It was early the next morning that I started to wake up from my sleep. I sat up in my bed and my head raced with thoughts of last night. Once I opened my eyes the suitcase up against my drawer caught my gaze and I was fixed on it. It was a black leather suitcase full of lots of money that I don't need. I stretched out my arms and looked at the time. It was still early, and I've got to meet twilight at noon today. So with that in mind I got out of bed and took a morning shower to freshen myself up. I got out of the shower and dried off. I stopped to look at myself in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. The cut across my cheek is better, hardly visible anymore, and the stab wound I suffered a few months ago has now become just a nasty scar on my shoulder. I turned around and stared at the tattoo on my back... Whenever I see it I get a chill down my spine, and a very uneasy feeling.
Ever since this thing appeared in my body it's been haunting me. There's a very deep part of me that's telling me that it's much more than just a tattoo. Stuff like this doesn't just happen to people without any kind of reason, so why did this happen. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that it's appeared on my body like magic, but I don't know why. And what's more freaky is that I've been more... Well, I've been different since it appeared. It's like I've finally got some kind of direction in life now. And sometimes I get this strange feeling, like a sixth sense that happens whenever there's danger around. I can always seem to tell when and where something bad is going to happen around me. I'm not sure what this is, or why it's happening to me... But ever since that day it appeared, and I joined Donnie's gang again, I've had this constant, inescapable feeling that something is going to change. I don't know when, or how... Or what exactly is going to happen... But I know that it's going to happen... I can feel it in my gut.
I decided to pull myself away from the mirror and walked back to my room to get dressed. Once I was properly dressed I made my way to the kitchen for some breakfast. I did the normal morning routine of watching the news with a bowl of cereal. I kept my eye on the news until the anchorman started to talk about something that I almost couldn't believe. I quickly put down my breakfast and turned the volume up on the TV, and listened carefully.
"This just in..." He said. "A small town named ponyville not far from the Capitol of Canterlot seems to have its own caped crusader, so to speak."
"That's right Tom, in the late nights of ponyville a figure dressed in black can be seen jumping from rooftop to rooftop and hiding in the alleyways of south ponyville, who this man is, is unknown... But his intentions are not. Local witnesses claim that he works for a local mob boss and that he is in fact in cahoots with the underworld. The various witnesses cannot give an identity, but they refer to him as shadow." He said. "More news on this as the story develops." At that point I turned off the TV and sat there... Then I started laughing since it was only the other day that I started wondering why the news hasn't caught onto me. They don't even really have anything, just the alibis of locals, not even a picture too... Just an artist's sketch... It doesn't even look like me.
While it's all pretty funny, this might complicate things a bit. No doubt that other news stations are going to want to figure out my identity... But they'll never be able to do that. I just laughed some more and finished off my daily morning routine. Once I was all done with everything there wasn't much left to do but wait before I head out to twilights house. It was only ten... So I'll leave in a half hour. It makes my job a bit harder having the news all over me now, but I still kinda like the attention... It's so exciting. I'm the big bad villain apparently... And I bet they might out a bounty on me if I go un arrested long enough. It's all so exciting, it really is, living on the knifes edge, keeping secrets, and hiding in plain sight. Not to mention that any local bounty hunters could start coming after me. It's scary, but that's what makes it exciting.
It wasn't long before I decided to head out into town. I left my apartment and locked the door behind me. I headed out and started walking down the street with nothing but my knife in my back pocket, my keys, and a wallet full of money. Today was a beautiful day, probably looks better up in north ponyville where there are actually trees and birds and stuff. It's a nice warm day and there a gentle breeze in air with very few clouds in the sky. There were people and few ponies walking around these streets, just enjoying the nice day. The part of tone I live in isn't really a family neighborhood, so these people probably aren't walking just to enjoy the nice weather; they've most likely got someplace to be.
After a bit of walking the large city like buildings cleared out as I began to enter central ponyville, which is where the town wall is. It's pretty much the dividing point between the four sections of the town. With four streets leading up to it. South, north, east, and west street. Of course I made my way past the statue of princess Celestia and started making my way down north street. I kept walking and there was a pleasant mix of people and ponies walking around now with smiles on their faces. Children were outside playing and laughing, and there was a line of them at the park waiting to get ice cream at the stall. I checked the time on my watch and it was quarter to noon. I should be at twilights place in ten minutes, tops.
I kept making my way and took a shortcut through the park. A cool breeze blew by as the water in the pond ripple and birds flew overhead chirping and singing. I saw a familiar Pegasus pony fly overhead trailblazing a rainbow behind her. I made my way through the park and once I can out the other side it was a straight shot towards twilights house, which was in view. I made my way down the road and it took only five minutes to get to the front door. I knocked on the front door and waited a little before it swung open to reveal not twilight, but an angry looking purple and green dragon...spike. He didn't seem to be happy to see me, but we never really got along well. He just looked at me and rolled his eyes before even saying anything.
"Great... Your here..." He said.
"Nice to see you too spike." I said in a friendly manner. He hates it whenever I act friendly towards him, it drives him crazy. He just walked away with the door open and I walked right in.
"Spike... Who was at the door?" Shouted a voice from upstairs, it was twilights.
"It was nopony..." Replied spike.
"Good, Zack's here... Right on time." She said as hoofsteps started sounding across the stairs and twilight descended down to the first floor with a book levitating right beside me. "Hey Zack..." She said with a smile.
"Hey twi..." I replied. She walked down and made her way to the door as she used her magic to levitate a book back onto one of the very many shelves covering all the walls.
"So, what should we do today?" She asked.
"I don't know... It's a nice day out, how about we go to the park and get some ice cream." I said. "My treat..."
"Sounds nice... But you don't have to buy me ice cream." She said as we walked out the door and closed it behind us and started to make our way down the street.
"C'mon... Why don't you ever want me to treat you to anything...? Are you afraid that tilt seem like we're on a date?" I asked.
"Well... That's half of it." She said blushing.
"I suppose you're right." I said. "If others think that a human and a pony are dating, especially given my own history, there'll be no end to the shit they'll give us."
"That may be true... But I don't want you to constantly be in my debt all the time." She said.
"I know, but you did get me another job, and I want to pay you back but you never let me." I said.
"You don't have to pay me back. If you didn't get a job you would have had to leave. So you got to stay and I still have a friend, and you've got a job... It was a win win situation." She said.
"I feel like you didn't do this just to benefit from it." I said. "But I guess you're right... But still, I'm going to pay you back... One of these days, I swear on it." Twilight just let out a sigh and then returned to a smile.
"I suppose there's no stopping you once you've got your mind set on something." She said. "Alright, I suppose there will be a day that you repay me, but today is not that day... Alright?"
"Yeah... Sure... Another day then." I said. She smiled as we made our way into the park and to the ice cream stand. We bought our ice cream and sat down to enjoy it. We sat there eating our ice cream on one of the park benches and we made casual conversation. We caught up on what we've been doing and as usual I told twilight that I wasn't up to much. I can't really tell her about the things that have been happening recently. She's been doing well too, but then she brought up a bit of a touchy conversation piece.
"Hey, did you catch the news this morning?" She asked.
"Uh, just a bit...I overslept a little." I said.
"Did you hear the part when they talked about ponyville?"
"C'mon... They never talk about ponyville on the news." I said.
"They did..." She said. "Apparently there's this guy that goes around south ponyville leaping from the rooftops, they say he's in league with ponyvilles underground. I mean, he attacked one of liquor stores in south ponyville, and he even broke into somebody's house last night, cut him up, and tied him to the bed in front of his wife, it's a miracle that the guy is still alive."
"Damn..." I said. "I knew that there was crime in this city, but I didn't know we had that kinda stuff." I said lying completely through my teeth.
"It's kinda scary isn't it...?"
"Yeah... Life in a big town like this can be rough." I said. "Well... It's a lot tougher living in south ponyville... Nothing ever happens in north ponyville."
"We have our fair share of stuff...that, uh... Happens." Said twilight.
"Yeah, maybe every now and then some stupid kid steals a candy bar or something from a corner store." I said. "But it's nothing to really be worried about."
"Yeah, okay... I guess you're right." She said.
"Sometimes I think it would be nice to just live in a small house along the edge of north ponyville... That'd be nice, no noise to worry about, and it's completely out of the way."
"Hey... That reminds me..." Said twilight. "I completely forgot... Oh, damnit!" Said twilight.
"What?" I asked.
"Argh! I can't believe I made plans today; I've got to go meet fluttershy soon for tea... I promised her I would come." Said twilight.
"That's fine..." I said. "You should go meet your friend... We can do this tomorrow or something."
"I'm so stupid, I should have been more aware of my schedule..." She said. "WAIT!" She then suddenly blurted out.
"What?" She said startling me a little.
"Why do t you come with me?" She asked. "I'm sure you and fluttershy will get along just fine... I mean, she is really shy, but she's the kindest pony I've ever met, I'm sure if you give her some time she'll warm up to you."
"Are you sure?" I asked getting this bad feeling again; I know this isn't going to go well... I can always tell. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this."
"Don't worry... It'll be fine, I promise." She said... C'mon let's go... We're going to be late if we don't hurry." She said. She left the bench and started running through the park. I didn't want to, but I followed right after her. They may be smaller than us humans, but ponies can sure damn run. The only reason I've been able to keep up with her is because I'm bigger with longer legs, and jumping from rooftop to rooftop is a good way to stay in decent athletic shape... Plus I've been quitting smoking, ever since then my stamina has pretty much tripled. We ran and we ran until we arrived at a small cottage just outside the rim of the ever free forest. We stopped and caught our breaths and then walked up to the cottage. The door was small, fit for a pony... Not a man.
"Can I even fit through this door?" I asked.
"Don't worry... She usually has these outside." Said twilight as she brought her hoof up and knocked on the door. It was one of those half doors where the bottom and the top open up separately. I didn't hear any hoofsteps but then suddenly the top half of the door swung open and almost hit me. I jumped back and avoided the door and then crouched down so I could see into the doorway. In the doorway was a yellow Pegasus pony with long pink hair and sea green eyes, not to mention a big smile across her face.
"Oh twilight... It's you." She said softly. She had a very quiet and soft voice. I think the best way to describe it would be that she talked in a loud whisper. "Uhm... W-who's your friend?" She asked getting sort of afraid to see me. I just tried to give her a pleasant smile and raise my hand to say high but she just whimpered and hid behind the bottom half of the door just barely peering over to see me.
"It's okay fluttershy; this is my friend Alex that I've been telling you about." Said twilight. "It's okay, he's a nice guy." Said twilight. She leaned over to me and whispered into my ear. "She gets nervous around humans because they're much bigger than us..." She said to me and then pulling away from my ear, "don't worry fluttershy... I invited him over, I hope that's okay."
"No... It's...fine..." She said in a very soft whisper that I could barely hear.
"Why don't you introduce yourself...?" Said twilight looking over to me.
"Oh... Uh... Yeah." I said getting a bit closer to the door. I had to kneel down to see her. Normally this wouldn't be a problem for most other people, thought they might have to bend over a bit, but I'm a rather tall guy with long legs, so the top of the doorway stopped at around my chest. "Hi... My name is Zachary Walker... I'm twilight's friend." I said.
"I-I'm... F-flutters-" I could only here half of her name, the rest of it was too soft and quiet to comprehend.
"Huh?" I asked.
"My names...flutte-" she said as the other end of her name became inaudible again.
"Well... Uh, fluttershy." I said already knowing her name. "It's nice to meet you." I waited to see if she would respond, but she just stayed quiet and avoided eye contact. The whole situation was rather awkward, but she seemed nice enough, just really shy. I think I get why her name is fluttershy now.
"Well, uh... Fluttershy, why don't we get the tea party started." Said twilight.
"Does he have to come?" She asked sheepishly from behind the lower half of the door.
"I can leave if I'm being a burden..." I said.
"Please do..." Said fluttershy quietly.
"Nopony's leaving... Fluttershy, get out here." Said twilight opening the door and pulling the butter yellow pony out of the small tree cottage. Twilight slid fluttershy in front of me and she just stared at me with big terrified eyes.
"Eep!" She gasped as she dashed back and hid behind twilight.
"Fluttershy... What's the matter with you...? He's not that terrifying." Said twilight.
"But he's so much bigger than me." She squeaked out.
"Fluttershy, your one of the shortest ponies I know, there are lots of other ponies that are bigger than you, and you've even made friends with a bear... A freaking bear which is twice his size!"
"I know... But he's a human." She said. "I can't help that they scare me."
"Fluttershy... Everything scares you." Said twilight still acting as a meat shield for the yellow pony to hide behind. Looking at myself now standing up, I did realize that I am a rather tall human. So I decided to get down in the grass and sit down with my legs crossed, making me smaller. At this point I was at height with the two ponies. "Could you at least give him a chance?" Asked twilight. At this point I started to notice and abundance of little woodland creatures and animals wandering around the yard. They all seemed to converge on this one spot in front of fluttershy's house. I knew that ponies were rather in tune with nature... But this is ridiculous.
"The animals really seem to like this place..." I said watching them all scurry around. I sat there and a brown hare hopped its way over to me. I didn't move because I didn't want to scare it. It stopped in front of my hand which was supporting me on the ground and the hare just sniffed it.
"See... Even the animals like Zack..." Said twilight. This is when fluttershy peered over to look at me. A few squirrels and another rabbit came over and started to sniff me, just curious probably. Then that brown hare from before bit on one of my finger and I shouted in pain.
"AH!" I shouted. "He bit me..." I pulled my hand back quickly as the little brown rabbit scurried away to hide behind fluttershy who hid behind twilight.
"Hey... No biting Mr." Said fluttershy turning around to the rabbit and picking him up. "No... We don't bite strangers." She said scolding the rabbit in her hooves. While she was distracted twilight walked over to me while. Had my finger covered. It wasn't that bad, just hurt a little, and it broke the skin so it was bleeding a bit.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Yeah I'm fine, it just stung a bit, that's all..." I said showing her the little blood patch on my finger.
"Yeah... You'll be fine." She said. "I suppose you were right about having that bad feeling... This isn't going well at all, I knew it would be hard... But I didn't think that you'd end up getting hurt."
"I don't really think this counts as me end up getting hurt." I said.
"Oh my... Are you okay?" Asked fluttershy who floated over after putting down the rabbit which scurried away to join the other animals. "Are you bleeding?" She asked as she floated over and landed by my side in a rather curious change of attitude. "Let me see." She said gesturing to my hand with her nose. I held up my wounded hand and she grabbed it with both of her hooves. "Oh, you poor thing... I'll get a Band-Aid." She said quickly floating back into her house.
"Alright... What's with the sudden change of heart?" I asked.
"She can be shy... But she hates seeing anyone get hurt... You could say that she's very motherly. She takes care of the animals all day and is committed to the well being of every pony, person and animal in ponyville." She said. "In hindsight you getting hurt might have actually been a good thing, now that she's noticed you and gotten close she might warm up faster... Plus she'll spend a good amount of time feeling guilty that the rabbit bit you... So don't get annoyed is she asks you if you're okay every other minute." Said twilight.
"This didn't exactly go as I thought it would." I said. "I figured I would be having an awkward tea party, without being attacked by furry creatures."
"Hey... Life's a mystery." Said twilight shrugging. I just chuckled a little and fluttershy then floated out of her house with a Band-Aid in her hoof. She flew over and floated down next to me.
"Here this should do it." She said unwrapping the Band-Aid and grabbing my hand. I kept my hand up and she wrapped the Band-Aid around my finger, right over the wound. She smiled and floated back a bit. "There we are... All better." She said. The Band-Aid was pink with little red hearts on it, and I don't mean, like ordinary pink, this pink was the brightest, most vibrant neon pink I've ever seen. It hurts my eyes just looking at it, but I can't say that out loud, so I smiled instead.
"Uh... Thanks fluttershy... I'm feeling much better now." I said.
"I'm glad..." She said with an adorable smile as she softly clapped her hooves together. "Oh... Silly me, I almost forgot about the tea party... I bet a nice relaxing cup of tea would be nice..." She said floating back into her house.
"Sheesh... It's like we've been friends forever." I said.
"Yeah, there's a really big difference between the way that fluttershy treats strangers and friends... You might actually be the first human she's ever willingly approached." Said twilight.
"Good to know." I said. Not long after, fluttershy fluttered out of the house with a tea set in both hooves. There were for tea cups and a large pot of warm water, as well as a small wooden box full of tea bags. She floated over to us and set the tea set on the ground and sat down herself.
"Please... Have some, if... You don't mind, that is." She said becoming rather shy again and her face was turning flush red.
"Fluttershy, why are you blushing?" Asked twilight.
"Oh, it's just... I've never really made friends with a boy before... And he's a human too..." She said. The flattery was nice, but part of me wishes that I didn't hear that. "Here... Let me pour the tea..." She said grabbing the teapot and pouring hot water into each cup. "I only have earl grey tea... I hope that's fine."
"It's my favorite." Said twilight.
"It's okay... I haven't really ever drank tea before." I said grabbing one of the tea bags and dipping it into the hot water. It didn't take long for the water to start becoming discolored and turned a greenish brown color.
"Oh... I've got cookies too, I baked the this morning... I'll go get them." Said fluttershy getting a bit excited and flying back to her house. I mixed my tea a little as I watched her flutter off and I took out the tea bag and placed it in the small late under the teacup. I brought the teacup up to my mouth and looked at it... This thing was ridiculously small... But it probably wasn't made with humans in mind.
"Normally you're only supposed to take small sips of tea, it's the proper thing to do... But, uh..." Said twilight looking at the small teacup in my hands. I was only able to get one finger through the handle.
"One sip and it'll be half empty." I said.
"Sorry... Fluttershy lives in a very small house, it's really old and was built with only ponies in mind... So everything's really... Small."
"It might be nicer than living in a huge house as a pony... Like you." I said.
"Well my house is bigger, but it's not huge..." She said. "It's just the doorway really. The ceilings are raised a bit so that humans don't have to worry about hitting their heads. The door is just big, that's all really. There aren't many places else like fluttershy's house in Equestria. I suppose there is the old elementary school, but that's usually just full of little kids, so it doesn't matter too much."
"I got them..." Said a voice from far to the side. I looked over and saw fluttershy flying over with a plate full of cookies. She floated right over and set the plate down next to the tea set. "Go ahead...try one." She said looking at me with a smile.
"Uh... Sure." I said reaching down and grabbing one of the cookies. I held it up and looked at it. It was small, as I could have predicted... And it was chocolate chip! I ate the cookie in one whole bit and it was pretty good. It was still warm and the chocolate soft and melted still. "Mmmm... These are good." I said. I took a sip of my tea, but I accidentally drank the whole thing.
"Hmm... I might need bigger cups." Said fluttershy looking into the empty cup. "I'm sorry that everything is small... It's usually just me here, and my animal friends... And I've never had any humans visit, or have tea... I'm sorry." She said. To be true, the house she lived in looked a bit small, even for her, it was a bit cramped but it does look like a very comfortable house. "I'm sorry my house is so small too... I would invite you in... But I don't think you would fit through the doorway."
"Your house isn't small... It's... Uh... Quaint." I said.
"That pretty much means its small you know." Said twilight.
"But it also means it's cozy too..." I said pointing my finger at her.
"Yes, I suppose that fluttershy's house is very cozy."
"Oh it is..." Said fluttershy closing her eyes and smiling. "Where do you live? Is it cozy?" She asked looking at me.
"Well... I live in an apartment in south ponyville... So I wouldn't really say that it's cozy, though it's homely." I said.
"Oh...I don't like south ponyville... I've never gone there and I don't want to... It's scary, and there's lots of mean looking humans." She said.
"Yeah, it's not exactly the type of places for somebody...uh... With such a kind heart as yourself." I said trying my best not to belittle her or make her seem weak.
"Thank you..." She said smiling again.
"Mmmm... Fluttershy these cookies are pretty good." Said twilight having already taken a bite of one.
"Thanks... I got the chocolate chips from pinkie pie the other day." Said fluttershy.
"Oh... Well that explains this..." Said twilight pulling a piece of confetti from her mouth. It was covered in saliva and chewed up food. "Ugh..." She said shivering and putting the piece of confetti on a napkin.
"What the..." I said after I watched the whole thing. And I ate an entire one whole... Uh oh.
"Oh pinkie..." Said fluttershy looking worryingly at the cookies.
"I told her before not to throw parties in the kitchen." Said twilight. "Honestly... I don't get her sometimes."
"She's just being pinkie pie." Said fluttershy.
"Is this another one of your friends?" I asked.
"Yeah, she helps run sugar cube corner with the cakes..." Said twilight.
"Do I even want to meet her?" I asked.
"That depends..." Said twilight.
"Depends on what?" I asked.
"Depends on how strong your heart is."
"She's the only pony I know who can ask a hundred questions in just over a minute." Said fluttershy.
"She's ponyvilles number one, hyperactive pink party pony." Said twilight. "I'll introduce you some day... When you think you're ready."
"Yeah... Let's wait on that one for a bit." I said. "This is good enough for me." I said taking another cookie and eating it whole again despite the fact it may or may not contain confetti. Some time passed and I had tea with twilight and fluttershy. I and fluttershy soon started to become friends and soon enough she had warmed up to me. It's funny that when we met she was terrified of me, but now we've started to get to know each other. She really seems to like me since I'm not only the first guy she's become friends with but also the first human she's become friends with.
"So fluttershy... You really haven't made friends with other guys?" I asked.
"Uh... No... I get really shy." She said. "Plus most boys that I meet aren't very nice... But you're nice." She said.
"Uh, thanks..." I said. "At least you've got some nice friends..."
"How many friends do you have?" She asked.
"Well that depends, are we friends now?" I asked her.
"D-do you want to be friends?" She asked.
"I think it would be fun if we were friends..." I said.
"Then we're friends..." She said smiling.
"Well... Now I'm up to three friends total..." I said.
"Only three?" Asked fluttershy seeming somewhat disappointed. "Oh... How sad... How come nopony wants to be friends with you?" She asked.
"Well I'm not really that popular..." I said. "Most people and ponies tend to avoid me... At all times."
"That's so mean of them..." Said fluttershy..."Why would they do that?" She asked. She looked like she was starting to get upset over this.
"Well... You see... It has to do with my parents." I said. "My mother and father were very loving parents... But my mother, who was human... Married my father... Who was a unicorn... Now you see the problem with that." I said.
"Oh my... I've heard about that." She said.
"And if it wasn't bad enough, somehow they had a kid... Me..." I said.
"I'm still not certain how exactly that works." Said twilight.
"Me either... I'm just lucky I didn't come out with any freakish defects." I said. "Like a horn... Or strange, differed limbs..."
"Or a cutie mark..." Said twilight making a joke. Fluttershy and twilight laughed... But just before I was going to laugh something suddenly hit me inside my mind and time seemed to stop for a second. It was what twilight said... A cutie mark. A symbol that appears on a pony when they realize what they are destined for. It's like a tattoo that... Magically appears on their bodies. Realizing this literally just fucked up my world. I didn't want to startle twilight and fluttershy by just staring off into space with a look of terror across my face... So I just fake smiled and let out a laugh, a fake laugh.
"I think that would be kinda funny... If you had a tattoo on either side of your butt..." Said fluttershy.
"Can we not talk about my butt please?" I asked still somewhat freaked out, but I couldn't just speak my mind right now. Instead I pulled those feelings back and saved them for later... I'll worry about this when I get home. "Besides, even if I had a cutie mark you wouldn't be able to see it past all my clothes."
"Oh... Maybe he does... But he's hiding it." Said fluttershy to twilight giggling.
"I do not have a cutie mark on my butt..." I said.
"Relax... It was just a joke." Said twilight.
"I know... But can we please not talk about me being a freak child... And more importantly my butt." I said.
"Alright... We'll drop it." Said twilight.
"Sorry..." Said fluttershy feeling a bit guilty. I just looked over to her and let out a deep sigh.
"No, it's fine... Don't worry... I just get a bit defensive sometimes." I said. "I've had a rough life that's lead to some unsavory choices... So I can be a bit on edge sometimes..." I said.
"Like when you hit rainbow dash..." Said fluttershy. I didn't think that she would have known about that,
"Eh...yeah... Like that." I said feeling embarrassed.
"Speaking of bad choices... Zack, it's been a long time since I've seen you last smoke." Said twilight.
"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting to tell you... But I've been kicking the habit." I said lifting up my sleeve and showing her a micro time patch on my arm. "This patch is helping me get off the drug without the unsavory side effects."
"That's great!" Said twilight.
"Yeah, I've been getting better for a month now, at least." I said.
"Well that explains why you were able to keep up with me when we ran all the way over here." She said. "Well good for you... I'm glad I was able to talk some sense into you."
"Yeah well... You were probably close to just beating some sense into me... So I thought it was about time to quit..." I said nervously chuckling and scratching my head. Twilight just flashed me a haughty 'I told you so' smile to me.
"Oh my, smoking is such a disgusting habit..." Said fluttershy. "I'm glad you quit."
"I'm kinda glad too..." I said. "I've been a bit itchy since then, but I suppose that's just the price to pay... The doctors said that in another few months I should be able to go off the patch and finally be rid of it all..."
"Good..." Said twilight.
"Speaking of smoke, did you hear about all of those horrible fires near the hydra plains?" Asked fluttershy.
"Mmmm... I did." Responded twilight.
"Hydra plains?" I said. "That's just on the other side of the mountains. How does a place that's buried in snow half the year and rains the rest, catch on fire?" I asked.
"It's just started the rain season right now..." I said.
"They say it's a dragon... A really big scary one... And it's angry." Said fluttershy.
"Mmmm... They've seen it flying around and just torching the plains." Said twilight.
"You don't think it'll come to ponyville do you?" Asked fluttershy seeming kinda scared.
"Most likely not, dragons are very territorial creatures when they're fully grown. So the chances of it leaving the plains just because are very slim." Said twilight. "Beside... The only reason it would leave would be for the dragon migration season, and that means it'll head north like the rest of the dragons to go mount Gizzara."
"Wow twilight, it's a good thing you know a lot." Said fluttershy becoming less nervous now.
"Well, she does burry her face in books for a good amount of the day." I said joking at twilight.
"Yeah, well maybe you should try... God forbid you try to learn something." Said twilight. "You could at least think about maybe furthering your education."
"Oh geez not this again." I said rolling my eyes.
"Hey, I'm not saying you should go to a fancy college or anything, maybe go local. Coltsdale universal is pretty cheap, and it isn't that bad of a journey." Said twilight. "College is a good way to try and find better jobs... And where you stand... I think a good job would be a better for you."
"Not everybody has to go to college you know, twilight." I said.
"I went to college..." Said fluttershy. "I went to manehattan veterinary school."
"And rarity went to Coltsdale school of arts and literature." Said twilight.
"I don't know who that is...first of all... And second, I don't really have the makings of a college student... I don't have any money, and I don't really have anything that I'm good at, I couldn't really see myself becoming anything than I already am." I said. "If I had some money... Well, maybe I'd start checking it out... But I don't." I said lying to cover up my night life.
"Well... You could get a student loan." Said twilight.
"Yeah, like a bank would just give me money... Besides, with my current job, it wouldn't take long for me to run myself into dept, and before you know it I'll be out on the streets... What good is a college degree if you're a worthless nobody?"
"Well... I could help you pay off the loan." Said twilight.
"No, don't say that... I'm not going." I said. "And I'm not going to have you pay off my loans, just saying that feels... Wrong." I said. "I can take care of myself, and I have been all of my life... But... Uh, thanks..." I said. "It helps to know you've got my back." I said.
"Yeah... Sure... No problem Zack." Said twilight smiling and slightly blushing.
"Aw... You two are so cute together." Said fluttershy smiling gleefully and rubbing her hooves together.
"WHAT!" I and twilight both shouted together. Our collected shout scared fluttershy and she backed away a little.
"I'm sorry..." She said.
"Fluttershy don't say stuff like that... I and Zack are just friends... That's all it is." Said twilight.
"Oh... I'm sorry." She said. We sat there in awkward silence for a little while before a voice was heard not too far from us. It wasn't very clear at first because I wasn't paying attention but then I could hear it perfectly. It was a mare's voice calling out for fluttershy, I didn't recognize the voice though.
"Fluttershy... Oh fluttershy dear where are you?" Asked the voice.
"Is that... Rarity?" Asked twilight.
"Oh my... That's right, I was supposed to have her over here." Said fluttershy. "She said she would mend my gardening hat for me."
"You had other plans?" Asked twilight.
"Well, she is here on time... You two were late though, and this did drag out longer than I thought it would." She said making seem embarrassed a little. "Anyway, I, sure she won't mind jointing us... I did bring an extra cup."
"Oh fluttershy there you are dear..." Said the voice right behind us. I looked over to see a white mare with curly purple hair standing there with diamond blue eyes and as it would seem, a diamond cutie mark. She was a very proper looking pony, and her hair and coat was well groomed. She also smelt of perfume, which was kinda overpowering... In fact it was very overpowering.
"Oh rarity there you are." Said fluttershy covering her nose. I had to do the same too.
"Rarity, I think you used too much perfume." Said twilight doing the same as us.
"Well it isn't my fault." Said rarity in a bit of a whinny voice. "My sister loosened the op on my bottle of perfume and it spilled all over me and the rug... Ugh... I and my house are going to smell like sunshine lilac for weeks... I've already tried washing it out... But, it would seem using shampoos and conditioners that also have a fragrance seems to have made the whole ordeal worse..." I said. "I don't blame you for covering your snouts..." She said. "Or uh... Noses... In this gentleman's case." She said looking at me like I had three heads or something. "Twilight... Is this the human friend of whom you've been talking about for the past few months... What was his name... Jack?"
"Zack... This is Zack... And yes he's my friend." She said.
"Uhm... Hi... I'm Zack... Nice to uh..." I said stopping to take my hand off my nose so I didn't sound strange. "Uh... Nice to meet you." I said holding out my hand, the smell of her perfume was really strong, but it did smell kinda nice... But then again it did smell like I might suffocate and die.
"Uh... Well... It's nice to me you... Zack." She said holding out her hoof and we both shook. She did seem really snobby and uptight and kinda disgusted with me. We walked over next to fluttershy and sat down next to her. Fluttershy moved over a bit because of the perfume and out of decent respect twilight and fluttershy took their hooves of their snouts. I thought that maybe if I started breathing through my mouth it would be so bad and I wouldn't smell it, I was wrong. The scent was thick enough that I could just barely taste it and it tasted like the air itself was poison, so I went back to nose breathing.
"Uhm... Rarity, would you like a cup of tea and a cookie maybe?" Asked fluttershy.
"That would be lovely darling." She said kindly. "So... Have you been making any good gossip while you were all here?" She said while fluttershy poured her a cup of tea.
"Not much... Recent events." Said twilight.
"Like about the dragon in the hydra plains." Said fluttershy.
"Oh, yes I've heard about that dragon and his... Brutish behavior..." Said rarity. "If there's anything I hate more in this world than clashing colors, its brutish behavior. I just don't understand why others can't act civil." She said. After she was done she peered over to me and gave me a really cold gaze that sent a shiver down my spine and cut through my very soul. It was at that moment that I learned how scary a woman could really be, no matter what race she might be.
"Hey... I saw that." Said twilight. "You just gave him your look of disapproval... Didn't you?"
"Oh... I don't like it when she does that." Said fluttershy getting a bit scared.
"I don't know what you mean..." She said looking at her polished hoof.
"This is because he hit rainbow dash... Isn't it?" Asked twilight.
"Possible..." Said rarity. "A man should never lay his hands on a lady... Even... Even if that lady should be somepony like rainbow dash..." Hearing her say that made me a bit mad, it might be true, but in just wanted to shout at her and tell her that rainbow dash deserved it... But I just gripped my fist and let out a deep breath.
"I'm going..." I said getting up.
"Wait, Zack... Where are you going?" Asked twilight.
"I... Uh... I think I've overdone my stay here... So I'm going to head back home." I said. "You stay here and finish having tea with your friends."
"Zack..."
"Don't worry... I'm fine." I said starting to make my way out of fluttershy's yard. "I just need to get some fresh air... The air over there was starting to smother me." I said stretching my arms a bit.
"A-alright... I suppose... I'll walk back with you then." Said twilight walking up to my side.
"No, you stay here... Is rather just be alone right now." I said. "A bit of silence to clear my thoughts."
"O-okay... Well... I'll, uh... I'll give you a call later then, is that okay?"
"Uh... Sure... That's fine." I said. She smiled and waved goodbye as I walked away. Fluttershy waved goodbye too and I left. I made my way back into ponyville and started walking through the streets like I normally would. I didn't really have a direct path back to my house... I just wandered a bit. It took a few minutes for the overpowering scent of perfume to leave my nose, but every now and again I got a whiff of it, probably because it had stained my clothes a bit. Out of curiosity I sniffed my sleeve and I was right in my assumption, my clothes smell like perfume... But just barely though. I think that when I get home I'll shower and throw these clothes on my floor... Might lighten up the atmosphere... My room will smell like sunshine lilac from now on.
I gave myself a little chuckle and then let out a deep sigh as I made my way thought the city streets. Well... Not much of a city... A town really. Ponyville is strange, it's too big to be a town, but not big enough to be a city. It's just... Ponyville. It's dangerous, but it's safe. Guards wander the streets of north and west ponyville... But when it comes to the other half... The human district, as some like to call it, there's nobody there... So crime flourishes. I kept walking down the street and suddenly I got a call on my cell phone. I felt it vibrating In my pocket so I picked it up and checked the number, but it was unrecognized, but I answered regardless.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Yeah, Zack... Is this you?" Asked a man on the other end, I knew is voice as one of Donnie's boys, somebody I used to know.
"Uh... Yeah... Who's this?" I asked.
"It's me... Fox." Said the man. I remembered fox as a skinny white man with really red hair. He's our spy and is really good at gathering Intel on things... So we call him fox... Good with a knife too. "Heard you joined back in... Good for you, I ain't been in town lately but I just got back."
"Is there a reason you're calling me?" I asked.
"Yeah... Donnie's on the move, he's head in over to las Pegasus to take care of business... He's taken me and hammer with him, as well so some other grunts with guns... Says that he's suspending operations in ponyville temporarily... He wants you to watch over the place."
"Uh... Yeah yeah, sure." I said a bit in disbelieve that Donnie would act so quickly.
"Hey... Keep the place in good shape while we're gone... Okay kid?"
"Yeah sure..." I said.
"Alright... I'll catch ya latter kid... Don't get dead." He said before hanging up the phone. I closed my cell phone and put it back in my pocket. I was a bit surprised to say the least... But I didn't question it. Not like I have to do anything different, the gang with work just the same even with Donnie gone... But I'll drop by every now and then to make sure stuffs going well. Once I finally got my mind together I just kept walking and noticed I was almost home now, I could see the building from here. Jeez, it's just been one weird thing after another lately... And I feel like my streak of weird happenings isn't going to end soon... I don't know why, it is but I've got that feeling again...and this time it's really bad. This time it wasn't just a feeling in my gut... But an actual physical thing. I was starting to sweat and get itchy... And dizzy. But I kept walking forward. There was this loud ringing in my ears that grew louder and louder until finally it stopped and when the world stopped spinning I noticed I was standing in front of my house.
The first thing I noticed was a rather large package sitting there. I looked at the huge brown box and figured it must be somebody else's and it was just addressed wrong. I checked to see who it was for... But there was no legal sticker on it... Just my name... Zachary Miles. I didn't order anything... But it could be something from the mob... Or family, but it doesn't seem that way. I looked over the box and it was almost as tall as I was. I reached around it to unlock the door and drag it inside. Once the door was open I picked up the box and it was freaking heavy... I mean, damn. It felt like there must have been sixty or seventy pounds of metal or something in here.
I couldn't carry it anymore and just dragged it inside. I locked the door behind me and dragged the large box into the living room. I sat down and the couch and kept he large rectangular box sitting there. It was almost as tall as me but very thin, I have no idea what's in it, I can't really think of anything that could match the shape of that box. I shook the box a bit and there was a faint sound... Like heavy banging metal...so I was right... There is metal in there. I didn't wait long before I grabbed my knife and cut the box open. I opened it up and it was full of packing peanuts. I bushed them aside to see there was something like a chest in there. I pulled out the contents of the box and instead of a chest there was a huge ass case, just the size of the box. I pulled it out and got packing peanuts everywhere. I put the case on my coffee table and just looked at it. It was a heavy black case with a handle... And also three locks, one in the middle and one on either side of that one.
On top of the case was a envelope... With a letter it in probable. I picked up the envelope hoping It would clarify something. When I held it I could tell that there was something in there. I opened up the letter and to my somewhat odd disappointment there wasn't even a letter... It was just an envelope with a key inside of it. I reached in and grabbed the key inside and looked at it. The head of the key had some strange symbol on it. I looked at the key and at the locks and figured it must be a key to the locks. I started with the lock to the far left of it and when I looked closely the symbol on the key was on the lock as well... This must be it then. I was a bit confused as to what was inside... And I was very eager to find out. I put the key in the lock and it fit perfectly. I twisted the key and the lock popped open and the sides of it flared out signaling it was unlocked. The locks themselves were built into the case. I moved over to the next lock and tried sticking the key in... But it didn't fit.
"What the hell...?" I said. I pulled the key back and looked in the envelope, but that was the only key in it. I started shifting through the box full of packing peanuts for the other two keys, but there was nothing left in the box. "What the fuck... Only one key?" I said. "How the hell am I supposed to open this then... Where are the others?" I asked myself. I looked at the key and the locks on the box and I just noticed that the locks each and different symbols on them. Three symbols... That must mean three keys... But where the hell are the other keys... And who sent this to me, how did they get it here without a legal sticker...and what the hell is I. This damn box that is so god damn heavy? I kept thinking to myself when suddenly there was a knock on my door. "Who the..."
"Zack! Are you home?" Asked a familiar voice muffled by the closed door.
"T-twilight?" I said to myself recognizing the voice. I walked up to the door and opened it up to see that it was twilight but she had that pony from before... Rarity, the snobby one. "What the... Uh, what are you doing here?"
"Hey Zack... Rarity is here to apologize." She said.
"F-for what?"
"For being so condescending at fluttershy's cottage... It was very rude and I would like you two to be friends." She said. "Can we come in?" Asked twilight.
"Uh... Well... I guess sure." I said. "But my house is a bit of a mess right now... Well, more of a mess than it usually is."
"Charming." Said rarity huffing and turning around. She seemed very, not interested in being here right now.
"C'mon... You two are going to make nice and be friends or so help me rarity." Said twilight as I let her and her friend in.
"Uh twilight... Why are you forcing your friends on me as of lately?" I asked.
"Well I don't want you to feel like you don't belong anywhere. I'm not gonna lie Zack, your life kinda sucks... And I'm just trying to look out for you." Said twilight.
"Wow... You're so helpful twilight... So considerate and thoughtful of other people's lives and emotions." I said sarcastically. She just looked back and smiled at me and I smiled back. She and rarity walked out into the living room and I followed. I watched as they stopped to see the mess that was lying around the room.
"Oh my..." Said rarity.
"Jeez Zack... What happened in here?" Asked twilight.
"I got a package from... Well, I don't know." I said. "I got here and there was a box with my name on it. I opened it up and there was that heavy ass case in it... Came with a key... But I need two more to open it." I said. "At least that's the short of it."
"Wh-what... Who... Why?" Twilight stammered. "Who sent this to you?"
"I don't know... It came with an envelope. But the only thing in it was the key to one of the locks on it, I don't know where to find the other ones..."
"This is... Very strange." Said twilight.
"My... This box is in pretty decent shape... Even though it's a very old, old style for a box... With built in magic key locks." Said rarity waking over to look at it.
"You know what this is?" Asked twilight.
"Mmmm... They used to be very popular back in the time of the old kingdom, thousands of years ago before the princesses. Each one has locks built into it, usually one...but the most they could have is three... Which means that since there are three locks with three separate keys, whatever is in this case is extremely valuable." She said.
"Really?" I asked surprisingly. "It's pretty damn heavy... Must be something good."
"So you only have one key?" Asked twilight. "I'm kinda curious as to what's inside."
"I've been able to figure out that the keys have matching symbols to the locks."
"Most of them do... Magic keys... But I don't know where to find them." Said rarity.
"So this package just showed up at your doorstep... No name on it, or an address... And you wanna open it up and see what's inside... You do know how crazy this all is...right?" Asked twilight.
"I know... But I wanna find out what's in it..." I said. "But without the other keys... The chances of that happening are probably zero."
"Cant we just use unlocking magic?" Asked twilight looking over to rarity who obviously knew more about this than I did.
"It won't work, only the keys can open up the locks on these boxes..." Said rarity. "And forcing it open won't do either, he locks are protected by magic that reflects any kind of damage." Just then there was another knock on my door and I turned around.
"Who could that be?" I asked.
"I'll get it..." Said twilight.
"No it's fine... I got it." I said walking past twilight and into the kitchen. I walked up to the door and opened it up to see that it was applejack standing there with spike riding on her back. In spikes hands he held an envelope
"Howdy Zack..." Said applejack.
"Hey... Uh... Applejack... What's up?" I asked.
"I don't really know..." She said. "I got this just this morning." She said pulling out a envelope from her saddlebag and holding it in her teeth. She handed it over to me and I grabbed it. "It's for you oddly enough."
"While you were out with twilight one arrived at the library as well..." Said spike. "Also for you... Not address or name though... It's strange."
"Yeah... Uh... Twilight and rarity are inside... Why don't you two come on in... There's something I wanna show you two."
"Alrighty then..." Said applejack as she walked on in and spiked hopped off her back. They made their way into the living room where they met up with twilight and rarity. They started talking about some stuff but I was too focused on these two letters to really know. Holding them in my hand, I could tell there were objects inside each one. I opened them up... And just as I though, in each was a key. Both looked the same as the last one, but with different symbols on them. I held them in my hand and as I did I felt a burning pain in my back, it was bad enough that I cringed and knelt down to help make it stop. Once it finally faded I got back up and started to get dizzy again... Faint, and weak. Then my body just started to...move. I unwillingly made my way into the living room where I could hear the muffled voices of my friends.
"So Zack... What was in those letters?" Asked applejack, to which I just ignored her, I couldn't force any words out of my mouth. I just stumbled past her and grabbed the box on the ground. I lifted it but this time it seemed almost weightless. I picked it up from the ground and placed it on the coffee table. The table was cluttered with junk, but against my better judgment I placed my arm across the table and seeped all the junk off and onto the floor making a large mess.
"What the..." Said spike.
"How barbaric..." Mulled rarity.
"Zack... What's up, what's wrong?" Asked twilight.
"Y'all don't look so well." Said applejack. I ignored them all and lifted up my arm and placed one of the keys in the lock and turned it, the box clicked and the lock was undone.
"W-where did you get that?" Asked twilight. I ignored her again and lifted my other arm and unlocked the second lock. I stuck the key in, turned it... And at the very second the third lock was undone I snapped out of whatever trance I was in and I was finally put back into clarity. Once everything was normal again I just knelt there with my hand on the key in the lock."Zack... Are you alright?" Asked twilight.
"I...but... What...?" I mumbled."I feel strange... What happened?" I asked.
"You were in some kind of trance..." Said rarity.
"You were totally out of it." Added spike.
"It must be whatever is in the box..." Said twilight. "It must possess a powerful magic that urged you to undo the locks... Be careful Zack... I don't think you should open it anymore... Something here feels... Wrong."
"Twilights right... The veil is shifting too rapidly in here... Don't open it." Said rarity.
"What's this veil thing y'all are talking about?" Asked applejack.
"Applejack I've explained this to you..." Said rarity.
"It's the magical aura of the world that let's unicorns control magic." Said twilight. "Whenever a unicorn casts a spell or incantation the veil shifts, but only slightly, and it can be felt by nearby unicorns... But in this case the veil is shifting too much, and it's very noticeable... So whatever Is in there is imbued with very powerful magic."
"Do the rest of you hear that?" I asked listening closely and hearing something.
"Hear what?" Asked spike. I put my finger to my lip and they were all quiet, but in couldn't hear that sound any clearer.
"I don't hear anything." Said twilight. I started to make the sound out to being a voice... But as it started to grow louder it was saying things in some kind of different language. I placed my hand on the box and I felt a warmth emirate from the case. Then I quickly lifted up the lid and there was a very bright flash of light. I covered my eyes and once the light was gone I slowly peered back to see what it was. Sitting inside of the case, in a velvet casing was... A sword. A really big sword. It was a two handed sword with a leather bound grip and an ornate hilt. The blade was black like the night with a steel outline around the sharpened edges of the blade. The base of the blade was wrapped in chains that connected at the hand guard.
"It's a sword..." I said looking into a box.
"An ancient magic sword no doubt..." Said twilight walking over. "This is amazing, there are few left... They were supposed to be lost long ago... How did one end up at your doorstep?"
"Of all the people... Why is it you?" Asked rarity walking over. She peered in and looked at the sword. "Oh my... It's a very big sword... And it has a very... Interesting design... I'm not sure about the chains though...oh, maybe if it was cloth instead of chains..."
"I...I should write to the princess about this..." Said twilight. "She'll want to know about this..."
"Hey look... There's a placard here... And it's got writing on it." Said rarity reaching down and picking up a little gold placard and reading it. "The Fairy blade... Itt" She read.
"Fairy blade... There aren't any fairies." Said twilight.
"It?" Asked applejack.
"Itt must be its name..." Said rarity. "Itt is spelt with two T's."
"Hmm..." I hummed reaching down into the box only to have twilight stop my hand.
"You aren't thinking of grabbing it aren't you?" Asked twilight.
"Well... Yeah...I am." I said. I pushed my hand further into the box and grabbed the hilt of the blade. The leather binding was soft and warm and was good use as a grip. I picked the blade up and it was heavy... But as I started lifting it, it started to become lighter. I lifted it out of the case and stood up holding it. I held it up and just looked at the blade. The chains dangled and stayed tightly wrapped around the base of the blade. The chains my the base of the blade had thorns making them dangerous. Although it was a large blade, it was easy to hold with just one hand.
"That's a mighty big blade..." Said applejack.
"Yeah...it is." I said just looking at the blade. Something about it made me... Happy... Really happy. I started to smile and look over the blade. "I don't know why this was given to me... But it's pretty cool." I said. "What was its name again?" I asked.
"Itt..." Said rarity.
"It?"
"Yes... Itt... With two T's...I-T-T."she said.
"Huh... That's kind of a cool name..." I said. "It... The Fairy sword... This is so cool."
"Well... Be careful with Itt... Zack... I'm still going to write to the princess about this... She may be able to tell us more." Said twilight.
"Yeah twilight... That's fine..." I said smiling. I held the sword in my hand and I couldn't take my eyes off Itt. I didn't know what it was but holding this blade made me feel happy... It's like the kind of happiness you get from being loved, like someone is there with you always. I wasn't sure what, but as I held this blade I got the strangest sense that somehow it might be alive.
But there's no way it could be...
Authors Note: hey guys its been a while and i said i would start working on my chapters after the break and i have, but i ran into some technical difficulties with my computer and wasn't able to post things for a while, so i apologize. but ive got tons of chapters for unforgiven and im going to start working on reborn again. so heres the next chapter, and im going to post the other, like... five or six chapters all tomorrow. but a fair warning to you all... shit gets massively fucked up in these next few chapters, it all happens kinda fast which is why i figured posting them all at once would make for a better feel to it. so i hope you guys enjoyed this, and i hope you enjoy the direction that im taking this story... which is kinda like the dream machine thing... but toned down...just a little. and there's a lot more romance in it.
So these next few chapters are going to be known as the Chronicles of Itt, so by now you probably already understand the name of this chapter and hopefully all confusion is cleared. and as you can already tell, Itt is the fairy blade that Zack has now. and i know that Itt is a very confusing name... but trust me, deal with it. i like the name, its very strange which is what gives it a sense of beauty. so just keep reading and i hope you all enjoy the Chronicles of Itt.
by the way... that last paragraph... foreshadowing (my favorite literary device)...anyway!
-Stay Shady~
