she had been made to watch, not to mention what she had been forced to do. She took one look at me, and then picked herself up, stumbling away to be alone behind a nearby tree. The second she was out of eyeshot, we heard her break into an uncontrollable sob.

Looking from face to face, I was filled with a sense of sheer dread, as I realised that they might never truly recover from the torment we had all suffered. Thanks to Inigo Montenegro, the girls would return to Equestria traumatised, tarnished, and scarred for life, forever haunted by the memories of what the seven of us had been forced to endure. This may stay with them for the rest of their days, and that fact alone tortured me worse than Inigo ever could…

Carefully taking off my shirt, I used the ruined garment to wipe up as much blood as possible, before throwing the damn thing away; with how ripped and filthy it was, I certainly wouldn’t be putting it back on again. And then with trembling hooves, Fluttershy tried to rinse my chest with the water in her canteen, before using the spray on it, which turned out to be a disinfectant. The intense stinging began immediately, and I gritted my teeth, hissing loudly.

“I’m so sorry…” the pegasus whimpered.

“Urgh…” I growled, “Can we perhaps rub some salt into it next? You know, to alleviate the pain from whatever the heck you just sprayed on me?”

Blinking away her tears, she explained that the spray was a top-of-the-range antiseptic from the royal hospital in Canterlot. Supposedly, it could prevent even the most gnarly of injuries from getting infected, even if they had already been exposed to pathogens. It was essentially a more effective form of povidone-iodine, used to treat only the most important of ponies, from members of the Royal Council, to the princesses themselves. Though it stung like hell, I knew I needed it, and allowed her to continue tending to me, until she at last started preparing the suture kit.

“I um… I’m… I’m not sure if I can do this…” she sniffled.

“Hey, it’s alright, you’re okay.” I told her, reaching out to touch her, “You’ve got this.”

Shaking her head and backing away, Fluttershy went into a panic, insisting that she could feasibly close minor tears and incisions, but nothing quite so severe as this. Crying harder, she began apologising profusely, and I knew then and there that she couldn’t do it.

{I swear, if I have to sew myself together…} I groaned in thought.

Continuing to comfort her, I racked my brains for a solution, and quick enough, one came to me.

“Rarity.”

Wiping her eyes and shambling over to me, Rarity took one look at the situation before her, and knew exactly what I was about to ask.

“Callum, I’m not sure… I have no experience in… You can’t expect me to-”

“I can, and you must.” I interrupted, looking at her sternly, “Flutters can’t do it, and I can’t either. You’re the best seamstress that’s ever lived, if anyone around here can do this, it’s you. So please, take the kit from Fluttershy, and stitch me up.”

Accepting that she had no choice, Rarity sat down and used her telekinesis to levitate the suturing needle into the air, where she threaded it and brought it to my chest.

“Just imagine I’m one of those pretty dresses of yours, in need of some mending” I grumbled, smirking faintly.

“I’m afraid you’re not quite so pretty at the moment.” she huffed back.

“Well, care to help fix that?”

Clenching her jaw and nodding, Rarity was ready. I held the fold of loose skin and stretched it over to where it should have been, hissing savagely through my teeth, as just touching it caused it to burn with agony. Silently mouthing a prayer to Princess Celestia, Rarity buried the curved needle into my flesh and hooked the part I was holding down, driving it through and looping it around. With her teeth chattering, Fluttershy oversaw the procedure, and told the unicorn that the needle needed to go deeper than that, or the skin would tear.

“Oh, I can’t believe I’m doing this…” Rarity murmured.

I held the skin as tightly as possible, grunting and grimacing while the unicorn sewed the deep ruddy cleft back together. Finally letting go, I was pleased beyond belief to find that it held. Rarity wiped the sweat from her brow and backed away, where Fluttershy proceeded to thank her copiously for doing the job. Now much calmer, the yellow pegasus took over, retrieving the bottle of Oozima and bringing it over to me.

“Let me make it abundantly clear, I’m not sticking my nose in that again.” I announced.

I was able to draw a few pitiful laughs out of some of them, and it felt good to add some light to the oppressively dark atmosphere around us, even if it was short-lived. Fluttershy then got to work, lathering the healing gel all over the injury, ensuring it was generously coated. After that, she wrapped my upper body with bandages, which with Rarity’s help, were bound so tightly that it prevented me from breathing all the way in.

“Isn’t this a bit overkill?” I wheezed, “Why so tight?”

Fluttershy then explained that with the extensiveness of the injury, there would be a lot of swelling beneath the skin. The tight bandages served as something of a compression vest, preventing such swelling from occurring. The alternative would be to have a drain sticking out of me, which left me nearly gagging at the thought of fluid constantly leaking out of me. It went without saying, I much preferred the bandages.

“I’ll treat your other wounds properly once we’ve set up camp.” said Fluttershy, still sniffling slightly, “I just wanted to make sure you didn’t bleed out.”

“Oh, how considerate.” I scoffed.

Looking at the utter state of the girls, I knew that everyone had cleanliness on their minds; the poor things were filthy. I suggested that we found a water source and erected our camp close by, which they all agreed to. Applejack helped Rainbow Dash to her hooves, and Twilight returned from her solitude. I was the last to get up, and despite the wound now having been closed, I felt colder and dizzier than ever.

To help with the load, Fluttershy squeezed my rucksack into the non-medical section of her saddlebag, and then we set off, sluggishly making our way deeper into the jungle.

At least, we would have done, had I not immediately lost consciousness…





“Mmnnn…” I groaned, rubbing my eyes.

“Welcome back.” a voice sighed.

Rolling over, I opened my eyes to find Twilight sitting beside me. Blinking a few times to clear my vision, I asked her what had happened, to which she told me that I had fainted.

“Yeah, I gathered that bit…”

“Now that I have my magic back, I was able to carry you.” she explained, “Well, drag you… We found a river not that long ago, and have spent a while washing ourselves and getting our shit together. Now we’re just setting up camp.”

Nodding slowly, I sat up to find myself beside Twilight’s tent, the others were loosely scattered around, with Rainbow Dash and Applejack being nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s-”

“Taking a walk.” she cut me off bluntly, knowing what I was about to ask.

Lowering my chin and shaking my head, I found myself on the verge of tears just thinking about Dashie’s wings. That poor, poor pony, I could only begin to imagine what she was going through. Looking at the lilac unicorn with glassy eyes, I opened my mouth and pulled a face of utter desperation.

“I’m so sorry…”

Pursing her lips, the mare took a big breath in through her nose, and then she shrugged.

“It would have been nice if you’d have gotten us out sooner. But, for what it’s worth, I don’t think any of us could have been prepared for that man, not even you. I’m just glad he was brought to justice, I think it’ll be easier for Rainbow Dash in the long-run, to know he’s not still out there somewhere.”

After a pause, she locked eyes with me and furrowed her brow.

“What was it like for you? Killing the monster that tortured you? Getting such… superlative revenge?”

I couldn’t tell if she was mocking me or not. Was she genuinely trying to understand my experience? Or was this building up to be a jab at how I was just a violent creature, and that she had been right all along? Her expression didn’t seem smug, or arrogant, and for once, it seemed like she was genuinely trying to connect with me. Perhaps, after being made to hurt me, she wanted to make things right?

“I’ve uh, not taken the time to process it…” I replied, swallowing, “But in the moment, when I stabbed him in the gut, it felt like I had all the power. And when I saw that look of absolute terror on his face…”

Unable to suppress the truth, I sighed heavily at the memory and broke into a wide smirk.

“It felt… really good.”

Twilight studied my face silently for a good while, and I presumed that she was judging me for my confession.

“Look, you can think of me as you like.” I went on, “I’m just telling you what it felt like.”

Blinking slowly, Twilight responded with a small hum, followed by a calm, almost friendly reply.

“Good for you.”

She got to her hooves and turned away from me, but before she could leave, I begged for her to wait. Inhaling deeply, she turned around to look at me once more. With tears rolling down my cheeks, I smiled at her warmly, and swallowed.

“Thank you for saving my li-”

“Don’t think for one second that I did it because I care about you.” she uttered sharply, cutting me off, “I did it because the others would never forgive me if I didn’t.”

Whipping around and marching off, Twilight disappeared into the brush, leaving me to puff heavily from the emotional whiplash. So much for wanting to make things right between us… I couldn’t for the life of me understand; if she still held contempt for me after all this, then why had she asked me about killing Inigo? Why had she spoken to me at all? Why had she even been sitting with me whilst I was unconscious? Not knowing how to comprehend it, I tutted and got to my feet. Heading over to where the others were setting up camp, I made my presence known to them. It was a comfort to see them all so much cleaner, Rarity actually looked white again. Overjoyed to see me back on my feet, they all emitted sighs of relief and came over to hug me.

“How are you feeling darling?” asked Rarity.

“Pass.” I muttered, “How about you?”

“Pass.”

We exhaled from our noses in mild amusement, before our faces both sunk grimly. We both knew just how much distress dwelled beneath the surface of one another. Gulping, I changed the subject, thanking Fluttershy for tending to my other injuries while I had been out. She said that I was most welcome, and then I heard a noise. Glancing just beyond her, I spotted Applejack and Rainbow Dash making their way back to camp, where the pegasus was quickly escorted into her tent for privacy. Just one look at her wings was enough to break me, and I found myself going into an anxiety attack.

“I… I need a walk.” I blurted out, turning around.

Not giving anyone the opportunity to speak to me, I marched off into the jungle, my breathing getting faster and faster, until I finally broke down. I crumpled down to my knees and proceeded to completely fall apart, sobbing harder than I had ever sobbed before. Swaying onto one side, I clawed at the mud and foliage with my mouth agape, where I wailed and spluttered to myself like a dying animal.

The flood gates were open, and all the memories came cascading into my mind…

Inigo’s torture, the pain I had suffered, the girls’ heinous captivity, Rainbow’s wings, all the men I had killed; all of it played on repeat inside my head, over and over again. For what felt like hours, I writhed on the ground, crying until I could finally cry no longer. Drained of all energy, I simply lay there frozen with an agonised expression on my face.

The sky was just beginning to darken when I heard a rustling close by. Rarity emerged, alone, and sighed heavily upon witnessing the state of me.

“Oh, darling.”

Nudging me up to a sitting position, she plonked herself beside me and wrapped her forelegs around me, holding me tightly as I wheezed pathetically. She held me for a good while, before she finally spoke.

“This is all… very messed up, isn’t it dear?”

Sniffing, I looked at her and lightly broke into more tears, to which she hushed gently to me and rested her chin on the top of my head, pressing my cheek into her neck.

“I didn’t know any of this was going to happen!” I spluttered, “I didn’t know!”

“I know darling, I know.”

Stroking the back of my head with her foreleg, Rarity tried to settle me down.

“I killed people…” I breathed, shaking all over, “I’m a murderer… I didn’t stop to think about what I was doing, I… I… I just… I just did it!”

Burying my face into the mare, I cried harder. Continuing to hush into my ear, the unicorn soothed me gently as I completely broke apart for a second time, before it became too much for her to bear. Breaking apart as well, we both cried together for a good while, before she finally gathered herself and cleared her throat, forcing me to make eye contact with her.

“You listen to me, sir.” she began, sniffing loudly, “We’ve done some things, you and I. Things that we needed to do. Things that, if we hadn’t done, we wouldn’t be here right now. Isn’t that right, dear?”

Through her shaky, grief-ridden tone, I could tell that she was also trying to come to terms with what she had done as well. I needed to get a bloody grip, this wasn’t all about me; there were six incredibly vulnerable ponies here, all of whom were reeling from this too. Gulping loudly and nodding, I told Rarity that she was right, and that it wasn’t just Twilight who had saved my life today.

“Vladimir was about to kill me.” I said, clearing my throat, “It was either him, or me.”

Putting my arms around the mare properly and hugging her back, I thanked her for choosing me. She continued to sniffle and cough lightly.

“I understand now.”

“Understand what?” I asked.

“How you felt when we first came to this place. When that man saw us at the material site and tried to attack us. When you saved us from him, when you…”

Trailing off, she gave her head a quick shake, before continuing.

“I understand now what you felt, and I’m sorry for the way we thought of you when it happened. Now, more than ever, I understand the true meaning of duty, and what it means when unpleasant things must be done. You are not a bad person, Callum. Not for that accident, and not for the eyes you’ve shut today.”

“You… You promise?” I gulped.

“I promise, darling. You’re our protector, and you are our guide, and I say this from the very bottom of my heart… you are my friend.”

Set off by that last part, I broke into yet another wave of tears. But it was different this time; I was now crying with relief, overwhelmed by Rarity’s kind, loving, accepting words. They helped me find peace, at least, for now they did. We hugged each other tightly, before I was finally ready to return to camp with her, now infinitely calmer in mind, and stronger in spirit.

We returned to find Applejack had started cooking dinner, and needless to say, we were all eagerly waiting for her to dish up, our mouths salivating. According to Pinkie, the only thing Inigo had fed them from day to day was a guava each and a slice of bread. Inigo had been purposefully underfeeding them in the hopes of evoking information from them personally, to cut me out as the middleman.

{No wonder they all look thinner…} I thought to myself.

Somehow finding even more hatred in my heart for the man I had killed, I found a part of me hoping that despite all the things I had learned about dimensions and magic, that there was still a hell beneath us. I wanted Inigo to burn for what he had done to them, I wanted him to burn forever.

Moving on to brighter things, I checked my phone while we waited for dinner. Thankfully it had been unaltered and still functional; I supposed that Inigo wanted my things left untouched while he figured out who I really was. Opening the map, I endeavoured to find out where we had been taken.

“Goodness me… they took us all that way?” Rarity gasped, looking over my shoulder.

“Looks like we’ve found our silver lining.” I muttered.

If there was anything to thank the Bogeyman of Brazil for, it was the location of his compound. We were now a great many miles further north, with the Orb now only being a little over a week away. Though we would have covered the distance ourselves had we not been caught in that favela, we were at least thankful to have not been set further back.

“Alright team, let’s all eat up, sleep hard, and get ourselves moving tomorrow.” I declared with a wide grin, “We’ve got ourselves a Titans’ Orb to find!”

“Hear hear!” Rarity cheered.

The others were faintly lifted in spirits, and we tucked into a delicious, hearty meal, before turning in for the night. Returning to our original sleeping arrangements, I nestled down next to Fluttershy, where we quickly latched onto each other like never before, beyond thankful to have each other back as sleeping buddies.





Five days went by, and as we trudged on through the humid wilderness, we all slowly began to piece ourselves back together. Pinkie Pie was already back to her squeaky, happy, bouncy self, and with non-stop support from all of us, Rainbow Dash was slowly beginning to come back to us as well. She had even made a few ‘that’s what she said’ jokes, which in light of recent events, were very much welcomed. Her wings had been tightly wrapped with bandages, and had been slathered with a generous amount of Oozima. None of us knew if the stuff would even help in growing back her feathers, but the faint inkling of hope had allowed her to soldier on.

“Hey Twilight, can I ask you something?” I began, walking beside the unicorn.

“You just did.”

“Har har.”

“What is it?”

Scratching my jaw, I asked ponderously as to how Pinkie Pie did it.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, just look at her.” I tutted, shrugging, “She’s the youngest, and most innocent of the lot of you, and yet she’s happily bouncing around like the past few weeks didn’t even happen!”

Twilight smirked, and rolled her eyes as she continued to walk with me.

“If I had a bit for every time Pinkie’s abnormalities baffled somepony, I could buy myself my own castle.”

Huffing with amusement, she explained that Pinkie Pie had a condition called ‘dissociative amnesia’, in which she would quite simply forget traumatic or unpleasant events. The memories were still there, granted, but they would be altered.

“Altered how?” I quizzed.

“The best way I can explain it, is that instead of remembering bad events as though they’ve happened to her directly, she remembers them like they were in a storybook or something.”

“Huh, fascinating…”

“Quite.” Twilight said blankly, walking away from me.

Looking over to the happy pink pony, I stared in amazement as she sprang along from friend to friend with glee, giggling away with a great smile as she tried, and succeeded, to boost morale. It was here in this moment that I realised just how important she was to this group. This was why she had come on this mission; in the darkest of moments, Pinkie Pie was the light.

As we kept moving through the rainforest, I gradually found that I was able to take in the beauty of the luscious world around me once more. Pinkie’s laughter restored my sense of humanity and wonder, and I looked all around to gaze at nature’s brilliance. Glancing upwards, the leaves above glowed a vibrant green, flashing and glittering at the edges where the sunlight pierced the thick roof of the jungle. As for below, the mossy underfoot was so soft that I was tempted to take my socks and shoes off, and the birdsong and buzzing of insects all around became less of a nuisance, and more of a symphony.

“It’s truly breathtaking, this place, isn’t it?” I sighed dreamily.

“Stop that.” Dashie grumbled beside me.

“Stop what?”

“Being so frickin’ gay.”

Caught off-guard, I snorted with amusement, and asked how I was being ‘gay’ exactly. Coming her mane back with a hoof, she began to mockingly impersonate me, in the sassiest voice that she could physically accomplish.

“Look at the pretty trees everywhere, they’re so beautiful! Ooh, these flowers are so thought-provoking! Gee, look at that night sky, isn’t it so graceful?”

Applejack and Pinkie laughed at the impression, and with this being the first time Rainbow was back to her normal old self, I chose to let her milk it.

“Okay, firstly… rude. And secondly, basking in nature’s beauty isn’t strictly ga-”

“See, you’re doing it again! ‘Basking in nature’s beauty’, seriously, who talks like that? It’s like you’re choosing the gayest possible way to say stuff!”

“How is it gay?” I squawked, throwing my hands into the air.

“It’s just the words you choose to say, dude.”

“You know what? Fine. I’ll go and bask in the embrace of nature’s splendour elsewhere.”

Slowing my pace and veering off to the left, I let Rainbow Dash take the bait, doing everything in my power not to break into a grin and give the game away as she sang out tauntingly.

“Oh, so now you’re going to walk off and give me the silent treatment? Just like a little teenage filly would? That’s pretty freaking gay, dude!”

She trotted off to leave me to my ‘basking’, and I finally let out the giggles with Rarity at my side. We both knew it was just a bout of banter, and it would be interactions like this that would help Rainbow in her long journey back to something resembling a normal life, even if she were to never fly again…


“Um, y’all? We’ve got a problem!” Applejack called from the front of the group.

We caught up with the farm pony to see what the matter was. As it happened, the matter was water, and a lot of it… The area up ahead of us was that of a thick marsh, consisting of lily pads, twisting shrubs, and cloudy green water, making it impossible to see what was beneath. It went on as far as we could see, indicating that there wouldn’t be any solid ground for quite a while.

“What do we do?” Fluttershy asked.

“We keep going.” Twilight instructed, “I’ll waterproof the bags, along with Callum’s bandages.”

“I am not wading through that muck!” Rarity gasped.

“Well, you kind of have to.” I chuckled.

“Well, I kind of will not.”

Rolling her eyes, Twilight said that she could press on with me, and anyone else brave enough to enter the water. Then, upon reaching dry ground, she would open a portal, allowing those left behind to step through. We were all quick to agree to the plan, with Rarity raising her chin and giving a loud ‘hmph’, now satisfied. Fluttershy and Pinkie opted to stay back with her, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash were fine with pressing on through the swamp. I was tempted to suggest that Fluttershy flew up and scouted ahead, but with Rainbow’s good mood being dangerously unstable, we effectively treated her as an earth pony for the time being, out of respect for Dashie’s mental health.

“Hey at least this way, there’s no need to waterproof the bags.” I pointed out, “This lot can carry them all through when you open the portal.”

“That’s fair.” Twilight hummed.

The unicorn took off her saddlebag and tossed it to Pinkie, who caught it with a giggle.

“Can’t you like, waterproof us?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Shaking her head, Twilight explained that the spell wasn’t very compatible with living creatures, as it had the potential to expunge all the liquid from one’s body, or at the very least, cause a pony to lose all their fur.

“Right, scratch that then.” Dashie chuckled nervously.

I took my rucksack off and passed it to Rarity, being sure to unclip Vladimir’s knife and attach it to my waistband, just in case. Twilight then set up something called a portal node, which upon being linked up to a secondary node, would open up a portal for a few minutes. She then cast the waterproofing spell onto my bandages, along with the ones on Rainbow’s wings. Making sure we didn’t dwell on that, I led her over to the edge of the water with Applejack, who gave out a thoughtful hum.

“How deep do you think it is?”

“Find out for us!”

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash shot forward and shoved Applejack, causing her to fall in. The farm pony let out an almighty yelp before sploshing into the murky abyss. She was completely submerged for a moment, until her head finally rose to the surface.

“You asshole, Rainbow Dash! Gosh darn it!”

“So, how deep is it?” Rainbow cackled wildly.

“Get your ass in this here water, right now…”

Still laughing, Dashie hopped in, with the waterproofing spell keeping her featherless wings nice and dry, especially when paired with the hydrophobic nature of Oozima after it had solidified. I entered the water next, and was surprised at how warm the water was. Properly sliding down, I found that it came up to my sternum. As for the ponies, the water rose to their necks, which none of them were all too pleased about. After a moment’s hesitation, Twilight also lowered herself into the water, at which point Rarity had the absolute cheek to ask how it was.

“Want to come in and find out?” I clapped back at her.

“Happy watching.” she uttered in response, taking a few steps away from us.

I looked at Rainbow and Applejack, and then to Twilight, who nodded affirmingly at me.

“Right, let’s move.” I ordered.

We began wading through the stagnant water, all of us repelled by its scent. However, for as repugnant as the swamp was, it was nothing compared to the filth-swathed hellhole we had recently escaped from.

“I swear, if this shit dyes my fur green…” Applejack chuckled.

“What, you mean you don’t want to come out looking like Granny Smith’s asshole?” I teased.

We all broke into laughter, with Rainbow Dash cackling louder than the rest of us. It warmed our hearts to hear it, and it seemed that even if her lack of flight was life-altering for her, it wouldn’t be life-ending.

“Please, never mention my granny’s privates again.” the farm pony droned, shuddering.

“No promises.” I teased, sloshing along beside her.


About five to ten minutes later, we saw a large bank ahead, and beyond it, more rainforest.

“Huzzah!” I cheered.

“About time.” Twilight grunted.

I took point alongside Applejack, which was when I noticed something up ahead and stopped.

“Hold up.”

“What’s the matter?” she asked, also stopping.

I gestured to the object ahead, and the farm pony squinted her eyes to inspect it. It was dark, and a greenish brown in colour, and appeared to be covered in bark-like ridges. Applejack began to chuckle and pointed out that it was just a log, and that it wasn’t going to bite me.

“I’m pretty sure it will, AJ.” I said shakily, “Look…”

After another careful inspection, the mare was at last able to spot the small, shiny beads at the front end of the ‘log’, revealing that it was no log at all.

It was a crocodile.

“Shit…” we murmured at the same time.

“What’s going on?” Twilight demanded.

“We need to go the long way around, there’s a crocodile over there.”

“What!?”

Terrified immediately, the unicorn tried to run back and lost her balance in the water.

“Twilight, stop!”

“Stop? You want me to stop? There’s a crocodile in here with us!”

Flailing around in a panic, she fell over and almost went fully under. Realising that she needed to be controlled, I reached over and took her upper foreleg, pulling her towards me and keeping her steady.

“If you keep dicking around like you are now, it’ll know you’re here, now stop fucking moving!”

Freezing up and staring at me, Twilight gulped and nodded. I let her go, and commanded everyone to bunch up and follow me. I waded further to the left, arcing away from the croc and being sure to give the predator a wide berth. After making some headway, I slowed down and instructed Applejack to take the lead, so that I could move to the rear of the group; if the creature was to attack us, I would rather it went for me, and not them. Looking back, I was horrified to see that the crocodile had disappeared. With a loud gulp of my own, I frantically looked around for the scaly bastard, until I at last spotted ripples in the water. It was comforting at least to know where the creature was, but far less comforting to note that the ripples were moving towards us…

“Pick up the pace.”

“Why?” asked Rainbow.

“It knows we’re here.”

Upon hearing this, Twilight shrieked.

“Picking up the pace!”

Overtaking Applejack, the unicorn frantically splashed her way forward. I looked back to see the ripples were now bigger, coming towards us at speed.

“Oh cock…” I muttered glumly.

Shouting for the girls to run, they chased after Twilight as fast as they could, myself included. They reached the land first, clambering up onto the bank and turning around to look at me. I then reached the bank too, and just as I was about to lift myself up, the girls all let out a unified scream.

The next forty seconds then became one of the most intense experiences of my life.

From behind me came a great splash as the crocodile burst forward. A horrific pain then shot into my right leg as it snatched me in its jaws. I could feel each individual crooked tooth as the animal’s mouth locked around my thigh like a gigantic barbed mousetrap. I was tugged backwards and inhaled as deeply as humanly possible, knowing that it may well be my last breath.

As I was pulled down beneath the surface, my leg was almost shattered as the creature started to perform its infamous death roll. Latching onto the beast’s head and tucking my body in, I allowed myself to go with the roll in order to spare the limb from ripping apart, scrambling for Vladimir’s knife all the while. Gripping the handle, I withdrew the blade and made multiple attempts to stab at the creature, desperately clenching my jaw to the point of almost cracking my teeth.

Still rolling over and over, my fifth stab finally found its mark. I brought the blade down and it sank into the predator’s eye, to which it released my leg and violently thrashed around in agonised shock. Maintaining my grip, I forced the knife deeper until the creature gave an unnatural jolt, followed by its movement ceasing altogether.

It happened as quickly as it started, and I was finally able to lift my head above the water to take in an almighty gasp of air. Panting wildly, I used my hands to push my hair out of my face and then rubbed my eyes to clear them of dirty water. Now able to see, I looked up to the girls, who were all staring intensely at me. Their eyes then drifted to the greens and browns of the disturbed swamp water, upon a cloud of crimson billowing to the surface.

“Dude… are… are you alright?” Rainbow stuttered from the bank.

Coasting on the rush of what had just happened, paired with a tinge of lingering madness from Inigo’s torture, I responded by sticking my arms out and breaking into a thick Australian accent, imitating the late Steve Irwin.

“Cor well crikey, she was a real feisty little Sheila! In really good condition too, and strong!”

Too shocked to laugh, everyone continued staring at me as I pranced around in the water, overloaded from head to toe with adrenaline and euphoria. Soon enough though, the pain in my leg returned and I calmed down, now irked by having even more wounds for Fluttershy to tend to. However, before getting out of the water, a thought crossed my mind. I then nudged around with my foot to find the croc and then took a deep breath. Plunging back into the stagnant drink, I seized the limp creature and hauled it up to the surface.

“What are you doing?” Rainbow Dash gasped.

Ignoring her, I asked if Twilight could use just a teensy bit of telekinesis to help me lift the creature onto the land. Though reluctant, she was also curious as to why, and so together we raised it out of the water and onto the bank.

“I can’t believe you were able to kill it.” said Applejack, shaking her head.

“Me neither, and I’m the one that killed it!” I laughed, clambering up to join them.

Still out of breath, I stood before the felled leviathan and looked down at it with a sense of pride. That was when Dashie noticed my new injury and pointed it out, but after the wound Rarity had stitched up just the other day, I was hardly concerned about it. With some Oozima, I would be right as rain, and so I promised her that I was fine.

“At least it wasn’t a saltwater croc, those things are massive!” I puffed heavily.

“Wait, they get bigger than this?” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, much bigger.”

“Damn…”

Not dallying any longer, Twilight established the second portal node, and then activated it. With a flash, a swirling gateway appeared, and although it was blurry and distorted, I could just about make out the outlines of Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. They stepped through with haste, where they immediately began screaming loudly at the sight of the dead crocodile. Rainbow Dash was quick to explain what had happened, which was when Twilight stumbled back and fell onto her bottom.

“Twi! Are you okay?” asked Applejack, rushing to her side.

“I think so…” the unicorn groaned, getting back up, “I may have my magic back, but something’s not right with it. I just got a huge wave of dizziness from opening that portal, as though I was about to blue out again…”

That had all of us rife with unease. Clearing my throat, I suggested she didn’t use any more spells until we reached the Orb shard, and with a degree of annoyance, she agreed. A sharp pain then shot through my leg again, and I whipped around to find Fluttershy examining the bite.

“Ow!” I yelped, “Gently please!”

I then heard a voice close by, mimicking what I had said.

“Rarrk! Gently please! Gently please!”

The voice sounded muffled, and not like any of the girls. With absolute bewilderment, I looked around, which was when Fluttershy began to giggle. She then lifted a portion of her mane, revealing the source of the voice.

“I found him while we were waiting for you.”

Perched upon the pegasus’ shoulder, with its head tilted on one side, was a hyacinth macaw parrot. He had bright orange circles around his shiny, obsidian black eyes, and there was a thin yellow wrinkled outline to his stone-grey beak. He looked to be very well groomed, for not a single feather was out of place across his bright cerulean body.

“Oh my god, what a little cutie!” I exclaimed fondly, “Hi there little guy…”

At this, the parrot puffed up his feathers and tilted his head down, as if to frown at me.

And then, he spoke.


“The name’s Blu. Quaark! Make any cracker jokes, and I’ll peck your eyes out!”





> Chapter Twenty: Piece by Piece
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“I knew parrots could mimic human speech, but you can like… talk, talk?” I exclaimed with widened eyes.

“I’m special! I’m special!” Blu replied, bobbing up and down.

Stroking at the parrot’s neck, Fluttershy explained that the bird had revealed himself shortly after I had entered the swamp and waded away with Twilight, Rainbow Dash and AJ. As it happened, he was the bird that had been following us prior to getting captured. We asked why, to which we learned that he had apparently taken an interest in the ponies’ bright colours, and upon hearing Fluttershy speak for the first time, he felt compelled to follow.

Throughout the entire time we were in Inigo’s captivity, the bird had been fluttering around the cartel’s compound, hoping that we would escape. Then just today, whilst the girls were patiently waiting for the portal to open, Blu had plucked up the courage to fly down to say hello. Fluttershy had then sung to the bird, something which he seemed to like, so much in fact that he had chosen to come over and introduce himself, and he had been talking away to her ever since.

“Who’s a pretty pony? Who’s a pretty pony?” he squawked.

“Oh you…” Fluttershy giggled.

Taking off and landing on my shoulder, the bird allowed me to give him a few strokes as well. Fond of the attention, he fluffed up his feathers and told me that I was a nice boy, before fluttering back to the yellow pegasus.

“So uh, to change the subject…” Twilight started, prodding the dead crocodile with a hoof, “Why did you want this thing up here exactly?”

Approaching the croc and squatting down next to it, I told her exactly why, finally coming clean to the whole group about my species’ diet.

“Because, Twilight, I’m absolutely starving, and I’ve always wanted to know what crocodile tastes like.”

Everyone except Fluttershy took a step back and gasped.

“So, you’re a meat eater…” Twilight murmured, “I should have known.”

“Yup, and I’m done pretending it’s a bad thing.”

Rarity demanded to know why they were only just now learning about this. Shrugging, I told them the honest truth; that having only recently met the girls, of whom came from a herbivorous society, I didn’t think that they would be okay with it.

“Mainly though, he thought it would upset me too much.” Fluttershy added.

“Wait, you already knew?” Dashie exclaimed, staring at her fellow pegasus.

Nodding, Fluttershy elaborated as to how she had guessed it from the first day, simply judging from my teeth, and that I had then privately confirmed it to her later on during our time here in Brazil.

“Ahh, was that just a day or two before we were captured?” asked Rarity, “You both stayed behind to speak alone, right? Was that when he told you?”

Fluttershy nodded her head and gave an affirming hum.

“Oh, you mean when I was being an asshole to you about Middy?” Rainbow Dash chuckled awkwardly.

Rolling her eyes, Fluttershy nodded for a second time. She then summed up how she and I had spoken about the subject at length, and that she was perfectly okay with it. Noticing the still-uneasy expressions from most of the girls, she reminded them of how there were a great many races on Equus that ate meat as well, including griffons.

“Yeah, seeing Gilda eat a fish for the first time blew my mind…” said Rainbow, “She straight up scooped it out of the river and swallowed it whole!”

“That’s awful!” Rarity exclaimed.

“At least it was just a fish.” Fluttershy hummed bitterly, “Even outside the Everfree, most of those aren’t sapient. As for other meat sources, you need to get them from a mea-”

“A meat market, I know.” Rainbow cut in, “Gilda took me to one of those too.”

“Why in the wide world would she take you there?” Rarity gasped, “Those places give me such chills.”

“Because I wanted to know what one looked like.”

Inserting myself back into the conversation, I inquired further about these supposed ‘meat markets’. The girls explained to me that there were a few of them dotted around the country, for the purpose of providing meat products to the owners of carnivorous pets, along with feeding the nation’s few meat-eating residents. Despite their existence making perfect sense in a predominantly vegetarian society, hearing about them fascinated me all the same.

“To be clear though, since you’re a meat eater, you are respectful to the critters, right?” asked Applejack, “Before you well… you know?”

“Oh of course!” I confirmed, “Overall as a species, we aim to be as humane as possible towards all the animals we rear for consumption.”

“What does humane mean?” Pinkie inquired, tilting her head.

“It’s a quality.” I told her, “One that denotes compassion, and sympathy to others. When it comes to eating meat, being humane means to ensure there’s as little pain or suffering as possible.”

The girls murmured in understanding, and Rarity delineated that they had a word of the exact same meaning back home, called ‘equane’. With a smile, I doubled down on the fact that I was indeed ‘equane’ to all living creatures, and had respect for all life, including that of the crocodile here in front of me. I patted the beast’s scaly head to emphasise the point, and Rainbow Dash asked how I could possibly respect such a creature, despite the fact it had literally just tried to kill me.

“It only attacked me because it’s in its nature to.” I said, yanking Vladimir’s knife from its eye, “It’s one of the apex predators of this place, so from its perspective, I was just its next meal.”

At that, Pinkie Pie broke into song.

“It’s the circle… The circle… of life!”

We all turned to face the mare to see that she now had a long stick in her mouth, with which she had drawn a big circle in the mud, with the word ‘life’ inscribed in the middle of it.

“Yeah, that.” I chortled.

Awkwardly stepping forward and clearing her throat, Rainbow asked quite bluntly how I would actually go about eating an animal. I clarified to her that unlike Gilda, I most certainly wouldn’t be swallowing anything whole, or raw. She asked why, and I elaborated about how over tens of thousands of years, humans had adapted to eating cooked meat, predominantly muscle tissue, with some of us also opting to eat livers and hearts.

“That said…” I added, “In a few cultures across the globe, people do eat brains and such, but certainly not in any western civilisations, which is where I come from.”

“Right, so uh… I’m assuming you’re wanting to cook this here crocadilly?” asked Applejack.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t dare eat it raw, it would give me food poisoning. I’ll just cut off the good bits, put it in a bag, and cook it later tonight when we make camp.”

“Well, we could make camp now?” Rarity suggested, “I know we’ve not gone quite as far today, but I’m already exhausted.”

“I’m fine with that.” I replied, nodding.

“I think you’ll find that I’m the one who decides whether we stop or not.” Twilight interjected, raising her chin, “But as it were, I think stopping for the day and getting more of our strength back is a good idea.”

{Right, so you were just piping up to hear the sound of your own voice…} I flouted in thought.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash both rolled their eyes in unison, and then took themselves a few yards away to a patch of dry ground away from the bank. They unpacked the gear from Dashie’s bag and started setting up camp, while Rarity was kind enough to acquire some tin foil for me, so that I had somewhere to put all the croc meat. Everyone then left me to my business, clearly not comfortable with what I was about to do. Now on my lonesome, I looked at the crocodile and tightened my grip on Vladimir’s knife, pursing my lips.

“Alright fella, let’s open you up…”

I had skinned quite a handful of animals back in England, so this was hardly new to me; chickens were always in abundance, so I had plenty of practice whenever it was time to butcher one. On top of that, having four acres of land brought many squirrels and rabbits to the area, giving my brother and I plenty to shoot. Hunting was one of our very few bonding activities after dad left. Oliver may have been unfair with me most of the time, but we were always at peace together during those hunts, laying in the grass side by side, rifles in hand. He taught me how best to gut and skin quarry, along with how to cure pelts, should I ever desire to keep one. Not by any standard had he been the best brother to me, but in those fleeting moments, I knew he loved me.

Vladimir’s knife served me well, the blade was incredibly sharp, and after getting through the reptile’s thick hide, it was easy work cleaving through it and carving out the meat worth cooking. I was just about to make an attempt at removing the ribcage when Rainbow Dash boldly approached, curious to witness the process.

“How’s it, uh…” she paused to clear her throat, “How is it going?”

“Not too bad thanks.” I hummed, “I’ve got most of what I want now.”

Using my wrist to wipe the sweat from my brow, I noticed the pegasus looking at my bloodied hands, along with the crocodile’s entrails close by. Gulping nervously, she asked how many times I had done this before.

“Enough to know what I’m doing.” I replied with a shrug.

Following that, I avowed that despite my experience in field-dressing, I had only done so with far less sizable fauna. Admittedly, I was a little out of my league with such a large animal, and gutting it had been a rather daunting task for me.

“Still, I suppose it’s just a matter of upscaling what you’re used to, you know?” I finalised.

“Yeah, I…” she paused again, furrowing her brow, “I guess so.”

“Look, if you’re not able to handle this, then you shouldn’t be over here.” I told her, frowning.

Shaking her head, Rainbow insisted that she was fine. Shrugging in response, I directed my focus back to the crocodile’s ribs. I pulled upwards at them, only for my wet fingers to slip. I may have had experience with small game, but this thing was as big as I was! Never had I expected it to be this challenging, but I was very much enjoying the learning curve. I picked up Vladimir’s knife again and began to hack at the top parts of the ribcage, hoping for the best.

“So uh, what are you doing now?”

“Trying to get the ribs free.” I replied, “Rib meat is some of the tastiest you can get.”

“How come?”

Continuing to chop away, I explained how the intercostal muscles were incredibly tender, and packed with connective tissues that gelatinised when cooked, creating a unique flavour that was absolutely to die for.

“Quite literally, in his case.” I scoffed, patting the upturned creature’s neck.

Rainbow laughed awkwardly, and I gave the ribcage a few more firm strikes. At last, the rack came loose, and I merrily tugged it out of the carcass and laid it down on a fresh sheet of foil. Looking in all directions but me, Dashie inquired if this was something all humans did.

“Nah, most people just get their meat from the shops.” I told her, shaking my head, “Not many people live off the land these days. In fact, not many can even handle the sight of all this.”

“I can see why.”

“Yeah, it’s not for everyone.”

Dipping her head, Rainbow left me to it and returned to the camp. It was perfectly understandable that she would be so disturbed by the scene, but I silently commended her courage to come and look. Gutting and butchering an animal was indeed, messy, but while most were understandably disgusted by the activity, I personally found it morbidly interesting. To open up another living being and examine the bits and pieces that brought it to life, it was nothing short of fascinating to me. In my mind, this was no different to dissecting a frog in a biology lesson, albeit on much bigger proportions…


At long last, the job was complete. With a plentiful amount of muscle wrapped in foil, there was nothing left to do except to dispose of the remains. I dragged the now-lighter body over to the bank and rolled it down into the water, followed by the slimy entrails. I then lay on my stomach and reached down to wash my hands; the water may have been dirty and stagnant, but it was a better alternative to blood and mucus. Looking out across the way, I spotted a second crocodile, bigger than the one I had killed, watching me from afar.

“Sorry, was this a friend of yours?” I muttered to it, smirking.

As though it had heard me, the creature dipped below the surface and disappeared. Huffing with amusement, I picked myself up and looked down at all the meat I had gathered, it was easily enough to feed me for tonight and tomorrow, possibly even the day after. With a devious grin on my face, I licked my lips.

“Looks like meat’s back on the menu, boys!” I growled, quoting a scene from The Lord of the Rings.

Over three trips, I took the meat parcels to the camp, where Rarity very generously allowed me to put them in the refrigerated section of her bag. I left some out to cook now, as I was utterly famished. Despite us telling her not to, Twilight used her magic to get the fire going. She used telekinesis to create a divot in the earth, before performing the same spell she always did. A little blue flame shot from her horn and landed into the divot, where it began to grow, dancing wildly as it did so. After it had reached the appropriate size, the magical blaze stabilised, settling down into a gently flickering campfire.

“I love magic…” I breathed.

Twilight seemed to be fine from casting the spell, and so we all got ourselves comfortable for the evening. After a moment of simply enjoying the fire’s warmth, I threaded a sharpened stick through the meat and got to cooking, keeping it mostly wrapped in the foil to prevent it from drying out.

“Feed me some! Grrk! Feed me some! Pretty boy!” Blu squawked.

“You want some of this?” I asked, tilting my head to one side.

Jumping up and down with excitement, the macaw eagerly flew over to the meat that I hadn’t yet put on to cook. He then picked up one of the smaller foil-wrapped morsels to me, dropping it into my lap.

{How the hell are you this clever?} I thought, looking at the bird with bewilderment.

Opening the foil, I tore off a few strips of flesh and tossed them to the bird, who quickly gobbled them down and bowed at me with gratitude.

“Croc-a-doodle-doo!” he cawed.

I raised an eyebrow at the bird and pulled a face, not impressed.

“That was corny as all hell, and you know it.”

“My cornographic material is of the highest standard!” he retorted, bobbing his head.

“I’m warning you, parrot.”

He looked at me silently for a moment, before provoking me further.

“Affirmative, Kernel Callum. Quaark!”

I made a lunge for him, to which he took off and flew over to Fluttershy, squawking loudly.

“Don’t eat me! Don’t eat me!”

Everyone laughed and I rolled my eyes, completely and utterly baffled by the cerulean creature’s degree of lucidity. I then looked back to the meat as it began steaming.

“How will you know when it’s cooked exactly?” Rarity inquired, grimacing.

“Well, I’m not sure how it compares to what I’m used to cooking.” I admitted, “The meat’s more pink than it is red, so I’m going to imagine it’ll turn a brownish white colour. If I’m correct, it’ll be ready to eat once it’s white throughout.”

“I see…” she hummed, “Did you uh, need seasoning or anything?”

I thanked her for the kind offer, but refused. Although it would probably taste better with seasoning, I wanted to know exactly what the meat tasted like on its own first, as I would probably never get another opportunity like this. Dipping her head, the unicorn glanced at the faintly sizzling hunk and blinked rapidly, still somewhat uncomfortable.

“You know, I was expecting it to smell something horrible.” Applejack remarked, “But honestly? It ain’t all that bad.”

“With great reluctance, I must concur.” Twilight grumbled.

Chuckling, I continued to slowly rotate the stick above the flame until it was ready, and once it was cool enough to eat, I tucked in. Before I could be asked how good it was, I rolled my eyes back into my skull and emitted a long, satisfied moan, making it very clear how it tasted.

“That good huh?” Dashie asked.

With a deep, rumbling, feral growl, I very emphatically gave my answer.

“Ohhh, yeeaahh…”

I experienced what could only be described as a food-gasm. Even without seasoning, it was utterly delectable, and it wasn’t even as foreign as I had expected it to be. Crocodile meat had always been described as tasting like fishy chicken, but other than a slight tang, I didn’t pick up a fishy flavour at all. Closing my eyes and chewing slowly, I found that it was closer to pheasant in flavour, or perhaps turkey, with a very pork-like consistency. Either way, I loved it.

“I must admit, it actually smells quite… well, quite nice…” Rarity spoke softly.

“Take my word for it, it’s bloody delicious.” I munched happily, “But I don’t think eating it would do you any favours.”

“Darling, I never said I wanted to try it!”

“Yeah, but you thought it.” I replied with a wink.

Explaining that meat was a relatively integral part of a human’s diet, especially mine by preference, I compared my current experience to that of Pinkie Pie getting to taste a heavily frosted cupcake, after formerly believing that she would never eat one again.

“Life without cupcakes!? What putrid words of godless deliration did you just speak to me!?” Pinkie shrieked, glaring at me as though I had just cursed her and her family.

The lot of us erupted into laughter, Twilight included, and with an almighty grin on my face, I took another bite, followed by another, and another. After so long without such flavours, and especially after being starved half to death in the Stock Heap, I was unable to prevent myself from self-indulging. Over the late afternoon, I cooked and ate far more of the meat than I should have…


The sun set at last, and Rainbow Dash came over to stand by me as I lay on my back, groaning.

“Heh, check it out girls.” she giggled, “Callum’s slipped into a food coma.”

“I cannot believe you ate that much.” Rarity tutted, shaking her head.

Pinkie was in utter hysterics at the state of me, and between her laughs and snorts, she commented on how I had eaten more than even she normally could.

“Muurrr…”

“Shoot, with an appetite like that, you could probably beat Big Mac at the pie eating contest at the Appleloosa rodeos!” Applejack hooted, unable to look at me without creasing up.

“Mm-burr…”

“Please tell me you plan on keeping it down.” Twilight muttered.

Slowly raising my arm, I gave the mare a thumbs up. Snickering to herself, Rainbow Dash decided to give my belly a sudden firm prod, sending a wrenching pain into my gut, and evoking a noise from me that could only be compared to that of a cow going into labour.

“What did you do that for?” Pinkie gasped.

“To see if he’d puke or not.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake Rainbow Dash!” Rarity barked, “That was totally uncalled-for, apologise to him!”

“Chillax Rare, I’m just messing around.”

“What you are, is a spiteful little creature, now say you’re sorry!”

“Okay, jeez…” the pegasus sighed, rolling her eyes and looking to face me, “Sorry dude.”

Mumbling my forgiveness, I got up to a cross-legged sitting position, and slowly recovered from my gluttonous state. For the rest of the evening, we relaxed around the fire, and told Blu of our journey so far, and even for a mere bird, his responses were no less human than my own. The macaw seemed genuinely pained to hear of Inigo’s inhospitality, and took to hopping from shoulder to shoulder, tenderly nuzzling into our cheeks and necks with his beak to express his sorrow.

The lot of us got very tearful over the recount of our recent experiences, and soon enough we decided to call it a night before our brittle emotions got the better of us. Blu fluttered up to a nearby branch to sleep, while the rest of us got into our tents. Noticing that I was still wiping at my eyes, Fluttershy draped a wing over me and hushed to me softly. Using a thumb, I felt over the delicate skin where my fingernails were still growing back, along with the dark red dimple from where Twilight had driven that nail in. Gritting my teeth, I shook my head and let out an anguished croak.

“It hurts… so much.”

“I have painkillers if you nee-”

“Not my damn fingers!” I growled, lifting my head up to look at her, “The memories, Fluttershy. Remembering what that bastard did to me, to all of you, it hurts!”

“I know… I know…”

Pulling me towards her, Fluttershy held me tightly, and despite the bitterness in my mind, I was able to slowly calm down, just as she herself began to cry. It went without saying, we drifted off holding each other very closely that night…


The next day, to our sheer amazement and ceaseless gratitude, we discovered that Blu had spent a great deal of the early hours in flight, wherein the bird had been able to locate our mark; the first fragment of the Titans’ Orb. After a quick breakfast, we packed up camp and allowed him to guide us through the rainforest.

I keenly watched the bird as he led the way, performing barrel rolls and somersaults as he went, which seemed to be more for his own enjoyment than it was for ours. He was evidently pleased to be such a big help to us, and as I studied him, I couldn’t help but wonder if magic was involved when it came to his unnatural sapience. No bird was this intelligent, and no creature beyond humans possessed such a degree of rational consciousness; no, magic had to be involved.

“Fluttershy?”

The pegasus merely hummed in response to my call, for she was also captivated by Blu’s aerial display. Coming to walk beside her, I asked the mare for an exact account of how she had actually met the bird. Finally looking away from Blu to meet my gaze, she repeated what she had said yesterday.

“You, Rainbow, Applejack and Twilight were wading away, and the little guy just came out of nowhere. He landed close by, and I sang to him, which was when he came over and said hello.”

“Huh, interesting…” I muttered, mostly to myself, “And your animal friends in Equestria, do you sing to them too?”

“Why yes, all the time!” she squeaked, “In fact, singing is usually what makes them want to approach me.”

That was it, Fluttershy’s singing was the key! For whatever reason, it seemed that Fluttershy’s voice, or at least, her singing voice, contained some form of innate magic, one that could connect to the minds of animals. It was almost as though she could enchant them with her voice, enhancing their cognitive functions. Even without a horn, it seemed that Fluttershy was somehow capable of casting magic.

{If only Twilight and I were on better terms…} I thought to myself, {We could run an experiment, and uncover the truth behind this buttery songstress…}

Judging from Fluttershy’s dialogue, it didn’t seem that she was aware of her abilities. I was just considering pointing it out, when Applejack’s disgruntled voice sounded off from the front of the group.

“Oh for pity’s sake, more dang water!”

I caught up with her to find that we had indeed reached another large expanse of water. This time however, unlike the submergent wetlands from yesterday, the area before us was that of a lake.

“Raark! Shiny in the pool! Shiny in the pool!” Blu squawked, landing on my shoulder.

“Wait, the Orb fragment? It’s in the water?” I quizzed.

“Yep-yep-yep! You got it! You got it! Quaark!”

“Well, I guess we’re swimming then.”

“Yeah, um… I don’t swim so good.” said Rainbow Dash.

“None of us do.” Applejack added.

“What?” I replied, dumbfounded.

“Ponies don’t swim very well, darling.” Rarity explained, “Hooves aren’t exactly the best for aquatic movement.”

“But, in the show, ponies swim plenty of times…”

“Fantasy versus reality, for the millionth time!” Twilight snapped, glaring at me.

“Okay, granted, but even here on Earth, horses and ponies can swim.”

“We can swim, just not very well, dear.” Rarity clarified.

Shrugging, I mumbled that I would be swimming solo then, to which Applejack gulped loudly.

“Uhm, I don’t think anyone’s going to be swimming Sugarcube. That there water is teaming with more of them scaly varmints!”

Looking over to the right, I spotted them too. Seven or eight crocodiles were basking at the water’s edge, and they weren’t like the one I had killed yesterday, they were all pale and glossy, and easily twice the size.

“Yeah, uh, crocodiles aren’t supposed to look like that.” I said, pointing a finger at them.

“They’re freaking huge!” Rainbow Dash blurted out.

Looking to Twilight, I instructed her to scan for the Orb’s signature.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” she spat, her face rife with disgust.

“Oh for fuck’s sake Twi, can we not?” I snapped, rolling my eyes, “Can we not do this right now? We’re literally at a piece of your damn Orb! Spare me the attitude and look for the bloody signature will you?”

Kissing her teeth and mouthing something most unpleasant, the unicorn’s horn lit up. She shut her eyes and then projected a thin laser beam into the lake. The water then visibly rippled with a shimmer of magenta, and the mare nodded her head upon gathering information.

“Well, I’ve got good news and bad news.” she spoke.

We all gestured for her to continue, to which she revealed that the shard was buried at the bottom of the lake, right in the middle, where it would be incredibly difficult to find.

“And the good news?” I asked, raising my hands.

“That was the good news.”

Dropping my hands again, I shuddered with fright as Twilight elucidated us on the bad news. This lake contained a little over twenty crocodiles, all of which bore traces of magic, suggesting that prolonged exposure to the Orb fragment had enhanced them, explaining their size and discolouration.

“So, what you’re telling me, is that your bloody relic is being guarded by two-dozen super-crocs?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

“Perfect!”

“You’re still getting that shard.”

“Uh, you’ve got to be fucking joking?” I scoffed, recoiling from her.

Rainbow stepped in and asked why Twilight couldn’t just levitate it out, to which she gave some bogus excuse about how the Orb, even just a piece of it, couldn’t be handled by magic. Supposedly, it needed to be retrieved by hoof, or in this case, by hand. Frankly, I didn’t buy it, but if Twilight was insisting that I had to retrieve the shard, then somehow, I had to get it done. Sighing with frustration, I speculated that we could bait the crocodiles away somehow, with the only alternative being that I somehow killed them one by one.

“You think you’re capable of doing that?” Applejack quizzed.

“Not really, no!” I shouted, “I barely survived the last crocodile encounter, and that was just a normal one, not one that’s been supercharged by a piece of your magic fucking pebble!”

“Hey, don’t get snappy with me!”

“I’m sorry, but Twilight’s basically insisting that those über-crocs get snappy with me!”

“Surely we can bait them away somehow?” Rarity said with assurance, trying to calm me down.

That was when Rainbow Dash gasped loudly.

“I know! What if you clone Callum again, like you did in England? The clone could distract the crocs, while the real Callum swims down to get the Orb shard?”

“You know, that could actually work.” I mumbled.

Twilight thought about it for a moment, her eyes darting around. Not wanting her friends to step in as bait, she eventually nodded her head and agreed, eager to have the shard in our possession. Ordering me to stand still, her horn began to glow, and just like the first two times, a colourful hue outlined my body as I felt warmer and warmer. The ball of light then manifested before me, drawing in the details of my being, before slowly replicating every facet of me, as though it were a biological Three-D printer. It stretched out into the shape of a human being before flashing brightly, and in its place stood, well… me.

“I’ve got thinner.”

“Oh I’m glad you noticed.” the clone replied merrily, “I’ve been on the Stock Heap diet, you should really try it.”

“Been there, done that, got the trauma.” I retorted.

We both laughed at ourself, and I circled my doppelgänger, eyeing him up and smirking.

“Is it weird to be mildly attracted to yourself?”

“I won’t tell if you won’t.” he replied.

At that, the group broke into laughter, greatly amused by the exchange.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Rainbow Dash chanted.

Admittedly tempted, just to say that I had, I glanced at my clone cautiously, and he glanced at me in the exact same way. However, before things could go any further down such a route, Twilight ordered us to get moving and do our jobs. Rolling our eyes in unison, my clone and I got to business, with my magical duplicate putting his hands on his hips.

“Righty tighty, let’s piss off some über-crocs and likely die in the process.” he said merrily, stretching.

“He won’t feel anything if he gets caught, right?” I asked.

Blinking rapidly for a moment, Twilight shook her head and assured me that the clone had been created without functioning pain receptors. At this, the clone let out a hum, before making an awfully bold statement.

“Oh how kind of you, and here I was thinking you were a heartless bitch!”

“I can always revert that.”

“Nice pony! Nice pony!” he squawked, impersonating Blu.

“Don’t copy me! Don’t copy me!” Blu carked loudly in response.

He then turned away and veered off to the right, heading towards the lakeside in preparation to become live bait. I watched him go, and was about to ask Twilight more questions about how cloning really worked, when she pointed out that I was stalling.

“Yeah, maybe because I don’t want to jump into a crocodile infested lake!”

“I could use my magic to throw you in there if you’d like?”

At first, the empty threat seemed absurd, but then it dawned on me that such an act could actually work to our advantage.

“Funny enough, now you’ve said that.” I began, “What if you levitated me above the water? You could lift me exactly above where the shard is, and then I can just swim down and grab it. Otherwise I’ll be fumbling around for ages in there. It’s safer for me, and it’s quicker for you.”

“Alright, sounds good.”

Her response was enough to tell me that she was genuinely fond of the idea. Glad to have suggested something that aligned with her, I smiled and looked over to my replica, nodding my head. He gave a salute, and then merrily skipped over to where most of the crocodiles were dwelling. I tightened my lips as I watched him go, realising just how eager he was, despite knowing his task. And then, from the depths of my mind, a very dark thought emerged. Before meeting the girls, my suicidal thoughts were rampant; rarely a day had gone by where I hadn’t thought about the long drop, from the short rope. My clone shared these thoughts, and unlike me, he was completely and utterly expendable. Whether the crocodiles got him, or Twilight deleted him upon my retrieval of the Orb fragment, he was inevitably going to die today, and he wouldn’t even feel pain when it happened. Gulping, I realised that he wanted this, and deep down, a crude little part of me envied him…

Opening my rucksack, I retrieved my swimming goggles from one of the inner pockets. Though the cartel had taken all the food, everything else had been left untouched, just as my phone had been. With that, I took off my trousers, shoes, and socks, to which the girls asked me what I was doing. Before I could answer them, Twilight butted in to clarify.

“No different to on Equus, fabric is heavier when wet. His clothing would no doubt absorb plenty of water, making it harder for him to swim, similar to what our fur does, but a whole lot worse. Plus it would trap air, adding to his buoyancy, which wouldn’t be ideal when he’s supposed to be visiting the bottom of the lake.”

“Egghead…” Rainbow Dash whispered.

Dipping my head to thank Twilight for her lengthy explanation, I put the goggles on and looked over to my clone. The utter moron, of whom was myself, was prancing around the lake, kicking up water and acting like an utter clown, shrieking out in a high-pitched voice.

“Here fishy fishy fishy fishy FISH-EEEEHH!”

His antics worked flawlessly. The crocodiles already at the surface made their way towards him, and from the depths of the lake, rose the pale bodies of more. Fearlessly continuing to skip and dance around them, my clone taunted the creatures.

“Step right up! Step right up! Living, breathing, all-you-can-eat buffet! All cuts of meat! Liver! Heart! Ribs! And one massive sausage! Okay, I lied, it’s just a little above average, but it’s still tasty!”

From behind me came a giggling from the girls, with Rainbow Dash telling me that I was completely insane. Still undeterred by the growing reptilian audience, my clone continued.

“And on the special’s menu… guess what I have? A brain! Get your brains here! Juicy brain! Fresh! Barely used! Come and get it!”

Suddenly, a crocodile burst forth from the water, causing us all to jump in shock. Miraculously, the clone was able to dodge the unexpected attack, and roared with laughter.

“I said barely used, croccy boy! Barely!”

Turning to Twilight, I asked her to scan the lake for a second time, just to see if the coast was clear yet. Sniffing with annoyance, she did as I requested, and confirmed that the clone had most certainly done his job.

“There are still some under the water, but they’re going towards him now.”

Nodding, I put my goggles on and allowed Twilight to seize me with her telekinetic grasp. The sensation was bizarre, and it took every ounce of my self-control not to flail in an attempt to catch myself as I was hoisted upwards.

“Now this is trippy…” I murmured.

The unicorn lifted me up above the lake and I gulped nervously upon seeing the dark shapes of more crocodiles just beneath the surface, speeding past me and towards my clone. Once they were well away from me, I put my arms up into a diving position, signalling to Twilight that I was ready. She flipped me upside down and I took a deep breath. She then released me gradually, and I slipped into the water without much of a splash. In truth, I had been expecting her to drop me from a height, so I guessed that she had been telling the truth about needing someone to retrieve the Orb piece manually.

The water was surprisingly clear with the goggles, and it didn’t take long for me to locate the bottom of the lake. Trying not to disturb the dirt too much, I dug my hands down and started feeling around, hoping to locate the fragment on my first dive.

{Come on… Come on… Where are you?} I thought, forcing out some air to remain at the lake bed.

I then jumped out of my skin and let out even more air, upon coming face to face with one of the crocodiles. Its mouth was halfway ajar, and its eyes were wide open, halfway rotted. To my absolute relief, this one was dead, but the shock regardless had completely thrown me. After a feeble attempt to find the shard with my remaining air, I eventually gave up and pushed myself upward, and as I broke the surface, I immediately heard a most harrowing sound.
Looking over to the far bank, I saw my clone, screaming at the top of his lungs, hopelessly clawing away from the crocodiles, his right leg mangled and bloodied. One of the crocodiles, its mouth already stained with his blood, my blood, made a second lunge for him. I could only watch on in bone-chilling horror as the beast took a hold of his wrist and pulled him back down to the water, where two other crocs partook in the slaughter. A fourth then joined in, butting a smaller crocodile out of the way to grab a mouthful of my replicated flesh. The poor boy was torn asunder as he screeched his final breaths, his voice brimming with agonised terror.

{You made him feel pain…}

Twilight fucking Sparkle, that… that monster.
She had lied to me; this wasn’t just a distraction, it was an execution. Looking over at the unicorn, I saw her intently watching the massacre, and although she was too far to properly gauge her facial expression, I could only guess that she was enjoying herself. The others were looking away, covering their ears, clearly just as horrified as I was. Gritting my teeth and snarling, I dove back down beneath the surface in search of her precious prize. I was going to get this damn Orb fragment, and then I was going to deal with that backstabbing slime of a pony.

{Come on you shiny little bastard, show yourself…}

I kept feeling around, and then, there it was, a dim glow to my left! Swimming towards it, I dug my hands deep into the soil, and after getting through nearly a foot of mud, I felt something hard. I gripped it tightly, to which a freezing cold sensation shot through my body, followed by pins-and-needles inside my skull. My vision blurred and my temples pounded, and then, a thought came rushing into my head, a thought that I hadn’t conjured myself.

{Well, this is unexpected… What are you then, my furless little friend?}

The thought came to me in a thick Scottish accent, but before I could question what was happening, my air supply ran out. My lungs started to convulse, and I knew that I needed to return to the surface. Tugging upwards, I yanked the Orb shard free to find that it was far bigger than I had realised. Despite being just one of the six pieces, it was twice the size of my own fist! There was no telling how big the whole Orb was, but if this piece was anything to go by, it was easily bigger than my head. Pushing myself upwards with the crystalline chunk now in hand, I reached the surface and took in an almighty breath of air, before paddling back to the girls as quickly as possible.

“Do you have it?” Twilight called out to me.

I ignored her and kept swimming, which was when Rainbow Dash cried out.

“Dude, behind you!”

Looking back for just a second, I saw one of the hungering über-crocs floating towards me. I knew the beast would pick up its speed if I did, so I forced myself to maintain a calm breaststroke and prayed that I could reach the shore in time.

“He’s gaining on you!” Pinkie screamed.

Gulping, I forwent my first notion and burst into a front-crawl, kicking and splashing my way forward as fast as my body could carry me. By some grace, I reached the shore and started to clamber up, but the bloodthirsty reptile wasn’t going to let me get away that easily. The creature launched forward and slammed its long snout into my back, sending me hurtling forward onto my stomach. The Orb shard flew from my hands and landed on the ground beside me, just as the beast’s massive head pushed down against my lower back. Rarity shrieked my name at the top of her lungs, and I frantically rolled over and used my thighs to hug the creature’s neck. It pulled back and I was taken with it, but I knew that letting go would allow it to snatch my legs, and so I held on tightly. I wasn’t in the mood for dying twice today, and after the croc made a terrifying snap for my face, I kicked it away and scrambled back. It lunged again, and I pounced onto the animal, taking Steve Irwin’s approach of grabbing its head behind the jaws and using my body weight to pin it down.

“The knife! The knife!” I hollered.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity both scrambled to my rucksack to retrieve the blade, while I desperately tried to keep the crocodile in place. Without warning, it thrust its head back, hitting me in the face and knocking me off balance. It then whipped around and caught my wrist in its maw and pulled me towards the water, causing me to let out a booming howl of agony. The girls were all terrified to get involved, with Fluttershy literally wailing at the scene. Punching the beast in the eye, I was able to make it let go, and once again straddled it. Rarity then levitated the knife over to me, and I made no hesitation to grab it by the handle and plunge it down into the crocodile’s head, but alas, it hadn’t gone deep enough.

Now in distress, the monstrous lizard started lashing out violently, before rolling onto its back, throwing me off. The knife remained buried in the top of its head, and using this to my advantage, I mounted it for a third time, pushing into the underside of its mouth and forcing it down with all my might. The blade was driven deeper and punctured its brain, which the animal responded to by thrashing even more erratically, before finally coming to an abrupt halt. With the beast dead, I stumbled away from it and flopped onto my back, panting heavily.

“I… hate… crocodiles…”

The girls rushed to me, all shocked and full of awe. A sobbing Fluttershy demanded to know if I was alright, to which I nodded, holding up my arm for her to see. The bite, albeit bleeding, wasn’t too horrendous; a touch of Oozima and I would be fine.

“Dude, you’re a freaking legend…” Rainbow breathed, her mouth agape.

“You know what, after that? Yeah… I am!”

Still puffing heavily, I got to my feet and picked up the Orb fragment, wiping the mud from it and giving it a proper inspection.

{So, this is what all the fuss is about.} I murmured in thought.

It was absolutely phenomenal to look at. The piece was slightly translucent, with a dark navy hue to it, but upon holding it steady, I saw swirls and ripples of lighter blues and purples within, pulsating with energy of untold potency.

This mesmerising chunk of crystal, had been created by literal gods…

“Finally, we have it.” said Twilight, stepping towards me.

I turned to face the unicorn and stared at her blankly.

“Give it to me.”

Ignoring her command, I continued to stare at her, expressionless. My mind then replayed the clone’s death; over and over, I saw myself being ripped apart by those creatures, screaming out in legitimate suffering.

“Are you deaf? I said, give it to me!”

Slowly, I extended my arm and gave the titanstone fragment to Twilight. Taking it with a hoof, she held it up to the light and sighed heavily, basking in its beauty, as I had. This moment undoubtedly meant everything to her. At last, she finally had a part of what she had been sent here to acquire; a vital piece of her homeland, now safely in her ownership.


Touched by the significance of this moment, I smiled warmly at the purple unicorn.
And then I punched her in the face.





> Chapter Twenty One: Lest Not Abhor
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Callum! What the hay is wrong with you!?” Applejack shouted, running towards me.

Ignoring her, I put a hand on Twilight’s upper chest and forced her up against the tree behind us.

“I know what you did, you bitch!”

“Get off me, I didn’t do anything!” she bleated out fearfully, struggling against my hold.

Applejack then butted into me with remarkable strength, sending me skidding away from the unicorn. She stood between the two of us and glowered at me, demanding to know just what in tarnation was going on here.

“The human’s lost his mind!” Twilight whimpered pathetically, “He attacked me for no reason!”

“No reason?” I gasped, gritting my teeth, “You made that clone feel pain, after lying to me that he wouldn’t, and I want that filthy little mouth of yours to admit it!”

Applejack glanced behind her to look at Twilight, demanding to know if this was true.

“I did no such thi-”

“Did you not hear the screams!?” I bellowed to the others, cutting her off.

“Yeah, we did.” Rainbow Dash piped up, stepping forward and scowling at the unicorn.

Everyone, including Blu, stared at Twilight and awaited her response, of which was to innocently profess that the screaming had been nothing more than a realistic simulation from the clone; a trick, devised solely to distract the crocodiles further.

“Obviously it worked, because you’re still here.” she finalised with a churlish huff.

“Are you for real right now?” I growled, shaking my head, “Do you honestly have the gall to lie to my face about this? I know myself Twilight, and I know what my own goddamn terror sounds like! You all know what my screams of agony sound like after what that bastard did to me! That was no trick and you know it!”

I began striding towards Twilight with my fists clenched tightly, just about ready to pummel a confession out of her. Despite her smaller stature, Applejack held her ground and warned me to stay where I was.

“Look Sugarcube, I ain't sure which of y’all is telling the truth here, but we ain’t solving this with violence, do you hear?” she ordered, meeting my glare with her own.

From behind her honourable protector, Twilight raised her upper lip into a sneer.

“You see, human? You can’t turn my friends against me, even with your convincing little tantrum.”

“Oh, this has nothing to do with your friends.” I spat, tensing every muscle in my body, “This is between me, and you! You’ve put me through enough, and now you’ve crossed a fucking line!”

“Pfft, please!” she scoffed, throwing her head back, “What have I ‘put you through’ exactly?”

“Only too much…” I replied, shaking my head, “You’ve insulted me and put me down for every step of this journey. You don’t even give me the courtesy of addressing me by my name half the time! For crying out loud, you punched me in the face on the first day!”

Some of the girls gasped, realising that I hadn’t fallen over that day, and that I had just been covering for Twilight’s inexcusable attack.

“So she did hit you! I knew it, I fucking knew it!” shouted Rainbow Dash, her eyes wild with anger.

Continuing, I told Twilight how she had needlessly vilified me on a daily basis. But now, by allowing my clone to suffer, by way of experiencing a violent and painful death, she had gone too far. Snorting, she clapped back at me without missing a beat.

“I hit you because you came up behind me and touched me without any warning! You ambushed me in my own tent, and left me feeling like I had to defend myself!”

“Stop dancing around the fact, Twilight.” I hissed, bringing us back to the present, “You allowed my clone to feel pain, and unless you admit it, here and now, I am done being your guide!”

The girls all looked at me, aghast, suddenly threatened with the prospect of losing me. After what we had all been through, they knew that I wouldn’t make such a statement lightly. Wiping at her bleeding nose with a foreleg, Twilight was undeterred by my threat.

“Go on then, off you go! Now my magic’s back, I can teleport us anywhere. We’ll find the rest of the Orb without you, and you can have fun rotting in this jungle. Good luck with the crocodiles!”

“Don’t be so ridiculous!” Rarity shouted, inserting herself into the argument, “We are most certainly not leaving him here! And you, Miss Sparkle, are going to tell us the honest-to-goodness truth!”

“Yeah!” Dashie joined in, “We all saw what happened, and if Callum says those screams were real, then I believe him!”

“Out with it.” I commanded, taking a step forward.

Twilight bared her teeth at me, and I watched as the faint spirals on her horn began to light up, before the entire thing started to glow.

“I’m not afraid of you, human.”

“Bold talk from a pony cowering behind someone else.”

Without warning, she used her telekinesis to shove Applejack aside, sending her stumbling to the ground. The farm pony’s hat fell off in the process, and she gasped in disbelief.

“You, ugh! You know what? Fine! You’re on your own!” she huffed angrily, shaking her head.

Twilight stepped towards me, her horn still pulsating with light.

“I think it’s time this animal is taught a lesson…”

“Ohh, you’re the one who’s about to learn something.” I snarled back, flexing my fists.

Truth be told, it took every ounce of my self-control not to lunge at her there and then. I had already punched her once, so if I were to lash out for a second time, unprovoked, the others could very well see me as the aggressor, and I didn’t want that. But if Twilight were to attack me first? Well, then I had every right to retaliate, free of judgement.

“Please stop this, Twilight!” Fluttershy spoke up desperately, “Maybe if you just told us the truth…”

“Shut it Fluttershy!” the unicorn barked, “This doesn’t concern you.”

“Wow, some friend you are…” I taunted, “Pushing Applejack down to the ground? Shouting at Fluttershy when she’s done nothing wrong? Really good friendship skills there, great job buddy! Keep going like this, and you’ll be crawling back to Celestia with just one piece of your precious Orb, having failed as a leader!”

Her eyes flickered with hatred, and her horn let off a bright flash, sending out a blast of raw energy. I was knocked back a good metre or two and hit the ground with a heavy thud, and it dawned on me that the mare was genuinely ready to hurt me. Rainbow Dash ordered her to stop, begging her not to take this any further, which was when my opportunity to strike arose.

Turning to look at the pegasus, Twilight broke into an angry rant, shouting to her about how I was the one who had started this, and that I needed to be put back in my place. Getting to my feet, I strode up to the unicorn with haste, something which she didn’t clock onto until it was too late. Upon reaching her, she whipped around and tried to send out another blast, but before she could do so, I instinctively lurched forward and gripped her horn with my right hand, squeezing it as tightly as I could. The magical energy was rampantly dispelled, and the mare clamped her eyes shut, releasing an almighty scream. In turn, as though I had forced my hand onto a cast iron grill pan, long upon a flame, a searing agony burned into my skin, and I shouted out with pain. Releasing the mare and stepping away, I gripped my wrist and stared at my hand with tears already welling up in my eyes. My palm and inner fingers were now dark red, and darker still, were charred swirling lines. By way of a very severe second-degree burn, Twilight’s entire horn had been imprinted onto my hand.

“Dude, what the heck did you just do?” Dashie blurted out.

Forcing the pain out of my mind, I crouched down beside Twilight, who had dropped to the ground, clutching at her forehead and emitting heavy, pained breaths. Without a shred of remorse, I took a fistful of her mane and forced her to look up at me.

“Tell them the truth.”

She continued to writhe, and I repeated myself, louder, and angrier. The others were just about to intervene when at last, the truth came babbling out of the unicorn in the form of a quivering yowl.

“Okay! I did it, alright? I lied! I made the clone feel pain! I did it on purpose!”

The others shook their heads with shame and disappointment for their friend, of whom had fallen so far from grace. Refusing to release her mane, I brought my face closer to Twilight’s with an expression of utter disdain.

“Why’d you do it, Twilight? Why?”

“I… I…” she stammered with her mouth agape, staring at me, petrified, “I don’t… I don’t know…”

“WHY DID YOU DO IT!?” I boomed at the top of my lungs.

Matching my volume with an ear-splitting shriek, Twilight insisted that she didn’t know. She then burst into tears and started shaking uncontrollably. Gritting my teeth and emitting a low rumble, I was mere seconds from violently shaking a true confession out of her, which was when Rarity loudly barked my name, snapping me out of my rage. I looked around at her, and she sternly met my seething gaze.

“That’s enough.”

I opened my mouth to protest, only for her to silence me immediately, walking towards us.

“She says she doesn’t know, and for once, I think she’s telling the truth. Now let go of her, this instant.”

Releasing my grip on the unicorn’s mane, Twilight scrambled away from me and buried her face into her hooves, still shaking, and I realised that Rarity was right. Twilight was by no means innocent, but from the state of her now, it was clear that her actions had been impulsive, and not premeditated. Infuriated all the same, I stood up properly and walked over to the Orb shard, where I scooped it up and wiped the mud from it. Looking at the others, who were still shocked at the scene before them, I grimaced coldly.

“If you want this back, and for me to keep travelling with you, then your pathetic excuse for a leader needs to pull herself together, do you understand? I’m not travelling with a pony who can do something like this, and not even have the capacity to tell me why.”

Gulping, they gave me understanding nods, and I turned away to take myself off into the wilderness, picking up my rucksack as I did so. As soon as I was far out of eye-shot, I slumped down against a tree and took a great breath. Putting the Orb piece down beside me, I gripped my wrist again and stared at my burned hand, hissing in pain as I observed the dark red flesh.

“What made you like this?” I growled quietly, thinking of that despicable unicorn.

The irony was that before meeting the girls, Twilight had always been my favourite; she was my main reason for watching the show. I was inspired by the pony, and watching as she transitioned from a socially inept loner, to the literal Princess of Friendship, had always brought me the hope that I could someday be like her, happy, and loved… In truth, I adored every aspect of her, from her love of science, books, the cosmos, and of course magic, to her very growth as an individual, overcoming odds and finding her place in the world. Admittedly, I was the type to become attached to fictional characters, but it was Twilight alone, who resonated with me in a way that I could not quite describe.

But now here she was, living and breathing before my very eyes.
And I couldn’t stand the fucking sight of her…


I had spent a good while stewing, when hoofsteps came into earshot. I looked up to see Applejack walking towards me, her face visibly rife with bitterness.

“Here to have a go at me?” I muttered, looking away from her.

“The opposite, actually.”

The farm pony came and sat down beside me, sighing heavily and leaning against my shoulder.

“Sugarcube, I owe you an apology, a sincere one.”

Turning my head to look at her, I observed the orange mare’s frustrated expressions as she continued.

“From day one, I’ve been unsure about you. I didn’t think you were bad but, Twilight had me thinking there was something off about you, something you weren’t telling us. I thought she was onto something, like there must have been a good reason to be scared of you.”

She faced me and our eyes met, to which she slowly shook her head.

“I was wrong. What Twilight did to that there clone, it weren’t right, and it was all the proof I needed to know she’s full of hooey. You ain’t no monster, and you sure as apples ain’t no threat to me. I’m sorry it took me ‘til now to realise it.”

Gradually breaking into a weak closed-lip smile, I put my arms around the mare and hugged her, to which she happily reciprocated.

“Thanks AJ, and I’m sorry too.” I sighed, pulling away.

“What for?”

Gesturing off to where we had come from, I uttered Twilight’s name and hung my head.

“I’m sorry that coming to this place has made her the way she is. I can’t even begin to imagine what Celestia showed her, or said to her, but it’s turned one of your closest friends into, well…”

“An asshole?” she suggested.

“Yeah, to put it lightly.”

We both gave an amused huff, before she put a hoof on my wrist and tutted.

“Babe, that ain’t your apology to make. I don’t know what’s gotten into her, but this ain’t about you, not really. While I would never question the Princess, it’s like you say, she did something to make Twi like this, and you ain’t to blame for it, you understand?”

“I think so…” I replied, shrugging.

Applejack gave me one last hug and told me to take all the time I needed. She then took herself off back to the others, and I got to my feet. Now that my undies had mostly dried, I decided it was about time that I put some clothes back on. Taking the spare change of clothing out of my rucksack, I slipped into them, thankful to finally not look quite so feral. Once I was fully dressed, I made my way back to the group, now much calmer.


The girls were all emphatically pleased to see me upon my return, aside from Twilight of course. Pinkie Pie ran over to me, springing forward and latching onto me in a tight hug.

“Don’t leave us…” she breathed, squeezing me tightly.

“Agh, I ain’t going anywhere.” I replied in a low, soft tone, rolling my eyes.

“Ooh, thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!”

Releasing me and bouncing around excitedly, I smirked, realising just how close my bonds with these ponies had already become. Obviously I was never going to resign as their guide, that was only something I had said in the heat of the moment. Still, to see how much the sheer notion of my leave had shaken them, it was awfully comforting. I wasn’t just needed by them, I was wanted.

“I like the new clothes.” Rarity pointed out.

“Cheers.” I replied, still smirking.

It was then that Twilight began to approach me steadily. She made her way towards me at a snail’s pace, her eyes fixed on the ground in front of her. The others, knowing that this was between the two of us, respectfully began to move out, giving us a moment alone.

“I’m sorry…” the unicorn whispered upon reaching me.

“Beg your pardon?” I requested bluntly.

“I’m… I’m sorry…”

“Oh for goodness’ sake, speak up if you have something to say to me, Twilight.”

Looking up at me with a furrowed brow, she finally spoke at a perceivable volume.

“I said, I’m sorry! Alright?”

I looked into her eyes and observed her for a second, before slowly shaking my head.

“No… No, you’re not sorry at all, are you?”

Bending down to her level, I brought my nose right up to hers, pulling a face of absolute revulsion.

“You’re a liar, Twilight. You’re a sadistic, manipulative, lying sack of shit. And you disgust me.”

Standing up straight and turning around, I walked away, leaving the mare in a silent state of shock.

Until…

“Callum! Please!”

Speaking my name was one thing, but it was the ‘please’ that really caught my ear. Stopping dead in my tracks, I looked back at the unicorn, just as floods of tears began to stream down her cheeks, and her mouth slowly fell open.

“I’m… s-sorry!”

Every muscle in her face seemed to contract as she broke into a most ugly cry. She fell to her knees, and looked up at me with desperation, and the understanding that she had done something truly unforgivable. Spluttering for a second time that she really was sorry, the mare hung her head in shame, and just as before, began to quake irrepressibly as she sobbed.

{Now that, I believe…} I thought, tightening my lips.

Stepping back towards her, I knelt down in front of her, where I clenched my jaw momentarily.

“Look at me.”

Doing as she was told, Twilight looked up and locked her bloodshot eyes onto mine. I sniffed loudly, trying to rationally piece my thoughts together.

“I don’t… I can’t… forgive you for this.” I began, “But if you really are sorry, and you want to make things right, then this needs to stop. The insults, the slander, all of it. As of today, you have royally fucked there ever being a chance of us becoming friends, but today is where you stop making an enemy of me.”

With tears still streaming down her face, she nodded faintly, gulping. With that, I brought my hand to her, where the Orb shard was still firmly in my grasp.

“Take it, it belongs to you.”

She sat up properly and did just so, collecting the fragment with both of her front hooves. I got back to my feet and looked down at her, my expression, blank.

“I’m your ally, Twilight Sparkle, and I’m going to help you find the rest of the Orb. Then, we can go our separate ways. Now, you’re still free to hate me every step of the way, but from here on out, you are to address me by my name, and you are to treat me with respect. You owe me that.”

After a moment of silence, the unicorn wiped the snot from her nose and shakily inhaled.

“Okay…”

For a split second, there was a glint of remorseful compassion in her eye, as though she wished to reach forward and hug me, to put an end to this once and for all. My own emotions were conflicted too, for a part of me wanted to reciprocate the notion, to put my arms around her and hold her close. Then, my clone’s screams echoed once again in my mind, and all I wanted was to strangle her. Turning away, I walked off for good, leaving Twilight to gather herself, and then follow, now humbled and full of shame…


The others weren’t too far ahead, and once all seven of us were trudging along together, the mood slowly began to improve.

“I can’t believe it, we actually have the first piece of the Orb!” said Rainbow Dash, trotting excitedly beside me.

“One down, five to go!” Rarity added, striding with purpose.

Applejack asked where I thought we might locate the next one, to which I gave a long hum. Eventually, I just said that I didn’t know, but so long as it wasn’t quite so humid, I didn’t really care.

“I second that!” Pinkie called out.

“As do we all, I think.” chuckled Rarity, “This place is, well… just a little bit dreadful!”

“Yeah, and not to mention plagued with unpleasant wildlife.” I grumbled, looking at the bite on my arm.

“Hey!” Blu squawked loudly.

Laughing, I clarified that I obviously didn’t mean him, and that I had been referring to the blasted crocodiles.

“Speaking of, can we set up camp soon?” said Fluttershy, also looking at the injury, “I really want to take a proper look at that bite…”

“Actually, to be fair, I could do with a sit-down soon.” I admitted, “I’m bloody knackered.”

“Uhh yeah, no kidding Sugarcube!” AJ exclaimed, playfully bumping into me, “You went diving in a croc infested lake, and then you had to wrestle one of the darn things!”

“Oh gee, thanks for reminding me.” I deadpanned loudly, pointing to the wound.

“Sarcasm isn’t very befitting on you Callum, do you know that?” Rarity teased.

Looking at the unicorn, I went cross-eyed and put on a lisp, responding to her in a sing-songy voice.

“No… is it not? Really?”

Everyone laughed, and we finally came across a nice dry patch that would serve as today’s camp. The tents were unpacked and we plonked ourselves down, where Fluttershy quickly applied some Oozima to my bite. Just as she was finishing up, she spotted my scorched hand and gasped.

“Callum! That looks so painful!”

“Funny enough, it’s actually quite numb.” I replied, lightly prodding the dark leathery skin, “Like, yeah it hurts, but not as much as you’d think, especially on the surface.”

“That sounds dangerously close to a third-degree burn…”

Fluttershy then dug more thoroughly into her saddlebag, to the point where only her tail could be seen sticking out from it. Tilting my head, I asked if she had anything for burns, perhaps another concoction from Zecora?

“Not from Zecora, but I do have something.” she replied, emerging from the bag with a long syringe.

My eyes widened at the size of it, and I gulped loudly, pulling a face.

“Not a fan of needles?”

“I don’t think anyone’s really a fan of them, Fluttershy.”

Chuckling, she explained that unlike Zecora’s Oozima, the solution in the vial before me needed to be injected directly into the bloodstream. Simply known by the name of Bloom, the stuff worked by binding magic-infused particles to the platelets in one’s blood, altering their properties. Upon making contact with damaged or destroyed tissue, the cells would break down and disperse Bloom directly to the site, where it would aid in rebuilding the tissue. It did this across multiple fronts, from doubling the rate of collagen distribution, to supercharging the cells themselves as they multiplied and reconstructed the damaged area. In short, it could heal injuries that would normally require serious medical attention, with twice the speed, and thrice the efficiency.

“So, it’s basically Oozima on steroids, for more complex injuries like burns?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Burns, broken bones, and almost all forms of internal bleeding.” Fluttershy explained, readying the needle, “Most patients are given a shot of Bloom after invasive surgeries, to quicken the healing of damaged tissues.”

She took a moment to stare thoughtfully at the fluid.

“This stuff has saved a lot of lives back home.”

“That’s actually really cool.” I said, also observing the fluid with a newfound respect for it.

“Oh isn’t it?” she agreed, “We ponies may not be as advanced as you with technology, but with the help of magic, our medical science is absolutely incredible!”

“You’re telling me…” I murmured, before sticking my hand out, “Alright then, shoot me up.”

It didn’t take long for her to locate the best vein; her experience with so many different animals definitely came in handy there. I gritted my teeth as she slid the needle into me, and with her second hoof, steadily injected the serum into me. Other than it being slightly cool, I didn’t feel any noteworthy sensations, and the whole ordeal was over in mere seconds.

“Thanks.” I said as she removed the syringe.

“That’s alright.” she replied, getting up to pack away her medical supplies.

She then went off to interact with Blu, and I slumped back to relax. My quietude didn’t last long however, as I was soon disturbed by something hard, lightly prodding against my arm. I turned my head, and to my surprise found Vladimir’s knife, floating beside its sheath, both surrounded in a pink glow. Just a little way beyond, looking at me anxiously, was Twilight.

“You forgot this. I thought, I don’t know… I thought you might want it.”

Raising an eyebrow, I took the items and dipped my head to her. And then without asking for an invitation, she came and sat close by, still looking at the knife solemnly.

“You know, in old Equestrian history, it was a custom for warriors to have a signature weapon, which they would often give a name to. Seeing as that knife’s saved your skin a few times, perhaps it could be your signature weapon?”

It was clear that she was trying to make amends, and despite saying that I would never forgive her, I appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

“Thanks.” I muttered, only glancing at her briefly.

After sitting there awkwardly for a moment, the unicorn took herself off. Exhaling through my nose, I contemplated what the future meant for us. I was so angry with her, and yet, even if against my own words, I pondered all the same… could there be a chance for us? Could I ever forgive her? Was a friendship with her at all possible? I sat there with these thoughts until dinner, fiddling with the knife as I ruminated, and after some consideration, I came up with a name for the weapon.

“Krocsbane, with a K.” I said with confidence, branding it forevermore.

Having taken down two crocodiles with it, the name was perfect. As for the K, I decided that it gave the name more of a Russian aesthetic; a perfect nod to Vladimir Kikashkov, the blade’s former owner.

While we all ate our supper, we discussed at length what the next step was for finding the next piece of the Orb. There was a lot of back and forth, but eventually, we came to one conclusion. With how effective it had been to harness the electrical frequencies at Gatwick Airport, we decided that repeating the process wasn’t a bad approach. As such, we agreed to make our way to the nearest airport, and use it to pinpoint the next piece.

“If we’re going as far as an airport, why don’t we board another plane while we’re at it?” Rarity proposed, “That way, we might escape this dreadful heat for a while!”

“I guess that’s not entirely out of the question…” I murmured.

“Uh, why don’t we just go back to England?” Rainbow Dash pointed out, her mouth full of food, “I don’t know about you guys, but I could use a damn break after what we’ve been through.”

Rarity tilted her head and gave an expression most keen, clearly intrigued by the idea.

“You know, despite your lack of mealtime etiquette, you might actually be onto something!”

Clapping her front hooves together, Rarity furthered Dashie’s suggestion by proposing that by returning to England, we could take a moment to rest and recover in a familiar environment, before continuing the mission when we were all ready.

“That’s… actually brilliant!” I cheered, nodding with enthusiasm, “If we were to land at Gatwick, we’d be close to my old home. We could camp out at the end of the land, perfectly safe and hidden away. There’d be no guns, no cartels, and we’d be in a much more agreeable climate.”

Looking to Twilight for approval, I noticed that she was kneading the ground anxiously with her hooves, clearly opposed to the idea, but not wanting to make a fuss. Her eyes darted from pony to pony, reading everyone’s demeanours and quickly gathering that her whole troop were in favour of the plan.

“Okay.” she agreed at last, “That’s what we’ll do.”

I nodded to her faintly, privately acknowledging that she had chosen to consent to this for the group, despite her own reservations. She looked at me for just a moment, and then her eyes started to water. Suddenly getting up, she took herself off to bed.

{Looks like she really does regret what she did…} I speculated in thought.

After a little more chatter, and some laughable antics from Blu, the rest of us called it a day and turned in for the night.





Screams, shouts, and roars… Metal, clashing against metal… Raging fires and pillars of smoke…
Blood all around me… Oh heavens above, there was so… much… blood!

From my slumber I saw it all, legions of ponies, griffons, and minotaurs, locked in an eternal combat with one another, tearing each other apart. As real as the day, I saw myself in the form of a unicorn, gracefully dancing upon a battlefield, dodging blows from all sides, swifter than the wind itself. My pelt was a pale sky blue, so pale that it was almost grey, and my mane was a dark brown, no different to my own hair in the waking world. Axes, spears, arrows, horns, and talons tried to claim me, but not one of them could touch me. Minotaurs and griffons alike fell by the hundreds as I cut them down with my blade, which floated at my side and ignited the darkness with gleams of cerulean moonlight.

Amidst this battle, there were flashes which took me elsewhere, though they never lasted any longer than half a second. They were glimpses of this unicorn’s life, my life. Some flashes were met with sharp pain and the sense of bitterness; I was fighting, killing. Other flashes were met with surges of pleasure; I was making love with mares and stallions alike, our bodies writhing, and our breaths, rapid and heavy.

Through innumerable experiences, I drifted, and the names of legends tumbled into my mind… Celestia, Luna, Viodin, The Regal Mother, Gloomwing, Shep, Hades, Discord, Bright Horn, Star Swirl, and Spindles; hundreds of names danced upon my tongue, all of them carrying great meaning to me.

And then, a feeling washed over me, engulfing my whole reality for a time.

I desired someone, more than anyone could ever desire another in this mortal existence. It was love, but it was no great thing. There was a crater in my soul, for this one that I loved was the missing piece, and yet I would never feel their loving touch. I would never even look at them with my own eyes, for I had been cursed to live in a time long before their years. For all the love I had, I would never give it to them, for they were destined for someone else, and yet they were destined for me all the same.

None of what I felt made sense, all I knew was that I loved someone, someone who would never be mine, and all the drink and flesh of others would never fill the gaping hole within me. My holy lover would only know me in my life beyond life, and by then, they will have fallen for another.

My hallowed soulmate would inherit the world, and I would not be there to see it.
It was an agony too much for me to bear.

The great battle was over now, and a mountain of corpses lay before me, shifting and hardening into rock and stone. I was at the peak now, and my pale blue hide was battered by the wind, my mane and tail, lashing and flowing with the gale. Pure white snowflakes danced all around, and in front of me, suspended upon a crystal podium, was an almighty sphere, glowing and swirling with colours aplenty; it was the Titans’ Orb, whole and unbroken. And then, in spite of the biting wind, I felt a warmth at my side, as a wing, great and powerful, draped across my back.

“Are you sure about this?” a voice spoke softly.

With a nod, I closed my eyes.

“They will forget you, my Little Star…”

“Let them.” I replied, “Let the whole world forget me. I need not their requiem.”

I raised my head and sucked the cold air into my lungs, before opening my eyes once again.

“There’s only one that need remember me. The only one who ever mattered…”

Looking to my side, I came face to face with her.

“Very well.” said Princess Celestia, with tears in her eyes, “Then it shall be my burden to bear.”

She removed her wing from my back, and I took a step forward. Gazing into the Orb, I studied it for a time, before looking back at the Princess and uttering my final words.

“Lest not abhor, he who brings me back to you, but love him rather, as you once loved me…”

Taking my last mortal breath, my horn lit up. My senses were then flooded with indescribable pain, and my vision was then engulfed by the brightest white imaginable. The cold of the mountaintop dissipated, as did the howling winds.

As did everything… for I was dead.





Sitting bolt upright with a start, I gasped and panted, my senses overstimulated and my mind swirling.

“Callum? You okay?” Fluttershy asked, rolling over to face me.

“Y-Yeah…” I stammered, still gulping down air, “Bad d-dream…”

Ripping myself free from the sleeping bag, I tumbled out of the tent and staggered away from the camp. I clutched at my throat and took in heavier and heavier breaths; it felt like I wasn’t getting a shred of oxygen. My vision began to blur as I descended into a full-blown anxiety attack. Fluttershy came out and chased me down, where she found me on my knees, hyperventilating beside a tree, sweating profusely.

“Hey-hey, you’re okay, you’re alright.” she said soothingly.

I rocked back and forth as I desperately tried to regain control. That dream had felt so real, all the sights and sensations were as though I had just experienced them in my waking reality. It wasn’t like other dreams of a vivid nature, I hadn’t just imagined all those scenes, I had lived them!

“I’ll fetch you some water.”

Fluttershy zipped off, and I clutched the sides of my head, trying to process everything I had just seen. Who was I in those memories? Clearly some warrior of unmatched skill, and someone very close to the Princess; was he her lover? She had called me her Little Star, and that the whole world would forget me, and that it would be her burden to bear.

As I calmed myself down, the exact details slowly began to slip away, and I clenched my jaw as I desperately tried to remember it all, I needed to know! And then, it was gone. All of it. The only thing I could remember were those final words spoken to the Princess, of which I murmured aloud to myself.

“Lest not abhor, he who brings me back to you, but love him rather, as you once loved me…”

What did it mean?

“Lest not abhor… Lest not abhor… he who brings me back to you…”

Fluttershy returned with her canteen, shaking me from the obsessive need to understand. I thanked her and took a swig, and was finally able to calm down properly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she offered.

Shaking my head, I explained that I could barely even remember it now, only that it had been something very intense. Yawning loudly, she nodded and pressed up against me.

“Well, I’m here if you need me, okay?”

“Thanks Fluttershy.”

She nuzzled my arm, before taking herself back off to bed. After a little while of looking up at the stars in the night sky through the fractured treeline, I did the same.


In the morning, once we were all up and awake, we went over the plan one final time. I whipped out my phone to check for the nearest airport, which turned out to be Eduardo Gomes International, in the city of Manaus, easily a fortnight’s walk away.

“Surely there’s a quicker way?” Rarity grumbled.

“Well, looking at the map, Manaus is connected to a lot of rivers.” I began, biting my bottom lip, “Tell you what, if I remember correctly, Inigo’s compound was by a river. I’m sure there’d be a dock there, the cartel would need one to get product in and out.”

“You can’t be serious.” said Twilight, frowning, “You’re suggesting we go back there?”

“No…” Rainbow Dash murmured, “No, you can’t make me go back there!”

Holding my hands up, I reminded them how the riot had totally obliterated the cartel, not to mention the fact that Inigo was dead. A week had passed since then, and it was hardly likely that anyone would be there by now.

“We don’t even have to enter any buildings, we just find the dock, grab a boat, and then we can speed our way to the airport. If we go about it this way, we’ll be back in England this time next week, I guarantee it!”

“Well thank pickles for that!” Pinkie shouted out suddenly, “Here I was, thinking it would take another twenty chapters just to get there!”

We all stopped in our tracks and looked at her, and I gave her an expression of utmost confusion.

“Erm… what?”

Undeterred, Pinkie continued, bouncing around and ranting maniacally at the top of her voice.

“I mean, come on! What were you thinking, putting in all that walking and talking? We’re done with the filler! We’re done with the jibber-jabber! You need to get me the heck out of this boiling hot rainforest before I melt, I hate it here! I swear to Princess Celestia, if you don’t get me out of Brazil by the end of the next chapter, I will crawl through your gosh-darn screen, and I will eat… your LIMBS! Do you understand me!?”

I stared at the mare in genuine shock, blinking rapidly.

“Pinkie…” I said at last, “What the hell are you on about?”

Pretending to hold a cigarette to her mouth, she chuckled to herself madly, before looking off into the distance, replying with a low whisper that was almost inaudible.

“You wouldn’t get it…”

Tutting and shaking my head, I speculated that this was just Pinkie being Pinkie. Returning to the matter at hand, Twilight pointed out that my entire plan depended on there even being a boat to be found in the first place.

“True…” I admitted, shrugging, “But if there is one, we’ll be out of here in no time.”

Nobody was very keen on the idea, especially Rainbow Dash, and I didn’t blame them. After what Inigo had put us through, returning to that hellhole wasn’t exactly ideal, but I deemed it a worthwhile endeavour. We discussed it a little further over breakfast, and despite a bit of ire towards me for suggesting it, we settled on going back.

“Just to make it perfectly clear though,” said Twilight, “if we get captured again, I’ll drag you into that torture room myself, and this time, I’ll leave you hooked up to that battery.”

“You know what? That’s fair.” I replied with a shrug.

Sighing, Fluttershy pulled a face.

“Twilight, that isn’t funny.”

“Oh, I’m not joking.” the unicorn replied.

“Careful now, Twi…” I warned softly, showing my burned hand to her, “You wouldn’t want me to give that horn of yours another little squeeze, would you?”

Without warning, Rainbow Dash suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, taking us all by surprise as she fell to the ground. It was so unexpected that we at first presumed that she had been injured somehow. However, it didn’t take long for us to realise that she was laughing over my threat to ‘squeeze Twilight’s horn’, which she had found oh-so-terribly funny. Twilight and I looked at one another with a dull expression, and for the first time, the two of us shared a genuine heartfelt agreement; Rainbow Dash was a prurient, dirty-minded sex pest…





The days went by pretty quick, and with Twilight behaving herself, along with having the first Orb shard in hand, we marched on with confidence. With Blu flying overhead and helping with direction, we made phenomenal time, and by the fourth day, we were nearing the compound.

“My hooves hurt…” Pinkie moaned.

In one of her more annoying moods, Rainbow Dash took to copying Pinkie, mimicking her high-pitched nasally squeak.

“My hooves hurt…”

“My hooves hurt! Caark! My hooves hurt!” Blu squawked, mocking the both of them.

The bird then dive-bombed Pinkie’s head, and then took off cackling to himself as the pony tried to catch him.

“I must say, my hooves are aching a little as well…” Rarity sighed, “Are we nearly there yet?”

“Yup, shouldn’t be much further.” I confirmed, letting out a long groan, “My feet hurt too.”

“You know, whinging about it isn’t going to make it any better.” Twilight huffed with a dull and lifeless expression.

“Oh give it a break, Twiggie. I’m not in the mood for your lip today.”

Stopping in her tracks, the unicorn whipped around and glared at me.

“What did you just call me?”

“Something more pleasant than what I had in mind.” I grumbled, “Keep moving.”

Swallowing an insult most scathing, the unicorn gritted her teeth and did as I said. Rarity slowed her pace to walk beside me, and looked at me with disappointment.

“She’s doing better, Callum. Don’t aggravate her like that.”

Rolling my eyes, I gave her a conceding nod, and we trudged on in silence from then on.


At last, we reached the complex; we had returned to the birthplace of the nightmares we all now shared. Finding a decent hiding spot, we sent Blu over the wall to look around, and it didn’t take long for him to return.

“So, the dock?” I inquired.

“It’s there alright! Six boats! Six boats!” the parrot declared, bobbing up and down.

“Any people around?”

“Oh yeah! Lots of them! They came on the boats!”

Everyone’s faces dropped, mine included.

“You could have led with that.” I grumbled.

Shrugging his wings, Blu elaborated further that the men were all armed, and were wearing dark blue uniforms.

“Well they’re not Inigo’s men then.” I hummed, “His lot wore red.”

“A different cartel perhaps? Taking over?” Rarity speculated.

“The police maybe?” said Applejack.

“Both of those are possibilities.” I muttered.

Twilight asked me what the play was, to which I scratched my hairy chin and huffed.

“You’re all going to hate me for this, but I think we need to do what we did on the day we were captured. I’d like Rarity to cause a distraction with her illusory magic, and while the men are occupied, we make a quick getaway on the boat.”

“You’re right, I hate you for that.”

“Thank you, Twilight.”

I pointed out that the distraction had actually worked last time, and that the only reason we had been caught was because I had very stupidly given our position away, by clearing the street with gunfire. Additionally, this time we had two major advantages. Firstly, Twilight had her magic back, meaning that she could get us out of a bind if things went pear-shaped. And secondly, we had Blu.

“I’m important! I’m important! Quaark!”

“Very much so.” I agreed, “You can warn us if we’re about to get seen.”

Despite everyone’s lack of confidence, they put their trust in me, and we got to work. I took Inigo’s pistol and its holster from my rucksack and strapped it to my leg, just in case.

“Aren’t we supposed to be sneaking? Those things couldn’t be any louder!” Twilight pointed out.

“Oh I don’t plan on using it.” I assured her, “It’s just in case things go tits-up.”

With Rainbow Dash now snickering for hearing the word ‘tits’, we slinked into the compound, and it didn’t take us long to understand who the men were. They were all carrying large duffel bags from the main building to the dock, stuffed with narcotics and money. They were a clean-up crew, most likely sent by Inigo’s boss, Hoyt, to recover as much of his product as possible. The few men that weren’t carrying bags, were dragging bodies from the riot, cartel and captive alike, and slinging them into a large pit, where someone was pouring canisters of fuel in preparation to burn them.

“I don’t like this…” Twilight hissed to me, “I don’t like this at all.”

“We’ll be fine, just keep low, and trust the bloody bird.” I replied, looking up to Blu.

Sticking to the outskirts, we reached the dock, where the next step was required. Nodding to Rarity, she anxiously lit up her horn, and from the other side of the compound, came a large crashing and banging sound. Working just as effectively as before, everyone was put on high alert. Drawing their weapons, they moved as a unit to investigate, giving us a perfectly clear path. Clicking my tongue with satisfaction, we skittered down the dirt road and to the dock, where there were indeed six RHIBs sitting on the river.

Bar one, all the boats had stacks of duffel bags loaded on to them, and by the looks of things, they were the type which required a key to start the engine. There was a dockside cabin close by, and so we made a quick meander to it in search of the keys.

“Bugger.” I muttered upon entry.

The second the door had swung open, I was met by two men, staring at me intensely. The first was a short elderly man, easily in his late seventies. He had thin wiry hair, and in the crook of his arm was a double-barrelled shotgun. The other man was outlandishly different. Staring at me through his tinted sunglasses, the man was tall and sleek, in a well-tailored suit. He was clean-shaven, spare the jet black pencil moustache upon his upper lip.

“Mentlegen.” I greeted, dipping my head respectfully.

With no desire or intention to resume our captivity, we sprang into action. Twilight’s horn lit up, and the shotgun was yanked from the old man’s arms. I meanwhile, darted forward and delivered a swift uppercut to the sleek man’s jaw, and the one strike was all it took. Going limp, he crumpled down to the floor, out like a light. The old man then rushed at me, grabbing at my face with his wrinkled hands and shouting hoarsely. I only needed to hold him off for a split second, as Twilight used the stock of the gun to smack him in the back of the head, sending him clattering to the floor like a sack of spuds.

“Nicely done.” I praised, smirking at the unicorn.

She huffed through her nose emphatically, and I took the shotgun from her telekinetic hold.

“I think I’ll hold onto this.”

“That’s three weapons you have now, are you sure you aren’t getting a little carried away?” Rarity remarked.

“Not at all.” I denied, grinning, “When gun don’t work, use more gun!”

She rolled her eyes and ordered me to search for the keys, which I was quick to find in the sleek man’s jacket pocket, just as he was coming to.

“Callum, he’s waking up!” Applejack gasped.

“I know, I know!”

“Quem… Quem és tu?” the man slurred, trying to sit up.

Without a word, I struck him in the head with the shotgun, immediately rendering him unconscious again. With the keys now in our possession, I promptly ordered the girls to get onto the unloaded boat. Just before leaving, I also searched the old man, where I found a few more shotgun shells in a pouch. Thanking both comatose individuals, I turned tail and got to the boat as quickly as possible.

“All aboard!” I announced, standing at the dashboard and inserting the key.

“You know how to operate one of these, right?” Twilight asked.

Chuckling nervously, I licked my bottom lip.

“Do you ponies have the term, ‘learning on the job’, back home?”

“We’re doomed.” the unicorn sighed.

Turning the keys, the engine came to life, and after a moment of fiddling around, I figured out how to make the damn thing move forward. Laughing maniacally, I engaged the throttle and down the river we went!

“Yeehaw!” Applejack cried out.

We all broke into a cheers of triumph, and having just stolen an aquatic vessel, I found it only fitting to break into a shanty, lightly smacking the side of the dashboard to create a drumbeat. The girls watched me with allurement as song escaped my lips for the first time in their presence, and even Twilight couldn’t prevent herself from smiling, as the tune of The Wellerman rang out across the Brazilian waterway.


“Soon may the Wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum!
One day, when the tonguin' is done, we'll take our leave and go!”





> Chapter Twenty-Two: Back to the Beginning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





We reached the outskirts of the city with exquisite timing, and as nightfall came, we stealthily descended upon the airport like shadows. Repeating the steps from Gatwick, Twilight and I entered the Flight Control Tower with ease, where she quickly found us a flight. Annoyingly there was a layover in Rio de Janeiro, but with no other option, we made it work.

Blu had chosen to stay with us. Now a perfectly sapient being, he thirsted for an adventure beyond the jungle. Rightly promoting himself as our group’s pathfinder and reconnaissance unit, he decided that there was no nobler cause for a parrot than to aid in the saving of an entire planet. He also proved himself to be the perfect decoy, for when Twilight and I had infiltrated the Control Tower, he had taken it upon himself to flutter around outside and tap on the windows with his beak. This had distracted many of the employees inside, giving us plenty of additional breathing room. It went without saying, he quickly became a very welcomed eighth member of Twilight’s Company.

We were now on the second plane, and once the cargo hold was sealed, the lot of us flopped onto our backs and sighed in unison.

“We did it.” I breathed, stretching, “Next stop, England.”

“That was… stressful.” Fluttershy murmured.

Admitting that it was, I assured her that the worst part was over now, and in just thirteen hours, we would be back on British soil. Once we were in the air, Twilight gave us all a dose of Thermic Hide, and then we unanimously decided to have a nap. We came together to form a very exhausted pile in the middle of the cargo hold, and quickly drifted off together. I had more strange dreams of that pale blue unicorn, though not quite as intense as the first one. One thing was the same however, for every dream I had about him ended in the exact same way. Staring into the eyes of Princess Celestia, I uttered my final words, before taking my own life in front of the Titans’ Orb.

“Lest not abhor, he who brings me back to you, but love him rather, as you once loved me…”

My eyes flickered open, and I sat upright, trying to make sense of it. Alas, as always, I couldn’t understand a thing. My ponderous thoughts were then quite literally shaken from my head by some turbulence, which woke the others as well. We all slowly got unstuck from each other, and once we were properly awake, AJ distributed some snacks, and while we ate, we got to talking about the next stage of our quest.

“So, when we’re ready to hunt down the next piece, will we be getting on another plane?” Rarity inquired, “Don’t get me wrong, it’s an efficient mode of transport, but surely there’s a better way of getting from place to place?”

Concurring, Fluttershy pointed out that although flying had reasonably got us into Brazil, the sheer walking distance it had put us from the Orb piece was just a tad extreme. Everyone agreed with that sentiment, myself included, and it irked me to think; had we thought to do a layover, and gone straight to Eduardo Gomes airport, we would have acquired the fragment weeks ago. We would have never encountered Inigo, and we would have avoided all the horrors we had suffered at his behest. Then, from within my mind, a rather lengthy thought sprung forth, which I hadn’t meant to conjure. It carried the same Scottish accent as before, when I had first touched the Orb fragment.

{Hindsight is a downward slope, laddie. Just think about it, Twilight blued out on the first plane, so a layover would have been impossible anyway. But let’s say she hadn’t, and you were never captured, then you would have never started that riot. Inigo would still be at large, all those poor souls in the Stock Heap would still be captives, and that sweet Nicole would still, well… you get the picture. You and the girls may have suffered, yes, but the path you took led to the destruction of Inigo, along with his cartel. Countless lives were saved at your expense, so don’t fret on the ‘could haves’ and ‘should’ve beens’, okay lad? There’s always a silver lining.}

“That’s true…” I muttered under my breath, acknowledging the unexpected bout of wisdom.

I wasn’t quite sure why the thought had come to me with the accent, but then again, I did enjoy putting on different voices from time to time. I was a talented mimic, and doing impressions was a very enjoyable pastime for me. Shrugging, I guessed that my inner monologue was just beginning to do the same. It would be foolish to think that I had survived Inigo’s treatment with an unscathed mind, perhaps the voice was a touch of trauma-induced madness?

“Well, don’t look at me.” I chuckled to the girls, returning to the present, “Hopping on a plane was the best idea I had to offer. I know it’s lengthy, but it works.”

“I suppose even human ingenuity has its limits.” Rarity teased.

“Well alone, sure…” Pinkie said cryptically.

Craning our necks, we looked at the pink pony with confusion, and I gestured for her to elaborate.

“So, you know how Twilight’s magic can harness your electrical signal thingies? Well, what if instead of just using them to find the next shard, we used them to take us there?”

Inhaling loudly and lighting up, Twilight looked at Pinkie with exuberance.

“You know, you might be onto something! If I knew where the next fragment was, and I could harness the right electrical frequency, then theoretically I could cast a teleportation spell, and let the signal transport it!”

“How would that work exactly?” I asked, now lost.

Dumbing it down for me, Twilight explained that the further a unicorn teleported, the more mana it cost. Even with her magic, going any further than a few hundred miles would be impossible, she would blue out immediately! But if Pinkie’s suggestion bore any weight to it, then instead of trying to teleport from one spot to another, she could instead, hone in on a man-made frequency, and try to teleport to its destination. Essentially, she could ride the signal, allowing her to travel incredibly long distances, without expending much mana at all. Humming with disinclination, I pointed out that there were a lot of ‘what ifs’ surrounding this theory.

“I know that.” she replied, “But let’s say hypothetically, for the sake of the argument, it works… I could set up a portal node at our camp, and then I could teleport myself to the next piece, or close to it at least. Then, once my magic’s recharged again, I could open a portal from my location to yours. It would be both easy, and foolproof!”

“So, why the hell didn’t we do this for the first shard?” I queried.

“Because Pinkie only just suggested it, you witless buffoon!”

Immediately biting her bottom lip, Twilight quickly acknowledged the harshness of her words, and gave me a look as if to say ‘I didn’t mean that’. Everyone looked at her sternly, and she cleared her throat.

“The point is… this could work.”

Nodding, I chose to overlook the outburst. Rude as it had been, the conniption was clearly more of a frustrated slip of the tongue, of which she had immediately regretted. Looking over to Pinkie, I smirked, stroking at my chin as I did so.

“You know, if there’s one thing the cartoon got right, it’s to trust in Pinkie and her hunches. So if she thinks this’ll work, then let’s do it.”

“Now that’s something we can agree on.” Twilight huffed.

With the others also in agreement, the plan was set. Upon arriving at Gatwick, we would return to my old home and set up camp somewhere on the land. Then, when she was ready, Twilight would set up a portal node and then head back to the airport. Once there, she would use its frequencies to pinpoint the next piece of the Orb, followed by an attempt to teleport as close as possible to it. If successful, she would deploy a second node there and promptly open the portal, returning to us with her findings. After that, we would all go through together, and collect the fragment as a team.

“Now that is a good plan!” I declared, clapping my hands together.

“Hear hear!” Rarity agreed, sticking one hoof into the air.

The others whinnied and cheered with accord and confidence, and it seemed that there was finally a vague sense of unity throughout our company. With all the important business out of the way, we delved into some more leisurely conversation, with the girls bringing up the shanty I had sung on the boat.

“I didn’t know you could sing that well.” said Fluttershy.

“Or at all.” added Rainbow Dash.

“Oh pfft! Nah, I can’t sing.” I scoffed, “Well, I can, but I… choose not to.”

“Why ever not?” Rarity exclaimed, “Your voice is wonderful darling!”

Shrugging, I explained that I had only broken into the shanty because I had been spurred by the moment. In truth, I was incredibly shy when it came to singing. Tentatively scooting closer to me, Fluttershy admitted that she could wholeheartedly relate to that.

“But um, be that as it may… I for one, would love to hear you sing again.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that, and from within me, came a small surge of confidence and self-worth. Then, taking a far less delicate approach, Pinkie zipped up to me and shouted directly into my face.

“Sing it again! The song had sugar in it!”

Rainbow Dash seized Pinkie and helped restrain her, while I chuckled away and promised to her that I would surely sing it again at some point. With the subject of music now in the air, Rainbow Dash pointed out that before getting captured, I had promised to let them hear more of the music on my phone. Rarity and Fluttershy sat bolt upright with excitement, remembering this as well.

“Uh, I don’t recall this?” said Applejack, frowning.

Emitting a nervous chuckle, Rainbow explained that it had just been something between the four of us, as we liked to stay up a little later at night. Wishing to be included, Pinkie and Applejack asked if they could hear some songs as well, which I very gladly agreed to. Digging through my bag and retrieving the earbuds, I let Pinkie listen to a song first. Scrolling through my wide variety of songs in search of something joyful and upbeat, I eventually settled on ‘Hey Ya!’ by Outkast.

Within seconds, the pony was bobbing up and down and tapping her hooves to the beat, with an almighty grin on her face. About midway through, she stood up and broke into dance, shaking herself from head to tail and strutting her stuff. Then, quite unexpectedly, she began to aggressively thrust her hips in a very questionable manner.

“Oh yeah! A little bit of funk! A little bit of funk!” she grunted, grinning wickedly.

Averting my gaze, I looked to the others with wide eyes. They were all clearly mortified as well, as the majority of them were blushing and doing their best to keep a straight face.

“Does she, erm… not realise how that looks?” I asked through my teeth.

“Nope!” Dashie laughed, greatly amused by the display.

With a smirk on my face, I leaned against Rarity and looked back at Pinkie.

“I’m gonna tell her.”

With a gasp, Rarity frowned and gave me a firm shove.

“Don’t you dare!”

She got to her hooves and went over to settle Pinkie down, for the mare was now grinding against someone’s suitcase, sending Rainbow and Applejack both into a fit of hysterics. Staring at the scene before me, I slowly shook my head and mumbled to myself in disbelief.

“Somebody’s gotta tell her…”


When the song finished and the hilarity came to an end, I gave Applejack the earbuds. At first, I was going to select one of the more countryesque songs from the band Hey Ocean!, but then I remembered that their lead singer was none other than Ashleigh Ball. Being the voice actress for the cartoon versions of both Rainbow Dash, and Applejack herself, I feared that might have been a little too mind-boggling for the pony, and so I played it safe with ‘Boondocks’, by Little Big Town. I certainly made the right choice, made clear by Applejack hugging me after the song had ended, declaring that no music had spoken to her like that before.

“Is there like… any way we could take some of your music back with us?” she asked.

“Hmm, I don’t think that’s out of the question…” I began, scratching my upper neck, “Perhaps at the end of all this, I could get my hands on a portable music player, like an iPod or a Walkman. Then I could download a bunch of songs to it for you, and you could take it back to remember me by.”

“Why, that’s a swell idea.” she replied, smiling warmly, “I’d like that very much!”

“As would we all, I reckon.” Rarity added, giving me a bright smile.

“Then I’ll see to it that you go home with one.” I declared, dipping my head.

Pinkie’s ears then began to flap irritably, and I could only presume that it was related to her Pinkie Sense. This turned out to be the case, as we were all very soon disturbed by some more turbulence, which sent us sliding across the cargo hold together. It only got worse from there, and the lot of us soon found ourselves tumbling about the place like pinballs. Pinkie of course, made a game out of it, and laughed and squealed with delight whenever she was kicked up into the air, or sent sliding around. The rest of us however, were slightly less amused.

“This had better stop soon.” Applejack moaned, “I’m starting to feel nauseous.”

“I’m sure it’ll be over soon.” I assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a quick squeeze.

As though to spite me, the plane shook even harder, scattering us even more aggressively. Rainbow Dash was flung into Pinkie, and Twilight found herself cascading into my lap. I looked down at her and gave an awkward smile, raising my eyebrows with amusement.

“Look, I know you wanted to make amends, but can we take things a little slower?”

“Oh go fuck yourself.”

The two of us broke into laughter at that, and I helped the unicorn right herself and clamber off me. Placing a hand on her wrist, I immediately realised that something was wrong.

“Twilight, you’re freezing.”

Even through my own dose of Thermic Hide, the mare’s fur was noticeably cold to the touch. She yanked her foreleg away and got to her hooves, grimacing.

“I’m fine.”

“You’ve not cast Thermic Hide on yourself, have you?”

Breaking eye contact, she looked at the floor and I realised that she was shivering. Her lips looked dry as anything and her nose was visibly running. How hadn’t any of us noticed? Overhearing what I had said, Rarity came over and involved herself.

“I’m sorry, but did I just hear that correctly?”

Not wishing to confess, but also refraining from falsely outing me as a liar, Twilight receded into her shell even further, haunching her shoulders and closing her eyes, quivering from top to bottom. My heart sank, as I realised exactly what was happening here.

Twilight was punishing herself…

“I’m j-just, s-saving some mana, f-for when we arrive.” she stuttered.

“Bollocks to that.” I told her, “Cast Thermic Hide, now.”

“I n-need, the mana.”

By now, everyone was beginning to crowd around, still wobbling to and fro at behest of the turbulence. Desperate not to have an audience, Twilight relented and cast the spell upon herself, faintly glowing orange and letting out an almighty sigh of relief. Rarity ordered Fluttershy to check the unicorn over, and thankfully she was given the all-clear.

“What the hell were you thinking!?” I barked, “What good is a little extra mana if you freeze to death, huh? You’re hardly any use if we have to drag your refrigerated carcass around, now are you!?”

Blinking rapidly and trying not to cry, Twilight mumbled something of an apology, causing me to back off. Angry as I was with her, mainly I was just worried. For all my ire towards her, and for all said and done, this kind of self-inflicted punishment wasn’t the way forward. Rainbow Dash clearly thought otherwise, as she looked at the unicorn without a shred of empathy and rolled her eyes. I sat beside the pegasus, which was when she huffed angrily and looked at me.

“How come everyone’s just doting on her now?” she scoffed, “After the way Twilight’s been, she deserves to freeze.”

“Rainbow, come on…” I tutted, “She’s your friend.”

Looking down at her hooves, Rainbow Dash grumbled with annoyance.

“I know but, ugh… I’m just so mad at her!”

“We all are, Dashie. But even so, she’s your friend.”

Gently placing a hand on her head, I combed my fingers through her multicoloured mane.

“Deep down, the six of you adore each other and you know it. I promise you, once you’re back home, whatever this weird phase is with Twilight, it’ll pass.”

“Alright…” she huffed.

Things settled down after that. Twilight was given some space to think about her actions, and once the turbulence came to an end, Rarity prepared some tea for us.

“How’s your hand feeling?” asked Fluttershy, sipping from her cup.

“Itchy more than anything.” I replied, showing it to her, “It’s starting to get flaky now, and you have no idea how tempting it’s been to start picking at it.”

“Callum, that’s disgusting!” Rarity bleated, rolling her eyes.

The others laughed, and I went over all my other injuries. The croc bite was mostly healed, it was just a little pink and sensitive now. Most of my other wounds had fully recovered as well, only leaving behind some scar tissue here and there. The only thing that hadn’t completely healed was the deep laceration on my chest, left by Inigo’s machete. Rarity’s stitch-work had certainly helped, alongside a generous coating of Oozima, but that hadn’t stopped the gash from forming a very crooked red scar, which ached more often than it didn’t.

“On the upside, my fingernails are nearly all the way back.” I said, grinning.

Twilight shuddered, and I knew that she had been reminded of the moment Inigo had pried them off and thrown them at her, along with what she herself had been made to do to me. I gave her a solemn expression, knowing exactly what she was thinking about, and that’s when a thought dawned on me.

{Maybe that’s why you made my clone feel pain?}

It was just a hunch, but it made a small semblance of sense to me. Twilight had no doubt been traumatised by what had happened that day, it would be absurd to presume otherwise. She had been forced to sit and watch a person undergo literal torture, and then partake in it, all while being completely powerless, without so much as an iota of control.

Now again, it was only a theory, but I speculated that Twilight had perhaps seen an opportunity to go back to that moment in her mind, and this time, she could be the one in control. Had her actions been an impulsive trauma response? Some way to cope? Some distorted method of self-therapy? As I pondered, it seemed more and more likely to me that she had tried to recreate the traumatic event, in an instance where she had all the power. She had attempted to lessen the impact that Inigo’s violent cruelty had on her, by taking his place as the torturer.

{You didn’t do it out of hatred, or spite…} I thought, glancing at the unicorn, {No… No, what you did was some twisted act of self-preservation!}

{I think you’re onto something there.} the Scottish voice agreed, {It doesn’t excuse what she did, mind you… but aye, what she did wasn’t out of malice, not really. The lass was trying to fix herself, just in a really fucked up way.}

Nodding faintly, I looked away from Twilight and kept my thoughts to myself. I was still angry with her, and most irrefutably beyond being able to forgive her yet, if ever, but this had certainly given me a lot to think about…


The rest of the flight went without much issue, aside from a handful of us very much needing the bathroom, with poor Fluttershy nearly in tears over how badly she needed to go. We heard the sound of the landing gear coming out, and we prepared for touchdown, latching onto one another and tensing up at one side of the cargo hold. Against my ribs, I could feel Rainbow Dash’s firm featherless wings, still wrapped tightly in bandages. My heart sank and I closed my eyes, now fighting against the bitter pain I felt for her.

The plane hit the tarmac and we all jolted forward, with Pinkie Pie letting go and propelling forward with a squeal of delight.

“Weeeeeeee!”

She skidded to a halt and giggled loudly, while the rest of us broke form and prepared to move out. Twilight cast Invisipone onto us, and Blu went to hide inside Fluttershy’s mane.

“Uh… buddy?” I chuckled, pointing at him, “That’s not going to work, we can still see you.”

“Cock and balls!” he squawked angrily, causing Fluttershy to gasp loudly and sending Rainbow Dash into a fit of hysterics.

With that plan a bust, Blu quickly improvised. Displaying his intelligence with a stroke of genius, he hopped over to the pile of luggage and located a duffel bag that wasn’t too full. Grabbing the zip with his beak, he opened it up and slipped inside.

“I’ll come out when the coast is clear! Caark!”

I gave him a thumbs up, and then remembered that he couldn’t see me. Verbally confirming with him, I joined the others as they gathered by the cargo door. It opened, and an airport worker clambered inside. Getting past him was a breeze, and speaking of breezes, we all let out merry hums upon reaching the ground.

“Oh British weather! How I’ve missed you!” I sighed heavily, putting my arms out.

Being at the tail-end of summer, the air was still quite warm, but compared to Brazil, it was like stepping into a refrigerator, just the way I liked it. The others seemed to agree, with both Applejack and Rarity commenting on how much easier it was to breathe, now that the air wasn’t quite so humid.

“Yeah-yeah, the weather’s great, I really need to pee!” Rainbow cried out, dancing on the tips of her hooves.

“Me too!” Pinkie added, dancing in a similar fashion.

“Oh goodness, me three!” gasped Rarity, suddenly noticing how urgently she also needed to go.

“Me four!” I called out.

“Me all the numbers!” Fluttershy wailed.

Realising that we were all about to bust, we hurriedly made our way off the runway, giggling to ourselves like children as we all desperately tried to hold our bladders. Quickly locating the small section of woodland from before, we found that the chain-link fence had been repaired, but that didn’t last long. Despite now having low mana, Twilight was far too desperate to care, and literally blasted the fence open at the middle, snapping the chain-link and making it seem as though a monster had torn its way through.

“You’re damn lucky you didn’t just blue out!” I said to her as I clambered through the hole.

“It was either that or piss myself!” she shouted back.

All laughing, we reached the woodland and split up, charging off behind trees and bushes to relieve ourselves in private. In the distance, I heard Rainbow Dash emitting a dramatic moan, intentionally being loud enough for us all to hear. Snickering to myself, I decided to rise to the occasion and tilted my head upwards, where I let out the most ridiculous pleasured wail I could muster.

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuuooooooooooooohhh!”

Guffaws of laughter from all six girls rang out through the woodland, and when we eventually came back together, we couldn’t help but break into a second wave of intense giggling.

“The two of you…” Rarity tutted, looking between me and Rainbow, “You know, I don’t think either of you could be more immature if you tried!”

“Is that so?” I retorted, smirking.

“That was not an invitation for you to prove me wrong.”

With my face plastered with a grin, I gave the mare a sly wink, before settling down and taking a big breath.

“Alright ladies, let’s not stand on ceremony. Let’s get a move on!”

There was a flutter from above, and then Blu descended upon us, having found us after escaping the duffel bag unseen. Landing on Fluttershy’s back, he looked around at us with excitement.

“Quaark! Where to now? Where to now?”

Looking into the distance thoughtfully, it felt wrong to call it home. Still, it was a place I knew, and aside from the ponies around me, it was the closest thing I could call home. As such, I looked at the bird and called it just that, to which he tilted his head with interest. Gripping my backpack straps and nodding to the girls, we took off with haste; nightfall was rapidly approaching, and we wanted to cover a little more ground before calling it a day.

We found a larger patch of woodland after a very cautious half-hour trek, at which point we set up for the night. The lot of us were exhausted by this point, and after a quick bite to eat, we all went to bed. Fluttershy and I were just drifting off, when we were both disturbed by the sound of someone loudly sniffling outside.

“Do you hear that?” I whispered.

“Yeah.” Fluttershy replied, her ears twitching, “I think… I think someone’s crying.”

Inhaling sharply, she speculated that it was probably Rainbow Dash, whose mood had been fluctuating as of late. Ever since finding Blu, things had been harder for her; despite not being the bird’s fault, his healthy cerulean wings was a constant reminder of Dashie’s inability to take to the air, and all of us had noticed the odd flash of jealousy in the mare’s eyes.

“Do you think we should go and comfort her?” I asked.

Shaking her head, Flutters said that she would talk to Dashie tomorrow. Being the proud pony she was, being seen crying would only upset the pegasus further. I exhaled heavily through my nose and said that I understood. Lying there awkwardly, we listened to the sniffling for quite some time, until eventually we heard the sound of fading hoofsteps, indicating that whoever had been crying, had now stopped and taken themselves back into their tent. With a pained expression, I wrapped an arm around Fluttershy and she pressed up against me to get comfortable. Both feeling a little sour about the whole thing, we went to sleep with an air of unease about us.


The next day, the two of us were quite surprised to see that Rainbow was oddly quite chipper; perhaps a good cry by herself had done her some good. We had a quick breakfast, before taking off once again.

“I wonder what state your old home’s in…” Rarity pondered while we walked.

“Better than the state we left it in!” Dashie cackled, trotting along beside me and Applejack.

Chuckling, I thought back to the day we had practically obliterated the place. It was then that a thought dawned on me, concerning the ‘mess’ I had left behind.

“So, Twilight…” I began with an awkward expression, “How exactly does the whole ‘cloning’ malarkey work on a biological level? Like, say my family buried the clone I stabbed… would it decompose normally?”

Huffing sleepily, Twilight reiterated that clones were magical constructs through and through, of which only simulated the compounds of an organic being. Eventually, after just a few days, the magic would dissipate, and the clone would begin to break down, simply flaking and crumbling away into nothingness.

“I bet that gave the undertakers a fright!” I laughed.

“I’m sure.” she replied glumly, slowly plodding along at the back of the group.

{Well someone didn’t sleep well.} I thought, rolling my eyes.

Rejoining the front, I merrily trudged beside Pinkie and Rarity, until we came across a familiar landmark.

“Ah!” I sang, “The River Mole.”

As deep and powerful as ever, the river flowed before us. Applejack asked how we were going to cross, which was when Rainbow Dash strutted forward with confidence.

“Uh, same as last time? Fluttershy can take all the bags, and I’ll just fly us… uh… ov-er…”

Looking all around, Dashie’s face quickly scrunched up, as it struck her harder than ever that she could not fly. Even with others present, she couldn’t stop herself from falling backwards onto her bottom, throwing her head up into the air and bursting into a soul-crushing howl.

“Oh Rainbow…” I breathed.

Everyone came over to comfort her as the poor girl just sobbed and sobbed, unable to handle it any longer. She took to savagely beating the ground with a hoof, spraying dirt in all directions as she spluttered over and over again that it wasn’t fair.

“It’s alright Dashie…” Fluttershy cooed softly, “We’re here for you, okay?”

“Alright? Alright!?”

Arching her back and straining as hard as possible, the raw, fleshy remnants of her wings ruptured from the bandages like a moulting arachnid, bursting forth from its old carapace. The hardened Oozima that covered them broke away as she splayed them out for us and glared into our faces.

“LOOK AT ME!”

And look at her we did, for it was impossible not to stare at the fleshy tendrils in horror as they quivered and swayed in the air. Gritting her teeth and hissing loudly, Rainbow took in a deep jagged breath, before speaking to us in a raspy, high-pitched, broken mewl.

“I’m… a freak!”

She collapsed onto her side, and we all watched hopelessly as Rainbow bawled her eyes out in front of us. I was almost brought to tears myself, I just wanted to fix it for her; I would have put her back together myself if I could, feather by feather. But for all the will I had, I could not fix her, and the poor thing had no choice but to cry herself out, while Rarity and Twilight used their magic to carry our bags across the river; it went without saying that Fluttershy carrying them across would have been insensitive beyond measure.

I knelt down in front of the mare and stroked at her neck and upper shoulders, firmly pressing my fingertips into the tense muscles, hoping to relax her. It worked to some degree, and the others left me to it. Still crying, Rainbow rolled onto her front, wordlessly telling me that I was helping. Inhaling deeply, I glanced a few times at her wings, and that was when I noticed something.

“Oh my goodness… Rainbow, look!”

With snot hanging from her nose, Dashie looked up at me and followed my gaze, and realised that I was gesturing to something on her left wing. Respectfully and delicately, I moved my hand to the plucked limb, and ran my index finger over the beginnings of a cyan plume. The crying came to a halt, as we both realised at the same time, that slowly but surely, some of her feathers were growing back.

“Do you know what this means?” I said to her.

She looked at me and blinked a few times, and I broke into a huge grin.

“You might be able to fly again one day.”

Her face strained once again as she broke into another, far happier cry. Lunging forward, the mare wrapped herself around me, now full of hope. I didn’t even care that she was getting snot on my shoulder, I just held her back and squeezed her tightly, until from behind us came the sound of someone clearing their throat. Turning around, I came face to face with Blu, who was waddling up to us. He hopped onto my shoulder and looked at Rainbow Dash, bowing his head respectfully. That’s when he stuck his beak into his wing, and with one swift movement, he melted my heart. Tugging firmly, the parrot forcibly removed one of his own feathers and presented it to the pegasus, offering it to her.

“It might not be the exact same shade, but… graark… while you’re waiting for the others to grow back…”

Rainbow scooped up the bird in her hooves and held him close to her chest, snivelling her thanks. He chirped that she was welcome, and then hopped away to return to Fluttershy. Getting to my feet properly, I took the bird’s feather and placed it against Rainbow’s bare wing, and used some of the ripped bandages to fasten it to her, tying it tightly to keep it safe and secure. I received another hug, and then we went over to the river’s edge together, where we found the others all somehow on the other side.

“How’d you do that?” I blurted out.

Rarity and Twilight both lit up their horns, and Rainbow Dash was swathed in a mix of blue and pink magic. She was then gradually lifted into the air by the unicorns’ joint telekinesis, and then drifted weightlessly across the gap. She was put down next to Fluttershy, of whom quickly got to work at reapplying some new bandages to replace the ripped ones. I put my hands on my hips and reminded Twilight that she was supposed to be saving her mana and allowing it to replenish.

“That’s why I got Rarity to help.” she argued.

“Not that I was much help.” the white unicorn laughed awkwardly.

They were about to lift me too, when I shook my head and claimed that I could jump across. Scoffing, Applejack made the foolish mistake of telling me that I couldn’t make the jump, making me all the more stubborn to try.

“Place your bets now everypony!” I shouted over, chuckling.

Backing up by a fair amount, I looked at the point where I would need to jump from, and readied myself to sprint and spring.

{Maybe this isn’t such a good idea…} I thought to myself, taking in just how wide the gap was.

{Oh, you think?} the Scottish voice deadpanned in reply.

Shrugging, it was too late for second guessing myself, and so with a deep breath, I charged forward at full pelt, and jumped…





“So Callum, how much further do you think we have to go?” asked Rainbow Dash, snickering.

“Not too far now.” I grumbled through gritted teeth, with a face like thunder.

We had walked a good way now, and having fallen into the river, I was absolutely soaked. We were very close to the field that bordered my family’s land, and Twilight strode beside me with a spring in her step, her face plastered with a smirk. Refusing to look at her directly, I let out a quiet mutter of annoyance.

“Yeah, yeah… laugh it up.” I spat.

Attempting to stifle a chuckle, Twilight looked down at her hooves and cleared her throat. Slowing my pace, I allowed the others to take over so that I could walk alongside Rarity at the rear. She levitated my shirt to me, having dried it as much as she could with her magic. I took it from her and put on the damp garment, and upon taking a moment to glance at my dripping wet hair, the unicorn began to giggle.

“Oh, you think it’s funny, do you?”

Before she could reply, I bent down and shook my head like a dog, sprinkling the mare in river water. She squealed and ran away, to which I gave chase.

“No! Get away from me, you beast! You’ll ruin my mane!” she yelped.

“Get your pearly rump back here right now! You need a shower!”

“I washed myself just this morning!”

“You missed a spot!”

Rarity screamed with fright and continued to run away. The two of us bolted past the rest of the group and made our way down the forest path. Eventually her stamina gave out, and she came sluggishly to a halt, turning to face me with terror.

“I beg of you sir… spare me!”

Unable to stop myself from bursting into a hearty laughter, I doubled over. The others caught up to us, all cackling and chortling at the scene.

“It’s… not… funny!” Rarity panted heavily, “It takes ages… to do my… mane!”

“We know!” the rest of us clapped back in unison.

Still trying to catch her breath, Rarity joined in on the laughter, admitting that her morning routine was longer than everyone else’s put together. Once she was no longer wheezing like an asthmatic, we pressed on for the final march, with my old home being right around the corner. A good ten minutes later, we were there, at the same wooden gate we had left from, built seamlessly into the tall closeboard fence that I had personally helped to build just a year ago.

“We made it.” I sighed.

Taking off my bag and passing it to Pinkie Pie, I jumped up and clambered over so that I could unlock the gate. The first thing I noticed was how overgrown the land was, it was practically a meadow; mowing the lawn was usually my job, and it seemed that nobody had taken to picking up the slack in my absence. Sighing heavily, I briefly reminisced on the memories of playing on this land with Archer and Chilli…

When Archer was just a pup, he was even smaller than Chilli. Those two would chase each other all around this garden, and no matter how hard he tried, Chilli was always faster. But then he got bigger, until he was easily five times that of Chilli’s size, and then she could never catch him. Nowadays, that dog was nearly the same height as the ponies, and could easily stand over six feet tall on his hind legs. That Scottish Deerhound was a truly magnificent animal, and I would never forget those early mornings when I had to let the chickens out. Archer would always come with me, and if he spotted a deer, he was gone in a flash, thundering across the land at thirty miles an hour, and that was no exaggeration.

As for Chilli, I thought about how I used to hide with her at the far end of the garden beyond the apple orchard. There was a little den I had created, where I would cook the pigeons, rabbits, and squirrels I had shot with the air rifle. Chilli would always sit with me, and I would share the meat with her. My brother and I had taught her to be something of a gun-dog, and when either of us took a shot, she would charge forth in search of the quarry, fetching it for us, dead or alive. I could only wonder… if Bruce had indeed returned the dogs by now, had Oliver continued this activity with the little spaniel?

Tightening my lips, I savoured the memories for a few seconds longer, before unbolting the gate and pulling it open for the girls. They rushed through hurriedly, and then I closed the gate behind them, bolting it shut.

“Gosh, it’s weird being here again…” Applejack remarked.

“Isn’t it just?” I replied, shrugging.

Turning to the right, I directed the girls into the apple orchard, where I then escorted them to my old hideaway. The trees and bushes here were incredibly thick, and would serve perfectly as the location for our hidden camp; I wagered that we wouldn’t even need to cloak ourselves back here. Though a little run down, my old den was still mostly intact, complete with a firepit, a sitting log, and a lean-to, draped in a camouflage tarpaulin, of which was blanketed with moss.

“Huh, looks like someone else had the same idea.” Rainbow Dash remarked.

“Yeah, me.”

“Wait, you built this?”

Nodding, I explained that this was my own private camp, where I would often come with Chilli to get away from my family. Twilight was quick to notice the smattering of empty glass bottles by the lean-to and gave me a look, raising one of her eyebrows and gesturing to it. Chuckling awkwardly, I admitted that on quite a handful of occasions, I would steal some of my mother’s alcohol, and bring it here to get drunk and wallow.

“I would have thought that her ghastly behaviour would have put you off alcohol?” Rarity hummed, her voice carrying a hint of judgement.

“You’d think that, but no.” I huffed back, “I’m still my mother’s son in that regard, I love a drink like a flower does the rain. It’s being a heartless brute that I was put off of.”

My reply garnered a few laughs, and I went on to explain that with how rough my life was prior to the girls showing up, I needed something to take the edge off every now and again. At that, Applejack asked what kind of drinks I enjoyed, to which I answered honestly.

“If it has alcohol in it, I’ll drink it.”

Rolling her eyes with amusement, AJ went on to say that she would have brought me some cider from Sweet Apple Acres had she known I was a drinker. Thanking her, I suggested that it was for the best that she hadn’t, as I would likely only end up wanting more.

“You can’t miss something you’ve never had.”

“True, true…” she replied.

Moving on, we set up camp, with Twilight and Rarity both using their telekinesis to clear away all the dead leaves, giving us a nice dry earthy clearing. The camp immediately looked neater, and I complimented their fine work, which was met with mockery from Rainbow Dash.

“Ooh, fine work girls!” she sang out in a prissy, flamboyant tone.

“Hey, I know your hooves are ticklish, so watch yourself.” I warned her.

“If you touch my hooves, I’ll bury you alive.”

Scoffing, I teased that she wouldn’t even be able to get me to the ground, let alone beneath it. Seeing this as a challenge, Rainbow pounced at me, gripping me with her front legs and attempting to wrestle me to the dirt. Grinning, I decided to show the pegasus just how sturdy I could be. Resisting the mare’s valiant efforts to pin me down, I asked if she really wanted to embarrass herself.

“Oh shut up, I’ll get you on the ground, just watch me!”

Shoving into me with all her might, she desperately made futile attempts to knock me off my balance, until at last she grew impatient, and decided to play dirty. The girls gasped with shock as Rainbow Dash scooped up some dust with her hoof and threw it into my face, hoping to blind me and leave me open for an attack.

“Rainbow!” Rarity barked.

“Oh, you asked for it.” I growled playfully.

“Uh oh.”

Scooping the pegasus up, I easily flipped her over onto her side, where I descended upon her, kneeling down and squishing her to the ground with my upper body. Gripping one of her back legs, I made my way for a hoof, which was when Dashie shrieked out in panic and was able to wriggle free. She launched herself at me, and now with adrenaline properly coursing through her, she was able to put up a decent fight.

“What did I say about touching my hooves!?”

“Hm, let me recall…” I hummed sarcastically, “It was uh, ‘something-something, I’m a little bitch!’”

Pinning the mare for a second time, I used my body weight to prevent her from wriggling, and squeal as she might, I was able to force her against the ground, powerless.

“Submit, or I’ll tickle these hooves until you shit yourself!” I commanded, grabbing her back leg again.

“Fuck! Okay-okay, I submit!” she cried out, going limp.

I let her go and chuckled to myself, before standing up and facing the others.

“And that, ladies, is how you subdue a pegasu-AAGH!”

From behind, Rainbow Dash had leapt at me, and was now gripping onto me with all four legs, using her front ones to wrap around my neck and strangle me.

“I didn’t tap out!” she hissed into my ear.

Try as I might to shake her off, her grip was too strong, and she choked me harder and harder, desperate to win.

“Now, you submit, bitch!”

“Oh, I’ve got you right where I want you.” I rasped through a strained breath.

Loosening her grip slightly, Rainbow let out a confused ‘huh?’, while I prepared to end this once and for all. Springing into the air, I flopped backwards like a breaching whale, and with our combined weight, poor Rainbow Dash was completely flattened into the dirt. The force was so great that it drove the air out of the mare’s lungs and left her dazed and winded. She emitted an almighty groan and rapidly tapped at the ground, begging me to get off. Rolling to the side and returning to my feet, I looked down at the defeated pony, gasping and moaning in pain, covered from head to hoof in dust.

“So, as I was saying… That’s how you subdue a pegasus!” I puffed, grinning, “Please tell me you guys saw that?”

Turning to look at the others, I realised that they weren’t focused on us at all, they were looking off behind me, their eyes wide with terror. Quickly turning around, I realised what they were looking at.

Or rather, who they were looking at…

“What-up faggots?”

Gulping, I quickly recovered my composure. I dusted myself down and sniffed loudly, before dipping my head to him in a cautious greeting, clenching my jaw.


“Hello Oliver…”





> Chapter Twenty-Three: Familiar Faces
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“So, I was right… you’re not dead.” Oliver spoke dryly, crossing his arms.

“H-How did you know we were back here?” I demanded to know, stuttering slightly.

“I was outside, you idiot. I watched you scramble over the fence and let these creeps in.”

Pointing at the girls, he raised an eyebrow and slowly shook his head.

“I’m not sure where to start to be honest, where should I start, Bro? By asking how you pulled off the most convincing fake death in human history? Or should I be asking what the hell these things are?”

I opened my mouth to speak, which was when he continued, directing his finger to Rainbow Dash.

“Or better yet, should I ask why you were in the middle of shagging that one?”

At that, Rainbow scrambled to her hooves and shook the dust from her pelt. Her cheeks flushed red and she scowled at my brother.

“That’s not what was happening!” she professed angrily, “I was kicking his ass!”

“And by kicking my ass, she means getting hers handed to her.” I blurted out.

Snorting, Rainbow went over to her friends and stared Oliver down defensively, not knowing what was going to happen, or whether he was going to attack us or not. But I knew my brother, and with the way he had chosen to approach us, I knew he wasn’t an enemy. If he was, he would have remained hidden, and not so boldly come forward to confront us.

“First things first…” I began, “You’re not to say a word, not to anyone.”

“Well look at you, telling me what to do.” he scoffed, “So, your balls finally dropped then?”

“Oliver, I mean it.”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, relax Callum.” he jeered, rolling his eyes, “I’m not going to say anything. Just tell me what the bloody hell’s going on, yeah? Also, is that a parrot!?”

Blu, who was perched on Fluttershy’s back, took a bow and introduced himself, to which Oliver shook his head from side to side with further disbelief. I cleared my throat to regain his attention, and gestured for him to come to our camp. He did just so, and I assured the girls that everything was okay. At that, Twilight let out an aggressive huff, baring her teeth and lighting up her horn.

“This is the furthest thing from okay! Callum, he’s seen us!” she hissed to me urgently.

“I’m handling it, Twilight.”

“There’s nothing to handle, he needs to be dealt with, now!”

Oliver looked at Twilight with wide eyes, realising that he may actually be in a touch of danger. However, before she could escalate the situation any further, I made my stance crystal clear to her.

“I said, I’m handling it. If you hurt my brother, I will snap that horn off and shove it up your arse, do you hear me?”

Shuddering and taking a step away from me, Twilight immediately backed down. Oliver then looked at me with his eyebrows raised, impressed by my declaration of authority. The others looked at me as well, bearing amused expressions, evidently tickled by the threat. Continuing to the camp, I again asked for Oliver to join us, which he did without question, his ballsy demeanour now entirely extinguished.

“Now…” I started, licking my bottom lip, “Again, you really can’t talk to anyone about this, okay? Not to your friends, and not to whoever you’re seeing right now. You still with Becca?”

“Nah, that didn’t work out.” he spoke offhandedly, shrugging.

Promising that he would never tell a soul, Oliver insisted that I hurried up and told him how I was still alive, explaining his side of the story first.

“I was away at Andrew’s, when I got a call from Mum. Obviously I didn’t bother answering, which was when I got a call from the police, telling me that I needed to come home, because something had happened to my little brother.”

Raising his lips and furrowing his brow, he carried on, unable to look me in the eye.

“I never got to see the body, but they told me it was a stabbing. Then they had the absolute fucking gall to insinuate that I might have done it. If I hadn’t been at Andrew’s, or had my train ticket as proof that I wasn’t at home, they very well might have done me in.”

“Oliver, I-”

“Do you have any idea what that was like? Being accused of murdering your own brother?”

Pursing my lips, I shook my head.

“It’s not very nice.” he spat.

“I can’t imagine so.” I replied softly.

There was an awkward moment of silence, before I furthered the conversation.

“You said that you were right, that you knew I wasn’t dead. How?”

“Once I put the pieces together, it was clear as day.” he said proudly, his arrogance slowly returning, “The house was duffed up by your cricket bat, I saw the marks all over it. What kind of idiot raids a home and doesn’t bring his own weapon? So yeah, that was the first tell. You’re the one who smashed up the place, weren’t you?”

Nodding to confirm, he exhaled with amusement.

“Knew it. As for the second tell?” he went on, “Well, it was obvious, nothing had been stolen. The house was battered from top to bottom, and nobody took a thing. And for all the damage, there was one thing you didn’t touch.”

“Ahh…” I croaked, realising where I had gone wrong.

Oliver gave a knowing hum, tilting his head forward and continuing.

“That laptop was how you played your games, and how you spoke to all your freaky friends on the internet. And you couldn’t bring yourself to destroy it.”

Hanging my head, I knew that he was right. My laptop had far too much sentimental value to me, and so I had left it unscathed, not thinking for a second about how that might look.

“I’m guessing the police took it?” I inquired.

“Pfft, no! I took it!” he chortled, “Thought I might be able to crack into it, I figured it might have been a clue as to who really killed you or something. With the police being utterly useless, I thought I could suss the killer out and go after them myself. But you, being the dickhead you are, didn’t set an easy enough password.”

I laughed, and my brother went on to elucidate the main giveaway that I was still alive.

“At this point, for as weird as all the circumstances were, I still took you for dead. That was until we received another call from the police, informing us that the mortuary had somehow lost your body.”

Having just learned from Twilight about how clones crumbled away after a few days, I knew exactly what had happened, and without being able to stop myself, I broke into a wild cackling. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie too, burst into laughter, and Oliver looked from face to face with surprise.

“Okay…” I began, still laughing, “I just want to point out, I didn’t know that was going to happen.”

“Yeah, well I’m glad it did.” he clapped back, smirking, “Do you know how much money we got from that lawsuit? On top of the home insurance payout? Your little stunt made us richer than when Dad was still around! Mum and I have been gorging ourselves on curries and kebabs for weeks!”

After huffing with surprise, I dipped my head and told him that he was welcome.

“So how’d you do it?” Oliver begged, craning his neck.

Gesturing to the girls, I denoted that Twilight and Rarity were unicorns, capable of magic, with Twilight especially being extraordinarily gifted in the art. After building up the story a little bit, I came clean with the truth that Twilight had cloned me, which I had then stabbed with a kitchen knife.

“Bloody hell, Callum… So, you quite literally killed yourself?”

Nodding, I admitted that it had been an extreme measure, to ensure that nobody would ever look for me. He asked me why I had done this, but then, before I could answer, he gave an emphatic sniff and clapped his hands together, making all the girls jump.

“You know what? Come on, I have a feeling this conversation needs some tea.”

“Um, I can make some?” Rarity offered nervously.

“Good for you mate.” Oliver retorted, “But I’m talking about real tea, British tea, Yorkshire Tea!”

“But what about Mum?” I asked nervously.

With a derisive laugh, my brother explained that Janice had gone off on holiday for a fortnight, using a load of the money from the mortuary lawsuit. Apparently, she had barely given a toss about my demise, even admitting during one of her drunken rants that she was thankful to be rid of her autistic child, of whom had given her more blight than bliss in life.

“Charming.” I huffed.

As he had spoken, I could feel the seething hatred from the girls either side of me, now protective beyond measure over their newfound friend. Taking notice as well, Oliver quickly steered the subject back to the now.

“Anyway, she won’t be back for another week, so you and your gay horses are safe to come in.”

“We’re ponies.” Rainbow Dash growled, still wary of him.

“That’s what I said, gay horses.”

I couldn’t help but snort lightly at that remark, and then we made our way back through the orchard and down the land, with the girls anxiously trotting behind us. It was so strange, casually strolling beside my brother as though I still lived here. Stranger still, was that the girls were here in his presence, and he barely even seemed to care.

“I’ve got to ask, Bro… how are you not like, losing your shit?” I asked, “You’ve just found out that I’m still alive, and there are six alien ponies and a parrot with me, all of which can speak!”

“Are you forgetting who I am?” he replied blankly, “I’m Oliver fucking Horncastle, nothing catches me off-guard. Am I very confused by all this? Yes. Am I a tad bewildered? Absolutely. But I’m not going to lose my composure and freak out like some bog-standard normie. I just want to understand what’s actually going on.”

To this, I pursed my lips, humming. He was right, Oliver had always been the type of person to show nonchalance towards baffling or outright absurd situations. For all the innate anger he usually harboured, he was actually a very level-headed individual, and as a plus, he had always believed in the existence of aliens, incessantly predicting throughout our childhood that he would someday meet one. He probably hadn’t counted on his first contact being with technicolour ponies from the magical world of Equus, but all the same, his readiness for the otherworldly had prepared him for something like this.

“I must admit though, your friends are bloody weird to look at.” he muttered, “It’s those great big fuck-off anime eyes for me, doesn’t seem natural.”

“You get used to it.” I replied, giving him a sly look.

We grew closer to the house, which was when I saw them, and cried out with a gasp.

“Chilli! Archer!”

Looking out through the sliding glass door, staring at me intently, were my beloved canines. Oliver chuckled and went over to open the door, to which they charged out at me at full pelt, immediately recognising me. Archer sprung up and barrelled into me, almost taking one of my eyes out in the process with his enormous paws. I was only just able to remain standing, until my legs were suddenly taken out by a fluffy, chocolate-coloured cannonball. Clattering to the ground, I was quickly besieged by a loudly whimpering, slightly dazed Cocker Spaniel. Jumping up and putting her paws on my shoulders, the poor thing was so excited that she was practically singing.

“Okay! Okay! Hi! Hello Chilli! Hello!” I laughed as she buried her nose into my face, licking me all over.

Smirking, Oliver left the sliding door open and crossed his arms.

“I see Beans still remembers you.”

“Beans?” I inquired, tilting my head.

“Oh, I call her Beans now sometimes.” he told me, “You know, like, chilli beans.”

I asked if that came with a story, to which he nodded and went on to elaborate. While the damage I had done to the house was being repaired, the repairman, of whom was a family friend by the name of Luke Roffey, would exclusively call the dog Chilli-Beans. Since then, Oliver had taken to calling her Beans, which I had to admit, was both fitting and cute. Archer too, was beyond excited to see me, which he expressed by headbutting me in the ear, and then enveloping one side of my head with his gargantuan tongue.

“Thanks big boy…” I groaned, rolling my eyes.

I asked Oliver how the dogs had found their way home, to which he rolled his eyes.

“Of course you’d be behind them disappearing too. You had me shit-scared for ages that they’d run away!”

With my head still buried in Chilli’s fur, I clarified that I had taken them to my friend’s house for safekeeping.

“With you away at Andrew’s, there was no way in hell that I was going to leave them all alone with Jan.” I told him, manoeuvring my face to avoid Chilli’s persistent licking.

Oliver shrugged and admitted that I had a good point, and then explained that the dogs had simply shown up at the back door one day, about a week after I had ‘died’. There was no doubt that they had been reported as missing, so I presumed that Bruce had brought them back in the night at some point. With there surely being an ongoing investigation for my murder, I didn’t blame him in the slightest for not wanting to be seen with them.

After spending a well-earned moment with both of the dogs, I finally settled them down and got to my feet. Now slightly calmer, they went over to the ponies and greeted them too, clearly remembering them as well. Applejack gave Archer a big old cuddle, and laughed as the dog started licking at her face and ears. Fluttershy meanwhile, gave Chilli mountains of attention. Oliver looked at me with a smirk, somewhat touched by the scene. He then returned to the sliding door and opened it further, welcoming us inside with a low scooping gesture. I went in and immediately found myself baffled to see how much the place had changed; Luke had certainly put in his money’s worth. Not only had all the broken furnishings been fixed, but everything in the house had been upgraded, with a much more modern lick of paint.

“I’ll make the tea, you lot head into the lounge.” Oliver commanded.

Despite still being a little anxious, the girls did as they were told. I was about to go as well, when my brother snapped his fingers and beckoned me back.

“Not you, we need a word.”

Nodding, I helped usher the girls into the living room, before shutting the kitchen door. I turned to look at Oliver once again, which was when his fist made its way into my face, catching me in the upper cheek, and being strong enough to send me stumbling down to one knee. Clutching my face and gasping, I looked up and glared at him with wide, panicked eyes.

“Wh-What was that for!?” I hissed, slowly getting back up.

“Why’d you think, twat-face?” he spat, storming up to me and grabbing my shirt, “You let me believe you were dead, and ran off with a bunch of literal aliens! Why the fuck didn’t you tell me!?”

“Because you’d have told someone, you dullard!” I growled back at him, “And besides, I didn’t think you were worth telling, seeing as you hated my guts half the time!”

“Tsk! I didn’t hate you! I never hated you!”

Pushing him away, I demanded to know why he had given me such a hard time then, to which he clenched his fists and confessed.

“Because I was jealous, alright!?”

Opening my mouth but saying nothing, I observed my brother as he finally humbled himself.

“I was jealous. Everything about you pissed me off to no end. You could do no wrong growing up, Dad always coddled you and let you get away with being a literal fucking nightmare. Do you know how many birthdays and trips you ruined, with your screaming fits and running off all the time? But no matter what, you were always let off the hook.”

His expression turned from distaste to anger, as he stared me down.

“Then you got older, and you just got more, and more, annoying. Always quoting your dumb TV shows, and jabbering on to your weird foreign friends on the internet. My Little Pony this, and Dinosaur King that, you just didn’t shut up about weird kid stuff!”

Sighing, he looked to the floor and shook his head, before looking back at me with a defeated expression. His eyes welled up with sadness, and he finally exposed the root of his anger towards me.

“You were happy.” he breathed, “You were just happy, in your own little world. Do you know how many times I heard you through the bedroom wall, singing those dumb pony songs? I was sat there, angry at life, and all I could hear was my happy little mong of a brother, singing about wrapping up winter, without a care in the world.”

“Oliver…”

“You sounded good too.” he interrupted, continuing, “You can actually sing well. You were just this happy, talented, good-looking little shit, singing his songs without a care in the world. Then when Dad disappeared and Mum got worse, I just got so… bitter.”

Propping himself up against the kitchen counter, Oliver expressed to me how our father’s absence and mother’s treatment had sent him down a very angry path. I had been the only outlet for that anger, and he knew all along that it wasn’t right, nor fair, but he just didn’t know how to stop. After a moment of silence, he walked back over to me, with tears in his eyes, and hugged me.

“Look, I never hated you, alright? I love you, and I always have. I’m just an angry shithead, and it all got too much for me with Dad leaving. I’m sorry Little Bro, I really am…”

I released a long, heavy sigh. After all this time, it couldn’t have felt better to receive an apology.

“It’s alright Bro-Bro.” I said, hugging him back and smiling.

He pulled back and cleared his throat, and suggested that we got the tea on. He took eight mugs from the cupboard, and put the kettle on to boil. For as heartfelt and genuine as his apology was, I couldn’t help but be bothered by one lone fact; I had never been happy. While it was true that I certainly enjoyed getting lost in my own little world, the main reason I did that was to escape from a life that I very much hated, in a world that I very much loathed. Still, he had said that he was sorry, and that was worth far more to me than splitting hairs over an irrelevant point. As we waited for the water to bubble, he looked at me cautiously, and then to my genuine astonishment, he let loose a second confession.

“I uh… I watched it, you know? Your dumb horse show.”

Raising my eyebrows and slowly recoiling my head, I peered at him quizzically, wordlessly ushering him to tell me more.

“After you died, I got all sappy.” he went on, “Decided to give the show a watch, just to see if I could understand why you liked it so much. It’s so fucking stupid, but…”

Giving a hard-pressed sigh, he admitted that he had found the show enjoyable, and could understand why there was such an unprecedented appeal to it. Then, without warning, he grabbed my shirt for a second time and brought his face to mine, speaking in a slow, soft, psychotic tone.

“But if you ever call me a brony, I will cut your dick off with a spoon, do you hear me?”

“Y-Yeah Bro, I-I hear you.”

“Dick… Spoooooon!”

The kettle switch clicked automatically as the water reached boiling point, and Oliver bounced back to his merry self, pouring the water and then going to the fridge to get milk.

“So, if you’ve seen the show, that means you know exactly who these girls are.” I pointed out, crossing my arms, “They’re not just aliens to you, are they?”

Shrugging, my brother admitted that I was right. He had recognised them immediately, which had made the whole spectacle all the more exciting for him. I asked him who his favourite was, to which he rolled his eyes and reluctantly disclosed to me that he had something of a soft spot for Rainbow Dash. I opened my mouth to comment, to which he held up the teaspoon in a threatening manner, glancing briefly at my crotch.

“Dick, spoon, got it.” I uttered quickly.

I questioned him no further, and once the tea was all ready, he put it all on a wooden tray and we went into the lounge together, where the girls were patiently waiting. Fluttershy and Applejack were petting Archer and ‘Beans’, while the others had been quietly nattering amongst themselves.

“There’s sugar, if anyone needs it.”

The second my brother had said it, Pinkie excitedly sprung up and almost knocked the tray out of his hands. Thankfully, she had narrowly missed, and the mugs were distributed from pony to pony. We all got settled, and then Oliver inhaled deeply.

“Right then…” he began, his beady eyes darting from face to face, “Permitting my head isn’t going to blow up from all the knowledge, like in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, can you lot please finally tell me… WHAT IN THE NAME OF TITS AND WINE IS GOING ON!?”

Everyone jumped, followed by half the girls breaking into giggles over his bizarre choice of words. Clearing her throat, Rarity started us off, telling him all about the Titans’ Orb and its great power. After a good few minutes of building up the tale, prior to their arrival, I took over.

“You’d gone off to Andrew’s.” I told him, “Mum was drunk as usual, and she’d kicked me out to put the chickens to bed. And that was when I heard six familiar voices, coming from behind Dad’s old shed…”





“So then Callum and Rainbow Dash started wrestling, and that’s when you came along and said ‘what-up faggots?’, and I don’t know what that means, but it sounds like an insult, so don’t say that again!” Pinkie babbled on with a tea-soaked muzzle, “But anyway, here we are! Three months, been and gone!”

{Wait, three months? Has it really been that long already?} I thought to myself, scratching the back of my head.

{Aye…} my inner monologue replied, {Time flies when, well… I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘having fun’.}

Slightly flexing my eyebrows to acknowledge the comment, I brought my focus back to Oliver as he took in all the facts. Letting out a long puff from his lips, my brother leaned forward and slowly shook his head. After murmuring the F word half a dozen times, he gasped loudly and pointed at me.

“Wait a minute. That means… that was you!?”

I tilted my head, to which Oliver divulged a most interesting little tale. Apparently, there had been a huge news story lately, which had been covered by every outlet in the country, from Sky News to the BBC. Supposedly, one of the most notorious cartels in Brazil had recently fallen apart, at the behest of a captive uprising. Hundreds of missing persons from across the globe had now been found, including the internet celebrity duo, Conor Nelson and Lewis Carter, known by their joint online alias, The Bulking Bromance.

“Oh sweet, those guys made it!” I cheered.

“You actually met them?”

“Met them?” I scoffed, “Mate, they helped me kick off the bloody riot!”

“Blimey…”

It was beyond amusing to see my brother so gobsmacked; all throughout growing up, I never thought that I would be able to impress him. Now, I had done something that had left him struggling for words, and without an ounce of shame, I basked in every second of it. Oliver then asked to see my battle scars, and I couldn’t have taken my shirt off quicker, eagerly revealing the almighty red mark, along with all the other lesser blemishes.

“This is where I was shot, oh and here as well… Oh and this is where Inigo stabbed me with a red-hot screwdriver… Oh, and this is where I was bitten by a magic-infused über-croc!”

Whistling loudly at all the injuries, Oliver was totally blown away by how much I had been put through in such a short space of time. He then asked about the crispy dark skin on my right hand, to which I looked in Twilight’s direction and raised an eyebrow, smirking.

“Lover’s quarrel.”

The others snickered quietly, while the lilac unicorn pursed her lips and stared at me with a most irritated expression. Chuckling, I explained that the two of us had a bit of a falling out, and that I had learned the hard way not to touch a unicorn’s horn while it was in the middle of casting a spell.

“That’ll teach you, bro.” he replied, slightly tilting his head, “Use protection next time.”

Everyone burst into laughter at that, besides Twilight of course, who let out an exasperated groan. Once we settled down, Oliver decided to lift us further from the heavy conversation, by offering us some food.

“What do you things eat exactly?” he inquired.

“If I may…” Rarity spoke up, “We’re not things, sir. We’re ponies.”

“Oh, I know exactly what you are.” Oliver retorted, stretching, “But the problem is, every time I say the word ‘pony’, I feel the incessant need to drown a bag of kittens. So, unless you have a few litters lying around, I’ll either be calling you ‘things’, or ‘gay horses’, take your pick.”

It took every fibre of my being not to burst into laughter. Rolling her eyes, Rarity decided that being called a ‘thing’ was the preferred choice. She then went on to say that anything vegetarian, such as a salad, would be just fine.

“No! That’s not just fine!” Pinkie Pie growled, “I want something sweet!”

“I could whip up some cookie dough for you?” Oliver offered.

Pinkie’s pupils dilated like a mesmerised cat, and the corners of her lips raised into a disturbing smile. Taking the hint, Oliver took the empty mugs into the kitchen and got to work preparing a salad for five, and a bowl of cookie dough for one. Blu then piped up as well, insisting that he wanted something to eat as well. At that, Oliver presented the bird with a bowl of pistachio nuts, which he eagerly began to consume. While he slaved away in the kitchen, I decided to go upstairs and investigate my old bedroom. Blu fluttered onto my shoulder as I went, eager to explore his surroundings, of which were very different to his old habitat.

“Ah.” I drawled, tightening my lips.

Although I should have expected the change, it was still a shock to see a room that was no longer my own. My bed was gone, along with my laptop desk, and all the posters and pictures I once had dotted around. In their place, was essentially a museum. There were glass cases and shelving units from wall to wall, some of which housed various coins and odd-looking pieces of metal. I spent a moment inspecting the coins, to find that they came from different time periods. There were handfuls of Roman coinage, along with a couple of Anglo-Saxon ones too. Going back downstairs, I asked Oliver about them, to which he imparted to me that he had taken up metal detecting after my death, as something of a coping mechanism.

“As it happens…” he said, pausing to suck some cookie dough off his thumb, “I’m actually quite good at it!”

With my room no longer belonging to me, Oliver had convinced Janice to let him create what he called his ‘Hall of Findings’, where he put rare coins and historical artefacts from his expeditions. Overhearing the conversation, Twilight came into the kitchen and chose to insert herself into the discussion.

“Did I hear that you like history?” she asked.

Nodding, Oliver went on to blow his own trumpet about his historical knowledge. In all fairness though, his arrogance was well deserved, for my brother was an incredibly well-read individual, and practically knew more about the Anglo-Saxons than the Anglo-Saxons did! Despite not being quite as knowledgeable as he, I shared Oliver’s sentiment for history, and had a great interest in the knowledge of my ancestors and their cultures. It quickly became apparent that Twilight too, had taken an interest, regardless of our history having no real connection to her, let alone her world.

“Tell you what?” Oliver began, pointing at her, “I’ll let you leave with some of my history books, on the condition that you don’t get my brother killed on your little adventure, sound fair?”

With a high-pitched hum and a nod of the head, Twilight agreed that it was a fair trade. Oliver then finished readying the ponies’ food, and popped a couple of Cornish pasties into the microwave for the two of us. From the very moment he had activated the appliance, we heard a loud gasp from the living room, followed by the clattering of hooves rushing our way. Pinkie Pie then came bursting into the kitchen, to which I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around her to hold her steady, knowing exactly what she was about to do.

“Oi, don’t you bloody-well dare!” I commanded with a strained voice, struggling to keep her still.

“But the voodoo box is alive! It needs to be terminated!” she wailed back, shaking wildly.

“It’s cooking my damn food, so if you break it, I’ll eat you instead!” I warned her.

Wriggling free from my grasp and pouting at me, the pink pony huffed angrily.

“Hmph, fine! But mark my words, that thing is evil!”

She then noticed the cookie dough next to Oliver and let out an excited squeak. Lunging forward, Pinkie seized the bowl and scampered away back into the lounge. Twilight and I sighed in unison, shaking our heads.

“That’s Pinkie.” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

“I’m guessing she’s the one who broke the old microwave then?” Oliver suggested with a knowing look.

“Mm-hmm.” I confirmed, “Apparently, it’s a mysterious evil voodoo box, which cooks food with, and I quote, ‘evil voodoo waves’.”

Using my fingers to make air-quotes, Oliver couldn’t help but laugh. We then brought the salad and pasties into the living room and relaxed together around a nice late lunch.

“So, what’s the next step for you lot?” my brother munched, one of his cheeks now full of pasty.

Swallowing my bite, I told him that Twilight was going to return to Gatwick tomorrow so that she could pinpoint the next piece of the Orb, followed by her attempting to teleport there. Then, after a quick expedition to find somewhere safe to open a portal, she would return to us, followed by our prompt departure.

“Why didn’t you do that for the piece in Brazil?”

“Dude, don’t even.” Rainbow Dash grumbled, “We’ve already had that argument.”

“Fair enough.” he chuckled, “Well, if you need to get to Gatwick, why don’t I just drive you there?”

“You could do that?” asked Twilight, tilting her head.

Nodding, Oliver proposed that he could drive her close to the airport, and once she had located the next piece, he could drive her straight back. That way, we could both give her some intel on the location prior to her attempt to teleport there, then she would know what to expect. This alteration to the plan would allow Twilight to better prepare herself, thus making the whole ordeal safer. Then when she was ready, Oliver would drive her there for a second time, in order to make the jump.

With a hint of caution, Twilight accepted the offer, valuing the efficiency over the risk of trusting a human, let alone one she didn’t know. I looked between the both of them and found myself questioning my reality again, for my worlds had collided. My brother was back in my life again, and yet the girls were here as well, chatting with him over mission plans. Crazier still, was that both he and Twilight were actually being pleasant company.

Scratching the side of my head, I found it slightly hard to believe that Oliver was now being so caring, thoughtful, and helpful, without even a hint of his usual anger-induced malice. Twilight too, since her tearful apology, had been mostly on her best behaviour, and I admittedly hadn’t found her company to be all that unpleasant.

“Dude, you good there?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Realising that my distant stare was boring into Rainbow’s neck, I chuckled awkwardly and cleared my throat.

“Yeah I’m good. Sorry, I zoned out, that’s all.”

“What were you thinking about?” asked Fluttershy.

Taking a moment to answer, I looked around from face to face and then broke into a warm smile. With a sigh, I simply expressed that I was glad we had chosen to come back here, and that it was really nice to be so close to my brother again after all these years. At this, the girls sounded off with mushy hums and sighs, all touched by the sentiment. Oliver meanwhile, leaned over to hit me in the arm, and then doubled down by slapping me in the face.

“Don’t say weird shit!”

Then, through a disgruntled scowl, he trilled his lips and rolled his eyes.


“Love you too, Bro.”





> Chapter Twenty-Four: A Dash of Trauma
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting, reading, watching TV, and getting used to the fact that Oliver was now in the fold. In turn, he spent the day getting used to the girls’ presence, along with Blu’s. As the day transitioned into night, we all went outside to sit in the garden around the chiminea, where my brother lit a fire and cracked out some drinks for us, of the alcoholic variety.

“Here we are!” he announced to everyone, “To celebrate you surviving the horrors of South America!”

Oliver passed a bottle of beer to me, a Doom Bar to be specific. To the girls, he gave cans of Strongbow, a very popular apple cider.

“I doubt it’s as good as your Sweet Apple Acres stuff, but it’s the best I’ve got.” he said to Applejack.

With a chuckle, the farm pony thanked him, and professed that after what we had all been through, she wouldn’t have cared if it tasted like parasprite piss; a drink was a drink. Every one of us concurred with that sentiment, and very eagerly took our first sips. Oliver then sat beside me and opened a can of Guinness, his favourite. For a few seconds, there was complete and utter silence, followed by sighs and gasps of refreshment and satisfaction.

“Oh, I needed this.” Rainbow Dash moaned.

“Me too.” said Applejack with a gasp.

We didn’t speak to one another for a good while, simply enjoying the drinks. Eventually we got to chatting again though, and quite quickly moved onto some heavy topics regarding what had actually happened to us in Brazil; needless to say, this led to a few unhappy faces. Despite not being one for showing his emotions, Oliver was surprisingly compassionate. He gave us a lot of advice, especially when it came to dealing with feelings of anger. In a joking manner, he implied that taking it out on little brothers wasn’t a good idea, as in his experience, it led to them dying. Through the awkward laughs, I looked over to Rainbow Dash, where I saw the orange glow from the chiminea in her teary eyes. She met my gaze for a second, before clearing her throat and looking away.

“I uh… I’m going to bed.” she croaked.

She got up to leave, and Applejack decided to go with her, ensuring that the pegasus wasn’t left alone up by the camp. After that, the population slowly deteriorated, with Twilight leaving next, followed by Pinkie, and then Rarity. To our surprise, Fluttershy chose to stay for a third can of cider, followed by a fourth, and then a fifth, all of which she drank rather quickly. It was only when she began to hiccup that she took herself off to bed as well.

{I was not expecting her to be such a heavy drinker.} I mused in thought.

At that, my inner monologue, still bearing the Scottish accent, pointed out that Fluttershy was likely suppressing more trauma than we realised. It wasn’t always easy to remember that she was the most vulnerable in a lot of ways, with her timidness still very much being a factor to consider. After spending over a month trapped in a metal cage, malnourished and in constant fear of being plucked like Rainbow Dash had been, it made sense that she might have wanted to drown her thoughts tonight.

“And then there were two.” I remarked solemnly, looking at Oliver.

“What am I then? Chopped liver? Quaark!” Blu squawked angrily.

“Oh shit, sorry Blu!” I apologised, laughing, “I completely forgot you were here, you were so quiet!”

Forgiving me with a playful peck, the bird decided to get some rest as well. He took off and fluttered up to a nearby tree, which coincidentally, was the same ironwood tree that I had hidden in during our game of Hide and Seek, back on that fateful day when I officially joined Twilight’s Company. With flight on the brain, Oliver turned to me and leaned forward, speaking in a lower, hushed tone.

“So tell me, Rainbow’s wings.” he started, awkwardly moving his mouth to one side, “She’s quite literally kept them under wraps all day. How bad is it?”

Sighing, I tilted my head down and gave it a defeated shake, before looking back up and locking eyes with him, struggling to get the words out.

“It’s… awful.” I breathed, shuddering, “That monster plucked every single feather. They don’t… look… like wings any more. They’re like… thin fleshy… arms or something.”

“Yeah, that’s fucked…” he murmured, taking a swig of Guinness.

I explained how it had completely destroyed the mare, to the point where she believed more often than not that she wasn’t even a pegasus any more, and was no longer of any worth, or use. He asked if there was any hope for them, to which I went on to say that the limbs had been thoroughly coated in Oozima, and just a few weeks later, earlier today, I had spotted a new feather forming.

“There’s definitely hope.” I said, shrugging, “But it’s not a certainty. It’s taken weeks just for a single feather to start growing, so if they are going to come back, chances are it’ll take months, maybe even years.”

Oliver hummed thoughtfully, and the chiminea’s flames danced in his beady green eyes as he seemed to do what he always did best; hold his tongue, and concoct a scheme within that devious little noggin of his. Changing the subject, I brought the matter back to my demise.

“So uh, did I get a funeral or anything?” I asked.

“You did.” he replied after taking another swig, “Quite touching actually, more people came than I thought would.”

“Really? Who came?”

Clearing his throat, he listed those present at the ceremony. A fair few of my friends from secondary school had come, like Harry, George, and Scott. Family from Dad’s side came too, like my auntie Becca and her son Camille, along with my cousin Amber. According to Oliver, Amber had been the most tearful person there. We had adored one another growing up, and it saddened me to hear how upset she had been. My godfather came too, a firefighter by the name Mark Christmas, of whom I called ‘Marky Mark’ throughout my childhood. To be fair, it didn’t really feel right to deem him my godfather any more, as he hadn’t come to see me in almost a decade; the last time I had actually seen him was on my eighth birthday. Still, as far as my funeral went, it was nice to know he had actually cared enough to show up.

“Oh, that girl you liked was there too.” Oliver said slyly, smirking.

My eyes flashed with excitement.

“Annabel?” I asked, lighting up.

“Yup.”

Annabel was a girl I had been crushing on for the past year and a bit. We had met at the bus stop during one of my visits to the leisure centre for a swim. The bus had been delayed, so we got to talking, and almost immediately hit it off. Every so often, we would see each other at the stop, until I plucked up the courage to ask her out for a hot chocolate at the local Costa café. We became friends rather quickly after that, and quite frequently saw one another for hot chocolates, along with the odd trip to the cinema. I had hoped for a relationship with her, but she never felt the same way, or at least, so I thought.

“Damn girl wrote a poem for you.” Oliver murmured, “Made everyone cry.”

“Wh-What?” I stuttered, my heart skipping a beat.

“You heard me.”

Chuckling, my brother went on to tell me how Annabel had requested to say a few words, and ended up reciting a whole poem about me, about how sweet of a friend I was to her. Towards the end, she had professed her feelings for me, and that she had been eagerly awaiting the day for me to buck up and kiss her.

“I hadn’t even realised it was possible for you to garner such female attention.” Oliver teased, “A shame really, she genuinely seemed quite broken-hearted.”

“Fuuuuuuuck…” I blurted out.

“Aww, did the poor widdle baby miss out on a shag?”

Playfully hitting Oliver in the arm, I shook my head and cast the lost opportunity aside.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’m a part of something far more important than getting laid. Besides, I think it’s safe to say I got fucked hard enough by Brazil.”

“Well, you know what they say…” Oliver shrugged, “If you don’t come to Brazil, Brazil will come to you.”

The both of us laughed, and then cracked open our fourth round of drinks. After a moment of silently enjoying the warmth of the fire and the pleasant atmosphere between us, Oliver inhaled deeply through his nose, and then asked me something that I myself used to wonder on occasion.

“So, why are all six of them here exactly?” he said, “Like, I can understand the knob-heads, because they've got magic. The inbred has got strength, and is… I’m guessing a decent cook. And of course, before her wings got the pluck, the hoyden could fly, serving as a scout and whatnot…”

Pausing for a moment to sip his drink, he then brought up Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

“But what I don’t get is… why the poltroon and the meth-head? Do they actually bring anything to the table? Or are they just two more heads in the group to keep an eye on? If your job’s to keep them all alive, surely having two invalids comes as a detriment to you?”

Rolling my eyes at his choice of name for each pony, I itched my jaw and set him straight, explaining how each girl had their use. Admittedly, I feared for Pinkie’s safety the most, along with the devastation of her innocence, but her game-changing bright ideas and ever-positive mentality was a must. We needed her, both for morale, and for her hidden genius.

“Just yesterday, she was the one to suggest using man-made frequencies for long-range teleportation, which, if that works, could very well speed this mission up by a hundred-fold.” I said.

“Yeah, fair one.” Oliver hummed, “And the piss-horse?”

“Oliver, you have got to stop with the names.” I snorted, almost inhaling my drink.

After composing myself, I told him that Fluttershy, despite being awfully timid, had already proven herself invaluable by way of her medical expertise. Though she was no surgeon, the pegasus’ capabilities as a field medic were vital to the group. Chuckling, I told Oliver that she had already patched me up more times than I cared to admit. He nodded with understanding, coming to realise just how important each pony was.

“Plus, at the end of the day…” I continued, “These girls are just better off together, you know? Their vast personalities make for a strong team, with some very unique skill-sets. They rebound off each other constantly, which allows them to overcome pretty much anything if they set their minds to it.”

“Hmm, makes sense.” Oliver muttered, “I suppose they’re designed to come as a full package, in both the cartoon and in reality.”

“Yeah, exactly.” I replied, “The loss of any one of them is a detriment to the rest.”

Scratching his chin, my brother agreed that it was right for all six of them to come here together, retracting his former statement.

“They’re a decent bunch.” he said, “Novelty aside and all, they’re just nice company. Well, that said, there’s obviously something wrong with Sparklefarts, what’s her problem exactly?”

Almost inhaling my drink for a second time, I gave my head a solemn shake.

“That’s the question of the bloody century, Bro… She’s been like it since day one, and no one knows why. She’s been standoffish, paranoid, insulting, and straight-up sordid at times.”

Adjusting my sitting position and taking a second to swig some beer, I went on.

“Despite my assurance, she’s convinced that I have some sort of ulterior motive, that I’m going to turn on her one day and kill her. It’s full-on schizo levels of paranoia, all because the Princess showed her something.”

Tilting his head, Oliver asked what Twilight had been shown, to which I sadly professed that I did not know.

“From the sounds of things, I think Celestia’s shown her some distorted visage of me.” I speculated with a grimace, “Probably hurting her, or her friends, or something like that. One way or another, it’s caused us to be at each other’s throats pretty much the whole time.”

“That’s messed up.” Oliver tutted, shaking his head, “So is that how your hand got burned then? The two of you actually got in a fight?”

“Eh, some and some.”

Explaining that we had been at the peak of our hostility, it had very nearly been a fight. But thankfully, grabbing her horn had quickly put an end to it, injuring the both of us in the process. Much to everyone’s relief, the incident had led to Twilight apologising, and she had finally settled down for the most part.

“Well then…” said Oliver, raising his can of Guinness, “Here’s to hoping she stays that way.”

“I’ll drink to that.” I replied, huffing with amusement.

After a few more swigs, we decided that it was about time we went to bed as well. We let the fire die out and finished our drinks, before getting to our feet. Oliver then came over to me and gave me a tight hug, solidifying the rekindling of our relationship. Smiling, I bid him goodnight and then took myself off to the camp at the end of the land.

Taking my shoes off, I quietly slipped into my tent, where I found a sleeping Fluttershy sprawled out on her back, breathing sluggishly and murmuring to herself. Getting on top of my sleeping bag, I nestled up against her and got comfortable, which was when the pegasus sensed my presence. Still asleep, she rolled over and latched onto me, pulling herself close. To this, I let out a sentimental huff through my nose, unable to deny how utterly adorable she was. At least, that was until she pressed her muzzle into my neck, and began to mumble passionately.

“Hmmnn… Oh, Middy…”

My eyes widened and I gulped, realising that the mare was having a dream of a dissolute nature, most likely enhanced by all the alcohol she had consumed. I lay there frozen, unsure of what to do as she rubbed her mouth against my Adam’s apple. Her breath was hot and heavy, and after the cryptic dreams I had been having as that blue unicorn, I found the sensation to be uncomfortably familiar. Eventually, I decided that enough was enough, and gently tried to shift her away from me. It worked for a time, until she found her way back to me and started emitting little whimpers into my ear. Clenching my jaw and letting out an irritable sigh, I had a feeling that this was going to be a very awkward night…


I woke to the sound of Applejack yawning loudly outside. As per usual, she and Rarity were the first to wake. It was then that I heard the light jingling of a dog tag, followed by Chilli sniffing at the entrance of the tent. Grinning, I sat up and shuffled forward to open the entrance, allowing her to scuttle in and clamber into my lap, happily greeting me with a series of excited licks. She planted her tongue against my neck and I quickly shoved her away, glancing at Fluttershy, of whom was still asleep.

“Nuh-uh, too soon.” I muttered to myself, recoiling from the dog.

I peered out of the tent just as Oliver arrived, carrying a wooden tray in his hands.

“Wagwan bitches! I’ve brought tea!”

The bellowing immediately roused Fluttershy from her slumber. Sitting bolt upright with a squeak, the pegasus flared her wings and looked around with panic, before immediately flopping back down to her side and groaning, evidently suffering from a mild hangover.

“I really should have had some water before going to sleep…”

{And a cold shower…} I thought with a crooked smile.

She rubbed her eyes and sniffed loudly, and then we emerged from the tent at the same time. Oliver gave me a sly look, to which I flashed him a glare and craned my head, warning him not to comment. Putting my shoes on, I stood up and took a mug. The others then emerged from their tents as well, and soon enough, we were all sipping tea and chatting.

“So, what’s the plan today?” I asked openly.

Speaking up, Twilight requested to be driven to Gatwick Airport sooner rather than later, so that she could at least know the location of the Orb piece, and then have enough mana by nightfall to teleport to wherever it was. It was a good call, and no one had any arguments. After breakfast, Oliver opened the large gate at the front of the house and brought his jeep onto the land, allowing Twilight to hop into the back without the risk of prying eyes from any passers-by. Oliver adored his Land Rover, it was a classic Defender, and he was out in it more days than he wasn’t, usually greenlaning, and since my staged demise, I could imagine metal detecting. This immediately proved itself to be true as he opened up the back door, revealing his detecting kit, complete with shovel, pitchfork, trowel, Wellington boots, bucket, and of course, the metal detector itself.

“I see you’re fully committed to the hobby.” I chuckled.

“You know me, I never half-arse anything!” he laughed back.

After making enough room for Twilight, he beckoned the mare in. She hesitated for a moment, before clambering in and plonking herself down. Blu then fluttered over and asked if he could ride along, clearly eager to keep adventuring. Not seeing any issue with that, Oliver shut the door on Twilight and let the parrot accompany him in the passenger seat. He then got in on the driver’s side and grinned at me like an idiot.

“We’ll be back home in the wobble of a reindeer’s buttocks! Cheerio!”

Slamming the door shut, he started the car and promptly drove off, leaving me to close the gate behind him.

“Your brother is insane.” Rarity tutted, “I mean it, he is categorically insane.”

“He’s something alright.” I huffed with amusement.

With time to kill, I asked what the girls all wanted to do for the day. I was almost immediately besieged with requests.

“Let’s watch another one of those three-D picture shows!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

“Ooh, for that matter, can we watch one with real human actors this time?” Rarity suggested.

“Can I brush the dogs?” Fluttershy groaned, still a tad hungover.

“Can we destroy the house again?”

Every single one of us stared at Pinkie upon her making the request, and she giggled awkwardly.

“What? That was so much fun last time! And besides, that voodoo box is just asking for it!”

“Nobody’s destroying anything!” I barked, throwing my hands into the air.

“Aww…” Pinkie moaned, sulking, “You’re no fun.”

Aside from Pinkie’s suggestion, I decided to give everypony what they wanted. After finding the dog brush and giving it to Fluttershy, I led everyone into the lounge with the dogs in tow, where we settled down to watch two films back to back. We began with the second Kung Fu Panda, which everyone ended up thoroughly enjoying.

However, about halfway through the film, during the scene where Gongmen Tower was destroyed, the bird character, Crane, suffered a wing injury and lost the ability to fly. Almost immediately, Rainbow Dash’s eyes glossed over, and I knew it had caught her off-guard. She lost all interest in the film after that, as she fell deeper and deeper into the memories of Brazil. I was able to briefly make eye contact with her, which was when she picked herself up and left the room. Having already seen the film, I told the others to keep watching, and went to chase the pegasus down. I found her upstairs in my old room, looking out of the window. Her breaths were sharp and rapid, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out that she was having a panic attack.

“Hey…” I said gently.

Whipping around with a jolt, the pegasus looked at me and opened her mouth to speak, only for shallow breaths to escape her lips. After straining to swallow, she stumbled forward and I came to meet her, catching her just as she came crumbling to her knees.

“Alright, alright, you’re okay… Hey, you’re alright…” I spoke to her, easing her down.

Sitting down and crossing my legs, I allowed her to fall into my lap as she desperately tried to calm herself down. Eventually, she was able to speak, and quickly began to lament about what had happened to her, and beneath the bandages, I noticed her wings twitching aggressively.

“It was… it-it… it was so scary… It was scarier than anything I’ve ever been through back home. It was worse than the changelings, it was worse than the shit I’ve seen in the Everfree Forest, heck, it was worse than coming face-to-face with a fucking dragon!”

Stroking down the side of her shoulder and along her foreleg, I made sure that she knew this was a safe place for her, and let her continue.

“I thought they were going to kill me.” she whimpered, breaking into small sobs between the panicked breaths, “Then they pulled my wings open, and I thought they were going to cut them off! But then they grabbed my feathers… and they… and they just kept pulling until they came out!”

Completely breaking down, Rainbow started shaking against me, and I held her just a little tighter to help ground her, but not too tight as to make her feel trapped. Hushing to her softly, I continued firmly stroking down from her shoulder to her wrist, repeating the motion to give her a calm sense of consistency while she went on.

“It hurt so bad, and-and I was just so… so powerless! I screamed and kicked and tried so hard to get away, but there was nothing I could do! They just kept pulling, and pulling, and pulling!”

Through her whimpering, anguished voice, she told me how Inigo’s men had then played with her feathers, pretending to tickle each other with them, laughing all the while. There hadn’t been an ounce of empathy, it was all just a game to them. After that, the men had threatened to cut her up and eat her, among other things that made me feel sick to my core. The pony had been completely and utterly traumatised, more than I had realised. In fact, it felt safe to wager that she had been put through worse than me. My torture had been brutal, that much was undeniable, but Dashie had been literally crippled by Inigo and his men, and had then been threatened with things arguably worse than death. With the memories growing more intense, the poor thing began to shake violently in my arms, and her words trailed off into an incomprehensible mumbling.

“Rainbow, sweetie? I need you to stay with me, okay?”

Try as I might, Rainbow Dash fell further and further into the depths of her mind. At this point, she was hyperventilating to the point of dizziness, and I was worried that she might pass out. Witnessing such a self-assured individual be this utterly broken was beyond upsetting. Rainbow Dash had always been so confident; the mare was untouchable! And yet here she was, in absolute shambles. Without knowing what else to do, I draped my arms around her and cradled her from side to side.

And then, casting my insecurities aside, I began to sing…



“Come up to meet you… tell you I’m sorry… you don't know how lovely you are…
I had to find you… tell you I need you… tell you I set you, apart…

Tell me your secrets… and ask me your questions… oh let’s go back to the start…
Running in circles… coming up tails… heads on a science apart…

Nobody said it was easy… It’s such a shame for us to part…
Nobody said it was easy… No one ever said it would be this hard…
Oh take me back to the start…”



I had no idea why I had gone with Coldplay, I wasn’t even that fond of their music these days, but there was just something about ‘The Scientist’ that felt right in the moment, and so I had chosen to sing it. Plus, it was the only calming song that I could think of off the top of my head. Either way, it seemed to be doing the trick, as Rainbow’s shaking had now died down to that of a faint shiver, and her breathing had slowed right down. On the grounds that it was working, I lightly cleared my throat and decided to carry on.



“I was just guessing… at numbers and figures… pulling the puzzles apart…
Questions of science… science and progress… do not speak as loud as my heart…

But tell me you love me… come back and haunt me… Oh and I rush to the start…
Running in circles… chasing our tails… coming back as we are…

Nobody said it was easy… Oh, it’s such a shame for us to part…
Nobody said it was easy… No one ever said it would be so hard…”



With blurred vision from my watery eyes, I cupped Rainbow’s cheek with my hand and met her gaze, smiling warmly as I delivered the final lyric.



“I’m going back to the start…”



I wiped the tears from her eyes, and Rainbow Dash at last came back to me as her full self. Letting loose a long, steady breath, the pegasus blinked a few times, before swallowing.

“I’m sorry, I… I… I didn’t mean-”

“Sshh…” I hushed, cutting her off.

With a loving smile, I told her that she never, ever, needed to apologise for something like this. Dipping her head, she planted her forehead against my chest and huffed.

“Thanks dude. You’re the best.”

“Nah, I’m alright.” I scoffed back, smirking, “Shall we get back to the film?”

Nodding, she picked herself up and we went back downstairs together. Upon seeing us, Pinkie zoomed over and excitedly told Rainbow everything she had missed, while everyone else gave us warm smiles and respectful nods. We then sat down to enjoy the rest of the film, and by the time the credits came up, Dashie was back to her normal self again, energetically going on about how good the animated flick was. After that, I went into the kitchen in search of some snacks for the next film, which was when I heard the rumbling of an engine outside.

“Ooh, I think Twilight and Oliver are back!” I called out.

With great excitement, the others came racing out into the back garden with me, dogs included. I opened the gate, and in drove Oliver. He cut the engine and hopped out, donning the same goofy grin that he had left with.

“Kneel, bitches! Your lord has returned!”

Rolling my eyes, I shut the gate and came over just as he was opening the back door for Twilight. Hopping out of the jeep, she gave herself a little shake, before trotting over to greet her friends. I asked Oliver how the journey went, to which he gave me a wide-eyed expression, pulling a face.

“Well, aside from your mentally unstable leader going off on one, it was just fine.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I’ll tell you over a cuppa.”

Nodding, I asked if Twilight knew of the next Orb shard’s location at least.

“Yup, not that she would tell me. Apparently, she wanted to get back here before discussing it.”

“That’s Twilight.” I shrugged, “Cryptic as ever.”

We all started walking to the house, and I explained to Oliver that we had just finished watching a film, and were about to start another one over lunch. Clapping his hands together, he suggested we could do a proper movie marathon later tonight, complete with some popcorn and a takeaway. I very happily agreed to the idea, on the condition that the takeaway wasn’t anything from the local Chinese place, on account of my last order from there coming with a piece of metal embedded in the noodles. Laughing, he agreed to my terms, and we went into the kitchen to make some tea for everyone. While the kettle boiled, I asked Oliver what had happened with Twilight on the drive.

“Mate, she went ballistic.” he whispered to me, making sure she couldn’t hear from the lounge, “She saw a spider in the back and totally freaked out, started screaming at it like a banshee. I nearly crashed the bloody car!”

“Huh, I never took her for an arachnophobe.” I murmured, tilting my head.

“Well, you can take her for one now.” Oliver grumbled in reply, “Thankfully the bird ate it, but even still, she was foul as anything after that. She barely spoke a word, mind you, but she had this look in her eye, this really nasty look.”

Raising my eyebrows slightly, I gave an unsurprised, dull expression.

“Like she wants to carve you up and eat your liver?”

“Aye, that’s the one.”

“That, brother mine, is the look I’ve been getting since day one.” I told him, crossing my arms.

With a single tut, Oliver shook his head with irritation and got to making the tea. Loading up the tray, we went into the lounge and distributed the mugs to the girls. Once we were all comfortable, I pulled out my phone and opened my Offline Maps app.

“Right, where are we headed?” I asked Twilight.

“I’ll show you.” she replied.

Her horn lit up, and my phone leapt from my hands, now floating just a few inches in front of me. Closing her eyes to focus, the unicorn cast an enchantment onto the device, in a similar manner to what Rarity had done in Brazil, magically tapping into the phone and permanently marking the Orb shard’s location within the app. With her magic being more advanced than Rarity’s, we thankfully didn’t need to wait for the device to cool down and reboot. The screen flickered brightly, before returning to its normal state. Twilight then passed it back to me and I looked at the new marker, which unlike the white dot from before, was now a detailed icon, fashioned after the Orb shard already in our possession.

“Couldn’t resist making it look fancy, could you?” I teased.

She bluntly told me to shut up, and I huffed with amusement. The blinking marker was stationed in the eastern side of Europe, evoking a hum of interest from me. With a finger and thumb, I touched the screen and zoomed in.

“Huh, it’s in Ukraine of all places.” I murmured.

The marker was way up in the northern part of the country, and as I zoomed in even further to pinpoint its exact location, my blood began to run cold. Noticing the dread on my face, Pinkie asked me what was wrong, to which I gulped and let out a long, heavy breath. Backing out of the app, I turned the phone’s screen off and put it into my pocket. Oliver, with his sound deductive skills, looked at me with wide eyes; there was only one place in Ukraine that could garner such a reaction.

“Oh shit.” he muttered.

The girls looked at him, and then back to me, now donning fearful expressions of their own. Despite not knowing the details, the harrowed reactions from two humans were enough to tell them that the location in question was somewhere worth worrying about.

“That bad, huh?” Applejack chuckled awkwardly.

Twilight boldly placed a hoof on my wrist and acquired my eye-contact.

“Don’t sugar-coat it.” she ordered, “Where are we going?”

Nodding, I cleared my throat, and answered her honestly.


“If this marker is accurate, which I have no reason to believe that it isn’t, then the next piece is at the nuclear power plant near Pripyat, the heart of the Chernobyl Disaster…”





> Chapter Twenty-Five: Science and Progress
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“So, let me get this straight…” Twilight began, her eyes wide with horror, “You’re telling me that the next Orb shard is in a radioactive ruin!?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” I replied, giving an anxious shrug.

“Well, this complicates things.” Rarity muttered.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Twilight grumbled, “How bad is the radiation? Like, how severe?”

Knowing that Oliver was more knowledgeable about the whole ordeal, I gestured for him to answer.

“Well here’s a hint, it was bad enough to warrant evacuating the entire city, and setting up a thirty-kilometre exclusion zone.” he elaborated, itching his chin, “The place won’t be habitable again for hundreds of years. Thousands in fact, depending on which source you listen to.”

Continuing, he speculated that if we needed to go directly to the plant itself, then the radiation would be unquestionably lethal, or at the very least, cause some very serious permanent damage.

“Please tell me you have a spell that can ward off radiation?” I said to Twilight with a desperate expression.

“I do.” she replied, “But it’s not easy to cast, and it’s costly. For all seven of us? I honestly think it would be enough to make me blue out, and I’m not going through that again.”

“I thought you were one of the most powerful unicorns of all time?” Oliver remarked, “It doesn’t seem like you can do much magic without getting low on brain-juice, so what gives?”

Rolling her eyes, Twilight pointed out that despite being incredibly gifted in the magic arts, she was in no way a being of limitless power. Her knowledge of magic was vast, and the spells she could cast were complex, but the more complicated the spells got, the more demanding they became.

“As I’ve had to explain to this one all too often,” she grunted, gesturing to me, “that cartoon of yours is far from accurate. Yes, I’m powerful. I could easily cast conventional spells all day long, but these are not conventional spells! Cloning? Invisibility? And now anti-radiation!? Yeah, I don’t have enough mana for that!”

“Alright, fair point.” said Oliver, raising his hands and pulling a face.

Huffing with annoyance, Twilight theorised that she could probably cast the spell onto half of us at best, especially with how unpredictable her mana regeneration had been as of late. With an emphatic hum, I proposed that half of us might be all we needed. She asked what I meant, to which I suggested that upon getting to Ukraine, perhaps some of the girls could remain just outside the exclusion zone, away from the danger.

“There wouldn’t be any people for miles.” I continued, “We could set up camp, and then just two or three of us could slip in, grab the Orb shard, and then bug out again.”

“I have to say, that’s not a terrible idea.” Rarity chimed in, “After what happened in Brazil, maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if some of us were to hang back.”

Twilight moved her mouth to one side and gave a thoughtful grumble, before pointing out that it would be dangerous for us to separate, as we might not be able to find each other again.

“Oh don’t be ridiculous, I could just ping you.” Rarity pressed, smiling brightly.

“Ping her?” I echoed, “Oh, you mean like when she used the Pullie-Portals on us?”

Rarity nodded, and Oliver asked what ‘pinging’ meant. All too happy to educate, Rarity explained that one of the most basic spells a unicorn could learn, alongside telekinesis, was a signalling spell, simply known as a ‘ping’. Most unicorns in Equestria were taught how to do it, either in school, or by their parents, and it was a foolproof way of signalling for help if one were to find themselves lost, or in danger. It worked by way of sending a magical frequency out in all directions, spanning for a good few miles. Upon making contact with another unicorn’s horn, the frequency could be detected. Needless to say, Oliver and I were astounded, but then it only got more interesting, as we learned that this was how Twilight had detected the electrical frequencies at Gatwick Airport. As it happened, man-made frequencies weren’t too dissimilar to those of the pinging spell, meaning hypothetically, if it underwent the right modifications, my phone could send out pings of its own.

“Surely some unicorns use that for no good though, right?” I proposed, chuckling, “There’s no way some prankster hasn’t gone and annoyed his whole town by pinging over and over again.”

“Funny you say that.” Twilight spoke up, clearing her throat, “Improper use of pinging is an official misdemeanour, and ponies have been fined for using it recklessly. The spell is first and foremost a call for help, and to use it for anything else is heavily frowned upon.”

“Huh…” I murmured.

“I guess it’s the equivalent of shooting off a flare gun.” Oliver hummed.

“Yeah, something like that.” I agreed, shrugging.

Equivalencies aside, now that Rarity had offered to remain in camp and guide us back with pings, there was little argument to be had over the group splitting up for a day or two. After a lengthy debate, we decided that Fluttershy and Pinkie would remain with Rarity, along with Applejack to protect them. Meanwhile, I would enter the exclusion zone with Twilight and Rainbow Dash, the latter of whom outright refused to be left behind.

“Firstly, I would get too bored.” she insisted, “And secondly, if the two of you go in there alone, there’s a good chance that only one of you would come back out.”

“That’s fair.” I chuckled, nudging Twilight with an elbow.

Rolling her eyes, Twilight huffed with amusement, playfully admitting that with how much we disliked each other, a bout of murder within the company wasn’t exactly out of the question.

“Ooh, that’s a really good point!” Pinkie piped up, “You and Twilight had really better get along in there!”

“Why’s that?” we both asked in unison, frowning.

The pink pony’s mouth slowly raised into a sly grin, and she squinted her eyes at me.

“Well, with the radiation and all… we really wouldn’t want you guys to… Fallout.”

I let out an almighty sigh and lowered my head, raising my hands into the air.

“What?” she giggled, “You know the fans love it.”

“What fans!?” I demanded.

“Callum dear, you know what she’s like.” Rarity pointed out, “Don’t fuel the fire, just let it go.”

At that, Pinkie clutched at her chest with one foreleg, and raised the other to the ceiling, bursting into song.

“Let it go! Let it go! Can’t hold it back any mo-”

“If you sing another word of that song, I will put a crossbow bolt in you.” Oliver warned her.

Clearing her throat and giving an awkward laugh, Pinkie backed down, while I faced my brother with a dull look.

“Oliver, you do not have a crossbow.”

Meeting my gaze, Oliver donned a crooked smirk, to which my expression grew even more lustreless as I realised that my statement was incorrect.

“You have a crossbow.”

He nodded, and I inhaled deeply with exasperation.

“Why am I not surprised? Well, if you put a bolt in Pinkie, I’ll put buckshot in you.”

“Pfft yeah, sure…” he scoffed, rolling his eyes, “Like you have a shotgun.”

Meeting his gaze, I gave Oliver a crooked smirk of my own, to which he gave me the very same look I had given him.

“You have a shotgun.”

I nodded, and the two of us broke into laughter. Wishing to check out one another’s armaments, Oliver went upstairs to grab his crossbow. I meanwhile, rushed outside and ran to the back of the land to retrieve the firearm. We met back up in the lounge, and the both of us began to geek out.

“Holy shit, you weren’t joking!” Oliver blurted out.

“Nor you, that thing’s massive!”

“That’s not the first time I’ve heard that.” he tittered.

“Oliver!”

He broke into a goofy cackling, and I passed an uneasy look to the girls, of whom were shaking their heads and laughing along; all except Pinkie, whose innocent little head the quip had thankfully gone over. Oliver inquired about the shotgun, and I explained that I had taken it from a wrinkly old geezer at Inigo’s compound.

“How wrinkly are we talking?” he asked.

“Oh, we’re talking, like… Yoda’s balls wrinkly.”

“Well, that settles it then.”

Taking the gun from my arms and raising it into the air, Oliver dubbed the shotgun… Wrinkleboom.

“Wrinkleboom?” I repeated.

“Wrinkleboom.” he confirmed.

Passing the weapon to me, it seemed that I now had two named weapons at my side. Now it was just Inigo’s pistol that needed a name, but judging from the girls’ expressions, that could wait for another time. Everypony was bored, and I decided to fulfil my obligation to Rarity by putting on a live-action film. I tried to think of something that would entertain the group, without being too mature for Pinkie, while not being too boring for the others. Eventually I settled on the first Indiana Jones film, and it seemed that I had struck gold, for the classic Harrison Ford flick had all six girls hooked in just a matter of minutes.

A little way into the film, I noticed a handful of times that Oliver was glancing at Rainbow Dash, or more specifically, her bandaged wings. Every so often, he would look at them and narrow his eyes, clearly deep in thought. At last, he looked over at me and beckoned for me to leave the room with him for a chat. We went into the garden, and I asked him what was up.

“Can you do me a massive favour?” he said, raising his chin.

I gestured for him to go on, to which he gave a most unexpected request.

“That healing stuff you’ve got… Oozima, right? Can you get me a sample?”

“Uh, why?” I asked, tilting my head.

“Can you or can’t you?”

Rolling my eyes, I told him that I could. With the girls all watching the film, it wasn’t too much of a task to head up to the camp and dig through Fluttershy’s medical bag. It was so bizarre, looking into a container that was bigger on the inside, it genuinely felt like reaching into the TARDIS from Doctor Who. Twilight hadn’t been exaggerating about the size either, the space really was about the size of a Porta-Potty, stacked from top to bottom with various medical supplies, from multiple first-aid kits, to bottles upon bottles of Oozima.

“How much of this stuff did Zecora make?” I murmured to myself.

{With how much you’ve been injured? I’d say the correct amount!} my conscience retorted.

“Why do you sound Scottish?” I muttered, furrowing my brow.

{Less asky asky, more Oozima getty getty.}

Rolling my eyes, I retrieved a bottle and made my way back to Oliver. Before giving it to him, I demanded to know exactly what he was planning, to which he waggled his finger at me.

“You let me worry about the ins and outs. Just go and enjoy the rest of the film with the girls, I have some experimenting to do.”

“Ugh, fine.”

Giving him the bottle, I went back indoors and let my brother cook up whatever scheme he had under wraps. Plonking myself next to Fluttershy, she immediately noticed the faint scent of the healing ooze, and whispered to me with a concerned expression.

“Where did you go? And why do you smell like Oozima?”

“I just went and got a bottle of it for Oliver.” I breathed back to her, “Knowing him, I think he’s going to do a little science experiment, and I think it concerns Dashie’s wings.”

“Ahh…” she hissed, “Well, I hope he knows what he’s doing.”

“It’s Oliver.” I replied, “The mad bastard always knows what he’s doing.”

“Sshh!” the others all hushed in unison.

Zipping my lips, I sat through the rest of the film in silence, wondering just what Oliver was planning…


The film then came to its climactic finale, and I couldn’t help but break into laughter at the infamous ‘face melting scene’ at the end, as it had caused all six ponies to cry out in shock. Chilli-Beans started barking her head off in response, confused by the sudden vociferation. Blu meanwhile, bobbed up and down with excitement, clearly very entertained by the unexpected hysteria. I settled the dog down, along with the others, reminding them that it was just a work of fiction. They laughed gawkily, all quite embarrassed by their intense reactions. The credits then came up soon thereafter, and I switched off the DVD player.

“Well, that was something.” said Rarity, still a little shaken.

“Awesome is what that was!” Rainbow Dash declared, “That guy was just like Daring Do!”

“I have to agree.” said Twilight, “There were a lot of similarities to A.K. Yearling’s work.”

Upon hearing this, I huffed with amusement, and remembered that the girls didn’t yet know that Daring Do was a real individual, hiding in plain sight under the masquerade of a simple writer. Fluttershy professed to enjoying the film as well, although she hadn’t liked the scary scenes, nor the part where the monkey had died by way of eating a poisoned date. Moving on from the novelty of their first live-action film, Applejack asked where my brother had disappeared off to, which was when he entered the room.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear!” he announced, bearing his teeth and pulling a monstrous expression, “I’ve been busy, doing science!”

To no one’s surprise, Twilight’s ears twitched, and her cartoon-self almost immediately took the floor.

“Science? I do loads of science back home in Equestria!”

“I’m aware.” Oliver replied, “Well believe it or not, I’m actually something of a scientist myself, chemistry to be specific.”

“I can back that up.” I added, crossing my arms and looking at my brother blankly, “When he was twelve, he created military-grade mustard gas by accident.”

“But alas, no Frenchmen to test it on…” he sighed, lightly fondling his chin hairs.

“Get to the point!” Twilight insisted, “You’re doing something scientific?”

Splaying his arms open to display his majesty, Oliver asked us to follow him outside. The lot of us did just that, where he led us to Dad’s old shed. He lifted open the large garage-style door, revealing the interior to us, and my eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.

“By the power of Grayskull…” I breathed, truly aghast.

What had once been a totally ordinary concrete shed, made for housing tools and Dad’s sit-on lawnmower, was now something of a mad scientist’s laboratory. There were rows of shelves, most of which had jars on them, and on one side, was a proper chemistry bench, kitted out with sinks that had running water, and a Bunsen burner, hooked up to a gas canister.

“Forget the Titans’ Orb, I’m staying here.” Twilight declared, rushing over to inspect the microscope.

“Oliver, what the hell is all this?” I demanded to know, entering the shed.

Explaining that he didn’t want his A-star grade in science to go to waste, my nutjob of a brother had used some of the money from the mortuary lawsuit to kit out the shed, transforming it into his own personal lab. For the past few weeks now, he had been conducting all sorts of crazy experiments; most of them had just been for shits and giggles, but there were a few legitimate tests going on in the mix. Intentionally emphasising the sheer insanity of his endeavour, he zipped over to the shelves and began lightly caressing one of the glass jars, which contained some sort of foaming beige goo.

“Everyone knows that the sourdough starter is alive.” he stated, “But the question remains, is it horny?”

Too baffled to laugh, I stepped further into the room and pointed to the other jars, which were full of various coloured liquids. Clapping excitedly, Oliver explained that he was brewing his own personal moonshine. Each jar was full of different types of fruity liquors, from strawberries, to kiwis, to bananas, he was essentially running the most exotic brewery in the country.

“Alcohol’s expensive to buy, so I started thinking, why not just make my own?”

“You are… actually mad, Oliver.” I sighed, shaking my head.

“A genius is what I am.” he retorted, “Look.”

Beckoning us over to his chemistry bench, we found the bottle of Oozima I had given him, along with a few other packets of various products. There was also a mortar and pestle, which had recently been used. Twilight was unsurprisingly the most eager to know what was going on, and begged him to divulge his experiment.

“Right, firstly…” he began, rubbing his hands together, “I needed to see if your ooze stuff would respond to other compounds. In other words, could it be combined with other medicinal products?”

“And could it?” asked Twilight.

Nodding, he continued.

“It could indeed, but only after being activated, and then it quickly needs to be mixed with the other compounds before it solidifies.”

“But, um…” Fluttershy began, “Oozima only activates when it makes contact with, um…”

“Damaged tissue!” Oliver finished for her, donning an open-mouthed smile.

Rolling up his sleeve, he revealed two sizeable cuts on his wrist. One of them had some hardened Oozima stuck to it, while the other had naturally formed a scab. We all looked at him as though he had three heads, except for Twilight, of whom was far more concerned with the science than the ethics. Continuing to explain his findings, Oliver divulged to us that it wasn’t the tissue itself that triggered the Oozima to activate, it was blood, or more specifically, the platelets in the blood.

“Oh of course!” Twilight exclaimed, clapping her hooves together, “The thrombocytes’ primary function is to contribute to haemostasis, so by their very nature, they serve as the red flag that tells the Oozima that there’s an injury present!”

“Yeah, that.” Oliver replied blankly, before breaking into a small chuckle, “Well anyway, after getting it to activate, it mixed perfectly! It absorbed all the other stuff without a single lump to be seen, all it took was a little stirring.”

“And what have you mixed it with exactly?” Rarity inquired, frowning.

Looking at Rarity, my brother switched on a slightly more serious demeanour, and gestured over to where the chicken coop would have been through the wall.

“Those hens give me free eggs nearly every day, so I like to take care of them. Now, shortly after Callum buggered off with you lot, one of them got attacked by a fox, and a bunch of its feathers got ripped out. Being the merciful god I am, I went and ordered some feather growth medicine for the little blighter. I had to give it pills daily, along with some special feed that was pumped with protein, vitamins, minerals, oils, all that shite.”

My mouth fell open, as did Rarity’s and Fluttershy’s. We realised what he had done. Merrily continuing, Oliver explained that it had done the trick, and within just two months, the bald patches on the bird were almost completely gone, with perfectly healthy feathers in their place. Turning his attention to Rainbow Dash, my brother smiled warmly and lowered his head before continuing.

“Now, I know you’re not a chicken, but the stuff works, so I thought about combining it with that healing ooze of yours. Maybe that way, it could seep into your skin or something, you know? I’ve been mashing away with the mortar for the past hour to turn it all into a powder. There’s enough for a whole bottle, but again, it needs blood to activate, and then it needs putting on before it dries. If you’re up for donating some of your life juice, I could make enough to cover both of your wings from tip to base.”

Inhaling sharply, Dashie’s eyes quickly began welling up with tears.

“You mean… you could… f-fix me?”

“Well, they’re not suddenly going to sprout feathers like a drag queen’s wardrobe!” Oliver laughed, “But over the course of a few months or something? Yeah, you’ll get your wings back.”

Slowly breaking into happy tears, Rainbow grinned widely and lunged forward, enveloping my brother in a tight hug. She bleated her thanks to him over and over again, to which he smirked.

“As I said, I’m a merciful god.” he declared, “Now stop crying on me, this is a happy thing.”

Stepping back and wiping her nose, Dashie continued to smile harder than ever before, her eyes still leaking. The rest of us found it hard not to join in on the waterworks, for we were all touched by the scene, along with the sheer gravity of Oliver’s selfless efforts. Fluttershy went off to get her bag, where she retrieved the adequate tools to extract some blood from the pegasus. Just like me, Dashie hated needles, but she was far too excited about this new development to care. After finding a vein in her foreleg, a small cup of blood was taken, which Oliver added along with the powdered mix to a large glass beaker.

“There’s a few vitamin D tablets in there too just for good measure.” he told us.

“Can’t hurt, I guess.” I hummed.

Oliver added the Oozima and stirred the mix together, with Twilight thirstily breathing down his neck, intently watching the process. Meanwhile, Fluttershy and I got to tentatively unwrapping Rainbow’s wings, with Blu’s donated feather being put on one of the shelves for safe keeping. The poor thing clamped her eyes shut during the whole ordeal, uncomfortable beyond belief.

Soon after, the concoction was finally ready, and with the addition of the blood, the usual pale pus-green colour of the Oozima was now a reddish salmon. Passing me some rubber gloves, Oliver suggested I be the one to apply it, and respectfully left the shed. Rainbow shakily asked if the others could do the same, utterly mortified by her current predicament. Dipping their heads, I was left alone with her, with Fluttershy leaving some fresh bandages behind for when I was finished. Once they were gone, I bent down and spoke softly into her ear.

“You don’t need to be ashamed, you know?”

“Dude, I know you’re trying to be nice, but can you please just get on with this?” she requested, “I don’t want these disgusting things on show for any longer than they need to be.”

“Rainbow, how can you say that? These are your wings!”

Whipping around to glare at me, Rainbow bared her teeth.

“Not without my feathers they’re not!” she growled, “Until they come back, I’ve just got these ugly lumps of meat stuck to my body, and I don’t want anyone to see them, not even me!”

Closing my eyes and dipping my head, I was hurt to know she felt this way. Of course, the state of her wings were shocking to behold, but they weren’t ugly, not to me at least. But this wasn’t about me, and so I held my tongue and got to work. As quickly as I could, I took handfuls of the orangey gloop and slathered it along the pale limbs, ensuring every facet of them were covered, from the thick muscular base, to the tips of the thinner, finger-like phalanges.

It was curious to note that despite being feathered, the anatomy was more akin to a bat’s wing than it was a bird’s; not by way of any webbing, but the additional digits beyond the pinion joints were most unlike the wings of any conventional bird. I theorised that this made them stronger, allowing pegasi to comfortably take off in spite of their weight. Come to think of it, it was also probably to give them some degree of prehensile capabilities, as pegasus ponies would often use their wings to grip things. Keeping my thoughts to myself and shrugging, I continued in silence.

Once every inch of the wings were coated, I began wrapping them in the bandages, not forgetting to put Blu’s feather back as I did so. Knowing these needed to stay on for a long time, I made sure to wrap them three times over, securing the ends with a firm knot.

“There we are, all done.” I breathed in a low, soft tone.

Rainbow Dash breathed out heavily, before turning to me and giving a weak smile.

“Thank you…”

Simply responding by dipping my head, we made our way out into the garden, where I found Oliver and Fluttershy playing with Chilli and Archer. The others were casually sitting out in the afternoon sunshine, enjoying the light before it was gone. Not wanting to make Dashie feel too awkward, nobody approached, instead allowing us to come to them. Oliver stopped playing and greeted us, briefly glancing at my handiwork and giving me a discreet nod of approval.

“So, what shall we do now?” I said.

“Well, the egghead wants to be out of here soon.” he explained, “So how about I start whipping up dinner for the other lot, drive her to Gatwick, and then pick up a curry for us on the way back?”

I gave him two thumbs up, which was when Applejack interjected.

“Oh, I can cook!” she volunteered.

“Good for you, cuzzie.” Oliver clapped back, “However, I’m the host, and it would be most impolite if I allowed my guests to prepare their own food whilst visiting my humble abode.”

I pointed out that this was our mum’s abode and not his, to which he slapped me in the forehead to shut me up. With an amused chortle, Applejack insisted that she didn’t mind, but my brother would hear nothing of it. Eventually she backed down, and Oliver went into the kitchen to start cooking. He threw together a mushroom stroganoff, and then put it in the oven on a low heat to keep it warm.

“Alright Sparkflaps, you ready to go?” he called to Twilight.

There was a cacophony of laughs from the rest of us, while Twilight gave an exasperated huff. Responding with actions instead of words, the unicorn got to her hooves and went outside. Prior to getting into the car, she went to the side of the garden shed, where the old camp used to be. With a flash of her horn, a swirling mass of light flickered into existence, before fizzling out again.

“The portal node is set.” she said, “Let’s go.”

Everyone issued their goodbyes to her, and then Twilight clambered into the back of the Land Rover. Oliver then gave me a salute and hopped into the driver’s seat, and just before closing the door, he asked what food I wanted from the local Indian place. Excited for my first takeaway since the adventure began, I requested a chicken tikka masala, with some pilau rice and a side of onion bhajis.

“Cracking choice! Cheerio old bean!”

Slamming his door shut, Oliver took off, and I closed the gate behind him. Inhaling deeply, I silently prayed that Pinkie was right. Not that I was willing to share with the group, but I was internally dreading this endeavour going wrong, with Twilight possibly finding herself stranded, or heaven-forbid, injured. Still, I trusted in our lovable lunatic and went back inside, sitting in the lounge with the others, where we engaged in plenty of small talk.

There then came the matter of deciding what films we wanted to watch during our upcoming marathon. The demands came at a bit of an impasse, as Fluttershy and Pinkie wanted to watch something more family friendly, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash were thirsting for something grittier and more mature. Rarity wasn’t too fussed either way, so long as the content wasn’t animated, for she wanted to see more live-action performances.

By the time Oliver returned, we had come up with a viewing list, and a decent compromise. Just as a cinema had multiple screens, we too decided to have multiple as well. Downstairs in the living room, the more family-oriented films would be played. Meanwhile, up in Oliver’s bedroom, camped out on his super-king-size bed, we would watch the more mature films for the hardier members of the group. Not wanting to be apart during dinner at least, we stuck together for the first feature, tucking into our meals to the all-time Christmas classic, Home Alone. After that, we split off, with Fluttershy and Pinkie watching The Emperor’s New Groove downstairs, and the rest of us watching Troy in Oliver’s room. I was a bit nervous for the girls to watch a film with so much violence, but aside from Rarity covering her eyes during the bloody battles, they quite surprisingly enjoyed the film from start to finish; it was the sight of earthly horses with human riders that had disturbed them more than anything.

Eventually, we all had our fill of cinema for one night, and upon realising it was almost two o’clock in the morning, we very promptly made our way to bed.





Three days passed, and we found ourselves getting more and more worried about Twilight. She had been gone for far too long, and we had all started to imagine various gnarly scenarios, from her simply teleporting to the wrong place, to her accidentally arriving inside the nuclear reactor itself and dying from radiation poisoning. Fears that she may have blued out again also came to mind, and I pictured her far away from here, magicless, frightened, and incapable of defending herself, unable to return for goodness-knows how long. Despite our collective anxiety, Pinkie assured us through and through that Twilight would be fine, and that she would return to us any day now.

“You’d better be right.” I muttered over some afternoon tea.

“I know I am.” she replied with a grin, “Come on, you know my hunches are never wrong!”

“Yeah, I know…” I sighed, shrugging.

Admittedly, a part of the anxiety was over the fact that my mother was due back in just a couple of days. Everyone wanted to be gone before her return, as she was certainly someone that we couldn’t trust with the knowledge of the ponies’ existence, meaning we would be confined to our camp at the back of the land. Nobody wanted this, especially now that they had befriended my brother, and wanted to continue hanging out with him for as long as we were still here.

Hoping to raise my spirits, Oliver suggested that we play some Xbox together like we used to before Dad left. I couldn’t have said yes faster, and soon enough, the girls were watching the two of us blitz through the Special Ops game mode in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Two. After returning from a bathroom break, I found everyone looking in sheer disbelief at Pinkie Pie, who was staring at the TV screen with a psychotic smile, and somehow annihilating my brother in the game’s one-on-one multiplayer.

“Um, how is… how is she doing that?” I murmured slowly, pointing at the mare.

Rainbow Dash, in stitches of laughter, explained how Pinkie had taken my controller whilst I was in the bathroom, and had stuffed it into her mane. Before I could even begin to ask how that made sense, Rarity caught my eye and gave me a look, as if to say ‘don’t even bother, it’s Pinkie Pie’. Sighing with dumbfounded perplexity, I watched as Pinkie was able to kill my brother enough times in-game to end the match by way of calling in a tactical nuke.

“Oh boy!” she squealed, “The Orbital Friendship Cannon is ready!”

The nuke was dropped, immediately ending the game and declaring Pinkie as the undisputed winner. Giggling to herself like an idiot, Pinkie rolled over onto her back and insisted that we needed to do this again sometime. She then clamped her eyes shut and began to strain her face. And then, slowly but surely, my Xbox controller was mysteriously pushed out of her mane, until it plopped out onto Oliver’s bed. Without missing a beat, Blu hopped over to it and spread his wings.

“The miracle of childbirth, ladies and gentlemen!”

Every single one of us erupted into fits of laughter, and the bird jumped up and down with satisfaction. The laughs were then brought to a halt, as we all heard the sound of a door slamming downstairs. Chilli started barking and Oliver quickly grabbed her to prevent her from charging off. It was then that Pinkie raised her head and began sniffing the air loudly.

“Ooh, I smell zombies!”

We all looked at her, and Oliver shook his head with a heavy sigh.

“Fuck me… you really are a special breed of window licker, aren’t you?”

Stifling a laugh, I tightened my lips and looked away. Then with a gasp, Rarity pointed out that it might have been Twilight, finally back from Ukraine. Offering to go and check, I picked myself up and made my way downstairs. There was nothing in the entryway, nor in the living room. After a moment, Applejack called down to me, asking if it was her or not.

“I uh… I’m not sure!” I shouted back up to her, “There’s no one down here!”

That was when I heard the tapping of hooves from behind me and I whipped around, to which my mouth fell agape. Emerging from the downstairs bathroom, the sight before me was nothing short of horrendous, and sparked mixed feelings within me of both revulsion and great sympathy.


“Welcome back, Twilight.” I uttered softly, “You look like hammered shit.”





> Chapter Twenty-Six: The Dead City
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Thanks.” the unicorn grumbled, less than amused.

Twilight dipped her head and sighed, and I realised just how exhausted she was. The poor thing was utterly filthy, her pelt had brownish patches all over, and her lower legs were splattered with mud all the way up to her knees. Her face donned a defeated expression, and her eyes were droopy and bloodshot.

“What the hell happened to you?” I asked, furrowing my brow.

Narrowing her eyes, she gritted her teeth and frowned at me.

“Well for starters, you lied about the place being abandoned, asshole.” she spat, “I was shot at!”

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and my mouth fell open.

“You-you-you were shot at?” I stuttered, utterly taken aback, “By who!?”

“It’s ‘by whom’, and I don’t know, you halfwit!”

Sniffing loudly, she explained how she was just approaching the city, when there was a loud bang in the distance, followed by a huge clump of dirt bursting up right next to her. She tucked tail and ran away as fast as she could, returning to an area beyond the radiation to set up a portal node. Shaking my head, I murmured that what she was describing was impossible, Pripyat was completely and utterly uninhabitable.

“Well, guess again.” Twilight huffed, wiggling her jaw with annoyance, “I didn't even get near the damn Orb shard, I teleported miles off course and had to walk for days just to reach the damn place! Only for someone to start shooting at me as soon as I arrived, so thanks for lying to me.”

“I didn’t lie.” I professed calmly, “I just didn’t know.”

Scoffing, she looked away and hung her head. Despite her already kicking off with hostility, I knew Twilight was somewhat in shock, or at least, spooked by her experience. I was honestly just glad that she had made it back safely, and chose to respond with nothing but kindness.

“You need some rest.” I said to her, giving a warm, gentle smile, “Come on, I’ll take you up to the others and I’ll get you some food.”

She looked at me blankly for a moment, but as the exhaustion took over, she gave a sluggish nod and allowed me to help her.

“I would… appreciate that.” she sighed, stepping forward to follow me.

Turning around, I started to make my way up the stairs, with Twilight slowly lumbering behind me. Reaching Oliver’s room, I opened the door and broke into a hearty grin.

“Look who I found.” I announced, revealing the shattered unicorn.

“Twilight!” Pinkie squealed, bouncing off the bed and launching herself forward for a hug.

Letting out a fatigued huff, Twilight smiled weakly and returned the embrace, before stumbling into the room to greet the others. Leaving them to it, I went downstairs to cook some rice and mushrooms for her. In truth, all I wanted was to make sure she was alright; the poor thing had just returned from the site of the goddamn Chernobyl disaster, all by herself. On top of that, despite the fact it should have been impossible, she had almost been shot by someone! All in all, I had nothing but respect for her right now, and would do whatever I could to take care of her, with or without her gratitude. Besides, rekindling my relationship with Oliver had put me in a forgiving mood, and I hoped that a tasty peace offering could put us on good terms. On the subject of Oliver, he came downstairs to oversee the cooking, just as the mushrooms were starting to sizzle in the pan.

“Need a hand at all?” he offered.

“I’ve got it, thanks though.” I replied.

Nodding, he leaned against the countertop and watched me cook. I was clearly doing a good job, because the moment the shrooms were fit for consumption, he lunged forward and pinched one. He popped it into his mouth and immediately regretted it, as it was still piping hot. Dancing on the spot and flapping his hands, he opened his mouth and rapidly tried to cool it down.

“Haaaah! Hooooohh… Hoooooohh… Hoooooaaaaaahh…”

“That’s what you get for stealing.” I chuckled, rolling my eyes.

“I repent my sins.” he whimpered, swallowing the now-cooled mushroom.

Bonking him on the head with the kitchen spoon, I turned the stove off and added the mushrooms to the rice, adding a dash of salt, black pepper, and some butter. I then zipped to the larder to grab a bottle of ground parsley, hoping to give the dish more of a herbal kick.

“I don’t get it.” Oliver hummed, folding his arms, “Why are you taking the time to be this kind?”

“What do you mean?” I quizzed innocently.

“Well, Aubergine McBookfucker has been nothing but shitty to you from day one, and yet here you are, prepping a dish with genuine thought, adding flavour and making a proper meal of it. If I were in your shoes, she’d be getting nothing but gruel, with a toenail for good measure.”

“And that, brother mine, is why I was chosen for this mission, and not you.”

Doing everything in my power not to laugh at his newest nickname for one of the girls, I went on to explain that for as nasty as Twilight had been at times, she didn’t deserve to be hated. She was very clearly struggling to cope here on Earth, more so than the others, and that was no fault of her own; she didn’t ask to come here. Plus, she alone had been shown something by the Princess, and although I couldn’t fathom what it was, it had evidently left her in a state of absolute horror. On top of all that, she was the one who had been placed in charge of this mission.

“Think about that, Oliver.” I muttered, “Your entire world is in danger, and your country’s ruler, of whom is both your personal mentor and the literal Goddess of the Sun, basically says that it’s your job to save it. Can you imagine the pressure that’s put on her? Look, I get that she’s been a colossal bitch at times, trust me, I’m the fucker on the receiving end! But if I were in her shoes, I’d be no better off. The last thing I’d be capable of is playing happy families with an alien, especially when I’ve been very specifically instructed not to befriend it.”

“Okay, I get it, you fancy her. Just say that, Bro.”

“I’m going to hit you with this fucking saucepan in a minute.”

Laughing, Oliver insisted that he was joking, and that he was in fact taking me seriously. Admitting that I had a point, he promised that he would cut Twilight some slack, opting to overlook her stuck-up attitude, even if it was more for my sake than for hers.


As I approached Oliver’s bedroom, I heard the chitter-chatter of the girls, followed by Pinkie Pie responding to her excellent nose.

“Ooh, I smell something yummy!”

“Yeah, and it’s not for you!” I laughed, opening the door with a foot.

Entering the room, I weaved through the group and reached Twilight, of whom was sitting in the corner, wearily looking up at me with caution. Squatting down, I offered the bowl to her and spoke softly.

“Here, you must be starving.”

Upon smelling the food, her eyes lit up, and she looked at me with a genuinely thankful expression.

“I uh…”

“You’re welcome.” I interrupted with a gentle tone.

She took the bowl with her magic, and I was just about to turn away when I had another bright idea.

“Would you like me to run you a bath? I’m sure you’re aching a fair bit from all the walking, and I don’t even want to imagine how much dirt’s in your fur. Maybe a nice warm soak after you’ve eaten would do you some good?”

Blinking rapidly, Twilight didn’t know what to say. It became quite clear that she wanted to accept the offer, but needed a nudge towards that admission.

“I promise I won’t hide any crocodiles in the water.” I teased.

She didn’t smile, but she did raise her eyebrows in mild amusement. After a brief moment, she finally conceded, dipping her head and admitting that a bath would be nice. I was just about to turn away, when a genuine ‘thank you’ left her lips. I looked her up and down for a moment, caught unaware, before breaking into a warm smile. Dipping my head, I went off to the bathroom and started to fill up the tub; I had only just got the hot water running when I rushed back into the room and gave Twilight a childish grin.

“Would you like bubbles in your bath?”

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“So…?” I trailed off questioningly.

“Get out.”

Grinning, I left the room, chuckling to myself all the while. After the bath was full, I checked the temperature; it was a little too hot, and so I let in some more cold water. I then came back into my brother’s room to find everyone watching a comedy that Oliver had put on his TV. He had clearly chosen something decent, for the ponies were all seemingly enjoying themselves and laughing along with it; I even witnessed a giggle from Twilight, and it was fucking adorable.

{There may be hope for her yet…} my conscience muttered.

{Quite possibly…} I agreed silently.

Hailing Twilight over to me with a wave, I said that the bath was ready and escorted her to the bathroom. I then left her to lock the door and get comfortable.

“What did I say about the bubbles!?” she barked angrily from inside.

“You didn’t say no!” I sang back, cackling.

Through the door, I could hear her quietly spitting distasteful words about me, vaguely along the lines of ‘dimwitted, incompetent, mud-brained fool’, and the like. I couldn’t help but smirk pridefully as I went downstairs to pour myself a glass of milk. As I passed the bathroom on the way back up, I overheard a small slosh, followed by a drawn out moan of ecstasy.

{Damn.} I thought, {Bitch really needed that bath…}

Exhaling heavily with amusement, I went into Oliver’s room and joined the others in watching the comedy he had put on. With this being my last day in England before heading off to Ukraine, I decided that I could do with a few laughs; Pripyat was hardly going to be a pleasant expedition.


One comedy film and a barrel of laughs later, we turned off the TV and decided to gear up for tomorrow’s departure. Everyone headed downstairs, and I was about to follow when I heard Twilight calling for some assistance. Politely knocking before entering, I opened the door to be met with a dripping wet unicorn, standing in the empty tub and scowling at me.

“I need a towel.”

Stifling a chuckle, I asked why she couldn’t just use her magic, to which she scoffed.

“I don’t use magic for every single little thing, you know?” she grumbled, “The trip back used a lot of mana, and I need to conserve as much as I can for tomorrow. Portals aren’t easy to cast.”

“Fair play.” I admitted, dipping my head.

I went to where the boiler unit was and opened the little door, where all the bathroom towels were stored. Heading back to the bathroom, a sly grin crept onto my face.

“Need me to help you dry off?” I offered sarcastically, dangling the towel from side to side.

“Don’t make me hurt you.”

Sticking my tongue out and winking, I tossed the towel to her and shut the door, leaving her to it. Heading downstairs, I joined the other girls in going over our stuff. With the plan being for us to split up, the three of us actually entering the city needed some food supplies. To this end, Oliver offered to go to the shops for us, and nipped out to acquire a few things, such as tinned vegetables and soups, and exclusively for me, some tinned tuna, ravioli, and a four-pack of toilet paper.

“So, what’s it like…” he asked, “shitting in the jungles of Brazil?”

“Hardly pleasant.” I replied bluntly.

“And what about them?” he went on, gesturing to the ponies in the other room, “Do they-”

“Of course they do, not that I ask about it.” I clapped back quickly, cutting him off, “And if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not think about it.”

“But their buttholes, Callum! You can see their buttholes!”

“I-know-you-can-see-their-buttholes!” I snapped back rapidly, snatching the toilet roll from him, “It gets very normal, very quickly, now would you very kindly, shut the fuck up about it!?”

With a low chuckle, he revelled in getting me so ill at ease about the matter. Much to my relief however, he dropped the subject, and allowed me to stuff my bag with the rest of the supplies. After that, I went over my more practical items, namely Inigo’s pistol, Wrinkleboom, and Krocsbane. Upon seeing the blade, Oliver scampered over to me.

“Ooh, nice knife!”

“Thanks.” I replied, “I got it from some big Russian bloke called Vladimir. I call it Krocsbane.”

“Crocsbane?” he echoed, “Like, crocodile’s bane?”

“Yeah exactly.” I answered, “But I spell it with a K, more Russian that way.”

“You were ‘Russian’ to tell me that, weren’t you?” he quipped, grinning.

“Oh shut up!”

Laughing, he asked why I had given the weapon such a name, to which I explained about the crocodiles we had come across, and how the knife had been the only thing that had kept me from perishing to the scaly bastards. Humming with understanding, he presumed that I no longer liked crocodiles, to which I confirmed that I most certainly didn’t. I then sheathed Krocsbane and fastened it to my gun belt, where it sat comfortably beside Inigo’s pistol. With the supplies all sorted, I decided that I needed a change of clothes. Most thankfully, since my fictitious passing, nobody had taken the time to throw out my clothes yet; they dwelled in the corner of Oliver’s Hall of Findings, stuffed inside black bin liners.

“Let’s think practical…” I muttered to myself, dumping my attire out onto the floor.

I sifted around for a while, before finally settling on a decent getup, consisting of dark blue jeans, a long-sleeved tee, a green plaid overshirt, and the hiking boots I received four Christmases ago, that I’d never worn until now. Topping off the look, I found a baseball cap that had been an old favourite of mine, it was a dark forest green, with a beige brim. Checking myself out in the mirror, I was very happy with it, and everyone else agreed upon presenting myself to them.

We decided to watch another film before bed, and Oliver treated me to another curry from the local restaurant, as something of a ‘last supper’ before my departure. After that, we hit the sack, all aware that tomorrow would be bringing far less enjoyable prospects…





“Okay everyone, we ready to go?” Twilight asked aloud once we were up and about.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I mumbled, shrugging.

“Bring it on!” Rainbow cheered.

We all gathered in the living room, and Twilight prepared to link up to the node in Ukraine and conjure the portal. I said my last goodbyes to the dogs, giving Chilli and Archer a very tender cuddle. After that, Oliver asked if he could take a picture of us, which Twilight immediately refused.

“Oh come on, please?” he begged, “I won’t show a soul, it’s just for me, I promise!”

“I said no.”

Furrowing his brow, he swore on his life that no one would lay eyes on the photo, and that it would be nothing more than a keepsake for a worrisome older brother. He knew the reality, I was going somewhere dangerous, and although he would never admit it aloud, he feared that I may not return from this venture.

“I’ve already lost my brother once.” he went on, “Please let me have this…”

There was a moment of silence, and everyone stared at Twilight for her decision. Dipping her head and sighing, she finally conceded.

“Okay, fine, you can take one photograph. But I’m warning you, if you ever show it to anyone…”

“I won’t.” Oliver insisted, pulling out his phone, “Thank you.”

We all gathered around, and everyone bar Twilight smiled widely for the camera. Noting how his finger was tapping the screen rapidly, I knew that he was taking multiple photos, and I couldn’t help but grin wider as I knew he was objectively doing it to spite Twilight. He then put the phone away and bowed his head, knowing that it was time. Approaching me as Twilight summoned the portal, he pressed his forehead against mine and cupped the back of my head with his hand.

“You be careful, Little Bro.” he breathed heavily.

“I will.”

“I fucking adore you, alright? Don’t you ever forget that.”

“Cheers Bro, I love you too.”

The portal opened, spooking the dogs. Archer backed off to the doorway, while Chilli began barking at it relentlessly. I separated from Oliver’s brotherly embrace and he picked the dog up, quickly calming her down. Stroking her lovingly, he watched on as the girls all waved their goodbyes and then jumped into the shimmering gateway. Blu dived in after them, but not before fluttering over to Oliver and giving his ear a nibble, playfully calling him a faggot in the process. Now laughing heartily, the two of us exchanged a final toothy grin to each other, before I turned around and sprang confidently into the portal, where my entire reality was engulfed in unnatural sights, sounds, and sensations. It was nothing like the Pullie-Portal, there was no brilliant white or weightless feeling. Rather, it felt like I was being sucked through a vacuum cleaner like a helpless insect, and all around me were rapidly changing colours and swirling patterns, as though I were inside a giant kaleidoscope.

I saw the exit ahead and was rapidly approaching it, but too overwhelmed to focus, I couldn’t right myself physically or mentally. Reaching the end, I was hurled from the portal and clattered to the ground, where waves of dizziness and nausea quickly descended upon me. Rarity rushed over to help me up but I refused the aid, pushing the unicorn back and holding a finger high into the air with one hand, clutching at my belly with the other, indicating that I might be sick.

“Mmmmmmnn…” I groaned.

Standing alongside Rarity, Twilight had the grace to explain that this was normal for first-time portal users, and that it would pass quite quickly. With my cheeks bulging and my head hung low, I gave her a thumbs up and kept my eyes squeezed shut. Thankfully, the feeling did indeed pass rather quickly, and I was able to get to my feet with my breakfast remaining where it ought to.

The portal was now closed, and the girls were all looking around at their surroundings. I did the same, and was somewhat surprised at how ordinary things looked. Being a fan of the Fallout games, I had somewhat expected this place to look akin to the nuclear wasteland, rife with dust and dead plants for as far as the eye could see. Instead, we found ourselves upon a perfectly ordinary country hillside, sparsely populated with evergreen trees. In one direction was a thick woodland, and in the other, far off in the distance, was an unnervingly quiet, ruined city; the long-since-abandoned city of Pripyat.

Moving first to the northern woodland, we helped the larger group set up their camp. There was no telling how long it would take us to retrieve the Orb fragment, and so we wanted to make sure they were comfortable and safe. Once the tents were erected and the girls were happily situated, I looked to Rainbow Dash and Twilight, raising my lips.

“Well, shall we go acquire ourselves an Orb piece?”

Rainbow gave Twilight a look for confirmation, and without anything further to add, nor objections, she simply raised her chin and exhaled heavily through her nose.

“What he said.”

Grinning, I brought my hands together and rubbed them eagerly, and after a quick batch of hugs to the campers, we set off to the irradiated city…


We had been walking for about twenty minutes, when Twilight stopped us, warning that this was where the radiation levels began to rise. Her horn started to glow, and she cast a spell onto herself.

“This is called Blightward.” she explained, imbuing Dashie with the spell, “As the name implies, it keeps your body safe from hazardous elements, like corrosive acids, poisons, pathogens, all that sort of thing. And much to our luck, it also keeps radiation at bay, so you’re welcome.”

She cast it onto me, and I felt a cool sensation that was accompanied by a light pressure across every facet of my body, comparable to being draped in a thin silk cloak. I curiously prodded at myself while the temporary sensation lasted, and Twilight then explained that the spell functioned by coating my cells with a thaumaturgical film, something of an additional layer. Invisible to the naked eye, it was pliable and relatively tough, but that said, it could still be damaged. This meant that sustaining any injuries would render the area unprotected again, and thus it was crucial that we didn’t let ourselves get cut on anything, especially as we neared the power plant, where the radiation would be strongest.

Having just cast the spell thrice, shortly after opening a portal, the unicorn’s mana was already at disconcertingly low levels, and so she wouldn’t be able to cast much else for a while. I assured her that this was fine, and we took off once again.

“So where is the shard exactly?” Rainbow Dash inquired.

“Let’s have a look.” I mumbled, taking my phone out.

With the enchantment still working perfectly fine, I was able to hone in on our location and zoom in on the Orb icon. It appeared to be directly inside the power plant itself, right in the middle of the sarcophagus, which was when a harrowing realisation dawned upon me.

“It’s in Unit Four,” I muttered, “right where it all began.”

Picking up on my gloomy tone, Rainbow asked what the matter was, to which I explained.

“The Orb fragments arrived at different times, didn’t they? Well, I’m willing to bet this piece landed twenty-nine years ago. Hitting the reactor and setting off the whole bloody meltdown. This wasn’t just a nuclear disaster, this happened because of your damn Orb.”

“Oh… shit!” Dashie gasped, looking at me with her mouth agape.

It was too coincidental to not be true, the Titans’ Orb had caused this, and it was a revelation that had even Twilight filled with remorse. Intentional or not, her world had caused a disaster in mine, and for as much as she liked to vituperate my species, she was clearly feeling a pang of guilt. Still, blaming the ponies was nothing short of absurd, they hadn’t chosen for any of this to happen; the Orb had been sent here by some evildoer from Tartarus, so whoever that was, the fault lay with them. Assuring both ponies that they weren’t to feel bad, I smiled kindly and then decided to pick up the pace.

At last, we reached the outskirts of the city, and it baffled all three of us to see how overgrown it was. In the space of just thirty years, nature had already begun to reclaim the place, with vines and weeds lathering almost every building, seemingly unaffected by the radiation. A light mist blanketed the place too, conjuring an eerie feeling that had all three of us slightly on edge.

“Dang, just look at this place…” Dashie murmured.

“Yeah, no kidding.” I muttered in reply, “A good fifty-thousand people used to live here once, and now, all thanks to one little chunk of crystal, it’s nothing more than a city for ghosts.”

“Will it ever be habitable again?” asked Twilight.

Shrugging, I reminded her of what Oliver had said. At best, the radiation wouldn’t dissipate from here for hundreds of years. If the already-abundant plant growth was anything to go on, all of this would be wholly overgrown by the time it could ever support human life.

“I doubt people will ever live here again,” I hummed, “and you know, that’s probably for the best. We humans are pretty good at mucking up places to make room for new towns and cities. It’s about time the world took something back from us…”

Rainbow smirked at the comment, somewhat amused by my wistful perspective. Twilight meanwhile, peered at me thoughtfully; if I didn’t know any better, I would have said my statement had evoked a tinge of respect from the mare. Either way, the look didn’t last very long, and she looked back out to the road ahead.

“Right then…” she started.

“Left then.” I interrupted.

Huffing, she looked at me once again and gave a most irritated expression.

“Don’t do that.”

Giving her a wink, I took a step forward, only for a noise up ahead to have me immediately freezing again. It sounded like a tin can being knocked around, and although it could have just been the wind, the ominous atmosphere certainly had us all on high alert. Anxious to press on, we took a quick detour into the nearest building, just to calm ourselves with a curious little snoop. It was an old grocery shop, and we took our time going leisurely from aisle to aisle, perusing the long-expired goods that were once sold here.

“This text is awfully strange.” Twilight remarked, observing the Slavic script.

“It’s just a different alphabet system.” I said with a shrug, “Don’t the various races on Equus have their own languages?”

“Oh for sure.” she replied, “I’ve just not seen text quite like this before, that’s all.”

“Fair enough.” I hummed.

With my inquisitive nature taking root, I asked about the other languages on Equus, to which Twilight cleared her throat loudly, eager to educate. Knowing that this would take a while, Rainbow Dash groaned with boredom and walked off to another aisle to keep exploring the rest of the shop, while I received some cultural exposition.

As it happened, the language system on Equus was quite an interesting one. Unlike humans, languages weren’t divided by location, but rather, by species. Every race had its own language, and every member of that race knew how to speak it. The eastward griffons had a language called Clawsh, while the minotaurs to the south spoke Taurian. Ponies had their own language too, aptly named Ponish, of which was becoming more and more accepted across the world as the dominant language, known to other races as the Common Tongue.

“We used to speak another language too.” Twilight went on, “Long before the time of the princesses, we had an ancient language called the First Tongue, or as it was called then, Lesngä’i Lì’fya.”

“Bless you.” I said blankly, teasing the unique pronunciation.

Much to my surprise, I was able to get a laugh out of her. Rolling her eyes, she continued the lesson, explaining that all beings once spoke the First Tongue, but it had since been forgotten by all. The only species capable of translating it were the horses of Saddle Arabia, to the far east beyond the Griffon Kingdoms.

“So they are horses…” I exclaimed with great interest, “I’ve always wondered about that.”

“Oh, were they depicted in that cartoon of yours?”

Nodding, I explained that they had very briefly shown up in an episode, and ever since, the whole brony community had been debating over what they actually were, horses or ponies. Somewhat amused, Twilight went on to further emphasise that horses were a cousin-race to ponies, sporting greater height and thinner bodies. Supposedly, they had once been ponies themselves in ancient history, but had simply gone down a different evolutionary path, one far better suited to the arid deserts of their continent. They were a mostly solitary race, but in recent years they had begun trading with Equestria, exchanging their silks and spices for Equestria’s abundant metals and gemstones. This wasn’t a common occurrence however, as crossing through Griffon territory was perilous. I was about to ask more, when we both heard a loud gasp from Rainbow Dash. Schooling would have to wait, but I was thankful to have learned as much as I had. Rushing over, we found Rainbow standing in the doorway to the back of the shop, frozen in fear.

“What is it, Dashie?” I asked, only to receive no response.

Coming to stand beside her, I peered into the adjacent room, where I found the reason for the pegasus’ petrified state. Sprawled out on the floor was the body of a man, long-dead and heavily decayed. His skin was greyed and blistery, and his clothes were sodden with damp and rot. Under normal circumstances, he should have been a skeleton by now, but it seemed that the radiation had substantially slowed the process, as he looked like he had only been dead for a few weeks at best. One way or another, it was a most distressing scene, and it took a great deal of control to remain stalwart for the girls’ sake. Standing in front of Rainbow Dash to block her view, I snapped my fingers to seize her attention. Looking up at me, we made eye contact and I ordered her to focus.

“How… How many people… died like this?” she croaked.

“No idea, I’ve never looked at the numbers.” I replied honestly, “But it doesn’t matter, okay? There’s nothing we can do about it, so let’s keep moving, yeah?”

Gulping, the mare gave a gentle nod, and I placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Attagirl.”

The three of us left the shop and continued along the road, which was when we came across more bodies, lying around in the street. Just like the one in the shop, they weren’t nearly as decomposed as they ought to be, and many of them were disfigured in bizarre ways; some of them had longer arms and legs, and others had elongated facial features, making them more beast than man. Something wasn’t right, and the girls knew it too. Unable to fight off her curiosity, Twilight approached the nearest corpse to her, which was when she jumped away from it and ran back to me.

“Callum, it looked at me.” she whimpered, “That one just… looked at me.”

“What are you on about?” I said, “These people have been dead for decades.”

“I saw what I saw, Callum!”

Looking beyond her, I laid eyes on the cadaver in question. Humouring the unicorn, I went over to it and nudged it with my foot. There was no response, and I looked back to her with a huff of amusement.

“You sure you cast that spell properly?” I teased, “I think the radiation’s getting to you, Twilight.”

Then without warning, to my absolute shock and horror, the body lunged at me, reaching over and grabbing my ankle. I let out a shout and kicked at it, catching its head and almost completely obliterating it; the brittle skull fell away and what dwelled inside came spilling out like a murky black soup. It let go of me and I hopped away on one foot, shaking the other one frantically and yelping in terror.

“What the fuck!? What the f-fuck!? What the fuuuuck!?”

All the other bodies started twitching as well, and then from behind us, the same one from the grocery store appeared from the mist, stumbling towards us and emitting a low husky growl. It went without saying, he wasn’t dead… none of these people were dead. Slowly, they all began to sit up, and both of the girls latched onto me, stricken with fright. And then, the one from the shop outstretched its arms, and began emitting a soul-rattling, ear-piercing shriek. It was loud enough to have all three of us covering our ears.

And then, a loud boom sounded off in the distance, followed by a whistling sound above me. The man’s head then suddenly burst apart, bringing a very abrupt end to his shrieking. Akin to a marionette having its strings cut, the man went limp and dropped to the ground, his long-overdue death now delivered.

Someone had shot him.

Too shocked to speak, I started looking all around in search of the shooter. Was this the one who had taken a shot at Twilight? Were they friend or foe? Having just taken this thing’s head off, it was safe to say that they could have shot me by now, so why hadn’t they?

The rest of the bodies got to their feet, gurgling, grunting, and growling as their reanimation took hold, and in the distance came a most disorderly symphony. There were thuds and bangs, as though doors were being busted open, paired with the sound of windows being smashed, and metal clanging against metal. Following this came footsteps, dozens upon dozens of stampeding footsteps, and then from the mist we saw them… People, deformed and grotesque, half-decayed like the stirring bodies around us. Summoned by the screaming, they came charging from the haze and locked eyes on us, where they began emitting mindless feral sounds of their own.

“What do we do!?” Twilight shouted, breaking me from my stunned state.

Turning around to look at her, I bellowed my answer.

“RUN LIKE HELL!”

We burst into a sprint, hurtling away from them as fast as our legs could carry us. There was then another boom, and a loud hiss went over my head for a second time. One of the bodies in front of me was then knocked to the ground as a bullet struck it, dismembering the left arm in the process. It seemed that whoever was shooting was trying to help, although I hardly had the time to know for sure. Turning into an alley, I let the girls overtake me and I took out Inigo’s pistol. As the mob turned the corner and came into sight, I let off three shots, killing the three nearest people. Undeterred, they charged on like a wave, trampling the ones I had shot without a care in the world.

“Never mind then!” I shouted, realising that shooting them was folly.

Continuing to run, I caught up to the ponies again, where we slowly but surely gained distance on the screeching horde behind us. However, as we fled deeper into the city, more and more of the bodies that littered the streets began rising up to join the pursuit. We needed to get off the streets and hide, for the more we ran, the larger the putrefying mass of savages became. Turning into another alley, we found a roof access ladder, and I ordered the girls to climb it. Not needing to say it twice, they obeyed the command and shot up the ladder like a pair of panicked squirrels. Just as I started climbing after them, the now-hundreds-strong mob descended into the alley, where they immediately started climbing after me. Like ants, they began climbing on top of each other just to reach me faster, completely consumed by the need to catch us.

Reaching the top, I took out Wrinkleboom and unloaded both barrels into them, blasting the nearest climbers off the ladder and down into the writhing mass of other bodies. The sound of the shotgun was equal in volume to the cacophony of incomprehensible yells and screams below, and the kickback was so strong that the gun almost leapt from my hands. Even if I could reload the shells quick enough, there was no way I could stop them from reaching the top with just two shots at a time. Noting how much the ladder was shaking, I quickly realised that it wasn’t far off from breaking, the only fixings that hadn’t come away were here at the top. Whipping around to Twilight, I quickly ordered her to destroy them with her magic.

“But, my mana!”

“Just do it!” I hollered.

Too panicked to question me further, she rushed forward and looked over the roof’s edge, where her eyes almost bulged from their sockets upon seeing how close they were to reaching us.

“Oh shit!” she gasped, her horn lighting up, “Oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-shit!”

They were almost upon us, when from Twilight’s horn came a beam of concentrated energy, melting the metal fixing. With a loud snap, the ladder came loose and swung sideways, where it descended into the alley below with an almighty crash, taking all the monsters with it.

Finally, we were safe…

Stumbling backwards, we both fell onto our bottoms together, completely spent from the chase. Panting loudly, we looked at Rainbow Dash, who was anxiously pacing around in figures of eight.

“What… the fuck… was that!?” she cried out at last, “What were those freaking things!?”

Still out of breath, I looked back at her and swallowed. I then got to my feet and went to the edge of the building, where I looked down into the alley to observe the creatures. They were now shambling aimlessly amongst each other, as though they had completely forgotten about us already.

The rotting flesh, the mutated features, the mindless feral screams… There was only one word to describe these things, and although it seemed utterly insane to be saying it, I looked at Rainbow Dash sternly and said it anyway, telling her exactly what they were.


“Zombies…”





> Chapter Twenty-Seven: Post-Mortem Promenade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





“Are you for real?” Twilight scoffed, propping herself up, “Zombies? As in, the dead brought back to life?”

“Take one bloody look at them and tell me I’m wrong.” I retorted, pointing to the edge of the roof.

Shaking her head, the unicorn didn’t need to look, not after the chase we had just escaped from. She knew that I was right, these things were zombies, the living dead. This was a step above cartels and crocodiles, we were now dealing with something of a genuinely supernatural ilk. Radiation alone couldn’t have done this, the whole ‘ghoul’ thing from Fallout was nothing but a work of fiction, and entirely impossible. No, what was going on here was beyond a few spicy waves of nuclear energy, and I already had a hunch as to what elements were really at play here. Casting my mind back to Brazil, I considered those crocodiles in the lake, and how they had been magically enhanced by the nearby Orb fragment; I got to thinking that the same thing might have occurred here. Radiation on its own would kill you, or at the very least, give you a bunch of cancers and a heavy dose of rad poisoning. But sprinkle in some magic from an otherworldly artefact? Well, then something like this became not only a possibility, but as we had now learned, a reality.

There was one thing I didn’t get though, which was how this had gone so deeply under the radar. The details surrounding the Chernobyl disaster were well documented, and widely accepted by all. The inhabitants of this city had been evacuated, with no more than thirty people being killed in the initial incident. Over the following years, that number had risen from people dying to radiation induced cancer, but that had been long after the event, and far beyond the exclusion zone. There very simply shouldn’t have been anyone here… Contrary to all that, we were in a fully occupied city, with hundreds, possibly even thousands of these feral zombified inhabitants. Had it all been covered up? Had the USSR been so desperate to keep this a secret that they had faked the mass evacuation of fifty-thousand people? Thinking about it, it was hardly something the Soviets weren’t capable of. When compared to events such as the Red Terror, or the Holodomor, covering up a little zombie outbreak would have been a walk in the park for the bastards.

Still, there was no point in trying to rationalise it any further, the facts were the facts; Pripyat was owned by the irradiated undead, and we were their guests. Sniffing emphatically, I told the girls that we needed to press on and to make as little noise as possible, for that was what seemed to attract them.

“Heh, I guess Pinkie did try to warn us…” Rainbow pointed out, shrugging.

“Jeez… you’re right.” I sighed.

Thinking back to when Pinkie Pie had mentioned ‘smelling zombies’ upon Twilight’s return, I realised that our little pink goofball wasn’t so crazy after all, she truly could detect things that no one else could. With radiation in mind, perhaps this was also why she had referred to the microwave as an ‘evil voodoo box’? Thinking about it, the very concept of zombies had originated from voodoo, or to be more specific, a Haitian religion called Vodou. Knowing Pinkie, it was entirely possible that she had foreseen this revenant danger from the start, before we had even left for Brazil. Shaking my head in disbelief, I vowed to never again doubt that mare’s bizarre sayings and prophecies, and to heed them with care.

Stepping forward, Twilight asked what we were to do now, as we were stuck on the rooftops. We settled on waiting for the crowd below to disperse, and then for her to retrieve the broken ladder with her magic. From there, she would carefully prop it back up in a way where we could clamber down and embark into the streets. Although the unicorn’s mana was dangerously low at this point, she could just about handle a quick and easy telekinesis job. With the zombies not having anything to move for, they weren’t exactly the speediest when it came to leaving, and so I decided to speed up the process. The rooftop had a fair few loose bricks, and it wasn’t all that hard to pull them loose. From there, I threw them as far as I could, causing them to smack into the pavement below on the far side of the road. It worked a treat, and soon enough the dead started to clear out of the alley.

“Hey, I’ll give you five bits if you can hit one of them from up here.” said Rainbow Dash.

“You don’t even have five bits!” Twilight barked, “And even if you did, humans don’t use them!”

Chuckling, I said that Rainbow could pay me with a nice compliment instead, and then I chucked a brick at one of the larger clusters of bodies. It struck one of their brittle heads, caving it inward and killing the creature immediately.

“Bullseye!” I exclaimed with a grin.

Rainbow cheered and started shaking my wrist with excitement, while Twilight looked away with absolute revulsion, covering her mouth. She then came over to us and shoved the pegasus away from me, glaring into my eyes.

“What is wrong with you?” she spat, “Those things were people once! They were humans like you. They had lives, families, and you’re here treating it like it’s some kind of joke! See, now this right here is why I’ve been right not to trust you, and exactly why I can’t stand you or your kind. I was right all along, you’re a sick-minded, violent, brute! And if I didn’t need you for this damn mission, I’d have half a mind to throw you down there to those things, and then we’ll see if it’s still funny!”

Dipping my chin and lowering my shoulders, I knew she was right. I opened my mouth to apologise when she whipped around to face Rainbow Dash.

“And you…” she growled, “What in Tartarus has gotten into you? Egging him on? Laughing at death? You should be ashamed of yourself! I can expect it from the human, but from you? Disgusting…”

Dashie’s eyes glazed over and she lowered her head guiltily.

“I… I didn’t… I wasn’t thinking…” she croaked.

“Yeah well, that I can expect from you.” Twilight snapped, “You’re not exactly the brightest pegasus around, are you?”

“Hey come on, there’s no need for-”

“Shut it, human!” she barked, cutting me off and whipping back around to face me, “You don’t get to speak to me. You are my guide, nothing more, so guide me to my damn Orb shard, so I can be another step closer to never having to look at your nauseating face again!”

Exhaling heavily out of her nose, she marched past me and began raising the ladder with her magic. My eyes glazed over like Rainbow’s, and I felt all the colour and mirth leaking out of me, as I realised that I had just put my relationship with Twilight straight back to square one. Gritting my teeth and hanging my head even lower, I closed my eyes and swore under my breath.

“Fuck…”

It had been going so well. Ever since her apology in Brazil, things with Twilight had been incessantly on the incline, with her demeanour becoming more and more normal. She was addressing me by my name, we were having conversations, and I had seen her smiling and laughing with her friends. Hell, just today she was happy to educate me on her world’s languages and humour my curiosities. After I had cooked that food for her, and provided that warm bath, it was almost as if she was starting to like me!

And now, I had ruined it.

“Hey…” Rainbow Dash quietly said to me with a weak smile, “It was a good throw.”

“Not now, Rainbow…” I sighed, shaking my head.

I knew she was subtly honouring her wager to pay me a compliment, but being so soon after just undoing all my progress with Twilight, all I could feel was bitterness. Not knowing what to say, the pegasus gave me a regretful expression and walked past me, joining Twilight by the roof’s edge. I did the same, and as the metal ladder rose out of the alley and was propped against the wall, the unicorn ordered me to go first. Not arguing, I silently lowered myself down from the roof and planted my feet on the upper rungs, before steadily making my way down. Reaching the ground, I found quite a few zombies still littering the alleyway. Thankfully, these ones were now truly dead, having either fallen from the ladder during the chase, been shot by Wrinkleboom, or had simply been trampled to death by their own.

I held the ladder to keep it steady while the other two clambered down, and then we formulated a plan. Despite her renewed distaste for me, Twilight was at least civil when discussing what to do. With the majority of the undead being in the open road, the proposal was to use as many backstreets and alleys as we could, slinking through the city and relying on stealth. Any zeds that crossed our path would be dealt with via Krocsbane, or if their numbers were too great, they would be distracted with a spell or two from Twilight, as and when her mana had replenished enough.

With our stratagem established, we cautiously left the alley. Thankfully we were able to cross the street and make it to the next block. Over the next half hour or so, we successfully dipped and ducked through this particular patch of the city, and it seemed like we were making good progress. I had only needed to use Krocsbane once, quickly dispatching a zombie with a swift blow to the back of the head. It seemed that their bones had become awfully soft during their time in undeath, for the knife had pierced its skull with barely any resistance at all; it was no different to slicing into a rotten pumpkin.

“Having fun?” Twilight sneered as I wiped the blade clean.

Choosing not to respond, I looked away and clenched my jaw. For what it was worth, I wasn’t having fun at all, I had actually been quite disturbed upon delivering the blow, not that the unicorn would have cared.

“How much further do you think we have to go?” Rainbow wondered aloud, trying to change the subject.

“Hard to tell.” I muttered, “With how overgrown this place is, every block looks the same.”

I was about to check my phone map to get a better gist of our position, when we heard a noise up ahead. Like the lowest note on an untuned piano, a bassy twang rang out, and all three of us stopped in our tracks. We scanned the road ahead to find the sound’s origin, but much to our horror, the sound’s origin had found us first. Rising up out of the undergrowth, came a mutant creature unlike any old zombie. It was like two people had merged into one, sporting four gnarled arms, and a pair of bulky legs that had clearly once been multiple. Its head was mangled and bulbous, with an odd number of asymmetrical eyes. Opening its unnaturally wide mouth, it revealed a smaller second mouth within, which in turn opened up and let out an almighty screech.

“Run!” I shouted.

Tucking tail, we bolted away from the creature, back to where we had come from. It gave chase, and thanks to its powerful legs, it was much faster. Darting to the right, we cut through the treeline and turned into a block of buildings, where we made an attempt to lose it inside one of them. Regrettably, it didn’t relent, instead forcing its way in after us and smashing everything in its path.

“Can you hurry up and shoot this thing!?” Twilight yelled, her eyes wild with fear.

“What, and attract everything else?” I snapped back, skidding through a narrow doorway with her.

“That’s a then issue, can you please deal with the NOW issue!?”

“Well, you did say please…”

“Oh shut up and shoot it already!”

Spinning around and taking out Wrinkleboom, I let the hulking beast get closer before firing the first barrel. The buckshot struck true, knocking the creature back and shredding one whole side of it. After recovering from the shock, it made a lunge for me, clearly not adhering to any thoughts of self-preservation. Unloading the second barrel, I was able to blow apart one of its legs, sending it clattering to the floor. Still alive, it continued to crawl towards me, and I quickly fumbled around with my ammo belt to load another pair of cartridges. Lining up the barrels, I fired both for good measure into its head and delivered a grim, undignified end. With my ears ringing and my face spattered with dark blood, I turned to face Twilight and grimaced.

“I don’t suppose you have any cleaning spells?”

Remaining silent, Twilight just stared at the twitching body, in a state of shock from the violence. I cleared my throat loudly and it broke her trance. She blinked rapidly and gave her head a shake, and then raised her chin and gave a distasteful huff.

“I thought you things liked bathing in the blood of your enemies?”

Turning away from me, she caught up to Rainbow Dash, leaving me to wipe away as much blood as I could with the sleeve of my shirt. I didn’t have much time to clean up however, as from outside the building came a chorus of madness, hunger, and anguish. Drawn in by the shotgun blasts, a cluster of zombies had come, and were now searching for a way in.

“Well, Twilight… looks like our then issue has arrived.”

“I don’t want to hear it, Callum!” she snapped, sounding as vexed as she did afraid.

The dead arrived, smashing through the windows and clambering inside to join us. We escaped out the back and ran deep into the trees, only to find more zeds coming from that direction too. Almost getting surrounded, we were forced yet again to fall back on ourselves, our progress undone as we were driven back to the northwestern side of the city.


Eventually we got away, and in a bid to find an easier route, we moved further east, hoping to find less company there. It initially paid off, as we found the undead’s numbers to be much thinner. However, it soon became apparent as to why.

“Um, Callum…” Rainbow Dash began with a gulp, “What the heck is that?”

With a nervous gulp of my own, I fixed my eyes on the mass of dark matted fur that was feasting on the body of a zombie up ahead. It was low to the ground and had a gigantic toothy snout, currently buried halfway into its decomposing meal.

“I think, erm… I think that used to be a wolf.”

Shuddering, I realised that the magically altered radiation had affected not just the people of this place, but also the wildlife. We began backing away, only for it to look up and spot us. In seconds, it was charging for us, ravenous and yearning for fresh meat. Without much of a choice, I had to use Wrinkleboom again, blasting the creature with a round of buckshot and sending it skidding to a lifeless halt in front of me.

“Well, let’s hope these things aren’t attracted to sound.” I grumbled, reloading the spent barrel.

And then, as though the universe itself was sticking a middle finger up at me, the treeline ahead came alive as four more of them burst from the undergrowth, evoking an exasperated sigh from me.

“Oh, of course they are…”

Pulling out Inigo’s pistol, I was able to shoot two of them from further away, before swapping to Wrinkleboom to take out the other two upon their approach. By now, my ears were aching from all the shots fired, and for as much as I was racking up quite the kill count, I was more than ready for this to come to an end. Going over my ammo, I found that I only had five shots left in the pistol, and twenty-one shotgun cartridges.

“I really need to stop shooting.”

“Couldn’t agree more.” Twilight muttered, her ears still flattened to her head.

Just as we began to press on, the group of zombies that had chased us earlier arrived, once again lured by the shots. Running to where the mutant wolves had come from, we were thrust into yet another pursuit. But this time, it would seem that we had some help…

With a distant boom, that familiar whistle sounded off above, followed by one of the zombies up ahead dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Our mysterious gunman was somewhere nearby, providing overwatch and aiding our escape.

“Thanks!” I yelled openly, not knowing where the shot had even come from.

As we fled from road to road, we came across more wolves, but much to our surprise they didn’t go for us, they went for the zombies instead. Other creatures also joined the fray, things that weren’t quite zombie, like the multi-armed creature from earlier. It seemed as though there was a rivalry between the different forms of mutant; it wasn’t just the living they attacked, it was anything that wasn’t them. Before we knew it, most of our chasers were no longer after us, they were ravaging one another instead. During the frenzy, we were able to slip into a block of flats, thankfully losing them.

My heart was now pounding hard enough to physically feel inside my chest. Being an athlete, Rainbow Dash was doing okay, but poor Twilight was so out of breath that she couldn’t even stand up any more, falling to her knees and gasping deeply for air. However, we weren’t in the clear just yet, and as we tried desperately to catch our breath, we were met with yet another brand of mutant.

Emerging from one of the apartments came a tall, crooked, twitching body that could no longer be described as human. Its glossy hardened skin was a blend of black and orange, all of which was blistered, bubbled, and tautly stretched over a set of vastly elongated limbs. Its once-human forearms had split open, with the thinner ulna bone now serving as a long weaponised spike, controlled by the remnants of its hands, which now functioned like additional elbows. The creature’s head was no longer anything like my own, with the entire skull opening up at the back and forming a large mask-like faceplate, without an eyeball to be seen. The lower jaw was now parted down the middle and lined with serrated teeth, best likened to the mandibles of an insect, eager to rend the flesh and sinew of anything it could skewer with its forelimbs. From top to bottom, this malformed entity could only be described as an eldritch horror.



Noting the lack of eyes, I remained perfectly still as it entered the hallway. Copying my actions, the girls froze on the spot and watched in terror as the unholy creature lumbered towards us, swaying from side to side as it scanned its environment. The mandibles opened, and from it came a low raspy clunking noise, followed by dozens of rapid clicks, varying in pitch.

It was using echolocation…

{Don’t… fucking… move…} I thought to myself, gulping.

Even without eyes, this thing could still very much see, and all it would take was for us to move, and it would know we were here. With a gait like a macabre slow-dance, it strode past me, honing in on Twilight as she rattled with fear, still wheezing pathetically as she fought to control her breathing. As it passed me, I noticed that its spine had erupted from the back, with shards of bone jutting out like armour. More interesting however, was the back of its head; without a skull to protect it, the brain was perfectly exposed, encased in a thin white membrane. The organ stood out like a sore thumb, and considering how the rest of the skin had hardened into a chitinous material, it was likely the only way of killing it.

Moving as delicately as I could, I raised Krocsbane into the air and tiptoed towards it. I had to match my footsteps to its own or it would hear me, of which went without saying, would only end in disaster. As I got close, my foot crunched on some broken glass, and I had no choice other than to dive forward before it whipped around to look at me. Jamming Krocsbane into the exposed brain, the monstrosity let out a loud shuddering creak as we fell to the floor together, where it then began to twitch violently beneath me. Ensuring my strike was a fatal one, I gave the knife a hard twist, promptly putting a stop to its emphatic spasms. I lay still for a moment, letting my mind catch up to what had just happened, before I finally propped myself up to look at the girls. Letting out an exhausted sigh, I raised my eyebrows at them.

“You both okay?”

Rainbow Dash nodded, while Twilight swallowed loudly.

“Y-You… s-saved me…” she panted, still quivering.

“Yeah well, believe it or not, I prefer you alive.” I huffed, tugging the blade free from the creature’s head.

Breaking eye contact, Twilight continued to puff heavily, while Rainbow Dash came over to inspect the mutant, giving it an apprehensive prod with her hoof.

“Why didn’t it go for you?” she asked, tilting her head.

“Echolocation.” I replied after getting to my feet.

“Echo-what-now?”

“It could see using sound.” I explained, “Did you hear that clicking noise it was making? Well, that was helping it map the world around it.”

“Oh, you mean like a bat?”

“Exactly like a bat.” I answered, “Stand perfectly still, and you’re just a part of the environment.”

“Ohh…” she hummed loudly.

Despite already being fit to move again, Rainbow contently allowed for me and Twilight to continue catching our breath. Heading over to a nearby window, she peered out across the mist and scanned for movement, which for once, there wasn’t any. The nearby conflict between the zombies, mutants, and the wolves had concluded, with the victor unknown. After a few minutes of recovering, the unicorn gave me a nod, and we set out once more.

The day was getting on now, and if we didn’t get to the Orb shard soon, we would be spending the night here, which none of us were looking forward to. I took out my phone to check our location, to find that we had pretty much been going in circles, wholly disoriented by the constant slew of hostile encounters. Finally getting on the right track, we pushed into the lower half of the city, creeping through the trees and slinking through the alleyways, which was when Twilight came to a halt.

“You good?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” she replied, “It’s the Orb, we’re close enough to the piece for me to sense it. I know which way to go now.”

“Sweet!” Dashie cheered with a grin.

“What does that feel like exactly?” I inquired, “The Orb shard, I mean?”

Moving her mouth to one side, she best likened it to the sensation of a magnet, pulling at her horn and trying to steer her towards the missing piece. With an intrigued hum, we pressed on, now knowing exactly which way to go.

Along the way, I decided to come up with a new name for the zombies, as calling them ‘zombies’ felt equal parts surreal and uninspired. I gave it some thought, and after a few ideas sprang to mind, I eventually settled on calling them ‘zomrads’. Aside from the obvious play on the words ‘zombie’, and ‘radiation’, the name also sounded somewhat like the Slavic-accented pronunciation of the word ‘comrade’, which was fitting for the once-Soviet denizens of this city.

While moving from one road to another, we came across a handful of the newly-named zomrads, who began to run at us. In a bid to lose them, we slipped into the nearest building, which in hindsight wasn’t the smartest thing to do, as we bumped into even more of them inside. I was able to kill a few of them, but with all the noise, more of them were lured inside. Soon enough the ground floor was heaving with them, and with the entrance cut off, we were forced into one of the back rooms. With some of her mana restored, Twilight helped me by way of levitating as many furnishings as possible to block the door. It worked for a time, but slowly but surely the mass of writhing bodies began to break through. Their hands pushed through the barricade, reaching out blindly as their owners emitted warbling, twisted shouts of anger, as if the tormented souls within were trying to call out to us. Without any windows, we were trapped in here, and with about thirty to forty zomrads now trying to get in with us, we were beginning to panic.

“What do we do?” Rainbow cried out, her tightly bound wings squirming at her sides.

Looking around frantically, I searched for an answer, and just as things seemed bleak, I laid eyes on our solution. At the back of the room I spotted a sizable break in the wall, just big enough for us to squeeze through and escape. However, the passageway was right up against the ceiling, much too high to reach without a jump.

“Up through there!” I ordered, “Come on, I’ll give you a boost!”

Rushing over to the hole, I dropped to one knee and put my hands together. Without hesitation, the pegasus put one of her back hooves into my hands and allowed me to push her up. Grabbing the ledge, she hauled herself up and wriggled through the hole, dropping down into the street outside. I was about to repeat the motion with Twilight, when a cluster of zomrads broke through the barrier, billowing out and clattering to the floor. I rushed to meet them without hesitation, doing anything I could to keep the unicorn safe. After stamping on one’s head, another grabbed me from behind, to which I whipped around and delivered a hefty backhanded smack to the side of its head, knocking it away and sending it tumbling to the ground. Pulling out Krocsbane, I shivved the next one in the neck, which was when a third tackled me from the side. Almost being taken to the ground, it took every ounce of my strength to wrestle back against the attack and push the zomrad away, slashing out with Krocsbane as I did so. As the others rose up to join the frenzy, I realised just how outnumbered I was, and with a frustrated growl, I prepared myself to possibly go down fighting.

“Do you have enough mana to teleport?” I shouted, slashing at another one’s throat.

“I… uh…” Twilight whimpered, “I think so, but only for myself!”

“Then teleport!” I barked.

From outside, Rainbow Dash overheard me and gasped loudly.

“Are you crazy? You can’t take all those freaks!”

“Watch me!” I spat, only for the fifth attacker to dive at me and take me to the ground.

The zombified woman clawed bluntly at me with her decayed hands, and I was forced to drop Krocsbane and grab her by the wrists. Only partially subdued, the putrefied fiend tried to bite into my neck, her teeth snapping loudly as she chomped at the thin air between us. With a burst of adrenaline, I rolled sideways and knocked her off balance, allowing me to tuck my legs up and dish out a two-footed kick, flinging her away. I retrieved the knife and tried to scramble back to Twilight, only for five more of them to descend upon me, followed by a sixth. With true panic setting in as they piled onto me, I started screaming at the top of my lungs and kicking out wildly, flailing in a mad attempt to get away, which was when their weight was suddenly lifted off me. I rolled over to find them being pulled away from me by a shimmering magenta glow. Their heads were then suddenly snapped back at a very literal breakneck speed, killing all six of them simultaneously. The remaining furnishings were then levitated to the broken gap, reinforcing the barricade for a short while. Rolling over, I saw Twilight staring at me with a look of fierceness, her horn still glowing brightly.

“That makes us even.” she said, “Now give me a damn boost.”

Scrambling to my feet, I ran over to her and helped her up to the hole. Clambering through, she dropped down to join Rainbow Dash, who reared up and planted both of her hooves against the outer wall.

“What about you?” she rasped, anxiously pressing against the concrete.

“I’ll be fine!” I shouted, “Just get yourselves somewhere safe before it gets dark. I’ll catch up, I promise!”

Desperate not to leave me, Dashie asked how I was going to find them, to which I assured her that I would follow my phone to the Orb shard and meet them along the way. The barricade then started to break, and I turned around to prepare myself. Things then went from bad to worse, as Twilight informed me that there were more zeds outside, of which were quickly closing in.

“Then move!” I bellowed, “Get out of here and find somewhere to hide!”

There was no time for a better plan, and so Rainbow Dash conceded. The two ponies bolted away, now on their own for the time being. Clenching my fists, I looked back to the remaining zomrads as they began pouring into the room with me. Now separated from the girls at their behest, I felt the panic leave my body, and a rampant anger take its place. These monsters had just separated me from the girls, and now they were going to pay dearly for it. Clinging tightly to Krocsbane, I gritted my teeth and let out a wrathful hiss, readying myself for the bloody slaughter that lay ahead.


“Alright then, you rotting sacks of meat… Let’s fucking go…”





> Chapter Twenty-Eight: Nuclear Nightmares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Emerging from the building with a loud huff, I was now splattered from head to toe with dark reddish green blood. Every zomrad inside was now dead, but the carnage wasn’t over yet, for my screams from earlier had summoned plenty more of them. However, with adrenaline and ire now coursing through my veins, I had a whole new approach to this undead threat. These common zomrads were actually quite easy to deal with when isolated, it was only when they clustered together that I found myself in any real danger; and so the answer was awfully simple, I didn’t allow them to cluster together. Taking the fight to them, I ran from foe to foe and dispatched them without mercy, puncturing and pulverising them with blade and fist. There were a few close calls as the thicker bunches briefly overwhelmed me, but their greater numbers paled in strength to the vehement anger I now felt. It was a focused rage, a wrathful display of hatred for all who dared come between me and my duty to the girls. They were mine to protect, and our abrupt separation left me wholly consumed by a vicious drive to get back to them, and to destroy anything that stood in my path.

By the time they stopped coming, I was caked in blood, and as I finished off the last of them, I gave up on any false pretences of decency or decorum. Brutally tearing my attackers asunder, I shamefully found myself enjoying it, revelling in the rush as I shattered and sliced the last of their skulls and throats. For as disgusting as I should have felt, I was mainly just full of pride. These bodies around me, now mutilated and lifeless, that was my doing, and it felt good. Without a shred of guilt, I had been free to unleash my rage, of which right now, I was brimming with.

{Hey, lunatic.} said the voice in my head, {Focus, will you?}

Blinking rapidly, I realised that I had succumbed to bloodlust. What the hell had got into me? This wasn’t something to feel good about, or proud of. Gulping, I gave my head a firm shake and tried to calm myself down. Getting a grip, I went and tore some fabric from the deceased and wiped away as much blood as possible, before fleeing from the site of the massacre.

For as many as I had killed, at least a hundredfold more still roamed the streets, and I was no fool to think that I could handle them all. Now completely spent from the fighting, fatigue sapped at my strength, and I knew that I needed to find somewhere to hunker down for some rest, especially as the afternoon transitioned to nightfall. I desperately wanted to press on and find the girls first, but without knowing what kind of horrifying creatures might emerge from the woodwork at night, I was forced to turn in. Still, Twilight was as smart and resourceful as Rainbow Dash was agile and fearless; together they would be fine, and I needed to trust in that fact, and their ability to take care of themselves.

Slipping into the least decrepit apartment block I could find, I searched it for life, and was thankful to find it totally abandoned. Heading up to a higher level, I selected an apartment and got to work barricading the door, blocking it with chairs and cabinets. The bed was far too rotten to sleep on, but with how exhausted I was at this point, the floor would serve me just as well. Using my rucksack as a pillow, I curled up in the corner and closed my eyes, listening carefully to the sounds around me. I heard a few zomrads shambling around outside, but thankfully they passed on quite quickly. I then heard a loud clatter in the distance, followed by a tremendous roar. My eyes shot open upon hearing it, and I whispered to myself.

“I don’t even want to know what that is…”

{Well, with your luck, you’ll probably bump into it tomorrow.} my conscience teased.

“I’d rather not.” I scoffed.

With the voice choosing not to respond, I closed my eyes again and finally began to drift off, and with how exhausted I was, it wasn’t long before I was out for the count…


Opening my eyes, I remained absolutely still. Hovering above me was another one of those tall, blind, clicking monstrosities. It lowered its head down to me and I held my breath, doing everything in my power to remain as lifeless as the zomrads I had killed. Its mandibles opened, exposing a pitch black mass of muscle that had clearly once been a tongue. Emerging from its clicking toothy cave, the tongue descended onto me for a taste, snaking over my face like an inquisitive worm. Closing my eyes, I forced myself to do nothing, waiting patiently for it to back away. Eventually it did, leaving my face lathered in a snotty green ichor that reeked of death and decay. Try as I might to remain motionless, the smell was enough to bring forth a stifled gag, alerting the creature to my presence. Twitching violently, it realised that I was alive, but before it could go in for the kill, a large blade pierced its head from behind, skewering it completely and bursting out from its bony faceplate. Frozen with both awe and terror, I stared with wide eyes as the limp creature was cast aside, and in its place came forth a man, clad from head to toe in strange armour, and wielding a curved longsword. It was like something from a science fiction film, for the futuristic armour was a dark chromatic purple, and his helmet had very little discrepancy from a Spartan’s from the Halo games. More shocking than this, however, were the countless white feathers that swayed just behind him.

This mysterious armoured man had a pair of wings.

“Uh… th-thanks…” I stammered, wiping the mucus from my face.

Slowly tilting his head, the man inserted the bloodstained sword into a slot at his hip, and to my amazement, the entire blade disappeared as it passed through, leaving just the handle. He then stared at me for a moment through his glowing lilac visor, and then at last he spoke.

“Your visit to Pripyat hasn’t been going well, has it, Callum Horncastle?”

His accent was English, although it was hard to distinguish, for his voice was tinny and robotic, obscured by the filter in his helmet. With my eyes widening at his words, I quickly got to my feet and pointed at him.

“How do you know my name?”

“I know many things.” he replied, “I know where you’ve been, and I know where you’re going. I also know where your friends are hiding.”

“Where?” I demanded.

“South of here.” he answered, “They’ve taken shelter in the nearby train station. You’ll find them in the furthest carriage to the east, a little way down the line.”

“Okay.” I said with a gulp, “I’ll head there now.”

“No, you will not.” he replied, lifting his chin slightly, “The moon still hangs high, and within its pale light dwells an adversary beyond your ability to reckon with. It is unlike the malformed ilk you have faced thus far, its transition is… greater than one might expect.”

“Transition?” I echoed, “What’s really happening here?”

“Your premonition was correct.” he explained, “The radiation has combined with a substance from the fragment you seek. A residue, left by the sinister form of magic used to shatter the Titans’ Orb and send it to this realm. The afflicted within this city, they were never killed, you see. They have been both preserved and destroyed by this substance, forced to live on the brink of death for the remainder of their pitiful existence. But amongst them, as with the misshapen monsters you have seen, there are some who have changed, who have transcended their past forms. There is one who would call herself queen of this place, a malevolent entity that hunts only in the dark of night. You would do well to avoid her.”

“Noted…” I muttered, before looking at him with a frown, “Wait a minute, my premonition? What, so you can read minds as well then, huh?”

Dipping his head to confirm that he could, he gave a resoundingly cryptic verbal answer.

“There is much I am capable of, and much, I am not…”

With a frown, I boldly took a step towards him and briefly clenched my jaw.

“Who are you?”

To this, I noticed his wings flex ever so slightly. Was he startled by this query? Perhaps unnerved by my approach? Had he found my demand entertaining, or perturbing? Maybe he had felt nothing at all, and had simply needed to give his feathered limbs a small stretch. It was so hard to gauge him, for his body language told me nothing, nor did his monotone voice, devoid of all emotion.

“You needn’t know who I am.” he told me, “All you need know is that I am your ally.”

At such an answer, I reluctantly hung my head. For as much as curiosity gnawed at my bones, I was in far too much shock and reverence to question this mysterious visitor. Still, in an attempt to gain at least some knowledge, I asked about the supposed ‘sinister magic’ that had been used to break the Titans’ Orb, along with asking who had been responsible for it, and why.

“Speak with Twilight on this matter.” he instructed, “She knows far more than she’s letting on.”

“How do you know that?” I asked.

“As I said, I know a great many things.”

With that, he turned away from me and started to walk away. I begged for him to tell me more, only for him to remain silent. As he reached the doorway however, he paused, and made one final statement.

“Steel your mind, Callum Horncastle. Your path is one of many foes, of which some will require more than the brawn of your flesh to contend with. I will be watching overhead, and will provide aid when I am able to do so.”

He left the room and took a right turn, disappearing out of sight. And then, in a sudden instance, dozens of screaming zomrads poured in through the doorway. Before I had so much as a chance to react, they had already swarmed around me and pulled me to the ground. My arms and legs were held down, and I could feel them scratching and biting at me, shredding me to pieces with tooth and nail. One of them then pounced on top of me, straddling me and staring into my eyes, and that was when I recognised his face.

“Hey motherfucker, did you miss me?”

It was Inigo Montenegro, the Bogeyman of Brazil. His belly was still gushing with blood from the mortal blow I had given him, and his eyes were gleaming with madness and disdain. Frozen like a deer in the headlights, all I could do was stare at him in disbelief while my body was ripped apart by the others. And then with a wicked smile, Inigo punched downward with his bare hand, puncturing my chest. I could feel it pushing deeper and deeper into me, until at last his fingers wrapped around my heart, and with all the malice in the world, he squeezed as tightly as he could. I tried to scream, but the only thing to emerge from me was silence. As my former captor slowly pulled the beating organ from my body, he let out a low chuckle. He then blinked slowly at me, before gorging himself, stuffing as much of the heart as he could into his mouth. Everything went blurry and numb, and as the darkness crept in to engulf my reality, the last thing I heard was Inigo laughing, followed by his echoing voice.

“Oh, my little hermano… you have no idea how fucked you are…”


My eyes flared wide open, and with a loud gasp I sat bolt upright and clasped at my chest, patting and clawing at it desperately to check that my heart was still there. Needless to say, it was, and vigorously thumping in tandem with the panic that coursed through me. I looked all around for zomrads, but thankfully there were none, and in the low light I found the door to the apartment still barricaded. With a deep sigh, I flopped back down and tutted.

“Just a stupid nightmare…”

{Well…} muttered the voice in my mind, {I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was just a nightmare. That winged fellow seemed rather prophetic if you ask me.}

“Hmm…” I hummed, “How do we test that?”

To this, the voice scoffed and said that it was obvious. Rolling my eyes, it then clicked for me as well, and I dug into my pocket to check the map. The stranger had mentioned the girls hiding in a train station to the south, which was something I would have had absolutely no way of knowing; if the station was there, then the voice was right, it had been more than just a nightmare. Zooming in on my location and swiping upward, I was greeted by none-other than the Yaniv Train Station.

“Well I’ll be…” I murmured.

It was no nightmare; just as Princess Luna could visit the dreams of her subjects, I had been visited by someone. As for who he was, I had no idea. Recalling his claim to be ‘watching overhead’, I realised that this must have been the mysterious gunman, shooting the undead from the rooftops and aiding our previous escapes. The dark futuristic armour, the wings… who the bloody hell was he? Judging from his ability to read my mind, and his nonchalant awareness of the ponies, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was Luna herself. Had the Princess of the Night come to help us? No, that couldn’t be it… Shaking my head, I racked my brains in search of an answer, but all that came to me were more questions.

It was still dark outside, but with another glance at my phone, I found the time to be a little way past five o’clock in the morning, not long before daylight would begin to grace this accursed city. There was no use in trying to get more sleep now, I would only toss and turn in worry over the girls’ safety. While I waited for the sky to brighten a little more, I decided to tuck into a tin of ravioli. Taking it from my backpack and opening it with the ring-pull, I ate straight from the can, pouring it into my mouth to avoid using my hands, of which were still thinly tarnished with dark blood.

After that, I dismantled the barricade and left the apartment. Heading down the stairs, I found a zomrad on the ground floor that had wandered in during the night, of which I quickly dispatched with a blow to the back of the head. I then stepped outside and took an inward breath through my nose, regretting it almost immediately as the tainted air carried the stench of death. Stifling a cough, I took one last look at my phone to know which way was south, and then took off.

Just as before, I pushed along the outsides of the roads, sticking to the treeline to reduce my profile. Still wary of the supposed ‘queen mutant’ that hunted in the dark, I went as slowly and quietly as possible, not wanting to find myself contending with her. Along the way, I encountered a fight between a cluster of zomrads and a pair of the tall clicking mutants, and despite being vastly outnumbered, they quite easily held their own, towering above their attackers and skewering them one by one. It was a horrifying marvel to witness, but knowing that I needed to find the girls, I didn’t stick around to see who won. I pressed on, and just as the dawn truly broke, I reached the train station.

“Oh jeez…” I murmured.

Before me, littering both the building and the surrounding tracks, were zomrads aplenty. The girls must have been chased here, and taken refuge inside one of the train carriages to get away. If that’s what had happened, then I could only imagine how terrified they must have been all night. Gulping, I prepared myself for another gruesome battle.

“Oh, what I wouldn’t give for a sword…” I sighed.

From within my mind, the voice emitted a small chuckle. I then focused, and formulated a game plan. With most of the zomrads being on the ground again, returned to their idle state, my best option was to take the slow approach. If I were to stealthily kill as many of them as possible, I would be able to thin out their numbers before launching a full-scale onslaught. As carefully as I could, I tiptoed all around the outskirts of the station, planting Krocsbane into the necks and skulls of every zed I could get within striking distance of. The plan went down a treat, and as my kill count racked up to around thirty, the afflicted scourge became less and less of a threat.

{Just do me a favour and don’t get bloodlust like you did yesterday.} the voice said mockingly.

“I don’t plan on it.” I grumbled, yanking the knife from the base of a zomrad’s skull.

With the majority of them now dead, I grew more confident about my odds, and started closing in on the furthest carriage on the tracks. The girls were in there alright, for it had been barricaded from the inside. The windows were covered in sheets of metal, which had been crudely twisted and bent to stay in place, likely by Twilight’s magic. Most of the carriage itself had been crushed inwards as well, most likely to tighten all the gaps and to prevent the doors from opening. The telekinetic strength required to crush a whole train car would have cost every remaining ounce of mana Twilight had; she must have been in a hurry to seal herself and Rainbow Dash inside. They had likely been chased here, and didn’t have the time for any alternative.

Then I saw it…
All along the carriage, were sets of gargantuan claw marks. Something had tried to get inside, something big. Then I realised that most of the zomrads surrounding the carriage hadn’t simply returned to their inactive state, they had been killed, and judging from their disembowelled and limbless remains, I didn’t think the girls were responsible for it. Gulping, the harrowing thought crossed my mind. Did these marks belong to the creature mentioned by the stranger? Had Twilight and Rainbow Dash been pursued by the night-stalking mutant queen? It would certainly allow for the state of the carriage to make more sense.

As my footsteps crunched on the gravel, the few surviving zeds got to their feet. Being only eleven strong, I wasn’t intimidated in the slightest, and gave them a confident smirk and narrowed my eyes as they turned to look at me.

“Morning.” I spoke in a low, bassy tone.

Growling and hissing, they charged, and I ran forward to meet them. Slamming my fist into the first one’s face, I knocked it to the ground with ease, before shoulder ramming another, flinging it away. I then twisted around to meet the third, jamming Krocsbane into the side of its head. Quickly tugging it out, I slashed at another, catching it in the throat. I killed three more, before the one I had shoulder rammed caught me off-guard, having got back up and pounced on me from behind. In a bid to get it off, I backed up against the train carriage and threw myself against it as hard as I could, with enough force to crack the zomrad’s brittle spine. It released me immediately and collapsed to the ground, and from inside the carriage, I heard a panicked gasp from Twilight, spooked by the sudden impact against her hiding place.

“Is it back!?” she cried out.

“How the heck should I know?” Rainbow barked in reply.

Unable to eavesdrop for long, the fight continued, and I sprang forward into the remaining zomrads, punching, slashing, stabbing, and kicking them to their belated demise. It may have taken nearly thirty years, but they now finally had their peace, and after my visitation from the stranger last night, I felt more humble for delivering it. Yesterday’s violence had felt good for the sake of unleashing my anger, but today, I felt good for another reason; I had liberated these souls from their unholy shackles. Whatever came next after death, it was better than what had happened to these people, and I held no shame in admitting that I was proud to have set them free.

Turning my attention to the carriage, I went over to it and listened carefully. Inside, I could hear the girls whispering to each other, and a hoof anxiously tapping in patterns of four.

“Are they gone?” I heard Twilight ask.

“Dude, again, how am I supposed to know?” Dashie clapped back, “You blocked all the windows!”

“Find a gap or something then!”

Grinning, I decided to give them a little scare, and began to grunt and growl at the nearest window. They immediately fell silent, hoping that they would be left alone. I then started lightly pawing at the carriage.

“Raahh!” I growled playfully, “I’m a zombie! I have come to feast upon your pony flesh!”

And then, with the sassiest demeanour I could muster, I put on a lisp and fussed over my fingernails, speaking in a nasally camp voice.

“But like… only the juicy bits, you know? Because you girls are quite… how do I say this? Gamey…”

There was a moment of silence, before Rainbow Dash cried out my name upon realising it was me. Using her front hooves to punch out one of the metal sheets from a window, the pegasus stuck her head out and stared at me with her mouth agape. She then broke into a wide, open-mouthed smile, and being completely unable to contain her joy, she clambered out and leapt into my arms, totally unfazed by the blood all over me.

“Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh!” she blurted out, hugging me tightly, “I thought you were a goner! How the heck did you get out of that place? There were so many of them! Were you able to climb out too or something? Shit dude, you totally could have been zombie bones!”

“Could’ve been, but I’m not.” I replied, hugging her back.

Putting her down, I explained that I had very simply fought my way out, leaving Rainbow in a state of utter amazement. She asked how I had been able to handle so many, to which I shrugged.

“Honestly, I kind of just saw red, you know?” I admitted with a shrug, “After you two escaped, I just thought about how much danger you’d be in without me, and then I kinda flipped out. All I wanted was to get back to you both, and nothing was going to stand in my way.”

“Flattered.” Twilight grumbled, clambering out of the window to join us.

Making her approach, the unicorn looked me up and down, and just as I was expecting some lowly comment about the state of me, all she had to say was that it was good to see me alive. Raising my brow in surprise, I felt an unexpected wave of comfort from the mare.

“You too.” I breathed, before pointing to the train carriage, “Looks like you nearly weren’t. What the hell happened here?”

Hanging her head and giving it a solemn shake, Twilight couldn’t even bring herself to describe it to me. Ceding the story to Rainbow Dash, she allowed the pegasus to explain.

“Okay, so when we ran off, we got chased by a whole bunch of those things. They straight up chased us all the way here! But dude, something way bigger came along. It was like something out of the Everfree Forest, it was a freaking monster!”

{That sounds like the ‘queen’ alright…} I thought.

{Yeah, no kidding…} the voice agreed.

Dashie went on, describing the creature to be nearly twice my height, with a set of enormous claws, easily as long as my wrists. A dark green in colour, the beast supposedly had an enormous crocodilian maw, and numerous black horns that curled in many a direction. All and any semblance of humanity was lacking from the description, and as Rainbow delineated as to how it tore through zomrads like they were mere playthings, I came to one very easy conclusion; the girls had indeed met the mutant queen.

Apparently, the zomrads had attacked it, giving the girls just enough time to reach the carriage and clamber aboard, followed by Twilight sealing them both inside. Just as I presumed, the unicorn had stripped the metal on the inside to cover the windows, followed by crushing their capsule with telekinesis to prevent the doors from opening. It had taken all the mana she could muster, and with a grim, nauseated expression, Twilight professed that once again, she had blued out.

“Oh shit…” I murmured.

“It’s not as bad as the last time.” she admitted with a grumble, “But we’ll still be without magic for a few days.”

Even with such a claim, the unicorn looked dreadful. Her eyes were red-rimmed and glassy, and were surrounded by dark circles. With how poorly she looked, I couldn’t help but recall just how badly bluing out had affected her in Brazil. I was hit by a wave of empathy, and I gave the mare a weak smile, letting her know that in spite of our differences and distaste for one another, I was there for her. With a brief nod of acknowledgement, she suggested that we got moving.


We followed the tracks as they led straight to the power plant, and along the way, I told the girls about the visitor. They didn’t quite believe me at first, but the fact I knew where to find them was enough evidence to know I was telling the truth. Dashie was simply dumbfounded, while Twilight on the other hand quickly got to work in trying to figure out who the winged stranger was. Just as I had, she briefly theorised that it was Princess Luna’s work, but the idea was quickly dismissed. If one of the royal sisters had come here, they surely would have presented themselves in person, as opposed to speaking to me and only me by way of visiting my dreams. We both agreed that the unseen gunman was almost certainly behind this, but until he chose to reveal himself again, we simply didn’t have any information to go on.

It wasn’t long before we were finally out of the city, and up ahead lay the Chernobyl power plant. The fog was even thicker here than in the city, and it carried a faint greenish tint to it. As we grew closer, we stumbled upon more zomrads, but unlike the ravenous type that dwelled in Pripyat, these ones had become so heavily decayed that they could no longer exert themselves, for there was barely a shred of muscle on them. Most of them had lost all of their senses, with their eyes, noses, and ears all rotted away. The poor things lay hither and thither in crooked heaps, moaning pathetically to themselves as they awaited the end of the world.

“This is… horrible.” Rainbow Dash croaked, barely able to look at them.

“I know.” I agreed, looking around, “The stuff that did this to them, it’s stronger here.”

“I can sense it.” said Twilight, “Even without my magic, I can feel it…”

Turning to look at her, I asked what she meant, to which she clenched her jaw and elaborated.

“It’s like a breeze.” she whimpered, closing her eyes, “A cold, dark feeling, washing over me. It’s bitter, and violent, and… I know what it wants.”

Gesturing for her to go on, she looked as though she was about to cry, and with a gulp, she finished.

“It wants to feed.”

Staring at her with dread, a shiver went down my spine. And then, without warning, a noise from behind caused all three of us to jump, and we whipped around to face it. It was a zomrad, so thin that its bones could be seen through its saggy greyed skin. It staggered towards us at a snail’s pace, lacking its lower jaw and only possessing one outstretched arm; the other had evidently fallen off at some point.

{Think we should lend him a hand?} my conscience suggested with a light chuckle.

{Dude… not cool.} I thought back distastefully.

Sighing, I chose to put the wretched thing out of its misery, walking over to the poor soul and giving it a gentle push. It fell over without a shred of resistance and just lay there, gurgling quietly. Kneeling down, I gritted my teeth and stuck it with the knife, to which it slowly closed its eyes. Exhaling heavily out of my nose, I dipped my head to it as it drew its final breath.

“Be at peace.” I murmured.

Getting back up, I noticed that the girls were staring at me solemnly.

“I don’t think that one was trying to attack us.” said Twilight as she looked down at her hooves, “I think it wanted you to do that.”

“I think so too.” I breathed, “Come on, let’s go.”

We pressed on, and eventually we made it to the true origin of this unholy scourge.
The Chernobyl power plant.

“Damn…” Rainbow uttered, “That building is huge!”

“That’s the sarcophagus.” I explained, “That’s where the reactor is, and where the Orb shard will be.”

“We’re going in there?” she blurted out, “But… what if there are like… crazy mutants and stuff!?”

“Then we kill them.” I replied dryly, “Don’t tell me that the fearless Rainbow Dash has lost her nerve?”

Shaking her head, Dashie insisted that she wasn’t scared, and with an almost comically loud gulp, she followed me as I entered the facility. Unsurprisingly, the whole place was surrounded by security fences, but by sticking to the train tracks, we found a nice easy way in. There were a few more zomrads to dispose of, but they were all just as feeble as the last one, and it wasn’t long before we reached the front of the sarcophagus. It was completely blocked off, smothered in vegetation and rusty debris.

“Now what?” said Dashie.

“We’ll have to try the back door.” I hummed with a furrowed brow.

“That’s a little forward.” she scoffed, “Take me on a date first, dude.”

My mouth fell open, before I clamped my eyes shut and burst into a flabbergasted laugh. Twilight then gasped upon realising what Rainbow meant, and gave the pegasus a shove that was hard enough to send her staggering away. The unicorn then marched away, throwing her head from side to side in revulsion.

“Ugh, disgusting!” she howled, “Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting!”

Rainbow Dash roared with laughter, and merrily trotted along after her, pleased to have evoked such a reaction. Still in disbelief, I trilled my lips and shook my head, before taking off after them.

Circling around to the back of the building, we found a door that would take us inside. The only issue was that it was locked, but thankfully the inner bolt had corroded enough for me to break it with a few well-placed shoulder barges. As the final ram sent the door bursting open, a thick cloud of fog billowed out, and it was potent enough to burn our throats and noses, causing all three of us to cough and splutter. It was so strong in fact, that I was able to perceive something beyond the acrid smell; it was as Twilight had described it, a sharp sense of malice, burning like hellfire, yet colder than ice. A voiceless command rippled through it, an order to consume every living thing. If I could feel it now, despite being a human without a shred of magical attunement, then I could only imagine how Twilight was feeling.

“You okay, dude?” asked Rainbow.

Realising that my fists were clenched in anger, I quickly released them and confirmed that I was fine. Whatever this stuff was, I didn’t think Twilight’s Blightward spell was fully blocking it out, and so I decided to pick up the pace and spend as little time here as possible. With the inside being awfully dark, I took my hand torch out from my rucksack and switched it on, casting a beam of light into the mist.

“Ladies first?” I playfully suggested with an anxious grin.

“Not a chance.” Twilight retorted, almost smiling.

“I’m pretty sure he was just being rhetorical.” Dashie pointed out.

“Ooh, that’s a big word for you!” I teased.

“Oh shut up!”

She strutted by me and whipped me with her tail, to which I huffed loudly with amusement. I then stepped inside, shuddering with unease. It was totally silent, without a creature to be seen. The fog was thickest at my feet, as though it carried a density to it, and was fighting to stay afloat.

“I have a bad feeling about this…” I whispered, mainly to myself.

{Alright Obi-Wan, chill out.} my conscience quipped.

{Shut it.} I clapped back in thought, rolling my eyes.

As we navigated the building, we came across a semicircular room filled with consoles and dials. This must have been the room that controlled the reactor, meaning the heart of the disaster was just behind it. Nervously grinding my teeth, I moved on and found a corridor. At the end was a set of double doors, and upon opening them, I was met by a breathtaking sight.

“Whoa…” Dashie breathed beside me.

We were now truly inside the sarcophagus, an almighty tomb of metal and concrete that went up by at least eighty metres. There were a handful of breaks in the roof, allowing daylight to pour in and ominously illuminate the place, so much so that I could turn off the torch and stash it in my pocket. Directly in the middle was the reactor, or at least, what was left of it. There was an enormous cluster of rusty metal debris halfway sunken into the floor, which was surrounded by even more crudely erected concrete walls; there had clearly been a very desperate attempt to contain this place. Amidst the green and white mist, I noticed a fair amount of the metal was faintly glistening, wet with heavy condensation.

“It’s very warm in here.” Twilight pointed out with a concerned frown.

Humming, I speculated that it was likely because of Elephant’s Foot.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“It’s a large mass of radioactive slag, left over by the disaster.” I explained, “It’s made of corium and some other stuff. It was basically like lava during the meltdown, spilling out all over the place and burning at extreme temperatures.”

Nodding, Twilight guessed that the Orb was probably inside it, which I reluctantly had to agree. We started to step forward, only for Rainbow Dash to emit a noise of absolute revulsion.

“Eww!” she squealed, “What did I just step in?”

Looking down, I realised that she had planted her hoof into some sort of murky slime. Before we could investigate further, we were all startled by a loud clattering sound, followed by the high-pitched squeal of metal being forced apart.

“Um, what the heck is that?” Twilight mewled, her eyes wide with fear.

Unsure of what to say, I remained perfectly still and watched in absolute horror as the ground began to tremble, and a deep, bassy, gurgling hum resonated through the air. The reactor’s remnants then began to shift and stir, and as pieces fell away, something inside began to reveal itself. Several thick tentacle-like limbs burst free, followed by the rest of its body. It rose up and towered above us, and embedded in the middle of the indescribable mass was a pulsating bluish green chunk of crystal; the Orb shard.

Acquiring it would prove quite the task however, especially without Twilight’s magic, and as the rest of the reactor fell away, I realised exactly what this thing was.




It was Elephant’s Foot.
And it was alive…