September 7, 2020
Canterlot Castle
After The Battle of San Franciscolt, Jack was immediately sent to Canterlot, where he found himself being chained up and interrogated by Princess Celestia.
"What happened?" Celestia asked sternly.
Jack gripped his chains nervously. "Me and Lieutenant Longbow were shot down…"
"I'm not talking about San Franciscolt, Jack," Celestia interrupted. "What happened with the Diamond Dogs?"
"Oh… that."
Jack explained how Rarity had been kidnapped, how he had shot one of the Diamond Dog guards, and how one of the surviving dogs had taken his Glock and threatened to kill Rarity.
"After that, there was a Jade flash," Jack explained. "I was vaguely aware of what I was doing, but I didn't have any control over myself. Normally when I enter Chaos Mode, there's an Emerald entity that helps me control it, but this time there was a Jade entity. He was the one in control. If it weren't for Fluttershy, I don't think I would have been able to snap out of it."
A somber frown replaced Celestia's stern glare. "I was afraid of this," she said as she unlocked Jack's chains. "Chaos magic is highly parasitic in nature. Those who use it must be emotionally stable. The more emotional turmoil the host has in their heart, the more susceptible they are to being possessed."
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Jack asked.
"I was afraid that informing you might cause you anxiety and make you more vulnerable," Celestia answered. "In hindsight, that was a mistake. I'll have a private coach readied to send you back to Ponyville. I've also requested that you be put on leave until further notice. I only ask that you use this time to sort out your issues as best you can."
Part of Jack wanted to go straight to the station and head home, but there was one thing he needed to know first. "What happened to Longbow?"
Celestia grimaced. "I suppose there's no hiding it at this point. Lieutenant Longbow suffered from fourth-degree burns. By the time he reached the hospital, it was already too late."
A single tear fell from Jack's left eye.
"Were the two of you close?" Celestia asked.
"Not exactly," Jack answered. "But while we were in the forest, I found the two of us had a bit in common. I think we would have been good friends if he was still here."
"I'm so sorry," Celestia comforted. "Based on reports, it would seem the two of you faced one of the Elements of Chaos. You did all you could."
September 14, 2020
Ponyville Spa
Fluttershy was waiting patiently in the spa's lobby for Rarity. They met there weekly to hang out, but today Rarity was running late.
"Are you going to use zee spa, darling?" asked Lotus, a blue earth pony mare from Trotholm who operated the spa with her sister.
"Oh, um, yes," Fluttershy answered. "I'm just waiting for my friend."
The front door slowly opened, revealing a very disheveled Rarity. Her eyes were red and puffy, her mane looked as if it hadn't been quaffed in days, her fur was matted, and her snow-white complexion had been so tainted with dirt that it had faded to a greyer color. "S-sorry, I'm l-late, Fluttershy. I haven't b-been feeling well since… you know."
"That's oka…" Fluttershy started.
"Sweat Celestia!" Lotus cried upon seeing Rarity. "Aloe, we have an emergency!"
The two spa ponies rushed into the lobby and dragged Rarity into the sauna as Fluttershy nervously followed.
Once they were situated, Fluttershy timidly tried to make conversation. "We… um… haven't seen much of you lately, Rarity. Is everything ok?"
"Well, to be honest…" Rarity began. "No. I've barely b-been able to walk out my door since the mines…" Rarity continued to ramble until it came time to apply mud masks. "I've been t-to nervous to talk to anypony. I even considered s-skipping our weekly get-together."
Aloe and Lotus brought out a couple of cucumber slices and placed them over Rarity's eyes as was the usual for her.
"EEEEEIIIIKKKK!" Rarity shrieked, throwing the vegetables away. "Get these disgusting plants off me!"
Although mildly shocked by Rarity's response Aloe and Lotus decided to simply move on to the massages.
"So-o, a-any-y wa-ay…" Rarity said as her massage continued. "Whi-ile I-I wa-as o-on my-y wa-ay he-ere I-I ra-an i-into-o Pho-oto-o Fi-ini-ishe-ed."
"Photo Finish?" Fluttershy asked.
"She-e's a-a fa-amou-us pho-ota-agra-aphe-er," Rarity explained. "A-at fi-irst she-e wa-as ho-ori-ifie-ed o-of my-y gha-astly-y a-apea-ara-ance, bu-ut a-afte-er I-I sho-owe-ed he-er o-one o-of my-y ha-ats, she-e a-agree-ed to-o fea-atu-ure my-y wo-ork i-in he-er ne-ext sprea-ad."
As the conversation continued, Lotus and Aloe led them to the mud baths, deciding to skip out of Rarity's usual seaweed wrap for fear of another freakout.
"Anyway, sh-she said w-wants to feature my shop in her n-next photo shoot," Rarity explained.
"That's wonderful," Fluttershy congratulated.
Once they were rinsed off, Rarity finally got to the point. "B-but I'll need a model, and I w-was hoping that maybe you could…"
"Oh, goodness," Fluttershy responded. "I don't know."
"It w-would mean so much to me," Rarity pleaded. "I can't exactly m-model anything in this state, and it's n-not l-like any of our friends are s-suited to the task."
Fluttershy was about to protest but thought better of it. "Alright, Rarity. If it will make you happy. But first, I need to check on Ja.." she stopped herself, seeing that Rarity was still uncomfortable talking about Jack.
Ponyville Elementary School
Wake Me up When September Ends - YouTube
Jack silently watched the clock as Cheerilee went on with her lesson. He'd done this before back home. His first two years of elementary school were spent mainly staring at the clock, waiting to go home. Although that was due to his autism, this… this was something else. His autism made him socially awkward in school, but he was still plenty interested in his surroundings. Now he was just empty, numb to everything other than his own self-pity. He was no stranger to death, the first anniversary of Chase's death was only weeks away. A fact which only served to amplify the pain. The Crusader's attempts to play with him, Diamond Tiara's teasing, these things may as well have not existed. He'd drown it all out with his earbuds. Not a hard task considering most ponies had no clue what a phone or earbuds were.
He'd kept one earbud out so he could hear what was going on around him. Sakura Blossom had returned to class after a week-long absence. Her groupies had been ecstatic to see her return, but Jack couldn't have cared less.
Unable to get Jack's attention, the Crusaders had all made separate plans for the afternoon. Sweetie Belle was going to learn how to cook from her parents. Scootaloo's parents had just returned home for the first time in half a year after going on a safari in Tanzinzebra. Needless to say, the orange filly planned to spend as much time with them as possible before they departed for their next adventure. Finally, Apple Bloom had decided to reconnect with Twist seeing as they hadn't really hung out since the Crusaders formed.
The bell rang, and Jack walked aimlessly outside with the rest of the class.
"Thith ith gonna be tho fun!" he could hear Twist say as she and Apple Bloom left for Sweet Apple Acres.
Jack sighed and marched over to a shady tree where he planned to sulk for the rest of the day.
"Hey, ape!" shouted Diamond Tiara.
Ignoring the bully, Jack put in the other earbud and turned the volume up to max.
After spending five minutes spitting insults at Jack Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon decided his lack of response meant they'd been successful. "Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump!" they shouted, doing their secret hoofshake before leaving.
"Ugh," Jack sighed. "Why does everything I do result in other people's misery?"
There was no answer, of course. His emerald counterpart was blocked out by his jade one.
He was vaguely aware of someone approaching him but chose to ignore it.
"What's wrong, Jack-sama?" Sakura Blossom asked.
Jack sighed louder and turned his music up. He was about to go back to his sulking when he felt something wet on his right cheek. Snapping back to reality, he saw Sakura pulling her head back from his face. "Did you just…?" he asked, in a mixture of shock and irritation.
"Had to get your attention somehow, didn't I?" Sakura giggled. "What's got you down?"
"You wouldn't understand," Jack sighed.
"Oh?" Sakura asked. "I think you might be surprised."
"I doubt that," Jack scoffed. "What would you know about what I'm going through? We're nothing alike."
"You and I are motto alike than you think, Jack-sama," Sakura replied.
"Someone died because of me!" Jack shouted. "How could you understand that?! You're just a kid."
Sakura smiled sadly, "Remember when you saw my demon form?"
Jack nodded.
"There's a reason I asked you not to tell anyponī," Sakura sighed. "In Neighpon us, demon ponī are seen as cursed. We were hunted ruthlessly by Neighponese of other races until we were driven to the northernmost islands. "Those of us who stayed behind were forced to disguise ourselves, to live in constant fear, because if we were ever found out…"
April 15, 1723
Kyotack, Neighpon
Oni-Hime smiled as she tied her yukata. She'd been looking forward to Sakura Blossom Festival for months. There was a certain colt from town she had her eyes on, and today she would make her move.
Next to Oni-Hime stood another mare who resembled her in every way except for age. "Be careful out there, Hime," the mare said worriedly. "Whatever you do, don't show your true form. If anyponī asks about your wings or tail…"
"I tell them I'm part thestral," Oni-Hime finished. "I'll be fine, Okkasan!"
Later that evening
"Ē to, Tako-Kun?" Oni-Hime asked timidly.
"Huh?" asked a red colt in a blue yukata. "Oh, hey, Hime-senpai!"
"I, uh, wanted to ask you something," Oni-Hime said shyly.
"Nani?" asked Tako.
"Would you…" Oni-Hime took a deep breath. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO WATCH THE FIREWORKS WITH ME?!" she shouted, blushing furiously.
"Hai," Tako answered with a wide grin. "I'd love to."
As the sun set the two, they set out for a hill just outside town to get a good view of the display. Tako said he knew of a shortcut through several back alleys which he eagerly led Oni-Hime through.
"We're halfway there!" Tako called.
"Um, maybe we should go back," Oni-Hime responded, nervously staring at an unkempt stallion smoking a pipe. "This place seems shady."
"Don't worry. I come here all the…" Tako was stopped mid-sentence by a lanky stallion holding a Kaiken to his throat.
"You should listen to your special someponī," the stallion said. "This is no place for foals."
"Let me go!" Tako shouted.
"No, no, I'm afraid I can't do that," the stallion said. "There are plenty of daimyo who'd pay a good price for slaves of the… younger variety." Looking at Oni-Hime, he said. "You'll come quietly, I expect. If you don't, I'll have to slit his throat. That'd be such a waste, but I'm sure you understand. Firī are far more valuable than koruto."
"B-but slavery is illegal," Tako whimpered.
"When you are a daimyo, you don't really need concern yourself with legality," the stallion sneered.
"Let us go," Oni-Hime hissed with a glare.
"Nani?" asked the stallion. "I must have misheard you. It sounds…"
"LET US GO OR ELSE!" Oni-Hime shrieked.
"Calm down, or I slit…"
"Chikushō!" Oni-Hime cried as she entered her demon form.
"Akuma!" the stallion gasped, dropping his knife in shock.
In the blink of an eye, Oni-Hime sank her spiked hooves into the stallion's side, causing him to howl in pain. Sinking her razor-like fangs into his neck, she could taste the iron in his blood. When she let go, the stallion collapsed into a red pool.
"Are you ok, Tako-Kun?" Oni-Hime asked, her lips still stained with the stallion's blood.
Tako didn't answer her. Picking up the discarded knife, he stared at her as if she were a rabid dog.
"Is everything alright?" Oni-Hime asked. "We can still make it in time for the fireworks if we hurry!"
"Stay away from me!" Tako shouted. "You disgusting creature."
At that moment, Oni-Hime's heart shattered.
Present Time
Ponyville Schoolyard
"After that, Tako-Kun told his parents about me," Sakura said with a sad sigh. "The next day, my Oka-San sent me to fetch some water. When I came back, I found the town's ponies chanting about killing demons as they watched our house burn with my Oka-San inside." A tear dropped from her right eye. "If I hadn't shown my true form, if I'd just listened to her, she'd still be here."
"So then, that's why you were living in the forest," Jack surmised. "You must've slipped aboard the first ship you found and wound up in Equestria. I'm sorry, my sulking brought back such horrible memories."
"Don't be sorry," Sakura requested with a smile. "I think talking about it with someponī who understands is comforting. Don't you?"
"Yeah," Jack said with a weak smile. "I guess so."
Fluttershy's Cottage
"You look better," Fluttershy said to Jack as they ate dinner. "You got back from school pretty late. Did something happen?"
"Not really," Jack answered. "Just had a chat with Sakura. It's funny out of all the ponies in my life, I'd have never guessed she'd be the one to understand."
"Oh, I didn't realize you'd found a special somepony," Fluttershy murmured.
"Special what?!" Jack asked, almost choking on his vegetables. "I assure you there's no chance of that! We just have similar experiences."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I assumed," Fluttershy responded. "Um, what kind of experiences?"
"Uh, being adopted and whatnot," Jack answered, not wanting to discuss his friend's business behind her back. "Enough about my day! How was the spa? Is Rarity doing any better?"
"Not really," Fluttershy answered sadly. "She can't even think about you without freaking out. Although, she did ask me to model her outfits for a photo spread."
"That's good," Jack said. "Maybe it'll help her recover."
"Yeah… good," Fluttershy said glumly.
"Something wrong?" Jack asked.
"Well, it's just…" Fluttershy started before murmuring under her breath.
"Just what?" Jack asked.
"I don't really want to do it!" Fluttershy whisper yelled.
"Oh…" Jack said. "Have you told Rarity?"
"No…"
"Well, don't you think you should?" Jack asked.
"Oh, I don't know…" Fluttershy sighed. "That might make her feel even worse."
"If you don't be honest, you'll only make things worse," Jack reasoned.
"Who are you to talk?" Jade Jack asked. "This is your fault, to begin with, isn't it?"
"I think you mean it was your fault!" Jack replied defensively.
"I am a part of you," Jade Jack sneered. "Any control I had over you was thanks to your own mental weaknesses."
"Weakness I no longer have!" Jack declared.
"Are you sure?" Jade Jack asked. "Your little demon girlfriend may have you in a good mood for now, but the mere fact that I'm the one speaking to you and that emerald pest is nowhere to be found is proof otherwise."
"Shut up!" Jack shouted.
"I-I'm sorry," Fluttershy whimpered.
Jack's heart sank.
"I rest my case," Jade Jack chuckled.
Author's Note:
I had initially planned to release the entirety of the events Green isn't your Color in this chapter, but as the end of the month approached, it became abundantly clear that doing so would make keeping my deadline of two chapters per month impossible. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been an issue. Unfortunately, my roommate moved out a few days ago and decided to spend the last few days here vehemently attempting to convince me of every Alex Jones conspiracy theory imaginable, and that took a lot of the time I could have been writing.
Next Time: As Fluttershy reluctantly acts as a model for Rarity's clothing, both Rarity and Jack must come to terms with what happened in the gem mines.